Kingdoms Rise

Fifiteen

Days had passed since Mae's kiss with Fallon, and she hadn't seen him since. She understood that the news he had gotten was hard but he didn't have to push her away. She wished she could tell him that, but something was stopping, and that frustrated her.

The nights following the kiss had been sleepless, and for all the wrong reasons. She had never felt such a strong pull to someone before, not even with Sevastian when she thought she had loved him. With Fallon it was like every was whole, like everything made sense. With Fallon she wasn't scared, she reassured that things would be righted, that she and those she loved would be protected and safe.

She lay in bed starring out the window. She had opened them early that morning when the first signs of storm had appeared. The distant roar of thunder had begun hours before dawn. It woken her from a light sleep, she'd been scared to sleep with the recurring dreams of Sevastian. She'd never thought she's have those dreams again, and it pained her more that Fallon had caused them to come back. It still didn't make sense how he could have been the cause, but somehow, in a way only Mae could understand, it was perfectly clear how he caused it.

She watched the lightning dance across the storm-darkened sky it mighty arcs the tangents fraying off in all directions. Sheets of rain fell like curtains in a breeze. The thunder was what awed her the most, she could feel it reverberating in her bones. Mae loved storms almost as much as she loved the dark. There was some comfort that storms brought her, a shadow of a blanket that brought her warmth when it brought others cold.

She snuggled deeper into her bed, pulling her blanket up higher, intent on catching a few fleeting moments of sleep. She needed some semblance of sleep, she was exhausted.

Her door opened and harried footsteps approached her bed. Hands shook Mae's shoulder—it was Aderyn, "Mae you have to get up, Fallon has requested that everyone meet in the drawing room immediately."

Mae perked up at that, "Why?"

"He has an announcement, though I don't know what it's about."

It was enough for Mae. She ripped the blanket off from her and quickly dressed in a sweater and thick pants. Aderyn had left the room while Mae changed. Mae rushed around the room trying to find her boots. She passed a mirror as she pulled them on. She caught her hair in her reflection, it was a mess, tossed with sleep. She brushed her hair with her fingers as she walked. Aderyn waited patiently outside in the hall.

They walked with quick steps to the drawing room. Mae was nervous, her hands clenched at her sides to keep them from shaking. She hadn't seen Fallon in days and it unnerved her to see him again after what had happened the last time they had seen each other. She was also nervous to hear why he had called them all to the drawing room.

It dawned on her that she didn't know who all he had called there, she didn't want to Aderyn now, it would only make her more nervous. They continued on in silence. The marble floors glowed with sporadic flashes of lightning. It was quiet in the halls save for the rumbles of thunder. It would have been peaceful had she not been nervous and dwelling in the possibilities that would likely not happen.

The library doors were open by the time they had arrived. Aderyn shut them when they passed through. When the two of them got to the main sitting area, Mae realized the answer to her earlier question. The only ones here were Fallon's closest court members, his family. There were no guards or servants, no one who could potentially betray them with the information Fallon was about to tell them. But Gwendolyn was here, the only servant who had been allowed to come. Mae took a seat next to her. Everyone else sprawled in their own chairs except Fallon.