In the Summer Branches it never quite got dark, just as night never ended in the Unseelie's territory, so too did day persist in the Seelie's Kingdom. Still, I could feel the passage of time. I felt something shift. As Dusk fell, changing the sky from a light blue to a rainbow of oranges and pinks, the moon of magic itself began to grow full and burn as hot and bright as the sun peeking over the horizon of the phantom sea beyond The Hollow's branches.
Midsummer Eve was taking its last breaths and I was fashionably late.
As I strode across the meadow and entered the bonfire's golden light, all dancing ceased and every eye turned to the human in their midst. The very sight of me strangled the faeries. Their merry giggling stopped cold in their throats. The fire revealed the terror that covered my flesh and lit my goblin entourage's gruesome grins.
I moved with purpose, my steps sure and unwavering, my head held high and eyes turned towards my goal while my two small guards snapped at faerie toes ahead of me and Llinos and Snorri prowled just steps behind me with their hands resting upon their swords.
In thrones of blooming cream-colored roses, the royal faeries of both courts sat as if nature itself were cradling them. Oberon and Mab sat side by side, each already drowning in wine. They were each dressed in clothing that both suited their own cultures and borrowed aspects from the other's. Oberon wore a draping garment of sunshine gold that left more to the imagination than his usual attire. A crown of golden leaves and faerie fruit ringed his antlers. Mab, on the other hand, was bathed in a flowing gown of midnight sky and twinkling stars, the fabric so thin that her pale flesh peeked through. Her long, inky hair had been done up in an intricate pattern, leaving just the locks at her temples loose and hanging by her high cheekbones. She too wore a crown. A band of silver interwoven baren branches encircled her head and a crescent moon hovered just above the crown of her head as if the branches had captured it. Handsome Oberon with his perfect features and bright smile beamed like a blazing summer sun while Mab, cast in his shadow, glowed softly with serene beauty.
Had this been our first meeting, I would have had a very different first impression of them. Oberon looked boyishly charming, Mab lovely and kind, but I knew better. Those lovely faces and bright smiles hid souls as black as mine.
Mab and her brother Kieran sat closely side by side. Their fangs flashed in the firelight as he whispered something into her ear. Young Bran was curled up in his mother's lap, beginning to doze.
At Oberon's left hand, Titania sat stiffly with her hands folded tightly in her lap. She watched Oberon, sway in his seat as he laughed at his own bad jokes with a long-suffering, weary expression upon her beautiful face.
Aurora. Poor Aurora trembled and shuttered in her throne of flowers. She wore a gown of dusky pink that came in just beneath her bust then flowed outward around her body. Creamy roses and baby's breath were woven into a crown about her fiery red hair. She made a heartrendingly beautiful bride, but she was not even attempting to hide her terror. She stared down her hands, where her dainty fingers picked at the soft flesh of her arms, her gaze transfixed. Her little half-sister, the pretty, dark-haired Daphne, stood close by with an arm and wing wrapped around her shoulders. Despite the warmth of her white feathers and loving embrace, Aurora shivered.
Slowly, perhaps because she could hear the slithering of my gown's train across the grass beneath the roar of her father's drunken laughter, Aurora's eyes lifted and met my gaze. Her eyes widened and her mouth parted, releasing a gasp tinged with horror.
"Good evening," I greeted, grinning wolfishly. "Merry Midsummer."
At the sound of my voice, the other faerie lords finally acknowledged me. Titania's spine stiffened. Oberon squinted at me as if he could not quite believe I was actually there and Mab, dear Mab leaped to her feet so quickly and sloppily she knocked her son to the ground and almost spilled her wine all over herself.
"Come no closer!" She spat, glaring at me so hard I'm sure I would have burst into flames or frozen in place without my pendant. I could feel it thrumming against my chest, growing warm at the blows of her magic.
Two guards, one white-winged and one dark rushed towards me, crossing their long spears to block my path. Snorri and Llinos answered them by stepping before me and grinning into their stoic faces, laughing beneath their breaths.
"Oh, where are my manners?" I giggled lightly. "I nearly forgot. I should properly announce myself." I made a point to look directly at Mab as I recited my titles. "I am Matilda, Mistress of the Underground and Queen of Goblins. The beasts in the roots. The eaters of the Seed." I could not will away the pleasure in my voice. "And the conqueror of The City of Thorns."
"How?" Mab demanded, shrieking through bared teeth. "How are you here? How did you escape from Athane?" Behind her, Kieran leaned a cheek against his fist, smiling to himself as he took in the scene.
My mouth twisted into a smug smirk. "You know how we vermin are. You can try to kill us, but we always seem to come back."
"Seize her!" Mab snarled.
The black-winged guard shifted his spear, moving to grab me. The goblin men drew their swords just a bit, readying to fully unsheathe them.
"Watch yourself, Chicken Boy." Snorri bore his teeth daringly. "I suggest you back off before I shove that spear of yours up your arse as far as it'll go."
"Queen Matilda's come to take part in Midsummer. By rights, she is Oberon's guest, not your mistress'." Said Llinos.
"Don't be so hasty." Laughter still rang in Oberon's voice, unchanged by the intensity of the current situation. He waved away her snarling dismissively as if the storm brewing between us were a trivial matter. "It is Midsummer after all. A time to come together and enjoy the company of even our greatest of enemies." His eyes met mine. He stared into me, looking past the beautiful and frightening shell and into the murky depths that lay beneath. "But I am curious as well. Coming here was a dangerous gamble. What has brought you here, Matilda? Is it truly as the goblin says?" He asked, gesturing towards Llinos.
I painted on my best innocent smile. "I came to give my best to the young bride." With an effort, I spared Aurora a glance and swiftly regretted it. Whatever fire I'd seen in her in Athane's vision had been all but snuffed out by fear. Now, shivering in her very skin, she was as utterly pathetic as a still twitching bug after it's been squashed. "It has not been very long since I married. I still remember how nervous I was. I wished to show her my support."
"That is very kind of you," Titania said through tight lips and clenched jaws. A sob burst out of Aurora's mouth. She covered it with her hand, stifling those that followed and turned her face into Daphne's shoulder. Titania pet her hair in a vain attempt to soothe her. Aurora's shoulders visibly flinched at her touch, cringing away from the mother figure that had claimed to love her but had not protected her as a mother should.
"I see no reason why you can't stay and enjoy yourself, given that your guards relinquish their weapons," Oberon said.
"Certainly." I gave the goblins a nod and they gan to take off their swords and daggers, throwing them at the guards' feet.
"You don't honestly believe her do you?" Mab growled, watching me warily. She maneuvered her son behind her skirts as if that flimsy fabric would protect him. He stared out at me, peeking from around her hip, his silvery eyes filled with curiosity. "Have you not seen what she did to my city?"
Snorri made a show of sniffing the air. "Yes, I can still smell the plucked birds roasting. My mouth's still watering." He and the other goblins cackled.
"Disgusting creatures!" Mab shrieked. I felt ice prickle at the skin around my pendant where the metal reacted to her magic, growing ice cold.
"Calm down, Mab. Oberon is right. We should be welcoming our enemies with open arms. Where is your Midsummer spirit?" Kieran rose from his seat, robes of snow white shifting gracefully with his movement. His long black hair had been pulled back. A thinner band of silver branches looped around his brow. His silver eyes were cold, his mouth wicked. The man was far more beautiful than he deserved to be. He stepped towards me on sandaled feet. With a twitch of a single finger, he sent the guards back to their posts guarding the thrones. He came to stand before me, just inches from the goblins' snarling teeth. He peered down at me, smiling with lips that remembered what mine tasted like. "Let them stay. I've grown bored of the Seelie maids. I'd much prefer a lady with a bit more bite."
"You're in luck. I'd be happy to oblige." I said in a tone that dripped with sinister intentions. I smiled sweetly, baring my teeth.
"Lucky indeed." He chuckled lowly.
"Do as you like, Kieran." Mab sighed wearily. "But I suggest you do not forget who currently has a blade to your husband's throat, Vermin."
I wouldn't forget. I never forgot anything.
Kieran offered me a hand palm up. "Care for a dance?" His eyes crinkled as his smile grew, twinkling with evil delight. "You're quite good at it as I recall."
His words conjured memories of his mouth on mine, ravenous and harsh. His lips, though perfectly formed, had left me cold and turned my belly sour.
Truth be told, I would have rather set myself on fire than have Kieran touch me again, but his comment had recalled to mind more than his horrific kissing skills. I also remembered the promise I'd made to him that night.
And I'd come to collect.
Whether I liked it or not, if I wanted my plan to succeed, I had to play nice. For Now.
"Thank you, Lord Kieran. At least one of you vultures knows how to treat a guest." Smiling sweetly, I took his hand, allowing him to guide me out into the blooming meadow where couples had just begun to dance again about the bonfire.
It was as if there were two parties going on at once. The Seelie and Unseelie each kept to their own and danced their own dances. The Seelie's dance, for lack of a better term, was more of a frolic. They skipped around, linking arms, spinning and giggling like children when they eventually grew dizzy and fell over. The Unseelie, by contrast, had a much more sensual style where bodies grew close and the steps were more rigid and precise. The man and woman came together, pressing chest to chest. One arm was kept behind their backs while the other wrapped around their partner's waist. Linked together, they turned one way then the other, their faces curved towards the other's, their lips dangerously close, both daring and begging for a kiss.
"I must say, you were the last person I thought would attend my wedding." Kieran placed a hand on my hip and began to guide me through the Unseelie dance. "Have you come in hopes of winning me away from my fiance?" He laughed, sending puffs of ice-cold breath against my cheek.
"Hardly," I answered. My feet fumbled as they tried to follow his movements.
"Really? You've never thought about our kiss? I bet you have."
Ugh. He was so utterly revolting. "I felt I should offer her my deepest sympathies. Poor thing, having to marry a monster. I feel sorry for her."
"Oh, but you like monsters don't you?" Kieran's silver eyes fell away from my face to the piece of iron dangling between my breasts. "Do you wiggle your hips for Knut the way you did for me?"
Cringing in disgust, I started to pull away. His fingers dug into my hip, sending jolts of pain through my bones. "Make no mistake." He said, his voice dropping into a threatening growl. "I convinced Mab to allow you stay because I find your antics amusing, but my affection for you only goes so far. Do anything to hinder my marriage or get in our way, and I can guarantee that you'll be seeing your husband again very soon. The dungeon cells are quite romantic this time of year, I hear."
"Like I said," I pried his hand from my waist. "I'm here to support Aurora and enjoy the party. That's all." I took my moment of freedom to make a run for it.
"Let us hope so." He grinned sinisterly at me when I glanced back over my shoulder at him. "I fear you'd be dreadfully disappointed in your husband if you could see the sorry state he's in now."
I focused on my feet as I moved briskly across the meadow. The sights and sounds that surrounded me berated my senses and grew darker and more warped. Around the bonfire, couples were packed. They danced and frolicked while others chewed the flesh from bones at the feasting tables and brazenly mated in the bushes and pools without the slightest hint of shame. Yet, over all the sounds of the party, I swore I could hear Knut screaming. I clamped my hands over my ears and my feet picked up their pace. I needed to get back to my goblins.
I slammed into something quite solid, nearly knocking myself to the dirt. A pair of arms caught me and set me right. When I finally opened my eyes and looked into the face of the arms' owner, I smiled in relief. "Ib. I was wondering if you were here."
Ib was especially handsome in his robin's egg blue tunic and cape of summer sky. A circlet of silver leaves ringed his brow, weaving in and out of his pale hair. His violet eyes seemed brighter than I ever remembered them being before. "Of course I'm here, though I wish I didn't have to say the same of you." He glanced over his shoulder at where Mab was sitting, holding her son in her arms. Once he was sure she was not looking our way, he grabbed my wrist. "Come with me." He whispered, dragging me out to farthest reaches of the meadow where a stream dropped off the edge of the floating garden to join with the sea of magic below. There was a small seating area there perfect for enjoying the view. However, I knew before he'd even opened his mouth that he hadn't brought me out there to enjoy the peace and quiet. "What in the hell do you think you're doing here?" He spat as he turned to face me. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Enjoying the free food and wine," I replied. I needed to be careful what I said to him. Mab had her claws in him. He could not lie to her.
"I'm sure that's the only reason," He sighed sarcastically. "I realize you can't tell me much." He paced back and forth before me with his hands on his hips, "You need to leave. Just because they're allowing you stay for now, doesn't mean you're safe. You need to go before she decides to disregard Oberon's wishes and arrest you. She already has Knut. If she gets you both...it's over."
"Nothing is over until I say it is over," I said. I sat down on a bench. His pacing was making me feel even more anxious than I already was. "Have you seen him?" I hated myself for asking that question as fear took hold of me, but I had to ask.
Ib's feet came to an abrupt halt. He stood there a moment, looking at the stream falling off the edge of its small world. "She showed him to me." The muscles in his throat flexed as he swallowed a lump of emotion.
"How was he?"
He kicked at the grass to avoid looking at me. "Weak."
I'd wanted an answer and that was what I'd gotten, but that didn't make the blow less painful. I wrapped my arms around myself, not to fend off a chill but to hold the broken pieces of myself together. "Everything's going to be okay," I said, my tone soft, barely audible over the roar of the waterfall. "It'll work out. It has to." I didn't know who I was trying to convince. Ib? Or Myself?
Ib's eyes widened slightly and his lips parted. He was staring at me as if he'd noticed something he never had before. "Matilda?" His mouth was just beginning to form a question when the ringing of a bell cut him off.
"What is that?" I asked. It sounded as if the bell were right overhead, but the sky was clear.
"They're calling the guests back." He swallowed hard again. "It's time for the wedding to begin."