34. Anevae

Iwoke up with my head in Maeyve's lap as she stroked my hair. Her eyes were fixated on something outside of the carriage. As I stirred, Maeyve looked down at me with a sad smile.

Good morning, beautiful. We're almost there. I hope you slept well. Maeyve said in my thoughts.

"Why must you use that instead of speaking out loud?" I said hoarsely.

Maeyve laughed lightly as she explained, "In my fox form, I'm able to communicate telepathically with those I am close to, like my family. It's kind of just something I'm used to."

"That makes a lot of sense." As I sat up, I reached for our water bottle and looked out the window.

A few miles out, I could see the castle and bits of the small city on the other side. It was just as Momma had described so many years before. The castle"s white and gray stones stood out from the black stones and woods of the other homes I could see. The one-hundred-foot-tall walls were covered in guards protecting the castle and making their rounds. The four cobalt blue-tipped spires were mere feet from the low-hanging white clouds of this world.

The first part of the city we encountered was the homes the townspeople inhabited. The closer we got to the castle, the nicer the houses were. Many of the first homes we passed were dilapidated wooden structures, while the last homes we encountered were similar to Calliope's. The black stone structures were almost three times the size of the previous deteriorated wooden houses.

Next was the market and shops Momma told us about. People of all races and social status meandered about the area. To one side of the street was row upon row of stalls selling fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and other food items. On the other side were established shops dedicated to clothing, art, and trinkets.

After the luxurious homes and shops, we approached the castle walls. Surrounding them was a moat, similar to the medieval castles I'd heard stories about growing up. I'd seen pictures of medieval castles in the human realm, but they were nowhere near as beautiful as the one before me. Guards stopped the carriage as we approached the bridge leading to the castle gates. Maeyve retrieved our belongings and opened the door, exiting first and then extending her hand to help me down.

With both feet firmly planted on the ground, I stood in awe of the building before me. The castle walls were the tallest structure I'd ever seen. In order to look to the top, I had to lean my head all the way back. The gate ahead was made of the beautiful reddish-brown wood of the trees from the nearby forest and stood at least fifty feet tall.

Five guards stood at the center of the bridge, staring at us. "You smell of the human realm. How the hell did you get here, and what the fuck do you want?" One of the five guards demanded.

Stepping forward with confidence I didn't know I had, I stated, "My name is Anevae, daughter of Princess Cordilaen and granddaughter of King Casimir. I request an audience with the king."

The guards began laughing, but the doors creaked open behind them, and another guard came out. He was tall, beautiful, and dressed in all black with tanned skin. His bright red, round eyes met mine, and a grin spread across his full lips, showing his bright white teeth. When he saw Maeyve standing beside me, his elongated canines almost pierced his bottom lip, deepening his smile.

He clapped and huffed, "Great performance, Anevae. I'm surprised to see that you're here so quickly. Looks like your pet listened and was able to get you here. Come now. Let's get inside. Your grandfather will be pleased to hear of your arrival."

His voice gave him away; he was Emrhys. My heart started pounding as I stepped into his space.

I jabbed a finger into his chest and spoke through gritted teeth, "Take me to my grandfather. Now. I want my sister to be released and to return home as soon as possible."

Laughing, he grabbed my hand, and I felt a tingling sensation similar to the one I got when Maeyve touched me. I gasped and pulled away as his mouth popped open.

"What the hell did you just do?" I demanded.

Emrhys recovered quickly and gave me a sinister smile, coming as close as he could without touching me. He leaned down and whispered, "It seems fate has been cruel to us. I never thought I'd find my fated mate, but here we are. It"s too bad I'll never be able to mate with you. You're a beautiful and feisty woman, just like I like." He turned on his heel and strolled through the castle gates.

I stood stunned, my mouth hanging open.

Maeyve approached me and asked, "What the hell did he say to you?"

Looking directly into Maeyve's eyes, I asked, "What are fated mates?"

Shocked by my question, Maeyve stammered, "Um, w-well. They're beings destined to be together. Why?"

"Are we fated mates?" I inquired.

Maeyve gave a short laugh and urged me forward, "The fact that we could mark each other and the tingling I feel every time we touch has me thinking that we could be. I was taught very little about any type of mates during my time in Maiviraea. I never thought it was real; I just assumed it was a fairytale."

As I began walking, I asked, "Can a being have more than one fated mate?"

Maeyve abruptly stopped and stared at me. "What did he actually say to you, Anevae?"

"He claimed that he and I are fated mates," I murmured.

Maeyve began walking again with her shoulders tensed and her brow furrowed. As we caught up to Emrhys' slow stride, he chuckled deeply.

"Shut the fuck up," I demanded, irritated and confused.

Emrhys ignored my outburst. "I've already sent notice to King Casimir and your sister that you have arrived. They will join us in the throne room shortly."

From there, we walked in silence. After what felt like an eternity and an insane number of turns through the castle, we came to a long hallway with ornate doors at the end. As we approached the doors, the guards who led us opened them. Inside was a room so grand I stopped to stare in awe. The room was made of white marble from top to bottom, and numerous columns lined the walkway to the dias.

Straight ahead of us in the center of the raised dias was a large throne made of dark metal with three spires raised from the back, all tipped with the same cobalt blue stone as the spires on the castle. An orletaylaer, carved in wood and painted the perfect teal color to match the actual flower, was situated below the middle spire—just above the man sitting on the throne. He was a man of tall stature with long, straight black hair and bright yellow eyes. Momma looked nothing like him, but his posture and smugness screamed power. He was my grandfather.

To the left was another large throne decorated almost the same as the other, which was likely meant for the queen. When we saw Calli, she said the queen had been deceased for quite some time, so I wasn't surprised to see that the throne was unoccupied.

Looking to my grandfather's right, I spotted a familiar figure seated on a smaller, less intricate throne, most likely meant for a prince or princess.

"It's nice to see you, Vay."