Their Little Fae

03| Council-Cassian

Cassian's POV

The boy was not blessed nor cursed, but what he had couldn't be called a gift.

After replaying Ezekiel's words, I released a deep breath, ecstatic that we finally found our mate. Walking out of the room, I made my way to the dining hall. The vampire and dragon realms were the only realms that were connected. It took a lot to convince the council to allow us to do this but with a couple of threatening words towards them, they had no problem allowing it.

The room was filled with the 13 people sitting in their reserved seats. Noticing Ezekiel wasn't sitting at the table, I opened a mindlink as I took a seat at the head of the table. "Where are you?" It took a couple of seconds for him to finally answer. "I'm on my way right now." With that, his feet stepped into the threshold of the oak door.

Once everyone was sat, the maids started bringing food into the room. But I couldn't help but notice the empty chair next to Gemma. "Gemma, I heard you brought your daughter. Is that true?" She paused as I questioned her. "She is your majesty but please forgive her, it is only her second time traveling to a different realm. She is quite tired." Retorting back quickly and continuing to eat.

Nodding my head slightly in response, I shared eye contact with Ezekiel at the other head of the table. His eyes glanced at Gemma, to the empty chair, then back to me before standing up. "Thank you all for coming. Please enjoy the dinner. I expect you all at the meeting tomorrow. Your mates are free to wander

around the castle or venture out to the village or anywhere in Python." Everyone spoke a quick sentence in response whether it was a thank you or an okay. I spent the dinner longing to see my mate and didn't close my eyes once during the night, anticipating what was to come.

The next morning, I joined my brother in walking to the room where the meeting was being held. We both sat down as the room quieted down. "Let's get this over with," Ezekiel murmured under his breath before raising his voice. "Your reports?" I wasn't very interested until it got to Gemma's turn. "The pixies have started dying off. I think it's murder but have no evidence to prove it. The elders have recovered 13 bodies yet no cause of death." The room got tense and quiet as this information was shared.

"Has your realm been having any problems with the elves, goblins, things like that?" Lila, the representative of the siren realm, questioned, which surprised me because she isn't much of a talker and when she did the words that came out of her mouth weren't very nice. Gemma shook her head no quickly, implying there is no problem in the realm.

"No problems have been caused between us. We live in harmony and we always have. This is very unusual for deaths to just pop up. I have noticed though that it is only ever mountain pixies, never forest ones. The elders and I have conversed about suspecting the water nymphs but once we talked to them, we ruled them out. They have been in quarantine for the past three months after the border was breached." Her voice carried effortlessly throughout the hall, but some things she mentioned didn't make sense.

Jade, the representative of the witches, asked the question we all were about to ask. "Border breach?" Gemma nodded her head with slight surprise as if she

didn't mean to mention it. "Yes," Hesitation was heavy in her words while she continued. "A couple of months back, we sensed a board breach. Not knowing what it was, we went to investigate. Turns out it was nothing, just the goddess Anie. She came down to bless the nymphs because of the hard times they were having." The goddess Anie watched over the realm of Nysa, she is what you would call a protector.

Everyone else nodded their heads, understanding their words but Ezekiel and I didn't. There was just something off about her answer but I couldn't put my finger on it. I assessed her figure, she stood up straight but not straight as in good posture, she was stiff and her fingers tapped gently on the table. Brushing it off knowing this was my mate's mother, I watched as they tried to resolve and find a solution for the present problem.

Micheal, the representative of angels, continued talking to her. "And the forest nymphs? Have the elders talked to them?" Though I should be, I wasn't too interested in the conversation. Tuning them, I ran my eyes over my tattoos. Between Ezekiel and I, I was the one who was heavily tatted. While he didn't have many, I would say about 16 of them, I had 39 tattoos that adorned my body.

All of them correspond to each other, one never looked like it was out of place. The ink danced up my arms, whether it was words or pictures, they all fit into place, almost as a puzzle piece. Maybe it was the pain provided, the needle coming down on my skin, the mix of blood and ink, the way something so small could be permanent. None of them were meaningless, running up my arm I had, 'Sidera tantum luceat in tenebris' the star will only shine in darkness. I got this after the visit to the oracle. It was for my mate.

There was no doubt that I was filled with an immense amount of darkness in my soul. I knew it and I accepted it a long time ago, I also accepted it would only grow. But as time grew, I would always wish on the stars outside my window that my mate would light up my darkness. That's the ideal idea, but I can't help but also wish they would sit in the darkness with me.

Finishing up everything, we all stood and made our way out of the room. They were free to do as they please. I wondered where my mate is right now, a sense of jealousy hit me, Ezekiel got to see her before me. I shook my head at my thought, knowing this is exactly what the oracle warned us about. Going off of what she looked like three years ago, I tried imagining what she looked like older. I remember her almond-colored skin complimenting her bright blue wings. I remember the vibrancy of the wings, how close the color seemed to water. I remembered those striking blue eyes, the same ones I got lost in the first time I laid eyes on her. I knew she could only be described as perfect.

Ezekiel and I have been saving ourselves for our mate since the moment we overheard one of the maids talking about it at the age of 13. It's been 536 years and not once have I ever thought about another girl, platonic relationship or not. It wouldn't be fair of us to become unloyal to our mate because I know if she was ever touched by another male, I know I would wreak havoc. No matter how many times I wished I had a mate, I never became vulnerable.

Opening the door to my throne room, I made my way up the stairs and sat. Pushing myself back into the seat a sigh escaped my lips. The door opened but my eyes didn't open. Taking a deep breath, my posture straightened as I took notice of the smell floating around the room.

My eyes snapped open, landing on the figure hiding behind my brother. His face had a sly smirk that I so desperately wanted to punch in but was more focused on more important matters. "Move," I grunted out as my feet hit the floor leading up to them. The little fae moved, but Ezekiel quickly reassured her I meant it for him.

Finally, moving to the side, I almost cried in joy when I saw her. The long curly hair danced down her back, the wings still the same vibrant color. Her petite figure moved slightly around nervously. The only thing different about the little faery in front of me was her eyes. They now shone a bright purple. Those same eyes put me in a trance once more.

I couldn't begin to fathom that the girl standing in front of us was our mate. I reached out to touch her but stopped short after realizing she might not like to be touched. "Hello!" Her gentle voice reached my ears and my knees almost buckled. She was the piece we have been missing for the past 536 years.

Smiling down at her, I retorted, "Hello love." My smile only grew as she blushed. "You're very tall." A small laugh escaped my lips at the words she blurted out. "Come," My hand was offered to her. I mentally cheered as she took it with no hesitation. I started to move, but she failed to follow. Copying my action to Ezekiel, he took and locked eyes with me. "My name is Mariana, by the way." Her little voice whispered while we moved up the stairs towards my throne.

She gazed at it but didn't move towards it. "Sit on it." My voice softened without me even realizing it as I talked to her. Ezekiel looked at me in surprise after I said that. Never letting anyone even in the room itself. This was a big step, but as she sat down on the throne, I knew it was worth it. Everything was worth it.

All the time spent wishing to the gods above for a person to love and cherish was worth it.

As Mariana sat, I knew she was everything and more, the gods gifted us with something we didn't deserve. But I was a selfish man and wouldn't let her go unless she asked. Maybe I didn't deserve her, maybe the gods made a mistake, but there was one thing I was sure of.

The little faery sitting in front of us is and always will be the epitome of perfection.

-Cassian