Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Are we there yet?”
An eye roll. “Not since the last time you asked.”
“Which was how long ago?”
“Only like ten minutes.”
I groan. “Ugh, it feels like it’s been longer than that.”
“Well, it hasn’t.”
“So how long until we get there?” My fingers tap out a frantic rhythm against the pommel of the saddle.
“A few hours.” A beat of silence. “What’s going on?”
I shake my head vigorously. “Nothing.”
I can almost hear the narrowing of his eyes. “Doesn’t seem like nothing to me.”
“I’m fine. Really.” Maybe if I say it with enough confidence, I’ll convince myself.
Bastain tugs on the reins, halting Puck. The second the horse comes to a stop he jumps from the saddle effortlessly. “Come on,” he says, extending a hand in my direction to help me off the horse.
“What?”
“Something is stressing you out and we’re going to talk about it before we get to the palace. So come on, get down.” He raises an eyebrow at me in challenge.
I roll my eyes but accept his assistance in dismounting. Especially as I nearly tumble once my feet meet the gravel path. He walks Puck over to a nearby tree, tying his reins to a low hanging branch.
Gripping my hand in his, he pulls me behind him as he walks us further towards the tree line and settles us both down on an overturned log. He keeps my hand secured in his as if afraid I’m going to bolt from this conversation.
“Staellara, talk to me. What’s going on?” A sudden nervousness finds its way into his expression. “Is it about last night? Because if so, I apologize. We can—”
“No!” I all but shout in his face, startling him.
“No, no. It’s not about last night. Last night was…
” I can feel the heat of a blush climb my cheeks thinking about the events of last night.
I mean, sure we didn’t do much else besides kiss, but the way he held me tight to him as we drifted off to sleep as if I might disappear?
I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well in my life.
“Last night was perfect,” I say with a soft smile.
He offers me a smile in return, wiping away any uncertainty he had. “Then what’s wrong?”
I hesitate to answer but know that he won’t let me get away without giving him something. “What if… what if they don’t like me?” I whisper.
“Your parents?” he asks with a tilt of his head.
My eyes drop to where my fingers fidget with the hem of my shirt. “Yeah…”
“Oh, princess.” He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “They’re going to love you.”
“How can you even know that? I’m a Seelie princess, but I’ve never spent any moment of my life in Alinea.
What does that really mean to them? I’m so humanized that they could hate me.
And that’s not even to say anything about the rest of the Seelie once they learn of me.
Do you think they’ll even tell the rest of the court?
Will they keep me hidden away again?” I take a shaky breath.
“You were right. They probably have all these expectations of me and I doubt I'll live up to any of them.” I jump up from the log and pace back and forth to burn off some of this anxious energy. “What if they hate me? What if they wish they had a different girl for a daughter. What if they don’t even let me in? What if—”
A hand lands on my arm, halting me in my tracks and silencing my spiral.
“They won’t hate you,” Bastian says softly as he gently leads me back to sit on the log.
“Sure, they might have some form of expectations of you, but they’ll all be built off of what they’ve heard from Fleur.
You said she spoke to them frequently, providing updates, yes?
” I nod in response since his finger is still keeping me from speaking.
“Then you will almost definitely live up to their expectations. But at the end of the day, they’ll be overjoyed to have their daughter returned and finally get to know you for the female you’ve become. ”
The prick of tears build in my eyes. “You know, you’re not so scary when you act like this,” I sniffle.
He lets out a loud bark of a laugh. “I typically try not to be scary by default.”
“Yes, well that doesn’t always work for you. You’re baseline terrifying. It’s the whole tall, dark, and Unseelie thing you’ve got going on,” I say with a wave of my hand in front of him.
“And you couldn’t be more threatening if you tried,” he teases with a smirk.
“Hey!” I shove at his shoulder, but he barely moves more than a fraction.
“Feeling a little better now?” he asks, all joking dropped from his expression.
I bite my lip. “I think so?”
“What else is floating around in that head of yours?”
“How do you even address royalty?” I ask.
His brows knit in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“Like, what’s the proper etiquette? I know they’re my parents, but they’re also strangers to me. I can’t walk in like ‘hi mom, hi dad.’ I should treat them like any other royal, right?”
I can see his body shake with barely restrained laughter. “Well, since they’re king and queen, standard protocol is to refer to them as ‘Your Majesty’ or majesties. And you’d bow until they give you permission to rise.”
I nod. “Okay, bow. Your Majesty. Sounds easy enough. Is there anything else?”
He thinks for a moment. “No, I don’t think so.” He pauses a moment before a sly smile blooms on his face. “Although, if we want to get really technical, I should be calling you Your Highness.”
“Excuse me?” I sputter.
“You’re a princess. Therefore, I should be addressing you formally also.” That smile kicks wider.
“Please don’t,” I beg.
“Oh, I won’t.”
With that he stands, tugging me with him and dragging us back to Puck.
As we crest the hill, I have to shield my eyes against the light reflecting off the city below.
It’s all elegance. Pristine whites and creams, accented with varying shades of golds.
The city gates ahead of us are even completely gilded and sparkle under the midday sun.
The buildings themselves are all rounded and curving, giving off a feeling of whimsy.
A giddy excitement rises up in me at the thoughts of exploring the city.
Uncovering little hidden gems. What would it have been like to grow up here?
I can’t even imagine living in a place like this.
Would I have liked it? Hated it? I know I was fatigued over being in Willowbrook, but it still holds a place in my heart out of the sentimentality of it all.
Is that how I would’ve felt about Dawnspire?
I try to reel in my thoughts, but I lose my grip on them as they spiral.
“Wow… I’ve never really seen anything like this before. It’s certainly a style choice. It’s like I’ve died and entered the afterlife.”
Bastian chuckles at my observation. “I’ve never thought about it like that, but I definitely see it. It certainly aligns with the perception that the Seelie are constantly trying to reinforce.”
“And what perception is that?” I ask.
“Purity. Goodness.” His face forms a slight grimace.
“Ah yes, in contrast to the Unseelie’s evil,” I say with a teasing flourish of my hands in his direction.
“Alright, brat,” he says with a chuckle with a soft shove at my shoulder from where he sits behind me on Puck. “The sooner we get down there, the sooner I can drop you at the gates to the afterlife,” he says, making me let loose a cackling laugh.
Bastian slows the horse to a stop as we approach the gilded gates set into the white marble border wall around the palace. My nerves spike at the sight.
His breath ghosts over my ear as he leans in, causing a shiver to run through me.
“I’m fairly certain I won’t be permitted to set foot through those gates.
” I start to open my mouth to protest, but he squeezes my hands on the reins, stopping me.
“I’m only saying something now so that you will remain calm if they won’t allow me to accompany you into the palace.
” He pauses for a moment, pulling his hand from mine. “And to give you this.”
I hear him rummaging around in one of the saddlebags. Turning my upper body as much as I can manage from atop the horse, I try to get a better view of what he’s looking for. Eventually, he finds it. A dagger, which certainly isn’t helping with the nervousness coursing through my body.
The blade is a thin, gleaming silver steel.
The hilt is more elaborate, but only barely.
It’s wrapped in obsidian leather, lending to a comfortable hold.
The cross guard is made of a silver crescent moon with another at the end of the hilt.
I’m not one to admire a weapon, but I will admit, it’s almost a piece of art.
“Where did this come from?” He raises his eyebrow at me as if to say ‘seriously?’ “Right, you have your very own war supply chest in your cottage,” I deadpan.
He smirks and I can see the amusement twinkle in his eyes.
“Why are you giving me one of your daggers? Have you had this with you the entire trip?”
“I don’t want you going in there without a way to protect yourself,” he answers simply.
“Contrary to what I may have led you to believe when we met, you do realize that I have no idea how to use this thing, right?” I hold the knife out away from me as if it were the carcass of an animal.
“I barely know how to throw a good punch, and you were the one who showed me that.” I raise a brow.
He lets out a low chuckle. “I’m well aware, staellara. I’ll show you how.”
“Oh, really?” I hope he can feel the sarcasm dripping from my words. “And when exactly are you supposed to do that if you’re not allowed into the place?”
“Not to worry, I have my ways,” he simply says with a wink.
“Fine, keep your secrets.” I roll my eyes at him, which grants me another low rumbling chuckle from him.
He gives Puck a swift nudge, carrying us the rest of the way to the gates where two guards stand sentry.