a kingdom of light and lies

vi. chapter six

Aeryn woke up to silence. She didn't open her eyes, but she could tell she wasn't in front of the broken down gate anymore. The air smelled sweet, and whatever she was laying on was softer than the harsh ground she landed on.

Her eyes opened to see Azrael lounging in a chair, staring at the mountains visible through the window, his expression calm yet worried.

The room itself was stunning. Hues of blue, and green covered the room, the furniture and fabrics very clearly well made. The

"Azrael?"

He turned around at the groggy voice. Aeryn could've sworn she saw his eyes soften, but it must have been the light, because it disappeared within a second.

"How do you feel," he enquired.

She brought her hands up, gently rubbing her face. "Much better compared to the forest. Where are we?"

He gave her his signature smirk at the question. "Come take a look." He offered her his hand. She pushed it away and got up, perhaps a bit too quickly. She stumbled a bit, only to have Azrael grab her arm. She looked at him, then shook her arm free.

"I do not need your assistance."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Cordela slowly walked to the window, her eyes widening as she took in the view.

Towering mountains rested behind a large, vine covered castle. Trees surrounded the castle for what looked like miles. All of the plant life there was so healthy and green and felt so peaceful, a contrast to the eerie and slightly foreboding of the castle itself. The whole place felt empty and abandoned, except for the pulsing feeling of magic. It was everywhere.

She turned away from the window and looked at Azrael again. "Where is everyone?"

"In the mountains," he answered simply. "Everyone who resides within the boundaries of Echor lives in the City of Elira. It's carved into the very mountain itself."

"So does that mean no one lives... Wait, where are we right now?"

"My private residence."

"Oh."

Before the two could say anything else, Aeryn heard the door bang open and hurried footsteps coming into the room.

"Azrael!"

She heard a grunt and finally turned around to see a woman around Azrael's age hugging him tightly. She let go of him after a minute, then spotted Aeryn.

"Is this her?" The question was hushed, but still loud enough for Azrael to snort.

"Yes, this is her. And next time Cressida, try and make more of an attempt at being quiet if you don't want the entire world hearing it."

She smacked his arm, but he just chuckled and eyed Aeryn, his mood changing instantly.

"This is my sister, Cressida. She'll be helping you out with anything you might need." With that, he stalked out of the room, and shut the door.

Aeryn's gaze lingered on the door for a second longer, then turned her attention to the fae woman standing in front of her.

She had a thousand questions whirling around in her head, but the first thing she asked was, "Why did he look angry?"

"Do you mean when he was walking out of here and decided to slam the door shut harder than necessary?"

She nodded her head. Cressida sighed wearily and explained, "He's mad at himself because he took too much energy from you. When a human enters Echor, whoever is the High Lord or next in line has to take energy from said human. It's so then once you're inside Echor's gates, you're protected by the fiercest magic there is. That's why you felt so fatigued in the forest."

"Why would he be mad at himself, though? He hates me."

Cressida snorted. "He hates everyone, even his darling sister. He's mad at himself because taking too much energy could kill you, and then he would have to fight a fight he doesn't want to start."

"Oh."

"Yeah, he's like that. Now," she said, clapping her hands together, "Let's get you ready. First, though, you need a bath."

"Ready for what?"

"Dinner, of course. Did he not tell you?"

"He didn't mention anything about dinner."

Cressida exhaled sharply. "That sneaky bastard. Well, now you know, so let's get you ready!" She pushed Aeryn towards a door she only guessed was leading to that bathroom.

Aeryn turned around and pried Cressida's hands from her body. "I can wash myself up."

She replied, "Of course you can. Well, I'll leave you to it, and I'll wait for you here!"

Aeryn smiled and turned back to the door, placing her hand on the knob, but Cressida said one more thing.

"By the way, keep in mind that my brother, the human hater, is allowing you, a human, to stay in the nicest room he has in his private estate. Well, the second nicest room. Mine is obviously the best."

Aeryn just laughed and said, "I'll definitely keep that in mind." She opened the bathroom door and stepped in, closing and locking the door behind her. The room was spacious, yet instead of stripping, she trudged over to the large, ornate mirror. She placed her hands on the edge and looked into it.

"You're going to be fine," she whispered to herself. "Yes, this may be where you're spending the next three months, but you can defend yourself if you need to. You're fine, you're fine, you're fine..."

She sighed, knowing that muttering to herself wouldn't help, so she stepped away to fill the large basin, only to find it full, a light steam settled over it.

"Well," she said to herself. "If I'm going to be staying here for the next few months, I might as well make an impression."