25. The Stolen Bride
Forrest arrived just as I was finishing supper. ”Shall we?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow. ”Don’t you want to eat first?”
”Not necessary,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes and gave him a quick once over. It was hard to say with so many glamours in play, but I often found he looked tired. Maybe he wasn’t eating properly. ”I find food very necessary. Take a roll,” I wheedled, offering one out to him.
”Are you nagging, dearest?” He grinned.
I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. ”Of course not. Starve for all I care.”
He bypassed my offered roll and snatched a dark blue faerie apple from the table and said, ”As you wish.” He took a sinful bite. The juice dripped down the corners of his mouth, and his tongue flicked out to lick it away.
I caught myself staring and quickly looked down. How could someone look so good eating a blighted apple? I certainly didn’t.
He gave me a wicked grin and offered his arm. ”Ready, dearest?”
He was enjoying this way too much. I gave a belabored sigh but rose from my seat and accepted his arm, though I hardly needed a formal escort through the hallways of his private wing.
”I believe you wanted to chart our course,” he reminded, leading me toward the large oak doors that led to the castle beyond.
At last, I had my chance! I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Hawthorne’s book had sparked an idea for how I might locate Briar. Best of all, it didn’t involve wandering the dangerous island after dark or asking a single fae for help, not even Forrest. I smiled up at him. ”I’d like to see the greenhouses.”
He looked pleased at my suggestion. ”Why, I expected something far more deadly. You’ve surprised me again, little sparrow.”
”You’ll find I can be very surprising,” I said, feeling perhaps a touch too confident about my plan.
He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ”Hmm, well, it will be pleasant enough to spend an evening where I’m not saving your hide from mortal peril.”
”Let’s not forget who put my mortal hide in peril to begin with,” I grumbled.
”I can hardly be blamed that humans have the lifespan of goldfish.”
”Goldfish?” I gasped indignantly. ”Is that how you see us?”
”Frankly, yes. At your best, you will live a century. I will live a millennium.”
”So, you assume I will die first? How rude. For all we know, you’ll be cut down in battle,” I declared, pointing a finger at his chest.
”How kind of you to say.”
The corner of my lip twitched upward. ”We shall see who outlives the other.”
”Well, the isle’s air combined with our betrothal bond should extend your minuscule lifespan, assuming you can stop running headlong into danger.”
I winked. ”No promises.”
He grinned down at me.
Oh, my stars. Why had I winked? I was flirting with him! What was the matter with me?
Our conversation quieted as we entered the bustling center of the castle and encountered a growing number of onlookers. There was no ceiling here, and I could look straight up at the evening sky. The moon was only a tiny sliver, and it was waning. That meant there were only two weeks until the full moon revel.
The faerie court was out in full force this evening. There were entertainers– gliding, dancing, juggling, or laughing their way through the crowds. There were also dignitaries with straight backs and serious demeanors. Then the most frightening of them all, royals and politicians with their sly, knowing smiles and calculating lips. I knew them well.
”There are so many fae out tonight,” I remarked in a soft voice.
”The new moon brings new beginnings,” he said. ”It’s always busy at this time.”
I tried not to let a soft smile flit across my lips. Is that why he wanted to bring me out tonight? Were we one of those new beginnings? Did he hope we were? Did I?
Forrest quieted. Neither of us was foolish enough to air our personal business in front of so many watchful eyes. I supposed that was something we had in common. As royals, we were used to wary, watchful lives of solitude and secrecy. Hyper aware that any casual word or deed could be used against us. But maybe I was giving him too much credit. Maybe he was just entertained by the jugglers.
I had been wise not to wander the castle. Not all of the fae glancing in our direction appeared welcoming. I wondered if taking a human bride was frowned upon or if they simply wanted to kill me. With fae, one could never be certain.
Still, they weren’t all bad. Rosie and Harry were nothing like the bloodthirsty, changeable creatures in our dockside stories. Even Forrest, I supposed.
As we neared the castle’s exit, a ceiling appeared overhead once more, and the walls were tall and vaulted. Ornate pillars of salt stood on each side, carved to look like waves. They ranged in color from pale aqua to pure white to faded coral. Enormous chandeliers dangled, fracturing light against the sea glass floor.
Despite the grandeur, it was still totally wild. Sea oats grew in clumps along the edges of the hallway, and at one point, when we passed an intersecting hallway, I saw marshland. It seemed the fae couldn’t keep nature out, or they simply weren’t inclined to do so.
Soon, we reached the main doors and exited the castle.
”What makes you want to visit our greenhouses?” he asked.
I considered my answer for a moment before replying truthfully, ”Your plants are legendary in our kingdom. I’ve seen a few with my own eyes.”
”Have you now?”
”Not many. They’re very rare,” I lamented.
”Our people aren’t welcome on your shores. Perhaps, you haven’t heard the story of your forebears.”
Oh, I had.
Far across the waters lie the old country— a place with dirty, overpopulated cities and sweeping famine. It had been nearly one thousand years since we departed their shores. We were long forgotten now.
Our relationship with the fae had started off badly. We left with one dozen ships, but only three made it past the isle. One with half of its passengers massacred. But I was curious about his version of history. ”What do you mean?” I asked.
He snorted. ”Your fifteenth great-grandfather trapped and skinned a bear. That bear was my grandfather.”
I hadn’t realized how closely Forrest was related to the fae bear from our legends. Something that felt like a campfire story to me was tangible to him. I knew the legend, but he knew the man. ”I’m sorry,” I said in a low voice.
He shrugged. ”Don’t be. He was a brutal man who sowed discord everywhere he went. During his rule, the fae courts were embroiled in a nearly century-long war. His passing was barely mourned.”
For the first time, I realized Forrest wasn’t just some ill-tempered immortal god; he was a man. He had family and a past. Had he been forced to fight in those wars? Had he been forced to kill? Had he always held the throne?
Not long after, we reached a series of three massive, domed greenhouses. I looked out at them and I sighed. ”They’re beautiful.” I quickened my pace, longing to reach their lush interiors.
I heard a low chuckle beside me. ”So impatient.”
”Well, as you pointed out, I have limited time on this earth. I want to make the most of it.”
”Then, by all means, run if you wish. I’ll endeavor to keep up.”
”Do you want to race?” I asked, a gleam in my eye. It was the sort of thing my sisters and I would have done.
”You really think you can beat me?” His green eyes, which I usually found so intense, were glittering with laughter.
”Probably not, but we won’t know if we don’t try,” I said. ”One… two…” I didn’t wait for three. I started running, laughing all the way.
After a moment, I grew suspicious. Why hadn’t Forrest passed me yet? Had he refused to join me in this burst of childishness? I stopped running and clutched my side, turning back to look for him. He wasn’t there.
I turned in every direction. He was nowhere to be seen. Had he left me out here?
Then I felt a powerful downdraft of air just above me. It reminded me of the owl in the forest, so I turned my head to look up at the night sky. There was Forrest, hovering in the air with his wings aloft. They were as iridescent as a dragonfly’s wing and the ever-changing color of the sea.
”Hey,” I cried indignantly. ”That’s cheating!”
He laughed and soared a few feet ahead. ”Come on, little sparrow. Unfurl your wings!”
”Cheating fae!” I called.
”Slow human,” he teased.
I surged forward, but he quickly soared past me. He stopped to wait for me. When I caught up, he rushed ahead again.
Finally, we reached the open entrance to the greenhouse, and he lowered himself back to the ground and retracted his wings once more.
”Cheater.” I hit him playfully on the chest and felt my hand linger over his rapidly beating heart. I smiled up at him.
”Liar,” he whispered, his eyes twinkling down at me. Once more, I wondered if he would kiss me. But instead, he lowered his lips to his palm and blew a gust of sea air toward the greenhouse door.
”What was that for?” I asked.
”To take down the wards. You don’t think just anyone can walk into our greenhouses, do you?”
I had hoped so. ”Of course not.”
We entered the greenhouse together, and I stared out at a sea of otherworldly plants. Ones that were only legends on my own shores.
I started to reach out to one, planning to gently stroke its petals.
Forrest reached out and grasped my forearm.
I looked up at him in surprise.
”That plant feeds off blood,” he warned. ”Here.” He took my hand in his. ”I better keep hold of this for you. Only until it’s safe, of course.”
My heart fluttered, and I tried to quiet it. We were just holding hands. We were betrothed. There was no reason to act so silly.
The greenhouses were as spectacular and expansive as I had wished, but no matter how many we strolled through, I did not find the plant I wanted—the one I intended to steal.
That book Hawthorne recommended had awakened something in me. Memories from long, long ago had begun to surface. One more powerful than the others. It was a beautiful, bright day, and I couldn’t have been but two years old.
”Come, Georgia,” Momma called.
She was a pretty lady with round blue eyes, warm blonde hair streaked with gray, and the beginnings of soft wrinkles at the corners of her lips and eyes from smiling.
I ran to her on the shaky legs of a toddler and happily accepted her hand.
She smiled down at me. ”Are you ready for our walk, love?”
”Bry-aw?” I asked in a sweet chirping voice.
”Briar has gone to her lessons. We’ll join her for lunch,” my mother replied. ”In the meantime, let’s enjoy the sunlight. Can you say sunlight?”
I nodded. ”Suh.”
She smiled indulgently down at me. ”That’s right. Sunlight.” She led us across our sprawling, manicured backyard and closer to the wilds beyond. As I held her hand, the world felt so big, so beautiful, and so full of adventure.
To keep my attention on our walk, she sang one of my favorite tunes.
”Sunlight and water
Earth and air
Talking tulips
Pull at your hair.”
She reached down and gently tugged a lock of my hair, and I giggled.
”Rosemary’s roots
have taken
Lion’s aroarin’
Time for this garden to awaken!”
She raised her voice on the last word, and I tried to mimic her with a little shout of my own. She smiled affectionately down at me.
”A blue fae flower
from those nasty folk
Sing a song and
crack a yolk.”
I crinkled my nose at the word ”folk.”
”Whispers and secrets
soon will be shared.
Did you remember susurrus,
my dear?”
Before we made it beyond the hedge, a gardener stopped momma. I whined and pulled and twisted. She picked me up, but finally let me wriggle free.
At first, I wandered around at her feet, grabbing clumps of grass in my chubby, little fingers and bringing them up to my nose to smell.
But I grew bored with the grownups. I wandered closer to the big hedgerow and stepped into its dense foliage, peeking through the branches at Momma.
Hide and seek.
She didn’t seem to notice. So, I pushed my way through to the other side and ran. She’d never catch me!
Soon, I came upon a secret garden, obscured by overgrown white rose bushes and shaded by old oak trees dripping with moss.
Momma had noticed I was missing now. ”Georgia!” she called.
I giggled and pushed through the rose bushes, trying to find a better hiding spot. A thorn caught the sleeve of my dress. I pulled it away and pricked my thumb, drawing a dark red dot of blood. It dripped onto my soft linen dress. Momma would be mad.
”Georgia,” she called again in exasperation.
I didn’t pay her any attention.
Inside, the garden was filled with blues, greens, and whites—unusual hues. I lay in the center of the garden, hiding among the sky-blue petals, smiling to myself the way only naughty toddlers can. I sucked my bleeding thumb.
That’s when I heard the first whisper. ”Hello, sweetness.”
Everything is pure magic to a toddler. A match to a candle wick is as surely witchcraft as talking flowers, so I said back very proudly, ”Hello! I hiding.”
A soft chuckle from the flowers. ”Just like your mother. Beautiful child.”
When my mom found me, I was still chattering away with the flowers which had insisted I call them ”Gran.”
Momma rolled her eyes and admonished the flowers, ”Mother, I’ve been looking all over.”
Then she scooped me up in her arms, and I quickly forgot the whole incident. Like I said, magic is nothing to a toddler.
But now I knew what had happened. At least, I hoped.
My grandmother had been dead long before I was born. Yet, somehow, I had spoken with her. If I could recreate that garden, perhaps I could talk to her again. The dead could see far more than I. Perhaps, she could tell me where to find Briar.
We were exiting the west end of the greenhouse when I saw several small dilapidated buildings in the distance.
”What are those?” I asked, pointing toward them.
”We built new greenhouses several years ago, but the old ones still stand. They’ll return to the earth with time.”
Sure enough, I saw vines beginning to cover one side.
Maybe the plant I needed would be in the old greenhouse ruins. I’d have to return on my own. Surely, the old structures wouldn’t be so heavily warded.
I was snapped out of my scheming by Forrest’s question. ”Are you looking forward to the upcoming revel?” he asked.
Caught off guard, I frowned. ”Not really.”
”Because it formalizes our engagement?” he asked. His voice was low, maybe even hesitant.
”That’s not it.”
He cocked his head to one side. ”Then what is it? Do you not like the gowns? I know our fashion is a bit more revealing than what you’re accustomed to?”
I shook my head. ”I’ve never really liked balls.”
”The crowds?” He guessed. ”Or dancing? Perhaps you don’t know how to dance?”
I rolled my eyes. ”Of course, I know how to dance. I am the eldest remaining daughter of the king. I’ve been taught and drilled on dances from every kingdom. Except yours, that is. I have no knowledge of fae movements.”
He grinned and replied suggestively, ”I’d be happy to show you any movement you’d like.”
I ignored his obvious double entendre. ”I bet you wouldn”t feel so confident if the shoe were on the other foot.”
”Oh, you think so?” He took me in his arms and pulled me close but not too close. It would narrowly meet propriety in the human world. The near touch of our bodies was electric, and I longed to pull him closer.
He led me around the moss strewn floor, and we were bathed in moonlight. ”How am I doing?” he asked in a low whisper just above my ear.
”Fine,” I said, trying to sound bored, nothing like how I actually felt. My heart was racing, and I was practically drunk off his nearness. I longed for more.
He wasn’t having it. He gave a wicked grin, pulling me tight against his chest. Wings sprouted from his back, and he lifted me just a touch into the air, spinning us both.
My breath came in a gasp at his neck.
”What about now?” he whispered.
”Cheater,” I murmured.
”Liar,” he whispered against the curve of my ear.
A shiver trickled down my spine.
”Would you like to go higher?” he asked.
”Yes,” I answered madly. Yes, I wanted to fly higher. I wanted to go places I had never gone before. I wanted to dream of things I had never dared. Right now, I wanted to soar through the air in the strong embrace of the Fae King. I wanted to leave the ground and all the limitations I had set for myself far behind. I wasn’t just Princess Georgia anymore. I was Georgia—a woman who could fly. The only limits were the ones I set for myself.
He unfurled his beautiful wings. With his arms wrapped tightly around me, we soared upward. I could smell the salty ocean air and feel it against my cheeks.
I cried out in delight.
Soon, we were high enough that I could see the tops of the trees and the dancing lights of the wisps within. Then the marshes and ocean beyond. Moonlight reflected off of the water.
Wrapped securely in his embrace, I nestled my head against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. An earthy scent of pine clung to his skin and mingled with an aroma of mist and sea. The pull to him was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was primal and powerful.
He slowly brought us back down in front of the greenhouse, and my feet brushed the ground once more. We didn’t separate right away. Instead, I stared up at him in wonder, adrenaline pumping through my veins. For a moment, I forgot I was human, and he was fae. I forgot he was supposed to be my enemy. I stood on tiptoes and brought my lips to his.
He responded immediately, wrapping his arms tighter around me and returning my impulsive kiss with his own slow, exploratory one. When he parted my lips with his tongue, I let out a small moan of pleasure.
Then the kiss grew wild, hot, and wet. He pressed me against the greenhouse, caging me with his hands. Soon, I forgot everything but him and me. I felt alive, so very alive. It was like that moment right before a storm when electricity sparks the air and raises the little hairs on your arms.
I knew if I didn’t slow this down, I would be lying in his sheets come morning. Slowly, regretfully, I pulled back.
“Well,” he said carefully. ”This seems as good a time as any. I have something for you.” He pulled a small box out of his trouser pocket, carved from wood. He popped it open and displayed a stunning ring, adorned with two glinting pieces of sea glass on each side and a large pearl in the center. I recognized the sea glass that he had given me as an engagement stone.
”How did you get this from my room?”
He smiled. ”Rosie and Helena, of course.”
”Of course,” I echoed, staring at it. For the first time, I felt like the Fae King really wanted to marry me.
”May I?” he asked.
Adrenaline still pumping through my veins, I nodded. ”Yes.”
He slipped the ring on my finger.
”Now I look like a proper human bride,” I said, studying it.
”And a proper fae bride as well,” he said, taking in my still panting breath and stroking my flushed cheeks.