Lily woke up the next morning with the sunlight in her eyes.

She squinted and rolled over in bed. She wasn't ready to wake up yet. She couldn't remember much of the party last night, but that had to be why she was so tired. Her limbs were stiff and she wasn't ready to move yet.

"Meow,"

Lily cracked her eyes open and saw a cat lounging on the pillow next to hers.

"Good morning. Are you given free range of the castle?" She asked. "Or did I somehow trick you into following me last night?"

And then the fear came back, quite suddenly and without any pressing reason.

She remembered, all at once, the terror that had seized her before she had been able to find Marlene, she remembered it taking hold of her right before everything went black. There were no memories after that.

Lily sat bolt upright in the bed and looked around.

At first glimpse, she had almost calmed down and reigned in the fear. It could have been a room in the castle. It was furnished nicely and everything was just as ornate, but the walls were wood instead of stone, the windows were square instead of arches. And it smelled wrong.

She looked back at the cat and narrowed her eyes. "Are you really a cat?" She asked quietly, it tilted it's head and Lily scooted away from it. "Don't answer that."

How did she get here? She was still in her dress from last night, and she appeared to be uninjured, but she had no recollection of how she'd gotten from the party to this room. One minute she was looking for Marlene, and then nothing. She'd woken up here next to the cat (who was hopefully a real cat.)

She walked to the window first, perhaps because she knew that she'd find the door locked.

She looked outside and saw the Forbidden Forest reaching toward her. Thick, mossy branches, and the smell of damp earth. And a forty-foot drop to the ground if she wanted to try and jump.

She steeled herself and walked toward the door.

It was locked, just as she'd thought. The fear came back in full force and her breath caught in her throat.

"Hello!" She banged on the inside. There was no use in being quiet, it wasn't as though the people who brought her here and locked her in the room, didn't know where she was. "Hello!" She called again, hitting the door harder, sending a jolt of pain up her arm.

"Meow,"

"I will throw you out the window if you don't stop looking at me like that." Lily did not feel good about threatening a cat, but she didn't feel good about anything at the moment.

"Hello?" A quiet voice called out.

Lily squared her shoulders. One should not have to wake up this way. She felt very disoriented. "Who are you?"

"My name is Charity. I need you to step away from the door so I can bring in your breakfast. And the cats."

Lily looked back at the cat again.

"Okay." She didn't move away from the door.

"I know it looks like a real door, but it's not. I can see through it. I can't come in until you move away from the door."

Lily stepped closer to the door and touched it. It shimmered under her fingers, but nothing else about it changed. It still looked like a real door.

The girl on the other side, Charity, she didn't say anything else. Apparently she'd decided to just let Lily look for herself, or maybe she'd gotten tired of waiting and had left to take care of the other women being held prisoner in this place.

Lily looked at the walls, trying to tell if the same charm that was on the door, was on the walls as well. Then she took a few steps back, but not too many, because she was definitely going to try and run out when the door opened.

But the door didn't open. It shimmered again, and then a young woman stepped through with a tray of food. She walked toward a small table and Lily rushed back over to the door, pressing her palm against it. It was solid again. She yelled out in frustration.

"Why am I here?" Lily asked, spinning back around to see Charity setting a small bowl of food on the pillow beside the cat. Did that mean that it wasn't just a cat? Or did fairies just really like cats? Or was the cat a prisoner too and Charity just liked cats?

"Well, Master Severus wanted you here."

"Severus?" Lily shook her head. Wasn't that the fae from the party that Remus had told her she insulted? Had her failure to follow the rules he'd given her since day one landed her in this mess? Charity turned around and tucked a lock of hair over her very round and mortal ears, distracting Lily. "You're not fae."

"Yes, Severus, and no, I'm not fae. Neither are you!"

"Did they glamour you?"

Charity's face scrunched up. "Oh, well, I don't- I'm not really sure-" She shook her head, her face relaxing. "You're so very lucky, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" If she was a prisoner, why was the person calling her 'ma'am?' "Charity, I'm being kept here against my will, I'm not lucky. I was knocked out last night and stolen away in the night. And I'm almost positive that you're being kept against your will too."

"No." She shook her head. "I love being here and working for Severus. We are friends."

Lily looked at this girl, who's eyes were a bit too wide, a bit too dull and knew that that was not at all the truth. But humans could lie, and if glamoured, they could lie to themselves.

"And you are lucky," Charity smiled. "You get to marry, Severus!"

The world seemed to tilt sideways and fall out of focus for a moment.

"Marry him!" Lily shrieked. "I'm not going to- I won't- what does he want to marry me for? I'm a mortal!"

Charity laughed. "Look at you blushing," Lily was positive that she wasn't blushing, but she wasn't going to take her anger out on this poor woman who had been tricked into loving her prison. "And fae sometimes take mortal wives. Fae women have such a hard time getting pregnant that they might all die out if they didn't!"

Lily shook her head, her stomach felt as though it had just turned itself inside out and she found herself fighting off the urge to vomit. "I'm not going to marry him."

"Oh dear," Charity brought a hand up to her face and shook her head. "You look a bit pale, here, drink the tea. It'll make you feel better."

Lily scooped the tea up and took a drink. She tasted peppermint and honey and something she couldn't identify.

She looked down at the cup in horror. "What did you give me?"

"It'll make you feel better!" Charity promised.

"Did you just give me fairy fruit?"

"Not a lot," Charity moved about the room. Opening curtains and straightening pillows. "Only enough to-"

"Make me feel better." She could feel the effects now. She should have just vomited all over the floor. Her body started to feel lighter, her fingers felt like they were made of bubbles and her shoulders relaxed. "I do feel better now." She gave Charity a small smile.

"See! I told you! Mortals are always so afraid of fairy fruit, but it's so good!"

Lily looked at the teacup and knew that she shouldn't drink anymore, but it had been very good, so she found herself bringing it back up to her lips and taking another sip.

"Eat your breakfast too. I'm not sure if you had dinner last night."

"I had marshmallows and a sandwich with my friend, Remus."

"Remus Lupin? The werewolf?"

"Yes," Lily giggled. "I didn't even know that werewolves were real until yesterday!" Charity laughed with her and Lily took a seat at the table and started picking at the food. Eggs and toast, nothing special.

"Werewolves are bad," Charity clicked her tongue and started petting the cat. Why hadn't Lily pet the cat? She liked cats most of the time, though this one still made her uneasy and she couldn't remember exactly why.

"I only know one and he's good. I also met a mermaid yesterday!"

"A mermaid! I think I'd like to be a mermaid, I don't know why Ariel gave up her voice to live up here."

"Right?" Lily shook her head and stuffed the rest of her toast in her mouth.

There was a knock on the door and then it shimmered again before Severus stepped through. "Good morning, ladies."

"Morning, master Severus," Charity bowed her head.

Lily kept smiling, but a shadow of unease cast itself over her. She laughed. "You kidnapped me,"

Severus gave her a small smile, the kind of smile that made her think that Severus didn't let himself smile all that often. "I did take you away from the party, yes. Charity, do you think you could give me and Lily a moment alone?"

Lily frowned at her new friend as she picked up the cat and the tray and walked out of the room. "Why did you make her leave? I like her."

"Charity is a fine servant." Severus said, as though he was agreeing with her. "Though you and I have much to discuss."

"I'm not going to marry you."

Severus' eye twitched, but he gave her another awkward smile and took a seat across from her. "I think you'll find that I can be quite persuasive. I mean look around you, isn't this such a nice place? Wouldn't you love to live here?"

Lily looked around the room and let out a heavy sigh. "I mean, it's pretty nice here. There's no little sculptures in the wall though. At the castle there are little flowers carved into the stones." She leaned forward, saying all of this as though it was of the utmost importance. It felt important too. She had really enjoyed looking over the flowers on the stones.

"Yes, the castle is beautiful. But I can bring you real flowers if you would like that. Or have sculptures made."

"Flower sculptures? That sounds lovely. I don't want real flowers. They belong in the garden."

"You can cultivate any kind of garden you'd like here. We have people who could help you do that. Do you not think that staying here would be nice?"

Lily blinked, trying to clear the fog. It did sound nice. She'd always wanted a large garden like the one her grandmother had grown at her country home. And if she stayed here, she'd always be in fairyland, that sounded quite nice too. "I-" She shook her head now and gripped the table. Something was still casting a shadow over the good reasons to stay here though. "I don't know. I think I'd miss my family. And my friends."

"They could come and visit."

Why did her head feel like it was floating? Why did she feel like she wanted to smile again? She shouldn't want to smile at him. She searched her brain for a thread she could hold onto, something that would help her come back down to the ground. "What did you and your friends do to Mary? Remus said you shouldn't have gone to her wedding. He said it was rude."

He looked surprised that she would ask him such a question. "I only came to see you." His voice was soft and quiet, but it made Lily uncomfortable.

Lily looked at her teacup and wished that she'd never drank any of it. Would it upset Severus if she spilled the rest of the tea? "Why?"

"I have coveted you since I first saw you."

"At the wedding?"

"No," Severus shook his head. "We were eleven. It was your first time in Fairyland. Your eyes were so wide, and you kept smiling at everything. Nothing seemed to frighten you. When I heard you were coming back to fairyland, I knew that it was the only chance I would have to make you mine."

"I'm not yours." Lily shook her head again and stood up from the table. "Why does everyone keep saying I belong to someone? I'm my own person. I belong to myself!"

"Yes," Severus stood up as well, "Yes you do. I suppose saying that I wish to possess you was not the best way to word that. I should have said that I wished to bring you here to my home, to share my good fortune with you." He seemed frustrated about something. "Doesn't that sound nice? Staying here, with me? Staying in fairyland?"

"I don't know. I need a nap. And time to think about it." She put a hand to her forehead, but no matter what she did, she still felt foggy and unable to think straight.

Damn that tea.

"Of course," He didn't sound happy. "Though I'm afraid that we don't have much time. But rest, of course." He motioned to the bed. "I will send Charity back in to help you change into something more comfortable."

Lily giggled again. "A mermaid let me borrow this. Isn't magic wonderful?"

Another tight-lipped smile and then Severus was gone. Lily felt much better when he left. She started humming and walked over to the window. She shouldn't be here. Remus was probably worried about her.

"Lily! Did you tell him that you would stay?"

"No!" Lily said brightly. "But I told him I'd think about it!"

"That's wonderful! I brought you a nightgown!"

"That's wonderful too!" They both laughed.

Lily woke up a few hours later with a headache.

She rolled over and looked up at the canopy as she let out a big yawn.

And then she remembered that she'd been kidnapped by a fae with a history of violence and abuse against women.

She bolted upright for a second time.

She'd drank fairy fruit tea. It had been like being drunk, or being high on laughing gas. Everything had felt like it was glowing and now she was having a hard time recalling the conversation she'd had with Severus before she'd decided that she wanted to take a nap and Charity helped her into an old fashioned nightgown.

Lily stood up, glad that her head was clear now, and walked over to the door. She banged on it, but it stayed where it was, only shimmering whenever her hand touched it.

She walked over to the window and leaned out it, looking down at the ground. It was too far of a drop. Even if it didn't kill her, it would definitely break something. And the only place she would have to hide was the forest, and it was a miracle that she'd gotten out unscathed the last time.

Or not a miracle. James had kept her safe last time. Who knew what would happen without his protection and with a dangerous fae looking for her. She leaned back in the room and she knew Severus was in the room again before she saw him.

"Have you made a decision?" He asked as she turned around. He didn't ask her what she'd been doing with her head out the window.

"About what?" She asked, clenching her hands at her sides.

"Will you stay here?"

She almost stomped her foot. "And if I say that I won't, you'll let me leave?"

"You will say yes." He said, and he thought he was speaking the truth, or he wouldn't have been able to say that.

"And why is that?"

"Because you want to say 'yes.'" He had his arms crossed over his chest. He thought that was the truth too.

She wanted to punch him. And she was just about to tell him that when she realized that he was attempting to glamour her. She could feel a light buzzing sensation on the top of her skin that she had thought was just some side effect of the fruit. But he seemed so sure and it hadn't been there before he'd started talking to her.

"I want to say 'yes?'" She asked, forcing herself to relax, to calm down. If he thought she was glamoured, then perhaps she wouldn't have to stay locked in this room. Perhaps he'd let his guard down and she could find a way to escape.

"You do. You know that you will be far happier here than anywhere else. You know that I can give you anything you could imagine. You want to stay here."

"I want to stay here." She repeated back to him. She'd never been glamoured before, so she didn't know what she was supposed to do exactly, but he didn't seem suspicious. Perhaps he'd never done this incorrectly before. He seemed quite sure of himself.

"Yes, and you will be happy."

"Like Charity!" She gave him a tight smile.

He faltered for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, like Charity."

"Charity and I can be friends and we can stay here with you and the cat!"

"Charity is my servant," Severus narrowed his brow. "You will have better friends than her, though the cat is a good companion."

He thought the cat was better than Charity. Maybe she should try and shove him out the window and then get away. It'd be hard for him to chase after her if it were his legs that were broken.

"Okay,"

"So, you agree to stay here?"

Lily almost said yes, but she wasn't sure exactly how fae magic worked. It might have been a binding contract and she didn't know what the consequences would be to her breaking it, or if she would be able to break it. So she continued being airy and a bit thick. "Do I?"

He shook his head slightly and nodded. "I'd love for you to agree to stay here with me."

"And I'd love for you to agree to stay here with me!" She laughed and spun around so she could make a face without him seeing her. She spun back to him. "Are we going to have dinner together? I didn't get to eat dinner last night, I think I fell asleep instead." She looked down at his shoes and then smiled again, she felt like a puppet. "And then I woke up here!"

"We will dine together." He nodded. "And we will finish talking some things over."

"Good," Lily nodded. "Do I get pretty new dresses to wear? Or do fairies where their night things to dinner?" She forced a laugh, hoping that he couldn't tell it was fake.

He couldn't. "Of course, you will be given new dresses to wear. I do apologize that I do not know a mermaid who could help you dress though."

Lily waved a hand at him. "That's quite alright. I like Charity. Unless the cat can dress me?" She looked at him for a moment and it was clear that he was debating whether or not she was actually stupid. "I'm just kidding!" She laughed. "Though I saw a deer in the forest, and it turned out to be a prince, so maybe the cat is actually a princess! Or an ogre? Are ogres real?"

"I will send Charity back in to help you dress."

"Thank you-" She clicked her tongue. "What do you wish for me to call you?"

He blinked. "Severus. You may call me Severus."

When Charity came back into the room, Lily hit her over the head with a heavy book that she'd found, stealing the only idea she could think of, which happened to be from the first Avengers movie. Cognitive recalibration. She didn't know if it would work of course, but she had to try something.

She heaved Charity up onto the bed, and then dressed herself. She was worried about how she would get out of the room, but apparently Severus had thought that she was glamoured enough to not need to lock the door.

She took a deep breath, holding it while she stepped through the door, and then started down the corridor.

AN: I did not know if I was going to get to post this today! Where I live, if it's raining, or the wind is blowing too hard, our internet goes out. And it's about to storm, it already stormed once today. I love storms and I hoping it cools things down here, but I was worried about posting this chapter! But we have internet for a minute so here we go!

I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think!