by Mary Dublin
Daniel held his gaze, studying him intently. "So you really believe that time will be enough for her?"
Brennan opened his mouth, looked at Avie, and shut it again. Daniel dropped his gaze too, trying not to despair in the terrible quiet.
"Can you at least give me word about Aeron?"
Brennan sighed, no doubt weary of the question by now. "Daniel, I told you before I'm not supposed to talk about this with you. It's too… too raw for you."
"Just tell me he's dead, and I'll stop asking." As the fairy flinched back at the harsh snap of his voice, Daniel promptly become apologetic and fell quiet.
"He's imprisoned," Brennan finally confessed. "And it doesn't appear he will regain full consciousness. The council has decided that a swift execution is far too merciful. He has been sentenced to wither away in his state. You don't need to worry about him going anywhere. Trust me, if no one else."
There was no arguing with the look on his face. In any case, Daniel was in no mood to fight. He was tired of fighting. So very tired. He gave a barely perceptible nod, and that was the end of it.
His heavy-lidded eyes slid back down to Avie, no matter how it hurt to look at her. "Evrosea still asks for her?" Daniel murmured.
Brennan stooped to set the arrowhead down at his feet. "Everyone. Somehow, the idea has caught on that she should succeed Rommen in line for the throne—not that he's interested in ruling so much as a rosebush, mind you. She is Maison's grand-child. His royal blood is in her still. She has every right."
Daniel's chest grew tight at the idea of his little girl stranded beyond that stone wall. He had to set Avie's box down as his hands began to tremble.
"They ask me to give them my only child," he all but growled. "For the sake of a bloodline."
Brennan's wings flickered with agitation. "Daniel, you must know it's more than that. Try to look past your own pain. Lady Alyssa and Lord Jael and the others… They only want to help her. It was Avie that put an end to Bogdan, we all saw it. And every fairy in Evrosea is indebted to her because of it. Myself included."
Daniel straightened, rigid as a board. "So you agree with them? These people who call her this.. White Heart?"
"They only mean, it takes purity to banish darkness."
"Avie's," Daniel said rather flatly.
Brennan gave a loud sigh and resorted to stroking his scruffy chin in thought. "I want what's right for her. Perhaps a visit to Evrosea might do everyone some good. She could be among people her own size for a short time, at the very least."
Every fiber of Daniel's being demanded he refuse. She was his daughter. He had to, didn't he?
He brushed a fingertip over Avie's cheek—so small, it didn't even cover the entire pad. She made a tiny noise and rolled to the other side, one twig-thin arm slung around his finger. Tears sprang to his eyes.
"If she came for this… visit. Would you watch over her in my place?"
Brennan stared at him as if he hadn't heard right. "Me? You'd trust me to..." He trailed off, frowning at Avie as if she might spring up and protest Daniel's suggestion herself.
"Who else? She loves you dearly. You damn near lost your life protecting her from Aeron. Besides that, you're my best mate. It's you, or no one."
Brennan's eyes glistened. "I… For how long?"
"Whatever is necessary."
For a moment, he was sure Brennan would refuse, but something changed in his expression. It was hard to say if it was relief or trepidation of the offered responsibility. Whatever it was, he nodded, voice thicker.
"Of course I will. You'll need to leave your chambers at some point, after all. You've got a kingdom to run. Anyway, it's only a visit for now, isn't it?" He paused deeply and ran his lips together. "Besides, I love her too. How can I not, when I see both you and Esmae in her?"
Daniel smiled. It had been so long since he'd done it, the muscles in his face practically ached. The tears finally leaked out, and he carefully removed his hand from the jewelry box to rub them away. A flit of wings made him pause and look down: Brennan was at a hover, leaning against his chest with arms spread wide.
"It's going to be alright, Daniel."
The sudden comfort only made him feel closer to breaking. "I don't think I'll ever feel alright again," Daniel answered in a croak.
"You're not losing Avie. What, do you believe those warnings that fae take any opportunity to kidnap children?" Brennan scoffed. "That's Aeron's lot, not us."
"Evrosea wants her as queen." Sighing heavily, Daniel cupped his hands around the fairy, feeling the wings twitch to a stop just before he pressed Brennan gently to him. His mind rushed to the last time they had interacted, and guilt stole Daniel's smile. "When we found out nothing could be done for Avie, I... I hurt you, didn't I?"
The way Brennan went rigid was not reassuring. "Nothing I couldn't sleep off," he said after a moment.
"Your lying hasn't gotten any better."
"Is that supposed to be an insult? Honest, Daniel, I'm fine. And don't say you're sorry. If I hadn't already forgiven you, I wouldn't be here."
A creak came at the door, startling them both. Esmae passed the threshold with a bowl in each hand. It wasn't until she shut the door with her back that she caught sight of Brennan cupped to Daniel's chest. The despondency that had taken hold of her features softened into a bemused smile.
"I leave the room for ten minutes…"
Passing the bowls and spoons off to Daniel, Esmae lifted her hands as Brennan flew in to hug her shoulder. The embrace was short, but it seemed to do them both a world of good.
Pulling back to hover before her, Brennan said, "You look awful," with the blunt honesty only a fairy could have.
"We match, then," she whispered barely above a breath—a habit she had adopted around Avie's new height. She took one of the smallest spoons she had smuggled from the kitchen and dipped it into the stew steaming from one of the bowls. She handed the spoon off to Brennan. "Eat."
Without protest, he settled back on the sill while Esmae took a seat beside Daniel, watching Avie's sleeping form raptly. He waited until she downed a few spoonfuls of food before speaking up.
"Esmae. Do you think Avie might enjoy a visit to Evrosea?" He paused when she looked up suddenly, and he understood the petrified expression in her eyes all too well; he still felt it, too. "A few days, perhaps."
"Days? She's frightened when she loses sight of us," she protested softly.
Brennan sighed. "These chambers can't be her whole world."
Esmae's earth-colored eyes were swimming with sorrows as she pushed her soup spoon between a carrot and leek. "We'll leave it up to her," she declared. "It's Aveline's choice, not anyone else's."
Daniel shifted his gaze to the window and shared a knowing look with Brennan. "We won't stop looking for an answer. No matter what happens, you understand?"
Brennan nodded, the saddest crook of a smile at the corners of his lips.
"Never."
Avie would have been in tears when they came back for her at the end of the second day.
It was this singular thought that drove Esmae through the woods. They had granted Avie a three day visit, but the palace was so much emptier, she couldn't bear to wait any longer. She didn't even tell Daniel where she was going. She simply put on her darkest clothes and snuck around the hills of stones and black mortar for the soon-to-be finished wall.
She gave the construction site a dark look over her shoulder as she passed. It seemed like an intruder; a dark consequence left in the wake of Aeron Bogdan's defeat.
Just like Avie. No matter how else the kingdoms may forget the strange things that came to pass this winter, the wall would stay standing and Aveline would remain as small as a fairy.
The walk felt so much longer with no one by her side. A breeze whistled through the barren trees, reminding her dreadfully of the patch of woods she had sought the witch those years ago. Every so often she threw a glance over her shoulder, only to find she was as alone as she'd been sinc
e setting off.
It wasn't until she felt the faint buzz of magic in the distance that she relaxed. Every step brought her closer within reach of Avie, until the entrance to Evrosea was shimmering right before her. She paused briefly before passing through, unsurprised when she was immediately greeted by two hovering guards.
"Your Majesty," one said with a bow of her head. "We weren't expecting a visit so soon."
"I've come to see Aveline," she said, leaving out her desire to bring her daughter home upon departure. "Could I trouble one of you to escort me to the palace?"
The guard who greeted her went without protest, though they took a longer path that wove away from the more heavily inhabited trees, given the late hour. Unlike the forest outside the glamour barrier, this one was alive with green leaves that glowed faintly in the darkness. She could see the reconstructed bridges and balconies, glad that at least her former kingdom looked familiar.
"Are you alright, Your Majesty?"
Esmae had stopped in tracks upon seeing the King's Oak at the center, realizing with a painful lurch of her heart that Evrosea would never be the same, no matter how much it was rebuilt and fortified. Her father was gone. He would never again come out to greet her on the balcony.
She blinked hard and nodded. "I'm alright. Please, let's proceed."
It was a comfort to her that even at her human height, the grand oak that housed the Evrosea palace towered over her. She knelt between its roots three feet from the nearest balcony and waited patiently while the fairy assured her he would take care of everything else.
She let her gaze roam up over the panes of colored glass inset within the twisted bark. Over half her life had been spent within those rooms. She craned her neck back further and further, looking for room that had once been hers. Esmae knew it at once; no two window panes were cut in the same shape in Evrosea. The rounded glass was cast open, welcoming a breeze into the higher chambers.
Esmae gave a small start as a small figure crossed inside the open window. The silvery hair and gossamer wings were unmistakable. She was wearing a new gown, less tattered than the borrowed slip she'd worn into battle. She looked pale and out of place amongst other fairies, but there was an undeniable fullness to her face in place of the hollowed cheekbones that had marked her as a human's prisoner.
Before she could call to her, Tessa had spotted her. Fear turned to warmth in the amount of time it took her to cross over from the oaken vanity.
"I thought it was you," Tessa confessed, leaning her bony arms over the sill. Her face fell. "Have you come for Aveline?"
"Well... yes," Esmae said, keeping her voice low and remembering all too well how reluctant the other fairies had been to let Avie leave the last time she was there. She peered past Tessa, surprised to find the tiny bed empty. "Is she around?"
"Brennan took her off to the eastern glen some time ago."
"At this hour?" Though it had been years since her secret escapades with Brennan into the farther reaches of Evrosea, Esmae remembered the ponds vividly, along with the glow of fireflies over the water. "She's having trouble sleeping, I suppose?"
Tessa averted her gaze. "She's been sleeping soundly," she said after a beat of hesitation. "They're bound to be along any time now, I'm sure."
Recalling the way Avie's eyes had been brimming with tears before Brennan had whisked her off for the visit, Esmae had to hold back a flurry of questions about how her daughter was faring. Avie would be with her soon. That was all that mattered.
"How are you settling in?" Esmae asked.
Looking rather surprised by the question, Tessa gave a rare smile. "My room is much bigger than necessary, but Brennan won't hear of it, of course. I have a healer looking after my wings daily to get them back in proper order. There's food and drink whenever I want it. I'm free to roam the palace inside and out as I please. It's..." She let out a slow breath. "Overwhelming."
Esmae nodded sympathetically. "I can only imagine. And, er... were you just passing through the bedroom?"
"Oh? I was waiting for Brennan to return with Aveline. There was a brush she liked last night on her hair, and I was preparing her bed..." She trailed off, glancing away uncomfortably, seeing as Avie would not be staying another night.
"That's kind of you," Esmae said with a perplexed frown. "I hope you don't mean to say anyone has forced duties on you."
Tessa straightened up. "Not at all! I offered. I quite like being around the princess. She... she isn't at all bothered by what I am."
"Nor should she be. Avie has always had a gift for judging character. Humans and fairies. If she trusts you… You don't ever need to doubt yourself again."
Tessa was awfully quiet for a moment, but Esmae was pleased to see her words had an impact when Tessa smiled serenely.
"She's a wonderful child," the fairy said softly.
But there was something else on her mind as she lowered her jewel-colored eyes to the ground.
"Queen Esmae," she started feebly. "I never thanked you for what you did for me. Back in the village, you saved me from slavery to Hengest Highwater and repaid you with spite and coarseness."
Esmae held up a hand for quiet. "Please, there's no need to—"
"Let me say it!" Tessa cried. She blushed at the volume of her own voice, but pressed on. It was dire to her, and Esmae was stunned into silence. "You may be too gracious to say it, your highness, but I owe you my life. Without you, I… I'd be strung up for some greedy man in exchange for gold."
"You've more than repaid whatever debt you think you have," Esmae insisted earnestly. "You put your life at risk to protect Avie back in Mirrel. And we never would have gotten through the glamour barrier without you. Besides that, who knows what state of mind I would have been in when it mattered most if you hadn't helped me with your magic. You don't owe me a thing, Tessa."
"It doesn't feel like enough," she murmured, losing her intensity as she hung her head, pearly hair spilling in front of her like a curtain.
Esmae reached out gingerly to brush Tessa's cheek with the pad of her finger, drawing her eyes back. "It is, I promise you. What would make me happier than anything is for you to live the way you were meant to—safe amongst fairies. I'm only sorry I can't return the years stolen from you."
Tessa pursed her lips. "I-I'll stay, then, if that's what you think is best. But… no matter where I am or where I live, you are my queen. Before anyone else."
The protest forming at Esmae's lips halted when a flutter of wings came from nearby. She thought for a moment it was the guard returning with news of Avie's absence, but the sound came from behind. Twisting around, she spotted Brennan's amber-lit form cutting through the darkness, holding a tiny figure in his arms.
"Mummy!" Avie's gleeful shout was more effective than any fae or human-made remedy.
Esmae brightened the very instant Avie was set within her outstretched hands. She had been very nervous the first half of the week about being held, seeming to share the natural fear most fairies were born with. But now, it seemed as though she was too excited to remember to be afraid.
"Oh, don't you look wonderful, my darling," Esmae crooned.
Avie twirled in a circle to show off her borrowed silk dress. The slits on the back cut for wings hung loose and empty. She looked like she wanted to dive in for an embrace, but settled for hugging the nearest finger with as much ferocity as a two-inch girl could manage.
"I can fit so many places in Papa's palace that I couldn't before. Do you want to see?"
Esmae kissed the top of her head delicately. "You've been keeping your Uncle Brennan busy, haven't you?"
Avie snickered. "He says I'm a handful, for a girl with no wings."
"In the best way," Brennan added, shooting her a fond smile.
Beaming, Avie loosened her hold around Esmae's finger. "He showed me the fireflies! There were so many colors, Mummy, they made whole pond glow! And this morning, we said hi to the butterflies in the garden—their legs tickle so much! The flowers are
so big and pretty, too—I can even fit in them if I want to! Oh, and last night, Tessa told me so many stories before I went to sleep!"
The grin plastered on that tiny face made Esmae's heart swell in a way she was not prepared. Avie was so unlike how she had been in Mirrel, where she was almost too terrified to leave the safety of the jewelry box.
"That's wonderful, sweetling," she said quietly.
Avie bounced up and down. "They made me wings!"
Esmae cocked her head. "They made you...?"
"Ceremonial wings," Brennan explained, running a hand through his hair and looking tired but content. "A few of the palace artisans set to work on them the moment they found out she would be visiting. They're quite a sight."
"They're supposed to be for special times only," Avie said, fixing Brennan with irresistibly entreating eyes. "But we can take them out for Mummy, right?"
Brennan put on a show of considering her request before shrugging. "I don't see why not, Princess."
With that, Tessa pushed away from the balcony, returning soon after with a tiny set of glimmering wings. Esmae's eyes widened at the craftsmanship as the piece was held up for her inspection. With every move, translucent material danced with arrays of color, pattern with swirling golden veins that mimicked real wings. The four parts met in at the base with delicate straps made from metal links that were thin as necklace chains to Esmae.
"My goodness," she said when she found her voice. "They're... they're beautiful."
Avie was already pushing at her fingertips, impatient to put it on. Esmae lifted her to the window, hovering there until Tessa had pulled her inside completely. In a few moments, Avie stepped back up to the sill, the grand wings flared out on her back and a great big smile on her face.
"What do you think?"
Esmae's heart was in her throat as she gave reply. "Why, Evrosea's done fine work for you. You look… You look perfect, darling."
Truly, there was no sound more beautiful to Esmae than Avie's sweet, unbridled laughter as she swayed this way and that, admiring the jeweled panels for herself.
