Page 3 of Crown of Ellova: Vol 1

“Ready to go?” I ask her. Our horses, Citrine, named after her golden eyes, and Onyx, wait patiently for us. They nibble on the small pink flowers that grow around the tallest tree in this forest, their coats dark as night. I slip my foot into the silver stirrup and mount my horse, fanning out my skirts to avoid wrinkles. The large leather satchel tied to Onyx’s saddle is brimming with the jewelry I’ve packed to be sold tonight at the King’s Bazaar.

The sky fades into a dusky purple. Together, we make our way deeper into the Merawood Forest—the woods that protect the faerealm of Ellova and separate it from the mortal kingdom of Adreania.

Above us, a harmony of unfurling petals welcomes the future ruler of Ellova. The bright flowers that cover the ground all turn to face Nueena as sunflowers do to the sun, the forest life blooming in her presence to acknowledge her power. Any branches in our way are pulled back by unseen magic, and buds grow beneath her horse, living a beautiful, brief existence before the soil reclaims them as if they were never there once she passes. Only their saccharine scent lingers. Fireflies follow lazily behind us as lush stalks of hydrangeas rise gracefully from the dirt with the last hint of sunlight illuminating our path.

Ancient trees of the Merawood Forest are undisturbed by mortals and fae alike. The mortals on the other side of the Divide do not know Ellova still exists, and the fae have no interest in venturing near the forest since the war.

A war the fae lost, and so they were never seen again by mortal eyes. Over the past few thousand years, we have become a myth to the mortals. With all the magic gone from their realm, and our existence hidden behind glamour and protective wards, we are nothing more than bedtime stories for small children.

We ride alongside a dreary, dry riverbed. Nueena frowns down at the smooth rocks.

Thousands of years ago it held the healing waters from Airvell River, the river of magic that the fae allowed to flow through the Merawood Forest and into the mortal realm. Now, it’s nothing but an empty reminder that the fae gave the mortals healing and prosperity during the brief union of realms. That there was once peace before the mortals’ betrayal.

A betrayal that Adreania is still being punished for.

We are only alone for a few moments before I hear a rustling in the trees above us. My heart leaps with joy at the ball of dark fur and bright blue eyes that peer down.

Farren, my beloved pet fox, sits waiting for us. His pointed nose tips up, smelling the air before he scampers to the lowest branch. He lets me pull him into my lap, careful of his sharp nails as hesticks his nose under my hand for attention, and I scratch his ears while we ride.

“When will you be back at the palace?” Nueena asks. “We still have some planning to do for the coronation ball. Perhaps the Gem Court has someone you would wish to take?” Nueena keeps her head straight but her eyes slide to me in question. “Might be nice to have someone to dance with that evening.”

My gaze is drawn up to the new stars that have joined the evening sky. “My court has plenty of worthy dance partners. Ellova has no shortage of males to entertain myself with, plenty of them happy to keep my bed warm too, but—” Any relationship built during my half-mortal life would end in heartbreak for the fae male who chose to be with me, condemning him to grieve for a lifetime far, far longer than mine. My words come out numbly. “—it simply isn’t worth the risk. And Leon is…’’

“The one you actually want to be with,” she adds quietly, nodding with understanding. She’s heard about Leon every full moon since I first met him two years ago tonight.

I force a laugh, the sound bitter on my lips. “Not that allowing myself to get attached to a mortal is a brilliant idea, either.” Any relationship with a mortal like Leon was impossible. Where would we even go to be together?

Mortals are forbidden in Ellova.

I could not live in the mortal realm, where I would succumb to death without the magic to keep me alive and delay my aging. He couldn’t reside in Ellova, where the magic drives mortals to madness.

It never stops my wishful thoughts, though.

Sharp black spires peek out from above the treetops. The Iron Castle of Adreania. Somewhere in that desolate castle, Leon is probably preparing for tonight.

I wonder if he’s thinking of me too, or if the sensation of falling when I think of him is a blissful torture only I endure.

“What type of commission did Leon make up for this month?” Nueena’s tone is light, calling me back from my dark thoughts.

“A sapphire tiara for Princess Lyrora.”

“With how horrible of a king her father is on top of the horror of having Prince Grayden as a brother, she deserves a closet full of them,” Nueena says with a scowl.

Farren hops down to chase the small, plump red mushrooms popping up from the ground. He lets out a frustrated huff when the fungus disappears before he gives up to chase mossy spirals winding up the thick trunks.

We ride in silence as more stars slowly appear, twinkling above us as we come to the Divide. Nueena is off her horse in a flash. New flowers burst around her feet the moment she touches the ground. She releases the dagger at her belt and bends down to slice the stems, gathering up the newly formed bouquet to press her nose into the petals. Nueena inhales as she rises to her full height and gently places them in the cart.

She returns the dagger I made for her hundredth birthday to her belt, the handle shaped like twisting leaves. “Ready?” she asks, staring up at me. The gentle pulse of magic flowing gently follows Nueena; occasionally it swirls around her, moving her hair like a soft breeze.

I dismount from Onyx. “My love, time for you to keep Nueena company.”

He looks back up at me, blinking his understanding, and dashes in circles at Nueena’s feet.

The stillness grows as we walk towards the invisible barrier of the Divide, where the Merawood Forest ends and the mortal realm begins.

Just as the Verge protects us in the fae realm on the other side of the forest, the Divide holds in the mortal kingdom of Adreania in the south. Kalvorn is north of Ellova; Merawood Forest stands between the two kingdoms, keeping us in Ellova safe. A mountain range keeps Adreania and Kalvorn apart, with Versairen across the sea.

This is the worst part: the Divide is not meant to be crossed by those who hold magic within them as the fae do. It was constructed to keep us safe inside it after the war. No matter how many times Istep into the mortal realm, the apprehension for the crossing sits like sharp rocks within me.

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