Shrouded Kingdom

by Rachel Medhurst

  My attention was drawn by the small grey stone wall. It was mostly hidden by shrubbery, but the ordinary looking wall stood out to me.

  Ignoring Larnika’s attempt to keep me on the horse, I clambered down and crunched the leaves underfoot to get to the wall. It was a boundary, marking my supposed land. Inside that wall somewhere was a palace. The palace of the Seelie rulers.

  “Why does it look so desolate?”

  Staring into the distance, I studied the land. Fields rolled away from me, the grass mostly green, except where there were patches of burnt debris. I didn’t even hear the others as they came to stand beside me, Sarsia on one side, the men on the other.

  “Jordeek’s rule is changing the fae realm. Unseelie creatures are coming over from the Unseelie Court. The Althean army tried to keep them out, but Jordeek has become lazy. He swears he is Seelie, but he is not.” Trenton clicked his knuckles.

  “There’s so much to take in. As a human, I-”

  They all coughed, each one looking at me as if I was in denial. Which I was. However, Larnika’s expression grew serious as he pointed. “Those burnt patches are sacrifices.”

  “What?” I spluttered, my stomach rolling in anticipation.

  Glaring at Larnika, Sarsia took my chilled hand in hers. “Layanna, there are many things to learn about your land. First, I need to be sure that you’re prepared for what we’re going to face.”

  “How can you tell if I’m prepared?” I asked, keeping still when heat flared in my belly and blossomed outwards.

  Sarsia was using her magic to keep me warm, which was benevolent. I smiled my gratitude, grateful that she would think of helping me.

  “I showed you a few images in the fire, but you need to really see what happened here.”

  Swallowing hard as the muscles in my body tensed, I nodded. Something made me want to know the truth. All my life, I’d felt different, and now… I was standing in the woods, on the border of some court, some kingdom, that I had never known about. And yet, a knowing was slowly unwinding inside me. A feeling of familiarity. Although, I wouldn’t admit that to the others. Not yet.

  Pushing her cloak behind her, Sarsia reached for me. As her fingers touched my temples, pain lanced through my head, the force of it almost knocking me over. Hands grabbed my arms, keeping me steady as I squeezed my eyes shut.

  “Relax into the memories,” Sarsia whispered.

  Images in my mind started to play out before I appeared in a grand bedroom. The walls of the room were made out of trees, the tall canopy overhead joining to form an extremely high ceiling. The gaps between trees were filled with stained glass, each section a different colour. I had never seen so many colours. Sun shone through the glass, casting rainbow patterns on the stone floor. Rugs made out of thick fur lined the cold ground. A bed with yellow drapes surrounding it stood in the centre of the room. I was so awed by the opulence of the chamber, I didn’t notice the man who stood looking out through a clear piece of glass. He was tall, his spine straight. The grey hair on his head fell to his shoulders, the top of it scooped up into a braid. The long cream cloak he wore was adorned with gold thread at the seams. His leather shoes were sturdy and pointed at the end. I’d never seen any man look so royal.

  “Sire, they’re almost here. What will we do?” A woman charged through the tall white double doors, the train of her dress dragging on the ground behind her.

  My mouth almost dropped open as I stared at the dress. The royal blue colour was richer than I had ever seen on a material. The arms flowed gently, the neckline lined with a gold border. The waist came to a point over the belly before flaring out. A gold belt tied around the point, the end sewn into the dress all the way to the hem.

  Turning towards the woman, the King of Althea got to his knees. The woman’s dark hair cascaded down her back. The headdress that adorned her head was made out of silver and gold wire with real roses embedded into it. She rushed over to her husband, dropping to her knees in front of him.

  “You cannot surrender,” she pleaded, grabbing hold of his hands and squeezing hard.

  My heart thumped in my throat as a bleak look crossed the King’s face. It was obvious that the woman now taking him in her arms was his Queen. Holding each other tightly as sounds of fighting grew outside the doors, they whispered gently between them.

  Slowly going over to the doors, I gasped when they were thrown open from the outside. A rabble of men of different shapes and sizes entered the chamber. They brandished weapons made out of wood and steel. Some of them were small people, others were taller than usual. Some were ugly, their faces twisted into harsh expressions. Others were handsome, their smooth features only marred by the sneers they threw towards the royalty before them.

  They came to a halt when they saw that the King and Queen were on their knees. Neither one of them looked away from the other. They had succumbed to their fate, knowing full well that they would not live the day.

  “Ah,” a masculine voice rang out over the snarls of the unsightly fae. “What a sight to see.”

  A man strode through the gathered Unseelie, his gait slow but steady. A sword hung limp in his hand, the end dripping with blood as he dragged it across the stone floor.

  “Aren’t you even going to greet your guest?”

  The King and Queen stared at each other, not even acknowledging the fact that a tall blonde haired man with a strong jaw and piercing blue eyes walked towards them, bloodlust in his eyes.

  Biting my lip, I clenched my hands by my side. The people on their knees where my parents. I could see myself in their features. They both had dark hair and dark eyes with pale skin. My mother’s eyes were the shape of mine, something I had obviously inherited from the Fae Queen.

  “If silence is how you greet me,” the man said, a twitch coming to the side of his face. “I will make sure that’s all you ever hear for eternity.”

  My foot moved forward as the man took a running leap and swung his sword at my parents. My hands covered my eyes as I tripped on my dress and fell to the floor. Two thuds resounded in my ears as the evil man howled with laughter, the sound sending chills all the way through me.

  “I, Pryon Glyneria, claim the Fae land of Althea. I am the new ruler of Seelie Court. Bow to me.”

  Lifting my hand from my face, I looked away from my parents, unable to see their headless bodies laying on the ground. The Unseelie Fae, who had crowded into the room, started to lower to their knees.

  “No,” I whispered, pushing myself to my feet.

  I went ignored as Pryon swung his sword above his head, the blood from my parents dripping onto his red tunic, blending in with the colour of the material. No remorse showed on his features, no regret poured forth from him.

  “Sire,” one of the fae called. “We will serve you in our new kingdom, you must allow us to live beside you.”

  The new king suddenly dropped his sword, his eyes narrowing on the person who had spoken. A laugh escaped him as he shook his head violently. “Now, now, you know the transaction. It’s going to take time to persuade the Seelie Court that you’re just as good as them. For now, you must go back to Falonia. I will send for you very soon.”

  Grumbles came from the Unseelie Fae as they retreated, their ire evident in the glares they threw at the new King of Althea.

  “Don’t worry,” the king called. “Every fae in the Seelie Court will soon know who is in charge. I will rule just as well as I ruled in Falonia. You will not regret helping me overthrow the Fairlings. Our time has come.”

  Once the room was clear, Jordeek strode in, his navy blue tunic clean of blood and his sword sheathed in its scabbard. “Did you really have to do it so brutally?”

  Frowning, I watched as he went over to my parents. Bending, he lifted my mother, or what was left of her, and took her to the bed.

  Pryon watched as his son did the same for my father, laying them out properly as if they were ready for burial. Something deep within my chest tightened as he folded my parents�
�� arms across their chest and whispered words that I did not understand.

  “Why are you praying to Mother Earth for them?” Pryon asked when Jordeek had called in a servant.

  Ignoring his father, Jordeek ordered the servant to arrange a royal burial. Why was the son of an evil man bothering to honour my parents in death?

  “Mother Earth will stop providing us with magic if we do not honour her and her chosen ones.”

  Stepping forward, Pryon lashed out, the flat of his hand slamming into Jordeek’s cheek. The slap echoed throughout the room as I watched, my heart pounding.

  “I am her chosen one!” Pryon roared.

  Jordeek didn’t react to his father’s burst of violence. Instead, he turned and walked away, passing me by as he did. I caught the mutter of his words as he shook his head. “So you say, Father, but we’ll see what happens. We’ll see.”

  Jerking back to the present, I almost stumbled as I heaved my breath in and out.

  Trenton rested a hand on my back, rubbing gently to calm me.

  Regaining my composure, I stepped away from both him and Larnika. Sarsia had taken her hands away, a question on her face.

  “I saw Pryon kill my parents, and Jordeek…” If the man had shown mercy for my parents’ burial, why was he a cruel ruler now?

  “There was a time…” Sarsia sighed. “… When Jordeek had the best interests of both Seelie and Unseelie at heart. Once his father died, the goodness that had lived in him slowly bled out.”

  Covering my mouth with a hand, I smelt the scent of home. My mother and I had washed our clothes in soap made by a neighbour. The lavender scent had always comforted me, reminding me that although some people in my village had shunned me, my parents loved me dearly.

  “The Glynerias’ believed that you died when you were a baby, but as you know, that was a human child.”

  “I’m the changeling,” I muttered.

  Larnika took my hand, pulling gently. “Let me show you something.”

  Guiding me to the wall, he asked me to flatten my hand and hold it vertically. Doing as I was told, I allowed him to push my arm through the empty space above the wall. When his hand reached a certain point in mid-air, it stopped, unable to move any further. Mine kept going.

  Sarsia copied me, but her hand didn’t go through the air either, showing me that she couldn’t enter the lands of the Seelie Court.

  “Jordeek’s barriers are extremely strong. Being the true Althean princess means that you can access your lands with no problem. Do you believe that we’re telling the truth now?” Releasing me, Larnika ran his hand through his light hair.

  They moved to stand together, their expressions hinged on the need for me to confirm what I knew in my heart.

  “Yes, I suppose I don't have a choice but to believe you. I've seen too much...” My sentence trailed off when they smiled. It wasn't exactly a smiling matter, but I wasn't going to argue with them.

  “If you can't enter the Seelie lands, how are we going to overthrow Jordeek?”

  I probably should've thought about that question before we'd even left Mediya. My mind had been rushing, confused, unable to keep track of what was happening in the moment. The simple task of finding out how we were going to defeat an evil fae was something we had to discuss in greater detail.

  Going to the satchel on her horse, Sarsia took out a scroll. It was rolled up and tied with string. The others shuffled their feet in the leaves, looking down at the ground when I looked at them. What were they hiding?

  “You have the magic to get into the Seelie Court. However, there are many wards placed around this place, as you can tell.” Sarsia came back and handed me the scroll. “There are pixie patrols and the Althean Guards walk around the perimeter once a day to make sure the wards are holding strong.”

  Untying the string, I unravelled the scroll, my eyes tracing the dark ink letters. “What is this?”

  It was written in a language I had never read before. In fact, the symbols almost danced on the page, their intricate lines unusual to my eyes.

  “It's the language of the Fae. It's an ancient language that isn't approved anymore. However, I use it to cast my spells. This scroll tells you how you can develop your powers. We want you to try and help us get through the barriers.”

  Trenton came forward, his hand extended. “Here, let me read it to you.”

  Giving it to him, I clasped my hands together in front of me. The cold was starting to get to me again, but I wouldn't show them that. As I rubbed my palms together, a tingle of heat slipped over my skin, spreading up my arms. Glancing down at my hands, I quickly buried them under my cloak when I spotted the slight orange glow that surrounded them.

  “Please, go ahead,” I urged as Trenton hesitated.

  “Dear, Layanna,” he muttered.

  “Wait,” I interrupted, frowning at Sarsia. “You didn't say it was a letter.”

  “Just listen,” she said, indicating that Trenton should go on.

  Nodding for him to continue, I licked my lips before rubbing them together. They were starting to get dry in the cool air. My heart was heavy in my chest as I waited for the fairy to speak.

  “Dear, Layanna, if you're reading this message, the worst thing must have happened. You currently lay by my side in your basket, your little face pinched in sleep. Can you dream of the future? There's a great threat to our land, which means we have to send you away. Unfortunately, you will have to live as a human until you're old enough to claim your place as Princess of Althea. Oh, my heart weeps at the thought of not having you here. I so long to teach you our ways, our powers. Instead, I'll have to write your first lesson here, as a gift, just in case we succumb to our fate. I love you, my child, never forget that. And, if it's not us who seek you when you're older, then please trust that those we've asked to protect you are worthy of keeping you safe. Love, your mother, Queen of Althea.”

  My throat was tight as Trenton came to the end of the letter. His own voice was tight, his eyes blinking rapidly. According to the letter, my mother had sent the fairy, witch and fae to fetch me back to her kingdom. However, anyone could have written that letter.

  “It says here that there are three secrets of the Fairling bloodline. Firstly, your main power is to work with nature. You can manipulate it in any way you wish.” Trenton's eyebrows rose high on his head. “Even changing it from winter to summer.”

  Stepping forward, I almost snatched the parchment from his hand. “I think that will do for now.”

  The others watched me as I thrust the letter into the pocket that had been sewn into the inside of my cloak. Each glanced at one another as I cleared my throat and headed to the wall. “Well,” I said strongly. “Let's get over this wall.”

  Going to clamber over it, I paused when the sound of a horn in the distance made me look up. There, in the field, far away, was a group of riders on horses. A gold and white flag fluttered on the end of a pole as it was carried by the lead rider.

  “That's the guard,” Larnika said, grabbing me away from the wall. “We have to hide.”

  Struggling against him, I kicked back my leg. My dirty slippered foot connected with Larnika's shin, making him gasp. His grip didn't loosen as he hurled me towards the trees that surrounded the wall. There were several tall oak trees with holes in them. Was he going to hide us in one of those? Surely not.

  “What about the horses?” I cried as the call of the horn sounded again.

  “Sarsia will cloak them with a spell. However, the guard have excellent noses for sniffing out Seelie and Unseelie. They're trained better than any other court member in all the realms. They're deadly.”

  Huffing as we reached an oak tree, I hesitated when he let go of me and pointed at the gaping hole in the side. “They obviously weren't that deadly when Pryon defeated my parents.”

  My spit of bitterness tasted foul on my tongue, and yet, the others stared at me, small smiles spreading on their faces.

  “Get inside, now.” Larnika's ord
er couldn't be ignored, especially since the sound of galloping hooves reached us where we hid behind the tree.

  Our horses were tied up behind a clump of trees, hopefully disguised from the men who had been trained to protect my father, but now protected a man who had shown himself to me at the inn back in the village.

  Clambering into the hole, I tried not to squirm when darkness almost enveloped me. The inside of the tree was hollow, the small gap big enough to hide all four of us. Although, we were standing very close together.

  “The Unseelie were able to defeat the guard because Pryon and Jordeek kidnapped three Seer Witches. They used their magic to freeze their horses and their feet, leaving them open to attack.” Trenton's whisper echoed around us.

  “Shhhhh...” The sound made me jump as the hole we stood in suddenly lit up.

  “What is that?” I murmured when I looked up into the... was that a face? Made out of knots from the wood of the tree?

  Trenton took my hand when I went to reach out to the bark. “Don't touch, they can choose to be poisonous. Althea is magical, which means so is the earth it sits on. Most of it, anyway.”

  “What do you mean most of it?”

  Shaking his head, Trenton ignored my question as he clung to my hand. “Trees are living beings, as are all animals. Which means the magic they grow or live in, gives them consciousness.”

  “Thank you for hiding us,” Sarsia said quietly.

  “Shhh...” The tree whispered.

  The entrance to the hole we'd just entered started to twist, closing in on itself. Diving for it, I grabbed hold of the bark in an attempt to stop the tree from trapping us inside.

  Larnika's hands came around mine, wrenching them away. “All is well, Layanna, the tree is offering us protection.”

  “It is?”

  Calming my erratic breath, I scrambled back into a stand, apologising when I bumped into Trenton.

  I was about to speak again when the horn sounded nearby. The guards were obviously just on the other side of the wall. If they heard us talking in the tree, it might blow our cover. Keeping my mouth closed, I listened as a horse snorted nearby. Was that our horse or theirs?