Golden Crown: The Fey Lands Saga book 2

A Chance Encounter with the moon Elves

    I breathed deeply. The rain had stopped for now but I could still hear the drip drip of water falling from the leaves of the trees. I could hear the march of guards as they changed their shift. I was learning to fly, so I couldn't fly far. I landed on a branch feeling the gown I wore catch on the bark of the tree. I sat down slowly, wings of Lapis blue fanning out to either side of me. I cradled my head in my hands and began to cry. Why was this happening to me? I had saved the realms of fae, but I was still damaged from the stint in Padial's chamber. I could still feel the whip of Bologs tails, the raking of the Vedrani claws inside my mind. I reflexively twitched as I heard a sound.
    A soft whoosh of wind followed and I curled inward careful to keep balanced on my branch. "Easy there." Said a familiar voice. A warm weight to either side of me had me flinching slightly, "Princess." Said the voice as a hair covered arm touched me. I rose, standing on the branch and snarling. "Phaydra." Called a female voice. then I looked, it was King Galadice of the moon elves and his lady queen Raélia. "What are you doing here?" I asked then winced, "I'm sorry." I apologised. Galadice waved a hand, "Princess, Phaydra." "We felt your distress." "Many moon Elves can feel pain."
"I'm sorry." I said, "Its not your fault." Said Raélia. She was taller than Galadice by a hand span with white hair and silvery eyes. Her skin was like liquid moonlight. Moon Elves had long hair covering their entire bodies which allowed them to glide several feet through the air. "Not only your pain, but Koshine's pain." "She's concerned." "I thought she died during the rescue?" I asked, "She didn't die." "Prism birds are long lived and can transform themselves into light, but she can't come near you right now." "Why?" I asked, "Because she says your mind feels like sharp knives right now." "She is bound to you, but she will damage her mind if she even speaks to you." "She's been in our lands." "And." Said Galadice, "She's breeding." "Breeding?" I asked, "Remember my phoenix?" Asked Raélia, "Yes." I said, "he and Koshine are, quite good friends."
"Oh." I aid lamely, "During breeding season prism birds are extremely delicate." "She doesn't want to damage her mind because it might affect her egg laying, and therefore also affect her babies." I nodded, "I'm sorry about my pain and." I said before Galadice said, "Don't apologise dot us." "Everyone was so grateful that you broke the curse but no one considered how much you would have to heal from the grief and pain and mind torture you faced." Raélia sighed softly, "Is that why you are here?" I asked, "Yes and no." "Tomorrow is the autumnal equinox and all peoples of the courts of light must pay tribute to the High Prince since the high King and Queen are too ill and too feeble to sit through all the proceedings." "You as High Princess will have to be there as well." "So we can do something." Said Galadice, "Only temporarily." Said Raélia, "We will use a spell call the balm of healing." "Its a spell that will for a few days completely erase the pain of the trauma you suffered." "I can't just bolt like I've been doing." I said, "What will they think of me?" "that's why we're here to help." Said Galadice, "You will be completely healed for a sennight." "Can't you do that once a sennight then?" "No." Said Raélia, "i can pay you." I said, "Its not that." Said Galadice softly, "It only acts like a salve, like putting something cooling on a burn." "The burn doesn't heal just because it feels good." "the healing must continue."
I sighted softly, "And how can that happen?" I asked, "You must heal over time, or go to a place like the veils for that." Said Raélia, "But you can't now." Said Galadice, "Besides if we used the balm on you you could become addicted to it." Galadice lifted a hand, "With your consent my Lady?" I nodded and he touched my temples, "This will affect Lian but I don't think he'd object much." I felt a flood of something fill my mind as Raélia chanted low. the flood of light filled my head and everything I'd been feeling was gone. the feeling of being claustrophobic, the feeling of being sensitive to every movement, the feelings of pain in my mind, it was all gone. I sagged gratefully on my branch, "gods that feels good." I said, "I can see why it would be addictive." Galadice only nodded.
"Phaydra love?" that was Lian's mind voice in mine. Since we'd bonded during the torture in Padial's temple we could speak to each other mind to mind, feel each other's feelings, and see where we each were, "Yes Lian my love?" "You feel different." "Galadice." I said and relayed what he and his wife had done, "Gods that feels, so good." "Tell them that they will receive a cut in their tribute tomorrow for it, they'll receive another if they can do that the week of the Winter solstice ball." I told Galadice, "Done Highness." Said Raélia, "Queen of the elves says yes." I told him. They both sat there and then they bowed, "We will see you tomorrow." Before they glided back into the woods.
Feeling much better I spread my wings and flew toward the castle and flew through one of the windows near the Prince's presence chamber, "Where were you?" Asked Karthena, "Out." I said, "I had to get out of there." "Don't worry." I said softly, "I'll be all right for the next sennight." "That's good." Sighed Karthena with relief, "the Prince wants to see you in his presence chamber again." turning I walked decorously back in the direction of the chamber. I nodded to the Prince as I reentered the room, "Are you all right your highness?" Asked one of the pages, "Yes I am thank you." I walked to his side and bent to kiss the signet ring of lian and sat down again bored but more peaceful.
"tonight we will dine in my chambers and go to bed early we have a lot to do in the next week." "The tributes, I thought that lasted a day?" "Yes but we have delegations from the other peoples on my lands, our lands that we must hear." "That will take at least three days, then we have the feast of the autumnal equinox that lasts two days, the feast and the sacred rituals." "then we have the priests of the sacred vow here for another three days and then we have the other three kings and queens after that to reinstate their oaths to the court of light." "All that?" "I'm afraid the next fortnight will be busy." Said Lian, "Not only that but you need to be seen being here, though the most important things will be for the first sennight." "After that I can make excuses if you need to breathe."
"if I weren't a suspicious being." Said the voice of the marquess Northidge, "I'd be wondering why you stared into each other's eyes like that." Lian only nodded. "Discussing the next few sennight of events." "Its not your concern." The Marquess lowered his gaze, "Your Highness are you all right?" Asked the Marquess turning his attention to me, "Yes indeed." "Then why did you leave so quickly?" Asked the Marquess. Duke Kenningford came forward, "Its not your concern what her Highness does." "On the contrary Your Grace, since she is our new Princess I think its certainly most important what she does." "She belongs to the crown now." "Yes indeed she does, but one is allowed a certain modicum of privacy." Said the Duke, "I was getting some air." I said rising to my feet, "I." Lian tugged me down, "She doesn't need to explain herself to you Northidge." "Was it something I said?"
The Marquess looked smug, "No." I said softly but with a tinge of ice, "there are rumours that your mind is damaged." Lian squeezed my hand and said, "Be careful." Mind to mind, "if you had been strapped to the altar of that..." I said breathing slowly, "Mightn't you have some lingering affects?" "Or are you so cold that you'd simply freeze?" the marquess blanched and stepped back bowing low. "I concede to your point princess Phaydra." He said, "Good because the next time I have to tell someone what it was like I'll show them." "I can do it too." I said softly, steel in every word. His face became the colour of mouldy vegetables. He reflexively clutched his stomach and backed away.
"There are other ways to handle that." Said lian in mind speech, "You can invoke the royal authority you know?" "No I don't know!" I thundered back in mind speech, "Phaydra." His mental voice sounded pained, "Well." I said angrily, "I'm not the one you should be angry with." "I was there." "I felt what you felt." "Every night I feel what you feel." "Every night I have to bolt to the toilet to puke up my guts because you do!" Now his mind voice was filled with anger, "So don't lash out at me." "Well you are always telling me to be calm Phaydra." "Be careful Phaydra." "Don't say that Phaydra!" "Well I'm tired of it!" I winced inwardly as I felt the mental force of my words penetrate his mind.
"Forgive me for wanting to help you Phaydra." Said Lian's mind voice with shadings of anger and pain. "Well you constantly are telling me I'm doing something wrong." "I don't look right." "Don't act right, don't dress right." "Say this Phaydra, don't say that phaydra!" Lian's hand withdrew from mine and his mouth opened. In a steely voice he said, "I believe my beloved is overtired this evening." He rose and walked toward his knot of men, "Go to your gardens then Princess." He said angrily mind to mind, "I'll not interfere anymore." "Pray forgive me for trying to show what being Princess was all about." Then I felt the doors on his mind close and lock against me. I could mind call all I wanted but wouldn't be able to speak to him mind to mind. Only if I was in desperate straights would I be able to reach him, since that is how our bond began.
I rose and left the presence chamber and walked through the castle nodding to pages, Ladies in waiting, knights of the realm, guards, and gentlemen here on the business of the King. My own gown billowing out and around me in a cloud of petal pink silk. I was able to make it into the conservatory before I started to cry. I sat down and wept for a long time. Was our love souring so fast? Had I been the wrong one? What was it about me that turned Lian into what he'd become lately? I could have through my distress and sadness reach out and apologise to Lian, but I didn't think it would be fair. After all he was busy with the court this evening. I'd have to go soon to his chambers to dine. Unless he didn't want me too. I tapped delicately on the mental wall between us. "You still have to come to supper!" His mental mind voice shouted before again he sealed himself tightly against me.
I went to the washstand and washed my face before I walked ponderously back toward my suite to dress for supper. Dressed in a gown of antique white silk I walked toward his suite feeling ten inches tall. the guards admitted me into the rooms and I took my seat next to his mother at one end of the table and he next to his father.
He spared me a cool glance then turned to speak to one of the visiting dignitaries. We usually mind spoke to cut through the tedium of the meals but tonight with his mind voice closed to me I had to entertain a stately Marchioness Grevisa, Northidge's wife. "the Queen has been speaking kindly of you." She said during the fish corse, "Yes indeed." Said Queen Delonna who merely picked at her food, "Its good to have a Princess in our midst again." Said the Marchioness.
Two or three times I looked toward Lian's end of the table but he was either speaking to his father the High King or the man to his left. He never once glanced my way telling me that I'd really hurt him and angered him. I had to sit through the meal keeping up my side of the conversation and felt drained by the time the High king and Queen rose from their places and withdrew.
I hurried over to Lian and had to wait to grab his attention, "I'm sorry Lian." I said softly, "i really am." "Your Royal Highness!" "Bat and balls tonight, I'll spot some of my father's golden whiskey!" Said one of his friends, a low level noble, "Odds I'll win!" "Done." Said Lian before he turned to me, "You should go to your rooms now." "Rest, we have a long day tomorrow." One of the other lords shoved Lian good-naturedly, "Come on Highness there's already a set of teams for the wager." Lian swept me a bow and disappeared.