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“I take it you didn’t see anything scandalous?” I asked. She chuckled. “No. But the king and queen did offer me some of their famous berry wine while I waited.”
I laughed, already feeling the envy. “I’m jealous. I’ve heard their berry wine is second to none.”
Fawn fluttered down to the ground and sat in the clover, her body visibly more relaxed than when she left.
“I may have had too many glasses of it,” she admitted sheepishly.
With anticipation, I untied the ribbon and unrolled the scroll, curious to see what Aelfric and Rhoswen had responded with.
Dearest Lia,
What a grand surprise! We are more than happy to host you and your protectors for a visit. It’ll give us a chance to throw a ball in your honor.
We look forward to seeing you soon, and I can’t wait to hear more about the Blossom Court.
With love,
Rhoswen
Holding the scroll to my chest, I breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was set.
Chapter10
Lia
It was only going to be a half-day journey from the Blossom Court to the elvish kingdom if we took the snow-laden Winter Court route, so that was exactly what we did. Our fae horses moved three times faster than a mortal horse, which meant what could have been a full day’s ride for someone else only took us a few hours.
As we emerged from the Winter Court, the elvish kingdom appeared in sight. The rolling green hills, such a stark contrast to the winter white, put me at ease. Bayleon and Bastian sat on either side of me on their horses, their presence a welcome comfort.
“What exactly is the plan? Are you just going to come right out and ask about the curse at dinnertime?” Bastian wondered, looking at Aelfric and Rhoswen’s opulent castle up ahead, surrounded by giant trees, mountains, and waterfalls.
Elves were legendary for their beauty, and Bayleon and Bastian both had some similarities to them. So there had to be elf blood in their lineage somewhere. Neither one of them have confirmed that with me, though.
I snickered at Bastian’s suggestion. “As much as I’d like to do that, I think I need to be a little more tactful.”
Bayleon then spoke up; his voice was serious, but he wore a small smile when our eyes met. “If they know about the curse but aren’t willing to talk about it, we’ll have to find another way. That’s where Aidan comes in, right?” he added.
I closed my eyes as I exhaled, feeling the weight of the situation pressing in on me. “Yes. He’ll be able to tell me if they’re lying.”
Bastian gave me a stern look. “And if they are? How do you plan on getting the truth?”
I had faith Aelfric and Rhoswen wouldn’t willingly lie to me, but I knew this journey was far from simple.
“I don’t think we’ll have any issues. My fear is they won’t know anything at all. We could easily be spending days scouring through old ledgers in their libraries.”
“Such an easy task, my queen,” Bayleon murmured, but his voice was heavy with sarcasm.
Bastian chuckled and it made me smile. “Nice, brother. I’m glad to see you’ve found some humor.”
Bayleon had always been the serious one of the brothers, but it seemed as if I’d broken through that barrier a bit. It made me wonder how things would change if we broke the curse. One of the things I looked forward to was not having to see them wear their masks twenty-four-seven. They would be free.
A spark of determination ignited within me as I looked between them. Nothing was going to stop us now.
“Let’s go,” I called out.
We rode our horses across the soft green fields until, eventually, the grandiose gates of the palace opened. Once inside the tall stone walls, it was like entering another world. The elvish kingdom differed from the fae courts, but it had some similarities to the Spring Court with all its lush vegetation and blooms. Everywhere you looked, there were enormous trees that almost seemed to twinkle in the sunlight and rivers that shimmered like they had an inner light. The elves didn’t have magic to manipulate the elements, yet their land seemed enchanted.
Prince Ashe pranced as we arrived at Aelfric and Rhoswen’s castle, and a group of their servants hurried down the steps to us. I slipped off the horse and one of the servants grabbed the bag fastened behind my saddle. Two others headed toward Bayleon and Bastian’s horses, doing the same.
