by Alex H Singh
What is this place?
She did her best to ignore the headache that came as she traced her steps back to her escape. She’d seen something, a monster, and she’d run. The creature traversed through an ominous, dark smoke and he stalked her through the forest. Esther Anna remembered taking different paths through the forest, until she fell…
Her head throbbed, and she clutched her forehead. It was frustrating that these details were so foggy, but she struggled to retain focus. Yes… The monster, or man, appeared before her and she fell backward. Tree. Wait, yes, there’d been a tree, large, with a hole in it. I couldn’t stop, and I fell in. That had to be it. Esther Anna remembered the darkness as she fell for a very long time. She also recalled thinking it was the end for her. Her head hurt again. Nope…Definitely not dead. The dead wouldn’t have a splitting headache and body aches. She traced a bruise on her hand and winced in pain as it stung her. The queen was very much alive, and it appeared she’d escaped from her pursuer.
The monster.
A flicker of panic assaulted her nerves as she wondered if he had followed, but figured he might have discovered her by now, if that were the case.
This part of the forest was foreign, she knew that much. This part hadn’t been found on the maps. She looked around and let her eyes close after a while; there was no need to aggravate her condition by moving too quickly. She felt safe here, for some reason, and thought to seek shelter here awhile for her aching bruises and bones. Esther Anna spread herself across the floor, doing her best to avoid the flowers as not to damage any them, and quickly fell asleep.
Prince Phillip monitored the human from his hiding place. He and his men had stayed a short distance away and sent out a psychic message to let everyone else know they should stay away from the area. They agreed there was no need alerting the human to their presence until was necessary. His men suggested they knock her out, transport her out of the territory and lock the gateway. The prince, however, had refused. He couldn’t take his eyes off her…there was just something about her…
The innocence she had rivaled that of even the best of the fairies, and he wondered how a human could possess such quality. For a second, his eyes dropped to her necklace. There was something odd about it.
The human seemed to hear them because she looked in their direction several times, but they were appropriately camouflaged. She looked harmless. In fact, she looked like she needed some help.
The prince felt moved to help her, and that was surprising. Healing was his natural ability as a fairy, but this situation was new and tricky since he didn’t know the true intentions of the intruder. For all he knew, she could be a decoy sent in to destroy them. Recklessness had gotten them in this situation, so he was determined to get them out of it with a well thought out strategy. He had sent word to the castle concerning this situation and asked that he be allowed to deal with it as he saw fit. His father had absolute faith in his son’s abilities, as Phillip was loved and respected as one of the best fighters and magic practitioners in the entire kingdom. Despite this, he was not pompous and stayed true to his fairy nature unlike some others who were blessed as he was with such gifts.
The human moved slightly, and she winced in pain.
Phillip was quite impressed with her and he admired her curiosity since the fairy kingdom far outweighed any other when it came to beauty. Compared to her usual surroundings, the queen had just been introduced to the true meaning of color.
He watched her as she gradually rested in a more comfortable position and closed her eyes. He was truly taken by her beauty and all-around elegance and still couldn’t shake how much she fascinated him. The purity that radiated from her wasn’t false, was it? If so, Phillip would consider her to be one of the greatest thespians who ever lived. As he examined her further, he noticed several bruises and scrapes all over her body, fresh ones he figured she had picked up on her way here. Her clothes were also torn, and the bottoms of her feet were blistered. The longer he looked upon her, the stronger the compulsion to help her became and he wondered if his men felt the same way.
What happened to you? The prince wondered.
“She’s rather exhausted your majesty.” The captain of the guards said looking at the woman with an unreadable expression. He pointed at her and they all watched as her movement slowed and her breathing steadied, her body preparing for rest.
“Then it’s time we make our move.” The prince responded, and they flew towards her, the beating of their wings moving in unison.
Esther Anna remained very still as they approached. In her daze, she could slightly make out the sound of fluttering again, but a slight breeze had picked up and she just blamed the leaves for the noise. Then, she adjusted where she sat, and winced in pain as her headache threatened to return. She needed to regain her strength and get out of here as soon as possible.
The fluttering grew louder, and she wondered what could be causing it, deciding still to ignore the sound and instead allow it to lull her deeper into sleep as it was slightly rhythmic in nature.
Prince Phillip and his men flew up to her face and examined it. Her eyes moved slightly underneath her closed lids and the prince’s eyes narrowed as he prepared for them to open. They didn’t. The guards flew off and returned with thick vines, and in a series of flying maneuvers, they entwined her hands in the vines, securing them to the tree behind her. Then they did the same thing to her legs. Confident that she was immobile and didn’t pose a threat, they proceeded with their inspection.
As the captain of the guards passed her ear, the soft wind of his wings brushed against her.
Esther Anna raised her hand to scratch the tickled area and her eyes flew open. She gasped sharply in shock at the sight of the vines that started to bind her hands. Her heart raced in her chest as she stared at the fairy that hovered just in front of her, his wings beating steadily, and she realized that must have been that sound she’d heard earlier. He was carrying a tiny sword and was about the size of a large wasp, but this was still frightening, nonetheless. Her panicked eyes peeked down and now her legs were bound too.
This had to be a dream, she thought. Four small men, fluttering about in front of her, came to a halt, and still she looked at them in stunned silence. Esther Anna tried to undo her binds, but they were done so tight, in a knot pattern she didn’t recognize. Though the work was commendable, she was still scared and completely immobilized. The queen wanted to scream but opted for silence as she thought of the possibilities of what these men might want with her. Were they conjured by the princess or by the demon that hunted her? They caught her now, and if that were the case, she was as good as dead.
It was only now that she noted the man hovering there amid the others, was dressed differently from the rest, and she assumed he was their leader. The queen would have to use her charm to appeal to him, if he would only listen. Again, she struggled against her binds as they conversed with one another.
The man on the left whispered something to the leader, and he nodded.
Her eyes widened as the little man in the middle gradually began to grow. Soon he reached the size of a small puppy and then to the size of a child. She whimpered and tried to scoot back as the man eventually took form of a full-sized man.
The man’s massive wings beat rhythmically behind him, and a lot louder now, she noted. The wings were beautiful, and they glowed under the light of the sun. He had handsome features with eyes of a certain kindness that seemed to calm her down, but then as her eyes drifted to his weapon, she gulped. There were strange etchings on the blade and the sword’s hilt was gilded. The armor was brilliant and had a regal air about them, to match the man beneath.
“Who are you?” The prince asked. His voice was a deep baritone and resonated smoothly in the acoustics of the forest.
“M-My… My name…” Her voice wavered but she knew she needed to reveal this quickly, as not to anger her captor. “My name is Esther Anna LaPointe. My father is King Maurice LaPointe, fro
m the Kingdom of Dormality. I am the Queen of Tibethia. My husband, King Pierre r-recently passed away. He was murdered by his own daughter, she framed me, and I ran away to prevent myself from being punished for something I didn’t do.”
He narrowed his eyes and took a moment to process what she’d just said. “I am unfamiliar with those places, and your claims are highly theatrical and, not to mention, are of no concern to me. How, pray tell, did you get here? How did you know of the entrance? Were you informed by someone from our kingdom? Be warned that you have to speak the truth because we have ways of making you talk.”
So many questions were hurled at her at once, and the threat was not lost on her.
“Pierre’s daughter, Princess Noelle! She framed me, and I ran. She even conjured a demon and sent him after me, so I ran. I-I found my way into an uncharted part of the forest and slipped and fell down a hill. There was a hole in a tree, I think, and I must have passed out. When I came to, I found myself here.”
The prince stared at her and remained silent. He wanted to believe her, since it sounded so earnest. A chase through the forest would account for the bruises and cuts she had sustained, and the blistered feet, too. “I will confirm your claims and determine whether you are a threat or not. In the meantime, you will remain restrained.” The prince was locked into that gaze of hers as if he’d been hypnotized, and he had to break away. Her innocence had enraptured him and he knew it would be best to lose the distraction if its pull was that strong. After a moment, he shrank back to his smaller, fairy form. He quickly flew towards her head, and she flinched as he got closer and she closed her eyes.
With his hands stretched out, he gently placed them on her head, and as he did, he gasped. All of her memories flowed into him. He sifted through everything. She was born to Maurice and Victoria LaPointe. Her mother passed, as did her brother when she was very young. Something else appeared there, a sort of replacement for the lost brother. This was something he couldn’t quite understand, as that block of memories made it seem like her brother never truly left her. Soon after that, he saw as Maurice pleaded with her to save Dormality by way of marriage.
It was here that things took a darker turn. Esther Anna LaPointe stood witness as Princess Noelle ruthlessly killed the maid. There was a flash, a flinch…
Memory loss?
He quickly skipped over the times she’d spent with Pierre, her husband, finding that they greatly disturbed him. Then, she discovered the book with markings on the book that were vaguely familiar. The prince knew this was a dark instrument…The king’s murder shook him to his core, stabbed by a woman who resembled Esther Anna.
How could this be, when I’m remembering this from her account? That thought troubled him.
Once the princess transformed back from her disguise, he heard her ordering the guards to chase after the queen and accuse her of committing the murder and high treason to her own husband and his crown. Esther Anna was chased through the dark woods, making an account for every scrape and bump she’d had when he observed her earlier. Then the demon arrived…It nearly threw his focus, but he struggled to stay on course. The prince watched the demon reveal itself to her and he felt how uncomfortable he made her by staring at her with those beady red eyes. He felt her desperation, fear, and relief as she ran from the demon.
Then, she found it. The part of the woods specially warded and cloaked from human eyes. How had she been able to break through the barrier? The prince followed as she fell through the entrance, experiencing the sheer terror and worry that she might be dying.
He released her. He’d seen enough.
Esther Anna fell back, gasping desperately for air. Her eyes were wide. What did he do to me?
She’d been telling the truth, after all. That technique was not without its drawbacks, so that’s why it was only used by the most skilled magic practitioners in the kingdom. After composing himself from the overwhelming vision, the prince moved to relay his findings to his men. They all knowingly nodded and flew towards the castle to deliver their report.
The prince, having stayed behind with a bewildered Queen Esther Anna, watched them leave. He turned to look at her and saw that she was terrified. He could see it in her eyes, she was afraid, and wondered why he asked them all to leave. It was a fair assumption but having gone through her memories from birth until now, he had a pretty good idea of her thought process and how to read her.
The prince flew towards her, showing little hesitation when she tried to back away. He reached out as if to touch her again and took a deep breath, to assess the bruises and the amount of energy he’d need to heal her. The energy flowed out of him into her to help revitalize the weary queen.
She uttered a low moan as the cuts and gashes in her torn skin smoothed over. The bruises and cuts were on the mend. Her neck pain suddenly vanished, along with the muscular pain she’d been feeling too. By the time he released her, she felt renewed and rejuvenated.
The prince assumed his larger, human form once more and his wings collapsed behind him. He was so intrigued by the strange woman and was still getting over the fact that her purity was unlike anything he’d ever witnessed. He nodded. “I believe you. I believe everything. I know that you are Queen Esther Anna and that you have been done a great wrong… That cannot go unpunished.”
Despite his sudden turn to trust her and the fact that he had healed her, Esther Anna was still quite wary of him.
The prince sighed again. He unsheathed his sword, though he had no intentions of hurting her. He lifted the sword, brought it down in two smooth slices, and her bindings fell to the ground. He offered her a kind smile. “I am Prince Phillip. Welcome to the Kingdom of Fandrela.”
Chapter 4
Present time. Fairy Kingdom of Fandrela.
Esther Anna gingerly stepped around flowers as they got to them, trying her very best to avoid harming any one of them.
The prince watched her with a smile of approval as he admired anyone who appreciated nature like she did. He saw her necklace and thought to ask her about it later. It called out to him and unnerved him; there was something about the necklace that made him uncomfortable. His eyes lingered there on the jewelry for a moment as it had seemingly hypnotized him. This was the necklace she’d taken from the princess… She was wearing it the night she went to see the king…
This was no ordinary necklace.
“So…why did you turn around and believe me?” She kept her eyes on the path as they walked side by side. Even though she rather enjoyed this scenic route, Esther Anna wondered why they didn’t just fly to their destination.
He didn’t answer right away, as he needed a moment to gather his thoughts. The method he’d used was only done with her best interest in mind. The prince used it to verify her story, and despite the unusual things he’d seen, it worked well. He was now in possession of vital information about her, too. He knew the location of her birthmarks, how she obtained her first scar, and that she hated boiled chicken but craved it when it’d been taken to hot oil. Esther Anna also knew that the companion she’d spent most of her time with was not really her brother, Adam, but didn’t mind it, as long as they were together. Despite the unfortunate situation, she also enjoyed the time with Noelle, when they were friends and not at odds over Pierre’s kingdom. He was aware of the strong feelings she’d had for the king, and his own jealousy at the constant reminder of that fact, never failed to amaze him. All these memories, first times, second times, and so on—they all flowed into his head, accessible to him, Things he wanted to know, and others he didn’t. With all this, he wondered how she would react if she knew what he’d done.
He turned slightly and realized that she was staring at him, so he quickly turned away. He was still gauging what her reaction might be. She didn’t look like one who took offense at a nonsensical concept easily, but then again, one could never really tell from mere physical features. However, she seemed easy going enough and he hoped her capacity for understanding was as broad as h
er knowledge of the several ways to prepare potato stew.
With that final thought, he decided to break his silence. “Well, I just sensed that you were telling the truth…”
She tilted her head and didn’t even have to ask since bewilderment was clearly written all over her features.
“How do I say this? It’s not every day I meet a human with that much innocence just oozing out of them. So, I confirmed your story and the rest, as they say, is history.” He had purposefully been vague to give her a chance to draw specific conclusions on her own. That way, he would have told the truth, but only part of it.
She thought about his words as they walked. His explanation for why he had let her go had been devoid of any real explanation and had just been an earful of unnecessary details and talks of principle aimed at throwing her head out of the game.
He’d touched her in his much smaller form, and she remembered that she felt something. It had felt like something vital was being played with, and there was no one to stop the process. There was no physical pain from the exchange, though he leapt over mental barriers and she’d shared something with him. No matter what had been done, he’d saved her. If he hadn’t, she would probably still be locked in jail, awaiting trial or perhaps something much worse.
In a way, Esther Anna was grateful for his help, though a little upset that he hadn’t gotten her permission prior to the exchange. She at least deserved a say in the matter. Even prisoners after all, had rights, limited as they might be.
Esther Anna snuck a glance at the prince, his fine features seemingly encased in golden sunlight as she looked. She noticed that the prince’s ears behind his hair made him look even more handsome it was tucked behind it. Then she blushed, both bashful and confused. Her husband just passed, and she was admiring another man that way? The queen struggled to keep her mind on the matter at hand. “I understand, but what did you do? Because after you’d stopped, I felt like something had left me. I know it sounds strange, but that’s exactly how it felt.”
