Heirs of the Gods

Ch 10: Destined for greatness, but not for happiness

"I won! I'm the best," Ella declared, between pants and giggles as she reached over to place her palm on the large oak tree crowning the top of the meadow. 

After they patched things up, Gidden and Ella began to form a tentative friendship. That day, Gidden had taken her riding across a vineyard in a nearby village, spending the afternoon sneaking grapes and walking around the tall stalks. She hadn't been able to drink the wine, given it was faerie wine, not the best for fragile humans. But the owner, a tubby man with bark-like skin, had given her a warm smile and jar full of grape jam.

In faerieland, no one blinked an eye at them. Back in Rhothomir, it was unthinkable for a young woman to even sit next to a man without supervision. It would have been social suicide. Here, no one batted an eye. She was allowed to roam freely and no one thought twice about seeing her alone with Gidden. It was alleviating, this freedom.

On the way back, they had gotten into a light, playful game of racing their horses, which had ultimately led them to dismount the animals, in favour of running towards the largest hill, the goal being the towering tree on top.

"Beginner's luck," Gidden said, reaching a few seconds later. His reddish-brown curls were tousled and his cheeks flushed. Unavoidably, Ella couldn't help thinking that he was truly handsome, with his strong, chiselled features and his boyish smile.

"Jealousy isn't a pretty colour on you," she tutted, dropping down on the grass, and supporting her back against the tree trunk. She sighed as a cool breeze kissed her hot cheeks and her heart thumped from the exertion.

Faeries were astoundingly fast, especially elves. She'd witnessed how quick and nimble they were one afternoon as Gidden, Ewan and Ronan played some type of ball game with Fraz, bolting faster than humanly possible with their fae vitality and honed warrior skills. He'd obviously let her win, playing along. A small smile played on her lips.

Gidden rolled his eyes good-naturedly and followed suit, sitting down next to her, a few inches apart. They were silent for a moment, as Ella regained her breath after the uphill run and absent-mindedly toyed with a small braided bracelet on her wrist, Gidden looked down and observed her fingers tracing the trinket.

"What's that?" In response, she extended her wrist, showing him the bracelet, a thin object of twisting vines and tiny white mayflowers.

"A gift. Briar and I went to a village, Linden, and she read to the children. One of them gave me this," she smiled at the memory of the gleeful children, gathering round to hear stories, wide-eyed and fidgety, full of fluttering wings, hooved little feet, horns and leaf-like ears.

Gidden smiled, he extended a finger and lightly traced the outline of the braided bracelet, grazing over her pulse point. The feather-soft feel of his calloused and warm hands sent soft currents racing up her arms, making her skin prickle. She quickly averted her eyes, cheeks the colour of a pink melon, feeling foolish like a giddy adolescent.

"I heard Briar took you to visit villages, did you like it?"

"I loved it," she smiled, thinking of the many days she'd spent with Briar, visiting blooming villages, sightseeing and meeting people. "Your lands are beautiful and the people are so kind, I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. Briar's lovely, they all adore her and admire her so much, it's so nice to see."

Indeed, they all clamoured around their Princess, who in turn graced them with her full attention, intently listening to their concerns and answering their petitions. It was obvious they loved Briar and just how committed she was to her role.

"Briar's wonderful. She's astounding at what she does, she'd make a great leader." There was an overwhelming amount of pride and affection in Gidden's smile, though there was a wistful undercurrent to his words.