BTS: A Court of Embers

4: Into the Wild

She came to on both of her feet, standing as if she'd fallen asleep this way. White sunlight seared her eyelids, the warmth pouring onto her shoulders and arms where it settled and sank into her skin; it mirrored a forgiving summer day in which the sun was not a tyrant, but unabashed in strength. The air was crisp, louder when it whispered through rustling leaves. She squinted as she opened her eyes to an illuminated Namjoon.

The faerie watched her curiously, his lack of adjustment a tad disconcerting. But of course he wouldn't need to cover his eyes or look for shade. He lived here. But, where exactly was here?

At his back, carvings of archers and lions made from polished ivory gave dimension to walls that stretched into cloudless sky. Strips of ivy wound about the engravings. Golden flowers, shimmering and glistening, blossomed from their thick, green stems. The palace was a collection of rotundas on both sides, a mixture of domed and pointed ceilings. At their very tops were waving red flags with the Fire Kingdom's golden emblem rippling in the sun. She didn't have to look down to know that this was only the tip of a monumental building. Especially as a flock of brown birds soared over the castle.

Under her feet was a mosaic floor, droplets of red crystal and crystallized amber forming a glasslike picture. Of what, she wasn't sure, but the colors were mesmerizing. She was standing on glass, and she wasn't falling.

"Welcome to Adara," said Namjoon, snapping her out of awe. Even though she stared at him wide-eyed, a tad conflicted, he went on. "It is the kingdom that holds our Court, and the home of the Fire fae. Should you succeed, it will become your home as well."

Blanched, Maren gestured to the grand doors on the balcony. "That--the Prince. He. He lives here?"

Namjoon chuckled, a deep kind sound. A courtesy laugh for her delayed, naive mortal existence. "Within these walls, yes. He waits for us in the dining room."

She became keenly aware of the kingdom's natural warmth, the color schemes, the sharpness of the blue sky, her small and mortal frame beholding a door that led to others like Namjoon. Woefully unprepared, woefully vulnerable. A starved lamb in a lion's den. Feeling trapped, Maren turned on her heel and went to the balcony railing, the view making her knees go weak.

Red-tiled rooftops covered sun-kissed cream and beige buildings. Scarlet treetops wound through the cobblestone streets alongside orange and gold canopies. Here and there, a kingdom banner hung from one of the more splendid artifices. An entire city gleamed rose gold in the white sunlight. Farther away were rolling green hills and the beginning of a new forest. And if the forest was right there, the Neverin Forest, as she'd learned to call it... then the Prince's kingdom was not within cover of the woodlands at all, but part of its own civilization.

Without thinking, Maren shook her head. "I thought the Forest was..."

"A part of Fae lands? It is, but it isn't. Consider it a gateway of sorts."

Tearing her gaze away from the beauty of Adara, she peered over her shoulder. "To where?"

Namjoon grinned. "To Neverin, land of the six kingdoms, realm of Fae-kind. Now, while I understand humans take time to register events such as this, His Highness should not be kept waiting. If you'll join me inside, we can proceed."

His Highness. Her stomach dropped. She peeled away from the railing and froze as the two grandiose carved doors leading into the palace opened slowly without urging. As if they waited patiently for Namjoon and his company to enjoy the outside air and return to the belly of the castle. Maren followed the faerie inside, studying every lavish bit.

The room they entered seemed to be a bedroom, a sprawling canopy bed positioned along the right wall with a golden armoire and golden dresser drawers to match. The walls were a blend of deep scarlet with gold moulding, the candle torches on the walls scorching as Namjoon passed into a wide corridor decorated by a red carpet over cream, veined marble floors.