The Fae King's Ruin

The Princess and a Lion

The morning after her official acceptance into the Council, the whirlwind that was Avery’s romantic proposal, and the menu testing at the Locke family home, Aislin woke up feeling very much like a different person.

She suspected that her new lodgings played a significant role in all of it. The magnificent fireplace installed in her room ensured she barely needed her covers in the middle of the night and for the first time in weeks she had a truly restful sleep, even rising along with the sun without needing her maids to pull her from her enormous and warm bed.

During the short amount of time Aislin had before Periwinkle and the girls came to start her day, she admired the work they had done to decorate the suite she’d chosen.

Gone were the white curtains over the windows, replaced instead by heavy, blue matelassé drapes that she pulled back to let the light in. The frosted, soft-blue diamond walls were all paneled and laid in with gold filigree detailing. Paintings now hung over most of them and the vases sitting on the console tables had been replenished with fresh winter blooms of varying bright colors. The furniture was definitely new, not just reupholstered to match the colors of the suite, and suited her tastes so well that when Periwinkle, Ola, and Willow did come in, Aislin had given them all a big hug and her warmest thanks.

Because it had been obvious that the girls went above and beyond what she asked of them all while showing her that they were keen observers and knew exactly what Aislin would have liked.

The girls blushed at her praises but beamed widely at the recognition. Sitting in front of her new vanity mirror, the white set gilded with gold, they regaled her stories of how they set the suite up and had great fun doing it. She laughed with them as they told her of the mix-up with the procurers that the royal household dealt with and found herself stunned that they managed to arrange all of the things they had in just one afternoon.

“I hope you didn’t drain the King’s coffers that much,” Aislin half-joked. “We’re not married yet.”

Periwinkle frowned at her through the mirror as she secured her curls with pins. “But the King told us not to mind the cost. That we should design your suite as you would like it.”

Aislin whipped in her chair and looked up at the dusky blue-haired, brown-eyed fae. “When did he tell you that?”

“The guards gave us a slip of paper after you left with His Majesty. He only told us to spare no expense.”

She tried not to smile. She really did. But it was too late. The girls had already caught her lips tugging upwards in the mirror as her blush, which was much harder to conceal, stained her cheeks red. Aislin looked down at the ring in her hand. Willow and Ola gasped loudly as they saw it, and Aislin swore Periwinkle’s private grin widened as her eyes flicked over to her hand.

“Oh, miss, you don’t have to hide how happy he makes you,” Ola said gently, a bright smile stretching her orange-painted lips. “We all see it either way.”

Willow nodded. “He is as in love with you as you are with him,” she added. “For everyone who has been with the King since he was young, that makes us happy.”

Aislin gave them a small smile, not sure if what they saw between her and Avery could be considered ‘being in love’. Everything had been so rushed between them that she could not help but wish things slowed down a bit. She stood as Periwinkle finished with her hair and retrieved her dress. 

“We’re still figuring things out,” she said to them, the only people in this castle other than her cousin that she trusted enough to confide in. “But he’s a good male; I recognize how lucky I am that he’s the one I’m betrothed to.” The words were left unsaid, but the girls all looked to her in understanding. 

They were quiet for a while as Aislin was dressed in a thick, lavender dress that cut to her knees and had three-quarter sleeves. The girls were closing up all the buttons down the spine of her dress when a soft knock ensued from the main door. Ola went to go see who it was, Willow following soon after.

Before Periwinkle declared her officially presentable, strong fingers wrapped around Aislin’s forearm.

Wide, brown eyes peered up at her. “We’re glad about that, too,” she whispered. “That you’re destined to be with a good male. We know not many females in your position would have fared as you have.”

Aislin’s thoughts immediately went to her mother, who’d been exactly as Periwinkle described: unlucky enough to land a husband that wouldn’t cherish her as she deserved. She swallowed hard, tears of gratitude welling in her eyes as she realized that she would never end up like her mother.

Ola peered back into her bedroom, cheeks tinged gold and a breathless smile on her face. 

“It’s the King!” she whisper-shouted, making Aislin’s heart flutter and her stomach turn into knots. “He says he wants to have breakfast with you here, miss!”

Of course, he did. Aislin smirked to herself. Even after the late night they had, it no longer surprised her that Avery was keen on making breakfast with her a habit.

This time, she smiled widely and showed how pleased she was by that. A small step of acceptance of his efforts.

“The balcony would be fine,” Aislin said, running a hand down the front of her dress. “Please make sure that you include the pomegranate tea and sandwiches the King likes so much.”

“And for you, miss?”

“Anything that the cooks have fixed is fine, Ola, thank you.”

She nodded eagerly. “I’ll tell the King you’ll be along shortly.”

As she went, Periwinkle gave her matching kitten heels and helped her into them before giving Aislin a onceover. She bobbed her head once. “You’re ready, miss.”

“Thank you, Periwinkle,” she murmured, before heading out her bedroom.

The King had his hands in his pockets, looking around as Willow stood next to him pointing at the new light fixtures that hung above them. His hair was still wet, probably from the shower, and instead of a jacket, he wore a white, billowy tunic underneath a vest the color of fiery marigolds. The bright color brought out the gold tones of his skin and he looked as dashing as the first time she’d ever seen him.

He turned and Aislin was caught in between breaths as a dazzling smile, one that seemed always at the ready for anyone, bloomed on Avery’s plump lips. She paused behind one of the couches in the parlor as he strode towards her and promptly planted a kiss on the back of Aislin’s hand, just above the knuckle where her ring was, and then on her cheek.

She blinked at him as he pulled back.

“That was new,” she commented with a smirk that was too rehearsed to be truly sly, ignoring how breathy her voice sounded to her own ears. “Is it a good morning for you, Majesty?”

Avery returned her smirk. Aislin was convinced they should come with a health hazard warning.

“It’s a good morning, indeed, Highness,” he said, playing along. “How did you sleep?”

She grinned. “Magically. Thank you, again, for concerning yourself with my comfort. From now on, you don’t have to be worried about having breakfast with a cranky me.”

He shrugged, plucking a pink camellia from the nearest vase and carefully tucking it into her ear. Aislin didn’t dare breathe as his face came so dangerously close to her own—so close she could see the small, light freckles above the bridge of his nose. His scent, exactly the way what spring in Mhorygo smelled like, filled her senses and occupied her momentarily even as he stepped away and ran the tip of his finger down her cheek.

“I don’t know, Aislin,” he murmured to her, his voice dropping to a soft purr. “But cranky you was very intriguing. I’d love to get to know her, too.”

Aislin blushed, ducking her head. She cleared her throat and decided that she should say something. Something truthful. Biting her lip, she scrounged her head for the appropriate compliment to give to somebody the likes of Avery and saw how bright his golden eyes burned.

“Lion,” Aislin blurted without thinking. At Avery’s curious look, she clarified, blushing a shade darker, “Your eyes are as gold as a lion’s.”

A slow, reaching smile stretched across the King’s face. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

She made a face, fiddling with her ring. “I’ll get better,” she muttered.

Avery threw his head back and laughed. He caught her hands before she could take an offended step back, and instead pulled her close enough that he was all she could perceive. He stared at her, chuckling softly, tilting her chin up with his index finger.

“And your eyes look like the night sky. Sometimes, I swear I could see the stars in them, winking at me.” He continues, stepping closer until she could feel the edge of his shoes line up against hers. “I’ve tried many times getting the exact shade of them right, to no avail.”

She swallowed. With her voice cracking, she whispered, “You paint?”

He gave her a small grin. “Yes, I do. Sometimes. Less and less now with all the work I have to do.” Those eyes flickered down to their joined hands. “You write.”

Aislin nodded, noting that there were still some spots of paint that she’d missed from last night. “It helps me arrange my thoughts, like talking to myself.”

“Any chance some of those thoughts that need arranging concerns me?” he asked, lightly teasing. “I might be able to help you on that front.”

“Nope,” Aislin said with a playfulness she’d only known with Avery. “I got you all figured out, Majesty.”

He lifted a brow, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Oh, really, Princess? Come, let’s sit on your balcony. I want to hear all about what you have found out about me.”

Aislin laughed, letting the King pull her to the table and seats already set up for them, the sun almost fully up and greeting them as they did the day.