CHAPTER 12 #3
Morning became afternoon, and afternoon became evening.
Lunch and dinner came and were just as delicious as breakfast, if not better.
The garden was empty except for the guards on patrol, and I watched as the sunset painted the sky in tones of red, pink, and orange as it lowered over the garden.
As my room became darker, the lanterns came to life, illuminating my room one lantern at a time.
Confusion fogged my brain; I didn’t light them.
How were they working? A vague memory of last night came back to me, and the flittering light in the lanterns hanging in the tree replayed in my mind.
There was one hanging beside me in my room, so I walked over to it to investigate.
The small, glowing object, which bounced around the glass walls, cast shadows as it danced.
I stepped closer and saw a small cottage-like house resting on the bottom of the lantern's glass. The small glowing object had … wings? A tiny pair of wings fluttered, peeking out from the radiating glow. Whatever it was stopped moving, and I had to squint my eyes to see it better. It was a small creature, no bigger than the size of a coin. It turned to look at me, and its golden hair fluttered with the motion, followed by its colorful dress. Intrigued, I watched as she resumed flitting around the container, keeping busy with small tasks around the tiny home. It was miraculous! There was so much I had to learn, and I had so many questions about this small creature. I didn’t want to disturb her, not knowing who or what she was, so I busied myself by adding the small glowing winged creature to my list of things.
A knock sounded at the door, followed by the lock releasing.
The door creaked open, and Prince Zendryk stepped into my room, shutting the door behind him.
A sudden wave of nerves rolled through me, leaving me light and unsteady.
His stare held me in place as he scanned over my body, covered by the clothes that Mrs. Prast had given me.
His eyes lingered, and he took a moment before his voice broke the heavy silence, “I hope you are enjoying your stay so far?” He asked, moving to sit at the table where I had eaten my meals earlier.
There was a small platter of pastries that I had saved in case I grew hungry throughout the night and couldn’t sleep. “May I?”
I nodded. “I don’t know if enjoying is the right word, but yes, everything is fine. I want to be able to leave my room, though, and not feel like a prisoner.” I said, wasting no time and skipping whatever game this still was.
“It won’t be forever, just until we figure out what is going on. A mortal has never seen our world since the war, and we need to figure out why you can.” He took a bite of a chocolate pastry that was dusted with white powdered sugar.
I let out a sigh of frustration. “How do you plan on figuring that out?”
He chewed a couple of bites and then swallowed; the lump in his throat bobbed up and down with the motion.
“I have the Professor and his assistants working on it, and my parents have been informed as well and are reaching out to the other manors without providing too many details. For now, I think we start by seeing how much you can see of our world.”
“I can see quite well, thank you. I can even see that tiny little … bug, floating around in the lantern over there.” I pointed to the lantern closest to me, just as the light disappeared.
He let out a soft chuckle, “She doesn’t appreciate being called a bug.”
“Oh… I’m sorry?” It came out more as a question than a statement, and the light came back, but not as bright.
“It seems you have offended your little fairy friend.” A wry knowing smile grew on his face.
Fairy? I got closer to the lantern, my nose, so close it almost pressed against the glass as she floated around, busying herself again.
She turned to look at me and made the cutest pout I had ever seen, and then turned around to continue her work.
I turned back to the Prince, “Aren’t they sad to be stuck in the lanterns?
I know that I would love to leave my room.
” My sarcasm was evident by the flat look he gave me.
“They aren’t trapped; they can leave whenever they want.
There are holes in the tops of the lanterns, and we provide them with homes in exchange for their light.
Sometimes, if they like you, they will bring you gifts or things you need.
” He picked up another pastry and took a bite. “Mmmm. Lemon, my favorite.”
His moan of delight sent shivers through my body.
For fucks sake, Avyn. You need to focus on other important things, not his moaning...
I bet that mouth could do all sorts of…NO!
I scolded myself, changing the subject, moving across the room to the window to look outside, and to put some distance between us.
The garden was completely dark, except for a small pathway lit by lanterns; lanterns that held a fairy in each. “So how do you plan to show me things?”
“That’s a loaded question, Sweetheart.” His smile twisted into something more devilish.
I shot him a fuck-off glare that said ‘don’t you fucking dare’ without saying a single word.
“Okay, Sweetheart,” he threw his hands up in the air in defeat. “Tomorrow, we will go out into the gardens and explore the manor. We will take notes on anything that you find … fascinating.”
“Do you mean like a wolves and fairy kind of fascinating?” I crossed my arms, covering my chest from his roaming eyes.
“Exactly.” He stood up and walked towards the door.
“It’s getting late, and we will need a good night's sleep before our long day tomorrow.” He opened the door and, before stepping out, turned to me and said, “Goodnight, Sweetheart,” with a wink, and disappeared behind the door before I could react.