The Fae Princess

 I slept fitfully that night and was up by dawn. To my surprise, a blue, scaled woman in a brown dress entered my room with a tray of food. The bath in my room was full and steaming. She beckoned me to the bath so I stood, my bare feet on the cool floor. She moved to grab my nightgown, causing me to step back. 

 "Miss, please don't struggle. It is good to be clean." She told me.

 "You don't have to bathe me." I hugged my nightgown closer. 

 "Please. I'm happy to." She folded her hands against her apron. "I understand you are unfamiliar with our customs."

 "I… don't like being… naked in front of others."

 "I promise that I will only bathe and dress you. I will not look at you any other way." She told me. I studied her. This was her job. She wanted to do her job. 

 "Alright." I exhaled deeply before pulling my nightgown off. I stepped into the large basin, warmth enveloping my body. I sat down and she began washing my hair. Her thin fingers felt blissful against my scalp. She washed my body before drying me off and dressing me in a tunic and pants. I had a feeling that she saw the scars all over my body because she stopped a few times. I thanked the faerie and she began to leave. 

 "Wait. What is your name?" I asked.

 "Lae." She smiled and bowed. I hugged myself and she left. Some of my scars were from hunting, some from the people in my human life. Exs and ex-friends. I shook my head and left my room to explore. I walked around for a while, looking at different paintings before finding the library. Inside the library was a ginormous tree that moved up through the ceiling. The branches were full of green leaves with white and pastel pink flowers. Every once in a while a flower or a leaf would flutter to the floor.

 "Do you enjoy reading?" A deep voice questioned behind me. I flinched, startled at the sudden presence of someone else. I turned and looked up to see Madeline's father. His golden eyes peered at me as he waited. 

 "I do." I answered. "I read a lot where I'm from."

 "I thought you spent all your time hunting." He moved around me, his hands behind his back.

 "No." I watched him. "I spend a lot of time hunting, yes, but I also have free time to myself."

 "Do you not have a lover?" He questioned. I thought back to my last boyfriend and the abuse that I endured. 

 "No." I looked at the floor.

 "Friends?"

 "No." I fidgeted with my fingers.

 "Why not?" He seemed closer. I looked up at him to see that he held a tiny stick with pastel pink flowers.

 "Because I had a hard time trusting people." I answered. "So far everyone has given me a reason to stay far away."

 "Have we?"

 "I don't even know your name so no." I frowned slightly. He was quiet for a moment, studying the flowers in his hands. Is he going to tell me his name? He approached me, stopping a little too close. He placed the little branch of flowers on my ear after sliding my hair back. 

 "Don't lose hope in people, Nimre. There are still good ones out there." He gave me a soft smile before walking past me to the door. "Enjoy the library." And with that, he was gone. I stood there like an idiot, pondering his words and actions. When I couldn't figure it out, I wandered the library. Behind the tree was a staircase that nearly wrapped around the tree. I went up the stairs to the rest of the bookshelves on the second floor. On the end of one of the bookshelves was a large, rectangular picture of a jellyfish. It didn't look like a regular jellyfish. The colors were different. The cap was a mixture of reds and yellows while the tentacles were hues of blue, pink, and purple. It was painted and I could see every brush stroke. I drew sometimes, but I could never paint something as beautiful as this. I wondered if this was how the jellyfish actually looked in this world or if it was painted with someone's imagination. This world was so much more colorful than mine. 

 "Nimre?" Madeline's angelic voice called.

 "Up here." I responded, keeping my eyes on the painting. I could hear her light footsteps stop next to me. She looked at the painting.

 "Do you paint?" She questioned.

 "I draw." I looked at her.

 "I have a drawing pad and some pencils that you can have." She said. "I'm sure you'll use it more than me."

 "Thank you." I turned from the painting. 

 "I was wondering if you'd like to go on a walk with me." She looked at me with her large doe eyes.

 "Sure." I nodded. She turned and I followed her out of the library.

~~~

We wandered the woods nearby, looking at all of the flora. I tracked where we were so that I knew how to get back. Madeline took me deeper into the woods until we came to a decent sized clearing. In the clearing there were flowers colored deep red to orange. They looked like tiger lilies, but were more vibrant and beautiful. I stared at the flowers in awe before kneeling down and cupping a flower in my hands without breaking the stem. It fit perfectly in my hands.

 "I like the flowers in your hair." Madeline spoke. The memory of her father placing it there resurfaced. I stood and slowly walked around in the flowers.

 "Yeah. They're pretty flowers." I agreed. We were both quiet. Does she know about our moment in the library? 

 "My father likes you." She informed me. I paused for a moment. She must. "I never imagined a half fae, half human would catch his eye."

 "Half…?" I looked up at her.

 "You did not know?" She tilted her head. I shook mine. "Your mother was a faerie Queen. The most beautiful faerie legend says. She fell in love with a human male." I blinked. 

 "When she fell pregnant, her baby was put in danger. She ran to the human realm for safety." She explained, running her dainty fingers along the flower petals.

 "How do you know that it's me?"

 "It's obvious. You had to have opened up a portal when you fell. There was magic residue on you and in the forest near where I found you." Her green eyes were on the flowers. "A fae dressed as a human. Faeries rarely choose to live in the human realm. It's dull compared to the faerie world."

 "Byt my mother is human. Beautiful, but human." I crossed my arms. 

 "She most likely uses glamour to appear human." Madeline waved an arm in front of her face. A sparkling enveloped her, her antlers disappearing, her green hair turning brown, her large eyes becoming more human. Even her flowy gown turned into a puffy sleeved green crop top, her legs covered by a pair of blue jeans. She looked so human and gorgeous. "I don't really know how humans look now. I based my appearance off of how I first saw you."

 "You look… like a very pretty human." I approached her. "You can keep the green in your hair. Humans like to dye their hair different colors." She pulled some of her brown hair over her shoulder. 

 "You say your father likes me? What do you mean by that?"

 "He fancies you." She smiled.

 "He doesn't know me." I stated.

 "He will learn about you." She touched the flower in my hair. 

 "What is his name?"

 "Nymbus. Why?" She looked at me kind of confused. 

 "Because I didn't know." I knelt down and plucked a red orange flower before standing. "How old is he?"

 "Old. At least 700 years." He nodded. I was only 20 years old. He had life times on me. "He's had many lovers, but none has lasted." I looked down at the flower in my hands.

 "I've said too much. I apologize." She said. I thought of my family and how I may never see them again. If I wanted to fit in here, I needed to embrace the supposed faerie side of me. 

 "Teach me how to live like a faerie." I blurted. If there was no way for me to return to my earth then there was no reason for me to cling to my human side. 

 "Really?" She beamed. "You would have to wear gowns. I can make them pretty like mine if you like." I gave a slow nod. What was I signing up for? Whatever it is, I have to commit.