Crystal Heart

by Whitney Morris

  “I am going to go check on your brother now,” Greg said.

  “He was fine last time I checked.” Victoria put her finger on her chin. “Can being hit on the head change the way you talk?”

  “Sometimes people can slur words and have difficulty expressing themselves, but that is only if they are not treated straight away. I healed Matt quickly after he got hurt. He shouldn’t have any lasting damage.”

  “It is nothing like that. He just doesn’t sound like himself.”

  “I’m sure it will pass. I will check myself.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  Greg left and headed to the infirmary across the street. Once inside, he could barely move. The infirmary was overrun with people, but none of them seemed injured. He pushed his way through the crowd to the front desk. “What’s going on?” he asked the woman behind the desk.

  Without looking up from her tabular screen, she replied, “They all want to meet the keeper’s guardian, who risked his life to help save us all from Kadon.”

  “I guess I won’t be getting in that room anytime soon.”

  “Nope. You will have to get in line with all the other groupies.”

  “I am not a groupie. I was the first responder last night.”

  “Oh.” The woman looked up at him. “Hey, aren’t you that elder’s son?”

  “I’m Lord Ainsworth’s son.”

  The woman’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. You didn’t say. Of course you can go in ahead of the others.”

  “No, that’s quite all right. I just wanted to know Matt was okay.”

  “Of course. He is absolutely fine. He has been awake for hours and is seeing people in small groups and giving out autographs.”

  Of course he was. It sounded like Matt’s newfound fame had already gone to his head. “Thank you for your help.” Greg pushed his way back through the crowd and out of the infirmary. The massive crowd was ridiculous. The people were like sheep flocking to Matt. They really needed to move along. If someone actually needed help, they wouldn’t be able to get through. Maybe he should go talk to Lady Gabrielle about this.

  “Greg, there you are!” shouted Samson, running over from the council building.

  “Samson, I told you I was fine. You really shouldn’t keep leaving your post to check on me.”

  “I am here with a message for you. Your father would like to see you in the tearooms.”

  Greg looked back at the infirmary. It was something he could also bring up with his father. That was if he was able to get a word in after they had discussed whatever it was he’d called on him for. Greg walked back to the council building with Samson. “What sort of mood was my father in when he gave you this message?”

  “He seemed all right. He was in a better mood than Miss Victoria. She answered the door to the keeper’s quarters when I went looking for you. She doesn’t seem overly fond of you and referred to you as Flopsey—whatever that means.”

  Greg put his hand on his head. “It is a rabbit reference. I am sorry you had to suffer her.”

  Samson sighed and tilted his head. “It’s fine. She is rather feisty, but she is awfully pretty.”

  Greg raised an eyebrow. “Do you like her?”

  “I hardly know her, but she holds herself with such confidence. It is something to be admired.”

  Greg held back a laugh. “If you say so.”

  He gave Samson a big grin before wandering off to the tearooms. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, Samson definitely had a crush on Victoria. The smile on his face faded as he arrived at his destination. It was a public area, so his father couldn’t have called him here to have a go at him. Samson said he was in a better mood than Victoria, but she had been rather unhappy when he’d seen her. A step up from that was still not happy. Greg pulled at his shirt to make sure it was straight and pushed his fringe back. A haircut was seriously overdue now. He headed to his father’s table.

  “Father, I heard you wanted to see me.”

  “You heard correct. Now sit.” His father pointed at the chair opposite him. “I ordered you a pot of tea.”

  Greg sat. “Thank you, Father.”

  “Is there anything else you would like?” Steffen asked.

  Something to eat would have been nice, but he knew his father was just trying to butter him up before revealing what he wanted. “What is it you wanted to see me about?”

  Steffen poured them both a cup of tea. “Straight to the point, I see. Very well. I wanted to speak with you about the girl.”

  Of course that was what he wanted. Everyone was interested in Mellissa. She had a great power and no allegiance to anyone. It scared them. They all wanted it for themselves and needed to find a way to get her on their side. This was where he came in. He would hear his father out. What Lady Gabrielle wanted for her wasn’t bad. Maybe his father would think in a similar way.

  “What do you want to know about Mellissa?” Greg asked.

  “For starters, why do you think it is all right not to follow protocol when it comes to Miss Hail?” This was how he should refer to her, according to proper etiquette.

  “Mellissa is not from our world and does not understand our ways. I believed getting her onside was more important than following protocol.”

  “Well, now that you are home, you shall go back to following the rules and regulations of the council, with no deviation. The council plans on giving the girl her crown. She is to become queen. From now on, she shall be Lady Mellissa to you.”

  Greg tried to stop himself, but he couldn’t help laughing.

  His father scowled at him. “This is not a laughing matter.”

  “I am sorry, Father, but I do not believe Lady Mellissa will respond well to that.” He made sure to emphasize her name the same way his father had.

  “That is why I want you to convince her to stay. You have built a relationship with the girl. She trusts you. Make her see that it is in her best interest to stay here.”

  He didn’t like how informal his relationship was with Mellissa, but at the same time, he wanted him to exploit said relationship. Greg took a sip of tea and tried to stop any emotion showing on his face. “Why are you so insistent she stay here?”

  “She is the keeper of the Heart Crystal. We have searched years for her. We cannot just let her leave. We need her power.”

  “I think we should let her go.”

  Steffen leant forward and put his arm on the table. “You think what?”

  “We should let her go home. She is not ready for all of this. If we try and make her stay, she will just disappear on us, and trust me, she is very good at disappearing. If we give her time, she will return on her own.”

  “How can you be so sure she will come back?”

  “Because Mellissa likes to help people.” His father shot him a disapproving look. “I’m sorry—Lady Mellissa. In time, she will come to realise that, with her powers, she can help more people on this side of the veil.”

  “Does this mean you will not convince her to stay?”

  “I will not.”

  Steffen looked him up and down. “You have never disobeyed an order before.”

  “You have never asked me to manipulate a friend before.”

  “I did not send you to the human world to make friends. You were meant to cement the changelings’ position with the new keeper. I thought I had trained you better than this.”

  “I don’t recall cementing the changelings’ position as part of my briefing when I was sent to the human world.”

  “I thought you were smart enough to realise it was a secondary mission for our people. It was why I agreed to put you forward for the task when Emerson suggested it.”

  Greg’s heart sank. His father had never put him forward as a candidate to find the new keeper. He had taken comfort thinking his father had been paying at least a tiny bit of attention to him but it had been Emerson all along. Greg pushed his shoulders back sitting up straight. “I don’t see how being Mellissa�
�s friend harms our position.”

  “It has already harmed our position as you are not willing to do what is necessary.”

  “No, Father. We just don’t agree on what is actually necessary. Mellissa is more than just a crystal; she is a person as well. Maybe if you treat her like one, she won’t run scared of us. If this is all you wanted me for, I will be going.””

  Greg stood to leave but his father grabbed his arm. “Don’t let a few months in the human world ruin years of training.”

  “Don’t let a difference of opinion ruin the appearance of a nice father-son chat.” Greg gestured to the room full of people. His father’s choice of venue actually worked in his favour. Steffen let go of his arm. “I will speak to you later, Father. I have some paperwork I need to see to.”

  Greg left the tearooms and went straight back to his room. He pulled out the forms Lady Gabrielle had given him and started filling them in. His father may not have meant to, but he’d given him the push he needed. He knew his father meant well, but his point of view was skewed. Hopefully after Lady Gabrielle made her motion, he would see things differently. He was more likely to listen to her than Greg. Even if his father didn’t come around, he wasn’t going to change his mind. He was going to do what he thought was right, not what his father wanted anymore.

  Mellissa

  Ihide behind a pillar, staring out at all the ball goers. My cheeks are sore from smiling too much. I have been paraded around for hours, meeting all sorts of lords and ladies, but I have yet to lay eyes on the prince I met earlier. Our encounter was brief, but for some reason, I can’t get him out of my mind. At least I now have a moment to myself.

  “Princess Freya.” I jump at the sound of my name. My solitude hadn’t lasted long. I turn, and my heart skitters. It’s him. The prince from before. He bows, and I am entranced by his stunning grey eyes. “Why are you hiding?” he asks. “I thought this ball was to celebrate your sixteenth birthday.”

  “It is. It’s just—” I pause.

  “Just what?”

  “Well, I don’t know anyone here, and there is hardly anyone my age. It does not really feel like a party for me.”

  He smiles, and my heart flutters. “I understand. It feels more like an opportunity for our parents to show us off to one another. It’s the only reason my father brought me—so he can parade around his heir.”

  I laugh. “Exactly.”

  “Well, you know what? I think we should make the most of it. While they do all the boring chitchat, we should have fun.”

  “And how do you suggest we do that?”

  “How about we start with a dance?” He bows, holding out his hand. I place my hand in his. His touch sends tingles up my arm. He leads me onto the dance floor.

  I woke up feeling groggy, my head pounding. I sat up in bed, rubbing the side of my face. How did I get here? The last thing I could remember was being swarmed by people asking questions I didn’t have answers for.

  Victoria walked in the room. “Thank God, you’re awake.”

  “What happened?” I asked, rubbing my head.

  She sat on the edge of my bed. “You passed out. Apparently, it was a delayed reaction from using so much power.”

  “Great, just as everyone’s starting to think better of me, I go and faint.” I hid my face behind my hands. “I’m never going to give a good impression.”

  Victoria waved her hand at me. “Nobody cares about that. They are all super grateful for what you did. In fact, they are planning a ball in your honour once you recover. How are you feeling? I’m up for getting my party on.”

  I slumped my arms beside my body. “Exhausted. I feel like I haven’t slept in days.”

  “Seriously? You’ve been asleep for over twenty-four hours.”

  “What? You mean I have missed a whole day?”

  “Pretty much, but don’t worry. I had a great time while you were asleep. They are extremely grateful to your guardians as well. I had a tour of the city and went to some great shops. I got some really cute dresses and a great one for the ball. We will have to sort something out for you as well, as the heir to the elf throne can’t look like that.” She gestured at me.

  “What’s wrong with how I look?”

  “What isn’t? But don’t worry, it’s fixable. I will go tell everyone you’re awake. It’s the early hours of the morning, but these weirdos will be up. Then we can party posh people style tonight.” She got up and walked toward the door.

  “Wait!” I yelled after her. “How’s Matt doing?” The image of Matt being taken away on a stretcher flashed through my mind. That had been a whole twenty-four hours ago.

  “He’s fine. He is being really annoying as usual.”

  My whole body relaxed. I went to get up, but Victoria came running back over to me. “What are you doing?”

  “Coming with you. I think I’ve spent enough time in bed.”

  “No, you still look pretty rough. How about you go relax in that nice, big bath. When I come back, I will make you look all pretty.”

  I didn’t appreciate her comments on my appearance, but a bath did sound good. “Fine.”

  Victoria walked off with a bounce in her step. At least my guardians were enjoying themselves while I wasted my time sleeping. I went and ran myself a bath. I watched as the tub filled with water. I still couldn’t get over the fact that I’d slept through an entire day. Resting my head on the cool edge of the tub, I shut my eyes. Images of my dream ran through my head. I had dreamt of a ball. Maybe it was a coincidence. It was possible I had overheard Victoria talking about the ball in my sleep and my imagination had taken over, but I hadn’t dreamt about a ball for me. It had been a celebration of a birthday. It was a ball for Freya’s sixteenth birthday. What if all these strange dreams weren’t really dreams at all, but something else? Like maybe the Heart Crystal was trying to tell me something—but what? What was significant about Freya meeting a prince at the ball? This prince had been in some of my other dreams. I pressed my finger to the side of my head, trying to remember what this prince looked like.

  “Mellissa,” shouted a voice. “What are you doing?”

  I looked up to see Greg turning the taps off to the bath. The tub had overflowed, and the bathroom was full of water. How had I not noticed? My legs were soaked and so was the front of my hair. Greg took both my hands and pulled me up. “Are you okay?” he asked. He looked down at me, his eyes full of worry.

  “I-I don’t know,” I said.

  Greg wrapped a towel round me and led me back into the main room. I sat on the bed. I leant on the headboard as Greg recited some healing spells. He sat beside me, clasping my hand between both of his. “You appear to be perfectly healthy, so what happened?”

  I had no idea what had happened. Somehow, I had completely zoned out. A light caught my eye on the bedside table. The Heart Crystal. I picked it up. “Greg, can the crystal communicate?”

  “Yes. It told me where to find you.”

  “It talked to you?”

  “No, it didn’t talk as such. It was more like a hum, but I knew what it meant. Why do you ask?”

  “No reason.”

  Greg opened his mouth to talk but was interrupted by a knock on the door. I went to get up. Greg laid a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “I’ll get it.”

  He opened the door, and in walked Yuri with a tray of food. “Miss Victoria sent me up with this. She said you may be hungry.” She placed the tray on the bedside cabinet. I swung my legs around to the side. There was a bowl of fruit, two croissants, and a pot of tea. My tummy rumbled.

  “Thank you, Yuri.” I took a massive bite out of a croissant and poured myself a cup of tea.

  She bowed. “Miss Victoria said she has something to pick up and will be back soon.” Yuri walked toward the door, looking round the room.

  “Yuri, is everything all right?” I asked

  “Yes, of course. I was just wondering where Matt was. I visited him in the infirmary, but he treated me like I was jus
t another of his fans.”

  My chest tightened, and I almost dropped my tea. “I haven’t seen Matt.”

  Greg put his hand on Yuri’s shoulder. “I’m sure it is nothing, just his newfound fame going to his head. Once everything calms down, I’m sure he will be back to his old self.”

  What was Greg talking about? Since when was Matt famous? More importantly, where was he? Victoria seemed to have been checking on me regularly while I was asleep. Greg had come the instant Victoria had informed people I was awake, but Matt was nowhere to be seen.

  “You are probably right, Master Ainsworth,” Yuri said.

  “Matt is fine,” Greg replied. “Will you be at the ball later?”

  “Of course, I wouldn’t miss it.” Yuri bowed before leaving. Greg shut the door behind her.

  My heart hurt. What was going on with Matt? I was worried about his injuries, but by the sounds of it, he was all fixed up with no concern for my well-being.

  Greg sat next to me. “Don’t worry about Matt. He probably just got swept away by all the attention.”

  “Even so, he is meant to be my best friend, so where is he? Victoria was here, and you’re here, so why isn’t he?”

  “I don’t know. Look, why don’t you eat up, and then I’ll take you for a tour of the city. How does that sound?”

  I knew he was trying to distract me. It wouldn’t stop me from being upset about Matt, but a tour did sound good. There was probably so much to see in this city.

  “Sounds good.”

  Once I finished my food, I splashed through the mess I’d made in the bathroom and had a quick freshen up. I put on my boots and cloak and followed Greg down to the main entrance. We had only taken a few steps outside when we were swarmed by people.

  “There she is!” someone shouted.

  “It’s her. It’s her.”

  “Your Majesty.”

  I froze on the spot. Where had all these people come from? Was this what Greg had meant about Matt’s newfound fame? It was awful. Greg pulled me back inside. A few members of staff rushed to the doors, making sure they were shut and locked.