by Kimbra Swain
“Reach deep, Grace. Do you feel his death? You would know even though you cut your ties with him. I know that a part of you loves him. Does that part feel empty?” he asked.
“No,” I rasped.
“Then, there is hope,” he said. “If not for Dylan, then definitely for Levi.”
“What of this situation with the knight?” I asked.
“I’ve known Astor for a long time through the distance between our realms. He is honorable, and will keep his word to you,” Finley said. “He may be the only pure fairy in Summer.”
“That’s saying a lot,” I said.
“It is, but it is required of his station,” Finley said. I knew that Finley knew the details of protecting the tree. “I could never.”
“You are worth more than you think, Fin,” I said. “The guard would be honored to have you.”
“I serve you, and no one else. I’ve done a piss poor job lately,” he muttered.
I had to grin at his words. You can take the fairy out of Shady Grove, but you can’t take Shady Grove out of the fairy. Finley had acclimated to our little town and it showed from time to time with the things he said. “I love you, Fin. Please stay focused.”
“I will, for you,” he said. “Astor, it is good to finally meet you in person.”
“So, you are Finley, son of Oberon. I doubt there are many so fair-haired as you. It’s downright pretty,” Astor said.
I giggled. “Shut it,” Finley warned with a smile. “’Tis true. I’m a pretty man.”
Astor laughed loudly. The sound rumbled around the room and echoed off the walls. It was such a full rich sound that it sank into the cold forming inside of me. Only one other man had been able to break my chill that way. From the inside out.
“Gloriana, is something wrong?” he asked soberly.
“No, and please call me Grace,” I said.
“Call her, Glory. She loves it,” Finley said. I slapped him on the shoulder.
“That depends on if you have a death wish, Knight,” I said.
“If it means that I die looking at your beauty, then I shall wish it day and night,” he said boldly.
My smile dropped, and I looked at the floor. I hadn’t expected such a bold statement.
“Forgive me, Grace. I didn’t mean any harm,” Astor said.
“She’s had a rough day,” Finley explained.
“No, it’s okay. Thank you for the compliment, Astor. My heart is darkened today. I know you meant nothing by it,” I replied.
“That’s not entirely true. I did mean it; however, it is not a means to an end. Just a compliment,” he said smiling.
“Thank you,” I replied. “I think I should lay down.”
“Sure. I’ll show you both where to go. I’ll put you with Tabitha. That way she will be close by if you need her. She’s always been a brilliant healer. The room we placed her in actually has two rooms each with its own private bath,” he explained. “We rarely have visitors, but the halls aren’t as full of guards as they once were.”
“Winter isn’t doing its part,” I said quietly.
“No, it is not, but we will talk about that later. You should rest. Take care of your child,” he said. “This is the room.” He indicated a plain door with a small square window at the top. A tiny door behind the window was closed for privacy. I knocked on the door. Tabitha opened it up.
“There you are. You should rest. You are looking awfully pale,” she said.
“Tibby, if you need anything, please, let me know,” Astor said.
“We will be fine. Thank you, Brother,” Tabitha said, as she closed the door.
Taking one look at the bed, I made a bee-line for it as if it called to me. Crawling up onto the soft mattress, I leaned into the pillows as Tabitha removed the golden jewelry. “We won’t need this here,” she said. “Astor and the guard will protect you. My mother cannot come here unless he invites her. You will be able to travel to the tree with him, but we cannot. Only the guard and monarchs can actually go to the tree.”
Her voice faded in and out as she talked, and before long my eyelids sagged. Finally, I heard her say that she was going to be quiet and let me rest. I muttered something incoherent to her, then slipped off to dream.
THE VOICE CALLING my name floated over the green hills to where I sat. The tree of life loomed before me. Its great branches reaching to the sky. Half in Summer, half in Winter, the tree combined all life from both realms as well as the human plane.
“Gloriana, I would speak to you,” she said.
“Are you the tree?” I asked. I felt stupid the moment I said it. Of course, a tree didn’t talk, but then this was a dream. I was sure of it. I pushed my swelling frame off the ground with a grunt. The bulge in my stomach twitched with life warming from the inside out. The little flame of my son twisted and turned.
“Come to me, Child. We have much to discuss. I have been eager for your visit,” she said.
“You knew I would come?” I asked.
“Yes, I knew,” she said. “I know all.”
That was a neat thing to know. I thought of the Bible stories of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Many people thought there was more than one tree. A tree of life and a tree of knowledge. Some scholars held on to the idea that there was only one tree. It seemed that the tree calling me confirmed the single tree theory.
“I’m on my way. It might take a moment. I’m adjusting to the growing child in my belly,” I said.
“Your son is healthy,” she said.
I walked over hills toward the tree, but I didn’t seem to be making any progress. “Am I going the right way?” I asked.
“Yes. Keep walking, my child,” she urged.
When I reached the crest of the next hill, I could see the tree from root to tip. The Summer side of the tree was laden with enormous fruit that looked like apples but were the orange color of peaches. The Winter side was barren with no leaves. Its long winding limbs swayed with the cold of gusts of winter wind.
“Grace!” I heard a voice calling out to me. I turned to see the knight, Astor, rushing toward me. His long copper locks flashed in the sunlight. His strong frame pounded the ground as he approached. He didn’t have his sword or his armor. He looked as if he were about to go to a formal ball at court. He wore a long navy tunic with the tree symbol emblazed in gold reflecting the sunlight as he ran. “Stop, Grace!”
“The Knight means well, but I must speak with you,” the tree said.
“He wants me to stop. He seems pretty adamant that I wait,” I said looking back to Astor. I could see the lines on his face wrinkled up with concern.
“Please, Grace! Wait!” he called out as he ran through the valley below me, then up the undulating hill to where I stood.
“Come to me now!” the tree ordered.
“I don’t take orders very well,” I told the tree.
“You must come!” it demanded. The voice changed from the warming female to the gruff annoyance of a man. It compelled me to move toward it. As I started to step, warm arms wrapped me up from behind and hot heavy breaths coursed down my neck.
“Dylan!” I said spinning around to meet the amber eyes of the knight. I groaned with pain and sorrow. I craved the touch of the man I loved so dearly. Astor’s arms felt so much like his that my memory triggered the familiarity and connected it to the action.
“Grace, you cannot go to the tree alone. I have to take you,” he gasped trying to catch his breath.
“Let her come to me,” the tree demanded.
“Not yet!” he yelled back at it.
“You are troublesome, Knight! Release her!” it demanded.
“It can seduce you, Grace. Do not listen,” he said, straining to hold me in place.
“This is a dream. It will be okay. I’ll wake up in a moment,” I said. “Nothing will happen.”
Astor held me with one arm, then traced the curve of my high cheekbone with his finger. “It is a dream, dear Queen, but the tree exists in all rea
lms. Thus, I have to protect them all. I protect the tree from the outside, as well as protecting the outside from the tree. You need to wake up now. You cannot go to the tree in your dream, nor in fairy without my escort. I dare not go in the dream realm. It is your dream, you control what happens, except for what the tree does.”
The familiar touch on my cheek reverberated through my body. He felt so familiar. “You feel like him,” I said.
“Yes. I do because it’s the touch you want the most in your dreams. Any man could touch you here, and it would feel like him,” Astor said. His eyes darkened, and he stopped the subtle stroke of my cheek. I reached up and pressed his hand against my cheek to feel it just for a second. He groaned, and I released him, feeling guilty for what I had made him do for my benefit.
“We should go back,” he said.
“It took forever to get here. Every time I thought I was on the last hill, it was like another appeared,” I said. He looked over my shoulder to the tree which laughed. The tree laughed. Its branches shook. The Winter branches brushed together while the Summer ones shed leaves.
“It never intended for you to make it to it,” he said.
“Huh?”
“You tricked her,” he said to the tree.
“Yes,” the female voice returned but sounded much older. “You wanted to speak with her alone. Now she is alone. Except for me, and I already know what you want to say.”
Chills ran down my arms in a way they never had. I pushed away from Astor, looking him in the eye. The golden hues of his eyes darkened again, and he sat down on the lush green grass. He began to idly pick at it.
“What does it mean?” I asked as I eased down across from him.
“Ah! Grace, I don’t know where to start,” I said.
“Just start, because I’m starting to feel like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” I said.
He laughed, but it wasn’t as deep as before when filled the knight’s home. Taking a deep breath, his words spilled out of his mouth with a warm concern, “You are your father’s only daughter. I am my mother’s only son. There was a time when our parents were friends.”
“I don’t remember that,” I said.
“I imagine you don’t. I barely remember it, but it’s mostly the memory of a story that was told to me by the Sanhedrin,” he said.
“Jeremiah,” I snarled.
“The very one,” he said. “He told me about when our parents were friends. That they intended for us to, um…”
“Marry,” I said finishing his sentence. Jeremiah must have considered himself my personal matchmaker.
“Yes, but not to unite the kingdoms, only to ensure peace between them. I’d never seen you in the flesh before today when I saw you in the sunflower field, but there is a painting of you on my wall,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s not creepy at all,” I said.
“It is now that you are here,” he admitted. “My mother gave me the painting telling me that you would make a wonderful Queen for me. While all my friends were marrying others and having relationships, I waited. My mother found out that your father didn’t restrict you the way she had me. She demanded that we break the betrothal. Your father agreed, but he did not know that my mother had many friends within his council. She made sure that you were banished. The council voted. You were banished, and I was left with nothing.”
“I have recently realized that my father had no choice in the matter. When your council votes, the impulse is immediate,” I said thinking back to the moment Stephanie reappeared in Shady Grove. My instincts to kill her were instant. My hatred for Rhiannon renewed with his story. She made sure I was banished hurting not only me but my father as well.
“The same for my mother’s council, but she controls it tightly. More and more I think my mother is becoming as cold as Winter,” he said.
“My father has warmed up since he died,” I said.
“What?” he asked.
“I can talk to my father through a well stone I created back in my hometown,” I said.
“Shady Grove,” he said. “It sounds like a nice place. I’ve heard tales.”
“How did you end up here?”
“Guarding the tree?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“It seemed like the right thing to do at the time,” he said. “I had nothing else to hold on to, and most of my friends were romping about as fairies do. I’d accepted my responsibility to my Queen and her kingdom. Admittedly, I didn’t see marrying you as a burden. It’s why I kept the painting. You looked so young and innocent. You are more beautiful in person. I decided that serving by guarding the tree was my best option.”
“And now?” I asked.
“And now, I have no other alternative,” he said. “Seeing you is like a punch in the gut. A reminder of what my life in this world was supposed to be like.”
“I’m sorry. I really had no idea. We can do this meeting with the tree, and I’ll get out of here. The last thing I want to do is cause you pain,” I said, feeling responsible for something that I hadn’t even known about. However, it made sense. Most of the aristocracy betrothed their heirs. It never occurred to me that my father had done the same for me. Whether he knew it or not, he chose well for me. I liked Astor immediately. It wasn’t just his good looks or his warm touch. He seemed pure and untouched of the troubles of this world and the one above. I’m not sure I would have liked him a few years ago though. I probably would have considered him a prude.
“Grace, it is an honor to meet you after all of this time. You may stay as long as you need. I’m happy to have you here. I’m also happy that you have made friends with my sister. She didn’t grow up here, and never seemed to connect to anyone here or there,” he said.
“I trust her, and that is a rare thing for me,” I replied. “Although, I didn’t know about her heritage until court today.”
“She’s not proud of her mother. Neither of us are,” he said. “Mother has done many abhorrent things including killing her own child.”
“What?” I asked.
“Yes. It is the reason that Riley, Rowan, Tabitha and eventually Stephanie left the kingdom. They knew she intended to give me the throne, but when she killed our sister as an example, they all left,” he said.
“I thought Stephanie was callous with Devin. I can’t imagine killing your own child,” I said, rubbing my belly.
“I admit it was a shock to see you pregnant,” he said. “That news had not reached this realm.”
“It’s recent,” I said.
He paused allowing me to gather my thoughts. “I am truly sorry for your loss. Perhaps the tree will shed some light on Dylan’s death and Levi’s capture. I will help if I can.”
“You are a good man, Astor,” I said. “Astor means hawk, right?”
“It does. Each guard of the tree takes a name related to birds,” he said.
“What was your name before?” I asked. For the first time since I met him, Astor closed himself off. He didn’t want to answer me. I also knew he wouldn’t lie to me.
“Pryderi,” he replied.
“Were you actually abducted?” I asked.
He smiled, “No, but it makes for a good myth.”
“It does,” I replied. “I loved reading the old stories when I was younger. Much, much younger. Pryderi was equated to one of the knights of the round table.” I tried to recall the story but couldn’t place which knight he was tied to, but I did remember Levi’s story that he’d written down for Dylan. Jeremiah was Tristan, also a Knight of the Round Table.
Astor watched me closely. “Grace,” he said. “You don’t know, do you?”
“If I knew, then you wouldn’t have to ask,” I said still concentrating on the stories. “Which knight?”
“It’s deeper than that,” he said. “We should go back.”
“No! Please! Astor. Every single step I take in this journey, I find there are so many things that should have been told to me. I’m sick
of the secrets. Please tell me whatever it is,” I said.
“I fear for your reaction here in the dream world. We should exit then I’ll tell you outside of it,” he said.
“Someone will stop you or something will happen. Please, I beg of you,” I pleaded. “Why is it so hard to get the truth?”
He ran his hand through the deep copper hair on his head. His yellow eyes flashed with pain, confusion, but finally, resolve. “I’m not sure of the consequences of this action, but I will tell you what I can,” he said.
I grabbed his other hand, holding it tightly. “Thank you.”
He cleared his throat as the tree rustled behind us. Looking toward it, he waited for the tree to speak, but she didn’t. “I am Sir Percival, Knight of the Round Table. I found the Holy Grail with my fellow brothers, Galahad and Bors.”
“Brothers,” I said. “The Knights referred to each other as brothers?”
“Yes, those who became Arthur’s knights considered the King and the other knights to be our brothers, not by blood, but by blood oath,” he said.
Flashes of Tennyson Schuyler bowing before my father, cutting his palm. My father. The King. I gasped and couldn’t catch my breath. Astor closed in on me to calm me. I pushed myself up off the ground away from him. He pursued me, but it didn’t take much as I stumbled. Catching me before I tumbled back to the ground, his warm arms enveloped me again. “Grace, you are part of a long legacy that started before this world ever began. He should have told you.”
“My father is…”
“Your father was once king, then king again in the Otherworld until he died. We all mourn him,” Astor said.
“Tennyson swore a blood oath to me,” I said shaking.
“Tennyson Schuyler?” he asked.
“Father called him Lachlan,” I said. “They are brothers.”
“Lancelot,” he said.
“He and Jenny have a past,” I said remembering the details that had swirled around in my head, but I hadn’t pieced them together until now.
“Jennifer. Gwenyfar,” he said.
“Guinevere,” I gasped. “Good grief. I can’t breathe.”
“Wake up, Grace,” he said. “No more here. Please.”
