The beauty of the queen was beyond words. Renée looked on stunned into silence and seemed to be stuck in the gaze of the queen. Her feet were rooted to the floor, her body stiff. Something about the queen captured her. She felt like she'd met her before but could not seem to put her finger on where that could have been. Too stunned to rack her brain as to where she may have seen her, she just gawked. Someone ripped her out of being stunned by trying to get her attention.
"Ah-hem. Renée, you okay?" Jackie asked urgently while looking at the queen, her cheeks growing red. "I am sorry, she seems a little discombobulated."
"I am sorry, for a moment I thought that I had seen you somewhere before. But maybe it is my imagination. It is nice to meet you, Your Highness." She took a slight bow, assuming that was the custom. When she looked up, she was shocked to see a pleasant smile spread across the queen's lips.
"Well, we have indeed met before though I am not sure you would remember that life. You look so much like you did then. If I did not know better, I would think it was still you of that time. Please take time to enjoy the party, and afterward, we will proceed to a more private room so we can talk." She seemed to glow with happiness.
Turning to Jackie, she said, "Thank you, dear, for bringing her here to me. Please do enjoy yourself and the two angel-blooded are welcome to join as well." She excused them with that, and they walked back into the crowd.
Fae danced, dinned, and flirted. Renée, for the first time, really began to look around. She saw beings that seemed to be made of the bark of a wood, leaves of trees, flowers, and some seemingly iridescent. Put altogether, it much looked like the forest itself danced. She could see now why the park above remained so beautiful. It almost seemed as if anything that these Fae were to touch, nature would sprout beneath them. Just as she thought of it, she looked down and saw that beneath the feet of some of them, small flowers were sprouting, leaving behind beautiful footprints. The smell in the air felt intoxicating. A mixture of gardenia, magnolia, and jasmine perfectly blended. For the enclosed space, it seemed as if a gentle breeze wafted around, but no fans were in sight, nor were any openings that she could see. Down here was another world entirely.
"Are you doing all right?" Cas whispered in her ear. She almost forgot they were here. She turned for a moment and saw that Jackie and Gage took off to do their own things while Cas stayed behind. He seemed to be watching for her reaction to the overload of a new world.
"Did you grow up around things like this? You do not seem shocked at all."
"Well, we deal with the Fae often. The first time I ever saw one was about four years old. I was in the park above when I met them."
"Wait. Are you telling me that you used to live here that long ago? You had been here before? Where did you go?"
"I went to train, and yes, I was born here as were you. It's quite a nice place. My parents lived here for a long time before they were killed in battle a few years ago. My real parents, that is."
"Both your parents died?" Tears started welling up in her eyes. She didn't know why but this news hit her as hard as it would, had it been her own parents. He immediately reached out to her seeing her reaction.
"No, it's all right. I have come to terms with it. Please do not cry. I am sorry, had I known it would make you cry, I wouldn't have told you."
"You must have had a hard life to have lost your parents. Who raised you?"
"I was raised by other Nephilim. It was not the kind of life you would guess. We spend a lot of time training from very young and do not live our lives like mundanes."
"Mundane, what is that?"
"Mundanes are those that are not of angel or demon blood, the normal people in the world."
"Oh, well, how do you live?"
"We do not have television or phones, no technology, until we are done with training. Even then, we do not use much of the entertaining technology that people use. We spend most of our lives fighting to keep demons at bay and half breeds at peace with Nephilim. Half breeds are those that are of demon blood or infected by them. In some cases, it also means Nephilim."
"Suddenly the world just got much bigger than I thought it was. There is so much out there that I had no idea was there. Granted I can lose myself in fantasy, but I never thought that it might actually be true. It is all overwhelming. It seems I might never get used to it all. Not to mention now I know I have this enraged queen out to get me because my heart did not fall for her son. Actually, I am not really sure who it was that I fell for instead of him. I cannot imagine not loving him. I am going to have to spend some time talking with Gage and find out
everything that happened. All this just makes me wonder more and more of everything my soul has endured. Apparently, according to him, this is the first life that I have been so accepting of the news. I wonder too what that could mean." She looked at him for a second and saw him turn a little white. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Uh, no, everything is all right. I didn't know you knew so much already. I thought that basically you just knew that you were reincarnated and that we are what we are. I thought the queen was supposed to tell you everything. I guess I should have known that Gage would give you whatever you wanted. Apparently that is what he's always done." She sensed more to the story than what he told. She decided she could wait until later to confront him. Time passed quickly. She looked around and saw that it was not quite as full as before. "I think the party is coming to a close."
He took her hand and guided her back to the throne before Jackie and Gage returned. "We can talk about this more later." He let her hand go and took a step to the side away from her in order to avoid further conflicts with Gage.
"He does not have a claim on me, you know. Just because I was with him in previous lives does not give him right to assume I am the same now." She instantly regretted the statement as it would lead him on in thinking that he may have a chance. She did not know if she wanted to be with Gage any more than she did about Cas. But what she did know was that she would have to get to know them better first. Her soul seemed to recognize them both and love them both. Her consciousness and reason, though, was a different story. It seemed that Gage hid things from her. It was all too confusing.
"Hey, Renée, what did you think? Wild, huh?" Jackie asked when she and Gage arrived back at the throne.
"It is overwhelming. A whole world that I used to be a part of and dream of but never knew existed." She did not know any other way to explain.
"She will be back in a minute. She had some things to take care of before we sit down," Jackie said.
"Well, I guess running a kingdom must be a lot of work," Renée said.
"Yes, indeed it does require a lot of her attention. If you would please follow me, I will bring you to the queen. She awaits you in her drawing room," said a faery dressed in rose petal clothing with red hair and a dainty body the color of the morning sky. They followed her down a few passages until they came to a dimly lit room with a small fireplace and comfortable furniture. The queen sat in a lounging chair in more relaxing clothing. She wore a cloth of unknown origin to Renée, the color of a lily with a crown made of fragile silver that adorned her head perfectly. Her hair looked soft silver in color and her skin pale white, pure as snow. Her eyes were a striking green emerald color that almost seem to burst out from her features. Her bottom lip was slightly bigger than the top, making her look almost as if she were pouting at times.
"Welcome, do forgive my dress. I thought a more casual setting would make this much easier on you," the queen said, looking at Renée.
"Thank you for the sentiment," she replied.
"You may all have a seat. Sileral, please go prepare some tea for our guests." Sileral left the room immediately. "We have some wonderful assortments of teas. I do hope you like tea, Renée."
"Yes, ma'am, I do."
"Oh, no need for such formality. Here, come sit next to me, we have much to talk about." She patted the chair she sat on. Renée sat and found it quite comfortable. Gage, Jackie, and Cas all sat on the sofa across from them. "Thank you, Sileral, please place the tray there on the table. I will not need your services again tonight. I will see you in the morning. Thank you."
With that, the faery bowed and exited the room. Jackie got up and began to pour the tea into separate cups and served them to first the queen then everyone else. The tea contained a soothing aroma that relaxed Renée immediately. Some scents she could make out.
"I smell chamomile and jasmine . . . what else is in here?"
"There is pomegranate and a smidgen of orange. The fruit sweetens the tea so that there is no use for sugar." Renée took a sip and gasped. "It is delicious. You are right, I do not need any sugar at all it is perfect. Thank you."
"Very nice, now to get down to business, I have been told that you managed to discover that things were not quite right and cornered Gage in a way to tell you what exactly was going on. Is this right?"
"Yes, everyone was mad at one another, and I demanded to know. I do not like fighting amongst my friends."
"How wonderful of you, it makes you a truly loyal friend. Now how much have you been told?" Renée looked at Gage for a moment to determine what she should say. He just nodded his head slightly at her as if he knew exactly what she searched for.
"Well, I was told I have been reincarnated several times and that during my first incarnation, I had broken an arranged marriage with the Unseelie queen's son. She has been out to destroy me ever since. I have been told who you are and what everyone is." She looked at Cas, determining that was all she could really say without risking him finding out who he really was. "That is pretty much it."
"Well, yes, I see, you know a lot right now. But there is so much more as well. First off, this being the first life that I have been able to really meet you so soon is wonderful. I am so happy you are taking this so well. Second, I hoped that one day you would reincarnate as a Fae. Seeing as there are not many of us born every year, it makes things difficult. That is partly why the Unseelie queen was so angry with you. You do know that her son having loved you so much terminated his own life?"
"Yes, ma'am, I do know that. But I do not know who it was that I could have loved instead of him that would allow something like this to happen."
"Well, I guess when you think of it that way, I can see your confusion." Tatiana glanced at Gage quickly then back to Renée. "You see, at the time you were so much in love with this other man that you were insistent not to leave him. I would never have you marry someone you did not love anyway. It is so rare for our kind to love someone that when you found it, it was a miracle."
"Oh, I see then." She looked at Gage then and made it a point to find out just why she would ever love someone who would risk this stuff happen. There clearly had to have been another way.
"When you turn eighteen, I would like you to take refuge somewhere we can provide you more safety. Would you be willing to do that?"
"Where would I go? What would I tell my mother?"
"We can take care of your mother. As far as where you would go, there are some choices. The park just above, where you entered, we can build a home there for you or there are a number of safe houses throughout the area with humans that have the sight. They provide safety at times for those that need it." Renée thought about it for a minute, and the cottage in the park that she imagined a while ago seemed like something tangible now.
"What would you do to my mother?"
"We would have it set up that she believes you are off to college early." This seemed relatively harmless to Renée so she decided that a little more time to get things together and moving out would not be so bad after all.
"Sounds good, I would like to live in the park if that is all right."
"Of course, you must understand, though, the home we build for you will have no iron, so that means that we would have to build something completely out of nature. It will be sturdy and provide everything you need, but it will not be like the home you live in."
"So a cottage?" she said hopefully.
"Indeed, it seems you have something in mind?"
"Yes, in fact when Gage first brought me to the park, I envisioned living there in a homey cottage."
"Well, I hear you are something of an artist. If you could provide me with what you envisioned, we will do our best to build it for you. This may only be a temporary living space, but it should provide you with comfort at least. I am sorry that you have to go through this. I should have done something about it then. It is getting late. We have much to do and much to discuss later. So please do come back soon so we can teach you about everything else in order to protect you better. Until then, Gage is in charge of informing you of any information that you may need." She looked pointedly at Gage. She seemed to just tolerate him enough not to rip him apart. He obviously did something to make her unhappy. So many questions formed in her mind that she would surely have to start writing them down.
"Thank you for having us. I will have Jackie bring you my drawing tomorrow. It has been enlightening." She tried not to be rude, but right that moment, she just wanted to get out and get some answers. She knew that as long as everyone remained together she would only receive rehearsed answers rather than the truth. Tatiana nodded at her, and the others bowed back. They were led out of the tunnels by Jackie alone.
When they emerged, it looked to be the middle of the night. Time went by much faster than she would have thought possible. She would have to take note next time just how different the time span was as not to run into being late going home again.
The drive back was silent as everyone seemed to have something to say but didn't know how to say it. The only one that seemed in a good mood was Jackie. It seemed to radiate off her in waves. She never stayed deterred for very long. The first to be dropped off at home, Jackie reached over to hug Renée and told her she would see her tomorrow in school. School seemed so far away right now. It was a different world and different lifetime even. Renée didn't know how she would return to her life knowing everything she did now. It made her old life seem like just a dream and this reality. She guessed that her response proved unusual as most people would reject the fantasy for the more rational. In a nutshell, she wasn't normal to begin with, and this new life seemed much better suited so far as she knew. Gage and Cas dropped her off at home with a mumbled good-bye from each of them. They drove off without a look back.
Once she walked into her home, she knew that she would be hearing a lecture from her mother. However, it was quiet in her home with no one in sight. She walked upstairs to her room and found a note on her door.
Renée,
Don't you think you have escaped in sneaking home, or that your absence at school has gone unnoticed. We will discuss this tomorrow and you will be staying home.
-Mom
Just when she thought she was off the hook. She hoped that nothing important would be going on tomorrow that would require her absence from home. Much more of this and the queen would have to build that cottage double time because she would be kicked out, or worse, sent to her father's house to live. After showering and getting ready for bed, she made her way to her brother's room. The light spilled out into the hall from under his door. She hesitantly raised her hand to knock, but he beat her to it and opened his door. He must have heard the shower because he didn't seem surprised at all to see her. He pulled the door open wider for her to come into his room.
"I am really sorry, Jake, for what I said. I really did not mean it. It has been eating at me lately and I should have come to you sooner, but things have been so out of hand lately. So much is going on and my world is spinning out of control." He looked at her for a second without an expression on his face. It seemed as if he were trying to make his mind up about something.
"I know you did not mean it. I never really felt mad at you. I just wanted to give you your space for a little while. It seemed you were a little stressed out lately. So care to tell me what is going on?" She did not know what to say. She didn't know if Jake should know about this new world she entered. If he would be able to understand it or even believe it.
"Well, I am not sure you would believe me if I told you."
"Well, how about this. I promise to keep an open mind and not commit you to a mental hospital if I think you have lost it. How about that? Just please tell me what is causing you all this stress and pain."
She looked at him shocked. Never had she thought that he was that perceptive. She thought for a second trying to make up her mind.
"Well, as long as you keep an open mind. It is going to sound completely crazy and out of this world. But it will explain so much, even the absence of information about Gage and his brother Cas."
"Of course it has to do with them. How could I have not known? Go on, let's hear it." He sat on his bed, leaning against the wall with his arms across his chest. So much for an open mind, she thought.
"Well, first off, Gage, Cas, and Jackie are not what they seem."
"We all know Jackie isn't what she seems." He interrupted her, laughing.
"Jake, if you want me to tell you, you need to avoid interrupting me."
"Okay, I promise to wait to ask questions and make comments."
"Thank you, now-" she went in full-blown explanation of everything from when she first met Gage to the meeting with the queen. He sat quietly listening as if she were telling him a bedtime story. He was careful to keep his face neutral the entire time. It was a little unbelievable that he had not begun laughing and hauling her off to the psych ward.
"Well, that is quite a story. I have to say, you could really write some great children's books."
"Jake."
"Sorry, you said that I could make comments after you were done. You were done, right?"
"Yes, I am done. I do not think I left anything out. I know it is crazy, and even with my wild imagination, I found it a little difficult to believe until they proved it to me."
"Indeed, I could see how that would be hard to believe. I'm having trouble believing it too. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"You do not believe me. I expected that. I wish I could give you proof, but unfortunately, I do not think any of them are willing to give you the proof they did me."
"Right, I can understand that. Though, I do believe that Jackie is a cold hearted Fae. That fits perfectly in what I have learned of her. It's rather funny actually. I could just see her all Goth-like with wings." He rolled with laughter now.
"Right, well, we can discuss the rest of this later. I have school tomorrow and I need to get at least some sleep." She walked out of his room. She didn't know if he would believe her or not. Without him laughing at her, it seemed possible that he just might be able to. If only she could provide him proof.
Once in her room, Renée relaxed back on her chair pillow and began to think about the cottage she wanted. It showed up clearly in her mind as if it were a physical memory rather than something she thought up. As soon as she started, the pencil flowed all over the page. It took her no time at all to finish. When she finally stopped, she looked closely at the picture to see if she might have forgotten something.
It was beautiful. Unlike anything she ever drew. The details immaculate. The build looked simple. A small one-person dwelling, the roof made out of branches neatly arranged; some still with leaves attached. The windows were formed by larger branches but could still open through the middle. The door made from flatter wood and really homey looking. Patches of moss were spreadall over the house to provide insulation and protection from the rain. Flowers were all around the house, giving it a fairy-tale look. She felt as if she had seen this place before. Almost like a Thomas Kinkade painting. If only she was good at colors.
She also had the layout sketched out below it. It contained a medium-sized bedroom, a larger living space, small kitchen, and even smaller bathroom. She did not know how they would be building that. She even provided shapes for the furniture so that it would all be set the way she would like. Imagining dishes made of wood, bed out of moss and wood, and the same for the rest of the furniture. It made her wonder if she would get a real bathtub and toilet. Somehow the regular plumbing seemed impossible if faeries were going to be building it.
It made her a bit nervous about the whole thing. She could deal with a well for water, so long as she had a way to heat it up and a way to dispose of sewage. Other than that, it felt like it would be a dream to live in the park.
She turned back to look at her other drawings and froze at one she did only a couple of days ago. It was a drawing of Gage, Cas, and Jackie in their true forms. That is impossible. I did not even know then, she thought. Looking at it, she could see the feathered wings relaxed behind Gage. It seemed so natural looking like they just belonged on his back and to see him without them would be wrong. Cas's the same way standing on the other side of Jackie. Jackie's wings were barely visible, a sketch on the page. Her eyes were more faery-like than what she looks like in her human form. Her subconscious must have suspected what they were long before she even had the inkling of an idea. Maybe this is why she did not really feel all that surprised when Gage told her. It seemed when she began drawing things from this life, they were much more vivid than the pictures she drew of anime girls. She never really could draw something so clear from her mind before, and nothing in this detail.
She made a note to herself to show this to Jackie when she gave her the drawing of the cottage for the queen.
She lay down to sleep that night exhausted. Once she fell asleep, she dreamt of bright colors, Fae, and the Unseelie queen. It was such a fitful sleep that she felt drained in the morning.
...
"Hurry or we are going to be late, Calla." Herb, her best friend from Ireland, complained.
"I'm sorry. This dress is not cooperating. Help me please." He came over and helped get the dress, crafted from the hopes and dreams of humans, over Calla's wings. It sparkled and shined with each movement she made.
"You look quite alluring in that dress." Herb wore a suit made from spider's silk shinning white with a red rose pinned on his breast.
"Thank you." They were celebrating the winter solstice tonight with a few neighboring courts. The park filled with Fae of all kinds.
"Okay, now let's go." He grabbed her hand and trailed her after him. When they joined the party, it was in full swing. Dancing, mingling, and dinning were all taking place. The park seemed smaller with the obscene amount of bodies filling it. Music that called to each and every one of the faeries played in the background, setting the mood. A few pet humans were spread across the park with their faery masters. It set Calla's blood on fire to see this archaic behavior.
Calla and Herb made their way to her mother sitting on a dais with a few other kings and queens including the wretched Mabh of the Unseelie Court who were closest to them. Her mother had been making a deal with Mabh over these past few months to join the two courts through the marriage of the prince and princess. Tonight would be the night she'd finally get to meet her betrothed. She had never seen him and wondered how awful he must be to come from someone as malevolent as Mabh.
"My son awaits you, Calla. You will find him at the buffet. Go, seek him out," Mabh demanded of her. Tatiana, hiding her disgust, nodded to her daughter to do as told.
"Hopefully she will be assassinated when you produce an heir. That ugly wench doesn't deserve to sit on dirt," Herb whispered in her ear as they headed toward the buffet. "So what does prince charming look like?"
"I do not know. I have never met him before and no one has told me a thing about him. I am scared, Herb. What if he is just like his mother?"
"The queen of the troublesome trio is scared of some little faery prince? Come on, you can hold your own, you know it," Herb said, elbowing her playfully. She smiled at his banter.
Looking around, she searched the small crowd that circled the buffet. She saw a few who were certainly not him, for their ragged appearances indicated they were less than royalty. As she searched, she noticed one in particular watching her from the other side of the buffet. He looked breathtaking. With solid white eyes, hair to match, and green-tinted skin completely unique. He wore a suit that must have been made from the night sky for the darkness of it. Her feet were taking her toward the faery without her permission. She felt a pull toward him and forgot all about the prince she was supposed to be looking for. When she finally reached him, she stared into his pure white eyes, noticing a tiny black pupil in the middle of them.
"Hi, Calla," he said, breaking her stare. She blinked confused. She didn't remember ever meeting him or telling him her name.
"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" she asked.
"No, but soon. I'm Rye." She looked at him, confused.
"Mabh's son." Shock clear on her face as the realization hit her.