The Iron Seer

Chapter 20 - The Summer Elysium

Author's Note:

Last chapter in Part 1! Enjoy <3

Outside the carriage window, the lands of the Seelie Court rolled by.

It was the most vibrant place I'd ever seen. Isolde's packed little greenhouse didn't even come close. Every surface was painted in bright shades, lush forests in brilliant green and flowers of every imaginable color growing everywhere. All of my senses were overwhelmed by the beauty and splendor of the Summer Realm. It was nothing like the cold, majestic loveliness of Winter, and I was enchanted by it.

The Duke sat across from me, as unmoved by the scenery as a statue. I knew he didn't approve of my coming with him, but as I'd been invited, it would be terribly rude for me not to, and that was the only thing that had convinced him not to force me to stay at home. Well, that and the fact that he couldn't force me to stay even if he tried. I wouldn't miss this for anything.

Tiaothin hadn't come with us, as she hadn't been specifically listed on the invite. As a Winter faery, Ti was automatically invited to the Winter Elysium. The Summer Elysium, however, required a direct invitation from the Winter Queen or the princes.

"I need a prince," she'd grumbled as we said our goodbyes. "Then I'll get invited to all of the parties."

"And be in danger most of the time," I'd added, and given her a kiss on the cheek. She'd tried not to look pleased, but her yellow eyes gleamed, and she hugged me. Then, because this was Tiaothin and had to ruin the moment, she licked my face with her rough cat's tongue, dancing away with an impish laugh before I could smack her. Phoukas.

Narissa had gone back to Chillsorrow before the Summer Elysium, which was a relief. I didn't think I could handle riding in a carriage with her for this long.

I'd chosen a gown of shimmering white, that shifted color to pale blue when it caught the light just right. It had a long, flowing skirt and wide sleeves that fell to my knees. I'd made the dress myself - with Isolde watching my every move in case I messed anything up - and I had to admit that it was spectacular. My hair was styled in an elegant yet simple braid, tied with my blue hair ribbon. There was no way I was going to the Summer Elysium without that piece of my mother with me.

I still hadn't seen Ash, but once we got there, I would find him. I knew that it was because of him that I was even going. It was a dream made reality, being here, on my way to the Summer Elysium. The experience was almost surreal.

Abruptly, the forest outside the window ended, and we burst into a clearing over which towered a large, grassy hill, covered in and surrounded by briars. As the carriage rolled forward, an arch formed in the thick bramble, allowing us passage, and we passed through the side of the hill and into Arcadia.

***

My father helped me out of the carriage. A vast courtyard surrounded by pillars of pale stone, fountains, and spilling over with beautiful flowers greeted me. Dappled light danced across the stones from the sunlight spilling through the leaves overhead, and a blue sky stretched out above us, despite being underground. It was the same magic as the gloomy black depths of the roof of the cavern in Tir Na Nog, which was under a lake - but this was decidedly sunnier.

The carriage left, and the Duke took my arm and guided me to a waiting parade of Unseelie at a pair of gates ahead, through which I could hear lovely music. The courtyard was empty of Summer fey, except for the two trolls guarding the gate, glaring at the Winter party suspiciously with their beady black eyes under heavy brows.

We fell into line with some of the other nobles, who my father greeted and began speaking with - one of whom was an insanely tall woman in deep red, who I recognized as the Baroness of Bloodbrook. To avoid getting pulled into the conversation, I wandered a short distance away from the group, toward a great fountain of giant, fish-shaped statues spouting water from their mouths. At the Winter Court, fountain water was always frozen in spectacular designs, sometimes as elaborate as dancing ice statues, locked in embrace, but there was no ice here. I was delighted to find live fish swimming about in the fountain that matched their stone counterparts. Their scales shimmered from gold to green, sunshine on a background of spring leaves.