I stared up at Adrius blankly. Not sure what was real anymore. He perched next to me on a bed carved from a massive tree, layered with lemon and sage colored blankets which felt like cashmere against my bare legs.
“I get how difficult this must be for you. But you have to admit, deep down some of it must feel like truth.”
“Yeah… There is no depth deep enough for this.” My hands swept the air. “To seem real. Ever.”
I looked at him. I really looked at him. I’d never dreamed he was anything other than human. Or that anything other than human was even a possibility, in spite of my Faerie encounter. He was too perfect to be human. No teenage boy could have his impossibly sculpted features… depthless eyes… his incredible speed. Was this the same guy who merely a day before had been a constant distraction in art class? Even now I could picture him, in dark jeans, black trench coat open, hinting at taut muscles behind the damp cling of his white shirt. The drizzle had darkened his hair to midnight and a few stray wet locks hung over his eyes. Rain-soaked in the middle of a forest, he was still a vision.
Seated beside me was another version of Adrius altogether. Dressed in woodland hues, a sleeveless bronze tunic overlaid a billowy-sleeved laced shirt and olive suede-like pants, laced with thin cord. His dark hair almost touched his shoulders, baring the same slender ears as the nurse, tapering to a thin distinctive point. How had I missed them before? His eyes hadn’t changed; they were as captivating as I remembered, reaching into my heart and uncomfortably grabbing hold.
Was he real? Was any of this real? Perhaps it was all a dream or a vivid hallucination. Maybe hypothermia had set in. I'd heard it could cause this effect on a person. I pinched my arm just to be sure. Ouch. Definitely felt that.
“So… you’re a prince.” The full impact of the nurse’s words dawned on me.
He nodded.
“…and an Elf.”
Another nod…
“So, you’re basically saying my trip down the rabbit hole, landed me in Middle Earth?” I moistened my lips with a nervous laugh.
Adrius offered a patient smile. "Lord of the Rings, right? Tolkien gave a fairly accurate account of our world in many aspects."
"Uh-huh…" I scanned the sparsely furnished room. The bed was centered in the round room, with vine and moss covered stones, and an open ceiling, filtering in pale sunlight. Easing myself up, I wandered to the open window. “So where are we?”
“Some might say not here, not there, but the space in between.” My vacant stare prompted him to continue. “Right now, we’re in Mythlandria. Home to Elven-kind, Fae, and other benevolent beings of the Nevermore. The Elsarian realm is divided into territories, some inhabited and some wild. And some, like Noctria, are ruled by evil. The high elves of Mythlandria have been charged with maintaining peace and order among the territories.”
I frowned, doing battle with my mind as I tried to make sense of it. Logic dictated all of this was impossible. Yet my senses said something else. There was no doubt I was not in Drearyton any longer. The colors here were so vibrant they hurt to look at. Not at all like the bland monochromatic landscape of home. Flowers in screaming shades of fuchsia and electric blue climbed over hedges. Coiling vines clung to the stone walls and branches. It was nothing like where I was from.
Out of the corner of my eye something moved, like a cat only much larger and green. Its body was camouflaged by the leaves, but I’d swear it looked like a girl. It darted out of view too quickly, leaving me wondering if I’d seen anything at all.
I sighed. “Suppose I suspend my disbelief and pretend all of this is possible. How did we get here? What are we doing here?”
Adrius shifted, for a moment he seemed uncomfortable as though unsure how to answer. Drawing in a deep breath, his eyes narrowed, piercing mine. “Neither you nor your parents are who you believe them to be. You are a royal Sidhe, descended from an ancient line of faeries of the Seelie Court. They rule the summer on the Faery Islands. The Unseelie Court fey rule The Island of Winter which borders on the Shadow Court. The Shadow Court is essentially a sect of the Unseelie, harboring its darkest and most demonic fey. Ruled by the son of the Unseelie queen, his court holds the only passage to the underworld. The Summer Court stands for goodness and light, the others… serve the darkness. Needless to say the two have been at odds since the beginning of everything.
This time it was my turn to be confused. I frowned. Seelie, Unseelie… a descendent of faeries, what was he talking about? “I don’t get it. What are you trying to say exactly?”
“That you’re a Faerie Princess.” He said it with a perfectly straight face.
I burst into hysterical laughter, as though on the brink of madness. "This is crazy I mean, do you have any idea how crazy this sounds?" I shook my hands as I paced. “You’re telling me that you’re an elf… that faeries exist! And that I'm one of them?”
Adrius eyed me mildly, taking my freak-out in perfect stride. “I think you know what I am, Lorelei. The question you are struggling with is what you are.” A strange sensation filled my stomach. Maybe fear, exhaustion… excitement? I couldn’t tell.
“Am I going to sprout butterfly wings and fly around with a magic wand too? You can’t seriously expect me to believe any of this!”
Inside I was screaming, This is impossible… it can’t be real. But he was here standing in front of me, seemingly flesh and blood. Even if I could dismiss everything else as a vivid hallucination, the heat and electricity coming from his perfect body was undeniable. It was too disturbingly physical to be a dream.
Living in the real world and reading about fantasy was one thing. It was another altogether when you could no longer separate them. If all of this was real, then asylums could be filled with perfectly sane people who couldn’t find a way to merge both worlds.
“Butterfly wings and wands.” He laughed. “You’re thinking fairytales, but you’ll find real faeries don’t come close to matching that depiction…With the exception of sprites and pixies.” His face lit with a playful smirk. "…kidding.”
“Great. Lose the butterfly wings, add a tattoo. Got it… But you haven’t actually answered my question. Why did you bring me here? Why was it so important I be here?” My eyes narrowed. “Why aren’t you surprised…?” Words were failing me again. “This is too much,” I mumbled turning away. I needed a moment to collect the tornado of thoughts and shut out the encroaching insanity that threatened to take me over. My stomach lurched again, and for a moment I thought I might throw up. Or pass out. But Adrius caught my wrist, gently drawing me back to him. A ray of sunlight streamed into his eyes, illuminating them in a golden shade of green.
My forehead hurt from being locked in a frown, “It’s almost as though you were expecting me or something?”
He was still holding my wrist. I tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go. His face inches from mine. A dark shadow flickered briefly in his amber-flecked eyes. Had I not been staring at him so closely, I might have missed it. For the first time since arriving in this tropical place, I felt a shiver. He stared with an intensity I felt in my bones — with his eyes — those indescribably, all-penetrating eyes, clear and translucent in the natural light. His gaze locked mine with uncanny directness, and I felt as if he had opened me up, baring my soul to him. It was unsettling to say the least, and I stiffened in his grasp.
For a second he looked confused, but he must have picked up on my reaction, and eased up on whatever he was doing because the uncomfortable probing sensation diminished.
“You are fulfilling a prophecy set in place long before your physical birth, Lorelei. A prophecy that changes the fate of the world, both yours and mine. Because of it, you will find everyone here has been expecting you.”
I squinted at him. “Hold up. What do you mean prophecy?”
He exhaled a long sigh. “There is a prophecy, Lorelei, one which has stood in existence for many centuries. And you are a part of it — an important part.”
I continued my blank stare, so he took the hint and elaborated.
“It is destined that the Una Elcta… descended daughter of the Tuatha Dé Danann would arrive. She will save the land from the icy hold of dark magic by preventing a war. And in the end preside over the freed lands as their queen. It has been written in the Halls of Truth for centuries.”
“I don’t understand. A war with who?”
“Octahvia. The Ice Witch. She rules Noctria, a land encased in ice, and after an unending feud with the Elves, she has decided her territory is no longer enough for her. She is coming after Mythlandria. Prophecy states you are destined to stop her." He paused. "And until it has been fulfilled, you will remain here in the Nevermore.”
“So I’m your prisoner.”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Really… ‘Cause, that’s what it looks like to me,” I countered, holding up my wrist with his hand still clamped to it.
“You are not being held captive, Lorelei.” He let go.
“Well, what then? Hotel California… where you check out any time you like but can never leave? Just tell me how to get out of here.”
He stood, shoulders squared, feet slightly apart, trying to remain calm, but the white knuckled fists at his sides revealed more than he wanted me to know. “Do you have an obscure media reference for everything?”
“I can't believe you would do this to me. When you know how important it is for me to get home. You know what’s at stake.”
He looked away, his shoulders falling slightly. The tension between us stretched tighter. Sorting through my tangled emotions was nearly impossible. All I knew for sure in that moment was I felt betrayed.
I paced in front of the window. “Let’s see if I’ve got this right… you led me here, wherever this is, and now I’m trapped indefinitely.” I stopped pacing to look at him. “You promised to help find Vervain for my mom. What about that?” My voice pitched up an octave. “Was it just a lie to get me here?”
“No. It was always my intention to help you. That will never change,” he spoke softly.
“Bull! I trusted you…”
He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His eyes were intense, unreadable. And for the first time he actually frightened me. “Don’t.” His expression was deadpan. “There are things you don’t know about me, Lorelei. It would be wise for you not to trust anyone while you’re here. Not even me.”
Screams of frustration tore at the back of my throat. I wanted to cry, but I clenched my hands until my nails dug into my palms, biting back any more tears. They weren’t getting me anywhere.
“I don’t believe any of this. I am not a Faerie, I’m human. You have the wrong person and I’m getting out of here now.” My voice wavered.
"You have to at least consider the possibility. I can prove it to you, if…"
"No. Stop!" I shook my head.
"Lorelei—" Firm hands gripped my shoulders.
"Adrius, please," I whispered, suddenly drained. “Just don’t. Don’t say anymore. It’s too much. I’m close to losing it already… and you're making it impossible to tell what's delusion and what's real and… I can't deal with all of this."
I lowered my head, covering my face with my hands. Adrius stepped toward me gathering me in his arms. Burying my face in his chest, I sobbed. It felt like home, like I’d finally found peace in his embrace. But then I remembered… nothing was what it seemed. Not even him. This was not my home and he was not the teenage boy I’d been crushing on. Fresh tears welled up as he held me.
He sighed, long and low. “I’m sorry. It was never my intention to upset you. I let myself become overwhelmed by our concerns, and I forgot how this must seem to you. It was thoughtless. Please forgive me, Lorelei, I don't want to ever cause you any pain.” Gentle hands traced circles on my back.
I found too much comfort in his arms. As though being there erased the nightmare which had become my reality. I was too safe, too comfortable with him. It didn’t make sense. Not now. Standing this close to him made it impossible for me to think. I needed some space. Stiffening, I moved out of his embrace.
“My mother is dying, Adrius. I have to get back to her.”
“I know.”
Wiping away the last of my tears I pleaded with him “You have to help me get home. Please. Just tell me how to get out of here.” If begging was what it would take then so be it.
“I wish there was more I could do.”
“Oh, you mean more than nothing?”
“Just listen…”
“No. You know what?” I searched his face then looked away. “You should go."
Adrius paused, a confused look crossed his eyes then faded. “Of course,” he replied gently. “Everything will work out, Lorelei.” But when I glanced up, the anguish that flashed in his olive eyes implied the opposite.