Swear Not By The Wings
11 The Catch

"Very well," the king agrees and with the snap of his fingers, the pendant disappears from my neck.

"Sh. Don't wake her up," a voice says.

"Arrietty," another voice sings. The sound of a camera going off sends my eyes open. I stare at the faces of Linden, Poppy, and Jane.

"Stupid Poppy! You woke her up!" Jane laughs. What is going on? I gawk at my friends and tackle them with hugs and kisses.

"Arrietty, are you okay?" Linden laughs.

"This is so unsanitary!" Poppy gags.

"Did you have a bad dream or something?" Jane inquires. I pull away and stare at them once more. I'm home. I'm really home! I study my surroundings and assume that we are having a sleepover. Who made these plans? The smell of popcorn replaces my senses and I lean back into my sleeping bag in solace.

It's over.

The sound of keys jingling around the doorknob makes me snap my head up.

"Oh, Arrietty, I think your mom is back from grocery shopping," Linden informs. The door swings open.

"Mom?"

"Arrietty?"

"Arrietty!" Yes?

"Arrietty!" Why is she yelling?

"Arrietty! Wake up!"

I open my eyes and sit up to see Theoden looking frantic. It was a dream? I hold my pounding head.

"Thank goodness you're awake!" Theoden relieves.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Your friend is here," the boy confirms. I hear the sound of glass shattering. Uh oh. I stumble out of my blankets and run down the stairs. My feet decide to tangle with one another and soon I'm rolling over the steps.

"Ouch," I say once I reach the bottom. I look up and see Adriel. I smile at him. My jaw drops open when I catch sight of an angry Elio standing behind the king.

"Arrietty, are you hurt?" Adriel approaches me, worried.

"Don't touch her," Elio snaps. Adriel gives him an annoyed look and helps me up anyway. Elio is quick to pull me into his embrace.

"Why'd you run off without me?" He asks with a hurt expression. Behold, the walking light switch! I've never met someone quite like Elio before. His ability to change characters amazes me, truly. One minute he's a roaring lion and the next, he's as soft as a kitten!

Before I can admit, Adriel answers for me,

"She got lost." Elio stares, once again, at the king with hatred. The winter fairy then looks at me with his gray eyes.

"Where's your necklace?" Elio growls while focusing on my empty neck.

"Adriel broke the curse," I say happily to the fairy.

"Oh, did he?" The winter fae raises his eyebrows and glimpses at Adriel who has a guilty look on his face.

"You broke the curse?" Elio questions the royalty with a straight face.

"Arrietty, if the king really broke the curse, you would be with your mother right now," he speaks gently to me.

Well, if I didn't feel stupid before, I definitely feel it now!

"Adriel, did you lie to me?" I question the boy with watery eyes. Sadness and confusion fill my heart. If he didn't break the curse then what happened to the necklace?

"Arietty, the curse is broken, " he promises.

"Then why am I still here?" I exclaim.

"You said you didn't want to hear the catch," Adriel closes his eyes when he says this.

Oh.

Elio turns to me like I have grown two heads. Maybe it was foolish of me to accept an offer without hearing the consequences. I mentally facepalm myself. This is all my fault!

"You've accepted an offer without knowing what the catch is?" Elio interrogates me in shock and horror.

"Oh, little human," he shakes his head in disbelief.

"What's the catch?" Elio grits to Adriel who's running a hand threw his thick black hair.

"Arrietty may return to her mother, if and only if she wins the annual fae tournament,"

"What's the fae tournament?" I ask. Elio ignores my question and states to the king,

"The fae tournament? She's just a human,"

"She is, but it is not impossible for her. I cannot counter a curse with something that is absurd," Adriel confirms.

Can I really win a fae tournament? Not that I know what a fae tournament is. I mean, I don't have wings nor do I have magical powers. Has a human ever competed in such games? What if I lose?

"What happens if I don't win?" I dare to speak.

"You will come to live with me," Adriel reveals.

"You're crazy," Elio lets out with a straight face.

"And she's not coming to live with you because Arrietty will win the tournament," the winter fae declares confidently.

I wait for him to say that he is just joking around.

Oh, he's being serious!

Adriel smirks at the fairy and says,

"We shall see, old friend." Old friend? I imagine a crazy history between the two. Clearly, they loathe one another. I feel my head spin when I realize that Adriel wants me to live him. He wants me to be his queen? Okay, maybe this is partially my mistake. But I thought he wanted to help me see my mom! Instead, he took advantage of my vulnerability.

"When is the tournament?" I hold my breath while waiting for an answer.

"Two weeks," the king says flatly. I close my eyes in defeat. I'm never going to see my mother again! Before my panic attack, Elio leads me out by the shoulders.

"Thank you for your hospitality," he asserts sarcastically to the king.

"But I think it's time for Arrietty and me to leave. We do not have much time to prepare," the winter fae spits before dragging me out of the castle.

What have I gotten myself into? The kingdom doors slam loudly behind us. Elio and I walk in silence.

My feet drag against the pavement as the winter fae slashes through ghoul fairies who try to ambush us.

The tension is strong and I can't help but notice Elio's distressing form. He has bags under his eyes, indicating that he hasn't slept. Am I the reason for his tiredness? My heart aches and I reach for him.

"Elio," I say. The fairy doesn't turn around. I sigh and proceed to follow him.

"I'm sorry I went there! I didn't know where else to go."

Silence.

"I didn't want to get eaten by a monster!"

Silence.

"Elio, I don't want to live with him," my voice breaks. Here come the waterworks! The fairy stops and turns to look at me.

"Arrietty-"

"I don't want to be his queen!"

"Arrietty, calm down- "

"He's handsome! But I don't want him!" I shout in difficulty. Elio rolls his eyes at this.

"Girl-"

"If I stay here, I want to be with you," I confess. Elio's eyes soften. My heartbreaking cries are met with a yearning hug from the cold fae.

I sink into him while the male kisses my hair. Elio then pulls away but keeps me close. I stare into his captivating eyes. He looks at me with so much endearment. What is happening here?

"Arrietty, don't cry. We will figure something out," he strokes my cheek. I shake my head and wail more.

"I don't know! I don't have magic," I whine to the boy. I flail my arms around in circular motions. Elio snickers at me and turns the situation around completely.

"Well, let me donate you some," he says. Elio plants an affectionate kiss on my cheek. The fae drags away and I realize that I am no longer crying. My tears must've stopped due to the surprise. I hope my cheek doesn't have frostbite.

"Arrietty, the odds are against you. However, you are the great-granddaughter of the strongest fairy I ever knew, " he says in so much seriousness. We stare at each other for a couple of moments. The air around us feels intense and my desire for the winter fairy grows. Elio is soon moving closer to me. My eyes flutter shut as I wait for the fae to steal my first kiss.

And out of nowhere, I hack up a nastiest cough in existence. Oh no! I've completely destroyed the mood!

"Woah, are you okay?" Elio raises a question, holding back a laugh.

"I'm good!" I shout.

I hate allergies!