Three for Thorn

The Invivus Realm isn't exactly how I pictured it to be.

When one thinks of a Realm that inhabits Faes, Faeries, and Sprites plus other well known supernatural beings, one might imagine a beautiful or whimsical landscape.

Full of divine multicolors scattered all throughout the land with delicate flowing floral that one's eye would greatly appreciate but one would never picture this!

What happened here?

It's looks so foreign, so haunting, and mainly so obviously obstructed.

Like a overcapacity city with a dire ruler who equates hisself to a God. Living high above others amongst the clouds like he thinks he's above the lowly peasants living savagely beneath him.

It's just completely ridiculous!

Before I have a chance to voice these certain opinions of mine something or someone suddenly comes crashes through the blackberry bushes to the right side of us.

Startling me so much that I gasp out loud and actually drop my suitcase on the ground below me.

"Shhhh." A female voice creeps over to us demanding for us to remain quiet.

Swiftly grabbing up my suitcase in my hand I cock my head to the side observing the awkward talking bush.

"Come here." Are they crazy?

Shaking my head on protest, I back away from the ominous magical talking bush.

"If you want to live follow me." The bush says sternly as the leaves on the bush began to rustle frantically.

How is a bush going to walk with no damn legs?

I facepalm myself mentally! Why the hell am I thinking so damn foolishly?

A bush walking indeed!

I peer over to my mates who stand directly beside the bush peering down at it curiously, immobilized.

Okay? I guess I'm making all of the decisions then?

Hesitantly, I walk over to the blackberry bush, squeezing my way in between the bushes I make way into what seems like someone's backyard. Although the yard is very minuscule in size it seems well groomed with little garden gnomes placed haphazardly throughout the yard and small fairy lights hanging down from one tiny dwarf tree planted directly in the center of a tiny floral garden.

Hearing shuffling noises behind me I look back over my shoulder. I have to hold in a laugh when I see all three of my giant mates struggling to make their way in between the blackberry bushes.

For big men they sure do have some ingenuity in them.

Rolling my eyes at their antics I turn my attention back to the yard searching for whoever was calling out to us earlier.

I catch a glimpse of a figure standing in the doorway of a discreet but humble looking cottage staring intensely over at me.

Gingerly, I make my way over to the cottage and the mysterious person before me.

As I draw in nearer I can see it's a woman with very defined and striking features.

She's beautiful, too beautiful for such a desolate place such as this.

"Hello." I lowly acknowledged her. Halting almost close enough to her than I can now distinguish every fine line and soft curvature of her face.

"My name is..."

"Thorn." She cuts me off before I was even able to finish introducing myself to her releasing a beguiling smile over at me.

"Yes. How did you know?" I don't recall ever saying my name.

"I know more than you realize young Princess. Please follow me." I arch my brow up at her in surprise. This is indeed a very strange if not interesting woman.

My mates finally make their appearance behind me. I guess they made it through the bushes.

Instead of acknowledging them though I just hastily walk up into the strange woman's cottage slowly.

The inside is very small but quite quaint. There's a little navy blue couch with one simple navy blue chair and a small rounded table that sits in between the two. The room is basically surrounded in all types of books precariously placed upon all of the walls on shelves with some type of medicinal bottles and candles haphazardly a scattered throughout the entirety of the tiny room.

The strange but beautiful woman is seated in the small navy chair, patiently waiting for us to enter with a cup of what looks like a steaming hot tea in her hand.

"Please sit, Princess." I narrow my eyes at her before I resign myself to honor her request and sit dropping my suitcase beside me.

My mates come to sit down beside me on the couch eyeing the woman before us with blatant curiosity. It's a tight squeeze but we all somehow seem to manage it. With me sitting on the edge of the couch with Slay sitting right down beside me then sits Sin beside Slay with Sun sitting at the very end, they all place their suitcases in their laps, we all peer over at the stranger with a questioning gaze.

"I'm sure you are all very confused at the moment," well that's an understatement, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Freya Sinclair, I'm a Fae Seer and I'm here to guide you all on your long awaiting journey." Freya informs us with a slight smile.

I've never meet a Seer before. This is actually really exciting!

"How do you know about me?" I ask. Recalling that she called me Princess earlier.

"You look just like her. When she was kidnapped at King Zeniths ball I thought for sure she passed on, especially after all of this time that has passed with nobody ever seeing or hearing from her again but seeing you here now I reason that's not the case any longer." Freya knew my mother? But she doesn't know that she is longer with us though.

"I'm sorry, she is....no longer with us." Freyas sadden expression at my unsuspecting news seems to fluster her quite a bit.

Shouldn't she know this already? She did say that she is a seer? I was about to question her when she spoke up suddenly giving me the obvious answer.

"With the Realm now covered in an almost irreversible spell I can longer see beyond this Realm unfortunately. Thanks to Lord Samuel and his evil cohorts. I'm so sorry that Silky is no longer residing in the land of the living. She was and will always be a very becoming woman who will be remembered, revered, and respected above many." Her genuine sympathy toward my loss sets my mind at ease instantly. No wonder she didn't realize that my mother, the lost Queen, was no longer with us. At her mentioning of a certain spell, I scowl reflecting back, is that what caused the electric shock to Slay? Probably, I reason.

"Thank you." I appreciate her sympathies.

"Now on to far better and brighter things. This journey of yours will undoubtedly be very challenging. As you can see our dear Realm is not what it once used to be. Lord Samuel and his self appointed army have made sure of that. No one here believes that he is somehow related to you Thorn like he claims he is but those who has challenged him in the past to dispute his words have all fallen to a very gruesome and volatile ends I'm afraid." Freya suddenly becomes silent. Her face soon reveals a mediocre of unrelenting sadness upon it.

"My brother being one of them," Freya inhales deeply on a somberly breath. "There are people here who will help and stand by you to defeat this monstrous diabolical man but it will be a trying and difficult task." Now her face seems to reveal an abundance amount of hatred.

It makes me wonder just how this Lord Samuel has gone on to maintain his facade for so long just to sit upon the throne. What all he has done to others just in the name of power? It's down right revolting.

"First we must discover a reason for your sudden arrival here. If I may, I do have a ideal on how we may go about it. I know someone who runs the local magazine company who just may be able to help. That is, if you would allow me to announce your arrival to him?" She looks on me with hope filled eyes.

Glancing over at my three mates beside me, I search for their approval, but all I receive is scowling undetermined looks and dismissive shrugs of their shoulders.

Men!

"That would be wonderful." It's actually not a bad idea at all. "But what would I do at this company? I haven't the faintest idea about what it takes to work at a magazine business." I couldn't even tell you where to start.

"Let me handle that. Just give me a few minutes while I make some calls." Freya suggest, sitting down her little tea cup on the little round table in front of her she juts up running off into a different room in the cottage. Leaving me and my mates alone to digest all that has happened so far.

"Do you really think that you can trust her? I mean, you don't even know her Thorn and what about working at this certain company? It all seems like it's just a little bit too easy to me." Sunny exclaims with suspicion clouding all through his troubled mind.

"I feel like I can trust her Sun. I don't sense anything deceitful about her but I'm honestly not the best at judging someone's character am I? Look at my past indiscretions, at first I actually thought that Sin was a nice guy." I try to refrain my laughter, curling up my lip at Sunny as I watch Sins reaction.

His face is priceless. He's biting his bottom lip while side eyeing me with obvious disdain shadowing his face.

Sunny let's out a breathless laugh while Slay scrubs his hand down his face.

Score one for Thorn!

"Thorn can you please ask her about Malice. I'm worried about him. I just can't seem to reach him." Maya cuts in through my rivalry, sounding precarious.

"What? Is he asleep or just ignoring you?" I question.

"He would never ignore me. No, I think it has something to do with the witches spell that was cast on Sin." That would make sense.

"It's okay Maya. Don't worry I'll ask her." I assure her.

"Thanks Thorn." She breaths out heavily.

Freya soon returns with her cellphone placed in one of her hands and little white cards placed in the other. She sits back down on the navy blue chair granting us all a broad smile.

Yes. I truly do think I can trust her and I really do hope that I'm not wrong about her like I have been about so many other people in my past. Case in point; is sitting down right between Slay and Sunny.

"Alright I think I have about everything worked out for you. His name is Striker Hatch, he's actually my brothers son, well he's my nephew, he wants to meet you early in the morning. So that you two may discuss what your role will be under his employee. This is his card with the address of his company on it," she hands me one of the little white cards in her hands. I flip it around noticing the inscription written on it with silver encased slanted lettering.

Fata Glamour Magazine inc.

Striker Hatch pres. ceo.

#1-***-***-***

North Faline drive 1970

"Thank you." I mumble lowly to her still looking down at the business card.

"Welcome dear heart, and this one is my sister, Hope Hatch, she owns an inn about a half of mile from here due east. It's called the Fata Family Inn, I've already called her and told her about all of you. She has already reserved two rooms for you all, free of charge for the duration of your stay here." She hands me another card with her sisters information on it. I'm assuming that this city must be called Fata then, with the magazine and the inn both being named after it.

It must of been at one time such a wondrous place that they assuredly must of been proud of it, now looking at the city and all that it has become it all seems like such a damn wasted shame.

And all Samuels doing!

"Now this one you should probably remember verbatim then shred it into pieces once you do. He's my nephew, his name is, Grayson Hatch, he's Hopes son, he works for Samuels Royal Guard but he is unofficially working for us. If you ever get into any type of trouble while you are here, he is the one that you need to call first. Then call me. We are all going to help you in any way that we can to finally overthrow that callous bastard." She hands me yet another little white card, this one has a golden royal crest laying upon it.

One that catches my eyes suddenly making me recall a long lost memory. I remember this certain emblem. My mother use to always wear it on her lapel as some sort of broach.

The memory is staggering. I still have her broach locked away in my jewelry box back at my old home, that is, if my father hasn't managed to find it yet.

"I must say a few things to your mates before you leave my company, if you don't mind Princess Sides?" Wait? What did she just call me?

"That's not my name. My name is Thorn Lee Rose. Why would you think it was Sides?" Her face shows extreme confusion.

"Oh I'm sorry. I just....assumed. Are not King Winslow Sides daughter?" Who? I have no idea who she is even referring to. I take a chance and glance over at my mates. All three of them have the same expression on their faces as I do. One of sudden surprise and complete peeked curiosity.

"No unfortunately my father is Alpha Baker Rose. Who is King Sides?" I ask her bewildered.

"Well he was the King that use to rule here until he was murdered. He was your mothers mate. They have a son so I just assumed that you was his also. I'm sorry." They had a son? My heart starts racing in my chest. My mother had a son?

"A son?" I ask flabbergasted.

"Yes. Your, well I guess he would be your half brother?" What the actual fuck!

I'm just...stunned.

"But..." I trail off with so many questions that are racing through my shattered mind.

"He has been imprisoned in the castles dungeon every since he was five years old. There have been numerous attempts to rescue the rightful King from Samuels grasp but all have failed. That's why my nephew Grayson is working at the castle. We're all trying to rescue our King out from underneath Samuels clutches so he can take his rightful place on the throne." Well fuck! I fall back on the little navy couch in complete and utter shock.

This started out as a journey for me and my mates to rescue all of the citizens from this corrupted leech now we're going to have rescue my brother from his vile clutches instead?

Damn! I have another brother? Why didn't my mother tell me? This is...hell I can't even think of a word to describe this.

"What's his name?" I mutter almost incoherently.

"King Austis Sides. He is the spitting image of his father. Well he was the last time anyone ever laid eyes upon him. The only people who get to see him now is that of Samuels choosing. That's what I thought you actually came here for. Was to rescue him, but now I can see that you had no idea that you even had a brother. I'm so sorry Princess." I'm actually sorry myself.

I should have known about him. My mother should have told me about him. How could she keep this is as a secret from me for sixteen damn long years?

I love my mother but at this very moment I truly resent her. She should have fucking told me!

"It's not your fault. My mother should have told me!" I reply with a touch of scorn developing in my tone.

"Are you okay beautiful?" Slay ask me worriedly. I just nod my head absentmindedly at him.

"What did you want to tell my mates?" I ask Freya desperately wanting to change the current subject.

Freya clears her throat apparently feeling uncomfortable from my disparaging discomfort.

"Yes. Well, uhm, first I would like to speak to you," she points her finger at Slay, "you were chosen to be her protector. You have an agile and swift determination about you but you are also very proud. So do not let your pride become your downfall. You are not in anyway responsible for others actions. You will also need to stay strong for the path ahead. She will need your guidance and especially your strong protectiveness toward her. Guard her with every ounce of being in you." She instructs Slay.

Slay peers at her with an dour expression etched all over his face. My protector? It fits him I think to myself.

"I will always protect her!" He says with determination making my heart suddenly swell.

"And you," she now points to Sunny, "You are the very heart and soul of this group. Your compassion will reinforce everyone's willingness to go onward. To become one. Your encouragement can move mountains young heart, never lose that and always express your feelings from this moment forward. Stop hiding your secrets. For if you do not, you will lose the one new thing that you hold truly dear." Sunny eyes suddenly widen with his mouth going agape.

I'm more confused by her statement toward him, than I am of Slays. What is she actually talking about?

"And finally you," she quirks her eyebrow up at Sin, "you have chosen different paths than the Moon Goddess influenced for you. You are suppose to be her warrior but you have volleyed away from your chosen role. Mistakes tend to happen far too often where you are concerned. Listen well young warrior, your destiny has now changed thanks to your indecisive nature. There is another who has come to rival joyfully in your place. If you don't chose this route wisely then you will not only lose the one thing that will ever make you happy but you will also lose the few things you hold dear to your heart. Heed my warning! You are walking on thin ice and it's about to shatter all around you! Plus the one thing that haunts your mind is not by any means who you truly are. The way you feel for one does not mean you will feel that for others." Her voice grows a few octaves higher at her last few sentences directed at Sin.

"I don't understand. Feel for one? Feel for the others? What does that even mean?" Sin ask her obviously flustered.

"Just heed my warning young warrior. All will come to be realized in the future." Freya replies but it doesn't hold a lot of clarity for me and from what I'm witnessing on Sins face it doesn't for him either.

I am so damn confused about all of this with the exception of Slays reading. His is easy to decipher but Sunny and Sins bewilder the hell out of me.

"Last thing," Freya jumps up from the chair, walking over to a small cabinet located in the corner of the room.

She opens a small drawer with her back to us, when she turns she has a very large clear glass vial of some sort of dark brown liquid floating in it.

After she takes her seat again she hands the large vial over to Slay. He takes it as he peers down at it he creases his brow.

"This will mask your wolves. Here in Fata there are no wolves permitted. Even though your only half wolf, which I could sense right away, this will cover your wolf abilities but it won't cover your promancy abilities I'm afraid. Just the wolves. You must take a single drop of it every morning before you eat an ounce of anything." She instructs us once again.

"Will I have it take also?" Since I'm only half wolf I just may have to.

"Yes I'm afraid you will have to also. It's just a precaution. With the spell around the Realm, usually only Fae kind may be allow to enter. Since you are half Fae, it allowed you entrance." Freya explains. I've learned more from her tonight than I have learned from anybody else, even my own mother. I grimace mentally.

"Oh I meant to ask you. My wolf Maya would like to know if there's anything wrong with Malice, Sins wolf. She's been trying to reach him but so far she has received any answers from him." There you go Maya.

"It is the witches spell that's placed on Sin. It put his wolf into a sleep like trance for a few days. The spell should wear off completely within a day or two. By the way the witches name that placed that awful spell on you is Singa. She's been apparently working with your father for years. They seem to have an intimate relationship and Thorn, I really hate to be the one to give you this information but your father, Baker, he uhm, he had your mother murdered." I sit there stunned. How? What? Why? All keep rambling around in my brain.

The bastard! Why would would he do that to my mother? His own loving Luna! It's preposterous! What kind a man is he?

"Are...you...sure?" I inquire almost methodical.

"I'm positive. He is a very cruel and lascivious man Princess and what he's wants with you is absolutely disgusting, to say the least, but I do fear many will die in his imperious desire to have you." Oh what I wouldn't give to be able to rip my damn father to shreds.

I don't doubt a word she speaks. My father has killed many others in his lifetime and I guess now that includes my very own mother.

Now I feel just awful for resenting her earlier, from keeping my brothers existence a secret from me.

In all rationality I know somewhere deep inside of me that my mother didn't have a choice in the matter. Mainly because of my dickhead father but I wish she could of found someway to tell me.

I long for her so much to be here. This would all be so much easier if she was. I just hope that I can make her proud of me. Now that I know about my long lost brother I vow to do everything I can to help him escape. For him and my mother.

That's what my mother would have wanted. I'll do this for her and I'll do it for Austis. The brother I just learnt about tonight. It seems so surreal. It's absolutely amazing.

I need to get ahold of Fier and somehow tell him all about this new found discovery. I have been trying to reach his ass for the last three days but he hasn't answered any of my calls or text and with Tristan now gone I feel the need to speak to Fier even more.

I'll try again when we all get to this Inn Freya told us about. Hopefully this time I'll be able to reach him.

"Hope has a diner already prepared and waiting for all of you when you make it to her inn. Here is my number incase you need it but remember to call Grayson first if something untoward should spring up. He is a very strong powered Elemental Fae that some say out rivals even Samuel." She hands me a piece of torn paper that has a number on it. I guess this is our cue to leave then.

Rising up from the couch, I grab my suitcase form the floor then squeeze my way by the table to stand in front of her.

"Thank you for everything. I don't know how any of us will be able to repay you for all of this especially your kindness and trust." She gives me a genuine smile.

"No thanks necessary, I'm doing this for our kingdom and just maybe because I can't stand that asshole Samuel." I give her a slight little giggle over her openness.

"Goodbye." I tell her as I make my way to her front door. My mates come scrambling up behind me offering their gratitude to Freya before we leave her small homely cottage.

Once outside I breath in the cool night air trying to steady my fragile nerves.

I have learnt a lot tonight. Far too much that I would have ever predicted.

The main thing is that I have a brother that now I can't wait to meet.

"Are you alright?" My heart ask me. I turn to Sunny grinning at him.

Some of what Freya said tonight about him does make some sense now.

Sunny does without a doubt have an extremely big heart. I just can't understand why he froze last night when I yearned for him so badly.

He just stared at me like he didn't even recognize me.

His rejection was clear. He didn't want to make love to me last night that much I could tell.

But what I don't know is why?

He acts like he cares for me so why would he not want to be with me?

Do I repulse him? Am I not good enough? Thanks to Sin, although he may have done it unintentionally, my confidence has come down a notch or two.

Maybe Sunny doesn't want me to be his mate either, just like Sin?

Maybe I'm just not what he's looking for in a mate? He may be missing Nina also? I have no idea.

Whatever is bothering him, it hurt when he so carelessly left me hanging like that, he may just need some time to work through it all?

Regardless, I'm so tired of always being left out on the back burner with all of them.

Even with Slay now.

Does he and this Betty girl really have something going on, that I'm not aware about?

Sin said he was lying but at this point I don't know who to believe anymore.

Maybe after all of this over I will just have to move on from all of them.

They would probably be better off without me anyway, especially with my damn father after me.

Who knows?

I'm weary of all of this doubt flowing through me all of the time.

Sunny is staring at me waiting for an answer. Shit! What did he ask me? Oh, I remember.

"I'm fine." I finally answer though he looks down at me with doubt shadowing his face.

"Really. I am. Let's get going!" I lie boldly to him but thankfully he accepts it. I'm actually amazed that he did.

Apparently, I'm getting much better at this lying now.