Forbidden Forces

Streams of golden and glistening sun broke through the curtains of Alloura’s bedroom. The sound of her bedroom door being pushed open woke her. Alloura’s father, Erik, walked into her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed, placing a hand on her leg. “Big day today,” Erik spoke. “Are you ready?” Alloura sat up, stretching her arms and pulling her shoulder length, chocolate brown hair into a loose bun. “Of course I’m ready, dad,” she replied. “I’ve known I was going to marry Rhys since I was 3 years old.” Rhys and Alloura had been promised to each other by their fathers at 6 and 3 years old, respectively. Rhys was the prince of Alfheim, a faerie kingdom surrounded by an enchanted forest, south of the mountains that served as the border to the werewolf kingdom of Lycaon. Alloura’s father, Erik, was the hand to the king, Rayner, and the two had been thick as thieves since they were young children. “I’m proud of you, Ally,” he said. “You’re going to make a wonderful princess, and one day, queen. Our people need someone like you, who embodies our way of life.” All Alloura could do in response was smile. “I better start getting ready,” she spoke. Once her father left the room, she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and walked to the window of her balcony, pulling open the curtains to let the full power of the sun envelope the room. The sky outside was clear and blue and the gardens outside her balcony were in full bloom, including every color of the rainbow. Today was the day that Alloura and Rhys officially announced their engagement to the kingdom, now that Alloura was finally 21 years old. It would be a day full of celebration, with an extravagant banquet, and even more extravagant evening of dancing to follow. Even though she’d always known she was going to marry Rhys, Alloura couldn’t help but feel nervous with things becoming so official. Just then, there came a knock at her bedroom door. It was her stylist, a faerie with dark red hair and striking blue eyes, named Layla. “I hope you’re ready for the party of the century!” She said excitedly. “Good morning, Layla,” Alloura replied. “I’m ready for you to work your magic on me!” “Oh please, Ally, you’re by far the easiest faerie for me to work on!” Layla did Alloura’s makeup with a beautiful gold and glittery eyeshadow look that highlighted and emphasized her forest green eyes, and kept her foundation light enough for her freckles to peek through. She styled Alloura’s hair in loose waves with half tied back in intricate braids with baby’s breath flowers worked in. Alloura adorned her dress for the ceremony, a flowy sage green dress made of tulle that cascaded into a short train behind her ankles with elbow length sleeves that fell off her shoulders and a fitted bodice. The dress was covered in little flowers that Layla had sewed on painstakingly one by one. “And with that, I think Prince Rhys’ jaw will drop when you enter the hall,” Layla said, admiring her work. ……………… The ceremony hall was bustling with faeries from all across the kingdom, hoping to get a view of the official royal engagement. Prince Rhys stood atop a platform, in front of his father, King Rayner seated on his throne, next to his mother, Queen Freyja. His wavy blond hair was combed neatly to the side, and he stood tall in his royal military uniform at 6’2. Rhys was tall and lean, and even at 24 years old, still had somewhat of a sweet and youthful baby face. He looked anxiously around the room, waiting to catch a glimpse of Alloura. The large double doors at the opposite end of the hall opened, and with the smooth sounds of the harpist and pianist, Alloura appeared. She retracted her delicate, translucent gold wings and fluttered delicately down the path to Rhys. The other fae spoke amongst each other, discussing how beautiful Alloura looked, her dress, and so on. Rhys almost couldn’t withhold his awe at her, standing with his mouth agape. Ally had always been a beautiful girl, but after knowing her all his life, he had taken that beauty for granted so often. He had many unserious relationships before, knowing he’d one day be marrying Ally, but enjoying his time before so. Had Alloura really always been this beautiful? Is Rhys actually noticing me? She thought. She had always had a crush on Rhys, captivated by his boyish smile, beautiful blue eyes, and his charm, like every other girl she knew. But, Rhys hadn’t ever really looked at her before the way he was now. Alloura stood in front of Rhys and King Rayner rose from his throne. Silence fell throughout the hall as all the fae eagerly waited for him to speak. “Thank you all for coming,” King Rayner began. “Today, we honor the engagement between Prince Rhys and Alloura. It is my hope that the light and joy Alloura brings will balance out my son, Rhys’s seriousness, and allow him to make decisions for this kingdom with that light in mind. When the day comes that Prince Rhys takes the throne, I know that Alloura will complement him as his Queen just as our kingdom needs. Now, Prince Rhys, take Alloura’s hands in yours.” Rhys delicately placed her hands in his, still mildly stunned by her beauty. She appeared to be glowing, nearly radiating.. perhaps it was from her delicate, golden wings? No.. Alloura was glistening. Rhys extended his wings, allowing himself to flutter above the ground with Alloura doing the same. King Rayner continued on with their engagement ceremony, drawing on the power and magic that ran through the palace and the faerie kingdom. Being magically attuned to the earth and its elements, the wind began to sweep through the open windows, leaves and flowers swirling around the couple. A warm glow radiated from the pair, as Rhys placed an ornate gold ring on Alloura’s finger. The thin gold band was adorned with gold leaves with an oval diamond in the center. “Now, let us celebrate!” Exclaimed the king. The crowd cheered, and Rhys and Alloura lowered to the floor. Their engagement was finally official. ………………………………… The crowd moved into the ballroom that had various large balconies that extended into the ornate gardens. Waiters flitted around the room with trays of sparkling champagne and the walls were lined with buffet tables that held tea cakes, scones, fruits, and other various afternoon tea essentials. A glittering pink punch flowed through a 3 tiered fountain, looking almost too pretty to drink. “And now, I would like to invite the Prince and his fiancée to open up our dance floor,” declared Queen Freyja. Rhys raised his hand to Alloura shyly. “May I?” He asked. Alloura accepted his hand, and they twirled into the center of the ballroom, dancing to the orchestra that played. “You look beautiful, Ally,” Rhys said, in almost a whisper. “Oh,” she replied, surprised. “Well, thank you. You look very handsome, as well.” “So it’s official, huh? I kinda thought this day would never come,” he chuckled. “Not that I don’t want to marry you or anything, —“ “It’s okay, Rhys,” Alloura assured him as he stuttered. “I know we didn’t really get to choose each other, I know I wasn’t your first choice.” “Well, Ally, you can’t blame me for dating other women before our engagement was official. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been your first choice either.” As the party went on around them, and Rhys admitting out loud the truth that she already knew - that she wasn’t his first choice - the air began to feel heavy. “Rhys, I just need a moment to take all of this in,” Alloura said gently, excusing herself. She headed towards the gardens, hoping the fresh air would allow her to catch her breath. As Alloura walked through the flower beds, she felt the need to wander off further and further. The palace gardens extended towards the enchanted forest, and the forest seemed to be calling to her. She couldn’t recall the last time she actually went into the forest and stretched her wings, allowing herself and her magic to sync with nature.