Fae's Refuge

2. Tia

Chapter 2

Tia

It was odd to see snow-capped mountains outside her bedroom window after so much time among the sweltering temperatures of Vondur. The Grima “palace” sat among the mountains near the rocky coast, far enough from the fire plains that they experienced the seasons.

The sight of snow never failed to send a pang of longing through Tierney O’Shea. Part of her wanted to hike up to the mountaintops just to feel something familiar, but Lord Cormac Agnew—the man who would have everyone believe he was regent over Queen Bronagh—assured her she would die before she ever reached the peaks of those mountains. Between the sheer altitude and freezing temperatures, the heights of Grima were a trial.

Tierney still struggled to think of this place as a palace. It was lovely, and comfortable in the extreme, but it reminded her of the hunting lodge her family owned in the farthest reaches of Iskalt. Grand enough, certainly, but it was an odd sort of kingdom here in Grima, where rolling green hills and valleys spanned jagged coastlines and rocky seas few ships could navigate stretched as far as the eye could see. The mountainous terrain to the north faded back into the fire plains and were nearly impassable, from what she’d learned.

The same fire plains that trapped Tierney from returning home from Vondur, trapped her here in Grima as well, and it seemed the mountains and treacherous seas were equally determined to keep her from finding safe passage home.

“Stop sighing, Tia.” Gulliver brought her a cup of the rich, hot beverage that reminded her of hot chocolate from the human realm. Nowhere else in all the fae realms had she ever experienced anything as wonderful as chocolate. Her mother would be all too eager to trade powerful crystals for cartloads of this stuff.

“I miss home.” Tierney moved to sit on the plush settee at the center of the common room she shared with Gulliver. A cheery fire burned in the massive fireplace, and stuffed heads of every kind of antlered creature in all of Grima hung on the walls, staring down at her in judgment.

“Me too, but I could get used to that view and this sweet milky heaven in a cup.” He sipped his chocoah. “And the beds, Tia. The beds here are like sleeping on little fluffy clouds.”

Tierney smiled. It was wonderful to be back with her best friend in a place of relative safety. But they were wasting time waiting for the queen to return from her survey of the army at the border between Grima and Vondur.

She still couldn’t believe how welcoming the people of Grima were the moment she and Gulliver came to the palace asking to see Veren. Lord Cormac knew all about how they’d arrived in Lenya through the portal by mistake. He threw the doors open wide and welcomed them inside to await the queen’s return.

It seemed Veren had ingratiated himself to the Grima general on the battlefield, and then later to the queen herself. Tierney had no doubt his charm had saved his life, though she knew firsthand how false that charm could be.

“I could love it here.” Tierney sipped her chocoah, dipping a scone into the sweetness at the bottom. “If I could go home whenever I wanted, Grima would be the best vacation spot in all the fae kingdoms.”

“And Vondur ranks dead last on that list.” Gulliver flopped down beside her, putting his feet up on a fluffy footstool.

“We should probably clean up.” Tierney set her empty cup aside. Their common room looked like a battle had come through. Discarded clothes and books lay everywhere.

“It’s weird they don’t have the usual servants here.” Gulliver sighed. “That’s the best part about being a guest in a palace; I don’t have to see to my own laundry.”

“We don’t have to do our laundry now, Gullie.” Tierney shook her head at her lazy friend. “We just have to send it down for laundering with the morning maids.”

“This palace has weird rules,” he grumbled, snatching up the suit coat he’d discarded after last night’s formal dinner with the queen’s uncle.

“It’s not weird; it’s just different.” She folded up her stained overcoat, where she’d spilled wine on it at a luncheon picnic a few days prior. “I kind of like it.” There were servants but none dedicated to a single royal or noble—not even the queen herself. Instead, there were maids, valets, pages, and any number of servant roles Tierney was accustomed to, but they served everyone in their small corners of the palace. The lady’s maid who helped Tierney dress for formal functions also attended three other ladies staying in guest rooms along this corridor. It was efficient and left Tierney and Gulliver to care for themselves in most things they could easily manage on their own.

“Leave your dirty clothes in the closet at the front door, and the scullery maids will see to it in the morning.” Tierney returned to her room to pick up a few more articles of clothing that needed washing.

They had been treated well upon their arrival at the Grima palace. Everything they could need to live as nobles had been provided. But Tierney liked how independent it felt to see to her own household chores. She drew her bath, washed and dried her hair, and even swept the floors herself. No one fussed over her or treated her like a helpless princess.

She liked the system here so much that if she ever made it home, she just might talk her father into making a similar arrangement in Iskalt.

“What do we do with books we’ve finished?” Gulliver peeked his head into her room, a stack of books in his hands. “Do I have to take them back to the library? Because I’m not sure I could find it again without a map.” The lodge was a rambling structure, but it was an odd one. Where the palace in Iskalt was made up of many floors with grand staircases and towers, the Grima palace was all one level with vast rooms and hallways scattered across the rocky terrain. Endless corridors lined with windows overlooking cliffs, waterfalls, and cool mountain lakes provided some of the most beautiful scenery Tierney had ever seen. But it was easy to get lost without an escort.

“Leave the books in the hall by the door, and the page boy will return them for you.” Tierney stripped the sheets off her bed and set them aside for the maids to take to the laundress. She shook out a fresh set and went about making her bed. She found the task a fun novelty.

“You’re such a weirdo, Tia.”

“How very human of you.” She glared at him. “Uncle Myles teach you that one?”

“Of course. He’s where I get all the best human-isms.” Gulliver stuffed half a pastry in his mouth.

An urgent knock sounded at the door to their suite. “Princess Tierney?”

The familiar voice nearly brought tears to her eyes.

“Veren?” She dropped her sheets and ran back to the common room at the sound of his Iskalt brogue.

“Your Highness.” Veren crossed the room, taking a knee before her. “It is good to see you, though I wish it were under better circumstances. Lord Cormac has just told us of your arrival. You’ve been trapped in Vondur all this time?”

“I think you got the better deal.” Gulliver clapped him on the back. “But we’re glad to see you are well and not lost in a portal somewhere.”

Tierney pulled Veren up from his formal bow and threw her arms around him. In the past, they had a complicated relationship, going from kind of liking each other to severe disdain, but she was overjoyed to see him now. “I’m so happy you’re safe.” She hugged him tightly, pulling back to look at him. “What have you heard of Siobhan? Is she here with you?”

“No. When I came through the portal, I was alone. I lost sight of you and Gulliver, as well as Siobhan, before I landed right in the center of a raging battle. There was no time to look for you. I barely managed to keep my head on my shoulders before I fell in with General Haggerty of the Grima forces.”

“Hello?” A soft voice called their attention away from their bittersweet reunion. A small, young woman entered the room dressed in fine silks befitting the royal court here in Grima. Tierney took her for another noblewoman at first, but she recognized the young man behind her. Prince Donal of Grima. The tiny girl must be the new queen.

“Your Majesty, please come meet my friends.” Veren beamed at the unassuming queen.

The girl approached Tierney and took her hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet a princess of another realm. An heir, no less. It’s an oddity in Lenya for a woman to inherit the throne, yet here we are.” Her clear blue eyes filled with sadness, and Tierney could imagine she was thinking of the mother and sister she had lost so recently. This morose girl had never expected to be a queen, yet she’d taken on the responsibility far beyond her years. She couldn’t be more than eighteen years old.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Bronagh.” Tierney gave a nod to acknowledge the queen’s higher ranking, but as Tierney was a Royal Highness herself, she didn’t owe the young queen more than that.

Prince Donal joined them. “We welcome you to Grima. You may take refuge here for as long as you would like to stay.”

The young royals struck Tierney as old souls, far more mature than they should have been at such an age. They reminded her of her younger brothers and sisters.

“I would like to hear of your trials in Vondur if you would be willing to share your experiences there.” Bronagh gripped Tierney’s hand. “I apologize on behalf of all of Lenya for your rough treatment at the hands of their barbarian king. I fear their newest king will be worse than his predecessor.”

“Thank you.” Tierney winced at the mention of Keir, but she accepted the queen’s kindness.

“I must leave you for now, but please join us tonight for dinner. An informal affair. Just my brother and me and our uncle. We are eager to help you find your way home, though I remain uncertain how helpful we will be.”

“Your kindness is much appreciated, Bronagh.” Tierney followed the royals to the door. “We look forward to this evening and a chance to bring Grima and Iskalt together as loyal friends.”

Tia closed the door behind the queen and her brother. She wasn’t certain which way the wind would blow here in Grima, but it had to be better than Vondur.