Amythest dreams

Chapter Five:

She awoke to him nudging her softly. "Iredesa. Wake up. It's time to go." She sat up, not looking at him as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Iredesa.. I feel we need to discuss-" She interrupted him, "There is nothing to discuss. I returned the favor last night for the dancing and that is it. If you don't mind I would like a few minutes to get ready and relieve myself." He said nothing, only nodding at her as he slipped out the door to allow her her privacy. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. She had no clue what had gotten over her last night. All she knew was that she could still taste him on her lips and could never let herself lose control like that again. The only problem was, what would she do when it came time for her to perform her wifely duties. Clearly her treacherous body was more than willing. But she could not and would not allow herself to become susceptible to him. He had stolen her away, forced her into a marriage that she did not want, and was Fae. A monster by all rights and technicalities. His people had slaughtered and tortured countless of her kind. He was not human and she would not allow herself to become his puppet. No matter if that kiss had set off a blaze of desire that she had never knew could exist. She got up, steadying herself and got ready. She put on traveling pants and a soft cotton blouse, knowing that the woods would be no place for a dress. She put her hair up into a bun, letting soft golden curls trail around her face. She was more than ready to see her hair back to its normal color. She relieved herself and had just slid her shoes on when he came back.

"I'm ready." She said, sliding her pack onto her back. He nodded, taking out a coin purse and dropping it onto the bed. "This should be more than sufficient to pay for the room." he said. With that they slipped out of the room and down the stairs without another word. Nobody was around as they made their way out of the tavern and into the cold morning air. The sun had not yet rose and she could barely see, Iredesa was trusting Prince Kallan to know which way to go. They did not go for the horses, leaving them in the stables with a note to the stableman to care for them and see that they got a good home. They said nothing as they slowly made their way to the edge of the town and toward the wood line that they would be hiking through for the next six days. Iredesa brooded, already missing the warmth of the bed. "We will stop to have breakfast after we have made it a few miles from the town. I'm sure that by the time everyone wakes up and notices we are gone yet our horses stayed they will have deduced that we went into the woods. Nobody should come looking, but I would still like to be far enough away that we don't have to worry about a wayward hunter." As they reached the woods Iredesa felt a slight tickle in her body that told her she no longer had the glamour over her. Sure enough, when she lifted a tendril of hair it was the silky black she knew and loved so much. 

The first mile was walked in silence, neither one of them wanting to break the peace of the morning air. Trees surrounded them like a cocoon of green and brown, fog hanging in the air like a thick blanket. She could feel the moisture seeping into her clothes and she found herself grateful that she had chosen not to wear a dress as brambles and tree trunks would have tugged at the bottom, slowing them down. Moss clung to most of the trees, a soft yet moist handhold for her and a guide to the wayward traveler. The further away they got from Border Hollow the more she felt a tugging of loneliness and anxiety. She was getting further and further away from her world and closer to a new world filled with unknown horrors. And to add to that, she was going to be spending the better part of the next two weeks alone in the woods with nobody but Prince Kallan

After roughly five miles was in between them and Border Hollow Prince Kallan stopped. The sun had finally risen, casting sporadic rays of golden light onto the forest floor. Early morning dew dripped from the tops of the trees and onto the ground. "We can rest here for a bit, eat something, and then be on our way." he said, plopping down onto a fallen tree and taking off his pack. He opened it and pulled out a cloth that was filled with dried figs. Popping one into his mouth he gestured for her to sit beside him. She glanced around, finding that there was no other tree around them. She sighed, sitting as far from his as she could as she slid her pack off of her shoulders and onto the ground. He offered a fig to her and chuckled as she turned it down. She took a swallow of her water, savoring the cool liquid as it slid down her throat. She opened her pack, pulling out the bread and a small jar of honey. She broke a small piece off and dipped it into the jar. She chewed slowly, still refusing to say anything to him until it became necessary. So she sat, licking honey from her fingers and chewing her bread in silence.

"Iredesa, you can't stay quiet forever. It will be a long and boring journey if you refuse to talk." Still she said nothing, delighting in the exasperated sigh that came from her silence. "Iredesa. If you don't understand what you were feeling back in that room just ask. We will be married soon, so you might as well learn more of what it is that you experienced." Iredesa dropped the bread back in to her pack and closed the honey, still refusing to say anything. The moment she closed up the pack she felt strong fingers wrap around her arm and pull her up. She gasped as her back hit the back of the tree and his body pressed up against hers. The look he had was dark and intense. "If you refuse to talk to me I suppose I will just have to give you a demonstration and an explanation." 

Before she could say anything she once again felt his lips on hers. They weren't soft or hesitant this time. They were determined and eager. This time she tasted the sweet tang of figs that mixed with the small bits of honey on her tongue. Fire exploded as he deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue in to tangle with hers. Her heart pounded in her chest and her blood started to sing as his hands let go of her arms and trailed up to tangle into her hair. She could feel her body responding, and couldn't stop it. Little thrills of pleasure at his rough approach had her body aching and compliant. She let her arms drop down to her side as his knee came up between her legs. A soft moan escaped her, and he pulled back. "That aching, that burn? That is desire. It is your body responding to mine the same way that my body is responding to yours." He pointedly looked down, causing her to follow his gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw the proof of his desire bulging and stretching the fabric of his pants. " Say what you will in that pretty little head of yours, I'm a monster. That I kidnapped you and leaving you with no choice. That you hate me. But the fact of the matter is, when we finally do lay together, I'm certain that you and your body will anything but hate what I want to do to you right now. And when I can finally have you, and believe me when I say that I am eagerly awaiting that moment, I am going to take my time and figure out every single one of your desires. Because nothing else in this world will please me more than to get under that skin of yours and make you scream." He kissed her once more before letting her go. She stood there, breathless and at a loss for words while he prepared to leave.

Her body felt heavy as they began walking again. His words kept echoing in her head. Why did the idea of him making her scream thrill her? s*x wasn't suppose to be abrasive and wild like he'd hinted at. Was it? All the books she had read had been tinder and passionate. Both lovers caught up in each other. It was soft and loving. The look in his eyes told of something much darker and less tender. She rubbed the abrasion on her wrist from where it had scraped against the tree. Why did this small pain make her want more? She was afraid that he would be right... When the time came for them to consummate the marriage, she very well may not be able to control herself. This concerned her. She knew nothing about this man. Had only been with him a total of three days. She hated him, and yet. Her body definitely wanted more of him. Maybe she was the one messed up in the head. 

The day got warmer as they continued their journey. It was quiet save for the occasional deer or rabbit. She wiped sweat from her brow, following behind him as they steadily made there way towards the border wall. "In another mile or so we will come across the first of four trees of never ending supply. An apple tree that was planted before the border went up. The seeds were said to have been blessed by a High Fae that enjoyed traveling to and from Fae and human lands. She wanted to ensure that every traveler who ventured this way would always have nourishment. They stay in eternal harvest, always abundant with fruit that is sweeter than any that you will find." Prince Kallan continued talking about the tree as well as the other three trees that they would find along their journey. The next a pear, then a peach, and finally a pomegranate. Each one two days journey away from the other. It was sort of a natural map that told you you were on the right path to Puerr Terra. As long as you found the trees, you would always know that you were on the right path and would not have to go hungry when you continued. It all seemed fascinating. "Why haven't people taken the seeds from these trees and planted them everywhere? So that nobody has to go hungry again." Iredesa asked, stepping over a fallen tree. "People have tried. However the fruit rots once you leave the forest and the seeds are sterile. No other trees can grow from them and no fruit can be harvested and taken from the forest. It is meant for those traveling between lands and the High Fae that designed them did not want people taking advantage of her gift." "Do you know her name?" she asked, curious of the woman who had loved both lands enough to bestow eternal gifts of food to those wishing to travel between lands. "Desarie the Lost ironically. Once the Border went up she became lost and was never seen or heard from again. Some say that she went into the wild and let the Old Magic claim her. Some say she stayed in the human realm and fell in love with a man and lived out a mortal life with him. Nobody knows the real story." 

How sad for Desarie. To love both lands so much and have a border erected separating them. Iredesa stopped, catching herself. The border was put up because of The Gathering of the Fae. It was a good thing it was up. Desarie may have been unable to walk freely between the lands but neither could the horrible creatures that created a whole month for hunting and torturing human kind. The stories she had heard of that month were ones of nightmares. For ten years The Gathering was something that caused humans to close up and flee as fast as they could. September was always a month of celebrating the day the border finally went up. It took ten years. Ten years of Fae and human kind killing each other and living in fear. Ten years before a treaty was finally signed and a border erected and the Fae and humans separated. Before The Gathering, human and Fae had lived peacefully for the most part. It was a tenuous peace, neither side truly trusting the other. There were the usual fae tricks of human children going missing and changelings being put in their place. Many a man was lost in the woods never to be seen again after following pixies. But they lived peaceably. That was until the Fae grew tired of small tricks and wanted to make it into a month long sport of bloodshed.

Every August they would come, riding hounds that were like nothing humans had ever seen. Or so the story went. They would torture and burn. Pillage and r**e. For one whole month no human village or town was safe. The border prevented them from continuing their newfound tradition. And for two hundred years the human lands had lived in peace, without worry of the Fae. Until now it seemed. "How did you get past the border Prince Kallan? And how exactly did you learn of me?" she asked, stopping to take a sip from her canteen and breathe for a moment. He looked back, also stopping as he answered her. " I have told you several times now. You can call me Kallan. Prince sounds so impersonal and I don't like it. I have my ways around the border. There are a few blank spots that allow people of a certain power level to be able to go through. Nobody really uses those spots as they aren't very well known of outside of Tiernim and for the most part nobody cares to check on the humans. But I have always felt it important to make sure of what is happening on the other side of the border. So when the letter came to Border Hollow and the poor lad got lost along the way I grew curious. I helped the man after confiscating the letter. That was when I learned of you. With a little bit of magic I was able to send letters to your father and receive letters that bore your fathers insignia. Thus our agreement was made." She felt he was holding something back but said nothing.

They continued walking, Prince Kallan talking about how the factions of the Fae courts reacted when the border went up. "The Unseelie court were the most outraged, feeling that the Gathering of the Hunt was just a fun way of letting off steam. They were prepared to start another war. The only thing that stopped them was when King Ecthroise Dred and Queen Alabaster Payne gave birth to their twins Princess Ember Payne and Prince Totalius Dred. Children are especially revered and coveted in Puerr Terra. The birth of them gave something for Ecthroise and Alabaster something to dote on and occupy their time for the last two hundred years." Two hundred years. Iredesa was in awe. "How old are you?" she asked. " I am two hundred and thirty years old. Barely into the prime stage of my life." She gasped. He was two hundred and thirty years old. To live so long! It was mind boggling and more than a little intimidating. "If you would like to put it in relative terms of human years I am, for all purposes, around the same maturity and age of someone in their early thirties." That admission did nothing to dispel the screaming in her head of the fact that she was about to marry a man that was alive when the border went up. He was around for the Gathering. Very well could have participated in it.

"NO!" he spoke sharply. "I never participated in that vile tradition of the Unseelie court. Iredesa you have got to start seeing that not all Fae are bad or you will never survive in Tiernim. Much less Puerr Terra as a whole. The Unseelie court are, for the most part, the nightmares that you have been told as a child. Some of the people in my court have participated as well. Even the Seelie court for all their self righteous and arrogant ways had their share of blame for those events. But never once did I nor my family do anything. We believe in more civilized ways. I grow weary of your bias and quite frankly racist views of my people."

She didn't really know what to say. He was right after all. She had based the whole Fae off of the actions of others. Yet how could she do otherwise? She, unlike him, was not around to know anything more than what was passed down through the history books and stories.

 "I'm.. Sorry. I find that once again I have to apologize to you for my words. I don't really know much of your people and what I do know is all horror stories and tales of caution and doom. Even what you have told me is that the majority of the Fae I need to be leery of. That most of them would just as soon as kill, eat, or torture me as be my friend. What would you have me think Prin- Kallan?" He looked at her quizzically. "I would have you think of me as your friend. We are to be wed, so I would want you to not be scared of me. I can understand if you never grow to love me. Hell, most Fae unions are not done in love but power. But I do not wish to have you by my side hating me for the rest of our lives."

They came upon the first of the eternal harvest trees soon after that. It was a beautiful sight. Flowers bloomed upon the tree as well as beautiful red fruit. It stood away from all the other trees, as if no tree dared to come close and take away from the beauty the apple tree radiated. Iredesa had never seen such a sight. The closer they got to the tree the more she could smell the perfumed scent that came off of it. It smelled of the sweetest and ripest apples she had ever smelled. Each one was perfect. No rot nor discoloration, no bugs nor sun damage. They looked as if they had been perfectly sculpted and put out on display. Prince Kallan reached out and plucked an apple from a branch and handed it to her. It was smooth and firm. She could tell that the moment she bit into it that it would still be crisp as if it had just ripened to perfection.

Iredesa could feel the hum of magic in the tree. It was a pulsing throb of energy that gave her the feeling of growth, warmth, and fertility. They settled underneath the tree to rest for a while. She held the apple in her hands, thinking hard about what he had said. "You say you want me to be your friend. I don't know much about friends. But from what I can tell, friends don't force each other into a no way out situation. You say that most Fae unions are not for love but power. I only ever wanted to marry someone out of love and companionship. I am not a trophy to have upon some mans arm. You don't want me to hate you, or be scared of you. I still don't understand why you chose to leave the border to marry a human woman, particularly one with no royal blood. Why did you Prince Kallan? Because I can't for the life of me figure out why you chose me out of all the Fae that you have bragged would kill to marry you." Prince Kallan sat chewing his apple, watching her. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully.

"I told you. I was curious about the kind of woman that a father would go well out of the way to boast about. The kind of woman that seemed so unique and special that he would send word throughout the entirety of the kingdom and beyond to other kingdoms to find a suitable husband. Yes, I have plenty of options available to me as the sole heir to Tiernim. However I am not a man that wants a partner that I will have to worry trying to overthrow me and taking over and combining kingdoms into one large one. I don't want a bride that sees me as a pawn in a game that I don't even want to play. I want a bride that isn't already weighed down by Fae customs and Fae honor. I want a bride that holds no ties to any other Fae kingdom but Tiernim. I chose a human bride because her loyalty wouldn't be held by possible enemies of my people. You were the smartest option when it came down to it. You were not a threat. Those things combined with your beauty made you a suitable bride for me." 

Iredesa couldn't help the pang of hurt that jabbed at her heart from those words. She knew it was not love that had caused him to take her as his bride, yet to find that she was no more than a convenient match so that he didn't have to worry about a power grab? It was an eye opener that she would always be just a mere human that was there so that he could worry less. She bit into her apple, chewing it, yet barely tasting it. The knowledge of being no more than a background thought bride had only confirmed her need to be cordial to him. Even if her body clearly felt something for him, she would never give him anything more.