4. Anevae

The warm morning sun flooded the room, waking me from a deep sleep. I lay there for a few minutes, allowing myself to wake up a little before dragging myself out of bed and shuffling into the bathroom. I stood at the vanity, brushing my hair and teeth. A good night"s sleep had erased some of the redness from my eyes.

My tangled hair was greasy at the roots and desperately needed a wash, but that would have to wait. I had a lot of work that needed to be done, which would just result in me getting dirty again anyway, so there was no point in washing it.

Just after eight, I grabbed my phone from my dresser and headed downstairs. Momma had texted me to let me know she and Poppa had left already, heading back to their place on the East Coast. I replied, telling them to be careful and asking her to let me know when they made it home.

My stomach grumbled as I walked into the kitchen. My parents had insisted on buying me enough groceries to last about a week—enough time to get settled before I had to travel into town for more.

I was delighted to find my coffee maker conveniently placed on the counter near the sink. The box housing my coffee-making supplies was among those scattered across the massive kitchen island. I brewed myself a cup and filled it with lots of creamer and sugar, making it light and sweet—just how I liked it.

Taking a small sip of the hot beverage, I savored its flavor and opened the refrigerator to find something for breakfast. The eggs and sausage I wanted would require pans and cooking utensils. With a sigh, I closed the fridge and set about finding the tools I would need.

I didn"t own much in the way of kitchen supplies, so I put them away as I went, setting aside what I needed for breakfast. When I started cooking, the delicious smells permeated the air. My mouth watered, and my stomach grumbled impatiently.

After the last piece of sausage browned nicely, I sat on one of the four bar stools arranged around the island and plotted out my day. Taking my last bite, I cleaned up the mess I made and climbed the stairs to grab my speaker and change clothes. When I moved, I left everything in the drawers to my dresser. While it made the move easier, my clothes got jumbled around. I sifted through the drawers and found some shorts and a tank top to change into so I could be comfortable while I organized.

As I began changing, I saw movement outside my window. Lowering my shirt back down, I rushed to investigate. Just inside the tree line bordering the cabin was a huge, black fox staring at me. Its coat was shiny and laced with streaks of orange throughout. Its bushy tail faded from black and orange to white at the tip. I"d never seen a fox like it; it was captivating.

Standing there staring at it, I realized the fox was watching me too, almost like it was studying me. Then, without warning, it got up and scampered into the woods, quickly drifting out of sight. When I could no longer see it, I reached for my phone to text Eiri. Foxes were her favorite animal. She"d been infatuated with them since we were kids. The first time we saw them at the zoo, she was instantly drawn to their big, bushy tails and the cute sounds they made.

Hey! How are you settling in?

Ugh. I don"t wanna talk about it. I have so much stuff! How"s it going over there?

Haha. If you had downsized like I suggested, you might not be struggling so much!

Besides unpacking a few boxes in the kitchen this morning, I haven"t done much yet.

You"ll never guess what I just saw outside, though!

Was it a bear?! Please tell me it wasn"t a bear!

No! It wasn"t a bear! It was a fox!

But it wasn"t like a regular fox. It was huge! I"ve never seen one that looks like it, like ever.

OMG! Maybe there are others!

Maybe there"s a den!

That would be awesome. If I get one of these work-from-home jobs, I"ll just camp out at your house all the time.

If you see it again, send me a picture ASAP.

I"ll try. Alright. Gotta go! I just wanted to tell you about it because I knew you"d be excited. Love you.

After sending my text, I got changed, grabbed my speaker, and headed downstairs to get started on all the work that needed to be done. I powered on the speaker, put on my favorite metalcore playlist, and set to work.

About an hour later, the boxes littering the island were emptied, and the kitchen was decorated and assembled. Jamming to my music, I felt like I could conquer the whole house by the end of the day.

Filled with motivation, I moved into the living room. I began by moving around the bookshelves into more suitable locations and assigning boxes to each shelf throughout the room. My massive collection of books had to be split between the shelves on either side of the TV stand. Of course, my meticulous personality made sure to rear its ugly head when positioning said books—hardbacks on one shelf, paperbacks on the other. Sets were nestled side-by-side, and books of similar heights were arranged together.

The next box I opened had all of my knick-knacks carefully wrapped and placed in the box so they didn"t break in the move. Many of these were sentimental—gifts my mom had given me to remind me of her stories of Caellaias. The first set I unwrapped was a trio of ceramic wolves in different poses. One was standing, another was lying down, and the last was sitting on its haunches, howling. My fingers delicately caressed a crack in one of the back legs of the standing wolf. I had dropped it once, and Momma had had to glue the leg back on. She scolded me about how fragile they were and how I needed to be more careful.

Another set, also made of ceramic, consisted of a beautiful white-winged angel, a black bat-winged demon, and a sweet faerie with wispy, silver wings. She said they were all beautiful and unique in their own way, just like the creatures of Caellaias. A memory of one of Momma"s stories flooded my mind.

"My Flowers! Would you like to hear more about Caellaias this evening?" Momma asked from the end of the hallway.

Eiri and I enthusiastically shouted ‘Yes!" from our rooms before rushing to the living room and settling on the floor before the couch. Momma took her spot on the couch.

Clasping her hands together in her lap, Momma began, "Have I ever told you girls the story about the youngest princess before she ran away?"

Eiri and I shook our heads.

"A long time ago, a man named Simi took the throne by marrying the princess, Princess Mira, and making her queen. Queen Mira gave birth to two girls ten years apart, Princess Eve and then Princess Laeney. Unfortunately, Queen Mira passed away during the birth of Princess Laeney; the stress was too much for her body. Alone with two children and a kingdom to rule, the king had no choice but to rely heavily on others to care for his girls.

"Once Laeney was old enough, she began meeting with tutors. They taught her about the kingdom, its history, her magic, how to defend herself, and how to be a perfect lady. As she grew older, one thing that stuck out to her was that her father was obsessed with maintaining a perfect appearance, which was evident in her studies.

"His biggest obsession with maintaining perfection was that every being residing in the castle had to be purebred. Any staff or guards who weren"t purebred were excused from their positions upon his coronation. There were always exceptions to the rule, but the King dictated who stayed. He"d also made it clear that the fae weren"t to marry outside of their race or species and strongly encouraged this among the other beings in the kingdom as well. He claimed purebred beings were the most powerful and would one day rule all. He himself was a purebred faerie and claimed to be the one true king of Caellaias." Momma"s smile faded as she explained the inner workings of the castle.

Her luminous eyes shifted to her hands folded in her lap. A tear fell onto her skirt, and she began sniffling. Eiri and I stared at each other, unsure what to do. I could only think of comforting Momma, so I stood and grabbed Eiri"s hand, pulling her with me toward Momma. We embraced her from both sides, attempting to soothe her. She reached around us and pulled us in closely.

When Momma"s sniffling ceased, she loosened her grip on us and took a moment to wipe her eyes. "I"m okay, girls. Sit, sit, and I"ll finish the story."

Voice hoarse, she continued, "The King expected greatness from Laeney; she was his pride and joy. Her father banned her from attending social events until she came of age so she could focus on her schooling and etiquette training. While this upset her greatly, she did everything she could to make her father proud.

"On her twentieth birthday, her family held a ball at the castle, inviting the lords, ladies, and their families from across the kingdom. The princess was excited to finally interact with the royalty she"d heard so much about. Her father had an ulterior motive for the ball, though. He intended to announce Laeney"s engagement to one of the wealthiest faeries in the realm, even though the faerie was easily as old as her father. When Laeney learned of this, she was petrified. She"d heard awful things about this faerie and did not want to marry him. She pleaded with her father to call off the engagement, but he refused, threatening to lock her up again if she didn"t behave like a proper lady," Momma explained.

"During the ball, Laeney tried to appear happy; however, she couldn"t bring herself to feel anything but disappointment. Her father had kept her hidden, and she had been obedient for many years—now she felt betrayed. She walked around the ballroom and interacted with everyone possible, as she had never had the pleasure of doing so freely before. Little did she know that her father was watching everything she did. None of the interactions mattered to her until she met the Lord of Maiviraea"s second son. Instantly, the princess knew he would change her life forever."

"What happened to Princess Laeney after, Momma?" I asked.

"Did she have to marry the other faerie?" Eiri asked.

Momma shook her head. "Maybe another time I"ll tell you what happened afterward. You girls need to get ready for bed before Poppa gets home. Run along now."