Chapter 18 Myths and Folklore
Chapter eighteen
Myths and Folklore
The Land of the Fae was once accessible to the humans of Meridea, but with the loss of magic, so came the loss of the fae.
-Tales from Meridea, Volume I
The dress was too tight. It crushed every rib and jammed them into her lungs, making breathing an impossible task.
This was a dinner, and how she was expected to eat when she couldn’t take in air was a mystery.
Not to mention, her black hair was pulled back along her scalp enough to burn while the rest of it was in some ridiculous array of braids before finally allowing it to rest over her shoulders.
“You look pale. Here, try this.” Brielle said.
Glaring at her, Luci sat perfectly still due to the fact that she was positive that one wrong move would puncture her lungs.
“Don’t look at me like that. You are beautiful,” she said, dipping her fingers into a pink powder and dapping it onto Luci’s cheeks.
“I don’t see why I am being bullied into this. I am a servant, remember?” Luci grumbled.
Brielle sighed and placed a hand on her hip.
“You are not. Stop whining. It’s one night. I missed getting to see you all dressed up once. I am owed,” she said.
“One day I am going to forget why I love you.” Luci pouted.
Brielle snorted, clearly not believing her.
Their room was quiet except for Calcifer’s purrs from the bed.
Brielle’s ladies came and went, and there was no denying they achieved their goal.
Brielle was resplendent in a navy gown while gold shadow hugged her eyelids.
Her cheekbones were covered in a slight shimmer while her blond hair ran in rivulets over her back and shoulders.
She was everything a future queen should be.
However, beneath the makeup was a pallor that made Luci want to drag her down to the infirmary to see Noah.
When she tried to suggest it, Brielle pulled tighter on the corset, so Luci hadn’t been brave enough to bring it up again.
They’d made good headway today, all the same.
All day was spent cataloguing symptoms and reviewing herbs and ingredients that either helped or worsened symptoms. For the first time, Luci didn’t feel as lonely in her fight to keep Brielle well.
Mostly, for the first time, Luci felt that there might be something out there that wasn’t a magical, mythical flower that could be a cure.
“I can’t wait to see Ira’s face when he sees.” Brielle giggled.
It was such a pure and sweet sound that, despite herself, Luci found herself smiling even though the sentiment of them felt heavy in her stomach.
“I’m sure he will forget how to speak. You look beautiful, Brielle. Just like a princess from a fairytale.”
Oddly, Brielle rolled her eyes before pressing the rouge to Luci’s lips.
“Fairy godmother, save me from my best friend,” she murmured.
“Rude.” Luci tried to say. “I was being nice.”
Brielle huffed out a breath and stood back, admiring her work.
“Yes, well, you are exhausting,” she said.
“Me?” Luci stammered. “I’m not the one flirting incessantly with my fiancé’s brother, who, by the way, is a terrible person.”
The corners of her eyes crinkled, and the smile she wore could have slain armies.
“He’s reformed.” She said, “And he’s very handsome, don’t you think?”
Luci shook her head, unable to understand the chaotic thoughts running through Brielle’s mind. Maybe Prince Ira didn’t care right now, but someday he might, and nothing good could come of it.
“You should think about how your fiancé feels about it.” Luci chastised.
The answering curl of her red lips was practically villainous.
“I’m fairly certain he’s too preoccupied to notice.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Brielle Treveon?” Luci asked, mouth agape.
Never in all their years together did Luci once question Brielle’s integrity or virtue.
This version of her friend was someone she barely recognized.
Morality aside, the way her cheeks pulled tight, and the brightness in her eyes was a sight to behold.
Brielle was happy, and beneath her pallor, she was glowing.
“Oh, Luci, someday we'll look back on this and laugh. Just try to make sure it’s before my wedding,” she said.
Her tone was teasing, but the rest was foreign and cut into Luci’s chest. It was the knowledge that someday Brielle would marry Prince Ira, and she would lose her. That was it. Knowing she would sleep in his bed, wake up beside him, and spend their evening together.
Knots as big as stones settled into her stomach, and the urge to run far away took root in her.
Kindness and happiness beyond what should have been given to her were her constant companions for most of her life.
She could be happy for her friend. Even if jealousy eroded her from within, she could be happy for the woman who meant the world to her.
Forcing a smile, Luci chuckled. “We can laugh about it now.”
The smile fell from Brielle’s face, and Luci knew it was the wrong thing to say, even if she didn’t understand why. All she wanted was to support Brielle. The cost didn’t matter.
“You are a better friend than I could ever have asked for. Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing, but I can’t help but think if I didn’t do it this way, we would go back to Blythe and you would never find the happiness you deserve.”
None of it made sense.
“I would follow you wherever, and that would be all the happiness I need,” Luci whispered.
Brielle nodded and wiped at the hint of tears welling in her eyes.
“Look at that. You will make my charcoal run,” she said. “I see now you’ll never choose yourself over me. I’ll fix this tonight, and I hope you will forgive me for it,” she said.
Goodness, if just one thing out of her mouth would make sense. Brielle Treveon was an open book. There were no secrets, no plots between them, but tonight, Luci didn’t know a single thing.
The right thing to say was lost somewhere inside of Luci, like she was adrift in a place devoid of time or space. Reaching down, Brielle tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. A delicate trail of tears tracking down her beautiful face.
“I am going to say something to you right now, and I want you to hear me. The first is that it doesn’t matter where or to whom you were born— it matters who you have chosen to be.
The second is that you are worthy of a love that could tumble the stars from the sky.
All you have to do is be brave enough and love yourself enough to accept it. ”
It hurt to take in a full breath, and her eyes were stinging with such force that liquid pooled in them.
It was like trying to pull a boulder up a mountain.
It was a funny sort of dread that whispered at the back of her mind.
It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Brielle to speak with her heart, but this felt like the beginning of a tragedy.
Luci stood and ran her hands over Brielle’s face and neck. Several small bumps gathered here and there beneath the skin of her neck, but no more than normal. Sometimes there were more when she took ill, but her skin felt cool, no fevers.
Brielle grabbed Luci’s hands and smiled as she pulled them down.
“I’m fine. You know I am not always sick when I say nice things to you,” she said.
That couldn’t stop the worry clinging to Luci like a second skin. Everything in her was saying that this was a mistake. They shouldn’t be going to this dinner. She should throw Brielle into the bed and get Noah to come see what Luci was missing.
Wiping at her eyes and dabbing her cheeks, Brielle rolled her eyes before grabbing Luci’s hand.
“Let’s go before you try to kidnap me.”
Sometimes Luci wondered if Brielle was capable of hearing her thoughts, for how astute she often was.
“Fine, but if you feel at all bad, we are leaving,” Luci said.
A begrudging murmur was all Brielle would give her, but it would have to do.
The walk to the dining hall was punctuated by a silence that was abnormal for them.
There was always something to say, even when there wasn’t.
Luci couldn’t stop thinking about all the cryptic things Brielle said, and when she pressed her on it, Brielle would insist that she needed to speak with Prince Ira.
By the time they reached the closed doors of the hall, a small party was already gathered.
Luci groaned and cursed her misfortune when she saw Lord Treveon speaking to Annabeth’s father.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the moment he glanced at Luci, his smile fell as he’d just witnessed her slap a puppy.
It was a comical mix of horror and fury that filled his cheeks with red.
Despite his reaction, he politely excused himself and made for Luci and Brielle.
“This is not going to go well,” Luci grumbled.
To her credit, Brielle tilted her nose into the air and threaded her arm through Luci’s. At least no one could deny her courage.
“Brielle, what is the meaning of this?” he whispered, his mustache fluttering with the venom in the words that were too quiet for anyone else to hear.
“We came to dinner as we were invited,” Brielle said.
“You were invited. She was not,” he said.
Brielle lifted a single eyebrow at him. Gone was the doting daughter who fought to maintain the fragile peace between friend and father. Instead, Brielle met his gaze unflinching.
“Why don’t you go inside and ask Ira if Luci was invited?” she challenged.
Lord Treveon stepped back, seeing his daughter for the first time. This was no frail of health maiden, but a queen, and Luci was never so proud as she was in that moment. Even if she was inclined to agree with Lord Treveon, it was magnificent to see Brielle using her voice.
“He is only indulging you, but you will find his patience only runs so deep,” he said.
“I cannot save you from your own prejudices, Father, but I suggest you correct them before it is too late. Lucinda is and has always been our equal,” she said.