King Ardelan rose when Freya entered, a brilliant grin on his face.“Miss Reynette.” He said and pulled a chair for her. She sat gingerly, trying to read the room. The king sat beside her and clapped his hands once. The next second, the servants streamed into the room with trays laden with food. “I hear there was some difficulty locating you.” King Ardelan said. “I had an urge to visit the gardens, I didn’t know the guards would cause such a fuss. I’m not mistaken to think I’m free to go as I please am I?” She asked and the king laughed. “You are my guest. You are free to do as you will. Tell me next time you feel an urge to see the gardens, I shall escort you myself.”He personally poured her a glass of wine and she watched his profile. What was his game?“Tell me about yourself, Miss Reynette.” He said and she shrugged. “I’d rather not bore Your Majesty with details about my life.” Said Freya. “I insist.” He replied. Reynette... what about her? Freya made it all up as they ate
Freya stepped into the ball on the king’s arms and everyone grew mute, watching her with wide curious eyes. “The king of Ilryia, King Ardelan, first of his name!” He was announced. The entire room flowed into respectful bows and curtsies as the both of them walked down the red carpet. “It gives me no greater joy to have the most beautiful woman in the room on my arms.” King Ardelan whispered in her ears and she smiled. She hadn’t given him a definite response but she couldn’t deny his offer was a gift horse and she would be stupid to reject it outright. They both played a game, but at the end of the day one of them would play it better. “Such words of flattery from you, Your Majesty.” She replied and he smiled. “I’ve never uttered words more genuine.” He said. She couldn’t see Riordan but she felt his gaze like a piercing arrow on her skin. He dared much, not lowering his eyes like the rest of he others. Could he tell his time was counting down?“Arise!” The king announced and
The more Freya watched, the more obvious it was that Riordan was doing something he ought not to. She followed him discreetly as he skulked down the hallway and from her perch, she saw a pair of guards approached the corner with him. Her heart lurched and she just barely stopped herself from shouting a warning but the next moment, Riordan was nowhere to be found. The guards went through the hallway and she watched as Riordan dropped down from the roof. Her relief was met with disgust. Was she really going to be so stupid as to call out a warning to him earlier? Riordan picked up pace, heading deeper into the castle and she cursed colourfully as she realised she couldn’t follow him on the roof anymore. She swung in through the window silently and went after him. Or she tried to, because after a few minutes she had to confess that she lost him. “Looking for me?” She heard behind her and spun around, her dagger at the ready. “Were you following me?” He bit out angrily and she scoffe
“Melanie.” Freya said, confused. “I’m sorry Freya.” She said and blew into her fist. The entire room exposed with mermaid dust and instantly, the magic seized hold of Freya’s body. She collapsed to the ground, immobilised. Anger swept through her and she gritted her teeth and pushed against the fog pressing on her mind but the magic held her down, making her unable to move a muscle. She watched through the colourful dust as Melanie entered the room and lifted the box from inside the hidden floor. Inside the clear box was a dark collar, so black it seemed to drink the light from around it. She stopped struggling, the collar stealing her attention as it seemed to pulse. Melanie held it up and a high keening sound filled the air, piercing her ears and jarring her. It was coming from the collar, eerily similar to the sound she heard before she passed out in that alley earlier. She struggled to cover her ears against the terrible sound but she couldn’t, it was everywhere; in her ears an
That evening, Freya did not wait for the king to summon her, she went to him. He rose from his throne when he saw her and the throne room grew silent as she approached and dropped into a curtsy. “Everyone, out.” He ordered curtly. Important men were seated all around the throne room and they cleared their throat, obviously balking at the rude dismissal. King Ardelan glanced at them in question, and they all rose, muttering their pleasantries as they filed out. “To what do I owe this pleasant visit?” He asked her as he planted a kiss on her knuckles. “You said you’d personally escort me the next time I had a craving to see the gardens. I figured you’d need saving from the overdrawn meetings of the day.” She said and he laughed. “You couldn’t have been more right.” Replied King Ardelan. She offered him her arm and he took it. There was no mention of a missing collar nor any hint of suspicion in his eyes. Did he not notice yet or was she clear of his suspicion entirely?“How do you
Riordan’s control was close to snapping. He ignored his wolf’s roar to take her and painstakingly waited for her to make her choice. “I’ve waited too long.” He told her. “I need you.”Her eyes widened and she fought a battle within herself but he didn’t make it any easier for her. Resting on his elbow, his hand slid up her smooth soft thigh, closer and closer to that part where he knew she wanted him the most. “Let me taste you.” He whispered and his hand slid higher. Her breath hitched and her rosy lips parted. A shot of lust speared into his cock and thickened it, and he had a picture of those soft lips wrapped around his cock. There was no way she could deny him, not when they were created for each other in the first place. He claimed her lips in a hard kiss and she let out a little moan at the back of her throat, the sound that never failed to drive him mad. With a growl, he dragged his lips from hers and gripped the shift that teased his imagination since he gazed upon her. A
Freya gazed at herself in the mirror as her maids fitted the immaculate dress on her. “Oh she is so beautiful.” Valerie gushed, stepping back to admire their work. The deep purple dress hugged her figure to precision, cinching deeply over her waist and flaring over her hips. Her hair was curled up in an intricate up-do with wispy strands softening her face. “I agree.” Nessa, her second maid glowed with pride. Freya could admit that the dress was indeed beautiful and also a perfect fit, but she found her lips turning down as she shuffled on her feet. She could hardly draw a full breath, and there was no way in hell she could fight in this entrapment. Aremin had raised her in practical leather that allowed for an armoury of weapons and though he’d made sure she could endure these dresses, it wasn’t a fun experience. “We’re so lucky.” Nessa said as she rouged Freya’s lips. “Everyone is saying you’ll be queen soon, and that’ll make us the personal maids of the queen!” She said in a
The rest of the festival was a daze to Freya. She pasted on the biggest smile and her energy was unmatched as the game were roasted over a high fire and drinks passed amongst the men. Her arm hung on the king’s the entire time as she charmed his people, being the queen that Queen Renee never could be and no one could tell that the king’s grip on hers felt as terrible as shackles on her wrists. By the time the sun was going down, respectable ladies were flitting into their carriages, leaving the men that would carry the festival into the dead of night. “I don’t want you to leave.” King Ardelan said, the ale on his breath bathing her face. Her brows rose playfully but her voice was firm. “I know the people call me your mistress but you don’t think me a whore do you?” She asked. Her words finally knocked some sense into him and he bowed to her, making people gush again. “Pardon my manners, Lady Reynette. I seem to forget myself when I’m with you.” He said. She smiled and dropped int
The ball that evening was the most intricate and bedazzling one she ever witnessed. She walked in on the king’s arm and muted words of adoration went up into the air.“Can you hear them?” The king asked. “You are the embodiment of your mother’s beauty.”And she truly had never felt so connected with her mother as she did in this court. From across the room, she felt Zeldaurus’s burning gaze, those icy eyes drinking her in like she was a bottle of water offered to him in the middle of a desert. A thrill raced down back and she got lost in his eyes as she allowed the king to walk her forward. The ballad resumed as he steered her in another direction. “Freya, allow me to introduce you to Prince Mondrake II of Red Cove and brilliant Commander of my armies. Prince Mondrake, this is Princess Freya, noble of birth and the most extraordinary female in the realm.”Freya rolled her eyes but her gaze caught on the male being introduced. She had been wrong to think that the Winter court was fil
“Your mother was the most beautiful female I ever came across, both inside and out. When I heard she died, I was thrown off balance for a while and my court suffered for it. She didn’t deserve to leave so soon.”“No, she didn’t.” Freya agreed. “Prince Zeldaurus mentioned in your letter that you don’t wish to stay in Faerie, probably because he knew I would try to convince you to stay in the Summer court.” He said and she scoffed. “If I wanted to stay anywhere at all, this would be the place. Believe it or not, I don’t exactly have a great relationship with my aunt.” She said and he laughed.“Who does? The Winter Queen is a perfectly complicated creature but she is not without her charms.”“What was their relationship like?” She asked and the king hummed.“It was an interesting dynamics. Your mother and the queen used to be close, much like ying and yang.”“No way...” She said and his eyes crinkled with laughter. “They were. Tiana adored her and worshipped the ground she walked on w
It wasn’t until after they had portaled into the Summer court that Freya could finally draw a breath and admit that they had finally escaped the wicked witch of the north afterall. The Summer court was just as beautiful as the winter court and she thought, maybe even more so. There was none of the harsh beauty of the winter court, everything here was natural and sublime. The sun cast a rosy glow on the horizon and butterflies flitted from flower to flower. It was a lot like where Adrian’s portal had taken her before but this close to the castle, the air was different. The castle stood huge and grand, ornately designed as if it had stood strong through several centuries. Flowers draped the sides of the castle aesthetically and all the Fae were dressed in brilliant and dazzling dresses, looking as light and carefree as the breeze that swayed their dresses. “Come.” Zeldaurus offered his hand she slipped her hand into his, unable to contain her smile. She liked this side of him. This fa
Freya had tried everything she could think of to break out of her room. The door didn’t give way no matter how much she pounded on it. Her claws left no dent on the surface and her claws didn’t graze the walls either. She stared into the white roof, looked at the white walls, the white floors and she thought that the colour white had the power to drive someone mad.When the door opened once again, she leaped into a sitting position but her excitement died down when she found that it was just the Princess. “Were you expecting someone else?” Princess Kastilla asked, a smirk on her lips. “Where is Zeldaurus? He is not still being punished is he?” She asked. “Perhaps, perhaps not.”Freya growled and Princess Kastilla raised her hands. “Easy, Wolfie.”“I never told you I’m a werewolf.” She replied and Princess Kastilla laughed. “Do you have to tell me it’s day?” She countered. “About your questions, the Queen has a soft spot for him. She will let him off the hook soon if she has not
For a second, even Freya was afraid of her power and what it would do. She just knew that she wanted this torture to end and so her power exploded from her fist to do her bidding. There was a flash and when it cleared, the Queen had a shield of ice up, pushing back against her thick tentacles of darkness. The two warriors behind shouted and ran for her and the whipper faltered, gaping with shock. Zeldaurus was up before she could blink, his bloody tattered body lunging between her and the other warriors. “Get out of the way, Zeldaurus.” One of them gritted out, his body shaking with the effort of restraining himself from ripping into her. “No.” Zeldaurus gritted out. In front of her, she saw his huge body ripple and shudder and she knew he was also fighting the urge to snap her neck. “She is not a threat to the queen.” He snarled. “Think! What can a clueless untrained female do to the Winter Queen?”They paused, looking between them and oh, Zeldaurus had never been more wrong. Her
“I did.” Zeldaurus replied. “While in the town, I found a female who seems to have lost her way. She is not registered; belonging to neither the Winter or the Summer court. I have brought her to you so you may chose her court.” He replied. “The woman?” The queen glanced at her again and she felt the heat of being under her withering stare. “Come closer so I may see you.” She ordered. Freya walked up the flight of stairs until she was at the foot of the dais. “On your knees.” Zeldaurus unexpected voice in her mind startled her and she obeyed. How did he do that? Amongst everything else, she had forgotten to ask about that. “Come closer, female. I want to look at you.” She cooed and Freya attempted to stand. “On your knees.” She added sharply and before she could stop herself, she raised her face with a dark glare. “Lower your eyes!” Zeldaurus commanded in her head and she did, but not before she saw the surprise and interest in the queen’s eyes at the action. Biting her tongue
The touch of his lips to hers rocked her like an explosion at her feet. Her hands fisted in his lapels and she pulled him closer. He was still for a moment and then as if she had opened a dam, he flipped their positions and pressed her into the mirror. He kissed her the same way he approached life, thoroughly, profusely, meticulously. She felt it all the way to her toes which curled and she felt her hands shift into claws which gripped him tighter.She wasn’t the only one that felt this, of that she was sure as he finally slowed down and released her. Her chest was rising and falling fast and her lips tingled from his kiss and she thought the perhaps she might finally find peace after this but it was like pouring fuel onto a burning fuse. Her body craved his touch back on her skin, his lips back on hers and she took an instinctive step forward. She finally got the sense knocked back into her when he took a corresponding step backward. She watched as his eyes shuttered entirely but not
Zeldaurus was below with their host, getting ready for their departure and Freya headed for the roof. She took in Faerie around her, a realm so terribly beautiful and perfect. Magic was definitely in perfect sync here. It was mind boggling that the same realm had birthed the terrible barren landscape that she had been stuck in for so long. Footsteps behind her came closer until their host came to stand beside her. “I heard you were in there for years.” Syrelia said.“Yes.” She replied and Syrelia shook her head. “The time contrast still amazes me till date. Prince Zeldaurus wanted to come to you immediately but there was a delay before the portaler could get here. I nearly had to restrain him from coming for you because if he had tried you both would have missed each other.”She scoffed. “Well I’m here now and he’s doing a pretty good job of ignoring me.““The truth is... I’ve known Prince Zeldaurus for a while now and I’ve not seen him interact with any female the way he interacts
After a long and refreshing bath, Freya finally felt human again. Being here now was reminding her of the reason she even came to Faerie in the first place, the reason why she held out for so long even when her trials nearly took her life. She was even more determined now to see it done. For the most part, Faerie had not been a gracious host to her, she had seen horrors here and been stuck in Vienna’s body for years. She couldn’t let all of that be in vain, she didn’t want to. Now more than ever, she wanted to finish what she started and she couldn’t wait to say goodbye to the damn realm. She went below stairs to find Zeldaurus but was met with guards that told her he was in an important meeting and had ordered not to be disturbed. “Snap their necks.” A voice said in her head, sounding nearly mad. She shook her head to clear it of the weird whispers and turned away. “Well I’m sure you can pass a message across to him then. Tell him to find me.”Their shocked faces said that obviou