SWNOVELS Chapter 14: A Dash of Pixie
“No.” She replies with a smile. “They are beautiful. It reminds me of lightning bugs at dark in the human world.”
“Are you sure you were not actually seeing pixies in the human world?” He stands next to her on the balcony grasping the railing. Sahara is not sure why, but she feels her heart jump slightly when she glances over at Brystol. “I hear they travel there often to gather teeth from children.”
Sahara laughs, “And what do they do with the teeth?”
“I am not sure,” Brystol laughs, “Basics in Humanology failed to teach us that part of the odd human beliefs.” Sahara laughs at the idea that human’s lies could be a possibility now that she has seen the magical world. “Do humans lie about other things besides a fat man at Christmas and pixies stealing teeth?”
“Some also claim there to be a giant bunny rabbit on Easter, who hides eggs for the children to find.” Sahara smiles over toward Brystol, who seems overly interested in her words.
“What is a bunny rabbit?” He asks curiously.
“They are little animals that have long ears and hop around on the ground eating grass.” Sahara explains. “But the Easter bunny is the size of a human and only comes on Easter morning to hid eggs around children’s yards before they wake.”
Brystol laughs, “For what purpose?”
“You know,” Sahara tries to think why humans would make such a lie up, “I am not entirely sure why.”
They both laugh together and return their eyes toward the magnificent glow of the pixies flying down toward the front entrance. “I hear you speak to pixies.” Brystol says.
“Apparently so.” Sahara says with a sigh as she thinks about ruling six kingdoms. It sounds so overwhelming to her.
“That makes our future a bit more exciting than I anticipated.” Brystol says.
“Our future?” Sahara turns her eyes toward him in surprise.
“I mean,” He now sounds nervous, “if we fail to prevent the betrothal.”
“Were you asking your father last night about breaking it when I overheard him?” Sahara turns asking bluntly.
“Yes.” Brystol says sounding as if he was about to break some unwelcome news to her. “I don’t think there is a way to break it, Sahara. If it were any other kind of betrothal besides a blood bond one, there would be a way, but the blood bond is...” He looks sorrowful toward her, “Well, it is only broken by death.”
Sahara shakes her head in disbelief. She wonders if the Aran is lying because he wants to ensure the tri-kingdoms are held in his families grasp. Now that she knows she will be the tari upon her eighteenth birthday, and to more than just the two kingdoms, she wonders if she has been being lied to. “I have to find Hexaria.” She says suddenly, turning to leave the balcony. “She will know.”
“Who is Hexaria?” Brystol asks, but Sahara ignores him and moves quickly toward the Castle entrance to find Hexaria. She has no issues finding the entrance since she had spent most of the day in the castle exploring again.
“Oh, finally!” The aran motions for Sahara to come to the entrance where hundreds of pixies are buzzing around loudly. “Welcome our guests please Sahara. They do not understand a thing we are saying.”
Sahara spends most of the evening greeting the pixies and introducing herself to them. The banquet is a smash amongst the pixies, but the aran and tari seem overly excited as the party ends and the pixies begin to leave. Sahara bids each of the pixies good night and finally sees a familiar pixie. The red dressed pixie from earlier at the vill. “Hi. Have you seen Hexaria tonight?” Sahara asks hopefully.
The drunken red dressed pixie hiccups loudly, “She flew to tell Threvoyn of your return.”
“When she returns could you send her to speak with me?” Sahara asks politely. The pixie hiccups again before crashing into the wall Sahara is standing next to. The red pixie slides down the wall and lands upside down on the floor before flipping over to her back. “Are you alright?” Sahara asks in concern as she notices Brystol scoop the small pixie up in his hand. She thinks Brystol said something, but it sounded so slow and drawn out that she could not make it out.
The pixie laughs in response. “I feel fine.” She stands to her feet, “But perhaps I should walk and not fly tonight.” She starts to take a step off Brystol’s hand and Sahara catches her before she falls to the ground again. “Ahh. You are a good lass then. Now put me down.” The pixie points to the ground asserting her authority and Sahara complies.
“Would you please remember to ask Hexaria to visit me?” Sahara asks again hoping the pixie is not too drunk to forget.
“Of course. Of course.” The pixie waves her little hand annoyingly toward Sahara as she walks out of the front entrance.
“She won’t remember.” Sahara says feeling defeated.
“She won’t remember what?” Brystol sounds clear now.
“To send Hexaria to see me.” Sahara says sadly.
“You never found her?” He asks sounding attentive and Sahara suddenly finds his presence annoying.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” She steps back away from him, “It makes me nervous, as if you are up to something.” She steps back another step, “Are you?”
“Whatever would I be up to?” Brystol asks with a one syllable laugh. “Perhaps you just misinterpreted our previous encounters.”
“You mean like the first night I arrived at Malorsty when you made me fall on my face and embarrassed me miserably?” Sahara crosses her arms judgmentally. “How did I misinterpret you then?”
Brystol clears his throat and shuffles around uncomfortably before he says, “I don’t think I am ready to explain that one yet.”
“Then how about the same night when I ran into the wall or when you called me Pukey.” She begins to feel annoyed by the memories of him embarrassing her.
“Come on.” He steps closer to her with a small smile. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t laugh if you saw me run into a wall?”
“No. I would.” She shrugs her shoulders.
“And I only called you Pukey,” He pauses and lowers his voice, “because I didn’t know your name.”
Sahara notices the sincerity in his eyes. “Then, why did you keep calling me Pukey?”
He shrugs his shoulders with a cute smile, “Because I like to see you flustered.”
“And make fun of me looking extra red.” Sahara rolls her eyes and turns to leave him feeling flustered at their conversation.
“No.” He says and tries to catch her but to her relief his parents are moving toward her with excitement.
“That seemed to go well!” The tari hugs Sahara excitedly.
“Were they pleased with our banquet?” Aran Rayterbay asks.
“They seemed to be.” Sahara says glancing over toward Brystol, feeling his eyes on her.
“I looked for your little blue pixie friend from earlier but could not find her to say thank you for agreeing.” The tari sounds as if she is asking a question, but Sahara keeps her silence knowing she did not want them to know anything because she was unsure if she could trust them.
“You must invite them again next year.” The aran pats Sahara on the shoulder. “It was fun to watch them party.”
“It was fun, thank you for letting me be a part of it.” Sahara says before she curtsies, “I am tired and will be off to bed now.”
“Brystol will ensure you make it.” The aran shoves Brystol up next to her as she begins to walk away. “We do not want you lost again.”
Sahara wants to argue but knows she would lose, so she just lifts the hem of her dress out of the way of her steps and walks faster than she usually would to her bed chamber. She feels thankful Brystol keeps silent. “Good night.” She says quickly as she opens the door to her room and steps in.
“I will come walk you down for breakfast.” Brystol says cautiously.
“That won’t be necessary. If you didn’t notice, I made it back here fine tonight without your guidance.” Sahara says forcing a smile as she shuts the door in his face. She sighs heavily as she falls on her bed in relief of being alone for a while. That is the one thing she missed about the human world and the Craig’s, her solitude.
The following day she manages to convince the aran to allow her to go to the vill alone with only three guards, so that she can shop. She finds the aran, tari, Trylla, and Brystol all gifts for Christmas before she walks over to the building called Dash, where all the pixies were in yesterday. She hopes to find Hexaria there, but to her disappointment Hexaria had not returned from her journey yet. The remainder of the day she manages to avoid Brystol.
The following day she wakes to a tapping sound. She blinks her eyes at her window, seeing a tan floating piece of paper tapping against the window. She sits up in bed looking around the room, curious to where the paper came from. She walks over toward the window noticing the folded paper has her name written on it. She realizes the window does not open as she feels around for a latch. She steps to the side of the window and notices the paper move with her and continue to tap on the window. She then steps to the other side of the window and watches the paper follow her. She thinks about the balcony at the end of the hall and wonders if the paper would follow her there. She runs over to the door of her room and cracks it to look out and see if anyone is around. Seeing no one, she tiptoes down the hall toward the exit to the side balcony. She opens the door and suddenly gets slapped in the face with the piece of paper. She pulls it off her face and closes the door going back toward her room quickly before anyone finds her. She opens the paper as soon as she arrives back at her room.
It is an invitation from Threvoyn to meet him at the Dash in the vill in an hour. She hears a knock on her door and realizes it is Magna coming to wake her and help her dress for the day. She jumps into bed quickly and hides the note as the door opens, “Aranel?” Magna’s voice echoes into her room. “Are you awake yet?”
“Yes.” Sahara makes her voice crack on purpose.
“Are you alright?” Magna asks as she moves further into the room looking concerned.
“No. I do not feel well today.” Sahara lies, plotting in her head to sneak out of the castle to go meet Threvoyn. She is not sure the aran and tari should know of their meeting. “I did not sleep well.”
“Oh.” Magna feels Sahara’s forehead. “You feel a bit cold. I will call for the doctor.”
“No.” Sahara pleas far to excitedly before making her voice crack again. “I just need a few more hours of sleep.”
“The tari will insist on calling for the doctor.” Magna says walking towards the door to leave.
“If I am not better by lunch, we can call the doctor then. Please?” Sahara lies again. “It is just that time of the month, you know.”
“Ah.” Magna smiles in understanding. “I will inform her majesty. She will understand.”
“Thank you.” Sahara sighs in relief as the door closes. She quickly dresses and pulls her hair up as she plots her escape route. She knows everyone will be eating breakfast in the breakfast room, while the staff will be in the kitchen eating or serving in the breakfast room. She decides the best route would be to exit through the East wing exit. She sneaks down the long halls through the West wing towards the East wing. She feels her heart jerk as she notices Brystol stepping out of a door in the East wing. She realizes that must be his bed chamber as she quickly jumps behind a large statue. She notices him quickly look up in her direction just as she steps behind the statue. She grits her teeth hoping he did not see her. She hears a door again and peeks around the statue realizing Brystol disappeared. She notices him moving inside his room with the door slightly cracked. She knows if he comes out and walks past her, she would be seen. So, she runs on her tip toes past his door and turns the corner toward the side staircase. She suddenly realizes that he might take the side staircase instead of the main one. She panics and begins to run down the stairs towards the first floor. She cautiously exits the stairs and enters the first-floor hallway before she exits out of the East side door.
She has flown in a carriage to the vill twice now, so she thinks she knows the general direction to go. But she is not sure how far of a walk it will be following the road. She makes her way toward the vill in less than an hour. As she arrives to the Dash, she glances around the street feeling as though someone is watching her. “Aranel?” Hexaria’s voice causes Sahara to look toward the opening door of the Dash.
“Hexaria,” Sahara smiles toward her, “I was hoping to see you again.”
“Threvoyn is excited to meet you." Hexaria says buzzing around Sahara's head quickly. "We were unsure you would be able to read our language in the note we sent."
Sahara pulls it from her pocket wondering what Hexaria meant. She never noticed it was in a different language. "Is it in a different language?" She asks confused looking at the curly lines on the page.
"It is in pixie." Hexaria says blinking at Sahara blankly.
"So, it is." Sahara says realizing the writing is in a different language.
"You are shorter than I expected." A male older pixie says as he flutters up next to Hexaria. "Are you still growing?"
Sahara had never considered herself short, but she supposes she is shorter than most other elleth her age. "This is Threvoyn." Hexaria says pointing toward the older pixie.
"Hello." Sahara says straightening her shirt nervously, "I think I will continue to grow until I am eighteen."
"Are you attending Malorsty Academy?" Threvoyn asks as he buzzes around Sahara looking her up and down.
"Yes." She tries to focus on what she is saying instead of on his buzzing by her ear. "I have been ordered to complete the studies in three years instead of four."
"It would benefit us all if you were finished by the time, you are eighteen." Threvoyn says stopping in front of her face.
"Will I learn about the pixies and ways of your kingdoms as well?" She asks realizing she had never heard the species mentioned before in her classes.
"Just briefly." Threvoyn says sounding displeased. "We will need to add a few courses to your studies to cover those needed areas before you take the throne.
"We cannot have a tari that knows nothing of our kingdoms." Hexaria adds to the conversation.
"You will need to speak to the Headoreon of the Academy on our behalf to set up time for Hexaria to teach you." Threvoyn says causing Hexaria to stop buzzing around and look at him in surprise.
"Me?" Hexaria asks in protest, "Why me? Would Shamar not be a better choice?"
"You are the best choice. Who better to teach the child than her mother's own best friend.”? He responds kindly. "Meglaura would be pleased to see you as her daughter’s tutor."
Hexaria turns her body and face away from Sahara. "I suppose she would be pleased with such an arrangement."
"Excellent." Threvoyn says clapping his small hands together, "You will travel back with Sahara after the holiday break and teach her pixiology. We will find a trusted centar to send to the academy next season to teach her centarology."
"Could I maybe ask that the centar come to Kinderton this summer for lessons?" Sahara asks quietly. "I already have an overly full plate of learning to do with my extra courses at the Academy."
"That is a fine idea." Threvoyn responds look over to Hexaria, " What do you say?"
"It would be possible for her to learn that way, but she would eventually need to go to our kingdoms." Hexaria says thoughtfully. "How can one rule a kingdom they have never visited?"
"Yes, but we still have measures to set up in order for her safety to be kept." Threvoyn says sitting down on a small chair that resides on a shelf nearby.
Sahara thinks for a moment before she speaks, "Allow me to have this summer in the tri-kingdoms learning their cultures. Then, next summer I will spend some time in the other kingdoms. That will allow time for safety measures to be set up and allow me time to better understand my powers."
"That could work." Hexaria says with a shoulder shrug toward Threvoyn. "Perhaps the child should wait to be educated on our culture as well, so she will not be overwhelmed."
"Hm." Threvoyn hums in thought. "Perhaps you are right. Let us hold off on you going to the Academy with her. That way we could keep our secrets longer until we are better prepared to protect her."
"Secrets?" Sahara asks remembering she has questions of her own.
"It would be best if it were kept quiet of your ability to speak pixie. And it would also be wise to not allow others to know of your connection to our kingdoms. Many do not know you are to be tari of all." Threvoyn begins to buzz around Sahara again as he continues, "Not until you are more prepared."
"What about my betrothal?" Sahara asks feeling anxious. "The blood bond with Brystol, can it be broken?"
Hexaria and Threvoyn look at each other briefly before Hexaria replies, "Your mother wondered how you'd feel about the betrothal." Hexaria flutters up closer to Sahara, so that Sahara can now see her vivid blue eyes filling with tears. "It broke her heart to create such a treaty because she and your father were a love match. She wanted you to find love, but they knew the importance of ensuring your safety and future. With Patreek on the rise, they made the contract to protect you." Sahara feels tears build in her eyes. The Craig's were never loving, and she always dreamed of being loved, genuinely loved by someone. "Your safety is more important than love, she said."
Sahara feels conflicted by her parents’ wishes and her own wishes. "Can I trust them?" Sahara wipes her tears and forces herself to forget about her personal desires for the moment. "The Treegan's."
Threvoyn nods his head with a compassionate smile, "Yes. The Treegan's are only out for your best interest, as are we." He motions toward Hexaria. "They are your family now and we trust them. Do they not know you have come to meet me?"
Sahara shakes her head and looks towards the glass door of the shop feeling as though she is still being watched. "No. I snuck out. I was not sure it was okay to tell them of you."
"You left without protection?" Hexaria buzzes quickly around the room in a panic. "It is far too dangerous for you to not have protectors with you at all times. You could be attacked."
Sahara remembers the glorman attacking her a few months back. "I didn't think of that."
"Hurry back." Threvoyn shews her towards the door. "Rayterbay will be on a rampage if he finds you missing."
"Should I accompany her for protection?" Hexaria asks Threvoyn nervously.
"It seems she already has a protector for this trip." He replies with a small laugh. Sahara wonders what he means as she glances back towards the glass door not seeing anyone outside. "It was a pleasure to meet you aranel." Threvoyn says as he holds out his tiny hand toward her. Sahara holds out her finger which he takes with his hand before bending over and kissing her fingernail.
"Thank you for meeting me." Sahara smiles toward the two pixies. "I hope we can meet again soon."
"Oh! Wait!” Hexaria says as she flies over to a shelf and pulls a large envelope out of a book. “This is for you, from your mother.” Sahara takes the envelope from Hexaria and inspects it curiously. “Your parents would be proud of you." Hexaria says with a proud smile. "You are all the kindness and respect they strove to portray, be proud of your name."
Sahara feels happiness bubble up inside her at the thought of her parents being proud of her. She truly hoped they would be. She smiles and waves toward the two pixies as they turn and fly toward the back of the shop.
She opens the door to leave Dash and jumps as she notices Brystol leaned up against the wall next to the door smiling at her. “You snuck out to converse with the pixies?”
She feels annoyed and realizes that Brystol is who Threvoyn was referring to. "You followed me?" She quickly begins to move away from him toward the road.
"I saw you jump behind the statue in the hallway outside of my room, so I had to see what you were up to." Brystol runs behind her trying to keep up with her fast pace. Sahara sighs in annoyance of his presence. "And I knew my parents would freak when they found you missing. If they knew you were out alone, they would be even more freaked so, I figured I should keep following."
Sahara rolls her eyes as she yells slightly toward Brystol in annoyance. "I had a perfectly good cover story already and they would never have noticed me missing. You missing probably ruined my story though."
"Why did you sneak out anyway?" Brystol asks as he grabs her elbow trying to stop her to talk to him.
Sahara yanks her elbow from him. "Can you just leave me alone?"
Brystol keeps up with her pace as he speaks, "No. I have to walk back to the castle too, so we might as well go together." Sahara huffs in anger but keeps her words to herself. "Why did you not just teleport to the Dash? It would have been faster and then I would have never noticed you sneaking out."
Sahara stops walking, she had not even thought of doing such a thing. It was a good idea. She realizes he cannot teleport and grows a devious smile as she glances around to see if anyone is watching them. "What a splendid idea." She says before she teleports herself back into her room at the castle. She laughs loudly as she sits down on her bed. She wonders how long it will take Brystol to make it back. She looks at the envelope she is still holding in her hand. She flips it over and rips the seal before pulling out a folded sheet of paper. She opens the folded page and feels confused as she flips it over to the back. “It’s blank.” She says in confusion. She wonders why her mother would leave her a blank piece of paper. She looks back inside the empty envelope to make sure she didn’t miss something. “What?” She says inspecting the paper again. She feels her tummy gurgle and realizes how hungry she is, so she hurries and changes to go down to grab a snack.