Cursed: Scarlet

We settled into a routine, over the next few weeks. Cassy even came to class and almost every guy fell at her feet, her preternatural beauty was a bit too much for them to bear. It was her eyes that usually got them, large pools of sapphire, sparkling constantly with mischief. I could have been jealous, but the same boys had fawned over me until she got here and it was a relief to be left alone. However, my female classmates were of a completely different opinion.

All too soon, we had to pack to go to my mother’s realm. Hecate had visited Ian a few times since the day he found out about her, and they seemed to like each other. They would usually come to my tower for privacy, and it pained me to leave them alone while I destroyed various punching bags and training dummies in the gym.

He was looking forward to seeing her at the festival. But I could tell he was apprehensive about meeting his father in person, telling him about Tristan felt like a mistake. Though it could not be helped, what had been done could not be changed, a lesson soon learnt by those of us who were gifted with extremely long lives.

We left Blacktower three days before the harvest moon, and I insisted on driving my Ferrari to the gates of Etherea, much to Ian’s glee, Cassy was not overly joyed at driving in a car, most fey were like that. After a few hours, we reached the place where we would have to leave my car and go on foot. We stepped out and about a dozen guards materialized out of the trees, dressed in their customary autumn uniforms. Ian gasped, but Cassy and I just went to the boot and got the bags out for them to carry. We were soon on our way, with Ian being unable to hold his head still. The forest, admittedly, was very beautiful. But it was nothing compared to Etherea.

Creatures did not still as we passed, they can sense that we aren’t human, so they leave us alone. The fey have made sure of the animals’ indifference; it pains them to harm any natural setting and those surviving in it, being creatures of the earth themselves.

We stepped into the final clearing and the guards formed a ring around the gate. I stepped through their ranks and held my hand against the wall of stone. I whispered the incantation and the wall began to glow, my favourite part about going to Etherea was opening the gate. Even if I didn’t want to be in the realm itself, having the power to access it whenever I want always makes me warm inside.

I then walked back to stand with Ian and took his hand. “Trust me” I say and pull him through. His eyes open wide as he takes in the sight of the landscape and the various fey. The elder ones look away quickly, but the younger ones stare long after we pass. The autumnal colours light up my mother’s realm and bathe it in a warm glow, I am almost glad to be back, save for the meeting that may or may not decide that Ian will die.

We walk all the way to the blinding white castle that is my mother’s. The doors open and more guards pour out to form lines for us to walk through. On the top of the wide steps stands my mother. Her dark hair shining and her eyes crinkled with mirth. Next to her are Vladimir and Wilhelm, the first Vampire and the first Shifter. The other Originals must still be on their way, I think, just as Hecate floats through the doors, her eyes only on Ian.

We reach them and Hecate hugs her son. I bow formally to my mother. “Morgana.” Trying and failing to keep myself from rolling my eyes while I straighten up, I back away from her, nearly tumbling off the steps.

“Scarlet” and she pulls me into a hug. I stiffen, intimacy in public was not something my mother subscribed to, nor did her people. She pokes me and I relax, hoping that she’ll let go sometime soon. Vladimir coughs and I push her away to hug him and then his brother.

Mother coughs politely and we all head into the castle. I fall into step with Vladimir and he regales stories of his offspring to me. I smile and make all the right noises at all the right moments. We soon reach the great hall, where a table and twelve chairs stand to the left of Morgana’s throne. We take our seats and Ian sits next to his mother. I am at the far end, across from Morgana, and as far from her as I can get. Vladimir and Wilhelm start up a conversation about various trivial matters while I stare out the windows. Ian and Hecate are whispering about something and one of her many fey, probably the one planning everything for Samhain, is occupying Morgana. Eventually I sigh and get up, “Mother, I’m exhausted, can you please have someone show me to my rooms?”

“Of course darling. Cassy!” I smile as Cassy runs into the rooms. “Show my daughter to her suite, would you?” as Cassy bows, I huff and cross my arms, I could really find them on my own. She’d stuck me in the same suite on the second floor since she’d given birth to me. Honestly, you’d swear I was incompetent…oh, wait, they do think that, I’m the family nutcase.

“Yes, your majesty” she bows and motions for me to follow her. About three flights up we start giggling. We reach the suite I was effectively raised in and Cassy opens the door. The sunlight shines through the vines that act like curtains and light up the green moss that serves as a carpet. The same magic wood chairs adorn the middle of the ‘sitting room’.

I collapse onto my favourite chaise and Cassy flops onto the couch. We spend the afternoon lazing about and reading from my library, which has its own little realm and can be moved to wherever I am. When she has to leave, I decide to wander around the castle, although I doubt I could ever get lost in it.

Then again, I barely paid attention to anything during the majority of my time in this realm; it’s possible I haven’t explored the whole castle that reminds me of the marzipan confections of medieval courts. This place never fails to spark a feeling of nostalgia whenever I visit.

Not ten steps from my room I walk into Declan. He has the same long, translucent white hair as Cassy, but he is built like an ox. As a warrior fairy, it is customary for him to carry around his very large broadsword upon his back. He’s intimidating enough without it, but he likes to have something to swing around once in a while.

His ice blue eyes bore into mine until I laugh and hug him. He picks me up and swings me around. When I’m finally set down and just a little breathless I speak “Declan, I swear you are getting bigger.” I wince in pain, he almost crushed my ribs.

“Maybe you are getting smaller”, he says in his Irish lilt and then he laughs. I mock-glare at him and we fall into step. “So how have you been, princess?”

“Firstly, you calling me princess still annoys me and secondly, I’m fine, how are you?” I cross my arms, aware of how close we are standing. I lean against the window frame, waiting for him to answer me. He looks me up and down before continuing.

“I’m good, got myself a beautiful elf partner. Her name is Serena, she’s a light fey.” He blushes and I know he loves her. I always hoped he would move on from me eventually, seems he finally has. Serena and I could be said to be friends, but not exactly close ones. The only reason I knew her was because of her family’s connections and her friendship with Cassy.

“My condolences to her sanity,” I say jokingly. He punches me in the arm and then laughs again. “Is it serious?” not that I actually care, but it’s a required social nicety I follow around my older friends, thankfully, they are few and far between.

“Yes, we’re planning on a binding ceremony come spring.” I fall silent…though he is relatively young for a fairy, it’s not a surprise. Many of them fall in love at his age and get married. Our kind have a strange way to go about being married, but most of the bindings last at least five centuries. We are a race of fussy control freaks after all, though we have stopped trying to kill each other, at least,

“Do you know about Cassy’s betrothal?” he asks after we’ve been walking for a few minutes. We stop by the southern-most windows looking over the lake; it sparkles in the afternoon light.

“Cassy’s betrothed?” the shock must show on my face because he suddenly looks worried. I quickly throw up my best blank expression to keep him from worrying.

“Didn’t she tell you?” he wrings his hands nervously and looks away. Why would she hide this from me? Am I that much of a threat to her happiness?

“No…” I stare out the window. “But it does explain why she came for a visit and for so long.” She must have been building up to it, but it never felt right in her mind. I understand her all too well, it seems.

“She loves him; it’s just his mother that drives her mad.” He shakes his head. “You’d think the woman would be happy that her future daughter-in-law is part of Morgana’s Chosen.”

“What’s his name?” I ask, hesitantly. Is it arranged, I think to myself. Probably not, the immortals, at least, have decided that it is an idiotic notion and gave up on it. Humans, as usual, are behind the times; then again they are less developed.

“Niall Duskwood.” My mouth drops open, Cassy and Niall. She hated him when I last saw her and the feeling was mutual. What is it with all the people who hate one another getting married or having children right now, I wonder silently.

“She was very lonely without you here,” Declan says, he crosses his arms awkwardly and tries not to look at my facial expressions, most likely due to the constant change from shock to guilt.

I am overrun with surprise, anxiety and a sense of loss; we made a vow once, never to get married unless we found our soul mates. I wondered if she would forget about me, if she had him, but the thought was soon dispelled, she was not like that.

“No shit,” I say. “When are they being bound?” When will I lose her to the joys of love and marriage…and children…she will want to have children…

As is traditional for fey, the betrothed ones must stand before their family and friends and be bound with a single length of white ribbon, to symbolise their clarity of mind. Then a silver one, for their love, and finally a gold one, which will transform into their wedding bands.

Humans have been known to have a similar ceremony, but it is a fey tradition first and foremost. They then make a cut in their palms and let the blood fall into a chalice of wedding wine, which they swirl around until combined and sip from. Blood is the most binding of all the magical objects, because it symbolises life, and so can be used to bind anything.

“Same as Serena and I, when the first blooms of spring open.” I let out a sigh of relief; it’s a good few months away. At least she would have enough to contemplate whether he truly did deserve her. Then again, she probably has, Cassy was always the level-headed one. I, however, was not, as is completely evident in my many screw-ups.

“Oh, Cassy…” I whisper as we reach the main staircase. My hands are clasped on my chest in my anxiety, my thoughts are jumbled and chills run up my spine. But I keep myself calm, hoping to keep his curiosity from getting the better of him. Declan makes a great guard, but thinking too long leads him to trouble.

“Shouldn’t you be guarding something, Declan?” I need to think about this without you hovering around me. He looks at me, puzzled, but I shake my head and he shrugs. His hand reaches for me, but I look away, I need to be alone.

“Oh, yeah, thanks for the reminder,” he says as he runs off. “See you later!” At least some people can take a hint, sheesh. Sighing, I drop my hands to my sides and hang my head, even Cassy doesn’t confide in me now.

“Bye”, I turn to the staircase that leads to the roof and slowly walk up to my favourite part of mother’s domain. At least there nothing will have changed too drastically. I realize being intoxicated for the better part of a century was not the greatest of ideas, but they could have tried to contact me at least. No matter what they thought was in my best interests.

Then again, my best interests seemed to involve locking me up, marrying me off or lying to me, so I shouldn’t expect much. My thoughts centre on this while I stare into the distance.

The view is spectacular from up here. The forest is still a never-ending stretch of emerald and gold fire in the setting sun. Without wars and other disasters, Etherea has thrived under my mother’s guidance, the people all seem happy, living as far from one another as they wish.

A breeze picks up and pushes my hair out behind me, but the feelings of loneliness soon converge and I sink to the ground. This time, the tears refuse to fall as I stare out over the lake.