The Third Chapter | Violet Eyes
"Greetings, Queen Alvera."
Queen? Yes, she was technically royalty, but not that high on the hierarchy. What was this person talking about, or better question, who on earth was this person to begin with?
Averill looked around, she was surrounded by mist and fog so dense she couldn't see through and so thick she could practically grab fistfuls with her hands. It definitely felt like a fever dream, or maybe more of a lucid dream since she could move?
Her body felt like it was overheating and rapidly cooling all at the same time. The same sort of feeling you have when you're sick, just without as much nausea. Her stomach was churning and uneasy like she was about to be exposed to a fair share of disturbing information. She knew she was dreaming, but she couldn't control anything apart from her own movements. She was forced to stand there and listen as whoever was hidden in the mist addressed her.
"I am Graham Woodse, the 3rd member of the high council that presides over the Seven Realms of Ravensfield."
Two large, human-looking hands emerged from the mist in front of Averill. At first, she was scared and put her hands on her head in an attempt to protect herself, but when they seemed to not hurt her, she calmed down. This was certainly not the person who had been appearing in her dreams though. This was someone else.
"You-," the voice continued as the pointer finger on the right-hand directed itself at her, "-are Alvera Warricke, the one remaining heir. Now, the time has come for you to leave this earthly realm and rule over your people."
"Alvera Warricke? My name is Averill Waylon, are you sure you're not mistaken, sir?"
Averill was surprised at how calm she was with all this. She mostly comforted herself with the thought that it was just a dream and there was a particularly high chance that none of it was real anyway. Now, what she could have done when she was awake to prompt this type of dream was beyond her. Regardless, she still decided to play along.
"Do not worry, someone is being sent at this very moment to serve as your guide, he will inform you about everything you need to know in order to take up your new position, and answer any of your remaining questions. You are in good hands. Farewell, for now, we will surely meet again. Now, awaken."
Averill's eyes fluttered open and she sat up hastily. She awoke in a cold sweat and was yet to acknowledge the tears streaming down her face. That was a rather unusual dream, to say the least. However, that was all it was, right? A dream. She took a few breaths, wiped the surprising amount of tears, and lay down again, trying to fall asleep. However, another voice sharply cut through her thoughts.
"M'lady?"
Averill's eyes widened and let out a small shriek, as she sat up promptly, only to be met by the same shade of violet that had been plaguing her dreams for the past week. She was shocked and speechless. In her mind, she still believed that it was all a dream, but the hand that touched her cheek told her otherwise.
"Ah, so this is the last remaining heir. Interesting."
Averill snapped out of her trance-like state and backed away, shifting to the other side of the bed. As she did, she got a better look at the male that stood by her bedside. He was fairly attractive, she would give him that. And he didn't look much older than too, maybe in his early or mid-20s perhaps? Jet black hair almost covered his violet eyes as he stared, analyzing her entire physique. A deep green tunic and dark blue breeches clothed him but underneath, Averill could tell he was fairly slim and lean.
"Who- who are you? I'll- I'll have the guards arrest you if you don't leave this instant."
There was no way that anyone could have snuck past all the guards and into her room, nor could they get in through the window, there were iron bars over them, courtesy of the Duchess.
"Please, calm down M'lady," he replied as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "I am Cedrick Everille, most trusted advisor and close confidant of Graham Woodse."
He bowed before her, "but you may call me Cedrick, Your Majesty."
"Is this a joke?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Is this someone's grand attempt at making me look stupid or to make me think I'm going crazy?"
"I can assure you, that is not my intention. Did Graham not notify you that I was coming? I could have sworn he told me he would tell you in a dream," he mumbled.
"He did. But that was all it was, a dream. I was far from expecting someone to actually show up, let alone sneak up on me at this ungodly hour."
"Well, whether you believe it or not, it's real. Otherwise, I'm merely a figment of your desires," he smirked.
Well, he did seem real, and she did feel like she was awake, but it still felt too surreal to her. Here was this random stranger standing in the middle of her room at half-past one in the morning, claiming to be sent from someone that spoke to her in a dream. It wouldn't be strange for her to be wary, would it?
"Now, I need to complete my task. I'm to inform you about everything that has been hidden from you and answer all your questions. Are you ready, Your Majesty?"
Did she even have a choice? Most likely not. He was assigned to do this, right? Assuming he was the 'trusted advisor' he claimed to be, and this was all real, to begin with, he definitely would not have taken 'no' for an answer. How on earth had she gotten involved in any of this?
"Um... yes?"
Why did it sound like a question? Like she was asking him if she was ready.
"All right, let's start with the basics. Also, I would appreciate if you could refrain from asking questions while I'm explaining. There are a lot of details and they're important, so save your questions for later, Your Majesty."
She gave him a swift nod, encouraging him to continue.
"First things first, you are not human. Far from it. In actuality, you are a magical high-fairy from a different world called Ravensfield. Now, Ravensfield is divided into seven core Realms: The Faux Shores, The Angel Realm, The Mirror of Alternates, The Terrain of Giants, The Cloven of Trelves, The Hallow-Ravens and The Enchanted Woods."
He sat cross-legged across from her on the bed, "Each Realm has one representative on the High Council. The High Council is, at its core, our version of a government. The council consists of both the seven representatives and seven of their most trusted confidants, one for each. They're tasked with maintaining peace, settling disputes and tweaking קคקєг๒คςк ๔є รςгเקՇยгเร. I won't bother you with the names of all the members, there are a lot, but you'll meet them soon enough anyway." There was a short silence. "Did you get any of that?"
She paused for a second and tried to recall what he had told her. It wasn't that hard. She wanted to ask what the last thing he mentioned was because it certainly wasn't English, but she had agreed to wait till he was done so she did. Averill adjusted herself to sit like Cedrick, so they were now both sitting cross-legged, directly opposite each other on her bed. She gave a nod and he replied with a hum of satisfaction before continuing.
"I won't bother telling you about all of the individual Realms either. I'll take you around to all of them when we crossover. It'll probably make it easier for you to remember anyway. Now, back to it. Your real name is not Averill Waylon, it's Alvera Warricke. Your father isn't your father. He was just assigned to protect you when you were sent to Earth. When you were created, it was very dangerous for there to be more than one heir at a time, so the seven council members decided it would have been best to have you sent elsewhere. Originally, you were never even meant to become queen, but recently, something... happened, and seeing as you are the only remaining heir, we had no choice but to come to retrieve you."
Cedrick seemed to have no problem shattering her entire perception of what was real and what was not.
"So basically, nothing I know is true and my entire life is a lie. My father isn't my father and I'm not even human. Perfect."
"I know this is a lot of information to process, Your Majesty, but unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of waiting in this particular situation. We need to hurry up and head back to Ravensfield."
Averill, or rather Alvera, put her head in her hands. It was, admittedly, quite a bit to process. Knowing that people around you have been lying straight to your face and that your existence has been false for eighteen years is definitely a lot. In the confusion of everything, all thoughts of sleeping had flown out the window, and at that point, logic as well.
"How do I know you're telling the truth? You could be attempting to kidnap me."
"You want proof? Do you want to see my wings, M'lady?"
"Wings? You didn't say anything about wings, Cedrick."
He looked at me and smirked, "I said you were a fairy, didn't I? That includes having wings, obviously."
And then, without so much as a warning, a pair of wings sprouted out from behind Cedrick. The gust of wind it created caused several loose papers, and a few stray feathers, to drift through the air before they settled on the floor silently. The wings extended, standing upright, before they came down, flapping a few more times before ceasing to move entirely.
They were stunning.
Absolutely breathtaking.
Alvera had never seen anything like it before. Mighty and ethereal, the feathers were all shades of grays, blacks, and pure whites. As they were outstretched, the wingspan easily surpassed the length of his arms. The pair was rather large to say the least and very elegant, bearing a striking resemblance to raven wings, or rather, that of a Greek god.
Were everyone's wings like his?
Would she get wings like his?
Shifting her questions aside, she glanced at his wings again and suddenly, a feeling overcame her and she had the sudden urge to-
"Can I... touch them?"