Intrigues of the Solar Fae Court

by Ivy Clyde

  I felt someone tug at my skirt from behind. Turning around, I saw Demitria. Without a word, she gestured for me to sit back on my seat. I obeyed, remembering we weren’t there to sightsee but to meet the formidable queen.

  The carriage came to a stop. I looked up at Demitria. Her pretty face was set in a cold, emotionless expression. A second later, the door to the coach was opened by a golden-haired valet. He placed a wooden block there which formed a short flight of stairs, allowing us to climb down gracefully.

  “Please follow me,” said the valet, gesturing toward two tall doors in the distance. This wasn’t the main entrance to the palace. I guessed we were going to be taken to the queen directly.

  Demitria picked up the front of her gown and strode forward. The valet looked at me expectantly, so I hurried after her. My anxiety grew worse. My gaze stayed trained on Demitria’s ramrod-straight back. I’d lost all interest in staring at the beauty all around me. Right now, I just wanted to be done with the queen and go back to the safety of Lady Chantal’s castle.

  “Please wait here,” said the valet, stopping before a pair of gilded doors.

  Demitria stayed quiet while the valet escaped through the door. My hands smoothed down the front of my skirt and then straightened my jacket. I patted my head, hoping my hair wasn’t ruffled from the time I was hanging my head out of the window.

  A minute later, the valet returned. “Please proceed forward,” he said with a short bow of his head and gestured toward the door.

  Demitria looked like she was walking into a battle. Keeping her head held high, she walked forward. I followed her, hoping the flare of her gown would keep me hidden from view.

  The subtle fragrance of roses hung in the air of the vast hall. The place seemed empty until we reached the far end. A group of pretty maids in gowns of purple and gold lined the area. Some of them were dressed in tunics and carried swords at their waists. I let my gaze fall on the figure who sat high above us but immediately looked back at my feet.

  The queen sat on a tall perch, dressed in the most dramatic ensemble. Her gown seemed to have been made of pure gold gossamer as it flowed down her figure to pool around the throne. Her headdress was elaborate, made of intricate gold and jeweled ornaments. She looked ethereal and deity-like on her throne. A single glance was enough to tell me she was no ordinary person.

  “Is that the child who bears the ancient mating mark of our ancestors?” asked the queen in a clear, high voice that rang out in the quiet throne hall.

  Lady Demitria made a complicated movement with her hands, bent her knees and bowed her head low. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Come forward, child,” said the queen. “I want a closer look.”

  Swallowing my nervousness, I stepped forward and risked a glance at the dazzling figure sitting over me.

  “Bow to Her Majesty,” said Demitria from beside me.

  I suddenly felt unsure. Demitria’s curtsy was too complicated for me to duplicate. So, I did the only thing I knew. Holding the sides of my skirt, I bent my knees.

  A tinkling laugh came my way, followed by soft giggles from the maids around me. Whispers rose up in the hall which were magnified by the amazing acoustics of the vast hall.

  “Sorry,” I muttered.

  “Not at all,” said the queen in an almost casual tone. She was still laughing. “They did say you’d been abandoned in the human realm all your life.” Her gaze fell on Demitria. Her voice was back to a frigid command as she said, “Lady Demitria, show me the mark on her.”

  Demitria took a few steps to stand behind me. “Relax,” she whispered so that only I could hear her. Next moment, I felt the gentle caresses of her magic skimming along my body. The mark I’d seen glowing through my clothes the first night I met her, flared up again. Gold and white light spilled out through the fabric of my jacket, showing me the strange mark that resembled a ying-yang symbol but with the sun and moon on its two halves.

  I was still staring down at the glowing mark on my chest when I felt a presence right in front of me. Looking up, I gasped. Queen Brenna had soundlessly reached me and was standing only a foot away. Up close, she looked barely over thirty. Her face was dainty and delicate but her blue eyes were deep and imposing.

  I took a step backward but her hand came to clutch my arm, keeping me in place. She had a tall, willowy figure but the strength in her fingers told me her appearance was a mere illusion of fragility. Her eyes bored into mine. A moment later, she released me.

  I glanced back at Demitria who stood in the same spot, looking completely emotionless.

  “She looks young and strong,” said Queen Brenna. “The child will be a perfect mate for Prince Rowan.”

  I stared up at the queen, wondering what she was playing at. Everyone knew he’d rejected me.

  “She is perfect,” said Demitria. “However, the prince rejected her. In fact, all three princes rejected her.”

  “Nonsense!” hissed Queen Brenna. With a graceful movement of her arm, she swept the long train of her dress behind her and walked back to her throne on the raised dais. Reaching it, she sat down while a group of maids hurried up to her to arrange her dress so it looked artful and elegant like a rippling waterfall of gold gossamer. “Prince Rowan will have to marry her. There is no way we can allow the girl with the ancient mark to be picked up by anyone else. She belongs to the royal family of Aelia.”

  Demitria bowed her head low and stayed quiet.

  “Thistle,” called the queen in a loud voice.

  “I’m here, Your Majesty,” said a maid, stepping out and kneeling before the queen.

  “Make sure the child is presented with clothes, jewels, and gold,” said Queen Brenna. “When she comes to see me again, she shouldn’t be dressed in such a humbling attire. It does not suit the future princess of the kingdom.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Demitria gave me a push from behind. “Thank Her Majesty,” she whispered.

  I looked forward and curtsied once more, muttering my thanks. More chuckles and giggles followed my pathetic attempt.

  “I will make arrangements to have you shifted to the palace,” said Queen Brenna. “You will learn proper etiquettes and present yourself in a better light to Prince Rowan. He will have no reason to reject you a second time.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” I muttered. She didn’t know how Rowan felt toward me already, that the reason he didn’t want to be with me was to keep me safe from her and his other enemies. I just had to keep pretending like I didn’t know him at all or had any contact with him other than the meeting in Lady Chantal’s office on my first day.

  “Tilly,” called Queen Brenna. “Take the child away and make her wait while I have a word with Lady Demitria.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” said another maid. Moving forward, she gestured me to follow her. I glanced at Demitria.

  “We will go back together,” said Demitria. “Wait for me.”

  I was led out of the throne room by the maid while Demitria remained there. The doors closed behind me, giving me no opportunity to learn what the queen had to say to Demitria.

  The maid led me down a hallway and into a spacious courtyard surrounded by blossoming trees.

  “This is the Peach Garden,” said the maid. “Please wait here until someone calls for you.”

  “Okay.” The maid gave a short bow and left me there to admire the pink and white blossoms of the trees. It was autumn, an unlikely time for peach trees to bloom but I guessed some sort of magic made them bloom all year round.

  About five minutes later, two maids came into the courtyard, carrying trays of silverware. They placed small dishes of food on a table nearby and left with short bows. I approached the arrangement to inspect what they’d brought. There was an intricately carved silver teapot among plates of delicate-looking cakes and sweets.

  I still couldn’t feel relaxed enough to eat. So, letting the food stay there, I walked further into the grove of peach trees. Part of me wished
I still had my cell phone so I could take some pictures of the beautiful garden.

  I was walking underneath a canopy of heavily-laden branches when a hand wrapped around my upper arm. Before I could scream out, another hand clamped tightly over my mouth.

  “Stop struggling,” said a familiar voice.

  Leon…

  17

  Moira

  I relaxed in Leon’s grip.

  “Good,” he whispered and loosened his arms around me but didn’t fully let me go.

  Turning around, I looked up at him. He was no longer in the academy uniform but in a stunning ensemble of a blue silk tunic richly embroidered with gold. A long outer robe of navy velvet with long, hanging sleeves rested on his broad shoulders. The long strands of his crimson-hued hair glinted under the morning sunshine and almost seemed to be on fire. I met his anger-filled amber eyes but let my gaze drop lower, taking in the curve of his luscious lips.

  “What did the queen say to you?” he asked in a tight voice.

  I looked up to meet his narrowed gaze. While the queen didn’t say anything important other than her idea of getting me married off to Rowan, I wanted him to think differently. Raising my chin, I replied, “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell anyone about it.”

  His brows rose high on his smooth forehead before he let out a chuckle. My heart started beating harder at once. Leon was beautiful despite being an asshole.

  “Wasn’t the room filled with her guards and servants?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Then, it’s not something you need to keep to yourself,” he said. “Whatever was said could be known by anyone. So, tell me.”

  I swallowed my defeat. “The queen wants me to marry Rowan,” I said. “She thinks giving me etiquette lessons would make me more pleasing to him.”

  “She thinks she can force him into it,” said Leon in a grim tone. “She wants to prove he doesn’t suspect her in his mother’s murder.”

  “How is marrying me related to that?”

  Leon’s expression softened a little. “I suppose you don’t know this but Rowan made a vow to not take a bride until he is king.”

  “What?”

  “You heard right. He will not take a mate until he is on the throne.”

  So he could protect the woman he marries, I thought. Once the throne was his, he could protect the people close to him. Until then, he would keep battling his enemies without letting them attack the people who weakened him.

  “Put this on,” he said, handing me a heap of dark fabric.

  Taking it from him, I let the long length of the dark, light fabric unfurl fully to reveal a cloak. “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “I don’t want anyone to see you with me. Keep your head covered.”

  “I can’t go. I was told to wait here.”

  “By who?”

  “The maid.”

  “Why would you listen to a maid when I am the one commanding you? Put this on.” His voice turned strict at once. When I didn’t move to obey him, he cursed under his breath and snatched the cloak back. Spreading it out, he proceeded to cover my body with it and finished by lowering the hood on my face.

  “I can’t go with you. What if Lady Demitria came to look for me and couldn’t find me?”

  Leon captured my hand and started pulling me further inside the peach orchard.

  “I will bring you back here,” he said, tugging me along. “Demitria and the queen are sisters. It will be a while before they finish catching up. Until then, the two of us can talk in a place which is safer than a public garden yard.”

  “Wait, what? Lady Demitria is Queen Brenna’s sister? Is she as old as the queen too?”

  “Keep your questions to yourself until we’re away from here.”

  “Leon, I really don’t think…”

  He came to a sudden halt, making me collide against him. He leaned into me and hooked a finger under my chin to turn my face up. “You will never come to any harm because of me,” he said in a low, deep voice that reverberated through me. “Trust me.”

  I swallowed hard. Could I trust him?

  “If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done so on the day you trespassed into my private chambers in the castle of Belenus Court. No one would have even known what happened to you.” A lopsided grin curved his lips. “I will protect you, Moira. Trust me.”

  My heart begged me to take a chance and trust him. Before giving in, I took note of the magic flowing within me. In the past week, it always alerted me to danger. My magic pulsed rhythmically in Leon’s presence, reassuring me that he truly didn’t mean me any harm.

  “Okay, then,” I said. “Where are we going?”

  “My private chambers.” Leon’s hold on my hand tightened as he led me through the sea of blossoming trees and out into another courtyard. A smaller palatial structure came in sight but it was much smaller than the main palace. Guards in armor lined the sides. “Keep your hood on,” he whispered, leading me forward. The stationed guards saluted Leon but otherwise, stayed in their positions.

  Leon stepped inside the building with me. A few maids passed him in the entrance hall and they each greeted and bowed to him before walking out. Leon didn’t even acknowledge them but continued to move down the hallway. More servants passed us by but he kept going, taking me up a flight of stairs until we reached the third floor.

  The hallway was completely deserted. Leon walked down the corridor and opened a door. “Come inside,” he said, walking before me.

  A vast room greeted me. The space seemed to be sparsely furnished at first glance but soon, I noticed a king-sized bed, a dining table with six chairs, a number of cabinets, and plenty of shelves holding books. A dozen tall windows stood on the furthest side. Curtains of velvet drifted in the gentle breeze coming in through them, filling the air with the faint scent of peach blossoms.

  “Is this your private room?” I asked, turning to look at Leon who’d already seated himself at the table in the corner and poured himself a rich golden brew from a crystal decanter.

  “Yeah. Have a sit.” He poured me a goblet of whatever he was drinking and pushed it toward me.

  “Why aren’t there any paintings here?” I asked, remembering his hoard at the castle.

  His amber eyes studied me. “Why would they be here?”

  “I thought you were an art collector,” I told him. “Isn’t that the reason you were hiding those beautiful paintings?”

  A strange emotion flickered through his amber eyes. “You thought them beautiful?”

  “Yeah. They were all amazing,” I said. “Only a prince like you could afford so many of that standard.”

  “Really?” A bright smile blossomed on his face as he drank from his goblet. If I didn’t know any better, the prince was blushing and trying to hide it. My heart swelled at the sight. He was so beautiful at the moment. I wished this calm, peaceful moment would last forever.

  “Why do you look so happy?” I asked as he continued to smile.

  “It’s not often someone compliments me. Thank you, Moira.”

  “Compliment…” Then, it dawned on me. Could it be? “Did you create those paintings?”

  “I did.”

  I stared at him. This obnoxious, demanding prince had such talent?

  “You look surprised,” he said.

  “I am,” I confessed. “Those paintings are so beautiful. The colors on that forest painting were so realistic. The light and shade were done so well, I felt like I was part of the scene. Why aren’t any of them here? They would brighten up this room even more.”

  A soft sigh escaped him as his shoulders slumped. “No one would take a prince who paints and plays the flute seriously. It is best to hide that part of me so no one can use it against me.”

  “You can’t even be yourself in the palace? In your own home?”

  Leon scoffed. “The Sun Palace can never be anyone’s home.” His knuckles turned white as he held the goblet tightly in his hand. “Don’t
be fooled by the grandiose. It is a mere illusion to cover up the hideousness of this place.”

  Isla had always been the one to warn me about the royals and the politics of the royal court. It was truly unnerving to hear the same thing from a prince.

  “Tell me about Lady Demitria,” I said, hoping to distract him from his current mood. “Is she older or younger to the queen?”

  Leon’s shoulders relaxed visibly at the question. “They are only a few years apart. Back then, my father favored Lady Demitria more than her sister. People thought he would marry her.”

  “Wow,” I breathed. It was difficult to even imagine her as a queen instead of the eccentric woman who haunted Lady Chantal’s office every hour of the day. “What happened?”

  “I am not too sure but it’s not too far-fetched to imagine underhanded tricks and sabotages by Demitria’s own sister to win the support of the royal court.” Leon leaned back in his chair and toyed with the half-filled decanter. “Once Brenna became queen, Demitria disappeared for a few centuries. When she came back to the realm, she’d become a full-fledged mage so powerful no one could stand against her.”

  “How did she end up at Belenus Court?”

  Leon shrugged. “I think she requested to stay there and not be disturbed. The king wanted her to serve under him but she refused. I believe the old crone made a good decision.”

  I remembered the conversation I had with Demitria on our way to the palace that day. She’d made herself so powerful that neither the king nor the queen could bully her into submitting to their whims. I wanted the same for me so I could choose the life I wanted so that the men who wanted to be with me could stay by my side without fearing anyone.

  My own thought sent a jolt through me. Men? I want men at my side? What the hell, Moira! My mind berated me. You can either have Leon or Rowan. Not both!

  “Why are you red in the face?” asked Leon, breaking me out of my weird thoughts.

  “Err…nothing!” How could I tell him I wanted both him and his half brother? “So…why did you make me come here?” I asked, struggling to change the subject.