Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
EIGHTEEN YEARS BEFORE
The castle was alive with footsteps. Servants scattered throughout every corridor, cleaning and preparing for their guests.
Everything had to be pristine and perfect, a castle fit for fae.
It was a common misconception that the fae folk were immortal.
The almighty gods were the only beings to possess eternal life.
The fae’s lifespans were simply longer, making it near impossible to tell their actual age.
They were elegant and mysterious creatures, and they were coming to Keles.
For the first time in countless years, a fae king would enter human lands.
King Matthias Lavertus had reigned over Azaros for centuries, and only now had he recognized a need to meet with other kingdoms.
Disappearances had begun to plague the realm.
Week after week, month after month, more and more citizens were going missing.
Bodies were never found at the scenes, only pawprints, sometimes hooves.
Obtaining a good description of the beasts was impossible.
The rare witnesses they did have only gave variable and contradicting descriptions of creatures that sounded completely fabricated.
The one thing the witnesses did agree on was where the bodies were taken, where the trails always seemed to lead—toward the Mountains of Ash Cliff.
The enemy didn’t discriminate; even the fae lands had been breached.
The ethereal fae resided directly north of Keles, somewhere hidden within the Creekwood Forest. Men had tried seeking the entrance to their territory countless times, and failed.
Deceptive cloaking magic kept their home a secret.
Only one entrance existed within those trees, appearing for those who knew where to look.
Yet whatever was leading these attacks had discovered the passage. Now no one in Lynor was safe.
It had been her brother’s initiative that got the fae king’s attention. Sending word to their scouts that they were on the same side of a future battle and it was time to align.
Adriel was only in his adolescent years, yet his strategy on war and his desire to protect his kingdom were those of a grown man. He knew Keles had power in numbers, but they needed the fae army. If these attacks meant war was coming, the mortal kingdoms needed to come together.
King Oren was more than willing to allow Adriel to take the reins on political discourse. After all, he would be king one day, and this was the perfect opportunity to prepare him for the role.
The day the fae king arrived, Helaina timidly stepped outside the gatehouse along with the rest of her family.
Servants and soldiers gathered too, lining the walls of Oakmire, an awe-inspiring structure with towers that could touch the clouds on the right day.
The moat contained water so clear, the castle walls reflected off the smooth surface like glass.
The body of water circled the entire estate, only a single bridge allowing visitors access to the gatehouse.
The crowd looked onward toward the horizon.
Everyone around Helaina was murmuring, making idle conversation.
The youngest princess stayed close to her family.
She was told to be silent throughout this visit.
“Quiet and polite, how a princess should be.” Those were her mother’s words.
To be seen and not heard. She obeyed, keeping an eye out for flags signaling the arrival of their guests.
None appeared, no extravagant carriages, no vast caravans like she had pictured in her head.
Then she saw him, a solitary rider approaching over the hill.
He rode atop an unusual horse, the likes of which she had never seen.
It had an unbound mane of sparkling white, with vines weaving in between the strands.
Its taupe body seemed to be peppered in moss.
Helaina couldn’t tell if the horse needed a bath, or if the greenery was somehow growing from its skin.
Her vision tracked upward to the peculiar beast’s rider.
King Matthias Lavertus.
He galloped toward the waiting crowd. She silently hoped one day she could look just as confident in a saddle.
Helaina’s own riding lessons had only started last season.
After months of begging, her father had finally gifted her Elsie, a chestnut mare to call her very own.
As stunning as she was, not a single horse in her family’s collection could compare to the beauty of the one that came to a halt before her.
The fae king dismounted with utmost grace and elegance.
Gleaming yellow hair flowed down his back, some pieces neatly braided and blanketing his shoulders.
Silver beads and gemstones were delicately clipped to various sections.
Helaina didn’t see a crown on his head. Her father always wore his to public gatherings like this.
Instead, he wore a glittering golden mark on the skin above his brow.
An intricate design of pointed stars that signified his position as ruler.
It was a permanent sign of an Azarosian king, one that wouldn’t fade until he took his last breath.
From the moment his feet touched gravel, Matthias looked at no one and nothing . . . aside from Helaina.
Her nerves got the best of her as she ducked behind her mother’s ruby gown.
She could barely hear his footsteps. So unlike the heavy thumps of her father’s approach. Her plump face cast down toward her shoes, obediently quiet.
A palpable silence took over the crowd.
Finally, curiosity got the best of her as she risked a small peek up through long lashes. To her surprise, she didn’t see a king towering above her.
He was kneeling.
The King of Azaros was bending his knee before a human child.
Around them, many looked on with gaping mouths.
Helaina’s hands trembled, gripping the beading flowing down her mother’s skirt.
“Dear girl . . . don’t be frightened.” His voice was warm and welcoming as he assessed her.
She looked out from behind the fabric.
“Come out from there, Helaina, greet our guest,” her mother’s voice beckoned.
Krysta grabbed her hand from the opposite side, squeezing it in reassurance.
Helaina did as she was told and came out from her hiding place.
King Matthias stood, finding difficulty pulling his gaze from the youngest princess. He must have thought better of his first impression. Promptly, he turned his head away, wearing a captivating smile as he addressed King Oren.
“Those eyes of hers, they shine like a northern star, so very . . . unique.” His expression communicated a mix of pain and uncertainty as he glanced back down at her.
“How old are you, Princess?”
Helaina hesitated, but with a nod from her brother, she held up five fingers in answer. She even let a small grin start to form on her lips.
Matthias let the concern slip from his face. “And what is your name?”
She spoke so gingerly it was nearly inaudible. “Helaina, Your Majesty.” She made an effort to curtsy.
His eyes softened at her formal greeting. “Hmm. Do you know what that name means in my kingdom?”
She shook her head.
“It means ‘shining light.’”
Helaina let go of Krysta and clasped both her hands together, showing all her teeth in pure delight. She had no idea her name meant something so pretty.
King Oren, who had been watching the peculiar exchange, began to interject.
“Indeed, I have always told her those eyes shine like molten silver . . . It seems we named her well. Where is the rest of your court?” Her father was obviously perplexed at the arrival of only one rider. Azaros was at least a full day’s ride away; surely Matthias didn’t travel the whole way alone.
The fae king walked toward Helaina’s father. Oren was no small man, but when compared to an Azarosian, the tips of his own crown barely met the height of Matthias’s chin.
“I always arrive first, to ensure the safety of my kin, Your Majesty.”
King Oren let one brow rise.
“I mean no offense,” Matthias continued. “Your son’s summons have been amiable, but with the current state of things, I couldn’t risk anyone in my court. Not on the open road, not until I saw for myself it was free of danger. Traveling is . . . not as it used to be.”
“You take no protection with you? No soldiers?” Adriel asked.
Matthias turned to the prince. “My guardsmen are where they need to be. With their queen and my court. They protect from the back while I ride ahead.”
Oren looked uneasy, guilty even.
“A gesture of a true king,” he commented offhandedly. “I believe you know Adriel, from your written exchanges.” Oren gestured to Helaina’s brother.
The two shook hands.
“Please let me show you to your quarters,” Adriel offered. “The soldiers will greet your court when they arrive and see to it they are made comfortable.”
“First, I must speak with the king privately. It’s rather urgent, I’m afraid.” Matthias’s eyes slid a barely perceptible glance toward Helaina.
Her hands began to quiver again.
Had she insulted him somehow? Was her greeting improper?
Oren took a healthy pause before stuttering his reply. “You . . . have my full attention, but my son comes with me. He takes part in all my meetings.”
Matthias nodded gravely.
She watched the two kings walk toward the main entrance as her brother trailed close behind. King Matthias took another moment to look over his shoulder, connecting with her eyes once more. That unnerving, somber gaze cut through her.
Gods, what had she done wrong?