Page 18 of Finding Closure

Neldor nodded again. “Of course. Please be thorough. What are the questions?”

“What steps did the princess take to make these decisions? Obviously, she read all of the ordinances before changing them, but—can you explain for everyone in Faerie the princess’s process,” he asked.

“Sure. The princess did much more than read them all. She had a semester study of them and the history of what she could find from both realms including journals and the documentation of how they came about. She went through the filings and changes to reach where they currently are and what they were changed from.

“At one point, all of the laws and ordinances of Faerie were the same across the board. From there, it was certain allowances that had some of the changes, and others were from deals made. Some innocent and a tax break here for development of an area or helping during a problem. But then there was pushback to not revert to the norm.

“Then there was more as Tamsin said. Her instruction was overseen by Professor Sontar but was given mostly by Commanders Morgan and Talila who both have the most experience in regional differences and issues in their respective realms. They were present for many of the instances and knew first-hand to advise the princess how things came about or who could tell her.

“From there, she started picking apart the problems and finding a bit more of an average of where things should be. That’s the starting point where things will be considering what Faerie has been through and the healing we need to have—the progress the princess is pushing for. Taxes specifically will stay at a lower rate for the next few years.

“Well, lower for where they should have been. Others will see an immediate rise because they weren’t paying what they should because of corruption. But the princess was adamant that as long as people were paying towards change with their time and helping as many fairies have been, she wanted to keep the taxes as low as possible even if it meant her own money.”

There were several more questions along those lines including how many hours he thought I put into the project andif I had local advisors from the areas before I made the changes. All were fair and no one was over the line.

“Thanks,” I said as I handed it back. “Really, you did a good job.”

“So are you, baby doll,” he whispered.

“I know.” I let out a slow breath. “I know. Really, I do. And I even know that those people were lashing out—I’m just tired of being the fucking target, Nel. Igetthey lost so much. I care. Can they fucking care how much I’ve lost? Can they just think of that before they demand more from me or blame me for everything that happened before I was born or while a baby?”

“I know, and I know saying it’s gotten better isn’t enough.”

“Not today,” I agreed and went back to eating. I probably shouldn’t have done the press conference after people had been waiting there shouting at me what they did. It was all crap, but it affected me. It hurt.

I was tired that every time a new group woke and adjusted to their new reality, I was their punching bag. And the last few million didn’t seem to be adjusting the way others had. It had been months since most were woken, and why was so much still my fault? Did they think it was fun for me to be treated this way?

That I’d not woken them sooner on purpose?

They just couldn’t ever understand what I’d been through—all I’d done to wake them all.

But what if they could?

I finished eating and kissed Neldor’s cheek.

“Where are you going?” he worried.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. I teleported away before he could ask. I went home first, but that wasn’t right and teleported to Katrina’s store. Something was telling me that what I needed was there.

Power crystals. I was standing in front of a delivery of power gauge crystals, and that was when I knew what to do.

It was time to show Faerie what I’d done.

All of them. Any of them who cared. Give them the example and something tangible for the next one who yelled at me that I hadn’t done enough.

I held out my hand and read the energy before teleporting to the portal to Faerie. I went through and teleported to the temple in the neutral zone, thinking that a place no fairy would have an issue with going even if nothing was closed off to any fairy anymore.

I started easy and thought back to the power it took to clear the darkness for a radius of five feet. I focused my magic and made a power crystal that would gauge that level of magic needed.

Then twenty feet.

Fifty feet.

A hundred feet.

And so on.

Then I did the power it took to bring back the sun. The power it took and broke me—that could have killed me if people hadn’t been at my house to immediately help me.

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