by Riana Lucas
I move closer to him, not really understanding why I am having this dream. There does not seem to be a purpose. My dreams have become few and far between as I’ve grown up. I have dreamed more often since I first met Reed, and now they seem to always have a purpose. Warning me of Reed and Rho’s danger was the primary one. Now there is no danger, but still here I am. The flash of my first dream with Reed and Dash surfaces quickly, but I push that aside, dismissing it as more of a fluke.
Now we are both standing only a few feet from each other, just staring. Unable to stand the silence any longer, I finally speak. It comes out in a whisper, as if speaking louder will dispel the dream. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know. What are you doing here?” His voice is soft as well, but I can see the mischief dancing in his eyes. He always thought it was cool that we shared the first dream. It scared me more than anything, as it does now.
“I do not know, Reed. This does not make any sense.” I gesture with my hands to indicate the entire situation. “This should not be possible. Are we both really here, in our dreams, talking?”
He shrugs as if it is no big deal, and I want to yell at him for his nonchalance in such a bizarre situation. This is something I have never heard of before, and I know in my gut that it is significant, but I do not know why.
“I don’t know, Poppy. Can’t we just enjoy it? Time together with no one else around? Time to be just us?”
I open my mouth to protest, but he moves his hand quickly to tuck the poppy flower behind my ear and then pull my hand into his. I close my mouth in shock and sudden shyness as I allow him to pull me behind him. We make our way along a moonlit path. The air is potent with sweet-smelling flowers, and the only noise is the soft chirping of crickets. Both of us remain silent as we reach the end of the path, and it opens into a meadow with a sparkling lake on the other side. Reed leads me to the bank of the lake, and we both sit down beside each other and gaze into the water. I turn to face him at the same time he turns to me. I open my mouth to speak, but suddenly our surroundings begin to shimmer once again and everything dissolves.
****
The next morning, I wake up a bit stiff but otherwise feeling much better. I have the familiar tingling in the back of my head that I dreamed something, but I can only see flashes of it. There is a memory of Reed and of being outside, but that is all I can pull through the fog of my sleep haze. I shake my head and close my eyes once again to try harder, but it does not work. Giving up, I push myself up in bed.
It must be very early, because no one has come to my room to wake me or assist me. I hurry out of bed, wanting to take advantage of the fact that I have awoken before the others. I wash up, dress, and braid my hair. Then I turn to my room and assess the damage. Clothes are scattered everywhere, and the dressing table is covered with items. Needing to take care of this mess before someone else insists on doing it, I turn to the floor first. I quickly clean up the good clothes and set them in a small pile to the side for the maids to pick up later for washing. Then, I throw the tattered and ripped clothes, including my gorgeous dress, into the trash. Finally, I make my bed up before turning to the dressing table. I have no idea what to do with all this stuff. After a few moments of coming up with nothing, I decide that I will leave this for the maid. There is no doubt I will get scolded for cleaning my own room, so maybe this mess will save me some of that.
Glancing around one last time, I am satisfied that my room is clean, and that I am the one who did it. No matter whether I am Princess of the Seelie Court or not, and no matter what my mother wishes, I prefer to take care of things myself. I do not wish to have someone waiting on me, and I do not wish for others to take care of me. Before leaving the room, I also glance at myself one last time in the mirror, not surprised that there are no traces of yesterday’s battle or the last week’s events. The Fae are resilient. For this I am thankful. Taking a deep breath, I open my door to begin my day.
Apparently I have not risen as early as I had hoped, because there is a large group of Fae walking down the hall, heading straight for me. I walk in their direction, meeting them halfway.
“Good morning,” I say to Thorne, Gideon, and Holly. I brace myself for pitying looks or shows of concern but am relieved when I am met with neither.
They all offer various morning greetings before taking a relaxed yet alert stance. Both of the males have their bodies only partly facing me, and their hands are resting on the hilts of their swords. Holly is between the two of them with her back to the hall, but I can see her eyes scanning behind me the entire time. A warrior is always alert and ready for battle, especially after yesterday. Normally there would not be a need to be so vigilant within the walls of the castle, but now things are different.
I am also pleased to notice that not one of them greeted me as their princess, but only as their equal. My relief at this is greater than I expected. While I made my observations, my three companions remained quiet, and I realized that they were waiting for my instruction.
“Oh, sorry,” I say, quickly bringing my attention back to them and deciding what should happen next. “Have you all eaten?”
“No. We were thinking we could dine together and discuss what you would like us to do in preparation for the upcoming battle with the Unseelie Court,” Thorne says, and the other two nod their heads in agreement. I can see the glint of anticipation in their eyes. They are all ready for battle, but there will need to be much training and planning before we can descend upon the Unseelie Court and walk away victorious.
I nod my head, agreeing with the initial plan. “Good. I have not eaten either. Let’s move to the dining hall.” I turn to move down the hall, but stop to ask, “Where are Reed and Willow?” I know that they are not members of the Seelie Court or guard, but they are a part of this team, and I need them present. By the look on Gideon’s face, I can tell he does not agree. “Is there a problem, Gideon?”
“I do not think that it is proper for that Halfling to be present when discussing matters of the Seelie Court. He does not belong here and has no say in what we do. And Willow does not need to be subjected to anything further. She has been through enough as it is.”
My temper flares, but I quickly pull it back. Gideon is no better than I was when I first met Reed. He dislikes humans and Halflings, just as any other Fae would. I cannot blame him for his past feelings, but Reed is different, and I intend for him to be treated as any other Fae would be treated. As for Willow, I can sympathize with his need to protect her, but she has proven herself, and I will not be the one to hold her back.
My voice holds the commanding tone of a princess, a tone that I had not truly used yet, but find comes easily to me when necessary. “That Halfling saved my life yesterday. That Halfling also did not hesitate to stand beside you and defend this Court and its people. You will show him respect, and you will not question my need for him or Willow to be involved. Willow is brave and fierce. She is not only my friend and a loyal member of this Court, but she has proven herself to all of us, in her bravery as well as her skill. I know that she will want to be involved, and I will not deny her that choice.”
I watch as Gideon struggles with this. He does not wish to speak against me, but he also seems to have developed a protective instinct when it comes to Willow. I understand this, but I also understand what it is like to be told one cannot or should not do something by others. That is not something I will do to Willow. He finally gives in and nods his head in acceptance. I know he is not happy, but I am glad he will not fight me on this. There are far more important matters at hand, and fighting among ourselves is not going to solve any of them.
“Very good.” I glance at the other two and see that they both have a small smile on their lips. They must agree with my decision, which makes me very happy. If we are all going to work together, it will be much more productive if we are all on the same page. “Let’s go. I am hungry, as I am sure the rest of you are. We will stop for Reed and Willow on our way.�
� With that, we all begin to make our way down the hall.
Chapter Six
My companions and friends follow closely behind as we make our way to the dining hall. Rounding the last corner, I slam into a large male body. His arms come up to steady me, and I look up to apologize. Reed’s deep blue eyes smile down at me.
“Sorry,” I whisper a little breathlessly at being caught off guard and finding myself so close to him.
“Trust me, it’s okay,” he whispers back, and a bright smile spreads across his lips. His fingers flex on my upper arms, and I realize that I am still being held up by him. I feel my face flush and begin to pull away, but his hands tighten as if he does not want to release me. A throat clearing behind us pulls me away anyway. He looks regretfully down at me before turning his attention to the people behind me.
“Hey, everyone. Nice to see you’re all doing well this morning.” He beams another smile at them, and I almost laugh out loud. I do not know what it is about Reed, but he always seems to make me happy. It is a nice change from the past few days, and I decide that I am going to enjoy the feeling.
All the others exchange good mornings and a bit of small talk, and then I interrupt with a smile of my own. “Well, it looks like we found one of our missing parties. Now let’s find Willow, and then we can eat and get down to business.”
I see Thorne roll his eyes at my attempt at humor, and a giggle escapes before I can stop it. Of course it does not go unnoticed.
“Poppy? Did you just giggle?” Reed asks in mock horror.
“No. No, I did not.” I try to say it with a straight face and stern voice, but I am unsuccessful and a smile breaks through.
“Yes, you did! I can’t believe it. Who are you and what have you done with my Poppy?”
Another giggle escapes my lips, but when the last few words leave his mouth I freeze. When I look up, he is smiling down at me, but the look in his eyes does not match the teasing in his voice. I quickly duck my head and push a stray piece of hair behind my ear, not knowing what to do with my hands. My face and neck are heating up, and my heart races. Thank goodness Willow decides to join us at the same moment.
“Good morning, everyone,” she says brightly, coming to stand close to Gideon. I notice his cheeks get a bit ruddy and am relieved that I am not the only one this happens to.
“Good morning, Willow. We were just on our way to get you. Have you had breakfast this morning?”
“Nope. I was hoping to have it with you, so this is perfect. Are we all eating together?” She swings her arms and bounces on the balls of her feet in excitement. Her smile is infectious and I cannot help but to smile at her enthusiasm. The others do too. Willow is just so likeable and nice to be around. She cares for her friends so deeply and allows her feelings to show freely.
“Yes, I would like to discuss a few things with all of you before we begin training for the upcoming battle. So we might as well begin over breakfast. I am sure the queen will want to know of these things as well, so let’s see if she is in the dining hall and join her.”
I see Willow’s enthusiasm dim just a bit, but she tries to hide it. She claps her hands together and deliberately brightens her smile. “Perfect. I’m starved. Shall we?”
I smile at her effort and move to her side, tangling my arm through hers to tug her along beside me. “Yes, we shall.”
The others follow behind as we make the rest of the way to the dining hall. As we approach, I can hear the noise and chatter of a full dining hall and smell the delicious scents of a good breakfast, but when we move through the threshold of the dining hall, all the noise stops. The silence is so sudden and absolute, it is as if a switch had been flipped. All of the Fae stop what they are doing and quickly rise to their feet to face my group. A soft murmur spreads through the crowd, and they all bow to me. I understand what they are doing, but that does not mean I like it.
After a brief moment to compose myself, I clear my throat and speak commandingly to my Court. “Please, all of you rise and take your seats once again.” I wait a moment for them to follow my order before continuing, “Thank you all for your show of respect, but I must insist that you do not do that.” A murmur of protest begins, but I throw my hand up in the air to stop them. “I understand and I appreciate it, but I do not wish for you to bow at my feet. I am your princess — and very proud to be — but I wish for you to treat me as you would any other Fae deserving of your respect, nothing more. I am one of you and wish to be your friend and equal.” Everyone stares at me with a dumbfounded look on their faces. I glance over at Reed for some idea of what I should do, but he only shrugs.
“Well said, daughter,” the queen’s voice reaches us from the back of the room, saving me from having to come up with something, because all heads turn toward her. She rises from her seat and makes her way toward me with a proud smile on her face. Once she is standing before me, she takes my hand within hers, gives me a covert wink, then turns to address the Court once again.
“My daughter has shown me that she is much more than a princess, and I have decided to respect her wishes. Poppy is a warrior first and Princess of the Seelie Court second. She will lead our army into a battle against the Unseelie Court, and I will support her every decision. As I am sure you all will as well.” The dining hall breaks into loud applause, causing my chest to fill with warmth and joy.
My mother has decided to set her fear aside and believe in me. She has also announced to the entire Seelie Court that she wishes for them to support and trust in me as well. I feel a sting in my eye and blink to keep the tears at bay.
Once the applause dies down enough that my mother can speak over them, she raises her voice to do just that. “Now, it is time to enjoy your breakfast and get on with your daily routine. We have a battle to plan and a war to win. Good day to you all and be merry!” Everyone cheers once again and then does as the queen commands.
When she turns back to us, and I raise an eyebrow, she shrugs one delicate shoulder and smiles at me. “I was so worried about you, but once it all was over, I really thought about what you said to me yesterday. The last thing I want is for you to be unhappy, and I know that you are capable of doing this, so I will support you, my daughter, in all that you do.” She pauses and looks into my eyes. “Even if I do not like it.”
“Thank you, Mother.” I cannot help but wrap my arms around her neck and hug her tightly. However, it causes me to feel the need to cry, so I pull back, trying to calm my feelings. It wasn’t until this moment that I realized how much my mother’s support and approval matters to me. To better calm my emotions, I bring the conversation back to more serious matters. “I have some ideas I would like to discuss with all of you while we eat. May we dine in your private dining room this morning?”
She looks a bit surprised by the request but instantly accepts it. “Come with me.” Taking my hand, she leads me out of the room. The others follow close behind as we make our way to her private chambers and all take a seat around the large table. This is the same room where I dined with her the morning I left Court to rescue Reed and Rho. It seems like ages ago already. Pushing that thought away, I take a deep breath and focus on the here and now. We all remain quiet as the servants bustle around, filling the table with food and drinks. It is more than enough to feed double the amount of people seated. Once the servants have finished, and the queen whispers orders to them, she turns to look at everyone seated at the table and then finally looks at me.
“We will not be disturbed, so you have the floor, Poppy. What are your ideas?”
I look around at everyone now, and seeing them all look expectantly at me, makes me more nervous than I thought I would be. Having been a warrior most of my eighteen years, I am usually the one taking orders and carrying them out, alone. Although we all worked together to rescue Reed and Rho, I am still uneasy about being the leader of a group and unsure of how to proceed. I have ideas and plans swimming in my head, but getting them all out is a bit more trouble than I had original
ly thought. Ruling and commanding does not seem to be coming easy to me.
Gathering my thoughts and courage, I take a deep breath and begin.
“I would like to form my own team to train initially, and then break the team up to train the other warriors. I know the Unseelie Court inside and out, and I know Damien. With that information, I can train my team with what I know, and then they can train the others. It will take time and patience, but I think it will be worth it. As much as I want to do this now, I also want to go into the Unseelie Court knowing that victory will be ours and that Damien will not be breathing when it is all over.”