“He … he is Fae.”
Oh! Well that explained it then.
In Ancora the rules were fierce against Fae and mortal relationships. Many frowned upon Sawyer and me even now that I was to be queen. That was the reason I never told anyone about us before. Well, that and the fact that I was betrothed to Phillip since birth.
If you got pregnant by a fairy, the council forced you to give up your child to the Fae, and they would raise it. Mortals were not to raise a Fae baby. It was outlawed in most of our realm. Many Fae children either worked as servants or stayed in the Fae Woods to train.
“She’s terrified they’ll take the baby away from her. She is planning on running away as soon as she can. But she was scared you’d see her belly, and you would …”
she paused.
“I would what?”
“You’d make her stay and give the child up to the Fae Council. She doesn’t want that, Your Majesty.”
I didn’t want to do that. I thought it was awful that Sawyer never knew his mother. He was sent here as a young boy to serve in our castle. His own father didn’t want him. He never knew his Fae mother.
If the mother was mortal and the father Fae, the child was raised by the Fae until the child was old enough to work. If the mother was Fae and the father mortal, the child’s fate could vary. Many times a Half-Fae child went to work for a castle, like mine, or was trained as a soldier. Sawyer was sent here as a young boy and forced to work. But in his case, my parents were very considerate and kind. Goodness knows how other castles treated their servants.
I found it all quite terrible and wanted to put a stop to it at once. Each child should be raised by their parents.
“We need to find a way to change the law. Actually, there are a few laws we need to change,” I told Mona as I set my cup down. “I have to meet a bunch of princes to abide by the laws. And trust me, I’m in no way interested in princes.”
Mona sighed and dropped a bit of lavender oil to my bath. The smell relaxed me as she washed my hair.
“Your Majesty, what will you do if you are to abide by the laws and marry a prince?” Mona asked me as she scrubbed my scalp, making it tingle.
“I don’t intend on marrying anyone right now. But I have to make it look like I’m at least trying to court one of them. I think this law is horrid and totally unethical. I mean, how dare they make a ruler marry? What difference does it make if I’m married or not?” I asked her. She continued to scrub as I continued to complain. “If I’m a virgin queen, does that make me less of a ruler? I know who I want to marry, but he’s ... preoccupied at the moment. Why can’t they just wait until he wakes?”
Mona stopped scrubbing, and her hands stilled.
“Mona are you thinking of ways to combat this plan?” I asked jokingly. No response came, and I opened my eyes to see Gray standing before me. Her face was grim and worried.
“Leave us please,” she told Mona.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mona said rushing off without rinsing my hair.
I dunked below the water and freed the soap from my scalp. I wasn’t in the mood for bad news or for one of Gray’s lectures.
She peered at me over the water and placed her arm on her hip. Once I couldn’t hold my breath any longer I broke the surface.
“Gray,” I said as water poured down my face.
“Rory.”
I told her months ago to forgo the “Your Majesty” crap. I wanted to be Aurora or just plain Rory. I wasn’t used to the formal name just yet and was happy she used Rory. I was still very used to being the piece of filth in the asylum. The murderer. The lunatic.
Old habits die hard.
“What brings you here, to my bath?” I asked sarcastically. “You do know I’m naked, right? This isn’t exactly the most comfortable situation for me.”
I covered my breasts with my arms, and she brought me a towel, wrapping it around me.
“I’m here to talk to you about your lessons. I’ve been trying to get some time to speak with you alone all week,” she explained with a sigh. Gray trained me regularly, but with the coronation coming so soon, lessons with Gray skidded to a halt. I was thankful for the reprieve. My arms felt sore constantly from holding either my sword or bow and arrows. She wasn’t the easiest trainer, working me hard and constantly pushing me beyond my limits.
“I didn’t know you wanted to talk to me. Why didn’t you just say so?”
She rolled her gray eyes at me in annoyance.
“Really, Rory? You’re constantly surrounded by your mother or other guards. And all the talk about the coronation,” she huffed. “It’s not the only thing you have to worry about, and you know that.”
I did know that. She was absolutely right. But part of me wanted to try on dresses and not cram in all the knowledge of being queen and soldier. Part of me wanted to be a princess for just a little bit longer, to be spoiled for just a moment more.
I took the towel and dried myself off as she turned her back. I loved Gray, but her timing was awful, always interrupting me at the worst times. Though I had to respect that fact that she was right, the coronation wasn’t the only important thing in my life. And Gray was one person I trusted with my life. If she wanted time to talk with me, I would give it to her.
“I’m all yours. Let’s talk.”
I placed my long hair up in a twist and pinned it to the top of my head.
“Raven will be striking, and when she does, you’ll need to be ready. The Warrior Fae are willing to fight with you, Rory. But you must know she may be trying to get them to side with her.”
When I was a child, Gray always taught me things about our realm, mostly about fairies and the woods, but also on how to serve as a princess and how to read my people.
It was here and now that I found the teachings worthwhile, because I could sense that something was amiss in the realm just by reading Gray’s face.
Her silver hair was pulled tightly into a long braid that ran the length of her back, not a hair out of place. Her black boots tied neatly and laced to the knee where the boots turned into leather pants. Her blade was strapped to her back and her shirt was clean. She was perfect, in order and tidy. But in all that perfection I saw in her face the problem, her face deceiving her. Worry filled her eyes, and I hated it.
“Graylor, should I be worried that they’ll follow her instead? What are you not telling me?”
She swallowed and then said, “Some are falling for her lies. We both know that some of them let her take your mother and father out of their protection. They betrayed us and instantly retreated when she disappeared.”
Two of the Warrior Fae fell for her tricks when they should have been guarding my parents. They went against orders and let Raven bring them to the castle. It was because of those two fairies that my father was now dead. If they honored our pact, they would have never let her take them. Instead, they would have stricken her down where she stood. The Fae Council dealt with them harshly. I did not attend their hearing nor did I watch them die in front of the Fae people. The way they handled their soldiers had nothing to do with the way I would rule my kingdom. The Fae were free to do what they wanted with their kind. I just refused to watch executions.
“I believe what you saw the night you shot Millie down, Rory. I believe Raven took her powers as she died. And it’s with those powers that she is trying to get an army of her own. She’s proving to be quite the actress,” she explained. “She says that she wants to help the Fae to reunite the shape-shifters like herself. She also says she wants to change the laws pertaining to the Fae—something your father would never do. She also hinted at a new ally that she says will charge our castle.”
My head spun in confusion. A new ally? Who would join with her and have the strength to take us down? She was being sneaky and underhanded with her dealings. How did
the Fae not see that?
“So she’s playing them?”
Gray nodded. “If she gets them on her side and plays nice, then she will be able to control them the way Maleficent did. Rory, she may have followers.”
I pulled on my dress and let my hair down. “Followers for what?”
“She is urging the Fae to break from the mortals and end the union they have with your kingdom.”
I felt the color drain from my face. I had never once thought Raven was smart enough to do anything like this. To me she was always this evil moron who roamed the asylum giving out free punishments to anyone who didn’t really want them. I never thought in a million years that she would start a revolution. The fact was, without the Fae our kingdom wasn’t whole, and I wouldn’t have that. My father went along with the original idea that Fae were unlike us and they were to be ruled differently. But this was my kingdom now, and it wasn’t the first time that I felt we should all be equals.
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to,” I told Gray. “I refuse to let her take the Fae and use them like Maleficent used people.”
She smiled and said, “Good. Because we must gain the Fae’s trust in you, and you’ll have to work hard to change the rules a little bit. She’s planning a war, Aurora.”
I stood tall and said, “Yeah, well she won’t have all the Fae on her side. We have some things to talk to the Fae Council about.”
Chapter Three
Rory
I took a breath and let all of my energy go to my fingers.
My body still.
My heart beating a mile a minute.
The next breath would be a release.
Focus. Focus.
The next breath came, and with my fingers, where all of my strength remained, I let go. The arrow flew through the air, the only thing moving. I was still as I watched it slam into the target. It hit very center of the target just like I wanted.
“Yes!” I shouted.
Sawyer would have been so proud of me. And just like that my excitement was gone. My mind now on him as he lay up in a bed, alone.
“Rory, don’t do this to yourself,” Gray said holding my arm. She knew what practicing archery did to me. She knew that I was great at it, but also that every time I did something fantastic, I missed his touch. She knew all of this without me even telling her a word because she knows me best.
“I have to go, Gray. I have to go see him and tell him about this,” I said, fighting the tears.
“No. You don’t have to go, you want to go. You’re running away, and I won’t let you,” she said sternly.
I tried to fight, but she won as she pulled me harder and into her arms.
I cried softly as she assured me we would find a way to wake him.
I pulled away and questioned, “Will we? It’s been two months and Merryweather and Flora have not sent word. They haven’t sent word because they haven’t found anything!”
Gray kept her calm face, even though I was breaking apart inside.
“Merryweather and Flora will find something, Rory. They will. We have to have faith in them. You, above all, should trust that they will not return until they find a cure for him. Look at all they did for you when you were trapped here.” Guilt slammed into me as I thought of Merryweather and how she did protect me when she took my memories away. Flora was always protective and never harsh in any way. Even when the other nurses were awful to me—like Betty or Raven—Flora, Merryweather and Fauna were kind and gentle. Always.
They were the three best fairies I had ever known, besides Gray, and here I was being ungrateful.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “You’re right. I’m just … I’m breaking inside, Gray.”
She smiled kindly and said, “And I break inside for you. But now is not the time to lose it. Now is the time to stand up and fight back, Rory. Do it for him. Because you know if he could he’d tell you to put yourself back together and defeat her.”
A smile formed on my wet lips. I wiped the tears away and picked up my bow.
I looked across the yard to where my arrow had flown. I was growing stronger as each day passed. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that I was going to kill Raven when I had the chance.
“What now?” I asked.
Gray looked up at the sky and said, “Royal lessons with your mother.”
Ugh. Nothing like royal court protocol to dampen my mood. I hung up my bow on the way into the castle. It hung right next to Sawyer’s bow—the one I’d used to kill Maleficent. I patted it gently before I entered the door.
****
Raven
Raven walked around the ruins of a castle, or was it a home, in the Human Realm. She wasn’t sure where she was, but did it really matter? She had a nice hiding place that no one would be able to find, and that was all that mattered now. Going home was no longer an option. She had been in communication with several Fae, hoping to sway them, but she was getting nowhere. They were sending scouts of their own to find her.
Tonight it had come close with one of the Warrior Fae scouting the area, and she had to retreat quickly. She couldn’t risk it again. If she was caught, she would be taken to the Fae Council, and they would find out that she had the powers. Powers she wasn’t able to completely control yet.
She had already spoken to her kind, the shape-shifters, months ago and that almost killed her. Deceiving everyone, she found to be exhausting. She almost laughed after she told them how alike they all were. Still, she sensed that they doubted her abilities and her allegiance to them. Then again, she was hoping her ally would keep them in line.
The truth was she wasn’t anything like them; they were beneath her now. She had to paint on a smile and lie through her teeth daily. She honestly didn’t care if they were equal. She wanted numbers because that meant safety. If she fought Aurora now, she’d battle an army. But if she had an army of her own, she’d have a chance at winning. Truly, she didn’t want the kingdom for herself. She didn’t even care if they loved and adored her after the battle. No, she just wanted that pretty princess’ head on a spike. And now that she would be queen, it would be more difficult to get to her, with her guards and people who would fight for her. So Raven was preparing.
She would sit idly by and lie to a few fairies to get what she wanted. Then her ally in Ancora would strengthen them, and in the end she’d cut Aurora’s head from her body for what she did. The girl wouldn’t get away with killing Maleficent—not if she had anything to do with it.
In this realm, she was alone, having no followers to trust in fully. Just a few said they’d fight for the equality of the Fae. The two Warrior Fae patrolling tonight were ready to kill her.
It was a lonely nomadic life here in this realm, but she was used to being alone. Staring out at the countryside, she watched the human’s homes come alive with light in the darkness. She wondered briefly what it was like here in this world, but the thought left her as soon as she smelled the scent of food. She’d have to shift to get dinner tonight. There was no way she would walk out in her Fae form and go amongst the humans. They’d scream in horror at the sight of her. She looked like a demon to most of them which she learned the hard way upon her first night here.
She shifted and flew from the ruins and landed on a trash bin outside a home. The humans had just discarded something hot and delicious looking. Biting into it, she tried not to think about what Maleficent would say about her eating someone’s trash.
Chapter Four
Rory
“Ah, there you are, darling. How was your archery lesson?” My mother asked sweetly as I entered the great hall, even though I could tell she couldn’t care less. Mother didn’t want to hear about my archery lessons any more than I wanted to hear about royal politics.
“Fine, Mother. I’m learning more and more with e
ach lesson.”
She kept smiling and patted the chair next to her. “Come. Sit.”
I sat, or more accurately slumped, into the chair.
We had been learning about the royal protocol for weeks now, and it couldn’t get more annoying. It covered all things like proper royal attire, how to address your people, what to eat on certain days, and even, as absurd as it may sound, how to wave.
I hated it. I wanted to be the kind of queen that I wanted to be. Without sounding too childish, I wanted to do what I wanted to do.
Having learned all the ways of royal court when I lived here as a child, I found relearning it as a queen quite boring. I wanted nothing more than to go see Sawyer. It was a long day of training, and I had yet to sit with him today. I tried to remember what Gray said. That they would find a cure for him, and I would be by his side.
As I sat here listening to my mother go on and on about proper meeting etiquette, all I could hear was Sawyer’s words to me on the day of our first kiss.
We had been flirting with each other for months, or maybe it was more like years. I just always remember Sawyer being there, wherever I was. The day we first met he was so polite that I couldn’t help but want to run into him again. He’d catch my eye and smile and bow, like most servants did. His smile was always playful and not condescending.
This night though, we had snuck away from the castle to talk. I told Merryweather that I wanted a walk in the moonlight. She believed me and let me go.
I found Sawyer by the fountain pretending to fix something that wasn’t broken. I grabbed his hand, running into the trees. We stopped when we couldn’t be seen or heard by any of the castle inhabitants, never going far enough for the guards to take notice.
“Why are you out here with me?” he asked as I sat and started playing with the grass.
Awaken (Slumber Duology #2) Page 2
