Wingless [Complete]

Chapter Six: Two Weeks Later

We waited for two weeks, just as Lina suggested. Two weeks until my parents came home. We had nothing else to do, as we didn't have anything else that could help us. We tried, most nights sitting together in my room with Lucas standing guard ... outside my room, of course. He didn't know anything. No one in the palace did. Lina and I kept it to ourselves.

Finally, after two long weeks, I heard the sound of trumpets and the rush of heat and air from the wings of fire that all fire fey sported (except me, of course). I ran to the window of the entrance hall I had been standing in, awaiting their arrival.

I looked up to the sky and watched as a group of high ranking fire-fey flew over the city, with father and mother leading at the front. Once they reached the palace they all descended down and landed, completely silent, in front of the palace doors. Once down, they retracted their wings.

Maybe I should explain something about faerie wings and flying in general. Faerie wings, unlike birds wings, do not fold down onto their back; but they also don't stay open. Instead, they can be retracted into the back. It's something that has developed out of convenience, or so I've been told. While the halls of the palace, and most houses, are built to accommodate a fully grown faerie with wings extended, it still incredibly annoying to try to maneuver around hallways and such with wings wide open.

Now, when we fly, it's also very different from most other flying creatures. Most birds (again: birds) fly with their wings above them, and body parallel to the ground. Faeries, on the other hand, fly almost upright, unless trying to go very fast. When they go fast, they often do fly in the same manner as birds. This also makes it easier for guards when they carry me.

Every time I have to go somewhere where I would need to fly to, a guard usually carried me up there. When I was very young, and could still do so, I loved to be carried piggy-back and feel the warm air, that was being pushed back through the wings of the guard. But nowadays, most of them decide to carry me in a style often nicknamed 'Princess Carry'.

I didn't see why. It was quite hard to keep your balance like that. Father, nowadays, always carries me with my back against his chest and one arm around my wait and another under my arms. This way I was being securely carried with even weight distribution, and it was a much nicer experience for me. I could pretend I was flying, and also see the whole world around me and below me.

So, when the returning group of faeries landed on the ground, all they had to do was drop down. All did I differently. Some, mostly warriors, dropped down and landed in a crouch. Some drifted down slowly, and landed softly and standing. Some dropped and stopped right before they hit the ground; then landed slowly the rest of the way. Some did the exact opposite, going slowly and then dropping for a short distance. Other still, went in an almost diagonal pattern, slowly sinking while still flying forward. It was all very different and interesting to watch.

Mother was a slow drifter, and father was a fast-to-slow dropper (meaning he dropped and then slowed just before he reached the ground). Each was unique to every fey. Once started to fly, there was one way you Dropped for the rest of your life. Except the warriors, which were trained to Drop fast and crouch. But my guards had to Drop slowly - slowing down to almost a drift - when they were holding me. I had always wondered how I would Drop. I would probably never know.

When all were on the ground, the palace doors opened. I rushed forward, my lilac-coloured dress swishing around my legs, a little above my ankles. I had worn my dress with the lightest fabric, because of all the heat the wings would produce. I hadn't even considered wearing pants because of the heat the many wings would produce.

But everyone else was wearing pants. For many reasons. The wind in the air-kingdom - which is called Aires - was quite strong and dresses would whip around your legs. Also, to get back to the Fyria in time, you need to travel quite fast. which can also get inconvenient in a dress. The faeries that have mastered the art of flying in a dress are the female air-fey.

Everyone came into the great all, once the door had opened. Many greeted me, all in varying degrees of affection and respect. Most noblewomen smiled or curtsied, while the guards that knew me came over a ruffled my hair. With the many bodies and lingering heat of the wings, the room became quite hot and stuffy. But they all left quite soon, eager to be with their families and back to a normal routine again.

Finally, only my parents and I were left in the hall. They were just talking about things. Things that I hoped I didn't have to worry about for a long while yet. Once they were done, mother looked up. Her eyes met mine, and a smile spread across her face. She rushed over to me and gave me a back-breaking hug.

"Oh sweetie." She sighed. "I'm so very sorry that we left like that after just coming back." She takes me by the shoulders and looks me in the eyes. "I promise we aren't leaving again for a long while. This will never happen again." She hugs me again. "I missed you very much." She whispers into my ear. She releases me and steps back, smiling.

Just as she lets go, father comes up from behind her and gives me a quick hug. "I have missed you too, my daughter."

I hug him back and hold out one arm for my mother. She comes in and all three of us are hugging. Sure, we may fight from time to time; but being away from your parents for a month with only staff and occasionally your best friend for company, it gets a bit lonely.

"I missed you both too." I release them and step back. "I have some news." I tell them. "I'll tell you when Lin . . . Carolina comes." I always called her Carolina instead of Lina when around any adult. Formalities.

"I'm here!" Sings a voice from the top of the right-wing staircase. There is the sound of foot-steps and a second later Carolina comes rushing down the steps. "Hello Lamina. Hello Sir."

She always called my mother by her first name (because she had known her personally for so long), unless at a formal event. But father she always called 'Sir' rather formally. Maybe because of his dominating presence or the high respect the the town people owe him. Since he was born, he had the aura of a warrior, and was one too. Meanwhile, mother was always running around outdoor with the children, looking after plants, and helping around town.

"There you are!" Lucas's voice comes from the left-wing staircase, as he runs down it. "You need to stop running away." Once he reaches the bottom of the staircase, he stops, looks up, and sees my parents. "Oh, your majesties." He bows. "I am very sorry. I did not know you were there."

Father just looks at him silently, his expression as unreadable as it usually is. But mother smiles and tells him it's alright. By this time, Lina's come up behind me. She watches as Lucas regains his composure, bows and leaves - after asking if I would like him to stay or go (I told him to go).

My mother faces me. "Well, it seems Carolina is here now. What could you like to say?"

Lina then speaks up. "Would it be possible if we could go somewhere quiet and where we would not be disturbed?" She asks. "We wouldn't want anyone to overhear this."

Mother furrows her brows and for a bit before smoothing over her expression and coming to her decision. "Yes, of course." She motions to us. "Come along now."

We both follow behind mother and father, as they lead us down the hallway at the back of the grand hall.

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This chapter is longer . . . see? I'll try to make them a bit longer, but this one's at least 1400 words . . . so that isn't nothing. I have a lot of other things to do, but I try to write as much as I can.

Please leave a comment,

~Julica💖