The Fae Queen

Chapter 1

The river stone floor was covered with overlapping persian rugs of bright purples, pinks, and warm blues and greens, tapestries of the same colors were draped from the fifty foot ceilings. Windows that began at the floor and rose all the way up towards the ceiling, arching at the top in a half moon shape, let all of the afternoon sun stream inside of her room.

A king size four poster bed sat in the center of the room, sheer drapes hide the dark rose colored comforter and pillow cases. There was large, dark furniture all over the room along with pillows, blankets, and books thrown haphazardly on the floor, cushioned window seats, and the loveseat that sat in the corner. There were two doors adjacent to the bed which led to the bathroom and closet.

Lili walked into the bathroom first to shower. She sat down on the pink cushioned seat in front of the large vanity mirror and started running her fingers through her hair. In a matter of seconds, warm air was blowing from the palm of her hand, naturally drying her hair which was such a dark brown color that it was nearly black. Her eyes, pools of ocean blue, stood out against her dark features and warm, chocolate colored skin.

She brushed her hair out and let it fall naturally around her shoulders, before standing up and retreating to her closet. She dressed in a pair of light pink jeggings and a powder blue blouse, tugging a gray blazer over top. She sat down on the burgundy colored ottoman in the center of the closet, and slipped her feet into the tiny, no-show socks before stepping into a pair of blue flats.

Lili had made a point to not wear dresses or skirts, to the utter dismay of the fae Elders and the village leaders. The day they showed up to the meetings in dresses and high heels, so would she, until then, she would wear the same slacks and flat shoes that they get the privilege of wearing.

She took for granted how understanding Uncle Bayu was about her new, modern point of view that she was trying to bestow upon the realm. Without his support, she wouldn't be living in the castle let alone be the next Queen of fae.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, and then they entered without waiting for Lili's response. Lili sighed, already guessing who the intruder was.

"Are you almost ready?" An irritated voice called into the room.

Lili exited the closet and glared at Gertrude, her lady's maid. Lili didn't want a lady's maid anymore than Gertrude wanted to be hers, but Uncle Bayu had insisted. Gertrude was a young lady when Lili's grandmother was Queen, a battered woman who ended up being murdered by her own husband, the king of the realm at the time. Although she didn't look older than thirty or forty, she was more than a century old and was one of the first to follow Solaris and Bayu when they decided to take over the realm from their father.

"I'm ready now, Gertie." Lili smirked, knowing how much she hated that nickname.

Getrude pressed her lips together but didn't bother to respond. She just opened up the door and gestured towards the steps. Lili had hoped that, by moving to the tallest most secluded part of the castle, people would leave her alone. She didn't take into account the fact that Gertrude's ability was to evaporate and appear anywhere she could visualize. So, in all reality, the steps became Lili's punishment instead of Gertrude's.

Lili took her time descending the stairs, dragging her feet as she sulked towards the dining hall. Gertrude glared at Lili from over her shoulder the entire time, urging her to hurry up. They moved their way through the castle until the double doors of the dining hall towered above them. Gertrude nodded at the guards who each took hold of one of the brass handles and pushed the door open.

Lili strolled through the doorway first with Gertrude following a few steps behind her. The table, which seated thirty people or more, was already full by the time Lili had arrived. The sounds of chairs screeching across the marble flooring echoed off the walls as everyone stood to honor the arrival of the fae princess.

"I'm so glad you could join us, Princess Lili." Uncle Bayu smirked at his niece, knowing perfectly well that she was running late on purpose.

"Thank you." Lili pressed her lips together in a firm smile as she took her seat beside her uncle.

Everyone else sat back down and the room filled with the wait staff. Trays of food and pitchers of drinks flew around the room with the use of fae magic, the waiters and waitresses floating in as if they were on a fluffy cloud gliding across the sky. As the trays settled down on the table, the staff served all of the guests their food.

As the bureaucrats at the table began to discuss the boring details of their villages, Lili tuned them out and looked over the gourmet salad which covered the white porcelain plate. As she was trained, she picked up the proper golden salad fork and stabbed angrily at the lettuce like she blamed it for forcing her to sit through this meal.

Suddenly, a single rose floated past her head and fluttered down to her lip. She gasped and dropped her fork, it clattered loudly against the plate but no one even spared her a glance. She looked around and her eyes latched on to the only person in the room who was actually paying attention to her.