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She let me go and I took off down the path toward the imp village. Imps were tiny, about a foot tall, with sparkly wings. Their homes were inside the massive trees. I could go inside when I was a little girl, but now I wouldn’t fit in. I remembered the day Fawn moved into her own tree. I’d watched her father carve out the intricate door.
As I made my way toward Fawn’s tree, the usual chirps and calls of the forest gave way to hushed whispers. It was unusual for Fawn to venture beyond her village, but she never shied away from adventure.
When I arrived at her tree, I bent down and was about to knock when a voice from behind me rang out.
“Your Highness. It’s been a long time.”
I spun around to see her hovering off the ground, her pale green skin glowing in the sunlight. Her hair was the same color as her skin, but her wings were a richer green with silver sparkles that glittered as she flew up to me and smiled.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
I pulled two letters out of my pocket. “I wanted to see if you’d deliver these for me. It’s very important. I’ll give you whatever you want if it’s something I can provide.”
I knew her kind well enough to know that my wording was imperative here; fae were known to take advantage of any loophole in a promise. Fawn hovered in the air until she was level with my eyes, her wings fluttering gently in the breeze.
With a playful smile, she tapped her chin with her tiny finger and raised an eyebrow. “It’s a shame I don’t need anything at the moment. How about you promise to owe me something later?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Deal.”
She pointed to the two letters in my hand, then looked at my face. “Do those need to go to two separate places?”
I knew what she was getting at. Fawn was smart.
“Yes,” I replied, watching her emerald eyes twinkle with mischief.
“That makes two return favors then.” She snickered triumphantly.
I gave a short nod of agreement. “Fine. When you figure out what you want, I’ll be here.”
She held out her hand and I placed the letter addressed to Aidan on her palm. “This one will go to my cousin Aidan at the Court of Fire and Water. I need you to come back with his reply.”
Fawn nodded and bowed her head as if in respect. “I will return.”
In a blink of an eye, she disappeared. However, it didn’t take long for her to appear again. I could see a slight crimson hue under her green skin when she did. She exhaled heavily, looking at me with annoyance.
“What happened?” I inquired.
Fawn huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “I’m starting to think I’m going to need to ask for a third return favor after going through that,” she exclaimed.
“That depends on what happened,” I said, gesturing for her to go on.
She started flying back and forth like a person pacing the floor. “Well,” she began, “I went to look for King Aidan, and my magic took me straight to him. I figured he’d be in his throne room or training with his warriors.” Her face was even redder now.
“But I’m guessing he wasn’t there,” I asked, feeling I knew what she’d seen.
Fawn wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “No, he was in his bedroom with a woman who kept shrieking his name. And I don’t mean the way a wife would greet her husband.”
I grimaced in embarrassment. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
Fawn huffed in frustration. “Me too. But anyway, I gave him your letter, and he said to meet him midday tomorrow in the elvish kingdom and look to the sky.”
I raised an eyebrow, unsurprised he would fly in as his dragon. Fawn held out her hand for the last letter. “Let’s hope this one isn’t cringe-worthy, too.”
I laughed softly. “I sure hope not. This one is to King Aelfric and Queen Rhoswen.”
Fawn let out a long breath before giving me a quick nod and vanishing when she touched the note. About ten minutes went by and I started to get concerned with the length of time it took for her to return. I didn’t specify why I needed to visit the elvish kingdom in the letter. All I wrote was that I wanted to visit. There was something inside of me telling me not to disclose the truth. If I had, I wasn’t too confident that they would approve or even allow me to come. I adored Aelfric and Rhoswen and cared for them like my own parents, but I had to be careful and concise. Maybe that was why Elvena told me I needed Aidan. Not only was he a dragon shifter, but he was also a truth seeker. That was what I needed . . . the truth.
A few more minutes passed before Fawn came flying back with a rolled-up scroll tied with a fancy red ribbon.
