by Talia Jager
The horns blasted, and Leo announced, “Good day to all kingdoms. The Summer royal family welcomes all of the fae to their home. We hope that this day will provide you with some insight on how things work here. We have demonstrations of our abilities, food to share, and many other wonderful sights. We hope you will enjoy your time here. At the time of the Summer Solstice, the bell will ring, fireworks will begin, then we will have the celebration, to include dancing. Without further ado, the royal family: Queen Nerida and King Verano.” My parents took a step forward, and the crowd cheered.
While my parents were announced according to precedence, we were announced by age. “Prince Sorin, Prince Dune, and Princess Skye.” My brother and I took a step, but Skye tugged me back. She was scared again. I scooped her up and held her as I waved to the crowd. She relaxed being in my arms and started waving too.
Each carriage had an announcer. “King Septimus and Queen Crisanta,” said the announcer from the carriage on my right, which was decorated with leaves. The fae aboard had deep-colored wings and hair. “Prince Roux and Princess Baize.”
The announcer for the Winter Fae stepped up and yelled, “King Zohar and Queen Adair. Princess Aurora, Princess Eira, Princess Lumi, and Prince Neige.” My eyes moved to Aurora’s family, who stood on the white and blue carriage decorated with snowflakes. They had different mixtures of light blue, light purple, and white hair. Their wings also held the same frozen colors. Aurora’s little brother looked close to Skye’s age.
The floral carriage on my left was the Spring Fae. “Queen Bluma and King Newland. Princess Aya and Prince Jarek.” All of them had pastel hair and wings. The Spring princess was close to our age, but the prince was still a child.
My mother stepped forward and opened her arms. “Welcome. We know this is a first, but we do hope it will be beneficial to us all. Please make yourselves at home.” I could tell she didn’t exactly want to say those words, but she put on a good show.
The faeries were stepping off of the carriages and starting to mingle in the streets, although they seemed to be keeping to their own Seasons. I had no problem going over to say hello to one certain princess. I set Skye down and started forward, but her little hand pulled back.
An idea sprang to my mind, and I knelt down. “Do you want to come with me to meet another princess?”
She nodded.
I led her down the stairs and over to the Winter carriage where Aurora stood. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, but she didn’t say anything.
Standing in front of her, I bowed and Aurora curtsied. “I’d like to introduce my sister, Skye. She is a little nervous today but would love to meet the other princesses.”
Aurora’s smile was contagious. Carefully she knelt down and said, “Hi, Skye. I’m Rory.”
“Hi,” Skye replied softly. “Do I know you?”
“Aurora is the one who rescued you from the fire,” I told my sister.
“Oh! That was you?”
“Mm-hmm,” Aurora answered. I could see she was not one to brag or boast about something she did.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” Biting her lip, Aurora raised her eyebrows, and she cupped her hands together. Within seconds, she made a snowball and handed it to Skye, who squealed and took it.
“Oooh, it’s so cold.”
Aurora made another ball and tossed it up just above Skye’s head and wiggled her fingers. The ball burst apart and started snowing just over Skye, who let out more laughs and stuck out her tongue to catch snowflakes.
When the snow tapered off, Skye threw her arms around Aurora, almost knocking her over. Aurora caught herself, laughed, and hugged my sister back. “I think you made a friend,” I told her.
“She’s sweet,” she whispered back.
“I haven’t had the chance to thank you for saving her.”
“You’re welcome.”
My gaze cut to my mother, who was watching from the top of the stairs. Her eyes were narrow and her lips turned down. I wondered what she was so upset about, but I was glad Aurora didn’t see it.
Aurora stood up. “Skye, come meet my sisters and brother.” She held out her gloved hand and Skye took it. She led us over to her siblings. “Skye, Sorin, these are my siblings.” She said their names again.
Skye yanked on my shirt until I knelt down next to her. “They’re so pretty, Sorin.”
“I told you they would be.”
Skye smiled at Aurora again.
“Thank you for making her feel more comfortable,” I said.
“No problem,” Aurora replied. “I think the Spring prince is their age. Maybe we could introduce them?”
“Good idea.”
“Rory, your parents want you,” a Winter faerie called to her.
“Would you take Neige to meet Jarek?” she asked me.
“Sure.”
Aurora flashed me a smile and left.
After introducing Skye and Neige to Jarek, I bumped into Raina. She bowed her head. “Hey, Sorin.”
“Hey. How are you?”
“Well. Thank you. How about yourself?”
“Good.” My eyes found Aurora standing near her parents, who were talking to mine.
“Don’t look for too long. Others will notice,” Raina said.
“There’s just something about her.” I sighed and forced myself to look away. “So what do you think of Summer Land?”
“It’s warm,” she responded.
“Really? I never noticed.”
“No. You wouldn’t. Just like we don’t get cold. I like the colors though. Everything in our land is white. Here the colors are bright. And everything is so alive!”
“Sorin!” my father called, interrupting our conversation and waving me back. “The Winter king has an announcement.”
I looked over at the Winter royal family curiously. I glanced at Aurora, who made a slight shrug with her shoulder. What were they going to say? Should I be worried? What sort of announcement did they need to make?
Chapter Seven
Aurora
I stood like a proper princess next to my parents as they started to speak. I had no idea what was going on. I was nervous near the Summer royals. I had never met the other royal families. Until Sorin showed up at the falls, I had been the only royal there.
“We thought it appropriate to make this announcement now.” My father turned toward Sorin. “Prince Sorin, we know you are still training in the element of air, and when you are done, you will move on to your final element, water.”
“We have thought long and hard about who could give you the best training possible, and we have come to a decision,” my mother said, then looked at my father and gave him a smile and nodded for him to proceed.
“Queen Nerida, King Verano, and the faeries of Summer Land, may I present to you the faerie who will train Prince Sorin…the Winter Princess Aurora.”
My heart jumped into my throat. The faeries erupted into cheers, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, and it felt as if those cheers were muffled. Even Sorin’s parents clapped and had smiles on their faces, but Sorin’s expression was more of a mystery.
The Summer queen motioned for the crowd to quiet down, and when they did, she spoke. “Thank you for this news.”
Sorin’s father placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Wonderful news. Sorin is a good student. He will pick it up fast. To celebrate, Sorin, why don’t you ask the princess to dance?”
He nodded once to his parents and then walked over to where my parents and I stood. He bowed to my parents and then to me. I curtsied back. He extended his hand and with a smile that made my heart come to a skidding stop, he said, “Would you honor me with a dance, Your Highness?”
I set my hand in his, enjoying the shock that traveled up my arm. “It would be my pleasure.”
Keeping my left hand in his, he placed his right hand on the small of my back and led me to the dance floor set up on the castle’s lawn.
A flute,
harp, and glockenspiel began playing a sweet melody. Sorin led me across the floor. “So you’re the best, huh?”
I blushed. “So they tell me.”
“Did you know they were going to appoint you to teach me?”
“I overheard them talking about it, but I figured they’d talk to me first, and they didn’t. So it’s kind of a surprise. If that makes sense.”
“You okay with it?”
“I have to be, don’t I?” I answered as he twirled me.
“I’m sure I can get you out of it if you don’t want—”
“I want to,” I interrupted. “It gives us a chance to be together without sneaking around.”
“Yes, it does.” He held my gaze. “You know this is the first time I’ve seen you in the daylight.”
“Do I look okay?” I asked.
He blushed and said softly, “Beautiful.”
“I noticed your siblings’ names all mean snow, but yours doesn’t,” he said as he dipped me.
“My middle name does. It’s Nieve. But I was named Aurora because I was born at dawn. Guess they thought that was cooler than giving me a winter first name.”
“It’s a beautiful name. I don’t know why you don’t use it.”
I shrugged. “Everyone has always called me Rory.”
The music ended, and Sorin dipped me one last time before walking back to his parents. Mine were talking with the Spring king and queen.
Sorin’s mom looked me over and then said, “I hope you can teach my son more than just tricks.”
“Mother! She was just trying to show Skye she didn’t have to be afraid.”
“I expect a lot from those who teach my children. I’ll expect the same from you.”
I nodded. “Of course.” I kept polite but was miffed that she thought so little of me. My parents wouldn’t have me teaching him if I didn’t know my stuff.
King Verano took a step forward. “The demonstrations are about to begin in the clearing that way. You should go and watch, Princess.”
“I will. Thank you.” I walked away and joined Raina and Keir. Once we were far enough away, I leaned over to Keir and said, “Whoa! She’s intense.”
Keir snickered. “The queen? Yes.”
“I thought Summer Fae were laid back.”
“Not her. She’s not a warm and fuzzy person.”
“I can see that. Amazing that Sorin came from her.”
Keir coughed. “That’s what I love about you, Rory. You don’t hold back.”
“She’s always been a spitfire,” Raina commented.
“Aw, you guys, too much love here. Come on. Let’s see what the Summer Fae are capable of.” I picked up the pace, my dress dragging behind me.
As I walked up to the clearing, the fae standing there bowed and stood aside, letting me walk to the front. I stood with Keir, Raina, and Navin and watched four Summer Fae juggling fire.
Simultaneously, they all threw a fireball at the audience and had it return to their hands like a boomerang. The audience oohed. One of them threw a stream of fire in a circle just feet from the spectators. One faced the other, and they aimed fire at each other. The fire collided and went straight up to the sky. Waving their arms, they controlled where the fire went.
I thought about how cool it would be to practice against them. Fire and ice. I wondered if Sorin would play with me sometime. Better yet, imagine all four elements against each other. So much we could learn and do if our families would go for it.
As the sun dropped below the horizon, the fire became brighter. The four Summer Fae turned to the audience and again each sent out a fireball, controlling it, playing with it, and then shoved it at torches in each corner of the field. Each of the four torches ignited and lit the area. Then, facing the middle where a large pile of wood sat, they sent their fire to it, and flames burst out.
Everyone cheered as the four Summer Fae walked out of the spotlight.
I caught Sorin looking at me again. Thoughts of sneaking away with him crept into my mind, but I pushed them away. We had to stay in public. Others would notice if the two of us disappeared. After the demonstrations were finished, I hung around a few of the faeries that attended our “secret nights out,” and they introduced me to a few of their friends.
One of the Spring Fae hid behind Navin. He looked to be about ten years old. “Will she turn me to ice if I touch her?”
Navin concealed a smile and winked at me before he turned to him. “I don’t know. Shall I touch her and find out?”
The boy’s eyes widened, and then he nodded. Navin reached out and touched my arm. I wiggled my finger and made frost appear on his hand.
“Navin! Your hand!”
“My hand? What’s wrong with it?” He glanced at his hand and his mouth formed an O. “Oh no! What should I do?”
“Quick! Tell the king and queen. They’ll get her to fix it.”
Navin laughed and shook his finger. The few pieces of snow fell to the ground and melted. “We’re just playing with you, Bay. The Winter Fae won’t turn us to ice. Will you?”
“Of course not.” I shook my head.
“This is my brother, Bay,” Navin said.
“Hi, Bay. I’m Rory.”
The boy still stared unbelieving so I held my hand out to Navin and said, “Dance with me?”
“My pleasure.” He bowed and took my hands. Bay gasped until he realized that I really wouldn’t turn his brother into ice.
After dancing for a minute with Navin, I stopped and asked, “Bay, would you like to dance?”
“Me? Dance with a princess?”
“Why not?”
Navin placed my hand into his brother’s and then stepped back. I let Bay lead me in a short dance.
“Thank you! My friends won’t believe this!” He ran off into the crowd.
Navin leaned toward me. “Thanks, Rory. He’ll be talking about that for a long time.”
“My pleasure.”
Minutes before the exact time of the Summer Solstice, the Summer royal family stood together on the landing. Skye stood right next to Sorin. I just loved the way he doted on her. It was clear how much he adored her, and judging by their mom, I was pretty sure that was the most attention she received from anyone.
Suddenly, bells rang, and then about ten Summer Fae raised their hands to the sky and sent fireballs up. The evening sky exploded into magnificent colors as the fireworks went off. Lumi leaned closer and whispered, “Pretty.”
“Mm-hmm.”
After a few minutes, the queen announced, “Happy Summer Solstice. Let the celebration begin!”
The Summer Fae began hollering and jumping around. A few danced with each other. Their excitement was contagious. I felt like jumping up and down too, but figured my parents wouldn’t approve.
Although there was still somewhat of a rift between the lands, the kids didn’t seem to care who they played with. Skye was teaching Neige how to catch fireflies, and he was loving it.
A bell rang signaling that the food was ready. Our group headed toward the village where long tables with all kinds of food spread out on them were set up. The Summer Fae were already indulging in the food, while the others stood back and watched.
What were they waiting on? I could feel a lot of apprehension in the crowd. Were they worried the Summer Fae had done something to the food? I pushed my way through the crowd and took a plate. As I filled it up with food, I said, “This looks delicious.”
That was the cue, I guess, because after I said it, everyone else joined in.
When the dance music started up after the meal, I stood up to go join the fun. Eira stepped in my path. “You’re really comfortable with them?”
“Them?”
“The other fae.” She scowled.
“Sure. Why not?”
“They’re not like us.”
“They are, Eira. Come. I’ll introduce you to some. Lumi? You too.”
My sisters both looked at each other and then at our parents. “Go ahead
,” Mother said. “We’re supposed to be learning from each other.”
As we walked together, Eira fanned her face. “Aren’t you hot?”
“It is uncomfortable,” I agreed.
“How can they live like this?”
“Same way we live in the cold all the time. Our bodies were made for it.” I wasn’t sure why she always had to be so difficult.
I introduced my sisters to two Autumn faeries I had met earlier. The boys asked them to dance, and I was glad when they agreed.
I looked around for Sorin until I found him. I started walking toward him, but got stopped by another Summer Fae. “Would you do me the honor of a dance?”
Poor guy was so nervous, I couldn’t say no. “Of course.” I smiled and let him take me in his arms and spin me around the floor.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Conary.”
“You dance very well.”
“Thank you.”
Someone tapped Conary’s shoulder near the end of the song. I thought for a second it might be Sorin, but it wasn’t. The light blue and white wings gave him away. “Hi, Tannon,” I said.
“May I have the next dance?”
I glanced at Conary, and putting my hand in Tannon’s, he said, “Sure.”
“Ready to show off?” Tannon said.
“Um…what?”
Tannon started a dance we were taught as kids called Breathing in Snowflakes.
All eyes were on us when we finished. “That was pretty awesome.” Tannon brought my hand to his mouth, kissed it, and disappeared off the dancing ground.
Searching the floor for Sorin, I found him leading a beautiful Summer faerie around in a dance. I felt a pang of jealousy while I watched. I wanted to be the one he was dancing with.
Keir had Raina out dancing as well. There were quite a number of fae watching them. They complemented each other.
As soon as the song finished, Sorin let go of the girl’s hand, and our eyes met. I closed the space between us. “Think we could get away with one more dance?”
“The Autumn prince is dancing with one of your sisters, so why not?” Sorin replied.
“Oh!” I looked over surprised. Sure enough, Lumi was dancing with Roux. I scanned the area for Eira but didn’t see her.