Secrets of the Pine

"Why are you always off in the woods Clove? You're never going to settle down and be happy if all you do is hang out with the trees. " Cloves best friend huffed in disapproval as she heaved a large chest onto the table of Cloves small stone cottage kitchen. "Agatha, you know why. I'll never be happy settled down in this small run-down region. You know how I feel about romance, I'm not going to be some random boys' wifey. " Agatha rolled her eyes and leaned her elbows over the chest, raising her eyebrows at her best friend. "Aye, I know..." she paused to give her friend an incredulous look "All right enough already. What's all this?" Clove couldn't help her curiosity as her friend was drawing her in with her obvious attempts at gaining her interest. "This? Nothing, really." Agatha chuckled at her friends glare and popped open the lock on the box. Inside the chest were new clothes, beautifully beaded and laced with their regions traditional colors of blue and green. "Agatha... what is this.." "I'm promised, to the lords son. I received news yesterday, and shortly after, they had this chest delivered." They shared a knowing look as Clove hesitantly went to examine the wedding cloth. "We have to run away" Clove felt panic setting in, but as she looked at her best friend, she saw that her eyes remained calm. " You're not seriously thinking of letting this happen? " " Clove... I've accepted. What would we do to change this fate? Run? Where would we go? you know what they would do to us, to this town, if they felt slighted by us. " Tears welled in cloves eyes as she took in her friends calm, defeated demeanor. It was uncommon for high fae to take chosen mates. The royalty and the elite had the privilege to receive fated mates blessed upon them by Oberon, the king of the fae. Lord Hershal Ezemear was the reigning elite over their residing region and a tyrant of a ruler. His son was no better. Spoiled rotten and egotistical, he killed his playthings once he was bored with them. But Agatha was to be his wife? Clove shuddered at the thought and grabbed her friend in a fierce hug. "I'll be alright Clover. You needn't worry for my sake ay?" Agatha stroked her hair as tears formed in her own eyes. They stayed like that for a long time, both willing time to stop, both wishing for a different fate. ♡○♡ Clove slept restlessly than night. Agatha had filled her in on all the details, and her mind was a riot of thoughts competing for their place in the forefront of her mind. Frustrated, she tossed the covers away from her and stood. She was angry, but behind that anger, she was heartbroken and terrified. Why would Ezekiel Ezemear have a chosen mate? Shouldn't he wish to claim his birthright as an elite and be blessed with a fated mate? Though his qualms with his father, Lord Hershal, were no secret. Could this be a way to punish his son? Or could his fated mate have already been disposed of by Ezekiels cruel ways... She felt her stomach churn and her head spin. She needed air. As she rushed out the door to her cottage, the cold air slammed into her, causing her breath to hitch. It was raining lightly, but the moon had broken out from the clouds to light her pathway into the trees. She had always felt a strong pull from the moon, despite being of the earth. This was a secret. There were rules, she was a lowly forest fae, her job was to care for the trees and the earth, promoting growth and happiness in the forest. People would ostracized her if they knew she was bonded to the moon. People don't take irregularities well. Unless they work in their favor, that is, she scoffed to herself. Taking a breath, she raised her face to the sky, letting the rain drizzle down her cheeks. There was nothing to be done for her friends predicament. She had to remember that. Disobedience was too risky, and not just for them. The town over from them had been torched recently when a flower nymph from the brothel had refused Lord Ezemear's invitation to be his 12th concubine. They could only begin to fathom what could happen if she refused this marriage. She could only be there for her friend and do what was in her power to offer her protection. ♡○♡ The days leading up to the wedding passed in a blur of terrible emotions. Agatha was scrubbed from head to toe everyday for seven days by the maids of the elite. She was given the ritualistic medicine reserved for royal weddings, and her head was a fog. She was forbidden to take any visitors during the seven day ritual and she missed Clove terribly. The drug they had been feeding her clouded her head and her thoughts ran away from her. She sat down in frustration, unable to think clearly, when suddenly the doors burst open. Lord Ezekiel Ezemear, Heir to the forest region, briskly walked into the room, and eyed his new bride with a look of disdain. Agatha, however, looked on him with surprise. He was the poster child of what forest fae are supposed to look like. Tall, but firm, with shoulders as strong as trees. His long dark brown hair swept generously down his back, framing a stern but strong face. His intense brow made his teal eyes shine as he observed his new bride. Agatha became self-conscious as his eyes traveled across her body. She was a river fae, and she did not know what to expect from his assessment. Nervously, she fondled with her thick braid of blue-black hair, and looked back at him with her stone gray eyes. Uncertainty crept into every corner of her mind. Ezekiels eyes darkened, and with a huff, he stormed back out of the room. Leaving Agatha confused and more scared than before. Almost immediately, guards came in and pulled her up by her arms. The drug that she'd been given was making it hard to stand, and she stumbled. Tears brimmed in her eyes at the sharp pain when she was yanked back up and placed in the wedding chair. She was to be carried out and presented in front of the court... ♡○♡ Cove was not special. In fact, she was really just another cog in the wheel to keep the forest region going everyday. As such, she was not allowed to attend the wedding taking place for her best friend. Her heart burned to think of how lonely Aggy was. How scared and confused she might be. Clove stopped, she had been walking in the forest to clear her head when she heard something. Her long ears perked and she knelt to feel the earth. "that way" said the rumble of the earth to her fingertips. She didn't hesitate. The earth felt disturbed and the trees shivered in anticipation before the forest fell silent. Clove crept in the direction she was told, with the grace that only fae could exude. Something was off, the familiar smell of plants and warm bark was replaced by something else. Something musky, and heavy. She'd never smelt anything like it. Another branch snapped. In one swift movement she pulled herself into a tree and looked in the direction of the sound. Amber eyes glowed back at her and her heart jumped. Wolves. She had never seen one in person, but she had heard the stories. It was common knowledge that the forest region has been fighting an ongoing war with the wearwolfs. They wanted to expand their woodland territories at the expense of the fae realm, and the fae were resisting. They had already lost too much. Clove took a deep breath and placed her forehead against the tree. requesting its assistance.