Parallel Princess
Return to the Fae
C. K. Rieke
Princess Fallon was forced to escape for ten long years to the land of the Fae for her own safety. But once she finally got back home… it wasn’t exactly the happily ever after ending she expected— she’d returned to the real world to find she’d grown small white horns on the top of her head.
I wrote this part to thrust the story, (and the princess) further into the chaos of her life, and bring about the magical entities that will change her life forever— and grow the mystery of what is happening to Princess Fallon.
C.K. Rieke
Everything she thought she knew about reality is about to turn upside down . . . Princess Fallon’s life in the castle has been dreamy, but now her castle lay under siege by an army and she must make a choice: Should she stay at her home to face the encroaching army or use a spell that will sweep her off to another world?
There’s a catch though… why is there always a catch…? In this dark fairy tale, things aren’t always as they seem— especially when magic is involved.
Chapter One
They rushed out of the room, and with fresh legs and a heart yearning to see her mother she hadn’t seen in too many years, Fallon ran past her handmaiden, Celeste. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, holding her dress up as she glided up the long staircase leading to the queen’s room. It had been so long since she’d set foot in Norwinder Castle—her home—but there was no time for nostalgia as the sound of the battle outside was growing, and she heard the loud thud of a battering ram upon the castle’s gates.
Princess Fallon burst through the door with a thunderous clap of the doors upon the walls.
She erupted into tears at the sight of her mother.
The princess had spent the last ten years in the realm of the Fae to escape a siege upon this same castle. She’d only just returned home, and she was desperate to see her family once again.
“F—Fallon?” her mother sobbed as she ran to her with outstretched, loving arms. “My baby is back home.”
They embraced with the kind of love they had dreamt about every day for ten years, and finally were able to feed that empty hole in their hearts. Fallon dipped her head after their long hug ended. Holding the sides of her head with her fingers wrapped in the princess' long blond hair, the queen kissed her forehead three times.
"What...what is this?" the queen asked, running her fingers up to the small, white horns perched upon her daughter's head. She moved away slightly. “I—I don’t know…”
The queen’s hands moved to Fallon’s rosy cheeks as the worn age on her mother was made clear with noticeable folds and wrinkles that weren’t there when Fallon had to use the magic of the wizard Shadine to escape to the Fae world when the last siege upon the castle happened.
“I’m just so overwhelmed that you’re finally home…” the queen said, her eyes were wet with joyful tears, yet there was a sort of hesitation locked deep within.
Another explosion rocked the castle’s western wall, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Fallon looked around frantically. She saw Celeste rush into the room, short of breath, and she saw the guards at the entrance to the room. But there was no one else…
“Mother,” she said in a reluctant tone. “Where’s Father?”
The tears in her mother’s eyes streamed down her cheeks as her eyelids clasped closed tightly.
“You’ve been away for so, so long,” she cried.
“Mother, what happened to the king?”
“It wasn’t your fault…” the queen said, looking deeply into Fallon’s eyes, trying to calm herself.
“What do you mean?” Fallon said, as the sheer dread crept into her.
“Your father,” the queen said. “He passed, only two years after you left. He’s gone.”
Fallon gasped as another explosion boomed, and the loud yells of soldiers flooded the kingdom. “He… he’s gone?”
“I’m so sorry,” Celeste said, laying her gentle hands upon the princess’ shoulders.
“I—I don’t know what to say… I…”
The queen and Celeste looked at each other as if unsure of what to say.
“How did he pass?” Fallon asked.
“He was so distraught by you being gone, he…” the queen said, but looked back out the window to the city below.
“Mother…?”
The queen sighed. “He couldn’t keep the sorrow within him. He was the one who’d bade Shadine to give you the magic to escape danger like he did. But the unfortunate effect of the length of time you’d have to be gone, and the worry that came with it about you being alone in such a place—it wore on his mind.”
“He didn’t…”
Celeste rubbed her hands down the princess’ arms with a sigh.
“One day he couldn’t take it any longer…” the queen said, looking back to the arching window. “He leapt…”
Fallon gasped, with her heart beating like a wild drum. She nearly fainted, with the handmaiden catching her.
My father… the king… is dead? He couldn’t have. It only feels as if I’ve been away days. But he suffered. He suffered because of me… I wish he was here right now so I could hold him and tell him I’m sorry.
He can’t be dead. This can’t all be happening… This can’t be real.
“Listen to me,” the queen said, clutching her daughter’s cheeks again. “It wasn’t your fault, and because of the gift you were given, you’re still alive… You’re still alive!”
The sounds clashing swords, barking out loud orders, and the screams of those injured rang up from the city below. In the depths of twilight, the siege was well-planned out one, and Fallon could already tell the soldiers of the enemy had penetrated the castle.
“What—what happened that night after I escaped into the Fae? How did they not kill you? They were in the room with you, with both of you.”
The queen feigned a smile. “They—they left.”
“They left?”
That all was too much for Fallon to grasp. “They… left?”
The queen and Celeste nodded.
All Fallon wanted upon returning to her home was to celebrate her return and reunite with her family. She wanted a day, even just one single night where they could laugh, be merry, and rejoice together. But there she was, at the beginning of another siege, and she’d found she’d lost her loving father.
“Your highness,” one the soldiers said. “Pardon my interruption. The western wall has been compromised and the front gate won’t hold much longer. The queen nodded in affirmation, and the soldier went back to his post at the front door.
“Now, Fallon,” her mother cried. “We’ve got to get you back to your room.” She cleared her throat and took a deep breath—wiping the tears from her face. “It’s so good to see your loving face. It’s so good to have you home… but we’ve got to get you out of here, and to safety.”
“What about you?” Fallon cried. “I don’t want to be away from you anymore. I don’t think I can do it again out in the Fae. It’s too hard, and something about it isn’t quite right.”
“But you’re still alive,” the queen said.
“What sort of life is this?” Fallon asked. “And the prince, where is he? Is he still in his same room? I must see him, how I’ve missed him as well.”
“We really must get you to your room,” the queen said, skirting her out of the room. “There’s no time…”
Fallon fought, pushing herself away.
“He’s not here, is he?”
The queen shook her head.
“He did wait. He did,” she said. “But after four and a half years, he said he needed to find a mother that could give him a son, and he couldn’t wait any further. He’s gone, yes…”
Fallon threw her arms up in the air. “What else could make this worse? This is the single worst night of my life. And now I have to go back to the Fae. I don’t want to. I want to stay h
ere with you. Let’s escape. There’s got to be a way out of the castle. We could start a new life, or just hide long enough until the invasion is passed, and they think I’ve gone away. We could live happy lives together. I’ll hide. I’ll hide for as long as it takes. Why are they even here for me anyway? What have I done that caused them to come back this night? Why this night?”
“Fallon,” Celeste said with wise eyes. “They know. They know about your gift.”
“Gift? This is a curse! I don’t want it. Why are they after me like this? What have I ever done to anyone?”
“Let’s get you back to your room where we can talk,” the queen said.
Fallon was so overtaken with grief, she didn’t fight. She sulked along, holding her mother’s hand tightly as they went back down the winding staircase.
They entered back into the empty room with the black obelisk statuette standing ominously by the back window.
That’s when Fallon tried to rush back out the door, but her mother and Celeste restrained her.
“There’s nowhere to go,” the queen said. “If you go that way you’re going to be killed. We can’t have that. I can’t lose another member of this family. Not tonight.”
“But what if I come back and you’re gone?” Fallon asked. “What if there’s another siege when I get back. What if I don’t even make it back? The prince has left me. Father’s dead because of me. I can’t lose you two. You’re all I have left.”
“Well,” the queen said. “If you stay here then you’re certainly going to die and lose both of us. It’s your only chance. While you’re gone, I’ll find out why this is happening and kill whoever is after you.”
“You don’t know who’s doing this?” Fallon asked with wide eyes. “It’s been ten years.”
“We know who the army is,” the queen answered. “They’re from the southern lands. Sellswords who came up from past the Black River to get here. We knew they were moving again this time, but we had no way to stop them. They’re too many, too strong… but we’ll build our army for next time. And we’ll find out who’s behind their gold and make them pay dearly.”
It was then that they heard the first screams from further down within the keep, and the ringing out of sword clashing against sword swelled up from within the stone walls.
“Hurry now, princess,” the handmaiden urged. “There’s no time.”
“No! No! I’d rather die than go back there and come back here after another ten years to more of this. I’m not going. I’ll stand my ground. I’ll…”
“Your father died so that you could stay safe,” the queen stammered. “That’s all he ever wanted, was to keep you safe from danger. You, my sweet girl, were and are the most precious thing in both our lives. Ever since I first held you in my arms the day you were born. You were brighter than the afternoon sun, more loving than every grandmother in these lands, and more of a gift than even the greatest gods have ever received. I’ll not live to watch you die in cold blood in our own castle. Now pull yourself together and give me the time I need to figure out what is happening here and put an end to it before it starts again.” She took a deep breath. “We can be happy together again, but not right now, not…”
The armored soldiers were heard running up toward her room.
“Now, go, Fallon,” the queen said.
“Yes,” Celeste said. “There’s no time. Do it for your mother. Go so that you may live.”
Fallon took a solemn step toward the black obelisk with her head down. She didn’t even want to look at it. The fighting was just outside of the door to her room as she stood in front of the sharply cut obelisk that stood her height.
“Hurry,” the queen said as one of their soldiers let out a gagging scream, and they heard the sound of metal cutting into flesh.
Fallon reached up and put both hands on its cold sides. I really don’t want to do this. But there’s no other way. They may even kill mother. But if I do, then they’ll leave again. I pray they just leave…
“Goodbye,” she said, looking back at the queen and Celeste holding each other.
“Wait,” the queen said as she ran up to Fallon’s side, kissing her on the cheek one last time as the princess felt her tears on her wet cheeks. “I love you. No matter what happens, I’ll think about you every day. You’re my only daughter, and the most precious thing in my life. Take care sweetie. Be safe.”
Fallon nodded, as the soldiers stormed into the room.
“Hurry,” one soldier yelled. “Get her now!”
The princess gazed into the matte, dark stone, with both hands around it once more.
The soldiers were nearly upon her, with their eyes a raging, war-red and their swords wet with blood.
“I love you, Mother, and I’ll think of you every second of every day… Evernochtis briten everness,” she said. That same power as the first time she used the stone roared into her arms and shoulders, causing a bright, blinding light to beam from the obelisk. And then… there was nothing.
Chapter Two
Her feet were swallowed up in a murky, dark-blue water that reminded her of days when she was a young girl and of all the butterflies that flew in the creeks behind the castle. A whimsical melody echoed through with the winds in the warm evening air. Fallon looked from side to side as she shivered in her damp, silken dress that was absorbing the ankle-deep water.
Fallon rubbed her arms and shook from the chill—and the thick, sliminess of the bog.
Why am I here again? Why? I just want to see my mother’s face again. I just want to be home. She had no idea of what direction to head in, all she knew was that her father was dead, causing a deep, aching pain in her soul, and her mother was going to be another ten years older by the time she went back. And from the last time she was in the Fae—she knew that her life wouldn’t be the same after.
Regardless, she knew that she couldn’t stay in the dark swamp, so she walked up onto the shore with sticks that tried their best to prick through her leather shoes. She walked up the banks of the murky bog toward the best sunlight that crept through.
My life… what has it been for… what is being alive worth for this…?
The bright light of a fairy breezed through the dark trees, weaving their way to her. “Princess Fallon. I’m so glad you’ve returned. You’ve been gone such a long time. Such a long time indeed,” Pip the fairy said with her blue wings fluttering. “Come, come now. You’ll be so pleased at what we have in store for you. There’s so much to see here. So much that’s going to show you what life can be here. After you see Antoline again… he’s going to show you everything!”
She grabbed the princess’ hand in her own tiny hand and pulled her forward into the wet, dark bog. The chattering of large insects filled the forest as they strode through it—weaving in and out of dark, wet trees. Many looming, bright eyes peered from the darkness, slipping between thin tree trunks as they made their way up from the water.
I don’t want to be here. I want to be back home…
“I’m so glad you’ve returned,” Pip said with her body glistening in the moonlight. “We need you here. You’re safe here. Please tell me what happened in your world. It’s been so long since you’ve been away.”
Pip hadn’t seemed to age a day since she’d gone. But do fairies age anyways?
A familiar face appeared through the brush, a long face with dark eyes like marbles, yet handsome and loving. “I’ve waited so long to see you again,” he said with a sweet voice.
“Antoline,” she said. “I thought it would have been longer before we’d have met again.”
“Fallon, there’s so much to see. So much to explore in our world. You’re going to be so happy here. Just like I promised Shadine.”
“But this isn’t my world,” Fallon said, waving her arms around furiously. “This is your world. Not mine.”
“But this is our world,” he said with a wondrous smile. “This is your safe place to rest, and the place you are to be safe. There’s so much to
see. So much beauty in this world.”
His smile was genuine, and his eyes were loving and warm—they reminded her of the prince who’d gone off in her absence. She still missed him dearly.
“Come,” Antoline said with his hand extended. “It’s mating season for the pixies. At night, you’d think you’re witnessing the lights of the gods streaming through the sky like streaks of fire.”
This can’t be real. I can’t be back here again. My family needs me back home. I can’t be wasting time!
Fury welled up inside her like a burning, hot coal in the center of her chest. She lurched forward, grabbing his massive shoulders in her arms with her fingernails digging in.
“What is going on, here?” she demanded. His kind eyes grew dim and frail.
“I—” he stammered.
“Why am I here? You know more than you’re telling me! The wizard Shadine told you to keep me safe here until I can return home… what else did the old man tell you? You know what happened when I went back? Do you?”
He shook his head with his large horns sweeping through the air.
“They were after the castle again… they were after me! How’d they know I was going to be there at that exact day? Tell me! Tell me!”
She thrashed her arms, sending his strong frame rushing back and forth.
“Tell me why I’m here again! Tell me how I can get back home. My father… my father died because I was here,” she sobbed with heavy tears rolling down her cheeks. “I was here, and he died. My king is dead.”
Her head fell onto his chest, and she cried gut-wrenching tears as he wrapped his arms around her.
“I— I don’t know,” he said softly and kindly. “I don’t know why you had to return here. And for your father’s passing… I’m sorry. May his soul find his way to the resting place of his ancestors.”
“There has to be a reason,” she said with her head still in his chest at Pip watched with her wings fluttering.
Wayward Magic (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 2) Page 27
