Chapter 220: What the Morning Brings
\[Apple\]
Birdsong flits in the branches above us as I blink awake, my body sore. As a cool breeze kisses my skin the scent of crushed roses blossoms around me, the sunlight warms our bed of twisted vines.
Carefully I try to sit up, avoiding the thorns. They move aside, refusing to pierce my flesh, responding to my movements as if they can hear my thoughts. Maybe they can, not like it will matter with my mate, King Sylvester, pushing my body back next to his, refusing to let go.
“Sly,” I protest halfheartedly, enjoying the feeling of his strong arms as he pulls me into him. “We can’t stay here all day. Don’t you have a kingdom to run? Shouldn’t we check on the war?”
“Yes and yes,” he responds, nuzzling my neck. “But not right now. Right now, I’m kissing my beautiful wife.”
Around us the world is waking up again, a world we helped create.
“But I want to see what happened,” I insist as he nuzzles into me, his lips caressing his mark on my neck.
“You know what happened,” he mumbles as he gently moves my legs apart to caress me in all of his favorite places. “And it will wait.”
With the last tendrils of spell still buzzing between our bodies, our love making was sweet, tender, unlike the wild rush of the night before when the goddess herself touched our souls, guiding our magic to make our dreams of a new world come true. Last night, my mate and I, our best friends and family, all came together to bind the hearts of our people to a wonderful dream. If I hadn’t lived that moment myself, carrying those memories forward into the daylight, I wouldn’t have believed the magic was true.
Underneath the slow, lazy sun, we walk towards the sound of water until we find a flowing river. The water is mountain cold, winding through a grove of trees with bark the color of sunset. They are unlike any tree I had ever seen before–alien and yet strangely familiar.
“Where are we?” I look around, confused. In every direction, fresh life reaches towards the sky, which is now full of more birds than I had ever seen in Moon River City. Before my eyes, even as I stand here in the water, I can see fruit ripening and vines twisting, as if the world were drawing itself into a new shape.
“I’m not sure,” Sylvester answers truthfully as he looks around. “It reminds me of a book my mom used to read,” his face softens as he pulls one of the few happy memories left of his mother. “It was the story about the Moon Goddess and her daughters, and the eternal forest they inhabited in the celestial plane. Even these trees,” he pointed to the strange trees bordering the river with trunks in warm hues starting with gold and flowing through orange, umber, and violet, “they look a lot like Evermore Trees. They are said to grow where heroes are laid to rest.”
Gazing around me, I see trees in every direction.
Fallen heroes.
And then I see something that makes me gasp.
“Sylvester,” I point through a gap in the trees. “I think I know exactly where we are.”
Beyond the grove sprawled a wide, verdant plane of tall grasses spotted with trees that lead to a shining silver city that has a very familiar shape.
And moving towards us, sniffing the air, is a pack of proud, beautiful wolves.
“That’s Moon River City,” Sylvester acknowledges, his eyes wide. “This is…home.”
A moment later we are joined by his beta, my cousin Hawthorne, who floats down from above. The night before had changed him as well, unlocking abilities that would have remained dormant in a closed world.
But this world is something different. It is home, but it has also changed.
“I see you two have been enjoying the full moon again,” Hawthorne laughs, as if finding us out in this forest was natural and expected. “The court was worried. The other Alphas have arrived, oh, and Prince Calyx has returned. He and Princess Amaryllis are waiting in your private…”
“Thorne,” I interrupt him, pulling on a dress of lavender silk edged in soft, white fur. “What are you talking about? Why are you acting so strange?”
He stands a bit straighter, adjusting his coat. “I don’t know what you mean. Didn’t the two of you come out to celebrate the full moon?”
“Not exactly, the spell…”
“Ah, yes, the renewal spell. Of course, it was the solstice. I’m sure your mind is still a bit foggy. It usually is.” He chuckles. “Don’t worry, cousin, grandmother has already prepared a healing bath for when you return.” Then turning towards Sylvester, he gives my mate a sly wink.
“Beta,” Sylvester gives a warning growl, “Can you leave the Luna Queen and I alone for a moment?”
Hawthorne’s playful smirk falters. “Ah, yes, of course, My King.”
Bowing, he marches away from us, towards the gathered royal guard.
Sylvester takes my hands.
“What on Earth…”
“I don’t know,” he confesses, his eyes worried. “But so far, whatever this is, we seem to be safe…for now.” He pauses, squeezing my hand. “Let’s get back to the palace. I have a feeling your grandmother has an answer or two that we need to hear. Now smile,” he urges, “they’re expecting us to be happy.”
Feeling strange, I take my husband’s hand and together we step out into the sunlight.
The walk back to Moon River City isn’t a long one, although as we make our way there on foot, Hawthorne shoots me a strange look. “Not flying?”
“Not today,” I grimace. I know I flew the night before, but I’m not even sure how I did that. I remember my wolf and I merged, and I know I am a hybrid, but I can’t even think of how that type of spell starts. Do I just think about flying, or do I have to just step forward and let the air take me?
I can’t ask Hawthorne. He’s already suspicious.
“The walk will be good for me,” I say lightly.
“Ah,” he shrugs, not fully convinced. “As you wish.”
“You’re being very formal,” I respond, a bit confused. Thorne and I have always had a more casual relationship.
“You are my queen,” he says, as if that is a normal answer.
“And your cousin,” I give him a strange look. “You know, your sister’s best friend.”
Whatever is going on here, I can’t imagine he’d forget that.
“Yes, but Queen Apple,” he whispers, his eyes wide, “You know the king prefers this. Besides, it’s court protocol. Ever since you were named the future Queen, we have all been expected to follow court protocol–it is what was fitting. You know this. It’s been this way for the last 10 years,” he shakes his head, even more baffled than before.
“Ten years?” I was only 12-years-old, ten years ago.
“Yes, since your fated bond was announced before the court. Your wolf manifested during your first maiden moon. The bond became clear then. We knew you’d be the future queen. It was a bit of a surprise to the court,” he chuckles again, as if lost in a happy memory. “Princess Amaryllis was a bit upset, but Luna Araminta was able to calm her down, and now she’s one of your best friends and advisors,” Hawthorne shrugs again. “Fate is funny. But because we follow the established protocols, it works well for most of us.”
“Oh, I see, I guess,” I respond simply. “It just…feels a bit strange this morning. If possible, I’d like you to treat me more…like you did before. When we were kids,” I say, sticking to the history he just shared.
Our conversation dies and a few steps later we are walking past the walls of the outer gates–or at least where the outer gates once stood. Now, in place of thick walls keeping the rogues out of the city, is a wide expanse of garden with playgrounds and picnic spaces. The inner walls are still in place, but they are more ornate and ornamental.
I open my mouth to ask about the walls, but Sylvester stops me, squeezing my hand gently and shaking his head. His eyes are wide too, but not with wonder. Not anymore.
Wherever we are feels like home in so many ways, but we are not in the same place that we were the day before. Not really.
It’s like our previous world was erased.
“Oh good, you’re here,” a very familiar voice calls out. Looking up, I see my grandmother. Wearing a crown of burnished gold woven between her long, gray-streaked locks, she stands proudly with an extended hand.
“Come, granddaughter, we have much to share from the night before,” she motions me forward. “You too, My King, if you have the time.”