Allegiance (20 page)

King Telophy was silent for a long moment. I thought I might start to shiver from the coldness in his eyes, so I dropped mine to the table again. ‘It cannot be,’ he decided finally. ‘Only one of the royal line has the power to confuse the Fae. The Shadow Fae have no such leader.’

‘
Something
is preventing the missing Fae from calling to you,’ Leif said. He turned to me and put his arm around my shoulder. His eyes were as warm as his father’s were cold and I released a long breath. ‘Did she mention anything else, Marla?’

‘I don’t think so… only that his name was Mirresen.’

The table was quiet for a moment and then Leif’s expression changed to one of horror. ‘No!’ he cried.

‘What is it?’ his father asked.

‘
Mirresen
,’ Leif said, staring at his father. ‘Don’t you see? This shadow creature is named Mirresen because he is Mirren’s son! This Shadow King she speaks of is the offspring of King Mirren and he is confusing the Fae so they cannot call to you!’

King Telophy slammed a fist onto the table. Cutlery clattered and his goblet toppled, wine leaching into the tablecloth like blood. ‘Mirren! Reprehensible creature! But why would he do it? Why would he create such a being? It is not possible.’

‘The name is too close for it not to be so,’ Leif said.

I recalled what Leif had told me of the former King Mirren. He’d been responsible for the Shadow Fae coming close to overrunning this kingdom. Eventually he’d abdicated and, as Faera’s Prince and the next in line to inherit a kingdom, Telophy had sworn allegiance to the devastated subjects, transforming the Kingdom of Mirren into the Kingdom of Telophy. With the help of his newly appointed Most High, King Telophy had worked relentlessly to restore order. But
thousands had died during King Mirren’s rule—some of my own relatives included.

‘Does anyone know where Mirren is?’ Leif asked.

‘I’ve not heard mention of him since he relinquished his mess to me,’ King Telophy said, his face filled with contempt.

‘We need to find him,’ Leif said.

‘Deplorable rogue,’ King Telophy roared, his temper flaring again. ‘How dare he? My subjects vanish around me because of his
filthy
Shadow spawn.’

‘But why are people only going missing now?’ I asked. ‘Arelle said the Shadow King reached his immortality years ago.’

The king watched me. He was far away and for once his eyes were full of fire instead of ice. Finally he said, ‘
That
is a very good question.’ He motioned for more wine and as the maid refilled his goblet, added, ‘And one I intend to see answered.’

‘What did your father mean about Claudette being taken too young to share his protection?’ I asked Leif as we left the table.

‘She was taken before a strong enough bond could develop with her parents.’

‘Like me and Lysander?’

‘Yes,’ Leif said quietly.

‘But why should that matter—allegiance is to a person’s king not their parents?’

‘Not until a person reaches immortality and makes their pledge. Before that time, a child’s bond is with its parents—it is to
them
a child must answer and through
them
the child has the king’s protection.’

‘A child has this bond from birth?’

Leif shook his head. ‘It takes a few months to develop completely—certainly by the time the child crawls.’

‘What if the Shadow Fae took the baby before then?’

‘Then the king would not hear,’ Leif said, adding that he’d never heard of it occurring—firstly because children so young were never left alone and secondly because they would hold no appeal to the Shadow Fae.’

‘Because they have so little sun,’ I said remembering what Arelle had told me.

‘There is that,’ Leif agreed. ‘But only think—where would the Shadow Fae be if they killed our kind off? They never intend to kill the Fae, Marla. Rather they have such non-existent self-control when it comes to taking our sun that death can easily be the consequence.’

‘So they don’t go after children?’

Leif shook his head, adding, ‘Not unless the child is close to full grown.’

‘Why then?’

‘Because they cannot tell by appearance alone whether a Fae has reached immortality or not. If the size looks right, then to the Shadow Fae, we are fair game.’

We reached the stairs and began the ascent to his part of the castle and for about the tenth time since I’d arrived in Faera, he said, ‘Always keep your windows closed and keep the sunlamps by them filled all night. Marla, I know I’ve told you this before, but until you have my father’s allegiance you are a beacon to the Shadow Fae. They would sense your lack of protection the moment they sensed your presence.’

‘But aren’t all those unprotected babies beacons too? If they sensed me, wouldn’t they just think I was one of them and not be interested?’

‘No, because from the moment of an infant’s birth, the developing bond informs the Shadow Fae the baby is protected—even before it actually is—almost like a mask.’

‘Well, your father’s allegiance doesn’t seem to be worth much these days anyway with all these people going missing.’

Leif stopped me partway up the stairs. ‘Marla, the missing Fae are but a small fraction of those attacked. Many are captured every night and survive only because my father hears their cries.’

Fear slithered under my skin like cold snakes. ‘How many Shadow Fae are there?’

‘Countless numbers, Marla, and every one of them, hungry for your sun. They would make a slave of an unprotected one like you—use you until they’d used you up. Stay inside and take no chances.’ He sighed. ‘I should not have brought you to Faera. I should have waited until the Ceremony of Allegiance—better yet, until this mess with the Shadow Fae is resolved. It was selfish of me.’

‘You didn’t bring me, your father did.’

‘Only because I was coming for you anyway—I missed you too much. But if anything were to happen to you…’

I stood on my toes and he bent to claim the kiss I offered. Afterwards I said, ‘Nothing’s going to happen to me, Leif—I’ll be careful and soon I’ll have your stupid father’s allegiance and you won’t have to worry anymore.’

On the morning of my welcoming, instead of the usual birdsong, I woke to what sounded like a thousand monkeys having a tea party in the treetops. I glanced at Leif fast asleep beside me. His lips were parted and half-moon shadows had moved in beneath his eyes. The poor guy was seriously overworked. His father had him guarding the forest all night and at his beck and call all day. I leaned across his chest and kissed first one eye and then the other before padding to the window.

My hand flew to my mouth in shock as I saw the source of the noise. Above the forest beyond the lake the sky was alight with flickering wings. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Fae out there, and, everywhere I looked, more were flying in—a great glittering painting in progress. My heart pumped fast as I threw my clothes on and ran to Jack. I shook him awake, dragged him, stretching and yawning, to the window. The perspective from Leif’s guest room was different to mine and looked over a less dense part of the forest. But the sky above it was filling just as quickly with beating wings.

‘Wow,’ he said, scratching his head. ‘Well, Leif did say you’d have an audience.’

‘They
cannot
be here for me, Jack!’

He looked at me and grinned. ‘Why not?’

‘Because… because… I’m
me
!’

Jack laughed and bent to kiss my head. ‘Yes, you—adorable princess to be.’

‘Oh… Jack.’ I couldn’t speak another word. As many butterflies as the Fae that filled the sky above the forest were flapping in my belly, flying up my throat and stealing all my breath.

Jack draped an arm around my shoulder. ‘You worry too much.’

We stood by the window and watched. Soon the sky was thick with Fae, flying about like a great murmuring of starlings. I couldn’t understand the interest; who cared if I was being welcomed as Leif’s betrothed?

‘You’re about to become a princess,’ Jack said. ‘Like those ones you see in the magazines back home.’ It was the worst thing he could have said. Visions of beautiful and confident women danced in my head—women at ease while all around the world people watched and judged them. I felt like I’d been slapped awake after spending my whole life sleeping. This is who I would be here. This would be my role—Princess of Telophy—no, even bigger than that: Princess of Faera. But how would I do it? I didn’t possess any princess qualities, no grace and poise, no quiet charm and definitely no real confidence. My head began to spin and my stomach whirl. I reached out to Jack but he was already scooping me close and leading me to his bed, lowering me to the edge.

‘I can’t do this,’ I whispered when I could speak again.

‘What can’t you do?’

‘I can’t
be
the person all those people have come to see. I’m just… a girl.’

Jack chuckled. ‘You’d slap me if I said that.’

I couldn’t even crack a smile. ‘You know what I mean.’

He ran a hand up and down my arm. ‘Not really.’

‘Those people out there are here to welcome Leif’s betrothed, and… they won’t expect
me
.’ I drew a breath and heaved it out again. ‘You
know
me, Jack. This is the opposite of what I’d choose.’

‘Well, what can you do? Leif is who he is.’

‘But I don’t know if
I
can be who he needs me to be. I just want to run away—I want to hide.’

He kissed the top of my head and pulled me against him. ‘I know, sweetheart.’

But I couldn’t run away, and I couldn’t hide either, because not even half an hour later I was found by one of the maids. ‘Oh, there you are,’ she cried, clapping her hands together. ‘Her Majesty is asking for you. You have much to do!’ I followed her to Atara’s dressing chamber where I spent the rest of the morning being made ready with the help of Leif’s mother, her maids, her favourite dressmakers and a girl remarkably similar in size and colouring to me to model their creations.

And now, styled and manicured and smelling like a bunch of sun-warmed honeysuckle, I waited with Leif on a dais in King Telophy’s ceremonial chamber, situated within one of the topmost spires of the castle. The room was filled with flowers and sunlamps and gilt-framed portraits of a long line of Fae royalty. King Elrin stood before us and directly across from him, on a jewel-encrusted throne for two, sat King Telophy and Queen Atara. Curving around the wall to one side of them were both sets of their parents and to the other, Jack and all four of my grandparents. I knew I wasn’t the only one to feel the buzz of so much kingly power—Leander gripped Melody’s free hand while she fanned herself with a flower pilfered from one of the arrangements, while Asher and Faun, looking dazed, leaned into each other for support. To stop myself from trembling, I kept my eyes on Leif. He was resplendent in midnight blue, his golden crown and personal insignia polished to dazzling. In contrast, I looked like I’d been plucked from amongst the dandelions and
mushrooms at the bottom of a garden. I wore chains of flowers on my feet and a dress the colour of ripe lemons, the gossamer layers falling to my thighs like mist.

King Elrin greeted everyone present then brushed a hand across the book on the stand before him. His fingers traced the frayed edges of the worn cover. As he began turning the pages, he explained that each in this book—held by the most recent king—represented the beginning of a new chapter in Faera’s history—the sworn commitment between a prince and his betrothed. He paused and glanced towards King Telophy as he amended his statement, ‘Or, the commitment between a king and his chosen one.’

King Telophy inclined his head to his many times great grandfather, the corner of his mouth lifting to hint at a smile. But there was frost in his eyes. I wondered what caused it. Was it just the Elder King’s words? Or the fact he’d never known his betrothed? Or was it because his
first
chosen one had betrayed him and now he was being compelled to accept her daughter into his life and kingdom? I began to tremble harder still.

My attention was drawn back to King Elrin at the mention of my betrothed’s name. ‘Prince Leif, today, as I include Marla’s name alongside yours in the record of the royal line, I officially welcome her to our realm as your betrothed—future Princess of Faera. In her may you always find your joy and completion.’ He turned to me and smiled. ‘Marla, as the elder in the realm of Faera, it is my pleasure to welcome you as the betrothed of Prince Leif—may you ever be his balance and his blessing.’