CHAPTER 7
“The library is awfully dull, and you will get dust all over your skirts, so please, let’s not stay there for too long,” Raena complained as we passed by countless crowds of gossiping court members on our way to the palace library. “Oh, and there are bookkeepers too, who just sort of linger between the bookshelves. You think you’re alone, and then suddenly one will pop up behind you to ask about what you’re reading. It’s so unnerving.” She shuddered.
I tried my best to listen to her as we stepped through the hallways, but all I could think about was how every noble’s attention seemed to be fixed on me. They eyed me like I was a piece of fresh meat and they were wild bears during the hungry months of winter. It wasn’t so bad when they just stared, but when they turned to their friends to whisper and giggle… I just wanted the walls to cave in around me.
“Here it is!” Raena announced as we reached the iron archway that led into the library. “Let’s make this quick, though. This dress is new, and I’d like to at least get a few days of use out of it,” she huffed, picking up the skirts of her apricot ruffled gown.
We made our way down a small set of stairs and into a vast underground room lit by candles. Rows upon rows of bookshelves stretched back as far as I could see. Raena was right about the dust, too. I had to cover my mouth to stifle a loud cough from echoing off the sandstone walls. Dotted around the room were various people dressed in long, formal-looking robes, with their noses buried into books. A few glanced up at us as we entered, watching us suspiciously.
“Ignore them,” Raena hissed to me. “They’re more stuck up than the nobles outside.”
My eyebrows shot up at her comment, but before I had a chance to respond, she took my arm and led me over to a dusty wooden desk, illuminated by several ornate candelabras. In the centre of the desk was a seemingly ancient tome opened to a page listing new births in the realm. Beside the book, resting in an inkpot was a white feathered quill, clearly used recently as the ink on the page was still glistening in the candlelight.
“Everything you need will be in this old thing.” Raena smiled, patting its yellowed pages. “Every birth of every highborn who ever was is written here, including yours.”
I reached forward and flicked through the book, being careful not to smear the fresh ink on the page where it was left open. It didn’t take long to find the section with my name and the details of my birth.
Princess Naria Alderbrook of Corlixir
Born the 2nd of Midspring, Year 1329
Daughter of King Benedict and Queen Elowen Alderbrook of Corlixir
My fingers stroked the black ink where my parents’ names were. I had no idea I had a last name. None of us in the village did. There weren’t enough of us Corlixins left to even need them.
Alderbrook.
I wondered if it meant anything, or if it was just another thing I would lose if I married Lukas.
“Prince Lukas is a few pages before you,” Raena said, pulling me from my thoughts. She flicked through more aged pages and pointed to another section similar to mine.
Prince Lukas Forgeborn of Drothmore
Born the 28th of Latesummer, Year 1327
Son of King Ikelos and Queen Erissa Forgeborn of Drothmore
“We should search around here if you want to find another noble to marry,” she suggested, waving her finger over the page. “I know a lot about the different powerful families across the realm, so together we should be able to figure out if any are worth pursuing.”
Relief washed over me as I scoured all the different names. “Thank you,” I said, reaching for her hand, “for helping with this. And for everything else you’ve done for me.”
Raena blinked a few times, her deep brown eyes reflecting the candlelight. “Anything to help a new friend.” She squeezed my hand. “Oh, but I am expecting that once you become a queen, you’ll help me find a good suitor too. I’m very picky though. He must be kind, and handsome, terribly rich too, and oh! He must allocate an entire section of his estate just to house my gowns.” She whipped open her hand fan and fluttered it dreamily against her face. “So yes, it might take quite a few dusty library sessions to find him.” We both chuckled before returning to the book to begin searching.
“This is absolutely hopeless,” Raena sighed, letting her head crash against the desk. Hours had passed. In the time we’d been searching, a few bookkeepers had wandered over, offering plush chairs for us to sit on while we read, and some even asked if they could help. A quick look from Raena, however, had sent them scurrying away, though we did accept the chairs.
I sighed too and rested my chin on my open palm. “There are so many people here but none of them could I ever consider. They’re all either married already or not rich enough.”
“Now you see my predicament,” Raena grumbled, her face still smushed against the wooden desk.
I stifled a laugh. While there were a few unmarried options, Raena didn’t know enough about their family histories to be able to confirm if they’d be sympathetic to my cause. In Honeymeade, everyone was so enamoured with the idea of Corlixir rising again. But here, it seemed that everyone had better things to worry about – like what they would wear to any upcoming balls or which sort of exotic bird they should have for dinner.
“I’m going to look for another book,” I decided, pushing myself up from the desk.
Raena grunted. “Why? All the information about the nobility is here.”
“I’m not giving up just yet. There has to be something else that can help.”
Raena gestured vaguely at some distant bookshelves against the back wall. “I know there are some books about the different families down there. You might find something useful.”
I nodded and made my way over, leaving my companion to sulk at the desk.
The air in the far corner of the library was much cooler than where we had been sitting. There were also fewer candles, which made it difficult to read the thin gold writing of the book titles. I ran my fingers down the spine of each book, trying my best to make sense of the titles, but I found myself pausing when my hand brushed against a book that seemed different to the others. The cover was lavender, just like the spires of my parents’ palace, and there was something unusual about the texture.
I drew closer. Oddly, there was no writing on the spine, and when I went to pull the book from the shelf, it wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard I tugged, there was no movement at all.
Frustrated, I brought up both hands, jammed my fingers against the book cover, and used all my strength to heave. Finally, the book shifted as a loud click sounded through the walls. I almost yelped as the bookshelf swung towards me, but instead of crashing to the floor, it swung to the side to reveal a dimly lit passageway.
“It’s not polite to poke your nose in places you don’t belong, Princess.”
My whole body flinched as I whipped around. A few feet away, a hooded woman was leaning against a bookshelf, quietly observing me. She stepped closer, her face gradually being illuminated by the candlelight until, when she was just a few steps away, I could finally make out her features properly. It didn’t take me long to recognise that familiar pinched nose and thin mouth.
“Seraphina?” I breathed. “You’re that healer, from the King’s chambers?”
She dipped her head for a moment. “That is I. And you are Naria… Princess Naria from that little village in the woods. Soon to be Queen of Drothmore, I hear.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Oh?” A smile crept up the side of her mouth. “You don’t want to marry the prince? With his current reputation, I can’t say I blame you.” She laughed quietly before raising an eyebrow. “Although that doesn’t explain why you were about to enter the forbidden library.”
“Forbidden library?” I blurted out, then shook my head. “It was an accident,” I admitted, brushing a stray curl away from my face. “Lukas isn’t interested in helping with my… predicament. So, I came here with a friend to try and find someone else who could. I was looking through these books because I thought there might be information about any powerful families who were allied with my kingdom. And then… Well, then I found this door.” I looked back at the open passageway. It was so dark inside, and the air pouring out felt strange and ominously heavy.
“How intriguing,” Seraphina mused. “I wonder, Naria, do you know anything about the Dark Kingdoms?”
The Dark Kingdoms?
“The what?” I blinked at her, my confusion only widening Seraphina’s smile.
“The three kingdoms that house the faeries, the merfolk, and the goblins,” she explained, leaning closer and dropping her voice to a whisper.
“Oh.” I paused. We’d studied magical beings during our lessons in the village, but only very briefly. We were taught that you’d have to venture far into the mountains beyond Drothmore to find goblins, while merfolk could sometimes be spotted diving in and out of the waves off the coasts of Ryntook. Our lessons on faeries, however, were even more vague. When it came to the fae we were taught only two things.
One, that they exist.
Two, that you should never ever go out searching for one. We may both share the same realm, but faeries are fickle, selfish creatures, incapable of feeling any human emotions, and would happily murder an entire household for a mere pretty crystal.
“Why are you telling me this?” I questioned her suspiciously. “Magical beings just roam the lands and seas like beasts. Even if they had kingdoms, and they could help, they’d never want to help me. I don’t have anything to offer.”
Seraphina’s blue eyes glistened. “Have you ever met a faery?”
“No.” I shuddered at the thought.
“Perhaps if you did, you would realise they’re not so beastlike after all.” She gestured at the dark passageway behind me. “I’d like to show you something, if you have some time to spare from your book hunting.”
Fear twitched inside my stomach and I glanced from the hallway back to Seraphina.
“Is it safe?” I asked in a quiet voice.
Seraphina chuckled and began to head into the darkness. “You won’t find any goblins or ghouls down here, Naria. Only the truth, which, for you, might be even scarier.” Her voice faded as I heard her descending a set of stairs.
I shouldn’t have done it. I should’ve stayed where it was safe and definitely human. But my own curiosity lured me into that passageway before I even had a chance to change my mind. So, I stepped forward. Behind me, the bookshelf swung shut, plunging me into complete darkness. My heart pounded in the silence until I heard footsteps again, and Seraphina appeared with a small candle clutched in her hand.
“This way.” She smiled, beckoning me further inside.
We descended a set of stairs until we reached another doorway. A mysterious golden light spilled from the room ahead and onto the black tiled floor. As we entered, my mouth fell open. The room itself wasn’t anything spectacular – just a small, normal-looking space with black bookshelves covering the walls from floor to ceiling. The wonder came from the books themselves. They were all so brightly illuminated in colours I’d never seen before, and anything but normal. Some of them shivered where they rested, and a few even sang quiet songs from their shelves. It was as though they were alive and buzzing with the excitement of finally seeing some readers.
“Is this magic?” I gasped, trying to take in every inch of the small room.
“Of course,” Seraphina said casually. “But that’s not why I brought you here.” She moved over to a shelf and lifted a huge purple book that appeared to chuckle as she grabbed it. “This is the book that details all of the faery nobility.” She lugged the book over to a table and with a heavy thud, dropped it onto the wood. “You’ll find, in here, that the Faery King and Queen have a son who’s only a few years older than you, and he’s unmarried.” Something flickered across her sharp features as she leafed through the pages, the book still giggling quietly to itself.
“I can’t make an alliance with a faery, let alone marry one.” My nose wrinkled at the thought. “Faeries and humans just don’t mix.” I shook my head frantically.
“You believe too many of the lies you’ve been told,” Seraphina sighed, continuing to turn the book’s giggling pages. “Your parents maintained good relations with the faery court. Where do you think your mages got their magic from?”
Mages? While I’d never met one, I’d been told by my teachers that they existed in Corlixir prior to the Great Blaze. They were ordinary humans who had the not-so-ordinary ability to cast magic. But just thinking that a Corlixin had anything to do with the faeries made my head spin. This was all made up. It had to be.
“All mages are descendants of the fae,” Seraphina explained. “Mostly human, with just a trace of faery blood running through their veins. For a time, Corlixir served almost like a bridge between the dark kingdoms and the human realm. Faeries wandered the streets of your kingdom as freely as we humans did.” She paused as she ran her fingers down one of the pages.
“How do you know this to be true?” I asked, my eyebrows knitting together. In the golden light of the room, I could see Seraphina clearly. Even with her hood still up, I knew for certain she must’ve been no older than eighteen. Her blonde hair hung in ringlets around her youthful face. The Great Blaze would’ve been when she was just a baby.
“We’re so alike,” Seraphina said, meeting my stare. “I lost my parents when I was just a baby, too. But the family who took me in – they never hid the truth. Despite what King Ikelos wants everyone to believe, the faeries are not villainous fiends waiting in the woods to trap innocent children. They have their own culture, just like us, and I know they would be willing to help your cause. If Corlixir could be rebuilt, perhaps so too could the bridge between our worlds.”
She spoke with such light in her voice, such hope. But I couldn’t believe her. I didn’t want to. Faeries were evil demonic creatures. I still vividly remembered the lesson from less than a year ago when they showed us a portrait of a captured faery and all but a couple of the braver students screamed. One girl had to take the rest of the day off, sick from her fright. I could still see the portrait clearly in my mind: a horrible, gnarled, blue-skinned wraith of a thing.
And then, why did she mention King Ikelos? Drothmore has been a firm ally of my kingdom since before my parents were born. What did he have to do with any of this?
“This is all wrong,” I breathed, stepping back.
“Princess Naria, please you must—” The hooded woman looked as if she wanted to say more, but then something stopped her. In the distance, I could hear a faint shouting. We both turned to the doorway.
“Naria!” The shout echoed again. It was a girl’s voice, and getting closer.
Gently, Seraphina pushed me towards the stairs. “You should leave now,” she said, guiding me out of the room. “Forget about our conversation and marry Prince Lukas if you so desire. But if you ever change your mind and want to take a leap of faith for the good of your kingdom, and the realm, you know where to look.” She waved her hand at the hidden library behind us.
I nodded, my teeth catching on my lower lip.
Before long, as if nothing had ever happened, I was back in the palace library with the hidden doorway clicking shut behind me. The blue-hooded healer hurried off just as Raena rounded a corner, but she wasn’t alone. A young man, slightly timid-looking and dressed in a servant’s tunic, stood beside her.
“Where have you been? We searched all over the library for you. Your dress is filthy!” Raena gasped, rushing to slap some of the dust off my skirts.
“I was right here,” I told her, silently begging they didn’t notice my lie. “There’s so many interesting books here. I must’ve not heard you looking.” The nervous smile stuck to my face as I pivoted towards the young man. “Who is this?”
With each word, his voice quivered. “Princess Naria?”
I nodded.
“My name is Ryan. I’ve been sent by Prince Lukas to fetch you. He wishes to speak with you immediately.”
It was a struggle not to groan. But since the boy in front of me was clearly so terrified, I tried my best to answer in a way that would not frighten him more. “Thank you for coming all this way to find me, Sir Ryan, but please tell His Highness that I am quite busy right now and I do not wish to be disturbed.”
At my response, the servant’s face paled.
“Naria…” Raena hissed with a forced smile. She drew closer then tugged my ear to her lips, warning me in a low whisper. “I know you do not wish to marry him, but it is not proper to ignore the Crown Prince’s orders.”
“P-please Your Highness,” the servant stuttered, looking close to fainting. “I’m sure it won’t take long. I believe he only wishes to walk with you in the grounds.”
Raena stared up at me with a pleading expression. She didn’t say it, but I knew she meant for me to go – not just for my sake, but for the sake of this poor servant.
“Fine,” I grumbled as Ryan looked as though he might burst with happiness. “Please take me to him.”