An Fae Arrangement

The icy breath of the cool winters day kept me from my thoughts. Tomorrow I would be 21, the thought lingered in the dark passage of my mind that I rarely visited. Womanhood was of essence and I couldn’t escape, looking at my blue flowing wedding gown in the reflection of the mirror- the misery clinging at the corners of my hazel eyes. My dark blonde hair loosely braided showing my diamond shaped face perfectly. Tomorrow everyone would expect me to announce my engagement to the King of Elenoud. 55 years our families have been at war, my family depended on me making this engagement to finally terminate the horrors that our villages had to endure for so long. I knew this was my duty to do, an honour for my family, yet I felt so distant to fulfil that obligation. Ever since I was small I was promised to the King, he is much older than I am, he has seen things that I would never wish to endure. His people say he is cruel, inhumane and belligerent, how could I marry a man whose subjects think so little of him? How could my family ask such a thing of me without knowing he was my intended mate? The dress my handmaiden had picked out didn’t flatter me at all, I felt like I was drowning within each ripple of the dress, an unflattering shade of azure blue. Misery overtook any other emotion, but I wouldn’t allow myself to show it..not now, not when my family are so overwhelmed with joy about this unison, even if it did almost paralyse my whole body. Stalking towards my window I peered down at my beautiful city, Arloth. You could almost say it was something like out of a painting, the trees dancing in the wind, daisies so pure and fresh you could feel it in the air, and a small lake nestled within, almost as if it was hiding from those who might seek it. If I was to marry this King, I’d have to leave everything I’ve ever known behind, my life, my family, my people, everything for a man I knew torturous things of and never truly met. Our wedding day would be of our meeting, I’d know nothing of this King until then, what if he wasn’t my mate? How could I ignore the lingering feelings of wanting my true mate if he wasn’t designed to be with me? Thoughts kept pulsating at my mind all throughout the brisk of morning. I couldn’t speak to my mother about these worrying thoughts, she’d give me a scolding saying I should be thankful a King would wish to marry me and declare peace for our village after all this time. I had to keep a strong front, had to allow my mother to believe I was as overjoyed for this union as she was, even if it was something I truly despised. I believed love should be something that you feel with someone and it should be so overpowering it almost suffocates you- whereas my mother believes it should be a duty to your people to do what’s best for them and to not think selfishly of yourself. My mother was promised to my father at 6 years old, she has known no other man but him. I suppose I should thank the moon gods for that as they had me and had a fulfilled marriage together, but the moons gods have punished me in return. Promising me to a man I didn’t know and honestly unsure in my heart if I could truly love. Arloth has been at war with Elenoud since before I was born, my father asked the moon gods what it would take to finally end the war and give our people the peace they deserve.. the moon gods responded by telling him to seek an arrangement. They took this as an opportunity to arrange my marriage away, to steal the one thing from me I felt I might have had a say in. Disappointment filled me as I made my way down to breakfast, I was lying in order to protect my mother and my people. If I told her how I truly felt I know she’d disown me and probably be killed by the King the next morning. No, I had to accept this was my fate given by the moon gods and take the cards I’ve been dealt into my own hands. At breakfast my mother beamed with a joyous ear to ear grins, gleaming at the dress the handmaiden picked out. I felt like a doll on show for everyone to gawk at. Plastering a smile I approached my mother. “Good morning, what do you think, does this scream fit for a king?”, fake excitement within my voice. “Good Morning, you look truly breathtaking, tomorrow you will make all of Arloth tremendously proud”, she said tears pricking at the corners of her brown eyes. Silently I sat with her and ate, I didn’t dare speak fearing my voice would betray me and expose my true emotions. “Tomorrow once you turn 21, you will also find a mate bond, this bond can be felt between you and one other. If your mate isn’t the King, please do not try to pursue the bond”, my mother said looking into my hazel eyes, desperation filling her face. “I will ignore the bond if it’s not the King”, was all I could force back. I knew I was lying to myself, if the King wasn’t my mate, in which I suspect he isn’t, would I truly ignore my feelings on searching for that enduring love? However my mother seemed satisfied with my response and returned to eating her breakfast. After finishing up at breakfast I decided to head back up to my room and change, my room was nothing exciting just oak stained arch window and doorways, with hints of starlight blue and jade on the walls and a bed in the centre. My room was on the more simple side for the palace. My favourite spot was the balcony, my oak stained window peered over into the garden so effortlessly I felt like I could almost walk into it, but it was at least 20 feet off the ground, and with me not mastering my flying yet I definitely couldn’t take that route yet. I knew one day, one day I’d be able to fly away and just take in Arloths beauty from up-high. Changing into a simple white blouse and brown trousers, I headed straight to the training ground that we had just passed the edge of the garden. I loved training, learning to fight and really grab control of my powers, it filled me with a sense of authority to myself. My family was part of the weather fae, one of the more power fae families in all of Onedhen. Energy ran through me more and more throughout the upcoming days, I felt my power as I was reaching my peak of adolescence, the oceans was beckoning at my power, the ground pulsating before I even summoned it. I was getting stronger, I needed to ensure I could handle such energy to keep my people safe. Training usually involved me trying to summon electric energy from the clouds above… begging them to graze my fingers tips with that magical electrical beam. My power was one that was gifted every 50 years. Fortunately for me my parents took that as another sign to arrange this marriage, a sickening blessing in disguise for them- not me. The clouds finally answered my calls and small electrical currents started to dance between my finger tips, a target had been set up ahead for me to try and summon the lightening towards, aiming I just hit the corner of the target missing the centre aim completely. Exasperation heated my whole body, why had I been training all these years and still I missed the target, just tickling the corners each time. “Patience is of virtue, you miss a hundred times but you only need one time to feel successful”, Kyrell shouted. Kyrell was my father’s advisor and emissary, he went to all the events my father, in conclusion did not bother to attend. My father entrusted him to help me control my power, as nobody within 50 years has seen this power been blessed again or knows how to summon it. Kyrell was ancient, I would never dare to ask how old but he was the one who had once before seen this power and helped one of my ancestors achieve control on it. “How can I train for most my life and still never manage to hit that stupid centre piece?”, irritation wrapping my tone. “You demand the clouds to listen, but you don’t listen to the clouds, the moon gods will not give you something when you do not seek peace within it first”, he remarked. Rolling my eyes I failed to understand how this power was ever going to help me in the first place, my mother was an earth fae, most the time she helped the flowers bloom and the waters run smooth. Whereas my father was a water fae, controlling the flows of the oceans and ensuring that my mother’s flowers were always hydrated. They catered for eachother and made sure the land stayed beautiful and enriched with colour. “Let’s focus on your sparring, it might help clear that mind of yours” he winked at me. “Fine” I spat, lunging forward, fisting my hands upwards and connecting his jaw with my bare knuckles, I felt the adrenaline kick in. Kyrell stumbled back, satisfaction filling his face as he brushed his jaw, “So someone has been practicing” he shot before grabbing a wooden stick and sweeping it effortlessly around my ankles taking me off my feet completely. Hours must have passed as my mother shouted for me to head back and clean up ready for tomorrow’s festivities. Tomorrow, that dreaded word haunted me, I should be excited as I’m turning 21 but fear of the unknown was eating me alive. Heading back towards the palace the thoughts I’d managed to escape for a matter of hours, crept their way back into my mind, eating at my soul and removing my smile within an instant. Tomorrow, the word lingering round my head like a fly for food, how could I escape the nightmare of my wedding day. My mother was grinning as I approached the entrance to our palace. She extended her hand out and guided me towards my bedroom, taking me round all the bends of our immense palace- showing me the bath she already had drawn. Before going into the bathroom she turned to me, “Tomorrow will be the proudest day for everyone, you have done such a beautiful duty to your people and nobody will be able to forget what you did” my mother said not hiding her tears now tickling the sides of her cheeks. I gave a small smile before heading into the bathroom and closing the door. I wept for what felt like eternity, I was the worst daughter, seeing my mother so proud and yet I felt so empty, mad and betrayed. How could I possibly go through with this arrangement? I couldn’t let these thoughts keep inhaling me, I had to keep my head up, after all it’s for my people not me. I kept telling myself over and over, as if I was still trying to justify my fate. As if some miracle would save me from this horror I’d been promised into. After soaking for what felt like months, I dragged my body out the bath and dried off, flopping down onto my bed, not even attempting to try and dry my soaking hair. Tomorrow…the word haunted me filling my nightmares with complete solitude. Tomorrow was awaiting not acknowledging if I liked it. … The whistling sound of the morning breeze is what allowed my eyes to lazily peak open. The trail of overwhelming thoughts must of tackled me into a submissive sleep. Tomorrow was no longer lingering in my mind, as when I awoke it was now today. My handmaiden would appear soon and I’d be getting all made up for a man I knew nothing of, not even his name. As my eyes danced around my room I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, maybe if I just didn’t move or try to get up today they wouldn’t come to get me for this horrifying duty I had to honour. I mean out of all the things my father could have arranged I couldn’t believe he truly picked my marriage to be the peace making one. I lay in my bed for a further 20 minutes before the handmaiden gushed in. “Valoria, it’s time to get you all done up for your special day” she cooed. A fake smile plastered my face as if I’d been practicing it all week. I lazily sat up in bed my hair now dried. My handmaiden guided me towards my vanity where I got a real look at how I was. Disgust filled my face, my eyes were dark and looked like I hadn’t rested in years. My cheeks pale in colour and my hair unkept and messy from the improper drying. My handmaiden noticed my face drop and promised she’d fix me to look presentable enough for a King. My handmaiden had put my hair into a low messy bun, some strands fighting against the pins she was using to secure it in place. She moved onto my face, using a gold glitter crease towards the inner corners of my eye and creating a black wing on the outer corners of my eye, before giving me brown mauve lip to secure the look. For once I felt utterly beautiful, my wide lips completed by the brown mauve lipstick and my almond eyes completed by the golden glitter. I felt in this moment like the true Princess I was. The blood curling wedding dress I loathed entirely was hanging on my wardrobe, my handmaiden almost practically ran to get it for me. Hiding all my true emotions I put it on, feeling like the worst prized pig I’d ever gazed my eyes upon. My handmaiden was overjoyed seeing me in this atrocious dress, faking another smile I looked at her. “How do I look?” I said, trying to hide the horrors my face felt. Beaming she said “fit for a King”, the words echoed in my mind. In the distance I could hear commotion, daring to look I glanced out my balcony, seeing below a carriage which no doubt had my betrothed inside heading towards the palace. Nausea filled my lungs, heading towards the bathroom I hurled my guts up countless times. The King is here, this cruel heartless person was here in my sanctuary, around my people waiting for my hand. Sitting on the cold tiles I felt a twinge. The bond, I promised my mother I wouldn’t indulge into it but the unknown fasciated me more. My handmaiden had left me to deal with my wedding nerves. So I sneaked up to the bathroom door and I locked it. I had to know if this King was my mate. Reaching into the bond visions came to me. I saw a land that wasn’t in Onedhen. It was a land I’d never seen before. A hidden land, hidden from the fae eye. A willow of auburn trees and lily pad filled ponds, nestled within a hidden forest. I saw a man, talk dark skinned filled with tribal marking from his neck down to his feet. Dark hair, dark eyes and wings black as night. An appealing male for as far as the eye beholds. Then I snapped back. Who was this indulging man, was he the King? No he couldn’t be, I’d heard tales of Elenoud, and with it being within Onedhen I knew my mate was not in this part of the border. I needed to find a way to seek through to the boarder in which my mate was abided. Jumping to my feet, I peered out the bathroom door and around my bedroom. Nobody, quietly I packed a bag full of clothes and essentials, I didn’t know what I was thinking but I knew I was not to marry a man who wasn’t my mate. Packing my things I sneaked round the corridors of my palace. Taking it in one last time before creeping out the backdoor and sprinting across the gardens towards the forest.