Author's Note
In the previous note I forgot to mention that the jujitsu teacher's name is now Paul. That bares absolutely NO relevance in the next 5 chapters, but I just thought I should mention it! Whoops!
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I don't know what I was expecting when we stepped outside, but it certainly wasn't the Porsche that was parked on my drive. The beautiful car was a silvered gray colour, and I could feel the surprise written all over my face when Caydran pulled open the driver door to get inside and Kalen climbed into the back. I turned my attention to Broch who, after opening the rear door on the passenger side, appeared to be calculating which way to fold his tall limbs in order to fit them into the tail-end of the sports car. I told him I'd get into the back and inelegantly slipped onto the seat, my elbow lodging into Kalen's arm during the process (because he had it on the armrest).
"Ow," Kalen complained, rubbing his arm.
"Shut up," I mumbled between clenched teeth as Broch shut the door behind me, "It's not my fault that your fairy father has such a tiny, gas guzzling sports car."
"Fae," Kalen said but I just rolled my eyes, "And it's a hybrid."
"It's a hybrid," I repeated, quietly mocking Kalen.
"Are you okay in the back?" Broch asked and we both nodded silently. For a moment I'd forgotten the reason we were getting into the car in the first place.
When we'd all belted up, Caydran pulled out of the drive in the unusually quiet car. Inside the back of the Porsche was roomier than I'd expected, and the seats were curved in a way that hugged my behind in an undeniably comfortable way. The interior was upholstered in soft, cream leather and, as I lightly drifted my fingertips along the seats, I realised I'd probably never been inside such an expensive car. I was looking at the touch-screen interface nestled between the two front seats when I noticed that the conversation, I was ignoring, between the men in the car still seemed to have a strained undertone. I could only assume it had something to do with the argument I'd interrupted in the house earlier.
"So, is the Seelie Court far?" I asked when their conversation hit a lull.
"Not too far now," Kalen said unhelpfully but did not elaborate even when I shot him a 'look'.
Neither Broch or Caydran gave me any more information, so I resigned myself to watching the scenery pass. We'd already driven out of the city, which I'd expected. However, as we continued to slip through an ever-growing-green landscape, I became more uncomfortable, especially as we were going through areas I didn't recognise. When we turned off a two-lane B road and began to drive down a country lane, I watched our surroundings with a heightened sense of intrigue. Large bushes lined either side of the narrow road and made the whole track seem more dark and dangerous than the open roads we'd been travelling down earlier.
I glanced at Kalen, but he appeared to be wrapped up in his own thoughts and relatively unaware of the surroundings. Yet, I heard the snap of a visor and noticed Broch shoot me a reassuring smile in the mirror. My lips barely twitched up in response and I looked back out of the window into the leafy walls that seemed to be shooting past too quickly as we wove down the lane. Eventually, we slowed and turned into a car park at the edge of a forest I didn't know existed. As the others climbed out of the car, I paused to give myself a quick pep-talk and a final deep breath.
Pushing open the surprisingly light door, I was about to clamber out of the back of the low car when a hand appeared next to me. I held onto it gratefully as I hauled myself onto the dusty car park floor and gave Broch a small smile of thanks. When I caught his eye, his hand stayed wrapped around mine for just a moment too long and caused heat to warm my cheeks, despite the chill morning air. I dropped it quickly when Kalen spoke. "It's up here, Ana," he said and watched as Broch and I stepped away from each other to follow Caydran up a dry mud path which twisted between the trees.
Kalen came up next to me, "It's not a long walk, Ana. How are you feeling?"
I thought about my answer for a minute. "A little overwhelmed to be honest. But, I am hoping that this'll give me some answers so, yeah," I replied.
"I'm sure you'll be able to learn something from The Court. Just don't forget...."
"Mind my manners, mind my temper, try not to talk and don't eat anything?"
Kalen frowned, "Yeah, but this is serious. The Seelie Court are tricky."
"You almost sound like you're not one of them," I remarked after a moment.
"I am, but, you've only seen me in the human realm and not all fae are like me and the others. They're like my father, only more..." He tried to find the right words.
"Prickly?" I offered.
He smiled despite himself, "Yes, the Seelie Court are definitely a prickly group. I just want you to be safe. I wouldn't bring you here if I could help it."
I put my hand on his arm reassuringly, "I get it, Kalen. Despite everything, I know you want me safe."
A slightly hurt expression crossed his face at the double edged nature of my words, but so much had changed between us that I couldn't help the emotional backlash of his actions inflecting my words. It was still too recent. Too present.
Caydran stopped at an arched wooden bridge, which spanned a stream and led to a pretty copse of trees. The floor of the bridge was smooth from use but it was the fences, lining the edge of the bridge, that caught my attention. They grew from the ground at the banks of the stream; unusual, grey-brown branches and tendrils, which wound in and out of each other, elegantly constructing an intricate wall between the bridge's path and the bubbling water below. The floor of the bridge curved over the stream and, at the highest point, the entwining branches from the sides reached up together, to form an indisputable archway over the bridge's apex.
"To get to The Court you will need to walk under the arch," Caydran said to me as I was still admiring its intricacy.
"Just me?" I asked in a voice that was smaller than I had intended.
"We'll be right behind you," Kalen reassured me.
I was about to step onto the bridge when Broch spoke, "Anastasia don't..."
"I know, don't talk, eat or drink," I said, glancing back over my shoulder and was surprised to see Broch smile.
After a pause, he said, "Don't be scared, the queen is the most mercurial creature, but it will be okay."
Feeling the blush rising in my cheeks again, I stared at the bridge in front of me and began to walk towards the arch. I looked up at the woven branches above my head, before I went under them, and could have sworn I saw a glint of gold nestled amongst the wood.
As I stepped through the archway, I inhaled a small, apprehensive breath, so that I would be ready for whatever magical transformation would happen on the other side. Nothing happened. I turned to tell Kalen he shouldn't have made me so nervous but neither he, Broch or Caydran were there. I was about to step back underneath the arch when a tingle of intuition told me not to. Instead, I carried on walking across the bridge and, as I stepped off the wooden pathway, something that looked like a heat haze rose before me.
The slight haze cleared and revealed a scene that looked similar to the one I had noted before; a copse of trees with wild flowers hiding in the grass between trunks. Though, what I had originally seen as shorter willowy trees at the edge of the copse started to move unnaturally and, as they blinked, I realised they were fae. The slender figures were progressing towards me at a steady pace and then paused, glanced behind me and dipped into an unmistakable bow. I looked over my shoulder and was relieved to see Caydran, Kalen and Broch stepping off the bridge.
An unearthly, flutelike voice came from the fae on the left in front of me, "Do you wish to see the Queen?" Someone behind me must have nodded because the guard continued, "And the human?"
"She is here by invitation of The Court," Caydran said firmly - I guess he was running our little, royal encounters party. The one who had spoken inclined his head and then both of the tree-like fae turned and began to walk into the forest. After a brief indication from Kalen, I followed them. Broch, Kalen and Caydran trailed behind me.
The unusual fae had an almost infuriatingly slow gait, but it gave me the chance to take in the beautiful yet off-putting setting. The forest seemed quieter than it should have been, and I could feel eyes watching my every step towards The Court. Yet, there was an undeniable and ethereal beauty in the place I was walking; sunlight dappled down through the overhead branches, casting the forest floor in a golden glow that caught the dust motes and small particles in the air. A breeze captured these particles, making them dance enchantingly between the trees and then settle amongst the wildflowers that blanketed the ground. Occasionally, out of the corner of my eye but never my direct vision, I thought I saw small bodies and wings fluttering between the emerald leaves of the trees. The forest was golden, alive and watchful.
We looped through many different pathways and leafy avenues before we got to the edge of The Court, but as we got closer the unmistakable sense of enchantment grew. Our guides took us between a thick grove of pine trees and I couldn't help my gasp when we emerged from between their needled curtains. Standing next to two, proud sycamores, a magnificent arch grew out of the forest floor. It reminded me of the archway I'd already walked under, however, this one stretched upwards to the sky like a magnificent cathedral entrance. The arch grew in a similar way to the fences on the bridge, branches from different plants intertwining to create one structure, yet between the bark there were glitters of gold and delicate white flowers of all shapes and sizes.
As we approached the beautiful arch, I felt my nerves start to build. I had never been around any type of royalty or nobility before, let alone the fae kind. What if I screwed up? What if I got Kalen and Broch into trouble? My hands started to shake ever so slightly. Kalen put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, despite Caydran's disapproving look. I was so tempted to ask if it was too late to call this all off, to try and leave now, before things got screwed up more than they already were. A pit of unease was growing in my gut and, for some reason I couldn't quite put my finger on, I wanted to turn and run.
"Ana, are you okay?" Kalen asked, concern lacing through his words.
"No, not really," I replied, shaking my head. The discomfort seemed to be spreading out from my gut and seeping into all of my body. I felt as if a was leaning against the edge of a wall made from static electricity - the desire to leave was pressing lightly but persistently against both my mind and my skin.
"You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to."
"I do if I want answers. I can't just pretend this isn't happening." Kalen didn't respond and I got the distinct impression he would love to pretend all of this wasn't happening. That set off a small, angry spark in my belly, it was only little, but it was enough to make me push through the shivering desire to leave.
"I'll be fine," I said, stepping away from him and through the huge archway.
A throne room, which would not have looked out of place in the middle of an ancient castle, materialised before my eyes. However, the ground was carpeted in green grass and, what should have been huge stone columns, were in fact the trunks of enormous, ancient trees; their boughs interlinking high above. The magnificent trunks lined a wide walkway through the centre of the court and at the end was a dais, on which an exquisite throne sat, covered in white flowers and emerald leaves. Sitting elegantly on the throne was a figure whose beauty could almost be felt at the opposite end of the huge hall.
Caydran took a step in front of me and I followed him silently down the centre of the throne room. As we walked, I noticed a variety of fae, who had no glamour, sitting on a multitude of chairs - fantastical creatures that seemed to take on all the features of the forest, from flowers and leaves to wood, bark and stone. One woman's hair was coloured the bright, vibrant green of fresh spring leaves and seemed to bleed into her face. Only her nose, which was the palest white, appeared to be untouched by the wash of colour.
A tiny fae with graceful, amber wings, the colour of autumn, flitted from shoulder to shoulder of the other, seated members of The Court. Eventually, he found a resting place on the arm of the green haired woman's chair. I then noticed a slightly disconcerting character, with huge black eyes and tall, crimson tendrils coming out from his forehead like the antennae of an ant. Next to him was a beautiful fae who had long, stunningly curly hair, held back from his face by the majestic horns of a springbok. Around his neck he wore an ornately beaded necklace made from different types of wood that dipped down over his breastbone. The rest of his caramel coloured chest was bare, but around his waist, fur started to stipple his skin until it became a thick pelt that covered his lower half and ended in cloven hooves. The word satyr popped into my brain, but he was so different from the Unseelie, Zeph, that I couldn't be sure.
I tried not to stare too long at any of the fae, extremely conscious of Broch and Kalen's warnings about manners. Yet, there was one fae that felt odly familiar when I looked at her; a woman with flowing blonde hair and plump lips. She seemed brighter than the figures she sat next to, as if she were cast in sunlight and they in shadow. I made a note to ask Broch about her later and then my attention was pulled to our progression down the hall.
As we got closer to the throne, I could see the beautiful, masked face of the Seelie Queen. She was glamoured; her skin was dewy, human pink and her hair was a blonde that shone in the golden light. However, her eyes were hard and inhuman as they watched me and my companions approach the dais.