Chapter 4 The Castle In the Tree

The forest does not end. Instead, it opens up. I sit up, leaning out of the opening. Soft, warming light filters through the canopy in ways it hasn't before. No, not sunlight. There are balls of light floating along the trail, seemingly out of nowhere. The trail opens up wider, and I can see a break in the trees ahead. 

The carriage slows, the wheels no longer shifting over uneven ground, but instead gliding across something much smoother. I sit up, sliding my head out the window and leaning out into the cool air. 

The road has shifted from the soft ground of the forest to a wooden bridge, leading us higher and higher. Above us in the trees, there are bridges stretching from tree to tree and wooden structures wrapping around the massive trunks. They are at varying heights, and I can see people moving leisurely over the thin wood without fear of falling. 

This is their kingdom, I realize, hidden high among the trees. How far does it spread out? How long have I been missing it? I look back, but everything is hidden in the green.

A gasp leaves my lips when the green underneath the wooden trail falls away, and blue overtakes everything below. I shift my head, looking up. There are three giant water falls all flowing into the ring that surrounds an island. Dozens of bridges reach out to it on all sides.  

The island itself is equally impressive. A single giant tree, bigger than any of the ones we rode through, stretches out into the sky. As we get nearer, I realize that it looks like the tree has been hollowed out. There’s a giant cavern carved out of the base. A wood staircase spirals up the outside of the tree, leading up and up and disappearing into the branches above. 

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Liora says, not looking herself. 

“Quite,” I say, moving to sit back against the seat.

When we make it to the island, the road is lined with tents, and people are darting back and forth with decorations and fabrics. Liora smiles, leaning forward to peer out with me. 

“They are preparing for the wedding,” she explains. “They are giving you a week to get settled before the celebration. We have activities planned for you every day to help get you integrated to our life here.” 

“Thank you,” I say, keeping my voice even. A week to get settled before the wedding. I suppose it is a kindness. It’s better than jumping into it right now.

We pull up to the large hole in the base of the tree, and I realize that it’s the main court. It has been carved directly into the tree, all the way through with sunlight peeking in from the other side. It’s an enormous, curved space with the ceiling arching naturally. The grain of the tree twists into patterns caught in the sunlight, open windows letting the golden light flood in from both sides. 

Along the side are the thrones.

They rose from the wood itself, as if they were grown, not placed. They are shaped into dark, high-backed chairs that mirror the trees surrounding the island. The biggest one stands in the center with six lining either side in a curved half circle. 

There are groups of people in the court, but I can’t distinguish who is who in the crowd. My heart is beating heavily again, and I close my eyes. 

“Hey,” Liora leans forward, placing a hand on my knee. I open my eyes, smiling slightly. “You will be okay. Everything is fine. Of all the brothers to marry, Felix is probably the best of them.”

Someone outside opens the door, and Liora nods at me forward. I let out a shaky breath, ducking through the doorway. There’s a man there waiting for me, his hand outstretched to take mine. When I actually take him in, my breath catches. 

He’s gorgeous. 

The soft glow of the lowering sun catches the deep blues of his clothing, turning them almost liquid in the shifting golden light. It is cut close to his body, structured but not rigid much like my dress, with the fabric rich and layered in deep blue like a twilight sky with faint silver patterns swimming within it. 

The collar rose slightly at his throat, framing his face. A long, flowing mantle drapes down his shoulders, fastening just beneath them in clasps set in silver. The cloak itself fell in soft folds behind him, looking almost like the moving water. A leather belt sits on his waist holding the layers of his tunic in place with a sheath holding an equally ornate handle of a blade.

His skin is a warm brown with deep brown eyes that never leave mine. His hair is white, impossible so, curly and loose on the top and cut short close to his head on the sides, emphasizing his sharp jaw. White, runic tattoos curl up his neck, stopping right below the line of his jaw, but stretching up into the back of his hair. 

After too long, I finally take his gloved hand that he’s been patiently holding out for me. I step down and completely miss the step, my body falling forward. His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling my back against his chest. He lifts me away from the step and places me softly back onto the ground. 

“Are you alright?” He asks, his voice soft. I turn toward him, swallowing hard underneath his gaze. 

“Yes,” I chuckle. “I just…it has been a long day.”

“I’m sure it has,” he chuckles softly, “shall we get you introduced?” 

“Yes, sir,” I say, bowing slightly. He offers up his arm, and I hook my arm through it and let him lead me to my new life and fiance.

As we get nearer, twelve people shift away from the groups and toward the thrones. Liora appears at my other side, and the gentleman bows slightly before moving toward the last throne of the right side. 

“Princess Alaina,” a man’s booming voice shakes through the large space. The scattered crowds of people grow silent, and my hand tightens around Liora’s. The man who had spoken is standing in front of the large throne in the center, donned in golden and red fabrics. He’s pale and white haired, his hair long and braided down his back. He looks a good deal older than the rest, and I am assuming he’s the king. 

The Mage King. 

“Yes, my king,” I say, stepping forward and bowing. 

“So polite,” he says, smiling. It’s a warm smile, one that is strangely disarming. “I see that you have already met my step-son and the archmage of our court, Felix.”

“Felix,” I whisper, my eyes moving to him. He bows his head slightly, a hint of a smile on his lips. 

How humiliating.