by J. D. Wright
“Stop it! Don’t you recognize me? Stop!” she shouted. But it did no good. They couldn’t hear her over the buzzing caused by the dozens of fluttering wings. Suddenly, Reeve was lifted off of his horse and carried away. She couldn’t let them harm him. He didn’t mean to enter the valley. This was all her fault.
Even though she knew she might hurt them, she started flinging the fairies off of her. If she could just get them to let go, she could change into sprite form and show them who she was, but they just kept pulling at her. She finally let them take her.
She landed with a thud outside of their tree hollows. She saw Reeve, several feet away from her. He was being held down but struggling, trying to break free.
“STOP!” Rhea demanded. “Set him free. Now!”
One of the fairies flew up right to her face. Rhea didn’t flinch. It was Raven. She changed into human form and stood in front of Rhea.
“We wondered when you would return. I didn’t recognize you in your hideous human clothing,” she said, distastefully. “As if your state of dress wasn’t enough, you bring a man into our valley?”
Rhea searched for a way to explain but even though it was an accident, she doubted the other fairies would care. He would still be punished. She had to come up with a plan, and quick.
“He isn’t just a man. He’s… He’s the one from before. The one who saved me.”
Raven turned around. “You! What is your name?”
“Reeve. His name is Reeve,” Rhea interjected.
“That sounds vaguely familiar, but I could have sworn that man’s name was something else. Roman or…”
“It was Reeve. Honestly, Raven, your memory is terrible for a guard.” It was either brave or incredibly unwise to call Raven’s bluff. Rhea was sure it wouldn’t work.
Raven walked up to the man and waved her hand. Immediately, every fairy let go of his arms and legs and flew back. Reeve stayed on the ground and didn’t move. Raven bent down to get a closer look at his face.
“He does look like him...” she said. “Why are you here?” she barked.
“I escorted R--, err, Princess Rhea, home. For her safety.” He glanced over at Rhea. Whatever story she was spinning about him being his brother, he wasn’t about to prove it untrue.
Suddenly, a fairy flew out of one of the tree hollows. Queen Viola landed in front of them.
“Rhea!” she exclaimed. “Why have you brought this stranger into our home?”
“This isn’t a stranger. It’s the same man who rescued me. I apologize, my queen. I didn’t mean to bring him into the valley. I got distracted…”
“I expect you’ve come begging for my forgiveness?”
“No, Mother. I mean… Yes, but… That isn’t the only reason I’ve come. I--”
“You have disappointed me again, Rhea. After what happened before, I would think that you of all fairies would know better than to go wandering off with some human.”
“He isn’t just some human, Mother. You offered him my hand in marriage, remember?”
Reeve’s eyes went wide at the mention of marriage. That part of the story was entirely new to him. He was beginning to sweat.
“And he refused if I recall. Perhaps, we should punish him for that foolish decision, alone.”
Rhea panicked. She tried to think of something to say, but Reeve was faster.
“I changed my mind!” Reeve shouted, then he swallowed hard when the queen looked at him.
“You have decided to accept my daughter’s hand in marriage?” Viola asked.
Reeve glared at Rhea, who looked like she was about to cry at any moment. What could he do? If he refused, he would probably be cursed for life or killed. Neither outcome was better than the other. A man who was cursed by a fairy would live in agony. Until he either lost his sanity or took his own life. Perhaps, agreeing to the fairy’s terms would be his only means of escape.
“Yes. I accept.”
Rhea sighed a breath of relief as Reeve rose to his feet. Her peace was short-lived, however.
“Fantastic. We will have the ceremony right away,” Viola said.
“Right away? As in next week?” Rhea asked. She was hopeful that she could find a way to help Reeve escape before then.
“No, Rhea. We will have the ceremony now.” Viola replied, folding her hands together. “Raven, please return to my hollow and retrieve the vine.”
Raven changed into sprite form and flew into the tree. Reeve looked like he was going to be sick. Rhea had to fight back the urge to shout, to tell her mother that she was lying. But it probably wouldn’t save him.
Raven returned and changed back into human form. She handed a long dark green vine to the queen who took it and gestured Reeve and Rhea to come forward.
Viola took her daughters left arm and tied one end of the vine around her arm at the elbow. Then she swirled the vine around the lower part of Rhea’s arm until it reached her hand. Viola then turned to Reeve and took his left hand, pulling it over and placing it on top of Rhea’s hand. Quickly, she continued wrapping the vine over their hands and up Reeve’s lower arm. She stopped at the elbow and tied it.
Viola stepped back and waved her arm over theirs. The vine began to tighten, magically, until it was snug. Reeve could feel Rhea’s hand was shaking. She was staring at the ground. There was a certain level of awkwardness that couldn’t be overcome. The situation was nothing like he would have imagined it would be for his wedding, if he ever had one. And marrying a fairy, under the guise of his brother, was the most insane thing he could ever do.
When Viola began to speak in a language Reeve couldn’t understand, Rhea finally lifted her eyes to meet his. Her sparkly blue eyes were so lovely that he couldn’t look away. For the first time, he really looked at her. Her shiny golden hair was pulled back from her face, but it didn’t hinder her beauty. Nothing could. Not even the thick metal ring around her neck.
Reeve looked away when Rhea blushed. He had no idea just how long he had been staring into her eyes, but it was long enough to make her face turn pink. Viola stopped speaking for a moment then she turned to Reeve.
“Young man, I know you do not understand the language of the fae, but this is the part when you say, ‘I will’.”
“I will.” He didn’t hesitate. If he gave the queen any reason to think he wanted to back out, he could kiss any chance of seeing his sister again, goodbye.
“And you, Rhea?” Viola said, turning to her daughter.
For a brief moment, she thought about confessing. To force this man to marry her was worse than being rejected by him. Why she couldn’t find a nice man who actually wanted to marry her, she would never understand. But his best chance of leaving alive was if she agreed to this marriage. Maybe she could find a way to make amends with him later on…
“I will.”
Viola said a few more phrases in the language of the fae, then she stepped closer and placed her hand on top of theirs. Reeve could feel a small tingle on his left ring finger. Viola waved her hand over theirs, again. The vine loosened around their arms and fell to the ground below. Raven bent down and retrieved it.
Rhea lifted her hand and looked at it. There, on her finger, was a dark green ring. Reeve noticed it, too. However, it wasn’t a real ring. It was just a band of color inked onto his finger. He took his other hand and rubbed it, but it didn’t remove the color. Somehow, the ring had been permanently placed on his finger. Magically, he assumed.
As frightening as it was to realize that he had just taken a sacred vow with someone he barely even knew, there wasn’t time to absorb it before Viola spoke.
“Congratulations, my daughter. And now, I must banish you from the valley.”
“What?” Rhea exclaimed, unable to hide her shock. “Why?”
“As your punishment for leaving and disobeying my orders. And even though I have allowed this man to live, you still brought him into our home. You will leave at once and never return. I tru
st that your new husband will be able to care for you. I shall not worry about your safety going forward.”
The way her mother spoke, it was as if she were talking to a stranger. Instead, she was banishing her own daughter from her home, forever.
“I came here to ask for your help. A wizard has been spreading wildfire in Taten and Labara. Even right outside of Elmber. He will be attacking Junacave soon and we need your help. The land will need to be healed and—“
“We were willing to aid the Elder Mage before, but we will not do so now. If the wizards want to fight amongst themselves, we will not interfere. Nor will we fix the damage caused by it.”
“But an entire kingdom could be destroyed. It would take centuries for the land to heal on its own—“
“I have given you my answer. We will not ever aid the men, ever again.”
Rhea knew there was no way to convince her mother. Viola’s hatred for men was rooted deep in her heart. Arguing further would only serve to anger the queen. Rhea took Reeve by the hand and started to lead him away. Then she stopped and turned back.
“Just so you know, Mother,” she said. “The Elder Mage isn’t a man this time. It’s a woman.”
Without saying another word, she turned and walked out of the valley, leaving her family and her home behind.
~*~
Rianne crept up to the door. She knew her parents were inside having just watched her father enter the room. King Nolan had been avoiding her for days. She wanted to know why but deep inside she already knew. Her father planned to accept King Carneath’s marriage proposal.
She put her ear up to the door and slowed her breathing so she could listen. Her mother, Isabelle, was the first to speak.
“Are we sure that this is the best choice, Nolan? She is still so young…”
“Seventeen years old isn’t very young, Belle. You were seventeen when we were wed.”
“And our first few years were difficult, to say the least, because of it.”
“She will grow to accept him as her husband. There are much worse prospects in the realm. She should be grateful that her home will be so close to Labara. She could visit her brothers as often as she likes.”
“You mean as often as Carneath will allow.”
“I must do what is best for the kingdom,” Nolan said.
“Perhaps, we could negotiate with him. Give him something else in exchange for the land?”
“Before now, that may have been possible. But after the fire, we lost too much land to risk losing this deal with Carneath. We need to reestablish the quarter of orchard that burned as soon as possible. It will already take ten years, minimum, before any new seedlings will bear fruit.”
Rianne continued to listen as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’ve made my decision,” he said, firmly.
“I understand.” Isabelle didn’t press the matter further, but Nolan knew she still didn’t agree. “When do you plan to tell her?”
“I will make the announcement tomorrow.”
Silence followed for several moments after her father finished speaking. It seemed the conversation was over. Rianne backed away from the door and turned down the hallway. Her father said she should be grateful. Grateful of what? Of being a convenient pawn?
She kept walking, deep in thought, without paying any attention to where she was going. Somehow, she found herself in the courtyard. Without realizing it, she walked into the path of a knife flying straight at her head.
Before she could react, the knife froze in the air. Her eyes crossed as she looked down at the tip of the blade, just an inch or so from her nose.
Eon, the Royal Mage of Labara stepped out from behind a carriage on the other side of the courtyard. His dark green wizard robes dragged the ground, slightly. He didn’t speak, but lifted an arm and flicked his wrist. The knife dropped to the ground. Tristan ran up, put his hands on her shoulders, and gave her a shake.
“What were you thinking? You could have been killed!” he exclaimed.
Rianne was in shock and didn’t reply.
“Ease up on her,” Xavier said, walking up. “It was an accident.” He bent down to retrieve the knife.
“An accident that could have taken off her head!”
“I’m fine, Tristan. Thank you for asking,” Rianne said, finding her voice again. She backed away from her brother, but he continued to chastise her. When he finished, he looked over to Eon and thanked him. The wizard simply nodded and walked away.
Rianne moved away from the target and watched as her brothers took turns throwing the knives. There was a whoosh sound as the knives zoomed through the air and a ping when the blade went into the wood. Each time she heard the ping, she felt as if the knives were stabbing her heart instead of the target. Chipping it off, piece by piece. She had to do something, but what could she do?
“Teach me,” she blurted out.
Xavier laughed and threw another knife.
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “Teach me how to throw knives. Actually, more than that. Teach me how to fight, to defend myself.”
“Why would you ever need to know how to defend yourself? You are a princess. You have guards for that,” Tristan said.
“I might not always have a guard.”
“Why would you ever be without a guard?” Tristan asked, eyeing Rianne suspiciously.
“I will be moving to a new kingdom, Tristan. I don’t know what kind of protection I will have.”
Tristan clearly didn’t believe her reasoning, which was apparent by his expression.
“If she wants to learn, I say we teach her,” Xavier interjected. Spending time focusing on teaching Rianne would be a good distraction for him. And for her. Tristan reluctantly agreed.
Her training got off to a rocky start. She learned how to hold the knife quickly, but she had trouble grasping the throwing motion.
“You aren’t trying hard enough. You need to put some force behind it,” Tristan said, as her latest attempt fell short of the target.
Xavier took over and showed her how to lean forward when she threw the knife, using her body to propel it further. Her next attempt was better, but it bounced off of the wood.
“Just imagine the target as something else. Something you want to hit. It might help you to focus,” Xavier said.
“Something I want to hit? Or someone?” Rianne mumbled to herself. She turned to the target and envisioned King Carneath’s face. She could only remember meeting him once when she was younger and he had probably changed quite a bit since then, but it didn’t matter. It was Carneath who came to King Nolan with the proposal and it was his fault that this was happening to her.
She straightened her back and inhaled. Then she lifted her arm, leaned forward, and hurled the knife at the target. She didn’t release her breath until the knife made a ping noise as it stuck into the wood.
“Finally, something we can work with!” Tristan said, smiling.
~*~
“Married!”
The queen’s response echoed in the great hall and could have been heard as far away as the gatehouse. Rowan entered the hall with Gabrielle, who Reeve sent him to find once they returned to the castle. Rhea and Reeve were kneeling next to the throne.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Reeve replied. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened, himself so he could understand her reaction.
“How did this happen?” Bree asked, sitting down on her throne.
“We were distracted and accidentally wandered too far into the valley. I had no way of escaping so Princess Rhea was able to convince her mother that I was you,” he said, pointed at Rowan. “Or at least that I was the same person who rescued her. It’s fortunate that we look so much alike.”
“But how did you come to be married?”
“Queen Viola threatened to punish me for refusing to marry her daughter. So I lied and said that I changed my mind. The queen required that we marr
y right then. She performed the ceremony, herself.”
“The ceremony?”
“Yes,” Reeve replied, holding his hand up to show the permanent ring around his finger.
“That wasn’t the plan,” Bree said to herself as she rubbed a hand over her face. Assigning Reeve to guard Rhea was only supposed to keep the fairy distracted so that she wouldn’t focus on Rowan.
“The plan?” Rowan asked. “Tell me you didn’t do something foolish?”
“What would qualify as foolish?”
“Bree…”
“It was my fault,” Rhea blurted out. “If anyone should be punished, it is me.”
“Punished? Why in the realm would I punish you?”
“I just thought…”
“This certainly isn’t your fault, Rhea. You couldn’t have predicted it. Nevertheless, has the marriage been consummated?”
Rowan reached his hands over to cover Gabrielle’s ears, but she swatted them away, grinning. She found the entire situation to be much too entertaining to miss any part of it. And she knew exactly what the queen meant by the question.
“No, Your Majesty,” Reeve said, glancing over at Rhea. She was staring down at the floor with a mortified look on her face. It was the same face she had worn for the entire journey back to Junacave, during which they had barely spoken to one another.
“Then, perhaps, there is hope for an annulment. I will send for a mysta. He will be able to determine whether the marriage is valid, according to the scriptum.”
“Mysta? What is a mysta?” Rhea asked, looking up.
“Oh, I apologize, Rhea. I forget that you may not be familiar with our customs. A mysta performs marriage ceremonies. Well, the non-magic ceremonies, at least.” Bree frowned. “But I honestly don’t know whether he could assist in this situation seeing that your marriage was performed by a fairy. However, we can certainly try. It may take up to a week or longer for him to arrive, but I will send for one, immediately.”