Lina: Twisted Fairy Tales Book Two

1: The Fae Kingdom

“I’m never going sledding again.” I slurred. Or at least, I think that's what came out of my mouth. Someone laughed near me. It was a beautiful laugh, but I didn’t recognize it. Forcing my eyes open, I tried to sit up.

“Oh no, no! Wait for a little while until the transition wears off.” A pretty feminine voice gushed. Cool hands touched my forehead and chest, guiding me back down. “There you are…”

“Transition?” I cracked open my eyes again to see the most beautiful woman I thought I’d ever seen. I’d never doubted my sexuality until that moment, and I would have changed sides just for her. Or played both sides, didn’t matter. She smiled benevolently at me. The smile definitely had me doubting. Maybe I’d ask her later if she had a companion..

“Hmm, transition.. Maybe isn’t the right word? You’ve just travelled, yes? Travelled, into our Realm. For newcomers, it can be quite..” She waved a hand at her head. “Disorienting?” I nodded. Disoriented, I was that. She smiled at me.

“Yes? Good. Especially ones like you with Fae magic in their blood already..” She waved a hand over my body. I nodded again and then sat up swiftly despite her warning.

“Wait, what? I demanded and her concerned noise turned to laughter once more.

“You are..shape changer, yes? That power..is Fae.” She shrugged.

“Alright..” I said skeptically, moving more slowly to spare myself the spinning room sensation. “Well, this dream has been.. interesting..” 

“Dream?” Gorgeous dream lady tilts her head. Seriously those long lashes and pouty lips perfectly offset that straight nose with a slight uptilt, long hair and pointed ears. “You are awake now. Should not be dreaming.” Wait, pointed ears? The graceful slender neck led to those thin, feminine shoulders and shimmering wings occasionally buzzing behind her. I was seeing things, right? I groaned.

“I don’t feel so good.” I leaned over the side of the bed I was on. Really it was more of a very poofy mattress on the floor, but whatever. I was pretty sure I was going to be sick. The feeling was a deep, unsettling ache in my middle, like I’d been hollowed out. It reminded me of the first time I’d ever lost my form. I must have been six winters. My sister would have been around three. We fought endlessly. That’s actually why I shifted. Some squabble over a toy, if I remembered correctly. Suddenly, it felt like I was going to throw up. Like my stomach had been carved out and a hole was eating me up inside. The next thing I knew, red fur had sprouted all over me. Black tipped paws scrabbled at a toy I could no longer grasp. My sister froze, shocked, and then dropped the toy, running to yell for mama. I snatched the toy up with my teeth, having to try several times to get a good grip on it, and ran, afraid I would be in trouble.

It was weird, this running. Four legs instead of two. I’d had dreams since I could remember of running like this. Papa would later say the dreams were because shifting was in my blood, so I even dreamed about it. I don’t know if he was right, or if they were just dreams, but either way, it took me a little while to get used to it. To find my coordination. But I had crawled before I had walked, so my body took to it faster than I expected.

I’d seen my father shift. Of course I had. He’d made no secret of his Shifter abilities. Especially around us children. He didn’t want us to be afraid, should anything happen, or if we developed the skill ourselves. He used to swear up and down he could smell it on us, long before we had our first shift.

More times than I can count, I remember chasing that giant wolf’s tail, or taking a nap with him, curled up in a sunny spot, his big chest smoothly rising and falling as I played with his sun-warmed fur. Even riding on his back around the castle, to many an eye roll from my mother, which always earned a tongue-lolling grin from him.

So I wasn’t afraid of Shifters, or even big, scary animals like I probably should be. But when my body betrayed me that first time, losing its human shape against my will.. I panicked.

I had run down the castle stairs and slipped out the door, startling more than one person on my way. I think whoever it was that held the door open for me probably thought I was a wild animal and was doing me a kindness by letting me out. After all, they all knew my parents’ softness towards creatures, and the wolf could be scary if he caught you harming an animal.

All I knew was, after taking the time to adjust to running on four legs, and realizing I had a tail for balance, my little claws were digging in and propelling me forward as fast as I could go. And then I was in the gardens, and since I was small enough to hide under a bush, I wiggled my way under the branches with my hard-won toy clutched tightly in my aching jaws. Dimly I realized I’d begun to drool and chew on it as I hid, but I was so nervous, I didn’t care.

At some point, they would find me.

At some point, I would have to face punishment.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but my nerves were what was keeping me Shifted. The anxiety, the fear, it just kept my body so adrenaline fueled it couldn’t remember the way back to human. And I nearly chewed the toy into pieces because of it all.

My father gave me some time before he came to find me. And when he did, it was in the shape of the wolf. With a gentle huff, he laid down beside the bush. His huge head was bigger than me, and his nose snuffled at the dirt where I had squirmed underneath the branches to hide. Then he just patiently waited there. He laid with his head on his paws, not really looking at me, but somehow just being there for me in that calm, patient way he had. I eventually crawled out on my belly, tail wagging nervously, and he nudged me with his nose gently. In his eyes, I saw pride and happiness reflected, and I realized then I wasn’t going to be ‘in trouble’ as I had thought. At least not in the way I had thought, or as badly. With his own great tail wagging, his hind-quarters lifted, and he asked me in that way dogs do to play. That afternoon I spent chasing after him in fox-form as the wolf pranced around, being careful of his tiny daughter, until I had exhausted myself enough to shift back. The last thing I remembered was him tucking me into the crook of his arm and carrying me back inside, whispering how proud he was and promising to buy a replacement for the toy I had chewed up in my state of stress, and not to worry about my sister, that she had just gotten worried when I started to change like Papa.

I jerked awake as somebody lifted and resettled my body from the awkward position I had been in hanging over the side of the bed. My hand shot out, an automatic reaction, as I tried to force the unfamiliar person to back off. My fist was caught inside a steel cage. The fingers of the other hand completely engulfed my hand and then some, the strength unbelievable.

“Ah, ah, ah, Laoina.” A gentle voice murmured in the most delicious masculine tones. My eyes shot open to see the strange Fae King, my abductor, his own odd blue-green eyes swirling just inches from mine. I swung my other fist.

“I told you, my name’s Malina!” I grit out, but before my fist could make contact, he was gone. “What the..”

“Oh dear child, you have so much to learn about the Folk and your new place among them.” The Fae King tsked. He stood off to the side, leaning against a wall as he examined his nails, as if he hadn’t just been beside me as I tried to attack him.

“I don’t want a place among them. I want to go home.” I retorted, forcing myself into an upright position. The Fae King’s eyes flashed with anger as his gaze met mine. Suddenly, he was across the room again and right in front of me.

“That is too bad. You are mine. I have manipulated and maneuvered too many events to have you, and now that I do, here is where you shall remain. You are my fated now. Destiny has tied our souls together. I have seen it all. I already know how this ends.” The anger abruptly drained from his face, and he reached out a gentle hand to caress my cheek. The move was surprisingly sweet and loving, his thumb running along my cheekbone. A complete contradiction to what came before. “My little Laoina, you are the key to saving us all.” Angrily, I slapped his hand away and then dizzily fell back to the bed. He tutted like he hadn’t just had a full blown rage fit right in front of me, and sat down beside me to smooth my hair.

“That’s why, until you’re ready, I’m going to protect you and keep you safe, my little Vixen. There are many in these Realms and others, that would consider you a threat. So I’ve simply removed the temptation for them to move against you by bringing you here, where you’ll be safe. With me.” He crooned. I eyed him from my place on the bed, and swatted at his hands again.

“What’s wrong with you?” I blurted. I swore he was crazy. There was no way his behavior could be normal. He completely ignored me and kept talking.

“Our children will rule thisRealm. And yours.” He purred. “They will be powerful, awe-inspiring, little love.”

“Ch-children! Love? Excuse me?” I batted at his hands, ignoring the way it ruffled my hair, turning it into a bird’s nest as I struggled away from him. He frowned down at me.

“My dear, of course there’ll be children! It’s a husband’s duty to provide them, after all. And children are so precious in the Realm.” This time, his expression was a mixture of wistful and longing and some sadness I couldn’t comprehend. I pointed a finger at him, propping myself up on a shaky arm.

“Now you listen here you complete and utter lunatic..” I growled. My nails lengthened slightly as the growl reverberated in my chest. However, I didn’t have the strength for a full change yet. The Fae King tutted again.

“Come now, put your claws away, my Laoina.” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of my pointing finger, and like I’d been zapped, my whole body jolted and my nails receded. I flopped back to the bed, exhausted. “There, that’s better. You just rest. I’ll be by to check on you again later.” He kissed my forehead next, murmuring “My little Laoina.” against my skin. My whole body suddenly felt like it was disconnected from me and I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

“Not.. yours..” I managed before succumbing. His chuckle was the last thing I heard. He was definitely crazy as a loon.