I stand up on an balcony overlooking the Summer court. I try to avoid people's attention but somehow, it finds me anyway. I answer their questions and their attempts at conversation but inside, all I'm doing is willing them to leave me in peace.
It's the first night of Elysium and Keirran still hadn't put in an appearance. I hope he knew what the consequences for being late were, it was a huge insult to the hosts and my mother and father would kill him. In fact, they would probably kill him then dig him up just to do it again.
Finally a group of winter sidhes take their leave of me. I look out to the extravagant festivities. The night air was pleasantly warm, the only thing penetrating the darkness being the lights threaded through the dense briars surrounding the big courtyard. Although Summer, Winter and Iron were at peace now, they stayed in their groups. It was easy to tell them apart, of course. The Summer fey wore their customary green and gold robes and the Winter sidhes in their black and blue. My subjects, the iron fey, could not attend Elysium due to being poisonous to Arcadia and Tir Na Nog. Only my mother, father, brother and I could attend and represent our court. This was mainly why Keirran and I could not afford to miss the union. Funny I single the iron fey as my subjects when truly, I am the princess to everyone here. I could live where I pleased and rule where I pleased; I had just never thought about leaving Mag Tuiredh.
The four rulers, Oberon, Titania, Mab and my mother, were sat at the table opposite the balcony where I stood. The monarchs all looked stunning. Oberon wore a ruby red robe, his straight silver hair passing down his shoulders. Titania wore a long, flowing dress, the same shade of red that her husband was sporting. Her golden hair was pinned back, curling down her back in a spray of ringlets with a gold and green crown placed upon her head. Mab wore a blue dress, decorated with shimmering icicles. Her inky black hair was pulled back into a fancy top-knot, tied with a diamond studded band. My mother wore a clingy, silver dress that shimmered like diamonds at the slightest movement. Her soft, blonde hair flowed free with her polished, silver crown sat delicately on top. My dad stood loyally by my mother's side like a guard dog but I could feel him watching me. Elysium made him extremely edgy; not that he could be blamed for that.
Breena was right about my attire. The dress was simple, yet it had its own beauty and grace about it. The colours of it clashed perfectly with my pale skin and silver eyes. It was made of smooth, dark blue satin. It had silver glitter patterns on the top of the bodice and the hem of the skirt. The skirt just brushed my ankles, not getting under my feet. My jet-black hair hung loose, reaching all the way to my hips. On my head sat my tiara. It was a circlet to represent all courts. Its base was made of silver wire, decorated with wrought flowers and ice blue studs. I hated wearing it for the most part. It was uncomfortable to say the least.
"You look lovely, sis." I hear a voice from my left. Turning my head, I meet the azure eyes of my big brother.
Keirran always generated a lot of talk amongst the women. He had a whole host of fey chasing him. My brother was handsome, taking the best features of our parents. He looked most like my mother though. His hair was a pale shade of blonde and it just covered his ears. He had my mother's big, blue eyes. His skin was very pale, like mine. He was tall and muscular, yet athletic and quick through the years he had spent riding around in the wyldwood. Keirran had always been a good brother to me; he was my rock. He taught me a lot about Nevernever and the tricks of his trade, hunting.
"Keirran!" I exclaim. Reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck, I hug him close to me. His familiar smell of horses, smoke, leather and trees clings to everything he wears. Once I pull away, I give him a shove. "Mom and Dad are going to kill you for being late. Where were you?"
"Had a run in with the Wolf. I had to go on a merry dance to lose him." he smirks, brushing his pale, blonde hair from his eyes.
"Right before Elysium, typical." I tut, rolling my eyes.
"Cheer up, Sky. I'm here now."
"We're going out tomorrow to make up for it. I think I almost died of boredom, listening to the courts think up of new Accords."
"I've been to more of them than you, princess."
"Fourteen Elysiums. How can you stand it?" I snort.
"Which one of yours is this?"
"Ninth."
"I can remember your first."
"Everyone can remember my first, Keirran."
We stand in silence for a few moments. I catch the eye of my father, now leaning against a pillar at the top of the courtyard. He's spotted his son. He raises a dark eyebrow at Keirran and beckons to him ominously.
"Uh oh." I sigh.
"I'll be fine." Keirran retorts confidently.
"If you were thinking about fluttering your eyelashes and putting on the puppy-dog eyes, I'll warn you now, it won't work. You're a little too old for that ploy now." I tell him, straightening his silver waistcoat.
"Shame. That's how I always got out of trouble before." he says, giving me a wry smile. "So I'm definitely too old for that?"
"Just a bit." I laugh, pushing him away. "Go on now. You don't want Dad to come over here and frog-march you away, do you?"
"That would be a bit embarrassing, I think." he says, turning away from me. He goes down the steps and meets my father who leads him away. This escapade was likely to earn him a good going over for showing us up. Of course, Keirran was well-experienced in his scoldings. He was forever getting into trouble, even when he was a little boy.
I stand alone for a few more moments until another figure, weaving his way through the crowd, catches my attention. Crimson hair. Who could it be but him?
Puck. Robin Goodfellow.
If there was one person I adored more than my family, it was him. Mischievous, playful and easy-going, he and my father were chalk and cheese. We had known each other since I was a little girl and he'd known Keirran even longer. He popped up anywhere it pleased. There was no better companion that loyal Robin.
"Oh dear. Robin Goodfellow." I smile as he ascends the steps.
"Be nice, ice-girl." he winks, bowing low. It didn't matter how we treated one another outside of court; I was a summer princess and therefore, Puck's. If Oberon saw him not giving the proper courtesies to me, it wouldn't be allowed to slide.
"It's Elysium and I'm a princess. I'm allowed to be mean." I tell him, giving him a hug. Puck grinned.
"I've missed you, princess. The summer fey can be a bit tedious sometimes." he says, shaking his red hair.
"You're not tedious." I reply, giving him an odd look.
"I'm sure your father would disagree. In fact, I think he would tell you that I'm a pain in the ass." he laughs, his eyes scanning the crowds. "Where is his highness, anyway?"
"Giving Keirran a roasting."
"What's the kid done now?"
"He was late to Elysium. That's the number one rule."
"Ah." Puck grimaces. "Lets just say I wouldn't want to be him right now."
"Right there with you." I sigh, feeling the anger that my father's projecting. In our pause, the musicians start up a new song. Music from summer was usually quite bright and lively and merry. This song was no different.
"Care for a dance, princess?" Puck asks, bowing then offering me his hand.
I swallowed. Dancing was not my thing. Being a faery, I was good at it but I possessed the more human emotion of self-consciousness and screwing up in front of the courts wasn't on my agenda for the evening.
"I heard only the heirs could dance with one another." True, but what a lame excuse.
"Oberon has no heirs apart from your mother, but hey, I'm the next best thing."
That made me laugh.
"I'm sure Oberon thinks of you as family too, Robin."
"Oh, he does. He loves me really." Puck tugged a lock of my hair gently. "Come on, ice-girl, you're a fey. Fey are born to dance."
"Fine. I submit."
He offers his hand to me and takes me down from the balcony. I could feel the eyes of the courts on me, could hear the whispers. Of course, they would wonder if Puck and I were courting and really, a future union was not completely out of the question. Oberon and Mab will eventually vie to have me marry into their courts but they had no sons to offer. Much as Titania detested him, Oberon would probably offer to marry Robin to me. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I would sooner wed Puck than some cousin of Mab's but still, being a pawn in the game for power was not pleasant.
My father and Keirran had reappeared. The Iron Prince had clearly been given the telling off of his lifetime. He looked at me solemnly, giving me a half-hearted smile. I returned a sympathetic one. I rarely incurred the wrath of the Iron Queen's consort but I had experienced it once and it was not enjoyable. At all. The consort himself stood back beside his heir. He met my eyes, almost curious in the way he appraised me. I found Oberon and my mother had that same expression. Perhaps they thought I was trying to imply something going on with Puck. Well, they were wrong.
"Come along now, your highness." Robin whispered in my ear, sweeping me around him.
