Thorned Shadow [+18]
Chapter 6

The gown was perfect for her body. It did not pool around her feet like Zemira’s gowns had, but fell just to her ankles. There were no pants to wear under her gown. The long sleeves had made her happy, as did the long trail of cloak behind her, attached to her shoulders. Extra fabric, thicker than the material of the dress, was under the fabric of her shoulders, giving them a wider, more sophisticated look.

She had got dressed herself and then Aideen had knocked on the door of the twins’ rooms, walking inside with a bag full of cosmetics. She had darkened Cerelia’s water line with something black, while the twins watched them. Her body was stiff while Aiden had brushed her lips with a dark red colour she claimed.

Cerelia had not looked at herself in the mirror, even when she had bent down and pushed her feet into a pair of boots, even when she had knelt down on the ground in front of the two twin girls who had pushed the tiara into her hair after Aideen had cut it for her.

Her hair curled near her waist, still long but she would be able to sit comfortably without sitting on her own hair. The girls had giggled and had done a curtsy at her while she had stood up.

“Your majesty.” Agatha bowed, her eyes lined with tears as she stared at Cerelia.

Aideen had given her a dagger, which sat comfortably at her waist before they had walked out into the sun, the two twins happily holding the long trail of cloak behind her. She had told them it was okay but they wished to hold it and Aideen had told her it was okay.

“You look like a queen.” Agatha said, raising her head slowly. “Like your mother.” Cerelia’s face did not change at the thought of her mother because she did not know the woman who had birthed her.

Agatha wiped her eyes, before standing tall, like Cerelia did, afraid of the tiara falling down her head. “Come, I shall introduce you to Emrys.” They walked the path out of Aideen’s cottage, and up the hill she had rolled down.

Cerelia held back a gasp of surprise rising in her throat as she looked ahead of her. A beautiful castle stood in the middle of a town, surrounded by houses, far far away. “That is the Fae Kingdom.” Agatha told her. It was definitely smaller than the land she stood on, but much cleaner, and looked like a kingdom whereas the Witches’ land looked nothing like that.

“Emrys.” Agatah called out to him and Cerelia pulled her gaze away from the Kingdom and towards the tall elderly male with pointed ears. He walked towards her, balancing himself up on a cane, but his back was straight. Two other males, who smiled at the twins behind her, making silly faces, but instantly standing straight as Aideen hissed at them, turned to look at Cerelia as well.

She did not meet their gaze. With her hands placed in front of her, her fingers curling over own hand, a delicate way of showing you mean no harm, Aideen had taught her in the few minutes they had, Cerelia waited for Emrys to walk towards her.

Her instinct was to walk to him, to not see him struggling to walk away from the four horses, all the shade of black, waiting near the two males. She wondered if she had looked like that to Delphine and Willa when she had walked out of the cage for the first time.

“Your majesty.” Emrys bowed as he stood in front of her. She glanced at Aideen who stood beside her but she did nothing. “May I rise?”

“Of course.” She said quickly, realising he was waiting for her permission. That was so strange.

He lifted his gaze, brown eyes brightening as he smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, finally. My king is waiting for you. We shouldn’t delay this any longer.” He motioned behind himself to the horses. “We have brought a horse for you.”

She didn’t know how to sit on a horse.

“Emrys, will she be safe there?” Agatha questioned, a hint of worry in her voice.

“Of course, Agatha.” Emrys said immediately. “The king has vowed to bring no harm to her, for however long she stays, because that will be her home after marriage.” Emrys said with a warm smile on his face directed at Cerelia. “We must return before nightfall.”

Agatha immediately turned to Cerelia, bowing as low as she could. “Our lives rest in your hands, your majesty.” She said softly before turning her back and instantly walking away, leaving her alone with a strange male with a warm smile and Aideen.

The twins had disappeared. “Send a word if you need me. Ever.” Aideen told her.

Cerelia nodded her head, turning to face the witch slowly. “Thank you, for everything you’ve done.”

Aideen nodded, before walking down the hill, disappearing into her cottage. “Shall we go, your majesty?”

“Could you please call me Cerelia?” She faced the male called Emrys.

He smiled at her gently. “Do you replace it strange?” She nodded her head slowly. “The king does as well.” He chuckled slightly. “Orson.” He waved his hand and one of the Fae males, with dark hair, held the reins of one black horse and pulled it towards her.

“I have never been on a horse.” She told Emrys truthfully. Aideen had told her not to speak of any weakness, but Cerelia had a lot of weakness, too many to count. She needed to communicate and that was a weakness itself, along with walking.

“That is fine. I can help.”

Orson held the horse to her. “He’s a little crazy.” Orson chuckled before walking back towards the male, and slapping his outstretched hand. Emrys sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You can take my horse. He is very calm.” Emrys offered.

The black horse huffed, slamming his hooves onto the ground. He moved his big head towards her, pushing his nose onto her body. She stumbled backwards, the two males laughing as they easily climbed onto their horses. “Come on, Emrys.” Orson called out. “I’m sure she can climb a horse. We’re going to be late.”

Emrys didn’t move from his spot as the horse in front of her bent its knees, laying on the ground like a camel would. She smiled slightly, pressing her hand against the horse’s forehead. “What is his name?”

Emrys smiled as his own horse trotted toward him. “Marik.” He answered, climbing onto his own horse.

Cerelia moved towards the horse’s body, realising her gown was un practical for a horse ride, but she climbed onto the horse, her legs on the left side of the horse. “Please don’t let me fall.” Her dress would rip and she knew the fae males would look at her.

The horse of course did not speak but she held onto the reins tightly, her body nearly sliding off as the horse moved backwards and then forward, standing tall. He trotted towards Emrys’ horse, leaving a big gap to the two fae males.

“Well this is surprising.” Emrys spoke as they rodding the horses. Her legs were stiff, her cape under her bottom that she barely moved, in fear of sliding right off. “Marik is usually running so fast, Orson can’t even keep up with him.”

Orson scoffed. “Marik was a test to see how she would do with animals.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. The other male remained silent. “The real test will be in the castle.”

“Orson.” Emrys warned. “He told you to mind your tongue with the queen. I will tell him how you speak if you say another word.”

Orson huffed, riding the horse faster towards the silent fae. “Ignore him,” Emrys said. “Our people are replaceing it hard to adjust to life without war.”

“It is fine.” She smiled slightly at Emrys. “Honestly, I think of them as just words spoken into the air.”

Emrys gave her a warm smile. “I like the way you think.”

He reminded her of Lovis a little with the warm smile and the sense of comfort she felt as he kept his distance. Together in silence, they rode the horses and her back hurt as did her legs as they went over hills and stopped beside a river to allow the horses to drink.

Marik had knelt down again on the ground to allow her to climb off but she didn’t want to. She knew her legs would give up on her before she even made it to the castle, so he had drank his water before walking again, following Emrys’s horse.

They had not stopped after that until Orson and the silent Fae had jumped off the horses. She had gaped as they ran, barely a flash of light before they shifted into black hawks, flapping their wings and soaring through the sky.

“The Fae can shift?” She had blurted out.

Emrys had simply laughed but their horses had quickened their pace the moment she had entered the Fae Kingdom.

Cerelia knew it was a mistake the moment she glanced around at the males and females who were glaring at her. She tried to slow her beating heart by inhaling and exhaling but her body refused to let the fear dissolve. It grew with every step Marik took through the city.

People followed them, a part of her was thankful nobody reached up to grab her and yank her down from the horse. Emrys waved at a few people, as children waved at Cerelia. With a small smile on her face, she lifted her hand and waved back.

Instantly their mothers pulled them away. She lowered her hand immediately.

The castle stood in the heart of the kingdom, standing tall and proud. The bricks were evenly placed, centuries old of hard work, she could see as they got closer and closer to it. Her head tilted back a little, as she looked at the tall towers, one in each corner of the castle and a part of her wondered if the tower on the witches’ land had been built with something as powerful as the castle in front of her.

The black gates surrounding the castle opened widely, inviting her in. She tried not to curl her body away from the thousands of stares of guards. Emrys moved his horse in front of her as the doors closed behind her.

She glanced behind her shoulder, staring at the people who lined up next to the black gates, some of them climbing the wall surrounding the castle. It was a mistake, to even think she was remotely safe here but she remembered the twins, Sasha and Asha, who had thanked her softly for saving their magic when they had crowned her.

Emrys pulled his horse to a stop besides the twenty long and wide stairs Cerelia counted and he climbed off his horse with the help of a young female who came rushing to his side. As his feet touched the ground, she held out his cane to him which he gladly took before the female pulled the horse away.

“Your majesty.”

Cerelia flinched at the sound of a male who stood besides the horse she sat on. He bowed a little before looking up at her. “Would you like me to help you?”

He was waiting for her to take the horse away. She shook her head, moving her hand up Marik’s body. “Can you please get down?” She said softly.

The horse listened, leaving the poor fae male facing her as the horse knelt on the ground again. On wobbling legs, Cerelia stood up, her back pressed against the horse as the male moved slightly closer.

“Move back boy.” Emrys appeared beside her, keeping his distance. Instantly the fae male bowed, before moving. Emrys turned to her. “Come on along, child.” He said gently. “The king must be waiting in the throne room.”

The horse was pulled away from her as she nodded at Emrys. She followed him towards the stairs, glancing over her shoulder again, at the people who still stared, watching her body like the hawks that were perched on the wall. Her black long cloak floated on the ground, as if magic itself was coursing through the stairs.

Two females wearing something similar to the suit Zemira had given her, opened the double doors, keeping their eyes fixated on her, and another hand on the hilt of the swords on their hips. She stepped into the castle after Emrys.

“I don’t think the castle has sparkled like this ever.” Emrys chuckled at her as he guided her through an extremely wide marbled Hall.

The castle was truly beautiful. Long, wide windows were scattered here and there, providing the light from the sun that shined through them. There were no glass chandeliers hanging in the hall, as if natural light was all the Fae wanted in the halls. She walked through another set of double doors, revealing another hall, with chairs pushed against the wall, a few books scattered here and there on a few tables.

Cerelia counted five female maids and seven male servants, who all bowed to her before hurrying away with cleaning supplies. Emrys stopped beside the doors to his left, where two male guards stood. They looked at Emrys and then to Cerelia herself.

Emrys turned to look at her. “Why don’t you go inside and I shall speak to the males who obviously want to ask me a question.” He said, the warm smile on his face again.

Maybe it was a lie but she believed him because the males did look concerned, even cautious as they opened a door for her. Both the doors were not opened and neither did they say anything as she walked inside.

Instantly the door was closed behind her.

“I didn’t think you would come to me.”

The scent of pine and snow circled around her as she breathed it in. It calmed her body as she exhaled, the fear from her body instantly disappearing.

“I couldn’t stay away.”

Cerelia froze, as she turned away from the door and faced the male and female, kissing each other. The male was tall, but so was the female that she knew. The red hair was braided around her head, and down her shoulder, and she wore a suit identical to the one Cerelia had worn. The male with strong arms, lifted the female- Katara.

Katara was standing there with the male and she wrapped her legs around his body, both of them walking out of another door.

Cerelia stood in the throne room alone, blinking as if she had imagined it all.