Chapter Sixteen: Emma Endless
2378 Words
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
EMMA ENDLESS
I hadn’t been seduced.
I hadn’t even been touched.
I was twenty-one, I was married, and I still only had had one s****l encounter with my husband. In fact, after our wedding, I had seen Oberon only once. The next morning, I was informed by fae who half man was, half eagle, that Oberon had been called away to deal with some business between the seasonal courts.
While Oberon was King, there were Lords who resided over autumn, summer, winter, and spring. Oberon himself was night, and day, and everything in between. For three days, and three nights, I had stayed in my chamber.
I had tried getting in touch with Louisa again, or Bradley, or Clark. But none of them seemed to be using their magic mirror to communicate. Or, they were too busy to answer it. I had nothing to occupy my time with, and there were guards outside my door to keep me from getting out.
Two faeries, who were menacing, things made of ice that looked sharp enough to cut skin and never melted. Finally, on the third night, there was a knock on my door. Oberon stood there, in a golden robe, with a red cape.
“You didn’t have to stay in the same dress,” he told me.
“I didn’t know what I could do,” I admitted, “I tried to sleep, but I was too aware that I was in a new place, to anxious about….”
“Me?” he offered.
“Yes.” I had been standing out on the balcony of my bedroom, watching the night sky, waiting for some sign that he had returned. “Where were you? What happened? Is everything alright?”
He smirked. “Careful, Emma. One might think you had feelings for me.”
“You toad,” I said, smacking his chest, “you married me, and left me for three days! What was I supposed to think?”
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” he replied, brushing back a strand of my dark, jet black hair, “but we should get you into something warmer. You’ll need a tour of the palace grounds, if I don’t want to end up losing you in the woods.”
“A tour?” I pulled back from him. “Oberon, I don’t understand---”
He towered over me. He towered over me all of the time, because he had a god like height, but at this moment he was taller than he had ever been. More Kingly too, especially knowing that he was my husband now. “I know what you’re thinking, Emma. You’re wondering why I won’t simply ravish you right now and get it over with.”
“Exactly,” I said, gesturing down to my body, which was still barely covered, dressed in the wedding robes that I had been in, “I don’t hold any grand illusions that this thing between us is going to be---”
“A fairytale?’ he offered.
“Yes.”
“Well, I do,” he said, “when future generations of Endless look at me, I don’t want them to see a terrifying monster, Emma. I want them to see someone who did what was right for your family. For our family. We are family now, Emma, and it is our children that will continue on the legacy of protecting humans and fae.”
“Child,” I corrected, “we’re only having one.”
“That’s what you think, my sweet,” he told me, “I am in this for the long haul, Emma, and I will make you mine. I will honor our bargain, if you decide in the end that you truly, do not have feelings for me. But in the meantime, I will do everything in my power to make you fall in love with me. Now, you really, really should dress into something warmer. Perhaps bathe, even. Let me have a bath drawn for you.”
I wasn’t sure what to do with this caring side of him. It was unexpected, more than unexpected. It was off putting, and I didn’t like how hard he was trying at it. But I knew he was right. I needed to bathe. I needed to change.
“I’ll take a bath,” I said, “but you’re not going to disappear on me the minute I step foot into it, are you?”
“No,” he said, “but I am touched that you care. Let me call for the handmaidens. They’ll take care of everything. When you’re finished, have them take you to my chambers. There was a brawl between the summer court and the winter court. I’m meeting with delegations from both courts today to sort it out. When you’re finished readying yourself, I’ll show the castle to you. Is that alright?”
“That’s alright,” I agreed.
“What about food? You have been eating, haven’t you?”
I nodded. “They brought me meals while you were gone. I picked at them some, but I told you. I was too nervous to do anything. I didn’t know if this was some sort of test or not. I was worried that if I did the wrong thing, I would end up with a wrathful faerie king on my hands.”
“We’ll rectify that too,” said Oberon, “as I’ve said before, you’re not a prisoner here, Emma. You’re my Queen.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means so long as there is life in me, I will never let you feel anything less than safe,” he told me.
My heart skipped a beat. It was the most romantic thing that anyone had ever said to me, ever. And I hated him for it. I couldn’t feel anything like romance for him. Anything like love for him. Not if I wanted to be trapped here, in this place, for the rest of my life. I had to not let myself get caught up in every, small, nice thing that he did.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He snapped his fingers, and three, glowing, balls of light appeared. They transformed into three, young, handmaidens, who looked remarkably alike. All with red hair.
“This is Autumn, Fall, and Breeze,” he told me, “they will be your ladies in waiting. I chose them specifically because I knew that I could trust them with your wellbeing. They are here to care for you, as I care for you. Whatever you desire, they can get for you.”
I smiled politely at them. “Hello, I’m Emma.”
“That’s Queen Emma,” Oberon reminded the girls, and the use of the title surprised me, “your Queen desires a bath. Draw her one, help her change into a new dress, and bring her tome once you are finished.”
“Of course, your highness,” the three ladies in waiting say with a nod, and they run off to the bathroom to do exactly that.
“I’ll see you soon.” He placed a kiss on my temple, so tender, and so sweet, I felt my heart beating against my chest once more.
I followed the maidens into the bathroom, part of my chamber that I hadn’t even explored.
It was large, and ornate, like everything else in the palace. Its ceiling was made of arched tree limbs, and the bath was made to look like a pond. It got its water from a stream that seemed to flow through the palace.
The three maidens stood there, and moved towards me, to help me disrobe.
“We placed some relaxing oils in the water for you, your majesty,” said the one named Autumn, “and the stars will provide you light, should you need it, as well as the fireflies. When you require assistance for dressing, please call.”
“Thank you.”
I covered my breasts, aware that I was nude before them, and wished that I could cover more. But faeries were not a prudish sort, and I saw Breeze and Fall exchange smirks as they looked at me when they passed by.
I got into the water, that was exactly the right temperature. I lowered myself in, groaning as I did. I hadn’t taken one moment to relax since I had arrived in faerie. In the water, I became aware, once more of my predicament.
He had talked about children. Multiple children, and he talked about things through the long run. As if we had a future. He had kissed me, to seal my bargain. He had faith that what we had was true love. I didn’t even have faith in myself. That I could survive this whole thing without breaking.
Because as I sat there in the water, bathing myself, all I could think of was how much I wanted the water to swallow me whole. I sunk down, until the water covered my whole, entire, head.
In the water, I closed my eyes, and I tried to picture my future. I tried to see myself as Queen of faerie, I tried to picture what it would be like to make my life in faerie. Could I really find happiness here? Did I want to find happiness here?
I didn’t know. I had spent my whole life fighting against this, because that is what someone is supposed to do when they are put in a situation that is not theirs to control. What I did see when I closed my eyes was not who I expected it to be, either.
It should have been Oberon. Or Ben. But it was neither. Instead, as I floated in the water, clearing my mind, the face that consumed my thoughts was Clark. Clark, with his red hair, and freckles. Clark, who looked at me like I was the sun.
I came up from the water, wiping it from my eyes. I bathed myself, thinking of the last time that I had seen Clark. Clark, who had loved me unconditionally from the start, who I had never been able to even give a chance.
I finished bathing and got out of the water. One of the maidens appeared, before I even had called for her. She placed a golden robe over my shoulders. The maidens led me back into my room.
“Can you…”
The three girls turned to look at me. “Can we what, your majesty?” they asked in unison.
“Can you tell me something about Oberon?”
The girls exchanged looks. “What do you want to know?” Fall asked. “Because if you’re worried about him not being able to perform, your majesty, we can assure you that---”
“No,” I shook my head, blushing, “I’m…. I’m not worried about that. I don’t know what kind of man he is, and I’m married to him. I want to know if he’s honorable.”
“Don’t you know, my lady?” Breeze asked.
“Know what?” I said.
“He’s the whole reason that you’re here, that you were even born in the first place,” Breeze said, “surely you know the story of Oberon and your grandfather? Why the bargain was made?”
“My grandfather stole stories,” I replied, “he used faerie for his own, personal, gain. Oberon caught him, and he forced him to give him something in exchange.”
The three maidens shook their head.
“No, no, no,” said Autumn, “that’s not what happened at all. Here, let us dress you, and we will tell you the truth of how all of this came to be. It starts with a lost soldier.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“I think you’d look excellent in red,” Breeze said, “to match the season.”
She went to the closet and pulled out a red dress. It had a long waistline, with sleeves that were trimmed with white fur. They placed it over me. “You’ll need a cloak,” said Fall, “to keep things warm.”
“Perhaps with the King, that won’t be much of a problem.” Autumn laughed, breezily, in a way that made me blush.
“He’d have to touch me first,” I said.
“He hasn’t touched you yet?” the three exchanged looks.
“No,” I whispered, “but that’s not what we need to focus on. I want to know if Oberon is good, and you said you had proof of that.”
“You have the magic mirror that he gave you?” Fall asked.
“Yes,” I told her, “it’s on the bureau. “
I grabbed the mirror, showing them.
Autumn took it in her hands. “Look into the mirror. Ask it what to show you, and it will show you that. Everything you could ever need to know you have access to if you only ask it. We’ll give you some time.”
She gave my shoulder a squeeze.
“When you’re ready, we will come back to escort you to the King,” Breeze told me.
The three disappeared, in a flurry of leaves, and breeze, leaving me alone with the mirror. I stared at it. “Show me the truth about Oberon and my grandfather.”
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