Empire resurgent, p.2
Married by Dusk: A Fantasy Romance Stand-Alone Short Novel, page 2
“The time for separation amongst our kind has come to an end. You must put aside your prejudice and embrace this new era, just as I am.” I stared him straight in the eye, willing him to contest me further on this issue.
The truth was, while Anwir was ranting, I was watching the sun dip slowly below the treetops in this strange elevated palace. As the colors deepened in the sky, I knew I had mere moments before I’d be meeting my future mate at our joining ceremony. A female I had never even laid eyes on, but I’d heard enough—rumor suggested that though she was powerful, she was supremely spoiled. As an only child, she’d been given everything she’d ever wanted, and apparently her attitude reflected that. A shame, really. She was in for great disappointment once she married me.
“Light Fae or Dark Fae, it does not matter, for we are all Fae.” I glared at Anwir from the corner of my eye. “You’ve misplaced your anger, Anwir. It is the humans you must resent, but the Fae are our kind regardless of kingdom or magic.”
Anwir scoffed. “I hope she has the pointed face of a rat, just so you have to eat your words every time you look upon her and realize what we gave up for this supposed peaceful union.”
I hated the fear that rippled in my stomach at his words. It was such a petty thing, but I prayed that Nature hadn’t gifted me a rat-faced mate. There were worse things in life, and of course I refused to treat her disrespectfully, regardless of what she looked like. It would just help if she was at least pleasant on the eyes.
Though, all the beauty in the world might not be enough if she was as spoiled as the whispers claimed.
I smoothed my hands down my long black hair, staring into the polished metal that showed my reflection before placing my crafted metal crown across my forehead. The Light Fae thought us simpletons for having to forge such pieces by hand instead of magic, but I marveled at the exquisite works our blacksmiths created, no magic necessary.
What would the Light Fae princess think when she saw me? Would she be disappointed that I didn’t have my wings? Would she hate my face? Would she tremble at the mere sight of me, like so many others?
That fear wasn’t exclusive to this kingdom of misguided Light Fae; even my own citizens shuddered when I stood too close. My reputation preceded me everywhere I went.
The only good thing to come out of marrying a complete stranger was that I wouldn’t be required to touch her.
That thought slipped away as Anwir handed me my gloves. “Apparently it’s time,” he grumbled under his breath, looking as if he was the one being forced into this joining.
I put my gloves on before placing a hand on his shoulder. “At least try to behave in front of them, all right? Remember, this could be a great blessing in disguise.”
He scoffed. “Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?”
I smirked briefly. “I wouldn’t mind a few words of encouragement. I am the one getting married, after all.”
Anwir rolled his eyes before clasping my shoulder. “Always keep one eye open in the bedroom, and never doubt that I am here for you.”
I laughed then and nodded. “Wise words, my friend. You are indeed a great encourager.”
He hesitated, hand lingering on my shoulder; his gaze softened some. “I don’t mean to be harsh. I only hate that your hand is being forced. It isn’t fair to you.”
The carved wooden door behind me creaked open, interrupting my reply and announcing the arrival of my father.
“The sun sets.” My father’s abrupt words seemed to echo in this spacious tree room. “We must go now.”
I dipped my head, a rumble of dread running over my bones. “Yes, Father.”
He turned away with a quick nod, moving back out into the hallway of sorts and across the suspended roped bridge made of vines and branches and twigs.
At first I had been surprised to see the Light Fae’s palace was entirely set into the tall, wide trees of a thick forest. Connected by many of these suspended bridges, each dwelling was entirely unique, from the tallest rooms set amongst the leaves to more cozy dwellings carved inside the trunk itself. An expansive, and very confusing, architectural marvel. I had no idea how anyone navigated this palace, but I was delighted by the green fauna and flora covered walls, the detailed designs and the cavernous light-filled spaces.
Coming from an entirely clay and stone structure myself, this palace was a true work of art, an homage to Nature herself. Beautiful and unique.
I would never admit it to Anwir, but I was enamored with this palace. I had even been told the Princess herself helped design and build several rooms within the palace, her growth gift apparently rivaling that of her great-grandmother, an ancient and renowned Fae that even the Dark Fae told stories about.
Following behind my father, who in turn was being led by a servant, we wound across several suspended bridges and through a few buildings until we reached an immense and overextended balcony that would host our joining ceremony.
Father and I made our way to the edge of the balcony that hung effortlessly over the some of the tallest trees in the forest. I couldn’t help but look over the side to the ground. Had anyone been walking beneath us they might have looked the size of an ant from this position. But it was clearly the view from this balcony that was the reason this particular spot was chosen.
Stunning colors ranging from lavender to deep indigo were merging slowly in the sky. The bright orange of the disappearing sun cast the entire balcony and surrounding palace in a golden glow. Seeing it with my own eyes, I appreciated even further the symbolism of joining our kingdoms at dusk. The timing was indeed perfect.
“Prince Tynan.” The sound of the Light Fae King’s voice filtered through my ears, pulling me back to the present moment. “We are so grateful for your willingness to participate in this delicate matter.”
I nodded politely, but remained silent. This joining hadn’t been my choice. In fact, I’d had no say in the matter at all. Even so, it was my duty to join together our kingdoms to protect us all, and for that, I would suck up my pride and submit myself to being chained to a spoiled Light Fae princess for the rest of my incredibly long life.
Never once had I wanted to marry. If I had been given a choice, I would have remained alone for the rest of my days. It was safer that way, easier. My internal dream of solitude had vanished the moment my father told me of the human attacks and the plan to unite our kingdoms. I had been given the opportunity to meet with the Light Fae King and hear his plea, but the decision had still remained my father’s entirely, and he had been the one to choose this.
So, here I was. Waiting to see my bride-to-be for the very first time before I committed my remaining life to her.
“…She is a beautiful female, lively and lovely and powerful.” Her father was still speaking. I realized I’d tuned him out briefly, lost to my own thoughts. “I can assure you will not be disappointed.”
He sounded as if he was choking on those last words, and I shifted my eyes to meet his. They were bloodshot and raw from crying. He clearly loved his daughter, and I admired that. That fact alone made me want to reassure him.
I held his gaze steadily, choosing my words carefully. “I will treasure her as if I’d chosen her myself.”
Anwir snorted somewhere behind me, and I reeled in the urge to kick him for his insolence.
The Light Fae King seemed lost in his own thoughts, not paying any attention to Anwir as he nodded repeatedly. “She is a true treasure. My little treasure…” He trailed off as the whites of his eyes suddenly shone in the setting sun, and his gaze bored into my own. The sudden anxiety and trepidation that shadowed his gaping stare froze my insides, claiming my full attention. He leaned in close, whispering fearfully, “Take care of her. Promise me now. Promise me you’ll keep her safe. No matter what happens, please promise me you’ll—"
Before he could finish his sentence, I gripped his forearms in a solid embrace, my gloves acting as the barrier I needed to maintain control from the sudden touch. “I swear to you on my life that I will protect her until my last breath.”
The Light Fae King sucked in a ragged breath, releasing it slowly in jagged relief. “Thank you. Thank you.”
I released his arms and instead wound my fingers tightly behind my back to relieve the tension just as several females appeared in the doorway of the balcony. My stomach sank nearly to my toes as the Light Fae Queen walked out first, followed by several other females who looked to be attending to her long train. There was no fanfare, no announcement; just the simple proceedings of a complicated union under the ever-changing sky.
My eyes were trained on the doorway, my heart rate both speeding up and slowing down in discordant anticipation despite my best efforts to keep it steady.
And then my heart stopped entirely as the most beautiful Fae I’d ever seen graced the doorway.
Her hazelnut curls were tamed, but it was obvious they longed to be wild, racing around her head in playful pursuit of each other. Her button nose and rounded cheeks were lovely, but it was her eyes that arrested every thought in my head…wide and deep, a luscious lavender hue that matched the currently darkening sky. Her skin was pale and soft-looking, as though even the sun knew to be gentle with her. Adorning her head was an exquisite diadem made entirely of flowers, as if they’d been freshly bloomed just for this purpose. Her eyes were trained on my face, just as mine was on hers. I barely saw what she was wearing, too taken by the exquisite beauty that walked toward me.
My magic stirred in agitation, and my hands trembled with the need to reach out and touch her, to hold her hand in mine. Father’s coarse clearing of his throat reminded me that I couldn’t, at least not yet. It would be hard enough to get through the ceremony, and already my magic was beginning to flare in its chaos. I couldn’t risk ruining this union; I needed to pull it together.
But I hadn’t expected to feel like…
“It is my honor to witness our two kingdoms coming together.” The Light Fae King spoke solemnly, cutting through my thoughts and pulling my attention away from the stunning beauty before me. “As the light of the sun mixes with darkness of the night, so shall our kind be forevermore joined in sacred union.”
The small crowd that gathered around us did not cheer or celebrate the occasion. We all knew the reason we were here, the reason we were joining forces and intermixing our species for the first time in history.
There was a dangerous and very present threat on our doorsteps. Our kind was dying and being enslaved by the hands of humans. For the first time in our history, we had a common enemy. We were headed to war whether we wanted to or not, and our best chance of winning was as a united front.
“Please join hands.” This was the moment I’d been dreading all day, but now secretly longed for as I reached my hands out to the Princess before me. Her delicate fingers lightly grazed mine as I closed my gloves around hers.
I prayed to Nature that nothing bad would happen, that my writhing magic would stay dormant under my skin and allow us this sacred moment of joining without incident.
At first I thought it was my hand trembling. But I realized, no—it was the loose grip held in mine that trembled furiously. My gaze shot to hers, and her fearful lavender eyes pierced me with their sincerity.
I wanted to reassure her, to let her know that I wouldn’t hurt her or use her or treat her poorly. She didn’t know me anymore than I knew her…and though both of us had likely heard rumors, the ones about me were far darker than scornful stories of an entitled attitude. It couldn’t have been more obvious how frightened she was, like a little mouse caught by a cat. But I refused to be that in her eyes.
I started to smile encouragingly, willing her to see in my eyes that she had nothing to fear from me, but my father came at us from the opposite side, partially hiding us from the view of the spectators. He shot me a warning look that reminded me I needed to keep my head about me and not lose focus. When I lost focus, I lost control of my magic, and when I lost control of my magic…
“Through my blessing of this joining and in the sight of these witnesses, I hereby join our two kingdoms.” My father wrapped white silk dyed to black on one side around our wrists, the black side over her wrist and the white over mine, joining us both physically, spiritually, and symbolically in the eyes of our witnesses. He finished wrapping my wrist and looked back at the Light Fae King, bowing his head ever so slightly in regard and humble acknowledgement; the Light Fae King did the same. “May Nature bless this union and bring peace to our lands once more.”
My father stepped around me, joining the Light Fae King so that we stood united as one. The sky shifted from lavender to a deep purple and was finally overtaken by the rich indigo of night.
Several Fae came over to inspect the silk binding and offer their approval. Anwir, being one of them, shot me an indignant look, but gratefully didn’t open his mouth. His eyes perused my bride next, lingering far too long for my taste before he turned to the small crowd and bowed his head in acknowledgement.
“Prince Tynan, do you join this union willingly in the sight of these witnesses and Nature and hereby pledge yourself to your new mate for the rest of your days?”
I braced myself, my voice steady and unwavering despite the chaotic magic undulating in my veins. Fear paced like a cat ready to pounce under my skin as I was forced to hold this position for far longer than I’d anticipated. “I do.”
“And do you, Princess Elena, join this union willingly in the sight of these witnesses and Nature and hereby pledge yourself to your new mate for the rest of your days?”
I longed to hear her voice and held my breath until her melodic tone graced my ears. “I do.” Her voice was strong, but held the smallest hint of an underlying tremor. I wanted to smile at that tiny betrayal of her nerves…or maybe it was simply marveling over the beautiful tone of her voice.
Our fathers shook hands, and that was it.
History had been made.
My father unwrapped our hands, and the minute the silk was removed, I pulled my hands away from hers, swallowing my sigh of relief that my magic hadn’t made an unwanted appearance as I tucked my hands behind my back again.
We were then led back inside the giant wooden structure that now held various food and drinks for us to partake of while mingling. The sight of Dark and Light Fae meeting and talking in this way was beyond strange. It was a sight I never thought I’d see in my lifetime, and yet here we were. My bride remained at my side, silent and withdrawn. I was not much better. But as the evening wore on, I desperately feared what came next and wondered if we would spend our entire evening…our entire life…together in total silence just as we were doing now.
I looked over at her as she sipped her wine, focusing for far too long on her berry-tinted lips. They looked like the sweetest delicacy, and I longed to taste them. When her lavender eyes darted up to meet mine, I almost fell backward at the fire in her gaze.
Had she known where my mind had wandered to? Was she somehow secretly a Dark Fae with the gift of reading thoughts? That magic was rare, but not unheard of.
Her mouth opened, and I found myself desperately anticipating the sound of her voice, wondering what she would say to me.
“If you think you’ll be getting any of the usual perks of a freshly joined mate, think again, Prince Tynan.”
The scornful look she threw in my direction had me smirking, unable to hold it back. My delicate little mate was maybe not so delicate after all.
I chuckled and leaned down toward her, whispering softly, “Rest assured, little mate, I won’t touch you until you beg me to.”
Her cheeks dusted in a light rose, and I loved how easy it was to make her blush. I knew full well that her begging for my touch would likely never happen, but if given the chance to flirt with my beautiful little mate, I would take it. And I would relish the rosy shades of her skin as I made her squirm.
Nature help me, it was going to be my greatest challenge yet to keep my distance from her.
3
ELENA
It was as if the world swirled around me, but I remained still. My family was smiling pleasantly, as was Tynan’s father. Several Fae came up to congratulate us or introduce themselves, but I’d already forgotten their names.
A sharp-eyed male came over to greet Tynan. His eyes met mine briefly, but he offered me no regard as he spoke.
“Seems congratulations are in order, my friend.”
“Anwir,” Tynan’s deep voice practically growled the Fae’s name, and I suddenly felt the need to squirm. The same happened to me when I first heard his voice during the ceremony. I didn’t know if it was because I wanted to run away, or…
“Not a rat, per se.” The Fae male looked me over again, narrowing his eyes. “Perhaps a bit a mousy, though.”
His head cocked to the side as an obnoxious smirk twisted slowly across his lips. Tynan opened his mouth to speak again, but I jumped in before he could. “Are you speaking to me, or just about me and then expecting me to ignore your rude behavior?” I raised my eyebrows in question, giving the obnoxious Fae my full attention. “Because if it was my attention you were seeking, a simple greeting and introduction would have sufficed.”
Anwir’s smirk bloomed into a full smile, but it wasn’t a charming kind of smile; it was cruel and intrigued at the same time. “The mouse has claws.”
“Anwir, enough.” Tynan stepped slightly in front of me, cutting off Anwir’s view of me. “What did I say about behaving?”
The obnoxious Fae drew his hands up in the air and backed away slowly, his eyes moving from Tynan back to mine as soon as I was in his view again. “It’s your wedding day, after all. I understand how joyous this occasion must be for you both. Forgive the intrusion.”
He turned and walked away, completely out of the room, leaving behind only the awkward silence that had quickly fallen between my new mate and I.
Tynan cleared his throat, turning to me, his mouth poised to speak, but was interrupted by our fathers approaching.
