Few things made me fear for my life.
One of them was lightning storms, which always seemed to strike so close to the palace. I always imagined the bolts would somehow find their way through the open windows and strike me dead.
Another was fevers. I’d never had one, but mother once told me that having a fever could be lethal for a fae. Therefore, I always ensured that I was in perfect health condition.
But nothing could make me fear for my life more than the sight of father bearing down on me. He walked slowly, each heavy footsteps echoing in the silence which had spread through the hall at the sight of his rage. His hands twitched beside him, a sign that he was trying desperately to keep his temper in check.
Abigail retreated slowly from beside me, visibly shaking with terror. But I didn’t move. Not even when father stopped right in front of me, so close that if he’d wished to reach out and strangle me, then I wouldn’t be able to escape.
He seemed to be struggling with an emotion I could not yet understand. But his rage was apparent above everything else.
"Repeat yourself," he said finally, his jaw flexing angrily.
For a moment, I hesitated. But I straightened my back and looked him straight in the eye.
"I invoked the Law of first sight," I repeated.
"Do you know what that law means, Layla?" he asked carefully.
I’d only heard about it once. Mother once told me of how my great-grandfather, King Stefan, used the law to prevent his father from banishing my great-grandmother hundreds of years ago. In essence, if someone were to see something before anyone else, then only he would have a claim over it. Neither the king nor anyone else would have any power over the object in dispute as long as one invoked the law. My great-grandfather was the first person who applied the law to a human and it worked. It was only fitting that I should do the same as well.
"So," father said, "you’re saying you found this-this human first? Before any of us?"
"That is right," I replied.
"And when was this?"
"Earlier this morning," I said. "Abigail and I found him in the woods. We helped him and led him safely to my treehouse. I didn’t know he would wake up sooner, otherwise I would have restrained him."
"I see," father muttered. "Layla, do you understand the true repercussions of the law you’ve just invoked?"
I looked around at the faces staring at us. In most of them I saw terror, while in others there was an unmasked curiosity. In mother’s face however I saw fear. Perhaps it had been unwise to invoke the law when I wasn’t even fully aware of what it did.
"Layla, this human is now forever in your charge," father said. "His life is in your hands now, and there is nothing anyone can do to break the bond. He belongs to you, and it is your responsibility to care for him as best as you can. That is the true repercussion of the law."
I still didn’t completely understand what he was saying. And he must have recognized that I didn’t understand.
Suddenly, he grabbed a sword from the closest guard and lunged at the human boy. For a split second, I wasn’t aware of what he was about to do. But when I saw the sword raised, a powerful wail escaped from my lips, and a blinding explosion erupted between the three of us. Father was thrown back violently, but he managed to stay on his feet. The human boy had been blasted backwards as well, so violently that he fell from the grasp of the guards who had been holding him. Even I was thrown backwards, and I landed several meters away. My arm scraped against the ground and I could feel it already beginning to bleed.
Father didn’t seem fazed by this however. He casually walked up to me, eyes narrowed as he glared down.
"That," he said, "is what happens when you don’t take your responsibilities seriously. If anyone tries to harm him and you sit back and do nothing, this will happen again."
He threw the sword down at my feet before turning around and walking away. I watched him exit the hall with heavy footsteps, his shoulders square and irritated. The silence prevailed, while the human boy struggled to get back up to his feet. I remained on the ground, too terrified to even move.
"Layla," mother suddenly whispered into my ear, "come. Let’s get you cleaned up."
I was aware of the hundred of eyes staring closely at me, no doubt trying to gather as much information as possible so that when they leave, they would be able to spread the news as much as they possibly could. I paid no attention to them however. I allowed mother to lift me to my feet, and I leaned into her as she lead me out of the hall. Two guards followed, keeping the crowd at bay as everyone pushed in closer to get a good look at me.
"Don’t worry," mother kept whispering.
"Everything will be fine."
But I knew she didn’t believe that. How could she, when her arms were trembling so violently it was a miracle that she could even hold on to me. I said nothing all through her soothing words. There was a faint ringing in my ear, probably from the blast.
We hurried across the hallway, the guards barking every servant we passed out of the way. They didn’t lead me to my room like I’d expected. Instead, they led me to mother’s chambers. I was shuffled inside quickly, and mother slammed the door behind us after ordering the guards not to let anyone through. She bolted it as well before turning to face me.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
I nodded weakly, too frightened to bother if it were true or not.
"Are you sure?" mother asked, taking a step forward. "I can call the healers if you need to be checked."
"I’m fine," I muttered, my voice too weak to say anything else.
"What the hell do you think you were doing down there?" she stormed, as I knew she was going to. "Do you have any idea what you’ve just done? Do you have even a single clue how this could affect your entire life?"
She took a step forward, and I almost thought she was going to hit me. But then she placed her arms on my shoulders and shook me violently.
"Layla, why would you do something like that?" she asked, struggling to stop herself from yelling. "Why in Danu's name would you even think of pulling a stunt like that? And for what? For some human boy who, like you said, you only met today? Are you out of your mind? And why today, of all days? Why would you do this to your father?"
The questions came pouring out one after the other, and I wasn’t even sure she wanted me to answer any one of them. It mostly seemed like the questions were just burning inside her and she just needed to get them out.
She released me abruptly, and walked towards the window unsteadily. I’d never seen her so flustered before. She looked completely out of it, and I felt bad for having put her in that state.
"I’m sorry, mother," I said as she reached the window and stared out with her back turned to me. "I didn’t know what I was thinking at the time."
"You should have thought about it carefully," she said. "You are a princess. While everyone else loses their minds, you’re supposed to keep yours. I don’t expect you to behave like this. It’s not how I raised you."
"But father was going to kill him," I said. "What would you have had me do?"
"Nothing," she sighed. "I would have had you do nothing."
"Does his life not matter?" I asked. "Should I just let father execute him because he is a human?"
Mother turned to look at me slowly. Her eyes were vacant, but I could almost hear the wheels in her head turning.
"He is not your responsibility, Layla," the corner of her mouth quirked up angrily . "He is not one of us. I don’t care how you found him. And I certainly do not care that you found him first. But you should remember that he is not one of us. That he looks like us and talks like us means absolutely nothing. Humans are vile creatures. They’re cold, cruel and calculating. If the roles were reversed, then that human boy would never have stood up for you. He wouldn’t have cared what happened to you. That’s how selfish humans are. They care only for themselves and their own kind."
I turned my back on her, something I’d never done before.
"I cannot do that," I balled my hands tightly. "I cannot let someone die without doing all I can to stop it, regardless of whether the person is a fae or not."
"We do not want history to repeat itself!" This time, she yelled, letting out all the emotions she had been holding back. "I won't sit back and watch that happen!"
"Mother..."
"Layla."
She didn’t raise her voice. She merely spoke sternly, and her tone was enough to send a sliver of terror down my spine. I’d never disrespected mother before. I would be stupid to even try that. But there was something about the matter that I simply couldn’t let go of.
I heard her take a step forward, but I held my ground. I expected some harsh remark to follow, but she said nothing. Instead she sighed, and I heard her walking towards the door.
"You are not to leave this room," she commanded. "Not until I speak with your father. We will decide what fate awaits you after this. The guards will not move an inch, so don’t even think about slipping past them."
As she left the room, a sinking feeling descended on me. I struggled to contain my despair, but everywhere I turned, it seemed to rear it’s ugly head at me.
They had no right to do this. Sure, I didn’t know the full repercussions of what I was doing at the time, but the damage had been done. Now it was my responsibility to deal with it, and they couldn’t just keep me locked in the room while they decided on what to do. I had a right to know what was being planned. What if they decided to hurt him behind my back?
But I knew they hadn’t done anything rash. At least not yet. I didn’t know how I knew, but something inside me was confident that he was safe. If what happened earlier was something to go by, then no one could hurt him without me knowing.
But where was he now? Most likely in the dungeon. That seemed like the right place to keep him. At least until father decided on what to do.
I was suddenly overcome with the urge to see him. I needed to speak with him, at least to understand if I’d done the right thing or not. I had to have a conversation with him, since we hadn’t really spoken ever since I found him.
I walked towards the door slowly, straining my ears to hear any movement outside. As soon as I pulled the door open a fraction of an inch, both guards turned to face me.
"Her majesty said you are not allowed to leave this room," one of them said. "Go back inside."
"I am the princess," I sneered. "And I order you to let me leave."
"You cannot undermine the queen’s instruction as her orders supersede yours," the other guard said. "Go back inside now. If you need anything, then we will bring it to you."
I slammed the door loudly in their face and began to pace the length of the room.
How could I leave the room without them knowing? They wouldn’t budge no matter what. And it was obvious that I had to find another means of escape.
The window, perhaps?
We were about eighty meters above the ground. If I tripped and fell, then my life would be over within seconds.
But then, there was a little ledge which wrapped around the entire tower. Perhaps if I pressed myself up against the side of the tower, I could then tread carefully across the ledge and down onto the balcony of the study beneath mother’s bedroom. Surely there wouldn’t be any guards stationed there.
It was a risk worth taking.
Carefully, I lowered myself onto the ledge. I wasn’t exactly dressed for the occasion, but I managed to carefully make my way across the ledge. I tried not to look down, and I kept my body as tightly pressed against the wall as possible. Once, a powerful gust of wind nearly sent me flying off the ledge. But I held on for dear life, and soon I was finally above the balcony of the study. I dropped down carefully, and pushed open the doors which were thankfully open. I dashed across the room, and to my elation, there were no guards stationed outside. I dashed across the passage which led to the study, and out into the main hall.
I walked calmly then, since there was no need to rush. Only the guards upstairs knew that I wasn’t supposed to leave mother’s chambers. If any other guards saw me running across the hallways, then they would be suspicious of me. And I couldn’t waste my time on that.
I soon reached the dungeon, where a single guard was leaning against the wall, his spear leaning as well beside him.
I blew out a breath slowly before I walked up to the guard. He straightened up as soon as he saw me, and I saw the recognition flash in his eyes as he saw who I was.
"Your Highness," he said, bowing deeply.
"Has the human prisoner been brought here yet?" I asked, keeping my head held high.
"Uh, yes he has, Your Highness," he said quickly. "We are keeping him on a high level of security. His Majesty specifically instructed that no one should be let in to see him."
"I see."
The guard tugged at his collar, clearly intimidated by my presence. I needed that, if my plan was going to have a chance of success.
"Um, Your Highness?" he said, nearly choking on his words.
"Yes?"
"Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked.
"Are you really expecting me to tell you to open the doors?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked about ready to jump out of a window with the way I was looking at him, and I wasn’t about to make it easy for him.
"B-b-but Your Highness," he said, "t-the king said...,"
"That no one should be allowed to see him," I said, cutting him off. "Did he say that I couldn’t see him as well?"
"W-well, not precisely, b-but he..."
"Are you going to open the doors or do I have to do it myself?" I asked, tapping my feet irritatedly on the floor. His eyes followed the movement, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
"W-well, i-i-if you insist," he bowed finally, reaching for the keys which were hanging on a hoop behind him. "You may see him."
"You say that like it was even a question in the first place," I scoffed.
He hurriedly opened the doors and stepped aside. I didn’t pay him a second glance as I walked through the doors.
I’d only ever been to the dungeons about three times in the past. It was a long and narrow hallway, with several cells on either side. Each of them was lined with metal bars, which stretched high into the ceiling and disappeared.
I made my way slowly across the hallway, checking each cell as I passed. Torches were arranged on each side of the wall between two cells, and the flames burnt faintly. Most of the cells were empty, as father usually had the prisoners set free after a certain period of time.
I found the human in the last cell, shivering in the cold. He looked up sharply at the sound of my footsteps and rushed backwards. The long gash across his stomach and leg seemed marginally better than when I’d found him in the forest, but he still looked weak and unhealthy. I felt sorry for him, his eyes caved in so much that they gave his head a skeletal look.
"A-are you here to kill me?" he asked, his voice weak.
"Are you forgetting that I’m the one who saved you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don’t remember anything," he said, coughing slightly. Perhaps he was scared because I hadn’t stepped fully into the light.
"How did a human come to end up in our realm?" I asked, still not stepping into the light. "What were you doing?"
"I-I don’t remember," he mumbled, avoiding my eyes. "It’s all a bit fuzzy. All I remember is waking up in a treehouse and wandering outside."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "You don’t remember anything about where you came from or who you are?"
He leaned forward then, and his eyes seemed to brighten as he looked carefully at me. Inadvertently, I found myself stepping closer into the light so he could see me properly.
"I look pathetic having a girl stand up for me back there. But please, forget I said that. However, I remember a name," he said. "It was like a dream; a dream I cannot quite remember. But I remember it now. Layla, wasn’t it?"
So he had heard me earlier when I spoke to him in the treehouse. I pretended not to know what he was talking about. He looked lost, and I didn’t want to stress him too much with so much information already. Funny that he found it quiet disturbing that a young 'girl' as he said saved him. He's in for a deeper shock when he realises I now own him. Completely.
"That seems like a strange name for a man like you," I smiled.
He smiled too, and some remnants of what must have been a stunning handsomeness seemed to shine through.
"That’s not my name," he replied slowly, giving me a one over look. "But I’m guessing it’s yours."
I neither confirmed nor denied it.
"What’s your name then?" I asked.
He leaned forward even more, and his eyes danced with a new light.
"Sebastian," he said. "My name is Sebastian."