Page 46 of Chased By the Fairy

There was a tapping at the door, and he sprinted for the leafy door flap, lifting it to peek outside. “Any word?”

Someone would only disturb him if it was important, and when they did, he always hoped it was with good news – despite it never being so.

“Prince Cypress, Sunny is here to speak with you,” announced one of his personal guards.

“Sunny?” His brows drew together before his nose crinkled as he tried hard to look into his memories. He remembered the name well, but not the person. “Wait, the swallow sprite?”

“Yes, your highness. He says he found Sorrel.”

Hope flared, and he opened the door fully. Just as he was about to step outside, he noticed a short distance behind the guard stood Sunny.

“Where is he?” he asked, allowing the sprite, but not the guard, inside.

He would stay posted at the door.

By the way he was huffing, Sunny had only recently stopped flying and was still recovering.

“He...” he took in a deep breath before he continued, still gasping for air. “I found him in some place called Burrow City.”

Ha!he thought, despite that single laugh not holding a shred of humour.I knew he could be in one. I had just hoped it wasn’tthatone.If the city soldiers, rats who used letter openers as swords, weren’t already a deterrent, the mayor sure was. Sally Mole was unforgiving, and her only concerns were burrowing sprites and her hatred for anything flying.

Like Mr Toad, she often instigated rifts between sprites and flower fairies, but she had the potential to mass an army. Especially with her positive connection to other burrow towns. She was political and had hard-balled his parents, the king and queen, into getting her way.

She could act dubiously when she wanted to.

Cypress realised it didn’t matter that he hadn’t found him yet so long as he was alive. He’d feared hearing the worst; this was more than he could have asked for.

Still, he was surprised Sunny had managed to make it in and out without being detected. Then again, his brown feathers would have blended better than Cypress’ flesh.

“Why didn’t you bring him with you?” Cypress asked, raising his hands at him. “You could have flown him to me!”

“He didn’t want to come with me.”

His head snapped back in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to fly with him, anyway. I’m surprised I made it here.” He looked behind him to flap his wings, one of them moving awkwardly, with a section bent in an unnatural way. “My wing is still hurt, but I just couldn’t wait until I healed to come find you. I was lucky that I bumped into one of your guards during my search.”

He gestured to the guard no doubt still standing outside the door.

“Why didn’t he want to come with you? Did you tell him I’ve been searching for him?”

“Yes, but he didn’t seem to care.”

Hurt lanced his chest at those words.He didn’t care that I’ve been searching for him?He’d been scouring the forest and its surrounds all winter. To find out his efforts were brushed off as worthless was painful.

“He just told me that he hopes you have a happy life or something.”

Why…?He turned away from Sunny so he could place his hand over his heart privately. He clutched at his coat with gripping fingers.

“I don’t understand.”

He’d been hoping he was waiting for him, that he wanted Cypress to save him and would be by his side once he did. He didn’t want to believe he’d spent the last three months anxiously waiting for someone who didn’t want to be found.

However, his thoughts were still only for his safety.I still made him a promise.

“I promised I’d take him home,” he stated numbly, before straightening and rolling his shoulders. “I still have to go to Burrow City.”

He’d figure his way inside somehow.

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