Chapter 15
One month has passed since Leah told me I was going to have a great time with Prince Archie when we get married.
One month of taking it easy and letting my body heal.
The nightmares still come to me every single night and I never get a break. Sometimes it’s two or three times a night, making me absolutely exhausted during the day.
But no matter how exhausted I am, I can’t manage to get more than a couple hours of sleep.
“I’m going to go out and see him,” I tell my mother. “Do you need anything while I’m out?”
She shakes her head. “Don’t over exhaust yourself.” She gives me a pointed look. “While you’re eating a little more than before, you aren’t sleeping any better and I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t worry.” I force a smile on my face. “He won’t allow me to stand or lift anything when I’m with him.”
I walk out of the house and look at Henry before walking to the forest.
“How has Zahra been?” I ask.
“She is the same as always. Can’t wait for it to be broken, but she’s hanging in there.”
“Was she alive before you know what?” I whisper.
He nods. “But she was very young and doesn’t remember much.”
We fall silent as we get into the forest. It doesn’t take long for us to get to the clearing.
“I will be back soon. Don’t wander off.” He gives me a pointed look.
The last time I was here with Kieran we went to a different clearing and Henry was not happy. But I had wanted to see a certain type of butterfly and Kieran knew exactly where to find it.
To say I got an earful from Henry on the way back to the house is an understatement. Any time we go out he always reminds me, even if we aren’t in the forest.
“How is translating the book going? Have you found out which one the spell is so we can break the curse?” I ask Kieran as I sit on the ground.
Kieran pulls a bag from his side and sets it in front of me. “I brought food for you to eat. You still aren’t eating enough and I want you to gain the weight back that you lost. Are you still having trouble sleeping?”
“Why are you ignoring my question?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
Unease fills me as he stays silent.
“Because I want to make sure that my mate is healthy and comfortable. I want to take care of you and make sure you have everything you need, and that means giving you food,” he replies. “I will even feed you if you want me to.”
Heat rises to my cheeks and I look away from him.
“Now, I brought your favorites. These filled buns are still hot and waiting for you to eat them.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me when I look back at him. “I also brought a piece of candy an elder made the other day. She wants you to try it to see if you like it.”
“Candy?” My eyebrows furrow.
How do they have the ingredients to make candy? I thought they were only given a little bit of rations and they hunted for their meat.
“Yes, a small piece of candy. She only had enough ingredients for two pieces and she wanted me to give some to you,” Kieran says.
“Why doesn’t she enjoy them herself?” I ask as I stare at the two pieces of candy in his hands.
“Because she wanted you to try them. She used to be a candy maker before the curse was placed and she wants you to enjoy some to make your day better.”
Tears form in my eyes and I push my bottom lip out.
“Is there any way for me to meet her?”
Kieran shakes his head. “Not right now. She can’t walk much and there is not enough time for us to get to her before Henry comes back.”
“I want to meet her,” I declare.
“And you will. But for now, let’s eat and then you can have a piece of candy.”
Kieran pulls out the buns and hands me one.
“Are you still having trouble sleeping?” Kieran asks as he bites into one of the buns.
I shrug. “Sometimes.”
Lie.
It’s all the time. I still can’t manage to get more than three hours of sleep consecutively.
After having a nightmare I’ll stay awake for a while before my body pulls me back to sleep, only to be woken up once more.
It’s an exhausting cycle and I just want to be able to sleep through the whole night.
Mother has threatened to get the herbs, but I’ve managed to stop her. My fear only grows when she brings them up. So many different things could go on when I’m knocked out.
“Sweets.” His voice is disapproving. “Tell the truth.”
“I’m still not sleeping well,” I sigh. “Mother has mentioned some herbs that will knock me out, but I can’t do it.”
Kieran runs a hand up and down my arm. “Why don’t you try it out at least once? It could even be during the day so you have Henry outside your door the whole time.”
Shaking my head, I look down at the bun.
“She could still get in the house even if Henry is standing outside. She got me from outside my house to the dungeon before I even knew what was happening. She could easily come into my room without anyone knowing and I wouldn’t be able to say anything since I would be knocked out. ”
“But at some point your body is going to get so exhausted that you will just pass out for hours and you won’t be able to do anything.
I don’t want you walking around and passing out and hurting yourself.
You don’t know when that is going to happen and I don’t want you to do it when something serious is happening,” Kieran says.
“But I’m so worried that she is going to come back and get me. She could hide me somewhere else where no one would find me, and she could use a spell so I wouldn’t be able to communicate with you. What then?” I ask.
Kieran places his bun down and gently holds my shoulders, making me face him.
“That is not going to happen. She knows that the prince is watching over you. If the guards don’t see you walking out of the house they will report it to him.
Henry will report it to him. I have no doubt your mother will look for you and let everyone know that you’re missing.
People will look for you, but even then it is not going to happen. She can’t risk taking you again.”
“What if you’re wrong?” I question.
“I’m not. It would be extremely foolish of her to do it.
If you want, I can talk to someone about herbs and tell you how much you should take.
There will be different dosages to make you sleep more or less and you can start off with a small amount so you aren’t out very long.
And I would try it during the day so that your mother and Henry can keep an eye on you,” he explains.
“Really?”
He nods his head. “I will talk to them after this and the next time we meet I will give you some. We are going to let you get sleep.”
Worry builds inside me with all the possibilities that could happen while I’m asleep. What if the prince comes and wants to talk to me but I can’t be woken up? Will he do anything to my mother?
“Everything is going to be okay,” Kieran whispers. “Now, finish up your bun and then I can give you a piece of candy.”
He lets go of me and I finish the bun, letting it fill my stomach. Every single time I meet with Kieran he always brings me food… delicious food, but I can never eat everything he brings.
“Here’s the piece of candy.” He hands it over.
I plop it in my mouth and sigh in content as the lemon and sweet taste bursts in my mouth.
“This is so good,” I mumble. “If I bring more ingredients for her, do you think she can make more?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Kieran chuckles. “I can ask her if you want, but I have a feeling she will say yes.”
“Perfect,” I say to myself and look at him. “I could get addicted to these very easily.”
“When the curse is broken you can have them made any time you want. We will always have a stock of them so you never run out,” Kieran replies.
Excitement runs through me and I can’t help but clap. “Now that is something to look forward to.”
“You aren’t looking forward to always being by my side? You aren’t looking forward to walking down the street with me while we hold hands?” he asks.
I gently slap his arm. “You know I am looking forward to that and more. I have so many things to look forward to but I’ve never tasted a candy like this and I want more. I want to be able to eat as many as I want in a day and not have to ration them.”
My mind is already thinking of only having one piece of candy every day or every other day when I get them from Kieran.
“Was this her favourite candy to make before the curse was placed?” I ask.
He nods. “She had several different ones she made, but everyone loved these and they would sell out if you weren’t fast enough.”
“Maybe when I bring the ingredients next she can make them but give them to the Fae that are here,” I suggest, looking away from him. “I bet you guys haven’t had it in forever and you should have something that you look forward to. A reminder of what is to come.”
“Sweets, you don’t have to do that.”
I hold my hands up and shake them. “But I want to. They have accepted me without even meeting me. They look out for me, even if they can’t do much, when I’m out in town. I want to give them something in return.”
Kieran cups my face and gives me a peck. “You are so sweet, Sweets,” he mumbles. “I have a feeling I’m going to be in trouble when the curse is broken.”
Gasping, I pull away from him. “What does that mean?”
Kieran chuckles and shakes his head. “It means I have a feeling you are going to buy a lot of candy and give it out to people. But once they find out you like this candy, they are going to buy sweets and give them to you as well.”
“I don’t want to do this if they feel like they are going to have to do it back.” I look down at my hands. “I just wanted to do something nice.”
“They aren’t going to do it because they feel like it but because they want to.
The very brief moment my dad and mother were together, free, the Fae doted on my mother.
They brought her candies and food. When they found out that my mother was craving a certain food while she was pregnant with me, they made sure that it never sold out and that there was always some during day and night so she could have one. ”
“They sound so nice.”
I long for the day when we can all be free and help each other out without fear. To not be making ends meet and wondering when we can eat next.
“Soon, Sweets… Very soon everything is going to change,” Kieran whispers.