“Of course, I came up to tell you that we were ready to
eat and head out. Why don’t you wake Bowen and meet us downstairs?” He gives me a wink and walks out. I turn to Bowen and crawl up into the bed beside him. Reaching over, I tickle him slowly. He wiggles in the bed but doesn’t wake up right away. Trying again, I softly trace a finger over his face and his eyelids opened slowly.
“Good morning, sunshine," I whisper and he turns his head to look at me. A lazy smile forms on his perfect lips and I can’t help but think about kissing them to find out just how soft they are. I look back up at his eyes and notice I’ve been caught staring at his mouth. My cheeks flush, but I’m not sorry.
“Sorry I fell asleep," he whispers, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. It’s a sweet and unexpected gesture.
“I took forever, kind of my fault. It sounded more enticing than facing the asshole,” I shrug.
“Well, you at least got to trap him in darkness all night, so a small victory?”
“That’s definitely a win. Ready to go downstairs? Apparently Allwyn is mad.” I make a fake sad face at Allwyn’s predicament and he lets out a chuckle, that has a bit of anger behind it.
“Come on,” he says, pulling me to my feet. I turn to walk away and he stops me. “Let me dry your hair first.” Without waiting for an answer, I feel a concentrated flow of air coming from his hands. He hovers it just above a section of hair, using the other to keep it from flowing everywhere. Within minutes it’s perfectly dry and my mind is officially blown.
“That’s so cool!” I exclaim, inspecting my dry strands. He gives me a cocky smirk, before guiding me to the door.
“Well, I’ve got to take care of our queen. Now… let’s hurry before Emrick gets grumpy. He doesn’t like to wait to eat,” he says, pulling me along.
The moment we approach the main hall where Allwyn is trapped, I freeze. My heart starts racing and that awful achy feeling blossoms in my chest, all of my light-hearted feelings Bowen enticed slipping away in a second. Bowen notices I’m not behind him and gives me a questioning look. Emrick walks through the doorway just then, mumbling to himself about women. Apparently I did take far too long for my knights.
When he sees us, he freezes, but my head is swimming so much it’s hard to focus. “What’s wrong, Bella?” He rushes over to us.
“Nothing, it's silly. I’m a queen. I can handle this," I mumble to myself as he walks. He studies me for half of a second before grabbing my hands and leading me into the room.
“Don’t let him get to you, you’re strong and your confidence will grow. He’s not worth your sadness,” he says firmly. His words are harsh, but oddly comforting. With renewed confidence and panic falling away, I give a nod and walk into the room with my head held high.
We still can’t hear Allwyn, so clearly my magic held strong. I look across the room to find a table set up with the food we brought with us.
“I miss Jacob. Let’s eat so we can go," I suggest, taking my seat. Maddox and Gerwyn were already seated, and the others quickly join us, openly ignoring the bubble prison. “I know it is a bit unorthodox, but would you mind telling me about Faerie, and the courts, and what kind of magic you have? I want to learn all I can so I can be a good Queen.”
“Who are we to argue, if the Spirit of Faerie chose you herself?” Gerwyn says firmly, his eyes dancing at the prospect of our discussion.
“Let’s start with magic. I have an affinity for illusions. I can also do basic combat and general spells we were all taught," Maddox starts. He gives me a smirk before putting his hand in front of him, palm up. A bright flame flickers in his palm for a minute before he closes his palm around it, the fire fizzling out.
“I have an affinity for nature magic. I can control the wind, plants, soil, and can communicate with animals," Bowen adds around a bite of his muffin, flicking his fingers at me and hitting me with a quick blast of wind. A laugh escapes at the look on Emrick’s face but Gerwyn starts speaking before he can cause a scene.
“I can use mind manipulation, forcing others to do my will. It takes immense concentration though. I also have an affinity for ice magic, as most Winter fae do. I also can communicate with and see the dead," Gerwyn explains, looking proud of his skills. He blasts a frosty wind at the jug of water in front of us, freezing it solid. He looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows and chuckles happily. I love seeing them like this, relaxed and happy. They’re so open with me and willing to help me learn, but I don’t think they understand how much that means to me.
“And you?” I ask Emrick.
“I’m an elemental battlemage, which means I can use the elements to aide me in battle. I also have a knack for healing magic, but let’s try not to use that one right away... or ever," Emrick adds. My eyes widen as I watch him shove a fourth muffin in his mouth. I guess if you are that big, you need more fuel.
Bowen lets out a bark of laughter before turning to Emrick. “Did you just crack a joke?” Emrick glares as he chews.
“That’s amazing, I never realized there were so many different forms of magic,” I said, genuinely impressed. The fact she chose four kings to help lead Faerie makes even more sense to me now. With such a variety of skills, we’d be unstoppable. “I’m sure that made the war even more brutal.”
“It was,” Maddox agreed. His eyes were shadowed as he got lost in his own thoughts. I’d felt Faerie’s pain, but seeing theirs made it even worse.
“What was Faerie like before the war?” I ask, hoping to focus on happier times.
“Faerie was beautiful and prosperous, but it was harsh. The Royal Fae treated their people like no more than servants. They also forbid intermingling between courts. The only ones allowed to travel between were the merchants, so we were stuck in our courts indefinitely until the war. Greed and power destroyed our land, and our people were the ones who had to pay," Maddox spits out, his explanation bringing out his anger once more. The royals sounded like real assholes and I really hope that the fae coming home don’t think I’ll be the same.
“It will be kind of nice to see the other courts, even in this state,” Gerwyn agrees.
“I promise, we will never go back to the old ways of Faerie. We’re creating a new Faerie that won’t fail.” My promise is heartfelt. I already feel so connected to Faerie, and I want to see it do better. Our people deserve it.
“I pledge myself to your service, Queen Bella," Gerwyn states. “I know we already did, but this changes nothing, we stand beside you.” The others all nod in agreement.