Chapter 9 The Seelie Queen
I can see Zhier's expression changing into distaste when he hears the Seelie Queen being mentioned. He starts to sneer, startling the two fairies before us.
"The human has just arrived. Can't she wait until Liv gets to settle?" Although it is a question, he makes it sound like a demand. The female fairy glances cautiously at her male companion, asking him to do all the talking once again.
"I-I am afraid not, your highness. She's not in the best of moods lately and demands that you see her right away when we find you."
"The girl hasn't known about our customs yet, much less how to protect her mind from glamor."
"Please, your highness. The queen will have our heads." The female fairy pleads. It's the first time that she has spoken in this conversation, allowing Zhier to turn to her for the first time.
Zhier mutters something under his breath in an ancient language that I cannot understand before turning to the two fairies before him. "Serafina, Lucian, I want you two to help me watch over Livia. She's a walking disaster."
"Hey...!" I glower at him.
"She doesn't know much about our world and how dangerous it is for ignorant humans.
It only takes a song, a dance, or charmed words for her to potentially lose her life.
She is a very important human being. Dying is not an option for her.
She's a tool in finding out about the whereabouts of the unseelie prince. "
I can't say that I am mad at Zhier for blatantly putting it out there that he only thinks of me as a tool. In fact, I kind of appreciate that he's very honest about my purpose. I suppose that he isn't joking when he told me once that fairies cannot lie.
Serefina and Lucian, as Zhier addresses the two fairies, turn to me with unsure gazes. I feel like they want nothing to do with me and want to reject his orders, but since Zhier is the prince, they have no choice but to obey him.
"As you wish, prince." They say in unison.
Zhier nods at them before turning to me. "I think you know by now what I want to say to you, right?"
"Don't leave your side and don't get into trouble?"
"I was going for 'don't touch anything' but it probably has the same message."
Zhier and I follow the two fairies through what seems like a corridor before finally stopping in front of what seems to be a massive door made of oak, locked by thick roots. When Zhier places a hand on the door, the roots begin to unravel like a knot before the door parts in the middle and opens.
A blinding bright light quickly greets me, making me squint my eyes.
It's a throne room. The high ceiling is dome in shape with many circular windows to allow light to pass through.
Everything in the room is adorned with roots, vines, and flowers, but from the structure itself, I can only guess that they serve as more than pretty decorations.
The Seelie Queen is at the far edge of the room, sitting on a massive red flower that serves as a throne. Her skin is a light shade of yellow and when she regards me, I can't help but be in trance with her beautiful golden eyes.
The crown on her head has live butterflies flittering above and settling on her head as she moves. Looking at her, I cannot help but picture her out as a beautiful painting.
"Zhier," She smiles and gives him a small nod. "Come in. I have been waiting for you. Oh, and bring in your guest as well." I see her attention switching to me.
I would have been frozen in place if Zhier had not urged me forward by placing a hand on my back.
I never have noticed that there were other fairies in the room had they not leered at me as Zhier and I continued to walk until we were at an adequate distance from the queen.
From here, I can finally see the queen clearly enough to see that she has golden freckles on her face and part of her body that's exposed from her silk dress that almost barely covers her chest. Luckily, she has live flowers to cover some sensitive parts.
"Queen Adaria, seelie queen, we greet thee." When Zhier bows, I follow his gesture, but only get a few chuckles from the crowd. The queen even smiles at me, making me aware that I must have done something wrong.
"How adorable." She chuckles, moving her attention to her son afterward. "Seems like you haven't taught her proper manners."
"Her name is Liva. She just got here, mother. I am sure that you are aware of that."
"Yes, she's been here for a few hours, but still hasn't learned anything related to manners, it seems." A pause as the queen's attention turns to my left hand. "Is she the bearer of the mark?" I feel like I am imagining things, but I feel like I see her eyes changing color.
"She is, which is why the unseelies are targeting her to find their prince." Zhier then turns to me and whispers, "Show her."
I never felt conscious about my mark before, but now that everyone is making a big deal out of it, I suddenly feel a little shy. I show the queen of the Seelie court the back of my hand where the mark is.
To my surprise, the queen gets up from her throne and heads towards us. I have to look away because her bosom sways when she moves down the stairs, making the flowers barely cover her chest.
Queen Adaria suddenly grabs my wrist and moves her face closer to the mark. "It is the mark. I can feel the power of the unseelie prince." She says and turns her eyes back on me with a sneer, not even releasing my wrist from her grasp. "You know where he is, don't you?"
I feel terrified. I knew I wasn't imagining it when I saw her eyes darkening earlier. From a pretty golden color, her eyes are now ruby red with hate.
"I d-don't know."
"LIES!" She screams.
"Mother, she really doesn't-" Zhier tries to help, but the queen hisses at him.
"Silence!" Her voice echoes throughout the room, making everyone except Zhier cower in fear. "You are the bearer of the mark. Surely he must have contacted you in some way." She persisted.
"Please. I really do not know." I can't stop my body from shivering as my hand is getting a warning from the pressure that she's putting on it.
I'm scared. I feel terrified. I turn to Zhier for help, but I guess that against his mother, there's nothing much that he can do.
"I never seen the unseelie prince before.
In fact, the only fairy that I first interacted with was Prince Zhier. "
The queen scoffs. "You think that I am going to believe a human's words? Your kind can lie." She squeezes harder, making me cry out loud.
Would I cause such a commotion if I slapped the living daylight out of this fairy queen?
At the moment, that question is the only one that is keeping me from retaliating.
"Mother, that is enough, you're going too far-" It seems like Zhier finally found his voice, but whatever he's about to say got blurred out when a huge gust of wind blows towards the Queen's direction.
It pushes her away from me, ending up with her hitting the stairs.
The wind is so strong that it even pushes me back before it finally stops.
Zhier supports my back just as my butt touches the floor.
"Are you alright?" He asks, but I can only nod at him in response because everything around us is in commotion.
"The queen is under attack!" Someone screams, and as Zhier helps me back on my feet, we find ourselves surrounded by what look like fairy sentinels having their spears pointed at me.
"Stop. Lower your weapons!" Surprisingly, it isn't Zhier who says that, but the queen.
Two female fairies assist her and even fix her dress just as she finally regains her balance.
She meets my gaze. "Seems like the human being is telling the truth.
She looks like a startled lamb who is unconsciously being protected by a wolf.
There's no way that a human like her would lie under such harsh circumstances.
Still, it does not change the fact that she bears his mark. "
"Your highness, what would you like for us to do with the human?" One of the fairies surrounding us asks, making Zhier grip my shoulder. It's my first time seeing the confident fairy prince become this nervous.
"Put her in a decent guest room. I doubt my son would appreciate it if we lock her up in the dungeon. Zhier, I will leave you in charge of that human. You brought her here, so she will be your responsibility."
"I planned on doing that in the first place, mother." He says it with discontent.
"Work on your manner, Zhier. Just because I am your mother doesn't give you the right to use such vulgar tones with me." She sneers. "While you're at it, teach her some manners as well, if she is going to be living with us until she is no longer of any use."
The Seelie Queen looks at Serafina and Lucian. "You two, I am assigning you as her guardians when Zhier is not around. We have to make sure that the unseelies will not get to her at any cost. She is a valuable asset in order for us to stop the war."
"Yes, High Queen."
I am under the gaze of the Seelie Queen once more, making me hide behind Zhier. The Queen does not hide the distaste in her eyes when she regards me and seems to think of me as nothing less than a worm in her presence. She clicks her tongue and turns her back to us.
"You may all go. Leave at once!" She orders.
I can't express how relieved I am to hear those words and to be led out of the room. Her earlier words made me wonder just what was going to happen to me once they found the unseelie prince.
Will they kill me?
Damn it. I should have thought of this first before I agreed to go into the seelie realm.
Hell, it is just one day and I barely survived it all!
"You can relax now, Liv. Mother believes your words. She will not harm you and I am here to protect you." Zhier speaks to me, but not in a gentle way. He says it like it is his duty to make me feel safe.
Fairies cannot lie, so at the moment, I should believe him. I should believe that I am safe.
For now.
As we finally exit the throne room and once the door behind us finally closes, I look down at the mark on my hand.
Right now, and probably for the rest of my stay here in this magical realm, it seems like the only one that I could trust is whoever gave me this mark.