Page 38 of Calling of the Crown

Smirking, I crossed my arms. “I see why you gave us a break. It was because you wanted your own.”

Jesiah smiled unapologetically and wrapped his arm around Akira to pull him closer to his side. “So? Do you want me to give you work to do instead?”

“No thanks,” Rune quickly answered for me.

Turning to Akira, I asked, “How are move-ins going?”

Akira’s warm eyes brightened. “Honestly? It’s going way better than I thought it would. Everyone’s reaction is the same at first. They don’t trust us or want us anywhere near them or their things, but I think as they watch us interact with each other, Mingxia, and the other Water Fae, they loosen up. Some even go out of their way to say hi and chit chat when they see us.”

The news warmed my heart. More and more Water Fae had been arriving over the past few days, which had kept the move-in crew fairly busy. I hadn’t received any reports of violence or alarming incidents, which had given me hope that things were going well, but to hear this first-hand from Akira was a relief. It made that better future we all envisioned really seem possible.

Everyone looked at ease as they got settled in the sand. The twins and Alvaro sat near the tide with Marlow, and they were already heavily focused on constructing what I assumed was a sandcastle. Imani, Avana, Carlos, Bassel, Dallas, and Rance sat around a blanket, unpacking the bag of snacks and drinks we’d brought, and I didn’t miss how close Imani and Avana were. Jesiah, Akira, Mingxia, and Marcus stood with Rune and me, and I was glad to see Mingxia and Marcus could make it. Mingxia had been working endlessly with all the newly arriving Water Fae, and Marcus spent most of his time in the dungeon where he monitored Dax. Another guard was on duty today, so Marcus was able to join us.

It was as I scanned over our friend group that I noticed a missing face. “Where’s Ardley?”

Avana smirked from her place on the blanket and said, “I believe he went to gather his new friends.”

I arched a brow. “New friends?”

Carlos bit his lip to fight his amusement, and he pointed a finger behind me.

I turned, and I could’ve sworn my eyebrows rose to meet my hairline. Ardley was making his way toward us, but he was far from alone. Numerous Water Fae were in tow, the majority of whom I’d briefly met during the handful of arrivals I’d been able to attend.

Ardley smiled wide and waved as he drew closer. “Princess, I brought some friends to hang out with us. I hope that’s okay.”

The dozen or so Water Fae in tow went wide-eyed when they spotted me and immediately bowed deeply, calling, “Your Highness.”

“Ardley, you didn’t tell us that the Princess was going to be here,” a gorgeous dark-skinned girl hissed, exposing her razor-sharp teeth. She elbowed him in the side and finished, “I would’ve worn something better if I knew she was here.” She glanced nervously at her navy tank top and jean shorts and ran a hand over her shoulder length black hair, which nearly hid the slits of her gills on the sides of her neck.

“You look amazing, Jayanna,” I reassured her with a smile, recalling the girl from one of the arrivals I’d gone to.

Her brown eyes doubled in size. “Y-You remember me?”

“Of course. I remember all of you.” I passed my gaze over all the faces before me. “Except for those I haven’t had the chance to meet yet.”

We quickly went through introductions with those I hadn’t met. Some seemed in utter shock to be talking to me, which I myself still found surreal. To have people look at me like I was some sort of idolized celebrity was mind-boggling. It was something I didn’t foresee myself getting used to anytime soon.

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to join you?” a Fae named Drake asked.

“Absolutely,” I answered. I waved my arms at all the blankets we had spread out on the sand. “The more, the merrier. I may be your Princess, but I’m also a girl who likes to get out with her friends every once in a while. For today, think of me as Bria instead of Princess. Let’s all just have fun, okay?”

There were so many of us now that there wasn’t space for everyone on the blankets, but people didn’t seem to mind. They were too busy staring at me and trying to ask me a million different questions. I had questions for them, too, like how they’d been, what it was like living in whatever country they’d called home all this time, and what kind of powers they each had.

“Shark Fae like me have a heightened sense of smell,” Jayanna informed me. “We can use it to track people, even if they’re hundreds of miles away.”

“That’s amazing!” I squealed, swallowing past the grape Rune had just given me. “I love learning about all the different types of Water Fae.”

“Has it been hard trying to catch up on everything?” another girl—Khalani—asked. Her long, black hair was unique in that she had a small section of white hair that framed her tan face on both sides. Her fingertips were black, as though she’d dipped them in cans of paint, coating her skin in the color. The inky shade faded into caramel-colored skin just past her wrists. The features gave away her Orca Fae form, which I found fascinating.

Khalani sat between Ardley and Jayanna, though based on her insistence to sit closer to Jayanna than Ardley, I’d wager she was not there by choice. In fact, Jayanna and Ardley kept passing teasing glances when Ardley “accidentally” brushed against Khalani, who would go ramrod straight and glare at the Fox each and every time.

Meeting Khalani’s dark, warm eyes, I answered, “Learning so much can be challenging, but I enjoy it. I honestly get excited every time I learn something new about Water Fae or this world in general. I genuinely want what’s best for Water Fae and intend to lead to the best of my ability.”

“Forgive me if this question is a bit forward, Your Highness,” Khalani started slowly and glanced at Rune, “but how did you come to form an alliance with the Land Fae here?”

I shrugged. “We became friends a while back. It didn’t matter what we were but who we were.”

“Same reason we’re friends now,” Ardley said, nudging Khalani with his shoulder.

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