The Fair Folk: Faery Short Stories

Petal in the Wind - IV

The cold morning air slid around me as I cut through the glade at immense speed. Talon was running beside, every so often glancing across to watch in awe at the speed with which my wings beat. I also saw a strange, unreadable emotion scar his face - maybe guilt? I certainly didn't feel guilty for leaving, though I missed my sister already. The Solstice Ball was no longer a pothole in my road to happiness, and I would start my new life with a smile on my face, free from worry.

The sun quietly sunk beneath the horizon, and the moon arrived to take the nightshift. I lay down in the darkness, with only Talon's arms as a blanket. His warmth radiated onto me, and my utter calm lulled me into a much needed sleep.

Surrounded by flowers, Violet walking at a steady pace behind me, I glanced ahead to a large archway of entwined wisteria. This scene was familiar. One I had seen many times in photos of my relatives. But that couldn't be - I had left these people behind. I glanced down at my body, encased in a flowing white wedding dress. My hands were clasped around a bouquet of roses, my knuckles white. I looked up from the aisle floor, into the eyes of Sheen, who was smiling with feral glee. I screamed.

I woke.