They look at each other, shrug, and head their separate ways, Daelia to the Holy Church, and Alessia to the palace. Just as they disappear, Kharu finally sets me back on the floor, the biggest giddy grin creasing his face.
“It’s so great to see you! I can’t believe I caught you out in public! I thought for sure they’d keep you in that palace for weeks before I’d see you again!”
“Trust me, I thought so, too, but I lucked out,” I admit. “How have you been, man?”
“Great as ever! Kicking ass, taking names, and loving life!” he chuckles.
I can’t help but feel my chest pang with pride as I see that child-like joy on Kharu’s face. He looks and acts the same as ever. His chiseled face, bright hazel eyes, well-maintained stubble, and joyful disposition haven’t changed a bit. His sand-brown hair is a little longer and more wavy than I remember, but that’s just because I haven’t seen him in a few weeks, and it grows fast and gets wavy in the humidity of summer. He’s dressed for training, as he always is, a pair of utility pants and his sheathed sword the only clothing on his person. He has no shirt to speak of; his godly, chiseled body is on full display, a view the women tend to enjoy, especially since he’s exceedingly tall and broad. He stands an entire head above me and maintains shoulders the size of melons. The rest of his muscle structure follows suit, as one could imagine. If I’m trying to picture the god of war in the flesh, Kharu would be my instant mental image.
“I’m glad to hear it,” I reply.
“Dude, Lief is so anxious that you left without telling him where you were headed,” Kharu says. “He’s been pacing around the neighborhood for days now!”
I clap a hand to my mouth, a jolt of guilt piercing my middle. “Oh my gods, I forgot to bring Lief with us! I didn’t even think about bringing him to the palace after the Wedding Ball!”
“Well, let’s go get him, then!” Kharu suggests, clapping me on the back hard enough to send me flying if I hadn’t braced for it. “We’ll put the little guy’s mind at ease if we pay him a visit.”
I follow Kharu out of the Guild and back onto the main street. My stomach twists tighter and tighter with every passing the second, the guilt becoming anxiety by the minute. I can’t believe I forgot about Lief. He’s the fae servant of my family, a spirit that’s willingly bound himself to my family lineage. He dislikes my parents, but he’s taken a liking to me, more than he’s taken a liking to anyone in the last few centuries, according to Lief himself. Fae do everything on a whim, leading their lives as they please regardless of moral conventions of human life. Some border on the definition of monster, while others, like Lief, take a liking to humans and only prank them or belittle them harmlessly at worst.
We take the main street to the northwest, finding ourselves in the rolling hills of the aristocrats’ neighborhood shortly. Here, the houses are sprawling estates on top of rolling hills, each property separated by at least a city block’s worth of space. Some of the houses are ancient and have been renovated every century or so throughout the nation’s history; others are brand-new marble or brick constructions. Floor-to-ceiling windows, pristine gardens, and open-air stables are the staples of aristocratic estates, and my family home is no exception. I recognize the two-story marble-and-brick construction from a distance, but I don’t even get within a half mile of it before I hear a tiny, shrill shriek rapidly closing in on me.
“Aurelio!” Lief wails.
I spot him just before he runs right into my chest. I reach out, catch him, and hold him in my hands, where he cries hysterically. His whole body fits in my palm.
“You left me behind!” he exclaims.
“I’m so sorry, Lief. I didn’t even think to bring you. It was dangerous out there,” I admit.
“You know I would have protected you!” he sniffles, folding his arms defiantly over his tiny chest.
“You would have tried to protect me,” I correct him. “We faced down some nasty creatures. You wouldn’t have been too enthused to see a wendigo up close.”
“I don’t care! You abandoned me!”
Suddenly ceasing his tears, Lief stands up, huffs, and turns his back to me. I wait patiently for him to have his silent tantrum. This isn’t the first time he’s done this, and I highly doubt it will be the last, but no matter how many times he throws a fit, I can’t make myself take him seriously. Fae can change their appearance at will—they are spirits, after all, consisting of pure energy and magic—but Lief insists on appearing human, and a human male at that. He has pale skin, messy, short black hair, hazel-yellow eyes, and the slightest tone to his muscle structure. Quirky as he is, he wears an orange leaf as a hat, and I’ve never seen him without it, nor have I seen the leaf wither to brown. He wears the clothes of a commoner, including a travel vest, utility pants, and work boots, which I’m not sure how he got a hold of, seeing as he’s only five inches tall. I’m also not sure how he would have tailored the shirt to fit around his four wings, which appear as dragonfly-like clear wings sprouting from the center of his back.
There are a lot of things I don’t understand about him, but what I do know about him is that he’s a loyal, honest friend, and he’s right about almost everything.
Which is why I’m a little scared to tell him about Alessia. I think I’m about to be thoroughly embarrassed.
“I didn’t abandon you, Lief. I had to go to the Wedding Ball, then Alessia chose me to be her husband, and I’ve been stuck dealing with royal crap ever since, including a trip to Krasta.”
“You should have called for me! I would have come!” Lief pouts. “Instead, you left me here, where I’m all alone, and your mom was driving me crazy, so I left the house, then I ran into Kharu, and he said you left without me, and—”
Lief suddenly pauses mid-sentence. I can see the gears turning in his little mind. Then, just as soon as he stops talking, he jumps into the air and hovers in front of my face, pointing an accusatory finger at my nose.
“Hey! You didn’t tell me you got married!”
“I figured you would assume that was why I didn’t come back after the Wedding Ball,” I say.
“You,” Lief says, pointing at Kharu now, “why didn’t you tell me he got married?”
Kharu frowns. “I have a name, Lief.”
“Aw, why does no one tell me anything!” he complains.
I roll my eyes. “We shouldn’t have to. Anyway, do you want to come live in the palace with me or not, Lief?”
