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It was the king. And I’d just spoken very openly for a feeder, let alone one who was by herself in secret fae rooms.
I curtseyed, too scared to raise my eyes until a soft chuckle came from the king’s position across the carpeted area I’d waltzed right into.
“Come now, Cora. None of that is required. And neither is the panic in your voice,” he said.
Cautiously, I looked toward the king of the Unseelie and was met with a warm smile and more than a slight look of amusement across his features. He was wearing his golden-robed garments he was usually in, but the crown was not atop his head. The peppered hair that was usually hidden beneath his crown was a bit messy, and for a minute I could practically see him as a commoner, sweeping in and knocking the queen off her feet.
“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. Noah had given me permission to be in his library—"
“And you followed the doors right into my private hideaway, I see.” Again a soft laugh.
My stomach dropped and I twisted my hands in front of the linen dress I was wearing. Oh dear gosh, was the laughter a mask for how mad he really was?
“Cora,” he started. “Relax yourself. You’re not in trouble.”
Orders to relax did the exact opposite for me, and instead I tensely followed the king as he walked toward the table of maps I’d hijacked my reading material from.
“Especially since you picked up my favorite book to read in your explorations.”
I exhaled a forceful breath and bent down immediately to pick up from the floor the book I’d haphazardly dropped. “Your favorite?” I asked, surprised.
The king nodded as he eyed me curiously. “I’m surprised though. A library full of fictional worlds in Noah’s possession and you found the boring astrology room to escape to.”
I blinked a few times, processing the fact that I was having a casual conversation with the king and he didn’t seem at all upset I was disturbing his private area.
“On the contrary, Your Majesty. Astrology happens to be a love of mine. I didn’t get to study it back home as much as I would have liked, but I guess finding something I was passionate about here called to me. And I wanted to learn more about what the fae think of the stars.”
I swallowed, not knowing why the presence of the man before me seemed to calm and frighten at the same time. I didn’t know why I was babbling. I should just excuse myself and walk away to give him his space.
He ran his hand over the maps in front of us. “Do they look familiar to what you’ve studied?”
I paused before walking toward the table and putting the book down. He wasn’t dismissing me. And it would be nice to speak to someone about this. It would be the first time I ever did, actually.
“None of them look familiar, Your Majesty,” I said. “Well…” I flipped through the maps until I found the one I was looking for. “None of them except this one. We call this the North Star. It’s the brightest in the human sky.”
The king nodded, tapping his finger on it. “We call this one Luceque Radiante. It means guiding light.”
I grinned up at him. “So we treat it as a similar kind of star, then. The North Star can be used for tracking purposes in the human world.” I looked at some of the other constellations on the same map, not seeing anything else familiar. “I wonder why there aren’t any other stars I recognize.”
“It is curious. No one truly understands the relationship between Faerie and your world. If it’s some sort of parallel plane or a hidden area somehow. I’m not even sure the fae who discovered the portals between our lands know. One of the many great mysteries.”
I watched the king as he spoke. He sold himself as the lucky commoner to me before, but he was much more than that. Intelligent and curious. Qualities I admired in people. “What is your thought on it, Your Majesty?”
He inclined his head toward me and gave me a small smile before walking toward the windows and looking out into the bright daylight. “My hypothesis matches some others. Certain beings can see certain things. Though that’s hardly been tested. Our brightest constellations, though, are those that have names that correlate with earth and fire, elements that our magic used to be drawn from before the energy crisis. Similarly, the Seelie charts seem to have their brightest stars with names that correlate with air and water, their elements. While all constellations can be seen in both parts of our world, it doesn’t change the fact that some can be seen better there and some here. Either certain beings see certain things, or perhaps it all depends on where you’re standing.”
“Your perspective changes what you can see,” I said, suddenly questioning everything. Were the stars in both places always there? Were the stars here in Faerie also in my world? Had I been looking at the same sky as those in this world my whole life, an escape I never knew possible?
If only I’d had that to draw strength from in my time in the human world. I frowned, processing that I was seemingly already content with treating the human world as though it was gone. A part of my past. And instead of sadness, I was hopeful. Hopeful to leave that life behind me, even if I was a mere slave here. Though I’d had these feelings before.
The king's eyes were on me and upon feeling them I took a step back. “I’m sorry to take up your time. You came here for quiet, I’m sure. I should be getting back to my room anyway.”
“I would be happy to discuss the stars anytime. Or any other differences between our worlds. I can’t say that anyone else enjoys the topic, and it would be quite nice to have the chance to speak with someone who does.” He picked up the book I’d been reading off the table and handed it to me. “Please take it and return it when you’d like. In the meantime, what do you say to tea tomorrow afternoon, Cora?”
* * *
“Dragon’s breath!”
Noah’s gleeful shout echoed around my room as he slapped the pile of cards between us.
