Of Snow and Blood

by Kris Black

  Both Emma and Kitty each gripped one of Alina’s arms and followed her out of the room. One guard shut the door behind them, blocking out the remaining murmurs of the ladies gossiping as they left.

  “Thank you for standing up for us.” Emma squeezed Alina’s hand, and they all walked back to their rooms together.

  Alina was preparing for bed, running a brush through her long, chestnut hair and humming to herself. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, casting long shadows through the windows of her room and over the floor.

  “Your Highness?” Thomas’s knocking interrupted her solitude.

  “Yes?” Alina set down her brush on the vanity, looking towards her door as a footman stepped through holding a pillow and cleared his throat.

  “Your Highness, a member of the nobility has sent this decorative comb to you to compliment your beauty.”

  Alina frowned. She knew that gifts in palaces like these often came with a price attached to them, a debt to owe. Still, as she walked over and examined the comb, she couldn’t help but be in awe of it. The golden comb had beautiful white and blush faux flowers pinned to it. The center of the flowers had inlaid pearls and more stretched out from the flowers on a wire, like raindrops. It struck her with familiarity. She had seen this comb before, but where?

  “And who sent it?” Alina asked, staring at the comb as she tried to place it.

  “They wish to remain anonymous, Your Royal Highness.” The footman replied.

  Perhaps she had impressed someone at the parlor today, but they wished to keep it a secret from the queen.

  “Very well.” Alina studied the comb again. It was beautiful. Perhaps turning it away would be more of an insult than accepting it without knowing who sent it. “You can leave it on the vanity.”

  The footman bowed, set the decorative pillow on the table and strode out. Thomas bowed his head before returning to his post, shutting the door behind himself firmly. Alina shivered as the air rushed through the room, pulling her shawl tighter. The fire had been built up larger than her liking and she had felt stifled earlier. It was a mild night, and she still had a window open a handbreadth to allow for cool, fresh air to allow the room to breathe. She made a mental note to close it before she went to bed.

  Alina turned her attention to her gift; it was shimmering in the candlelight. The comb was beautiful, and honestly a compliment that someone had wanted to give it to her. She reached out and picked it up gently, admiring the intricacies of the flower designs. It had to cost a small fortune.

  Then, the memory struck her. She had admired the same comb at the jeweler’s market when she had visited with the queen.

  A comb like this would have sold and fed her family for at least a year when they were destitute. Here, people just gave them away.

  A sour taste filled her mouth, like bile.

  Followed by copper.

  Alina let go of the comb and barely registered the dull thud of the heavy gold ornament as it hit the wooden floor. Chest tightening, she coughed and coughed. She couldn’t stop, even when she had no more air. Her lungs trying to squeeze the breath out of her. Hands coming up to her face, she shook at the specks of blood splattered onto them. Her eyes widened.

  Her throat tightened.

  Alina gasped, her throat closing more and more with each labored breath. Her hands grabbed at her neck in vain, smearing her blood over her slender neck like a painting.

  What was happening to her?

  Her shawl dropped from her shoulders, the cool air circling her body. She gasped again, as invisible knives were being driven in and out of her lungs over and over again. Each intake of air was a knife to her back. Her hands rubbed her throat to no avail. She let out her last, ragged breath.

  Alina fell to the floor as her vision gave out and she succumbed to darkness.

  To death.

  Chapter Ten

  Faerie Intervention

  Alina woke to tiny voices, like high-pitched whispers she didn’t understand. Her eyes were heavy and dry. Her mouth like the sandy plains of the desert, chapped and moisture-less. Just breathing was a chore she had to remind herself to do, but she was breathing. Lights moved into and out of the darkness behind her eyelids.

  Her whole body felt made of lead. Even moving one finger, the smallest one, took all her mustered effort. She attempted to open her eyes, even a little, but all she managed a moan. Something small caressed her face, like the brush of a feather.

  “How long has she been like this?” A deep, unfamiliar voice broke through the whispers, quieting the tiny cacophony of voices in an instant.

  Alina didn’t hear a reply. An eternity later, or a few moments, she was lifted off the floor and settled into the soft cloud that was her bed.

  “You were right to get me. This is far worse than you could have fixed.” He paused. “She’s awake. Sorry to do this, Banphrionsa. It’s the only way.”

  The person applied a warm pressure to her chest, just above her heart and another on the side of her face. She leaned into the warmth instinctively as a low hum of power thrummed through her body. It was a hymnal choir of leaves and wind and rivers; a song so ancient the gods had written it. The power tasted like elderberries and smelled of pine. It filled Alina with energy so pure and full of nature that her body felt instantly recharged. Her eyes fluttered open as she drew the first deep breath she had in what seemed like an eternity.

  The man stood above her, hunched over her with eyes closed in concentration. His hands remained in place - one on her face and one on her heart. His skin was sun-kissed and his hair the color of river mud, so long that it curled around his ears and stopped halfway down his neck. His ears, as Alina suspected, came to a point.

  “I know you.” She wanted to sound sure of herself, but it came out like a broken whisper. Her throat was still damaged from whatever had happened to her. “I saw you that day - the day in the new forest at Christian’s castle.”

  The faerie remained silent and continued his work. The power flowing through her ebbed and began to wane like it was flowing outwards, flowing back into the faerie who stood over her. Finally, it disappeared completely, and the man removed his hands and opened his steel-hued eyes. Alina instantly missed the connection, the power. It was like nothing she had ever felt before.

  “Who are you?” She gasped out.

  “Someone poisoned you.” He took two steps back and clasped his hands behind his back, standing like a soldier going over battle plans. “A fast-acting agent. Someone here wants you dead.”

  “Wait. What?” Alina shook her head. Her strength began to funnel back into her.

  “What were you doing before you collapsed?” He was to the point, on a mission. His tone left no room for questioning.

  “I- I was over by my vanity. Someone gave me a comb as a gift and had just picked it up.” She motioned weakly towards the area.

  The faerie strode to the area and looked down at the comb, examining it. He took a handkerchief from his pants and picked the comb up with it, bringing it near to his face and taking a deep whiff of it. His nose wrinkled in disgust and he threw it into the still-roaring fire.

  “Who are you?” Alina demanded once again, moving to get out of bed. She was invigorated, more so than she ever had in her whole life. She had so much tingling energy coursing through her she might not sleep for weeks.

  He was upon her before her feet touched the floor.

  “You need to stay in bed and rest. You’re being affected by the sharing of our magic, but when it wears off, you’ll be in bad shape. You must store up your energy. Plants will help. Do you have any?”

  “You didn’t answer my question. An answer for an answer.”

  His eyes met hers for the first time and the intensity of them struck her. Gray eyes, the color of steel met her emerald ones. This man really was beautiful in how they said all the faeries were. It was mesmerizing.

  “I’m the messenger of the queen.” He finally replied, pulling his gaze
from her own and towards the window that was open, where he had presumably come through.

  “Which queen?”

  He looked at her for a moment, his jaw flexing as he gritted his teeth. “My queen. Queen Titania of the Isle of the Fae.”

  “Queen Titania? What does the Queen of the Isle of the Fae want with me?”

  “Has no one told you?” He was intense and his voice lowered. “No one has told you who you are?”

  “I’m the daughter of King Belmont and Queen Breena. Princess of Lormount.” Alina snapped out. “I’m more concerned right now about who you are.”

  “You’re the daughter of King Belmont of Lormount and Princess Breena of the Isle of the Fae.” The man set his steely eyes on her once more and Alina’s throat caught and her heartbeat became erratic. “Queen Titania sent me to you because you are her granddaughter, Banphrionsa.”

  Queen Titania. Queen Titania was her grandmother.

  She knew it was a possibility, that the king and queen had a daughter named Breena. But she hadn’t thought it possible that it was the same Breena who was her mother.

  Her grandparents were the rulers of the Isle of the Fae. Her grandmother sent this strangely beautiful messenger to save her from the poison that had been shutting down her body. It was too much all at once, with her body vibrating with the immense amount of power this beautiful faerie man had shared with her.

  “And what is your name? Does the queen’s messenger have a message?”

  “Have care and try not to die.” He smirked at Alina’s shocked expression. “Now my question, if you please.”

  “I do have plants. There’s a greenhouse here.”

  “Go there as soon as you’re well enough to walk. Sooner, if you can have someone help you there. You can use your magic and plant life will help you, heal you.”

  “But how? I don’t understand how my magic works.” Alina shifted her feet back onto her bed. The initial high of the energy exchange was beginning to wear off, and her body starting to ache in exhaustion.

  Three knocks thundered on her door, startling both her and her unnamed saviour. “Princess, are you all right? I thought I heard voices.” Henry called through the door.

  “I’m fine,” Alina called out hoarsely and unsure if Henry had even heard her. She wasn’t sure how her father would react to finding this male faerie in her room late at night.

  The faerie frowned and turned his head. “I must go. Trust your instincts, they’ll guide you. Until next time, Your Highness.”

  With that, he bowed slightly and slipped out the open window, shutting it behind him and disappearing into the night like a phantom.

  “Are you sure you’re okay, Your Highness?” The door cracked open and Henry stuck his head in.

  “I must have been talking in my sleep. Sorry to disturb you. Goodnight Henry.”

  “Goodnight, Your Grace.”

  Alina took an unsteady breath when the door latched shut, glancing over to the fireplace where the flames had eaten the comb. Her hands shook on top of the blankets and she clasped them together to stop the tremors.

  She was sure, as she stared into the flames, that she would never sleep soundly again.

  The faerie had been right. By the time Alina woke the next morning, his surge of power had worn off leaving her lethargic and tired. She had scarcely enough energy to pull herself out of bed.

  He had also told her to find plants, that they would help. Luckily for her, she had a whole greenhouse full - if she managed to make it to them. She held onto her bedpost for balance while she dressed. Her body ached to her bones, as though she had been up for days. Her head was throbbing and pulsing, her eyes weren’t able to focus and it was making her nauseous.

  Still, it was better than dead.

  Someone here wants you dead. Someone had tried to kill her, poison her with a pretty comb.

  She sat indelicately on her love seat as she tried to catch her breath and stop the room from spinning. Someone wanted her dead. The footman hadn’t told her who the comb was from and she didn’t remember their face - they were probably long gone from the castle now, regardless.

  She needed to get to the greenhouse. She needed to think.

  Who here would want her dead?

  Anyone in line for the throne, that was for sure. Was anyone else in direct line for the throne? She had Ella go through the list; they had gone through who would be in line, but Alina’s head was so foggy she couldn’t remember one name or face.

  She blinked hard and repeatedly, trying to clear her vision and focus. It didn’t help. She wished the faerie were still here, wishing that he would touch her skin and imbue her with that rush of power that felt like home.

  But wishing never did her any good. Not when she lived in that decrepit farmhouse, not when she lived with Christian. No, she needed to get to the greenhouse first and go from there. She rose unsteadily from the sofa and made it, slowly, out her door and into the corridor.

  “Are you all right, Your Highness?” Rhys reached out and steadied her from his position outside her door.

  “Quite fine.” Alina blinked twice to clear her focus. “I’m just heading down to the greenhouse.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise, Your Grace?” Rhys clearly doubted her ability to garden. She did too, but it was the only directive she had. The faerie understood more about healing through magic than she did.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Alina moved unsteadily in the right direction before redirecting her energy to making sure she stayed upright. She made it halfway to the greenhouse before she slumped to the wall, almost falling over in exhaustion.

  “Whoa, are you okay?” Felix caught her arm, cutting off Rhys from catching her, as Felix was coming from the opposite direction.

  “I-” Alina swallowed and closed her eyes, trying not to see three of Felix as she had been. “I just need to get to the greenhouse.”

  “You need to get to bed.” His hand tightened slightly on her elbow. “You look terrible. Are you sick?”

  “I need to get to the greenhouse.” Alina finally opened her eyes and was able to focus on him for a moment.

  “I’m not sure what happened, but you really should lie down. You’re feverish.” He glared at Rhys before trying to steer her back the way they came, but Alina grasped his arm in her hand, stopping him.

  “I’m half-fae, Felix. Take me to the greenhouse. Please.”

  He looked stunned for a moment like he forgot her heritage and was just now reminded. It wasn’t hard to mistake her for fully human; she had been pretending at it her whole life without knowing. She didn’t have pointed ears, tinted skin or any other markers that pointed her out as something other, as different from everyone else. And yet, she was.

  “Of course, Princess. Whatever you need.”

  He wrapped his arms around her torso to help her stand upright. They slowly made their way to the greenhouse with Rhys trailing closely behind. Alina was grateful for the help. She was ready to slump against that wall in the hall and go to sleep; her body weak from any movement she made. But that would have left her an easy target for whoever it was who poisoned her.

  When the door to the greenhouse opened, a breath of topsoil and a blast of humidity alerted her that they had made it, finally. The door closed behind them, leaving her standing on the balcony overlooking the lush greenery. The flora and fauna here were always singing, always welcoming. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, better even now. The sun was out and shining through the glass dome in the top, feeding the greenery and Alina soaked in its rays as she descended the staircase, with much help from Felix and Rhys.

  “Welcome back, Your Highness.” Brigit greeted her with a smile and a proffered apron.

  “Thank you.” Alina accepted her apron and tied it around herself, her clumsy and aching fingers fumbling with the knots. Brigit took notice and deftly tied the cords without comment.

  The nobility was here today, strolling around the greenhouse. The ladies leaned down and
smelled a flower every once in a while, but it was clear they were all here for the sun and a stroll. Alina refused to engage them today, not when any of them may be the person who attempted to murder her. Perhaps they would be so astonished to see her alive, they would faint dead. That would be one way to determine who had planned to kill her.

  Or, seeing that they had failed, perhaps they would attempt it again - but with more success this time. She glanced at Felix. Surely, he would know everyone here.

  Perhaps she needed more guards.

  “Will you join me for a while, Lord Felix?” She asked as Brigit excused herself back to her work.

  “Of course.”

  “Rhys, will you have a message sent to the king that I would like to meet with him as soon as he has the time?” Rhys looked like he was about to argue before Alina continued: “I will be fine for a while with half the nobility here and Lord Felix to protect me. When you return, please bring Thomas or Henry with you if you can.”

  “Your Grace,” Rhys said in affirmation, bowing his head before exiting quickly.

  Alina and Felix meandered, for Alina’s sake, to the far side of the greenhouse. She leaned heavily on his arm the further they roamed. The path was less clear where the gardeners stored their extra soil and tools. The towering willow that stood there, firmly rooted in the ground, had become a refuge for Alina between weeding, watering, and transplanting. It was large enough that it had to have been planted when the greenhouse was first built, perhaps even by her mother. The tree was always so happy to see her; it seemed like an old friend.

  Without a word to her companion, Alina released his arm and pulled herself up over the stone knee-wall and to the tree, laying her hands and forehead against the trunk. A steady hum of energy grew and reached out to her, caressing her like a mother to her sick child. Alina gasped in surprise as energy began to fill her, a similar one to that of the faerie - if not quite so potent. It was earth and sun and sky and tasted of sweet nectar. She was so jostled that she removed herself from the towering willow and backed up a few steps, panting a little.