39. The Stolen Bride
Sailing the ship wasn’t difficult. A powerful gust of wind seemed to be blowing me straight to the harbor. So, I sat on the deck, wrapped my arms around my knees, and watched the sun rise.
Wait. The sun. A thread of worry began to weave its way through me, wrapping around my spine and ensnaring my mind. What if Forrest had transformed? He had been standing right in view of the castle steps, and the sun had broken over the horizon just seconds later.
I shook my head. No, I had no idea how much time had truly passed between my feet on the island and my feet on this boat.
Besides, I couldn’t worry about him anymore.
If I didn’t do something soon, I was going to have problems of my own. I was coming perilously close to docking at the largest port in our kingdom. This was the busiest time of the day. In my scanty fae gown and with this silver crown woven through my hair, I was going to attract a lot of unwelcome attention.
A princess was worth a hefty ransom, and I suspected the story of the stolen princess had made its way to the docks by now.
I felt my heart quicken. I had to do something fast.
First things first, I needed to get this crown off of my head. I worked my fingers through my hair, quickly pulling and teasing the strands out of their intricate braids. Once it was done, I was able to untangle the crown.
I looked at it in my hands for only a second before tossing it into the sea. I could not have this anywhere on my person or vessel.
I quickly shimmied off a matching necklace and ear cuff. I threw the necklace overboard but slipped the ear cuff into my bodice. I might need it to barter. It was the least expensive piece I had and the least suspicious.
Okay, no jewelry. That was better. I looked less like royalty at least.
But the dress. What could I do about the dress? It was a dead giveaway that I had come from the fae’s island, and that alone was suspect. Few went to the island, and even fewer returned. Still, I couldn’t go naked, and there were no other clothes on this boat.
That’s when I made my second decision. While I couldn’t drastically change course, I could veer a mile off. That would take me to the place I had never intended to visit, the fae market.
I hurried to the back of the stern and adjusted the tiller. I had only minutes before I would make landfall. So, I quickly splashed sea water on my face, washing away any traces of tear-streaked makeup. I glanced down at my body, looking for any other tells.
Then I spotted it, my sea glass ring—a painful reminder of Forrest’s offer of forever. He had called down lightning and made the glass himself. I couldn’t quite bring myself to toss it in the ocean waves. So, I slipped it into my bodice too.
As if it knew my arrival was imminent, the wind died down, and I slowly drifted into port.
I stepped off the boat as quickly as possible, not wanting to give any additional clues to my identity. Just in case any unfriendly eyes were watching.
The second my feet were on the dock, a powerful gust nearly blew me over. I turned back and saw my boat soaring across white-capped waves, returning home to its master.
The docks here were just as busy as the exclusively human ones but the company was more eclectic. A hulking redcap caught my eyes as I brushed past him.
I slowed to apologize, and he raised a suggestive eyebrow. ”You can make it up to me, lamb? It’ll only take a few minutes.”
I ducked my head and kept moving. I felt vomit rising in the back of my throat. I knew what I appeared to be. I was a human woman in a fae marketplace wearing a fine but tattered gown. One of fae origin.
Worse still, I was wet from the breaking waves and ocean breeze in the sailboat, making my gown even more revealing.
To any outsider, I appeared to be a concubine of the fae court. I was going to be treated accordingly.
Despite that chilling revelation and several lewd catcalls, I made it through the market unscathed. The booths and stalls were filled with amazing things—trinkets, jewelry, spells, and clothes. A small part of me longed to stop and marvel at the stalls, but it would be foolish to do alone. Maybe I could come back with Forrest.
Then I caught myself. No, I couldn’t come back with Forrest. I probably wouldn’t ever see him again. Even if I wanted to. I felt tears beginning to well up but blinked them quickly away. Now was not the time. It wasn’t safe to linger here. It certainly wasn’t safe to look even more vulnerable.
Not long after, I found a human stall run by an old woman with shrewd eyes. She raised an eyebrow at me as I wandered over. I pulled the ear cuff from my bodice and offered it out to her to inspect.
”I need a dress and shoes.”
”You have yourself a deal.” She pocketed the ear cuff and provided no offer of change.
”But that ear cuff is worth thrice that.”
She snorted. ”This isn’t a currency exchange booth, girly. Take it or leave it.”
I took it.
She was happy enough with her ill-gotten gains to allow me to change behind her booth. I exited the market as a human woman in a human world.
Before I reached the gates of my childhood home, I knew something was wrong. There were soldiers patrolling our perimeter. It wasn’t uncommon to have a guard or two posted at our gate, but these were soldiers, not guards.
I ducked behind a magnolia tree and watched. The soldiers were moving in a rotation. Among our own uniforms were unfamiliar ones the color of steel and ivory. I had to assume they were from Frost Haven, the kingdom beyond the mountains.
But why were they here?
And how could I get past them undetected?
I heard the distinctive tink, tink of an object tapping glass. I looked around and realized this was the same tree I passed on my way to the isle—the one with a glass bottle fae trap. Something was inside. I grinned.
I wasn’t as tall as Forrest, so I pushed my way through the thick magnolia limbs until I reached the tree trunk. I hoisted my skirts up and started climbing.
Moments later, I was back on the ground and peering into the jar. ”Hello there,” I said sweetly.
”Nasty human,” two tiny wisps buzzed back angrily.
”You are wisps, are you not?” I asked, ignoring their unwelcome reception. ”I would gladly free you for a favor.”
”Free us first,” said the first wisp. ”Then we’ll hear your favor.”
”No, I’ll need your word.”
”She seeks a bargain,” said the other with a sharp grin.
I wasn’t about to let them set the terms. So, I said, ”I will free you from this trap, and in exchange, you will immediately distract those soldiers along the perimeter. You will lead them off for no less than ten minutes. You will not seek to draw any attention to me. Do we have a bargain?”
”Free us!” The wisps buzzed and hit the sides of the jar like angry wasps.
I waited.
Finally, they said, ”Yes, we agree.”
I felt the bind of the bargain grip me, and I cracked the glass bottle against a large field stone. The wisps shot forward, buzzing and circling like dancing flames. Not one minute later, I saw the soldiers following them away from the gate.
I felt a twinge of guilt. It was disorienting and uncomfortable to be beguiled by wisps. Still, I grabbed my skirts and bolted out from the tree and through the gates. The grounds were relatively quiet, and I was used to sneaking in and out of our home.
So, staying behind tree and shrub cover, I made my way to Magnolia’s window and climbed up the trellis. I tapped twice on the glass then waited. There was a very good chance Magnolia wouldn’t be in her room, that she wouldn’t hear me at all.
Miraculously, her face appeared in the window. My heart swelled. It was so good to see her.
”Georgia, is that really you?” she asked.
”Yes, of course.”
”Tell me something only you know.”
”The night of the season opener, we snuck champagne and went for a swim in the pond. You came back first and told father I was reading in my room.”
She opened the window, and I crawled through.
I had barely straightened when she launched herself at me. ”Oh, Georgia. I thought I’d never see you again. I was almost certain it was you through the shell, but I just didn’t really know. How did you get here? Are you okay? Is he with you?”
I laughed and stroked her hair. ”Silly goose. Of course, I came back. I will always come back.”
She pulled back. ”I’m not a child. I’m sixteen now. I want to know what’s going on.”
I nodded. ”I’m sorry. I know. The Fae King ended our bargain. He allowed me to leave.”
She cocked her head to the side. ”Why would he do that?”
Tears stung my eyes. Because Briar is dead. The words were hanging on my lips, but I didn’t want to say them. Not now. We still had a couple of hours until the rest of the household woke for the day, and I wanted to enjoy this brief, bittersweet moment in my childhood home, sleeping on my old, familiar feather bed.
I pretended to yawn. ”I’m really tired. Do you think we could talk more in a couple of hours?”
She nodded. ”Of course, I’m sorry. It must have been a hard journey.” She looked at me with those big round eyes and said, ”Could you–could you stay here maybe? It’s just, I’m afraid you’ll disappear with the morning sun.”
She reminded me so much of when she was a little girl, and she had begged for sleepover parties in my bedroom. I gave her a squeeze. ”Of course, I’ll stay.”
She pulled out a spare shift from her wardrobe and handed it to me. ”Probably better not to wake the house.”
I nodded and stepped out of my gown from the market, leaving it in a puddle on the floor. I knew I wouldn’t want to wear it again. Not with the memories of today woven into its fabric. I pulled on the clean shift and crawled into bed beside Magnolia.
”Why are there so many soldiers patrolling? Is everything okay?” I whispered.
”For now,” she said ominously.
”What does that mean?”
”Tomorrow,” she replied.
I wanted to protest, but I was bone tired. The second my head touched the pillow, I was asleep, breathing in the familiar smells of family and home.