The Dragon Prince

Anansi

 Our feet touched down into an unfamiliar suite three times the size of my room. Piles of clothing were haphazardly strewn throughout, the king sized bed almost buried underneath gorgeous ball gowns still in their protective coverings. 

“Gods, I really should’ve cleaned this before having company over.” Tifa’s voice rang out near my ear, causing me to startle and peel myself from her grasp. 

“Wait, so you’re telling me we could’ve teleported instead of walking all the way out there?!” I half shouted, gesturing wildly around myself with my hands.

“Well where’s the fun in that?” Tifa’s words held a note of sarcasm as she stepped over to the bed, shoving the pile of dresses onto the floor. “So are you going to tell me how exactly you have all the Faerie powers, or are you going to keep me in the dark here?” 

I sighed loudly, bringing my hands up to cover my face in exasperation. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t know I had powers until yesterday. Everything has been moving so quickly since I met Aideon…” I trailed off, lowering my hands and moving to sit beside Tifa on the plush mattress. 

“Wait, how the hell are you on a first name basis with the prince of the Ice Court?!” Tifa’s jaw had dropped, threatening to touch the floor in astonishment. 

“Long story.” I sighed again, flopping backwards on the bed. 

“Well spill it! It’s not like we have anything else to do.” Stretching out on the bed beside me, she gave me a devilish grin. “I want to know how an innocent girl like you got mixed up with him.”

“Okay… but you can’t tell anyone okay? Especially not Ash. He’d kill me.” I begged, giving her a pleading look. 

She nodded, looping her pinky finger with my own.

“It’s a deal.” 

*******

 After I’d finished, Tifa and I lay staring up at the ceiling of her immaculate bedroom. She’d quietly listened as I detailed everything, starting from when I’d met him at the bar, up until I’d last heard his voice in my head. I’d purposely left out the part about him being able to shift into more than one form, the thought of giving out the secret he’d specifically asked me not to tell made me uncomfortable. 

“You know…” Tifa started, breaking the silence. “He said a few days. The Dark Court is hosting a ball three days from now. They’ve invited the other Court’s monarchs.”  She paused, holding a finger to her full lips. “I still can’t believe he kissed you.” 

Heat crowded my face as I averted my gaze. “Well… Ash did too.” 

“WHAT?! Mister grumpy kissed you too? Gods Arya you’ve been busy since you got here.” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows at me suggestively. 

“It’s not-... I’m-...” I stuttered, attempting to defend myself. 

“No no, you go girl. I’m here for it.” She chuckled, causing my blush to deepen. 

A knock sounded at the door, followed by a familiar sing-song voice. 

“Tifa, are you in there?” Tifa let out a grunt as she lifted herself off the bed, padding toward the door. She threw an apologetic grin over her shoulder, holding out a hand for me to follow her. 

As we reached the door, she pulled it open just a c***k, shielding the owner of the voice from my view. 

“So we heard a certain Fae was seen using fire magic past the village near the forest today. Do you have any idea who that could’ve been?” Saoirse’s sarcasm was dripping from her words. 

“Heh… Yeah Mom, that was me.” Tifa answered awkwardly, running a hand through her curls.  

I sucked in a sharp gasp as the implication of Tifa’s words sank in. The door creaked open a bit more, revealing both Saoirse and Desdemona standing in the wide opening.

“Ah, and here’s your accomplice.” I blushed, giving them a small wave. Desdemona spoke then, her words directed at Tifa. 

“Now you know better than to go that close to the edge of the forest, and to drag Arya with you? What were you thinking?!” Tifa turned away from them with a huff, stomping over to sit in one of the chairs in the corner of her room. 

“I just wanted to show her a little fun. She’s been locked up in this castle for ages, stuck with Ash as her only company.” 

The Queens sighed in unison, giving each other a knowing look before stepping into the room. 

“There was a disturbance in the barrier around the castle, was that you too?” Saoirse asked pointedly, concern apparent on her fox-like face. 

“That may have been me...” I spoke up, my voice barely above a whisper. 

Both of their gazes shot to me, causing my heart to plummet.

“What do you mean that may have been you?” Desdemona asked, her voice now icy calm. 

“She can use all the Fae elements.” Tifa piped up from her corner, where she was now filing her nails. 

Desdemona raised her brow, looking at me with renewed interest. “Is that so?” 

I nodded, suddenly uncomfortable under the queen's stares. 

The queen’s looked at each other for a moment, seeming to communicate something through their eyes before turning back to us. 

“Everyone is on edge at the moment because of the upcoming ball. We can’t have any more disturbances outside the castle. Tifa, that goes for you too.”  Saoirse said, narrowing her eyes at her daughter. 

“Does that mean I can cause disturbances in the castle?” Tifa replied with a grin, throwing the nail file into a pile of clothes beside her.

Desdemona let out an exasperated growl, prompting Saoirse to thread a comforting arm around her waist. 

“No.” Desdemona seethed through her teeth, forcing me to take a step back. “If you two must entertain yourselves, you can visit the market to find dresses for the ball.” She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “And Tifa, please choose something appropriate this time.” 

“No promises, Ma.” Tifa retorted, refusing to meet her mothers gaze. 

“Come on Des, let’s leave the girls alone.” Saoirse said to her mate quietly, giving her a peck on the cheek. 

Desdemona nodded, her face showing signs of exhaustion. 

“If you two go out, Ash is assigned to accompany you. Do not leave this castle without him. Do you understand?” I nodded in agreement, Tifa letting out a grunt of acknowledgement before the queens both turned and left the room. 

I closed the door behind them, the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding forcing its way out of my lungs. 

“I guess I should’ve told you, huh?” Tifa’s bored voice echoed through the room as I walked over to plop down in one of the chairs next to her. 

“So you’re the princess of the Dark Court…” I trailed off, realizing the signs had been there the entire time if I’d been paying attention. 

“Yep, that's me. Princess Tifa. It’s not very fitting is it?” She said quietly, giving me a half smile. 

“So how are you…?” 

“I’m adopted, obviously.” She held up both hands in a shrug. “Saoirse found me on the streets of the Flame Court when I was a baby. An Ifrit had attacked my village, killing my parents and burning down the village. She brought me home to Desdemona and they’ve taken care of me ever since.”  I stared at her in shock, unable to speak. 

She crossed her arms in front of her, her face now a solemn mask. “Faerie law states that any Fae can adopt an abandoned or orphaned child, so here I am.” 

She jumped up suddenly, the mask falling from her face, now replaced with her usual devilish smile. 

“So how about those dresses?

********

Ash met us at the front gates of the castle, his troubled demeanor from that morning seemingly vanished. He was back to his usual self as far as I could tell, even if Tifa’s chattering was getting on his nerves. Tifa said she knew of a hole in the wall shop a few streets away from the market that created marvelous ball gowns, so on we went. 

We finally arrived in front of a broken down building that looked like it’d been abandoned for years. 

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Ash asked, his brows raised slightly. 

“Yep! This is the one.” She grinned at him before pushing open the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges. 

Ash and I followed behind, stepping into a dimly lit room where an old woman sat weaving magnificent glowing thread into a dress that shone like stars in the night sky. 

She looked up to greet us, her eyes zeroing in on me. 

“Ah, so have you returned to accept the deal?” Ash let out a growl at her words, the shop rumbling around us. 

The old woman from the market stood, making her way behind the counter of the shop with a grim smile. Her milky grey eye caught a sliver of light, causing me to shudder. 

“Wait, you know each other?” Tifa asked, confused. 

“This is the woman who tried to steal my true name.” I replied, suddenly anxious. 

“Anansi, how could you?” Tifa turned to her with a pout, her lip trembling. 

“You can’t blame an old Fae for trying, dear.” She said with a wink. Turning to me, she gave me a curtsy. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, things start to get boring. What have you come for?”  

Tifa answered for me, noticing my terrified expression. 

“We need gowns for the ball.” 

“Ah yes,” She paused, a faraway look passing over her. “The ball.” She held up a wrinkled finger, motioning for us to wait before heading through the door behind her. She returned holding two large burlap sacks, handing them to Ash. 

“Do not open these until it is time to put them on.” She looked between us, the seriousness of her stare putting me on edge. Tifa held out a heavy looking coin purse in exchange, but Anansi brushed it away. 

“Free of charge, for giving the girl a hard time.” She gave me a wink. We bowed to her in thanks before turning towards the door. 

A cold hand caught my arm as my foot went over the threshold, tugging me back. 

“Arya, be careful. Don’t trust a familiar face.” Anansi hissed into my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I turned to meet her gaze but she had vanished, the shop now empty.