53. Raea
Raea
The moment Finn and I arrive back, Carys sweeps Ciara, Aolyn, and me into a gateway. I barely get a chance to kiss Ryker goodbye before I’m all but pushed through by Brynna, who dramatically huffs like I’m delaying her departure.
“We must get you all ready to be presented at court!” Carys claps with a huge grin as she leads us straight into the palace. Unlike last time, the gateway opens in the palace courtyard.
Ciara, Aolyn, and I look out of place among the unnaturally beautiful Fae females moving with predatory grace.
They're all dressed in sumptuous gowns made of fine silks and gossamer, baring flesh like it’s normal.
Each female we pass is tall and graceful, with long hair and bright blue or purple eyes.
They only pause long enough to curtsey for the two sisters before shooting us a look of disgust.
As we weave our way through the palace, it offers us a chance to take in the immortal beauty of statues and depictions of landscapes I’ve never seen. Plush carpets soften our steps once we turn down one of the wings.
As we stumble upon a grand set of doors, Carys pushes it open and all but runs to another female. She wraps her arms around the breathtaking redhead.
Brynna pushes past us, dropping onto one of many settees and lounges about the room with low tables filled with platters of fruits and cheeses. Across the room, a large window overlooks the waterfall.
My friends stick to my side as we take in the towering white walls and painted ceiling above. It’s painted like a sky with blue and white puffy clouds and golden stars sparkling like the real night sky.
“Oh,” Carys says, stepping closer. “These are my new friends.” She introduces each of us before introducing her friend as Lady of Winterthorne, Kahla Thorvald. She’s a beautiful, tall, red-headed female with a graceful smile and bright gold eyes.
The six women and females of our party take a seat as Carys explains that the staff will be here shortly to prepare us. In the meantime, beyond the doors, there’s a bathhouse that has been prepared with various oils and soaps.
Ciara and Aolyn look to me as we enter the bathhouse to find a single bubbling tub.
Brynna is first to strip, letting her gown fall to the floor like she couldn’t wait to get out of it.
Carys and Kahla don’t stop talking as they too help each other with their gowns, laughing and giggling over court gossip.
I shrug, attempting and failing to cover myself as my simple gown falls to the floor.
I think I prefer the Elven village over this.
Aolyn and Ciara follow suit, the three of us covering ourselves until we’re seated beneath the water.
It feels luxurious, the bubbles brushing against my skin.
Along the wall are bottles of pink, gold, and white liquids as well as bars of soap and thick oils in vases.
We’re quiet as we soap our bodies, quickly washing our hair. Carys and Kahla stand in the water, their breasts on display as they talk and wash their hair. Brynna is behind them, unmoving and likely asleep.
Ciara leans closer, her voice a low hiss over the bubbling water. "Do they ever wear actual clothes, or is ‘mostly naked’ the official uniform?" She glances at Carys and Kahla. "I feel like I’m intruding on a private moment, but they’re acting like we’re at a business meeting.”
Carys pauses her conversation and turns to us. “There are robes just beyond the wall. When you’re ready, you can wait in the room and eat. Our team of seamstresses and ladies’ maids will be here soon.”
Aolyn groans, dropping into the water, taking on a similar posture as Brynna. “If we have time, then I’d rather stay here and soak.”
Deciding the same, I sit beside her, Ciara to my right.
“Where’d you disappear to this morning?” Aolyn asks.
It’s the first time I feel like I’ve talked to her since we arrived.
A lump forms in my throat, thick and stubborn.
“I saw a village,” I whisper, the memory of the children in the trees making the opulence of this palace feel hollow.
“It was the first time my magic didn't feel like a curse. It felt like...coming home.” I swipe at a stray tear before it can hit my shoulder, anchoring myself back in the present.
I tell them about the magic and running through the forest. Today may have been the first time that I truly felt like myself. Like I was connected to my ancestors.
Ciara adjusts her hair wrap that protects her braids from getting wet. “Do you think we are Fae or Elven?”
I take a minute thinking about our homes, our desires. For Ciara, it feels easy. I do think she’s Elven. The forest has always been her home, as it has been mine. Aolyn, on the other hand, she’s always been the ice princess.
From what I’ve learned about the two races, water seems more connected to the Fae than to the Elven.
I’m about to respond when the doors fly open, and we are greeted by what I can only assume is another type of Fae female. It takes everything in me not to gasp. Ciara and Aolyn do, however.
She isn’t a female—she is the forest given flesh.
The emerald of her skin mirrors deep moss, and the branches winding around her body pulse with a slow, ancient heartbeat.
I feel it deep in my bones, an unshakable knowing.
She feels permanent in a way I am not. As if she has outlasted empires… and will outlast us, too.
It’s Kahla who turns to us and says, “Mika is a dryad, but has been in service of this court for the past six hundred years.”
“Six hundred and forty-nine,” Mika corrects.
Kahla dips her chin respectfully.
“And the crown thanks you,” Carys says. “Ladies.” She gestures to us to follow Mika.
We wrap silk robes around us before entering the sitting room to find it has been transformed. Along one wall is a row of gowns. Along another are carts of perfumes and brushes with Carys’ and Brynna’s crowns seated on azure pillows. Two other circlets sit atop deep blue pillows.
A group of Fae enters—something softer, more fluid than the others we’ve seen.
Kahla leans in enough to murmur that they’re nymphs.
Throughout the afternoon, we’re passed between them as they weave intricate braids through our hair, dust shimmering pink across our cheeks and lips, and sweep deep blues and gold along our eyes.
By evening, I feel exhausted and ready to curl up in Ryker’s arms. I can tell when he arrives at the palace because the Bond between us grows brighter and stronger.
Once I’m dressed in a daring green gossamer gown with sewn-in vines and leaves to cover my intimate parts, Carys hands me the golden circlet I saw upon the pillow.
It’s intricately designed with branches.
I didn’t notice the emeralds, but I can’t help but smile as the dryad who helped me with my hair places it atop my head, letting it rest over my forehead.
To my right, Aolyn’s circlet is already atop her head. It’s silver with light-blue gems and what looks to be snowflakes woven around. It matches her shimmering light-blue gown, making her eyes seem almost white, like the snow of her kingdom.
My gaze returns to Carys as I take her hand. “Thank you,” I say softly.
She nods before stepping back and spinning. “How do I look?”
My eyes scan her from head to toe as I shake my head in awe.
Her gown is white silk draped over one hip, exposing the full length of her left leg.
Her leg is wrapped in what appears to be gold lace, resembling armor with intricate designs.
The same lace covers the bodice of her gown, which dips daringly to her stomach, and two shoulder cuffs with white pearls hang delicately against her skin.
“Radiant,” I say.
Ciara is dressed in a navy two-piece, the lace cropped top emphasizing her figure while the layered skirt flows to the floor with a thigh-high slit. Her bronzed skin is covered in a layer of soft glittering powder that makes her skin sparkle as she moves.
Kahla wears a blood-red gown that barely qualifies as a gown, with thin panels of fabric covering her breasts and waist before cascading to the floor. High slits expose legs wrapped in gold ribbon that lace into her heels.
Brynna is, for once, smiling as she speaks with one of the nymphs. She’s dressed in a lavender and blue gossamer gown that accentuates her delicate curves. Unlike the rest of us, she’s modest with her full chest covered and no slits.
I wish I knew how to get on her good side because I’d really like to learn more about her. Carys has been so welcoming and so sweet. The sisters couldn’t be more different.
Guards stand at the door, the announcement of each guest echoing through the room and out here into the hall.
I take a steadying breath, feeling the golden circlet heavy against my brow.
Through the Bond, I feel Ryker’s presence snap into focus—a dark, protective heat waiting for me on the other side of these doors.
“Ready?” I whisper into the silence of his mind.
The answer is a low, mental growl of approval. It is time to officially dine with the king.