The Seelie's Mirror

Chapter 25 A Cry of Reunion

Chapter 25 

I never expected to miss the fairy realm more than ever. Seeing the Unseelie Palace before me, surrounded by dry, leafless trees of everlasting fall, I thought that it was the most beautiful scenery. I almost cried. Who can blame me when we were tossed into a wild Alice in Wonderland kind of world? Compared to that, I would always pick the fairy realm rather than go back to the distorted world.

"We're back." I let out a sigh of relief, staring at the gloomy palace shrouded in dark clouds. I turn to Klovis, who hasn't said anything for a while now. He seems to be staring at the palace with a doubtful gaze. "Klovis?" I wave my hand in front of his face to catch his attention. "Are you alright?" He snaps out of whatever trance he was in and looks at me.

"Yes? Oh, um...what were you saying?" He was obviously distracted and worried about something that he tried to hide by trying to act nonchalant. He is being suspicious.

I gently poked the middle of his brows with my pointer finger. "You're frowning. What's up?"

Klovis blinks and touches the spot where my finger left. "It's probably nothing. Perhaps I am just being paranoid because of how I am supposed to explain to Grignel where we've been."

"Oh." I give him my most sincere look of pity. "Don't worry. I'll explain with you. He'll probably let you off the hook if you have a witness." My sentence brings a smile to his lips, making me raise a brow. "Why are you smiling?"

"It's endearing how you are worried for me."

I sometimes hate it that he is a fairy. He can be very honest and say that it is embarrassing—at least for me.

"What's up with you? You sound melancholic all of a sudden." I looked away and decided to watch Jade try to wake Gem, who has been sleeping since we arrived back in the fairy realm. They were such good distractions from looking at Klovis right now.

"That's because you'll be leaving soon. I just want to be more honest and open to you starting now." His words felt like they were weighing on me. I feel sad and lonely because I know that he's right. The small bottle of sap in my pocket feels heavier than it actually is.

I close my eyes and turn to Klovis with a cheery expression. "You have to know that it is not that soon. We still have to fix the mirror and the realm." I say. "Besides, won't you just visit me again in the human realm or in my dreams, Steve?" Calling Klovis by the name that I used to call him when he was visiting my dream earned a laugh from him.

"Yes, of course." He chuckles. "At least you are more sweet in your dreams compared to when you were awake."

I wanted to complain to him about his wording, but he is already walking to the front of his palace with Jade and Gem, who are being carried by a fully grown emerald beast. I guess Jade decided to give up on waking the slumbering Cockatrice.

When we reach the door, Klovis pauses. His face contorts into worry and suspicion. "Something's wrong." He whispers. "Stay close to me." Whenever Klovis becomes serious, I know that something bad must have happened. I didn't dare question his intuition and I quickly did as I was told. The guards being absent from the gates is already alarming enough.

Klovis begins to open the door of his palace and it lets out a horrible creak. I notice Jade perking up and letting out a low growl in warning when facing the door. Turns out, Zhier is standing there, waiting as soon as the doors are fully opened.

"Surprise." His low and rusty, cold voice, paired with a cheery grin, made me cower, especially when he was looking at me when he said it. "Where were you? I was waiting for you."