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Hector looked up at her with concern and worry. “You don’t have to put yourself in this position, Aria,” he said. “Being always at risk shouldn’t… well, it shouldn’t be normal.”
“It keeps me alive, doesn’t it?”
He looks defeated but nods, finally pulling away from his work to invite her for breakfast. Aria smiled and jumped off the desk to follow him out, feeling grateful that there was at least someone who understood why she did what she did.
Being a Fairy Sentinel wasn’t easy, and her mother’s added pressure to become the next Fairy Guardian didn’t help her case either. Ever since losing her father when very young, she couldn’t bring herself to sit around aimlessly. His death is what threw her into becoming a Sentinel in the first place.
It wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a little exploration trip to the borders of the Enchanted Forest. Both disguised as commoners, they didn’t think any harm would come from trying to not draw attention to themselves. When they were ambushed by bandits out ofnowhere, they were too overpowered to fight back, and she lost the most important thing to her.
The guilt she carried ever since was impossible to soothe. She knew she was too young to do anything, and her father fulfilled his responsibility of protecting her. His death hardened her heart, and the group of bandits was punished to death, but it brought no relief to Aria.
No amount of death sentences was bringing her father back.
“Have you given thought to your mother’s request?” Hector asked. “Knowing you, it would do the Faes a lot of good.”
Guilt overtook her again. She knew becoming the Fairy Guardian would finally let her reintegrate the Faes back in with the Fairies, but she wasn’t sure how well everyone else would take such a decision.
“I’m…thinking it over,” she sighed. “Being out in the field is just what I’m used to right now.”
“I don’t know anyone else who cares about us as much as you do,” he reasoned with slight frustration. “Maybe I’m coming off as pushy, but I don’t like being ostracized by the people I come from, Aria. I hope you’ll do the right thing when the time comes.”
She could only sigh and nod as the heaviness in her chest grew. It was too much responsibility.
Maybe I’m not cut out for any of this, she wondered as the two of them entered the mess hall and found a table to sit down. As the other Faes she knew waved at her or patted her shoulder while passing by, she wondered just how long she would continue carrying her grief to avoid matters that were possibly more important than herself.
Chapter 2
Having collected some game on the outskirts of the Enchanted Forest, the Human knights were eastbound on their horses toward the Queendom of Nexis. As the trees thinned and the sunlight broke through, Sir Arthur Guisgard led his men into the murky forested wetlands.
Their horses slowly made their way through the shallow puddles and overgrown roots, but they whined as their hoofs sunk deeper into the marshes.
“You’d think they’d get used to this,” said one of the knights as he patted his horse’s neck comfortingly. “I can’t imagine how awkward it feels for them.”
“It’s only for a few moments,” Arthur reasoned tiredly. “You only accompany me once a season anyway.”
He looked down at the horse hooves wrapped in lotus leaves and twine. While they kept out the water and moisture, Arthur understood the mud was difficult against their natural gait. He didn’t have to be concerned for long asthe dense forest began to clear, allowing a magnificent view that never ceased to take Arthur’s breath away.
A series of terraced, travertine-laden pools cascaded at a gentle downward slope, creating an aquatic multi-hued staircase that disappeared into the scenery beyond. Scattered water lilies were in various stages of bloom, and Arthur watched the translucent-skinned Nymphs dip into the pools to collect them, daintily braiding them into each other’s long locks. It was hard for most to look away when some of them stepped out of the pools, their flowing white robes clinging to their dainty and toned bodies, their sheerness not leaving much to the imagination.
Nymphs were known for their captivating beauty after all, but Arthur was far too acquainted with them to be affected. There was only one Nymph that left him completely enraptured every single time: Princess Mierna. He turned left to look up the slope to the highest pool where she would usually be with her mother, the Queen. Not seeing her there, he was sure she was within the large opening of the cliff face where the water streamed from.
Arthur turned to his men, who had all gotten off their horses, and gestured to smack them aside their heads for staring at the Nymphs so hard. “This is why I rarely bring you boys along. Come now, we’ve got deliveries to make.”
With that, they pulled the sacks of goods off their steeds and trudged up the rocky slope alongside the pools.The elliptical opening glinted in the warm sunlight, crystal formations glinting across the walls inside. Nymph guards stood at the opening, their long hair held back by pins of seashell and braided into seaweed. They only wore loincloths for easier movement given that some Nymphs could melt into the water and return solid whenever they wished. Pairing such a power with their swords of stalactite tipped with poison, not many dared to cross such beings.
The Nymphs may be beautiful, but they were just as nimble and skilled.
“Where should we carry this to?” Arthur asked while pointing to the sacks.
“Leave it to us,” said one of the guards. “Princess Mierna has asked for you Sir Arthur. Please attend to her immediately.”
Thrilled, Arthur made his way into the dwelling, leaving the sound of splashing water behind him from the gentle stream of water and pebbles underfoot. He took his shoes off to let his feet soak in the coolness as he made his way inside.
The wide tunnel opened out to a pool within a large sunlit enclosure, walls of dark rock curving around and reaching high into the sky with waterfalls pouring out of the many crevices within them. More Nymphs milled about, going in and out of their cave-like dwellings as they climbed up and down the steps carved into the walls. Onedove right out of their high cave and into the large pool, splashing Arthur with water.
He didn’t mind and turned into the hallway carved into the rock, nodding to some of the Nymphs that lounged by the pillars on chaise made of oversized crystal and natural stone. A Nymph grabbed the edge of the hallway floor and pulled herself out of the pool to sit, reaching for a platter of fruit and cheese on a nearby table before slipping back in.
Arthur envied their luxury.
