What It Is?

Light filters through my open window casting my chamber in shadows. A dove flies through landing on the nightstand. I walk over and take the message attached to its leg. The dove takes off as I read the message. Only one word is written on it "Run." I call the small amount of magic I have and incinerate the message. Dahlia chooses that moment to enter with a tray of tea and toast. She adverts her gaze as she sets the tray on the dressing table. A note sits next to the teacup, "what's this?" I ask her she signs with her hands that she doesn't know. I wave her away and open the note:

"There will be a gala tomorrow night you are required to attend. Remember to behave.

-Elena"

Why in the world are we having a gala when the people are starving. I dress and head to the throne room its already full with servants running about in preparation for tomorrow night. What a waste?

Elena sits on her throne overseeing preparations while Jonathan sits in a cluster of pillows surrounded by maidens. They laugh at something he says their faces draining of color as I near. It seems word of last night's events got out.

"What is it?" Elena asks.

"Would it be possible for me not to attend tomorrow's festivities?"

Jonathan snorts before speaking, "but it's your engagement party."

Elena glares at him, clearly displeased with my knowing this bit of information. "Yes, Jonathan's right tomorrow your engagement will be announced. The Crown Prince of the Dark Realm will be here to meet you. Dark fay will fuck anything," she scrunches her nose.

"It seems the union you coveted for yourself will not happen after all. Although I don't think it would have ever been possible, I hear the Dark King is selective," I say, savoring her discomfort, "and pray tell why must I marry the Crown Prince?"

Elena scuffs, "it will cement an alliance between the Dark Realm and us," she says, "it should be obvious."

I exhale and ask, "And if I refuse?"

"Be grateful someone wants you," she steps down from her throne stopping before me, "you will do as your told."

I call the image I concocted for Elena last night changing my appearance before saying, "You know I never realized how much shorter you are," I say stepping back when her hand moves to strike catching my veil instead. One of Jonathan's playthings screams another heave's onto Jonathan's crotch. I keep my face somber I'll laugh about it later.

"Anastasia!" Elena's face is as red as the blood she bathes in.

I take the veil from her and cover my face, "you're the one that removed it."

She's fuming as I walk out of the throne room and head for my chamber. Dahlia's dusting the bookshelf when I walk in.

"Get out and don't come back until tomorrow," I say.

Dahlia picks up rags and scurries out she's either use to my mood swings or too afraid to ask. I lock the door placing the chair under the nob then close all the curtains and blow out the fire. Let them think I'm sulking. Once I'm certain no ones in the chamber I carefully move the drape of the dancing maiden and step into the secret passage arranging the drape one more I seal the gate.

"Why in the world would I marry the Crown Prince of the Dark Realm?" I rip the veil off and step into the secret chamber. Who scent that message and why? So many questions and no answers.

I change into leather pants and a crimson corset with black lace sleeves. "I should check on grandmother, granted if the wolves haven't sent word she must be doing better." I strap daggers to my thighs and hide one in my knee-high leather boots. The Shadow Market might be of use. After all, what better place to trade secrets. Turning my cloak inside out so that the red is hidden I head down the passage leading to the market.

***

The wind howls promising a powerful storm and clouds begin to move in covering the sun. The market hasn't set up yet so I head to the one place that's always crowded. Nightingale is surprisingly empty with only the zither player and two travels each at their respective tables. One of the attendants heads my way inclining his head in the slightest. Not because he knows who I am but rather because I've done work for his master in the past.

"I must speak with Madam," I say before he can lead me upstairs.

"Madam is currently tending to a customer," the attendant says, "perhaps Madam would like to wait in one of the private tea rooms."

"I'm in no rush," I say.

The attendant nods and leads me up the stairs and down the hall to a room at the very end decorated with cherry and moon blossoms. There's a table in the middle of the room and a bed hidden behind a paper screen. I sit on one of the cushions facing the door.

"Bring me something to eat," I hand the attendant half a gold bar, his eyes light up at the sight tucking it into his breast pocket he runs out the room. The attendant returns quickly setting a rice dish, steamed buns, steamed vegetables and pork on the table. Followed by a clay urn and two porcelain bowls.

"What's your name?" I ask, taking the porcelain bottle and removing the red cloth covering the mouthpiece.

"Dai, Madam."

I pour the rice wine and say, "That'll be all Dai, let your Master know I'm here." Dai inclines his head before leaving. Such wine can only be found here and in the Dragon Realm. Luna uses the tea house as a front for her wine business along with a few other illegal things. When Elena became Queen, she outlawed the sale of liquor unless it's to aristocrats. Along with the gathering of large groups someone convinced her to make the tea house an exception. That is so long as the stories told about our kingdom remain in her favor and anything about myself remained grotesque.

The wine warms my belly and the meat tastes divine. That's what I get for not eating regularly I have to pace myself or I'll throw it all up. The moment I take a bite of one of the steamed buns the door opens. The person standing at the door war is not who I was expecting.

"Forgive me," the beautiful stranger from last night says, "it seems I have the wrong room. Curses his handsome and so tall he smiles his teeth canine. Definitely fay, sure enough, his ears are pointed and his scent marks him as Dark Fay, Unseelie as some call them. I'm about to tell him off when his stomach chooses that moment to growl. He looks down at the food than me.

"Either get out or step in, my foods getting cold," I say, taking a bite of the steamed bun.

He steps in closing the sliding door, his glossy black hair falls midback only a few inches shorter than my own. What would it be like to run my fingers through his hair? The stranger takes the seat across from me his smile predatory.

"You're a gancanagh," I say, realizing what he's doing.

"Well that rude," he says, taking a sip of wine.

I look him over realizing even without the magic he is quite lovely, "No, what's rude is using your powers to enamored females without their consent. Where's your pipe?"

He chokes on his wine gaining composure he speaks, "if you want to see it, I'll show you," he says humor in his violet eyes.

I throw my half-eaten bun at him and he laughs catching it before it can hit his smug face. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"How do you know I'm not an incubus?" he asks taking a bite of the bun.

"I've meet incubus before you don't smell or look like one."

"So that leaves gancanagh?"

"What other types of Fay resort to such antics?"

"I was only testing the waters," he says innocently, "I meant no harm. Also, the pipe things a choice I don't much care for smoking."

"No just screwing with people senses," I say, popping a piece of pork into my mouth.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asks.

I blink several times before answering, "why?"

"You eat as if it were your first meal."

"I haven't had meat in a long time," I say, it's not a lie Elena's instructed the kitchen to only give me dried meats or bread and the dried meat tends to be beef. I can't stand the smell of beef. The stranger looks at me for a while before picking up his chopsticks and placing several pieces of meat over my rice.

"You should eat while it's still warm," he reaches for the vegetables and I stop him, "your so skinny you need them."

"But I don't like vegetables," I say, realizing it makes me sound like a child. Have I lost that much weight?

"You sound like a child," he says.

"Compared to you I am a child."

The horrified look he gives me is laughable, "I'm twenty-eight," he says the outrage audible.

"With Fay, you never know," I say, "besides you could be lying."

"Fay don't lie."

"No, they just bend the truth," I say, popping a piece of meat into my mouth followed by rice and wine.

He smiles pouring more wine into our bowls, "ask me anything?"

"What's your real name?"

"I told you its Lei-Fang," he reaches for a bun tearing it apart he fills it with meat.

"Why is the Crown Prince of the Dark Realm interested in marrying Princes Anastasia?" I ask.

Lei-Fang's eyes grow dark his posture becomes guarded, it seems I've struck some kind of nerve, "How would I know?"

I sip my wine before answering, "are you not from the Dark Realm are such things not announced."

He clears his throat and downs his wine refilling the bowl, "I'm just a commoner."

"Bull," I can taste his lie, "why are you here?"

"I'm here to see a friend," he says.

"Do you ever tell the truth?" I ask, just as the door slides open Luna rushes in stopping when she sees Lei-Fang.

She looks between us before settling on Lei-Fang, "Master Zheng I didn't know you were here," Luna's voice is laced with fear.

"Master Zheng, hu?" I take the remaining half of his steamed bun and eat it a triumphant smile on my face.

Zheng clears his throat, clearly displeased with Luna, "I arrived last night did your people not inform you?"

"They did, it's just they said you went out early morning," Luna bites her lower lip not in a seductive manner more like in fear, "no one told me you were back." She's normally brazened who in the world could he be to make this submissive. Luna trained under the Dragon King's guild of Assassins for her to be out of character is rare.

"If you don't mind, Madam Luna and I have business to attend to," I gesture to the door, Zheng laughs setting his bowl down he rises, why must he be so tall. Luna just looks at me as if I'd sprout a second head.

"Of course," he gives me a wolf's grin before leaving the room.

Luna takes a deep breath before taking the seat across from me. She takes the wine urn and swings from it. "That man's unnerving," she says in between drinks, "how do you even know him?"

I take the empty urn from her setting it down I say, "I meet him last night, he claims he came into my room by mistake."

She fans herself with a red and silver fan, "so you don't know who he is," she says to herself, "that explains it."

"So, who is he?" I ask pouting when I realize there are no more steamed buns.

"The owner," she says with a snap of her fingers a full bowl of steamed buns appears when I bite in, I find these are filled with sweet pork.

"Luna's the beast," I say around mouthfuls, "I thought you were the owner."

"To the public, I'm the owner," she says leaning in, "be careful around him, I doubt he came to your room by mistake."

"Why do think that?"

"There isn't a thing that man does that isn't pre-calculated. He's the head Disciple of your Master."

"He is?" I ask her trying to think back to my time in the Assassin Realm. If I ever meet him, chances are it was only in passing. Male assassins are trained separately from female assassins until the age of fourteen when you get taught how to interact with males without being intimidated. How to charm them and make them think they've taken you to bed when the reality is far from it. It works both ways, of course, many of the males tend to bed their targets purely for sport. Luan hist me with her fan snapping me out of my thoughts. "I don't recall meeting him, then again he said he's twenty-eight if that's the case we wouldn't have interacted."

"That's beside the point," she says, "he's accompanying the Dark Prince make sure he doesn't see you tomorrow."

For a moment I just stare at Luna then I remember she thinks I entered the palace as a spy and that I serve as the princess personal maid. "Speaking of tomorrow, why is the Prince marrying Anastasia?"

"I don't know, I figured that's why you came so I sent my people to investigate but they came back empty. Things about the Dark Realm tend to remain a mystery unless they want you to know."

"So, my trip was wasted," I say taking a second steamed bun, "since it started to rain, I'll stay here for the night."

"Won't they suspect?"

"Princess Anastasia's in a mood, she told me not to return until morning."

"Is she really as they say?"

"How many times do I have to tell you she's not?"

"I heard she killed to of Jonathan's lovers."

"They came into her bed-chamber in the middle of the night and removed her veil," I say, just as the first rain begins to fall.

Luan shakes her head unconvinced, "I'll take your word for it," she stands and shuts the window before the rain can get in.

"Oh, that reminds me I need a dress."

"For you?"

"The Princess."

"I'll make arrangements what's her build."

"Similar to my own, it's how all her clothes are obtained she rarely leaves the palace," I set the bun down and stand Luna gives me a once over before leaving.

I finish my food tucking a few buns into my cloak pocket for later and head out to explore the tea house. I lean against a column and look down; it seems the rains has scared patrons away only the two from earlier sit listening to the storyteller.

"Our story today is about the Crown Prince of the Dark realm," the storyteller says he scans the room spotting me he smiles, "they say he's a womanizer who travels throughout the lands looking for a lovely maiden to defile. Of course, they also say he's one of the loveliest of men prettier than a lady…

"Why do you listen to this trash?" Zheng's firm chest is pressed against my back his lips close to my ear, "he only tells lies," I can feel his smile.

I turn coming face to face he's leaning down so I look him dead in the eyes, "you mean like you."

He doesn't take his eyes off me as I place a hand on his chest and push him away. The smile remains as he takes a step back. "You lied as well."

"About what?"

"Your name," he says, "I asked around and no one seems to know who you are."

I cross my arms not caring that the action pushes my breast up, "I'm not from here and considering our line of work its best no one knows who I am."

He clicks his tongue seeming to contemplate something. Before I can move away, he steps forward taking hold of my wrist and drags me behind him. He takes me to a room slightly larger than my own but with the same décor. I take one of the daggers strapped to my thigh and press it against his neck at the same time that he places a blade of his own against mine. He's not that tall I tell myself as I glamour my feet so he doesn't notice I'm on my tiptoes.

"Who are you?" he growls gone are the charm and humor replaced by a cool rage.

"What's it to you?" I growl back.

"I asked you a question now answer me, who sent you?"

I laugh, "you think I'm here for you," I say pressing my blade in, "I'm only passing through. You're not my mark."

"Then who?"

"Why would I tell you that?" then I remember what Luna said he's here with the Crown Prince.

He presses his blade in making the beast that crawls within jump with excitement.

"My mark isn't your Prince," I say, "it's his bride to be."

Zheng looks me over deciding on something he withdraws his blade. "Work with me."

"What?"

He laughs at my baffled look, flicking my dagger away he moves towards the window. "The witch you paid for that spell did a horrible job, any Fay could see straight through it. Why not use glamour the way you did earlier?"

I shake my head upset he noticed my glamour. One thing I hated was having tall marks. Of course, crossbows and poison are good at such occasions. Wait he can see through mother's spell; she wasn't a witch. Was she? Zheng turns to look at me realizing he's caught me off guard. "You didn't know Fay can see through it honestly any trained eye could. Why hide what you are?"

"It keeps me safe," I blare out, "can Luna see through it?"

"Probably, and how is playing mortal safe?"

"In case you hadn't noticed there are hardly any Fay in these lands. All the ones you do see are only passing through. It makes my job easier if my contractors think they're dealing with a mortal."

"But why make it permanent?"

I finally regain my composure and ask, "What's it to you?"

Zheng moves towards me I take a step back bumping into the wall. He doesn't stop until he's in front of me arms pressed against the wall face lowered.

"Your true form's quite the sight," he says eyes roaming, "why hide it?"

"I can't infiltrate the Palace with pointed ears and inhumane eyes. Besides its not permanent the spell will wear off in six months."

"Being immortal doesn't make you inhumane just different," he purrs, "is the Princess truly your mark?"

"Yes," I lie in hopes he believes it. Without thinking I press my lips against his I'm thrown off guard when he responds slipping his tongue in. The kiss is hungry and deep his lips are soft against my own and taste like honey. I struggle to break free remembering the only reason I kissed him was to distract him and escape. As his hands move down one digging into my air the other pressing against my hip I finally pull away and run out the room. His laughter follows me all the way to my room. What the fuck was that?