With his hands stretched out, he gently placed them on her head, and as he did, he gasped. All of her memories flowed into him. He sifted through everything. She was born to Maurice and Victoria Lapointe. Her mother passed, as did her brother when she was very young. Something else appeared there, a sort of replacement for the lost brother. This was something he couldn’t quite understand, as that block of memories made it seem like her brother never truly left her. Soon after that, he saw as Maurice pleaded with her to save Dormality by way of marriage.
It was here that things took a darker turn. Esther Anna Lapointe stood witness as Princess Noelle ruthlessly killed the maid. There was a flash, a flinch…
Memory loss?
He quickly skipped over the times she’d spent with Pierre, her husband, finding that they greatly disturbed him. Then, she discovered the book with markings on the book that were vaguely familiar. The prince knew this was a dark instrument…The king’s murder disturbed him to his core, stabbed by a woman who resembled Esther Anna.
How could this be, when I’m remembering this from her account? That thought troubled him.
Once the princess transformed back from her disguise, he heard her ordered the guards to chase after the queen, and accuse her of committing the murder and high treason to her own husband and his crown. Esther Anna was chased through the dark woods, making an account for every scrape and bump she’d had when he observed her earlier. Then the demon arrived…It nearly threw his focus, but he struggled to stay on course. The prince watched the demon reveal itself to her and he felt how uncomfortable he made her by staring at her with those beady red eyes. He felt her desperation, fear, and relief as she ran from the demon.
Then, she found it. The part of the woods, specially warded and cloaked from human eyes. How had she been able to break through the barrier? The prince followed as she fell through the entrance, experiencing the sheer terror and worry that she might be dying.
He released her. He’d seen enough.
Esther Anna fell back, gasping desperately for air. Her eyes were wide. What did he do to me?
She’d been telling the truth, after all. That technique was not without its drawbacks, so that’s why it was only used by the most skilled magic practitioners in the kingdom. After composing himself from the overwhelming vision, the prince moved to relay his findings to his men. They all knowingly nodded and flew towards the castle to deliver their report.
The prince, having stayed behind with a bewildered Queen Esther Anna, watched them leave. He turned to look at her and saw that she was terrified. He could see it in her eyes, she was afraid, and wondered why he asked them all to leave. It was a fair assumption, but having gone through her memories from birth until now, he had a pretty good idea of her thought process and how to read her.
The prince flew towards her, showing little hesitation when she tried to back away. He reached out as if to touch her again and took a deep breath, to assess the bruises and the amount of energy he’d need to heal her. The energy flowed out of him into her to help revitalize the weary queen.
She uttered a low moan as the cuts and gaps in her torn skin smoothed over. The bruises and cuts were on the mend. Her neck pain suddenly vanished, along with the muscular pain she’d been feeling too. By the time he released her, she felt renewed and rejuvenated.
The prince assumed his larger, human form once more and his wings collapse behind him. He was so intrigued by the strange woman and was still getting over the fact that her purity was unlike anything he’d ever witnessed. He nodded. “I believe you. I believe everything. I know that you are Queen Esther Anna and that you have been done a great wrong…That cannot go unpunished.”
Despite his sudden turn to trust her and the fact that he had healed her, Esther Anna was still quite wary of him.
The prince sighed again. He unsheathed his sword, though he had no intentions of hurting her. He lifted the sword, brought it down in two smooth slices, and her bindings fell to the ground. He offered her a kind smile. “I am Prince Phillip. Welcome to the Kingdom of Fandrela.”
4
Present time. Fairy Kingdom of Fandrela.
* * *
Esther Anna gingerly stepped around flowers as they got to them, trying her very best to avoid harming any one of them.
The prince watched her with a smile of approval as he admired anyone who appreciated nature like she did. He saw her necklace, and thought to ask her about it later. It called out to him and unnerved him; There was something about the necklace that made him uncomfortable. His eyes lingered there on the jewellery for a moment as it had seemingly hypnotized him. This was the necklace she’d taken from the princess…She was wearing it the night she went to see the king…
This was no ordinary necklace.
“So…why did you turn around and believe me?” She kept her eyes on the path as they walked side by side. Even though she rather enjoyed this scenic route, Esther Anna wondered why they didn’t just fly to their destination.
He didn’t answer right away as he needed a moment to gather his thoughts. The method he’d used was only done with her best interest in mind. The prince used it to verify her story, and despite the unusual things he’d seen, it worked well. He was now in possession of vital information about her, too. He knew the location of her birthmarks, how she obtained her first scar, and that she hated boiled chicken but craved it when it’d been taken to hot oil. Esther Anna also knew that the companion she’d spent most of her time with was not really her brother, Adam, but didn’t mind it, as long as they were together. Despite the unfortunate situation, she also enjoyed the time with Noelle, when they were friends, and not at odds over Pierre’s kingdom. He was aware of the strong feelings she’d had for the king, and his own jealousy at the constant reminder of that fact, never failed to amaze him. All these memories, first times, second times, and so on—they all flowed into his head, accessible to him, Things he wanted to know, and others he didn’t. With all this, he wondered how she would react if she knew what he’d done.
He turned slightly and realised that she was staring at him, so he quickly turned away. He was still gauging what her reaction might be. She didn’t look like one who took offence at a nonsensical concept easily, but then again, one could never really tell from mere physical features. However, she seemed easy going enough and he wished her capacity for understanding was as broad as her knowledge of the several ways to prepare potato stew.
With that final thought, he decided to break his silence. “Well, I just sensed that you were telling the truth…”
She tilted her head, and didn’t even have to ask since bewilderment was written all over her features.
“How do I say this? It’s not every day I meet a human with that much innocence just oozing out of them. So, I confirmed your story and the rest, as they say, is history.” He had purposefully been vague to give her a chance to draw specific conclusions on her own. That way, he would have told the truth, but only part of it.
She thought about his words as they walked. His explanation for why he had let her go had been devoid of any really explaining and had just been an earful of unnecessary details and talks of principle aimed at throwing her head out of the game.
He’d touched her in his much smaller form, and she remembered that she felt something. It had felt like something vital was being played with, and there was no one to stop the process. There was no physical pain from the exchange, though he leapt over mental barriers and she’d shared something with him. No matter what had been done, he’d saved her. If he hadn’t, she would probably still be locked in jail, awaiting trial or perhaps something worse.
In a way, Esther Anna was grateful for his help, though a little upset that he hadn’t gotten her permission prior to the exchange. She at least deserved a say in the matter. Even prisoners after all, had rights, limited as they might be.
Esther Anna snuck a glance at the Prince, his fine features seemingly encased in golden sunlight as she looked.
She noticed that the prince’s ears behind his hair made him look even more handsome it was tucked behind it. Then she blushed, both bashful and confused. Her husband just passed and she was admiring another man that way? The queen struggled to keep her mind on the matter at hand. “I understand, but what did you do? Because after you’d stopped, I felt like something had left me. I know it sounds strange, but that’s exactly how it felt.”
“I…” Prince Phillip blinked twice, and froze for a moment. She was proving to be more intuitive than he’d anticipated. “I read your mind.”
“I see.” Esther Anna replied, softly. She didn’t know what to make of his invasion of her head space, but she was not upset. Now he knew some of the more embarrassing moments in her memory bank, but the benefit of his mind reading that he saw what she saw, and knew that she was telling the truth.
Phillip was slightly taken aback. He had braced himself for an outburst but she seemed to take the news well.
“My memories? You were able to see them?” She asked. “You saw what she did then…Princess Noelle, to the maid?”
He nodded solemnly. Her name was Talia. He saw everything. The queen’s memories were his now, including the night she’d seen the princess kill King Pierre. He had them all. His stomach twisted with the image of the Noelle’s incisions, from which she’d drawn the blood from the girl as Esther Anna watched… and then, she bathed in it. Phillip wasn’t sure, but it might have been blood magic. “I’m not sure what to make of it, but from what I saw, there was blood magic involved. It’s a practice usually carried out by those who take part in the dark arts… it’s awful. And the knife she used… there’s something vaguely familiar about that blade. I just can’t recall right now.”
Esther Anna watched him as he spoke and was fascinated by his recollection of the things that were in her head.
He is fascinating… a tiny voice echoed.
“So, where are we going?” Esther Anna asked as she looked around at her new surroundings. They just stepped into a beautiful clearing with a glittering path that trailed toward a quaint yet beautiful kingdom.
“There.”
Directly in the middle, of the landscape was the castle, notably the largest structure in the kingdom. There were other establishments surrounding it, including a small tavern. It was all so surreal. As she admired the place, the queen became aware of fairies flying towards them. She staggered back as the fluttering sound came surrounded her. She looked at the prince with a tinge of fear and surprise as a couple of fairies examined her ears. Just as she was curious about them before, it was their turn to examine the stranger. The others shimmered as they zipped all around the air, checking her hair, her nose, and her eyes.
“Pardon their curiosity.” Prince Phillip was amused by her baffled expression. “We don’t exactly get a lot of humans around here, so they’re just inspecting you. Don’t be afraid.”
She wasn’t afraid, but being the subject of certain scrutiny was a new experience. Esther Anna remained calm, and tried to reassure them that she was not a threat. Then the thought dawned on her…how would she fit in their tiny castle?
“Aha. There she is!” The prince called out.
Esther Anna looked around, searching for the one he’d been speaking about. She gasped when she saw a fairy fly up to her, and hover a few inches away from her face. The newcomer said something, but her voice was too tiny to hear. As she narrowed her eyes, Esther Anna turned her ear to try and listen but the fairy stretched out her hand and a wave of energy flowed out of her and touched Esther Anna. The effects of her spell were instantaneous.
The queen’s stomach lurched slightly. She was hit with a brief impression of falling, but then, as soon as it had come, it was gone. When she opened her eyes, she turned and screamed in shock. Beside her stood the tallest blade of grass she’d ever seen.
Present time. Kingdom of Tibethia. Castle grounds.
* * *
The palace was abuzz with activity, and the guards had returned after having scoured the entire forest several times with no success. They dreaded reporting back to the princess with news of their failure, since they had not been unable to locate the queen. They knew she wouldn’t take the news well. Most of them had a fear of having their heads chopped off for merely thinking that the queen had little to no involvement in the king’s death. They’d seen for themselves just how much the Queen Esther Anna had loved King Pierre, and witnessed her kindness.
The general question here was: if the queen was innocent, why did she run?
The captain of the guard walked through the halls in search of the Princess Noelle. He’d been told that she’d been in her room for the duration of the search, but when he’d gone to look for her, he had not found her there. The captain continued his search and went by Queen Esther Anna’s room. He remembered that the princess had left standing orders not to go into the room. For a moment, he stood in front of the large oak door. He knew that standard procedure meant that they ransack the room for clues. Without conducting the search, as far as he was concerned, she didn’t have any motive for killing the king.
The captain was one of the few who were aware that the union of Pierre and Esther Anna was pure convenience; They wed because the Kingdom of Dormality was in a state of monetary crisis. Arranged, business marriages usually ended up unhappily. However, the marriage between the late king and Queen Esther Anna had been different from the start. They’d been a very good match and were both good people, and it was a profitable arrangement. He stared at the door, and reached forward, intending to enter the room and carry out the search himself. There were just too many unanswered questions.
At the last second, he stopped.
What am I doing? He wondered, and stepped back from the door. Despite his rank, and desire to carry out protocol, the captain knew he had his orders from the princess. He wouldn’t disobey her.
Eventually, the captain shook his head and walked away, stalking the halls in search of Princess Noelle.
Damien sighed.
Esther Anna fell into the land of the fairies. Try as he might, their warding was too powerful and he’d failed to penetrate it to venture in to continue his search. A progress report would be due to Noelle, and she wouldn’t take the news of his failure well, but these were his orders. He knew what the book was capable of, and more importantly, he knew what she was capable of. It stood to reason that when she threatened, he listened. She was already made aware about the part of the woods where she’d fallen, and was fascinated by it so much that she’d sent her men to find it. Noelle LaChance was obsessed with power and staying young and beautiful forever, the fairy kingdom was famed for its extensive magical ability and she was more than curious to know if she could use that to her advantage. She’d gone immediately to find this place he had described. He doubted she would have much luck even finding it, and even after his struggles, he was only able to stay for a very limited time.
Other than his check-in with the princess, Damien had returned to the palace at Tibethia to obtain the scent of Esther Anna, and knew that her room would be the best place to search, since she’d spent most of her time within those walls. He took up a place behind the door, with his hand rested on the hilt of his favourite blade. It was a good thing that the guard decided to walk away, since he was in no mood to shed any blood, especially in this room. Her room. Damien would have made sure to grant him a swift death, but it would have been excruciating. Such was his techniques. Once he could sense that the captain was gone, he slowly loosened his grip on the blade. The sword radiated its disappointment at the lack of spilled blood, but he willed it to calm down.
Damien strolled towards her dresser and picked up her hair brush. He raised it to his nose and took a long, deep breath. It was so ripe with her scent that it sent a chill through his entire body. Once he regained his full sense and self, Damien untangled a tuft of her loose strands of hair and tucked it into his pouch. This was going to be a key ingredient, a potent one too, for his
tracking spell. The trouble with the tracking spell was if Esther Anna remained in the fairy kingdom, the wards would render it useless. However, on the faint hope that she would step outside of it, at some point, the spell would fully kick in and he would find her immediately.
He took a good look around and took in the placement of all her belongings. Esther Anna kept everything tidy, with very little clutter. Despite the overall look of maintenance carried out by the maids, he could see signs of her personal touch, and she was very organised.
Such purity. Such a lovely woman… He found himself in awe once more, of just how wonderful she was. That must have been why the princess wanted her gone, for that sheer innocence. The book was right about her. Yes, he was certain of it. It was her… Esther Anna Lapointe.
What’s so special about Queen Esther Anna? The question resounded in his head repeatedly. There was a strange feeling in his chest when he’d seen her, something foreign. It was a force strong enough to tempt him into abandoning his task focus on other less important things. Never in his immortal life had he defaulted on an instruction, backed out of a deal or deserted a mission. Yet, when he laid eyes on the queen, he experienced a red-hot anger toward the princess for summoning him with the order to kill her. He knew there was no way he was going to hurt Esther Anna, and if he was alive and breathing, he would ensure no harm would come to her.
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 100
