Faery Kissed (7 page)

“
Which way do we go?” I
asked.

“
You decided.” She smiled
at me in excitement.

“
Left, let’s go
left.”

“
Done.”

We slowed when the walkway narrowed, leading
up to the first set of steps. I peered curiously over the edge to
the layers of city that were both beneath and above us in the
canyon walls. I noticed something I had missed before. Slim, stone,
footbridges spanned the lower part of the canyon, nearer to the
water, accessing both sides of the walls. It was clear there was no
way this civilization used anything like horses or carriages—there
would be no way for them to maneuver around. There were, however,
long, thin boats tethered down in the water near multiple
docks.

Eirian watched me with avid interest before
leaning to look over the edge. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

“
Yes,” I agreed. “Why are
there so many boats?”

“
They’re used to get around
the city. The canyon travels farther than the eye can see, and what
you can’t tell from here, is that there are other crevices that
branch off of this one. The city is huge. It would take several
days to explore every part of it.”

“
Does it all look like
this? Or are there different classes of living?”

“
The whole city proudly
boasts the same fine architecture. We are creators of things of
beauty. There are also tunnels chiseled through the rock, and more
dwellings in there too, just as lovely as you see out
here.”

My mind couldn’t even fathom this. “It seems
like that would be depressing—living without fresh air and
light.”

“
There are holes put in
strategic places which help everything to stay well-ventilated, and
faery light is used to keep things bright.”

“
Faery light?”

She gestured to some of the glass orbs
housing the bluish light. “Nothing a little magic can’t fix.”

There was so much I didn’t know about her
and her people. I couldn’t believe I was part of this place now. It
would be my home too. It seemed overwhelming.

“
What do you want to see
first?” she asked with a smile.

“
I have no idea where to
even start. How about our home?”

“
Our home?” She looked
surprised.

“
Yes.” I pulled her to me.
“I like to see where I’ll be living—where I will spend my time
ravishing my attractive wife.”

“
Oh,” she whispered with a
blush. “That would be down there then.” She pointed to the
castle.

“
You seem hesitant. Is
something wrong?”

She smiled nervously. “I’ve just never
thought of it as our home.”

“
Well, now you can. Let’s
go there, and you can show me anything else you desire along the
way. Whatever we don’t see tonight, you can show me tomorrow, and
the next day, and the next
day . . . .”

“
And the next day,” she
added with a grin. “I just thought you’d want to see things
tonight, while there were less people around. That way you won’t
have to keep up pretenses.”

I glanced around realizing for the first
time that there were not people milling about. I hadn’t noticed in
my initial awe.

“
Is it normal for the city
to be so empty at night?” It seemed almost eerie to me in a place
of this magnitude.

“
On the outer walls, yes,
most people tend to stay to the interior portions at night, though
occasionally you may see a couple of lovers strolling out this way.
They sneak to the gardens to make love under the trees.” She smiled
and I winked at her.

“
I can’t imagine why anyone
would want to do that.” I brushed my lips against her forehead. “So
people are free to come and go as they choose?”

“
For the most part. There
are always guards and sentinels watching over the place. Things are
well protected.”

I glanced around. “Well, I certainly haven’t
seen any guards.”

She smiled wider. “That’s the whole point.
Trust me, they’re there and watching us right now.”

I ran one hand into her hair and kissed her
hotly, moving my lips over her with a familiarity that surprised
even me. My other hand roamed freely over her lithe frame,
exploring her slender curves. She gripped my shoulder, allowing my
tender assault, and when we broke apart she was panting.

“
What was that
for?”

“
You said I needed to keep
up appearances. Just doing my job. Was I besotted enough?” I
laughed.

“
Oh, is that all it was?”
She looked disappointed, turning to walk away.

I grabbed her and pulled her back. “No,
that’s not all it was.” I kissed her again, and she giggled against
my mouth, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“
I thought you wanted to go
home.”

“
This delay isn’t so
bad.”

“
We can do this—and more—at
home.” Her eyes were twinkling.

“
You’re right. Lead the
way, my princess.” I stepped away and gave a formal bow.

“
Very nicely done. It’s
nice to see you have manners,” she teased.

“
I’m not a complete
heathen—only a partial one.”

“
I hope you will never
change. I love you just the way you are.” She smiled softly, her
love radiating through her eyes, and also something that looked
like hurt.

I felt bad that I couldn’t offer her the
sentiments she desired to hear, but I was positive they would come
with time. While I was obviously extremely attracted to her, I
honestly enjoyed her company. She was kind, thoughtful, and easy to
be around. I liked her—of this I was sure—and we were married.
Certainly, love would follow.

Despite my earlier resolve, a moment of
regret over Ceridwen stabbed me again. I wished something could be
done to help ease the pain she must be going through. My honor
wouldn’t allow me to let it go completely. I hated that I was
moving forward in my life without her. I hated that I had just
disappeared and couldn’t send word and explain my feelings to her.
I hated that even if I could send word, my message would hurt her
just as badly.

There wasn’t even the possibility of blaming
fate for all of this. No, my conscience would never be clear. I
only had myself and Eirian to blame for everything. I’d made the
choice to come. She’d made the choice to enchant me. It seemed
terribly unfair that we would be the ones trying to get the happy
ending at the expense of Ceridwen.

“
You miss her.” Eirian was
crestfallen.

I didn’t reply. I wanted to be able to say
something that would comfort her, but there was nothing but the
truth.

“
Will you always feel this
way?”

“
Eirian, I’ve loved her
since my youth. That’s a long time to love someone. It will not be
easy to forget her.”

She stood still, biting her lip before she
spoke again. “You weren’t always faithful to her in your
youth.”

I closed my eyes, thinking of the things in
my life she must have seen.

“
No, I wasn’t. She was
younger than me—a child still—when I came into my manhood. I grew
impatient, and I let the ways of my physical nature and curiosities
overtake me at one point. Another beautiful woman caught my
attention, and I went to her. It was wrong of me.”

“
Was it?” she asked. “That
young widow you were with greatly enjoyed the company you gave her.
You were good to her—good for her—and helpful as well. I think she
was in love with you.”

I chuckled softly. “I was but sixteen
summers. She was three years my elder.”

“
What does age matter to
love? Ceridwen is nearly three summers less than you, and you adore
her.”

This was true. I stopped
and really thought about what she was saying.
Could the young widow have been in love with me?
She was certainly doting upon me—always wanting
me to do things with her. I shook my head. “It matters not. She is
happily married to another now and expecting a babe of her
own.”

She glanced down. “And soon you will be
too.”

“
Yes, soon I will be too.”
It was unreal how fast things could change.

“
But not with the girl you
were expecting.”

She wasn’t going to let this go.

“
No, but with a girl more
exquisite than any I’ve ever seen. A girl who’s opened the windows
of my imagination and shown me there’s so much more to believe in.
I am here with you just like you’ve always wanted, and that’s all
that matters. Will that be enough for now?”

Eirian’s eyes filled with tears, and she
nodded. “It will be enough—for now.”

I reached for her hand and we started
walking together again, maneuvering through the sculpted paths and
stairways—gradually descending lower.

She didn’t speak, or explain things as we
walked, and I didn’t press her to. I knew our conversation was
weighing heavily on her, and I wasn’t sure what was upsetting her.
I wasn’t going to press for answers though. If she wanted to tell
me something, she would.

I quietly observed everything as we
passed—trying to take it all in as I thought of the craftsmanship
and trades I’d love to learn from these people. Those thoughts
brought me pause, though, causing me to wonder how I would provide
a living for myself and Eirian. Granted, she was a princess, but I
still wanted to keep busy.

My father reared me in lessons of farming,
and raising strong, beautiful horses. People came from miles around
to purchase from our stock. I’d intended to continue on in the same
grain, but as I looked around, there were no fields to tend, no
places for horses to even be used. It was as if everything I’d been
taught in my life was for naught, and it worried me.

“
What will I do to support
us?” I asked Eirian, bringing her out of her current
musings.

“
Hmm? You mean like
work?”

I chuckled. “Yes, that’s exactly what I
mean.”

She waved her free hand in the air, as if to
brush the subject off. “You needn’t worry of such things
anymore.”

“
But I do. I’m a laborer.
It’s the only life I’ve known, and I want to be productive. Even if
my skills are not useful here, I’m teachable. I long to learn new
things.”

“
I understand, and I know
you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, but I’m saying
it’s not necessary. I’m royalty and all our needs are taken care
of. It would be unseemly for you to get your hands
dirty.”

I laughed. “Then what, pray tell, do you do
around here?”

“
Whatever we want.” She
smiled. “The Fae have always been suited to creativity and
learning, but we relish pleasure as well. The servants will take
care of our needs, leaving us to enjoy the pursuit of the finer
things in life.”

“
Which are what
exactly?”

“
Things like lovemaking and
merriment.” Her eyes sparkled vividly, as we reached the water
level. “Don’t worry, Bran. I promise to keep you busy!”

Chapter Seven

There was no bridge that extended from the
canyon walls to the glowing, thin-spired castle mid river. Though
the water seemed smooth from above, I could tell there was a swift
undercurrent farther out. Several of the anchored boats bobbed up
and down, some of them bumping together occasionally with a hollow
thud as they shifted.

Eirian let go of my hand and stood on the
end of the pier.

I looked around, and seeing no one, began to
loosen the rope of the closest boat.

“
Wait,” she commanded
without turning. She continued to stand still.

“
What are we waiting for? I
can have one of these boats loose in just a second and row us
over.”

“
We already have one.” She
pointed toward the distant shore. “One of the guards is on his
way.”

I felt bad that someone was coming to fetch
us when I could have easily taken us over. “It was no trouble to
row you.”

She smiled. “This is the way things are
done, Bran.”

I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes for a
moment while I waited for the shivers that moved over my skin to
pass.

“
Join me.” She beckoned.
“Now is the time to begin your charade.”

I stepped behind her, slipping my arms
around her waist, and bent to kiss her throat. “I won’t have to
pretend, Eirian.”

She shuddered, just as I hoped she would,
and leaned back into my embrace, caressing my arms.

“
Your highness,” a voice
called from the approaching boat as it came along the
dock.

A tall, Fae man in a burnished shade of
armor reached toward Eirian.

“
Allow me,” I said, helping
her into the slim craft.

I followed after, standing behind her small
seat, my hands on her shoulders. The guard paid me no further
attention but instead turned the boat back in the direction he’d
come.

Aside from the occasional “clunk” of the
oars, we slipped silently through the water. As we got closer to
the castle, I could see a large metal gate looming ahead of us. The
silver crisscrossing slats gleamed with perfection despite the
close contact with the water. It spanned the width of a large stone
archway covered in trailing vines that ran up the wall and
disappeared over the other side. When we were almost upon it, the
gate lifted, dripping little rivulets of water as it emerged.
Sprinkles rained down upon us as we slipped through, and it shut
immediately behind us, hardly making a sound.