Chapter 20 Steves Identity
When Zhier rescued me and brought me back home, I immediately fell asleep.
I am pretty certain that I am in a dream again because there's no way that I can stand on a cloud. These days, it's pretty rare for me to even have any dreams that I can remember. It's not strange, though, because my mind is mostly occupied with studies these days.
"Hey, Livia, over here!" To hear that familiar voice in my dreams makes me feel so nostalgic and at home, as strange as that sounds considering that I am in a dream.
"Steve!" I feel so light that all of my worries immediately vanish when I see the familiar figure of my dream buddy. Even though it isn't real, seeing a human just feels so good that I immediately throw myself at him. I immediately feel his warmth when I embrace him. "It's so good to see you!"
Steve's lilting chuckle echoes in my head as he turns around to look at me.
"Wow. You seem stressed. What happened to you!
?" In light of his joke, he receives a gentle tap on the arm.
"I'm kidding!" To his amusement, he rubs the spot on his body where I hit him.
"You always look nice. You even look extra divine seeing as how I have missed you. "
Is it because I haven't been dreaming in a while that I'm suddenly feeling shy, or did Steve always have these corny lines with him?
I temporarily averted my gaze so he couldn't see how embarrassed I was by his words.
"It's not my fault that you don't appear that often.
I don't control my dream, you know."
"Sorry.
Well, the important thing is that we're here now.
" Steve says, trying to lighten the conversation. "Livia, can you give me your hand?"
I turn to him curiously. "My hand? Why?"
Instead of answering me, Steve just continues to offer me his hand. I tell myself that it is Steve, and it is safe for me to trust him. I accepted his hand, and he immediately started pulling me towards him.
"Where would you like us to go today?"
"Hmm...I haven't seen the northern lights yet. Plus, I really miss the earth and the sky." It's rare for me to make a suggestion, but being in the fairy realm for so long made me miss looking out at the sky without the fear of some dark creature flying down to bite your face.
"As the princess wish. Close your eyes for me for a second." Even though he asked me nicely, he still covered my eyes with his hand. I hear a snap of his fingers before I hear him speak again. "Alright, my lady. You may open them now."
When I open my eyes, I see that we are standing on top of a snowy mountain. Over at the horizon, the colorful northern lights begin to dance before us like alluring ribbons. Steve and I begin to sit on a snowy patch. He's wearing pants and a shirt, while I am wearing something similar.
"Weird. I don't feel cold at all."
"Of course, we are in a dream after all." He looks at me and grins. "But if you wish to feel the snow, I am feeling a little generous with my magic today."
"Thanks for the offer, but I would like to enjoy the view without thinking about the cold." I let out a satisfied breath when I lay down on my back. Steve soon followed my movement.
"Livia?"
"Hmm?"
"Does the fairy realm still scare you?" It was a question that I never thought he would bring up. My momentary joy soon starts to fade when I remember where my old body is right now.
"I would be lying if I told you I wasn't scared." I admit, which somehow feels good to be honest. "I keep having trouble what color of food to eat from red or blue."
Steve laughs. "How about I give you a tip on that? Red's a cue for good, and blue's a clue for evil."
"You just made that right now, didn't you? It doesn't even make sense. You can easily interchange them."
Steve guffaws. "Hey, I did not make that up. Blue is evil."
"Yeah, right. But thank you, Steve. I will keep that in mind.
" I sigh, looking at the madeup sky that Steve created in the dream.
"I am learning fairy language, but the more that I read, the more that things are beginning to seem out of the ordinary.
The things that I see and read contradict each other so much that I feel like I must be translating the fairy lore wrongly. "
"You should be proud. Fairy language is not easy to learn for a human."
I scoff. "You tell me. It's—" I pause. My thoughts are dying at the back of my throat when I replay his words just now.
I jolted up into a sitting position before looking back at him.
"You," I whisper the words, fearing that my thoughts might be true.
"Just now, you speak like you're..." I gulp. "A fairy."
Steve has his hands behind the back of his head while lying down on the snow.
He closes his eyes, like he is recollecting his thoughts, before opening them again to turn to me.
"I am not your enemy, Livia. I swear upon my life that I will not hurt you.
" He slowly gets up, hangs his head low, and looks at me with an expression that I cannot decipher.
"Are you a fairy, or are you just someone in my dream?" When Steve did not answer at first, I began to prod. "Answer me, Steve!"
"Yes," He whispers shamefully, averting his gaze and looking at the ground. "I'm a fae."
"Since when? Were you a fairy since the beginning, or did you casually replace my friend because you can?"
A small smile starts to play on his lips.
"I'm happy that you consider me your friend, Livia.
Truly, but..." He returns his gaze to me.
"Livia, I don't...I don't have much magic yet to protect you, so I decided to appear before you to give you a warning.
I know what you plan to do and who you want to confront, and I am telling you right now that it is a bad idea.
Whatever you do, do not approach that person or dwell deeper into the issue of the Unseelie Prince.
When I start to recover my magic, I promise you that I will send you back–" He begins to choke, like he has bitten his tongue.
That reaction is something that I have seen whenever Zhier loses a bet with me.
"You lied just now, didn't you?" The gears in my mind are starting to turn.
I wasn't just being silent for no reason.
Every word he said just now, I have carefully analyzed, including his behavior and how he seems to dodge certain topics.
"Steve, you can't send me back to the human world, can't you? "
A somber look crosses his face. "At my current state, no. I can't..."
"Are you hurt or are you sick?" Steve does not respond, which only infuriates me. I am already mad enough that he did not reveal his identity as a fairy to me, but it doesn't seem like he wants to tell me who he really is.
If that's the case, there's only one thing left for me to do—guess his identity.
"Steve, are you the Unseelie Prince Klovis?
" Steve does not answer me, but the slight clenching of his jaws only confirms it.
He can't answer me because the only thing that he would be saying is confirmation since he does not have the ability to lie.
"I knew it!" I exclaimed, turning my body to face him.
It's the Unseelie Prince! So he's been right in front of me all along!
"Where are you!?" I demanded.
"Livia, I think that it is time for you to wake up."
"Are you sleeping somewhere? Are you kidnapped? Prince Klovis, tell me!"
A bitter look crosses his face with a hint of sadness. "Livia, please don't use formalities with me. It's Steve."
"You're probably hurt, are you? You said that you're still recovering your magic. That must be it, right?" I am just running on guesses at this point. "Tell me where you are, and I will rush to you immediately."
Steve's eyes seem to change. It begins to turn into a beautiful purple hue with golden specks around the pupils—a trait common with the fairies. He seems shocked at first, but his expression begins to lighten. "Rush to me? Aren't you afraid that I am an Unseelie?"
"I have met Seelie fairies who act more like Unseelies in the books. You are Steve, my friend, and my dream buddy. You told me that you would not hurt me, and I believe you, even without that fairy law about lying."
There's a glimmer in his eyes, as if tears were beginning to form. He turned away hastily and chuckled softly. "As expected, you're amazing, Livia. Just like you were when we first met."
"...when exactly did we meet?"
Finally, Steve returns his gaze to me. His eyes seem to portray sadness and another emotion that I am not sure I am reading right. "You're too kind and smart for this world. I don't think that I can protect you if you keep digging into my disappearance."
"I will stop digging if you tell me where you are!"
He shakes his head. "Too dangerous." He whispers. "Besides, I won't have much time left. Maybe you can ask Zhier to get you back to the human world. Tell him that I am dying."
Time seems to stop when I realize that he did not choke on his words just then. "You're dying!? Steve, I—"
"There's nothing you can do for me, Livia." He smiles sadly, leaning in to rest his forehead on mine. "Hearing you worry for me is enough, and meeting you in our dreams is what brought me joy, so don't be sad."
"Steve—"
"See you in your next dream, Livia. It's time for you to wake up."
I wake up from my dream with tears streaming down my cheeks the moment I awaken. Dream often disappear to the back of your mind when you wake up, but somehow, I clearly remembered mine just now.
Steve—no, Klovis—is dying wherever he is. We are running out of time. I have to act quickly and ask the only other person in this palace who can lie. And he is the person who lied to Zhier about Klovis's disappearance.
The King and Queen's trusted adviser—Faragon.