Chapter Thirteen

Brook sat in a state of shock, feeling as if the world had frozen for her even if it continued to move for everyone else. The fae around her were carrying on wildly, but she was speechless. She stared at Kerren and wondered how he felt, to discover after so many years that his life wasn’t the one intended for him.

“Brook?” a familiar voice called.

She turned and saw Vevina watching her. A hint of anger still lingered in her heart towards Vevina, even if she had accepted a life on Prism.

“Yes?”

“The Queen sent me… well, Kerren wanted to be sure you made it home. It seems they’ve got quite a bit to discuss, of course,” Vevina said with a careful smile.

Brook took in Vevina’s appearance. It had been shocking to see her fae form at first, but the more she looked, the more fitting it seemed. Without needing to ask, she’d come to realize that Vevina’s hair somehow reflected her mood, even if Brook didn’t understand what each color meant.

But if she had to guess by the stark white roots and peach tips, Vevina was just as surprised as she was.

“I haven’t really forgiven you,” Brook admitted. “I feel like I should put that out there.”

Vevina’s smile fell and she nodded. “Kerren hasn’t either. Still, I am bound by duty and harbor nothing but good will towards you. I believe Prism was always meant to be your home.”

The honesty in Vevina’s voice was clear. Brook didn’t want to hold a grudge, but that didn’t mean she could ignore what happened. “Maybe I was going to end up here another way, but we’ll never know now.”

Vevina glanced over her shoulder and Brook followed her gaze. Kerren and the King and Queen were leaving, walking towards the doors behind the raised platform their thrones sat on.

“I guess I may as well head home,” Brook said. “I mean… Kerren’s home.”

She stood and followed Vevina through the crowd. Once they left the boisterous assembly, she walked beside the small fae.

“Kerren doesn’t look much like them,” Brook remarked.

“I can see it in small ways. But that’s not strange. I look nothing like my parents. I look exactly like my grandmother though, and that’s where I got my magic,” Vevina explained.

Brook tried to understand what she meant. “You inherit the magic and the appearance?”

“Something like that. There are physical traits that are related to abilities. A succubus will always be gorgeous. A selkie will always have brown hair and brown eyes. And now that I know that Kerren’s father is Artur, that… raises interesting questions.”

“How so?”

“Kerren looks like the forest, and Artur is half forest deity. I bet Kerren has latent magic that hasn’t come forward yet,” Vevina explained. She walked with her head down and hands in her pockets. “Kerren’s father—or rather, the one he grew up with—was a shifter too. Not cu sidhe, but shifters don’t always inherit the same form, save for selkies. Now that he knows he has a forest spirit, new magic will come.”

“That’s crazy. I can’t imagine how he went this long… I mean, no one suspected a thing,” Brook mused.

“We always thought his appearance came from Bledwen’s side—since she has plant related lineage. Yet Kerren is far from having a green thumb, no matter how often he tries.”

“He has a lovely garden,” Brook pointed out.

“Yes. Thanks to a lovely dryad who lives on the grounds,” Vevina said with a snort. “Everything started to die when Bledwen moved out, so Kara moved in.”

“I haven’t seen anyone else around. In fact, it seems like the manor is quite lonely.”

“Kara lives in her tree. When I said moved in, I didn’t mean in the usual way. Dryads are attached to a single tree. She came to be when a seed took root on the land, but it was done on purpose. Kara’s mother made a deal with the breeze to have her blown over…” Vevina’s voice trailed off and she glanced at Brook. “It’s a whole… thing. Sorry. I’m usually better at explaining things.”

“No, thank you. It’s amazing. I love hearing about everything,” Brook said with a smile.

Vevina seemed to brighten slightly, and Brook took pity.

“May I ask what about you? What was your grandmother?”

Vevina glanced up at the sky. “A sprite.”

“Oh. Like Lorelei?”

Vevina grinned. “Yes. Though we have different distinctions. My grandmother could trace her lineage back to the times when sprites changed the colors of the leaves, and further back still, to the aspects.”

“Naiad and sprite… Kerren made it seem like there was more,” Brook commented.

“Oh, there’s more. My parents were both shifters, obviously I didn’t inherit that. Tiny bit of disappointment, honestly. My mother can turn into a fox and that seems fascinating.” She let out a tiny sigh of disappointment. “But my grandfather was human,” Vevina revealed. “And the reason I am indebted to the blood of Weylan Barrows.”

Brook paused. “Am I prying to want to know?”

Vevina shrugged. “It would be strange if you didn’t want to know. You will be joining the Barrows for your ceremony, and I am part of the history.”

They continued walking and Brook peered over. Vevina seemed to be gathering her thoughts. After a few moments, she spoke up.

“I don’t know how much Kerren explained of our past. I know he took you to the center, where they display the heroes.”

“Oh, of the wars?”

“Yes. We are strange in that we keep them there, but rarely do we discuss the wars between the courts. Wars against others are easier to speak of than the wars we fought amongst ourselves,” Vevina mused aloud.

Brook nodded. Kerren had briefly touched on the way Prism was divided. The Pure court reigned here, but far away there was another fae colony—the Virtuous court. And though Kerren saw both as doing what they believed was best, the history of wars spoke volumes.

“He mentioned the two courts.”

“In our history we have fought three wars with the Virtuous. Over land, love, and life, in that order. You’ll learn it all in time but understand that when it got to the point where each side believed the other was jeopardizing the lives of all, in fact, endangering the very existence of Prism, that’s what made it the cruelest of wars.”

Brook frowned as she listened, trying to imagine the fae she’d seen so far engaged in battle.

“Many feared extinction. That what the other side was doing would cause the aspects to unmake us all. The actions this caused during the war… well, they’d never gotten along perhaps, but it had never been hate-fueled before. And in that atmosphere, my grandfather made a decision.”

“But he was only human,” Brook interjected.

“Yes. And perhaps that’s why he did what he did. He had a child on the way and feared for everything,” Vevina said with a sigh. “I’ll spare the details. But trust me, just because you are human does not mean you are powerless. What he did destroyed an entire village. The deaths that followed…” her voice trailed off, and her hair had lost all color.

“My family was of the Virtuous court, so even if my grandfather acted alone, my grandmother, Helene, was expected to pay. The hunters came for my her, but before the cu sidhe could bay three times, Rhoan stepped in. Rhoan was the duke and protector of the Barrows back then, and even if it were war, even with all the death he’d seen, he refused to allow his men to mark a pregnant woman.”

“I’m confused. Mark?”

Vevina nodded solemnly. “Cu sidhe can mark a soul for death, and to do so ensures eternal torment, to never find peace in the afterworld. But even though Rhoan had stopped those with him, Helene could never truly escape. Hounds have a pack mind. She would have been found eventually. Very few can hide from the cu sidhe.”

“So she made a deal?” Brook guessed.

“Yes. Pledged her allegiance to the Pure and offered her blood as debt. As long as the line lives, it serves the Barrows. But before you get upset, it is not a burden.”

“But you live forever, and your child will live forever…”

“The debt is renewed with each generation. I chose to keep up the tradition. The meaning is clear, isn’t it? I am still grateful, and I don’t feel in my heart that my family has paid the debt. And if I have a child, they will decide for themselves. But fae take honor seriously. Closing a blood-debt too soon is disrespectful to both sides.”

Brook watched the ground as they walked. She hadn’t imagined that something this dark had lurked beneath Vevina and Kerren’s past.

“He doesn’t change, for your sake,” Brook said finally. “Because of your history with the cu sidhe.”

“Yes,” Vevina admitted. “I know I have nothing to fear, but yes.”

Brook had not doubted Kerren’s depth of character, but this certainly said it all. To suppress his spirit form to avoid attention was one thing. To keep it hidden to keep his best friend at ease meant much more.

“What will you do if Kerren leaves?” she asked.

“He can’t leave now. He’s the prince.”

“Oh. That’s right.” Brook hadn’t thought about it that deeply.

We have a chance now, though. We could try a relationship, why not?

Before she knew it, they’d arrived back at Kerren’s home. Brook looked down the long path to the front door, wondering if Kerren would move into the palace or continue living alone.

“I don’t know when Kerren will return, but I’ve alerted the staff to return for now and maintain things. They’ll cook and clean… but I don’t think he’ll be gone long. They can’t expect to catch up in a single day,” Vevina said.

“Thanks.” Brook wanted to invite Vevina inside, but she’d vanished before there was a chance. Unlike Lorelei, there was no burst of glitter, no show.

Brook skipped entering the home and instead walked around to the back garden. She had a lot to talk to Kerren about, but he was going through enough right now. At least now they had time.

* * * *

It was late when Brook heard Kerren return home. The day had gone by with no word from him, and though she understood why, she’d missed him. At one point someone had stopped by to measure her and plan her gown for her initiation ceremony the next day, and even that felt less exciting without Kerren around.

She was upstairs and looking out the window, listening to his footsteps through the house when a gentle knock sounded on her door. She turned, trying to hide her excitement.

“Come in,” she called.

He entered with a strange expression on his face as if he was still in shock so many hours later. She couldn’t blame him. He stood beside her and looked out the window the way she’d been doing just moments before. Below, the pixies were back, partying and indulging on ripe fruit.

Kerren had unintentionally birthed quite the rave atmosphere.

“Looks like I’ll be staying,” he commented. “Though I have to say, I’m not upset about that anymore.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not sure it’s really sunk in. Even after spending the day with them, talking, making sense of everything—or at least, trying to—only a part of me seems to comprehend a thing,” he said. His brows were raised, and he still looked outside. “It’s too much, almost.”

“I can’t imagine.”

“But change can be good, and I guess I needed it. A jolt. Something to put me back on track. And since I’m staying for good, I need to handle this first.”

He turned to her and took her hands. She smiled at his warm touch and gazed into his eyes.

“I’ve asked permission to form a relationship with you, Brook.”

Her head tilted to the side, but she didn’t say anything yet. She had thought they already had a relationship, albeit temporary. They hadn’t labeled it, but she felt they had an unspoken agreement. The way we behaved spoke volumes, didn’t it?

“I wasn’t sure if I’d be granted the chance, but it’s all fallen into place. I’m not leaving Prism. And if I’m staying, I can’t imagine not doing everything in my power to be with you,” he said, squeezing her hands.

“Wow,” she breathed. Her heart fell with his words—if I’m staying. As if she were a consolation prize. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“I know it’s sudden, but I want to be with you forever,” he continued.

She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Oh. Do you mean…”

“Yes. I want you to be my wi—”

“No.”

He drew back, though he still held her hands. “Brook?”

She yanked her hands free and took a few steps away. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“I’m confused. I thought we had something,” he said flustered.

“We did have something. But it was between us, not us and your mother. If you wanted to be with me, why didn’t you tell me first?”

“I told you, nobility has to have permission.”

“But that doesn’t mean you just ask before consulting me. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for us to make that decision ourselves, then… I don’t know… petitioned together? A united force?”

“I didn’t think…”

“And do you think it’s romantic that all of this is happening only because you no longer have the choice to leave? Just last night you were still ready to walk away from me. Now you want to marry me. Coincidence?”

“No, I’d decided—”

“Stop!” She wiped away tears that fell out of her frustration. “The one thing I can’t stand for is being a fallback. A consolation wife. I love you, and I thought that somehow, we’d find a way because I couldn’t stand the thought of living here without you. But if you can only be with me because you have no choice—I don’t want you.”

He stepped forward, hands held out as if he meant to hold her, but she walked away.

“That’s not what I meant. It’s not because of that, it’s because of us. We’re meant to be together,” he offered.

She held the post of the bed and stared at him. “I don’t believe in settling, Kerren. And right now, it sure feels like that’s what you’re trying to do. But it won’t be with me. I’m sorry, but just… please go.”

“Brook—”

“I’m so glad you found your family, and I’m happy for you, but I’m not happy to see you right now. Leave, please.”

The hands he held outstretched fell to his sides. The pain in his eyes tore at her, but it didn’t weaken her resolve. So, what if he hurt, when he’s done so well a job at hurting me?

She thought she’d found her soul mate. Every moment with him up until now had been magical. They interacted as if they’d always known each other, a natural familiarity she adored.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and left. The door pulled closed behind him by an unseen force.

She sat on the bed and closed her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks and the air seemed too thick to breathe. They’d come so close to having it all.