by Deiri Di
Mari stared at the grass, too angry to be able to look at him.
They sat that way for several minutes, in total silence. As her anger faded, Mari realized that Chase was soaking wet and barefoot. She looked across the water, searching for his shoes. The garden didn't look quite right. She looked behind her, across the island. On the opposite bank on the other side of the island sat Chase's boots, lying on their sides several yards away from each other, as if they'd been flung off. The merman had dragged her across the entire body of water, and it hadn't stopped Chase from saving her life.
"Okay," Chase said.
She looked back over at him. "What?" She said.
"Okay," he repeated.
"Okay, what?" Mari insisted. There had been too many misunderstandings already. She needed to know exactly what he was trying to say, not just guess at his intentions.
Chase ran his fingers through his wet hair, slicking it back so that the water dripped down the back of his neck. "I thought you already knew everything about the sidhe world... I mean, that's why you were picked."
"Picked for what?" Mari demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
Chase shifted so that he was crouching, balancing on the balls of his feet, his rear resting on the back of his heels. "Humans that can see creatures of our world that inhabit yours tend to attract the more dangerous of this world as well. Unless they learn how to prevent them from finding them or make allies of the nicer denizens of our world that like to inhabit yours. The ability to see is passed from parent to child, as is the knowledge of the creatures of our world. You were picked because you can see the creatures and because you are immune to magic."
Mari knew that her father couldn't see the creatures she did and that her mother always acted as if she could. Knowing that her mother knew she could be in danger and didn't bother to teach her how to protect herself, or at least have Mari come to live with her so she could protect her, made everything different. Just because her father had married a younger woman didn't mean her mother had to abandon her.
Mari interrupted his tangent. "What do you mean I'm immune to magic?"
Chase stared at her for a long time, his mouth open, hands frozen in mid gesture.
"What do I mean?" he asked, confusion marring his forehead with lines.
"What do you mean I'm immune to magic?" Mari repeated. First, she finds out that she inherited her ability from a parent who didn't bother to teach her anything about it; now, there were additional aspects about it she didn't even understand.
Chase pressed his fingers against his lips, his eyes wide. "You don't know anything, do you," he said, a sense of wonder in his voice.
Before Mari could respond, Chase murmured something under his breath and moved his hands in a short pattern.
A sharp shock ran down her spine.
Mari rubbed her neck.
Chase looked over her shoulder.
Mari turned and found herself face to face with herself. The double gave Mari a broad smile and stood there, same outfit, same face, same drenched in water attire. One thing that wasn't the same was that Mari could see the garden's outlines through her double's body.
"To me," Chase began. "She looks perfect. Unless I cast a different spell, I wouldn't be able to tell that she was an illusion."
With a flick of his fingers, the double was gone.
Chase's hands performed another dance in time to his inaudible words.
Mari felt another shock, sharper this time, with more of a painful bite to it.
She looked around, clear in her understanding of what that sensation meant. This time there wasn't anything around her.
"Nothing happened," Mari said. "What was it?"
"You tell me," Chase said, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.
Mari sat there, thinking it over. She didn't become irritated by his refusal to answer; her father was a teacher - she knew a teaching technique when it was used on her. Though having her dad try to teach her something and a guy who was close to her age try to teach her something were entirely different things.
Those thoughts brought up more thoughts about her family. She just vanished. They wouldn't even know what happened to her. The rise of guilt and worry for her family was drowned out by a thick wave of confusion and pressure. Her nostalgia was pushed violently to the side and replaced with thoughts of Vladmir's fabulous hair. She caught herself, annoyed at her inability to think straight, and got back to the problem at hand.
Mari focused on the facts, and soon she had an answer.
"You didn't cast an illusion this time," she said, encouraged by his nod. "It must have been a spell cast on me, not around or near me."
Chase nodded again. "Spells cast on you just won't work. It is something no elf and no normal human can claim. However, we here at the court do have ways to protect ourselves. There are very few creatures in our world that are immune, and on the whole, they are very dangerous. "
"They'll never work?" Mari asked. She was happy to hear that. In the magic-filled world of the sidhe court, she was immune. She was special. The Prince could love her because of her abilities. It gave her a strange sense of reassurance, knowing that there was something about her that would attract him, something that marked her as crazy in the human world marked her as remarkable in this one.
"Yes, nev-" Chase stopped speaking and pursed his lips, thinking. "Actually, there is a potion that will temporarily... but it doesn't last very long... they'd have to be right with you... and all your food is tested before you eat it. You don't have to worry - it would be impossible to dose you here at the court."
Mari squeezed the water out of her dress. All the talk of potions brought back a memory of the one Vladmir gave her, and she felt a surge of gratitude that he was considerate like that. He was the most wonderful person.
"I'm glad Vladmir gave me that language potion before I got here," she said. "Think how horrible it would be for me if I couldn't even communicate!"
Chase laughed.
"There's no such-" he caught himself, jaw clenching as he prevented the rest of the sentence from slipping out. He stared at her, eyes wide with an understanding that was beyond the scope of her innocent experience. He rubbed his mouth, still wide-eyed as he stared at her as if she were something he'd never seen before.
"What I would give for a divining spell to work on you," he muttered from behind his hand.
"What?" Mari asked, unable to understand his garbled words.
"If I'm going to teach you anything," Chase began, the tone of his voice severe and abrasive, demanding her attention. "It should be that the sidhe court is not a place for a human, special or otherwise. My people play games and compete for rank with shows of skill in deceit. You shouldn't trust anyone, not even-."
"It's a good thing I have Vladmir!" Mari said. Was Chase trying to scare her away from the Prince? Those suspicious feelings rose in her again. If Chase attempted to drive a wedge between her and Vladmir, she might have to drive her foot between his legs! No one could make her doubt the Prince.
Chase turned his face away, hiding the flash of emotion on his face. Unlike the rest of the elves, Vladmir included, Chase seemed to have trouble hiding what he was feeling and thinking. If the court was all that he said, then his life must be utter misery.
"Don't you like the court?" Mari asked. He had to have been over exaggerating.
"I don't," he said, looking away. "But I can't leave. I'm next in line after Vladmir. If I leave without permission, he would think I was out to foment a rebellion. I can't be trusted enough to remove myself from the court." His voice was bitter.
Mari sat there next to him in silence for a few moments.
"I think Lady Silvia wanted the merman to attack me," she said. "She told me she left a gift in the water. You said everyone in the court likes to play little games... what if Lady Silvia is the one trying to kill me? She spoke very poorly about Vladmir - could she be trying to hurt him or kill him? We should warn him." The t
hought of Vladmir being in danger drove a stab of adrenaline through her body.
Chase threw his head back and laughed. It took several minutes for his laughter to subside, and in the end, he was wiping his eyes and holding his belly.
"They're engaged!" he said, still chuckling. "Vladmir has nothing to fear from Lady Silvia. If she killed him, she wouldn't be able to get her chance at the throne!" Chase met her eyes, saw the horrified expression on her face, and the blood drained from his own, leaving him pale.
"They're what?" Mari asked, her voice quiet. It felt as if someone had ripped a hole in her, carving out her heart and leaving only hurt behind.
"I... I shouldn't have said..." Chase stammered. He got control of his voice, clearing his throat, and started again. "I'm going to need to tell the Prince that I let you know."
Mari just stared at him. She wanted to cry, to yell, to deny what Chase had said. Instead, she shivered, a reminder of her drenched condition.
Chase stood, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.
"Let's get you warmed up," he said. "The prince will come to speak to you right away." There wasn't any reassurance in his voice, just a flat tone, devoid of its previous warmth. He had gone cold on her again.
When he turned his back on her and began leading the way out of the garden, Mari followed him. Her body and her heart both felt numb.
There was a small emotion that didn't belong to the hurt that surrounded the news of Vladmir's engagement. It didn't belong to anything to do with the Prince. That emotion, the small thread of sadness that snuck past the other feelings, belonged to something separate, something different.
[ 7 ]
Mari sat in one of her bedroom armchairs, wrapped in a voluptuous dressing-gown; her feet tucked up under her. A steaming cup of something fragrant sat on the table next to her, but she didn't touch it.
Vladmir sat in the chair across from her leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. Chase had left the room when the Prince came in.
"Is it true?" Mari asked, the words falling from her mouth like rocks.
Vladmir looked down at the floor, his golden hair falling in front of his face as he avoided eye contact.
"Yes, it's true," he said. "I shouldn't... I didn't know how to tell you. How do you tell someone you love something like that."
"Why did you bring me here?" Mari asked. All she wanted to do was go home. She'd rushed off to this strange place, leaving her family and her life behind all because of the man in front of her, and she was wondering if she had been lied to. Those thoughts were pushed back just as fast as they came out, stomped on, and overwhelmed by a sense of love for Vladmir and a sense of suicidal despair. He didn't lie to her - he just didn't want to hurt her.
Vladmir looked at her, his face reflecting concern. "I brought you here because you were meant to be with me," he said, a pleading note in his voice. "An engagement made when I was young means nothing compared to you. I was hoping that with enough work, I could convince my mother to break it and..." Vladmir reached a hand forward, placing a tentative touch on her leg. "And I was hoping that with time you would accept... that you would replace it."
Mari looked away, staring at one of the walls in the room. His words had sent a shiver of anticipation, of excitement through her. She couldn't respond, too overwhelmed by the surge of giddy happiness. She worried that she would say something idiotic and ruin the moment. This man, this beautiful, strong, monster-slaying Prince, wanted to break his engagement to a woman whose physical appearance made her a match for him in every way. He wanted to break that engagement for her, a creature of a different world and race who wasn't exotic or pretty, and only a little special.
"The Queen was already starting to warm to you," he continued. "If you will just give me time, I know that I can convince her that you are the one for me."
Mari reached out her own hand to touch his and nodded.
The Prince smiled at her, pulling her hand up to his lips. They were soft. Mari felt a shock tingle down her spine, and the air was filled with a sweet, empty scent.
Mari pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Magic perfume! He was so sil - her head ached, interrupting. The pain drifted away, leaving behind gratitude that the Prince would take the time to make the air smell pleasant for her.
"Now that's taken care of," he said. "You have a lesson to attend. I need you to be just fantastic at the ball tonight."
"Can't you join me?" she asked.
The Prince shook his head, standing and releasing her hand. "I am sorry, my love, but Chase will make sure you are taken care of." A peculiar look crossed his face, one that Mari didn't recognize there. It didn't fit in with his familiar adoring expressions - it looked like a flash of disgust. It was gone before she could process what it was and what it was about.
The Prince put one hand on the arm of her armchair, his other hand latching on to her chin. She sat transfixed.
He leaned in, brushing his lips against hers.
Mari leaned forward, excited.
Her movement caused the Prince to pull back, breaking the faint touch as soon as he'd started it.
With that, he was gone again.
Mari sighed after his retreating back, her heart pounding. She knew now his absences were necessary. If the fae court was that difficult and treacherous, he would have to do a lot of work to secure their future together. What she couldn't wait for was the time that they would get to spend together. That slight excuse for a kiss tantalized her. She wanted more.
She was so lost in her happy thoughts that she overlooked that Chase had been waiting outside - and instead of coming in, he shut her inside the room.
"What did you do?" Chase said, his voice coming through the door. Those words were spoken with anger, loud enough.
Vladmir responded, softer and hard to hear. Mari stood, pressing her ear against the door, wanting to listen to his voice.
"I will find out, brother," Chase said.
Mari strained to hear Vladmir's response.
"Leave it be - for your own sake," Vladmir said.
The door swung inward, sending Mari stumbling backward.
Chase stood in the doorway, hand on the knob.
"If you are going to eavesdrop, get better at it," he said. "Now, get ready - we need to go."
As Mari followed Chase through the halls of the Palace, she was distracted, daydreaming of the Prince. She was so distracted she missed the stiffness in Chase's shoulders.
Chase took her to a spacious room with a hardwood floor that gleamed as if someone had cleaned and polished it recently. They probably had, Mari thought to herself, especially given the number of servants they had on hand just to do her hair and make sure she was scrubbed raw.
The dance instructor was waiting. All the courtly elves were slender, and she thought that elves were just naturally that way. The dance instructor disproved that theory with his large, jiggly presence. Everything about him was rotund, and he wore a tight-fitting bodysuit that only emphasized that fact. Like the rest of the male elves, his face was bereft of facial hair, so there was nothing to disguise his protruding jowls and double chin.
"Well, this will be a challenge," he said, his voice deep like a professional baritone. "And they expect me to have you presentable by this evening!"
"I plan to work very hard," Mari said. "I would like to get as much out of your instructions as possible." These words felt wrong in her mouth. She was brown-nosing, something she never did. Her hand latched around her necklace—anything to get closer to Vladmir.
"Good. Now let's not waste any more time," the instructor said, entwining his thick fingers as he stared at her. "You have no formal training, correct? Never been to the Fae court before?"
"I never even saw an elf before the Prince," she replied.
The instructor pursed his lips. "We don't have enough time to teach you all of the group dances. There is no point. Too many, too complicated. I'll tell the Prince to keep you away from the
m." He tapped his fingers against his chin. "What we can teach you is how to survive paired dances."
Mari smiled. Couple dancing was what she wanted to do anyway. Getting sucked into an elven line dance would not be anywhere near the fun she would have getting to touch the Prince and see what he smelled like under the magical scent of flowers. He had to smell good.
"How many do I need to learn?" she asked.
"It would be an atrocity to say you would be able to learn any. No, what we are going to do is teach you the basic steps to the most popular and then teach you how to follow like a brownie at the back of its herd."
Mari was confused; she didn't understand what he was saying. She was going to learn how to be a brownie?
"If you know how to follow, you will be able to dance and dance with any good partner. You will likely look horrific with a bad partner, but I know for a fact the Prince is an excellent leader. He will make you shine once you learn how to get yourself out of his way. Now repeat what I do."
The dance instructor moved nimbly for such a large man, showing her a basic step. She tried to copy it, but it took her a few times to start off on the right foot and to turn backward in the right direction. When she got it right a few times on her own, Chase came over, grabbing her hand and placing his other hand on her waist.
"Ah..." she started to protest but then thought better of it. She didn't want to practice dancing with him, but her other option was the dance instructor, and it would be challenging to avoid touching his protruding midriff. She didn't want to touch anyone but Vladmir.
She started to step back into the beginning of the step, but Chase stopped her, putting pressure on her back with his hand.
"No," he said.
"You are not the leader!" the dance instructor snapped. "Follow! Now, show me some tension!"