Chapter Five #2
“Yes, of course. Her hand in marriage. I do not give it lightly.”
“Uh…” Rowan was flabbergasted. He tried to find the words but declining to marry the queen’s daughter was not an easy refusal to make. His ability to safely leave the valley was still at their mercy.
“Of course,” Viola continued, “I will expect you to treat my daughter with kindness and protect her from harm—”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I cannot marry your daughter.”
Viola was surprised and a bit annoyed by his rejection of her daughter. “Are you already married? I did not see a ring on your finger.”
“No, I am not married but I hope to be, one day soon. I am in love with someone else.”
There, he’d said it. Consequences be damned.
After seeing the disappointment on Rhea’s face, he felt a twinge of guilt.
She was looking at the floor again, no longer making eye contact with him.
But he loved Bree and just as she wouldn’t entertain another suitor, he would never marry another either. She was his destiny.
“I am surprised to hear that, young man,” Viola replied, her jaw clenched. “But nonetheless, I cannot force your hand.”
Rhea, unable to hold back her tears, turned and fled the room.
Rowan’s guilt grew but he wouldn’t change his mind on the subject.
He just hoped his refusal to marry the princess wouldn’t affect the fairy queen’s willingness to help the pixies.
Unfortunately, the queen’s next words confirmed just that.
“I have decided the fae will not interfere with the situation with the pixies,” Viola said, firmly. “You are free to go, young man. Thank you again, for saving my daughter.”
Raven moved forward and grabbed Rowan’s hand.
He started to argue, to attempt to reason with the queen, but he was already beginning to feel dizzy again as Raven flew him out of the tree.
Just moments later, he found himself in the valley, far enough away from the fairies that he couldn’t even see their homes anymore.
Raven flew away without a second glance at Rowan, who realized he was back to his usual size again. Confused and disappointed, he turned and walked out of the valley, stopping only once to retrieve his weapons and belt.
When he reached Dragon, he pulled a few sugar cubes from a bag tied to the saddle and fed them to the horse. He had just climbed up onto his saddle when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked over to find Rhea, standing in human form just a yard or so away from him.
“I will come with you, to help the pixies,” she said.
“So you do speak, after all…” he thought aloud.
“Yes. I speak.”
“Can you heal, even with your…” he pointed toward his neck, and she gave a single nod. “And your queen agreed to allow you to accompany me?”
“Does that matter?” she asked, tilting her head.
“I suppose not.”
“Shall I ride with you or fly?” Rhea wouldn’t give him a chance to refuse the offer. She was determined not to let him reject her twice in one day.
He wasn’t sure if help from this particular fairy was a good idea. However, returning to Vale without one in tow would probably be worse. He weighed the options carefully, then held a hand out to help her climb onto the saddle.
~*~
“I don’t understand why we’re back here,” Sidonie said, climbing down from her horse’s saddle in Elmber. “It’s almost nightfall and we should be making camp. If you think I’m stepping one foot into that woman’s shop…”
“Don’t worry,” Dagan replied. “You won’t have to. I’ve asked her to come to us.”
“What? Why would you do that? What were you—” She forgot what she had meant to say the moment she saw Cassandra walk around the corner of a building.
Sidonie scowled before she could stop herself.
Dagan mentioned needing Cassandra’s help, to which Sid had adamantly refused.
Yet here they stood at the edge of the town, with Cassandra walking toward them.
Her gorgeous golden hair was blowing lightly in the breeze.
Sid began to dislike her more with every step she took in her sky-blue gown, tightly hugging her form.
“Cassandra,” Dagan greeted her. “Thank you for coming. Do you have what I need?”
Cassandra smiled and glanced at Sidonie but didn’t speak to her. Instead, she turned and pulled a small pouch from her sash. She handed it to Dagan, who took it and peeked inside, nodding when he finished surveying its contents.
“I trust it’s all there?” Cassandra asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
The smile on Cassandra’s face faded a bit.
“You do realize how dangerous this is, don’t you?
Taking her with you, revealing her magic to the rest of the realm?
They will know she’s Anassa’s daughter. How else could she have this magic?
You will become a target, both of you. There’s no turning back once it’s done.
When the eagle delivered your letter this morning, I thought for sure that you had lost your good sense… ”
“I know the danger.” Dagan sighed and tucked the pouch into a bag strapped to his horse.
Cassandra shook her head but didn’t press the matter any further. Instead, she wished them luck and walked away.
“You told her? About my magic, my mother, everything?” Sidonie didn’t even try to hide her annoyance.
“I did.” Dagan climbed back onto his horse.
“Why would you trust her with this? Even with what you told me last night, about your… relationship with her… what makes you think she’ll keep this to herself?”
“She will.”
“Is that all you can say?” Sidonie got back onto her horse and rode alongside Dagan, taking the path back out of Elmber.
“She has been a trusted friend for a long time, Sid. She can help us and we would be wise to keep her on our side. Her family has a long history of magic. I don’t expect you to like each other, but you agreed to keep an open mind when it comes to Cassandra.”
Sidonie frowned, remembering the promise she’d made to him the night before when he’d told her about his history with Cassandra and her family.
Even though Sid was sure he’d left out parts of the story, including how intimate his relationship with Cassandra had truly been, she wouldn’t go back on her word.
“I have lived in secrecy my entire life,” she said, looking out into the forest surrounding them. “I guess that’s why it’s difficult for me to trust her. To trust anyone,” she admitted.
“Sid.” Dagan pulled his horse closer to hers and reached over to take her hand. “I’m asking you to trust me, not her.”
She looked over at him and forced a small smile. She did trust him, but that didn’t mean she would pretend to like Cassandra. “Are we stopping soon? It’s almost dark and we’ve been riding all day.”
“As soon as we get far enough away from Elmber. I don’t want to open the portal where your sisters might find it. Again.” He didn’t care to go through that ordeal for a second time.
“Portal? What is a portal?”
He gave her a brief explanation—the best he could—but it was hard to explain.
She hadn’t been with the other Sabras when they’d captured him before, so she hadn’t seen his secret hideaway.
It would be easier to show her. A short time later, he nudged their horses onto a small trail, crossing a creek and over a tall bank.
Once on the other side, he jumped down from his horse.
“This should work,” he said, taking the charmed dagger from his robes.
“What will you do with that?”
“I just need to find a healthy tree,” he replied, surveying the trunks of the trees around them. Finally, he settled on a large one nearby and with a swift motion, stabbed the blade of the dagger into the trunk.
Sidonie watched, curious how a dagger could possibly open a so-called portal.
It didn’t look magical to her. At first, nothing happened.
But once Dagan waved his hand over the tree, it suddenly began to expand.
The roots rose up from the ground as the trunk split in the middle and created a large doorway.
Looking through the door, Sidonie could see the forest behind it, as though it were merely a window to nowhere.
However, once she stepped through it, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
There was a clearing before her, which wasn’t there before. And contrary to the cold and bare winter forest they left behind them, this one was warm and covered with plush green grass and wildflowers. A thin stream ran down the middle and a quaint little cottage stood on the other side.
At once, she understood what Bree had meant when she’d said Dagan’s home had been a paradise. It was magnificent and quiet, like a cozy retreat from the outer realm’s chaos. Even the air felt cleaner, fresher. She tried to speak but couldn’t find the words.
“I know,” Dagan said, having watched her reaction. He understood completely. It was how he had felt when he’d created it. And how he still felt every time he entered.
“I just want to stick my toes in the stream and smell the flowers,” she replied, taking a deep breath.
“Go ahead. I’ll get the horses and some firewood. I’ll be back in a moment.” He turned and walked out of the portal, leaving her alone to wander.
She slipped her shoes off and wiggled her toes in the stream, which was cool on her feet. Then she walked barefoot across the bridge and grass until she reached the cottage. She gave the wooden door a gentle nudge and it opened.
Once inside, she found it to be much larger than it looked from the outside.
There was a hearth near the door, whose fire was mysteriously already burning.
She made her way over to the kitchen area, where fresh vegetables were sitting in a bucket and glanced out the window to watch Dagan pulling the horses into the portal, tying them to a tree by the stream.
She walked past the bed in the corner and found another room leading off to the side. This room was filled with shelves of books and tiny bottles, which she now knew contained ingredients for potions. She even recognized a few of them.