Alard the Fae: Part Two (special preview)

Titania was quite feared, and while she was indeed that, you knew she did all that she could out of love. She loved her kingdom, her people, and you knew she loved you. Even if keeping you, a human changeling, caused a number of dramas within the court, it didn’t matter to her.

You were raised as her shadow, mimicking and copying everything she did. You so wanted to be like her, even though you had the firm understanding that there was no way you could be a queen. You wanted to be tough and regal the same as she was. As a human in the fairy court, you had no choice but to be strong.

“I have a nephew, a troublesome young thing,” Titania said to you one day.

You were brushing her voluminous hair with her special comb, sectioning it off to make sure every strand was dealt with. Fireflies sparkled and danced through the air around her, sometimes gliding through her hair as if like it was a riverwater.

“I would be surprised if he wasn’t, Mother,” you replied.

Her smirked cut along her face and she chuckled. “Much more so than normal, you see.” She turned slightly to look back at you. “He’s known as a berserker, and he thrives on his…let’s call them talents.”

You watched her dark eyes with curiosity. “Why do I have a feeling you’re leading up to something?.”

Titania sighed and reached back. Her hair flowed freely around her, caught in its gravitation. The fireflies sparkled within the thick, dark locks where they became lost in the void. She looked like the night sky itself, but unlike the night her dark skin held warmth and there was a rosiyness to her complexion.

“I am leading up to something.” She stood with your hand in her own. She towered above you, nearly nine feet tall. “My nephew needs a keeper.”

Your mouth slightly parted. “Me?”

She smirked then stooped over and picked you up into her arms. “You’re the only one that I feel can do the job. He has scared off just about everyone I have sent his way.” She placed you on her vanity and pulled her stool up to sit down.

You watched her hand glide across the vanity as she tried to decide what to reach for first. The fireflies swirled and darted around her fingers before she reached for her powder puff.

You tilted your head to the side. “A berserker is a dangerous creature, Mother. I am merely human. Wouldn’t he rather devour me than have me ever touch him?”

“Alard is more spoiled than anything. He’s used to people treating him with kid gloves. He relies on people’s fear of him to get away with whatever he wants.” Titania pressed her powder puff into her skin, leaving trails of glittering dust in the air. “I gave him so much, and from what I have been told, his home is a wreck, and he rarely takes proper care of himself.”

You fanned away the fragrant dust from your face then sneezed. “But That still begs the question: why me?”

Titania smiled at you. “Because you are just like me.” She tapped the tip of her finger on the tip of against yourmy nose. “My little shadow.”

“Your dog.” You huffed, irritated with how some of the court referred to you.

Titania leaned in close. “But isn’t it the dog’s bite that is most vicious?” She pressed her forehead to yours. “I am worried about Alard,” she said to you. “He needs someone to care about him, or I fear he will lose the amazing little boy I love.”

You gazed into her endless eyes, seeing starlight swimming within their depths. “You know I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“I know.” She kissed your forehead. “And I would not send you if I didn’t think you were up to the task. You won’t be alone there either.” She reached into the drawer housing her rings and pulled one out.

“There is Dey, a dear friend who takes care of most things around the castle.” She placed rings upon her fingers until they gleamedglittered with gems and fine metals. “They will be able to help you with most things. Your main concern is Alard.” She waved her palm across the mirror and within it you saw a handsome fae.

He had long dark hair like Titania, and features sharp enough to cut glass. He was sitting before a fire, glaring into it before he picked up a blade covered in blood.

“He lives in the center of my labyrinth,” Titania replied. “He does special work for me there.”

“From the looks of that blood, I can only guess.” You shivered at the thought. “It’s human blood isn’t it?.”

Titania stroked your hair and smiled. “If he harms a hair on your head, he will answer to me. So do not worry about yourself.” She took a small box from within her rings and as she brought it to you it shranksharnk between her fingers until it fit into your palm. Inside the box was an iron ringa ring made of iron.

“Wear that for protection,” Titania explained. “Alard hates humans, but it is the men he despises. He has a weakness for women. It is one of the reasons I do keep a rather light hold upon him.”