The Fairy King's Bride

Dream &

"He called himself the King of the Fairies— and when he smiled, even God went silent."

He sat at the end of the bed. "Do you remember, the first encounter."

"I remember... but it hurts to recall."

"I seek to help you child, you must allow me to guide you through your grief."

"I only want what was taken from me!" She said, tightening her grip on the duvet. "He's gone, gone, and yet I see him still!"

"Hush, child— there's no one there."

"He's gone... but not gone. Never gone! Always in my head. Clearer than waking life or my dreams. I loved him once before I feared him, and I must find them... my children are not gone, only hidden."

Madame stepped closer, the boards groaning beneath her. "She has lost her mind... or made a pact with something unholy."

"Come...come where the light dances. Dance with me, come," she murmured.

Arthur said nothing. They remained watching her as she shut her eyes and dozed off. Her lips parted with the shape of her last words.

"She wanders again... calling into the dark. What malice has taken hold of her, Father?"

"I fear she suffers from an affliction of the mind. There is no evidence to the contrary. I shall write a letter to the Diocese in the morning and state as much, then be on my way."

He turned the knob and left. He took smaller steps walking back to his own corders, he thought of being in the solace of his own bed, not the one here, it was different than the one at home, the place that made sense to him, where he was able to move as he pleased and be oblivious to his current reality. And he thought of her too, but only briefly, he had no right to no longer. 

"Sir, are you unwell?" She asked.

"Dear me, I'm dreadfully  sorry to have hit you," He said, rubbing his head."