Mark of the Princess (37 page)

“You are the one that endangered her.” She reached her hand out and without touching him, he felt her fingers tighten around his neck.

She smirked at him. “You have no idea the forces you are dealing with.” She stepped closer to him. “I have worked too hard to keep her alive long enough for her to save herself to have a delinquent faerie with a grudge try to kill her!” Her last words were shouted. Her grip tightened on his neck once more. He reached for his neck but could not loosen her grip as she was not actually touching him.

He raised his hands as if to use his power against her.

“Ah, ah, little fae. We will have none of that.” With her free hand she motioned for some rope that sat nearby and as she thrusted her hand to him. The rope wrapped itself around his wrists binding him.

She began chanting some words that he could barely hear and as she did the dust from the floor began to rise and swirl around him enveloping him until he was there no more.

The body that appeared on the steps of the castle shocked even the guards that were standing watch. A young faerie laying unconscious with his hands bound.

“We would need Princess Evyette to confirm sire, but I was not unsure of the person merely the circumstances.” He glanced back at the king. “He was delivered to us. He appeared on the steps of the castle unconscious and with his hands bound.”

Everyone looked at each other confused. As they came to the front of the castle and opened the doors they saw him limp on the steps.

Evyette stepped closer to look at his face. “Yes , this is Aeron. This is the one that said he was a magister Apprentice.”

Without warning, the young fae arched his back, the guards moving to stand in front of the King and Queen and their guests not knowing what would happen, and he exploded into a plume of dust and dirt and leaves. The ground where he had laid was covered in dead shrubbery. In the distance Evyette caught the gaze of an old woman peering out from behind a tree, but in an instant she was gone.

* * *

Alannah and Brennus arose early in the morning and started toward the Kingdom of Anrad. By the time the noon sun was overhead they were able to see it in the distance.

Alannah looked at Brennus and noticed apprehension in his face.

She walked up and grabbed his hand in hers weaving her fingers between his.

He looked at her and managed a half smile. But when he looked back at his kingdom the smile was gone. The Brennus she had seen the night before was gone. The look of a cold, calculated, arrogant warrior stood in his place once more.

She realized then that no one knew him as anything other than that.

Except her.

The walk to Anrad took most of the afternoon. Mostly because they weren’t walking as fast as they had been the rest of the trip. She sensed that there was a trepidation in his step. Almost as if he did not want to go back.

As they approached the broad hedge gates he allowed his hand to slide out of hers. She wanted to grab it back but knew that it would not be a good idea.

He whispered some words and the hedges seemed to transform into huge wooden doors clad with silver that began to creek open slowly.

“Stay next to me.”

She took a step closer to be right by his side resisting the urge to take his hand again.

They walked in and Alannah was overwhelmed with the beauty of the Kingdom of Anrad. She did not know why but she expected things to be more rough and cold.

As with the other Kingdoms the first area seen was that of the different shops and blacksmiths. Each building was carefully crafted with smoothed out woods and stones. Large wooden beams lined the walkway along the shops connected to the overhangs made by more smoothed wood and carefully thatched roofs. The architecture was unlike any she had ever seen. The doorways were almost twice the size that she had been used to. Of course the reason was made abundantly clear within the first moments of arriving. Some of these faeries were almost two times her size. In keeping with the theme, even the blacksmith’s shop was beautifully crafted in the front with the fires blazing toward the back.

The trees as Brennus had described to her were large and surrounded by flowered vines.

The fae that stood watching reminded her a lot of Brennus. There were very few that did not have their entire arms covered in Marks. As they walked by every one of them bowed their head at them.

The bustle of the surrounding fae seemed to have quieted as she laid her eyes upon the giant oak in the center of the kingdom behind what appeared to be several courtyards whose floors were smoothed and were lined with the same type of large wooden columns that she had seen by the shops. Two of the courtyards had several fae standing in them and some fighting. Clearly it was training as she could see an instructor shouting out directions to his students.

As they walked by, the instructor and the students stopped and turned to them and bowed slightly before continuing. She realized that Brennus must be more of an accomplished warrior than he had let on. There was no way that they could all be bowing because they knew she was a Princess.
He must be favored by the King and Queen to have this much respect throughout the kingdom, and to have the guards open the doors of the castle to him without question.
She thought to herself.

They entered the main hall and it was just as he had described to her. Tapestries draped along the walls. Weapons dating centuries back, carefully displayed. They walked through the hallway and through two smoothed stone doors into the throne room. The two guards standing in front of them had pushed them open without question to Brennus.

The throne room was decorated much like the rest of the castle. Silk draperies hung between the columns and a large tapestry with what must have been the family crest behind two enormous thrones although neither one was occupied.

Brennus looked toward the counsel of Faeries standing by the thrones as one came rushing to him. He was an older faerie wearing some of the same battle gear that she had seen on the other faeries but he also wore an elegant robe signifying his stature in the court.

Epilogue

She waited inside the room that the guards had escorted her to. The beautiful bedroom provided no distraction to her constantly raging thoughts.

She thought of Brennus and how she saw the hurt in his face when the council member with the robe told him that his father had fallen gravely ill. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to wrap her arms around him. But everything about him told her not to. He looked at her and sounding indifferent asked her to follow the guards to her temporary quarters so that he may speak to the council alone.

Why did he not tell me? Why hide that he is a prince?
She opened the door and peered out into the empty hallway. When she saw no one around, she decided to leave the room. She wandered the halls of the castle only to find that it was mostly empty save for a few servant pixies, brownies and guards.

She had wandered into an area of the castle that she knew must belong to the King and Queen as the doors to the area had a crest carved into it. She had just turned to walk the other way when the door opened, and Brennus emerged.

He looked at her and smirked. “I suppose I should have known better than to think that you would have stayed in the room until I came for you.”

“That is not all.” He walked over to a bench that lay against the wall and sat down. Alannah walked over and sat down as well careful not to get too close as he was already distracted.

He sighed deeply before he began. “Alannah, my mother died when I was young. My father has ruled alone for most of my life. When he realized that he would have to hand me the throne, he decided that he did not want me to experience the loneliness he endured.”

“I do not understand.”

“He has arranged for me to marry a warrior fae of his choosing.”

Alannah felt her eyes sting as she tried to hold back tears but it was to no avail. Silent tears ran down Alannah’s face. “But-“she could not think of how to react, what words to say, “but, you said no right?” she finally blurted out.

He looked away but not before she saw his eyes water. “I cannot defy the King’s last wish.”

Alannah stood abruptly. He reached out grabbing her hand but she pulled it away leaving the hallway hurriedly toward her room.

* * *

Evyette walked out at dawn to find the horses, Magisters and guards waiting for her. Behind her stood Kaleb and Tristan. She watched as each prepared their horses and packs.

“I promise.” He pulled back, leaving his face inches from hers, his fingers caressing her cheeks and jaw line. “No matter what happens, I will always be there to protect you.” He pressed his lips gently against hers, cupping her face in his hands.

Magister Torin turned to address all that were there.

“We will journey through the clearing in front of the mountains as that will be the fastest way to arrive at Caelestis. If we can help it, we will need to stop infrequently in order to arrive at the tree line by nightfall and make camp.”

The Legend of the Mallafay

Centuries ago, in the mountains of Exitium, a young faerie, held captive by evil trolls, gave birth to a son. His name was Samil. Soon after giving birth, his mother escaped, only to be hunted down and killed. The trolls, who hated all fae people, took Samil and trained him to hate, as they hated. To assure that evil was deeply rooted and made manifest, many dark rituals were performed on baby Samil.

As he grew, the trolls used Samil’s magic for their own benefit, making him build a castle where they would live completely within the mountains. Samil enchanted captured faeries to make them follow him and do his bidding. These enchanted faeries became known as the Mallafay.

Samil’s evil power grew ever stronger. By the time he was fully grown, the enchanted Mallafay formed the core of his own army. He hunted any and all creatures he thought might be of use to him, recruiting those willing, and forcefully changing the minds of those who were not. He practiced his black sorcery daily, calling upon spirits known to his race as dark and evil. He would invoke demon spirits to reside within him so that he might take on their strength. But he needed more, always more.

But there was one captured faerie who did not fall to the power of Samil. Dergan was born with two special gifts – the ability to guard his mind, and the power of speed. Captured along with his fellow fae, he used his ability to guard his mind to escape Samil’s enchantment. For over a year, Dergan carried out this pretense, waiting for the opportunity to escape. While he waited, he listened, and he learned. When the time had fully come, Dergan used his gift of speed to escape, running to warn the five kings of the five faerie kingdoms that Samil had amassed an evil army to march against them.

Dergan related all he had learned about Samil. He told the five kings about the enchanted Mallafay and others forced to fight at Samil’s side. Most importantly, he told them of Samil’s battle plans and the time of the impending attack. In the weeks to come, armor was forged, swords were sharpened and fortresses were fortified.

Alas, Samil learned of the battle preparations being made by the five kings and of Dergan’s hand in it. Samil could delay no longer. The element of surprise had been taken from him, but he could still choose the time and place of the ensuing battle. And he could still choose his method for delivering that message.