Blood and Apples: An Annora Park Novel: Book One

Chapter Eighteen: Problems and Party Favors

I'm riding in a freaking carriage, a carriage pulled by honest to God horses.  I feel like I've stepped into some weird Medieval cosplay.  Sitting on my right is Walker, who is tapping his hands on his thighs, and sitting to my left is Chamuel who continues to eye the Fairy that met us intently, so intently I think he's going to burn a hole into his head.  The Fairy in question sits across from the three of us and continues to stare at me as if I've grown a second head (what's that about?).
   "She is stunning.  I've never seen anyone as stunning as she.  We have none like her here.  Her presence will cause quite the stir, Light One.  You should have told the Great One when you had your first audience with him.  He will be quite displeased with you."
   Chamuel frowns.  "I could not speak of it.  The Graces would not allow it.  They spoke of time and place.  It was not the time nor the place to speak of such things."
   "It complicates matters greatly," The fairy Amanuel says gravely.  "She is...singularly unique.  A Treader you say, correct?  We have never had a Treader who is also of Fae royalty before."
   Wait! What the fuck! They were definitely talking about me.  Unless there was some other Treader just hanging around here somewhere.  "Excuse me, but first of all, please stop talking  about me as if I'm not here.  And secondly...WHAT THE FUCK!!!"
   Amanuel sighs deeply.  "Her speech is incredibly coarse."
   "It grows on you," Chamuel says with a smile.  "She is, as you said, unique.  It's just...her."
   "Again!" I yell now, "I. Am. Right. Here! Stop talking about me as if I'm not in the same fucking carriage hearing everything that you're saying."
   "I am so sorry, amour, I did not mean to be rude." Chamuel takes my hand in his.  "Forgive me?"
   I scrunch up my nose, but sigh.  "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're forgiven.  But only if you tell me what the hell is going on here.  I'm seriously confused.  And I don't like to be confused, Chamuel.  It puts me out of sorts, and again, I don't like that feeling.  So, I need you to tell me what the fuck is going on here."
   "Apparently you're a Fairy, darling girl," Walker spits out.  And that elicits a dark look from Chamuel.
   I blink and then blink again.  Huh? What. The. Hell.  There was no way I was a fairy.  I mean, I was an angel, or part angel, right? I'd just learned that.  How the hell could I be a Fairy?  "Did you take something before you came here, Walker?" I ask.  "I mean, maybe you had too much to drink with your mother.  There's no way I'm a Fairy.  I mean, I'm just Annora.  Annora Gun Samhail Park." I watch as the Fairy across from us gasps and his eyes widen.  Even Chamuel gasps.
   "I'm sorry lady royal, what did you say your name was again?"
   I frown.  "You should already know my name, Fairy boy."
   "Please,  lady royal, just indulge me, tell me your name again."
   I sigh.  "Annora Gun Samhail Park.  I know, I know, it's an odd name.  Go figure. Whatever.  I'm odd, so I guess it fits."
   The Fairy Amanuel gulps and seems to be considering his words before speaking.  "Lady...lady royal, Gun Samhail it means unique."
   "Huh?" I say.
   Chamuel sighs.  "My beloved, in Gaelic, which is the preferred language of the Fae, unless they use their own language, Gun Samhail it means unique...one of a kind."
   My head begins to spin and I try to take some deep breaths.   "So, wait...let me get this straight.  You're telling me that my weird middle names are actually Gaelic.  And that in Gaelic they mean I'm unique, one of a kind.  Also, if I'm getting this right...you are all trying to tell me that I'm...I'm...a...a...Fairy?"
   "No, you are one of the royal Fae, lady royal," Amanuel says.
   "Shut it, Fae boy," Walker snaps.  "She's not there yet.  You need to keep your trap shut.  She's barely understanding what is going on here.  Hell, I barely understand what's going on here.  All I know is that we crossed over to this weird ass plane and her appearance completely morphed."
   My appearance morphed? Wait, what?   "Excuse me?" I gulp.  "Wait a second, Walker, did you just tell me that I...I...look different?"
   Walker sighs and he takes my other hand in his.   "That's what I was trying to tell you when this rude Fairy interrupted.  You...you...Jeez, Annora you've changed."
   "Exactly how have I changed?"
   "We do not have time to indulge—" Amanuel begins, and I cut him off.
   "—You shut up! I was having a discussion with Walker.  And we most certainly have time for this." I turn to Walker then.  "Continue...you were saying."
   Walker seems to take a moment before answering.   "Annora, look at your hair darling girl."
   Wait.  What?   "I'm sorry, what?"
   "Your hair, sweetheart.  Pull your hair forward, and take a look at it."
   Well. Okay.  I pull the long tresses forward and then I scream, I actually fucking scream.  My once midnight black hair is now silver! Black with Silver.  What the ever loving hell??  Oh my God.  Oh my fucking God.  I'm going to hyperventilate.
   "You are not going to hyperventilate, amour.  I need you to breathe.  Take deep breaths, in and out.  It is all right, my beloved.  It is going to be all right.  Everything is okay."
   "Oh my God.  Oh my fucking God," I shriek.  "My hair...my hair...my hair it's, it's—"
   "Beautiful, amour, your hair is absolutely stunning, my beloved.  You are, as Amanuel said, completely unique.  You are stunning, my beloved, absolutely stunning."
   "It's completely freaky, Chamuel.  What the hell is going on here? Why is my hair black and silver?"
   "It is complicated, my beloved."
  "Well," I snap, "Un-complicate it, Chamuel.  My hair is black, Chamuel, it's supposed to be black! I've never had black and weird silver hair before! Why the hell is my hair like this?"
   "And then there's the question of your completely freaky eyes, darling girl," Walker interjects, and Chamuel gives him a dirty look.
   "Could you just not speak for a moment, Romanoff."
   Walker shrugs.  "She ought to know, and you guys are beating around the bush."
   "Wait...wait a second.  What's wrong with my eyes," I ask.
   "You have..." Chamuel sighs, "We can see the cosmos in your eyes, my beloved."
   WHAT. THE. FUCK?! What the hell did that even mean?  "I'm sorry, I thought I just heard you tell me that you can see the cosmos in my eyes."
   "Correct." Chamuel nods.  "You have, what we call, universe eyes, my beloved.  They are star struck eyes, eyes that illuminate and reveal the universe."
   My head begins to pound and I rub my temples.  What was going on here?  How in the world did I have such weird ass hair now, and...and...now they were telling me that my eyes looked different too.
   "Here you go darling," Walker hands me a few pills and I take them gratefully.
   "What is that? What is she taking?" Amanuel theFairy asks.
   "Quintinimime.  It helps her headaches and keeps her brain from degrading."
   "She is poisoning her body," the Fairy says with the frown.  "She needs to link."
   "I know.  I have already discussed this with her.  We are working on it." Chamuel says.
   "Shut up.  Both of you, shut the fuck up." I take a few deep breaths and try to let the Quintinimime do its thing.  "Listen, I'm really, really confused right now, and when I'm confused I get angry, and when I get angry I usually end up kicking someone in the fucking balls.  Apparently I have freaking black and silver hair, which is really strange.  And now...now I'm being told that my eyes are also totally fucking odd.  Someone better explain to me what the hell is going on before I put the smack down on all of you all!" I screech, not caring one bit if I'm being rude, or loud. I'm literally a second away from having a full blown panic attack.
"You will not have a panic attack, amour, you are perfectly fine. You just need to take a few deep breaths."
"FUCK THAT!" I screech. "A few fucking deep breaths aren't going to fix this situation, Chamuel. You know what will though...if you begin explaining what the hell is going on. Why...why do I have black and silver hair? And why is Walker telling me I weird ass eyes?"
"It's not the right time to explain what...I mean The Graces—"
"The fuck with that!" I shout, "You will explain right now, and seriously, I'm not joking. The hell with those Graces you keep talking about. They'll just have to freaking deal. Because I need to know what's going on right now!"
"Just tell her, bird boy!" Walker snaps.
Chamuel sighs deeply. "My beloved, remember I told you that your mother was an angel?"
"Yeah," I mutter, " how could I forget that little tid bit?"
"You told me that you knew nothing of your father...that he abandoned you when you were but a babe?"
"Uh-huh" I nod, and a pit begins to form in my stomach as I begin to see where this is all going. "No...No... No fucking way, Chamuel. It's not possible. It can't be." I shake my head. "Please...please don't tell me what I think you're about to say..."
The look on Chamuel's face is one of pain, of actual pain. "Oh amour, it is as I said. How I wish I could spare you this journey."
"That isn't an answer," I mutter. "No, Chamuel, please tell me it's not so."
   "Oh, my amour, I wish I could."
   I drop my head and tell myself I'm not going to cry.  I'm not.  "My...my...father was one of the Fae Folk?" I murmur, quietly.
   "No, more so, he was of royal blood, lady royal," this from the fairy Amanuel.
   I lift my head. Even with the Quintinimime in my system I feel as if my head is going to explode.  This is all just too much.  "My father was a royal Fairy?"  I look at Chamuel whose face is surprisingly blank, and then I look to the fairy Amanuel who is nodding.
   "There is no doubt as to the fact that your sire was a royal Fae," Amanuel says.  "You have star kissed eyes, and your hair...it is undeniable, lady royal.  There can be no doubt as to your parentage."
   "I...I...I don't understand any of this, Chamuel." And against my nature, I squeeze his hand.  "I...don't understand what is going on here.  I mean, one moment I'm on Earth, just Annora plain ol' Park, okay maybe not quite plain, Annora weird ass Treader Park.  And now...now...I'm being told that I'm part angel and part Fairy?  How...how is any of this possible?"
   Chamuel squeezes my hand back and sighs.  "I begged amour.  I begged the Graces.  I even went to my sire, to Michael and implored him to intercede on your behalf.  I thought it overlong that you were on the mortal plane without guidance...without knowledge.  But I was denied every time.  The Graces...you do not go against them...you do not win an argument against them.  The Graces said that all would be made clear in the proper time and that it was not the proper time.  I had no say in the matter.  But please, amour, know that I did intercede on your behalf.  I tried.  I truly tried.  I thought you should know of your parentage, and I wanted you to have a guide when your mother faded.  But...but I was overruled."
"These Graces sound like total douchebags," Walker snipes, and I can't help but stifle a chuckle. Chamuel appears horrified by Walker's words.
"The Graces are Heavenly beings that know all." Chamuel says finally, "You do not question them."
"Again, douchebags. I mean, who the hell lets a fifteen year old child run around without any guidance? You said it yourself, you wanted to come down and help, but you were overruled. Instead, they let her roam around Earth alone, having just lost her mother. I think douchebags is actually a fairly tame word for what I want to actually call them right now," Walker finishes.
"She wasn't without guidance though, was she," Chamuel says quietly and he looks first to me and then to Walker. "She had you Romanoff, and your mother, did she not?"
Well, he had us there. I had indeed looked to Leanore after my mother died, and she had, in essence become a second mother to me. But Leanore hadn't known all this stuff about me being an Angel and a Fairy, I know she hadn't, because if she had, she would have told me. Wouldn't she?
"So...so...I'm part angel, and part Fairy?" I finally say.
"Yes," Chamuel says.
"And this idiot over there keeps calling me Lady Royal, because, uh, my fairy side is supposedly royal?"
"Again, yes," Chamuel nods.
"Do you know who my father is, Chamuel?" Chamuel hesitates and I narrow my eyes. "Don't play games with me, I've had enough of those. If you know who my father is, I want to know."
"Amour, I know that your parentage it is...complicated. I know your mother was an Angel, and I know that your father was of the Fae folk. I do not know who he is though. This I promise you."
"But how do you guys know I'm royal then?"
"Your hair...and most telling lady royal, your eyes," Amanuel answers. "You have Goddess blessed hair and eyes. Your eyes..." And he looks completely entranced, "...Your eyes are truly a wonder. They are the eyes of the universe, star kissed."
"I don't understand, I still don't understand," I murmur.
Chamuel sighs. "I know amour, and I'm sorry for that. But the Graces have promised that all will be revealed to you soon. And know that you are truly a miracle, truly a miracle. There has never been one such as you, and there never will be again. You are completely unique, and singular. You are so truly beautiful my beloved, so beautiful."
"I'm a total freak," I mutter.
"NO!" Chamuel pulls me into his lap and I let him. I'm totally out of sorts and I need the comfort. "No my beloved, you are NOT a freak. You are, as I said, a true miracle. Please believe me. And I promise all will be revealed to you soon."
"I hate this," I say. And allow Chamuel to wrap his arms around me and pull me close. And for a blessed moment I allow myself to really feel comfort and love, and forget about the crap ton of shyte that has just been dumped upon me.

I'm still sitting in Chamuel's lap when the carriage pulls to a complete abrupt stop, causing his arms to tighten around me.
   "We have arrived," Amanuel says.  "I shall go first, and introduce you all to The Great One."
   "Do I really have to call him that," I whisper in Chamuel's ear and he chuckles.
   "I do believe that he shall allow you to call him King Terrenel or Great King Terrenel, after the initial introductions are made."
   "Okay," I mutter, "That's marginally better I guess."
   "All will be well, my amour.  Do not feel alarm, we are here with you, beloved," he continues.
   I nod my head and take a deep breath.  "Okay, okay...no problem, I've got this in the bag, right? I'm so all over this.  I'm totally kick-ass.  I mean, it's not like I just found out that I'm part Angel and part Fairy...hey, I mean, I can handle anything..." I realize I'm rambling and stop short.
   "Just so," Chamuel says.  "You have faced worse than this, my beloved.  You will be, you are fine.  And again, we will be right at your side.  Now come, we have an audience with the Warrior King to attend."
   I take another deep breath, extricate myself from Chamuel's embrace and climb out of the carriage.
Well...here I go...into the den of dragons...or should I say, Warrior King.