Chapter 14 #3
The only ones left in the glade at this point are Fleur, King Oberon, and Queen Diana.
“Your parents.” The real Fleur speaks again.
My parents…
My breath catches in my throat. Tears prick at the back of my eyes. I’ve never seen them before and never thought I would.
I take a few steps closer to the crucible, now that the crowd has thinned, and inspect them closer.
Picking out the similarities in our appearances.
My hair is identical in shade to that of my mother’s, so much so that I’m shocked with myself that I didn’t make the connection sooner.
My violet eyes come straight from my father, although his look older, wiser.
Guess that comes with being centuries old.
It’s so strange now to see these attributes reflected back at me in a face that’s not my own.
“Tell us of the cost. We’ll pay it. Whatever it may be,” King Oberon speaks firmly.
“Careful of making promises before you’ve heard the costs,” Illusion Fleur tuts at the king. “The cost for the birth of your daughter will be your kingdom.”
The King and Queen stiffen. “What do you mean it will cost us our kingdom?” This time it’s Diana asking, wariness clear in her voice.
“It’s been prophesied,” Illusion Fleur’s face takes on an almost wicked smile. It’s an expression I’ve never once seen on her face. It looks unnatural.
The vision around me fades to black and as I blink my eyes clear, I’m once again seated in Fleur’s bedroom. I bring my hands up, brushing the residual powder from my cheeks.
“Immediately after returning to the palace, Oberon and Diana only allowed their most trusted staff to continue working at the palace and no outsiders were permitted. Your mother was sequestered away throughout the duration of her pregnancy, so no one knew of her condition, making only enough public appearances to avoid suspicion and rumors. Shortly after your birth, they had me smuggle you out of the palace and Alinea and to the human realm. I am one of only a handful of individuals who know you even exist. They hoped by keeping you away from Faerie and the court you’d be safer from threats outside the palace walls. ”
“What’s the prophecy?” I ask, because what could be so bad that they had to secret me away to the human realm.
“Child, you need to remember that these things are not an exact science. There are endless ways to interpret the prophecy. The Fates told your parents that you would cost them their kingdom, but as of now, their kingdom still stands. So, we can’t truly know what is meant by the words until they come to pass. ”
“Fleur. What is the prophecy?” I press, frustration rising up.
She lets out a defeated sigh, knowing I won’t stop pushing her on this.
“One with heart so pure and bright shall cross paths with darkness and enter the depths of endless night. There, light and darkness meet, under stars aligned in twilight skies. This will bring their hearts complete, and a spark shall blaze at fate’s design.
For when they join, it will be the kingdoms’ end of days. ”
My blood runs cold as I pick up on several words I’ve most definitely heard before. “No,” I breathe out.
Fleur’s brows knit together. “What?”
“I-I know this,” I say hesitantly.
The confusion on her face only further deepens. “What do you mean you know this?”
“I’ve been having these… dreams. Nightmares, really. And in all of them there’s this screaming woman reciting different snippets of this… prophecy.”
Her face becomes one of pure shock and terror morphed into one. “The banshee.” It’s not a question, but a statement.
“That’s what Bas—” I clear my throat and internally scold myself for almost mentioning him. “Um, that’s what I’ve been told it might be. But I haven’t actually had the nightmare the last few nights, so maybe the danger has passed.”
She gives me a look that I can’t decipher before it turns stern. “I highly doubt it was that easy. Please remain cautious until you know for a fact that the danger is behind you.”
“So, what is this supposed to mean? Like, is darkness to be synonymous with evil in this case? Am I going to turn evil and, what? Go on a destructive rampage and destroy my parents’ kingdom?”
“Like I said, it’s open for interpretation,” Fleur says, giving the words some thought.
“It could be a person, or an entity, or a presence that could corrupt. Your parents and I have mulled it over for decades trying to get to the bottom of it. The only thing we’ve landed on with a fair amount of certainty is that you’re the light in this equation as the princess of the Seelie Court. ”
Princess.
I’m a princess.
What the actual fuck.
I mean I should’ve known. My parents are a king and queen for fuck’s sake but I think it’s only now sinking in at the use of the word.
Dizziness washes over me as the room begins to spin. I need to get out of here.
“I think I need a minute,” I say, launching up out of the chair onto shaky legs.
I ignore Fleur’s protests and head straight out of her room, stumbling out the front door of the cottage.
The second the door slams shut behind me, I take off running in the direction of the one place I know I can feel soothed when I’m overwhelmed like this.
I race through the forest and crest the hill, finding myself in front of the tree stump altar that serves as the memorial for my parents.
Or should I say, previously served as the memorial… for my very much alive parents.
A king and queen.
Me. A princess. From Alinea.
I drop to my knees, tears streaking down my cheeks.
Looking at the carvings in the stump, I break.
I claw at the edges of the bark, ripping and tearing at it until the words are warped beyond recognition.
I collapse back against the stump and drop my head into my heads, my fingers speckled with crimson where the bark split my nails.
This feels like a dream. Or a nightmare? Maybe the banshee will make a surprise reappearance and put me out of my misery.
I can’t believe they’ve kept this from me.
These things aren’t small incidental things you keep from a child because they’re better off not knowing.
This is a betrayal. Fleur was the mother I never had growing up and now I find out this is all part of some larger plot?
Was it really to keep me safe or a way to avoid paying the price?
I wish I had someone to talk to about this. But Fleur’s been lying to me for my entire life. I can’t talk to her about this.
And Tom. Gods. I can’t tell him anything. He can't know any of this.
Who does that even leave me with then?
Bastian?
He’s probably the only person I could tell.
But, at the same time, he’s Unseelie. And if Fleur’s to be believed, I’m Seelie.
That alone creates a bit of a problem. Well, a big problem if the stories are to be believed.
Not even to add onto the fact that now I’m also supposedly royalty.
I don’t even want to get into the dynamics of that.
And yes, I know he’s all for peace in the realm, but that’s not the general consensus.
I can’t imagine the courts finding out he’s allied with a Seelie royal as going down well with either court.
If I were a normal Seelie girl, maybe I could see it being an almost non-issue. But that ship has sailed.
At some point in my breakdown, the forest sounds went silent, the unnerving stillness sweeping through.
A twig snaps from behind, startling me into whipping around to see Bastian stepping out around a tree.
“Apologies if I’m disturbing,” he says sheepishly as he tucks his hands into the pockets of his trousers and steps closer.
I let out a breathy chuckle. “Certainly not disturbing. In fact, my thoughts could probably use the distraction.” I turn back around to face forward away from Bastian, I bring my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and resting my chin on top.
I can feel his approach before I see him. He sits next to me, leaning back against the tree stump.
It’s not lost on me that I was sitting in this exact same position with Tom less than a week ago, before… all of this.
How was that only a few days ago?
It feels like it’s been weeks. Months, even.
“I take it you didn’t like the answers you received?” Bastian asks, finally breaking the silence. I can hear the way he’s trying to be cautious with feeling out where my emotions are.
“I don’t even think I know how to answer that,” I laugh.
It’s the only reaction I feel like I have at this point.
It’s either laugh or I’ll cry, and I think he’s already seen enough of that to last a lifetime.
“I think it’s more that I still don’t know how to process the answers I was given.
They don’t feel… real, I guess. Like this is all some sort of twisted joke. ”
His hand ghosts across my upper arm to my shoulder, drawing out goosebumps in its wake.
His hand halts its path to brush an unruly strand of hair behind my ear.
His fingers lightly trail the area before dropping back to his lap.
I tilt my head so I can peek at him and find him watching me.
His gaze is so intense, and the concern is evident.
I let out a sigh and close my eyes.
Should I tell him?
I need to tell someone.
“Staellara,” he says softly, drawing my eyes back to his. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I don’t even know. Do I? I mean, yes. But do I want to tell him?
And there’s that word again.
Staellara.
He’s used it a few times now, but I haven’t had the chance to ask what it means.
With a defeated sigh, I release the grip on my legs and stretch them out in front of me. I turn my upper body to fully face him. “I think so, yeah. But I have a question for you, first.”
His gaze holds mine as he offers a small nod.
“What does that mean?”
“What does what mean?” he asks, brows furrowed.
“That word you keep calling me. Stell— or whatever it is.”
His lips twitch up into his familiar smirk. “Staellara.”
“Yeah, that one.”