Aldric was the bane of her existence!
Islinda glared at the darkening sky as frost-like pieces of white glitter began to fall and a snowflake landed on her hair.
She hated Aldric!
She hated winter.
Islinda remembered her life as a hunter and during this period, all the animals would have vanished deeper into the woods, making food hard to come by. For her, winter signified hard labor and she had never once enjoyed the season.
She didn’t come from winter in the human realm only to continue another round of such unrelenting cold in the Fae realm. What wretched power does the dark prince possess to change the weather so quickly?
She had been relishing the warm sunshine only for him to ruin it as usual. Of course, he didn’t even need to be close by, Aldric simply has a knack for making her life a misery.
Issac went on to say, "The kingdom of Astaria was built on the spring court’s territory. They’re blessed with the lush and prosperous land. Unfortunately, the King’s propaganda is to unite the Seelie and Unseelie courts and he has to be neutral. Hence, to maintain order and balance, the weather was enchanted so the princes could have seasonal reigns over it. "
Dread washed over Islinda.
The revelation was quite shocking and she had not seen it coming. How could these creatures have so much power? She could now understand why the war between the humans and Fae’s had to come to an end. The Fae were stronger but humans had powers in numbers. Both races would only cancel each other out.
Issac told her, "However, Prince Aldric has been preoccupied for years on the battlefield and the king was not stringent in observing his seasons. If I am right, he’s calling in on the seasons that he’s missed out on which means that we’re in for a long winter unless the prince changes his mind, which I highly doubt, the others would have no choice but to appeal to the king when they’ve had enough."
Islinda rubbed her temple, feeling a headache brewing. This was so much information and it was beginning to overwhelm her. She didn’t think that there would be too much politics in the Fae realm. Nor did she ask for this kind of life. Thankfully, she wasn’t Fae, nor a Fae prince or in her case, princess.
Islinda preferred a laid-back life with little or no drama at all. What she wanted was simple; a comfortable life with the one she loves. With enough food on her table, there was nothing else she could ask for. She and her husband would make lots of children and would raise them with love and discipline. Sadly, she couldn’t fulfill that anymore, not when she was a hostage in an unfamiliar land with its strange customs.
Islinda had a question at the tip of her tongue when Issac abruptly stood up.
"What is it?" She asked, recognizing the confusion in his eyes as he raked the side of his head. What was going on? He almost looked as if he wasn’t supposed to be here.
Issac opened his mouth to speak only to close it and looked ahead, he began to walk away without a word.
"Issac?" Islinda peered over her shoulder, watching as the Fae left her in the courtyard all by herself, "Seriously, where are you heading to without a word?" She questioned him and still did not get a response.
She stood up and shouted into the air, "Who is going to finish the tour then?"
Nothing.
Islinda threw her hands up in the air out of exasperation. Suspicion gnawed at a part of her mind, reminding her that this was not normal behavior. This was not like Issac. But then, she barely knew the Fae and he was opinionated. Who knows? He was really done with her.
"I don’t need your help, anyway!" Islinda harrumphed, plopping back down on her seat, and crossed her leg over the other. The next minute though, she readjusted her position, removing her legs and folding her arms across her chest.
Islinda looked around the garden, she was safe - as long as she didn’t touch anything. Although with the increasing cold, she wouldn’t have to stay here for long. The anger burning inside of her fueled her need to prove to Issac that she was perfectly fine without him. She didn’t need his company at all. So she stayed behind.
But her bravado didn’t last for long because an eerie feeling passed through Islinda. It was an unsettling sensation of being watched and it didn’t feel like Aldric at all. The feeling was foreign, uncomfortable and made ants crawl across her skin. With a prominent frown on her face, Islinda was on her feet this time as her gaze searched the garden but there was nothing but the trees and flowers.
However, the sensation didn’t alleviate and her sixth sense told her to leave instantly, recalling the strange way Issac had departed earlier. Whatever this was, had purposely lured Issac away so it could have her to itself. Islinda swallowed, she didn’t survive a man-eating vine last night, dangerous flowers and mushrooms by the day only to be hunted down by whatever was hunting her in the dark.
Islinda was scared, but she did not show it knowing panicking would not help her in this situation. Years of being a hunter honed her survival skills, hence Islinda whirled around at once to escape the scene only to run into a hard wall.
More like a body.
A person.
A Fae.
The first distinct feature Islinda noticed about this Fae was his greenish hair and beautiful hazel eyes that would have sucked her in if he wasn’t glaring at her.
"You don’t even look much." The stranger said with so much revulsion in his voice that told Islinda she was not going to be friends with this Fae, whoever he was, anytime soon.
Islinda took two steps back and turned to run the other way only to bump into another wall.
"Got you, darling," The other wall said with a deep, sensual voice that sounded oddly familiar.
What in the Fae....