Page 177 of The Fae Girl 1

“Oh it’s a ‘we’ now is it?” I grinned. “And since when did you refer to Fain as ‘your commander’?”

“Since when did you stop calling him ‘Prince Fain’?” She quipped.

I blushed. How long had I been doing that?

The doorbell tinkled as more people entered the shop. Their conversation fell silent as they stared at me.

“Let’s go.” I murmured. Suddenly being here felt stupid. Reckless even. And I didn’t want it getting back, spreading, that the Fae girl was out buying lingerie. As if I even had a need to.

Nela frowned but followed me out without a word.

We walked up the hill in silence.

“I was joking.” She said abruptly.

“About what?”

“About buying lingerie. It’s not a big deal. You can buy what you want. I’m not judging you.”

“You might not be but everyone else is.” I stated.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

We passed through the gatehouse. A queue of people with passes were making their way through the barriers and they all gawped at me without any shame.

I nodded my head in their direction. “I’m a tourist attraction.” I said. “A curiosity.”

“You’re not to me.”

I sighed. “I know not to you but it’s hard to ignore it. And some days are harder than others.”

“If you want you could give me a list. I can buy anything you want.”

“That’s not it.” I said. “I just hate the attention. Back in my world I liked that I didn’t exist. I liked that I was invisible.”

“In what way?”

“I wasn’t anything of any importance. No one cared who I was, or what I had to say about anything.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing you came here then.” She replied.

“How is it a good thing?”

“Because here you matter. Here you are needed. Why would you want to live in a world where you mean nothing?”

I shrugged. Wanting to argue that that wasn’t exactly what I’d meant. Only I hadn’t meant anything to anyone, had I? I had no family. No friends. The only person who would notice my absence was Bates. And even then I doubt she’d be too concerned. How long would it take before I turned from missing to presumed dead? Before I was essentially erased entirely.

Just as we were about to cross over into the main courtyard a horn blasted. Nela grabbed me, pulling me back, as the sound of horses hooves clattered over the cobblestones.

Two riders went ahead, holding long pieces of fabric with a deep red material and a symbol on it I could barely see because of the speed they were travelling at.

“The Crown Prince.” Nela whispered.

I looked at her then at the riders who seemed to be streaming in. Fain was there, in the midst of them. Surrounded by soldiers. And sat in front of him, resting against him was a boy who looked like he was out for the count.

“Is that him?” I asked.

Nela nodded.

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