Betrayed

by Julia Crane

  Thank you, Princess.

  All of the children climbed over the giant, laughing; a sound that was not heard enough.

  After we said our good-byes, we made our way back to the castle. I was still upset with Jinx for leaving and Calamus for interfering even if he had our best interest at heart. I think what bothered me the most was that they had the ability to do it.

  As much as I hated to think about it, my mother’s words echoed in my head. They are children of the Earth, that is their mission. They are here for her.

  Nixie must have felt my sadness, since she eased her way over and gave my shoulder a little squeeze. “We do love you, Mother. We cannot always follow your guidance, because we are being guided by forces much stronger. There is no room for parental oversight, you must allow us to do what we are here for. You have to trust us, everything we do is for the Earth. We are her children as much as yours. Please do not see this as a slight, it’s as it has to be.”

  I blinked. How were my children so much wiser than myself? It was unsettling at times. “I guess I wish you had stayed little longer. It’s only been weeks and you are practically of age.”

  She gave me an impish smile. “There will be plenty of time for play later. For now we must work, we’re closer than you realize.”

  I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, and when she laid her head on mine, I inhaled her scent. All of my sadness and anger vanished. I was in complete gratitude for this moment and would cherish it always. “Thank you, Nixie,” I whispered.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Two Weeks Later

  “Tulupea, we need to talk.” The strain in my mother’s voice caused my head to snap up. I hadn’t even felt her walk in.

  “Are you back for good?” I asked in surprise. I’d been waiting weeks to see my mother and here she was standing before me. Sadness briefly flickered across her face.

  “I have some bad news.” Her words were strained; she didn’t even bother to answer my question.

  “What is it?” Feeling unbearably tense, I set down what I was doing to give her my full attention.

  She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “There’s no easy way to say this. I have to hand my crown over. I’m being forced out.”

  I shot to my feet, in outrage. “Mother, they can’t do this!”

  “They can and they have.” She sat down, reached for my hand, and pulled me back down beside her. “I couldn’t bear to see the crown leave our line. I had to strike a bargain. I was able to secure your place at the throne. However, you have to step into the role, now.”

  I was confused. “I don’t understand. What are you saying?” My heart thudded loudly in my ears. I was not ready to be queen. I had no desire to rule the lands, not yet anyway. My mother still had centuries to reign.

  “It was the only option I had. I’m sorry, but you are to merge with Aiston in three days and he will be the new king.”

  My mouth dropped open. I felt as if the ground fell out from under me. “Mother, no. I will not merge with him! What in creation are you talking about? Don’t you remember telling me he was not king material? He doesn’t have feelings for me. And I have … Michael. There has to be another way.”

  Her hand tightened on mine. “If there were another way I would have found it by now. Brace yourself, there’s more.”

  I steeled myself in an attempt to prepare for what she was about to tell me. But nothing could have readied myself for her next words. “I’ve been banished from the realms. I will not be able to return. Ever.”

  Shocked, I jumped back up. “What? Tell me you’re joking. This cannot be real.”

  “I’m afraid it’s very real. You must do as I wish. You knew this day was coming sooner or later. It is time for you to take your rightful place and rule the lands. I know you will be a wonderful queen.”

  It was strange, I could hear her speaking but it was as if my mind did not want to comprehend what she was saying. “Mother, they cannot banish you. The first thing I will do as queen is reinstate your place in the realms.”

  She smiled sadly. “You know it is not that easy. I had two choices—be entrapped for the rest of my days behind magick I could not break free from, or I could step aside with the agreement I would never return. I’ve promised and it’s a vow that cannot be revoked.”

  “Where are you supposed to go?” I demanded, enraged.

  “Wherever I wish, I suppose.” Gazing off into the distance, she stated, “For now I’ll stay on Earth. I’m sure there are other planets that need help. Do not worry about me. I will be fine. I know it’s a lot to take in but it’s been decided. There is no going back now.”

  “You should have consulted me. I do not want to rule the land that forced my mother out. They can give it to someone else. We’ll both stay here on Earth.”

  She shook her head. “No. You are the last of our line. It is your rightful place. The realm needs a strong queen now more than ever. The trial has divided the lands. I know you don’t think it’s true, but in time you will grow to have feelings for Ainston. And you will continue our lineage, with beautiful offspring.”

  I bristled at her words. How could she be so callous? I would never have feelings for him. Didn’t she understand that my feelings for Michael were true and not a passing fancy?

  Rubbing my eyes, I tried to wipe the images of a life with that jerk out of my mind. There was no way I could merge with him. Just the thought of leaving Michael nearly dropped me to my knees. “Please, Mother, don’t ask this of me. I know it’s not acceptable but I love Michael. I want to stay here. I want to be with him.”

  Leaning forward, she tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I wish there was another way. I exhausted my options. There was no way they were going to allow me to stay on as queen. I’m surprised they agreed to allow you to reign.”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I pulled away. “Only because of the stupid prophesy. If the royal bloodline were no more, the lands would descend into shrouded darkness.” I recited the words with venom.

  With a sigh my mother agreed. “Yes, that was the only thing that granted the negotiations. And it’s also why you must have offspring right away.”

  Closing my eyes I fought off the nausea. The thought of being touched by Aiston repulsed me. It was hard to believe not long ago I thought I was in love with him, until his true feelings came out. How was I supposed to merge with that jerk? How was I supposed to rule with him by my side?

  Sitting straighter, I said, “We have a new lineage. There are five halflings.”

  “You know they will never be considered royalty.”

  “Mother, they are stronger than we are.” My voice was strained.

  “Be that as it may, they will never be recognized as fae. It’s just the way it is.”

  Frustrated, I wanted to throw something. My dark magick was stirring. “You’re asking too much.”

  Rising to her feet, my mother spoke in a controlled voice that I could tell was taking her great effort. “You will do as I command. There will be no further arguments. In three days you will be crowned queen, the most powerful fae in our realms. And you will reproduce heirs, to keep our line alive and the realms safe from destroying themselves from within.”

  Without waiting for my reply she turned on her heels and left the room.

  Numb, I stared at the closed door, and fear stabbed my heart. What if there was no way out of this? Three days?

  My mind raced. There had to be another way. I didn’t want to leave the halflings, Michael, or even the planet. I felt more at home on Earth than I ever had in my own realm.

  How was I going to explain this to Michael and the children? The children would understand. Michael would be crushed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Beyond saddened, I stood at the window watching Michael playing with the kids. They were running about throughout the secret garden. Although they were no longer children, and appeared to be of age, they still enjoyed being carefree.

>   My soul hurt at the thought of breaking the news to him.

  We’d both known there was a possibility this could happen, but honestly I never really thought it would. At least not any time within the next couple of hundred years.

  I could practically hear the kids giggling as they ran. It would be nearly impossible for me to leave them. I tried to convince myself I could come back and visit often, but I knew that wasn’t really true. Because of the way things were left in the realms, I would have to be present as the queen and make sure that Aiston didn’t do anything stupid. Sure I’d be able to slip away once in a while, but I wouldn’t be able to see the kids grow into themselves, not the way Michael would. The only positive was my mother would be here to help them embrace their powers.

  I’d have to tell him soon, and the halflings. Knowing them, they already knew. Gods, this sucked. Talk about horrible timing. As much as I wanted to refuse, I knew there was no way out. I was born and raised for exactly this moment.

  A couple of the children looked up and waved at me in the window. Forcing a smile, I returned the wave. How many times could one heart break? I wondered absently. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to go downstairs and join them in the garden. I wanted to talk to them separately, but at least for now I wanted to pretend like everything was still the same. Another memory to help me get through whatever I was about to face in the realms.

  Practically running, I hurried to the garden. A true smile lit my face when Jinx ran toward me and threw his arms around me. “It’s okay, Mother, trust in the plan. The Creator does not do things without reason,” he whispered.

  Blinking, I pulled away. I stared into his face and wise eyes. “Thank you for that reminder.” I gave him another quick squeeze. “Go back and run, I will talk with you all later.”

  Michael was now beside me; he touched my shoulder, sending the familiar thrill throughout my body. I wanted to scream and curse the gods for doing this to us. Deep down I knew we never had a chance, not really. But what I felt for him was more real than anything I’d ever experienced in my life. I wanted more time with him. The last thing I wanted was to leave his arms for Ainston’s.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Michael asked, leading me away from the children. By the way he looked at me, I knew without a doubt he was in love with me and it was going to tear him apart when I told him the news.

  Now was not the time to have this discussion. I kept my gaze to the ground. I didn’t want him to see the pain in my eyes.

  I swallowed. “I just have a lot of my mind. I’m worried about my mother and the faery realm.”

  He lowered his voice. “Have you heard anything?”

  I watched him for a moment, considering, weighing my words. “We’ll talk about it later. For now I just want to enjoy the children. They are growing so quickly.”

  He nodded. “I know, they appear to be almost my age now. They are progressing so quickly! It’s not even taking days, it’s only mere hours. I’m worried, Tulupea. How long do you think we’ll have with them?”

  My heart cleaned. “Not long enough. It will never be long enough.”

  Michael regarded me with an unreadable look before finally smiling. “Truer words have never been spoken, my love.”

  I forced myself to hold back the tears.

  When I finally trusted myself to speak, I cleared my throat. “Michael, is it okay if I have some time alone with them? You’ve had them to yourself for hours.”

  “Are you sure everything is okay?” His smile faded a little from his handsome face.

  I nodded. “We’ll talk later. For now I just want to enjoy the halflings for a bit.”

  He stared at me for a bit. “Okay, I’ll go find Blake and Seth. But tonight let’s go for a walk, alone.”

  I forced a smile, gave myself a mental shake. “That would be perfect.”

  Not caring that the children or anyone else could see, I reached up and threw my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. When we finally broke apart, I whispered, “I’ll always love you, Michael.”

  A frown creased his face. “I know you’re not telling me something but I’ll let you have your space. I love you, too, Tulupea. Enjoy your time with the children.” He kissed the top of my head, before waving to the halflings and heading out of the gardens.

  I didn’t have to call them, they were already surrounding me.

  I couldn’t seem to find my voice. My heart pounded, breaking, my eyes filled with tears.

  Calamus spoke first, “Mother, it’s as it has to be. You know this, we know this. If you could see what we could see you would not question. Trust me when I say the end justifies the means.”

  Shaking my head I dropped to one of the benches. “They have forced my mother out, out of her own kingdom! I hate them, how am I to rule them?”

  Nixie and Isla sat down to the left and right of me. “By not judging, they have reacted out of fear of the unknown. What your mother offered, they cannot see past it. They also cannot accept us. They claim it’s because she offered to open the realms to the creatures, but that is not the case, it’s because of us. They’ve heard of our powers, and our light.”

  “They have betrayed my mother. They were willing to go to war to get her out. I cannot not judge them. I want to sear the grounds with their bodies.”

  Calamus knelt down before me, taking my hands. “Mother, you know that is not the answer. We cannot tell you much of the future, but it is known throughout the Universe that you will be the one to unite the light and the dark. In order to do that you have to take a higher perspective. There will be battles, but this is not one of them. This is fate playing itself out. We love you, and we will be with you, in spirit. We are but a thought away.”

  His words startled me. Nothing like putting the weight of the world on my shoulders. How could I unite what I couldn’t understand myself? It was reassuring to know I could contact them at any time.

  My eyes darted to Rusty and Jinx. Bright smiles lit their faces. Was it wrong that part of me wished they were sad to see me go? Instead of being so understanding and supportive?

  Calamus laughed. “Oh, Mother, you are strange at times. Of course we will miss you. And of course you will come visit. Don’t worry about us, please. We still have a lot of work to do on Earth and we will keep ourselves busy in your absence.”

  My head dropped. “I worry about Michael, he won’t understand. He’s going to need you guys more than ever.”

  Jinx nodded. “This is true, but we will take care of him. We love him, Mother. He’s stronger than you know.”

  I would give anything to stay here and have more time with them and Michael, but I knew my time was quickly coming to an end. In three days I would be reigning Queen of the Unseelie Court.

  Taking a deep breath, I rose to my feet and held out my hands. All the children dove in for a hug. The boys were already taller than me. I think my biggest fear was their life was going to end too quickly. That they wouldn’t be able to enjoy their time here on Earth. I wished we knew if the age acceleration would continue or slow when they were of age.

  Even though I knew they read my thoughts none of them offered answers.

  “I wish we could be there,” Isla said wistfully. “What will your gown look like?”

  “Uh, huh. I’m sure you’ve already seen the whole ceremony with your ability to see into the future.”

  Nixie giggled. “Your gown will be green with live flowers spiraling around the dress and you will be the most beautiful woman in all the lands.”

  Even with their smiles and the girl’s excitement, I was not even slightly looking forward to the ceremony or what would be required of me after.

  “We should go in. Father is worried,” Jinx said and they all nodded in agreement.

  “I just want you all to know that I have loved every second I’ve had with you, and it’s been my greatest honor being your mother. And if there is any way I can convince the realm, I will open the doors to you.”

&nb
sp; When none of them agreed, I couldn’t help but wonder if they knew it was not a possibility or if they wouldn’t be around that long. My heart ached, either way.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rounding the corner, I spotted Michael. He glanced up immediately.

  “We need to talk.”

  Michael frowned, not liking the tone of my voice. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  When I said nothing, he gestured for me to continue. “What’s wrong?” he asked intimately as he ran a hand tenderly down my shoulder.

  As powerful as I was, just his touch alone turned me into a puddle. Once the tears started I didn’t know if they would ever stop.

  “Tulupea,” he said, an edge of desperation in his voice. “What is it?”

  We needed to be alone. “Take me to my room.”

  Reaching down he lifted me as if I weighed nothing and hurried down the hallway. “You don’t have to carry me,” I exclaimed, in surprise.

  “You don’t look so good. And I can’t stand to see you crying.” Using his hip he pushed through the doorway and sat me down on the bed. When he knelt down in front of me, I instinctively ran my hands through his hair. I couldn’t let him go. But I had no other choice.

  “Before I tell you, I want you to know, I’ve fallen in love with you, Michael. I never dreamt this would happen, that my feelings for you would run so deep.”

  “I’m in love with you, Tulupea.” A sad smile crossed his face. “Before you came into my life I had nothing to live for. Now I have you and the halflings. Whatever is making you cry, we’ll get through it.”

  I slipped my arms around him and he slipped his around me. Laying my head against his chest, I shook my head. “We can’t. I wish there was another way, I truly do, but as I told you before, being royalty comes at a cost.”