The Fae King's Ruin

Doe

As a princess, Aislin had always been conscious of her actions. She couldn’t help it— she had grown up aware of who and what she was to the masses. Unseelie Court society and its rather unforgiving atmosphere naturally watched her every move; the sharks and critics always came up with something new to criticize her against. It was just how it was and she had never been in a position where she could change it.

Her blood and status did not exempt her from ridicule as the only part-fae in the realm, with powers so freakish that it was best left to be hidden away by an ugly pair of bracelets. She tried to seem as normal as she could, distracting everybody else from her oddity. For a time she was successful, and everyone had seemed to begin overlooking the fact that she was not like them. 

Instead of that certain level of acceptance making her more confident, it made Aislin even more vigilant of how others perceived her. As a result, she could almost always anticipate how other people would react towards her. Take for example now: she walked side-by-side with the contingency of Unseelie soldiers that had arrived from Mhoryga with the villagers at the edge of Alfheim. They would take her to the command center that must be somewhere in Cetha and act as her security detail as long as she needed them to. Given that she had little to no control over her own powers yet, they would also open the portal for her.

Now, all that? Aelthrys would have a conniption over what she was about to do. There was an eighty percent chance that a vein would pop in his temple as he tried to make her go back to Alfheim, or make her stay as far away from the fighting as he could. 

But she was surprised to find that she did not care much about his reaction. Aislin felt so confident that she was doing the right thing, and if she had not been feeling it earlier, the soldiers surrounding her with all conviction would have changed her outlook entirely. They respected what she wanted to do, understanding that despite not being able to fare well on a battlefield, she could do just as much on the sidelines. They also assured her that the other soldiers fighting against the rebels would appreciate her return as well.

Taryn, the only senior officer amongst them, faced their party as they reached the portal-off part of the bridge. 

“All right, ladies and gentlemen, listen up,” he said in his gruff voice, one that was used to issuing commands. “We will go into our entry point on high alert. Do not break formation and always protect the princess.” His steely eyes slid over to her. “Your Highness, time to pick a code name.”

She blinked up at him. “A code name?” she asked unsurely.

He nodded. “Well, we can’t keep calling you by your name on the field. It would be a dead giveaway of your identity should we encounter a problem.”

Aislin swallowed at that. “Do you think we will be encountering a problem, Captain?”

She was now only realizing that maybe the location they picked was already overrun by rebels. Even though the Manor of Cetha was basically a fortress in and of itself, Aelthrys had not been there to defend their lands. Still, she had to try.

“Problem or not,” Sergeant Taryn said, “we should be ready anyway. Hmm, I think we should call you Doe. It sounds innocent enough and terribly inconspicuous. Ilyn knows I am not going to be executed by my commander for bringing you to harm."

“We might die either way,” one of the soldiers muttered behind his chuckles. “There is a reason why the General left the Princess behind.”

Deliberately, she met the eyes of each of the soldiers with her. “I promise you that you will not suffer any punishment for what you are doing for me, by my cousin’s hand or others. I am putting all of you under my protection; a Queen’s Guard, if you will.”

Aislin did not even have to give it any thought. They all looked at her with a mix of awe and delight. Taryn bowed his head, a slight smirk on his lips.

“You are full of surprises, my lady,” he commented. He was chuckling too, but there was something in his eyes that told Aislin he was also proud of her. “Very well. We should get going and settle in before the sun starts its descent over our homeland.”

Exchanging excited grins, they all held their hands out and started to pull at the fabric of space and time. The portal was big enough for two at a time to pass through, giving Aislin her first glimpse of Mhoryga after a very long time. Her eyes welled from the emotions coursing through her. Her longing for home was almost at its conclusion. 

She could smell the briny air that blew in from the sea a few miles from the heart of Cetha. Her home, the red edifice right in front of them, stood in all its intimidating glory and it, too, gave her chills. She was home. She was almost home!

Taryn let them through, choosing instead to guard the rear. The moment Aislin stepped onto Mhorygan soil, she made everyone pause for a while. She took off her high heels quickly and held them in her hands, feeling the dirt and grass underneath and in between her toes. It was only then that Aislin let her tears fall.

She had never been away from Mhoryga before, and being forced to part with it had hurt deeply at the beginning. She also had never known what it felt like coming back to the arms of a mother, but this was probably the closest she could get to it.

Aislin felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at Taryn. The gruff Captain also had mist in his eyes when he smiled down at her.

“Welcome home, Princess.”

Welcome indeed.