41. The Stolen Bride
The following morning I woke to angry shouts in the hallway. ”Do not stand in my way! If she is here, I will see her!”
Groggily, I blinked my eyes. Was that Papa?
”Shh. Let her rest. She’ll be awake soon enough.” That voice was Maggie’s.
Was this a dream? It was all so vivid. Not only could I hear their voices, but I could smell the warm sunshine of fresh linens and the scent of jasmine wafting through the windows.
I opened my eyes and took in the old, familiar surroundings.
I was home.
Outside the door, the argument was growing more heated.
I fell easily into my old routine as middle sister, peacekeeping. I sat up in bed and called out, ”Come in!”
My father charged in the door like a wild boar, his eyes darting around the room until they fell on me, sitting up and yawning in my sister’s childhood bed.
The look of wide-eyed relief on his face melted my heart.
”My Georgia,” he cried, rushing forward.
In this moment, he wasn’t a king, just my father. The man who had worried over me since my mother’s death. The man who had in his own way always tried to protect me.
I rushed over to him, and he opened his arms to receive me.
He patted the back of my head. ”My sweet girl. Home at last. I was afraid I’d never see you again. I thought you were lost forever, like your…”
Like my mother and sister.
”No, daddy. I’m okay. I’m here now.”
He broke our embrace and held me at arm’s length to appraise me. ”Did he hurt you? How did you escape?”
I bit my lip. ”I’m fine. He let me go.”
My father narrowed his eyes. ”Let you go?” he echoed.
I nodded.
”Don’t worry. I will ensure he and his kind never return to our shores again.”
Concern crept up my spine. I thought of the soldiers with unfamiliar uniforms stationed along our gates. ”What do you mean?”
”I have forged an alliance with Frost Haven. When you were stolen, I had already promised your hand to Regent Callahan.”
My stomach dropped. Regent Callahan was the much older man from the ball with the lecherous, roving eyes. I couldn’t marry him. I wouldn’t!
My father continued as if he hadn’t just said something of life-altering importance, ”So, of course, they were furious. For too long, those waterwalkers have terrorized our kingdom with their storms and bargains and thefts. I can’t promise to bring your sister back, but I can promise to end their reign of terror once and for all.”
I fought back a swell of sorrow. No one could bring Briar back. Not now. But I wasn’t foolish enough to say so out loud. Not when Papa was bringing us to the brink of an apocalyptic war. ”No, you can’t!” I cried. ”It will only make things worse. The seelie are far better than the unseelie, and you could put them in power.”
My father’s eyes turned soft. ”Georgia, no fae are ‘better.’ You spent too many weeks with them. I’m so sorry we couldn’t get to you sooner. No doubt you’ve been deceived, glamoured, and drugged. I want you to know you’re safe now.”
”None of us will be safe if you start this war,” I argued. ”Please, trust me. My eyes are clear. There are no nectars or tinctures in my system.”
He looked sadly at me once more. ”Frost Haven has developed new weapons, ones that make our gunpowder explosives look like a flash from a lightning bug. Soon that miserable island will sink below the waves, your mind will be free, my daughter. I promise.”
He turned to leave, and I grabbed his coattail. ”No, please.”
He said, ”Magnolia, calm your sister, and whatever you do, do not let her out of your sight. There are guards posted at every door. If you need them, simply call out.”
She nodded with wide eyes. ”Yes, papa.”
Without that, he left the room, clicking the lock behind him on his way out.
My heart sank. I was a prisoner once more. At least Forrest had never locked a door.
I turned to my younger sister. ”Magnolia, do you believe me?”
She bit her lip and looked away. ”I want to. I really do, but they stole you. They stole Briar. Maybe Papa is right.”
”There’s more to the story,” I said softly. ”But I’m afraid this one won”t have a happily ever after.”
An hour later, Magnolia knew everything–why I had been stolen, the threat of the unseelie, and the death of Briar.
Tears streamed down her face, but she had a defiant glint in her eyes. ”We have to stop father. If the unseelie are as dangerous as you say, we can’t risk an attack. We could accidentally topple the seelie and put the unseelie in power. I won’t lose you and Papa too.”
She was right. Papa had no intention of helping any fae, regardless of court, but he could very well shift the balance of power. I looked at her. ”How can we stop him? We’re locked in, and we can’t use the trellis in broad daylight with so many guards.”
”You don’t seriously think that lock is going to keep us in?” Maggie gave me a watery smile before fishing through her bedside table. She pulled out a hair pin.
I watched as my baby sister unlocked the door like a seasoned burglar.
”How long have you been doing this?” I asked in astonishment.
Mischief spread across her face. ”Since I was eleven years old, and you told me I couldn’t go out on the lawn unattended before sunrise.”
”Magnolia!” I chastised.
She shrugged. ”Nobody likes to be caged.”
”I just wanted you to be safe.”
”Funny. That’s what papa just told you.”
I joined her at the door. ”You’re right. You’re sixteen now. Old enough for a bit more freedom. I promise I’ll try harder to remember that.”
She gave me another watery smile. ”Come on. Let’s go find Papa.”
We made our way to the nearest verandah. It was shadowed by an old oak tree that had grown too large. Its limbs provided cover from two sides. It was our best chance to scale down unseen. That’s when I heard it. A roll of distant thunder.
Magnolia frowned. ”It looks like a storm is coming.”
Sure enough, the horizon was pitch black, and storm clouds were coming in fast. My heart hammered out an ominous warning. Was it possible Forrest’s secret had been discovered? Was it possible the unseelie were fighting for control of the island?
”Do you think they know about Papa’s plans?” Magnolia asked.
I bit my lip. ”I’m not sure.”
A bolt of lightning split the sky, and I missed my next foothold on the trellis. I managed to hit the next but at an odd angle. I cried out in pain but continued to hang onto the trellis. Tears pricked my eyes.
”Georgia? Are you okay?” Magnolia called up from a few feet below.
”I think I’ve sprained my ankle,” I said miserably.
”Can you go back up?” she asked.
I clung to the trellis. I wasn’t sure my ankle would support my weight, but there really wasn’t another option. I had to go up or down, and up was much closer. ”I can do it,” I said.
”I’ll meet you back at the top.”
”No,” I said. ”You should keep going. See if you can talk some sense into Papa.”
She paused for a moment, then said, ”Okay. Wait for me in my room.”
I was able to pull myself up to the top of the trellis using my good foot and my hands. Going back over the railing was the hardest part. It hurt.
When I looked back over, I saw Maggie was still waiting. ”Go on!” I motioned.
I hopped on one foot into the house.
Back inside, the hallways were cast in shadow. It was midday, so there were no candles lit. The storm clouds were growing outside the window and blocking out the sun. Using the wall as support, I tried to put pressure on my ankle. It hurt, but it was possible. Slowly, I made my way back to Magnolia’s room.
I let go of the wall and hopped to her bed. Then a roll of thunder shook the ground and window panes. Lightning cracked, illuminating the dark bedroom. Someone was waiting in the shadows. My eyes hadn’t quite adjusted to the darkness, but I was beginning to make out a shape and features. My stomach dropped. It couldn’t be.
”B-Briar?” I asked tentatively.
Briar was dead. Gran had told me so. Forrest had confirmed it. So, who or what was this–a ghost, witchcraft, or some sort of fae trick?
She looked at me and smiled shakily. ”I’ve missed you.”
”How is this possible?” I whispered.
Briar stepped out of the shadowed corner of the room, so I could see her better. She looked almost the same as I remembered her–golden hair, fair skin, tall, and graceful. But she was older. Her face was sharper, less full. Her once wavy hair now fell straight. But most concerning of all, her ears came to sharp points.
My whole body trembled, and tears leaked out of the corner of my eyes. ”This is a cruel trick, even for the fae.”
In the soft voice she had used to soothe me after Momma died, she said, ”It’s not a trick, Georgia. It’s me.”
I shook my head. ”I don’t believe you.”
”What can I say to make you believe me?” she begged. ”How about something only we know? Like after Momma died, you slept in my bed every night.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. ”The nursemaids knew that.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. ”True enough. One summer, we found a swamp rabbit and raised it up in a box. We released it down by the pond with a saucer of water and a plate of carrots. You called him Nutmeg.”
I loved that bunny. I wondered if anyone else had ever known about him. We had kept him hidden all summer. Even if he had been discovered, how would anyone else know his name?
She kept going. ”You once called Magnolia ”Maggie Moo” in an argument over her table manners. She burst into tears. When Papa is in an especially good mood, he whistles. Momma’s favorite plant was jasmine, and it grows just outside Papa’s window even now. It nearly died one summer, and he hired ten gardeners to bring it back to life. They took cuttings, and it now grows in seven places.”
Some of these stories individuals might know, but no one could know all of them. I started to limp toward her.
”Is there something wrong with your leg?” she asked.
”I twisted my ankle,” I replied.
She rushed over and helped me into a sitting position. Then she joined me on the feather bed with her legs criss-crossed. Wordlessly, she began to examine my swollen ankle. ”It’s probably just a sprain. Should I wrap it?”
”I don’t care about my ankle.” I was laughing and crying at the same time. I pulled her into my arms. ”It’s you. It’s really you.”
”It’s me,” she said, stroking my hair the way she always had when I was upset.
I didn’t move for a long time, just allowing myself to cry, soaking the shoulder of her dress while she comforted me. ”How? How can you be alive? He said you were dead. The flowers said you were dead.”
She pulled back. ”The flowers? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. You can tell me everything when we have more time.”
I froze. ”More time?”
”I can’t stay long. Papa will find me.”
”Of course, he will. He’ll want to see you and Magnolia will too.” My mind started turning. ”In fact, you might just be able to stop a war.”
She cocked her head to the side. ”What?”
”Papa wants to start a war with the island. He’s amassed men and weapons, but if we’re both home and safe, maybe he could be persuaded to stop.”
”Georgia.” Her voice was sharp. ”Look at me. Really look at me.”
”Y-you are changed. I can see that clearly, but it’s also you. I know it’s you.” I took her hand in mine. ”What’s going on? How did you escape?”
”I was never a stolen bride. I am the one who left the shell.”
My mouth dropped open. Forrest had been telling me the truth. ”But why? Why would you do that to us?”
Her words spilled out of her mouth. ”Because I’m a changeling.”
”You’re a- you’re a changeling.” I stumbled over the words. It wasn’t possible. Changelings were nasty and vicious. Nothing like Briar.
”Do you remember the fever that took Momma?” she asked.
”Of course,” I said.
”Your older sister was very sick too. Her fever was burning hot. Momma knew Briar wouldn’t make it through the night. So, she slipped out and made her way to the fae market.”
”No,” I moaned. I knew what was coming next.
Briar nodded. ”She made a bargain with a young fae. He was supposed to save Briar’s life.”
”But she got the wording wrong,” I said softly.
Briar nodded. ”When she got home, your sister died in her arms. She went to rouse servants, and when she returned, I was there, sleeping peacefully in her daughter’s bed. She knew at once what had happened.”
I frowned. ”Why didn’t she say anything to the servants?”
”She probably did, but who would believe a sobbing, grief-stricken woman with a high fever? I was taken to the nursery, so that mother could sleep. But she didn’t sleep. She returned to the market, found the fae she had bargained with, and held iron to his throat.”
I gasped.
”To save his wretched skin, he gave her passage to the island. She wanted to see the king of the island. She believed that, somehow, he could right her bargain and bring her daughter back.”
”Forrest is powerful, but even he doesn’t have dominion over the dead,” I whispered.
Briar nodded. ”Only the darkest of witchcraft could even attempt such a thing. I’m told he refused her coldly, and she retaliated by cursing him. But you probably know the rest of that story, don’t you?”
I nodded. ”Why didn’t you tell me you were a changeling? How could you hide something like that?”
”I didn’t know until I turned seventeen. Changelings rarely have memories from before. It started with subtle changes to my appearance. My eyes became brighter, and my hair lost its wave. I thought it was ordinary coming of age stuff.
”But it got worse. When I walked by a pool of water—a fountain or a pond—the water would turn white-capped. It even happened by the ocean one day. It felt as if there was something inside of me pulling the tides. It scared me.
”Then one morning, my ears changed. They were pointed. I wore my hair down and hid in my room all day. As soon as the sun fell, I snuck out and made my way down to the fae marketplace. I saw a fae woman with a kind face and a young child in her arms. I begged her to tell me what was happening.
”She brushed my hair back from my ears and inspected them carefully. ‘My dear, isn’t it obvious? You’re a changeling,’ she said.
”She dropped that bomb and just walked away, leaving me dumbstruck in the middle of the market.”
”That must have been terrible,” I said, clasping her hand in support.
”I knew I had to leave home. Your real family member was dead, and I had stolen her place. You would hate me. I hated myself. So, I left that shell in my bed, and I ran away.” She broke down and started sobbing. ”I’m so sorry.”
I wrapped her in my arms. ”No,” I said, gently patting her back. ”None of this is your fault. You didn’t kill Briar. No one did. Her death was natural. You never asked to be dropped off in our home. You were so young. You must have been so scared when you found out. I wish you had told me. I cried for weeks when I thought you had been stolen.”
”I’m sorry.”
I rested my head on her shoulder. ”I know.”
”When you came to the island, I was so scared you would find me. I forced the Fae King into a bargain.”
My heart quickened, and I pulled back suddenly. ”You did what?”
She bit her lip. ”I made him enter into a bargain with me. I made him promise to keep my secret and never tell you my location.”
”Why would he agree to that?” I asked.
She buried her head in her hands. ”Because I knew about his curse. I threatened to tell everyone.”
I fell into silence. This changed everything.
Briar was alive, and Forrest hadn’t wanted to keep this secret from me. He had been forced to do so. I knew what it was like to be trapped in a bargain.
”What are you thinking?” Briar asked desperately.
For a moment, I am angry. ”I think you should have trusted your family. I think you should have been honest.”
She studied my face. ”Have you fallen in love with the Fae King?”
”I… I have,” I said slowly.
She frowned. ”Then I suppose I have to tell you. The unseelie advisor discovered Forrest’s secret.”
I felt sick. “Hawthorne?” I asked.
“Yes, I believe that was his name. Do you know him?”
I sighed. “Apparently not.” Forrest had tried to warn me. Why hadn’t I listened to him?
“He told the Unseelie Queen. The island is at war. It’s actually why I’m here. To warn you. A storm is coming, the worst we’ve seen in over a century. You need to take Magnolia and Papa and flee to the mountains. The entire kingdom will be underwater by tomorrow at nightfall.”
I wasn’t listening to Briar anymore. The news on the unseelie hit me like a gust of wind, stealing my breath. They knew Forrest’s secret. The unseelie were making their move. They would seize the isle and destroy the mainland.
And him. They would kill him. Something seized my heart.
As strongly as I knew the storm was coming, I also knew I could not lose him. I had to return and fight for him, for us. Even if it killed me.
”Briar, I need you to wrap my ankle, and then I need you to listen to me. We’re going to save the island and the kingdom. And more importantly, Forrest, Papa, and Maggie. But I can’t do it without you. You can’t run this time.”
She clasped both my hands in hers and looked me dead in the eye. ”I’m ready.”
By the time I reached the fae market, my entire gown was soaked through and my ankle throbbed. A bolt of lightning split open the sky, and for a moment, the shadowy market was illuminated. There was no one here.
Most of the tables were empty, but some had been outright abandoned. Their wares left to proudly swing in the powerful gusts of wind. Several colorful handkerchiefs blew past me. Just outside the market, the ocean swells were growing larger and larger. No one in their right mind would wait here to be swallowed up.
I wouldn’t be waiting either.
I hurried through the market and exited out onto the docks. The heavy rain showed no signs of stopping. Several boats had already been ripped out to sea and were being tossed around like toys in a bathtub. I watched as one of their sails was shredded and flew to and fro, like a victory flag.
I walked until I reached the end of the dock. There was an old, rusty metal ladder leading to an ancient dock below. I climbed downward, my ankle screaming with each weight-bearing step.
Each boat had a rope tied to a metal fitting on the dock. I was looking for a very specific fitting—one shaped like a conch shell. The rain was so thick now, I had to kneel down and check each one.
Finally, I found it.
I blinked the rain out of my eyes and stared out at the sea. Several feet away from the dock, I saw a vicious whirlpool churning violently.
I remembered the journey to the island–the dark, eerie depths of the sea, the feeling of my lungs burning for air, the water imps pulling my hair and tearing at my flesh, and the palpable fear of dying. I never wanted to relive those moments.
Yet, there was something I feared even more–losing him.
So, I closed my eyes and jumped.