Falling For Fire

by Talia Jager

  “This is what I was afraid of,” the queen said. “They’re going to attack us for helping.”

  “They’re going to attack you even if you don’t,” I replied. “I need to speak with their leader.”

  “You think the Iron Fae leader will listen?” the king asked.

  “Don’t know unless I try.”

  “If they do listen and agree, do we really want to interact with them?”

  Taking a deep breath, I said, “It’s a personal choice. I can’t tell you what to do, but being prejudiced is what got us into this predicament. It’s time for change.”

  “Aurora!?” Sorin rushed in the room and over to me. Not caring that the Autumn royals were watching, he kissed me. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. The healers here healed me. Dune, Skye, and Neige are all here and uninjured.”

  Relief spread across his face. Then, as if he remembered something, he took my right arm, pushed up the sleeve, and examined it. Then he put the right arm down and took the left one and did the same. “I can’t believe it… You’re an Elemental too.”

  “Why didn’t I know before this?”

  “It doesn’t come out until it’s necessary. You didn’t know because you didn’t need it.”

  King Septimus cleared his throat, and we looked at him. “Where are the Iron Fae now?”

  Sorin turned to face them. “Gone. It seems they came to cause destruction, but when they realized Aurora was home and an Elemental, they wanted to capture her.”

  “So it’s safe to go back?”

  “Yes. The castle is in worse shape than it was, I’m afraid.”

  King Septimus said, “We can help. Let’s go back to Winter Land, and our benders can help repair the castle.”

  “That would be much appreciated,” I said, blinking away tears.

  Sorin and I stood outside while everyone loaded into carriages.

  “There’s something else,” he said, and I didn’t like the look on his face.

  “What?”

  “Your sister Eira is gone.”

  “Gone? Escaped?”

  “Looks like someone broke her out.”

  “Who? How?”

  “We don’t know.”

  “Do you think the Iron Fae rescued her?” I asked, looking at Sorin.

  “I have no idea. How likely would it be that she would be in contact with them?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to really question her,” I said, annoyed.

  Sorin put his hand on my shoulders. “We’ll find her. We’ll bring her to justice.”

  Back in Winter Land, Raina, and Lumi ran up to greet us. “Are you okay?” Lumi asked, and everyone stared at me.

  “Just shaken up.”

  “So? Are the rumors true?”

  I held up my arm. “Apparently.”

  “How cool!” Lumi shrieked. “My sister is an Elemental.”

  Sorin said, “Let’s not let the Iron Fae ruin our plans today.”

  “What do you mean? Move the castles anyway?” I inquired.

  “Yes.”

  “If they’re willing.”

  A few minutes later, Sorin led a group of fae from Autumn Land over to me. “May I present the earth benders who will move our castles.”

  The eight Autumn Fae before me bowed slightly.

  “Good morning,” I greeted them. “You all believe you can do this?”

  Cedar stepped forward. “We’ve never done anything like this, but we do believe it’ll work.”

  “Do you need anything from me?” I asked.

  “Just to have everyone out of the castles.”

  “No problem.”

  “We’ll get started.” Cedar turned, and the Autumn group started to leave.

  “Cedar,” I called.

  “Yes, Your Majesty?” He faced me again.

  “Come here.” I held out my hand.

  He closed the space and took my hand.

  “It’s been a long time,” I said with a smile.

  He nodded. “It has. It’s good to see you, Your Majesty.”

  “Stop with the formalities when nobody else can hear us. You’re my friend, or at least you were. We’re still friends, right?”

  He laughed. “Of course.”

  “Good. Then please, Rory is fine.”

  “Okay, Rory. It is good to see you, and it’s good to see you haven’t changed much.”

  “You too. Are you doing okay? I heard your land lost a lot of fae too.”

  His smile faded. “I’m fine, but we did lose a lot of good fae.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “We’re just glad you’re home.”

  “Me too.” I gave him a hug and then said in my most pompous voice, “Now go move my castle.”

  “Right away!” he laughed and hurried out the door.

  Kailani had the kids in our large pantry. I could hear her voice. She was telling them stories. “It’s safe,” I said, knocking on the door.

  The door opened, and she peeked her head out. “It’s over?”

  “For now. They’ve retreated, and Eira is gone, but we’re going forward with the plan. We need to get everyone out of the castle.”

  She followed me outside, and when we were sure all of the faeries were out of the castle, we stood back to watch. Two Autumn faeries stood on each side of the castle. The ground started shaking, and then I watched in awe as the ground to the right and left of the castle rippled. Ever so slowly, the ripples raised the castle and moved it to the right and back down again.

  This happened over and over, and soon the castle was on the way to its new home with guards surrounding it. Sorin came up next to me and took my hand. “It’s really moving,” he said with a hint of surprise.

  “It sure is.”

  “Should we follow it?”

  “I have no idea.” I looked around at the Winter Fae who were watching. I felt as if something needed to be said, so I stood on a rock and announced, “Although the castle is going to a new place, that doesn’t mean you have to move. If you’d like to stay here, that’s okay. If you want to come and rebuild in a new area, that’s okay too. The Summer king and I just want you to be happy.”

  I jumped off the rock, took Sorin’s hand, and walked with him behind the castle. I waited a few minutes before looking behind me to see if anyone had followed. And they had. Not all, but some. Smiling, I turned back around.

  It took the rest of the morning to get the castle to the Summer border. There was no wall to knock down, but you could see the line distinctly because there was snow, and then there wasn’t.

  Sorin directed the Autumn Fae to place the castle right up to the border. “Perfect,” he said. “Take a break, and we’ll go for the other castle.” He walked over to me and lifted me off my feet, then pressed his lips against mine. “Half done. What do you think?”

  “Looks a little weird, but I think the finished product will be awesome.”

  “Did you know our bedrooms line up? I did some preliminary sketches to make sure this would work. We can have a door to each other’s room until…”

  “Until what?”

  “Until later.” He turned beet red.

  “Excuse me, Your Majesties,” Rufus interrupted.

  “Yes, Rufus?”

  “We lost the Iron Fae in the woods. I have sent the scouts out to see if they can follow their trail.”

  “Okay,” I said. “My sister?”

  “No sign of her.”

  “Do you think we’re safe for now?”

  “I don’t think we’ll be safe until they’re all dead.” He scowled.

  “We need to find the Iron Fae, and if they can’t be reasoned with, then we need to take them out, my sister as well.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  By the end of the day, both castles stood at the Winter–Summer border. All of the master earth benders gathered around them. Together, almost as one, they placed their hands on the ground, and there was a groan followed by a loud t
hud. The two castles were joined together, and although it looked completely awkward, it also looked absolutely beautiful. Cheers erupted through the crowds on both sides.

  After saying thank you to the earth benders who moved the castles, Sorin took my hand and pulled me up the stairs. “Our fellow fae, let this day be remembered as the day we joined the lands!”

  The clapping and cheering got louder.

  “Together our guards and knights will work day and night to protect us all. In the human realm, they have many holidays to celebrate. I’d like to declare today a holiday. We’ll call it the Day of Unity and have an annual celebration!”

  More cheers erupted.

  “That’s not to say we don’t have hard times ahead of us, but we will get through them together.”

  That night, Sorin and I walked into his bedroom.

  “I wanted to surprise you. I had a few of the fae put in a door.” He opened the double doors, which led right into my bedroom.

  “Very cool. I love it.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. “I’ve missed so much with you.”

  “I know, but we have eternity to make it up.” He pressed his lips on mine, and my eyes fluttered closed. I could feel my heartbeat everywhere as our lips moved together.

  Noise from downstairs broke us apart. “Should we check that out?”

  “Probably one of the kids. The castles are being guarded.”

  Hand in hand, we went downstairs to find Skye and Neige digging around in the kitchen. “And just what do you think you two are doing?” I asked, looking stern.

  Skye froze. Her eyes widened, and she looked as if she were going to burst into tears. Quickly, I scooped her up. “I was just teasing. I’m not mad.”

  “We were just hungry, Rory.”

  “Well, let’s find something to eat then.”

  Sorin and I searched for something fun to eat, but there wasn’t much in either kitchen.

  The door opened and in walked Kailani and Keir. Giving them a once-over, I asked, “Where were you two?”

  “Just out, getting to know each other,” Kailani answered, glancing back at Keir, who blushed. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for a snack.” Then it dawned on me. “We need ice cream!”

  “Ice cream? What’s that?” Skye asked.

  “Something sweet that I think you’ll just love, Princess. Kailani, do you think you could help me make some?”

  “Absolutely.”

  While we were searching for the ingredients, Raina, Lumi, Ivy, and Tannon came in too, wondering what was going on. We chatted as we made the ice cream, letting it freeze quickly in Winter Land. The five of them drilled Kailani, Sorin, and me about the human world while the two kids ate more ice cream than Anela probably had in her shop.

  Most of the time, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the circumstances. However, every so often I would get the feeling that some of them were holding back. I thought it might be because of the crowns. They were thinking of us as king and queen now, not who we were.

  I nudged Sorin and had him follow me to a table, where I placed my crown. He copied. “We’re not the king and queen right now. We’re just Sorin and Rory. Let’s stay up late, gossip, and be ourselves,” I said playfully.

  When everyone was yawning, another idea sprang to my mind. Many of us had lost our parents or someone close to us. They wanted to be with those they trusted. They needed to be here. All of them.

  I led them to where the living rooms were joined together without a wall. The only way to tell where the border lay was the difference in temperature and décor.

  Grabbing pillows out of the other rooms, we threw them on the floor. “There. Now we can all sleep together.”

  I tucked Neige in as Sorin did the same with Skye. Flopping down on pillows right at the border, I waited for him.

  “Sorin?”

  “Yeah, Skye?”

  “Remember that bad dream I had a long time ago before you left?”

  “Yes.”

  “It came true. I was scared.” Her little voice sounded so sad.

  Sorin hugged his little sister and said, “I’m so sorry, Skye. I’m sorry I wasn’t here and that you were frightened. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.” He held her until she fell asleep.

  Sorin lay down next to me on his side. After dabbing his eyes, he faced me and held my hands. I could tell he was sad and feeling guilty. I kissed each of his fingers and whispered, “She’ll be okay.”

  “She had a nightmare one night. She said I wasn’t here and bad faeries were everywhere. I told her bad dreams weren’t real. Then look what happened,” he explained.

  “You’re here now, and things are different. We’ll keep her safe. We’ll keep them all safe.” I looked around the room. Everyone was peaceful and comfortable. The Winter faeries slept on the Winter side and the Summer faeries on the Summer side. It’d be hot for me sleeping on his side and cold for him to sleep on mine, but right in the middle, it was perfect for us.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Sorin

  The next morning, I woke with the sun, and for the first time in two years, I really smiled. Everything was going to be all right. I was home, and I had Aurora.

  We had slept in the combined living room. Looking over at Aurora, I realized she was awake. She smiled at me and whispered, “Morning.”

  “Morning. Everyone slept well. See? This can work.”

  She propped herself up on her elbow. “Yes, it can.”

  Kailani was the only one who wasn’t sleeping in her land. Being acclimated to the temperatures in Hawaii made her able to sleep in either place, and she had chosen to sleep next to Keir. Lumi was sleeping next to Tannon.

  “What’s up with that?” I gestured to Lumi and Tannon.

  “They must have grown close the past two years.”

  A ray of sun crept into the room through the window. “Let’s go outside.” Pulling her up, I led Aurora out back where we sat on the grass. Aurora closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun. A smile spread across her face, and I just enjoyed watching.

  A minute later, her eyes popped open, and she started looking around, studying things, as if she were piecing something together. Her toes wiggled in the dirt, and then her eyes grew wide. “Where you were in Alaska, did the seasons stop changing?”

  “Yeah. Everyone was talking about how strange it was.”

  “It’s our fault,” she murmured. “We have to fix it.” She started blabbering about how we were going to do just that.

  “Slow down.”

  “The nature faeries weren’t able to do their jobs. Some were dead, some were fighting, some just weren’t able to help the seasons change because nobody was working together, so the seasons stalled.”

  “I think you’re on to something,” I agreed.

  Her gaze shifted to Tannon, who had just come outside to check on us. “Get the nature faeries together, and bring them here.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  After Tannon left, Aurora said, “It’s weird. He doesn’t treat me the way he used to, which is good, but I didn’t expect that.”

  After a second meeting with the other royals, we had scouts from all Seasons searching for the Iron Fae and Eira. The guards were guarding the lands while the knights were ready to go at the drop of a hat. The nature faeries were doing their job getting the seasons going again, and the best benders and the top fighters from each land were training others. Whoever wasn’t doing any of that was busy trying to rebuild.

  At lunchtime, I sat on the stairs of the castle and watched as everyone worked together to make things happen. The younger faeries were more friendly and accepting than some of the older ones. I heard some grumblings from a few who weren’t happy with what we were doing, but most of the time, I got positive feedback.

  Keir plopped down next to me. “We haven’t had a chance to catch up.”

  “Sorry about that. Feels like it’s been nonst
op since we got back.”

  “So Jastra and Nyella just showed up in the human realm?”

  “Yes. They knocked. I opened the door, and they blew pixie dust in my face.”

  Keir laughed. “Wish I could have seen that.”

  “Yeah. I went from ‘who are you?’ to ‘oh, hey guys!’ in ten seconds.”

  “You had an okay two years?”

  “It wasn’t bad, but I knew something was off. I can’t believe how bad it got here.”

  Keir grew quiet for a minute and then said, “It was horrible. Faeries fighting faeries. Having family and friends killed for something easily fixed. All because the royals were too proud, too lazy, whatever, to actually fix it.”

  I understood why he was angry. His father along with some of our friends had been killed. Not just by Iron Fae, but by the other lands, and here I was trying to unite us. Being the one who had put this whole thing in motion, I felt guilty. “I truly am sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, Sorin. I know you feel that way, but it’s not. It’s not really one faerie’s fault, it’s everybody’s, and I can’t hold everybody responsible. Now that you’re back, please make it stop.”

  “That’s what I plan on doing.”

  I went in search of Aurora and found her and Skye outside in the snow with plenty of guards surrounding them. I watched from the shadows. Seeing Aurora with Skye made my heart melt. She was so good with her, and Skye needed a good female role model to look up to. After she did some tricks with the snow, Aurora asked someone to help her find some ice skates and promised to take Skye skating later.

  Aurora looked around as if she could sense me there, so I stepped out. Smiling, she walked over to me and took my hand. “I love being able to walk up and do this publicly.” Her bare feet stood on mine, and she kissed me.

  A few faeries watched, but it was more out of curiosity. Nobody had ever seen mixed Seasons kissing.

  “Hey, Sorin?” Dune stepped in, holding out a sword. “Are you up for a challenge?”

  “Absolutely, brother.” I took the sword.

  We stood facing each other. After a few seconds, Dune made the first move, and our swords began clanging together. Every time I thought I’d have Dune on the ground, he would bounce back. Dune turned and swung his sword, hitting mine to the ground. Then he put the tip of his sword over my heart.