Page 31 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“I showed you what it was like before the witch cursed us,” he explains. “What it was like when the Fae were ruling.”

I shake my head. “No, that can’t be real.”

Kieran gives me a small smile. “But it is. It’s what it was like before.”

“If it were true, what changed? What happened? Were you alive back then? How did you just show me that?” I rapid-fire questions, wanting to know everything.

“One question at a time.” He chuckles, sitting on the ground in front of me. “I was alive back then, but I was young. My parents were still ru—” He stops himself. “They were still alive back then. But I do remember, even though the Fae were ruling, that everyone lived in peace and no one was enslaved.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” I ask. “How do I know you aren’t just lying to me?”

“Because Fae who can show the past can’t make things up. They show what they have seen with their own eyes and nothing else. It’s physically impossible for us to show a lie,” Kieran explains.

“I don’t know what to believe. This is all so much to take in,” I mumble. “How did you get like this, then? I thought Fae were so much stronger and had magic.”

“The witch Prince Archie was talking about is powerful, and she lived peacefully with us.” Kieran looks off in the distance.

“What happened?” I ask.

For some reason, I trust and believe he is going to tell me the truth about what really happened and won’t lie. Maybe it’s foolish of me, but the king and prince are lying to us daily about things.

“The witch had a sister, but her sister was only half mortal, half witch. People everywhere knew it, but it didn’t bother anyone,” Kieran explains.

I knew there was a witch, but I didn’t think she was still alive or that she had a sister.

“Well, her sister loved a Fae all those years ago, but he didn’t feel the same way. He had a mate who he loved and adored, but her sister didn’t accept it. She got between the two mates and ended up dying.” Kieran closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths. “That was when peace ended.”

I open and close my mouth several times. I have never heard this side of the story. Why are they keeping this a secret?

“And then?” I ask. “How did that break the peace? What happened next?”

“So eager.” He smiles, looking at me with such fondness. “Most people don’t want to know the truth, and yet here you are, so eager to know what really happened all those years ago.”

I look away, taking a breath in.

“It’s not a bad thing,” he gently encourages and I look up at him. “It’s a good thing you want to know the truth. I will gladly tell you everything you want to know… over time.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, lost in his eyes.

We sit in silence for a couple of minutes as Kieran looks off into the forest.

“Is it hard living here?” I ask before he can continue on with the story. “Hard living here when you used to roam the streets free?”

He gives me a small smile. “Sometimes it is,” he honestly says. “Sometimes, I wish I could go back in time before the spell and live my life, but then I wouldn’t have met you.”

Blushing, I look at my hands in my lap. I wasn’t expecting him to say that.

“Recently, I haven’t wished I could go back in time, not since I met you. I never thought I would meet my mate, but you’re here, sitting right in front of me,” he gently whispers like I’m going to disappear in front of him in the blink of an eye.

“You probably would have met me if the spell wasn’t placed on you,” I brush it off.

“I don’t think I would have. So much has changed, and so many new people are here. Not many people have married Fae; no one has since the spell was placed on us. Things would have been different if humans had married Fae. Your mother could have married a Fae and you wouldn’t be here,” he points out.

“Fae and humans got married?” I whisper, looking at him with wide eyes.

I heard rumors, but I didn’t think it was true. I figured it was one of those instances where Fae bought humans to have kids with, not that they were willing.

“Yes, they did. It wasn’t as common, but some people fell in love and did.” He smiles. “Now, back to how the spell was cast on us.”