Page 11 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

I’m getting worked up while talking about it. It’s like he wants to keep me in a cage to do what he wants.

To be a prisoner.

Someone he can toy with, letting me have just a little taste of freedom to keep me compliant.

No.

I’m not going to do that.

“It can’t be that bad. I mean, how many days do you go into the forest? I’m sure he would let you leave the palace once a week,” Skylar says.

“I walk every day. Every day. Going down to once a week would kill me. I don’t want to have my wings clipped.” I sound exasperated, looking at her I say. “Do you know how horrible it would be? I would be a shell of the person I am, held captive.”

Several Fae look over at me, and I immediately feel guilty. They have it worse than I do.

“Sorry.” I look down at my feet.

I’ve never seen them in person, but several myths say they have wings but can’t use them because of the curse. Where did they go? It must feel awful to have them kept away for centuries, not able to stretch them. No one actually knows whether they have wings or not.

Some of the Fae haven’t ever used their wings as they were born into this. At least they don’t know what they are missing.

A sense of wrongness fills my stomach, making me wrap an arm around myself. I’ve never had to think about what I should and shouldn’t say because I’ve never been in this position. I’m starting to feel like them.

But I know this isn’t even a fraction of what they are feeling.

Some of them were alive before the curse. I don’t know what is worse, knowing what it feels like to be able to fly and not being able to do it, or never knowing how it feels and longing to.

“Stop looking at us, or I’m going to get a guard to come over and make you,” Skylar sneers at them before turning to me. “You shouldn’t apologize for anything. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

And yet I feel like I have.

“Skylar, they have wings. We can’t see them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I just want to be considerate about it. I don’t know what it feels like.”

But I may if the prince locks me up in the palace.

“You can’t seriously be feeling bad for them. You shouldn’t! They have done nothing to earn you feeling bad for them. They are beneath us!” she exclaims. “What is going on with you? You know what they did to us humans all those hundreds of years ago. What they have now isn’t nearly as bad as what they did.”

I flinch, not liking both her words and her tone. This is one thing we can’t agree on. Normally, I just agree with her, not wanting to get on her bad side or get into an argument. It’s easier, but it doesn’t mean I like it.

“Sorry, I know,” I whisper, hating every word that comes out of my mouth. “I know they are beneath us. I know I shouldn’t apologize and feel guilty.”

Why can’t we live together, with no slaves at all?

I don’t want the Fae to be beneath us, but it’s everything I’ve been taught. They tried to keep us captive centuries ago. They wanted us to be slaves; beaten, whipped, and treated like dirt.

Just like they are now.

I should be angry that they wanted that. I should be happy they are in my place.

But deep down, I’m not.

Is the king telling the truth? Are the myths real, or were they made up when a generation forgot history?

“You don’t need to apologize to them. You are perfectly fine saying what you want to say about them. No one is going to do anything,” Skylar says as we slowly make our way back to my house.

I keep quiet, not wanting to agree with her but not wanting to disagree and incur her wrath. But keeping silent is basically me saying I disagree with her. I feel so out of place. Maybe it’s all the stress from preparing for my sibling’s arrival. Things are going to really change when they come, and I’m trying to cope with everything.

“I think you should take your place with Prince Archie,” Skylar says. “You will be an amazing queen one day. I know you will.”