Ever After Read online

  Ever After

  By Marly Mathews

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2014 by Marly Mathews

  Cover art by Erin Dameron-Hill

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Dedication: To everyone out there who believes in a magical happily ever after—this story is for you.

  Table of Contents

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter One

  The Seelie Kingdom of Daoine Sídhe

  “To get to the end of our lovers story, we must first travel back to the beginning.”

  “What happened at the beginning, Master Hawthorne?”

  “The tale of our two lovers is one of heartache, strife, and longing. So much longing. They were separated a thousand human years ago, which would translate into ten of our faerie years.”

  The gasps of the gathered children thrilled the storyteller.

  Lily Fairchild stepped out of the forest, and walked to the story stone that her old friend sat on. Faerie and Elvin children gathered around him, hanging on his every word. Her heart so filled with sorrow, lightened at the peaceful sight.

  “What force of evil separated them?”

  “A force so great that even Princess Lily can’t find him. She’s been searching throughout the human realms, to no avail. He’s been cursed by a wicked sorceress, cursed into another form—a form that is not fey or human.”

  More shocked gasps rang through the clearing.

  “Why do you persist in telling this sad story to the young ones, Hawthorne?” Her strong voice faltered.

  The children turned their heads to stare in reverence at their faerie princess. Light shone down upon her making her look like an angelic being.

  “I tell the story so it will one day have an ending. Have you been to see the Council of the Seers again?”

  She sighed, sinking down to the ground. Tucking her legs beneath her, she drank in the tranquility of her home realm.

  “I have. They tell me I must finally return to the horrid human realm called Earth, otherwise known as Terra to our kind. For only there will I be able to find Leo, and set him from the curse that binds him.”

  “Leo must be in a purgatory of his own making. I simply don’t understand why the bond the two of you share will not lead you to him.”

  “They say the curse cloaks him in the mists of time. Shadows surround him—he has been stripped of all his powers, the only charm he still possesses is of invulnerability. He can’t be hurt, in any way, thank the Fates. They will not tell me what he has been transformed into—only they say it is not biological. He exists in this form, aware of what is going on around him, but unable to affect his surroundings. They say he stands in a cold room, shrouded in white mist, with only a mirror to give him a view of the outside world. He is in limbo, and I fear at how much he suffers, I only wish that I could share his burden.”

  The children gazed at her sympathetically.

  “My mother says that faerie love can move mountains. It can even move worlds,” One young faerie girl proclaimed, nodding her head empathically.

  “Indeed.” Princess Lily smiled at the child faerie.

  Hope and innocence reflected back at her. She prayed that the child would never have to experience her sense of hopelessness.

  She’d lived too long without her beloved Leo. He must have thought she’d given up on him, for she’d been on her quest for far longer than she’d anticipated. Something had to give in her favour. Something had to break the evil curse that had held him in its foreign prison.

  “When do you return to the human world?” Hawthorne asked softly.

  “In a few hours. I shall wait until twilight and then revisit Terra. I must confess I shudder to think of going back there. The humans are so cold and calculating. They dabble in the wickedest sides of nature.”

  “Ah, yes. Do they not love and care for each other like we do?” Master Hawthorne asked.

  “Not the last time I was there. They were killing each other in terrifying ways. Lawlessness ruled their land, and their leaders were merciless. I can’t go back into that cloying darkness.” She shuddered.

  “You go back for Leo,” he said, his voice wise.

  She took a shattering breath. “I will walk to the ends of time and beyond to find him. He never should have gone to that bloody party in his honour. He disappeared right after that, if only he had listened to me!”

  “Do you think he was in the realm of Terra when he disappeared?”

  Why was Hawthorne fishing for information like this? She’d always suspected he’d had a hand in Leo’s disappearance, though she’d never been able to fully prove it.

  The children listened avidly to every word she and Master Hawthorne spoke.

  “I should think so. He did have a certain affinity for Terra and those that lived on the Isle of Albion. He loved the Celtic Peoples that lived there. He kept telling me that they honored our ways.”

  “Perhaps they did.” Hawthorne nodded his head emphatically.

  “Mayhap. Either way, I must travel back to Terra and find him in whatever form he’s been transfigured into and free him.”

  “Do you dream of him?”

  She cleared her throat loudly. Telling Master Hawthorne, her innermost thoughts hadn’t been on her agenda for the day. She’d only sought him out at the suggestion of one of the Eldest Seers. She’d told her that Hawthorne had a role to play in finding Leo, and so she would listen to the wise one, even though she thought it foolish to do so.

  “I am here to ask you a great favour, Master Hawthorne.”

  “Anything, my lady.”

  “I ask that you accompany me back to Terra.” She hated having to say it. She didn’t think Hawthorne would be any help to her whatsoever. In fact, she thought he would be more of a hindrance than anything else. His head was constantly in the clouds, and he was more of a dreamer than a pixie!

  Dead silence engulfed the peaceful meadow.

  “Terra?” His face pinched up. “I can’t. I mustn’t. It is as you say a most foul realm. I can’t leave my darling mother and sisters—neither would the instructors here at the Academy allow me to travel off world.”

  “Your darling mother and sisters will understand. As for the instructors here at the Academy, I’m sure they could be persuaded to part with you, especially if I asked them to.”

  Hawthorne hesitated. “I am still needed to instruct the students.”

  “I am quite certain that you could get Master Cloud Dancing to fill in for you. You’re not the only instructor versed in your curriculum here at the Academy, Hawthorne.”

  “Not as certain as I. He doesn’t have the same love for the storytelling ways that I do. This is our only way to keep our history alive.”

  “Our history is recorded in the Halls of Seelie Magical History. I’m quite cer
tain that if you were to take a short sabbatical we would be gone for a very short amount of time. Why, they wouldn’t even miss you, given how time passes differently on Terra. You should come with me and that way you could come back with a story worth telling to the children!”

  “Out of the question. I do not think my nerves could take being away from home. You must be strong and brave to face the uncertainty that the Realm of Terra holds. I am neither strong nor brave. No. I am much safer here. You will be much safer. I am no warrior, Princess Lily.”

  “Neither am I. Or at least, I wasn’t before my Leo was taken from me. I continually denied my destiny. I didn’t want to accept the fact that I’d been born to be a warrior. You must fulfill your destiny, Master Hawthorne.”

  “I must remain here. This is where I belong—this is where I am meant to stay.”

  “Oh, no, Master. You must go with the Princess. If I went home today and told my mother that you wouldn’t go…,”

  “You will say nothing to your mother, child. My youngest sister always did have an uncanny habit of pushing me into things I didn’t want to do. I do not wish her to do so this time around.”

  “It is your duty, Master Hawthorne.” Another child chirped up. “You can’t leave Princess Lily to return on her quest without you. She is looking for her one true love. He is her husband—how could you keep them apart for any longer than they’ve already been separated? My father must leave home to help out in the magical realms torn asunder by war—and when he is gone we miss him terribly. Pray, don’t feed the Princess’s suffering. We all deserve to be with the ones we love.”

  “I—” Hawthorne looked at her, seemingly distressed, and yet, she knew he would still drag his feet when it came to joining her on her quest. He might be Leo’s cousin but he lacked Leo’s strength of character.

  “I will forge ahead on my own, then,” Lily said, disheartened and yet a little relieved. She had to be honest. She hadn’t looked forward to dragging Hawthorne along with her, fully realizing that he wasn’t meant for an adventurous life.

  The only reason she was worried about Hawthorne not wanting to come with her was because the Seer had insisted she would need him in order to accomplish her objective. She could not go on much longer without Leo, she felt her heart breaking the longer they were apart.

  She turned to leave.

  A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, lighting it up in a majestic way. Hawthorne jumped up as if his ass had been lit on fire.

  “I can see my services are needed. Indeed, I think that exploring an unknown world will be a fascinating adventure, one I’m sure I’ll be able to glean many stirring tales from, why it will be most invigorating!”

  “Yes, don’t forget your magical quill. You’ll need to record everything strange that you come into contact with,” Lily advised, enjoying the nervous twitch of Hawthorne’s left eyebrow.

  “These particular humans, they don’t possess magic, do they?” he asked, trepidation thick in his voice.

  “No, Hawthorne. You mustn’t worry, they are perfectly harmless.”

  “Their realm isn’t enchanted in any way? How very sad for them.”

  “I hear tall tales that some enchanted mortals and immortals call Terra their home. In its past, they have had Witch Hunts.” At her proclamation, Hawthorne shuddered.

  “One of my dearest friends is a witch.” Hawthorne paled. “Perhaps, I was too hasty in agreeing to come with you. If they are that unenlightened, they will hardly allow us to walk amongst them in our current form.”

  “You’ll have to hide your wings,” she said.

  “Hide my wings?” he gasped. “My wings are my pride and joy, I couldn’t possibly do that.”

  “Nonetheless, they will have to have an invisibility charm cast upon them. The humans will not be able to accept you as you are. You’ll also have to hide your ears.”

  His eyes bugged out. “First my beautiful wings, and now my ears, my mother and sisters shall have a fit when I tell them.”

  “Speaking of your sisters, why don’t you ask Lady Mistletoe to come with you? I must confess, your eldest sister has always been far more capable then you when it comes to certain matters of the more serious nature.”

  The children stood up, fluttering their wings. “It’s time for us to go to our next lesson, Master Hawthorne. We wish you a most blessed day.” They bowed to him in unison, and then some of them took the sky while others simply vanished.

  “I will be able to use my magic, won’t I? I can’t take abstaining from magic. It will be my undoing!”

  “You must take care to not be discovered—unlike some realms, Terra hasn’t become open-minded when it comes to using magic, hence the reason for the Witch Hunts.”

  He nodded his head. “Where do you get all of this information about the Realm of Terra? You have only been there a few times, hardly enough of an experience to be a seasoned Terra traveler.”

  “I have put out the mystical call for a guide. And, anything else that I know has been taken from stories I’ve heard over the years. There are quite a few stories about Terra and its inhabitants—I’ve heard them referred to as Terra Tales.” She laughed nervously. “I don’t know how you haven’t heard them before—you shall lose your top place as a Master Storyteller and Scribe if you’re not careful, Hawthorne.”

  “Oh, twinkle stars—you never should have blindly put the call out for a guide. You never know what they could send to us. Do you know what you could possibly get? I’ve heard of guides to the mortal realm coming in all shapes and sizes. Unless you specifically requested someone, it will be a shot in the dark as to who and what they send you. You are playing with fire, Lily—we could end up with a mercurial Leprechaun or a gaseous Troll. Why, they’ve been known to ignite fires with their far…,”

  “I get the idea, Hawthorne. You needn’t worry, I’ll take my chances, and leave it up to fate.”

  “Fate was the thing that got you in this awful mess in the first place!”

  “What do you mean?”

  Hawthorne smoothed his robes out. “Did I say something?”

  Curiosity prickled at her, “Aye, you did.”

  “What did I say?”

  “You said something about fate being the factor that got me into this mess.”

  “Indeed.”

  He sighed heavily, attempting to avert her gaze. “I was sworn to secrecy.”

  “By whom?” Lily prodded.

  “You shouldn’t be asking me questions like this when I’m in such a state of disarray. I’m on the precipice of something terrifying. I don’t even know if my nerves will take traveling to that wretched realm. I am about to have a fit of the nerves, and it will be all your fault, Princess.”

  “You haven’t even been there. Stop casting judgment so soon. Why you might discover that Terra is a wonderful place, and you could enjoy our trip there immensely.”

  He fell silent. “I told Leo not to go there. I told him that the human didn’t deserve his assistance.”

  “What human? Hawthorne, please, you must tell me everything that you know.”

  Hawthorne swallowed thickly. Sweat beaded across his brow.

  “Hawthorne, so help me! You have been keeping this knowledge from me for ten long years! Ten long years, I have searched the known worlds, fruitlessly! You knew all along where my husband was—you knew he had gone to Terra. Why don’t you walk me through what happened?”

  “Well…,” They walked toward the lake. “It happened on the night of All Hallows Eve. A human slipped through the long thin veil and wandered into Lady Mab’s country-dance. This human, well, she was so confused. She was frightened when she saw us, and kept muttering something about the bloody Danes, killing everyone and everything she knew.”

  “And it took you this long to tell me this?!” Fury shot through Lily. She felt like turning him into a mushroom she was so angry!

  “I told you, I was sworn to secrecy!”

  “By Leo.”

&n
bsp; “By Leo.” He nodded his head empathically.

  “Leo had no right! He knows it’s not up to us to interfere in the world of the human mortals. It only leads to heartache for our kind.”

  “He interfered all right.”

  “And when he interfered, I take it that he came into contact with the evil sorceress the seers foresaw?”

  “Indeed. He must have been caught off guard.”

  “My Leo always was one to have a kind—albeit, gullible heart. Do you know what he was turned into? And why didn’t you help him?”

  “I couldn’t help him. When he was attacked, the veil was closing between the worlds. Unlike you, I do not know how to conjure a stable gateway between the realms. All I could do was watch helplessly.”

  “And keep your mouth shut for ten long years!” she shouted. “I can’t believe this. So, what form did the little bitch trap him in?”

  “She turned him into something that is certainly not biological.”

  “I can’t believe you. I will never be able to forgive you, Hawthorne.”

  “You know I am a foul wretch when compared to Leo. I could never aspire to be such a great faerie. I just reveled in all of the attention I was getting when he wasn’t around.”

  “You were selfish, and cruel. I should turn you into something that even your darling mother and sisters wouldn’t recognize.”

  “Why do you think I have decided to teach the children? My guilt weighs heavily on me. The person that cursed Leo was a member of the Unseelie Court.”

  Her pulse quickened. A lump lodged in her throat. “Are you quite certain?”

  “I am. That is why I have remained quiet for so long. To tell would possibly invoke their wrath.”

  “You are safe in our realm. Ancient magic protects us from their sort of evil mischief.”

  “Ancient magic that has been known to fail from time to time. I can’t take that risk. I am no hero.”

  “That’s appallingly apparent.” She sighed. “I demand you tell me what happened to my husband. Only then, if I can cast a spell through your memories, might I be able to locate him.”