Chapter Five

"WE'RE LOST."

"We're not lost."

"We're absolutely lost," I huffed.

"No, we're just … taking the scenic route to the dining hall."

I shook my head at Rune's optimism. Or rather his denial, because we were totally lost. We'd been wandering the halls for the past ten minutes. Getting off our floor was the easy part. Once we were within the larger corridors of the palace, everything looked the same, and we'd taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"We're going to be late. And on my first official day of the job to boot," I grumbled with a humorless laugh.

"We won't be—Ahh! Found the stairs."

Seeing the familiar grand staircase and balcony, I let out a sigh of relief and quickly raced down the steps with Rune by my side. Bassel, Carlos, Avana, Marlow, Ardley, Alvaro, and the twins waited there, chatting amongst themselves.

"Look who finally decided to grace us with their presence," Ardley laughed. He clapped Rune on the shoulder with his clawed hand and gave him a cheeky look that showed off his sharp canines. "Late night?"

Rune narrowed his eyes at his cousin, but before Rune could respond, Avana said, "He's only teasing, Rune. The rest of us just got down here." Avana's brown eyes suddenly widened as she turned to me. "Bria, your—"

"Our room was so cool," Greshim interrupted, running up to Rune and me. "There was a small pool in the corner!"

"We got t-t-to swim," Newt added brightly, his fox tail practically wagging.

Seeing the twins so euphoric was a refreshing sight. They'd been oppressed and abused by their mother, Myra, for who knew how long. To have them here now, away from her, safe and seemingly happy, was more than I could've hoped for.

"I'm glad the two of you liked your room," I said. Looking over their heads at Alvaro, their dad and Rune's stepfather, I nodded at him. "Good morning, Alvaro."

He cocked his head ever so slightly, " Buenos días , Brienna."

I fought my eye twitch. "It's Bria." For the dozenth time. "I hope you found your room to be suitable."

"It was. I actually shared the room with the boys. Even though I chose to come along, I don't trust anyone here. I'm not leaving them without someone whom I know can protect them."

"No one here would hurt them."

Alvaro tipped his head just a notch higher. "I hope that is the case for everyone's sake. I do rather enjoy killing slowly."

Alvaro was someone I could never get a solid read on. He genuinely loved his sons, yet he'd stood by while Myra blatantly physically and mentally abused them, especially Newt. I never understood why he did nothing if he cared so much, but after dealing with Myra myself, I wondered if perhaps he had found that doing nothing worked better than trying to intervene.

Rune had once mentioned that Myra would use the twins to hurt him and vice versa. If Rune got out of line, she took it out on Newt and Greshim to ensure she got what she wanted. Maybe that was exactly what she did to Alvaro, too.

Even so, having him join me and my crew did leave me slightly on edge. I wasn't entirely sure what he wanted or what he might be planning.

"Bria," Dallas called as she came down the hall to place a hand on my arm. "How'd you sleep? Was your first night here okay?"

I could see what she really wanted to ask churning within her green eyes. She was desperate to know what I found in the nursery and if I was okay. And she was probably eager to know details of my first night in the palace with Rune. I squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "All is well."

Relief swept over her whole body before disappearing like the switch of a light. Her mouth gaped. "Your—Your hair …"

I grabbed at the long, blonde strands. "What? What is it?" Looking down, I realized what the fuss was about. "Oh, that. Yeah, I was hoping someone could explain what this is and why it's happening. It started earlier this week while I was on the trip with Rune. One morning, I woke up, and there was a small clump of my hair that had blue tips. Each morning when I wake up, I find even more hair with blue tips."

Dallas stared dumbfounded for a few moments, and just as her lips started to move, Imani, Jesiah, Akira, and Rance appeared from the hallway she'd just come from.

Imani clapped her hands and declared, "Breakfast is ready! Come on everyone. We'll all need the energy for what today has in store."

Dallas swallowed and whispered, "Later."

I wasn't sure why we needed to talk about my hair later, but she was already turning on her heel. She raced ahead and leaned in to whisper something to Jesiah.

Jesiah glanced over his shoulder at me, and despite his clear effort to keep his expression even, I could see the slight tightening around the lines of his mouth and eyes.

"Does blue hair mean I'm gonna go crazy and murder everyone?" I whispered to Rune as we followed everyone down the large hallway.

His amber eyes lit with humor. "What? No, I don't think so."

"Then why are they acting like that over my hair?"

He glanced from the Water Fae to the blue tips of my hair before finding my eyes. "Maybe it means you're even more special than we already thought."

My heart warming a fraction, I fought the smile trying to tug my lips upward. "You think I'm special?"

"Without a doubt, Princess."

The group stopped at an open set of large coral-shaped doors. The largest room I'd ever seen in my life welcomed us in, and in it I found a massive table stretching the expanse of the room. Delicious aromas filled the air, and foods of every kind littered the length of our dining space—eggs cooked in all styles, meats piled high and steaming, fruits plated in arrays of colors, fresh pastries that scented the room with their sweet filling, golden bread that puffed with fullness, cheeses sliced and diced to perfection.

"I may have gone a bit overboard," an older gentleman said, appearing from the other side of the room. Wrinkles decorated his tan skin as a constellation of his years, yet his brown eyes shimmered with youthful life and warmth.

"Bria," Dallas said as she placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "This is Fitan. He's the head chef here at the palace, or as I like to think of him, the reason it's so damn hard to stay fit around here."

Fitan chuckled. "A badge I am happy to wear, my dear. Cooking and feeding brings me immense joy, and since it has been many moons since I've had the chance to cook for such a crowd, I fixed an exorbitant amount." Fitan addressed me warmly. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. Your mother and father were the most wonderful rulers I ever had the opportunity to serve. Please, let me know if there are any foods or flavors that you dislike."

"Thank you so much, Fitan," I said, and I meant it with my whole being. Not just for the food, but for what he said about my parents. Hearing that they were beloved by people was a gift. I gestured at the assortment of food. "This all looks amazing."

We piled into the room and claimed seats around the table. I took one of the head seats at the far end, which faced the entrance of the room, and Rune sat beside me on my left. I was actually pleased to see two seats set side by side at the end of the table instead of only one. It meant the King and Queen were on equal ground, one just as important as the other. For us, it felt like a visual to show that Rune, a Land Fae, was just as valid as me, a Water Fae.

I knew it would take time for some Water Fae to get to the point where they trusted him—and me—but I was confident it would happen. Land and Water Fae could put the past behind them to create a better future for everyone.

Dallas cleared her throat from the seat on my right hand side. "I made sure Fitan knew your favorite food."

I glanced at the platter directly in front of mine and Rune's seats to find a tray of fresh, steaming, gooey cinnamon rolls. I suddenly felt famished as my mouth watered and my stomach growled. I snatched one up, not even caring about the slight sting from the hot, dripping icing. I sank my teeth into the soft bun, and the delicious taste exploded in my mouth.

"Oh my God," I groaned around the mouthful.

Rune chuckled as he reached for his own. Cocking a brow at me, he asked, "Good?"

"I think it's the best thing I've ever tasted," I practically moaned after another warm bite.

He chewed and swallowed his own. "Definitely high up there. But not the best thing I've ever tasted."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. "What could be better than that?"

His fanged smirk told me exactly what he was thinking. He placed a kiss on the shell of my ear then resumed eating as if the exchange hadn't occurred.

"Your Highness."

My eyes quickly moved to Jesiah, who sat on Rune's left side. Akira was beside Jesiah, and I noticed that even with the exhaustion clouding the Raven's solid black eyes, he was practically glowing from the inside. The spark in his eyes shimmered despite the dark circles beneath them, and his mouth never dipped past the hidden smile there. He consistently leaned into Jesiah just enough to make the barest of touches while still being mindful of the large wings behind him.

Seeing my dear friend giddy after being reunited with his lover made my own heart dance with delight. This was what it was all about. This was why I wanted to reunite Land and Water Fae. There could be so much more—love, camaraderie, respect—between our Kingdoms if given the chance.

I refocused on Jesiah as he continued, "I wanted to properly introduce myself this morning. I'm Jesiah Brooks, advisor to the Queen and King and member of the Council of Doctrina. In addition to that role, I'll also be acting as your tutor while we catch you up to speed on your duties as Queen, Water Fae history, your powers, and all of the stuff in between."

A note of relief crept into my voice. "It's nice to know I'll have someone other than Rune and Dallas to guide me through that stuff. I had no idea where to even start with it all."

"Why don't we start with the hair?" Rance offered casually from the other side of Dallas as he popped a piece of bacon in his mouth.

I nervously fingered the tips of my hair, feeling my stomach coil with anticipation. Even before the curiosity that piqued after Dallas's reaction this morning, I had wondered why my hair had turned bluer at the tips each morning, especially since no one else seemed to have this issue. The only other Water Fae I'd seen with blue hair was my mom.

Mom .

The thought only served to tighten the ball of nerves in my gut.

As I took a deep breath, I noticed that everyone seemed to have grown quiet as they looked to Jesiah for the explanation. It appeared others were just as curious about my hairdo.

Jesiah's dark eyes traced the ends of my hair for a few silent moments. He took a hearty sip of his coffee and began, "Blue hair is an old trait for Water Fae that you don't see anymore. Or at least, we didn't until …" He waved a suggestive hand at me. "The last Water Fae to have that feature was—"

"My mom," I finished. I picked at an egg that had somehow found its way onto my plate, along with dozens of other items. Glancing over at Rune's plate, I realized his was loaded much like my own, and I assumed he was the culprit behind my full dish. Clearing my throat, I looked back up at Jesiah. "It was my mother."

Jesiah nodded. "Queen Alesta. She wasn't born with blue hair, either. Hers started out blonde, but over time, it turned blue like yours is doing now."

"Why is that?"

"Because she could do something that no other Water Fae had been able to do in centuries. She was the last of our kind who could actually tap into and connect with water the way we are meant to. In a way that I'm not sure how to even describe since no one has been able to do it in so long."

Stunned at the revelation, I asked, "Why haven't other Water Fae had this ability?"

"Because," a new voice boomed. "We are broken."