The Looking Glass

Ensleys flashback

part 3

Calev was the first to reach Ensley as she hit the floor. He glared up at Briella. “What the hell were you thinking?!” he shouted at her.

Briella stood her ground “She was going to run. I thought someone should stop her.” She dropped the vase she was holding to the floor.

“With a vase?!” Calev scrubbed his hand crossed his face. He picked her up and walked over to the chair, putting her in his lap.

“Is she alright?” Amoret asked.

“Well there’s no blood but it will be sore when she comes too.” He explained while running his hand over the back of her head.

“I really thought I was stopping her.” Briella clarified while crossing her arms. Her smug look was more than enough for Crimsyn.

“Do you even know what is going on here?” she asked her as she walked over to Briella. The fear in Briella eyes told Crimsyn that there was more to this than she was letting on. Briella took a step back shaking her head.

“Then why did you feel the need to hit her?”

Ensley could hear people talking as she fell farther into the darkness….

Ensley flashback

Ensley can remember running from something or someone most of her life, so it wasn’t a shock when she came home and saw her mother yet again packing up the house. Ensley stood there watching her for a bit before making her presence known. She had been crying like all the other times they had run, yet this seemed different. They both loved it here. Ensley finally had friends and mother seemed happy. Her red hair was a mess, her eye makeup ruined.

Ensley took a step forward, knowing her mother had she seen her out of the corner of her eye. She straightens up and turned toward Ensley but not before wiping her eyes.

“We have to leave.” She said before walking away. Ensley shook her head “No! I’m done running…”

“I’m staying here, you can run away like you always do. I’m sick of running. Plus, you refuse to tell me what we are running from. All we have done is run since I was little and now, I want answers. Who are we hiding from, Mother?”

Mother stood there opening her mouth to say something but quickly closed it. She sighed and sat down.

“Now, mother!” Ensley said biting off each word.

“I don’t know how to tell you, that’s the problem and next if I tell you there may be a small chance you won’t really remember it. That the beauty of this. I’ve told you a few times, but you never really remember.” She was dancing around the answer, making Ensley more impatience.

“Just say it, Mother!” Ensley was yelling now her words harsher than the last.

“You’re not human, Ensley. You are the last water fae. You are to be a queen.” Ensley laughed at her.

“Me, a queen? I highly doubt that mother, and what is a fae?” she was still laughing as she spoke.

Her mother gave her a sour look. “It’s true Ensley. Fae is a fairy…” she never got to explain anything to Ensley before the men attacked them. The sounds of glass breaking filled Ensley's ears.

“Run!” her mother shouted.

“No! I’m not leaving you.” Ensley said

“Child, you need to run and run now! These men will not stop until you are dead! Do you hear me?” she went to the closet and pulled out a sword. “GO NOW! Run out the back door and keep running until you get to the lake we always go to, if anyone follows you drive into the lake. Please trust me, now run! I’ll be right behind you.” Ensley turned to the back door with the sound of metal hitting metal. She ran until she couldn’t hear men shouting or the glass. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. She wanted to stop but she kept running. Tears threaten to flow with the screaming of her lungs. She made it to the lake but knew that the men were right behind her. She could hear them shouting in the distance. She leaned against the fir tree catching her breath. She dropped down to the ground just as a knife buried its self in the tree, she jumped up running toward the lake. She didn’t even stop to think about what she was doing as she drove right in. The water felt welcoming. Somehow she knew she needed to swim deeper. The water went pitch black, yet she kept going, she knew where she was going. Within seconds the water looked crystal clear. She could see the trees along the shoreline. The sky was clear. She hit the bottom of the sea as she slowly walked out of the water. She looked around seeing that she was no longer at the lake but a sea. She shook her head "Mother, what have you gotten us into now?"

“Well look who finally showed up!” A voice said. She looked up seeing Calev and her mother.

Ensley shot up out of Calev lap. She stared at everyone trying not scream. She had been here before, but she was sent back to that hell. Her eyes narrowed at everyone in front of her.

“I’ve been here before. Where is my mother?!” she demanded, “I know she is here. Now, where is she?” Everyone stared at her, she stood there waiting for an answer, just as she was to yell again she felt like she was on fire.

Her skin felt cold, her spine was burning along with her arms and legs. She dropped to the floor, her breathing was labored. “What is going on?” Calev asked looking at his mother.

They all watched at Ensley’s skin glowed light blue.

“She is getting her marks,” a voice said, everyone turned to the doorway. A sliver fae came running in. Ensley knew the voice well. “Don’t fight it, Ensley. It will only kill you if you do.” She was kneeling in front of her now. Ensley laid there waiting for the pain to subside. once she could move she laid there for a few moments.

Ensley slow sat up watching her marks appear on her arms. A beautiful swirling pattern went from her shoulder to her wrist. She took a closer look seeing waves in the pattern.

Once she felt like she could talk without her voice breaking, she looked up at the fae who came running to her aide.

“Hello, mother…”

Everyone looked at Ensley and then back at the women in shock.

Amoret turned to Calev, “Did you know this?” she whispered at him. He shook his head.

“I thought you were dead. You left me in that horrible place for 5 years. Why?” Ensley asked. She eyes shined with the tears she refused to let drop. All her anger was starting to surface. Her mother stared at her.

“Really? You’re just going to stand there? You waited until now to show up, I needed you!” Ensley shouted as she slowly stood up.

Her mother shook her head. “No, Ensley you never needed me. You are so strong.” she looked at Ensley with tears in her eyes.

Ensley stood there, fist clenched how dare she cry! Ensley thought. She stared at the women who she once called her mother. The one person she never thought would leave her. She quickly turned and walked out the door. Leaving everyone in the dining hall.

“Should I go after her?” Crimsyn asked after a few moments.

“No, let her go. You need to make sure the party is ready on time.” Amoret looked at Calev. He nodded his head and went after her.

Ensley was sitting on the glass just outside the fence line. He could hear her crying in the distances. He stood back a little to give her room.

“I know you're there.” She said. “I can smell the lavender from here.” Her voice broke. She was still crying.

“You know its very rude to watch someone cry. It's even ruder to stand there and not say anything.” She spoke so softly he had to step forward just to hear her. He walked toward her.

“Can I sit next to you?” he asked looking down at her. Her eye makeup was a mess, yet she was still the most beautiful women he saw. She gave him a tight smile and nodded.

She leaned against him. “You know no one knew she was your mother. She showed up here one day about 5 years ago. She said she was a Healer. Mother gave her a spot in the healing circle. If we would have known, we would have told you.”

Ensley laughed. “No offense but none of you would have told me. You all are keeping me a secret like I’m the golden fucken egg.” she looked up at him. He laughed a little at her boldness. She called him out on his lie just like he knew she would.

“Ok, he said holding up his hands, “You’re right. No one would have because we Fae are asshats as you so sweetly put it.”

“Hey now! It's true and you know it! You all act like your sweet but you all suck! Big time!” Calev made a face at her.

“Awe you just broke my heart!” he declared as he put his hands over his heart as if she shot him.

Ensley looked at him and the tears started again.

“I know, I’m not supposed to cry but I don’t know what else to do.” She uttered with a broken smile. “You have no idea what I went through after she sent me back. She told me she was right behind me and that I wasn’t safe here in the fae realm, and I believed her like a dumbass. She left me when I needed her most. The f****d-up thing is I'm used to people leaving me.” Her eyes glistened with the tears she tried to hold back. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, yet he knew she needed to get this off her chest. Calev sat with her in silence. Ensley took a deep breath, “I just don’t get it. Am I that forgettable that everyone leaves me?” she looked down at the water. “Maybe I should just disappear. The sad part is I don’t think anyone would miss me.” She glared at the water. Calev sighed and stood up. He looked at her as he knelt in front of her.

“Look, Ensley here people would notice if you disappeared. We have waited so long for you to come home that we probably could have gone about this in a different way. You are cared about by people and we want you here. As for your mother, well she is a b***h for what she did to you and I’m sorry you had to see her again, but you can’t leave. We need you, I need you. You are my other half. You have been since the first day we met. Those marks just don’t appear on anyone.” He explained. He put his hand on top of hers. “Look at me, Ensley. You are so important. You just have to see it.”

Ensley stared up at him. She wanted to believe him, yet there was something holding her back. All the pain from her past was just too much right now. She stood up and took off toward the sea, Calev watches her as she ripped off her dress and threw it aside. “Hey!” he yelled, “I wouldn’t swim in there if I was you. You see there is a big monster in there. We don’t know what it is exactly and it’s kind of an asshole.” He was walking toward the sea now waving his hands. Ensley kept swimming.

“Are you afraid of the big monster?” she said with a pouty face.

“Are you mocking me?” He replied raising his eyebrow “That hurts, Ensley!” He was smirking the whole time.

She started to swim towards him, “Calev join me. You know you want to. Asshole monster or not.”

“No thanks, I rather not be eaten.”

“How do you know it eats fae? Have you seen it personally?” she asked. “Maybe its misunderstood.” Ensley closed her eyes and went under. Calev watched her was the water lit up blue. It looked like someone took the color of Ensley’s marks and dumped it into the sea. He could see Ensley swimming alongside the white monster. He took a step forward to see that it wasn’t a monster at all. Ensley was swimming with the keeper of the seas. Calev about jumped into the water to get a better look. She was so far from home. He watched them glide and play. The happier Ensley got the brighter her marks shined. He knew she was connected to the water, but he never knew what that entailed until now. Calev watched as the mermaids and sirens joined in. If there was any doubt about her it was gone now.

“Wow!” He heard behind him. He turned to see a crowd had formed behind him. “We were told that all the water fae were extinct, where did she come from?” the other fae didn’t look happy to see a water fae.

“She could destroy us all.”

He could see Crimsyn pushing her way to him.

“How did this happen?” she asked, “she wasn’t supposed to be known….” She words died as she looked out across the water. Her jaw drooped.

“Oh my!” He knew that voice as he turned to see his mother was walking toward the sea. Ensley slowly surfaced. She had her back to the shoreline.

“Ensley, why don’t you come out of the water and meet everyone. There is no point in hiding you now. Your water show let every fae know that the last water fae is home.”

Everyone watched Ensley slowly swim to the shore, but she wasn’t alone the Mermaids came with her. They all were curious to hear what was going to be said.

Amoret addressed her court.

“Now I know that everyone was under the impression that all the water fae were extinguished,” Ensley’s head shot up, she was about to ask why but quickly stepped back she needed to hear what Amoret had to say. Questions would have to be answered later.

“Yet as you can see Ensley is one of the last and is the rightful Queen of the Unseelie court.” Everyone stared at Ensley. Some with curiosity and the rest with pure hate.

“Now that she is here, we will welcome her. This will make us stronger. The water fae where and are the strongest of all of us. Which is why they ruled for many years. I will remain Queen until Ensley can fully rule and marry my son Calev. Until then she will be in training. Now let’s welcome our true Queen Ensley!” Amoret walked over to Ensley handing her the dress she had on. “I figured you wouldn’t want to meet your court half dressed.” She said with a wink. Ensley mouthed thank you to her and quickly got dressed, she could see Calev staring at her. She was about t ask him what he was looking at when one of the fairies asked “Is the other fae that was found a water fae? We all have a right to know! They aren’t exactly known for being nice. Which is why they were killed.”

Ensley felt her world shift, killed? What did he mean?

“As far as we know she is just a fae. Next, the water fae was killed yes but not because of their ways. The war claimed their lives nothing more. They were great Kings and Queens. Any more questions?” Ensley was about to ask about the war then pain shot down her whole body. She would have fallen into the sea if it wasn’t for Calev being right beside her. All she heard before she passed out from the pain was Calev.

“Somewhere there is more water fae and one is…”

One is what, she wanted to know what was happening as the darkness once again took her.