by ERIN BEDFORD
“Thank you.” I waved him off with a ragged breath. If I couldn’t get the prince here, then the whole plan would go out of control. This had to work. The shadows had already helped me. If I didn’t do my part, I didn’t want to think about what they might do to me or even to the men in my life.
I feared more for them than about losing my powers. When they’d first offered me the deal, I didn’t think it would be a big ordeal. Get some powers, cause a bit of drama, and everyone would go home happy, me in the arms of three handsome men. Now I’d be lucky if I’d get out of the whole thing with my head.
Dawn was approaching fast. I had better change my appearance before the prince arrived.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. The magic inside of me was still new to me, and though it came when I called, it was sluggish. I thought about the Seelie Princess. Her long white blonde hair, her icy blue eyes so much like her mother’s, and the pale blue form-clinging dress I’d seen her in last.
I’d only just finished the final touches and moved over to one of the largest trees in the Orchard when the prince appeared at the bottom of the hill. I forced myself to breathe slowly as he moved toward me. He looked so happy. So, thrilled to see me.
Fuck. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t trick him.
But what about the shadows? I didn’t want to go back to the human realm and leave all of this behind. Especially, since I had already ruined my former life with what I did to Lewis.
Guilt ate at me for deceiving him, but I pushed it down as he reached for me.
“Hello, my prince.” I smiled at him, peering up at him from beneath my lashes. I hoped he didn’t notice my change in behavior. I’d only met the princess a few times, I didn’t know her well enough to know if she would be shy or hang all over him. I choose the safest route.
“Hello, my peach,” he purred, sliding his hands down my back and cupping my backside.
I let out a surprised sound but didn’t pull away. Well, it looks like I was wrong. Those two were just as bad as Cheshire and me.
His brows furrowed, and I forced myself to relax. “What’s wrong? You act like I’ve never touched you before.”
Oh, no. He was on to me. I have to act more like the princess.
“Nothing, nothing. Just wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome is all.” I gave him a shaky smile, hoping that it would be passed off as nerves and nothing else.
“Well, we are getting married tomorrow. I would hope that all of my welcomes are like this.” He stroked a thumb across my face, searching for something that I prayed he didn’t see.
“I’m sure they will be.” I ducked my head and forced a blush to my cheeks.
“You are not having doubts now, are you?” He pulled back slightly, concern coloring his voice. “If there is something I have done, please tell me, and I will remedy it right now.”
I swallowed and shook my head. “No, no.” I pulled my lower lip into my mouth, chewing on it to keep myself from talking too much.
“Then what is it?” he urged me to tell him what was bothering me.
Offering him a soft smile, I murmured, “I just wanted to see you is all. I missed you.”
Rain began to fall between the leaves of the tree, sprinkling us with water. I blinked rapidly against the falling water. It hadn’t rained at all during the entire time I’d been here. Why would it choose to start now?
Pushing away the thought, I turned my attention back to the prince as he cupped my face with his hand. “I have missed you as well.” Without warning, he swooped down and claimed my lips.
My fingers curled into the front of his shirt, and I tried to picture that I was kissing one of the others and not the prince. He wrapped his arms around me tighter, shoving his tongue into my mouth. Our tongue moved against each other for a moment, and then he froze.
Something was wrong. I knew I shouldn’t have kissed him with tongue. Even with my new enhanced senses, I knew the difference between each of my men’s taste. Why I thought it would be different with the prince, I didn’t know.
A gasp from behind us caused the prince to rip his mouth away from mine. My heart pounded in my chest, and the guilt that rolled around in my stomach shot to my throat. The princess had seen us, and not only that, but the prince had seen the princess which meant in a few seconds, he would figure out it wasn’t the princess he’d been kissing.
In my panic, I lost control of my glamour and could feel the change come over me just as the prince turned his questioning gaze back to me. Taking in my changed form, his face went through a series of emotions, from shock to disbelief and horror.
I smiled nervously at him, letting out a little giggle.
“What have you done?” he hissed, grabbing my shoulders.
“Just a bit of fun is all.” I shrugged and tried to laugh it off.
The prince did not share my laughter and only seemed to become more enraged. His eyes darted toward the way the princess had disappeared and then back to me.
“I will deal with you later,” he snarled before running down the hill after the princess.
The rain was coming down harder now, as if the Underground knew the princess and prince were upset. I hoped this would push them in the right direction. That I hadn’t lied and made a fool of myself of nothing.
I lifted my skirt and raced through the Orchard, not caring that I was getting wet in my hurry. I couldn’t find the prince or the princess, and I’d already gotten to the end of the line. Then something made my feet start toward the hidden alcove the tree I’d gotten my powers from lived in.
Hurrying into the alcove, I stopped at the entrance. The princess was no where to be found but the prince stood at the bottom of the tree. He screamed and hit the tree. He pounded on the roots, screaming for them to give her back.
Give who back? Where was the princess? Did the tree kill her?
A small gasp snuck out and my hand came up to my mouth as I realized what I had done. Oh, my Lord. This was all my fault. Who’d known a little kiss would cause so much trouble? I was just trying to help. They told me I was helping them.
“Your Highness?” I called out, and he stopped attacking the tree. Turning around, his eyes landed on me, and I froze in place. He stalked toward me his hands dripping with blood.
Tears fell down my face, and I reached for him. “I was only trying to help. The shadows said I could be one of you and I am. Look.” I held a hand out to show him my powers, but he didn’t even bother to look.
“I’m quite aware of your newfound abilities, Alice.” He cursed so loudly that I cringed. “Did you think for a moment that the shadows could have lied? That they would tell you anything you wanted to hear? Just so you would do what they wanted?”
My heart pounded in my chest as I scrambled for an explanation something to help defuse the situation. “But why would the shadows want to keep you apart? Surely they couldn't care less about your marriage?”
“You couldn’t be more wrong.” His laugh was bitter and heavy, making me feel even worse. “They have as much invested in my marriage as I do, except I had more to lose.”
“Why? What do they gain from breaking you two up?” I cocked and tried to understand what had happened. How could I have been so easily doped?
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” he snarled, not looking at me any longer.
The prince wouldn’t tell me more, but he didn’t need to. I knew I’d messed up. I’d been tricked by those shadows. Sure, I’d gotten what I wanted but what they wanted had been even worse. Who knew what the cost of my mistake would bring?
The sound of pounding feet coming toward us made my sobs come in harder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
But it was too late now.
“And you will have plenty of time to think about the answer. Guards!” his voice rose, and the walls shook around us. “Everything that happens from here on out is on your shoulders.”
I crumbled onto the ground, realizing that everything h
ad been for nothing. I’d gone through the whole ordeal to become Fae to be with the men I loved, and now I would never see them again. Two hands grabbed beneath my arms and hauled me to my feet. I didn’t even try to fight them, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. I might be a Fae now, but I had only been magical for a day. They’d been magical all their lives. There was no way I’d ever beat them.
Somehow, the whole of the Underground knew something was going on because the Orchard, which had been empty before, was now filled to the brim with people. They were gathering around the alcove where the guards dragged me out. Each whisper and jeer was like a knife through my heart. I thought there was no way I’d ever feel more humiliated than that very moment.
Until I saw four faces I never thought I’d see again. The guards were keeping them back as the twins fought against them to get to me. Cheshire glared at me, his fangs baring as I passed by.
Hatter reached out and almost touched me. Thanks to my new powers, I could barely hear the words he was calling out to me over the crowd, “Alice dear, what have you done?”
I shook my head and pinched my eyes shut not wanting to see the disappointment and anger on their faces. I wanted to remember them the way they were before I messed it all up, happy and content around the picnic we’d had in the garden. If I’d know it would be our last joyful moment, I’d have savored it more. Now, it was too late.
THE RESOUNDING SOUND OF the iron door slamming shut behind me would haunt me for several decades. It would become the one sound that would always link me back to my cell. I presumed all prisoners felt the same way at some point.
My eyes scanned around the gray stone walls, the bare floors, and the single window on the opposite side of the room. Did Fae not have regular bodily functions? Did they not need to sleep or eat? All of these questions ran through my mind as I stood in the middle of my prison cell, questions I never took the time to ask before I ruined my life. My now eternal life.
“Well, I supposed that was a plus,” I spoke out loud, and the words echoed back to me, making me frown, “and a negative.” An eternity by myself in a room with nothing had to be worse than death.
Panic crept through my chest, causing my heart to bang against my ribs. I spun around the room and raced toward the door. My hands reached up to bang against it. However, before my fingers even touched the surface, a searing heat flared across my skin. I yelped, jerking my arms back. A frustrated growl ripped through me, and I spun on my heels. My eyes landed on the window. The singular decorative item in the room was covered in an ornate gold frame that looked out of place in the dull gray walls. Racing over to the window, I pushed my face against the glass.
“Hello?” I shouted, not able to see past the dark red nothing. It seemed as if something covered the window. If I turned my head just so, I could almost make out more stone walls and even what might have been another window covered in the same material. I tried to call out once more, screaming and shouting until my throat burned and my eyes swelled from crying.
Finally, when my spirit had all but exhausted, I turned around, placing my back against the wall and sinking down to the floor. What had I done? Was all of this worth it? No. If I could take it back, I would. I’d rather have had a few short human years with my beloveds than this lifetime of solitude. I’d go mad here on my own without anything to keep my mind off the guilt and the hatred of what I had done.
I wiped my face on my dress, blowing my nose on the skirt. Pulling back, I grimaced at the mess I’d made. I reached for the new abilities I’d acquired and attempted to manifest a new gown. Nothing happened. I tried again. Still nothing. My brow furrowed, and I pushed until my head ached, but still my gown stubbornly stayed dirty and stained.
“So, not only am I going to be deprived of anything humane, but the powers I’d given up everything to receive were gone as well.” I sighed and banged my head against the wall. “Fuck.” The word still felt foreign in my mouth, but I had nothing and no one to impress. No one to tell me I was being improper or even to blush adorably in front of at the sound. I was utterly alone.
At some point, I slept.
I dreamed of being offered the same deal before, but this time, I told them no. That in no way would I betray my prince. I was happy to be human. The dream turned cold, the shadows closing in on me, making me shiver and quake. My eyes jolted open.
The hard floor I had fallen asleep on had turned soft and smelled faintly of lavender. My eyes fell on the bed beneath my body and trailed over the now not-so-empty cell. A bookshelf sat at the opposite side of the room, filled to the brim with more books than I could ever imagine reading in my lifetime. Well, my human lifetime. A desk sat beneath the window, but before I could check to see what else might be different about my cell, a slithering, whispering sound came from outside of my cell.
I scrambled off the bed, toward the door, and started to open my mouth to shout but stopped. Something was wrong. My eyes blinked at the wall, and while my powers might not be working, my heightened senses still were alive and well. There was a dark aura, corrupted, and so volatile it made me gag.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe through my nose. Whatever was on the other side of that door was not something I wanted to pay attention to me.
Just as I resigned myself to crawl into my new bed, a tugging sensation came over me. Frozen in place, my breathing quickened. The only way I could describe the feeling coming over me was like a claw had dug into my chest and squeezed around my heart. I couldn’t fight, I couldn’t even scream. All I could do was stand there and let it take what it wanted from me. And take it did.
My energy seeped out, and with it, my memories. I could just barely grab onto them, peeking at what was being taken from me, and a single tear slid down my face. The last night I had with all my beloveds together. Cheshire’s face as he quietly sat by, watching the twins squabble over who would get to sit next to me. Hatter stroking my hair, muttering lovely words, plans for our future. As quickly as I saw the image, it was gone, I couldn’t bring it back to my mind, and then after a moment, I didn’t even know what I was trying to remember at all.
The darkness left then, slithering down the hallway I knew resided outside my cell door, no doubt to feed on some other poor soul trapped in the Seelie Queen’s prison. I collapsed to the floor, taking a moment to mourn for my lost memory, before standing. I threw myself down on the bed and gripped the single blanket, wrapping it around me. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing away what had happened and knowing there was no one there to grant any more wishes.
Years past or so I thought. It must have. I slept. I woke up. I read books. I cried. Then I slept again. No food was brought, but then again, I never became hungry. My questions were answered each day that I didn’t die or feel the need to daily necessities a human would require.
Eventually, I became used to my singular existence. The only companions I had were the books that seemed to populate on their own and the darkness. The darkness was a constant terror keeping me in perpetual fear. Fear of what memory I’d lose. Fear of it finally feeding on the last of me. Fear of it never ending.
It was always the same. Until one day, it wasn’t.
There were voices outside my window. Not the usual shuffling of feet as the guards or whoever the queen had patrolling, but voices of people who weren’t supposed to be there.
“Hey! How do you know my full name?” a female voice accused their companion.
I dropped the book I had been reading and jumped up. Racing to the window, I shoved my face against the glass. My ear strained to hear what they were saying, as if whoever had come might be able to help me.
“I know quite a many things.” He paused and then the footsteps continued toward me. “Not all of them pleasant, though if you didn’t want anyone to know, you shouldn’t talk to yourself like no one is listening. Someone is always listening.” I jerked back for a moment, wondering if he knew I was listening. “Now, if you are finished wasting time, I can hear the gua
rds moving around above.” He paused once more. I sagged, realizing it wasn’t me that he was worried about. “More than likely getting ready to remove that pretty little head of yours.”
This was my chance. This was my moment. If there were ever a time, I would get free this would be it. “Hello? Is anyone there?” My voice sounded like I had swallowed a bucket of frogs. Of course, I hadn’t used it in years. There was no need, not unless I wanted to talk to myself.
Something moved behind the red material. The form hesitated and turned its head one way and then the other as if listening for my voice. The other person tapped itself foot, no doubt impatient for their companion to get moving.
“Hello?” I called out again, hoping they would come to my window.
The figure, who I could now tell was a woman, moved toward my window. Her brow furrowed, and her lips pursed into a tight frown. She stared into my cloth covered window, and her hand reached up to grab the fabric. I wished with all my might that she might pull it off. That I might see something anyone else besides the four walls of my cell.
“You don’t want to be doing that, Lady.” The other voice was a smooth, crooning type straight out of my books. The owner, I imagined, would be just as attractive as the writers portrayed.
“Who’s that?” the woman asked, and I frowned. Were they just going to stand there and argue over me?
“No one of importance,” the male voice huffed, placing himself between the frame and the woman.
“Then why does it matter if I see or not?” She tried to glance around his shoulder as if she could see into my window through the material.
Fed up with being ignored, I called out trying my best to sound helpless. “Is anybody there? It’s so lonely in here. Please help me.” Surely, they would help me now? Who would leave a poor girl all alone in a cell by their selves?
The Seelie Queen did, a voice in my head reminded me.
Well, besides her.
“Chess,” the woman spoke to the man, a sharpness to her tone, “I’m not leaving this spot until I see what is in there.”
