Forever Fae

by L. P. Dover

  I finally reach King Oberon and he greets me.

  “Welcome, Prince Ryder, I trust your journey from the Winter Court was good. How are things there?”

  I bow my head to show respect and reply, “Yes, Your Highness, our trip from the Winter Court was great. I love travelling through the Mystical Forest. Things in the Winter Court are going as well as can be expected. My father, as you know, is in Endelyn with the dwarves discussing the issues of the Black Forest. We’ve had several of our fae go missing the past couple of weeks. It’s actually been happening for many years now, like it’s been happening here, if I’m not mistaken. Have your people discovered anything yet?”

  “No, they have not, and I hope we discover something soon.” King Oberon takes on a weary expression, but then shakes out of it and tries to lighten the mood. “I hate your father couldn’t make it here today. He always knew how to have a good time,” the king says humorously. That makes me laugh so the king continues.

  “But the queens are a different story, aren’t they?” King Oberon visibly shudders at remembering some of the tense moments from before between my mother and Queen Tatiana.

  The Queen hears him say it and she gives him a playful scowl.

  “Oberon, stop talking nonsense, I am not that bad,” the queen says while walking by. He winks at me and shakes his head.

  “I’ll just let her keep thinking that for now,” he says, laughing. “Thank you for coming to the ceremony. I’m afraid our council meeting will be postponed for tomorrow, if you don’t mind, because this party is probably going to last a while. Do you mind delaying your departure until tomorrow evening? You are more than welcome to stay here in the guest wing of the house.”

  It’s the best news I heard all night. Now I have more time to be around the princess without having to have a reason.

  Keeping the excitement out of my voice, I say, “Your Highness, I would be happy to stay here and there’s no inconvenience. I don’t mind the meeting being postponed, but my brother has accompanied me as well as one of my closest friends.”

  King Oberon waves me off like it’s not a bother.

  “Your guests are more than welcome to stay as well. Your guards can stay in the warrior housing on our property.” He looks around like he’s trying to find someone and then he points to a guy with bright red hair.

  “I want you to meet my son, Drake. He’s the leader of our army and a skilled fighter.” I see Drake across the room and there’s no way he could be missed because of his glowing red hair.

  “I’ve heard of his skills. Being a dragon must have its advantages,” I say.

  I meet Drake and he is an interesting character. I could tell he was sizing me up the whole time, and I have to admit I was doing the same to him. His show of testosterone was actually kind of amusing to me. He departed to tend to other things and I was left alone with the king again.

  “My daughter asked about you,” the king says. I can sense a hint of humor in his statement and I wonder what it’s all about. It got my attention and I almost smile, but decide against it.

  I say flatly, “Really? What did she say?”

  “She asked who you were. She knew you were from the Winter Court, but didn’t know who you were so I told her. Calista has never shown an interest in anyone so I was shocked that she asked about you. Do you have any idea why she would have an interest in you?” He asks curiously.

  I shrug my shoulders and look like I have no clue. I do have an idea and I share the same interest in her, but I am not going to tell him that.

  “No, I have no idea why she would be interested in me,” I say.

  King Oberon points behind me with a sparkle in his eyes and says, “Well, here she comes, Prince Ryder. You can finally meet my sunshine.”

  My heart picks up speed and I turn to see her walking toward me and her father. Our eyes lock and I can see the curiosity eating away at her. She stands beside her father and kisses his cheek.

  At last I hear her voice as she speaks, “I have made my rounds, Father. I believe it might be time for some dancing.” Her voice is soft, but strong. It is a very feminine voice, but laced with a hint of stubbornness.

  As she says “dancing” she looks straight at me. Her exotic green eyes have gold specks and are so tantalizing. I feel like I could get lost in the sea of them. If she wants to dance, I can show her how we move in the Winter Court.

  King Oberon cuts in and places his hand on my shoulder.

  “Calista, I would like to introduce you to Prince Ryder of the Winter Court. He is the leader of their army and son of King Madoc and Queen Mab.”

  She gives me a smile and curtsies ever so gracefully. I finally hear her lovely voice speak my name.

  “Good evening, Prince Ryder, it’s such a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Please, call me Ryder,” I say.

  She replies softly, “Well, then please call me Calista.”

  She reaches out her hand to mine and I grasp it gently. The moment our hands touch, the electricity surges through our bodies and the images come flooding in. We both gasp, still holding on, while the images continue on in a silent movie only Calista and I can watch.

  Chapter 8

  Alasdair- Dark Sorcerer (Black Forest)

  The ceremony is taking place as we speak. I wonder who has won the title of Princess Calista’s Guardian. Whoever it is will have to be taken care of soon. I can’t have him interfering with our plans. I can feel Gothin approaching and I know he has news for me. I’ve been waiting to hear news from my informants.

  “Master, you have an urgent message from the Summer Court. They wish to speak to you through the scrying bowl,” Gothin says.

  “Excellent, Gothin, I will see what news my most trusted servants have for me.” I dismiss him so I can be left in peace.

  I take my solid form and retrieve the dagger from my belt to prick my finger. The drop of blood will allow me to see my servants and talk to them secretly. They slowly appear in the reflection of my bowl.

  “Good evening, Master. We brought you news from the ceremony,” one of the men says.

  I reply, “Very well, continue. Which warrior won the title?”

  “Merrick was the warrior who won. His fighting is magnificent and efficient. He’s a fearsome warrior and also Calista’s best friend. He will not be taken down easily.”

  “I’ve heard of this Merrick. Yes, he is a skillful fighter, and I will have to figure out what to do with him. Is the princess still planning on visiting the Elvan Kingdom in a few days?” I ask.

  The Summer Court traitor says, “Yes, Master, she is still planning on the visit and she will have a contingent of guards with her as well. We have the route she will be taking and are making arrangements to intercept her. We also have a spy in place in Endelyn with the dwarves. He is taking place in the meetings while King Madoc is visiting there on business.”

  My other informant interrupts, “I have some news, Sire, that may not be good. Prince Ryder seems to have taken a notice to Princess Calista and she to him. I could practically see the connection there. If they figure out the prophecy, there’s going to be no way to stop it.”

  This is not good and thinking of them together infuriates me. Let’s just hope I get the princess in my grasp before things escalate. I need Calista’s power and I need the power of The Four.

  Agitated, I say, “Go back to the party before someone notices you’re missing. Do what you can to keep the prince and princess apart. If you find anything else, you better come to me quickly. My tolerance is running thin.”

  I dismiss them both. Only a couple more days and I’ll have the power within my grasp. Having to wait has really grated on my nerves. I leave the main headquarters and walk to one of the prisons. The guards at the door move aside to let me enter. I look around and see that I have about twenty people in the prison. The other prisons I have are scattered across the forest.

  I look each prisoner in the eye and ask, “Now which of you would like
to join me and which of you would like to die?” I see a mixture of hands of the people that would like to stay. The guards escort each one of the prisoners up to me and I use my mind control to make them pledge fealty. I do this one by one until I am left with one last couple. I do not use mind control on everyone because it is still nice to fully drain the energy from some. I need to refuel my power at some time.

  I glare at my last couple and they give me defiant looks. Excitement bubbles inside me because it’s more fun when the prisoners are bold. They must be husband and wife from the way they are holding each other. I walk up to them with my guards flanking me. Even though I do not need their help, it still makes me look intimidating. I reach for the woman and the husband lunges for me. I didn’t want to have to do it, but I take my dagger and with a lightning fast move I slash his neck clear through to the bone. Blood sprays in an arc across the walls and coats my hands and body with the warmth of his life force. His head falls off to the side and rolls across the floor until he disintegrates into a pile of ash. The wife screams and tries to reach his body before he disappears, but she doesn’t get there in time. Pity, I really wanted to take his magic, but he made that too difficult. Now I will enjoy the delicious essence of the woman. I take my talisman off and put it around her neck. She stops screaming and looks at me with hate-filled eyes. I just look at her and smile.

  The woman says, “You may be able to steal our power, but you are still nothing. They will all defeat you and your body will rot in Hell where it belongs.”

  My smile fades and I can’t stand to listen to her ranting anymore. I yank the talisman from around her neck, take my dagger, still dripping with blood, and thrust it into her heart. My dagger is made of iron so stabbing a fae in the heart is lethal. The poison of the iron will travel through the bloodstream and the fae will be dead in minutes. I do not have fae blood in me, so handling anything with iron does not bother me. The dagger was brought over from the mortal realm when the other sorcerers came to the Black Forest. It has definitely come in handy.

  One thing is certain, I need to make sure my guards gag the prisoners before I plan on coming back. My tolerance is too little to be dealing with these people spouting nonsense. I will end up with mostly dead fae instead of magic if I can’t stop killing them.

  Chapter 9

  Calista

  Falling leaves. Crisp, cool air and lots and lots of colors. I am surrounded by red, orange, yellow, green and brown. The leaves are blowing in the wind and cascading from the trees. Even though there are hundreds of leaves falling, the trees still look overly abundant with them. It’s magnificent. I have never seen anything like it. I’m walking through a meadow hand in hand with someone, but I can’t really see his face. All I know is I feel happy and I feel at home. This place does not look familiar to me, but I feel like I’ve been here a million times.

  I reach down to touch the ground, and I can feel the life and the newness of the land. I’ve always had a connection to the land because of my affinity for the earth, but this feels like more. I also notice that my body looks different and feels different. My skin is paler and it doesn’t feel as hot. I can tell that the land was made because of me and the man I’m with. We somehow made this land through our magic, but how? Did the land choose us, or could this be part of the prophecy?

  The man I’m with gently pulls me over to a bed of leaves on the ground and I lay in them with the man beside me. I breathe in the cool, fresh air and listen to the leaves bristling around in the wind. This is my home; this is where my heart is. I feel the power of this land more than I do when I’m at home in the Summer Court. The power here thrums through me and I can feel the same power flowing through my companion. His power matches my own, but I’ve never met anyone with the same amount of power as me. He leans over my body to where he’s half laying on top of me and half to the side. His body being so close to mine sends chills all over me and I’m silently begging for more.

  He trails a hand down my face to my collarbone where he stops to lay a gentle kiss on my neck. My blood boils and I wish he would kiss me more. He slides his hands farther down my side, lightly grazing my breast. My breathing becomes rapid and my heart is pounding. I can hear it in my ears. He stops at my waist and puts a tight grip on my hip. I can tell he wants to devour me, but he’s teasing me and taking things slow. I don’t want things slow. His other hand cups the back of my head, while turning me toward him. He leans down, lips parted. I can feel his breath on my face and I lick my lips in anticipation of his kiss.

  His scent is so different, it’s intoxicating. It’s a mixture of a summer breeze and a winter snow. I can’t place it with anything else. His lips are so close, I can’t wait to taste him…then our lips connect.

  ***

  I am thrust out of the vision and I’m back in the Great Room where everyone is staring wide-eyed. What just happened? I abruptly let go of Ryder’s hand and look around the room. I don’t know how long the vision lasted, but it must have been a few minutes because my father is looking frantic and my mother is running her hands all over me to make sure I am alright. Merrick is by my side in an instant, trying to pull me away from Ryder. I try to shield my mind from him so he won’t pick up on my feelings. I have no clue if he saw the vision because our minds are connected.

  “Please don’t shield your mind from me. I only want to help you. What did you see?”Merrick asks, concerned.

  “Nothing, Merrick. It was a strange vision and it made me a little confused, but I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me,” I say to reassure him. His expression is grave, but he takes a couple of steps back to give me some space.

  I look around at everyone and announce, “I’m OK, everyone. I promise I’m OK.”

  I can tell my mother and father are worried so I smile to try and assure them. My father asks quizzically, “Are you sure you’re OK? What happened?”

  I’m thinking about the vision but for some reason it doesn’t feel like it’s the right time to announce to everyone what I saw. I look over at Ryder and I can tell he feels the same way.

  As much as I hate to do it, I lie.

  “It was a vision, but it was really blurry and it went by so fast. I don’t really remember any of it.” I look to Ryder and he nods his head. My father looks over to him and asks the same question.

  “Did you have a vision, too?”

  Ryder shakes his head. “Yes, but like the princess said, it was blurry and it came too fast. I don’t remember much of it either.”

  I blow out the breath I had been holding and I close my eyes. I need time to process what I saw, but I wonder if Ryder saw the exact same things that I had seen. I’m pretty sure he did, but hopefully I can talk to him alone somewhere and see what he thinks about it. My father didn’t look like he believed a word Ryder and I said, but he didn’t say otherwise.

  My father leans over to whisper in my ear.

  “I need you to talk to Elvena as soon as possible.”

  “I will, first thing in the morning,” I respond. Elvena tends to have the answers for everything since she’s the prophetess.

  My father announces, “The meeting with the council has been postponed to midday tomorrow. Prince Ryder and his kin will be staying in the guest quarters.” I jerk my head hard to stare wide-eyed at my father. I think I might have pulled something in my neck from moving my head so fast. I can’t believe Ryder is staying here for the night. My father has never offered to have people stay in the main house.

  With a dark and desperate look, Merrick cuts in.

  “Your Highness, don’t you think it would be best if they stayed in one of the other houses on the property?” He pauses and then adds quickly, “That way they would have their privacy.”

  We all know that isn’t the real reason Merrick wants them out of the house. Ryder tries to hide a smile and fails miserably. I look at him agitated hoping he’ll stop. Provoking Merrick is just going to cause major problems.

  My father smiles kindly at Merric
k.

  “Merrick, they will be fine in the main house. The house is fully guarded so nothing is going to happen. If it is Calista’s safety you fear, then you are more than welcome to stay in one of her guest rooms in the south wing.”

  Ryder’s smile vanishes while Merrick’s smile comes back full force. Triumph is clearly written all over his face. What is my father doing? I shake my head in disbelief and look at my father. His mischievous smile explains everything. This is absolutely preposterous. I can tell Ryder doesn’t like the idea of Merrick being so close to me. Merrick’s face is beaming and I turn my dark look to him because he’s the one doing the provoking now. Merrick usually stays in the warrior housing on our property and now that he’s my guardian, I didn’t even think about how that would change.

  Merrick moves closer to me and looks over at Ryder. He stares at him with a huge grin while he addresses my father.

  “Good idea, Your Highness. I think I will feel better if I stay closer to the princess.”

  My father looks like he’s about burst with laughter so he turns his head so no one can see. I just roll my eyes and sigh. It is going to be a long night, and it’s just getting started.

  He looks back at me and his smile is gone, but the humor is still clearly there.