Through the Eyes of a Fae
Chapter 18

Life passed quickly in the castle, and before Kora knew it, summer was over. The leaves had started to change, and preparations for winter were in full swing. She had been busy and developed quite the routine. Her relationship with her new friends had grown quite close, and she felt happier than she had been in a long time. She had hardly seen Ben as he was helping to prepare for winter, and at first, she was glad of the space. But she began to miss him much sooner than she anticipated. Stella too was replaceing herself missing Royce, but she would rather drown than admit it. They kept each other company, traveling to several villages close by. Stella’s main goal was shoring the riversides that had taken some damage during a siege. Kora was impressed by Stella’s careful use of magic. Since using magic could drain the stores Stella had inside her body-moving large stones to enforce the bridges took a lot of energy and concentration. She enjoyed helping Stella, as the earth responded to her much more easily, and they traded tips and academic knowledge during their excursions. Kora was working hard as ever on the growth of the farmland, trying to push enough food out of the capital for the villages far to the south and east before the snow blocked the roads for winter. Royce and Ben had their own problems too. Nobles were beginning to pour in from all corners of the realm for the first winter court in ages. Arranging proper security and bolstering defense, while trying to explain to another nobility that they were not the center of their universe and could not drop everything to settle their menial concerns, was tiring. The group, along with their king, had a rare chance to eat supper together, and had forbidden anyone else entrance. It was a private affair and Kora had opted to host it herself in her quarters. Royce threw himself into a chair and huffed, grabbing for the pitcher of ale the maidservant had barely sat on the table, choosing to just drink straight from it then wait for a glass.

" Forget this, Malik start another war, so I have time to reach the border before the snow. If I have one more noble air brain to tell me that it’s my duty as a soldier to travel to his lands in the spring to settle a dispute with their neighboring lord, I will send him through your pretty glass ceiling.” He winked at Kora. She grimaced and said firmly,

“Please don’t take it out on my favorite ceiling. Just let me grow spurs in their breeches.” Royce spat some ale and laughed, genuinely amused by this idea. As they began to conspire, Malik joined them. He looked more worn than the rest - preparing for the first social season as king had taken its toll.

" I agree, let’s go to war, if another noble woman tries to pretend to faint or something in front of me again, I’m going to hurl.” Malik’s temper over the fawning of all the women had quickly spread. Stella and Royce both had died of laughter when some poor nobility had pretended to faint in front of the king, and he had just let her hit the floor. Kora herself had choked on her juice when she heard. Ludis’s face remained passive, and Malik awkwardly changed the subject.

“Can we not talk about work, please? My head is still throbbing from Stefan’s endless rambling.” Stefan was the castle’s steward, and he had not left Malik’s side, dropping a trail of parchment from the pile he carried with him. It made for an easy trail to track the king as he had attempted to hide from the nobility. Ben sat down as well, next to Kora, and smiled at her.

" I see the food storage is well-prepared. Some of my lands even received the supplies you sent; you have my thanks.” Kora blushed and waved off his thanks. The meal proceeded and soon everyone was full and lazing, too tired to even get up. Royce had brought cards, but from the two empty pitchers in front of him, it was obvious he had no intention to play. Kora wanted to talk to Ben, it had been almost two weeks since she had seen him. Moving to the couches nearby, she snagged the cards from Royce’s grip. He grinned and waved her off. She then turned and motioned to Ben with the cards.

“Care for a game?” Ben stood and followed her over to the couch, he reached for the cards, and her fingers burned where he touched her. She knew he felt it because he hesitated before taking the cards to shuffle. The others began to wave their goodbyes, Ludis claiming an early meeting with the Mages Guild and Malik to hide from Stephan. Stella was making a poor attempt to lift Royce from his chair, while Royce giggled like a little girl. Stumbling out, they could hear Royce begin to sing a song that would make a pirate blush, and they laughed at Stella’s exaggerated moans of distress at his voice. The maidservant, Agnes, cleaned up the table and was just setting down another cold pitcher of water and fruit juice close by as Ben dealt with the cards. She curtsied low, and then left. They were all alone. Ben set the remainder of the deck down and looked Kora over.

" You seem to be enjoying your work, that makes me happy for you.”

“I am, it feels good to do something I love. Even before, I always loved the earth and growing things. There’s a peace in them people seem to lack.” Kora looked at her cards and frowned. Placing two down and drawing, she waited for Ben’s move.

" I hear you have family coming to the castle for winter, are you excited to see them?” Ben winced and Kora’s curiosity peaked.

“It’s just my aunt Beatrice. She is miserable. I honestly begged to be sent home after I heard she had started to make the journey. I was hoping to avoid her altogether.” Ben looked pained, as if being trapped in the castle with the old woman was a nightmare. Knowing how some family could be, she smiled sympathetically.

“Come now, it can’t be that bad. What is she going to do? You are a successful lord, and by far one of the wealthiest. You are the king’s best friend and a hero of the war. Anyone should be proud.” Kora realized she was rambling, but she was curious to see why Ben was so reluctant to meet his only family member. She was secretly glad that he did not leave, she had looked forward to being contained to the castle with him for the winter, as much as she knew she should not.

“My aunt is desperate to replace me a wife. Preferably to a noble family, she has wriggled into her greedy pockets.” Ben’s voice was flat. Kora froze, and the daunting aspect of what to come this social season dawned on her. The land had frozen its traditions for years; indeed, Malik had been king for 6 years and had not held court once. With The king, and war heroes such as Royce, Cade and Ben holding residence - the noble families are desperate to make their claim on a prominent position at court. Ugh, here she thought she had escaped the wreckage that was the political shark pool of court life. She was doing well now, as no one had a title or full name for her - she received the polite respect offered to any nobility by the servants, but the nobility ignored her. She was no one here. Ben’s aunt would certainly not be happy that Ben spent so much time with a nobody. What an odd flip of the table, Kora thought.

“Well, fortunately, as a man-no one can force your hand. You are financially secure, and in favor of the king. You do not have to marry someone not of your choosing. Or at all, though you will need an heir eventually.” Kora knew that this was also obvious. Ben leaned forward to grab a card from the deck and suddenly, he was remarkably close. She could feel his warm breath on her lips as she stared into his eyes.

" What gave you the idea that I do not want to get married?” Oh, his eyes, they swirled like a storm at sea. Kora was lost - completely forgetting what they were even talking about, her breath caught in her throat.

“You … want to marry?” reality crashed down, and she backed up, looking away. Of course, he would need an heir for his lands. It makes sense now that the war is over. He honestly should have married before he even left for the front lines. Kora looked at her cards, but her heart was no longer in the game.

" If I meet the right person, it’s not out of the question.” Ben’s gaze was hot, and the room felt close. Kora coughed slightly and reached for the cup of water Agnes had poured for her.

“Well, I suppose under those circumstances, anyone would be happy to marry. But it is not so simple for a noble. You must marry to better your stature. For the betterment of your house and your region.” Kora spoke with a fake sense of airiness, trying to hide the fact that imagining Ben married to someone else did not hurt.

" I do not want to marry to improve my station. I am the richest noble in Deidre, next to Stella and Malik. I don’t need it.” Ben sounded so calm, and he continued to watch her. She felt a small shiver run up her spine, and her heart squeezed.

" Then I would not let your aunt’s scheming bother you. You know what you want, so why not just worry about that instead? I will admit, winter would be dull without you.” Kora tried to speak lightly, but she could see Ben’s face growing more serious. He grabbed her hand as she reached for the deck, and he pulled her closer.

" Has it not occurred to you, that I may already be trying to do so?” Ben traced her lower lip with his finger, the tip trailing down her neck to her collar bone. Ben had never been so bold before. Kora wanted to pull back, but his eyes had her trapped. She felt the heat gathering between them, and his eyes became darker. He leaned forward, and gently placed his lips on hers. The shock of electricity that arched between them was supernatural. With Kora’s sharp intake of breath, the opening was made, and Ben’s tongue gained access. He groaned and pulled her into his lap. Straddling him, Kora lost all senses and kissed him with abandon-cupping his face in her palms. She felt his hands slide up her thighs and under her dress to cup her bottom. Kneading, she moaned into his mouth. Coming up for air, Ben kept going, kissing the hollow beneath her ear and moving down her neck to her collar bone. It was intoxicating, his touch felt like fire licking her skin, small sparks erupted everywhere they touched. When their mouths met again, Ben pushed forward, laying her gently down on the couch and spreading her out beneath him. Her legs still around his waist, she felt him push himself against her, and she knew then that Ben was big everywhere. She melted and reached up for him, tangling her hands in his hair. A large clatter broke their reverie and their heads whipped around to see Stella standing there, shock on her face. Were those tears on her cheeks?

“Oh, my gods you two I am so sorry I- I just forgot something, I am leaving now.″ Ben had instinctively pulled Kora behind him. Yanking her dress down, Kora tried to pat her hair down, her breathing heavy. Ben, too, was breathing hard, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.

" No … Stella, please it is all right, what is wrong? I can see you’re upset.” Kora moved away from Ben, desperate to put some distance between herself and that burning heat. Stella had indeed been crying, and Kora’s concern grew.

" Oh, it’s really nothing, I just had a moment and came to talk, we can catch up tomorrow I promise.” Stella turned to leave, but Ben stopped her.

" Please, Stella, stay. You look like you need a friend right now. I can go.” He stared at Kora for a moment, then dropped a kiss on Kora’s forehead.

" I meant it, Kora.” He murmured, running a strand of hair through his fingers. ” I will only marry who I want.” He turned and left from the balcony, Kora staring after him.