My stomach jolted with unease. Even Sylius’s sister could see through him. Now I began to finally understand why people thought she was so different to Sylius.
“So, I presume that you’re not glad that he’s found a companion,” I enquired.
She didn’t answer me because one of the soldiers called her and she walked over to talk to him. I was rubbing my wrists, trying to deal with my frustration. I was already here, everything was going according to plan. Now I just needed to locate Martha.
“We need to get back to the court right away. There is a party tonight and my brother insisted that I be there. I’d rather slit my wrists to be honest Cornelius,” she said a moment later when she remembered that I was there. And she sounded completely serious. “Come on, let’s go. You have saved my life and I would like to thank you for it.”
Martha
* * *
“Why did you have to imprison that Fae? They were only trying to feed their children. Don’t you think the sentence is a bit harsh?” I asked Sylius as soon as we returned to his room. It had been intense over the last few days and I felt exhausted.
All of a sudden, I was engaged to a Fae that I didn’t really koew and I still wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing. Sylius appeared to be devoted to me but I still had my doubts, especially watching how he dealt with Fae that defied him.
The tiny voice inside my head kept whispering that I had to figure out who I was before I decided to commit myself to him or anyone else for that matter. I didn’t know if I loved him. We were close, but my emotions were so erratic right now.
Yesterday I witnessed him dealing with a male and female Fae that had tried to steal some crops from the court fields. He sent them to the mines straight away and he took away their magic. I couldn’t understand exactly why he had imposed such a harsh sentence on his people, on the Fae that were only trying to survive. It was cruel.
Sylius turned around and narrowed his eyes at me. He didn’t like me asking too many questions and sticking my nose into his business but I couldn’t just stay silent. I may not have remembered my past, but I still recognised what was wrong or right. His decisions didn’t sit right with me, especially if they were to become my people too.
“They took something that didn’t belong to them Martha. They need to be aware of the consequences my darling,” he said, placing his hands on my arms. His eyes were so dark and I could see my own reflection in them.
“Your sentence was too harsh. Those Fae didn’t deserve it,” I insisted. I kept reminding myself that this was how things were going to be from now on if I decided to mate with him. The marriage or rather mating ceremony was for life.
“You shouldn’t be concerning yourself with these matters. Everyone within my Court must be are aware of both the rules and the consequences,” he replied with that smile that I didn’t like.
Sometimes I felt like I was in a dream and I had been awakened by the magic that rushed through my core. There was a distant memory nagging at me. I kept seeing a face, but the features were unclear.
“If I am going to be spending the rest of my life with you, then this is my concern and I do not like it Sylius,” I said, more firmly but then a few more Fae entered our chambers. It seemed that Sylius and I never had much privacy for very long. He was always surrounded by his Fae, plotting different ways of taking over other realms. He was also searching for an one amulet that he was obsessed about. He called it his path to immortality.
“We can talk about this later. You must go and get ready now, I want you to look outstanding tonight my darling Fae,” he said, kissing me gently on the lips. Then he was gone, walking away like a shadow during a storm.
Chapter Seven
Party
I was frustrated and angry with myself that I didn’t insist on finishing our conversation.
My life in the court was slowly trying my patience. I got up and joined Sylius for breakfast. He would have meetings with his advisors afterwards for several hours at a time. I was bored and I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life here, always waiting and wondering when he was going to have the time to talk to me.
Sylius didn’t like it when I wandered off around the palace or if I was amongst his Fae in town. He didn’t understand why I needed to see anyone else. I had everything I needed in the palace according to him. Sylius kept saying that I was lucky to have him, that he was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Moments later, Lily walked into my chamber.
“My lady, I thought you would like to know: Lady Aria has returned from her trip. Apparently she was attacked by a real life shape shifter,” the little Fae servant said excitedly, almost jumping up and down. Lily had worked in the palace court for a long time.
“A shifter? Oh my goodness. Is she okay? I must go and see her right away,” I said, standing up.
“She’s with a very handsome stranger,” she added and then giggled.
Lily was the only person that seemed to understand me. We had somehow become friends.
She had instantly recognised me when she saw me with Sylius the evening that I arrived at the palace. She had asked me about the human world several times but I told her that I couldn’t remember who I was. A few times I got the sense that she knew more about my past than she would to say, I had a feeling that she was forbidden to talk about it.
“Handsome stranger?” I repeated, thinking that I wanted to get away from here, maybe go for a walk through the forest. I wasn’t particularly fond of Sylius’s parties. He kept introducing me to everyone as a changeling, and the more time was passing, the more I began to realised that maybe I really didn’t belong here.
“Yes, apparently he saved lady Aria from that shifter. She invited him to the party tonight as thanks,” Lily said, getting even more excited.
“All right, let’s find out what happened. I would really like to speak to Aria before the party,” I sighed, still thinking about my bleak future.
On the other hand, the voice inside my head kept whispering that I was overthinking this. I should just accept it, because I had everything here, a loving partner and servants that were ready to fulfil all my wishes. The problem was that I didn’t think that the old me would have been happy with this kind of life.
“Master cannot see us Lady Martha, I don’t want to get into trouble,” Lily said, as we left the room.
“Don’t worry, Sylius is going to be busy all afternoon, he won’t see us,” I assured her, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
I really wanted to ask her about my past but I knew she was too scared to reveal anything. At the same time, I knew that I couldn’t put her in danger. Sylius was ready to do anything to protect me.
I didn’t want to think about the mating ceremony right now. I still had a bit of time to decide if this was the life that I really wanted for myself.
We went downstairs and I could already hear Aria in the corridor. She had always been loud but she rarely stayed in the palace. This was going to be the second time that I had seen her in the past few weeks. Sylius didn’t seem to respect her because she was never into politics and he often mocked her adventurous lifestyle. I had a feeling that I needed to speak to her about the Fae that had ended up in the mines. Maybe she could influence her brother and change his mind.
Aria saw me approaching with Lily and she smiled at us. She was talking to a very tall Fae with blonde hair. Most of the Fae from the Unseelie court were dark and they had slightly darker skin, but this male couldn’t have been from around here.
“Ah Martha, you’re just the person that I wanted to see,” Aria said, hugging me tightly. My eyes rested on the stranger who stared at me very intensely. His eyes shone with an energy that I didn’t recognise. He parted his lips like he wanted to say something but then Aria placed her hand on his arm and added. “This is Cornelius. I owe him my life. My brother mustn’t know that I was attacked in the forest earlier on. I don’t think we’ll be able to hide it from him for very
long though. He seems to have ears everywhere.”
She was right. Most of the fae in the palace were too afraid of him to keep secrets.
I nodded and then went over to the stranger. I noticed that his energy spiked and it affected me in some strange way.
“Hello my lady,” he said as he shook my hand. When we touched, sparks started flying, so I quickly pulled my hand away. He smiled at me and it was strange but I felt like there was something familiar in that smile.
“Sylius is not here, he’s busy, so you don’t have to worry about him right now Aria,” I explained.
“Oh good. It doesn’t matter anyway. His Fae will let him know what happened soon enough. I would like to leave tomorrow to go to another realm. There are Fae that need me there,” she added and placed her hand on the stranger’s arm. “You should go to the healers and have that arm checked out.”
“You might not be able to avoid your brother forever Aria. There is a party tonight and he’s expecting you to be there,” I reminded her.
Luckily for her that shifter from the forest hadn’t caused any serious injuries but it was more of a concern that someone had been able to pass through without anyone noticing. Sylius was proud of the fact that the Unseelie Court was very secure and no one had ever broken through his wards. Well, today’s attack only proved that it wasn’t the case at all.
Aria made a face and then Cornelius said "Do you not like the Dark Prince’s parties my lady?” he asked, but he was still staring at me. The heat rushed down through my spine. All small hairs at the back of my neck rose up. This didn’t seem right. I wasn’t really sure why my body was reacting to this stranger.
“His parties are tedious,” she said. “It’s such a waste of resources. Everyone already knows that he’s going to be the King whether he finds a mate or not, no offence darling,” Aria said, smiling at me. My head was spinning at that point, but I knew she was right. We haven’t had a real opportunity to get to know each other yet. “Anyway, come on Cornelius, let’s take you to that healer. You can chat more with Martha at the party later.”
The strange Fae gave me a long, intense look before he walked away with Aria. She was speaking to him loudly about some other issue. His energy was still affecting me and I didn’t know why. This was the first time I had ever seen him, to my knowledge.
“Elvira from the kitchen was right. The Fae was very handsome. I’ve never seen him around here before,” Lily said, as I suddenly remembered that she was still here.
“Indeed. Let’s just hope that Sylius doesn’t hear about that shifter trouble,” I muttered, trying to deal with the heat that suddenly pushed through my veins. I had never experienced anything like it around the Dark Prince. And that what wa concerning me the most in that intense moment.
Chapter Eight
Role play
Martha
In the end, I told Lily that I had to get some fresh air. I walked around the grounds, pondering over my future and trying to remember my past without luck.
As I returned, Lily showed up and laid several beautiful dresses on the bed. She wanted me to try all the outfits for the party but I couldn’t choose between them. Everything looked stunning. The evening arrived sooner than I expected and it was the time to get ready. I was suddenly very anxious about the evening ahead, I had butterflies in my stomach and I couldn’t seem to calm my breathing. What was going on with me tonight? It was my evening, I should be looking forward to to enjoying myself.
As large as the ballroom was, and despite there only being a couple handfuls of people important enough to attend, it all felt so…suffocating. I looked at the domed ceiling adorned with pompous yet delicate artwork that captivated Sylius’s ascension to the throne. I could not tell if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but it felt like the roof would cave in any minute now.
The chatter, various scents of food and perfumes, the hollow music, it all circled around me like ropes intertwining into a net that grew tighter around my head. It was almost dizzying, how overpowering everything was. All the magic wafting around and its energies did not help at all.
I was perched delicately on the edge of the throne. Sylius sat lazily beside me in his own throne, ridiculously bigger and more lavish than mine. I hated to admit it to myself that although I did feel an attraction towards him, he made me feel…small and insignificant when not alone. The air he exuded tonight in front of important guests was filled with authority, importance, and pride. Traits that I could not stand. I kept thinking of the poor villagers he sent off to the mines who stole out of desperation fuelled by hunger.
Sylius’s eyes held contempt as he watched the party carry on. It was obvious he did not think too highly of anyone other than himself, but it was a different thing all together to see it so clearly in his behaviour. He must have rescued me from a very terrible fate that led me to losing my memories but…did it mean I owed him something as serious as love in return? Something deep within tugged at my conscious, trying to coax me into believing that I was indebted to him in no way. I wish I knew where that reasoning was coming from. Perhaps a past experience that I could not remember.
There was a bit of guilt that plagued my heart. Meeting with the handsome fae – Cornelius, was it? – I had a bit of a hard time getting him off my mind. It was not exactly his face, really, but the sparks that were churning up like fireworks between us that had thrown me off the whole time after. Why did he seem so familiar? Even though I could swear I had never seen that face before or I am sure a memory could have surfaced up. The very air around him felt like it was aching on my skin, like I knew what it felt to be around him. His eyes were…so sad and kind. Desperate, lost, and very, very–
“You look like you’re on the verge of running off, my dear,” Sylius mentioned. I only chuckled, hoping he was being humorous in nature with that statement. I noticed that Sylius rarely ever spoke to me seriously. I was starting to feel like he took me for a dumb puppet.
“It’s all a bit overwhelming,” I admitted to him finally. There was still a lot of the party yet to happen, and I was sure Sylius’s image mattered too much to him for an outburst to follow publicly. I knew he would not like me not responding well to his needless and wasteful arrangements. As much as I did not mind a quick temper, Sylius’s was…severely misplaced. “Although, I don’t plan on leaving your sight,” I carefully buttered him up, leaning over to his side and bringing my elbows closer to amplify my bossom, “After all, I went through great lengths to look the best I could.”
I could not understand where this behaviour of mine was coming from, but it felt natural to be confident in my skin and be seductive. And I could not bring myself to deny the fact that being validated for my looks at the moment was giving me a sense of substance and worth because…I do not know who I really am at all. I did not have much else to go on besides my beauty when it came to an identity.
Before the party had barely begun, I had finally settled for a dress that was rather…different, I would say. Not exactly provocative, but it transitioned from a shimmering sheer fabric at the cleavage to opaque pastel blue around my torso, fitting to my form snugly and turning slowly to diamonds at the waist that continued all the way down to my ankles. Tulle flared out beautifully around the sides and back held by a crystal belt, giving my hips and waist more definition. My breasts snuggled dangerously, almost bare in it. I could see Sylius had finally noticed how I looked for the first time that night, and his eyes were trained on my chest.
With a heavy breath, he looked up into my eyes and smiled with a gentleness that almost took me by surprise. A hand rose to my face, caressing my cheek as his thumb travelled to my bottom lip.
“You’re tempting me to mate you sooner than I plan to,” he chuckled breathily.
Oh no, I thought. This was not what I had intended on. I was hoping maybe he would invite me to dance, or a walk. Anything at all to indulge in me outside of the whole engagement and mating business. I hardly knew who he really was, and the litt
le that I did know about him was not very appealing. I had half a mind to believe that perhaps he was putting up a front of some sort because he knew best what the people of his kingdom were really like. But something told me that I was not entirely wrong in what I perceived of him.
He was too self-indulgent, and no one was important enough to break past it.
“I-I was just hoping for a dance, really…” I chuckled, trying to keep my nervousness at bay. He seemed a little taken aback, and I could not get why.
“Would you like to?”
“It’s up to you, my Lord.”
Sylius stood up, towering above me with a new energy in his darkness. A kind that I could not exactly recognise but…it was just as unfamiliar to him from what I could tell by the look on his face. I saw him draw his hand out towards me, palm down.
I looked up at him, wondering if I was seeing this right. He did not want to drag me behind him down there by grabbing my hand, he wanted me to follow beside him. I was starting to wonder if he had gotten too drunk earlier.
“If I may, my lady,” he started, “have this dance with you?”
“O-of course,” I stammered. A deep rooted paranoia shifted in my stomach by the unfamiliarity of this gesture. I couldn’t read the air. I couldn’t read his face. I couldn’t tell what was going on.
Maybe I did not know Sylius after all.
I placed my hand gently on the back of his’ and lifted off the throne. He kept his eyes on me as we walked towards the stairs, head held high and turning to address the crowd. The crowd had already addressed him. Couples froze mid-dance as the music stopped, eyes trained on us. I was starting to feel a little bothered by the intense gaze we were receiving.
We started to descend, slowly. I could hear my heels click on the marble steps until soft music started to play. This was different, almost soothing to the ears. I could feel myself visibly start to relax with each quaint note of the violin.
A Fae's Love Page 5
