“Yes.” Her ice-cold eyes stared into mine. “My Faye mate. The future King of Soare- Luna.”
I think this woman has decided that she wants to kill me today. From the inside. Slowly, with each word she spoke, using them like daggers. The sound that I once found melodious sounded bitter now.
“Avalyn… Nikolai is you mate. What are you talking about?” Valerie grasped her daughter’s hands.
Every word that came out of her mouth felt like a punch to the gut. Does she really hate me so much?
“The ceremony is adjourned. Dismissed.” Avalyn announced, and on her command, everyone started filing out of the room.
Then I looked at her mate.
He was wearing a King’s robe, a belt with a scabbard attached to it. All that was missing was the crown.
This was a fucking coronation ceremony. I had the unimaginable urge to laugh.
My life was a fucking joke.
And then suddenly, my eyes fell on two little kids standing a little behind Ava, almost hiding behind her. One girl and one boy.
When my eyes fell on them, they slid out of their hiding spot, which was Ava’s huge gown, and stepped forward.
The girl had silver hair and blue eyes- exactly like Ava, and the boy had blond hair and grey eyes- exactly like I did.
My eyes tear up, and my throat clogged up.
Are they really…?
Why are they so big already?
It’s only been seven months…
They looked seven years old instead…
“What year is it?” I choked out.
“Two thousand and twenty-seven.” Ava replied.
I pressed two fingers against my heart and rubbed. It hurt. It hurt so much.
I was trapped there for seven years?
I counted each day. It should have been seven months. They should have been seven months old…
I knew time was different in both the worlds because Fiyona’s, Valerie’s and my stories didn’t match according to the timeline. But I never knew that one month there meant one year here…
I looked at Valerie, and she had tears in her eyes. “How long was I dead for?” She screamed, her hands coming to her throat, clawing at it.
“Thirty years.” Avalyn was the one who whispered this time.
“That means… Javier… that means…,” I saw her legs wobble, and I just knew she was about to collapse.
I ran to her and caught her before her head could hit the floor. “Valerie!” I placed her head on my lap and patted her cheek.
A small hand appeared on her forehead. The hand was connected to my little girl. Whose name I didn’t know.
She gave me a sweet smile, making her dimples dig deeper in her cheeks. A tear slipped down my eye. “Don’t cry. I’ll wake her up for you, Dadda.”
And the true to her word, in that instant, Valerie opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times before she slid out from between my girl and me.
Her smile was so bright that it hurt. I already loved this little girl. “I read your letter! Mamma told me about you too. Your name is Nikolai. She told me that you were a star. And I could see you every night. And after many, many years, I get to actually see you. And seven years are many, many years.”
I couldn’t stop myself; I hugged the little girl. She was so small, so fragile that I thought I’d break her if I squeeze too hard. And I cried. For the first time in years, I cried.
Her little arms couldn’t even wrap themselves around my shoulders, but she held on to me with all the strength she had.
I cried for even thinking that I didn’t want this little girl. For everything that Ava went through. For what I could have done right. For what could have been better. For what we could have been if not for that curse. For missing seven whole years of my daughter’s life.
“Don’t cry, Dadda.” She caressed the hair at the back of my head with her tiny hands. “Strong people don’t cry.”
I backed away a little to look at her, to fill my eyes with her sight again. She cupped my cheeks with her tiny hands and wiped away my tears.
“There. Do you feel better now?” She asked with a smile.
I nodded, still unable to say anything.
I looked at my son. He was still standing beside Avalyn, holding her hand tightly.
I extended an arm towards him, wanting to hug him too.
“She might fall for your act, but I won’t.” He told me; his grey eyes angry. “You may be my father, but you made Mamma cry. So much. I hate you.” He screamed and then ran out of the room.
My head lowered.