7. Emilia
Chapter 7
Emilia
B eing a lady’s maid is exhausting. After my very strange encounter with the King, I raced all the way back to Lady Dahlia’s room. Honestly, I’m not even sure how I got there. By the time I returned, I didn’t have time to process anything that had just happened. As expected, Lady Dahlia was yelling at both Sigrid and me to prepare her for dinner. Faster than I knew possible, Sigrid and I had Lady Dahlia dressed and ready. Without a backwards glance, she was out the door, and we tidied up to prepare for her return. Far too soon, she returned, annoyed that the King hadn’t even taken notice of her. In fact, he hadn’t noticed anyone , according to the Lady, and I took a secret pleasure in this news. After we helped her into bed, I was finally left with a moment to think about my encounter with the King.
He was beautiful, I remember, with long black hair and braids framing his face, with deep blue eyes. Something terrifying lives behind them, but it doesn’t scare me like it probably should. He is powerful, you can see that very clearly, but there is also something… something I can’t put my finger on. He wore blue silk pants and a blue and white robe that showed much of his bare chest. His chest was covered in swirling markings that seemed to glow lightly. When he touched me, my whole body warmed, and a tugging in my chest took my breath away. I have seen many males, but he was the first to ever elicit such feelings from me. My body craved to be with him, but it was all too much, too quickly. Perhaps he was intoxicated or something, calling me his queen. It had to be some joke. I’m a servant to a Lady. I’m no one of prestige, yet he looked at me like I was the most important person in the world.
But it doesn’t matter–it can’t matter. I have a job to do, and no amount of attractiveness will pull me away from that.
I barely get a few hours of sleep before I wake up early the following day. Garrick told me to meet him by the docks before dawn, so my next task is sneaking out of the palace. I quietly put on my dress and grab my cloak. It’s colder here, likely due to the wind coming off the water. Creeping slightly to the servant quarters’ door, I open it and step outside. The last thing I need to do is explain to Sigrid why I’m leaving. No one seemed to be in the halls, so I approached the side door I saw yesterday. Once out in the early morning air, I take a cleansing breath. This sneaking around is taking a toll on my nerves, besides the normal exhaustion I think I have had a permanent headache for the past year. A light fog covers the ground as I leave the outside gardens and take the road down to the docks. I have an uneasy feeling. Like I am being watched. I know I have taken every precaution, and I am as sure as I can be that no one saw me. Looking around, I don’t see anyone, but the sensation doesn’t leave me. I can see the water, and the closer I get, the more the boats come into view.; It’s rather peaceful down here, the sound of water hits the docks and the birds fly overhead making their morning noises. I wish I could enjoy it more, but my task keeps me focused. Following Garrick’s instructions, I came to the end of the dock and found a small warehouse, number 12. I’m tucked beside the building, watching to make sure no one sees me enter, and slip into the open side door. It smells of dust and salt water, with crates stacked on top of each other, filling the space. I weave in between them, looking to see if I can catch a glimpse of Garrick. Just as I make my way to the middle of the warehouse, the floor creaks, and a hand comes out and covers my mouth. I start to kick and reach for my dagger when Garrick whispers in my ear.
“Shh, Em, you’re not alone.”
My heart is pounding, and now, instead of pushing away, I am clinging to Garrick’s arms. He pulls me to the back wall and tucks me in behind him, my hands are shaking uncontrollably with the impending confrontation. Suddenly, the ground starts to shake, and I know this is no ordinary person who has followed me here. I should never have come here, especially when I felt a presence, and now my brother is at risk. Maybe the lack of sleep made me sloppy. Maybe I’m just not cut out for this. Who am I kidding? I know I am not cut out for this. From somewhere in the warehouse, I hear a growling and a voice that should cover me in ice and terrify me, but it doesn’t. Still unable to move, I hear a strangely familiar voice call out .
“Let her go, Orc.” The quiet command is not something to ignore. The voice has power , and we should rightly be scared if he is the reason the floor shakes.
“You will not get to her without going through me.” Garrick snarls. Garrick, my half-Orc brother, is a terrifying sight. He is large and a competent fighter, but I think he would lose this fight. Suddenly, it dawned on me: I heard that voice yesterday, the growl from the garden. The person standing in this warehouse is the King of Day Court. But what is he doing here? If they fight, here and now, they will make a mess of both this warehouse and the cover Garrick and I depend on. Taking a fortifying breath, I step out from around Garrick. In front of us is Timas, the Fae King. His eyes are black with streaks of lightning moving across them and his black hair seems to be moving by an unknown wind. He is shaking with so much power I can’t help but stare at him in awe: he is beautiful. Garrick catches my wrist and starts pulling me back behind him.
“Stay behind me.” He practically snarls out the words to me. His muscles are tense, getting ready for the fight of his life, but I can stop this. Timas said yesterday I was his queen. He may be delusional, but I don’t think he would hurt me. Something tells me he is here to protect me. Something is telling me to go to him and calm him.
“Brother, please. I know him.”
“What?!”
“Trust me, okay? ”
He is breathing heavily through his nose, not happy at all that I am walking over to the dangerous Fae male. He grunts in acknowledgment, but I know he will lunge and start to fight when he thinks I am in danger. I walk slowly up to Timas, who is still shaking the ground slightly. He still hasn’t looked at me because his vision is locked on Garrick. I am within arms reach of him, but he has not moved or said a word; in fact, it looks like he is trying very hard not to destroy this place. I know that if I touch him, he will calm down, though I don’t know how I know that. I raise a shaking hand and walk a bit closer to him, gently placing my hand over one of the many bright-glowing markings that paint his body. A jolt races through my body, and I gasp at the sudden feeling. Without overthinking, I flick my eyes up to look at Timas, who is looking down at me. His breathing is still rapid, but his eyes have returned to normal, a beautiful dark blue. One of his hands comes up to rest on top of mine while the other wraps around my waist to pull me closer. He envelopes me in his arms and leans down to place his forehead on top of my head.
“Are you alright, my flower?” With my face essentially plastered to his chest, I take a deep breath of him and it instantly calms me to my very soul. I push back a little to look into his striking eyes, wondering how this man can be so handsome.
“I-I’m fine. Please don’t hurt my brother.”
“Your brother?” He quickly looks up and stares at my brother again, but his brow is furrowed in confusion this time. I am able to move myself beside Timas, but he refuses to let go of my waist. I wave my brother over because now, apparently, I need to make introductions.
“Garrick, this is King Timas of the Day Court. Timas, this is my brother, Garrick.”
Timas looks extremely lost, but to my surprise, he bows his head slightly to Garrick, which I hope is a good sign. Garrick still looks like he wants to murder someone, so I walk over to him and stand right in front of him with my back to the King. The King starts emitting his signature growl again, but I need this tension to ease.
“I met him yesterday in the gardens, Garrick. I promise he has done nothing to scare me or cause me harm.”
“Emilia, I don’t understand why he is here.”
“Yes, an excellent question., I don’t know why he is here either, so let’s ask him.” We both turn to look at Timas, who seems to be itching to get closer to me but is holding himself back. Somehow, I find this endearing.
“I was going to ask you both why you are meeting in a warehouse before dawn. Sneaking out of the palace, one might think you are a spy.” My heart rate skyrockets at his assessment because I am a spy, but I’m not spying on the Day Court . I grab Garrick’s hand, and Timas’ eyes go directly to my movement.
“I see. You are a spy, then.” Timas looks utterly dejected, and I want to run to him and make him happy. I cannot fathom what possesses me to have this reaction.
“We are not spying on you or the Day Court.” I rush out my words, hoping he will listen to us .
“So if you are not spying on me or the Court, who are you spying on?” Garrick is unhappy with this line of questioning, so he takes a step forward to put himself between me and Timas. I don’t think that is a good idea. I think the only reason Timas hasn’t killed Garrick is because I am standing in front of him. I try to pull Garrick back a bit, but there is no reigning in his protective instincts at this moment.
“What do you want, King? There is nothing we can say to you, and if you care at all about my sister, then you will leave us alone.”
“I care more about your sister than you know. She is my spirit bond.” My mind reels with this revelation. A spirit bond? Surely I misheard him, this doesn’t happen to humans. The Fae have spirit bonds, and the Orcs have soul bonds–but humans have no distinct bond to speak of.
“That’s impossible! She’s human.” My thoughts exactly, brother.
“Yes, she is. Which leads me to another question: how is she your sister? You are an Orc.”
“Half-Orc,” I speak up. They both immediately look at me, and I momentarily regret my choice to contribute.
“He is half-Orc, we share a mother.”
“Hmm.”
“‘Hmm, what does that mean? Do you have a problem with your spirit bond having an Orc brother?” Garrick doesn’t usually get offended by being an Orc, but he takes me and our family very seriously. Even when I first moved in with him and Father, he never treated me with anything other than love and respect. I was his baby sister from day one and he has acted as a protector ever since. I remember the time when I was ten, and the Orc girls were harassing me about being human. Garrick immediately came to my defence and ran them off. He said that even though I am not green and good-looking like the Orcs, I am still family and still a part of the Dorgan family. Funny what you value at such a young age. At this point, too many things are not being talked about, and I need answers. I walk closer to Timas, hoping he will see we are not here to cause him or his Court any harm. The last thing we need is to be drawing attention to ourselves.
“Timas, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine you can look at this situation and feel like you can trust us, but I promise we have no ill will toward the Fae. We are simply trying to stay alive and save our father.”
“Emilia!”
“I think we can trust him, Garrick. I have this sense that I can trust him. I don’t know why, but I do.”
Garrick curses under his breath as he looks at me.
“You are his spirit bond.”
“Um, well, I don’t know about that, but I do feel I can trust him.“ Timas still seems on edge. He moves closer to me with every passing minute.
“My flower, I realize you may not understand what a spirit bond is, but you are, in fact, mine. And right now, I am having a very hard time controlling myself with you so far away. Would you please come closer to me?” He looks like a sad puppy eagerly awaiting my response. How could I not go to him? He holds his arm out to me, and like an invisible string is pulling me, I walk into his outstretched arms. He is so warm and comforting, and I am not sure I ever want to leave his presence. The icy realization of my circumstances reminds me that that can’t happen, and I need to make sure I go back to Lady Dahlia and continue saving my father’s life. Timas leans down again and kisses me on top of the head.
“Thank you.” It’s like he finally took a full breath since the conflict arose.
“Though I don’t know the nature of the trouble you face, I can offer you my aid. I believe the palace will be a better environment for that discussion than this dilapidated warehouse…?”
“No, we can’t–I must return to Lady Dahlia!”
“My darling, you do not have to work for that disgusting wench any longer. I will take care of you.” I snort and laugh at that because though she really is a wench, he doesn’t comprehend this circumstance.
“But if I don’t go back, she will know something is wrong. If I can’t continue to gather the information we need, our father will die.”
Timas puts his hand along my face and looks deep into my eyes.
“No, my darling, you do not understand. I am the most powerful Fae in centuries. I have an army at my disposal. I can and will help you. You no longer need to do this on your own.“ I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping that his words are true. I know I can’t make this decision alone, so I glance at Garrick to gauge his response. I trust Timas, but I’m concerned that maybe my head is clouded with whatever is happening with this ‘spirit bond’ phenomenon. When Garrick meets my gaze, he is standing tall but doesn’t seem nervous. With a sombre expression, he simply nods his head as I respond to the King.
“Alright, we will go with you.”
“Wonderful. Milori?”
From the side of the warehouse, the same guard from yesterday emerges with a smirk on his face. I didn’t even know he was here.
“Your Highness.”
“Enough, Milori. Do you have a cloak for Garrick? He will need to walk through the gates to enter the palace. I think it would be best to hide who he is until we are able to address this issue. We will meet you in my suite.”
“W-where are we going? Aren’t we going to walk with them?”
“No, darling, we are going to fly.”
“FLY! Like in the air, fly? With birds?” Milori starts laughing uncontrollably at my panic. He pulls a cloak free and hands it to Garrick.
“I think it would be better if Emilia stayed with me.” Garrick’s tone is icy.
“Oh, I very much disagree, and truthfully, there is nothing you can do.” Timas retorts .
At that moment, Timas picks up my legs, and his large transparent wings explode out of his back. He pulls me into his chest and flies out of the large service window in the warehouse. I screech from the sudden movement and cling tightly to Timas’ neck. This is not how I thought visiting the Day Court would go.