Most of the fae opted for no shoes, so I didn’t either, feeling the leaves crack beneath my feet. I felt the energy of the Enchanted Vale as we moved to the beat of the music, and for a moment, I was a part of this world.
After the dancing, Papa and I ravaged the buffet table, stuffing ourselves with candied apples and rhubarb pie. We feasted on roasted nuts, soft bread, and strangely shaped mushrooms. Papa particularly liked the sweet and spicy pumpkin beer, and I was partial to agree.
I even got to spend time with Farron’s little brothers. I caught them rehearsing a jig and they pulled me in to dance with them. We performed twice for a gaggle of small fae children before we all agreed our masterpiece deserved to be shared with everyone. They pulled me up on a table in the middle of the party, and we sang and danced our hearts out. I can definitely thank the pumpkin beer for that one.
It must have been decent—or perhaps people are inclined to clap for princes—because we got a round of applause. I was a bit unsteady after that. Ez helped me off the table with praise that it was the best song he’d ever heard in his life. Maybe he’d had some pumpkin beer, too. The thought makes me nearly burst out laughing as I imagine Ez tucking a huge curly straw under his helmet.
Of course, Kel hasn’t danced with me. He’s been standing in the shadows, calmly sipping his ale. Though, I suspect he’s having fun. Every now and again I catch his stare, watching me and the princes through the firelight.
“It’s a magical celebration,” I breathe again.
“Mother.” Farron breaks through the crowd, his cheeks rosy and flushed. “Are you interrogating Rosalina?”
“Absolutely not,” she says, moving aside for him to sit.
Farron’s dressed as befits a prince. A crown of gilded leaves rests across his soft brown hair. A regal deep green tunic fits across his lean, muscled chest. A golden cuff that twists like a blazing flame adorns one of his pointed ears.
“She was telling me all sorts of embarrassing stories about you,” I say, poking his cheek.
His eyes widen. “Wait, what? Really?”
“I’m teasing you.” I laugh.
But Princess Niamh’s eyes sparkle with a mischievous glint. “I would never tell anyone about the time you got stuck in the alder tree until your father had to carry you down.”
There’s a lightness in her tone revealing a strange side of the Princess I’ve never seen before. More of the mother, less of the leader holding her realm together.
Farron lifts his chin. “I was attempting to see if the leaves exposed to the most light were more potent.”
“Of course.” She nods seriously, but there’s the tremble of a smile on her lips. “And what about that ‘love’ potion you mixed trying to gain the affections of one of your schoolmates, and instead that unicorn followed you all the way home?”
I can’t help but giggle and Farron crosses his arms, trying to hide his smile. “You know, that unicorn could have been a beautiful girl; we never saw her in the light of a crescent moon.”
“These memories lighten my heart,” Niamh says, smoothing down his hair. “But there is also the time you cared for the baby bird that plummeted from its nest. You stayed up all night watching over it. Even fashioned a splint for its wing.”
“What else was I to do?” He shakes his head.
“Or when Nori was sick with fever, you built a puppet theater for her and spent the whole day performing plays.” Niamh smiles fondly.
“I even made Dom and Billy laugh like an audience.” He turns to me. “Though I’m sure my jokes were hilarious, anyway.”
Princess Niamh clasps Farron’s hand in her own. “I would not trade a single memory of you for all the gold in the Enchanted Vale. I treasure each deeply.”
Farron lets out a long sigh. “I love you, Mother, even if you know every embarrassing thing about me.”
“I love you too, my clove.” She kisses the top of his head as he rests on her shoulder.
I stare at the two of them, marveling in the complexity of it all. She had her son in chains only a month ago and had threatened to take back the Blessing. And yet, I can tell her love runs deep and vast for him. If only he trusted her enduring love.
Another emotion flickers within me. What would it be like to have experienced a mother’s love?
My gaze drifts across the party to find my father. He’s been recruited by the musicians and bangs on some acorn drums, while Farron’s father and Dayton sing a sea shanty that must be from the Summer Realm. My heart warms that Papa’s finding himself here. But I know he’ll never truly be happy unless we find my mother.
If she even wants to be found.
Dayton taps out of the musical festivities and wanders over to us. “How are the three most beautiful people in the Enchanted Vale?”
“Can you not flirt with my mother?” Farron glares up at him. But Niamh pushes Farron to the side and gestures for Dayton to sit beside her, kissing his cheek with motherly affection.
