Princess of Faerl

*Elentari*

*Past Life Continued*

After the most amazing experience of my life, I felt so empty. Aphrodite stole my love from me. Not only did she tamper with my bond, but she also manipulated the gods to marry my Fated to her. I couldn’t live with this. I was in his arms, the only place I belonged in this world, but I didn’t feel the pull I longed for. Even if we marked each other, I would never match his passion. It broke my heart.

“I wish I could love you as you love me. I’m so sorry for what I’m about to do.” I whispered into his chest. I untangled my body from him, leaving the last kiss on his lips. I quietly tiptoed out of the room, surprised to see the matron’s body was gone as if she had never been there, to begin with.

The rest of the building was full of the sounds and smells of sex. It made my stomach turn. A hand reached out and tried to grab my ass. I extended a single claw and cut the offender. No one here knew*what* I was, besides the now dead matron. He cried out cursing me, calling me a whore. I glared back at him. He must have seen the devil in my eyes because he pissed all over the floor, the girl in front of him shrieking at him.

My first stop was that bitch of a woman’s room. I opened the door and laughed a bit. Her room was the most pristine in the house. She never had to worry or want anything. She kept everything valuable locked up there, but she didn’t realize she couldn’t keep me out of the room. The only reason I had never gone there before was to not blow my chance too soon. I didn’t want to get out of here by myself. I want all of the girls to be able to go home. I want their families to see them again too. Now that she was dead, I could finally do what I wanted.

I took two bottles from her shelf and retrieved my purple dress. It was to be mine the day I gained my freedom, and today was that day. I rummaged around her desk and found the lock boxes. Most of them had papers on girls that were sold and/or dead. I cast a spell and sent all of those to my parents. Those families deserve closure. I took the box of the current girl’s contracts and the keys. Each of us had a different key for our cuffs or collars. Some, like me, had cuffs and a collar. She was afraid of me running. Not to mention, if I had gotten away, all of Faerl would hunt her down and Selene herself would have killed her and the Master. Speaking of, I have to hurry. He could be here any time now. It was collection hour soon.

“Now has come the time for retribution. Leave your coin, all of it as payment. From this place, I banish all who abuse, mistreat, and have no love. Never shall you return.” I breathed out slowly. Ninety percent of the patrons cleared out of the brothel. This had the intended effect. The girls followed the trail of coins, scooping up as much as they could. One girl, Genevieve, had been close enough to hear me. She gave me an odd look, as if she wanted to ask questions.

“Gene, come with me.” I grabbed her hand, pulling her into my room. I sat down and wrote 3 letters. One for Hephaestus, one for Selene, and one for my parents. As I wrote, I gave her instructions. “I know you aren’t human. I can smell it.” Her eyes went wide. “You’re one of four of us here. These three letters need to be given to the man I’ve been with for the last couple of days. He will come to find me. I’m going to do something you’re going to think is crazy, but please trust me. The only patrons left are the ones who truly love the one they are with. Here are all of the contracts for the girls currently here and the keys to their collars and cuffs. The matron is dead. We don’t have long before Master is here. You need to work fast. Each key has been made into a portal that will open once the blasted things are off the girl. It will take them either to their family home if their family loves them and didn’t sell them or abandon them to this place. Otherwise, it will take them to the King and Queen of Faerl. They will be safe, even if they are human. Their loves can go with them if they wish.”

I grabbed the two bottles and opened them. We both turned up our noses, expecting an awful smell. The oleander barely had a scent and the wolfsbane smelled sweet. “What are you doing?! That will kill you!” Gene cried out.

“That’s the point. I need him to feel the bond snap. I need to set him free. Aphrodite stole my ability to feel the Fate bond. He still feels it, though. I need to break it for him and him to think I’m dead.” I took a deep breath, grabbed the purple dress, and put it on, smoothing it out over my curves. “I am Elentari Tirisil, Princess of Faerl. I task you, Genevieve, with freeing the enslaved of this brothel and ensuring Hephaestus finds me, these letters, and not to give away my secret. You have one hour. I will cast the compel to seek you out, so you do not need to find each girl.”

Geni had tears in her eyes. I knew she didn’t understand and she probably never would. “All within this place, heed my call. Genevieve has the keys and contracts for everyone to retrieve and return home, never to deal with a life where you must roam or sell yourself. The Kingdom of Faerl is open to you if you’ve nowhere to go. Make haste, there’s not much time.”

I then sat on the edge of my bed, downing a large gulp of oleander, then one of wolfsbane. It tasted horrible. I then laid down, smoothing my dress. I felt sleepy. I thought of his kiss on my lips.*Until my next life, my love*

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Slowly I opened my eyes. Selene was standing over me, holding my hand. I gasped in a breath. I had no idea if I was in the Garden of the Moon or if my gamble had paid off. Blinking a few times, I tried to sit up. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, child. You gave us all a terrible fright.” Selene smiled.

“How long have I been out?” I couldn’t feel my legs or my arms. I couldn’t see properly, either.

“Two months, my Guardian.” Her eyes were filled with compassion. “Plans have changed a bit.” I felt her hand on my stomach. “That was a dangerous move. I understand why you did it, but you almost died. Your fate bond wasn’t broken, simply hidden from you. The effect of essentially dying to snap it for him truly snapped it for you and being with child made the snap horrific for your body.” She stroked my hair with her other hand as I began to sob.

“So I gave him up for nothing?! I hate her!” I screamed. As my heart rate accelerated, dizziness took over. I felt a pain in my abdomen. “Wait, with child? I’m pregnant?” Fresh tears burst forth. “We could have been a family?” My heart was shattering all over again.

“Child, calm yourself. There is only so much I can do, and you are fighting my healing.” A strange voice floated to my ears. I slowly turned my head towards the source. “I am Venus. I was at Aphrodite’s sentencing and I know what happened. I blessed him with fertility, but only with his Destined, which is you. The bond of this lifetime may be snapped, but your bond will continue. Every time you are reborn, your soul will search for his. You may not always find each other, but if you do, you will know. I have saved your son. It is now up to you to care for him and raise him. He will be immortal like his father. When the time is right, he will find you both in your next lifetime. You are a giving soul. Be kind to yourself and do not mourn too long. You have a lot to do, here and now. I’ve intervened as much as I’m allowed to. It’s up to you now, Elentari.” She kissed my forehead and left. I had so many questions. A baby boy. I needed to keep him safe. After my parents came in, my mother cried and my father held my hand. All of the Kingdom thought me dead, so we devised a plan. Mother would pretend to be pregnant and they would present him as their son. It would keep me safe and save Hephaestus further heartache. From time to time, I asked Selene to visit him and tell me how he was.

I stayed on bed rest until the last two months of my pregnancy. Selene got me up and moving around while Venus stopped by a couple of times a week to help me regain my strength, preparing for childbirth. My son will be here soon. It was hard to think about it without my heart breaking all over again. At least I wouldn’t be forced to take a chosen mate for the sake of a crown and Selene knew I didn’t want a second chance mate. If it wasn’t Hep, I wouldn’t want him. But my son will be here soon, the only man I will need in my heart for the rest of this lifetime. Our child. Something that shows we had a bond. Even if it only lasted a couple of days.