My arm remained firmly in Arenn’s grasp as he guided me towards the throne room. The faery palace was so different from how I’d expected it to be. The walls were made from a mixture of quartz and what appeared to be some kind of clay, while thick willow tree roots weaved throughout the walls and occasionally streamed across the floor. To my relief, the lingering dizziness from the spell was fading, leaving only the odd wave of unsteadiness to roll over my body, though the random tree roots were not helping. Quite a few times, Arenn had to catch me mid-fall when a root unexpectedly jutted out of the marble ground.
The clothing here was also very different from the human world. Faery women wore much shorter gowns that exposed the multicoloured skin of their lower legs and ankles, while some of them even wore flowing breeches. The fabrics were different, too. Some gowns were almost translucent and others shimmered in different colours depending on the angle of the light, like thewings of a beetle.
Arenn continued to guide me until, eventually, we reached a large, round set of doors with guards posted on either side. When they saw the prince approaching, they dipped their heads and rushed to heave the doors apart. With a soft, elegant creak, the doors swung open to reveal a stunningly grand throne room.
The air in the hall was heavy with what must’ve been magic. It radiated warmth through my body and once again left my fingertips tingling. Along the edges of the room, tall quartz pillars stretched up to support the vast, shimmering ceiling. Many formally dressed faeries stood around the pillars, socialising and flitting between different groups.
We stopped near the centre of the room, and Arenn bowed deeply. Before us were two thrones that appeared to be carved from giant blush pink crystal formations. Seated on the thrones were a man and a woman, both finely dressed faeries. They paused their conversation as we approached, but the moment the woman’s gaze met mine, she gasped, dropping her golden goblet. It clattered against the marble floor, sending a wave of silence through the hall as everyone turned towards the Queen.
“Elowen?” she called out, rising from her seat and stepping closer. Unlike the other fae, she wore a long, elaborate gown, with a skirt that resembled rose petals trailing behind her.
“Dearest Naria,” Arenn began, addressing me, “please allow me to introduce my parents, King Bevan and Queen Amabel.”
He then turned to them, sweeping his arm towards where I stood. “And Mother, Father, it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you, the very human, Princess Naria of Corlixir.”
Shocked noises echoed throughout the hall as suddenly, I could feel the wide-eyed stares of almost every faery in the room burning onto my skin. With a thick swallow, I prayed they couldn’t somehow smell fear. In that moment, I would’ve reeked of it.
“Great Spirits of the Quartz…” The man, who must have been King Bevan, stood as well. “You look just like your mother.” Like the Queen, he too wore an extravagant outfit. A glittering flower crown sat above his dark but greying hair, while midnight blue overcoat embroidered with gold leaf patterns covered his large torso.
With a slow curtsy, I replied in a way that tried to mask my shaking voice. I’d practised this speech so many times on the journey through the forest. Why did the words now stick to my tongue now? “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Your Majesties. I’m very glad to be here. Your kingdom is so incredibly beautiful.” Their warm smiles steadied my nerves slightly as I carried on, “And it is wonderful to finally meet you both. I… I was told that my parents were good friends of yours?”
“More than good friends, dear,” Queen Amabel answered, her voice tinged with sadness.
The Faery King stepped over to his wife’s side to take her hand. “Indeed… It was a dark time when we were informed of your parents’ passing. They were so young and full of life. Nobody expected it… The realm lost so much more than just a kingdom that day.” He passed her a comforting smile before his gaze slowly returned to me. “But alas, as delightful as it is to finally meet you, I’m sure you have not just come here to listen to us reminisce. So please, my dear, you must tell us what brings you to our palace?”
My teeth scraped against my lower lip. This was it, the moment I’d been losing sleep over.
Gripping the fabric of my rumpled skirts, I took a deep breath before announcing, “I have come to propose the idea of an alliance.”
Quiet murmurs buzzed around the hall. Some faeries seemed to laugh while others sounded perplexed.
“An alliance?” the King repeated with a curious grin. Steppingbackwards, he let his large body sink into his crystal throne as his thick hands gripped the armrests. “Forgive me for being so bold, but isn’t your kingdom still lying in ruins? You may be a princess, but without your land, or many people for that matter, what could you possibly offer us?”
Swallowing, I continued, “There might not be many of us left. But those of us who survived are thriving, living together in a small village hidden deep within the forests of Drothmore.” I chewed my lip, choosing my next words carefully. “While my people are grateful for the support that King Ikelos has provided, they are desperate to go home – to return to a rebuilt kingdom. And I believed, with Drothmore’s support, that this would someday be a possibility… but unfortunately it has been made clear to me that their future king has no intention of helping our cause.” I took a breath, casting aside the frustrating glimpses of steel that flooded my vision. “If you can help us by providing the necessary funding, materials, and support, not only will myself and my people be eternally grateful, but we would also happily trade enough medicine for all of your subjects and share our advanced healing knowledge with all of your kingdom’s healers. Perhaps we could even help to rekindle the relationship between humans and the fae? Faeries could walk freely through the human kingdoms once again, as friends.”
Shocked gasps rippled through the crowds of fae, and a few of them scoffed.
“My dear…” This time it was the Faery Queen who spoke. She too had returned to her crystal throne, letting her rose skirt flare out beneath her. “I admire your confidence, but it would take much more than the desire of a single naive human princess to restore the trust that was lost after your parents’ deaths. Not to mention, there are a fair number of fae who are quite happy living underground here and avoiding the – no offence to you, dear – but the trials and tribulations of dealing with humans.Some have even left the realm entirely and are living quite contently above ground elsewhere. If the human rulers do not wish to include us in their petty games and wars… then so be it! We are quite content with not getting involved.”
At her response, our audience clapped and cheered, while my stomach took a dive to my feet. I hadn’t even considered that they might not want to form relationships with the human kingdoms. If only there was a spell that could make the floor open up and swallow me whole – I would beg Arenn to cast it this instant.
Their deafening cheers continued until the King finally lifted a hand to silence them.
“Calm yourselves!” he ordered, his mouth curling into a frown. “We must remember to be respectful when in the presence of foreign royalty.” He swept his hand towards where I stood. “After all, I still remember a time when both our nation and Corlixir thrived together. Many a fae were saved in Corlixin hospitals, and together we discovered many of the life-altering potions that we all still use today.” He tilted his chin to meet my gaze, his eyes washed with sorrow. “I must express how truly sorry I am for the loss of your kingdom. Corlixir was one of the few human kingdoms where we fae were not seen as outsiders, but welcomed with open arms. I will forever mourn the loss of both the kingdom and your parents.”
A heavy silence fell over the throne room.
I let it sit for a few moments before breaking it with my reply. “Thank you for your understanding,” I started, my words measured. “Of course, I never knew my parents, nor did I ever walk the streets of my own kingdom, but I grew up surrounded by other Corlixins.” My knees trembled. “Though I must admit, to merely have each other is not enough. We need a real home. We need Corlixir back to what it once was.” My gaze glided from the Queen and then to the King. “So now I stand before you toask, no… tobegfor your help. Please… Please help me rebuild my kingdom, and in return, I will do anything you desire.”
Beside me, a soft sound escaped Arenn, a quiet laughter that only I seemed to catch. The entire time, he’d remained still as a statue with his gaze fixed between the two thrones. Around us, the other faeries whispered, but there were too many hushed voices to distinguish what any of them were saying.
“Did your human friends not warn you that it is unwise to attempt to make deals with the fae?” The King’s aged features seemed to burn with mischief. “We are renowned for always coming out on top, or so they say.”
“I care only that my kingdom gets rebuilt,” I stated, all traces of fear vanishing from my voice. “Whatever happens to me is meaningless; I only care that my people get to return to their rightful home.”
“Brave girl,” the King mused. “I must admit, when you first came in here, I saw only the sweet and cautious Elowen. But now, I see your father in you too.”
A knot formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I’d deal with those tears later.
