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GROWING UP IN THE CASTLE, things rarely changed from day to day. Royal life was run by routine to such a degree that Katerina honestly couldn’t remember the last time anything spontaneous had happened. It was a fact of life, one she’d never really minded before. But one that left her completely unprepared for the events of the last twenty-four hours.
“...which is when I said, of course we have to go! It’s the summer solstice! Only happens once a year! But you know kelpies. Once they get an idea in their heads, they’re impossible!”
Katerina nodded quickly, trying her best to keep up. Even though the trio of fairies had shrunk down to stand at about three feet tall, they were still making their way over the forest floor without the slightest bit of trouble. The princess, on the other hand, was struggling every other step with her dainty shoes and billowing cloak.
“Of course...impossible,” she echoed faintly, wondering why exactly she was following the strange women into the woods in the first place. “And what exactly is a kelpie?”
“What’s a kelpie?!” Nixie erupted into a high-pitched explosion of laughter. A sound that chattered her own teeth and made the flowering buds around them open into full bloom. “What’s a kelpie, she says! And here I could have sworn that no one who grew up in that castle had a sense of humor...”
“That’s enough, Nix!” Beck, the darker-haired fairy, sprouted little wings just to circle back around and kick her friend in the back of the legs. “Honestly, with you babbling on like that what’s she going to think of us?!”
“Both of you, be quiet!” Marigold never even broke pace, keeping her eyes always on the path ahead. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. We’re almost there.”
Katerina nodded silently; oddly enough, she wasn’t worried in the slightest. Yes, she was on the run from her brother’s paid assassins in the middle of the forest with nowhere to go. Yes, she was tired and cold, and hungry enough to consider trying to eat Nixie. But from the moment the fairies showed up in the meadow, a strange sense of calm had settled over her.
She turned ever so slightly to let her eyes flicker over the strange group, soaking in all the fascinating details with a curiosity she couldn’t control. Back when she was just a child, there had been books in the nursery about all sorts of magical creatures. Fairies and nymphs, goblins and ghouls. She would look at the pictures for hours, her eyes dancing with wonder as she imagined the fantastical world outside the castle walls. When she got older, those books were not only removed from the nursery but were banned from the castle altogether. Along with all those creatures inside.
Alwyn was an anomaly. The only creature with magic still allowed within the kingdom. Most of the rest of the wizards had been killed off, too powerful for their own good, but the little mage had saved the life of the king while hunting in the woods. Ever since, he’d been welcome inside the castle walls. He was a protector, an advisor—later, a tutor for the royal children. But even so, there were some doors that were never open to Alwyn. And while the castle was the most beautiful gilded cage there ever was, it was a cage nonetheless. Despite his truest wishes, Alwyn could never leave.
“—you talk to me like I’m still a child!”
“—then stop acting like one!”
A little smile crept up the side of Katerina’s face, and she quickly bowed her head to hide it.
These fairies were nothing like the ones in the books she’d read. The little twinkling balls of light that floated serenely over the meadows, coming to rest upon every flower. These fairies were like bickering school children. Always a second away from ripping out each other’s silky hair.
“I said enough,” Marigold reminded sternly, oblivious to the clusters of blossoms that sprung up in her every footprint. “Don’t make me come back there.”
Another secret smile. Another stolen glance.
Although they all looked about the same age, Katerina got the feeling that the other two had somehow been entrusted to Marigold. That she was responsible for them, come thick or thin. And although they resembled humans, albeit tiny humans, it was impossible to miss the whimsical differences that set the two species apart.
To start, the fairies looked like an explosion of color. Nixie had fire-red hair that clashed horribly with her bright yellow dress. Her eyes were a strange amber color that seemed to change depending on the light, and every time Katerina looked at her she seemed to have more and more flowers in her hair. Beck was exactly the opposite. Jet-black hair, vibrant green eyes, and an amethyst gown that trailed behind her on the leaves. She was clearly trying to be mature, but every time the little upstart beside her said something she couldn’t resist jumping down her throat.
Marigold was by far the most dignified, but even she was painted head to toe with the fairy brush. Her soft golden curls arched in an unrealistic halo around her round face. Her sparkling blue eyes, while beautiful, were a shade Katerina had never seen. And her dress, wrapped with a golden band around her bulbous body, seemed to change length depending on where she stepped.
All of them were barefoot. None of them was remotely cold.
“Ah, here we are.”
Katerina looked up in surprise as Marigold came to a sudden stop in front of a dilapidated shack in the middle of a clearing. The shutters were falling off the windows, the roof was sinking in with rot and mold, and the entire thing was blanketed in a thick layer of cobwebs.
“This is where we’re going?” she asked in a low undertone.
Nixie bounced up and down, wearing a wide smile.
“Home sweet home!”
With the caution of one who’d been hunted through the woods by a pack of hellish dogs, Katerina followed them slowly up the front trail. She didn’t notice the way the garden came alive behind them. The way the picket fence that surrounded the perimeter sprang up from pieces on the ground and linked itself together, shining with what looked like a fresh coat a white paint. It wasn’t until Marigold laid her hand on the door that the princess realized things were changing.
“What the—”
She leapt a step back as the roof popped up into place, sending a layer of dirt and moss flying into the trees. A second later, the crooked shutters began realigning themselves, coming to frame two panes of glass that were sparkling clean. Like a little dance, everything that had been broken or foreboding about the little cottage fixed itself brand new—all under the orchestration of Marigold’s guiding hand. By the time the fairy was finished there was even smoke rising from the little stone chimney, beckoning them all inside.
“There, that’s better.”
Without a backward glance the jovial little woman pushed inside, leaving the door open behind her. Beck was quick to follow, and Nixie gave Katerina a friendly push as she skipped inside.
“Like I said... home sweet home.”
Katerina had to duck slightly to get through the little door but she straightened up in a hurry, gazing around the cozy cottage in wonder. It was exactly how she would have imagined it.
Overflowing cupboards stacked with dishes and pieces of china. Garlands of herbs and spices hanging from every corner of the kitchen. Three tiny beds sitting in a garden of flowers in the corner. And a stack of well-worn books piled on a stool by the crackling fire.
“It’s...it’s perfect.”
She spoke without thinking, then flushed with shame as she realized there were tears in her eyes. As strange as it was, something about being in the happy little home made her suddenly realize that she had lost her own, and the pain of it was almost too much to bear.
Three pairs of hands shot out to help as she sank down onto the nearest sofa, covering her face with her hands and shaking with silent sobs. Her hands were still frozen and smeared with blood, and only now that she was off her feet did she realize that her legs couldn’t stand another second.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, embarrassed to be falling apart in front of the kind women who had welcomed her into their home. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me—”
“What’s come over you is that you’ve been trapped in a nightmare, dear one.” Marigold stroked her hair away from her eyes, rocking her soothingly back and forth all the while. “I was surprised when the tears didn’t start ages ago, back when we first found you.”
“But why are you helping me?” Katerina was almost afraid to hear the answer. “I don’t have any money with me. I have no way to pay you—”
“Pay us?” The fairy settled down in the chair beside her with a jolly laugh. “My dear, does it look like we have a lot of use for money? The way we live?”
Katerina’s watery eyes again flickered around the little cottage before she shook her head.
“Besides,” Marigold continued gently, “what kind of fairies would we be if we didn’t help a frightened young girl all alone in the forest?”
“Bad ones,” Nixie whispered helpfully.
Marigold closed her eyes with a grimace, then flashed the others a strained smile.
“Why don’t you two make yourselves useful? Get our guest something to drink?” As they scampered off, she took Katerina’s hands in her own. “At any rate, we might not live inside the kingdom proper but even we were able to see the beacon. And judging by the fact that you’re out here, while your brother is in there... I’m guessing you’ve got quite a story to tell.”
Fortunately, she didn’t ask to hear it. All she did was give the princess’ hands a gentle squeeze. A rush of warmth shot up between them, and Katerina looked down with a gasp.
Gone were the lacerations covering her palms. Gone were the cuts and abrasions lacing their way up her arms. It was as if she’d been wiped clean. Every scrape and bruise, from her toes to the crown of her head, had vanished without a trace, leaving only glowing porcelain skin behind. Even the fingernails she’d broken clawing her way through the holly had been magically repaired.
“How did you—”
“Drink this, my dear.”
Nixie and Beck had returned, each one offering a different cup of tea. Only, it was a kind of tea Katerina had never seen before. A sweet-smelling concoction of both purple and blue.
“What is it?” she asked tentatively, taking the first mug.
“That one is for cold,” Marigold explained, watching as she took a sip. “It’s not something we fairies are highly aware of ourselves, so we keep some on hand for visitors.”
It was like stepping into a warm bath. The second the bubbling liquid passed Katerina’s lips, a wave of heat blossomed inside her. Starting in her chest and working its way out to her fingers and toes. Her fingers eagerly clutched the cup, and she would have gladly kept drinking forever if Beck had not snatched it back and replaced it after only a few heavenly sips.
“And that one is for sleep.”
Marigold answered the question before Katerina could even ask it out loud, and watched as the princess stared uneasily down into the cup. The sapphire mixture sloshed back and forth, sending up a cloud of steam that made her sleepy just inhaling it.
“I’m not sure,” she said quietly, nervous in spite of herself.
The fairies had treated her with nothing but absolute kindness from the moment they found her on the hill, and yet she found the idea of letting her guard down in a house full of strangers rather terrifying. Especially with the darkness hunting for her just beyond the flowering walls.
As if on cue, Nixie and Beck melted away into the kitchen as Marigold stroked back the princess’ hair again with a motherly hand. She was entirely too forward, too familiar, and yet none of those boundaries seemed to exist in the cottage. Quite the contrary, Katerina found herself leaning into the hand in spite of herself, closing her eyes and savoring every touch.
“I know it’s frightening, my dear, but rest assured, no harm will come to you as long as you are in this house. You can sleep easy for the night. We’ll figure out what to do in the morning.”
The little cup seemed to hum with anticipation, and after one last moment of deliberation the princess threw caution to the wind and swallowed it all in one gulp. In an instant, a feeling of overwhelming drowsiness came over her. Her eyelids started to droop before she’d even set down the mug, and the others were quick to rearrange the cushions as she leaned back onto the couch.
“Thank you...” she murmured, succumbing quickly to the tea’s power and the night’s fatigue. “All of you. I don’t...I don’t know what I would have done...”
Her voice trailed off as her eyes fluttered shut. Her crimson hair spilled out over the pillow, and for the first time since she entered the house a look of almost childlike tranquility settled over her lovely face.
The fairies stared for a long moment before Marigold tucked a blanket around her shoulders and waved the others away. They would let her sleep. No doubt, whatever happened tomorrow was going to be just as trying as whatever had happened last night. She might be safe for now, but the three of them couldn’t keep away the shadows that chased her forever.
The poor girl was going to need all the sleep she could get...
