“Pretty incredible isn’t it?” Edwin said, as he chuckled and his arm twitched beneath his daughter’s chin. “Don’t you recognize your friend, dear? Why don’t you show her your true face so she can see the kind of monster that you really are?”
“What are you talking about? Who is that?” she argued. “What is that?”
Her words pierced my skin and sliced a thousand cuts in my soul. What was I? Good question. One I hadn’t had a chance to answer. At least not yet. I leaned my head back as the tingle flowed through my bones and changed me again. Altered me. Maybe forever.
“Fallon,” Veda called. “Is that really you? How did you? I mean, what is going on here?”
“Didn’t you know? Or did he keep it a secret from you?” Edwin backed toward the bedroom door as he clamped Veda tight to him. “I thought you two were closer than that. You seemed to be when I interrupted you in the tower yesterday. After all, it seems like you are the only weakness this boy has. Relationships shouldn’t be built on lies. It never ends well.”
I mimicked Edwin’s winding path looking for a clear shot. I should’ve taken my chance before. I may have missed but at least I wouldn’t have to risk Veda getting hurt.
“Let me go,” she yelled as she scratched at her father’s arm. She struck her elbow back and made contact with his stomach, but he simply flinched and kept on his escape route. The look in her eyes. The glow of fight mixed with a dark edge of fear that bled around the edges. This girl. Edwin was right, she would be my undoing, but not like this. This wasn’t her battle.
A sick feeling churned in my stomach. The solution formed in my brain and its darkness poisoned the rest of my body. The wrongness of it.
I raised the sword toward Veda. Her throat quivered as she swallowed, her stare locked on the shiny, silver blade. “Weakness? That would mean I actually cared.” I forced a laugh, trying my hardest to make it sound light. “Look at me. A young, rich, prince like me could replace her before she had time to slink back to her mountain. It’s not my fault if everyone falls in love with me.”
Tears formed in her eyes as her lower lip began to tremble. “That’s not true.”
Her voice wavered, each break in cadence tearing gashes in my heart.
“It was fun, but you and your family are way too complicated for me. Besides—” I cleared my throat, the words hanging on, knowing I could never take them back, “—a plain mountain girl like you could never be good enough for someone like me.”
The venomous arrow hit its mark. Her arms fell as her vigor faded. Her jaw dropped open as the tears she tried to hold back rushed down her cheeks. Each small tick, each defeated motion breaking another piece of her heart and flinging it at my feet. My eyes prickled watching her in pain. Knowing I’d done this to her. Even though hurting her might be the key to saving us all, I didn’t know it would wreck her this much, or that I would be too cowardly to be able to watch it. What had I done?
Edwin’s grip relaxed around her throat. “Cold, prince. Maybe we could’ve gotten along after all.”
He tossed Veda to the ground and sprinted for the open door to the outer chamber. I glanced down at her watery face and the broken glare she cast back up. I cringed. The sword in my hands less deadly than that look.
“I’m sorry,” I called as I leaped over her and after Edwin.
I clamped my hand on his shoulder at the door and whirled him around. I opened my hand and threw the traveler’s dust at him. The fairy magic glittered through the air, not nearly as impressive as his purple bolts of power. And then, nothing happened. The fairies tricked me. How could I have been so stupid?
He cackled and ran down the corridor, then stopped under the lion statue.
“Guards,” he yelled, his booming voice reverberating off the stone. “Such an amateur. You can’t stop—”
Edwin’s body shook. His limbs vibrated in the dim light as a terrified scream rose from his gut and exploded out of his mouth. “What have you done?”
A sweeping funnel of silver glitter wrapped around Edwin’s feet. It spun faster and faster, around and around, as it squeezed tighter around his body. All the light in the hall sucked into the column, dying into darkness as the cyclone sped up.
The pounding of footsteps echoed at the far end of the hall as a row of guards appeared and stopped short watching the spectacle. Edwin screamed again as the magic encased his head, his pain so loud it weighed on my chest.
“Stay far away from my family and this kingdom, Edwin,” I shouted as the column undulated ahead of me.
“I will kill you for this,” he shouted.
His last threat resonated through the hall as the glitter lost its brilliance, then dropped dark and colorless to the floor. No more funnel cloud. No more screams. No more Edwin.
I let out a breath as a calm rushed through me, but only for a second. Veda’s muffled sobs split the sudden silence. I spun around. She stood just inside the inner chamber and leaned against the doorframe, her soft cries disconnected from her cold, marble-like scowl.
I rushed toward her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean any of it.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I shouldn’t have been so stupid.” She held up her hands and backed into the room, retreating from my advance step for step.
“Don’t say that. You know I don’t think like that. I’ve told you before. In the tower. I just needed to get him to let you go.”
“I get it. But it doesn’t matter.” She wiped the back of her arm against her face, a few stray tears dropping to the floor as she tilted her head toward the window. “You were right. Every word. I brought my father into your world and almost lost you your kingdom. Maybe it would be better if we never met. Guys like you don’t belong with girls like me.”
A fire sparked in my blood. Her words were a match, dangerous and deadly, burning away at the one true emotion I had for anyone outside my parents. My skin flushed as my brain screeched at me to do something. Maybe I would be better off without her in my life, but it didn’t mean that’s what I wanted. What I needed.
“Veda, meeting you was the best thing that could’ve happened. You helped me uncover the truth about who I am. You pushed me to stand up for my kingdom and be the leader I never thought I could be. Never would’ve been without you. You made me see things so differently in these past few weeks, and that never would’ve happened if you didn’t tell me off at the tavern that night.”
Her expression softened and she turned to me again. The moonlight cast a glow around her and glinted in her emerald eyes. Like the night on the mountain. Just her and me. The most like myself I’d felt in my entire life. With tear-stained cheeks and messy hair, torn clothes, and a crooked grin, Veda was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.
I held up my hand and slowly moved closer, and this time she didn’t pull away. “Veda. If you ignore everything else, that’s fine, but please believe me when I tell you that I love—”
Veda flashed in front of me. Here one second then gone the next. Once. Twice.
“What’s happening?” She reached for my hand.
My fingers slid through her palm.
She flashed again.
“Veda!” I yelled.
Then she disappeared.
5
14th June
Sunlight splashed against my window and puddled on the large rug beside my bed. I groaned and rolled over then shielded my eyes with a soft, fluffy pillow. It couldn’t be morning. Not yet. My body ached and from the dizzy sensation in my head, I felt like I’d only slept about ten minutes.
I sighed and sat up, my hand clamped against my forehead. Images rolled through my mind on a loop. The same ones since yesterday. The same ones that might haunt me forever. Edwin disappearing into a cloud of glistening silver. Veda’s hand disappearing as I reached out to touch her. The empty tower room I ripped apart to try and find her. If only I’d had the chance to tell her how I felt. That I loved her.
A soft knock wrapped on the door.
“It’s almost afternoon, Fallon. Time to wake up sleepyhead.” Mom smiled and patted my cheek as she glided into the room. She wore one of her favorite gowns. A bright shade of pink with a field of hand-embroidered flowers around the bottom of the skirt and her signature deep crimson roses stitched up the bodice. My father bought it for her in Tulis years ago, but she always stood a bit straighter and smiled wider when she wore it. Today was no exception. The worry and weariness of the past few weeks still tattooed their marks on her face, but seemed more of a memory than a reality in the morning light. As if she woke up this morning and breathed fresh air for the first time in weeks.
Her skirt whisked across the floor and she stopped in front of my large mirror to fix her long curls that had twisted over her shoulder.
She glanced at my reflection next to hers and frowned. “Is today not a better day? You defeated the wizard. You’ve won back the throne. The castle staff have fallen out of Edwin’s spell. You should be happier, my son. Grim times are still upon us, but we have already come so far.”
I wiped my face with my hands and retreated to the armchair, my head turned toward the wall so the mirror couldn’t lay my emotions bare. “I don’t know. I just can’t figure out what to do now.”
Mom laughed. A lightness I hadn’t heard from her, or anyone in weeks. “Just because you’ve conquered one battle doesn’t mean the war is over. The kingdom needs you. Your family needs you. So many people are counting on you, Fallon. Don’t tell me you’re bored.”
“Not bored, just lost. Dad still needs to be cured. I promised the fairies I’d help them with the darkness, but I have no idea where to even start. And…” I sighed and dropped my head to my chest as I twined my fingers together in my lap.
“You don’t know what to do about that Veda girl you care so much about.”
“If I can even find her. I said some really awful things, but I didn’t get a chance to explain. I don’t know where she is and if she’ll ever even speak to me again.”
Mom walked over and rubbed my shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll come to her senses. You’re a great catch, and not just because you are a prince. I have a feeling this girl doesn’t care much about that anyway.”
“She doesn’t.”
“Then if she’s smart, she’ll come around. And if you’re smart, you’ll hold onto her if she gives you another chance.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Of course.” She headed over the window and straightened the thick curtain flanking the sides as she gazed out to the courtyard below. “Plus, even if she doesn’t, you have so many things to be grateful for in this life. You have a family who loves you, a good heart, and great friends who care about you. Kalmin said he misses you, by the way.”
I flinched as a twinge of pain dug into my stomach. “Yeah, I miss him too. But I’m going to work on that as well.”
“You should. He’s a noble young man, a bit misguided at times it sounds like, but he’s trying his best. Just like everyone else. And he honestly cares about you. Good, loyal friends are worth any sacrifice.”
“How did you get to be so smart?” I asked, the weight finally lifting a little bit from my shoulders.
She turned around, the light glowing around her like a fairy queen or maybe even an angel. “Always. You’re just mature enough now to notice.”
A low knock reverberated on the open door. Griswold stood in the doorway, his arms crossed in front of him as his body closed in taking up as little space as possible.
“Sorry to interrupt, Your Majesties, but I have news for the queen.”
I leaped from the chair and pulled Griswold into a hug. He let out a tiny gasp as I held tight but otherwise stayed stick-still in my arms. “I missed you, old man.”
He looked at the ground. “My apologies, sir, but I don’t deserve your kindness. I have much work to do before my debt to your family is repaid.”
“Don’t be silly, Griswold. You were under the spell of a mad man. Had you not tipped me off to him when he first arrived we all could still be in trouble.”
The old man’s cheeks tinged pink, but he kept his eyes locked on the ground. “Thank you, my prince.”
“You said you had a message for me?” My mother cut in front of me and gave me a glare while she shook her head.
“Yes. Captain Amir has indicated that a fleet of guards was dispatched last night to the mountain temple with a full carriage of supplies. They will be taking the royal road and should arrive by nightfall.”
She clapped her hands together, a joyful smile breaking across her lips. “Thank you, Griswold. That’s wonderful news.”
Griswold nodded and scurried down the hall, getting away as quick as he could. He deserved so much for all he’d done. Once everything was over I would need to see what my role as king could afford to grant him.
“Are the guards bringing Dad home?”
Mom shook her head as her smile disappeared. “No. The captain and I discussed it, but it would be dangerous to move him in his current state and after so many weeks of torture. We decided to station guards in rotating shifts to watch over him and keep him comfortable while we search for a cure. It’s safest for your father, for the city, and for the guards.”
I frowned. Having Dad home would make this feel more of a victory, but he’d still be suffering on the side of a mountain. Comfortable, but suffering. “Do you think we’ll actually find a cure?”
“Now that we know how the spell was cast we have a lot more to work with. I also plan on getting the guards to bring back what’s left of Edwin’s notes so that we can go through them and see what he had planned, but the first concern is your father’s safety.”
I crossed the room and ran my fingers over my collection. The daggers and swords from so many travels with my father that I may never get to have again.
“Would it be okay if I went to get the notes? If Alizeh will take me I could be there before the guards and keep Dad company until they arrive.”
“I think he’d like that.” She slipped her hand onto my bicep and leaned her head of my shoulder. “He would be so proud of you right now. You will make a great king.”
I dug an apple out of my bag and tossed it into the air. “Here you go, girl.”
Alizeh clucked and snapped the apple in her beak. I pulled out another. Her gigantic eyes widened even larger as she watched my every motion while I reared my arm back and launched it into the dusky sky. Another perfect catch.
I nuzzled in close to her wing as she pulled her head down and I pet her glossy feathers. “Thank you for your help, friend. I’ll never let anyone pin you down again.”
She rubbed her head against my shoulder. Maybe she understood. Maybe she didn’t. Either way, I owed her more than I ever thought I would. After Edwin had tied her down in the stables to keep my mother and me from escaping, I wouldn’t have blamed her for not coming back to the castle, but less than two minutes from when my lips emit a whistle and called her name, she arrived in the courtyard ready for the next adventure. A true friend.
Across the mountain, the temple roof glowed in the fading light as the sky burned brighter than it should for the approaching evening. I scanned the outside of the temple and my stomach hollowed. No one lounged in the peaceful garden. No one standing on the golden stairs. No life at all.
I’d expected it, but I’d still been hopeful. I tried not to go by Veda’s cottage. Even told myself about three hundred times that I wouldn’t and only stopped when I stood on her well-worn path with my hand knocking on her door.
No one answered.
It’s as if she’d disappeared along with her father. Maybe she was bouncing around oblivion bound by the fairy’s magic to be lost for the foreseeable future. I cringed and held my arm across my gut as the pain deepened,
digging into my muscles and twisting my intestines. If she ever made it back, could she ever forgive me? Should she?
My father stirred in his cage. He clung to the bars and peered over at me and Alizeh, his furry paws hanging out into freedom while his animalistic eyes watched us move.
“Looks like someone else might need something to eat too.” I pet her one last time and walked across the empty field toward the cage.
The makeshift canopy I’d created still held, although the wind had tried it’s best to knock it down. A few slashes, claw-like marks, scarred some of the sheets, but at least he’d stopped and didn’t rip it entirely. I flipped open the top of my bag. Berries, kiwi, and chopped up melon. Still warm slices of bread handmade just this morning. Wedges of gouda, havarti, and the sharpest cheddar from the market. And, just hidden under the rest of the bounty, the chunks of the richest chocolate I could find. My father’s favorite weakness.
My father licked his lips with his wide pink tongue as I presented each of the snacks and slid them between the bars on the far side of the cage. He didn’t rush at me or growl. This time he seemed calmer. Not quite human, but a lot less like an animal. If better conditions helped to keep him calmer, maybe there would be hope for him yet. Especially once we found a way to break the curse. And we would. I knew it. But how long that might take, I didn’t dare think about that.
I held up the chocolate last and my father’s stare locked on my arm.
“Mom told me not to bring it, but you know how bad I follow directions.”
I slid it beside the assortment of cheese and backed away from the bars, then rested on the ground, my knees slightly bent. My father scrambled across the cage and scooped up a paw of raspberries and crammed them in his mouth. A few of the red gems fell to the side and rolled near his feet. He groaned as he chewed and swallowed, then moved on to the bread.
“Eat up, Dad. You need to keep your strength.”
He stopped chewing and collapsed off his back haunches so he sat like me on the other side of the bars. He pushed one of the stray raspberries through the cage bars and nodded his head toward me.
Fallon: Son of Beauty and the Beast (Kingdom of Fairytales Boxset Book 6) Page 30
