by S L Mason
Lavender sang, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a Fae by its toe. If she hollers make her show, eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”
A tingle started at my temple and moved back over my scalp. The hair on my head stood on end and then lay down. She took a few steps around me, nodding her head and rubbing her chin. She whistled, and my hair moved of its own accord, swooping up on the backsides. Something changed on the back of my head as my hair grew or changed.
I wished there was a mirror in here so I could see what the hell she was doing. I shifted on my heels. She could be making me look like Elvira.
But she was afraid for her life if something bad happened to me. I was assuming she didn’t want to make me look like a fool. Of course, I didn’t know what fairies found attractive.
After lots of moving, shifting all around, and making my scalp itch, she proclaimed perfection.
“Yes, I think that will do nicely. You look wonderful with black hair.” She smiled wide and clapped her hands.
“Excuse me, I don’t have black hair. It’s brown; dull and boring brown, brown.” I practically yelled.
She flinched back, and her eyes glazed over. She shook her head as a new sharpness filled her vision.
“What did you do to me?” Her brows pinched together.
Panic clenched at my chest, and my whole body shook with anger. “You changed my hair color without asking?” My voice rose with each word.
She cringed down on the ground as I leaned over to scream in her face.
“I am sorry, I didn’t realize. I should’ve asked your permission. I only followed instructions.” Her hand covered her head as she cowered on the floor.
“Of course you should ask my permission. Don’t ever touch me again without asking my permission.” By now, she wasn’t just cringing in fear, she whimpered. I was hurting her.
“I am so sorry, I…I will never touch you again without your permission. I swear by Mab.” Her chest was heaving as she knelt on the floor in front of me with her head and eyes downcast. Her hands were folded demurely in front of her.
“Why are you kneeling like that?”
“I’m sorry, I, you…you made me kneel like this.” She didn’t raise her head or moved a muscle.
What have I done?
“Don’t be silly. Of course, I didn’t make you kneel.” My heart beat through my chest.
“But you did, my lady.” Her voice came out small, barely a whisper.
“Why are you calling me ‘my lady’?” My anger over my hair color bled away, only to be replaced by fear.
“You are clearly already of a higher status than I. I have not been showing you the proper respect. I will respect you from now on, I swear. I did not know.” Every word from her mouth wavered, and her lips quivered.
What did she mean a different caste?
“I’m not of your status? I don’t even know what you’re referring to.” My eyes darted around the room.
“I have mistaken myself.” She trembled. Even her hair had changed to white with her fear. I could taste it in the air.
“I was only meant to reveal your true color. You forced me to kneel and told me never to touch you or change anything without your permission. I…am compelled to follow your orders.”
Did I compel her? Is that what the Fae do? And if they find out I could do it too, what would happen then?
“You will tell no one of this. You will never speak a word of anything I just said or did.” Think, what else? “Or anything I ever say or do in your presence. Do you understand me?” I ran my hand over my forehead.
She laid her head on the floor with her hands placed in front of her in full supplication. “As my lady commands, I will obey. I will not disobey you in deed, word, or action in any way. I will follow all your orders to my dying day, I swear.”
“Oh, okay. Can you show me my hair? I want to see it in a mirror.”
Her hands moved slowly as if she was fighting against something. Eventually, she waved her hand and sang a few notes. A mirror appeared over the top of the vanity. I crossed the room. Besides having an exquisite dress such as I never owned before, my hair was beautiful. I looked good with black hair, and it made my hazel eyes greener somehow.
I’d screamed and hurt her. How did that work?
“May I finish my lady’s makeup?”
She had gone from being someone I was frightened of to a malleable creature, willing to fulfill my every whim. My stomch turned over at the thought I am no different then one of them. I might be able to do something with her, but should I? Maybe I could get her to bring Arty here and sneak us out. But how had this happened?
“Please, my lady. We must hurry. You are expected, and I must perform my duties to perfection before His Grace sees you.” She lowered her head again.
I nodded my head and sat, the song familiar and yet far away. Every sound was a picture, not just on my face, but also inside my mind. The sound added highlights around my eyes, and my lips were plumped into bright red cherries. My lashes became dark black. I could picture every color, shade, and hue she applied. When I looked in the mirror, it was exactly as I’d imagine.
“Beautiful.” The woman in the mirror resembled me, only her eyes were decidedly green. My hair had deep purple undertones along with dark green leaves.
“Thank you, my lady. My only desire is to please. If you are pleased, then I have succeeded in my mission.” She grasped my hand. “By your leave, my lady, we must leave now. His Grace is expecting us. We must not keep him waiting.”
CHAPTER 12
For some reason, in the back of my mind when she said I’d be presented to His Grace and his court, I thought perhaps it would be in a giant throne room. They certainly had me gussied up like I would be, but I wasn’t taken to the throne room at all, nor was there even a throne where I was taken. Instead, many people were there when we arrived, and there were many chairs there that looked like they could’ve been the throne. The entire room, of course, wasn’t sculpted. It had grown out of the forest with lots of ivy and morning glory, vining all over the place. There were also bluebells, and I even saw places where it looked like honeysuckle has grown, and it smelled of honeysuckle. The scent of spices permeated everything; it was an intoxicating mix of floral. Before we entered the room, my green-haired pixie stopped me.
“When we reach His Grace, you must curtsy and then wait to be recognized. Do not say thank you. The Fae do not thank anyone for anything ever.”
“Really? The only words I’m not allowed to say, are ‘thank you’?”
“Yes, I would not use your human curse words or the slang humans have adopted. It may confuse many of the Fae. They don’t know what they are.”
“And you do know what they are?”
“Yes and no. My lady, whatever you do, do not let them see that you are unsure of yourself. You must be confident. You must command the situation as best you can, while still showing acquiescence to His Grace. You show him deference only.”
“Treat everybody else with disdain, but act like a kiss ass to the big guy. Got it.”
After my first step, silence froze the room in that statuesque-like quality. Fae had the eerie ability to stand and stare at you, unblinking. It was creepy, and they all did it. A room filled with emotionless perfection and the chosen one sat upon the largest chair in the center, his Grace.
Of course, I had to choose the big wig because that was me; I always have to climb the highest mountain, ride the largest bike. If it was the biggest, the most troublesome, I had to have it or do it; that was me. I loved a challenge even if I didn’t choose it.
His green eyes shone, and if you ask me, his white hair was perfect and pristine. And yes, he sat on his throne as if he’d been sculpted into it. It looked as if a tree had grown out of the ground solely to become his throne. It had branches that spread out behind him, creating a giant fan. He occupied it as if it’d been built for him, but there were extra pillows filling the space around him. It was obvious it’d been buil
t for two; anyone with a keen enough eye could see that. He sat with his legs wide, and his hand lazily rested on the armrest, staring straight ahead. Nowhere was a crown on his head although he was clearly the king of this domain.
He refocused on me as did the statuesque Fae in the room. All eyes were glued to the scene and I was at the center of it. It wasn’t that I didn’t like being the center of attention; it didn’t bother me. For the most part, I didn’t care. It was just when you have hundreds of fairytale creatures staring at you, that was a little unnerving. I wasn’t sure how it’d be for anybody else.
But every step could’ve been a step toward my death or my salvation. My green-haired lady stood in the doorway, trying to remain unobtrusive but still watching. Somehow I managed to compel her, and I didn’t even ask her name.
Item number one: as soon as I’m done with this parade show, ask my green-haired Fae what her name is.
Item number two: I needed to ask His Grace what his name is. I wasn’t running around calling him ‘His Grace’. That was ridiculous. This wasn’t the Middle Ages. I wasn’t a princess, and I wasn’t going to call him by a title; that’d be silly.
Item number three: demand from my green-haired Fae slave information on how to get the hell out of here. Scratch that, maybe that should be item number one.
I was letting my mind wander, and I needed to focus. Dad said that when he was at war, the only way to stay alive was to keep your head in the game. He did it, and he came home alive; I had to remember that. I needed to keep my head in the game. The game was life and death, and almost everybody else has died. I wanted to live. I needed to figure out what it was these people wanted for me so I could keep living.
When I reached a position just before the Fae, I stopped. His Grace nodded his head. “You have been treated well?”
“Other than being a prisoner, yes, I’ve been treated well.”
“You’re not a prisoner here. No one has imprisoned you.”
“Perhaps we should define terms. I’ve been taken against my will and locked in a room. That’s imprisonment. It’s also called kidnapping or abduction. I don’t know which word you would use for it. So yes, I’ve been imprisoned.”
He raised an eyebrow and opened and closed his mouth dryly as his almond-shaped eyes looked from one direction to the other.
“You will no longer be locked in your room. You’re free to roam the castle as you see fit. However, do not attempt to leave the grounds. This is for your own sake.”
That was a step in the right direction. If I could run around the castle, it meant I could find a way out. There had to be more than one, and one of them had to be unguarded. I didn’t say thank you. She said not to say thank you, so I nodded my head in acknowledgment. I saw that his ears perked up as the corners of his mouth rose slowly and then he stood up.
“Now, I shall adjourn. I wish to converse with my candidate in private.” With an adjournment, I could almost hear a sigh of relaxation. They were happy he was leaving as if they’d been holding their breath and on their best behavior until Daddy left the room. Within a moment, my green-haired Fae slave was at my arm.
“You must follow him. I will lead you until we reach his private chamber.”
“What is your name? What do they call you?”
“My name is Lavender. For my colors are purple, and many admired the flower at the time of my creation.” Lavender, they named her after a flower. Wow, truly imaginative. I’m impressed.
I followed toward an exit behind the throne. There was always an exit behind the throne in every history book and fairytale story you’d ever read. The king always leaves from behind the throne, like they had some kind of hidden escape panel that you press a button and it pops open to run away. But here, it was a regular, old archway with no door. They didn’t believe in privacy anywhere. Even the bathroom in my suite didn’t have a door. I could see him ahead of us farther down the corridor, his long legs giving him a great stride. I couldn’t keep up with him since I wasn’t tall enough or fast enough.
Lavender stayed by my side, but she didn’t push me or touch me. She did urge me on though. I saw him pull open an actual door and enter a room, closing the door behind him. When we reached it, I looked around. It was a singular door, arched at the top like everything else here was.
“Remember what I said, show him deference?” She sang something quickly, and a scent of flowers surrounded me; she perfumed me. She opened the door, and I entered. He was seated in a great ornate chair. His elbows rested on the armrests with his fingers steepled between them. A cold disdain flowed from him. I didn’t see another chair so I stood in front of him.
“Do you have any idea why you’re here?”
“Because the Fae are sick, sadistic bastards, and you like to kill adult humans while abducting their children?” I internally smirked at my twist of words.
“The truth couldn’t be further from that.”
“How so? You didn’t murder all those people and abduct me?”
This has got to be good.
“Perception is everything. From your point of view, that is exactly what happened. From my point of view, we did something entirely different.”
“Okay, I’m so glad that you have your own belief that it’s okay to murder people. I can’t make it all right in my own head; that doesn’t work for me. What do you want from me, and why am I here all gussied up in this ridiculous outfit?”
“You’re here to learn, that is all I ask of you. You have free range of the entire castle. You may even sleep whenever you wish. Every day at twilight you will come to my study, and you will take lessons.”
“Lessons in what?”
“History. You will learn whatever I choose to teach you.”
“And if I can’t learn whatever it is you’re choosing to teach me, will I be returned to my parents, my family?” I hesitated. “If they’re still alive?”
“It’s not possible. You can never return to the surface.”
And there it was. Now I knew where I was—underground. “So, I am in the Hallowed Hills?”
He nodded his head, but he didn’t smile and laugh; no other form of acknowledgment. I had correctly guessed where I was, just a simple curt, boring nod.
“If you know these are the Hallowed Hills, do you know why you cannot leave?”
“Because I ate the food?” Please don’t let it be something so stupid.
“No, that’s not why. That’s another tale humans like to tell. Don’t eat the food of the fairies or you’ll be stuck in Fae. No, you cannot leave because you’ve already seen who we are, where we are, and what we are. We let you go back to the surface, you will simply rally the human army and begin to wage war, which is exactly what we’re trying to avoid.”
I laughed. “You’re trying to avoid a war by starting a war, that you already started. You think humanity isn’t eventually going to figure out where you are and try to stop you from killing and taking people?”
“At this point in time from what I’ve gathered, the surface inhabitants of this planet are still wandering around, trying to decide if we’re fairies or aliens. They just can’t decide which it is, so yes. I think they are not going to find us. Humanity doesn’t have the technology to find us, and they simply don’t know where to look.”
“Arrogance is always the downfall of a great nation or leader, or really any man or woman. The Fae are arrogant. You think humanity won’t find you? Then you’ve forgotten how truly ingenious and how much ingenuity we really have.” I retort.
“I haven’t ever forgotten. I remember when the first human was birthed. Humans are exactly what we made them to be,” he returns.
His words sent icy fingers trailing down the back of my neck—“the way we made them.”
I scoff. “You made us? I guess you think because you made us that you own us and have the right to kill us off anytime you choose? Assuming what you’re saying is even true.”
“I will not debate ancient history with some
one who wasn’t present to witness it. You will come to me, and you will learn whatever it is I wish to teach you, or you will not and it will be to your detriment. Now you are dismissed.” He waved his hand as if I was some kind of servant being waved off.
“I’m dismissed? Just because I’m stuck here in your castle doesn’t mean that you can treat me like one of your slaves or servants.”
He was up and out of his chair and in my face in a flash. “You forget yourself, all of these things I have granted you, your freedom to move about and do whatever you wish, I can take them just as easily as I gave them. You forget who is in charge here, and it is not you, human.”
I cringed back slightly, and I stopped myself. The last thing I wanted was this creature to think was I was afraid of him. I leaned forward. If I’m going out, I’m going out in style. My outfit was to die for, and today wouldn’t be such a bad day to die.
“No, you forget yourself. You don’t own me and never will. I will do whatever I want. This may be your castle, and I may be stuck in it but only because you decreed it so. Don’t for one moment think that you can keep me here. I will free myself.”
He leaned back and laughed. “You’re welcome to try human. Many have tried to escape this castle, but very few ever succeeded. Even then, their success was short-lived. Everywhere you look, you’re in the heart of the Hallowed Hills. There is no escape, no way for you to leave. You think the castle is holding you hostage? You are a human in the land of Fae, and you are incapable of freeing yourself, no matter what you do. I said I wouldn’t treat you as a prisoner, and I won’t. I don’t have to. The very nature of who you are imprisons you, not me. Now go.”