//song: smoke & mirrors - agnes obel

I looked at myself in the mirror and touched my cheeks.

Somehow, I got fat while in the Underworld.

Did I gain weight?

What the hell?

Everyone always told me I was too skinny for my own good, that I looked too sickly. My mother always worried about me and she tried to overfeed me if she could.

But now as I looked at my reflection I realized I actually looked healthy.

My wrists no longer looked hollow, they were filled in a healthy way.

I shook my head. It seemed impossible.

Someone knocked on my door gently.

Knowing who it could be, I answered. "Come in!"

Leah opened the door slowly. Despite us never getting along, she had a genuine smile. "I was asked to help you get downstairs to dinner. Were you able to find something to wear?"

I nodded, standing from the small vanity I was doing my hair in front of. "I found a couple of things in the wardrobe. Surprisingly, everything was in my size."

Leah's smile didn't waver. "They just wanted you to be comfortable when you woke up, Altea- E-Emmy."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Emmy, of course!" She chuckled nervously, fidgeting with the pink dress she wore. She looked like she was royalty dressed in the finest materials and made up properly.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out with you and Damien," I finally said. Admittedly, I thought she'd be more broken up about it.

She only smiled. "Its for the best, Emmy." She extended a hand. "Come on, I'll show you and Mehnit to the dining room.

I pressed down the simple dress I wore. "So, I look okay for dinner?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "You look fine! I couldn't have picked anything better."

I met her and Mehnit in the hall and after shutting the door, we walked down quietly down the hall.

As soon as we walked out of the hall through the massive doors I'd seen before, guards met us.

They bowed quickly towards us, their eyes never leaving their surroundings.

I balked but Leah took my arm and gently led me away. "You're a Lady, right?" She asked quickly as she arms through mine and let my hand rest on her arm.

I slowly nodded. "Yes. Right." That must have been why they bowed.

My stomach was in knots, something didn't sit well with me. "Did I really miss a lot? I mean, this amnesia, how much did I miss out on? Could it have been magic by the Tattoo Man? Or the Magister?"

Leah listened intently, her brows furrowed in concentration.

"Kymra said that it took a lot of power - was it to not have me remember? Maybe the Tattoo Man told me something that no one else can know about? Or their secret base or something?"

Leah shook her head. "No, none of that. They were defeated. They're gone."

Something in me told me she was right. I tried to concentrate on how I knew, how I could possibly know without remembering defeating them. If I had sprung the trap, maybe magic made me forget it?

A memory cropped up and before I could catch it, it was gone.

As we walked the slow clipping of our shoes on the stone filled the hall. It threw the sound everywhere, echoing around the empty walls. Somewhere nearby, I heard a group speaking. There seemed to be a lot of life in the Keep.

Leah cleared her throat. "Now that the threat is over, Damien wants you to meet some friends of his."

My stomach knoted. I wasn't keen on meeting anyone else. I would be just fine staying in my room or even better, going home. 

Leah noticed the sudden nervous shaking in my hand.

Leah smiled and squeezed my hand. "You will be fine. These are the friends that helped defeat Damien's enemies."

I frowned. Something didn't seem right. "Only the Magister?"

Leah watched me but didn't slow her gait. "Do you know something else?"

I tried to grasp the thought but it quickly disappeared. It was like trying to catch a flame with my bare hand. It was bright and it burned but I tried to grasp it with my bare fingers anyway. "No, I guess not."

Leah patted my hand. "Maybe he's mentioned his other friends to you before. Of course, there's Oren. He'll be there. But there's also Julian. Did he ever mention him to you?"

That name again. I shook my head. "No. Never."

Somehow, I could sense her disappointment like it was my own.

It was like a heavy coat on my shoulders.

I could sense it? Since when could I do that?

I swallowed. "Before we're in a room with other people, Leah, I just wanted to tell you something."

"Sure." She quickly tightened her grip on my hand affectionately. "What is it?"

I stopped and the hall fell silent.

"Im sorry about Mia. I know you two were close." I looked at her. "I tried to help her. I told her to run--"

Leah looked away and when our eyes met, they were full of tears. She smiled sadly and placed a hand on my shoulder. "None of what happened was your fault, okay? None of it. You did everything you could."

I nodded, looking away.

"We will honor her when we get back but for right now, we celebrate this victory, okay?"

I nodded and when she continued walking I matched her pace.

"Do you think you or Damien can take me home tomorrow? I want to see my parents again and try to go back to school."

"Uh," Leahs voice faltered for moment. "Sure," she continued quickly. "Let's talk to Damien later about it, okay?"

The room we walked into had a large spread of food against one of the walls. Massive sconces attached to each of the fourteen marmoreal columns lit up every part of the room and coated everything in an orange glimmer. The relatively modest chandeliers hanging from the arched ceiling dance in the flickering light while carved images on the ceiling looked down upon the mosaic floor of this monumental hall.

An amber rug ran down the middle of the room under a massive table that could easily sit more than twenty guests. A large ornate fireplace with carvings quietly crackled in the background and large doors from floor to ceiling opened out to the night with what I imagined was a breathtaking view.

We weren't the first to arrive. Damien and Oren were speaking in a corner. Damien, dressed in a dark doublet and slacks, lounged against one of the pillars in the middle of the room with a drink in his hand. Oren stood perfectly in front of him in slacks and a comfortable-looking cotton shirt.

He smiled when we entered the room but I noticed his eyes lingered on Leah as she pointed out the different food on the spread to me. I smiled to myself and turned to Leah as she pointed out the different fruits I wasn't used to seeing back in the human world.

"How about a drink?"

I turned to Damien as he presented to each of us a glass of red wine.

I chuckled as I looked at the glass. "The Fae do know how to bounce back quickly and party."

Damien smiled too.

Oren was smiling. He looked much more relieved than the last I time I remembered. "It's good to finally see you awake, Emmy." He turned to Leah. "Can I speak to you a moment?"

Leah nodded, taking a sip of her drink as she led Oren way to the corner of the room.

Damien noticed me frowning. "What is it?"

"Everyone seems very familiar," I frowned. "Like, Oren went from saying 'My Lady' to Emmy."

He laughed. "Are you complaining? I thought you wouldn't like that."

I looked away. "Yeah, you're right, I don't." I stepped closer to him, dropping my voice. "Are you sure about this, Damien? I can meet others like you even though I'm human?"

Damien nodded, his smile was sincere. "Positive. Don't worry, everyone you see tonight are all your friends. I promise they won't try to harm you."

I breathed deeply, letting myself relax slightly. I took a sip of my drink. "What now? Now that your enemies are gone, what does that mean?"

Damien's violet eyes watched his glass as he swirled it. The amber liquid danced in the small glass. "We right the wrongs that have been done in the name of those who wanted to harm the Underworld. We rebuild. We win back the trust of the people."

"Most were unaffected by the events and don't know that anything happened."

I turned to the voice as he spoke.

My heart jumped to my throat.

Fae were breathtakingly, heartbreakingly beautiful. They were supposed to be alluring to humans. The man in front of me was all of those things and more. His hair almost looked like the color of the dark night sky. He was muscular but not so built that it looked unpleasant—lean but strong.

Dark-haired light stubble peppered his chin and strong jawline. His lips broke into a friendly smile as he watched me.

He wasn't just handsome.

He was everything that sent my heart pounding. 

I couldn't break away from the quiet storm of his grey eyes.

"Mercenaries and revolters with agendas were the most affected," he continued but he never tore his eyes from me. "Most have already been caught. Regular citizens didn't know anything was going on. In fact, most are more than happy with the monarchy. They feel safe."

I finally found my voice. I licked the dry roof of my mouth. While my question was directed at Damien, I found it increasingly difficult to tear my eyes from the stranger. "Is that right?"

The stranger smiled. "He won't listen to me. The other lords and ladies have told him as such."

Damien answered. "Nevertheless, the people deserve better."

When no one spoke, Damien cleared his throat. "Em, this is Julian. He is one of the lords of the Underworld."

I extended my hand, stupidly. "I'm Emmy."

He took my outstretched hand. "An absolute pleasure to see you awake and well."

To my unending embarrassment I felt my cheeks blush as I watched him gently place a gentle kiss on my knuckles.

Damien chuckled quietly beside me. His words were low and muffled behind the glass he had to his lips. "I never had a chance."

While Julian's eyes were still on mine, I stepped on Damien's foot so hard he spit his bourbon back in his glass with a strangled choking sound.

I knew Julian caught it, it was impossible not to but he kept quiet. He only smiled against my knuckles.

I felt a connection to him.

I'd never felt so strongly about a stranger before. He let my hand go and for the briefest moment, I was disappointed.

Before I could catch myself, I found myself speaking. I wanted to know more about him. "Where are you from, Lord-"

The friendly smile faltered slightly and for a moment, I saw a hint of sadness.

"I'm sorry," I said suddenly. "Did I say something wrong?"

Julian looked at Damien briefly and I knew that they were sharing another secret. The same secret that Damien, Kymra and Leah shared, no doubt.

I realized why he looked so disappointed. "Do we know each other?"

Julian and Damien exchanged brief glances.

"Or I guess," I quickly corrected, "I'm supposed to, aren't I?"

Damien cleared his throat. "Yes, you two are friends."

Anger flashed in Julian's eyes as he met Damien's gaze. I could have sworn I saw a muscle jump in his set jaw. "This is not what was agreed. She deserves better than this, Damien."

"We need to take things slowly."

I looked between them. I studied their knowing looks, the secret exchange between the two of them.

Julian moved to Damien. "You have this peace on the back of her labor. She deserves to know everything as it happened, Damien. She is not a child."

Hands were on me immediately, pulling me away from them.

Damien set his glass down forcefully on the table behind him. "Will you be the one to console her when you tell her all that she is?"

Julian spoke through gritted teeth but his voice was silky. "I've done it before--"

Kymra spoke behind me. "Come on, Emmy. There's no need for you to see these two fight."

My steps were hesitant as I was pulled away. Julian was right, I deserved to know everything. I shrugged Kymra off of me, but her grip was strong.

I moved away maneuvering out of her grasp. "Let me go!"

Something in me exploded and in the next moment, the chairs that had been in the room flew across the room broken and splintered. The sconces in the room burst and the room was instantly plunged into darkness.

I looked at my hands.

I couldn't have-

"I'm not--" Words failed me.

"Emmy," Kymra's voice was soft. Despite the sudden darkness, her features were soft, her eyes pleading. "This is a very delicate situation. We will figure it out, I promise you this."

I wanted to go home. I needed to go home so badly.

I wanted to feel safe. I needed to be safe.

The ground beneath me shifted and I almost fell forward. I caught myself, steadying on my feet.

The air around me exploded in color.

I looked around. I was no longer in the large dining room with everyone.

Crickets chirped nearby. A hooting owl broke my attention.

Small colored fireflies lit the night in different colors. But it was still impossibly dark. The night without any of the city lights was much darker then I had ever known it.

I stood in a dark forest, alone with only my fractured thoughts.

Please don't forget to check out the winner of the Fanfiction contest Daughter of the Cursed!

It can be found on my profile in the Underworld Series reading list.

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AND/OR COMMENT. THIS HELPS ME STAY MOTIVATED.