Dreamer of Briarfell: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty (Fairytales of Folkshore Book 7)
Page 28
I for one, didn’t want to know anything about this, if I didn’t absolutely have to.
“What gods?” Robin appeared by my side, as stealthy as ever, his grin turning into wide-eyed surprise as he saw the queen. “Etheline?”
She nodded gracefully. “Hello, Reynard.”
Robin and I shared a look of bewilderment.
Then we asked in unison, “You know her?”
“She’s the Spring Queen!” I said.
“She’s my aunt!” he said.
I swayed back, colliding with his chest. He held me protectively as we both faced Etheline.
“Aunt,” I mumbled in shock. “You never told me your mother was a fairy princess.”
“I never knew till this moment.” Robin seemed to find it as hard to speak. “Etheline visited me after my mother’s glamor faded, gave me my enchanted green cloak, and my bow and arrows. She never told me anything beyond our relationship and her name.”
“Are all fairy princesses this flighty?” I whispered, realizations piling up inside my mind. “Didn’t your mother also leave her betrothed, Bonnie—the one I’m just realizing was King Yulian?”
Etheline sighed. “Lureline didn’t have the excuse Bonnibel’s mother had for fleeing. She merely found life on the Folkshore mind-numbingly dull.” Etheline waved off further questions. “That’s the price of marrying a fairy. Your father knew what he was getting into. She’ll be back, eventually.”
Robin tensed behind me. “In that case, tell her not to bother.”
“Harsh, but as someone who was abandoned callously, I understand.” Etheline nodded, no doubt meaning my father breaking their engagement. “I hope I’ll be invited to your weddings, at least.”
“Will you show up anyway and curse our firstborn if we don’t?” I asked, mock-sweetly.
Etheline barely batted an eyelash. “No, your offspring will be of little importance. There is no statement to be made by cursing someone that far down the line of succession.”
That was the most reassuring thing I’d heard in ages. It further proved how right I was to defy my mother’s plans for me.
Robin loosened his protective hold on me to face Etheline. “If I have your word on that, it would be an honor to count you among my family party, along with Will’s family, and my army comrades.”
Etheline took our hands, clasping them between hers. “I eagerly await that day. Do you know when it will be?”
“We wanted it to be sooner,” I said. “But my cousin Cyrus’s wedding is next summer, and Bonnie and Leander will wed after his birthday in winter.” I looked up at Robin, saw my excitement reflected in his beautiful eyes. “So our wedding will be the spring after.”
“Spring. An appropriate time.” Of course, she would think that. “That will be a blink of an eye for me. But for you, treasure all the time you have together, for you have beaten the odds, and withstood radical changes to be the right ones for each other.” Etheline released our hands, sweeping away with a delicate wave. “Oh, and Fairuza? When you and Bonnibel feature me in your stories, don’t paint me too dark a villain, will you?”
“I’ll be sure to have the Faerie Queen dressed in pastels,” I said.
Etheline laughed lightly at my evasion, and disappeared.
As soon as she did, Bonnie ran down to join Leander.
We stood in silence, staring at where the Spring Queen had just been.
Then I wrapped my arms around Robin’s trim waist, looking up at him. “So, this sort of makes you a fairy prince.”
He spluttered, before transitioning into a worn-out chuckle. “Really? That’s what you got from that visit?”
“Well, there’s also the fact that she got her way with both Leander and me marrying fairies with royal blood. But in my case, she got exactly what I thought she’d been steering me towards, just not who I thought it was. I ended up with her undisclosed nephew.”
He did a double take, as if that hadn’t registered before I’d said it.
Then he shook his head vigorously. “Oh, no. That makes that blue-haired peacock my cousin. And I tried to make him marry you!”
I laughed at his horror, knowing we’d be dealing with the ramifications of what all that meant, and not caring one bit.
He blew out a forcible breath. “Thankfully, I’m only half-fey, so he can keep the Prince of Spring title, thank you very much. But knowing who she is, makes me connect so many dots. This turnout does feel a little suspicious now.”
“Makes you question what was fate, and what was fairies.” Letting him go with another laugh, I picked up my slim skirt, and ran down the steps in the mid-winter air
He beat me to the bottom, hands held out to receive me. “They’re the same word in Campanian languages, fata.”
Slipping my arm through his, I grinned up at him, everything that had happened tonight settling down on me like a cloak of relief, disbelief, and contentment. “I’d rather not enter an existential debate about fairies as weavers of fates. But whatever she did, she only maneuvered us in each other’s path. Everything else, was and will always be, all us.”
“No debates about this, ever.” He squeezed me exuberantly, before he added, “And no wondering what Etheline was talking about when she referenced conflict among the gods. That is way beyond us.”
I pulled him down for a kiss. “Good to see you know your limits. Wouldn’t want you attempting to become an epic hero.”
He returned my kiss, his lips lingering on mine longer. “I would have been tempted, if I didn’t want as long a life as possible with you. Interfering in the affairs of gods is typically a guarantee of dying young.”
I clutched him harder, the idea of losing him unbearable. “Which is something I’ve had enough of worrying about. So, no heroics!”
The twinkle of adoration in his eyes made my heart pirouette in my chest as he murmured, “Your wish is my command, Your Highness. Besides, I’ve settled for being a national character. Someone else can be the epic hero whose myth spans kingdoms.”
As we reached the carriages, he helped me up into our shared one with Leander and his party. He settled between myself and Jessamine, cooing at his little namesake.
Watching them all chat, I was filled with that exquisite sense of happiness and contentment I’d never felt until Robin. It now took on a more encompassing feel as I pondered how we’d all left harrowing experiences behind, just as we left the theater that had displayed my artistic take on Robin’s adventures.
Perhaps that was the best thing for us to do. To separate our futures from our pasts, view them as we viewed ballads and epic poetry.
And that’s what we would become in time, stories that would outlive us, tales of hope, triumph, and love for those who need them.
But few would ever know how our tales had entwined, or that we all became one fantastical family.
Threading our fingers together, I leaned my head on Robin’s shoulder and he rested his cheek against my hair.
I savored feeling him, on every level now. I delighted in experiencing our deepening bond of trust and understanding, of appreciation and affection.
This was what I’d never thought a princess born to a cruel curse, and bred for an empty arrangement could find, or deserve.
This unbridled love with the only one for me was the truest magic there was.
Our lives might be fictionalized in the future, but right now we were real, and we belonged together.
What came after, that was not for me to worry about anymore.
Note From the Author
I hope you've enjoyed DREAMER OF BRIARFELL as I enjoyed writing it!
Reviews and word of mouth are the life-blood of Indie Authors, so if you enjoyed the book, please help me spread the word!
Even a line on Amazon, Goodreads and Bookbub would be vital to my success and to the book’s sales, and would be hugely appreciated.
If you haven’t yet, please read where it all began in the #1 Amazon Bestsellers, THIEF OF CAHRAMAN, PRINCE
OF CAHRAMAN and QUEEN OF CAHRAMAN followed by BEAST OF ROSEMEAD & BEAUTY OF ROSEMEAD and PRINCESS OF MIDNIGHT.
Next in the series is MERMAID OF TRITONIA, a Little Mermaid retelling! Before that will be a Snow White novella THE SNOW PRINCESS.
To find out when it’s out, and other exclusive content, news, updates and offers, please sign up to my VIP Mailing List.
I also love to hear from my readers, so please contact me at lucytempestauthor@gmail.com
Thank you for reading!
Lucy
Pronunciation Guide
— People
Agnë: Aag-nee
Björn: Bee-yore-ne
Etheline: Eth-ell-leen
Fairuza: Fay-roo-zah
Jonquil: Jon-quill
Leander: Lee-an-durr
Lycaon: Lie-kay-on
Marzeya: Mahr-zay-yah
Meira: May-ruh
Merope: Meh-roe-pee
Reynard: Ray-nahrd
Willoughby: Willow-bee
Zafira: Zaa-fee-rah
Zomoroda: Zoh-murr-roh-dah
— Places:
Ericura: Air-ree-cue-ruh
Almaskham: Ul-maz-kham
Arbore: Are-bore
Cahraman: Quh-rah-maahn
Campania: Kaam-pahn-yuh
Nexia: Neck-see-yah
About the Author
With one foot in reality and the other one lodged firmly in fantasy, Lucy Tempest has been spinning tales since she learned how to speak.
Now, as an author, people can experience the worlds she creates for themselves.
Lucy lives in Southern California with her family and two spoiled cats, who would make terrible familiars.
Her young adult fantasy series FAIRYTALES OF FOLKSHORE is a collection of interconnected fairytale retellings, each with a unique twist on a beloved, timeless tale.
Sign up to her VIP mailing list
And follow her on
Also by Lucy Tempest
Thief of Cahraman
Prince of Cahraman
Queen of Cahraman
Beast of Rosemead
Beauty of Rosemead
Princess of Midnight
Dreamer of Briarfell