11. Emilia
Chapter 11
Emilia
I wander for a while, just trying to clear my head. Being a spy is hard enough, but adding in jealousy makes this job even harder. I can’t keep it all straight. Then Timas came out of nowhere, throwing around words like ‘coveted connection’ and a ‘spirit bond.’ Of course, I want to explore that, to have such a deep, romantic connection with someone, but is that all it is? A romantic idea? All I have ever really known is the love of my family. I’m loyal to them, which is why this is so difficult. But a potential love that transcends any other connection sounds… well, it sounds perfect. Other than being jealous to the point of wanting to maim someone brutally. I don’t feel the connection that Timas seems to feel but I still feel something pulling at me to be with him, near him.
Frustrated, I kick a rock across the yard. Somehow, I managed to walk myself to the stables. I’m not even sure how I got here. Horses snort and kick at the hay as I walk by their stalls. Horses are such beautiful creatures, strong and majestic. Toward the end of the row of stalls, a chocolate brown horse nods her head up and down. It looks like she is trying to reach the carrots in the bucket across from her stall. Grabbing a carrot, I walk up to her, palm flat with the carrot in the center, offering it to her. Her big mouth opens, showing large teeth; she pulls at the carrot with her teeth, nearly inhaling the vegetable.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, patting her long, strong neck. I realize talking to a horse likely doesn’t bode well for how mentally stable I am, but she knocks her big snout into my face, which makes me laugh. “You are so beautiful, aren’t you?” She snorts again as I hand her another carrot.
The sound of hooves hitting the cobblestone echoes as the stable gates open. Quickly turning, I see a familiar figure riding in. The horse comes to a stop, and the rider hops off.
“Anthony, what are you doing here?” I hope the frustration I’m feeling doesn’t show on my face.
“Emilia, it’s good to see you.” He leans in and hugs me. I made a point of socializing with all of Duke Hemmet’s messengers. Garrick told me they were the best source of information, and he told me to use my ‘girly ways’ to connect with them. I felt strange using people like that, but Garrick was right. They always have better information than most of the people in the house.
“Are you okay? I can’t believe Duke Hemmet sent Lady Dahlia to the Fae Court.” Disgust drips from every word he speaks. Some humans don’t like the Fae people. There has been a lot of mistrust between the two races, which is largely related to the isolation the Fae people impose on themselves. A few decades ago, the Human Kingdom was fighting with the Southern Orc Clan and from what I heard, the High King asked for aid from the Day Court King but was denied. Due to that decision, many human villages were raided, and the death count has been high.
“It’s not so bad. Everyone has been quite kind since we arrived.” I can’t help but defend the Fae people. I don’t know them, but they have been kind to me.
“Sure, they’re kind to your face, but they don’t care about anyone but themselves.” He grabs my hands, and the feeling of his hands in mine makes my skin crawl. I want to yank them away, but that would look suspicious since I have actively flirted with him. But the sense of wrongness is overwhelming, so I lightly pull my hands out of his.
“Well, you must be tired after travelling for so long. Are you here to deliver a message?” He doesn’t notice me taking my hands away because he looks around at the Fae servants with blatant disgust and suspicion.
“Yes, Duke Hemmet sent me out a few days after you left. He had that meeting with the advisors. Something is happening, and he wants Lady Dahlia to extend her stay here. I have a letter for her.” This must be about the attack on the Southern Clan. I sense an opportunity and seize it quickly.
“She is currently attending the Blossom Celebration. I can take it to her so you don’t have to wander around the palace.”
He takes a minute to look around again. Typically, the messengers only give the letter to the intended individual, but I have convinced him to let me deliver it occasionally .
“I suppose it might be easier for you to find her.” He rummages through his bag and pulls out an envelope with a green wax seal. “I need a drink. Being here doesn’t feel right.” I’m getting a little angry at his blatant hate for this place and its people, but before I can say something that will most definitely get me in trouble, he turns and heads out of the stable with his horse. He must have rented one from the docks, though from what I can tell, horses aren’t used a lot in the city.
There has to be a place to unseal this letter without Lady Dahlia knowing I did. Tucking the envelope in my apron and I head for the palace. Maybe the Kitchen has something that I can use? But that would draw attention to the fact that I’m trying to read a letter that is obviously not mine. Just as I come around the corner of the stables, I run into a solid chest. A gasp escapes me, and I stumble back in surprise. I try to catch my balance with my arms flailing, but two powerful arms wrap around me instead. Panting, trying to catch my breath, I look up into the beautiful blue eyes of the King.
“Timas,” I whisper. What is he doing here?
“Flower, what are you doing?” Irrational anger rises in me, and the image of Lady Dahlia touching Timas races to the forefront of my mind. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I don’t want to touch Timas after Lady Dahlia touched him. I right myself and pull away from his oh-so-strong arms.
“I am looking for fresh air.” That came out more annoyed than I wanted it to. Timas looks at me with a critical eye .
“And you couldn’t find fresh air at the Blossom Celebration… in the grove… outside.” Clearly, he thinks he is so smart.
“Yes, it was full of pretty flower smells, not fresh air.” I really don’t know where I am going with this argument.
“And the air in the stables is better? Because of all the manure, I suppose.” I throw my hands in the air because I don’t know what to say.
“I just needed to go for a walk! Is that acceptable, Your Majesty?” At this point, my voice definitely rose in volume. Timas noticed it was attracting attention, so he grabbed my hand, which felt entirely too good, and led me into the palace. He found a small room off the side of the main entrance filled with books, parchments, and random floating balls. A desk sat at the back of the room, stacked high with more papers and books. Timas closes the door behind us and turns on me. His blue eyes shine just a little bit brighter, taking my breath away. As he walks towards me, I slowly walk backwards. He is a tall man, and even though I am abnormally tall for a woman, I still need to look up at him.
“Wh-what are you doing?” He is powerful and his strength seeps from him. Surely he wouldn’t hurt me, with all the value on his spirit bond? I’m relatively sure they can’t hurt a spirit bond.
“You know, not many people will raise their voices at me and those that have no longer breathe. Usually, I get furious when someone thinks they have a right to question me or yell, but you…” My back hits one of the bookshelves that goes all the way to the ceiling. My heart beats faster, and a part of me is scared, but a larger part of me is very much attracted to this gorgeous Fae man in front of me.
“Has Milori never yelled at you?” Just a guess, but it seems Milori might be the only one who could get away with it.
“He tried once. I was young and couldn’t control my powers back then and he has a scar to prove it. But you, my flower…something about your fire brings me a great deal of joy. So, why did you leave the celebration?”
He raises his hand and brushes a loose strand of hair from my face. He is so confusing. Is he mad, or is he attracted to me?
“I just couldn’t be there anymore.” I feel like a child. It wasn’t his fault that Lady Dahlia was making advances toward him, but it still made me so jealous.
“And why is that, my flower?” His thumb gently caresses my bottom lip, causing goosebumps to cover my arms.
“Because…”
“Because?” He arches his eyebrow expectantly.
“Because I didn’t like Lady Dahlia touching you! And if I stayed any longer, I would have done something drastic like remove her hands with one of the guards’ swords.” I can’t look at him anymore; the feeling of anger replaces the pull between Timas and me.
“That is a very specific scenario. I like it.” Shocked, I shake my head and look back at him. He is smiling, actually smiling at that .
“You…you like that? Do you enjoy people getting hurt or something?” He comes even closer to me, which I didn’t think was possible.
“I enjoy knowing that someone giving me too much attention makes you jealous. It lets me know that you are also being affected by the bond. I didn’t think it would affect you at all, so I’m glad to see it is.” He leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on my cheek. My cheeks heat because of how gentle and intimate the kiss was. Pull yourself together, Emilia.
Timas takes a step back and gently tugs my arm, leading me to one of the plush chairs that face the desk.
“Now, for my own sanity: that male from the stables, who is he?” Oh dear, did he see that?
“Oh…that was Anthony, one of Duke Hemmet’s messengers. He came to deliver a letter to Lady Dahlia.”
“Was it imperative for him to touch you?” Well, that answers that.
“Well, no, not really, but well… this is so awkward. I have flirted with him in the past… to get information… I’m not attracted to him or anything, but he always seemed to have more information than anyone else, so I used this,” I wave my hand up and down my body. “as a way to get him to tell me more. That sounds horrible!”
Timas sits in the chair beside me, carefully intertwining our hands together .
“It’s a good thing for him that you pulled away so quickly, or else he would have had a real reason to hate the Fae people.” I do believe that was a threat.
“No need to do that. He’s gone now.” I practically squeak.
“Indeed, a good thing, too. You may have been jealous of Lady Dahlia’s advances, but seeing that nearly killed him and demolished the entire stables. I guess those breathing exercises Milori makes me do are working.” He looks annoyed at that, but I can’t help but laugh. That reaction makes him seem more human, somehow. He kisses the back of my hand and smiles at me.
“I’m sorry for overreacting. I would like to say that I don’t normally do that, that it’s only because of the current circumstances that I acted in the way I did, but I confess, I do sometimes overreact.” A sense of shame creeps up on me, not that I am ashamed of desiring Timas, just that I couldn’t stop long enough to look at the situation.
“I think we all do sometimes. Now, what did he say?”
“Yes, of course. He said that Lady Dahlia was to try to extend her stay here, and that something had happened after the other advisors visited the estate. He also gave me this letter. I was going to try to open it without anyone knowing, but I thought it would look suspicious if I used steam to open it.”
I pulled the letter out of my apron to show it to him.
“May I see it?” I hand it over, and his hand caresses mine as he takes the envelope .
“A wax seal, very easy to open.” With the wave of his hand, the envelope opens, and the seal is perfectly intact.
“How did you do that?” I lean over to look at the seal. He looks at me, smiles, and says, “Magic.”
Lucky.
“Let’s read it.” I take the envelope and pull out the paper.
Darling Dahlia,
I hope you are enjoying your time at the Fae court and that they are treating you well. I need to ask that you extend your stay. Things at home have become more problematic. As it were, it is safer for you to be there for the time being. The High King requests we fight on two fronts, requiring many of my men to fight. I have sent your mother away, so now I ask that you stay until I send for you.
I also hope you are doing what we talked about. Catching the eye of the King could elevate our family. If not the King, someone of great power in their court would be an acceptable substitute.
All my love, darling,
Father
“What an arrogant fool, thinking he can even request to stay here longer. This is not the Human Kingdom–we invited our guests for the week, and that is all.” Timas is angry, but not me–this information could free Father. I need to speak to Garrick. Quickly, I stand from the chair and put the letter back inside. Unsure of how to close it, I looked at Timas again. He waves his hand, and it seals up quickly. What a handy skill , I think, that would have made things a lot easier this past year.
“I need to take this to Lady Dahlia and then find Garrick.” Timas follows me toward the door, but before I can open it, he touches my shoulder to turn me around.
“My flower, I don’t like you having to return to this woman. She is a vile creature, and I know she doesn’t treat you right.” It’s sweet that he cares so much.
“It’s alright. Maybe this will be all I need to free Father.” His face clearly says that it won’t be, but I have to hold out hope because, without hope, life is full of disappointments. Timas exhales loudly before speaking.
“I will have the message delivered to Garrick so you don’t need to run around the city looking for him.” My stomach clenches in fear. Too many people already know about this.
“No, I will do it.” He cups my face with both hands, looking deeply into my eyes.
“I will send Milori to tell Garrick. You are not alone anymore, my flower. Please let me help you.” That sounds better. Milori already knows of our circumstances, so that should be fine.
“Alright.” He kisses the top of my forehead and drops his hands.
“I know you need to do this, Emilia, but one day, I will free you from this situation. I hope then you will let me show you how much you mean to me.” His smile warms me. His attention is addictive, and as much as I want to hope for a future, it’s hard to see it. So I say all I can say.
“Okay.” Leaving Timas was harder than it was this morning. Something inside me wants to be near him. Like if he was just close enough, my mind would calm, and the jittery feeling would subside. It is very frustrating when I have things to do.
I enter Lady Dahlia’s room to find her yelling yet again at Sigrid, but that only lasts a minute once she realizes I have entered, and she turns her ire on me.
“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” I wince at her bellowing voice.
“I’m sorry, my lady. I was feeling unwell and needed a moment. While I was out, I intercepted Anthony. He has a message for you from your father.” The wrath she was about to pour out on me momentarily subsides, and she comes over and grabs the envelope from my hand.
“If you’re lucky, I won’t fire both of you when we return to my estate. Now get out. I want to be alone.”
Sigrid and I bow slightly and exit the room. I really want this day to be over.