Fated Fae (Fractured Fae 1)
“We can discuss our plans over dinner, it smells quite enticing in here," Allwyn suggests, taking a big sniff of the aromas in the room.
“Quite," I agree with a chuckle. The way he speaks is definitely growing on me.
We all sit down and pass around plates, updating each other on everything we’d managed so far. It’s fairly impressive what we’ve accomplished in such a short time.
“Okay, where in Faerie should we plan to go? Which court?” River asks around a mouthful of food.
“All of them. This is a new era for Faerie, it seems fitting our queen starts fresh. I vote we venture to the middle of all the courts, the neutral land. It will be rough at first, but there must be a few architects left among us. Plus with nature magic on our side, building is never too hard," Andras
suggests. Allwyn doesn’t argue, instead nodding along like it holds merit.
“Queenie is an architect in training, she can make blueprints and I can help design it," Jacob announces. The looks of shock around us are almost comical. I’d be offended if it was the first time I received that kind of reaction. No one ever assumes that women actively go into architecture, which is ridiculous.
“That’s fantastic news," Andras says emphatically, eyeing me with even more adoration now, which I’m not a fan of.
“Do we have any sort of map of Faerie?” I quickly change the subject. Plus, the idea of not knowing where I’m going freaks me out. I like to know what to expect.
“We don’t, maybe we can figure out and draw one?” River asks Andras and Allwyn. Andras looks like it is Christmas morning.
“Andras, what is it that you did before you came to Earth?” I ask with a laugh. He blushes and gives a slightly embarrassed chuckle.
“I ran the Spring Court’s libraries,” he says. That makes a lot of sense seeing as he always knows little facts the others aren’t sure of. It honestly sounds like a dream job, surrounded by books. Though the place I’m picturing is something out of a fairytale novel, so I doubt it’s the same.
“Brains and looks, nice.” Jacob grins at him, approvingly. Andras blushes again and looks down, though I can see the small, surprised smile on his face.
“And lucky for you guys, I grabbed my art paper and charcoal pencils,” I say, standing up to clear the table. Jacob’s place is bigger than mine was, but it’s still just an apartment, though admittedly more modern and organized. So we have to make sure to keep cleaning and shuffling things around now that we’re sharing it like this.
“If everyone’s done, I can package it up for Gwen and the others," River offers as she heads for the kitchen.
“Just send those leftovers over in their pans and they can throw them away, we won’t need them again," Jacob says absently, already rolling out the paper.
“I’m no artist," Allwyn says as he wrinkles his brows, almost like he’s just now realizing he can’t do something and it’s unheard of.
“Well I am, can you talk me through it?” Jacob says as he gets his pencils ready. “I’ll start with a rough sketch of the land. Tell me about the landscape first, then we can add in the towns or whatever. You got erasers in there, Queenie?” I nod and grab the bucket I keep them in and hand it over.
“The middle of the Faerie realm was a meeting ground. It’s a flat plateau where each Court could meet and discuss treaties and such," Allwyn starts, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “Around the plateau is just grass, though it’s a fairly large area.”
“There is a huge lake here, and mountains run along the outer edge of the entire realm," Andras adds, getting excited.
River walks back in and points out her own additions. “This whole side is forest lands. It seems cliché but the courts describe the landscape. So Winter’s castle is at the base of the mountains and cold runs through their section. Each court is separated by a river that meets up in a circle around the neutral lands. Bridges come from each court into that middle ground," River explains before I hold up a hand to make them all stop and let Jacob catch up.
“What’s beyond the mountains?” I ask and they all look stunned by the question..
“I have no idea," Andras admits. “It was widely known to be unsafe, but I’m unsure what would be beyond them. If my libraries are still intact I could research when we get back.”
“I’ve heard mentions of it being other realms. Faerie is a magical realm created for our people specifically. You can’t think of it like a planet, it’s more a vast array of different realms next to each other.” Allwyn states. Andras looks shocked at someone having more knowledge than him.
“Weren’t you just a guard captain?” I ask. “How would you find that out?”
“I guarded many important people. They talk,” he shrugs.
“I guess being a part of royalty’s personal guard had benefits,” I joke. Allwyn nods in agreement.
“Continue, my fellow cartographers," Jacob announces, pencil poised above the map. It’s already starting to look like a real map, now divided into the four courts and the river’s separating them.
Andras needs no further encouragement, jumping into a full explanation of Faeries layout. “The castles are here, surrounded by the Court cities. Everyone dwells within the cities for the most part. Some hunters and seers had homes sprinkled throughout the land though. Each castle is made of stone and also has a stone wall that surrounds the castle and town," Andras points out the space each takes up in their lands.
Allwyn’s tone matches Andras’ as he picks up where the librarian left off. “We also have points of power in each court, though it’s unknown to those outside of the royal court and advisors. I know that Spring’s power is here, though I’m unsure what it is," Allwyn points out. He notices our confusion and continues his explanation. “The points of power are where royalty can connect directly to the magic of Faerie, though some abused it, hence the whole war that ended our realm.”