Familiar hazel eyes bore into my own and I find myself struggling to breath.
The King’s presence is almost commanding enough to knock me to my knees, but I stay standing. My eyes trace the features in his face and the nagging feeling of knowing this man outside of his royal status leaves me uneasy.
He has brown hair, a woody shade, with speckles of gray throughout and his curls lay perfectly atop his head and I cannot help but feel slightly jealous at how maintained the man is able to keep his curls. A slit through the tail of his right eyebrow leaves me wondering where he got the scar.
The man who led us here is larger than the King, but not by much and I find myself more intimidated by the royal instead.
I’ve only ever heard stories of what it would be like to stand in the same room as King Leon and I falter, realizing not a single one of them mentioned how inferior you would feel.
No one really knows what the King looks like, he’s always been a shy man. The Queen, however, enjoyed the spotlight and took whatever chance she could to connect with her people.
While Queen Marianne dealt with the problems of the people, King Leon stepped back into the shadows to take care of any looming threats. According to the messages from the Fae’s carrier pigeons, of course.
Swallowing my shock, I finally let my eyes fall to the floor. A good few minutes pass us by before anyone finally speaks up.
“King Leon, these two. . .travelers have some information for us on the whereabouts of the Queen.” The ravenette states, crossing his arms in front of himself at the wrists.
“Your Highness, I’m afraid we’ve come not bearing good news.” King Leon moves his eyes away from me to glance at Sapling and the weight of what we’re about to share finally lays on my shoulders.
“Oh? Come out with it.” I wince.
“Sir, um, your majesty? Your highness? Um-“ I fumble, embarrassment coloring my face a patchy red.
“Harlan, let me do the talking for Goddess’ sake.” I nod solemnly, glad to just stare at the ground and say nothing.
The King shifts from foot to foot and I can feel his eyes on me, trying to figure me out.
“Well? Either of you want to spit it out?”
“Yes, we apologize. King Leon, I’m afraid your wife is dead.” Silence.
After all this time, you would think I’d be used to Sapling’s brazen honesty, but that is still not the case it seems.
Chancing a look, I peek up through my eyelashes at the King and am shocked to see the neutral expression resting on his face.
“Tell me everything. Where you found her, what led you here. I need to know everything.” And so, Sapling does.
The King has a similar reaction to Sapling and Sienna’s when finding out about the trees. I stay silent through the entire explanation, and am so grateful to Sapling for being here. I would not have been able to explain everything so calmly. I’m still shaken up about the trees and the body laying in the middle of the forest.
Once Sapling tells King Leon where the Queen is, he sends someone out to collect her body and bring it back to confirm it’s really her.
I’m surprised to see how calm the King remains through the retelling, but I can tell by his eyes that he’s holding himself together by a mere thread.
Clearing his throat, he finally breaks the silence, “We’ve been waiting for you, Harlan. Thank you for coming, I will have someone lead you and Sapling to an open bedchamber. Please, go ahead. I need a moment to myself. We’ll meet here tomorrow morning to discuss what comes next. And, keep this between us.”
All I’m left to do is give a sharp nod before Sapling and I are being carted out of the room and back up the stairs.
Before long, we reach what I believe to be the third floor of the castle and stop in front of another door, much smaller than the ones leading to more important spaces.
“Alright, you both will be staying here for now. Please do not hesitate to come find me if you need anything. My name is Aella. I’ll leave you both to it, have a good night.”
I look at the woman in gratitude, thankful for a break from the bigger presence of the King and his guards. Her soft blonde hair in a pixie cut with big green eyes staring at Sapling and I in awe, which is slightly off putting.
“Thank you! Um, you as well.” I smile softly in response and hurriedly follow Sapling into the room.
Speaking with others has always been a struggle for me. Sienna being the only fae I’ve ever known personally and Sapling a fox, well, communication skills were never a necessity in my years at the cottage.
Being thrusted into this world with so many people left and right and no idea what’s even going on has really thrown me for a loop. I’m not sure how to act or what to say, and the way King Leon was looking at me as if he recognized me from somewhere has left a lasting unease in my chest.
Before my thoughts can linger there for too long, I look around the room. It’s rather small, but just as cozy as the entryway. A wood burning stove sits in the corner by a few countertops with a kettle and tea cups sitting atop it, calling my name.
A small wooden table with two chairs sits in front of the kitchen space and to the right of that is a sitting area. A fur rug sits below a tea table in front of a small chaise lounge and two rather comfortable looking chairs surround either side of it.
Next to the doorway, a medium sized bed sits atop a wooden bed frame and a nightstand with two drawers sits right beside the headboard.
“This is rather nice. Would you like something to drink, Sapling? I’m sure there’s a bowl in here somewhere.” I set off towards the kitchen and begin sifting through the cupboards, looking for the desired ingredients.
“Sure, Harlan. Are you alright? You seem. . .stressed.” Sapling lays his small body down on the fur rug and stares at me.
“Just fine. Do you want tea? There’s milk here, maybe that sounds better. Or just water?”
“Harlan?”
“Or maybe you’re hungry? There’s some food in here, I could make you something?”
“Harlan.”
“Perhaps warm milk with some berries? There’s a lot of fruit here.”
“Harlan!”
“Huh?” I snap my gaze back to the fox and realize he’s no longer on the rug, but instead standing right behind me.
“Harlan, you need to breathe. The worst part is out of the way, the king knows his wife is gone. What’s got you so nervous?” Oh.
“Well, um, I’m not sure. Perhaps just the new environment? Maybe that’s it.” I tap my chin with a finger, setting the kettle down on the stove top and adding wood to the fire.
“Goddess, Harlan, you freak me out. We just saw an entire forest rotting to the ground, and then found a body that didn’t look much different from the trees and you think your nerves are high because of the ‘new environment’?!”
I hum, realizing he has a point, “I guess that’s true. I didn’t think of it like that.”
“I believe you’re actively trying not to think of it like that.” I grimace, knowing he’s right.
“Sapling, please. Just let me make you something and forget about everything else right now.” I blink, trying to force the wetness in my eyes away.
I pretend not to notice the sympathetic look Sapling shoots my way and turn back to the stove.
“Alright, whatever you need to do Harlan. And, I would love some berries with tea.”
“Perfect!”
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