Deidre's Faerie Tale Ch. 08

Lady Ilyn was pale, well, more pale than usual. She wore a long black dress, her hair was pulled back in a severe bun, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Yet, when she walked up to me, she smiled.

"You're ruling was fair, and just, and extremely generous," she said bowing her head.

"I'm sorry, Lady Ilyn. I really am sorry."

"You've no need for apologies, my queen, and I could never apologize enough." She put her trembling fingers over her mouth and turned away.

I was shaky myself. I was standing in the meeting hall. The members of parliament were bowing to me and filing out. They had served with my father; they had known him and had insisted that Lyrik be punished in the worst way possible. Their gazes never left her while I had announced my decision.

The hardest part was looking at Lyrik. She stood before me, hair streaked with dirt, dress torn and smudged. She was practically emaciated from refusing to eat and her blue eyes were hard and dull like rocks as she stared at me.

"Banishment," I announced in a clear, strong voice, "For the murder of your king and stepfather, you are banished to the New World. Your ears will be blunted and your memory will be wiped of all you've known. You will never be allowed into another Elvin colony. You will not know your true identity. I believe this is doing you a favor because you've gone so far against our ideals and core values that I don't think you will ever be able to assimilate back into our society. Your punishment is to be executed immediately so if you wish to say goodbye to your mother, or ask her to accompany you, this would be the time to do so."

Lyrik's voice was stronger than she looked. "I have no more business with anyone."

I glanced at Lady Ilyn then, she held a gauzy handkerchief to her face, but didn't make a sound.

"Right, then," I said facing Lyrik again. "The memory potion waits for you. Guards, escort her to the basement, and then to the airport."

"Your highness," Tolem said beside me. I jolted out of my memory and turned to him. "May I escort you upstairs?"

"Please," I said with a smile. He took my elbow and led me through the first floor, and upstairs. I was only barely aware of moving my own feet. It was heavy, deciding the course of another person's life. "Is it really a punishment?" I asked Tolem when we'd entered my sitting room.

"What do you mean?"

I sunk onto the chair and sighed. "Is it really punishing Lyrik to send her away when she won't remember ever being here in the first place?"

Tolem sat beside me. "She'll always know that part of her is missing. She just won't remember the specifics. It's difficult for us to assimilate into human society, almost impossible to do it seamlessly. When we try, they always see us as just a bit off."

"Don't I know it," I grumbled.

"So Lyrik won't remember how to get back to us, but she'll know that she belongs elsewhere. She won't remember her mother's face, but she'll miss the love that she's lost. So, I think she'll be thoroughly punished."

I sighed and put my head on his shoulder. "Good." A knock at the door made us jump apart. "Come in," I called standing.

"Your highness," Trilla said as she walked in, "I have wonderful news for you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your mother has agreed to travel and will be here next week."

I started crying. Right there, in front of Trilla and Tolem I began to sob. My knees buckled and both of them stepped forward to catch me. I waved them back and sunk to my knees on the rug. The sky blue skirt I was wearing puffed around me like a pillow as I collapsed. I buried my face in the fabric and cried until I hiccupped. When I finally looked up, both Tolem and Trilla were staring at me as though I'd completely lost my mind.

Trilla spoke first. "Your highness, I'm so sorry. I thought you'd be pleased with the fact that your mother is coming."

"I am happy, Trilla. I just...it was just too much after what just happened. I just went into overload for a minute. I've missed her so much." I was hiccupping gently, my chest constricting after every five or six words.

Trilla nodded and turned away.

Tolem bent down to me, tucked his hand under my arm and lifted me to my feet. His face looked like he wanted to say something. His eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth was set in a line. He opened it for a second, but glanced back at Trilla and shut it again. I let him lead me to the bed. He put both large hands on my waist and hoisted me high so I landed on the bed.

I watched him slip off my ice blue heeled sandals and drop them at the foot of the bed.

"Rest," he said after he'd put my legs up on the bed too. "I will return."

I let my eyes drift closed after the door shut behind him and Trilla. I was spent. Not physically, but emotionally. My mind was muddled with the emotions I'd felt rolling off Lyrik and Lady Ilyn and Tolem and Trilla.

Lyrik had stood in front of me, cold and glaring, but behind that façade, she was seething with anger. I knew it because I could feel the resentment rolling off her in waves. She resented me for being me and taking the crown that she'd wanted. She resented her mother for being lucky enough to marry a king, but not using that luck to secure Lyrik's position or even provide an heir that would keep them royals even after the king's death. She even resented my father for never loving her mother the way he'd loved mine. Lyrik hadn't wanted a father, not mine and certainly not hers. She'd wanted position and security. She'd wanted to know that her future was going to make her special. It wouldn't have mattered if she was the bastard child of some unknown once she was a queen.

Lady Ilyn had been devastated. She couldn't understand why she hadn't seen her daughter's true nature beneath the smiles and pomp. She really couldn't understand why Lyrik had done something so dark and devastating; to murder the man that had raised her...the man that she'd loved so much...even if he didn't love her that way.

Tolem had been overwhelmed when I'd started crying. He'd never been around someone as emotional as me. He had to physically fight the urge to pick me up and soothe me until my tears dried.

Trilla had been jealous after I'd confessed how much I'd missed my mother. The emotion had come out of nowhere and caused her acute distress. She didn't want to be jealous; she didn't want to feel the loss of her mother any more. Being motherless had never been such an issue before. She couldn't ignore it anymore.

I knew all this and I'd felt all this because since I'd gotten up that morning, I'd been in my own hyper-emotional state and that had, somehow, left me open and unguarded to all other people's emotions. The people that I'd gotten close to in the past months were transferring to me. That had been part of my breakdown. The happiness I'd felt at the idea of my mother being with me had put me over the limit. I just couldn't feel one more damn thing.

I don't know at what point I passed out, but next thing I knew, I was being woken up. Ella was sitting cross-legged beside me when I opened my eyes. "Hi there, Ella Bella," I croaked.

"Hi there, Mommy." She smiled at me and giggled.

"What's so funny?" I asked sitting up.

"Tolem said that you were tired because of the meeting this morning, but I snuck in here and watched you sleep. You breathe funny when you're sleeping." Ella's dark brown hair spilled over her shoulders as she covered her mouth to smother more giggles.

"Are you saying I snore?" I teased.

"No mommy, but you kind of mumble in your sleep and sigh a lot." Ella snuggled close to me, pulling my arm over her chest. I pressed my nose into her hair, it smelt like lavender. Ella was wearing a play set, gingham-print pants and a paisley t-shirt. Her bare feet wrapped around my leg as she settled in.

"So, what's going on?"

"Lady Ilyn is sad," Ella started. "She said it's because her daughter did something bad and had to leave."

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything.

"She also told me that I'm getting a security detail, like you've got."

I had almost forgotten about that. Trilla had insisted that Ella needed her own security elf for protection. I argued that I'd raised her for the past seven years and she was fine, but Tolem had cleared his throat from the corner. One look at him and I was reminded of his warning about my own safety. Even if I was willing to risk my own safety, I wouldn't do the same to my daughter.

They were right. Ella had to be kept safe.

"Yes, Trilla is interviewing for the position now." I ran my hand over her soft hair.

"If I'm getting' a tutor why do I need a security detail? That's an awful lot of stuff just for me." Ella pressed closer to me.

I smiled. "You're worth it, Ella Bella. We've gotta keep you safe and keep you smart."

"I get the tutor, because I'm not in school here yet, but Tolem told me that grandma is going to be here soon. Why can't she watch me instead of someone I don't even know!" Ella huffed out a sigh.

"Your grandma is tough, but she can't fight anybody. She's not trained to fight. She can cook like nobody's business, but she's not a bodyguard. Honestly, we may have to get a security detail for your grandma too! Can you imagine her in a sword fight, or boxing somebody?"

Ella laughed out loud. "Okay, I get it."

There was a knock on the door just before Tolem walked into the room. Something softened in his face when he saw that both of us were curled up on the bed together. The subtle change wasn't obvious, his jaw line softened and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Your highness," he said nodding to me. "Princess Ella," he said to my daughter who giggled. "Dinner will be served in the next half hour. Lady Ilyn would like to join you for the meal."

"Of course," I said. "We'll be ready."

Tolem nodded and left us.

"He wants to kiss you, mommy. He's the one, I just know it." Ella untangled herself from our cuddle. "Do you want to kiss him?"

I thought about lying. It would be so convenient for my daughter to imagine me as some asexual being that had been given her through Immaculate Conception. That wasn't honest, though. "Yeah," I said on a sigh. "I'd like to kiss him, but don't tell anybody."

"Why not?" Ella asked, tucking her legs beneath her.

"Queens can't go around kissing any and everybody. It wouldn't be right. It's not royal behavior!"

"Oh," said Ella frowning. "Then how will you two get married?"

If I hadn't been sitting in the bed, I would have fallen down. "Married?" I repeated.

Ella opened her mouth to respond, but Tolem knocked again. "We've gotta go, mommy. Hurry up and get ready. I'm going to watch Miri set the table."

Miri was one of the kitchen staff, a tall pale red-head with a shy manner. She was mostly responsible for cleaning and prep work. She also set and cleared the table for meals. Ella enjoyed watching her work, something about the meticulous way she did things.

I hurried out of the bed, hopped in the shower and pulled on some linen pants and a pale yellow halter top. I stuck my feel in a pair of flip flops that had been delivered from Guam a week before. There was a dinner scheduled where she would meet all the royals that kept sending her gifts to congratulate her on ascending the throne. I wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting the United Colors of Elvin Royalty, but it had to be done. I pushed that frightening thought from my mind as I pulled a brush through my hair.

"There was one last knock on my door before I rushed out. "Okay okay, I'm ready."

Tolem glanced over my outfit and smirked.

"Lovely," as he fell in step behind me.

"Yes," I threw over my shoulder at him, "I did dress for dinner."

He chuckled and I practically jogged down the stairs.

Lady Ilyn stood when I entered the dining room. One more thing that just didn't sit well with me; she was my elder and I really didn't think she should have to rise for me, queen or not. Ella hurried up to me and slipped her hand into mine.

"We're having Vagan Bateta nu Shak," Ella said grinning.

I nodded like I knew what the hell she was talking about. I didn't.

Turns out Vagan Bateta nu Shak is an Indian dish, an eggplant and potato curry served with Basmati rice. Maybe I was acclimating to the vegetarian diet, but it was delicious. I made a mental note to ask to have it again.

Miri was clearing the dishes with quiet efficiency when Lady Ilyn spoke to me directly. She inclined her head, causing her pale hair to tumble over her shoulder. I tried not to notice how her black dress made her pale hair and skin even more so, she was just shy of translucent.

"My queen," she said in a voice thick with emotion, "I feel it necessary for me to leave. I've made arrangements to open my family's estate for my arrival."

I didn't know what to say. Dropping to my knees and begging her not to leave because I needed her to teach me how to be a queen didn't seem appropriate. Sure Trilla could teach me the rules and regulations, but only Lady Ilyn could teach me how to be deferent and commanding at the same time.

"I know that your mother is on her way and after the events of today, I find myself, not up to the challenge of confronting a woman that most certainly resents me."

I blinked. "My mama doesn't resent you. She doesn't even know you."

Lady Ilyn's shoulders slumped slightly. She still had the posture of a Prima Ballerina, but there was a minute collapse. "She was his first love, his only true love. He married me and that led to his demise." My step-mother's slender fingers pressed against her pursed lips for a moment, to gather herself.

"My mother won't be mad at you, I promise."

"Grandma loves to make new friends," Ella offered.

We both smiled at her. "Ella is right," I pressed. "Please don't leave on account of your own assumptions. My mother isn't vengeful, she's a loving person and very forgiving. Trust me." Lady Ilyn smiled. "If it is your wish, I will postpone my trip."

"I do wish," I said smiling at my step mother.

"Don't worry about anything."

***

I am not the world's best shopper. I don't get into trying stuff on or price-matching. I don't quite get double coupons and it took me a while to catch on to what the hell BOGO means.

That's why I was so glad that Lady Ilyn was well-versed in the fine art of shopping and volunteered to take my daughter along for some on the job training. I didn't realize until the third day Ella came to the breakfast table in a silk and lace dress...a far departure from the jeans and Hanes t-shirts still packed in her little suitcase upstairs...that my daughter was becoming a little princess.

I already knew my own wardrobe had changed, but Ella seemed to really fit the delicate dresses. Her pale skin and rosy cheeks, in addition to the ankle-length gowns reminded me of a Jane Austen novel. For her part, Lady Ilyn took very well to having a child in the castle. She doted on Ella, even more than Tolem—which was saying something. The child was going to be spoiled in a hot minute.

"Mommy," Ella said over breakfast, "may I puh-leeze go into town today and play with the flower girl?"

I pushed my Belgian waffle pieces around on the plate. "Please use her name," I admonished.

"I can't remember her name," Ella sighed.

"Well," I said, "learn her name and you may go into town and play with her."

"Mommy," Ella whined.

"Ella Bella," I answered, "Just because you're a princess, doesn't mean you gotta act like one!" Tolem cleared his throat behind me. I ignored him. "Nissa is a wonderful little girl and I'd like for the two of you to be friends, be respectful enough to at least take the time to learn her name."

"Yes, ma'am," Ella sighed looking forlorn into her syrup covered plate. Her waffles were long gone.

"Your highness," Lady Ilyn said from her seat. She was no longer wearing black. Two days after Lyrik's leaving, she was back in the pastels and her smile was almost back to what it was before. This morning she wore white linen pants and a lavender blouse. All she needed was a sweater tied at the neck and she would look like a country club lunching, SUV driving, suburban dwelling, soccer mom. "If it's all right, I'll escort Ella to the flower store. I'm sure her father can spare the girl for a few hours, especially with a playmate like Ella."

I smiled. "I'm sure he will, Lady Ilyn. You won't have any problems watching both girls?"

"Baer will be with us," Lady Ilyn said gesturing to her own security detail. Baer was putting it mildly if you asked me. Lady Ilyn's security detail was a hulking man, he could have easily passed for a professional wrestler and not just because his bald head was always suspiciously shiny. His muscles had muscles and his neck was nowhere to be found. It was easy to forget that he was around since he always stood so still, but as soon Lady Ilyn moved, he moved and you were immediately nervous. Let's just say, you could pitch a tent in Baer's shadow at high noon.

"I think that would be nice," I told my step-mother. "Thank you."

***

My hips rose off the mattress.

"Tolem," I whispered.

He laughed deep in his throat, a cross between a growl and a chuckle. His long hair drifted over my bare skin as he hovered above me. The tickling of his hair was driving me to distraction. I couldn't focus on his chiseled bare chest or his cocky smile...my concentration was drawn to the goose bumps caused by the gently caress of his soft hair.

Then he touched me.

We were on my bed. Lady Ilyn and Ella had gone into town right after breakfast and we'd had a meeting with Trilla in her cramped office that morning. She left after the two hour meeting to go home. It was one of her half-days. I'd given Tolem a meaningful look and headed up the stairs. He followed in silence and locked the door behind us.

As soon as he turned around, I was in his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked my ankles behind his back. This was quickly becoming my favorite place in the world. Tolem walked us through the sitting room, to my just-made bed and proceeded to wrinkle the duvet...a helluva lot.

His large hands gripped my waist, and then traveled up my sides. He stopped at my breasts, dragging his thick thumbs over my nipples. I heard myself whimper...actually whimper...I was seriously close to begging.

Tolem's only answer was a kiss, a deep, probing kiss that seemed to explore every nook of my mouth. I whimpered again and bit his bottom lip, the soothed it with my tongue, but he growled anyway. I was shaking, I wanted him so bad. My hands drifted down his sculpted chest and I began to tug at his pants. They didn't budge.

Tolem leaned closer and I could feel his erection snug against my weeping pussy.

"Please," I begged, pride forgotten. "Take them off, please!"

"I can't do that," he said evenly. "The princess could return at any moment and Trilla..."

"Trilla is off this afternoon," I hissed, "and Ella will play with Nissa all day."

I have never wanted to rape a man before, but I hadn't gotten laid in so long, it was just plain sad. My battery-operated-boyfriend was doing nothing for me. I suspected it was because I wanted the real thing, in the bedroom next to mine. Tolem rolled off me and I stared up at the ceiling. He straightened his clothes and I glowered at him.

"I'm gonna need you to send someone to the store and pick up some industrial sized batteries." Tolem laughed.

"I'm serious," I said struggling to sit up. I couldn't even think about pulling myself together when my pussy was still buzzing.

Tolem dropped onto the bed. I bounced twice. "Tomorrow, we'll speak to Trilla about our future."

"Trilla?" I breathed. "We have to talk to Trilla about this?"

Tolem smiled. "She'll find out eventually...everyone will."