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“Why didn’t you wake one of us?” Emrick grumbled. I gave him the side eye and didn't dignify it with an answer before continuing.
“Of course I found a restroom before finding Allwyn. So when I was done, I went down the hall to see what he was up to. When I looked inside, Allwyn was creepily staring into a mirror. The mirror swirled a bit and then I saw a woman’s face. She was familiar but I couldn’t figure it out. Then they had a bash Bella party, calling me an outsider and a fool, saying I was too weak to rule. Then they talked about him tricking me into making him my King, so they could kill me and take over the throne.” Despite my efforts, a sob chokes out as I explain their murder plot.
“It’s alright. You’ve proved that you’re no fool. Faerie chose you, who is he to think he knows more than the realm itself," Bowen whispers, reaching out and rubbing my leg. I give him a watery smile. I’m happy they believe in me, now I just need to learn to believe in myself.
“Maybe I am a fool,” I shrug. “Hell, I genuinely trusted him. He helped me bring everyone here. He flirted with me and even kissed me. We made plans and had ideas for the future. I just don’t get it.”
“You aren’t a fool, he was just good at his job. I’m honestly shocked that anyone would want to take over Faerie… other than you. You were born for this, called here by magic. The fact they needed you to do all of the hard work first, shows how weak they are," Maddox reassures me.
He has a valid point. If they were fit, they wouldn’t need me at all.
“Do you think the others are like him?” I’m almost afraid to hear the answer, but I need to know.
“It’s always possible, but most fae don’t care about the humans. The way he kept saying ‘human-lover’, makes me think they just want revenge on the humans," Gerwyn looks thoughtful as he explains his theory.
“Good point, Wyn. He said that he watched the humans kill a friend. Maybe that turned him?” There really is no way to know exactly what motivated them to plot this, but I wouldn’t just sit here and be an easy target for them.
“We’ll protect you, Arabella," Maddox vows, causing the others to all nod in agreement.
“Thank you for protecting me. Will you guys stick by me and be my guard for a bit longer?” They have proven themselves trustworthy, and even if I had any doubts, my magic definitely did not. To be a good queen, I can’t distrust every fae I meet. I need to work past this betrayal, but also study people a little bit more.
“Always, my Queen," Emrick states. Holding his fist over his chest, he bowed his head. The other three follow suit and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude at their dedication.
“Thank you, guys," I whisper, wiping away the rest of my tears. Their promise to stick by me has more of my tension falling away and I can finally shake off the gloom hanging over us.
“Get some sleep, my Queen," Emrick responds, pulling the covers over me.
“Call me Bella, that’s an order from your queen,” my voice is a sleepy mumble as I snuggle down into the bed. The others all settle in around me, leaving me feeling protected and relaxed.
“Goodnight, Bella," Gerwyn says sweetly, causing a chorus of goodnights from the others.
“Goodnight, my knights," my whispered words are the last thing I remember, as I drift off into blissful sleep.
Chapter 15
“Wake up, Bella,” Bowen’s sweet voice pulls me out of my dreamless sleep. When I finally groan and blink open my eyes, he gives me a mischievous grin before kissing my nose and leaning away. “Time for that bath. We need to head back to the others.”
As I sit up and look around for the others, I notice everyone is already bathed and waiting on me. I guess I slept in. Whoops.
“Wait, what happened to the crown?” Maddox asks, confused. Everyone shifts their gaze to my head, all of us remembering at once. Even my own hands drift to my hair and I gasp in shock, realizing I somehow forgot it downstairs and even worse, forgot to tell them about my encounter with the Spirits of Faerie.
“It must be in the room with Allwyn," I answer with a frown. “I can’t believe I forgot to explain all of that!”
“We all forgot. You were so shaken after your odd levitation practice that we all were more worried about getting you warm. Then you fell asleep. There really wasn’t time yet," Maddox reassures me, gently. He sometimes is so sweet to me, but outwardly he’s a fairly strict guard and leader. It’s nice to see both sides of their personalities. And unlike Allwyn’s hot and cold personality switches, they never seemed to be holding back from me or inconsistent. Even when Maddox was strict, he showed respect.
“Will you tell us now?” Gerwyn urged. I took a deep breath and nodded, trying to recall all the details from the insane encounter.
“Once I was up in the air, my vision blurred and I was transported to this clearing. This glowing entity explained that they were the spirit of the realm. They said that I would have to find the stones of Faerie. The stones are the source of power in each court, and having them back in place would bring balance back to the land that’s been corrupted. Once I have them cleansed they’re supposed to be embedded into the crown. And apparently that will tie me to Faerie, restore the land, and tie me to my four future kings.”
“And that will magically fix Faerie? Finding stones?” Maddox is understandably skeptical. I’d be the same way in their shoes, but I saw it for myself.
“That’s what the spirits said. Then we can focus on the rebuilding efforts when it’s done. They also mentioned that they won’t give the animals back until the l
and is restored. They said I’ll have to trust in my four kings, one from each of the courts.” My eyes scan their faces, waiting for the moment when this is all too much. Each expression is a mixture of shock, intrigue, and hope. Not exactly what I expected.
“Does that mean I’m going to be a king?” Bowen asks, with a suggestive wink. “I can handle that, and I’m a wonderful lover.” His voice drops low at his last statement and he gives me a look of pure heat that has my cheeks warming and me squirming.
“If you’re lucky,” I flirt back. My grin spreads easily across my face as relief washes through me. Once again Bowen’s humor breaks the intensity of the moment. Thank the spirits I found them.
