by Jarica James
My head tilts as I look back at the first brother. Now that I’ve studied them, I know there’s no real way they’re brothers. They look nothing alike, but then again, Jacob and I aren't related either; sometimes family is more than blood. He meets my gaze and winks. On him it’s not creepy, it's panty melting. Shaking myself internally, I offer a small smile and bow my head at each of them.
“I would be honored. I think that’s enough travelers for our first expedition. Too many may cause more of a disturbance than would be safe. Thank you, my friends who volunteered.” Keeping up formalities, I give one more nod of my head to the crowd before sitting. Dormouse seems to notice my nerves and nudges his tiny nose on my hand. I smile and give him a few pets before letting out a long breath to calm myself. Being a queen is so unlike anything I’ve ever done and I still feel like an imposter.
Now that the speech is out of the way, food is brought to the table. All through breakfast people try to talk to me, including Jacob who gets more and more annoyed by the second, but my mind is still on the mysterious brothers. They’re a puzzle I’m dying to solve and a hint of a connection is buzzing through me. The only thing I manage to focus on is feeding Dormy, though his incessant squeaking might be why.
After breakfast I go back to my tent to change into more appropriate clothes for travel. I don’t exactly have an extensive wardrobe with me, and my clothes are meant for the human realm, but I make do. After putting an angry Dormy back in his cage where he’ll be safe, I grab a form fitting purple, long sleeve shirt and skinny jeans. If I’m hiking through forests with unknown plants, I want my skin protected. Finally, I pull on a pair of boots and braid my hair, before throwing the long white braid over one shoulder.
Happy with my outfit, I hurry back to meet Jacob and the others. Jacob promised to pack up food and water for travel, while Allwyn went to gather weapons. I find them waiting by the bridge to Spring, along with the others who volunteered.
“My Queen,” the man who spoke for his brothers greets me. “I am Maddox. We’re survivors of our courts and found each other while escaping Faerie. We stuck together and returned together. We’re not blood brothers, which I have a feeling you gathered, but we’re brothers just the same," he explains, answering my unspoken question from earlier. He looks pointedly at the other three, telling them to speak up and introduce themselves.
“I am Bowen, Your Majesty,” the red headed brother says with a sexy smirk. I’m unable to stop the grin from spreading across my face. He seems so full of life that I just know he’s going to make this more bearable.
“I am Gerwyn,” the silver-haired man states quietly. He gives me a shy smile and another bow. I have a feeling an afternoon with Jacob and I will either drive him insane or bring him out of his shell. The quiet ones always seem to be hiding the most.
“Emrick,” the huge brother grunts his response, his voice is deep and gravelly, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. It suits him. If he didn’t have the pointy ears of the fae, I’d question whether or not he was really a human. When you think of fae you think tall, lean, and beautiful. He’s handsome in his own way, and his eyes are captivating, but his intimidating presence distracts you from that. I’m hoping he’s one of those intimidating, big guys that is really just a soft-hearted teddy bear underneath. Because I’m definitely in over my head already.
“Welcome, friends. It’s a pleasure to meet you. This is Allwyn, my personal guard, Prince Jacob, my human brother, and my friends Andras, River, and Gwen.” I point out each person as I introduced them. “Jacob, do you have enough food and water for everyone?” I ask as I gesture to the pile of items in front of him.
“Yes. Does anyone else have a pack?” he asks the group as he bends down in front of his supplies. Gwen, Maddox, Bowen, and I all step forward, bags in hand. “Okay, here’s water, you can each take a few extra for the bagless people. Then some snacks and food to last us two days, just in case.” He finishes distributing the provisions and we pull our packs on.
“Weapons?” I ask Allwyn. He studies me for a moment, clearly contemplating something.
“Have you ever used a dagger?” he asks in his somber voice. Frowning, I shake my head, not wanting to lie. Though the idea of everyone protecting me, doesn’t settle well. Eventually I’ll need someone to train me. “Then you may not have one, we can begin training tomorrow. Do you four have weapons?” he directs at the brothers. They simply nod and hold up their gear. “I’ll take the lead, since the Court of Spring was my home. Could you four split up among the group, with one in the back? Queen Arabella, please stay in the middle next to a guard. You’re too important to lose, please let us protect you, with no argument.” He fixes me with his intense gaze and I hold back an eye roll, but cooperate. I guess we’re back to the condescending Allwyn.
We get into our travel positions, ready to start this adventure. Allwyn leads, followed by Andras and Jacob. Maddox stands behind them with River and Gwen. I’m behind the second row, flanked by Gerwyn and Bowen. Emrick is directly behind me. I try not to think about the surly, walking statue looming behind me.
We wind our way through the entrance of Spring, retracing our steps until we reach the garden. I’m disappointed to find no visual changes… but maybe there are magical changes happening I can’t see?
“I’d like to stop here and see if the land feels different," I call out, veering off without waiting for a response. Allwyn’s micromanaging is starting to wear me thin and we’ve just started. As I step out of line, Gerwyn and Bowen keep their flank around me. I’m not used to being so closely guarded, but they’re graceful and seem to naturally move with me, as if we’re tethered together.
The group surrounds the stone structure as I sit on the raised stone stool like before. Instead of trying to tap my magic reserves, I focus on the magic already in the Court of Spring. Sorrow and pain fill the connection as I connect with the land. The feeling of spring rain and the life growing around me is muted behind the powerful onslaught. But beyond that sorrow, a faint glimmer of hope and healing is trying to shine through. It’s as if I put the healing in motion, but on such a small scale it will take years to happen. I need to find a way to enhance it somehow. Maybe next step needs to be the libraries?
Tears prickle at my eyes the moment I open them, the idea of being able to actually heal Faerie seems so far out of reach. I worked so hard, literally emptying my magic into the ground, and it’s done so little.
“Any improvement?” Gwen asks excitedly, clearly not reading my expression at all. I give her a sad look and shrug in defeat, unable to admit out loud that I’m in way over my head here.
“I can feel a sense of healing, but it’s so small it would take years before it spreads. I put as much magic as I could into it yesterday, but I think we need to find more answers than this. Maybe when we get back I’ll go through the portal and speak with the gatekeeper again. Especially if this journey doesn’t lead to any results," I muse.
Realistically I knew I wasn’t going to just run into Faerie, sprinkle some magic dust, and bring about a new land. But I did expect to make some changes at least.
“Let’s find those answers then," Bowen says as he gestures us forward. We fall back into position and continue forward toward the high stone walls. Bowen gives me a reassuring smile that helps lighten my mood a little.
When we make it to the gates separating the gardens from the rest of Spring, I notice there’s no visible way to get through. No handles or hinges, just small cracks in the stone in the shape of a door.
“How do we open it?” I muse aloud, looking first at the brothers flanking me, then up toward Allwyn. Allwyn simply walks up to the gate and rests his hand in the center, no words or magic, just touch. The gate takes on a bright green glow before swinging open. “I guess that answers that," I huff, annoyed that Allwyn didn’t explain that before he opened the gate. More of his damn secrets. Sometimes it feels like he’s working against me, purposefully keeping me in the dark and gainin
g my trust. But I’m not a fucking tool to be used. As I mumble under my breath, I hear Bowen and Gwen snicker to themselves.
To say the Court of Spring is vast, would be an understatement. From the view outside of the stone walls, I thought Faerie was small, the gates simply blocking a castle. The truth is much different. The castle is so far in the distance we’d be lucky to reach it by nightfall, nestled among the grassy fields.
Now that we’re past the gates I can see that the Court of Spring spans as far as the eye can see. A city rests at the base of the castle, a forest is beyond that, and if it weren’t for the mountains barely peeking over them in the distance, it would seem never ending.
There are a few villages sprinkled throughout the land, and the land itself is full of plant life. When they said Faerie was uninhabitable, I assumed all plants had died out and it was just a barren wasteland. Quite the opposite faces me now, as they seem to have taken over completely. Everywhere you look it’s covered in some form of plant life, from ivy to grass to flowers.
The area between towns is filled with tall grasses, flowers, and trees. There’s a winding stone road that carves its way through the landscape, ensuring easy travel. The sight of the clear path makes me feel better about the long journey we have waiting for us.
The stone road begins where we currently stand. The fastest route to the castle seems to be through two different villages. Then, only the city at the base of the castle separates us from our destination.
The castle itself is enormous. It’s made of the same purple stone we’ve seen in Faerie. I can’t see all of the details and design from here, but it has several tall towers and looks as wide as the village itself. It’s the princess castle most little girls dream of.
“My mom grew up in a castle that was wider than the town. I guess they weren’t afraid to flaunt their power.” The sarcasm is strong in my words. Maybe because I wasn’t raised in this life, but I just can’t imagine the need for a castle this big. I guess Emrick agrees, because he grunts in response to my statement.
“The royals were always proud of what they had, and weren’t afraid to use their power to live in pure luxury. The castles simply reflected to everyone that they were in charge and weren’t to be challenged," Gerwyn explains. There’s a bit of shock in his voice, yet another person who can’t make sense of me being a royal.
“I haven’t discussed it with the queen yet, but my plan was to build a new castle on the stone plateau of the meeting site. Then a room in each of the castles for visits," Allwyn supplies, giving me an apologetic smile. I mask my annoyance, making a mental note to discuss plans with him later. Clearly it’s going to take me channeling my inner bitch to get him to stop hiding things from me.
“Fine, but I refuse to waste resources on building something that’s flashy and unnecessary. As long as it’s big enough for my family and guards, I’ll be fine with it, but only once our people have shelter," I explain in a determined voice, crossing my arms in front of my chest for extra emphasis. Allywn and I stare at each other for a moment, his feelings and mine clearly not aligning. The rest of the group studies me, I guess to see if I’m serious, but Jacob gives me a knowing look.
“That’s fine, but don’t forget about Prince Jacob,” he jokes, but I can tell this whole thing still overwhelms him.
“Never!” I fake gasp at the mere thought. When we break into laughter, the rest of the group gives us an odd glance but visibly relaxes. River and Andras shake their heads, used to our shit, and Bowen smiles like he can’t wait to be in on the joke.
“How is he a prince?” Maddox asks, looking slightly appalled at the thought of his new queen making up titles. I meet his eyes with a hard glare, because this is not up for discussion. Especially coming from the man who called his friends brothers.
“The same way you have three brothers from different courts, Mad," I deadpan, deliberately shortening his name as a means to throw him off. He snorts at the name, but doesn’t look away from my hard stare.
“Fair point," Bowen chuckles, giving me an appreciative grin.
“I believe that was her humble way of putting you in your place, Maddox," Gerwyn adds, his voice full of amusement. Maddox gives them both a look, before a grin spreads across his face. Was he just messing with me? Testing me?
“Men," I mutter and roll my eyes, before gesturing for us to continue. “I believe we have miles to walk.”
The conversation falls away as we walk, partially because of the ever present formation and partially because of the tension in the air now. But I don’t feel bad about any of it, Allwyn can’t keep this up.
We finally approach the first village thirty minutes later. It reminds me of a fairytale, the thatched rooftops and brightly painted shutters downright adorable. Even after the years they’ve sat alone the colors shine in the afternoon sun. The yards and flowerbeds are overrun now, but the streets are still clear enough to walk. The raw materials of the homes and the stone inlaid roads against the backdrop of nature is fitting for the Court of Spring.
“This is like something out of the Lord of the Rings, minus the hobbit holes,” Jacob jokes. We both gape at it for several minutes, the others a little less entranced.
Walking through the village is unsettling. It’s completely silent other than our footsteps echoing in the empty streets. Aside from the flora, there isn’t a single sign of life here, but I can already imagine it thriving again once the land is restored.
Too curious to simply walk through, I break away from the group and push open the closest door I can find. The building is a bit bigger than the other homes, and I realize it’s a blacksmith shop, weapons lining the walls. The layer of dirt and vines covering the weapons is a testament to the years of abandonment. But it feels odd, like I’m encroaching on someone’s space. Taking in their personal possessions without permission. If the owners made it through the war, that is.
I hear heavy footsteps come up behind me and I scream as two huge hands encircle my waist and lift me up. I know it’s Emrick because of the size and power that radiates off of him. I huff as he sets me down and whip around to face him, hands on hips and glare on point. He gives me a stern look similar to Allwyn’s, but I don’t feel judgement in his actions, only concern, which has my fight draining away.
My silent protector doesn’t say anything before he turns and enters the building, ahead of me this time. He does a quick sweep of it, heavy axe in hand. He didn’t exactly ask me to come with him, but I follow behind him anyway and take a look around.
The back room is filled with as much dust as the rest of the building. The empty dishes on the counter of a workbench and an unstrung bow are a proof of the unexpected abandonment of the land. It feels creepy standing in the aftermath of the people fleeing.
Emrick continues his sweep, though now he’s checking out the craftsmanship on the weapons instead of looking for danger. My curiosity peeks as I take it all in and even if he’s not much of a talker, questions start tumbling out.
“Did the animals die in the war, or did they die due to the changes in the land?” I ask softly, the untouched and silent building making me feel as if whispering is appropriate. Even though I asked, I’m still startled when the usually quiet man answers.
“They disappeared halfway through the war. One day they were here, the next not an animal could be found.” His voice is just as deep as before, but has a rich, smoky quality to it I didn’t notice the first time. My face lights up with a smile at the sound of it and I even feel a bit honored he answered me at all.
“Thank you for answering, Emrick.” I give him a smile and a quick bow of my head in appreciation. The smile he returns is small, yet heart stopping. It morphs his face from one of intimidation, to serene, relaxed, and gorgeous. Fuck, I’m in trouble.
After we run out of stuff to look at, we make our way out of the building and I glance around to see where the others went. They seem to have paired off, searching the other buildings. Not wanting to be cooped up aga
in, I settle in the center of town with Emrick by my side. An old well rests next to me and as I lean my back against it, I feel a faint brush of magic against mine.
“Was the water tainted?” I ask Emrick, turning and peering down the well into the darkness below. When I look up, he nods his affirmation to my question. I knew it was true the moment I felt the darkness intertwining with the ancient magic I’ve gotten used to. “I’m going to see how the land feels here. Protect me, my knight? Thought we should find a new term because I hate the word bodyguard," I ask with a teasing smile. He gives me a half grin and nods again. He’s a man of few words, but I feel like we made more of a connection than I anticipated.
Wanting to get closer to the magic, I climb on the stones that create the well, dangling my feet forward as I lean inside. Emrick lets out an exasperated sigh and I smirk as his giant hands grasp my waist, keeping me from falling forward. If anyone would pull that off it would be me, so it’s a smart move.
Now that I’m secure, I close my eyes and pull at my magic until it’s pulsing under my skin. This time when it reaches its peak, it gives a large surge of power, instead of the controlled wave it usually manifests. There’s no build up to the intensity of it and that sticky darkness makes my stomach roll with nausea. The feeling is awful and I’m panting with the strain of it until my body adjusts the best it can. Even settled, it still feels like it’s too much for me to contain alone.
The need to release it mixes with the need to know more and I will the magic to act as a radar of sorts, giving me insight into what lies below. Gathering the magic in my hands, I shoot a pulse downward, gasping as a burst of green magic escapes my fingertips.
The first thing I notice is the poisonous magic in the water, but I also felt something else down there. A new kind of magic brushes against mine, though stronger and more invasive. I’m thankful that Emrick is holding me still as the weight of the magic pulls me down.
