Aneurin

Chapter Twelve ~ Land of the Faes

Enid followed the cobbled stone paths past the Fae houses until she reached a city.

Except, it was not a city in the human sense of the word: for it still had the feel of a small village.

Unlike human cities, the houses were all thatched, their chimneys sending smoke into the air from the Faes fires within.

Enid seemingly went unnoticed as she walked through the streets.

As the Faes went about their everyday lives without so much as glancing in her direction.

It was an odd sight.

They all moved so gracefully and held themselves like royalty.

Their wings were all of differing colours and sizes, each one unique to that Fae. One thing they all had in common was how they fluttered gently, it seemed to be subconscious, as a cat swishes its tail.

Among the crowd of Faes, she searched for one that resembled Aneurin.

In the human realm, he was always so easy to spot.

But here, all of the Faes were so inhumanly beautiful that Enid could not even begin to search for him.

In truth, she had thought it would be easier to find her father and Aneurin than it had turned out to be.

Perhaps she should wait for Aneurin to return to the cave.

She turned back and began to make for the cave. But there was no cave to be seen in the distance. For Enid had wandered further into the city more than she had meant to.

Now lost, she could only keep going.

If she pushed on and made sure to keep her ears covered, perhaps they would mistake her for a Fae, and she could make her way out safely without any of them recognising her as a human.

What a wonder it was to be the only human in a place when everyone you passed was a Fae.

The clank of metal armour began to echo through the streets as Enid continued deeper into the city.

Reluctantly, she glanced back over her shoulder.

Behind her were two guards, wearing golden armour, their hands hovering over their swords.

They could not be following her, could they?

The streets grew narrower and the number of Faes that Enid passed became fewer with every new set of cobblestones.

She tried her best to not look alarmed.

There could be any number of reasons as to why the Fae guards were behind her.

But when the guards did not turn off into any taverns or side streets, Enid began to panic.

She sped up, lifting her gown to allow her to take longer strides.

Just as she had thought they would, the two guards also picked up their pace.

What was she going to do?

In this situation, there were several courses of action that Enid could choose to take.

She could run away, hoping that they would not be able to catch up to her in time before she got lost among the crowd.

Alternatively, she could opt for continuing to walk around the streets until they gave up and left her alone.

Or, she could confront them and demand to know why they were following her.

But she did not have to make any of those choices, for a firm tap upon her shoulder alerted her to their presence.

She stopped, keeping her breathing steady and turned to greet them. Enid smiled softly at the two guards, trying to seem as though they had merely interrupted her on her way home.

If only.

"Madam, by order of the Queen we have been asked to escort you to the castle."

Castle? Enid had never set foot in one, let alone met a Queen.

She laughed, her mouth opening and a frown appearing on her forehead.

Slightly dazed, she looked between the two guards for any signs that they were joking.

Unfortunately for her, they were not.

"Why?" She asked, her eyebrow lifting.

One of the guards took a step closer to her, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"We would prefer it if you went quietly. But if we must, we will take you to the Queen by force."

"By force? But I have not done anything wrong!"

"Madam, you are a human who has set foot in Elfhame, you are by rights a trespasser. Any such trespasser is to be taken to the Queen to await her judgement."

Enid was utterly confused as to how the guards had found her. After all, none of the Faes had noticed her.

Or had they?

"Judgement?" She asked.

What would her mother make of all this?

"The Queen makes the laws and lays down the punishments in this realm. We are to take you to her so that she may decide upon which punishment befits your crime."

"What crime?-" Enid began, but she was cut off by the guards swiftly taking hold of her arms and dragging her behind them. Forcing her to walk whether she liked it or not.

They did not look at her, their eyes were set straight ahead no matter how much she struggled to free herself from their tight grip.

One by one, the Faes began to notice her presence. Their beautiful, fair heads turning to stare at her as she passed them by.

At least the Faes here were good.

As she was dragged through the streets, the houses grew fewer in number, until they became bigger and grander. The likes of which Enid had never seen: she was awestruck and lost for words.

At last, a large gate came into sight and the guards that were escorting Enid shouted up to the guards posted at the gatehouse.

With a loud groan, the gate began to lift up.

With a light shove, Enid was urged to move forwards, being pulled under the gate and into the courtyard.

A castle beyond the beauty of anything Enid had ever laid eyes on before, rose up in front of her.

She would have revelled in its magnificence, had it not been for the fact that a castle brought with it a Queen, who in only a few moments, would deal out judgement to her for a crime she did not know she had committed.

She was but a girl lost in the land of the Faes.

With no source of escape, she was stuck here until she found a way out.

And she would.