The Dark Princess Ch.2
By julia.elizabeth
- 227 reads
“What time is breakfast? What do Fairies eat?” I ask Bennet as soon as the doors shut.
“Breakfast in about half an hour and the Fae eat children.” I felt my eyes grow big but before I could freak out, Bennet laughed. “I’m joking! Fae eat natural food. We have our own farms to raise animals and grow fruit and vegetables.” Ok, ok nothing weird about that, other than the whole Fae part. The door opened and a short girl-Fairy, a short Fairy entered the room with some folded clothes, set them on the bed, and quickly scurried out of the room.
“Thanks, Raylie!” Bennet yelled to her back. “Now change into these so we can go.” The pile of clothes was only a simple dress. The dress was red, floor length, it had slits going down my arms only to come back together to tightly hug my wrist, and hugged me in places that made me look like I actually have curves. I have to admit, the dress was gorgeous, and so were the brown sandals that Raylie brought in.
“Finished.” I called to Bennet so he could turn around. Bennet turned around and smiled.
“She has a gift, I'm telling you. The Queen always knows what will look best on somebody. You look pretty, for a human.”
“Will you stop calling me human?” The whole human thing had begun to get annoying. “How would you like if I called you Fae Boy?”
“Actually I would mine only because I am no longer a boy, haven’t been for a good while now. You, however, may call me Fae Man for that is what I am. Are you not human?”
“I am but-“
“Then there is no reason to get upset, I am simply calling you what you are. Come along now, I don’t want Breakfast to get cold.”
Bennet and I walk to the Queen’s chambers in silence save for his amused laughs when I literately awe open-mouthed at the beauty of the palace. The palace looks like it is made out of a forest. The hall ways are mossy green and twigs pop out along the wall to hold candles that light the dark passages. The ceiling looks made out of leafs and the floor is neatly cut grass, maybe the palace is made out of a forest after all.
We arrive and the Queen’s chamber without any warning, a random door pops in front of our vision randomly. I assume it is the Queen’s chamber because Bennet opens the door and ushers me in. The room we enter is bright and open. There is not ceiling, just open blue sky. The room is quite full of people-I mean Fae.
“This is what she meant when she said a ‘private’ breakfast?” I asked bewildered.
“Yes, this is exactly what she meant. This is private compared with where she sometimes likes to eat breakfast.” Bennet shakes his head disapprovingly.
The seats in the Queens chamber are made out of trees and the ground is nothing but bright beautiful flowers. Fae talk in different groups around the enormous room and then I see the Queen. She is wearing a white dress that flows around her, her lavender hair is down with small waves in it, and she wears a pair of open brown sandals like the pair she lent me. With the Queen is Quint whose hand is protectively on the knee of the women next to him. This woman has long brown hair and hazel eyes that match Bennet’s. She wears a beige dress that she looks absolutely gorgeous in. Her beauty comes in at a close second with the Queen’s beauty in first place. The woman is smiling at Quint as he says something that makes the Queen laugh. Sitting on the floor by Quint and the woman is a man that looks as if he could be related to Bennet and the woman for his eyes are also hazel and he has the same shade of brown hair as Bennet and the woman.
The Queen notices us as we start towards her and her group. Quint whispers something in the woman’s ear which causes her to burrow her eyebrows in puzzlement and the man sitting on the floor raises his eyes to mine and holds my gaze. He too is handsome with his broad shoulders and muscular arms that are highlighted by his fitted shirt. We get to the Queen who stands up and greets me as Bennet takes a seat on the bench with Quint and the woman but separated slightly from them by the man on the floor.
“You look absolutely pretty in that dress. I am glad to see you are well now.”
“Thank you, Queen.” I reply shyly.
“You may call me Dromeda…For now.” She adds cryptically. “Let me introduce you to the best Fae warriors and captains of the royal Dark guard. You know Quint and Bennet,” she points at both of them and I give a small smile in greeting to them. “You don’t know Wrath and Butler.” At the mention of their names, they nod. The woman nods when the Queen introduces her as Wrath, what an unusual name in fact all their names are unusual but hers particularly, and the man sitting at the floor nods when the Queen introduces him as Butler.
“Call me Bud, I prefer it. Bud is short for my middle name Buddy.” Butler says. His voice is mildly deep and soft. If I wasn’t mistaken, I could of sworn, Bud blushed.
“Bud it is,” I manage to croak out. My voice cracks and I curse my unsteady voice and my head that makes me feel dizzy under his gaze.
He gives me a warm smile that highlights a red scar that I had not yet noticed. That scar starts from the bottom of his left eye and goes down to the middle of his throat. The scar is straight which means the cut that made the scar was deliberate. My mouth must have dropped open because Bud motions for me to close it with an amused expression. Wrath, on the hand, is not as friendly as Bud. She just regards me with cold calculating eyes. Wrath tilts her head the smallest fraction to the side and that is when the sun catches her scar. Her scar is exactly like Bud’s. It is just as red, just as straight, and starts under her left eye and goes to the middle of her throat. It somehow gives her character. Without the scar she would look fake, but with the scar she looks real and beautiful.
“Well, sit Sara.” The Queen motions me to an empty chair by her and across from Quint, Wrath, Bud, and Bennet.
“Thanks,” I mumble. There is a short awkward silence.
“Hmm. So Sara do you like grapes?” The Queen asks.
“Yes, I do.” I say, suddenly excited to eat. My stomach growls like my backup singer and I look down in embarrassment. Bennet and Quint laugh, Bud just gives me an entertained smile, and Wrath raises a single sharp perfect eyebrow with a smile playing around her lips. A condescending smile.
“Grapes, please.” The Queen says to no one in particular, yet a boy comes up with a platter of the most delicious looking grapes and sets them on the table in front of me. “Dig in dear.” The Queen encourages.
“Ok.” I hesitantly reach for a grape and plop it in my mouth. I can’t help but moan from the deliciousness of the grape. “Mmmmm. These are so good.”
“I have them grown in my garden. My gardener is very skilled.” The Queen calls for more delectable fruit that I devour with help from Bennet and the occasional grab from Bud. While I eat, the rest of the group make small talk about someone they call Cue. Cue must be a child because Bennet takes a break from the watermelon to ask “How are his studies going?”
“Oh they go wonderful, when I can get him to focus. He cannot sit still but when I bribe him to pay attention, he learns a lot.” The Queen says. “He is in language study right now but I doubt that is going well. He loves his history but loathes everything else.”
“And what of his archery?” Wrath asks.
“He is a real prodigy. In fact, he reminds me of you when you were his age. He often talks about how he wants to be as good as you.” Wrath smiles a beautiful smile at this. Her teeth are stark white and straight, her smiling brings out her scar in a gorgeous way. I have stopped eating and I just listen to their surprisingly normal conversation. I think of my Gram now. I wonder what she is doing and how she is and when I will get to see her again.
“Well Bud and I want to surprise him for his sword lessons.” Everyone gets up and Wrath and Bud start to walk away. Bud turns around and walks back to me.
“Good luck, Sara.” With a wink, Bud follows Wrath out the door.
“He means ‘Good luck’ with the interrogation.” Bennet says.
“Interrogation?” I suddenly don’t feel as good as I did 5 minutes ago.
The Queen gives Bennet another stern look, which must happen often for the look does not faze him. “Yes child. My advisors insist on asking a few questions to everyone who ends up in the infirmary and most especially when that person is a human. It’ll be just be a few ‘get-to-know-you’ questions. Bennet and Quint will escort you there and then to your rooms.”
“How long does it usually take?” I ask nervously.
“Depends.” Is all the Queen says as she gives me a gentle pat on the back and walks away to a group of Fae.
♦
“State your name,” An older Fae, with slicked back silver hair commands. We sit in a bright white room. Quint sits to the left of me and Bennet leans against a wall to my right. We originally went to a theater size room with 4 men seated at a tall bench; however, Quint insisted that I would probably feel more comfortable with only one of the 4 men in a much smaller room. He was right.
“Sara Waters,” I reply calmly.
“What is your mother’s name?”
“It was Mila Waters.”
“Was?”
“She died when I was 4.”
“And your father raised you?”
“No, I never knew my father. My mother never told my grandma who my father was, either. So after my mother died, my grandma took me in and raised me.”
“What is your grandmother’s name?”
“Shirley Waters.”
“Where is your grandmother now?”
“Home, so I'm told.” The inquisitor looks up from the paper in front of him and squints.
“Ok. And why are you here? What is it you want from the Queen?”
“Um I am here because this is where I woke up. I don’t want anything from the Queen, I just met her.” What does he mean what do I want from the Queen? What is there to want? What does she have? And “You don’t know why I'm here? Why has no one told me that yet? Why am I here?” When the inquisitor does not answer I turn to Quint who is deliberately avoiding my eye, so I turn to Bennet. Bennet is a little more comfort because he mouths “I don’t know”. At least I got some sort answer from him, even if it was not the one I was looking for.
“What is the last thing you remember before you woke up in the infirmary?”
“Uhh…” I close my eyes trying hard to remember. “I was um…washing our dinner plates. Then I remember cutting my finger on a jagged edge of the pot and-and it hurt really bad. So bad that I bled, I can’t remember the last time I had bled from a cut before that. I layed down on the tile of the kitchen and called my grams then…” I open my eyes and look at the inquisitor “then I remember waking in the infirmary.”
“Ok. What is your age?”
“17.”
“Do you have study lessons?”
“No-Yes? I went to school every year up until 3 months ago when my grandmother became ill. After that, I take school online at home so I can watch over her.”
“How many men have you shared your bed with?” My mouth drops open that is a seriously personal question. I don’t answer because Bennet comes over and Quint jumps up and says “Whoaaaaa that got very personal really fast.” Bennet motions me up and Quint leans into to the man. With a voice like ice, Quint says “Leon, you know that was not what Dromeda agreed to have her questioned on. This inquisition is over.”
Leon grunts, grabs his papers, and leaves the room by slamming the door.
“Um I don’t know what got into him. Sorry about that.” Quint stares after Leon, clearly confused. “If your all set, we will take you to your rooms now.”
“Rooms?” I ask.
“Yes, rooms.” Bennet answers. “You got your bathing room, your bedroom, your sitting room, your guard rooms, your dining room, your steam room, your-” My eyebrows raise as Bennet lists ‘my rooms’ in a car sales man voice.
“Ben is joking. Your rooms only include your bating, bed, and sitting rooms.” Quint interrupts.
“Still why a sitting room? Aren’t I only going to be sleeping and bathing in my rooms?” I ask. “Oh and how long am I gonna be staying that I need my own room?”
We start off down the hall and up a flight of stairs. “Well your sitting room is for when Dromeda visits and for your guard. As to how long you’ll be staying, that is undecided yet.”
“What do I need guards for? And why is a human like me here in the Fae palace? Why am I here?” New questions come to my mind every time I ask a question.
“You need guards because you are a human at the Dark court of the Fae. There are many here who like to,…let us just say they either like the presence of a human too much or not at all.”
“Hmm.” Is all I can reply to that. “How many guards do I have?”
“Four. Myself, Ben, Rye, and Bud.”
“Rye? Whose he?”
“She. Who is she? Rye is short for Ryker as is Wrath Ryker.” Bennet joins the conversation.
“Oh. Wrath.” We arrive a door that I assume leads to my rooms. We enter the room and the first thing I see is Wrath, Bud, and the Queen sitting at a small table in the sitting room. The room is a light pink with white trim. The ceiling is black and the two couches, the table and its chairs, the lamp and the foot stool are all black.
“Dromeda,” Ben and Quint greet as they shut the door. Ben goes and sits on the small couch. Quint goes to Wrath, grabs her hand, brings her hand to his mouth for a small kiss, and sits on the couch next to Ben. The gesture is romantic and I cannot help but to feel jealous of that simple kiss. Not because the kiss came from Quint, but because that small kiss held unspoken love and I wished I found love that….simple. Every relationship I ever had was just a lustful one and not a loving one.
“Come. Sit with me Sara; I want to answer your questions.” The Queen beckons me to the empty chair across from her at the table. The chair is not empty because Bud stands up and offers it to me. I catch his eye when I sit down, and uttered speechless. Bud is very handsome, even with his scar. His scar, like Wrath’s, only heightens his handsomeness. He smiles at me and I am unable to thank him for the chair.
“I really do not think it necessary for us to be here,” Wrath hisses to the Queen. The Queen only looks at Wrath. “This is a personal Q&A.” The Queen burrows her beautiful brows as she thinks this over.
“She might get emotional and I do not know how to handle that. All of you, on the other hand, have experience in that area. What with being in the human world for so long and raising Cue. It has been centuries since I have raised a child.”
“Not true, Dromeda. You are around Cue all the time.”
“He is different. He is lighter in spirit, somehow. He never angers or cries or has random emotions for no apparent reason. He is very intelligent and knows how to handle any situation he is in.” The Queen’s voice grows worrier as she says “I cannot do this alone. I’ll make a mess of the situations and the kingdom needs me to not mess this up. ”
“Do what alone?” I ask. Wrath and the Queen’s conversation is confusing. Cue? Oh right, he is the child Wrath and Bud went to surprise for his sword lessons. Centuries since she has raised a child? Are Fae immortal? I add this question to my never ending list of questions. Neither the Queen nor Wrath answers me.
“Yes you can, you must and you will not mess it up.” It is a strange kingdom where the monarch is forced by a woman warrior to do something she obviously has worries about doing. Every book I have read on the ancient monarchies of the world says monarchs told subjects what to do, not the other way around. Although, Wrath is not making the Queen, she is merely just telling the Queen what the Queen ‘must’ do and telling the Queen what she will not do. “We will not intrude on this private conversation that you must have with her. Bud and I will be outside the door. If you insist on having one of us in the room, then Quint will stay for you know why it will be him.”
“Yes, I understand. Fine, you and Bud outside the door because I have no idea how she might react, she might even try to run. Quint with me and afterwards you all may take your leave.” Wrath nods her agreement and Bud and Bennet go to the door with her. “Oh and thank you, Rye. Thank you all. You are my most trusted.”
“We know that. We will honor that and protect her. Fear not, Dromeda.” Bennet says as he shuts the door behind him.
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