by Jen Pretty
"This all would have been so much easier if Armond hadn't been taken in the first place. Can we go do something? I can't sit here thinking." I looked at Roman, and a wicked smile crossed his face.
"I have just the thing," he said. I got the feeling I wasn't actually going to like what he had planned, but waiting was killing me, and we had a full day before we would head out to save Armond.
Roman scooped me up, and he took off at full speed. Being pressed to his chest while he flew out of the building and then out of the city jump started my heart again. I decided just to let my mind stop for a few minutes and enjoy the rush of the wind and the contrasted slow thump of his heart. He smelled like ash and sandalwood, and I let myself live in this moment.
It felt like only a minute but I was sure we were now miles from the city, and when Roman set me on my feet and I opened my eyes I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
We were in a forest of old tall trees and right in front of me was a waterfall that was at least three stories high. The sun pushed through the small opening above us in the woods and caused a rainbow to sparkle through the spray of the water. It was perfect like a fairy-tale. My breath was caught in my throat. I thought my forest in homeland was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen but I was wrong. This was it. I wanted to jump in immediately, but Roman help me back just as singing started from beneath the waterfall.
"What is it?" I asked him, straining my ears to hear the music. It wasn't natural, but it sounded organic. Like a person sitting beneath the water. It was cheerful and full of hope.
"The sea nymphs had their magic returned too and asked me to bring you so they could thank you by letting you swim in their pool. It's magic, the water. I'm not sure how it will affect you." His warning was apparent, but I found I wasn't afraid. Maybe that was the sea nymphs doing, but I started taking off my clothes as I walked toward the pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall. The music was louder with each step.
I dipped my toe in and then stepped in. The water wasn't cold but wasn't hot like the springs under the castle. Each step I took had me going deeper until the bottom gave way and I started floating towards the waterfall. I wanted to get there faster, but it was like I moved in slow motion. My mind knew it was magic pulling me, but my body moved with determination, and I didn't fight it.
I felt a calm I hadn't felt ever in my life. Like I could just stay here the rest of my life and never doubt or fear again. I approached the waterfall and the beautiful music touching my ears brought tears to my eyes, and I had to bite my lip to keep them back. I was happy, I didn't want to look sad. The expectant feeling I had was growing stronger, and I felt my life would never be the same again after this moment.
I ducked through the waterfall and was greeted by 3 smiling faces. The women had long hair of every color in the rainbow. Shimmering green and pink and blue. They were laid out on large flat rocks leaning up on their elbows like I imagined mermaids in fairy-tales would except they had legs. As I approached their beauty only magnified. The one in the center sat up to greet me.
She spoke with an ethereal tone that rose the hair on my arms. "Thank you for coming, we have been waiting for this day. It was foretold that a great magic would come and our waterfall would come back to life, giving us our home back and returning our power. We will forever be in your debt. We wish to give you a gift. Our lake will show you what your heart desires most to see."
I knew immediately what my heart wanted to see most. My family had been gone for so long that I was afraid I would start to forget the exact shade of my sister's hair or the cleft in my father's chin.
I blinked, and they were right in front of me. My father tall and dark haired with his classic looks and the chin cleft standing beside my mother who was petite and blond. Her hair was darker than mine and her skin slightly more tanned. They were both smiling at me like they did the day I graduated. My sister stood in front of them, she was almost exactly the image of my mother. We used to joke that I was the odd duck because my hair and skin were so much lighter. But my eyes and nose were exactly like my father’s.
The sight of them standing there, so real and happy, immediately brought tears to my eyes and caught my breath in my throat. I just stood there and watched them as they smiled back at me. The illusion slowly faded away and I wished I could bring it back again, but I knew it wasn't real. I couldn't stay here and stare at what I had lost. I had important things to do. So I closed my eyes and let them fade away. I dunked my head under the water to let it wash away my grief and joy at seeing the people who meant the most to me.
"Thank you," I whispered to the ethereal woman. The magic of the lake let me go, and I slowly made my way back to the shore where Roman was sitting. He stood up when I got close, and I realized he was holding a towel. I was still in my underwear, so the towel was really thoughtful. Roman was thoughtful. I realized that he had set this all up for me. He had brought me to see these people; to give me back a small piece of what I had lost.
He wrapped the towel around me, and I leaned in close to him. After a second he wrapped his arms around me too. I reached up on my toes and kissed him. It wasn't a tentative kiss like others we had shared, it was a kiss full of passion and promise. He was the man I had come to rely on despite my reservations and the man who accepted me for all I was and wasn’t.
He didn't let my passion go unequalled. He pulled me to him and continued the kiss I had started. We both came up for air, and I rested my forehead against his chest. It was cold now that I was out of the water, but wrapped in his arms, I hardly noticed.
"That was perfect," I whispered to him once I caught my breath.
He cupped my face in his hands and wiped the last of my tears away. "I’m glad," he said, and then we let the perfect moment hold like we were on pause. The whole world was crazy, and we were about to go face certain danger and hopefully save Armond but at this moment we were just alone together in the forest, standing beside a beautiful waterfall and that was all the matters.
Eventually, we parted, and I got dressed and dried my hair with the towel. I heard a splashing behind me and turned to discover Daisy taking a bird bath in the magic lake.
"Daisy, you shouldn't be there, come on, let's head back." It had to be getting close to the time we were to head out toward the caves. I wasn't looking forward to travelling all night, but Armond had been with these rebels and the witch long enough. I wasn't going to wait any longer, even if the stupid elders said to. My magic might be keeping me stable but Armond was still my friend, and I wasn't going to leave without him. We walked through the forest for a while. Roman could have carried me and had us back to the castle in no time, but I think we both just needed a moment on our own thoughts before our next big drama. At least I needed it. I was still trying to tuck away my sorrow and grief when Roman finally spoke.
"I'm in love with you, Lex." He said it softly while looking at the ground. "I don't want to go home and lose you after we rescue Armond. Tell me you feel the same way."
I had never seen this vulnerable side of Roman. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him to a stop in the forest. Daisy had flown off, and it was silent here except for the birds in the trees that always followed us.
"I don't know where this is going with us, and I have been pretty unsuccessful with relationships in the past, but I don't want to go home and be without you either, Roman."
He smiled his crooked cocky smile and kissed me hard before scooping me up and screaming us through the forest at full speed. I laughed as the rush of adrenaline pumped through my veins. I couldn't say exactly when I stopped fearing Roman, but my heart and my mind trusted him completely.
When he finally stopped, we were back in the castle, in the King’s throne room, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers. Time to go.
chapter TEN
The King’s booming voice filled the throne room as the crowd parted to let Roman and me through. "You will end this conflict with the rebels," he declared like we wouldn't dar
e disobey him. "You will bring peace to this kingdom for your children and your grandchildren. We will discover our old way of life and experience the joy that our forefathers knew before the destructive witch arrived."
The crowd was already worked up and burst into shouts and applause at the King’s declaration. These men were ready to fight and die for their world, and it humbled me to the core. I had never felt as passionately about anything as these men felt about their world. I had to agree with them though. This place was amazing and perfect and worth the effort to preserve it.
As the men started filing out of the room, the King spotted us and waved us up to him.
"Thank you for helping us," I said bowing my head slightly.
"You have already helped us beyond imagination. Our land is coming back to life with our magic, and our people are already prospering where they once struggled. Don't forget my son has been taken by these rebels too, I am not selfless in my offer of assistance. I feel I should still be thanking you." He replied before looking up past my shoulder. "Ah, here he is,"
I turned and suddenly was faced with the strange man I had met in the halls the day I thought the King was eating Daisy. My expression must have shown on my face because he lifted one side of his mouth in a rueful smile.
"Who are you?" I said not willing to take my eyes off him in case he disappeared again.
"This is the leader of the unicorns." The King said softly.
I spun back to look at the king. "The unicorns that have been killing your people for generations?"
The King sighed, and I heard a soft chuckle from the ridiculous unicorn man.
"They don't retain their humanity in animal form. Or so he says," the King scowled a bit in the direction of the man who was still grinning.
"Ok, so what is he doing here?" I asked.
"He will lead the army. He was once my grandfather's first lieutenant, but all of my ancestor's top royal guard disappeared when the magic was stolen. They had always been the King’s guard because they were immortal and such fierce fighters." The King eyed up the man, obviously still wary.
"So, you have spent the last several hundred years killing innocent defenseless people, and now you are just back to normal?" I asked with enough sarcasm in my voice to ensure he didn't think I believed his tale for a second.
He leaned casually against a pillar and sized me up. "It's no less believable than your story."
"Pardon me?"
"You know, how you claim to be Fae," he said rolling his eyes.
"I am Fae. That's not a story. I control time," I said getting a bit pissed off by this man's attitude.
"Ok, sure, but that's not all you are. You are just a bit more than that. Aren't you?" he said smugly while picking some nonexistent lint off his shirt.
I was bewildered. As far as I knew I was Fae. I noticed Roman looking nervously from the man to me and back again. "What?" I asked Roman, but he just shook his head. I turned my attention back to the man.
"What are you talking about?" he just smiled wider before turning away.
As he walked towards the doors to exit the throne room he called over his shoulder "plenty of time to chat while we head to the caves!" and then he was gone.
I turned back to Roman and the king. Roman wouldn't meet my eyes, and I knew at that moment that the weirdo was right. Roman knew something about me that he was keeping to himself. How many times would my life get thrown for a loop? "This better not be something crazy," was all I said before turning and storming out after the unicorn man and the troops. I was going to get some answers, but we definitely needed to get moving. I wanted my sanity back. Armond was the key to that.
Outside we followed the trail of men that were heading out of the town and into the forest. This was the way we had come, but soon we took a fork in the road and began heading north. We would be walking most of the night and the camping for about 6 hours before moving out again to make it to the caves at full dark the next night. The path was well worn but had initially been narrow. Having an entire army with us, they packed the track down, so it was about ten feet wide and quite flat.
"Listen, we need to be careful, Ok? The King says he and his lead guard, Franklin, have removed any potential rebels who have infiltrated their ranks, but we can't be too careful." Roman spoke softly. We were surrounded by warriors. Giant men and women with swords strapped to the backs. I nodded my head. He was right. Anyone of these people could be against us.
I heard a soft honking, and suddenly a heavy weight landed on my pack. Daisy.
"Hello lovely. Decided to join us?" I asked him gently as he nuzzled my hair. He quacked softly and then tucked his head in his wing to take a nap.
Part of me really wanted to find the unicorn man and ask him what he was talking about but the other part of me didn't really want to know. I was tired of people telling me things about myself. It had been nonstop since the day I met Victor in that alley. I finally settled in talking to Roman about it. At least he was likely to spill it gently.
"Tell me," I said to him. I took his hand to pull some comfort from him. I needed courage right now.
Roman sighed and rubbed his face with his other hand. He looked up at me and had a bit of a worried look on his face. I just stared at him. I wasn't going to let this go. He knew it too.
"Alright, but don't freak out, Ok? The elders think you might be half-elf. Which would explain your ability to pull magic from the ground? That's not really a Fae thing, you know. Might also explain why you attracted the unicorn."
I had to think about that for a second before my mind had a valid argument. "My parents were both Fae. It's not possible."
Roman looked at me a little sad, and it clicked. My mother was definitely Fae, because her sister, Luke’s mother, lived in homeland but why had I never heard of my father’s family from anyone? Not a peep in all this time. Could he have been something else entirely? Ugh. What did this even mean? I realized I had stopped on the path and started walking again. The army was still moving away from us.
“Where are all the elves? If they aren’t here anymore, are they all on earth? What even is an elf? My dad looked human! Do all elves look like him? Oh God. Why does my life have to be so complicated?” I started to run to try and catch up, Roman called my name and when I turned to look at him I tripped over a root and then everything was black.
When I came to, I was definitely not on the ground. The rhythmic rocking motion was soothing but whatever I was sitting on was lumpy…and hairy. I opened my eyes and rubbed the bump on my forehead. Great. I realized I was on a freaking horse. No. It was a unicorn. Oh god. I was somehow riding a unicorn. Maybe I was still unconscious and dreaming.
"It's alright, Lex. I don't think he will hurt you. He lost it when you hit your head and scooped you up. Then he turned into a unicorn, and has been threatening anyone who got too close. Fucker stabbed me!" Roman seethed. I looked back at him. He had blood on his shirt but seemed ok. Vampire healing.
Franklin, the King’s chief guard had joined our merry troop and was looking a bit rough around the edges like he had been in a scuffle.
"How do I get down?" I asked them. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the beast lay down, and I stepped off.
"Thanks," I said cautiously. In the next second, he was a man. A very smug man.
"You are welcome," he said. "And for the record, I just don't like vampires."
I snorted a laugh then cleared my throat to cover it as I noticed the look on Romans face. "Sorry."
"Why did you do that?" I asked him, and then realizing I still didn't know his name, I added "and what's your name?"
He smiled and turned back to continue walking. I wanted to ask where his clothes went because he turned back to a man fully clothed but I wondered if that was a personal question.
"My name is long and old and boring. You may call me Puck. Your vampire doesn't need to speak to me." He glared daggers at Roman, and I covered my laugh with a cough. "We are a pair and will batt
le together at the caves." He sprung back into his unicorn form and disappeared into the flow of soldiers ahead of us.
I turned to Franklin and raised an eyebrow in question. I knew this world would have some extra weird stuff but definitely needed an explanation for this one.
"Our guards have always been paired. One elf and one unicorn. They are the fiercest of warriors and protectors, you are fortunate." Franklin said with a look of reverence on his face.
Great, just what I needed. A wild animal determined to kill everything. "I don't want a freaking Unicorn," I said before marching off to follow the group. Suddenly I wasn't feeling much like talking anymore. I was done with magic telling me what to do and running my life. Daisy was the only animal for me, all others could just leave me alone.
Soon it was pitch black except for the soft glow of the occasional lantern that some of the army men were carrying on long poles. The light wasn't much, but the path was worn and flat enough that I wasn't tripping too often. I was near exhausted and the pressure of everything I’d learned, everything I had been through -- got to me. A single tear pushed and then another.
Roman scooped me up in his arms and carried on. “Thank you,” I mumbled into his chest.
“You’re welcome. Do you want to talk about you being half elf?”
I thought about it for a minute before replying, “I guess. But why didn’t you tell me? I know that guilty look.”
Before he could answer Daisy swooped down and curled up on my stomach. It was a bit of a precarious place for him to nap, but I appreciated the comfort he brought me with his soft fluff.
Roman chuckled at my silly duck and then sighed “The elders thought it would be best if you learned about your heritage when the time was right. When you were meant to find out. I learned long ago not to mess with the future.” Sadness overtook his face. “That is a story for another time.”
“Alright, do you know anything about the elves? What they were like? Or where they are?” I had asked these questions before but didn’t get any answers because of the well placed root.