Opening the door, he stepped aside, motioning for her to enter.
Trix’s wings fluttered, taking off and sending her into the unknown room.
The room was unlike anything she had ever seen. Trix was sure Lilet had brought her to the wrong room. There was no way that this room was meant for her. Luxury was the first thing she thought when she entered the room. Shimmering silver drapes framed the huge picture window. The bed had an upholstered headboard. It stepped up slowly until it made a peak at the center and then mirrored it on the way down. The way it had been cut out made it appear to be a crown welcoming you to the bed. It was upholstered in rich gray velvet. Trix longed to reach out and touch it. Next was the plush comforter; it was made of silk and embroidered from top to bottom. It was framed with the same gray velvet. Piles of pillows in different shades of silver and purples were piled to the top of the headboard.
Delicately carved wooden furniture, all around the room, were stained a dark ebony color.
A quiet voice broke Trix’s gaze.
“Do you like it?”
Turning back to Lilet, she could see the anticipation dancing in his eyes.
“It’s amazing. But I’m sure this is meant for someone else.” She waved her hands around the luxury before her.
“Someone else? I don’t understand.” His tiny brow furrowed in confusion.
“Yes, for—someone important.” They were simple words, but his eyes bulged at her inference.
“Important? Why? You are important, Trix.”
Tears started flowing, breaking a wall she never thought would be broken. The wall around her heart was now just a pile of dust left from the pain she had encasing her heart. His kind words had been the final wrecking ball to her hardened heart.
Chapter 22
It was late.
The stars had already taken their places for their normal nightly dance in the sky. Cassius was lying in the tall grass. Today could have gone better, but he had learned a few things while he was with Aurora. First, his feelings for her were very real and they were stronger than he thought possible in just a few short weeks’ time. He could see she cares for him too. Secondly, he figured out why she was so intent on giving in and marrying Tommit. She was scared—and not even for the right reason.
She wasn’t worried about herself or her impending fate.
Aurora was worried about Evver and him. This told him someone had been threatening them. Well, at least threatening Evver. There was no way Tommit would allow the two of them to spend time together if he thought, for a split second, that Cassius was a threat.
A light in the window caught his eyes. It was Aurora’s room. Evver had pointed it out to him yesterday. He longed to be with her. There was no way he was going to let Tommit marry her.
Time was dwindling.
He worried they would be too late. Was it possible Tommit would find the wishing well before they could stop him? Cassius wondered if Tiden and Trix had made it to Fara yet. Would they find help? Or were they just two more victims in Tommit’s reign of terror. Seeing movement in the window, he wished he could get a closer view of the castle. He wanted to talk to Aurora tonight more than he needed to sleep—a need which was currently nagging at his drooping eyes. He looked forward to morning, then he could see her beautiful smile.
Sleep overtook him and a familiar dark dream settled in.
A nightmare settled deep in his heart, making an unwanted reminder of his pain.
*
King Calan made his way toward the north wing.
He had news that needed to be delivered from his lips alone. He worried how the news would be taken, if it could even make it past the titanium armor surrounding her mind. He gave a knowing look at each of the wide, questioning eyes of those who spent their lives guarding her as he passed each of them by. Each one bowing as he walked down the corridors to her room. It was normally only a trip he took in the early mornings. There was something less depressing seeing her with the sunlight warming her gentle face.
Calan feared seeing her, with only the candlelight to light the way.
Blocking her off from the prying world were heavy wooden doors. He opened them, hearing a groan from their rusting hinges.
“Thank you. You may leave us,” He announced. The waiting guard nodded at him and then took a fleeting glimpse at the beauty before he left the room. King Calan walked quietly and sat in the empty chair next to the window. It was the only view that didn’t agitate her. It was the view of the neighboring Paradan that she found calming. Calan had always found it odd how the only view she found serene wasn’t of Fara.
She had always had an affinity for the country. His father—and now Calan—never understood it.
“You look lovely,” he said. He was always at a loss for words when he looked at her vacant stare. “Did you see that the leaves are starting to change? The trees are very nice this time of year.”
Who would have thought that a man who could rule a kingdom would have so much trouble speaking to his own sister?
Aura was Calan’s older sister. Calan could remember a time when she had been filled with life. She brought joy to anyone who came in contact with her, then everything changed seventeen years ago. Aura went missing for two days, and when she returned her heart and mind were never the same.
Slowly, she began to shut down.
Their father, King Calas, was lost. He had no idea how to comfort her. If their mother had still been alive, she would have known what to do. Aura started spending more and more time locked away in her room. She would only leave her room for meals. It had been ten years since she had joined them for a meal. Now she never left the safety of her own room.
Aura was striking.
Long raven-colored hair hung to the middle of her back. Sapphire blue eyes sparkled, even when pain drenched them. Her frame was thin and frail. King Calas, and now Calan, always made sure she was dressed in the finest gowns. Fairies always made sure her hair was perfectly done. She spent all of her hours staring into the distance, at the path of Paradan.
“Aura, we had some visitors arrive today. They will be staying in the castle with us.” He paused, wondering if his words meant anything to her. “They arrived today seeking out our help.”
Calan could see his words bouncing off her broken façade, just like everything else did. He took a deep breath and sat back. “Paradan is in crisis.”
There was a flicker of recognition at the mention of the neighboring kingdom.
“Horrible things have been happening. Many have been killed.”
Aura’s eyes started filling with moisture.
“I know how father felt about Paradan, but Windom is dead. There is no reason for a continued feud.”
A tear fell from her icy eyes.
*
The furious flutter of fairy wings could be heard. They were quickly approaching Aura’s room. Calan was too busy trying to soothe his sister. Talas had been Aura’s handmaiden since her early teens. Before that, she had been her nanny. There had never been a time when she hadn’t been at the side of the woman she loved as a daughter.
She was the only one who knew the secret she kept buried. It submerged her a little deeper into the pool of anguish every day. It was a daily task just keeping her head above the waters of pain.
Aura had been a vibrant, energetic, bubbly young woman before the feud destroyed her happiness forever. Aura would ride her beloved horse, Valenet, everywhere. On one of those rides, her fate changed—she met Prince Windom. He was charming, kind, and everything she had ever wanted.
They were in love.
Then, there was a land dispute between the neighboring kingdoms. Aura was devastated. They started meeting in secret. Their time together got further and further apart. Unable to see each other, they only communicated through notes. Before she knew it, she was very pregnant. She was going to tell him. They made plans to run away together. Aura rushed to meet him at their bridge. Only, before she could reach it—labo
r began. She found herself all alone and terrified. Nearby, there was an empty tree house.
Crawling inside, she delivered their baby. It was the next day before she was able to leave. On the way, she heard Windom had joined in the fight against Fara. Fearing for her child, she returned to their bridge. She knew she couldn’t bring the child home with her.
It was only a few moments later a fairy couple found the sleeping baby.
Watching them leave with her child, only a few hours old, overcame her. She couldn’t bring herself to move. Shortly after Talas found her, she returned her home and cleaned her up. Never was another word spoken of the child she left behind. It was excruciating, knowing how she would never have the life of which she dreamed. Her father, King Calas, overreacted to her having gone missing.
He blamed King Winston and Paradan.
So, to ensure they would never cross their path again, as well as to make sure Aura stayed safe within Fara, he had Randath planted on both sides of the path which led to Paradan. Randath in a single plant was beautiful. It produced vibrant red roses—but if more than one plant got near each other, they started to entangle themselves. All of the roses fell to the ground, and large sharp thorns returned in place of the flowers. They were noxious weeds, and there was virtually no way of ridding yourself of them, unless the entire area was burned down to ash several times. Then, when the ash was left, they burned it again until there was only a fine powder left. If you were lucky they wouldn’t return—but most times they did.
In a matter of weeks, the way to Paradan was closed off to everyone.
Aura was devastated.
She slowly began to retreat inside her own mind.
The only place she could see her child and hear Windom, was to reflect upon a time when they had been happy. So she sat in her chair and watched out her window, waiting for either Windom to return for her, or her child. Now Windom was dead, and the fantasy of reuniting with the family she held close to her heart was a sheer impossibility.
The tight grip she held on reality was breaking.
*
“What did you do?” Talas asked accusingly.
Calan’s mouth was frozen in place.
No matter how hard he tried, it wasn’t willing to produce a single word of explanation.
Talas turned back to Aura. Her hands were caressing her face while trying to calm her.
“Aura, please. It’s alright dear.” Her words of reassurance did little to calm the shaken woman. Her eyes were wild with fear.
“Paradan…Windom!” her words came as a great shock to both of them. It had been years since Aura had spoken a single word. Talas turned back to King Calan.
“What did you tell her?”
Chapter 23
I lay quietly staring at the ceiling.
Sleep was evading me. My day continued to run through my mind— it was on a continuous loop. It started with Cassius kissing me—his lips draining all of my resolve. Then meeting and talking to Darant. That moment would have been on my bucket list if I ever thought there was even a slight possibility. Next was the crazy hike to the wishing tree. It was beautiful on its own, but when you added what it meant to so many, it was overwhelming.
I reflected on the feeling of Cassius’ arms as they encircled my waist, then he pulled me closer until our hearts beat as one. I could hear him whispering promises of the future I wished for and dreamed of. It was excruciating. Feeling hope—for even a split second—was a second too much. This memory would taunt me for lifetimes to come, of this I was certain. If I had remained in the real world— things would have been so much less complicated. I wondered if Evver and Cassius’s life would have been better without my intrusion.
If I had never found the wishing well, never fell into Paradan, would they have lived happily ever after?
Sleep was mixed with hours of tossing and turning. When Evver dragged me out of bed, just before the sun had even made its appearance, it was met with a groan of displeasure. Her laughter was like magic.
“Aurora, there is something here for you.” My eyes were forced to focus on the large object hanging from her petite hand. It was a very large basket that looked as if it had been braided together with dark slender tree limbs. I was amazed at how stunning it was. The contents were covered by a dark piece of fabric. My heart sunk.
“Another present from Tommit?” Dread filled my voice. I was disgusted every time his name slipped past my lips. Her grin grew.
“No. It’s from Cas.”
My heart leapt—a gift from Cassius? I had been so horrible to him yesterday. Why would he be sending me anything? Her eyes encouraged me forward. Kneeling up on my bed, I crawled toward the awaiting gift. My hand was trembling as I reached up to reveal the contents of the basket. Inside, there were a set of riding boots. They were dark chocolate and laced up the front of my shins and ended at my knees. A huge improvement from the teetering heels I had been forced to wear since coming to Paradan. Tan riding pants with a matching corset. A dark ruby, ruffled tunic to go underneath. A caramel cashmere cloak with a hood finished it off. It was the softest thing I had ever felt against my skin. There was a hand written note awaiting me.
Aurora,
Thought you might
be more comfortable in this. I promise
to be on my best behavior, today.
Cassius
A large lump formed in my throat. I fought the desire to cry.
“Well, you better hurry. I still need to work some of those snarls out of the flostrich nest on top of your head.” My hands immediately went up to my head. I couldn’t even rake my fingers through the knots. My hair growth had slowed down, but it continued to thicken. Every morning I expected to have hair to rival that of Rapunzel's. Quickly, I dressed and was finally able to be comfortable in my skin—the first time since arriving here. I had never been a girly girl. I was always more comfortable in either sweats or jeans; it had been torture these past weeks dressed ready for a midnight waltz.
Evver worked quickly and efficiently on making my hair presentable. My nerves were jittery, my heart raced, thinking of seeing Cassius today. There was also fear in my heart. A deep fear that I would slip deeper into my growing feelings for the stable boy.
Would today be the day I fell too deep?
Following Evver down the hallway, I expected to find our way to the kitchen, but I was once again surprised. We headed down a hallway I had only seen once—yesterday. We were headed back to the barn. I wondered if Evver realized I hadn’t had breakfast yet.
It wasn’t like her to forget something like that.
We made it through the door headed to the outside world. I followed her through the open door. Cassius was waiting on the other side. He smiled faintly and bowed toward us.
“Good morning, my lady. I trust you slept well.” He was speaking to me like I was a stranger. I resisted the urge to look around and see if we were being watched.
“Yes, thank you.” I turned and looked at Evver. She looked slightly confused, but recovered quickly.
“I will await your return.”
She turned to Cassius and without a single word turned and made her way back to the castle. A step behind Cassius was a beautiful ebony stallion. There was no saddle. I was nervous.
He held out his hand, offering it to me.
“I will help you up.”
I looked into his eyes and he could see my fear. His eyes flickered briefly then he repeated himself.
“I will help you.”
Looking into his eyes, I could see the warmth behind his cold demeanor. I would trust those eyes with my life. I took a deep breath and took his hand. With a swift fluid movement, Cassius had lifted me on to the giant beast. Instantly he was seated behind me. His arms tightened around my waist. I was trembling, although I wasn’t sure if it was because of his close proximity or the fact that the immense animal below us had started to move forward.
My breath was caught in my chest, and I worried my lungs
would explode due to lack of oxygen.
We raced off.
I wasn’t sure where we were heading. The scenery passed quickly, and Cassius didn’t betray our destination. After a few minutes on the massive steed, I grew comfortable with the steady lope of the animal beneath me. Part of me was worried we were heading back to the wishing tree. I knew there was no way I could handle the pain again. Cassius must have felt my muscles tighten as if he knew my every thought.
“I have somewhere new I want to show you.”
My muscles relaxed their rigid grip on my mounting insanity. We continued another half an hour. Nervous anticipation danced through my mind—where were we going? Would it have the same effect on me that the wishing tree had? Heavy trees enveloped us like an umbrella, leading us gently into an awaiting path.
“Slow, boy. Good job.” He spoke quietly and calmly to the large animal who took us deeper into the forest. I wanted to ask if we were close, but I could hear the voice in my head whining, “are we there yet?” I decided against it.
The darkness of the forest was overwhelming.
My heart quivered, being in a strange place in the sudden darkness.
“Almost there.” His voice whispered huskily in my ear. It sent shivers down my spine that didn’t stop until it reached my toes. My whole body came alive with the way his lips brushed the back of my ear. I gripped on to my legs, willing myself to stay on the hefty horse. I wanted to float up into the stars, the way my heart flew. His tender touch had my mind spinning.
Far in the distance, I could see a light starting to shine.
We exited the murky trees and there was a large opening where a house sat, surrounded by the colossal trees. It was right out of an enchanted fairy tale. I expected to see the seven dwarves come bumbling out at any minute. There were three parts of the house—each one looked like an upended acorn. Thatched roofs covered each of them. The front of the home was covered in different sized rocks; you could see how someone had put in many hours into the building of the home. Next to the home was an immense water wheel. Yet there wasn’t an ounce of water anywhere near the home. It was confusing to me.
Strangely, I felt at home, near the understated dwelling.