Daughter of the Night [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 16

"Who dared to burn her," the fae hissed, turning to the servant with the curling iron in her hands. The metal was still hot, and the fae could feel the heat radiating off of it. She started towards the servant, only to be stopped when she felt someone grab her wrist. 

Y/N had managed to break free from her mother's spell and was now glaring at the woman with a ferocity that her mother had never seen before. 

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her," Y/N growled. If looks could kill, Y/N's mother would be nothing more than a pile of ash on the ground. "If you do not remove yourself from this room immediately I will not hesitate to have you thrown out of the room, if not the entire ceremony." She neared her mother, her lips curled almost anomalistically. "Now get. Out. Of. My. Room."

But her mother wasn't finished. She raised her hand as if to curse her daughter, but suddenly the door was flung open. Aloren and his mother were standing at the door, looking something between horrified and furious. 

"Leave her alone," Aloren hissed, his hand resting on the sword at his side. "I may not be a fae but-"

His mother cut him off as she swept into the room, her eyes flaming with blue fire. Y/N's eyes widened at the sight. She didn't know that Aloren's mother had magic. But when the woman lifted her finger to reveal a blue flame that hovered above the tip, she felt the urge to laugh. Her mother would have no qualms about inflicting a curse on her, but she wouldn't dare attack the governor's wife. 

"She is not your daughter anymore," Aloren's mother snapped. "She shall never be your daughter again. You are not worthy of the title of a mother, and I command you to leave this place before I have the guards escort you from the premises."

A flicker of fear flashed across the eyes of the fae. For once, she was terrified. While a fae could not be harmed by any common blade, the new knowledge that this family possessed magic struck a chord. She glanced over at Aloren who still had his hand on the blade at his side. It was most likely enchanted, meaning that it could take her life before she could curse him and his family.

"GUARDS!" Two armoured guards appeared at the door behind Aloren, waiting for their mistress' command. She pointed to the fae. "Escort her to the docks and ensure that she remains there. Take Alfre with you. That should ensure that she doesn't try to escape."

"No! You can't do this to me," the fae growled as the guards each took a wrist and started pulling her from the room. "I have a right to see my daughter's wedding!"

"You lost that right when you lay a hand on her," the governor's wife hissed, following her to the door and watching as she was dragged down the hall. "You lost that right when you decided to treat her as a pawn on a chess board rather than your own flesh and blood." She made a rather rude and un-ladylike gesture to the fae as she was dragged off down the hall, before reentering the room. 

Aloren was comforting a shaking Y/N, and the woman smiled at the sight. She knew Y/N was strong. She knew that she could fight her own battles, but it seemed that once she arrived on the island, she realised that she could allow Aloren to come to her rescue every once and a while. 

"How are you, dear?"

Y/N looked up and smiled at the woman. "Thank you." She gazed up at Aloren and squeezed his hand, silently telling him that she was all right. He released his hold on her shoulder, bent to kiss her on the forehead, and left the room.

"We'll leave you to get ready."

As the door clicked shut behind the two, Y/N fell back into the chair behind her, letting out a breath of relief. Her mother was gone, the room was still, and for once, she felt at peace. True, she still did not wish to marry Aloren, but his family had accepted her and had loved her despite her... excursion with Malleus, which she had a sneaking suspicion that they were acutely aware of.

"Miss? Are you ready for us to finish your hair?"

Y/N nodded and turned toward the vanity again, watching as the three servant girls approached her again. 

"I'm sorry about my mother," she said after a moment. 

"It's okay, miss."

"We're sorry that you had to put up with her as a mother."

Y/N giggled. 

"I'm sorry I burned you by accident, miss," the smallest of the three said. She was still standing a little bit further away than the others.

"It's okay... sorry, what are your names?"

"I'm Abigail," one said. Y/N admired her in the mirror. She was the one her mother had nearly attacked. A dark-skinned beauty, who Y/N thought could be a siren, if not for the lack of a tail. Her golden eyes seemed to glow like the sun, and her hands moved as if Y/N's hair were the delicate strings of a violin. The definition of poise and beauty. 

"I'm Valentina," the little one said. She had moved closer to Y/N. Cute little pink cheeks, a round apple face, bluebell eyes, and hair as dark as snow. 

"And I'm Celeste. We'll be your ladies-in-waiting." Y/N was one hundred per cent sure that Celeste was at least part fae, for her eyes seemed to hold the entire night sky in her irises, and it seemed as though eight stars had made a home in her cheeks, four beneath each eye.

Y/N smiled. "I'm honoured to be in the care of such wonderful ladies-in-waiting, but I hope that we can become friends." She picked up a dark blood-red lipstick and twisted it out of the tube. "After all, I suspect that I'll see you a great deal in the coming years."

The girls all giggled.

"We're honoured, miss," Celeste said.

There was a sudden earth-shattering knock at the door and the girls all jumped. This time, Valentina burned herself instead of Y/N and whimpered as she felt the heat of the iron in her palm.

"Valentina," Y/N exclaimed. She spun around and took the young girl's hand in hers as Abigail went to answer the door. "Are you okay?"

Valentina nodded. "Y-yes. I-I just didn't want to burn you again."

"Y/N! I'm here!"

"Uira!" Y/N quickly waved the fae over. "As happy as I am to see you, please heal Valentina. You startled her with your knock."

"Oh, stars, of course." Uira waved her hand and the burn disappeared a second later. Valentina let out a breath of relief as she held her hand close to her chest.

"Valentina, how about you give the iron to Abigail," Celeste suggested, not wanting anyone else to be hurt. Valentina eagerly handed it over.

"How are you, darling," Uira asked, taking Y/N's hands in hers and pulling her to her feet. "You are to be married today!"

Y/N smiled. "Yes, I suppose I am. I think I am... conflicted."

"Malleus?"

Y/N nodded and Uira wrapped her arms around Y/N, taking her into a warm embrace. "I'm sorry, darling. If I could do something..."

"It's all right. Aloren is a wonderful man and I know he will make me happy."

"Okay," Uira said. She released Y/N from the embrace and pulled her over to the box that was sitting on her bed. "Now, here is the dress I promised."