Fae's Defiance

Fae's Defiance

Chapters: 28
Updated: 19 Dec 2024
Author: M. Lynn
4.5

Synopsis

Brea Robinson is a princess. Ridiculous, right? She’s left her small Ohio town behind for an exotic palace beyond her imagination, trading old jeans for ballgowns and a drunken father for two Fae mothers. Safe behind the power of Eldur, it’s easy to forget everything that brought her here. Like the two men who saved her that are now missing. The abducted princess who should be roaming the palace halls instead of her. The war coming for them all. As Brea comes to terms with this new world and the web of secrets surrounding her, she realizes she stands on the brink of losing everything she never knew she wanted. When the worst happens and the person she loves most falls into the enemy's hands, she has a choice to make. And if she bows to the enemy queen’s demands, will she remain a princess or become a sacrifice instead? This is book 2 of the Queens of the Fae Series, where magic can't always be controlled, kings fall, and betrayal is sometimes the biggest sacrifice of all.

Fantasy Romance BxG War Family Drama Kidnapping

Fae's Defiance Free Chapters

Prologue: Alona | Fae's Defiance

Alona Cahill trudged along the river’s edge, eager to leave her prison cell behind for a brief taste of fresh air. The chains around her ankles chaffed, but they were better than the bars of her cage. After surviving the last weeks in the dungeons of Queen Regan’s palace, she looked forward to this part of her routine.

Every week, the prisoners were escorted from the dungeon to get some fresh air and exercise in the fields beside the river. It was the only time she was able to wash the filth and grime from her body. And the only time she had to speak privately with Neeve, her fellow prisoner and co-conspirator.

“How is it coming with the chains?” Alona asked her friend.

“It’s slow work. My magic is nearly useless, but every day the links grow weaker. I’ll be able to start working on yours soon.” They had little hope of escape, but that didn’t mean either woman was ready to give up trying.

Alona was born without magic and therefore no help in terms of the power, but she had other skills. Since she was thrown into her cell, she’d worked tirelessly developing relationships with each of the guards. She knew which ones were susceptible to her charms and which ones weren’t worth the effort. She knew their shifts, when they ate, when they slept, and when they weren’t paying attention.

A few were a lost cause while others had a soft spot for the helpless little princess. They sometimes brought her extra food or water, which she shared with Neeve in the cell beside hers. In time, she hoped she could count on one of them looking the other way when she and Neeve made their escape.

The girls sat soaking their feet in the river, talking softly of their plans, using the rush of the water to conceal their voices.

“You’re too obvious.” A fair-haired man in chains sat down beside them, eying Neeve curiously. “You may as well shout your plans across the field.” He eased his blistered feet into the water, breathing a sigh of relief.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Alona said sweetly.

“If you’ve found yourselves imprisoned in the lowest, darkest corners of the dungeons, it means one thing. You’ve angered the queen, and she will not soon forget it.”

Neeve looked away, and Alona couldn’t help feeling sorry for her—well, she felt sorry for all of them. Everyone in the dungeons had heard of the girl executed for helping someone escape the palace. Moira, her name was. Neeve had barely been able to speak of her except to whisper her name in her sleep. Alona didn’t know how, but they’d known each other.

She shifted her attention to the man before them. His eyes spoke of immense grief, but his calm façade hid it well. “You’ve been here a long time, haven’t you?”

“Longer than you’ve been alive, Princess.”

“You know who I am?”

“I know exactly who you are, Alona Cahill, daughter of the Eldur queens.”

“If you know my mothers, then you must know I won’t give up until I find a way out of this prison.”

“If there was a way out, I would have found it long ago.”

“Who are you, sir?” Neeve asked. Even as a prisoner she couldn’t seem to drop the formality a life in service had instilled in her.

“Brandon O’Rourke.” He held his hand out to her.

“You’re the queen’s brother?” Neeve’s eyes widened with shock as she took his offered hand. “The rightful king of Fargelsi?”

“Please, call me Brandon.” He held onto Neeve’s hand longer than most handshakes lasted before releasing it quickly.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Alona whispered.

Brandon’s shoulder slumped as he swirled his aching feet in the soft mud of the riverbed. “I may as well be.”

“Time to go, you three,” the queen’s guard called.

Alona groaned as she got to her feet, dreading the return to her cramped cell.

“Be more careful, ladies. The queen has eyes and ears everywhere.”

Alona and Neeve made their way along the river’s edge and back into the tunnels that led behind the falls and into the bowels of the palace dungeons.

“Get in your cages, and be quick about it,” the guard called, shoving prisoners along the well-worn path.

Alona stepped inside her cell, noting the fresh layer of hay that would make her bed for the next week or more. Hers was a bit thicker than the others. Smiling at the guard, she sank to her knees, pulling her tattered blanket around her shoulders. The warmth of the afternoon outside left her quickly as the chill of the dungeon seeped into her bones.

“What’s happening?” A frantic voice bounced off the stone walls. Another new prisoner trying to resist what was happening to him. “This is a mistake. I’m a nobody.” The guards shoved the boy through the gates where he fell, sprawled across the floor in a tangle of long limbs and strange clothes.

“Seriously? Dude, that wasn’t necessary.” The boy stood up, glancing around the room in the dim torchlight. “I definitely didn’t do anything to deserve this. Where am I?”

“Shut up, human.” The guard guided the boy to the empty cell beside Alona’s.

“Human?” Neeve murmured, clutching the bars of her cell. “He talks like Brea.”

“Brea?” The boy’s eyes snapped to Neeve’s.

“Where is she? Is she here? Brea!” The boy shouted, earning a blow to his head from the guard’s club.

“Du-ude.” He rubbed the lump on his head. “We need to get you some anger management classes. Not cool, bro, not cool.”

“Get inside and shut up.” The guard opened the cell door.

“I don’t think so.” He shook his head, taking a step back. “I’m going to need a bigger cell. I have an issue with tight spaces.”

The guard shoved him inside and slammed the door closed.

“What’s his problem?” The boy rubbed the top of his head, leaning back against the cold stone wall.

“Quiet. You’ll only make it worse on yourself,” Neeve whispered. “How do you know Brea?”

Alona leaned closer, wanting, needing his answer.

“How do you know Brea?” He turned his wide eyes on Neeve.

“I served her.”

The boy stared at her. “Served her? Is she here?”

Neeve’s grin was grim. “Not anymore. She escaped.”

“Who are you?” Alona asked.

“Myles Merrick, best friend of Brea Robinson who I’m guessing is a lot more important in this world than the one we came from.”

~~~

Chapter One: Brea | Fae's Defiance

Why did everyone in this fracking fae world lie?

Brea still couldn’t believe the fantasy life she’d fallen into. Okay, more like been dragged into kicking and screaming. She shook her head to rid it of thoughts that would inevitably lead back to the biggest liar of them all. The man who’d claimed she was the subject of a prophecy. Prophecy-schmophesy. It didn’t exist.

Her hands tightened around the steaming cup on the table in front of her as she focused on this moment’s lie. “And what do you call it?” She looked to the bear of a man sweeping the floor with an ancient bristly broom that looked like it belonged in a bedraggled Cinderella’s hands instead of this giant. Did giants exist in Eldur? Maybe he was a half giant—like Hagrid.

“What?” She hadn’t heard the answer he gave her.

“Girl.” The man she’d come to know as Xander over the last few weeks leaned the broom against the stone wall and rounded the small wooden tables separating them. He folded himself into a chair that was entirely too small for him. “I wouldn’t begin to guess what a girl like you was doing spending every day out here in the city without an escort.”

“A girl like me?” She grimaced. “What does that mean?”

“A richie.” Adamina singsonged as she bounced from the kitchen at the back of the small tavern. At this early hour, Brea was their only patron.

“Hey, Mina.” Brea gave her a little wave.

Mina set a bowl of sugared oats in front of Brea and another before her father.

Brea took a bite, savoring the simple fare that was a world away from the more robust foods of the palace. “How do you know I’m a…”

“Richie?” Mina crossed her arms over her petite frame. She looked nothing like her larger father. Brea had learned weeks ago that it was just the two of them. Mina’s mother died in childbirth. “It’s the clothes. You won’t find cloth as fine as yours here in the city except on the backs of nobles. Tell us, Brea, which family do you belong to? Is it the Wilsons? They’ve always been so secretive, though Viscount Wilson gets pretty chatty in here over his cups.”

Brea shook her head.

Mina’s eyes lit up, and she flicked them to the cup in front of Brea. “Oh, it’s the Robinsons, isn’t it?”

Brea almost spat oats across the table. How did they know?

Mina kept talking. “The Robinson clan is the wealthiest in the city.”

Oh. Brea released a breath. There was a clan of that name in the fae world.

“That’s why you enjoy Eldur beans so much. They control the Eldur bean trade.”

“Eldur beans?” Brea stared down into the dark molten heaven in her cup. The lie she’d forgotten everyone seemed to be in on. “I was told there wasn’t such a thing as coffee.”

“I don’t know what coffee is, but even as a Robinson clan member, you wouldn’t drink Eldur bean brew.” She leaned in, dropping her voice. “It’s a commoner’s drink.” Her nose wrinkled. “But if you ask me, it’s much better than the tea all you richies drink.”

“Adamina,” Xander chastised. “That is enough. I don’t smell the day’s bread baking in the kitchen yet.”

She held her hands in front of her chest. “I know. I know.” She shot Brea a wink. “We won’t tell your brothers of your taste for Eldur brew when they come in seeking ale this evening.” She bounced away, her bright red hair flowing out behind her.

Xander scrubbed a hand across his face and leaned back in his chair. Now that Mina pointed it out, Brea could see the differences in how these people dressed. Instead of the colorful silks and soft linens used for clothing at the palace, they adorned themselves in worn woolen tunics with no hint of color.

“Please forgive Mina for her intrusiveness.”

Brea shrugged. “I’d be curious about me too.” She drained the rest of her Eldur brew. “Am I really not supposed to be drinking this stuff?”

Xander eyed her, his gaze shrewd. “If you were really of the Robinson clan, you’d know the expectations of society. Brea, you are not much older than my own daughter, and I like you.”

“Um… thanks?”

“But you are here every morning by yourself. Women of an obvious higher station are targets in this part of the city and must be careful.”

Brea tried to see the city as he did. In truth, she loved traversing the streets and wandering through markets full of life. It took her mind from the fact that Lochlan and Finn had been gone for three weeks without so much as a word.

Xander sighed. “Do you not have people worried about you?”

She thought of the woman she’d recently learned was her mother, but Queen Faolan had no time for her when the real people she cared about were gone.

Queen Tierney tried, but there was only so much kindness a person could take before they broke. Well, if that person was her.

“Do you want the truth, Xander?”

He nodded.

“Okay.” She sucked in a breath, preparing herself. “I was a prisoner in Fargelsi for weeks. The queen wouldn’t let me leave, forcing me to escape through the swampy Vatlands where I came face to face with creatures I couldn’t even begin to describe. Finally, I reached Captain O’Shea’s camp and saved them all from a terrible fate.” A little fib never hurt anyone. “I had to fend off enemies from Iskalt and protect the soldiers, eventually taking a sword to the shoulder. It hurt, but not as much as letting the Captain suffer.” She released a fake sob.

Xander stared at her, his mouth dropping open as she continued to sniffle.

“I knew it!” Mina’s squeal came from the kitchen doorway. “We all heard about the girl who escaped Fargelsi, and then you turn up, a stranger in our city.”

“But you thought I was a Robinson.”

She laughed, the sound holding a musical quality. “I’ve known the Robinsons since I was a child. They are frequent visitors to the tavern. You don’t carry their ghastly looks.” She giggled behind her hand. “I just wanted to pull the truth out of you.”

Xander looked from Brea to Mina. “I didn’t hear of an escaped prisoner.”

“That’s because you never leave this box of a tavern, papa.” She plunked herself down across from Brea. “Did you really save Lochlan?” She sighed. “Have you seen his eyes when his magic rises? They’re like an icy spear straight to my heart.”

Xander scowled. “Mina, that is the queen’s man.”

Ignoring Xander, Brea leaned across the table toward Mina. “Did you know he reads?”

Mina fanned her face. “Oh my.”

Brea laughed at the younger girl, enjoying the lightness of the moment. Usually when she thought of Lochlan, it was with a mixture of annoyance and worry. It felt good to chat with Mina as if she were just a friend. Maybe she could be.

Xander pushed his chair back and stood. “Guess I’m making the bread,” he grumbled.

Mina ignored him. “So, you live at the palace?”

“Only because they don’t know what to do with me.” Half-truths. That wasn’t the reason she was there, but it didn’t change how little she fit in those gilded halls with people who rarely smiled.

At least when Griff was lying to her, he made her feel like she belonged.

After telling Mina all about what the palace was truly like, Brea looked up to find patrons walking through the front door looking for their lunch.

“Crap, I’ve been here all morning.” She jumped to her feet.

Mina stood. “Papa is going to be angry with me, but I do hope we see you tomorrow, Brea.”

Brea nodded. In truth, she couldn’t wait. The city and this tavern kept her heart beating when it wanted to freeze in her chest. With a wave goodbye, Brea stepped out onto the busy street. Sandstone buildings rose up before her, each more boring than the next. It wasn’t the mundane architecture of the lower city that breathed life into everything around her, it was the people.

A cart rumbled past, and she jumped out of the way before following the crowd to the market square where people sold their wares. Everything from fresh fruit to home-spun clothing and ceramic dishes.

A butcher slammed a slab of meat onto a table near her, making her jump and clutch her chest. She watched him hack away at it with a cleaver before moving on. One booth caught her eyes. A handmade sign read Eldur beans. She wondered if she could get someone at the palace to make some Eldur brew from them.

Fishing a few gold coins Tierney gave her from her pocket, she approached the vender.

A young man, probably only a few years older than her met her gaze, sliding it down to take in her clothing. “You’re the one who escaped Fargelsi.”

How did he know?

As if sensing her question, he smiled, revealing a wide gap between his two front teeth. “We recognize strangers here.”

“Oh.” She held out two coins, and his eyes widened.

“Do you even know how much money that is?”

She shook her head.

“Enough for this here whole cart of Eldur beans and then some. It’s only two coppers per bag, but I’mma give you one for free.” He smiled again, satisfied with himself. “Anyone who defies Regan of Gelsi is a friend of Ollie’s.” Ollie must be him.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Sure I do, miss—”

“Brea.”

He nodded as he reached for a canvas sack and scooped Eldur beans into it. “All right, Brea. Though, with you living at the palace, I dunno what you want with Eldur beans.” He handed her the bag.

“Thank you, Ollie.”

His grin widened. “Hey, Lew,” he called, looking toward one of the other carts. “A richie knows my name.”

She really had to get some new clothes so everyone would stop calling her that. Her parents in Ohio had never been well-off. Compared to Myles’ family, they were poor, and they dressed like it. Eyes followed her as she escaped from the market as fast as she could, uncomfortable with the attention.

If Lochlan were there, he’d bull his way through the crowd, leaving ample space for her in his wake. Finn would probably grab her elbow and make sure she was okay.

But they weren’t there, leaving her alone once more.

Keeping a tight grip of the Eldur beans that would keep her sane in this place, she left the market behind, ducking into a familiar building on her right. Once inside the quiet bookstore, she released a breath and leaned against the door.

“Brea, that you, dear?”

“Fiona.” Brea sighed in relief as she caught sight of the silver-haired woman walking toward her. She’d met the older woman at the palace when Fiona was tidying the library. The queen hired her to rotate the books and keep the selection fresh—with the exception of the human books. Those always stayed.

“Are you okay?” Concern etched into her every feature. “You look stressed.”

She pushed away from the door. “I wonder why.”

Fiona was one of the few people in the city who knew everything—well, almost everything. She didn’t know Brea was the real daughter of Faolan.

“Still no word?” She set the book she was carrying on the front counter.

Brea shook her head. “Not so much as a messenger.” She followed Fiona farther into the two-story store. At the back, a spiral staircase led to the upper stacks, a section Fiona called her human stories. Brea laughed the first time she found all the leather-bound tomes depicting stories about the human world.

She’d told Fiona the humans wrote about fae worlds as well, and they’d both had a good laugh at that. The first laughter Brea felt since learning the truth about her identity.

She was a changeling. Abandoned by her mother to be raised in the human realm where the things she saw and did because of her fae heritage made her an outcast, deemed a lunatic.

She still hadn’t forgiven her mother for that.

And what about Alona? She grew up thinking she was one of the unfortunate fae born without powers, someone destined to join the serving class.

It wasn’t fair to either of them.

“I know what you need, dear.” Fiona led her up the back staircase. “I found a book I think you will enjoy greatly. It is meant for children, but…” She ran a finger over the spines until she came to a book of stories called Humantales. Just like the humans called them fairytales.

A smile spread Brea’s lips as she flipped open the cover and thumbed through pages about princesses and kings that were obviously influenced by real human history.

Fiona put a hand on her shoulder. “Only a few fae clans have ever had the ability to open portals into the human realm, but over the centuries, many stories have filtered out and spawned fables of a world without magic.”

“Why would anyone want stories about a world that didn’t have magic?” She stopped on a page depicting Henry VIII as a benevolent king. It was a love story. She snorted. What would these people say if they knew the real history?

Fiona smiled softly. “We always want to imagine a world different than our own. Magic is not the great force some claim. It destroys just as much as it saves. Sometimes, I wonder if our world wouldn’t be so broken without it.”

“The human realm is broken too, Fiona. You don’t need magic for that.”

Fiona sighed. “The human world has wars and strife, yes, but magic has erased entire kingdoms from the fae world.”

“What?” She snapped the book shut. “There was a fourth kingdom?”

“It serves only as a prison now.” Sadness tinged her eyes. “Magic can sometimes be like dropping a nuclear bomb into a situation that calls for the delicate carving of a knife.”

“Wait… how do you know about nukes?” Brea wracked her brain for anything that made sense. As far as she knew, the fae didn’t have that technology. They didn’t need it with their magic.

Fiona tapped her nose. “Follow me.”

They walked down the stairs and crossed the store to the front counter. Fiona rounded it and reached into a compartment below, pulling free a book. She set it on the counter, and Brea’s eyes widened.

“Where on earth did you get a US history book?” She ran a hand over the cover that showed a map of the country she’d called home most of her life.

“The palace library.”

“You took one of Lochlan’s books?” A smile slid across her face.

Fiona flipped through the pages. “He lets me borrow them as long as the queen doesn’t find out. She only allows him to bring them back from the human realm if he agrees to keep them close. She does not want human books leaving her walls.”

Brea understood immediately. If the people of Eldur read human books, they might make the connection to her. No one could know Lochlan travelled to the human realm.

“Fiona?”

“Yes?” She glanced up, her glasses perched on the end of her nose.

“You said only some families can create portals. How many are there now?”

“Well, that we know of in the last few decades… two. The Rifkin Clan is the nearest to the prison realm, though, so if travelers wish to pay them for passage, they must traverse those haunted lands. The Eldur courts do not recognize their noble status.”

“And the other?” She already knew the answer.

“The O’Sheas.” She smiled. “There was a time when they ruled Iskalt that the queen and king were great friends of ours. Eldur and Iskalt had an unbreakable bond.”

She swallowed, barely able to breathe. “What happened to them?” She knew Griffin and Loch’s parents died when they were boys. How old had Griff said he was? Two?

Fiona put the book away, a sad set to her shoulders. “They came to visit Queen Faolan. It was a grand visit with balls and banquets. When they left, the future looked so bright. I remember it as if it were yesterday. The rumor was they had a mission for Queen Faolan, but the Queen and King of Iskalt never made it home.”

“They died?” she whispered.

Fiona nodded. “Their bodies were found near the border of Fargelsi. Within months, the King’s brother took the throne and sent Lochlan and Griff to be raised in foreign courts. Most people think it was a show of good faith to keep Eldur from attacking to reclaim the throne for Lochlan. But when her greatest friends died, our Queen seemed to have lost her taste for war.”

Tears hung in Brea’s lashes. “I need to go.”

Fiona called a goodbye, but Brea barely heard her as she rushed out in the blazing Eldur heat.

Sweat dripped into her eyes, but she kept going, barely registering that she’d left the Eldur beans behind. She clutched the humantale book under her arm and rushed through the busy streets, wishing she wasn’t so far from the palace.

All she wanted to do was collapse onto her bed and hide in her room. Because she now knew without a doubt that Lochlan’s parents were dead because of her.