Guardian (13 page)

We took turns outlining what would happen one night from now, the night her life would change forever.  I told her she’d be protected from the Nyms who knew she was the prophecy girl who was very aware she had arrived. Reminding her of the human guards who vowed death before she came to harm, she tossed her head in the direction she guessed them to be standing because she’d seen them.  Her hair traveled through the air like a current sending out the same fruity, floral scent it always held. I loved her blonde hair.  Very few Fey had light hair.

I gelled up, placing the scent precisely from where I knew in the back of my brain.  Lavender and honey suckle and a touch of jasmine.  She’d always held a lavender scent.  Her calling card.  She was forever pinching the buds between her fingers in the garden bed beside the trampoline and making it even stronger. 

“You okay?” she asked confused by my stupid glazed over look.  I’d been caught.

“You were absolutely more amazing than words last night.  I apologize for being so forward with you, but I’m finding it very hard to stay away from you now that I don’t have too.”  I
really
needed to slow down.  So I did what I have always done when Grace took over my senses and crowded my mind, I paced.  She didn’t let me this time.

“Don’t stop.  I love hearing you talk.  I too have never been able to say that before or any of this.  Or hear it from you.  I love even more when you talk about us. I want to hear everything.  All the things I’ve missed.  All the things that I never got to say because I was chicken or because you couldn’t.  I want it all, my prince.”

“Okay, princess Grace,” I said amused at her candorous openness. 

We both plastered silly love sick grins across our face.  I’d never act this way with any other girl.  I’d never let my cool factor make me look like a lame idiot.  But with Grace, well, she knew me.  Inside and out.  Forwards and backwards.  Aside from the whole “I’m a Seelie court Fey prince who wants to make you my queen” part, she knew everything about me.  I’d never let anyone know me that way.  Comforting, but scary as hell.

“Once, when we were at school, just days before all this…I pulled you into the lockers to rescue you.  Do you remember?”

She nodded. 
...and
Kin, evil Kin.

Oh, I didn’t want that part of the memory being displayed.  I pulled her to me again not for the first time today where our hips met.  A comfort she didn’t see as anything but sensual, but to me it was a safeguard for knowing she was glued to me and would be mine one day.

“I almost lost control that day.  I knew inside I was three days away from telling you everything and tried to rationalize telling you and you believing me then.  Or just giving in and…but I didn’t.  I want every new moment between us to be right as it should.  Do you understand? I’m not trying to sound all
sappy
, but I have to make sure you know that you’re very important to me.”

“You were listening again. And I love the sometimes sappy, sometimes manly man Ian.  All of it.”  I kissed her hand intent on showing her with my eyes what I really wanted to do. 

Repositioned after a moment all our own, I straightened my face. “On a down note, there can only be one queen.”  I let that set a second. 

“To become queen, Queen Lazyra has to die? That’s crazy.  Die?  Then who would want me here?  Who would welcome little ole Grace to just watch the queen die.  Who says I have to be queen now
anyway
?  Has everyone gone
mad?”

“The prophecy.”

“THE PROPHECY! 
Who cares
?  And who knows they interpreted it correctly?” she choked. 

“We think the prophecy means to change what has become of the realm.  To cleanse it, so to speak.  The court seers have agreed for years.  We don’t know exactly what will happen, but it all starts now.”  She seemed to be pondering hard on this, so I let her.  She strategizes so many other areas of her life.  This is just far from anything she’d conquered. Or even not. 

“There has to be a way.  What all will happen at these ceremonies?”

“It’s more of a ritual than anything.  Every queen has gone through most of it.  It’s a bit different for you because of the prophecy, you’re half human, and there are three ceremonies being performed in one night.  Preparations are already being made to ready the events.” 

“And also…” I wanted to be the one to tell her this, but a ball knotted in my throat and willed the words away. 

She waited not too patiently.   

“Because you are betrothed, and to a prince of the current queen there is more required and you and I in particular,” I knitted my brows up mad at the way I sounded. I knew because she watched them.    “Remember that some of this will be very nonhuman to you.  You’ll have to treat it with respect and be completely serious.”

“So if I mess up, do I have to be queen or do I get sent away.” She rolled her eyes. 

How did she know that already?  “Well, yeah. Kind of,” I told her.

Damn...Dang! Freak!

I raised my eyebrow at her slander.  “A lady shouldn’t use such language, even in her mind.”

Sorry!
              “Quit reading my thoughts!” she added.

Never gonna happen!

“Guess most before me didn’t have a sense of humor.”  I could tell she was just scared.  She said with a sigh, “You better go over it all again.”

“It will be fine.  Just treat it with respect.  Let’s start from the beginning.”

***

I didn’t like some of the recent thoughts her brain led itself too.  The entire room stood and waited for Grace to sit at the dining table.  She turned to whisper to me after we were seated and not watched as much, “Are you going to do that every time I sit down for the rest of my life.” 

Oh yes!  I would savor every look the people at this table gave her.  She would be mine.  I smiled and whispered back, “Yes Princess, the court would have me flogged if I show any disrespect to the queen, or future queen, regardless of who I am.”  I leaned into her ear.  Touching my bottom lip to her neck by accident sending shivers up and down both of us, “and because I love seeing your cheeks blush when I do it.”  I kissed the top of her head for the mere contact of being close to her.  I was doing that more and more.

She thought of my odd way of dressing different than her human Ian.  “Because even the different nations across the world dress differently than you.  Do you think everyone wears tie-dye and jeans everywhere they go?”

“Stop listening to my brain!” she said tightly through gritted teeth then batted her eyes at me.  Damn it with the girl making those eyes at me.  I fell for it every time.  One day I’d have a Grace defense mechanism or something.

Okay, maybe not.

Can I hire a brutish human dude to guard my thoughts!
she
thought.

I didn’t say anything to that but laughed under my breath.  Her mind always had me guessing.                           

I knew Rion and Caymin would be posted to have her enter and leave into the room.  I’d glued my eyes to the entryway intent on being the first to see her. 

When the guard dropped the swords announcing her entrance, I just forgot anyone else was there.  I saw in the background that the room bowed and there was a quiet “ahhh” rolling across the room as they saw the beauty this girl held.  The beauty she didn’t realize she had.  That was the appeal that first drew me to her.  That, and her inquisitive mind that spent much time trying to figure
me
out.

She bowed heavenly to several keeping her poised balance just straight enough I noticed her dress never creased.  She was absolutely stunning.

She made it halfway.  I was careful to keep my eyes straight ahead, but my insides were reeling to catch another glimpse of her.  I heard her mind question whether I’d noticed what she was wearing.  Why do females always think we don’t notice?  Isn’t that what we spend the better half of our lives doing, noticing women? 

She faced the queen and recited the words she’d rehearsed.  It would seal the Fey age expectancy. Perhaps she would live long, maybe not.  There was no way to know.  I would never have to think about that.

Herbs were given next.  They gave over to the bearer several things.  Luck.  Longevity.  Wisdom.  I just always complied.

She didn’t look half as frightened as she sounded on the inside.  She hid it well, but it wouldn’t help her now since many could hear her.  I helped to block it out the best I could with my own skills. 

She bowed to Queen Lazyra, who handed the crown to her.  Grace’s voice magically magnified.

“
To all those behind and beyond

To all those to come

I give my life to the Fey

I relinquish my own

The union I will bond

Each season to the next

I’m bound to you
.”

The crown was placed on top of her head.  She drank from the goblet. 

When the queen passed the crown to the next queen, power was relinquished.  I’d told her all the semantics of a long life and magic, but that the queen had their life elongated for the endurance of the court. 

All of this symbolized the passing of the queen.  Everything else was a guess!

The prophecy.  She took two steps, approached a similar fairie to the others before, and released the clasp containing the prophecy written on it.  She held it above her head and recited it word for word, her voice equal to the last time:

We’ll come seek you on one hallowed eve

When grace upon you is in full bloom

A queen emerges among us all

To take us into a peaceful rule

A prince will name her to his own

Guard her well from friend or foe

Come seek us at the pass

Otherwise, you shall not last.

I was instructed to move behind her with the last word.  First would be the coming of age ceremony.  Done!  Next, the prophecy.  And the last was the betrothing ceremony that I was deathly afraid of going wrong.   I hated the idea of her rejecting me.   How she had the courage to do this blindly only allowed me to love her more.

This was the guardianship part of the prophecy.  I had to show allegiance to continue to protect her even after the coming of age ceremony.  Now, she faced me and we were forced to officially see each other from a very limited empty space between us. 

Even her mind calmed at seeing me look at her.  Still the nervous tension, but the calm spread through her at just the same time. Would she always do that?

I removed the sword.

…sexy!

Whoa!  She just thought that. I felt her desire swell up.  If she didn’t taper it, the whole room would be in an uproar.   Every single one of them could sense her feelings right now.  The looks on their faces told me that much.  If anything, they didn’t doubt her love. 

I bowed towards her and kneeled with the sword.  She placed her hands on each of my shoulders.  This symbolized the acceptance of my guardianship.  Sword returned, I knelt down again to symbolize the acceptance of choosing to be betrothed to my new queen. 

I watched her from the floor.  A single solitary tear rolled down her cheek and dropped before me.  I watched it
hit
the floor.  I wanted to hold her.  Own her!

She nodded to accept the betrothal then followed to the ceremonial bowl and followed the ritual.  We raised our hands above our heads and circled the room.  We looked at each other and returned to the bowl, dipped our hands together (Ouch!), and emerged with our hands all locked together.  This whole thing always sounded as ridiculous as it looks.   In the process of trying to fit both our hands in the saucer-sized bowl, Grace scratched my hand.  The pain seared my skin like a hot ember.  What the—

The entire garden cheered.  We held our hands in unison and was reminded how we’d always been a team of sorts.  Now it was official.   

My disappointment showed when I saw nothing had formed on either of our wrists.  With the pain ebbing in my finger, I felt for sure that was the culprit, but it was just a scratch. 

To the queen Grace asked, “I G— Firebearer, one Grace, seek to unite with Ian, son of King Ikan, son of Queen Lazyra.” 

The queen nodded.  The crowd cheered and we were official.

My mother’s face kept Grace from doing what she and I both wanted to do at that second, but I could control myself to wait for some much needed privacy. 

Kneeling side by side now to face the previous queen about the queen in question I said, “I, Ian, Prince of the Seelie court, son of King Ikan, son of Queen Lazyra, seek to unite with Grace, daughter of Firebearer Ginera.”

The queen acknowledged our requests.  Now, it was done. 

The crowd cheered. 

I bowed slightly and asked, “Am I allowed to put my arms around my betrothed?”

“Er…sure,” she breathed guessing I knew her thoughts.  I did. 

I winced like a moron from the barely there scratch.  Why did I wuss out with that?

“What is it?” she asked caring and lovingly.   I acknowledged nothing.