Happiness at Last

Happiness

I barge into the room like I own the place. Which, in fact, I don't. But I find who I've been searching for. Cardan is sprawled across his massive bed, elegant clothes rumpled from being laid on, with his arms tucked behind his head. He gives me a dull stare. One that clearly says, "Go away, you're already bothering me." I ignore it.

He turns his attention back to the ceiling, but speaks before I say anything. "Would you kindly just leave me alone to wallow in self pity over what my life has become, or is that too much to ask?"

I do one of the most human things and roll my eyes. "Stop being dramatic, I thought that was Locke's specialty, not yours."

He glances over at me with a look of pure dumbfoundedness that for the first time in a long while I oddly have the urge to laugh. "Come on, get up. I need to do something today, and I need you to accompany me."

An exasperated sigh comes from his end of the room, and he rolls over to bury his head in his dark pillows. "But it's the middle of the day," I look over to see sunlight streaming in through a small window, "and I want to sleep."

"Too bad, you can spend any other day being lazy while drinking wine and throwing parties. Today we're going to the mortal lands."

His head instantly snaps up, sending his already tousled black hair into an even deeper state of disarray. Very un-kingly like if you ask me, but I can't stop myself from admitting that it makes him somehow more attractive too. Damn.

"May I ask why?"

"I need to pick up a few things, and I don't want to go alone." I also need someone with faerie powers to be able to transport us to and from the mortal lands, but I don't bother mentioning that fact. Since my sister Vivi is currently away, probably on some sort of adventure with Oak and Heather, I need to find someone else to take me. Since Cardan is currently under oath to be in my service, I thought he would be the best option. Now, I'm not so sure.

"Very well, it's not like I have a choice in the matter." He sits up and slides off the bed, walking around it until he's a short distance away. "I am your puppet to command," he adds, even going so far as to give me a mocking bow.

I cross my arms so my fists don't accidentally decide to punch him. "Do you have any regular clothes?" I ask.

He lets out a snort. "I have been a prince of Faerieland since I was born, and I am now apparently the king. No, is the answer to your question. I clothe myself in only the finest outfits; I've never had the desire to wear human clothes." He says it in a tone that's supposed to make me feel inferior, but I only want to punch him more.

"Fine, whatever. We'll just pick something up for you when we get there. You'll just have to glamour yourself beforehand. I don't really want to deal with too much attention." Even as I said it, I knew that was going to be impossible. Cardan is beautiful in a way that isn't fair, everyone will look at him- faerie or not. Because everyone, humans especially, are drawn to breathtaking things.

----

I leave Cardan and tell him to meet me at the front entrance of the building in fifteen minutes, and go to my rooms to search through my own closet. I find a pair of skinny jeans to put on in exchange for my dress, as well as a grey T-shirt and my newer pair of grey high-top converse.

Because, wow, even though I grew up in Faerie, I still have the decency to match. And I must say I'm good at it, because I look like a regular teenager, that does regular things. In these clothes, I can pretend I'm perfectly normal; not a murderer, or a liar.

I rustle through my desk drawer and find a hair tie to put my hair up in a ponytail. This is a human hair style, not faerie. Throughout all the times Vivi has taken me shopping and exploring in the mortal lands, she also made sure that I would be able to blend in well enough on my own. Since she and Oak are now living there, I've been visiting much more often than I have ever done in the past. She made sure to inform me that although it's entertaining to watch, punching boys in the jaw for simply talking to me is generally considered a no-no. And she made sure to teach me how to put my hair up in a way that didn't involve a million twists and braids and an ungodly amount of hair accessories.