Kingdom of Crimson: Crown of Faeries Prequel

3 | Beyond the Rift

The Seelie King stood before me. White robes of thin gossamer shone in the light that filled the room. His long pale hair was weaved in delicate small braids that draped over his shoulder. A crown of twining branches and small gold flowers rested above his strong brow. He looked no older than a middle-aged human.

As I came to stand behind the chair he motioned towards for me to sit in, I noticed the bountiful mounds of bread, fruit, and seasoned meats that were laid out. "Others will be joining soon," the king informed me. I pulled the chair back, its legs scrapping against the white marble floor. The king eyed me keenly as I sat down.

"What—um, thank you for inviting me before...the others," I cringed internally as I stumbled to find the words I wanted to say. If my father was here he would have slapped me in the back of the head. I must have sounded so unintelligent to the king. A small blush formed across my cheeks as embarrassment hurdled through me.

The king gave a slow nod. His silver eyes glistened as he stabbed his fork into a chunk of nearly raw steak. "I asked your father to have you arrive earlier than the others today because I wanted to discuss something with you," his teeth scrapped against the fork as he took the bite.

"Alright," I said as I placed my hands in my lap.

The king regarded me with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "I'm informed you're very good with a sword and tracking skills, or have I been mislead?"

I straightened in my seat. "You have not," I smiled. Now, this was something I could talk about all day. "I am within the top ranking of all courses in archery, swordplay, poisons, hand-to-hand combat, and tracking animals, humans, and Faery. I have taken down many promising soldiers, decreasing their numbers among the ranks. I have even bested my father a few times."

The king smiled. "Your father is extremely proud," he said. I couldn't hide my expression of shock and the king laughed. "He has spoken quite highly of you and your skills to many of the Lords, and to me. I have a need for your skills, Aspen Sloane."

My mouth fell open. "Me?" I pointed a shaky finger towards my chest. I cursed myself for my nerves being so physically apparent.

"I am aware of your bond with the missing Yvonne Belle," the king watched me closely as I leaned back into my chair. I nodded my head, unsure of how this conversation was going to go. "I found the news of your bond to be interesting. You used the connection to know she was missing, correct?"

    I shifted slightly. "I did. I felt the tear of the tether around mid-day in the middle of one of my training sessions," I pulled up my sleeve to reveal the long and puckering scar that took up my bicep. "My father's sword slipped passed mine and the damage was done."

    The king raised his brows as he looked at my scar. Feeling slightly more self conscious about it than before, I let my sleeve drop to cover it once more. "Hmm," he leaned back into his chair. "I found it interesting that a young Fae like yourself would take upon an old tradition such as the bonding ritual. Especially with someone like Yvonne Belle."

    The mention of her name once again caused my stomach to drop. "I'm not sure I'm my following...your highness."

    "Yvonne Belle was nothing like you," he put simply, returning his attention towards the food before him. "You are a warrior, and she was not. Her family comes from an old line of Seers and Prophets. Most of her kind forbid the act of bonding one's soul to another based on the idea of mixing two souls can cloud their visions." He looked at me then. I gulped. "And yet, she went along with the bond anyways. I find it curious that she would go missing after knowledge of your bond began to spread. Your father is a very influential and key component of our standing within the war. I fear that may be the reason for her disappearance."