The Five Realms

Two: A Lesson Not Learnt

[Penrose]

We descended into the valley, having spent half the morning walking the rocky trail between my home of Endor and the Werewolf Realm, the air seemed to thicken with an unseen weight, the quartet's eyes never leaving me.

A kaleidoscope of colours that made me dizzy with emotions I couldn't explain everytime I looked back to see them watching me.

Prince Kaine had taken my bag, carrying it over his shoulder with much more ease than I ever could. His jaw tight and his amber eyes bore into me with such intensity, it made my breath catch.

He rose a dark golden brow in curiousity. "Are you okay, little deer?" He asked, his voice a husky rumble I had never heard from a man - at least, not one that made me feel the way his did.

I blushed, not realising he could hear my change in breathing from so many paces away.

I nodded quickly, feeling my skin flush with colour in embarassment. "Just..." I hesitated answering. I couldn't help but feel like a fragile, breakable vase, about to be dropped on a stone floor around them.

In a world of magic and myth, I was just a human, fragile and imperfect. I didn't want to admit I was already feeling a little tired - even if I had been walking since hours before the dawn, I knew none of those around me, had even considered taking a break.

I hadn't come from a privileged life by any means, I had been a farmer's daughter, seen by the Kings men when I was small girl working the fields with Papa.

They had told him I was beautiful - that if on my eighteenth birthday I was still as beautiful, King Bron would consider me for his bride. I hadn't known what that meant, but Papa had been so speechless, thanking the man over and over and calling me his little Queen from that day - I thought it had to mean something good.

Mama was more grounded, ensuring I kept up with my work and studies. "Just because you could be Queen, doesn't mean you should be lazy." She always use to say, and I found the words kept me grounded.

Then, two weeks ago, I was called to be viewed by the King's most trusted, a man by the name of Lord Northwood, who had told me the King would be pleased to meet me - from there it had been a whirlwind of meetings between my family and officials from the Kingdom of Stars, teaching me of the small lessons I needed to know before I was to travel the months long journey across all five kingdoms.

Some of that time had also been spent learning about those who would accompany me - royal children of far greater status, power and certainly magic than I could ever imagine.

Prince Salem and Caspian I know for certain had fought in wars, travelled great distances and lived for centuries longer than a human possible could.

Prince Kaine was the son of the Alpha King, a man of great legend in battle across the icy tundras to the North. His own battle prowess was well known, as was his striking amber eyes.

All three men had songs sung about them, even in my hometown.

Princess Liana was Fae - her history scattered many kingdoms as a faithful advisor between Realms, diplomatic but stern. Though she had never fought in a war, she had helped settle, and start, many.

None of them had to consider the fragility of humans - we kept to our Realm, quiet and resigned to the magic around us, knowing it could as easily influence us to greatness, as it could certain death. There was no barrier between their Realms, no hesitation to step between them.

No fear.

Something I had to learn to overcome - if this was to my new world and company, I should learn to walk amongst them.

And build the stamina to keep up.

Prince Kaine's face twisted with concern, evidently hearing my heartbeat pickup.

I forced a smile. "I'm fine, thank you, your majesty." I bowed my head, turning back and quickened my pace slightly.

The quartet suddenly fell into step beside me, their long strides matching mine, and I couldn't help but feel like a tiny, lost rabbit among a group of towering predators.

Prince Caspian - a towering man with thick inky-black hair that cascaded down his shoulders, tanned, almost bronze skin like his Dragon form, and eyes that shone like rubies, glanced down at me, a smirk of amusement on his lips.

"You don't need to call us by royal titles, little one," he said in a low voice that made my inside feel oddly hot. "We're going to be good friends, I can tell." His smile twitched, something primal and dark in the way he watched me, as if he could tell his stare made me feel like I was on the edge of a volcano.

Do all Dragons make you feel this way? I wondered, breaking the near-hypnotic hold I seemed to find myself in.

"I'd like that, thank you, Caspian." I found myself replying, my voice hold more strength than I felt, but I was grateful.

I caught the slight frown that formed on his face as I said his name, as if I'd said it wrong. His eyes met with the others of the group, the same frown being echoed as if they all were having a silent conversation I was unaware of.

We walked mostly in silence from there, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath our feet. I began to worry I'd done something wrong.

***********

We entered the tavern on the edge of the first Realm, the last stop in Endor before a two day journey through the mountains and into Lunara.

This was the furthest I had ever traveled, and despite being exhausted, I was slightly surprised it had only taken a day to do so.

A warm glow enveloped me, and the scent of roasting meat wafted through the air, making my stomach growl with hunger.

Kaine chuckled behind me, his warmth as inviting as the fire. Liana giggling like a wind chime, looped her slender, almost-glowing arm through mine.

"Let's get you something to eat, sweet girl." She smiled, and the quartet guided me to a table near the fire.

I couldn't deny as I slid onto the bench, I found myself feeling a little like a child being led to time-out, surrounded by such statuesque and beautiful beings.

Over ale and food, the atmosphere and tension around us had seemed to ease and the quartet began to ask me questions, polite but probing, as if seeking to understand this human bride they had been tasked to escort. I answered as best I could, though my responses seemed rather dull and boring, compared to the lives I had heard they led.

Then, Kaine asked the question that made my heart stutter.

"So, litte deer, have you prepared yourself for marriage?" His words were laced with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

I felt my face flush, and I looked down at my hands, my voice barely above a whisper. "No... I'm a virgin."

The quartet's reactions were instantaneous. Salem's eyes widened, his face pale as the moon. Liana's lips pursed, her expression a mixture of dismay and distaste. Caspian's eyes seemed to burn with amusement and something deeper I couldn't explain, though his face remained impassive.

Kaine's eyes seemed to bore into my very soul, a deep, searching look that made me shiver.

The room around us seemed to shrink, the tavern patrons fading into the background as the quartet's gazes fixed on me. The air seemed to vibrate with their thoughts, their unspoken concerns and doubts.

It wasn't just that I was a virgin; it was that I was human. A human who would be expected to fulfill the needs of the King.

He was the King because he was a man who possessed the powers of all the Realms, the four elements. Due to this, despite his human appearance, he was known for his insatiable appetites, an appetite that was rumoured to have ended the lives of his last brides.

On the advice of my father, I had remained pure, even though I knew King Bron would demand more of me than I knew myself capable of giving.

The thought sent a wave of fear through me, and I felt a hand close around my shoulder, Kaine's voice whispering in my ear.

"Easy, little deer." He pulled me against his hard chest, warmth radiating from that seemed to envelope like fire - it was magnetic and I wanted to follow the pull of his warmth.

I looked up at him, finding something in his amber eyes that made my heart skip a beat. A glimmer of...something deep, like a primal desire I couldn't quite fathom, but something about the warmth that oozed from his fingertips into the exposed skin of my arm, I felt I could almost understand it.

I could feel it within my own heart as I looked at the towering, beautiful wild-man, suddenly wishing I hadn't been chosen as a Queen, but as possible a Luna instead.

Kaine drew me impossibly closer, his warmth enveloping me like a blanket and I found myself very tired, leaning into his strong, muscular chest.

"I got you, little deer." He promised as I fell asleep, his fingers tightening around me and pulled me into his lap. "You're safe with me."

An icy touch caressed my cheek, the sound of Salem's melodic, alluring voice murmuring beside me. "I think we all share that sentiment, my friend." He said softly as I drifted off to sleep in the Lycan prince's arms, wanting Salem to hold me as well.