"You're right. I'm not happy about this place. Not because it doesn't meet my standards. I'm pissed because you had to live here. No matter if your mother put you here for a purpose. Why didn't anyone try to take you out of it? Why couldn't Camilla offer you a place to stay in her house? How could anyone allow you to sleep in such conditions? Why are you so filled with love when the world seemed to be so cruel to you?"
The questions came out in a rush as they processed through my mind. I really couldn't wrap my mind around all of this. Xavier had come down and seen this very place and was still able to treat her so poorly? In fact, maybe that was why he'd given her a whole bunch of clothes in the beginning.
Out of pity. What a jackass.
He thought of her as someone he could pamper with a few gifts and then have her wrapped around his finger just like that. This woman grew up in the harshest conditions with no one to rely on for anything. Worked in the fields, day and night, got bullied by rich kids, and somehow was willing to venture into our world.
Only to receive the same treatment from our own people.
What if we'd never met? What if she wasn't the strong individual standing before me who thought I was embarrassed because of how shitty her living conditions were? She would truly believe that she deserves all the struggles she'd had to endure all her life.
"No one took me out of it because they had their own burdens to carry." She stated it like it was a simple fact. "Who knows. They may have a roof over their head, but what if they have no food to lay on their table? Bringing me into their home wouldn’t solve their starvation problem. It would only add to it. In these lands, we're simply not privileged like the rest of the world. It's just like how humans aren't privileged to somehow walk in the lands of the fae, let alone be friends with one."
She squeezed my hands to try to hide their trembling as she looked to the floor. "Camilla gave me enough with her friendship. As a child who was only bullied day in and out, to have a friend like Camilla who didn't squirm at my smell or throw rocks at me was a bonus. She talked to me with respect, like I was a being amongst society, and encouraged me to learn whatever I could. Sure, I didn't have the resources like she may have had or the rest of the rich kids, but she was my cheerleader to better myself. She listened to me whine and stood by my side in a place where she obviously didn't belong. She may have been sent down here to protect me, but who knows what she had to endure to ensure my safety?"
The way she explained it seemed to make sense to me because this place was so open. Anyone could come and kill her, and nothing would be reported.
She noticed my silence, which prompted her to lift her head.
"Camilla did enough for me, and I couldn't ask her and her parents to take me in out of pity. I didn't want to push my burdens on them, because realistically, not everything that glitters is gold. There were times Camilla would be sad and cry, but she wouldn't be able to tell me why. There had to be reasons for it. Just like how she'd sometimes have scratches and bruises on her body when she's not the clumsy type like me. I'm not trying to defend the fact that in a realistic environment, this isn't a place where a child or teenager should live, but it was a circumstance I accepted and survived in."
She pulled me into a hug, which only made me sigh as I hugged her tightly because I knew she was the one who needed the intimacy.
"As for why I still harbor love in my heart instead of being a bitch, I think it's because loving one another is a lot easier than hate. To despise someone takes a lot more energy out of you than loving your neighbor. Also, by loving people openly and being happy, you basically raise your vibrations and invite good things to happen to you."
She pulled back to look into my eyes.
"If I'd been a bitch like Ella, you may not have fallen for me."
I grunted at the comparison which made her laugh. "See my point?"
"I see it, but it still bothers me," I grumbled and hugged her again. "I'm not embarrassed. I'm fucking proud of you. None of the women of our kingdom or even Xavier would survive a night in this place. Yet, you lived here for a good chunk of your life. I don't know why your mother left you here, but I thank Mother Universe for giving you enough strength to endure it all."
"Maybe she wanted me to get enough resilience so that no one could bring me down in the future," she suggested.
"Hmm," was all I said before I gave her a quick kiss.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"That's for being a badass fae," I teased which made her laugh long and hard.
"Wow! I'm a badass fae for surviving the harsh climates of homelessness. You're funny," she giggled and pulled away to look around one last time.
"Wanna go for a walk? I want to check the forest around here one last time since I don't think we'll be here for a while and who knows? Maybe another fifty to a hundred years will go by and this place will be no more."
"Ya, let's go for a walk," she encouraged.
We made our way out, but before we left the makeshift home, I suggested, "You should take a picture."
"Why?"
"So you can show our kids that you survived living in a place like this and became a queen."
I watched her whole face burn a bright red as she stared back at me.
"I'm being serious," I pointed out.
"Y-You think that would be inspirational?" She cringed a little.
"I'm beyond inspired and I'm sure others would be too. Didn't you see the hope in that little girl's eyes just from hearing that you once lived in these parts and was now a princess? I think you'd be able to inspire many fae children, including our own."
"Our own," she repeated, her cheeks growing even redder.
I pouted my lips, unsure why she was blushing until I repeated my words back in my head.
Ugh. Too direct.
I really had the urge to slap my own face as my cheeks burned red.
"Forget I said that," I groaned and looked away.
She walked up to me, and purposely moved in my line of vision as she whispered, "You said it twice."
"I-I didn't."
"You're lying." She smirked at my obvious failure at defending myself, which actually made me slap my face.
"I said nothing!"
"Do you want a boy or a girl?"
"A girl," I responded immediately before I cursed. "Fuck! I didn't answer that!"
She giggled and leaned right against me. "You want a little mini-me? Aww."
"Stop it!" I huffed as she continued to laugh and ended up hugging me again. I couldn't ignore her embrace; my hand lowered from my face just so I could hug her in return.
"Alright, I'll take a picture," she said with pride.
"Good," I whispered and kissed the top of her head.
After taking the pictures of the two of us, we took a final look at the place like it would be our last. I engraved the sight in my memory and vowed that I'd support this woman through any hardships because she whole-heartedly deserved every fiber of support I could deliver.
Mother Universe. Help me be the best man to my resilient queen.
Kindness Unlocks Opportunity
~ROSADETTE~
* * *
"I said 'walk around the forest one last time.’ Not make out against a tree because you're horny," I teased while I used the opportunity to catch my breath because I seriously needed it after that whirling, heated make-out session.
This may have been Rainer's way to cheer me up after we visited the place that I’d called my "home" before I punched Xavier in the face and landed my booty in the heart of the fae lands.
To return back was a real eye-opener as I took in the lifestyle I'd assumed would be the rest of my life. To think it was only ten months ago in fae time that I'd been doing my daily morning shifts of hard labor and drinking in the evenings to drown my sorrows.
Not like that watered-down alcohol did anything.
What I also didn't expect was the wave of emotions that came over me from showing Rainer this pla
ce. From the fields, the bar, and the makeshift shed I'd made for myself, it brought so many feelings that it overwhelmed me, but what I feared the most was being judged by him.
For him to suddenly reject me for being raised here and not in some elite environment with the best schools, clothes, resources, and higher standards.
I hadn't realized it, but as I moved on from the lingering fears of Xavier's judgment and criticism, I was now witnessing that his presence had been so negative. It was something so easily missed because we didn't need to be face-to-face for the negative influence on my mindset.
Unlike when I'd brought him here to get my belongings when we first met, I was now ashamed of this life that I'd somehow survived. Like Rainer had said, this was an experience that very few would have survived. Yet, I had done exactly that and was still able to finish my first year at a school in a world I'd just been introduced to.
It was a story that could inspire anyone who thought they would never go somewhere because of their current circumstance. It also proved that no matter where you are in this life, Mother Universe could turn that life upside down for your own benefit.
All those times I wished to have a boyfriend, and now I had one who respected me, loved me, and deemed me worthy to be by his side. No matter my upbringing, flaws, and lack of knowledge of our kind, here he was, showing his loving support by viewing my homeland.
My mother must have left me here for a reason. I just wished to discover why.
What did you see in the place, Mother, that made you leave me here?
"They say if you take breaks during walks, you can admire the scenery and discover something you wouldn't by cruising by," Rainer replied.
He was back in his fae form after switching to his human form temporarily to fit in my makeshift house. The problem with extremely tall fae men.
"That's bullshit," I huffed, and he laughed.
"It's a real saying. I swear," he defended.
Slipping away from the tree I'd been pressed against for the last ten minutes thanks to my tall, muscled boyfriend, I skipped around the trees while looking back to see his questioning gaze.
"Alright. I'm looking at the vast scenery!" I said with pride as I twirled and let my simple red dress twirl. I came to a stop as I gave a small curtsy. "See? No new surprises here," I declared.
He rolled his eyes and I smirked before walking around a tree. "We should get back to the fields to meet Cami...what the-?"
I cut right off as I came to a stop - my world going from day to literally night. I quickly looked around, realizing that I was still in the forest, but it almost appeared as if I were in a parallel universe.
"Rainer?!" My voice was an octave higher, and my immediate worry was the fact that I was in a new place and he wasn't by my side.
Suddenly a large hand grasped mine, but my suddenly racing heart immediately calmed as the familiar magic of my love wrapped around me. Turning my head to my left, I saw Rainer was now beside me, his eyes taking in the new night world before he looked down at me.
"What did I do?" I asked nervously, but his grin was playful as he answered, "You found a pocket hole," he said with pride.
"Why are you happy?"
"Because you may just have found where your Mother may have been discovered," he revealed, which made my eyes widen.
"What?"
Rainer's smile only grew as he pointed forward. Following the direction of his finger, I took in the clearing that was similar to where my makeshift home was.
Instead of the place being bare, it was filled with red roses that twinkled with golden accents. One look and the two of us were rushing over to get a better view of the sight, my heart racing as I realized that this spot was the place I'd basically been living on if this was some sort of parallel universe.
"Rainer. I don't get this," I admitted, unsure what to think about this.
Rainer seemed to be deep in thought, his hand slipping from mine as he took off his shoes and walked into the bed of roses. His hair began to glow, magic thrumming through his body as the roses seemed to shiver at his approach.
Each step he took was taken with caution, ensuring he didn't step on one rose.
He reached a certain part and stopped.
"You slept right here," he declared.
"Huh?" I commented as I slipped out of my slippers and took a calming breath. I wanted to reach where he was, but I worried about stepping on the roses. Rainer must have noticed my dilemma because he turned his body in my direction.
"Allow your magic to flow through your body. Once you've done so, imagine yourself walking the same path as I and the roses moving away from your steps. By doing so, you'll alter their placement temporarily, which will make it impossible for you to step on them," he explained.
I nodded in understanding as I did exactly what he explained. The task was easy now that I got a general picture of it, and without much struggle, I was at his side and looking to the spot of roses that wavered from side to side at our presence.
"What do you mean I slept here?" I asked again.
"Your energy is all over this spot." He marked the place as if it were a crime scene with his pointing finger. "All over."
"Why can't I see it?" I huffed.
"You'll learn that in Year Two," he teased.
"Unfair," I grumbled but commented, "Then does that mean this is a parallel universe?"
"Yes," he replied. "However, it's not one of the living."
"That doesn't make sense," I commented, not following what he was trying to suggest.
"He's right."
An elderly voice carried on the winds to us from our left, leaving the two of us to dart our heads to the sound. Our eyes landed on an older woman, but she was like a hollow projection. It reminded me of seeing a ghost, only all the outlined details of this woman were perfectly clear.
She floated towards us, and my eyes only grew bigger when I realized who she was.
"You!" I declared as the elderly woman's smile widened.
"It's good to see that you recall this wrinkled face, Princess," she replied before she stopped a few feet from us and clapped her hands three times. I felt a tug of magic leave me as I lifted my hand, which had summoned the ancient book that she'd given to me many years ago before her passing.
"T-The book," I stuttered as I watched it glow furiously with magic as the pages continued to flip on an endless cycle. A burst of magic pushed out of the pages and danced around the woman like she was made of flames. It grew stronger and wider, the mini flaming tornado wrapping around her until the elderly woman was now a young maiden who wore a magnificent traditional outfit.
My jaw dropped and I'm sure Rainer was gawking as well. The woman in our presence didn’t look older than thirty. She had long black hair that was left down, with striking orange eyes with flickers of red. She was a being like us, her skin flawless and radiant even in the dim light of the clearing, and her outfit was a mixture of red, orange, gold, and white.
The flames wrapped around her until she opened her hand, leaving the flames to gather above her palm and diminish until it was a small hovering ball of fire. The pages of the floating book suddenly stopped; the book came to a close and darted over to the woman's other hand.
She lifted her hand up to chest level, the book landing in her grasp as her eyes inspected it with satisfaction.
"You've taken care of this like it was of your heritage," she praised. "I was sure you'd throw it away once I passed away."
"I would never throw it away," I defended. "It was valuable to you."
"But I passed away," she offered. "It should have gone to the trash."
"One man's trash is another one's treasure. To me, it was something given to me. You didn't need to give me anything. You owed me nothing. The least I could do was cherish it," I explained.
"It's good you did," she answered with a wide smile as she looked into my eyes. "Your mother told me you'd pass the test, but I didn't know for sure."
"My m
other?!" I gasped at the mention of her. "Y-You know my mother?"
"And what test?" Rainer added, which was a good thing because I would have overlooked that comment.
Neither of us could speak, which allowed her the opportunity to continue.
"The Queen of Rosadette and King of Darkness requested that I station myself on these very lands. Intriguing choice seeing as this spot is one of the few in the world with a parallel universe," she commented before carrying on. "I was requested to live my remaining human years here for there was a chance that the unborn princess would be in danger. The queen's instincts have always been spot on, and as time has now proven again, she wasn't wrong. When she arrived at this very spot, her body was almost frozen solid. All I could do was place a spell on her to ensure that she and the babe would not perish. I then asked the Universe to find a way to undo the spell of ice when she felt it was right. Many years passed but I remained in this universe where time was at a standstill while the rest of the world moved on. One day, a fae solider stumbled upon the pathway to this alternate universe and discovered the frozen sculpture of the queen. He did his best to melt the entire thing but exerted far too much energy. I decided to aid him by sending him back to his kingdom without him realizing it. It gave me the chance to finish off melting the ice now that the spell was broken. After that, the queen awoke with the babe and begged for me to return her to the surface world so she could be granted life. It would be considered a test, because she wasn't sure how her fae child of darkness and light would survive in the land of humans, but she couldn't afford to return to the fae world at the risk of getting her only child killed or the King of Light retrieving her."
She didn't know that time had already passed, and the King of Light had died?
"After her orders, she expressed hope that her child would be able to carry kindness in her heart and treasure the valuable things life brings. She granted me this very book and instructed that I pass it down to you before my human time was up. The book would not only protect you from the fae of the outer lands who would be desperate to get their hands on you, but it would also be an item that could return you to this alternate universe where I'd found you. Thus, the purpose of me giving you that book was to determine if you'd treasure it enough to keep it. By doing so, you protected yourself from a world you didn't know of. It’s the reason why you and your bonded mate are present."
Fae Rose Academy: Year Two (For The Purely Divine Book 2) Page 14