Wildest Dreams

by Faith Ellis

  I screech, "Aiden!" before we both fall to the ground in a heap, giggling, a young couple in love.

  Memories of my past. I come back to the present.

  "I saw us," I whisper, looking at our joined hands. His eyes shoot to mine. Tears are threatening to fall from my own. My eyes burn with the overwhelming spill of emotions. The love between us—it's real, it al-

  ways has been. Despite where he comes from, what he was believed to be because of who his mother is. He is so different than her, though. The dreams we shared of a better Faery and a better Folk show me that he wants to make our realm and our kind better while Mable just wants control and power.

  He remains so still, I am sure he is holding his breath. He closes those beautiful emerald eyes. I want to touch his face but wait for him to make the next move. My heart is near to bursting as the emotions I once had for him flood back at once. It is overwhelm- ing and exciting at the same time, like a dam has bro- ken, threatening to drown me. He swallows hard. When he opens his eyes, the tears filling them fall.

  "My sweet, beloved Andryad. I have missed having you by my side every single moment you were in that world."

  Aiden cups my face with both of his hands and stares into my eyes. "How much do you remember, my darling?" His voice is thick with emotion. This hard, strong male in front of me is letting me see every piece of himself, every emotion, every fear. I put my hands over his and lean in to his touch.

  "I remember us, what it felt like to be with you. The time in the gardens when we hid among the bushes and laughed and loved. I remember the love I held for you." I smile slightly as his eyes light up. "Hold for you," I say, correcting myself.

  He brings my hands to his lips. Without hesitation, I lean forward, throwing my arms around his neck, and

  press my lips lightly to his, waiting for his response. It is immediate. He pulls me onto his lap, his hands in my hair and his mouth pressing hard to mine. His desire, his need, is raw. His emotion shines around him, bright red and pink with burning passion. His tongue searches, probes, and my mouth opens, allow- ing our tongues to meet, to dance, until we finally break, breathless and rough.

  His voice is thick with lust. "I missed you too, princess."

  "I had no idea," I tease, smiling with swollen lips. "You have no idea how difficult it is to control my-

  self right now," Aiden growls. His emotions still hang heavy around him, but his aura shifts as he reins them back in, regaining his control. "But we need to pack." I groan. "There's somewhere else I want to take us to train. Andryad, the queen is ripping apart all of Faery and into the mortal realm to find you."

  "Why now? Why is she so desperate now?" I ask, standing as I put my dagger on the small table and no- tice fresh clothes: leggings, boots, a tunic. The room spins, and Aiden grasps my elbow to help steady me, but I stabilize.

  As I grab the clothes, Aiden turns his back and stuffs a brown pack with other weapons while I change. The now-short jeans and dirty T-shirt I toss into the fire, and I hide my dagger in one boot, which comes up to my knee. Pulling another wood-brown pack from the table, I pile in nuts, fruits, and dried

  meats. I place both palms flat on the table for a mo- ment and breathe. My energy is zapped.

  Aiden eyes me carefully. "Maybe you should rest more."

  I shake my head. "I just need some water." He hands me a waterskin from one of the packs, and I drink from it slowly. It feels cool and helps some. "So why now?" I ask again before taking another swig and replacing the cap. I push it inside of my own pack.

  "You're about to hit the time when a faery settles. When you are able to access your full power, full strength. She doesn't want to see that happen."

  "Then we better make sure it does." I smile mischie- vously, wrapping the last of the food, and Aiden swings his pack over his shoulder.

  "Indeed."

  The more I look at him, the more memories of us flood my brain, filling it to the point of exploding. The memories are those of Aiden and me falling in love, from the time we first met in the summer gardens to the little moments sneaking behind bushes for stolen kisses and whispered dreams. My head still feels heavy, and the pressure is still there behind my eyes; mostly, my limbs feel clumsy, tired, but a smile creeps onto my lips as Aiden douses the fire with a pail of water. The door opens softly on its hinges, and fresh air welcomes us as we step out, leaving the cabin behind.

  Chapter 7 Andryad

  In the fresh air, a hazy gray still wraps a coat around the world without a peek of sunlight. The air is cool, a light chill sweeping over us as we step out on what is sure to be a long journey. Immediately beyond the small wooden cabin, a tree line secludes anything else from view. The world beyond is dark and lush, with large trees crowding each other and vines wrapping up and around, dangling from the tops of branches.

  "There's a place that sits beyond Faeryland," Aiden whispers as we carefully step over the large, gnarled tree roots sticking up from the forest floor. "It's a realm of its own, something I created through wishing, love, innovation."

  "More magic?"

  He smirks. "As I said, sometimes fae do require more than simply their abilities. I've spent the past few months practicing a purer, less expensive kind of magic. Anyways, we can't hide forever, but no one else can find the place unless I allow them to see it. A spe- cial enchantment I threw around it. It will provide us

  with the privacy we need to prepare and train for a lit- tle bit."

  "What happens if we dethrone Mable?"

  A sigh escapes his lips. "My plan is to offer Queen Mable a choice: step down, or we take the throne by force. As her only son, I would take over the throne within the Second Court. Remember our dreams of uniting them?" Parts of my memory are still blank—only bits and pieces are there—but the dreams Aiden and I once had, the dreams that helped shape our relationship, were for a united Faery between the courts and their Folk.

  I answer, "Yes, I remember. We can still make those dreams become a reality. If you take over the throne, we could still marry and unite the courts as we once planned to do. With us both operating the courts and unifying them in marriage, our Folk would surely be able to get along."

  "My concern is that Queen Mable has already led and influenced her court for centuries. Why would those Folk listen to me and allow me to lead them on the same path as the First Court?"

  My hand shoots out for his arm. He turns at my touch, and we stop. His mouth tightens as he watches me study him. "Aiden, you will be a strong ruler. Not like Mable is, ruling through fear; you will rule through respect and hope. They will listen to you because you are strong and brave, and they will relish having a dif- ferent kind of ruler."

  "And if they don't?"

  My hand drops from his arm to cup his cheek. He leans in to my touch as his eyes flutter shut to savor the warmth of my hand against his cool skin. "If they don't, then I know you will act by a law that you deem fair, and they will be punished before given a second chance at doing things your way. I believe in you."

  I take his hand in mine and recall those plans, that future Aiden and I talked about building together. Of a better Faeryland and a better species. The hope is real, and we have to believe that will become the future for Faery. That together, we can both rule in a way that isn't cruel but fair for all the Folk. A united front of rulers over both courts has to make a positive impact somehow.

  Aiden smiles and tugs my hand to pull me forward. "C'mon, we still have a ways to go. Are you feeling bet- ter?"

  I nod. "I am. And what exactly are we going to be do- ing in this place you've built?"

  "It's a place where we can unlock your ability and no one can find us. Fae are going to be swarming Faery once they realize you're no longer in the human world." Time stretches on as we continue through the for- est, the silence growing between us comfortably. We keep ourselves carefully hidden among the trees, treading lightly, ears open and listening. The foliage helps conceal us. Natural sounds float overhead where bi
rds talk among the trees. Although my body is heavy and tired and my stomach growls with impatience and

  emptiness, I do not utter a word or show him any signs of fatigue or complaint.

  Being back in Faery feels like waking up from a very long and groggy sleep. I don't feel as strong as I was in my dreams. It’s like my body is readjusting to its full senses, my muscles acclimating to being leaner, more limber, and put to use. As if he senses it, or maybe it becomes apparent in my aura, Aiden eyes me and mo- tions for me to stop.

  "Let's take a break." He shrugs his pack around and digs through it. He pulls out a piece of fruit as dark as a plum but the size of an apple and offers it to me. "Faery fruit. It's sweet, and it'll give you energy."

  I accept it and rest against a thick tree as I slide down to the ground. My eyes close before I bite into the flesh of the fruit. It's crisp, sweet, and juicy enough that it runs down my chin, and I have to wipe it away with my sleeve. But it does make me feel better. Aiden props up against a tree opposite me and drinks from a waterskin.

  Absentmindedly, I touch the stone at my throat as I chew. A surge shoots through, opening new memories in my mind. Aiden and I are on a large blanket spread out over the lush green grass of a well-manicured lawn. Colorful pillows in a variety of colors—blue, greens, and pinks—decorate the space as we lounge comfort- ably beside one another, sipping from our glasses and basking in the sun. As we laugh, I glance up at a tall window of a castle behind us, where a female, ele- gantly dressed and poised in a way that oozes regality

  and authority, stands beside a handsome male, large in stature and broad. The female and male look down at us and smile.

  The scene shifts and is immediately replaced with the female and male from the window sitting side by side on a luxurious white plush couch across from me on a matching chaise lounge. The room glows yellow from the fire in the stone fireplace, shadows jumping across the white carpet as the flames dance. My long silver hair is plaited down my back, and I look down at my hands clasped in my lap as the female asks, "Dar- ling, how do you feel it went?"

  "Now, Maude, don't jump right into it, she might not want to tell us," the male's voice booms across the room, but it is gentle, kind. I look up at them, a wide grin across my face, and pink fills my cheeks.

  "Oh, Mama, Papa. He's very nice," I gush, but re- cover and lift a shoulder in nonchalance. "He is differ- ent than I figured he would be."

  My mother leans forward. "That is exciting news, my love. Will you see him again?" Her eyes light up with curiosity. I glance between my parents, biting my lip as I eye my father. He watches me closely, pride swelling his broad chest.

  "I would like to. In fact, if it's okay with you both, I would like to proceed with the betrothal."

  "Annie dear, if that is what your heart wants, if that feels right for you, we will see it done. You will be the one to see that the Second Court changes for the bet-

  ter of Faery." My father's voice is raw with emotion, and I stand quickly to wrap them both in an embrace.

  Aiden stoops in front of me and rests a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of the memory. Tears stick thickly in my throat from the images, my parents. My heart swells with the love they showed me, the fact that I did have the loving parents I always yearned for in the human realm.

  Aiden watches carefully as the emotions swirl in- side me, threatening to overwhelm. "I remember my parents." My voice sounds so small, in awe of the bond they had with me and the sudden need to see their faces.

  The look on his face softens as his mouth opens to speak, but suddenly a branch breaks in the distance, ringing sharp through the forest. We both stand as he draws his sword from his hip in a blur, and the metal sings. His veins turn a pale blue color, growing more obvious as they lighten, and a brutal cold hangs around him. My blood boils, and the heat returns in my core like the day those redcaps attacked me in the meadow. I hold on to that heat as I pull my dagger from my boot. The weight in my hand somehow comforts me.

  With a finger to his lips, Aiden motions to stay quiet as our eyes scan the trees, searching for the cause of the noise. Between the trees, a wisp of smoke moves like a translucent ribbon, weaving in and out and around, riding on a breeze. But no breeze blows, and the eerie preciseness of the wisp makes my breath come quicker, my body knowing it isn't as it seems,

  even if my brain can't quite piece it together. Aiden watches it as I do, whispering under his breath, "We're being followed."

  "What is that?"

  "A wraith, no doubt a spy of Queen Mable's." It con- tinues its movement toward us and stops. Aiden holds out an arm to shield me. Flames spring up at my fin- gertips, and I watch in amazement, but they quickly disappear. The wraith seems to stare at us for a mo- ment, then heads in the opposite direction, away from us, likely returning to its master.

  "What is a wraith?"

  Aiden turns his head to me. "Wraiths are insubstan- tial creatures. Some like to think of them as spirits. Wraiths can be parasitic, clinging to a host and feasting on its soul. But that one was likely bargained with instead. My assumption? Queen Mable probably bar- gained another's soul for the wraith to watch us and bring her information."

  "Can she do that?"

  Worry flashes over his eyes. "It's her court, and wraiths don't hold any moral values."

  "Do they always look like that?"

  "Smoky? No, that's just a traveling wraith's appear- ance. If it had transformed, all we would see is empti- ness covered in a cloak. They are part of another realm in the earth, a dimension that hangs between life and death. Our eyes cannot comprehend their existence; therefore, we cannot truly see them."

  Aiden holds up a hand for me to stop as he cocks his head upward. "C'mon. We're here anyway."

  The leaves rustle on the thick forest trees, a crisp symphony of the woods. He kneels down onto the damp earth. Dew soaks his breeches as he digs lightly at the ground, brushing away fallen leaves and sticks. He quietly whispers some sort of chant. It sounds sim- ilar to the language he spoke to bring me back from the human world. He slides a dagger from his boot, the same one with emeralds in the hilt. As he slices his palm, blood oozes, and he squeezes it into the small hole he dug within the soft ground. A shimmer floats up into the air, higher and higher into the canopy of trees, glittering like a blue-gray shield. It reminds me of a river dancing. "A veil." Fascination fills my voice. "I thought veils were already created, a natural occur- rence in Faery."

  Aiden stands and wipes his hand on his breeches, streaking them with a light dust of the earth. "They usually are. But I created this place, remember? I hold the veil, and it only appears with my blood. Or"—he smirks at me—"someone else's whom I trust."

  "Mine?"

  "Of course, An. I created this for us. It's only fair you have the right to come and go as you please."

  I smile at him. "But if it takes magic, what's the price?"

  "Just a little blood each time. Apparently creating things isn't that rare within the laws of magic, so the price is far lower."

  "Does Mable have no way to search for this place?"

  He shrugs. "What would search they for? The veil doesn't actually appear without my blood and incanta- tion. They'd have to follow me, but I've been careful."

  Aiden hides the dagger back in his boot and offers me his uninjured hand, though the slice is already nearly healed to perfection, displaying smooth skin. When my hand slides into his, a jolt of an electric cur- rent shoots through my arms all the way down to my toes from the heat of him being so close, even with that cold still surrounding him, but I push it away and step with him through the shimmering creation. Now is not the time for girlish notions or fantasies. Every touch, every look we share has been growing far too distracting. Together, we walk through that almost in- visible veil. It is cool and dry, like the brush of silk rip- pling over my skin.

  The other side of the veil is extraordinary. As if love, life, and color built this world and hold it together in a tight embrace. Sta
nding still, I take in the picture be- fore me. Rivers of clear blue water run through moun- tains of vivid green in the distance. Valleys roll, decorated in colors upon colors of wildflowers dipping into them. Trees of the largest variety spring from the ground in an array of shapes and sizes. The sky is in- credible, blue, clear, and bright, and the smell of hon- eysuckle and grass flood my senses. A light breeze cools the warm air, making the tall grass and leaves dance to the beat.

  My eyes sting with the realization that this place represents Aiden's love for me and the life we want to- gether.

  "We already spoke about this, didn't we?"

  His eyes watch me carefully. Being here, this place makes him look younger, brighter, and happy. His emerald eyes look clearer than I have seen them since we reunited. As though he has a lifeline to this space and it heals his very soul. "Yes. You told me you wanted a space we could go, away from the courts, to be to- gether. You've always been detailed, An, and I hope I haven't left anything out."

  As I look around, I realize he hasn't.

  "It's so beautiful," I tell him as I turn fully to him and wrap my arms around his neck. The cold still hangs around him, but his body pressed against my own feels warm. "Thank you for all of this."

  "Anything for you, my sweet, shining sun." He bends low and presses his lips against mine. They are soft and sweet like a velvet wine.

  My cheeks flush as he pulls away. My heart is full to bursting. Aiden smiles and tugs me farther into the open meadow, up and over a short hill. Off to the side sits a beautiful cottage-style home with a river running right alongside it. The home isn't small, but it's not overpowering either. It is a blend of homey and luxuri- ous.