FIFTEEN: Celsitudo Rex Dorian (His Highness, King Dorian)

Celsitudo – (Latin) Your Highness/ His Highness

Tine – (Old English) Time

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POV – Dorian

Eighteen Years Earlier

“I can’t wait to mark you and you to mark me,” I sigh, pulling her into my arms. I’ve waited so long for her.

Early the next morning, I dropped her off at her pack, watching her walk through the open gates and blew her a kiss as she turned back to look at me. Holding her in my arms eighteen years ago as a baby is nothing like holding her in my arms now. I’ve watched her grow up, and she’s beautiful. Inside and out.

I think of the events of last night. I can’t wait to mark her, make her mine. Although with fairies, it’s different, not like our water fairy cousins. We don’t bite and leave a mark. No. We place our mark through our hands on the back of the neck, which leaves a patterned mark down the spine and shoulders. But because of who I am, I have to mark her in public, in front of my people, in what we call the claiming ceremony.

I get back to the hotel, smiling from ear to ear. We usually spend a week in Worthington, where I do all the official things like visit our guards who patrol our borders and visit the fairy families who live in this area. It’s also my time to relax and enjoy myself from the fast-paced Kingdom life. But in the last eighteen years visiting here has become more important. If I could have come more frequently, I would have. The last time I was here, Aviary was six. She was a feisty little thing. Strong, already participating in training with her pack. And she was full of clever quotes. It made me laugh.

I tried to get back for her mother’s funeral, but we had an issue in our realm that I needed to fix. Which is why I came here less than I would have liked.

I walk through the hotel lobby and am greeted by the staff here. They’re fairies, and the clan who live on this land also own it. I smile back.

“Celsitudo,” General Birch calls, running over to me. To the outside world, my rank is Major. It’s not a high rank, but it’s one I use when I visit this realm. I could be given a different rank, and truthfully, I’ve been called a Major for many decades when really the Elite Fairy Guard serves me.

“Lysander,” I smile. Lysander has been my bodyguard since childhood and is almost two-hundred years older than me.

“It’s your mother; she is unwell,” he says. I feel my emotions change from elation to worry.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Your father has requested your return as soon as possible,”

he continues. I nod.

“Please let Aviary know I had to leave… but that I’ll be back for her in a week,” I rush out. Lysander nods.

“And have my things packed, please?” I then ask.

“Of course, Dorian,” he replies.

I turn and walk out of the lobby. The conversation occurred in a public place, and Tine Clan will all know my mother is unwell, but it can’t be helped. I leave the hotel to my awaiting car and order my driver to take us to Spiral Grove.

Spiral Grove is a small garden located on the outskirts of Worthington. People come here to take photos, standing in the middle of the spiral to pose amongst the flowers. To humans and other sub-species, it looks like an ordinary garden.

The garden is in the suburbs and is maintained by Tine Hub, their houses positioned around it. Around the perimeter of the park are Blue Jacaranda trees with their pink-purple flowers. A spiral of different flowers is planted within the circle, with a grass path between the rows. Poppies, Alyssums, and pansies are some of the flowers found in the spiral, and their aromatic scents bring the bees and birds.

We call this garden the Spiral Grove, and it is very sacred to the fay, not only for the nature and insects within it but because it is one of the portals to our realm.

My driver stops on the street outside Spiral Grove, and I open the door. A black car pulls up behind me, and members of my Elite guard follow me out. I nod towards them and walk towards the Spiral Gove.

You must be a fairy to activate the Grove, and there is a particular method you need to take to turn it on. Firstly, you must walk it from beginning to end from outside to the centre. Secondly, you must pick the petals off five flowers, scattering them along the path as you walk. While you walk the path, you must think about where you want to go, and once you reach the centre of the spiral, you close your eyes and breathe in. It’s easy.

I begin my walk at the beginning of the spiral, picking my five flowers from different plants. As I pick and release each petal, I think of home and my family. With the last flower de-petalled, I drop it, close my eyes and take a deep breath in, letting the aroma of the flowers fill my lungs.

I step forward and open my eyes. Instead of standing in the Spiral Grove, I am in the garden outside my family home.

“Where is my mother?” I ask the first housekeeper I come across. He bows his head at me before responding.

“She is in her rooms, Celsitudo,” the worker says. I nod. I run to my parent’s wing and through their apartment.

The door to her room bangs against the wall as I open it. Dad looks up at me; his eyes are glassy from crying.

“Son,” he says, letting go of mums’ hand and walking over to me. I wrap my arms around him in a hug and let him bury his head into my chest.

“What happened?” I ask, seeing the different monitors and tubes hooked up to her.

“She fell off her horse onto some rocks. There’s been some swelling to the brain, but the doctor says to wait twenty-four hours. If there have been no changes to her condition, she should recover,” Dad says, pulling away from me. I nod.

“When did this happen?” I ask again.

“This morning,” Dad says.

I walk over to Mum and scan her head with my hand, using my control over the elements to draw out any unwanted substance from her.

Unlike witches, who use words, phrases, and plants to wield their power, fairies have control over the elements. Most fairies control one or sometimes two elements, Ether, Water, Air, Earth, and Temperature. Because of who I am, I have access to them all.

Satisfied that her body is cleansed for healing, I nod my head. I had a maid bring in a pillow and a blanket, and spent the rest of the night asleep on the couch in the room, waiting for her to wake.

“Mum?” I ask when I hear a noise coming from her bed.

“Over here, darling,” I hear her say, and I smile, getting off her couch and walking over to her. She laughs when she sees what I am wearing- I’m still in my day clothes, tan-coloured chinos and a white Hembry shirt.

“Come on, sweetie, you didn’t sleep in that, did you? Were you worried about me?” Mum laughs, Dad joining her with a smile on his face.

“I was told you were hurt. Of course, I would come here straight away,” I smile.

“Well, I’m fine; the only thing still hurting is my pride,” she says.

“Do you plan on staying, or will you galivant around again?” Mum asks. I roll my eyes. I took over my parent’s role when I turned one hundred and fifty and have been doing this job ever since. Unfortunately, it means my parents don’t get to see me as much as they would like, but I’m still waiting to have heirs and am the only child, so I’m always busy.

“I can’t, Mum,” I say.

“Why not?” both my parents ask.

“My mate is of age,” I grin. They both smile back at me. They both know I met my mate eighteen years ago in the other realm, and they know I’ve been waiting for her to come of age to finally claim her.

“Well, you’ll have to bring her back, son, so we can meet her,” Dad says, “but first, let’s wait for your mother to fully recover,” he continues. I sigh, knowing I won’t be able to leave Mum and get back to my mate so easily.

But because I’ve waited for Aviary to come of age for eighteen years, another few days should be okay. I feel slightly guilty for leaving her so abruptly, but Lysander would have told her why.

A few days turned into almost two weeks, with Mum needing more help than she admitted. This was okay because it meant I could follow up on my duties here, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to be back with Aviary.

I had Lysander organise my return to Worthington, and when I returned to Spiral Grove, I was pleased to see three cars waiting for me.

“Where to first?” my driver asks.

“Redwood Pack. Call ahead and tell them to expect me for dinner,” I order.

We arrive at Redwood pack and are met by the pack’s beta, Gerald.

“Major Greystone, welcome back; we missed you at our banquet,” Beta Gerald greets.

“I apologise; there was an emergency I had to deal with,” I admit. Before I leave, Redwood pack traditionally holds a banquet for my guards and me, but because of my mother, I had to go.

“Yes, General Birch did call us and say the King’s mother had fallen ill. Is she alright now?” Beta Gerald asks, walking me to the Alpha’s office.

“Yes, thank you. The only thing she felt she truly hurt was her pride,” I smile. Beta Gerald nods.

We stand at the Alpha’s door and Gerald knocks and walks in. Alpha Brent sits at his desk, holding a phone in his hand. He looks shocked and hurt.

“Brent, is everything alright?” Beta Gerald asks.

“No… that was Aviary… Hailey said… she said Aviary was on a school trip… she’s not….” Alpha Brent stutters. I look at the man; he looks broken and hurt.

“What happened?” I ask, my voice getting angry. Beta Gerald looked at me and then at his Alpha.

“If Aviary went on a school trip, then Danni would have gone too, but Danni’s been home….” Beta Gerald begins.

“Then where is she? Where is my mate?” I yell, anger in my eyes.

“Your mate?” Beta Gerald asks, but I focus my attention on Alpha Brent.

“I don’t know! She said don’t look for her….” Alpha Brent begins. I feel my anger rise, an uncontrollable storm coming off me. The wind starts to blow outside and hammer at the window, and the items on Alpha Brent’s desk begin to float.

“What have you done to my mate?” I yell again. I feel a hand grab at my arm, trying to calm me down, and I see Lysander looking at me, telling me to breathe.

“Your Highness, breathe in, one, two, three, breathe out, four, five, six”, he soothes. Regaining calm, I hear the thud of items floating around us fall back into place.

“Tell me what you know,” I order.

~

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