The Land in the Sky

9

A/N: I did not take the photo or own any rights to the photo. It's just how I see the Autumn King ;)

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Eric wasn't who I thought. This whole time he was a Faerie disguising himself to be human and pretending to be my best friend. I felt betrayed and most of all, hurt by how long he lied to me. Did I have a right to feel that way when I lied this whole time?

All the anger and sadness from before transformed into curiosity, when my eyes met Eric's peircing blue irises. The warm tingling from before, seemed to spark inside even without his hands caressing me. I pushed the feeling away as I walked into the kitchen, the Autumn King trailing along.

"Are you still mad at me?" The Faerie inquired.

Grabbing a filter and coffee grounds, I place each item in the coffee machine and pressed start. Eventually, the rich smell floated in the air, calming my nerves. I plopped up on the counter top, letting my feet swing freely. Drifting my gaze to Eric, I demanded, "You're going to tell me everything you know. Because clearly I need more information than 'I'm here to protect you,' and 'Your mother sent me.'"

"What do you want to know?" His voice quiet and deep.

"What did you do to me back there?"

His body leaned against the wall across from where I sat, ocean eyes never leaving me for a moment, as he sighed, "With the strength of the Autumn season, I am much stronger as a King. My abilities are heightened during the Fall, and with Fall comes warmth and rich colors and calm feeling. As a human you are more prone to my powers, therefore using them on you can have adverse effects, such as truth telling. The last thing I wanted to do was make you tell the truth, but I can't control how you react to me."

"What about my mom? Who took her?" I questioned, "Did you?"

"No!" He immediately barked, causing me to jump, "No, I didn't. But I know who did. They are the same Faeries you see in your dreams."

"There's more than one kind of Faerie?" Shock splaying across my features.

Eric chuckled lightly, "Did you ever read the journal I gave you?"

I swear my jaw went slack and my heart rapidly thumped against my chest, as I noticed him pull out the black leather bound book, "You're the one who was placing that everywhere?"

With pink cheeks, the faerie replied solemnly, "Yes. It was your mother's and she told me to give it to you, before they captured her again."

"What do you mean again?" I felt my anxiety boil in me like water.

Before Eric could respond, the coffee pot beeped at us. I slumped off the counter, reaching into the cupboard for two mugs. I filled both cups with steaming black coffee and handed him one as a sign of truce. I saw a flicker of adoration before, his blue eyes grew cool.

"I don't know much about your mother's story," He exclaimed, flipping the pages of the journal and handing it to me, "But I do know some things. The Wild King, Aslan, is the Faerie your mother tried to kill. The Wild Fae are malevolent types of faeries, who enjoy torturing humans.

"That night when your mother attempted Aslan's murder, she was taken by his guards and locked in a cell, where I happened to be imprisoned for years. She was able to escape and kindly freed me as well. I never knew such kindness for our kind is a bit. . . different than humans.

"As repayment, I told her I could keep her safe inside my kingdom walls and help with whatever she needed," Eric took a moment and sipped lightly on the warm coffee. My body mimicking unconsciously as I listened, "She agreed and for a few years, the Wild Fae were silent. It wasn't until a few weeks ago, that they attacked my people and found your mother. Before she was taken, she handed me her journal and told me to give it to you."

All the information thrown my way in the last thirty minutes, made a headache bloom along my temples. I took a large gulp of the coffee, letting the hot liquid burn my throat and absorbing everything I had just learned. The Wild Fae is what he called them. They were the ones that haunted my dreams. And my mother, who I thought had lost all sanity, was actually right. This whole time, I could've been there for her. Could've helped her.

"Where did they take her?" A few stray tears falling down my face.

Eric shrugged his shoulders, "Humans have many names for our world: Fairyland, Faerie Realm," his hand gesturing to the book still laying in my hand, "The Land in the Sky. But we call it: Sidhe."

Staring at him, I asked the question, I was terrified to get answers to, "What about me? Why were you here with me this whole time if you're a supposed King? Don't you have people to rule over?"

And just like that the air around us grew warm as the beautiful curve of his mouth began to move, "That's an interesting question. Yet,! he cannot answer that for you."

"Why not?"

"Read the journal," His smooth fingers tapped the front cover of the black book, "Find me near the edge of Scarlet Forest when you are done and I will answer any other questions you have."

Before any other words could leave my lips, he bent down and kissed my forehead, the smell of bonfires and crisp leaves consuming my senses. Eric pulled away with a wicked smile and retreated back out the door of my home.