20. Emilia
Chapter 20
Emilia
T he door to the room we have been staying in, or should I say prison, opens, waking me from a very poor sleep. After the guard left us last night, I tried to look around the room, but besides the leaf beds with no blankets, there wasn’t much in the space. A small lamp sat on the ground, giving minimal light. The moon was eerily missing from the sky when I went to inspect the window. The bars that are secured in the window seem to be attached well, though I didn’t really expect to be able to shake the bars free with my strength anyway… I’m not all that strong. I was also able to take a look at the bracelets they had put on us. I tried several times to remove it but was immediately shocked by my attempts. It obviously is not to be removed and I'm not looking forward to how it will be used against me.
Alette sits up as well and scoots farther back against the wall. It’s morning, or at least, I think it is. It’s hard to tell with the little light that comes from the sky. A small, sickly-looking Fae woman with blonde hair pulled back into a braid comes in with a tray of what looks to be some kind of food. She walks over to us where we are against the far wall and puts down the tray. Two bowls of broth, maybe, and some sort of burned root vegetable. Though the food doesn’t look all that appetizing, my stomach rumbles at the sight of sustenance. The frail woman shakily moves the bowls and vegetables from the tray to the floor. Maybe she can tell me what is going on.
“Hi, I’m Emilia. What’s your name?” The woman freezes mid-movement, keeping her gaze from me but not hurrying to get out of the room. I’ll take that as a sign to keep talking.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She sets the last vegetable on the ground while slightly shaking her head.
“Laila.” Her voice is but a whisper. I try to scoot a little bit closer to her. I don’t want to make too much noise with the door slightly opened and a guard standing just outside.
“I want to help. I know it doesn’t look like I can do that well right now, but someone is going to come and rescue me, and I want to make sure the innocent aren’t harmed in the process. What is happening in the court?”
She looks over her shoulder as she grabs the tray and holds it against her chest. “It’s not safe to talk. Anyone who talks against the King is beaten and sometimes… sometimes they disappear and never return.” This woman seems so young and fragile, though I am sure she is older than me in years.
“Hurry up.” The guard pokes his head inside and yells at Laila; she nearly jumps out of her skin to stand and leave the room. She casts a look over her shoulder and I just hope she will be alright. Once the door is locked again Alette and I start to eat the food that was brought in.
“How did you sleep?” I peel back the burnt skin on the root vegetable and take a bit of the soft flesh inside. It’s actually not bad.
“Not great.” I think that’s an understatement. I heard her crying softly off and on all night, but instead of saying that, I just hum and take another bite of the vegetable. “What about you?” She asks.
“Not great. I’ve never slept on leaves before and I can’t say I will be making it a habit after this is all over.” I give her a weak smile which she returns.
“How can you be so sure that we will get out of here?” I try not to laugh, but the idea that Timas won’t tear the entire place apart to find me is laughable.
“My spirit bond is very… protective. Never mind the fact he is the most powerful Fae in this lifetime. He will not rest until he finds me.”
“I’ve heard about that. That’s like a soul mate, correct? It’s where the Fae people believe they have found the other half of their soul?”
“Spirit, but yes, like that. Orcs have it as well, they call it a soul bond.” I sip my broth and she does the same, relishing the warmth that goes down our throats.
“That sounds very romantic, the idea of someone instantly loving you and committing to you wholeheartedly. It sounds wonderful, though highly unattainable for someone like me.” I can’t help the confused expression I must have.
“What do you mean? You deserve love just as much as anyone else.” She scoffs at that.
“I am just a tool to be used to further the power of my father. If I somehow miraculously survive this, I will need to return, and my father will marry me off to the vilest man, all in the name of building bridges between families, but in reality it’s all in the name of power.” Her voice drips with resentment.
“Why would he want to do that?” I know my own mother was a horrible person, but she at least gave me a good life by leaving me with my father. The idea that she is nothing more than a tool to her father is utterly heartbreaking.
“My father only sees value in his sons. They are the ones who will carry on his name and legacy. When I was born, he resented my mother for giving him a girl and said all I would be good for was to sell off to the best noble connection. My life has been set in stone since I was young. I will grow up to marry and not for love but for the furtherment of my father’s power.”
“And your mother is ok with this?” She laughs, but there is no humour in her voice.
“She has no say in the matter. She was used to bear children, and once she was done doing that, she mentally checked out. The only good thing she ever really did was get us out of the Court to live on our own in an estate far from the city. At least there I wasn’t harrassed by my brothers and leered at by all the old noblemen.” I am properly angry for Alette; no one deserves to be treated like that.
“Well, when we get out of this—because we will—you can come back with me to the Day Court. Come live in Sonas.“ A flicker of hope shines in her eyes, but then it is quickly put out.
“The King of the Day Court is not going to hide the princess from the Human Kingdom. That’s a political nightmare if I’ve ever heard of one.”
“I’m pretty sure I can talk him into doing it.” Her hope flickers again.
“How? Do you know the King?” I’m slightly confused. How has she not figured out by this point my spirit bond is Timas?
“Timas is my spirit bond. The King of the Day Court is my spirit bond. He is the one who is coming to get us.”
“How did I miss that?” She mumbles, which just makes me laugh. The laugh that leaves me is like releasing the tension that has been building in my body. Alette can’t help herself. She starts laughing, too.
“You’ve had a lot going on the past couple of days.” I manage to say between laughter.
“Sure, let’s go with that and not my inability to observe what’s happening. So we might actually be rescued from this?” She waves her hand around the room.
“Yes. Timas will figure out I was taken. My guess is that he is already on his way here and he will not be happy.”
“How did that even happen? I mean you’re a human and he is a Fae.” I huff out a laugh .
“That’s a fun little story I could write a book about, but the short version is I was a lady’s maid to a noblewoman—Lady Dahlia—and while she was visiting the Day Court, I stumbled into the King in a garden. Talk about feeling completely overwhelmed. He called me his Queen the very first time we met. I thought he was delusional, but the more we got to know each other, the stronger the bond got and now, even though we haven’t had the bonding ceremony, I swear I can feel him right here.” I rub the centre of my chest, where I feel a tug, pulling me toward Timas.
“Oh, that sounds so romantic. Right out of one of the novels I’ve read.” That makes me smile. “I could only dream of something so magical.” I lean over and grab her hand.
“Whatever happens, I will do everything I possibly can to help you. Even if Timas can’t do anything official, I have other people who can help. My brother is half Orc and has helped me out of many tough situations.” Her jaw drops open, taken back by my comment.
“Half-Orc Brother? How?” So I tell her all about my mother and moving in with my father and discovering I had a half-orc brother. We spent the rest of the day talking and even laughing, which felt better than sitting and worrying. I’m not sure how we are going to get out of this, but I hold out hope that Timas is on his way to me.