Prologue

The young man gazed out of the clear glass window, seeing his Royal Army marching through the town to defend his country from their rival neighbors, the Nemerians. Of course, it was his fault entirely that the Nemerians were advancing on his country, his people, and putting them all in severe danger. It was his fault for trying to fix a very small and simple problem with a very large and complicated lie. The young man sighed, his thoughts mixing in his head, forming a migraine. The man’s name was Nicholas and he was the King of Leera, the country of Faeires.

He had always enjoyed lying, ever since he was a young child, zipping through the air and causing mischief wherever he went. He was a normal faeire, nice and sweet on the outside, but conniving and mischievous on the in. Perhaps this would have been acceptable is he were any other fairy’s child, but he was not. He was the son of Ian Craig, the King of Leera. He was never allowed to be normal, never allowed to lie, never allowed to be his own person. He had hated his father for that. Hated the fact that he had to be born a Prince along with his brother, Evan. Evan had always been the good son. The son who never lied. The one who always knew the right thing to do. The son who was always polite and proper and very diplomatic. The son who was always going to be King.

But it didn’t happen that way, Nicholas thought bitterly, scowling as he watched the Royal Army march through the town as thunder rolled in the skies.

No, it did not happen that way. When the time had come for Ian to pick which of his sons to rule Leera next, it was Nicholas who was chosen for the throne, not Evan. It had shocked Nicholas to the core and all of Leera as well. Most people speculated how well Nicholas could rule, with his sharp tongue and quick temper. All but two thought he would never be able to rule and ruin the long lasting Empire that was Leera. Those two, the only two who mattered most, were his father and brother.

At first Nicholas had his doubts. He had thought that his father and brother were setting him up, proving to everyone that he was a failure. He knew that Evan was jealous of him. After all, Evan was always thought to be the King before Nicholas. But Evan denied being jealous of Nick. He denied it until he was blue in the face, mainly because Nicholas always accused him of jealousy.

Nicholas thought back to the day before his coronation. The day when his brother, fed up with Nicholas’s interrogations, pulled him away and gave him the most stirring and unforgettable speech ever made by a fairy.

“Nicholas,” Evan had said, pulling them into a corner. It was dark, despite the brilliant light filtering through the windows. “I do not know how many times I’ve told you this, but I assure that this will be my last. I am not jealous of you. I never have been. I knew all along that it was you who was going to be King after father, not me. Father had talked to me about it years before he finally decided on it. As you grew, true, that you were still reckless and a liar, but Father saw something in you that no one else did. You know what that was?”

Nicholas shook his head, his eyes on the ground. He felt like a child being reprimanded, but his brother was not being mean, far form it. Nevertheless, the emotion in Evan’s voice, the anger, admiration, and love, was abnormal for a fairy and Nicholas had never had anyone talk to him in such a way. In truth, it scared him and Nicholas had never been scared in his life.

“Greed,” Evan said simply.

Nicholas looked up instantly, confusion etched in his face. “Greed? Father chose me to be King because I was greedy?”

Evan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Think, Nick. Not greed as in for money or power, but greed for your people. You grew protective of them, Nicholas, and Father saw that you would do everything in your power to protect them. You were greedy over them. It was easy to see that. The way you spent the entire day with the common folk, talking of market prices and general things as if you lived among them. When we invited you to the meeting, you spoke out rashly and harshly of a treaty between us in the Nemerians. You do remember why, don’t you? I would figure since it was only a year ago.”

Nicholas nodded. “That treaty would have allowed the Nemerians to come in and live among us, taking half our money, food, and culture.”

“Exactly! Don’t you see? You always acted before you thought,” Evan said as if that was a good thing. “It didn’t matter to you if the action brought severe consequences, as long as it was for the good of the people. Father was like that when he was young and look at what Leera became because of it. I will never be like you and Father. I cannot help it. I will always think before I act and, yes, perhaps that sounds boring or like procrastination, but it is what I do. Yes, sometimes in leadership, thinking through is wise, but taking risks and actions alongside your people is what really makes a leader strong, popular, and loved. That is what you will become, Nicholas. Trust me. You will make a fine King. Better than me at least. I believe in you and so does Father.”

You were always the thinker, the thoughtful one, Nicholas thought as he watched his people go off to war. Rain began to drip down on the land and glass, as if Leera herself was crying for the people that died and those who were about to. She cried for the failures and consequences that Nicholas had made. She cried for her life. Always right, never wrong. I guess apart of me, a small ugly, dark part that consumed me when I was young, wanted to prove you wrong. Wanted to show you that you could be wrong, but I regret that now. I let that part take over me and it cost me much and it cost Leera everything.

A knock on the door jarred Nicholas out of his thoughts. He looked at the door and then back to the window. “Come in,” he said calmly.

It was Evan. He opened the door slowly and Nicholas felt the anger inside of him as he tried to keep it inside. He smiled and turned around, staring at his younger brother.

Evan face was stony and calm as he stared at Nicholas. “You still find the courage to smile in a time like this.”

Nicholas shrugged. “I see the glass as half full, Evan. You should too.”

“I see no positive side of this situation,” he said calmly, but Nicholas felt his anger rise.

Nicholas sighed and the silence of the room weighed heavily on him. His brother’s anger shook him deeply. Evan had never been this mad in his entire life and Nicholas didn’t like the fact that all of it was directed at him. “I will not lie to you, Evan,” Nicholas said, beginning to pace back and forth, “This has gone too far. This…this lie of mine has caused too much.”

“Yes,” Evan responded bitterly, “It has.”

Nicholas looked at his brother, his face sad and hurt. “I know what you think of me, Evan. You’ve always thought of me this way.”

Evan’s face softened slightly. “What way, brother?”

“You despise me for my stupidity, my lack of leadership abilities, and for just being me. I am your older brother of course and I know the feelings you have for me are as ever-changing as the seasons, but most of the time, you could care less about me.”

Evan shook his head. “Now is not the time for this, Nicholas. I came here to talk about the situation at hand. After this mess is settled, perhaps then we can talk about my feelings for you.” He talked to his older brother as if Nicholas was a young child, unable to grasp the entire situation.

Nicholas sighed, loosing all of his will to argue. “You will not have to converse with me. I am leaving this place and I leave you in charge of Leera. You are now King.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Evan laughed crisply. “You know, as well as I, that you won’t give up your title. So, I was thinking” But he never finished his sentence as he saw the look in Nicholas’s eye. He would give it to me, Evan thought, and he will. He is truly leaving this place, but where will he go? To the Human realm? I would hope not, but he has nowhere else to go. Nemer won’t take him, Leera won’t take him, even Narcis hates him.

Evan sighed, his young features old and stressed. “Where will you go?”

“To the human realm. Until the fairies have cooled off. Then I will return.”

“Nicholas,” Evan said softly, realizing that his brother was truly gone from him, “You are my brother, but these fairies will never cool down and I must do what I must to protect them. They are my people. They were once yours too.”

“Once mine,” Nicholas replied sadly, throwing his cloak over his head. “Take care of this place for me, little brother. I will return soon.”

“Before you leave,” Evan said, desperately trying to speak with Nicholas a little longer, “did you hear of what happened to the le Fay girl?”

Nicholas was silent and then shook his head. “They say she fled to the mortal world.”

“Then you may meet her again. Perhaps bring her back.”

Nicholas shook his head, knowing full well that when he did return, the le Fay girl and his brother would both be gone. “She did no spell to stay her age. She will be a mother by the time I am there.”

“Then perhaps her daughter,” Evan responded, still hopeful.

“Or her son,” Nicholas added, trying to think positive at the idea of coming back again while his brother lived.

“No. Only the daughter, for women are the strongest magical beings.”

Nicholas smiled. “But we are not women, are we?”

“We are fairies,” Evan corrected, “and although the le Fay names means ‘the Fairy’, they are still humans. Human women are more powerful than human men, in the magical sense anyway.”

Nicholas sighed. Evan was right, as usual. He was proud of his younger sibling and knew that Leera was left in capable hands. Perhaps perfect ones. “Fine. If I find the girl, I will try and send her here. I cannot promise anything.”

Evan nodded. “Indeed. You’re promises are always lies anyway.”

Nicholas ignored the spiteful remark, but smiled. “I see you are a fairy after all. No human would think to say that to his brother as he is about to leave.”

“Goodbye, Nicholas,” Evan said as Nicholas walked to the doorway. He turned around, not wanting to feel the rejection anymore and busied himself with the current matters at hand.

Nicholas’s smile faded as he watched his brother cut him out of his life. Well, it was my choice, wasn’t it? Nicholas thought as a single tear formed in the corner of his eye. My choice to leave him. My choice to hurt him. It was always my choice.

Nicholas turned around, but looked over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him. Evan was writing furiously on a piece of white paper with the royal Leeran signature on it. Nicholas knew that his brother was writing a proposal for the Nemerian Court and it was at that moment that Nicholas knew his father had only chose him first to get it done and over with. Made him rule first so Evan could pick up the pieces when Leera was on the brink of collapsing and make everything right. Evan had no idea what their father had planned, but he had respected the decision and helped Nicholas, like a true brother. The tear slide down Nicholas’s face as he closed the door and whispered goodbye to only thing he held dear to him.

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First story on FP and I hope everyone likes it. Written towards a younger audience, but I hope you can still enjoy it. Please review because I like the encourgaement and critique if you have some.

Assana