“You’re so sweet, Lady Ezirin,” I declare, bowing. “I will do my best to assure your safety and comfort within Fateir.”
“Please, there’s no need for all those manners. Call me Valerie,” she urges, seizing my hand. I almost rip it away, as if her touch burns.
“Valerie, then.”
She smiles so brightly I fear the light will catch fire to the luggage. There’s a moment where I visualize a young girl caught in plans bigger than she realizes. Then cold reality settles, memories of coarse sand beneath my aching feet and the world burning to ash. Valerie morphs to the shadowy figure of my nightmares. One should never assume they know someone. Sometimes the sweetest person turns out to be the cruelest.
I remove my hand from hers, pretending to fix some wrongly stacked luggage when stating, “You should join Lord Athik. We’re about to leave and I have to check in with the head maid.”
“Oh, don’t you know? You’re riding with us!” Valerie announces, momentarily surprising me.
“Is Lord Athik alright with that?” I inquire. The ride to Fateir will take a few days. If it’s the three of us rather than only the two of them, this will work to my advantage.
“Yes, it was his idea! I was so grateful when he suggested it.” She sighs, resting a hand over her heart. “He must have noticed how nervous I am around him.”
Not just him. Everyone. That further confuses me—the girl destined to kill the Demon King is anything but expected. It makes me distrust her more. What is her motive? What story is she hiding?
“When we had dinner last night, he said another could ride with us so I’d feel more comfortable. Being alone with him is definitely too much for me right now,” she admits around a timid giggle, then her eyes widen. She rests a delicate hand over her mouth. “Oh, you don’t mind, do you? I can ask Dalion instead. I just, uh, I thought we could get to know each other since we’ll be spending more time together.”
“Don’t worry, I’m happy to ride with you.”
More than happy, actually. If I keep up the conversation with Valerie over the next few days, that’ll hinder their bonding, even if only a little. I’ll work to earn her trust because the more she trusts me, the more likely I am to divert her attention from him and hopefully, divert his attention towards her as well. For starters, I need to make her believe I’m truly looking out for her.
“Have you spent a lot of time around fairies before?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’ve only ever interacted with them at the market. Even then, Dalion did most of the talking.”
“I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with them, seeing as I was born along the border to Fateir. I’ve got some advice to give, if that’s alright?”
“Oh yes, absolutely. Please share.”
“First, you know they cannot lie, right?”
She nods.
“But that does not mean they have to tell the truth. Fairies hate that they cannot lie, so they tell stories or give riddles to avoid honesty. It can be exhausting, but always question what they say,” I instruct. She eagerly nods, like a child listening to their parents. “Second, do you have any iron or steel on you?”
“No. I know that iron kills them and steel can harm them,” she answers.
“Correct. I suggest you ask Dalion or, while we’re traveling, buy an iron dagger or even a chain, something that could at least stop a fairy, should things go awry.”
“But Lord Athik… won’t that upset him?” she whispers, eyes wandering to his carriage as if she suspects him to lean out and eavesdrop.
“For someone as strong as Lord Athik, an iron dagger isn’t a threat, more a mild annoyance. He must understand that we have to protect ourselves. Not every fairy is pleased with this deal, or every human kingdom. There may be threats.” Said threats could be of great help to me, but I need to get a good footing with Valerie, although she doesn’t seem very hard to get through.
Valerie shivers, crossing her arms to hold herself. Her gaze darkens. “This… is so much more than I expected.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m grateful for your honesty. It’s nice to know someone is looking out for me!” She announces, smiling again. The head maid calls out, explaining that everyone needs to check in so we may leave. Nerves fire off in my gut. I silence them with a deep breath.
Valerie takes my hand again. “I’ll be waiting in the carriage. Come join us when you’re done.”
“Of course, I’ll be right there.”
After turning in my checklist, I head for the carriage. When the door opens, Maven catches my gaze; he’s sitting elegantly with one leg over the other and his hands in his lap. Our carriage is bigger than the rest to accommodate him. His wings gather at his back. There’s a childish urge to pet them, but I imagine that wouldn’t sit well with him.
Valerie sits across from Maven. She wrenches her hands in her lap, smiling gratefully when explaining, “Lord Ath—uh, Maven, this is the new handmaiden Dalion told us about, Aster Valmar.”
“It is a pleasure to officially meet you,” I say, bowing. “I ran into you at the ball a few days back.”
“Yes, I remember,” he replies, signaling for me to enter. I do so, sitting next to Valerie. Is it good or bad that he remembers me? “I have to thank you. We may not have found someone to replace Valerie’s handmaiden if you hadn’t offered your services.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m sure someone would have taken up the position, or switched.”
“I don’t know about that,” Valerie mumbles. “We struggled to get anyone. Everyone is sca—” She stops, hesitantly peering at Maven.
“They’re scared of me,” he finishes for her, impervious. “I have quite the reputation.”
“T-That’s just because they h-haven’t met you!” Valerie stutters. “You’re much nicer in person.”
Maven smiles. “Thank you, although being nice is a very low bar to set.”
“Yes, I guess that’s true…”
Someone knocks. Maven leans over, pushing back the curtains.
“We’re heading out, Lord Athik, if you’re ready,” they say. Maven glances at us. Valerie shivers, scooting closer to me until I feel her goosebumps against my arm. When I nod, she mirrors me.
“We’re ready,” Maven says.
The carriage lurches forward, heading for Fateir.
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