FATESWORN

5 ~ chatting

We stop before a pair of massive, ironwood doors. They are painted red and gold, which I am told is the colors of House Farrous, which is Thorn's mother's House. His father, of House Husfortap, bears the colors of gold, white, and silver. Which is why the floor, ceiling, and walls are those colors.

"Are you ready?" Cal asks, turning to face me.

"Ready .... for meeting the King and Queen? Oh, uh... the High King and Queen?"

Cal nods.  "Now, the High King's named Eldred. His mate and wife, as well as Thorn's mother, is Jasminda."

"Okay," I say, nodding.  "Anything else I need to know?"

"Hmm," he mutters, placing his hand on his chin. Cal is a handsome fae, with tan skin and auburn hair, as well as gray eyes. He has a scar on the underside of his jaw, which I can see because he towers over me.

There's a soft sound. An almost .... strange humming sound. We both turn, and I see a female fae, walking towards us. Her long, blue gown is making a soft hiss as it brushes the marble floor. She is tall, but not as tall as Cal. She has long, black hair that falls in waves by the middle of her back. Her rich, brown skin is flawless, and lightly covered with makeup. Kohl lines her eyes, which are grayer than Cal's.

"Jade!" Cal exclaims, smiling at her.

She stops walking and turns to face us. The girl is gorgeous. And as she walks over to us, I feel my heart pitterpatter in my chest. She smiles at us, the slightly crooked smile making that heart of mine go nuts.

"It is nice to see you today, Callum. Who is your friend? She is beautiful."

"Hi," I say. "I - I'm Kesh."

"Oh, what a lovely name!" Jade exclaims. She claps her hands together, and when she does, I see the tattoos of strange patterns on her arms and shoulders. They look like insect wings. Her keen, gray eyes follow mine, and she smiles again.  "Oh, yes. They are my wings. Mine are different from yours. See?"

She spreads her arms, and there's this weird squelch sound as her tattoos rise, and before I know it, four large, dragonfly-like wings melt out of her skin. She flutters her wings, and they make a soft buzz sound.

"They're beautiful," I say.

"Thank you! As are yours," Jade says, smiling once more.

"Winged fae," Cal scoffs.

"Oh, you. Don't be a sourmouthed fae, Callum."

Cal laughs. "You've been talking to Rooke lately? I am sure he's the one whose been teaching you those .... rare insults."

Jade laughs.  "Rooke. Yes. Your brother is still a bit sour at the fact that he's not allowed to be your Second."

"Yeah, well, it's not my rule," Cal says. "Trust me, if I could've had him as my Second, I would've picked him."

"Oh!" Jade turns to me.  "Sorry, Kesh. Callum and I are best friends. So, I am sure you understand. Although, I am sorry we are talking as though you are not here."

"It's... okay," I say.

Cal then turns to the doors.  "Jade, are you going to the banquet tonight?"

"Oh, you mean the banquet that starts in five minutes? Yes, Cal. Yes, I am going."

"Well, mind if I let you take Kesh off my hands for now?  Halston is going to be looking for me."

"Oh, yes. That shifter-fae is indeed looking for you. He's your Second, now, isn't he? He is always looking to speak with you, and yet, you ignore him. I wonder why?"

"Jade ..."

"Ach, oh well, Cal. Go, we girls will be fine. "

"Thank you, Jade. And I will see you after the banquet, Kesh. Have fun!" Cal pats my shoulder before he vanishes.

Jade scoffs and rolls her eyes. "He's a bit ... much. Halston and Ismar are his Second and Third in charge for the guards. So, the three of them need to meet regularly. But for now, ignore the worries of that. You can sit beside me at the banquet, okay? Just .... go with the flow."

"Alright," I say. "Thanks, Jade."

"Don't mention it," she says, smirking and clapping her hands. The doors before us glide open, and as we walk inside, I see the other people inside are all lavishly dressed, and all are nobles.

Fae from all walks of life sit around a massive, redwood table. As we walk in, I see Thorn at the head of the table, with two seats close to him on either side. He smirks at us, and I feel heat rise to my cheeks. I look at the others.

There are fae with green scales for their skin, fae who look more wolf-like than human, fae with tails, claws, wings of all kinds, and gills and fins. Fae with bodies of humans and heads of animals. Fae with no way to tell they're not human, save for their pointed ears and sharp features.

Jade gestures for me to sit beside her, and I do. I look to the fae on my right side, and she smiles kindly at me. Her blue eyes are strikingly blue. Her hair is far longer than mine, and white as snow, like mine. She has bronze skin, and a pair of butterfly-like wings tucked up against her back. She wears a blue dress, with a silver crescent moon on the chest of it. She wears a lot of jewelry, and no makeup that I can tell. A small crown rests on her white hair, and I see that she also wears crystallized snowflakes.

"I am Yue," she says. "Most people think I'm just 'you' but it's you-ey, so if you get confused, just think about that." She winks.

"I'm Kesh," I say.

"Ah, you must be Prince Thorn's new friend. I am pleased and honored to meet you."

"Same here," I say.

The doors on the other end of the room, behind Thorn, are pulled open by an unseen force. And in comes the High King and High Queen. We all rise, and stand there until they sit and the King, Eldred Husfortap, gestures for us to sit. Jasminda Farrous, the High Queen, sits on Thorn's left, his father on his right.

A bunch of cooks and servants appear, and they set the food on the table, through magic that allows it to just appear or float onto the table. I look over at Jade, who is eyeing a particularly delicious-looking fried ham.

"Well, this is going to be fun," mutters Yue, before grinning at me. "You will realize how delicious fae food is soon enough. Since you are fae, you should know that it won't affect you adversely, like it would if you were not fae."

"Alright, thanks."

Yue chuckles.  "Enjoy the food, Kesh."