Chapter Nine: Emma Endless
1675 Words
Nine
I expected that there would be a celebration afterwards. Some type of reception. But if the court faeries were having their revels, Oberon didn’t expect us to partake in them. He took me straight to his castle, which was deep within the forest. It was made from the earth. From the earth, from the trees, from the vines. Its towers were spiraling, twisted things. Its ceiling was made of the night sky. It was part of faerie, a living, breathing, thing.
Oberon’s chambers were large, with a bed that seemed to be made entirely of wood. The bed sheets seemed to be velvet, made of stars. He looked from the bed, to me. “Come with me.”
“I….” I stared at him. “Is that a euphemism?”
His lips twitched into a smile. “No.” He started walking, the castle shuddering in response to his movement, as if it sensed his arrival.
I followed him. “Is this the part where I get sacrificed to Pan?”
He smirked over his shoulder. “Who do you think Pan is? And no, I’ve never much seen the point of sacrificing. Other than that, it does have a morbid beauty to it. Besides, you would hardly be of any use to me dead.”
I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself. “Comforting, I suppose.”
We kept on walking. I noticed, for the first time, that my vision seemed brighter, my hearing more alert. I could hear the growing of vines, smell the earth, and feel the moon that shown above the castle as if it were a living, breathing thing.
I could also hear a heartbeat.
I stopped short. “Oberon?”
“Yes, my sweet?” he stopped with me.
“Did you…did you do something to me?” I asked.
“You noticed the binding, did you?” he grinned.
“The binding…. you…. but that’s a ceremony, that’s all. That doesn’t do anything.”
“What did you think the rope was for?”
“Decoration?” I suggested.
“It’s not a decoration,” he answered, “my soul is tied to yours.”
“I….am I tied to yours?”
“No,” he told me, “the phrase isn’t ‘god save the King’ the phrase is ‘god save the Queen’.”
“But faeries are damned,” I reminded him.
“Regardless, the Queen is the center of everything. Without her, my power weakens.”
I bit my lip. “I…does that mean that I give you power? Because Tatiana died, and….”
He chuckled. “Oh, my sweet, it pleases me that you are curious. Curiosity will help keep you alive during your stay here. That’s important. Always ask questions. It keeps you from being the last to know. Faeries cannot die, in the traditional sense. Tatiana has been cursed for her crimes, and she will stay that way. She killed my first born, because of that she forfeited the right to be my Queen. As King, I have the right to not only a Queen, but a Queen Consort. That is your title. While you have no ruling authority, you will as my wife, have certain powers given by me to keep you safe. You have also become my most powerful advisor, so be prepared to be tricked, bribed, and….”
He reached out to stroke my chin. “Seduced. But I wouldn’t indulge, my sweet. Every spasm of pain, every moment of pleasure that you have, every breath that you take I can feel for as long as the binding exists between us.”
“I’ll not fall for another faerie,” I said, “you have nothing to worry about.”
“I’m pleased to hear it,” he told me, “now come with me.”
Once more, I started following him, this time by his side attempting to keep pace. He didn’t speak anymore, as if wanting to create suspense. Finally, we stopped, in front of a large, orate door. It curved and was made of wood. With a wave of his hand, the door creaked open, revealing what was a rather large room.
“You are not a prisoner here, Emma,” he informed me, “you are free to come and go when you choose. But, if I call, you must answer it. Those are the rules. But this space is yours. I will never intrude when I am not wanted, as long as you remember your part of the bargain. You must provide me an heir, and you must not fall in love with me.”
I stared around, shocked. The room could have easily fit twelve of my apartment from back home, and like the rest of the castle, it came from the earth, a living, breathing part of fae. “Oberon I….”
“Keep your thank you’s, my sweet. You can keep your appreciation for when we make love.” He kissed me on the forehead. “Sleep well. You’ve had a long journey, and I want you well rested.”
He started to walk from the room, leaving me stunned. But as he was about to leave, he pulled from within the folds of the white robe he wore a silver mirror with a rose adorned on the back. “One more thing. Consider it a wedding gift. This is a magic mirror. I’ve given Louisa the other one. Of course, I also had to bribe her not to tell you. Use it to communicate between worlds. I don’t want you getting homesick. You are not a prisoner here, my sweet. Goodnight.”
He pressed the mirror into my hands, surprising me. I watched him leave, too in shock to move, or speak. I expected him to order me into bed, rip me of my robe, and ravish me on the bed until I was pregnant with his heir. Pregnant, and bloodied, unable to walk. I did not expect to be given my own chamber, or the equivalent of a faerie cell phone.
Alone, I spoke into the mirror, calling, “Louisa.”
My sisters face appeared. “Emma!” she squealed. “Oh, thank goddess, you’re alive. I’m so happy. I was so worried. I didn’t hear anything from you. I figured you were…well…”
“Being f****d?”
She laughed. “Well, to put it bluntly, yes.”
“He hasn’t touched me.”
She blinked. “He hasn’t touched you?”
I shook my head. “He kissed me, but that was it. He kissed me, he gave me my own room, and the mirror, then he left.”
Louisa made a face. “I don’t understand. I thought he wanted an heir.”
“I don’t think this is only about an heir.”
Louisa said nothing. “Emma, you…. you should really talk to him. Get to know him. I know he’s controlled most of your life. Most of our lives. But there’s a lot more to Oberon than you know.”
“How much more?”
“You have to find out for yourself. It isn’t my place to tell. I only found out by accident.”
“Louisa, you can’t just say things like that to me and not expect me to do anything! He’s acting the complete opposite of how I expected him to act. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m in uncharted territory. I need help. I need the gatekeeper.”
“This isn’t gatekeeper territory,” Louisa said, “gatekeeper territory is disputes between faes. Not insuring that his well…. love life is going well.”
“What about your sister? What about your duty to me?”
“We’re working on a plan,” said Louisa, “The First Witch and I are trying to create something that will sever bargains. If you can find the original bargain that mother made, we can destroy it.”
“Aren’t bargains sealed with kisses?”
“Some, but not all. Kisses are only most powerful when true love is involved. Why do you ask?”
I bit my lip. “Louisa, that’s how Oberon sealed my bargain.”
My sister said nothing.
“L come on. You can’t tell me nothing.”
“A kiss is only used when true love is involved. For some reason, Oberon believes that you’re his true love. What I’ll tell you is that there are many things that happen in this world that are unexplainable. Even within the realm of fae. All you have to do is believe.”
“That’s incredibly unhelpful.”
“That’s faerie,” Louisa said, “if he hurts you, Emma…you call. There’s not a lot I can do up against Oberon, but there are still rules that even the faerie king has to abide by. I have to go. There’s a pixie infestation up in Munsie, Indiana.”
“In Munsie?” I asked. “How on earth do you get pixies in Munsie?”
“Illegal trade,” she answered.
“Our lives are weird.”
“That’s life in general,” Louisa replied.
“Louisa----” the mirror cut off, before I could say anything more. I was alone, in faerie, on my wedding night.
- Writer
