Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Iris

T he land is changing around us. Sitting on the back of Daisy, I watch as the trees shift, their colours becoming brighter and so full of life. Birds sing as we trot down the flat road that steadily widens. Small dwellings begin to appear, and I stare in wonder at how diverse they are. Some are in the trees, while others are holes in the ground, only a glowing pair of eyes to be seen. There are many that look more like nests than what I would have expected, yet the farther we travel, the more substantial the dwellings become, such as cottages and houses made from the trees and plants themselves. It’s as though the trees have split open and grown as the fae willed it. This is not just a hole in a tree they have chosen to live in, these are extensive properties where the trunks have stretched to form the dwelling, even having holes for windows and doors.

This continues, the residences becoming larger, with staircases built into the trees, creating a second level above us, and bridges made of vines and wood connecting them. I don’t see many fae, but I can almost feel them around me, their light and energy fuelling me as we move through the land.

We travel three abreast, Alaric on my right, and Blaise on my left. He insisted that he was capable of riding by himself now, but I cannot help the little worried glances I sneak his way. I am not the only one, as the prince constantly checks on both myself and his friend. On several occasions now I have caught Blaise looking at me, confusion etched into his expression.

From the corner of my eye, I can see him looking at me again. Is this what it is going to be like between us now, or will he return to his usual snarky self when he heals? Needing to focus on something else, anything else, I glance up at the houses grown out of the trees.

“This place is incredible.” My whisper is awed, my eyes wide as I try to take in every detail. I had no idea that places like this existed or even possible. It blows my little human mind. Do the others in Brine know how different everything is outside the village? Many of the villagers will never leave, their whole world existing within the wall surrounding them.

Alaric chuckles, drawing my attention to him. “Just wait until you see the city itself.”

It takes a moment for this to sink in, and my eyes widen as it does. “Wait, this isn’t it?”

How could this possibly get any better? I thought the human city was spectacular, but that was on a whole different scale than this. Alaric smiles at my excited disbelief, enjoying seeing the wonderment on my face. It is nice to see him smiling after all the difficulties we have experience over the past few days. Seeing him smile like this warms something in my chest, and I feel that pull towards him once more. His expression softens, indicating that he feels it too. I like to think that if the situation were different, I would reach out and brush my fingers down his arm—a bold move for me, especially with a prince , yet this is my fantasy, and in it, I am a stronger person.

Alaric shifts his weight, reluctantly switching his gaze to his friend on my other side. “We should stop at Maria’s before meeting my father.”

Blaise raises a dark brow and leans forward to look around me. “The king will not be happy if he finds out we stopped before seeing him.” He doesn’t sound like he’s against the idea of stopping, he is simply warning the prince.

I don’t know who Maria is, but we have been riding for several hours, and I worry about Blaise after his brush with death. After being healed in the water, we retrieved the horses and left without pausing any longer than it took me to wash the vomit from my borrowed dress.

“We are all soaking wet and covered in dirt,” Alaric reasons, giving Blaise a pointed look. “Iris cannot meet my father covered in your vomit.”

This is very true. Turning up looking as though I have been in a fire and then half drowned is not going to portray the right impression of me. Most of the ride has been filled with me worrying over what Alaric’s father would be like. Nerves twist in my belly like it’s full of serpents fighting for space. Not only is he a king of the Seelie Court, but also Alaric’s father. While I am not trying to impress the king, I still want to make a good impression. I cannot imagine that many humans have been in the Seelie Court, so I will be representing them. A poor impression could go against my kind in the future. On a more personal note, this connection between Alaric and me is still in the very early stages, and knowing that I had his father on our side would certainly make it easier for us going forward, whatever that turns out to be.

I clear my throat loudly and manage to grab the attention of the two squabbling fae. “Who’s Maria?”

“She’s a friend,” Alaric explains, shooting Blaise a look that I don’t understand. “She owns an inn just on the outskirts of the city. You will be able to wash up and change your clothes.”

I nod my head in agreement, happy that I got an answer that makes sense as we continue onward. The rest of the trip to Maria’s passes in a blur, and I am so amazed by the city that my anxiety over meeting the king is pushed to the back of my mind. Creatures of all shapes and sizes pass by us, several stopping to bow to Alaric in a show of respect.

The inn is built like all of the other buildings, the plants and trees themselves becoming the structure. The buildings on the edge of the city are a little more sophisticated than the ones we have seen so far, and there are clearly elements that have been added by hand to enhance them. Double story, the building is made from several interconnecting trees. A twisting staircase winds its way up one of the trunks, leading to the second story, and the red door is cheery and welcoming. A matching red door waits for us on the ground floor, the glass windows spotless, and troughs of brightly coloured flowers hang from the exterior.

A sign proudly states, “Maria’s Tavern, all welcome,” above the door.

Blaise and Alaric pull their mounts to a stop, Daisy automatically stopping beside them without me needing to signal her. Swinging my legs over the saddle, I start to dismount when I feel a pair of hands on my hips. From the riot of butterflies in my chest and the tingles that emit from his touch, I know Alaric is behind me. While I am perfectly capable of dismounting without help, I don’t protest, quietly enjoying his steady touch.

With my feet on the ground, I turn and look up, surprised but not displeased by his proximity. His green eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief, the curls on top of his head shining bronze in the light. He releases me as I turn, but his hands rest on my hips once more now that I am facing him. My breath catches in my throat as I get caught in his expression, taking in every single detail of his face.

“I’ll take the horses to the stable then,” Blaise comments sarcastically, breaking our moment.

I snap out of my trance and turn to help him, but he is already leading the three horses across the road to a stable opposite the inn. Cheeks heating, I glance at Alaric guiltily, but he’s grinning and shaking his head at his friend, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He’s also embarrassed for being caught staring into my eyes like a lovestruck fool.

“Come on, let’s go inside.” He gestures for me to enter the building then follows half a step behind me, placing his hand on the small of my back. It might not be much to some, but the gesture feels possessive and purposeful, as though announcing that I’m with him.

The door opens on a phantom breeze as we reach it, and the sounds of low chatter and laughter indicate that it is busy inside. I step in with a sense of trepidation, suddenly very aware of my differences. This is fae territory, I am not sure how they are going to react to me being here.

At first, nothing changes, then as soon as the prince steps in behind me, the fae in the room start to notice our arrival. The conversation drops off, and there is a ripple across the room as folk turn to look at us. The silence is heavy, but the stares are full of curiosity rather than any of the animosity I feared. Clearing his throat, Alaric places his hand on my lower back once more and guides me to the bar. Taking the hint, the patrons return to what they were doing before, and I only feel the odd glance on me.

“Well, well, well,” a warm, feminine voice calls from the other side of the bar. Slowly, she walks over to where we are, a wide smile on her lips. Pale strawberry blonde hair hangs in curls around her face, her eyes a silvery colour that look like molten metal. Although similar in looks to Alaric, I suspect she is a different type of fae from her long, pointed ears, which are far longer than that of the prince. Her nose is also slightly squat, but it does not detract from her beauty. The simple pale dress she wears does nothing to hide her generous curves or take away from her overall appearance.

For some reason, I instantly dislike her.

“Your Highness,” she purrs, leaning across the bar, the action pushing up her ample bosom. “What a pleasure to see you. It has been too long.” The words are innocent enough, but the heavy indication in her voice, along with the fact that she takes his hand and circles her finger over his palm in a clearly seductive manner, suggest she was that type of friend.

My cheeks flush red, and I look away in embarrassment, keeping my head bowed as I study the knots in the wooden bar, suddenly finding them very interesting. A surge of jealousy comes from nowhere at the female’s actions, surprising me with the ferocity of it—another very good reason to keep my head down and focus on something else.

Alaric gently but firmly pulls his hand away from the female I presume is Maria. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I lift my head, watching the interaction through my lashes.

“Maria,” he greets with the slight incline of his head but doesn’t reciprocate the warmth she offered him. “We need a room and three sets of clothes.”

“Just one room?” she asks, surprised as she looks between us. Finally noticing that the prince’s hand is on my lower back, she follows his arm with her eyes, arching her eyebrow slightly, yet her smile never falters.

“Yes, we will only need it for a few hours to clean up,” Alaric explains, turning away to look at me once more, brushing back a tangled strand of my hair from my face. I am sure I look like a total mess, my clothes wet, muddy, and clinging to me, but he looks at me as though I am wearing the finest of clothes.

A hungry grumble comes from my stomach, and I wince at how loud it is and how unladylike I must appear. However, if it bothers Alaric, then he doesn’t show it, laughing quietly.

He glances back at Maria, still smiling as he addresses her. “Can you send up three bowls of stew as well, please?”

“Of course.” She slides a key across the counter with a smile. “You know where to go.” She doesn’t need to add the wink as she says this to indicate exactly what she’s talking about—Alaric knows his way around her bedrooms. It could be completely innocent, meaning he has stayed here a lot, or it could mean they were lovers. Why does that make me feel queasy?

Movement at my other side announces Blaise’s arrival. Glancing over my shoulder, I see I am right. How did I know it was him before I even saw him? I don’t have a connection to him like I do with Alaric or Nyx—hell, or even Ciaran. So how did I know? Perhaps it is some leftover magic from the river healing?

“Hey, Blaise,” Maria calls out warmly, her smile genuine. “It’s been a long time since I last saw you.”

Shrugging, he returns her smile, leaning nonchalantly against the bar. “Oh, you know what it’s like, what with being the prince’s most trusted confidant and all.”

“Such a hard worker,” she teases, then her eyes narrow, flicking over his face. “You look pale, are you okay? Is this one not looking after you properly?” She jokingly gestures towards the prince, but I can tell she is concerned at the change in him.

Waving her off, he smiles again, but it is easy to see he is exhausted. “I’m fine, just need a bath and some of the finest stew in the land.”

She chuckles and moves off to serve someone else farther down the bar. We turn to exit the tavern to take the staircase outside, and I glance back over my shoulder, only to find her watching me curiously. I am not quite sure what to think of Maria, and I keep my thoughts to myself as we climb the twisted staircase around a tree trunk to the red door. Once we’re inside, we pass several rooms before reaching one right at the end of the hallway. Maria was right, he really does know his way around the tavern.

Stepping into the room, I take in the clean, simple décor, admiring the patterns in the wooden walls. It gives the room a rustic, homey feeling. One large bed takes up most of the space in the room, with white and olive green sheets covered in a mound of decorative pillows. Two low-backed loungers are placed by the window, and at the far side of the room is a door that leads to a large bathroom.

Aware of how clean and neat everything is, I quickly take off my boots, not wanting to touch anything and make it dirty. Blaise is walking around the room and checking the locks on the windows, presumably for our safety, while Alaric watches me from the other side of the room with a pensive expression.

The tension in the room suddenly jumps up a notch, and under his gaze, I suddenly feel like a rabbit being watched by a fox that is about to make it their dinner. Staring at me through hooded eyes, he nods towards the bathroom. “Iris, you can wash up first.”

Not needing any more direction, I flee into the bathroom, grateful for an excuse to leave the room. Not to get away from him, no, I have passed the point where I am afraid of him. I leave to get away from the feeling that has been growing in my chest little by little before I do something stupid—something like trying to kiss the prince of the Seelie.

I spend longer than I should bathing, considering my companions will want to wash up too. However, I am enjoying the quiet time to myself. The water here comes through pipes, both hot and cold on demand, unlike the cold buckets from the well we wash with back at the cottage. It’s a marvel and one I take full advantage of. The grime of travel and the river are one thing, but to wash the soot and ash from my singed skin is heavenly. Eventually, the water becomes cool, and I climb out to dry.

Wrapped in a fluffy towel, I hesitate behind the bathroom door. When I escaped earlier, I did it so fast that I didn’t think about what I would change into once I was clean. My gut clenches, and I bite down on my lower lip, knowing I am going to have to step out there practically naked.

Come on, Iris. You escaped a burning building, you can walk into the bedroom in a towel.

Making sure everything is covered, I push the door open, only it doesn’t open all the way, catching on something. Frowning, I look down, and to my surprise, I find a pile of clothes waiting for me. Relief loosens the knot in my chest, and I take them, slinking back into the safety of the bathroom. Dropping my towel, I start to dress. A pretty floral dress greets me, which obviously belonged to someone with a larger bust than me. Never mind, I can cinch it in with a belt or add some pleats. It really doesn’t matter what I do with the dress, I need to stop hogging the bathroom.

Smoothing out my skirt to give my hands something to do, I walk over to the door, unsure why I suddenly feel so anxious. I pause as their voices reach me from the other side. There’s nothing stopping me from walking into the room, yet their hushed voices tell me this is a private conversation. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping on their conversation, but something inside me says this is important and I need to hear it.

“You don’t understand.” Alaric’s hushed voice is filled with frustration, and I can imagine him pacing the room. “Something happened when I went to find the naiad. Iris used magic to heal you.”

Any guilt I felt about listening in on this conversation melts away. They are talking about me. Alaric thinks I can use magic. Stunned, I back away from the door and cover my mouth in shock. Time seems to slow down, and my mind starts replaying the moment when I held Blaise in the water, singing and praying that he would survive. That wasn’t magic, was it? How could I use it without being aware of it?

No, it cannot be true, but I need to know what else they are saying. With a shaky breath, I step up to the door, leaning against the wall for support. A human with magic… We call them witches and sorcerers back in the human lands, and they are put to death immediately. That is not me, it can’t be.

“She’s human, that is not possible.” Blaise attempts to placate his friend. “We would have smelled magic on her if she could use it.”

“I know what I saw. You were both glowing, her eyes were shut, and she was singing in the old language. Then, hundreds of butterflies landed on her. It was not a coincidence.”

What is the old language and why does he think I was using it? I was simply singing from my soul. Words do not make a song, and in this case, they did not mean anything in particular. It is the intent of the song that is felt.

There is a long, heavy pause. Is Blaise thinking the same thing, or is he remembering my song and can attest that it was no magic old language that I was using?

“Butterflies,” he mutters, the tone of his voice changing. “You don’t think…”

I wait for Blaise to speak, to say what he is thinking, but he never finishes his sentence.

Making a noise of agreement, the prince moves across the room, his footsteps getting fainter, which makes me think he’s walking over to the window. “There is more to her than just being the doe the Unseelie want. She might be the answer to all our problems.”

“All I know for sure is that she saved my life. I owe her.” Blaise sounds completely sincere.

My mind feels heavy and full, completely overwhelmed with everything I just learned. In this moment, I miss my simple life back in Brine. I miss my family, my safe garden, and Nyx in the forest. There is no longer any direction in my life. Before, I knew my place in society. I would get a husband, have some kids, and live our life as a family. It was straightforward. Now, my existence is anything but.

One of the males in the room starts to speak again, pulling me back into the present. That’s enough, I shouldn’t be listening to this. With a deep, steadying breath, I push the door open and poke my head into the room, smiling in greeting. The two males look up, Blaise nodding in greeting, but it is Alaric’s expression that makes me pause.

His stare is intense as he holds my gaze. Determination and passion shine back at me, but for what, I don’t understand. All I know is that I feel the same way. It is easier to breathe when I am around him, like the weight of the world has been removed from my shoulders. Our connection is no longer a desire to be near him, it is an integral need .

He stalks towards me, and the rest of the world falls away as he fills my personal space, stopping close enough that we don’t touch, but I can still feel the heat of his body against my exposed skin.

We continue to gaze at each other, my head tilted back so I can look up at him. He makes me feel seen—not just the odd Bloom girl who lives on the edges of society, but seeing every part of me, both good and bad, and accepts me for who I am anyway. There are no words to explain how I feel, but his gaze tells me he understands and that this feeling transcends words.

An awkward sounding cough comes from the other side of the room, and it takes me longer than it should to work out that Blaise is still here with us. Usually I might blush and look away, embarrassed at being caught, but I am in so deep that I don’t care.

“Well, I suppose I shall wash up next…” The snarky comment is clearly meant to pull Alaric and myself apart, yet it doesn’t have the desired effect. Neither of us respond to his comment, and I am distantly aware that he mutters something under his breath as he slips into the bathroom, leaving Alaric and me alone in the room.