Fantasyland 01 Wildest Dreams (71 page)

What appeared to be a large, white,
sparkling meteor fell to the earth one hundred yards away exploding
in a burst of white light from which a misty ice blue ring shot out
moving so fast, if I’d blinked, I would have missed it.

And it left in its wake two types of men.
Those frozen completely in their tracks in whatever position the
ice blue ring caught them in and those who still had the capacity
to move and did, running for their lives.

“
We must go, we
must
go,” Lavinia shouted, pulling at my hand and I
felt Valentine grab my other one and tug.

But I couldn’t move.

“I can’t move,” I forced through immobile
lips.

“
Pick her up!” Valentine yelled, sounding
panicked and when this didn’t work she screamed,
“
Drag
her!
”

They pulled, tugged, pushed and yanked but
my body was rooted to the snow.

I was caught in the ice ring and I could
tell by the frightful, restless sounds of the dragons behind me
they were about to blow.

“Go!” I cried through my frozen lips.

“My princess –”

“
Go, go,
go!
” I screamed but it came out weak for I couldn’t make it
stronger.

“Seoafin –” Valentine whispered urgently,
her body close, her mouth at my ear, her hand still tugging at
mine.

“Take her, Valentine. You know the beasts
are preparing and you know to look after your own neck. Take
Lavinia, get her safe and the minute you can, go home,” I
implored.

“My goddess of –”

“Take her!” I cried, the words strange
coming through unmoving lips but the tone easily read.

“Goddess!” Valentine exclaimed then she
whispered, “You must know, now, that I am sorry, my goddess of
love, sorry for everything.”

“Go!”

She hesitated then I felt both of my hands
squeezed by both of theirs and then they were gone.

I was alone.

I had thought when the dragons came…

Hoped…

But I was wrong.

I was alone.

Frozen but my blood was singing with
adrenalin.

This was it.

My last adventure.

And I was ending it alone. At least Mom and
Dad had each other.

But I was alone and terrified.

I couldn’t even close my eyes.

Shit.

“I’m coming to you, baby,” I whispered to
Frey but it came out naturally, my lips moved with my words and I
blinked.

I blinked.

Actually blinked, my eyelids moving and
everything.

Holy moly!

“No, my love, I’ve come to you,” I heard a
beautiful, sweet, achingly familiar voice behind me and, in control
of my body, I whirled and stared, mouth open, eyes wide, belly
plummeting, heart in my throat at my husband who was standing three
feet away.

Then he lifted an arm and the dragons let
loose, their massive bodies bulged, necks extended, their fanged
mouths opened and flames erupted, shot forward and I stared as we
were surrounded by an inferno over our heads, at our sides, my gown
blowing with the force of it, the heat enveloping me, the bloody
snow melting to a river rushing over my boots but Frey’s body, to
my shock, was impervious and acted as a shield against the
flames.

Then he dropped his arm and the flames
immediately stopped.

I knew everything behind me was gone,
reduced to ash. But in front of me stood Frey backed by a line of
fierce, colossal, terrifyingly beautiful dragons.

It couldn’t be real.

“Are you a dream?” I whispered and his lips
tipped up.

“No,” he answered.

“A ghost?” I was still whispering.

“No, my wee one.”

My wee one.

My wee one.

My heart squeezed.

“You’re alive,” I breathed.

“
Yes,” he stated the obvious for there he
was, tall, broad, strong, powerful, beautiful and best of
all…
breathing.

“You’re alive,” I repeated on a whisper, my
nose stinging, my eyes blinking against the wet because I didn’t
want him hazy, I wanted him clear, I wanted to see him clear.

“Yes,” he repeated.

“Alive,” I breathed.

His handsome head tilted slightly to the
side, his heavy brows drew together and he asked, “Are you still
frozen by the elfin magic, my Finnie, is that why you don’t come to
me?”

I stared at him.

Then I sprang from my feet, jumping into
his arms and they closed around me, strong, safe, tight and
definitely,
definitely
real.

I held on tight to his shoulders, shoved my
face in his neck and burst out crying.

“They… they… the… the… they,” I stammered
into his neck, my arms convulsing, trying to hold him closer, “they
told me you were dead.”

“I am not,” Frey’s voice rumbled and his
arms squeezed.

I jerked my head back and glared at him
before I shrieked, “
Where have you been?
”

He looked down at me and one of his hands
came to my face, his thumb gliding through the wetness that was
still coming and he said gently, “I was injured, gravely, close to
death. I convinced my men to leave me to my passing and see to
business, something we had all agreed, should such occur, we would
do. The elves sensed my injuries and the extent of them luckily
before the adela burned and, as I had arranged with them prior,
they sought Kell and brought him to me. Kell had the adela branch,
we used it and he and I both went to the elfin realm where they
healed me.”

I blinked and then stared.

Then I asked, “What?”

Frey’s eyes went soft and slightly amused at
my blink and he explained, “The adelas are gone but the magic of
that bough and the reason it is so important is that it can be used
by The Frey to move to the elfin realm and to bring the elves to
our realm, say, should something happen to the adelas or he needs
them urgently and cannot get to a tree.”

“Wow,” I whispered and he grinned. “So they
healed you?” I asked quietly.

“Their magic is strong but my injuries were
severe so it took some time but yes, my wee Finnie, they healed
me.”

“They healed you?” I repeated.

“Yes, my love.”

“Like, good as new?”

He grinned and answered gently, “I’m clearly
not a babe so, no, but fit as when you last saw me.”

I closed my eyes at the memory, my head
jerking at the power of it and Frey’s hand at my cheek moved to cup
my jaw and his arm gave me a squeeze before I heard him amend on a
murmur, “Or moments before the moment you last saw me.”

I kept my eyes closed and dropped my
forehead to his chest. “I thought you were dead.”

“I’m sorry, my love, there was nothing I
could do about that. I was in no state and Kell nor the elves could
move between realms without me.” Frey whispered into my hair but I
shook my head as my body started shaking with new tears and I
repeated, “I thought you were dead.”

“Finnie,” he muttered as I held him tighter,
my body pressing into his like I wanted him to absorb me.

“I said things –” I started, my voice
hoarse, my throat clogged with tears.

“We will not discuss this now,” he said
quietly but firmly. “I wronged you, my love, but I will explain
–”

My head shot back and I whispered
fervently, “You did but it was me…
me
who said unforgiveable things and –”

I stopped when his thumb came to my lips and
pressed as his face got close.

“It is for me to forgive or not to forgive
and you said no less than I deserved,” he stated, again soft but
firm. “But I have an enemy to vanquish, Apollo and my men are
standing behind you getting more and more impatient by the second
having ceased being touched by lovers reunited about five minutes
ago and now wishing my ear. So, we will discuss it later.”

I stared in his beautiful,
beautiful
olive green eyes with their
thick, lush lashes.

Then I whispered, “Okay.”

He grinned.

My eyes dropped to his mouth.

God, I loved his grin. I loved his eyes. I
loved the feel of his arms around me.

And I loved
him.

Therefore, I blurted, “I love you, Frey
Drakkar.”

He closed his eyes, dropped his forehead to
mine and whispered, “And I you, Finnie Drakkar.”

I closed my eyes too and sighed, my body
relaxing into my husband’s.

But my husband’s body didn’t relax against
mine. His head tilted, his lips found mine, they opened, mine
reciprocated and he kissed me. He took his time, he did it right
and it was the best kiss I ever had.

Save one.

The one he gave me at our wedding.

That would always be at the top of the
list.

Even if, with this one, cool-as-shit dragons
were watching.

The
Aftermath

One and a half
weeks later…

Mother and I
stood, both of us wearing black suede cloaks, black leather gloves,
our hair free around our shoulders, our crowns in place, our booted
feet on the rocky shore and we watched the boat with its square
sail patterned in red and gold diamonds catching the wind, making
it drift into the Winter Sea.

It was lined
in red and gold silk and in its middle, on a platform, my father’s
remains were shrouded in dark red and surrounded by flickering
candles protected from the wind by red tinted glass.

Just behind me
to my left Frey stood so close I felt his chest brush my shoulder
even through the cloak.

A vast
gathering of silent Lunwynians stood behind the three of us, along
the sweeping hill that met the icy sea, its glaciers drifting in
the distance.

I stared at
the boat and kept my shoulders straight, my head high and endured
the burn in my chest as the boat and its precious cargo floated out
to sea.

Then Frey
raised his fisted hand and lowered it.

Thirty seconds
later we heard the flap of powerful, huge, leathery wings.

Ten seconds
after that we saw the approach of two dragons, one on each
side.

Ten seconds
after that, they bent their necks and, in unison, they spewed a
stream of fire that struck the boat, incinerating it in the blink
of an eye as they soared past each other so close their wings
brushed.

Mother’s hand
reached out, her fingers curling around mine and they clenched
tight but other than that, she didn’t move.

Neither did I,
except to curl mine around hers.

Then the
dragons flew off into the distance as my mother, my husband, myself
and my father’s subjects stared at the tranquil waves and
peacefully drifting glaciers of the Winter Sea.

Many moments
later, I heard my mother whisper to the wind in a voice filled with
sorrow, “Good-bye, my beloved.”

I pressed my
lips together, locked my body and when the tear came, there was
only one.

And it was
silent.

Even so, my
husband shifted closer.

* * * * *

Four days
later…

We moved
through the forest slowly, the snow gone with the thaw, wet, green
turf in its place, the trees blossoming all around and we stopped
at the small, ice marble pyre behind which were two seated dragons,
their spiked tails swaying lazily, their wings tucked in, their
long, slender, forked tongues drifting.

And on the
pyre, swathed in brilliant, glimmering, ice blue silk, only her
pretty face exposed to the brilliant sun, was Alyssa.

Frey held my
hand and stood by me, Aurora moving in at my other side, Bess next
to her and Esther next to her. Skylar gently pushed between Mother
and I then leaned heavily against my side so I slid my arm around
his shoulders. Jocelyn moved in at Frey’s other side and at her
side, his gait slow, his hand that was not curled in Jocelyn’s
curled around a cane, was Thad. Frey’s men and Alyssa’s family and
friends moved to their places and stopped.

When they did,
Frey did not hesitate to touch the twirly tip of the long,
glittering branch he held to the earth. At its end, a miniature elf
sprung from the turf, she touched the branch and instantly grew to
my height. Without delay she gave Frey his salute then her glowing
ice blue eyes touched on me then slid over the crowd.

Then she
walked to the pyre and around it, standing on the dragons’ side. We
watched as she looked down at Alyssa, her head tilted, her mouth
went soft then she lifted her hands in prayer position to her lips
for only a moment before she opened them so her pinkies were
pressed together and then she dropped both slightly forward.

And when she
dropped them, a flash of ice blue covered Alyssa’s body and at once
a shock of bright, white sparks rose clear to the sky and Alyssa’s
body disappeared.

Frey raised
his fist and lowered it, the dragons straightened their long necks,
aiming their mouths to the heavens and there they sent a stream of
fire.

I turned and
pressed my face in my husband’s chest as my fingers curled into his
wool.

His arms moved
around me and went tight.

* * * * *

Two days
later…

In the State
Dining Room, Rimée Keep, Snowdon.

“Are you
mad?
” Eirik Drakkar spat at his son from his seat mid-table
flanked by his two other sons, the ones who were not married to
me.

Before Frey
could reply, Olwen Lazarus did. “I see the wisdom of this.”

Eirik’s
furious gaze shot to the man and he hissed, “You would, she’s your
bloody
sister
.”

“This
is
highly unusual,” Walter Sinclair muttered.

“It isn’t
unusual
,” Eirik snapped. “It’s absurd!”