Their Little Fae

04| Fate-Mariana

Mariana's POV

A love that wasn't ideal but was meant to be.

Mama told me I slept through dinner and through the council meeting, too. After taking a quick shower, I changed into my favorite pink pleated skirt along with a white long sleeve button-up over my white corset top, pairing it with socks and very white shoes. I was all set. Skipping out of the door and down the hall, I greeted some maids along with the guards.

Rounding the corner, I stopped short. King Ezekiel stood by the door, talking to the guard. Before I could turn around and leave, his eyes landed on me. Those red eyes connected with mine as his fingers beckoned in a 'come here' single. I inched forward towards him, afraid of what might happen next, but his eyes told me I was safe.

"I'm sure you know who I am," he said in a deep tone. Quickly nodding my head up and down, signaling that I knew who he was. His lips pursed as if it displeased him with something, but quickly let it go. "Have you been able to look around the castle?" The question relaxed my nerves. I had a suspicion he wouldn't just ask this to anyone. "No, not yet, your majesty. But I am planning to. You live in a lovely building."

"Thank you, my darling. Would you like a tour?" My eyes lit up at the offer. Would he show me? Or he'll have a maid show me, probably a maid. My excitement lessened a little but I still ecstatically retorted, "Yes, please!" His feet began to move forward as mine followed. We moved throughout the castle for about five minutes in silence until I broke it. "What happened? I don't see any maids here."

King Ezekiel stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at me with a face of confusion. "Maids?" The single one-word question made me spit out a rant that I know no one would want to hear. "I thought one of the maids was going to take me to see around the castle, which is really beautiful. I absolutely love it. I would even want to live here one day, but you obviously have better things to do than this. I mean you're the king after all. I bet you're probably tired from the council meeting, so I suggest you should go to bed. Go take a nap, young man." Giving him my best stern face, I watched the king's lip grow into a smirk. "I'll be taking you on the tour, that is if you don't mind. Also, seeing as I'm older than you by a lot, I don't think you should call me a young man. But I'll push that comment aside and make some time in my schedule to fit you. How does that sound, darling?"

Baffled by his playful words, I stepped a little closer to him and retorted, "I'm glad you're able to make time for me, but don't expect anything to be reciprocated." I made eye contact as I could see a slight grin on his face. I reached out for his hand, silently asking for permission. His tan hand covered the entirety of mine, my eyes followed the path of his veins that started at his fingertips and ran along his forearm. Some words were tattooed on there but I couldn't make it out, maybe it was in Latin. Trying not to be entranced by that one quality of his, I realized he grabbed onto my hand with a firm grip. "Come on!" After slightly pulling him excitedly and failing, he let out a little laugh--one that I'm totally obsessed with--then pulled me back to him by the waist. "Not so fast, we don't want you falling, do we?" Glancing up at the man slowly following each and every button on his top, I finally reached his eyes and I shook my head no and answered meekly. "Of course not."

We walked side by side, almost hip to hip, but considering our height difference it was more hip by thigh. I watched and admired as he pointed out certain

details in the castle, whether it was the way a window was curved to fit into the intricate design in the wall or why a room was placed in that section of the castle. Nothing could tear my eyes away from the absolute beauty of the building we were inside.

My eyes caught the guard coming up to the king and whispering in his ear, those red eyes turned to connect with mine as he whispered, "I have to take care of something, stay here and I'll be back before you know it." The light brush against my cheek reminded me that I didn't imagine the man's thumb gliding against my cheek in a soft, delicate manner. My eyes followed him as he made his way out of the gardens.

Turning around I faced the fountain and suddenly felt light-headed so I sat down on the bench before it. Turning my head left to right, I made sure no one was around, then made sure again. Then I flattened my palm out and let my power flow out as I watched in awe. I saw the water dance around my hand in small circles until it formed into a dragon and later soared about a foot above my hand. It was hard to remember that it didn't have a mind of its own and I was controlling it.

A small giggle escaped my lips as more water floated to my palm and made another dragon. The dragons around each other gleefully until one stopped, but it wasn't under my control. A gasp flew out of my mouth as one of the dragons turned black and the other red. Each darkened in color until they floated down onto my palm. I watched in horror as they sat together in harmony.

More water slowly floated onto my palm but instead of forming another dragon, it was a little figure of a girl. It floated up to the creatures and instead of

attacking like I thought they would, they welcomed her. I would be lying if I said that it was impossible to hear her laughs projecting up into my ears.

But then she began to fade away. The water wouldn't abide by my command, it was no longer possible to control. There was no more girl, no laughs filling the little world the three were living in. The dragon colors got darker, they became restless, it looked almost as if they were searching. Searching for someone who was no longer there.

Before I could see what happened, I heard a voice call out my name. With a slight jump, I forced my hands to submerge into the pond, and luckily all images were gone and all that was left were my hands. Still a little startled by the scene that was played in front of me, I called back, "I'm over here!" Ezekiel made his way up to me as I stood up to meet him in the middle. "Is everything okay?" Worry laced his tone. "Yup!" His eyes showed a bit of skepticism but nodded non the less. "Come, I have one more place to show you." Our hands latched together again and we were off.

I skipped alongside him until our feet stopped in front of a black oak door that creaked open very slowly. Trailing behind Ezekiel, I took notice of the black marble that shone against the sun that beamed around the room and lit up the stairs leading up to a throne. My eyes bulged a little while taking in the shadow cast on top of the seat. King Cassian. Directing my eyes down, my head bowed in submission.

"Move." The king grunted it out, in an act to please him, I shifted on my feet to move away from my place "Not you, darling," Ezekiel reassured me quietly. After regaining my place, I greeted the man sitting as he moved down the stairs. "Hello!"

Gazing into his obsidian eyes, the intensity of admiration in them overwhelmed me. A smile sat on his lip, he retorted, "Hello, love." I blurted out the first thing that came to mind while staring up at the king, "You're very tall." A hand was extended in front of me, "Come," Just as I did earlier with the other king, I put my hand into his. He started to move forward but I halted when noticing Ezekiel didn't follow. My hand reached forward towards him, before I knew it both my palms were occupied by the kings.

Making our way up the stairs, my eyes stared at the throne in front. "My name is Mariana, by the way." The black marble was the same material as the walls. "Sit on it." My heart swelled for some reason, I felt so special while I sat. The way the two brothers stared at me almost made the unshed tears on my waterline escape.

In the village in Nysa where I lived, I never really felt like I belonged. Mama and Rosemary being the only people who talked to me, I felt small and unwanted but sitting here, I felt a feeling that I haven't felt since Phoenix and Papa passed rose in my chest. The sense of longing disappeared and was replaced with a new sense of belonging. Sitting with these men, I couldn't stop the way my heart was feeling.

Before being able to say anything else, a sense of urgency shot through me, signaling I needed to be somewhere. Mama. She usually did this when she needed me.

Jumping off the throne, I called out, "Thank you, your majesty!" Ignoring their calls that begged me to come back, I almost listened. Pulling open the door with great strength, I ran down those halls back to the suite I was staying in.

The door cracked open when I reached it and Mama was sitting on the bed. "Mama?" Her head snapped up to me, her hands seized me into a hug. "Oh, Mari, I didn't know where you went." My head hung down in guilt, "I'm sorry Mama. I wasn't watching the time." A knock was sounded on the door, we both turned towards it. "Come in," Mama called out.

Two pairs of feet stepped through the threshold. Ezekiel and Cassian. "Love," A shudder ran through me at the dominance in his voice along with his brothers, "Darling,"

-Mariana