A Fae's Love

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  Oran kept staring at me. He knew that I had made many mistakes. I’d acted like an idiot, I didn’t appreciate what I had and now the only person that I ever loved was lost forever.

  I’d never believed in love until I met her and sadly only realised way too late.

  “I believe that I found a solution Darragh, but you won’t like what I’m about to say,” Oran finally said, looking uncomfortable. “I have meditated with Marianne, trying to find a solution. Your brothers, especially Urlich, want you out and he will get what he wants unless you mate with someone Darragh. Once you become involved with a female you will reinforce your position as Fae King and your brothers won’t be able to touch you.”

  His words echoed inside my head. I didn’t want to accept it. There had to be another way.

  I stared at the floor, trying to go over his statement. Oran wanted to save me, to protect me from everyone that I failed, but I didn’t see the point anymore. I had been too arrogant to ask for help and now it was too late.

  I rubbed my fingers over my face as the tension rose.

  “That is not an option Oran and you know it. I’m in love with Martha and once that spell lifts she will come back to me,” I snapped, walking around.

  I stunk, badly needed a bath, I hadn’t changed my clothes for so long. It was time to pull myself together, to fight for the land that my father had built for me.

  I had wallowed in my sorrows for too long.

  “Darragh, you don’t have many options right now. You need to forget about Martha and save yourself; protect your Court. Urlich is conspiring against you and he has many Fae already on his side. Marianne heard him the other day. We must do som–”

  “No Oran and that’s my final word. I won’t mate with a Fae that doesn’t mean anything to me. This just cannot happen,” I shouted, losing control.

  I was furious with him, I knew that he was trying to help, that he thought he had found a good solution. It was the only way for me to recover from this mess.

  Urlich was just about to mate with Cecilia, a young Fae that he met in another realm. He was too old for her in Fae age but he was desperate enough to go through with it to reinforce his own position. He claimed that he was in love but I didn’t want to believe that. Swanton and Zak were easily manipulated, so they were on his side.

  “They will remove you from the throne by force Darragh. We have failed too many times and Urlich is obsessed with power. He won’t let it go,” Oran insisted.

  “I can’t,” I told him.

  “Think about this. I understand that it’s a difficult decision, but if you wait any longer, then it will be too late.”

  He started walking away, his footsteps echoed around the room as I clenched my fists, trying to breath in. I shut my eyes, imagining the mating ceremony with another Fae that wasn’t Martha.

  I couldn’t do this to her, even if it meant that I had to lose full control of my court. I was in love with her and I was ready to fight for her no matter what the cost.

  I paced around until my stomach started rumbling. Oran was right. I had completely neglected myself.

  I had no appetite but I needed my energy to fight against the Dark Prince who had no idea that he might be about to lose everything. Poliusz had already invaded the Unseelie Court and Sylius had no actual right to the throne.

  Soon after, I left the room and started heading over to my chambers. By the time I got there, the sun had hidden below the horizon and the temperature had dropped significantly. I took my clothes off, feeling more depressed than ever before. Oran was right, I needed to act but I just couldn’t mate with another Fae. I laid on the bed and put my hands behind my head. I wasn’t tired physically, but mentally I was exhausted. The voices inside my head reminded me that there was still time, that I just had to find her and bring her back. Our love could break the curse, breaking Sylius’s hold over her.

  “Goodnight my Queen wherever you are,” I muttered to myself, turned and closed my eyes. I had to drink a potion to help me sleep, it was a sad existence without Martha by my side.

  Several hours later. I heard banging and roaring outside my chamber. I was dragged out of bed still half asleep. The effects of the sleeping potion was difficult to shake off, so I was a little disoriented. Several fae had barged inside my chamber and they were dragging me along the corrider in the darkness.

  Urlich was taking full advantage of my vulnerability for his own gains.

  “Hello brother … it’s time for you to disappear…again…” the voice said. I managed to prise open my heavy lids, seeing a blurry Urlich, fighting against the potion that was still in my system. His face was mere inches away from my own. Two of his Fae were holding me tightly. Oran was right about Urlich, but neither of us thought that he would act so quickly.

  “Nothing will stop me brother. I will still be the true Fae King,” I whispered, smiling. Urlich roared and then he punched me with such force that I must have passed out.

  The next thing I knew, there was a searing pain in my temple and I could hear footsteps as loud as drums nearby which didn’t help my throbbing head. I tried to lift myself off the marble floor.

  Urlich knew what would to happen to him for attacking the King, he must have made some kind of deal with Swanton and Zak.

  “I’m the King now, you haven’t acted like one for long enough. You’ve ruined the Seelie Court and I’m going to gain back control of our army, our lands and our dust,” Urlich was saying as I was grabbed by his Fae followers. My mind was much clearer now, but the throbbing pain spread throughout my body. My ribs felt cracked and my magic was going haywire.

  The potion’s effects had finally faded and that bastard Urlich was using his own magic to control me.

  “This isn’t over yet brother, you’re committing a serious crime,” I snarled, trying to pull away from the Fae restraining me, but I was still weak. Their magic was strong, invasive and it was now abundantly clear that I had lost all the support in the castle.

  We were outside my chamber again, but I couldn’t see any of the burning torches that usually lined the walls. Urlich had wanted to make sure that no one would see him using his magic against me.

  I spit the blood onto the floor and tried tapping into the last of my energy reserves, but something or someone appeared to be blocking it. Urlich had thought of everything in his plans to usurp me.

  “I’m taking control of the Seelie Court. Our people have asked for this. You have lost the war with the Dark Prince. Swanton and Zak want to see you behind bars and so do the elders,” Urlich continued speaking, sounding proud of himself and I laughed in disbelief.

  Urlich widened his eyes as I continued to laugh, mocking his power. This obviously wasn’t the reaction he expected to see from me and it was putting him off balance. We both knew that he couldn’t lose control now in front of his Fae. That would have been a big mistake.

  “You’re never going to be their King Urlich, even the Fae here know that,” I said, as the spell faded and I slowly gained my strength back. The bastard had been blocking my magic with one of his charms.

  I began to wonder where Oran was. We were connected, so he must have sensed what was happening here.

  Urlich’s lashed out in anger. He was breathing hard staring at me. I was still laughing when he grabbed my face and leaned in close. I could feel his breath on my skin, his magic dancing around me, spreading like wildfire.

  “I’m the new King now since your beloved changeling is now engaged to the Dark Prince,” he said.

  I just stared at him. His words hit me like a freight train. This wasn’t true. Martha couldn’t have chosen the Dark Prince.

  “What did you just say?” I asked him. I knew what being engaged to someone in human terms meant but we normally used the expression of mating instead. Martha couldn’t have wanted to mate with Sylius. She barely knew him. Urlich was lying to me.

  He smiled wider and his eyes started glinting.

  “Oh yes, my dear brother. The c
hangeling is going to mate with the Dark Prince, he announced it yesterday.”

  In that moment I lost control and started roaring. I pulled away from the Fae that were holding me and would have completely destroyed my whole chamber with magic if it wasn’t for the spell that Urlich was currently using to reduce the potency.

  His Fae quickly came for me, I punched and kicked a few, but I was still too weak to be able to take them all on. Urlich was ordering his soldiers to gain control of me. Someone hit me on the back of my head and blackness obscured my vision. I felt the excruciating pain spreading through my head until everything went completely dark.

  When I woke up later in the gloom my head was still pounding with pain. I felt like someone had smashed my head in until my skull had split in half. It took me several seconds to realise that I was locked in a cell. There were torches burning right outside. I groaned loudly, trying to breathe in and figure out what had happened.

  “How are you feeling? Your energy still seems very weak?” the familiar voice asked. I gently turned my head to the right, finally noticing Oran. He was pacing around the cell. He had a few scratches on his arms.

  “Like shit, but I’ll live. Urlich caught me off guard earlier on after I took the sleeping potion,” I said, breathing steadily. I probably had a small concussion because I felt nauseous. At least Oran was here with me.

  This wasn’t good but I was also glad that I wasn’t here alone.

  He shook his head. “His Fae barged inside my chamber. Luckily Marianne was away, so they didn’t get to her. She had time to escape to another realm.”

  I exhaled with relief before suddenly I remembering Urlich’s last words to me.

  “Sylius is going to mate with Martha. Apparently he announced it to his court yesterday. I have to get out of here Oran, otherwise I’ll lose her forever,” I said, telling myself that there was still time for me to change the outcome.

  Chapter Three

  Strangers

  Darragh

  * * *

  Oran and I have lost all sense of time. The days and nights had all blurred together and I was beginning to heal. Urlich must have imprisoned us near the mountains. I didn’t think that he would risk placing me in the Seelie Court for fear that my loyal Fae soldiers wouldn’t have let him do this, no matter how compromised my position was. Despite what he’d said, I knew that I had many Fae within the court that still supported me, many Fae that believed that I could bring back the prosperity and end the war. Urlich must have brought in Fae from other realms. He was never a good leader, and Oran was certain that he had bribed them in order to overthrow me.

  Sylius was in control and I couldn’t touch him. Martha was hit with such an advanced spell and she couldn’t remember me anymore. I should have protected her better but right then there was no point crying over spilled milk.

  The Fae that showed up with food weren’t familiar to me at all. The daylight didn’t reach the cell, so we both figured out that we must be imprisoned underground. The guards had their own language and strange markings all over their faces that I had never seen the likes of before.

  I knew that I had to get out of here and stop Martha before she went through with mating with Sylius.

  It was time for me to restore her memories and rekindle our love, breaking Sylius’s dark magic enchantment over her.

  “Urlich has thought about everything Oran. He has even set up several strong wards around this cell. I can sense his magic now,” I said once one of the guards had left. My senses were slowly coming back. I had no idea how long Ulrich was planning to keep us here. My ribs were still bothering me, but I would heal eventually.

  “Your brother is not the most intelligent Fae, but he really has outdone himself this time. Marianne is smarter, she will get us out of here. I’m certain of it,” Oran said calmly, but I wasn’t convinced that we could wait much longer.

  “We cannot wait for your mate my friend. The energy in this place is filled with electricity. We must be close the water,” I said, looking through the bars. It was difficult to see anything in the darkness, but Oran must have finally realised what I was planning.

  Oran stared at me for several second with his usual calm expression. He usually knew how to hide his frustrations, but right then I could see that he was struggling being in such a small space. Urlich wanted to make sure that Oran wasn’t going to be a problem, so that’s why he had brought him here with me. Oran had been my companion since birth and he would never have allowed my brother to get away with his plans.

  “The wards here are powerful. Your plan might not work Darragh,” he said, tensing his muscles. I knew what he was talking about. We were both weakened and our magic was particularly useless inside the cell.

  “We just need a few more hours Oran,” I said, then shared my plan with him. I had to focus on recovering my energy. I sensed the waves of magic that were drifting around.

  My father had taught me well. He had told me to listen and connect with nature, because nature could save me even when everything else failed. He was right and that’s why Oran tried to stay silent. He knew that I was accumulating my magic, waiting for the right moment to strike back.

  Over the years I had learnt to connect with every living being. I knew that we were near the mountains or a stream. I knew exactly what I needed to do.

  We both decided to rest for a bit and wait for the guards to show. Urlich had most likely told them not to come anywhere near us. His wards were strong, but I knew that between Oran and I, we could break through them.

  It took me longer than usual to drift off to sleep, especially in this uncomfortable environment. I was still thinking about Martha, wondering what she was doing right now.

  Sometime later, I finally slept, but the dull pulsing pain remained on my left side where my brother had kicked me. I heard Oran’s steady breathing. His energy was much stronger than mine. At some point, maybe several hours later something or someone woke me up. I was certain that I saw a figure hoovering outside our cell. I parted my eyelids slightly and waited for a bit, trying to sense if it was friend or foe.

  Someone approached the cell and ran a finger over the bars. I pretended to be asleep whilst figuring out how to react.

  I noticed a pair of bright green eyes staring back at me. The wave of energy rushed through me. It was another Fae, not a guard but someone that I knew. The electric current shifted between me and Oran. I lifted myself into a sitting position my ribs hurt like hell, but I ignored the pain.

  “Who are you?” I asked the strange Fae, getting up. Oran stirred and looked over at me.

  “Marianne is nearby, I can sense her energy,” my best friend answered, walking up to the cell before I could stop him.

  Finally, the person on the other side stepped out of the shadow, so we could both see her face.

  My heart accelerated. It was Gabriella.

  “I think you need our help to get the hell out of here right?” she asked, then glanced to her right. Someone else was approaching, damn this wasn’t good until I saw Marianne.

  She touched Oran’s hand and their energies collided. I was surprised that Gabriella had managed to track us down to wherever we were now.

  “How did you found us? The guards are going to show up here any second,” I said, staring at Gabriella.

  “Gabriella found me first. Urlich was searching everywhere but we managed to vanish just in time,” Marianne explained.

  Gabriella created the ball of light in her palm, so that we could properly see what was going on around us. I still wasn’t sure that I was could completely trust her. She worked for the witches afterall.

  Both her and Marianne must have taken care of the guards for us to be undisturbed for so long.

  “We have our ways Fae King,” Gabriella admitted. “The wards around here are strong, but I am sure I can take care of them. We haven't got much time left; we need leave right away.”

  Gabriella pushed Marianne aside and told us to back away from th
e bars. These spells were advanced and I wasn’t entirely convinced that she could break them on her own. Gabriella smiled and winked at me like she had just read my mind. Her energy began to rise, prickling through my system.

  She was much more skilled than I had anticipated and she was the last person that I ever expected to see here but I was so grateful that she was. She was also supposed to take care of Martha and had failed her just like I had.

  “My magic is strong, more powerful than you could ever imagine and Marianne here has some incredible skills. We used her magic to charm the guards into taking a little nap but they won’t be asleep for long,” she muttered.

  Oran pushed me towards the wall. I could see that Gabriella was trying to accumulate her energy.

  The ball that she balanced on the top of her palm started to rise and I smelled the smoke.

  Split seconds later, the yellow light blinded us. We felt the impact of her magic as the burning smell of metal wafted around. Combined energies of both ladies began rushing through me instantly now that all the wards were down.

  It was now time for Sylius to pay for everything that he had done to try to ruin my life, my love and my kingdom.

  All the bars on the front of the cell had completely melted. Gabriella was staring at me from the other side looking pleased with herself. Oran was already embracing Marianne. A tiny jolt of jealousy settled inside my stomach. Martha was with Sylius. I should have fought harder.

  “Are you all right Fae King?” she asked, seeing that I had yet to move from inside the cell.

  “I’ll be fine. Urlich surprised me and I didn’t have time to act,” I said, thinking about my brother’s betrayal once again. He was going to lose his head this time. “But what now?”

  “First, we need to get the hell out of here, preferably alive. There is a waterfall on the other side of this prison. We could open the portal there,” she explained.