Innocent

Chapter 15 - Object for My Affections

"This is a lot bigger than I expected." Alexi commented as he stepped inside.

"Yeah. Magic can do stuff like this." I took the gossip book out of my bag and slid it onto the nearest shelf.

"What else can magic do?" He reached for an object sitting on a desk but then thought better of it. Good thing too, because it is not fun getting your hand stuck in a Pixie trap.

"All sorts of things. It can be limited by what type of creature you are and how experienced you are, but there is little that can't be done with magic." I started opening my collection of ornate wood boxes. I kept a lot of my amulets in these things.

"So what kind of creature are you?" Wow, those crazy mountain fae didn't tell him anything.

"You mean we." I corrected him. "We are fae. Immortal magical beings that mostly live in sort of a shadow or echo world. It's still on earth, but like shifted an inch to the left or right so we aren't quite on the same plane as humans."

"And the creatures that took me. Are those fae as well?" He watched as I continued my search.

"Yeah. Different type of fae though. Those were Northern Light Fae." Shoot. I shouldn't have said that. The rest of the conversation was inevitable.

"You aren't a light fae, are you?" Yep, there is was.

"No, I'm not. I am a Dark Forest Fae." I avoided his eyes by opening another box.

"And what am I?" He asked. Well, since he already knew too much, I might as well tell him.

"Half Dark Forest Fae, Half Light High Fae." I finally found the one I was looking for and loop it around his neck. "There, that should help you see better here."

"What is a High Fae?" He ignored my attempt at changing the subject.

"Their royalty." I sighed, closing all my open boxes.

"I'm royalty? What kind?"

"Yes. You are the son of the late Queen Alyssa. You're their Prince." I turned to face him, needing him to understand. "They just learned you existed and the Mountain Fae claimed you as a power play. One day you will probably have to go and rule. But I want you to go in knowing as much as you can. You're better than to be someone's pawn."

I said these things to him, but I had that horrible gut twisting guilt feeling again. I was also using him. I wanted him to be on my side when he went to rule. I wanted to have an in. A powerful in.

But another part of me just wanted to keep him here forever. Keep him safe from the grabby hands of the light fae. Keep him here with me.

"And what if I don't want to rule?" His eyes met mine, intensity sparking in them.

"I don't know. That's something you'll have to figure out." Right there, I could have just stood there looking at him. His dark brown hair was cut short and his eyes were a bright green. He was tall, but not too tall. Perhaps four to six inches taller than myself. He looked remarkably human, but for once that didn't make me cringe.

"Good thing I have you to help me." He stepped away from me, breaking the moment.

"Yeah. Good thing." I gestured to the door to the closet and locked it tight after we left. "How about I show you to your room. It's been a long day and we could both use some rest."

I just gave him the room next door. I wanted him to be close. Someone might try to steal him back and I didn't want to make the same mistakes the others had made. This boy was mine.

I head back to my room after getting him settled and strip off my clothes. Tomorrow I would need to go to the river to bathe. Thankfully the rivers here were nothing like their polluted human counterparts.

I slid between the sheets, feeling the cool fabric against my skin. It felt nice and I tried to let it relax me. But no matter how hard I tried, by brain wouldn't stop chanting.

Alexi. Alexi. Alexi.

Over and over again, driving me crazy. I lay there for I don't know how long, just thinking, no, obsessing over his name. Eventually I must have fallen asleep. And when I did, I dreamed.

I was back in the ice caverns with Alexi, but this time we didn't have Rilo to guide us.

"Which was is it, Dris?" Alexi shouted, the thundering sound of footsteps behind us.

"I don't know." I caught up to him, my legs like jelly.

"Just pick a direction."

"Fine. Go left." I chose after a pause.

"Are you sure?" Alexi hesitated.

"No! But standing here isn't any better." I took off down the left corridor with Alexi hot on my heels. "There! The portal!"

Ahead of us was my swirling portal. We jumped through it to safety. And just like that we were someplace new.

We were in my private garden behind the castle.

"This one." Alexi plucked a black rose off a bush.

"What about it?" I sat on a nearby stone bench.

"It reminds me of you." He sat down beside me and held my hand with his free one.

"How so?"

"It's beautiful, but dark and dangerous." He opened his hand to show where the rose had punctured his skin, causing it to bleed.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, using the hem of my sleeve to clean it up.

"I'm not." He whispered and leaned in. I let my eyes fall closed and leaned in to meet him. Only our lips never met.

My eyes popped open and I was back in reality. The late evening sun shining through the small crack between my curtains. I clamped my eyes shut and willed myself to go back to that dream. But sadly it was not meant to be.

There was a knock at my door and I groaned. It was time to get up whether I wanted to or not.

"Your Majesty. I am sorry to awake you so early, but there are matters that need your attending." Here goes another night as queen.