Twenty Nine #2
“Emelin?” Thea’s voice pulled me from my slumber. I blinked open my eyes that were still swollen and scratchy from crying. “I knocked a few times, but you didn’t answer the door.” Her head was poking around the entrance to my bedroom from the anteroom. I must have fallen asleep reading the diary.
“You can come in.” I closed the journal in my lap and set it on the bedside table.
“I’m not alone,” she said, emerging fully from the anteroom. A petite faerie woman stepped out after her, assuming a position to her right. She was holding a silver tray with a carafe of water and two glasses. “This is Inara, your personal maid.”
“Good morning, milady.” Inara curtsied. She was a soft-spoken, timid little creature with mousy blonde hair and pale-blue eyes.
“Morning,” I grumbled half-heartedly. The lack of sleep was catching up to me as exhaustion pulled on my limbs.
“Inara will help you bathe and get ready for the day.” Thea strolled deeper into the bedroom, with the maid trailing behind her.
“It’s already late morning. Tomorrow you might want to rise earlier, so you can enjoy the gardens before it gets stifling hot in the midday.
Just a gentle suggestion.” She smiled at me as she reached the balcony doors.
“Don’t!” I stopped her when she went to pull back the curtains.
She lowered her hands from the drapes and glanced at Inara, who had set the carafe and glasses on the bedside table. “Are you not ready to get out of bed?” she asked me, her smile fading.
“No, I’m not.” I burrowed deeper into the pile of plush covers.
“Inara, please give me and the queen”—she emphasized my new title—“a few minutes in private. You can wait outside her chambers.” With a nod of obedience, the maid collected the old carafe and slipped out of the room. “Emelin, you need to get up.” Thea refocused on me.
“Why?” I challenged. “From what you’ve told me about the Fae royal tradition, the king is the one who runs the kingdom, and the queen is nothing more than a pretty accessory on his arm.”
She frowned. “Well, yes, that is how Sorin ruled.”
“So, I can stay in my quarters all day if I want to.”
“It’s true, you can do whatever you please, but I think it might serve you well to get out of your rooms.”
“Why? You’ve created a beautiful space. It has everything I need. Well, except for an easel and painting supplies,” I pointed out.
“You will find several easels and all the painting supplies your heart might desire in the art room next to the library. Let me call Inara back, and she can help you get ready. I will give you a tour of the castle.”
“No. I will be staying in my rooms.”
“Emelin—”
“That’ll be all.”
Thea looked like she wanted to argue but decided against it.
“Here,” she said with a heavy sigh as she placed a small silver bell upright on the nightstand.
“The bell is spelled. When you’re ready, simply ring it, and Inara will be notified that you require her assistance.
I will let her know that she’s free to tend to her other duties in the meantime.
” She turned to leave but halted by the exit.
“Gray is not like his father. I doubt he wants for you and him to have the same dynamic that his parents did when it comes to ruling the kingdom.”
“Why do you call him Gray?” I asked, ignoring what she had said. “Is it because of his middle name, ‘Grayland’?”
“Yes. Tom and I have always called him that, ever since we were children.” A reminiscent smile flickered across her face before her expression turned serious. “Gray might not tell you, but I think it’s time for you to siphon Silberium from him again.”
“Already? It’s only been two weeks.”
“Yes, it appears so. I do hope that you leave your bed today at some point, if only to check on him.”
I pressed my lips in a thin line, refusing to confirm or deny that I would. Thea lingered a moment longer, her expression a mix of sadness and concern, before she walked out.
After she had left, I suddenly felt lonely and sorry for myself, even though I was the one who had chosen to stay in my quarters. When tears welled, I didn’t stop them, crying myself back to sleep to the lullaby of the oppressive quiet of my room.
Awakened by a faint tapping on the balcony door, I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. Judging by the shadows that had filled my room, I must have slept all day.
Tap, tap, tap. I turned my head toward the sound coming from the outside.
“What under the Stars…” I moved the heap of covers to the side and got out of bed.
A strip of soft, pale moonlight drifting through the gap in the curtains guided my way as I stepped closer to the balcony door.
I carefully peeled back the left drape and discovered a medium-sized bird on the other side of the glass, gently tapping it every few seconds as if to get my attention.
There was no one else on the balcony—there couldn’t be because of the wards around my chambers.
“Hello there,” I said as I cracked open the balcony door, careful not to spook my little visitor.
A flutter of wings followed, and for a moment I thought that the bird was going to fly away, but it only moved from the floor to the balcony railing, perching on the wide stone ledge.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as I stepped closer to the grayish-brown creature with a thin white patch on its wings.
It cooed in reply, angling its head with curiosity.
A small piece of rolled-up parchment was tied to one of its legs with a green thread.
Excitement sparked in my chest. “Is that a note for me?” The dove sat still as I untied the note and rolled it out to read it.
A little birdie told me that you’ve been cooped up in your room all day. Do you want to get out? Mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’ was scribbled on the parchment.
Under that, two options were listed. Yes—free me from my gilded cage and No. I’m allergic to fun.
“Don’t go anywhere,” I told the bird before I dashed inside the room.
At the writing desk, I dipped the pen in the ink and marked ‘Yes’ on the note.
To my relief, the dove was still outside when I returned, and I carefully attached the rolled-up parchment back to its leg.
When the feathered messenger took off, a sense of adventure rose, filling my veins with restless energy.
Though the note was not signed, I had a feeling I knew who had sent it.
A few minutes later, my suspicion was confirmed to be true.
Good answer, my Queen. Since I can’t come and get you because of the wards (sigh), meet me by the fountain. Here’s how to get to it from your rooms. A miniature map was sketched below.
“Thank you for delivering the message.” I gently ran my pointer finger over the bird’s head. It cooed in response before flying away.
Grinning in anticipation, I strode inside and closed the balcony doors before drawing the curtains to cover them. When I whirled around, I froze, peering down the dark hallway that connected my room to Adrian’s.
Can I get away with it? I thought to myself.
Free me from my gilded cage. I recalled what the note had said.
But I wasn’t a prisoner, and my room wasn’t a cage.
I shouldn’t have to worry about getting away with anything.
I had the right to leave and do what I wanted.
But then why was a strange, oily feeling stirring, tamping down my excitement?
I wouldn’t let it, I decided, as I switched on the bedside lamp and headed toward the bathing chamber.
After quickly freshening up, I went to the dressing room and changed into a light-pink, flowery dress and white sandals.
Back in the bedroom, I dragged the brush through my hair, ignoring the crown sitting on the vanity.
Tonight, I don’t have to be the queen; I can just be me.
I set the brush down and headed for the door.
Stopping before it, I reached for the handle and turned it slowly, holding my breath, trying to make as little noise as possible.
Then it dawned on me that trying to be sneaky would draw more attention than behaving naturally.
I pulled my shoulders back and lifted my chin before calmly exiting the bedroom.
Closing the door softly behind me, I set off down the long hallway, past the stone-faced guards lining the walls.
I made sure to keep a steady pace but not seem in a hurry as I navigated the quiet castle that was empty save for the guards.
To my relief, they didn’t try to stop me or question me about my whereabouts as I walked, referring to the map sketched on the parchment.
Down the hallway, turn right, down another hallway, left, down the staircase to the first floor.
When I finally reached the doors that led outside and burst through them, breathing instantly became easier because I was closer to nature.
My gaze swept over the majestic gardens that lay ahead of me before it lowered to the note.
I weaved through the trees aglow with fireflies, following the winding trail indicated on the map until I arrived at the three-tier fountain that I had discovered the night before.
A beam of moonlight cutting through the trees illuminated the fountain and the one waiting for me beside it.
“I was beginning to wonder if you changed your mind,” Finn said as he stood up from where he had been sitting on the basin ledge.
The top half of his chestnut hair was pulled back, exposing his arched ears pierced with gold hoops of various sizes.
His amber gaze flicked over me. “But seeing you in that dress makes the wait more than worth it.”
My heartbeat quickened, but I wasn’t sure if that was because of the man standing before me or because of the unsettling feeling that I was doing something wrong.
“Thanks for the map.” I smiled as I held up the note. “How did you know about the wards around my chambers? And the layout of the castle?”