And down we go, spinning and tumbling, our bodies pressed together. His other arm comes around me, too, and he presses my face to his chest as we freefall. We fall and fall, turning dizzily, until he pulls me up sharply and our heads break the surface of the water.
I gasp in sweet air, coughing and sobbing for breath as he holds me close.
The first thing I notice after I’ve rubbed the water out of my eyes, is that the sky is a pale rose hue, like a giant sunrise.
And the trees surrounding the lake are a pale rose, too, matching the sky. The earth is black, the moss violet. The colors are… they are beautiful.
“Like flowers,” I whisper. “Your world is made of flower colors.”
He chuckles, smiles down at me. “Glad you like it. Some humans find the differences disconcerting.”
“Not these ones. I always thought that rose was a nice color for trees.” I smile back at him. “I’ve read the tales, beloved. I’m ready to see new wonders. Show me.”
“You may not like it all.”
“No world is perfect.”
“How did I get so lucky?” he whispers, his eyes shining a little too brightly. “I never thought I would. So lucky to have you by my side.”
“I’m not perfect either.” I shiver, safe in the circle of his arms. “You may still regret bringing me with you.”
“Never. Sometimes you know from the start who your soulmate is. I knew from the start you were mine.”
There is nothing I can say to that without crying. I’m so happy and afraid that so much happiness can’t be real.
But that’s a coward’s way of facing life. This is here, now, and I should take it with open arms.
“I knew it, too,” I tell him. “I knew you were the one, fishtail and cocky attitude and all. Mine.”
He grins, all dimples. “Girls can’t resist the tail. I knew it.”
“And making me laugh earns you extra points in my book.”
“You have a book? You’ll have to let me see it one day.”
“Only if you show me your tail again.”
He winks. “That can be arranged…”
I thought gates swallowed you and spat you out wherever they wanted, randomly hurtling you into one world or the other—but it seems that if you know where you want to go, you can direct the flow.
Which is why we have landed in the Opal Court and are now crossing the bridge and entering the capital. The town is built on an island in the middle of a lake, gleaming white and blue, the palace crowning it. Light boats like oversized walnut shells bob on the water in small coves around the island, or along long jetties. Black and rose-colored trees bend over the lake.
The Fae of the town stop their activities to watch us walk by. They have hair in various shades of blue and light gray, scales shimmering on the back of their hands, on their cheeks.
Merfolk Fae.
They stare at us as we climb the steps leading up to the palace with its iridescent light blue walls. In our sodden clothes, we must look a sight. Adar is only wearing a long shirt that hangs down to mid-thigh and the cloak, and as for me… I wonder if they can tell I’m human.
If they mind.
But if they do, it doesn’t matter because they seem to be focusing on the man walking beside me.
“The King is back! The rightful King is back!” they whisper, starting to follow us, crowding the side of the road. “King Adar!”
“Looks like they missed you,” I tell him with a smile.
“Looks like they don’t like my brother,” he replies, a little grim. “And I don’t blame them, not after the way he used me. He’s always been an asshole.”