“I get the feeling this isn’t a chance encounter,” I responded, feeling the need to say something.
“Your assumption would be correct.” He offered me a hand and drew me up to my feet effortlessly. “I believe you’ve been avoiding me.”
We walked side by side off the pond and back to the shore. The ground didn’t feel quite the same, like I was floating just above it rather than walking across it. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but I’ve been a little busy.” I gestured to the frozen tableau of the burning city, in case he thought I was making up excuses. This was hardly an example of the dog ate my homework.
“You mortals are a constant amusement to me. Thinking things like this matter. So the city burns? A new one will rise out of the ashes, more daring and monstrous than the one before. Why should I care if this one is crumbling? Why should you?”
“Would you care if your kingdom was set on fire?”
“That would never happen.”
“Humor me.”
“All right. Yes, I suppose it would upset me.”
We’d wandered some distance from the pond until we were standing in the middle of the empty Great Lawn, with the bright orange light of the flames acting as a substitute sunrise. It was almost beautiful like this, like a painting of a great tragedy one might call a masterpiece.
“Well, this is my kingdom,” I explained.
He gazed up at the skyline where the buildings were mere black silhouettes against the blaze. “Some kingdom.”
“I might not have a glittery castle like some people, but this is mine. It’s my home, these are my people, and I won’t let it fall while I’m here to stop it.”
“You can barely protect yourself. How are you going to protect all this?”
I stared at him, taking a rare opportunity to steal an unguarded look at his face. Aubrey was a strange fellow. He was the only full-blooded fairy I knew, aside from Kellen’s husband, Brokk, and whenever I saw him, I was caught off-guard by his appearance. He should be too beautiful to be considered masculine. His cheek and jawbones were so precise and sharp they could probably cut diamond. And in profile, he had the face of a Greek god. His dark, curly hair was longer than might be commonly thought fashionable on a man, but he made it work. If anything, he looked like he’d staggered out of the pages of a sword-and-sorcery fantasy novel, as the prototypical elf character.
He noticed me watching him and smiled. “Keep staring, Princess, and I might be flattered.”
“Like your ego is small enough to require flattery.”
He grinned, and toothpaste models everywhere were put to shame. His teeth were bright white and gloriously straight. Under different circumstances I might have smiled back, but I wasn’t in much of a mood for playful flirtation. Not even with a fairy king.
“Do you know what I’m doing here?” he asked.
“Gonna go out on a limb and say you’ve come to collect on the debt I owe you.”
“You would think so, maybe. But the truth is I’ve come to strike a bargain with you.”
I pivoted towards him, trying to glean some kind of explanation from his face, but all I got from looking at him was a star-struck sense of his beauty. Stupid pretty man, distracting me. For all I knew we’d been here for days in Earth time, and a million different things might be happening to my friends while I stood here and stared at Aubrey’s face.
“What kind of bargain?”
“I think you need my help.”
I’d considered him a potential asset earlier, but I was hesitant to latch on to his hinted offer too quickly. Nothing came free with the fae. A promise was more than just a promise to them, it was an ironclad agreement. If I let Aubrey offer his assistance, it would come at a cost. I already owed him, and who knew what pound of flesh he’d ask for? One favor was too much. Two would be impossible.
“You’re going to save the city?”
“I’ll help you save the city. I don’t muddy my hands with bloody disputes. It’s been a long time since I’ve needed to fight for anything, and I don’t plan on changing that tonight. But this is important to you.”
“Since when have you cared about what’s important to others?”
“I think keeping you happy is in my best interests.”
Something about his statement sent my internal alarms firing, and I knew I ought to be wary of anything I said to him going forward. He definitely wanted something, but I wasn’t sure it was something I’d be able to give him. I knew it wouldn’t be something I wanted to give.
“Why do you want to keep me happy?”