Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Deirdre
Why did he just leave?
The entire trip back to the castle, I couldn’t help wondering that and what it meant for me.
That was two days ago.
The entire castle had been busy with wedding preparations ever since.
He never even asked me officially to marry him. What if he doesn’t come back? What will his court do with me? Will I be allowed to go home?…
Returning to the valley without Crispin seemed even worse than staying here.
Kane had said that day at the grove that if I behaved, I would have my freedom. That simple truth pushed me forward. What could I do as queen? How much freedom would I have?
What type of power would I be able to wield?
I guess all of that would be decided today—…my wedding day—…with no groom in sight.
A day of celebration and yet all I wanted to do was crawl back under the covers.
If I’m forced to marry the fae who killed my best friend, I’d use my power to make sure no fae ever harmed another human……including Kane. How many humans had perished under his reign?
How many more would fall?
I wondered what my own king thought.
In Saol, each race paid allegiance to their own king.
In total, there were seven ruling houses: King Henry was mine; Kane ruled the fae on the surface while Queen Merelda ruled the dark fae in the Underground; King Braun Shattermaul and Queen Kolmeda Bronzeborn ruled the dwarves; I didn’t know who ruled the elementals; the sabers, the furry two-legged beasts, were ruled by King Masuma and Queen Nari; the mer people by King Neus and Queen Talora; and lastly, all the twisted bowed to the Lich King.
But soon there would be a human on the fae throne, something never done in all of history.
Was King Henry supportive of this marriage? What did he think would happen the moment Kane and I wed? Did he even know I was here?
Did he think I was dead along with everyone else?
Kane’s disbelief in the prophecy echoed my own thoughts.
Once I had believed that a marriage between a fae king and a human could bring peace between our kind, but that was before I understood how deep Kane's hatred was.
It wasn't just that he disliked humans; he blamed them for the death of his family.
While he had never said those words to me, Liora gave me enough information to surmise my own theories.
His father had been murdered, and Kane’s mother and his father’s human mistresses all seemed to be involved.
Yet, it was the human mistresses—or witches as the story says—that poisoned his father’s mind and set off a series of cataclysmic events.
Sitting at the table in my room, I picked at the cheddar biscuits from breakfast, finding it hard to do much more. A squeak came from the corner.
The little mouse that had been my most frequent visitor had brought a friend.
Taking the biscuit, I walked over to the corner of the room and sat on the floor. “You can have the rest. I’m not very hungry today.”
Placing the food down, I pulled my legs under me and stared at the little creatures, wondering if this was how I would spend the rest of my life, sitting in a tower talking to mice.
As they nibbled on the biscuits, I stared at the window. Sunlight beamed through the stained-glass windows, creating a rainbow in the center of the room. “If things had gone differently, maybe I would have enjoyed it here.”
The mouse with the tuft of white on his tail sat on its back legs, holding a crumb and staring at me.
“I know. It’s foolish of me to even think that… but… I was born to be queen, or at least that’s what I was brought up to believe.”
Holding my hand out, I waited for my visitor to scurry closer. “Do you think I would make a good queen?”
With a squeak, it scrambled forward, sniffing at my fingers.
A slow smile crept onto my face. “I wish I had your confidence, but I miss my home, my husband… he was my best friend.”
My bedroom door opened, and Liora walked in carrying a big glittering silver gown.
The mice scurried off, disappearing back into the hole in the wall.
Nausea rolled through my belly.
This is really happening.
By sunset, I would be Queen of the Fae.
Part of me wanted to believe the prophecy was real, and after the unicorn’s blessing, how could I not believe that?
…Though the thought of ruling made me want to leap out the broken window. I knew once I was married, I’d have my magic back, and that meant choices. As queen, I’d have the power to protect my people, even if it meant enduring Kane’s world.
Liora gave me a soft smile and brought the gown over to me.
Standing, I looked at the stunning dress she carried. The reality of the moment filled me with uncertainty and fear.
It wasn't just marrying Kane. It was what would happen after the ceremony.
Whether fae, human, saber, or dwarf, all the races had one thing in common: a marriage must be consummated.
Could I tolerate lying with the fae who’d killed Crispin?
Years ago, I walked away from the idea of being queen and fulfilling any prophecy, but if the All Father insisted on binding me to the Deathless One, I would make it serve a purpose.
Once I was queen, I would have freedom and I could leave and search for Crispin’s body.
At least give him a proper burial and say goodbye.
There would be other freedoms with being queen.
Maybe I could return home and see my family, let my grandfather know I was alive and safe…
or at least safe from being eaten by the fae.
That thought gave me enough strength to get through this.
“Have you eaten anything?” Liora asked as she placed the gown on the bed beside me.
I shook my head. The thought of eating anything made the nausea intensify.
“Before you dress, I will take you to the baths.”
Unable to speak and voice my fear, I followed Liora out of the spire and down the windy steps.
We moved toward the inner area of the castle.
A place I still had barely seen. After I had acted aggressively during dinner, I was no longer invited to eat with the court.
Though I was sure that would change after today.
We walked through the stony halls, bare of any type of decoration, and entered another windy staircase heading down. This one far from the prisons.
A floral scent reached my nose: roses and lilac.
Curious, I walked a little faster, following the familiar scent.
Another maiden in white robes stood in front of a door as we approached.
She bowed slightly and then opened it, revealing a large candlelit room covered in flowers.
In the center, two more handmaidens waited, dressed in simple blue sleeveless frocks, each one holding a bowl filled with oils and soaps.
A proper bath.
The guards had brought up buckets of water where I could sponge bathe, and even in the valley, I did any washing in the river. In the temple, there was a bath area, but nothing like this.
Steam rose off the large pool, the humid air already warming my bones.
Large white vases surrounded the room, each one overflowing with willow’s breath and yellow roses.
The dome-shaped ceiling had a magnificent painting of a sunset sky that reached across the entire room, sliding down the walls until the image morphed into a sunlight meadow.
Liora took my robe and I walked to the bath, stepping into the hot water.
Every inch of my muscles relaxed a little, the tenseness in my shoulders fading.
I dipped all the way down, letting the water hit my chin.
Soaking, I sighed, enjoying the warmth of the water and how it kneaded every knot out of my tense shoulders.
The two handmaidens stepped into the water. One grabbed my arm and began cleaning my nails with a brush. The other took one of the oils and poured it on my head, then massaged my scalp.
Closing my eyes, I allowed the handmaidens to attend to me, enjoying this quiet, relaxing moment.
Hours had passed, and my entire body was in a state of relaxation. My skin had been scrubbed, oiled, and by the time I had stepped out of that water, I had never felt so clean.
Calmness radiated through me, my skin a floral melody.
They took me to a door off to the side and into a large dressing chamber with vanities and mirrors set all along the walls with an open wardrobe packed with various gowns and robes and dresses that I didn't have time to gawk at.
Liora held out the wedding dress. I hated it was beautiful. I hated the glittering silver of the fabric, how it cinched at the waist and flowed out like water.
Silver buttons on the top of the shoulders held the dress up, the sleeves flowed out, cut in multiple places, reaching the floor.
She held the dress up and nodded, a sign that it was time for me to get ready.
The three fae held the dress out and I stepped into it.
The silky fabric slid against my smooth skin.
One handmaiden hummed as she tied the back, lacing it tight. I peeked at myself in one of the nearby mirrors, my cheeks ruby red. I didn't know how much time I had left. But I knew soon I would walk out of this room, and everything would change.
Purposely, I looked away from the mirror.
I didn't want to see how gorgeous and perfect the dress fit.
I didn't want to add anything to this day because no matter how beautiful I appeared, there was a deadness inside.
A hollowness that made me want to curl up in bed and tuck the blanket over my head and pretend none of this was happening.
Once they tied the dress, Liora placed her hands on my arms, holding me out, examining me. She smiled, and it was hard not to smile back at her.
“You are the most beautiful queen,” she said.
The other two maidens smiled beside her, nodding in agreement.
“Come.” Liora guided me to one of the cushion seats in front of the vanity.
I glanced at my hands, noticing how manicured and clean they looked. Since living in the valley, trying to make my hands look as though they didn't spend every hour in the dirt had been difficult.
It was as if this bath had wiped away any trace of my previous life.
Time slowed as the handmaidens braided my hair, applied lotion to my arms and face, and decorated the corners of my eyes and top of my cheeks with tiny, glittering crystals.
They had taken a black coal crayon, darkening my eyes, making me look like someone else. Half of my hair had been braided and twisted. The rest curled and cascaded down around my shoulders, one diamond encrusted clip pushed in the top of my head like a tiny crown.
I didn't recognize the woman in the mirror.
But she definitely looked the part of a queen.
Thinking back to all the kids in the village who made fun of me, I wondered what they would say now. Would they be impressed? Part of me couldn’t believe I was actually here.
If only things had gone differently.
Was I a fool to run away from the temple?
Before my thoughts could wander into all the what-ifs, the maids brought over a small wooden trunk, opening it to a glittering array of gems and jewelry.
The amount of wealth in that trunk could feed multiple settlements.
Glittering bracelets and necklaces were taken out and laid out on display on a nearby table covered in linen.
The dress had a sweetheart neckline showing more than I cared for. Liora picked up a large cascading diamond and sapphire necklace, the teardrop gems small and delicate with long, various strands.
She held it up, looking at me in the glass, right under my collar.
“What about this?” I tugged at the magical dampener.
“The king will remove it before the ceremony,” she said, clasping the jeweled necklace around me.
Bracelets covered my wrist, and the amount of wealth decorating me created rainbows against the mirrors. It was almost blinding. Liora stepped back, examining her handiwork.
After I had been primped, prodded, and perfumed, it was time.
Liora put a veil on top of my head, covering me. “I know humans have certain traditions. While the fae have their own rituals, I wanted you to at least feel comfortable, given the circumstances.”
The lacy material fell in front of my face, hiding me from the world, and covering the mark that had dictated my life since the moment I was born.
We left the bath area and went into a narrow stairwell. There was no loud cacophony of talking or music or anything signifying that today was a special day. They brought me to a drawing room on the first floor of the castle where we waited.
Gitz walked into the drawing room and motioned for Liora. The two whispered and I strained to hear what they were saying.
Liora spoke fast, then the goblin scurried out, and Gideon walked in, dressed in a navy-blue doublet.
“What is it?” I asked.
“We're just waiting for the king,” Liora said, the smile not reaching her eyes.
“What do you mean we’re waiting for the king?”
She paused before continuing. “King Kane is currently missing.”