Chapter 19

***THEY** were in a small glade, the ground covered with cherry blossom petals, elves standing in silence as Ivy and my father stood under the white dogwood trees, clasping each other’s hands.

*My father looked dashing, red hair, vibrant like mine and his soft brown eyes full of pride in his almost-wife. Ivy, though I hated to praise her, looked absolutely radiant.

I didn’t understand why. She had seemed to hate my father so much that we always thought she had been forced into marriage.

*But there she was, smiling up at my father like he was her whole world. He wore a dark green suit, gold strands woven into the fabric. The traditional attire for elf grooms, plus a gold crown on his head, marking him the Prince.

*He had been crowned King after his wedding. Ivy looked beautiful, years younger in a long white gown, the train to the side. Green leaf designs shimmered on the gauzy fabric. The veil on her black head had been pushed to the back, a flower wreath on her hair.

*I looked at the audience. There were many elves, some Council members like Sir Sorrel. At the very front rows, four elves caught my eyes, two on either side. Wearing crowns, two old elves holding hands.

I gasped, recognizing them.

*My father’s parents.

*Cypress and Malus Elowen. My grandfather, the old king, his dark red hair graying, but his eyes clearly shining with pride at his son’s wedding. Holding his hand, the former Queen, Cypress Elowen, her eyes looking watery.

*On the other side, Ivy’s parents. Magnolia and Oren Salix. They were crying freely.

*My four grandparents watched proudly as my parents took their vows and completed the proper rituals. I watched as the priest handed first my father a silver ring, who slipped it onto my mother’s finger, staring into her eyes the whole time, and then she did the same.

*At the end, a wall of dirt rose up and covered my parents, melting away and revealing them in a passionate kiss. The watching elves broke out in applause, and finally they separated, smiling shyly at each other.

*They turned to the priest, who moved aside as the King and Queen, Malus and Cypress Elowen, stepped up. Solemnly, Cypress reached up and placed a silver tiara on Ivy’s head. It shone brightly amidst the dark strands of her hair.

*Magnolia and Oren rushed up as well, and much hugging and crying took place. Ivy and my father only had eyes for each other, and in the glances they stole, I could see what this moment meant for them.

I gasped as the vision faded, taking it all in. That scene was nothing I could ever have expected.

They loved each other.

There was no doubt about it. My father, clearly, loved her. And she wasn’t that good of an actress. There was only love and devotion in the way they looked at each other, finally a married couple. I could sense how long they had been waiting for this moment. They were only each other’s.

So what had gone wrong?

Why had Ivy ended up killing the husband she plainly adored and seven daughters she had had with him? Why had she turned to Branch, even before his death? What had happened between them?

*You must understand.

Nalvia’s voice flew through my head again as the scene dissipated into darkness.

*What is this? Why are you showing me?

I received no response. I felt the urge to open my eyes, so I slowly raised my eyelids, still trying to process everything I had seen, a million questions flying through my head.

Birch and Aiden were watching us, but Maple and Arden still had their eyes closed. As I watched, they opened their eyes. “You’re so pale, Elvina, what’s happened?” Maple asked, looking concerned. This obviously brought everyone’s eyes to me.

“Uh—nothing. Just…cold, I suppose.” I managed to say.

A cold draft blew through just then, and they nodded. “Did it help?” Birch asked.

Arden nodded. “Can we use them more?”

“Of course. It’s about time for you to begin using them in training, anyhow. Come inside now.”

The boys went into the house, but Maple hung back. “What’s wrong, El?” She asked. I shook my head dully before going inside. I was too preoccupied to talk.

Images from my parents’ wedding swirled through my head, leaving only confusion and a dull certainty beneath it all—I’d got this all wrong.

Something was strange. I felt like I didn’t know what actually had happened. Up till now, I’d been absolutely clear—my mother had been forced into marriage, she had taken her revenge by murdering my father, and, for good measure, his children, and was with who she really loved—Branch.

But now? I wasn’t quite so sure. What had happened to take my parents from that sunlit wedding to this? How had two elves, deeply in love, become separated and…one of them ended up killing the other?

Fighting was a part of every marriage, I knew, but this was not just that. Something had happened. And I needed to figure out what. I had to tell someone, to clear my mind, to hear some explanation, but who wouldn’t tell anyone else or be very surprised. Someone who was naturally suspicious.

And only one person I knew was that.

On the pretext of gathering some food, I dragged Aiden deep into the Forest, where we wouldn’t be overheard.

“Does this have anything to do with whatever you felt when you used the staff?” He asked dryly.

I blinked at him. How had he known?

Aiden gave me a flat look. “Please, Princess. It wasn’t remotely cold.”

“Yes, it was—”

“No, it wasn’t. I made that wind blow through.”

I pursed my lips. “Well, you’re right. When we had the staffs, to connect with Nalvia, did you…see her? Did she show you anything?”

He furrowed his brows and shook his head. “Well, she did to me,” I said, watching him carefully.

He only narrowed his eyes. “What did she show you?”

I sighed. “She showed me my parents’ wedding.”

He raised his eyebrows. “The wedding of King Rowan Elowen and Lady Ivy Salix?”

Their titles made me flinch. “Yes,” I said. “But, Aiden, something was wrong. Why do you think Ivy became the way she is?”

He exhaled, raising his eyebrows. “She was forced into marriage and is now taking her revenge.”

I nodded. “That’s what I thought, at first.”

He leaned against a tree. “So?”

“So, Aiden, the thing is…I saw the wedding. And they were happy. Ivy too.”

He leaned forward, intrigued. His shirt tightened at the chest, outlining the taut muscles. “Was she acting?”

I shook my head, meeting his eyes. “No, That’s the thing. They were completely in love. No elf can act that well. Believe me when I say they were crazy about each other.”

He leaned back again, looking up. “Okay. So then…obviously something happened.”

I nodded. “I need to find out what changed.” If it didn’t help us, at least it would win me some peace of mind.

He looked up, breathing deeply. “Well…either something happened to Queen Ivy when they were married, after you were born, and she turned completely crazy.”

“Or?” I asked.

He looked back down, staring into my eyes. “Or, the King did something that made her hate him. Something really bad.”

I shook my head immediately. “No. He loved her. I could see it.”

“You could also see that Queen Ivy loved him.” Aiden pointed out.

I shook my head again. “But—no. My father wasn’t like that!”

“How do you know?” He said immediately. “He died right after you were born, right?”

I exhaled. “Yes, Aiden, but my sisters told me. He wasn’t. It was all Ivy’s fault.”

He looked back up, shrugging. “If you’re sure.”

Something about the disbelief in his tone, the arrogance, set my blood on fire. “Are you suggesting my father was wrong?”

“No, but—”

“He never raised a hand to us! Unlike Ivy! He didn’t treat us like prisoners, he didn’t have a child with another!”

“Elvina, listen,” Aiden said, voice hard. I fell silent, glaring at him. My father as kind and generous and loving. Ivy was the bad one.

“Maybe it wasn’t your father’s fault. But something happened between them. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement.”

I pursed my lips, looking away. My feelings weren’t hindering my logic. Aiden hadn’t been there, in the prisons, to see what Ivy did to us. He hadn’t heard of the wonderful things my father did—my sisters had told me about him. It was the only way I could know him—and I would not let Aiden tarnish his image.

Aiden sighed. “Does it even matter, though?”

I looked up at him. “What?”

He shrugged. “Whatever her reasons are, she’s ruining our lives. I don’t really care why she’s doing what she does. There’s no forgiveness for her anyways.”

I bit my lip. He was right. Why did I care so much? The answer was glaringly obvious. Despite everything she’d done, Ivy was my mother. She’d given birth to me—she’d created me. Why, then, was she trying to kill me?

We let the subject go and walked back to our camp, only to be stopped by Grove.

“Where’s the food?”