Chapter 5
I woke up to another sunrise.
The roosters still slept, yet I was already up and cleaning the castle floors. Today I was tasked with cleaning the south wing. Scrubbing floors once again until my hands bled. I was used to this by now; the pain was just another part of my daily grind. Today I was on my own. Evver was training someone new. Another fairy had been captured. Her crime you might ask?
Her name is Shia and she was searching for food for her young children.
Her husband had been killed in the later uprisings. Shia was told she was unable to be hired for any labor, because her husband had fought against Tommit. So, she was now considered a threat to the throne. In desperation she started scavenging for food for her tiny family. You could hear her cries thru out the castle when her wings were clipped.
She was inconsolable.
Not for herself but for her children. Hidden deep in the fairy forest they would never know what had happened to her. All alone with no one to care for them, she worried for their lives.
Evver promised she would have a friend go to them and bring them to a safe home. Only after much reassurance, she calmed. In a way it was easier to be alone today. Every time I looked at her tortured gaze, an immeasurable pain coursed through me.
My voice was lost whenever my eyes met hers.
I felt like I had failed her. Part of me wished that I could have been there to save her. I hated knowing another fairy would never flutter her wings again. My heart ached for her children, would they ever see their mother again? Would I?
Lote was busy checking on everyone work this morning. Lotetra or Lote as everyone called her was like the castle mom. She was always around. Lote always had a shoulder to cry on or an open ear for anyone and everyone.
I wasn’t as enamored with her as the rest of them.
She was the oldest fairy I had met so far. Lote’s hair was salt and pepper and cropped short around her ears and neck. Heavy bangs stopped short from covering her dark grey eyes. She wore the same dress as the rest of us except it was navy instead of black. There was just something about her that rubbed me wrong. I could never place it, but there was something behind that permanent smile that never rang true to my heart. I could never pinpoint it. Never did I share my feelings about her with anyone, not even Evver. Possibly, it was just more confused feelings about my new life.
I could hear humming coming down the hallway.
Lote was rushing her ever present smile ready to welcome the next person she saw. Her wings seemed different from the others. They moved more than any others I had seen. Maybe it was because they were older, more broken in? Unlike the others, her wings looked ready to take off at any moment.
“Busy, busy,” she quipped.
Forcing a smile to match her, “Yes, Lote.”
With that she hurried past me. Relief flooded me when I could no longer hear her tiny footsteps. Why was it when she was near I could feel a vice tighten around my anxious heart? Turning back to the bubbly floor I was grateful for the muddy floors to keep my thoughts busy.
*
Drayben stood silently in the South wing.
He was Tommit’s right hand. Tall and thin, his body resembled a beanstalk. Dark beady eyes made his prominent nose stand out. Long oversized teeth pushed out his upper lip. The way he constantly played with his hands made him resemble a weasel. The only thing missing was whiskers jutting out of his face.
Drayben wore an oversized white puffy ruffled shirt. It looked like it was made for a man two or three sizes larger than him. A sparkly red vest helped pull it toward his body. Gold pants, which could light the night sky, finished it off. He looked like he would have fit in at a Las Vegas show. Right now, he was in his “workshop”. It was more like a house of horrors.
He loved to tinker here during his free time. He could have been using this time to build things for the good of the kingdom, but instead he was busy making devices or coming up with plans to destroy Tommit’s enemies. Right now, Drayben was looking for ways to secure his power and Tommit to keep in his throne.
The Destroyers were already working on one plan, but there had to be another way in case things didn’t work out. Perhaps the old trick of the king having an heir. If Tommit had a wife whom the kingdom loved and she had a child. well the thought was delicious. Drayben was practically salivating at the thought.
Tommit’s bride would have to be beautiful.
Someone the people wanted to love and take care of. She had to be young and willing. If that meant threatening her life, then Drayben would enjoy it even more. Right now he was waiting for a report. He had eyes and ears all over the castle and kingdom. One of his moles was on their way. Drayben relied on his “friends” for information. He had his hands everywhere. It was his idea to kill all of the older Giants. Drayben thought up to the age of ten wasn’t a threat. Anyone over that age was swiftly dealt with.
He enjoyed his role helping Tommit, crush the wills of those around him. A humming could be heard from down the hall. It was followed by the familiar flutter of Fairy wings. She was getting closer, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Around the doorway popped Lote. Her normal smile had deviousness to it, which she normally kept hidden from the rest of the world.
Her wings fluttered to a stop, “Feels good to stretch these old girls.” Lote made a big flutter with her wings. “How’s your day, Dray?”
He hated it when she shortened his name, but he tolerated her quirks because the castle staff trusted her. She was able to glean information where no one else could.
“Well, and you?” Feigning interest in her day.
“Oh busy, busy. There is always something new going on and new arrivals to usher in.”
“Very nice. Now, have you heard anything of interest as of late?”
“No. Thankfully everyone is under control. They all are eager to serve. It’s wonderful.”
Drayben sighed, a sense of relief. It made things easier when he didn’t have to worry about things at the castle.
“Good. Good. Now I have a new task for you. We need to find a suitable bride for King Tommit. I want the kingdom searched high and low. She must be beautiful from the outside and within. I want someone whom the kingdom would be willing to die for; willing to fight for, but we need leverage against her as well. We need someone who can be easily controlled.”
*
Lote’s eyes were bright with excitement. She loved having a new task. It caused her great glee to be able to work in secret with Drayben. She wasn’t one that cared how Tommit ruled only that she was able to live comfortably.
*
“You know I will do anything you need. Don’t you know that by now Dray?” Revulsion seeped through him. Yet he smiled in appreciation.
“Go now. We must make haste. You shouldn’t waste your precious time talking to me. Off you go then.” Bowing slightly her wings started fluttering and off she went.
*
Lote reveled in her position. She had the run of the castle, which was more freedom than anyone else. Lote hated how she couldn’t fly in the open. When Fairies were enslaved at the castle their wings were immediately clipped. On each wing there was an Arek muscle it controlled the movement of each wing. It was excruciating, when clipped and stopped them from flying forever. She had to pretend hers were gone as well. It was an irritation but worth the ruse.
Being older and acting like she cared for each lost soul, she was privy to their thoughts and feelings. It was perfect. Any time she brought news she was well rewarded. Lote was busy dreaming of the possibilities’ of finding Tommit’s bride would bring. She was drooling at making all her dreams come true. Lote was consumed with her thoughts she almost flew toward Aurora. It was only the sound of her singing that stopped her short.
*
To pass the time, since I was alone, I had started singing to myself.
It was something I had done a million times before I became trapped in Paradan. To keep myself focused I sang childhood lullabies’. They always soothed me before. I was so caught up in my thoughts and the song that I was startled by Lote coming swiftly around the corner.
“LOTE” escaped my lips. She looked frazzled for the first time since I had met her. Her face looked like it was trying to remember just how to smile.
“Aurora, how are things going?” Her normal calm demeanor seemed shaken. She looked agitated, almost guilty. It was incredibly strange—it was like she didn’t remember seeing me, earlier. She talked to me like it was the first time she had seen me in a while.
“Fine. How’s your day?”
“Fine. Fine. Just very busy as you know. I will see you later.” I smiled warmly in response waiting for her to make her retreat. She just stood there staring at me.
As she looked me over, it sent chills up my lower spine. I could feel ice crystals starting to form around the crevices of my spinal cord. The way she continued to look at me, with that glazed over smile, gave me the willies. Growing up my Grandma used to say how someone was walking over her grave. I always thought she had a flair for the melodramatic. Now I finally understood what she meant, this was the way that Lote’s stare was making me feel.
Feeling my heart tighten and my breathing stop, I forced my eyes from her.
I tried to focus on the muddy floors. My neck muscles were threatening to seize up. Terror had taken hold of me and I was clueless as to why. Lote’s humming began and I heard her footsteps moving down the hall. The fear remained and I gasped for air. My lungs screamed at me pleading for air. I appeased them and my eyes began filling with tears. The way she had looked at me reminded me of the way the Huntsman had looked at Snow White before taking her into the forest. I quickened my pace. Finishing the floor in record time my breathing remained strained. My chest still felt like someone was standing on it. I needed to see Evver. My heart longed to see Cassius. They grounded me in this unimaginable dream. They were my lifelines. Fear still bubbled in my blood.
I headed to my newest safe harbor, the kitchen.
Strangely enough it calmed me being in the warm tiny room. Smelling the scents of fresh baked bread and spicy soup my steps quickened. The loud rumble of my hollow stomach announced my arrival. Heads turned and strained eyes met mine.
My smile quickly faded.
Something was wrong. I had sensed it when I saw Lote, but looking at my friends fear, sadness and resignation filled the space around them.
“What’s wrong?”
Evver’s eyes were red and puffy. Tears still fell from her wide green eyes. My feet couldn’t get to her fast enough my arms encircling her. No one was speaking. They were afraid to say the words out loud. This made me want to hold the moment a few seconds longer. I tried to regain my courage. Knowing is always better than not knowing. Right? Then we could deal with it. Fight it even. I have learned there are sometimes when the best thing is denial. Now, would have been one of those times. Seated around the table were people I had grown to care about.
There was Evver, Shia, Reber and Simit. Simit was a Dwarf that worked around the castle. His face had been deformed during one of the early battles. Normally he worked in the kitchen, or stable away from any of the kingdoms watchful eyes. King Tommit liked to put up a good front in front of the other humans. Kazor was seated near the doorway. He looked like a child who had awoken from a terrible nightmare and was desperately searching for his favorite teddy bear.
“Evver, why is everyone so upset?” She looked up at me trying to make my face come into focus. She remained silent. My fear was building. “Evver, please, tell me.” I begged.
“Simit was delivering King Tommit’s dinner. They ignore him normally, today was no different. King Tommit was talking to that awful— Drayben.” She paused furrowing her little brow in obvious disgust. “They are searching for a bride for King Tommit. Drayben has people searching the kingdom but.”she trailed off. Her voice silenced by the quivering lips. Anguished fear overtook her tiny features. Ice began to inch its way around my heart.
“But what Evver?”
“Drayben mentioned you Your name, Aurora King Tommit wants you in the throne room just after breakfast in the morning.”
My heart stopped.