by Alex H Singh
The scent of his cologne wafted into the air around her. She made a sour face, cringing at the smell but that look quickly melted away as she turned to watch him walk in.
He opened his arms wide and she waved him off, she was not in the mood for unnecessary body contact. “My darling…how are you?”
Noelle’s eyebrows furrowed at the question and she failed to hide the bitterness in her tone. “My father just died. He was murdered by my stepmother in cold blood. How do you think I am?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s why I rushed over. I brought gifts.” Hardy moved beside her and placed his hand on her back to try and move her towards the door, but she stayed firmly planted in place. He stepped back with a sigh and shrugged. “I…I will have them take it up to your room later.”
“We have still haven’t been able to find her. The queen. My father’s murderer is roaming free and you’re asking me what’s wrong? Bringing gifts here as if that will make things better?” Noelle lashed out at him.
Hardy frowned, upset with himself that his princess was upset. “Well, I can… I’ll dispatch my men to scour the lands for her. Just say the word, and I’ll make it so. My uncle will not reject me for it, especially if he knows I’m helping you, my lady.”
After her devilish smile faded, Noelle turned to Hardy and nodded. “Yes. Yes, that will be very good. I need as many men after her as possible. She must not escape!”
Prince Hardy nodded eagerly, a sparkle in his eye at her answer. He would send for his men at once. He would do this for his love. He leaned into Noelle’s caress as she stood before him, and he closed his eyes in sheer ecstasy at her delicate touch.
Poor, stupid boy. You really are beyond saving… Noelle thought, as she peered up at him. Once he opened his dull eyes, she lingered there for a moment before gently patting his cheek. “I’d like to be alone now.”
He obediently nodded and took his leave.
The princess could hear him giving orders to assemble his men, and a smile curled over her lips of sheer delight. Everything was going according to plan, though only one obstacle remained.
She wondered why Damien had not reached out to her yet. It was unlike him to stay this long in pursuit of his quarry. He should have retrieved his target and completed his mission by now. It was a woodsman against a runaway queen! The fairy situation might have complicated things, but she wouldn’t be able to hide among them forever. Esther Anna would return, and the woodsman would be waiting. Noelle smiled at the thought of holding Esther Anna’s heart in her hands. It was so thrilling, a shudder of pleasure rolled up her spine.
Then, her expression darkened as she remembered her attempts to find the entrance to the fairylands. One after one, Noelle tried every spell in her arsenal, but nothing gave way. Nothing worked against their defenses. Instead of letting it bother her too much, Noelle was more intrigued at just how powerful the fairy magic was. It would be beneficial to her plans, if she managed to break in and make them submit to her. That’s a thought…
The dark book would wait for now, as Noelle decided to seek out an update from the captain of the guards. As she walked towards his post, her mind flashed back to the girl she’d seen. The beautiful maiden would be a gorgeous addition to her line-up of victims. She would provide the youthful essence for her next rejuvenation bath.
The knife hidden in her cloak throbbed with anticipation and she tapped it affectionately. It was only a matter of time now.
Guards bowed as she walked past, but she paid no attention to them. Her mind was on more critical issues. Her plan was coming to a head.
Present time. Fairy Kingdom of Fandrela.
Prince Phillip paid close attention as Esther Anna told him about the voice she heard the night prior. He was genuinely interested about the glowing necklace and asked again and again if he was certain she’d seen it glow.
“I didn’t sleep well, though I managed to get a couple hours in early this morning. Even then, I was restless.” She explained, stifling a yawn.
“That’s just…unusual. You said this has never happened before?” He asked again, to confirm.
She nodded.
“Alright. Well we’re going to watch and see if it happens again and then we’ll deal with it.” The prince was on his feet at once and he offered his hand to her. “For now, let’s go. I’m starving.”
The meal was marvelous, and Esther Anna ate more than usual. She wondered about this newfound appetite but found no real explanation for it. Maybe it was the seasoning in the food or the mystical allure of her new locale, but she thoroughly enjoyed it all the same.
On their way back to her room, Prince Phillip took them on a slight detour to chat. She agreed to follow him since the day was nice and she had still not gotten used to seeing the large flowers and vegetation she admired so much. On their stroll, an adventurous young fairy flew past them, riding a bumblebee. Esther Anna watched in awe, as the boy hung precariously off its back, laughing and joking with glee. He didn’t have a care in the world, and she envied that. After a couple of loops, the bee landed on a nearby flower and the boy flew off its back and returned to his friend who was also watching that stunt.
“Kids.” The prince said with a smirk.
“Why do I have a feeling you were exactly like that when you were that age?” Esther Anna raised an eyebrow.
“I was not!” He said in mock offence, and they both burst into laughter. “Okay, maybe a little. I used to get into a lot of trouble as a kid. We rode the bees, just like that kid. We would taunt snakes and engage in races with some particularly sting-happy wasps. Childhood. Fun times, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugged. Her childhood wasn’t terrible, nor was it fun. It was safer, than anything. After losing her family members, there wasn’t much room for fun to be had. Esther Anna didn’t have many friends, other than her brother. If it weren’t for him, growing up would have been far less enjoyable. Her father tried his best to be there for her, but his kingly duty wore heavily on him and stole him away most of the time. Still, Esther Anna knew he tried and she loved him for all his efforts.
They walked into a clearing, past some fairies in a corner who were playing a strange game. Phillip explained that the only objective of the game was not to be the last person holding the pebble when the caller decided to speak. Esther Anna laughed as she recalled a game like that from her kingdom. The fairies caught sight of him and a couple of them flew over. They crashed into him and wrapped their little hands around him. The prince submitted to their playful attack and laughed as he crumpled to the floor with the kids on his back. He gave a fierce roar to attack them as their monster and they dispersed, screaming and laughing to get away from the prince.
The sight of him with the children melted her heart. He looked so comfortable and it was clear that the children really loved him. One of the little ones walked up to her. She offered a kind smile but there was interest written all over his face.
“What happened to your wings?” He pointed at her.
Esther Anna gasped in shock and inspected her back for wings, playfully going along with it.
He tittered and flew to his friends, happy to inform him that he’d discovered a wingless fairy. They discussed this amongst themselves before giggling again and returning to their game.
Prince Phillip straightened his clothes and scabbard as he walked to her, though his hair was disheveled. “Those little terrors attacked me, and you just stood there! I thought you were supposed to be my backup!”
The queen giggled, “One of the kids asked me what happened to my wings.”
He nodded, “Yeah. Most of the youngsters haven’t heard of humans before. Their parents haven’t, either. I guess that means you’re a big deal around here. The human guest of the royal house.”
Esther Anna considered the possibility of a fairy entering the human kingdom and knew that customs or the welcome itself would not be the same. She imagined the men of science prodding and probing for informatio
n. Other folks who were against magic would not take kindly to them, either.
“We’re here.” The prince stopped and smiled.
They were at the edge of a lake, which glittered much like everything else in Fandrela. It seemed bigger than any body of water she had ever seen, and she had to remind herself that it was because she was smaller now. The glimmer of the light reflecting over the water’s surface was a gorgeous sight to behold.
“Let’s go,” Phillip wrapped his arm around her and without warning, lifted them both off the ground to take off in flight.
Esther Anna held tight to the prince as they flew to a flower that stood so tall it reminded her of the towers back in Tibethia. She staggered a bit when they landed and readjusted herself to regain her footing. The shoes they made her were made of a soft material too, so that helped with her landing. She twirled atop the giant flower, simply beaming. Everything about this place was lovely.
“I come here sometimes when I need to think. My mother used to bring me here when I was a kid. I’d play with others or she’d teach me how to magically rope in some fish.” Phillip breathed out longingly, as he lost himself in that pleasant memory.
Esther Anna noted that her meeting with the king, Phillip’s father, was without a queen. He’d made no mention of his mother since they met, but she didn’t think to inquire about it until now.
“You have no memories of your mother…” He said, matter-of-factly.
She nodded, somberly. Esther Anna’s mother passed away in childbirth, though due to her father’s constant praise and glowing remarks about his queen, she grew to miss her just as much. She found it strange to miss someone whom she’d never met. Her mother gave her life so that she could live, and she would never forget that.
“She died giving birth to me.” The queen said softly, but he already knew that. What he was really asking was how she felt on the matter. That, he didn’t know since the memories didn’t convey emotions surrounding the memories he’d seen.
Phillip offered a sympathetic gaze and Esther Anna leaned in to hug him. There was an unusual magnetism between them, but it was a thing better left unspoken. She did, after all lose her husband recently, and she hadn’t had the time to properly mourn him. Moreover, the fate of all kingdoms rested solely in their hands, and the defeat of the evil princess weighed heavier than the pull in their hearts.
Esther Anna was torn. How was she going to prove her innocence? Not everyone had the same abilities as the fairy prince, and right now it was her word against the word of the Tibethian princess, who seemed to have everyone in the kingdoms wrapped around her little finger. She was riddled with such dread, that it made her anxious. There had to be something, a foolproof way of finding the truth.
“Phillip?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t suppose you guys have a magical truth device or something, do you?” The question sounded ridiculous when said aloud, though there was some hope in her tone as she asked.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I was thinking…about Princess Noelle. The allegations leveled against me are overwhelming and it would take nothing short of a miracle to clear my name. With everything I’ve seen here—the magic—I feel like that could help me.”
Prince Phillip laughed. He could tell that despite her hopefulness, she didn’t really believe that such a thing existed. It was funny because he’d been considering the same thing the night before and hadn’t been able to tell her about it. “Well, there is…”
Even though it was the answer she’d been hoping for, she had skepticism written all over her face. “Are you serious?”
He nodded, but there was a little bit of reluctance in his voice. “It’s called the Lamp of Light. An ancient, mystical device can detect evil. In the presence of the darkness, it lights up with a brilliant white glow. It’s said that the light will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the person nearby was evil. Many have searched for it over the years, but it has been well hidden by its previous owner. Many believe it’s just a fable, however. Lots of men and women have died searching for it, others think that it doesn’t even exist.”
She took in his words with wide-eyed wonder. “The lamp…it’s real?”
“Yes,” He said, “I thought this might be a possibility, an instrument to assist us before, but I don’t think we can…”
“The lamp is real—then it can help clear my name!” Esther Anna tried to hold back her excitement. The Lamp of Light would help her prove to those who didn’t know her well enough to be able to take her word for it, that she could not have possibly killed her husband. It would also open their eyes to Noelle’s true evil nature. “Phillip, that’s great news! How do we find it?”
The prince sighed. “Esther…”
A while ago, Prince Phillip had heard about someone who set out to search for the lamp. That person was in dire need of its power to settle a dispute that threatened the sanctity of his kingdom. They even hired the services of a famed pirate, but the voyage was not fruitful, at least not in the case of the lamp itself. By the time he’d returned, the dispute had escalated beyond saving and that had been the last anyone had heard about attempts to find the lamp.
Phillip sighed. “There’s a pirate. One who travels the seven seas. He attacks boats that cross over his turf and steals their valuables. He’s most famous for procuring hard-to-find objects, but the price is steep for his services. Though the price for said skill is well worth it since his track record is as impressive. He’s the person last rumored to be in possession of the lamp.”
Esther Anna listened attentively and was not swayed at the mention of a pirate. Working with a pirate was risky, but desperate times called for very desperate measures.
He looked at her as they both contemplated the situation. Phillip expected her to shy away from the suggestion of searching for a pirate, because it was a choice no one made willingly, to work with one. Part of him wondered if he should have revealed the pirate, the Lamp of Light, or any of it.
Finally, she looked up with a serious and determined expression and asked: “How do we find him?”
Chapter 6
Present time. Kingdom of Tibethia. Forest.
Damien had spent most of the day searching for the entry into the fairyland. The fairies seemed to have used a diffuse enchantment to beam their wards back and forth throughout the forest, so anyone who had a knowledge of magic and intended to use it to locate the path would be led astray and potentially give up if unsuccessful.
Damien was not easy to sway or throw off course.
Hours later and more than fifty dummy trails behind him, he finally found the right one. On his first attempt of entering, he was thrown like a ragdoll into a collection of trees, and his great form split them in half. He had tried once more, but drew the same, result. A large part of the forest behind him lay in ruin where he had crashed into the trees and trampled on the vegetation. His advanced healing abilities made it easy for him to get up from throws like that unscathed but still there was a limit to how much he could take.
He stood before the warded path and thought of his next course of action. The option to gain entrance was out, and waiting was filled with too many uncertainties. Waiting could take a very long time, and it wasn’t even a guarantee that she would emerge from the gate he had been guarding. Damien was surprised she had been in there this long, though he was aware of a fairy sensitivity to auras. Esther Anna’s aura was too bright for anyone to ignore and they could probably tell right away that she was not evil and had no rush to send her away.
Just the thought of her nearly sent him into a frenzy, since he longed for the time their paths would cross again. Damien would finally claim her as his bride in the Black Abyss. He knew there would be opposition once he got his hands on her, but he was ready to face the consequences. Nothing would stand in his way.
Then he turned his attention back to the fairy kingdom. By now, Esther Anna must have told her story to the fairies. That is, if
she’d survived the fall or the scrutiny of the relatively private kingdom. Damien knew of their memory technique, and it was infallible. Its practitioners spent years upon years honing the ability till they could even, at times, sense when fake memories had been implanted. That would play to Esther’s innocence; it would prove that she in fact, did not murder the king. Knowing this, it would only take a quick read of her memory to gain their allegiance.
Kingdom business wasn’t his primary focus, however. He had his mind on saving the queen, and that was it. The woodsman bared his teeth in a proud smile at the thought of getting her out to a safe place. Dormality, perhaps, where she’d undoubtedly still had friends and loyal people who would take her in. He smiled because this would make his job a whole lot easier. The Kingdom of Dormality might be prepared for a raid by the Tibethian guards and soldiers but they were not prepared for him. Damien would get in with ease, collect his queen, then escape, and they would be none the wiser. They would be long gone, vanished into the Black Abyss, before they realized their queen had been taken. Princess Noelle would probably send other dark warriors after him, but in the abyss, his authority was seldom questioned. Escape from her reach was another plan, and he would cross that bridge if necessary.
As he watched, he wondered what other outlets they would have out of the kingdom. He was aware that there might have been other ways to escape, though he had no knowledge of their locations. That would take more time than he could afford, and if he was realistic about the matter, it was entirely possible he was already too late. However, Damien was already prepared with his tracking spell, having gained enough of her scent and essence to tune in to her specifically. There was no way she would escape his grasp once she came out into the free world.
Esther Anna LaPointe you will be mine… He thought. Damien was drawn to her presence even if she was miles away. He had imprinted on her and would follow her to the ends of the earth.
