Through the Fairy Ring

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"There you go, last button done." Beatrice stepped back and tucked an errant lock of her hair behind her ear. "You're beautiful."

"If I am, it's only because of your handiwork." She'd been a whirling dervish of make-up, bobby pins, and seamstress skills.

Beatrice took me by the shoulders and slid me over to the mirror. "See for yourself."

"Wow." I could hardly recognize myself. A sophisticated, ethereal Fairy woman stared back at me. Periwinkle and white daisies decorated the braided bun on the top of my head. The same bright blue color as the underslip of the dress lined my eyes and caused the brown of my irises to take a deeper shade. My skin had a glittery sheen over it, and the dress hugged my body, showing off curves I didn't know I had. "Did you use Fairy magic on me?"

"Of course not! Well, I bolstered the flowers with Fairy magic so they'll stay fresh until the sun sets, but that's all." She retrieved a box from the dresser. "And here's the finishing touch."

"More?"

"This is the binding gift Edlark asked me to make sure you wore today." She pulled out an exquisitely crafted circlet of woven gold.

I took the circlet carefully from her. Emeralds the same color as Edlark's eyes intertwined with the delicate strands of wire. "Did he make this?"

"Yes, ma'am."

It was beautiful and obviously taken a lot of time to create. What did such a gift mean?

"Do people normally give binding presents to each other?"

"It depends on the couple.

"Is it unusual for Edlark to give me such a present?"

She tilted her head. "Edlark is the Fairy King. Nothing he does is unusual, because he is allowed to do as he pleases."

"No one gets to do as they want all the time."

Beatrice shrugged and studied the floor.

All of a sudden I understood how Edlark could be both kind and an asshole at the same time. People with no boundaries often are assholes, and I should be grateful he had a kind side at all.

I handed the circlet to her. "Will you help me put it on?"

She motioned for me to sit in front of the mirror once again and slid the circlet into place, the gentle point resting in the center of my forehead. I looked even more un-like myself.

"Am I supposed to give him a present? I don't have anything..." My voice trailed off. I was giving him a present. At least, he thought he was going to get status and better consideration from Arden through this arrangement. While I wasn't convinced that was how it was going to work, I couldn't deny that those were powerful opportunities he wouldn't be receiving otherwise.

A knock sounded on the door, and Edlark brushed into the room. He wore black velvet pants with a matching sash, decorated by an embroidered gold and white leaf pattern, across his chest. A golden circlet similar in design to mine spanned his forhead. His eyes rested on me, a spark of appreciation flaring to life. "You look lovely."

Without drawing any attention to herself, Beatrice slipped out of the room, and we were alone.

"Thanks." I automatically stood, unwilling to have him tower over me. The memory of his lips on mine flooded over me, and I straightened a lace cuff to avoid looking at him. "There isn't a tradition similar to weddings where it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the binding ceremony?"

"The same superstitions do not hold. Besides, weddings and bindings are quite different."

They were? Edlark continued before I could ask how. "I'm here to escort you to the ceremony. Are you ready?"

All the nervous energy I'd been ignoring punched me in the stomach, and vertigo buzzed through my head. I dropped back onto the stool and bent over so my head rested on my knees. "I think I need a moment." My lips rubbed against the dress's lace as I spoke, muffling my voice.

"How long do you need? The crowd is waiting."

Crowd? "How many people are there?"

"All the Fairies from the island and the local villagers off the coastal mainland."

Apparently, the villagers who lived in closer contact with the Fairies thought more favorably of them than those in my village at Darag-Leigh.

Keeping my eyes closed, I sat up and tried again. The fresher air steadied my head, and I looked at Edlark, whose eyebrows were pinched together with annoyance. "Don't be so cranky. Would you rather I waltzed out there and promptly fainted in front of the crowd? This isn't easy, you know. And since it's your fault I have to go through with the binding, you could have some compassion."

Edlark stiffened, his face hardened into mask of displeasure. Before he could say anything, I got to my feet and brushed past him on my way to the door. I had to concentrate really hard because the room spun with each step, making me wish I could just lay down. I stumbled, and Edlark grasped my elbow to keep me from falling.

"Thanks," I muttered between gritted teeth.

He slipped one arm around my waist and moved the other hand to hold mine. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. At least, not until after the ceremony."

"That's really nice. Very sweet." I yanked my hand free and stepped back from him. Before I knew how it happened, he'd spun me around to face him and trapped me against his chest. I leaned away from him as far as I could and scowled at him. "Let me go!"

"Can we please just get through the ceremony with enough civility that no one will guess you hate me." His eyes glittered inches from mine.

"Why? You don't want people to know that their King is the kind of man who manipulates others for his own purposes?"

"Everyone manipulates others for their own gain."

"Not everyone."

"Who do you know who doesn't?" He crooked an inquisitive eyebrow.

I paused, sifting through my family and friends, trying to come up with at least one person. But Edlark was right. The question wasn't if humans manipulated other humans. The question was to what extent did any one person manipulate others and for what purpose. "Just let me go."

"You must cooperate." His eyes traveled over my face, lingering on my lips before meeting my gaze again. "I'm sorry that this is the way it must be."

"You keep believing that, because I don't."

He gave me a reproachful look but kept me pinned to his chest.

"All right. I promise I'll cooperate. No one will know what kind of Fairy you are because of me."

"They better not." He released me, spinning me around so I was once again at his side, my hand still in his, and shepherded me through the door and down the hallway toward the stairs.

I wanted to ask him "Or what?" but I held my tongue. Until Garron and Meara were healthy, I'd be wise not to push him. Once they were back to normal? Well, we'd see what happened then.