Chapter 4
FOURTEEN YEARS OLD
Clover walked beside Amelia on their way to school, trudging through slush that had once been snow. The Desert Kingdom cooled down at night, but the mountain region of the Human Kingdom made desert nights feel warm by comparison. She despised it.
Everything about the Human Kingdom paled in comparison to the fae lands.
Where the foliage in the fae lands boasted bright colors, the human lands had muted neutrals of greens, browns, beige, with the exception of a few flowers.
Not that she had seen the flowers in person since it was too cold here year-round, but there were paintings in their classroom of the different human regions.
Clover had tried to hide her excitement about attending school for the first time.
In the Desert Kingdom, girls were taught at home, while boys attended school during the day.
Not all families had male figures willing to teach their daughters beyond the bare minimum, leaving much of the Desert Kingdom’s female population uneducated.
Luckily, Clover had a loving family that treated women as equals.
Things were different in the Human Kingdom, but they taught little about the fae beyond the bare minimum.
Most humans liked to pretend the fae didn’t exist. They couldn’t visit a fae kingdom without a fae escort, so most chose not to go.
The fae lands were too dangerous for humans to venture around on their own.
Fae beasts roamed everywhere and would tear a human to shreds in seconds.
At least against animals from the human lands they had a chance.
The fae had magic to hide themselves from the fae beasts, but the humans didn’t.
Amelia’s chatter pulled Clover from her thoughts, and her lips curved into a small smile.
The princess was excitable, always eager to tell Clover about the latest book she’d read.
It was nice. She’d been afraid Amelia would reject her.
Not many people bothered speaking to Clover because she rarely spoke back.
With Amelia, it didn’t matter. Between the princess’ stories, Amos’ letters, and her family, Clover had all the friends she needed.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Amelia said, reaching into her coat pocket. “Here.”
She held out the ugliest gloves Clover had ever seen. They were almost as ugly as the ones on her hands.
“I noticed you didn’t have a pair.” Blood rushed to her cheeks. “I know they aren’t the prettiest, but I got a few pairs for my birthday from a… friend. He doesn’t have great taste.” She wiggled her fingers to showcase the gloves she wore.
Their birthdays hadn’t been long ago. If she could tell Amelia they had the same birthday, she would, but it didn’t seem wise. Instead, she’d said she didn’t know hers. Making up a date felt risky because what if she forgot what date she said?
“Thank you,” Clover murmured and smiled. “I love how soft they are.” Clover juggled the books in her arms as she pulled the gloves on. “The color isn’t that bad,” she lied.
Amelia beamed. “I’m glad you like them.”
Briefly, Clover wondered what friend Amelia was talking about. As far as she knew, the princess didn’t have any other friends. People in their class liked her—how could they not—but other than Clover, Amelia kept to herself.
Clover’s long hair fell in her face, and she pushed it back, annoyed. She couldn’t pull it back or tuck it behind her ears because everyone would see the points. She glamoured them to look round, but she constantly worried another fae would cross her path and see them.
Amelia glanced at Clover’s hair. “I wish I had hair like yours. It’s so pretty.” She picked up a piece of her straight, blonde hair. “Mine is too flat.”
Clover snorted. “I wish I had yours. Mine is hard to tame.”
“Isn’t it funny,” Amelia mused. “People always want what someone else has. I wonder why that is?”
Clover studied her friend. The princess looked so much like Amos with a slightly lighter skin tone that it was a miracle the few fae who traveled to the Human Kingdom hadn’t noticed.
Amelia had given up waiting for Clover to answer, and was already talking about something else. Clover grinned to herself, happy that she’d found a friend in her future sister-in-law.
Clover glamoured herself and slipped out of the orphanage later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep. She hadn’t seen her brother and Franny in a few days, and she missed them.
After learning about Clover’s assignment, they’d insisted on moving with her and sold their bakery.
To everyone’s surprise, Queen Charlotte had given them a bakery in Friya, the mountain village Clover would live in, complete with housing near the orphanage. The queen was beautiful and sweet, and Clover wondered why the gods hadn’t sent a ruler like her to the Desert Kingdom.
Bundled up, she hurried through the snow along the trail she now knew well and skipped up the front steps of the modest cottage.
She fished the key out of her pocket and gave two short knocks before letting herself inside.
“Clover?” Franny, her sister-in-law, called out. She appeared in the doorway of the kitchen with a bright smile and called over her shoulder. “Nathaniel, she’s here.”
The house was a little too warm, and Franny’s cool, light brown cheeks were pink. “Why is it so warm in here?” Clover asked, her voice quiet.
Nathaniel appeared in the doorway. “Ask your sister.” He nodded at his wife. “She’s always cold.”
Clover knew Nathaniel must be dying of heatstroke, but he’d gladly suffer for his wife. Franny rolled her eyes. “It’s not that warm.”
“You have every fireplace in the house going, plus the stove,” Nathaniel deadpanned. Her brother had a stocky build like their father, with brown hair, and skin the color of light sand. He used to have a suntan, but it faded after a year under the wintry sky.
“Have you been training?” he asked. On the nights she didn’t visit, Clover was to sneak out and train in the woods outside of the orphanage.
She glamoured herself to be invisible in case any humans or animals were nearby, and so far none had appeared.
Her family wanted her skills to continue to improve.
Sometimes she trained with her brother, but it’d been a few days. He motioned for Clover to follow him into the kitchen. “Good. We’ve been swamped at the bakery, and I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to train until we hire more help.”
Franny trailed behind them and walked to the counter to retrieve a pie. “It gets busier every year. Great for business, but we’ll drown without help.” Setting the pie down, she grabbed Clover a plate and utensils. “I made your favorite.”
Clover resisted licking her lips. Strawberry pie.
“I can help at the bakery,” she offered.
“You’re a little too young, but maybe in a few years we’ll take you up on it,” Nathaniel told her.
Clover gave him a droll look. “I can protect a princess, but not work in a bakery?”
Nathaniel glanced quickly at Franny and served himself pie. “How can you protect her if you’re working?”
He had a good point, and she instantly felt bad for almost shirking her duties.
Shoveling pie into her mouth, she chewed thoughtfully.
Wouldn’t it have been better if they told Amelia who she was?
They could train her to protect herself when Clover wasn’t around.
It wasn’t believable to be around her every minute of every day.
Amelia wasn’t stupid. She’d know staying hidden would be in her best interest, especially since she didn’t have magic.
Having never stepped foot on fae lands, her magic never manifested, though Clover wondered if it would if she ever went back. She’d ask Amos.
No. He might think Clover was considering telling Amelia. She’d never betray him like that. They were honest with each other about everything. It was refreshing. Even though Clover trained with the Hydra, she knew they kept things from her because of her age. It drove her crazy.
“Amos sent you a package,” Franny said excitedly, and disappeared into the other room. Clover fought to keep her face neutral. It would be so embarrassing if her brother knew how excited Amos’ letters made her.
“The package is big,” Franny declared, setting it on the table.
Clover gaped at the parcel. He’d never sent her anything other than letters before.
“Open it,” Nathaniel urged. “You know you want to.”
She did, but having no clue what it was, she didn’t know if it was a good idea. Pushing the gift aside, she continued to eat her pie. Franny and Nathaniel exchanged another look, but she studiously ignored them.
After finishing dessert and listening to them update her more on the bakery, Clover gave them both a hug, collected her package, and hurried home.
In the safety of her bedroom, she set the package on her bed and tore into it. An envelope sat on top of another wrapped package. Ripping open the envelope she devoured every word on the page.
Clover,
Happy birthday. I’m sorry this is late. My father has kept me busy doing things I hate. I won’t bore you with the details. Alice helped me pick out your gift. She said these would be useful in the mountain region.
I hate that your gift is useful instead of something you want. I’ve written a list of questions on another page for you to answer so your future birthday gifts will be better.
I would have attached my answers, but my father doesn’t allow me to do or have anything unless he approves of it. I do like sparring when my father isn’t around, and cherry tarts are my favorite. My father doesn’t allow me sweets, but Alice sneaks them to me sometimes.
I wish we could talk in person.
I wish I could watch you fight again.
Yours,
Amos
Clover’s emotions were all over the place. Sadness for the boy who lived a bleak existence and giddiness that he’d thought to get her a gift.
Carefully folding the letter, she crossed to her closet, pulled out a small wooden box, and placed it beside the other three he’d sent since she’d arrived.