7 The Stroke of Midnight
The prince led her into a waltz. “Feel the music and relax. I’ll guide you.”
His words comforted her. Despite her fears, Odette danced as if she had done it all her life. Not a single dance was foreign to her feet. Apparently, the slippers had more magic to fascinate her since they turned her into someone who could win first place in a dancing talent show.
When the waltz ended, she felt giddy and lightheaded. She accepted a drink offered by the prince, hoping that it might help calm her nerves. Prince Edrahil led her back to the balcony, and they descended to the garden for a night stroll.
“Your garden is stunning. I’ve never seen so many lovely and incandescent flowers in my life. My best friend’s family owns a horticulture company. I often help them. Though beautiful, their flowers seem lacking compared to those that glow in the night and smell better than any perfume on earth.”
The prince explained, “These flowers come to life at night and sleep during the day. However, I’m afraid that they look pale compared to the Summer Fae Court. Those have vibrant colors and bring joy to anyone who sees them.”
“I find these captivating, and they also bring me joy. There’s nothing wrong with being different from the other flowers. It makes them even more special. Your night flowers are exquisite. Oh!” Odette covered her mouth in surprise when the flowers around them cast tiny, shiny silver particles into the air, which fell like magical fairy dust.
“It seems that you made my flowers happy,” the prince said.
“So beautiful.” She twirled around and giggled as the dust fell on her and tickled her skin. “This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to.”
“Be careful,” the prince warned when she became dizzy and bumped into him. He secured her by her shoulders and gazed into her eyes.
“See, I’m clumsy. Even with magic slippers, I manage to almost trip over you and nearly fall.”
His voice was low and sexy. “It’s my pleasure to catch you.”
Is he flirting with me? Am I flirting with him? That sounded so sexy!
Stepping back, she bowed slightly. “I appreciate your hospitality, but …” Words got stuck in her throat when a bell struck. She looked around, trying to understand where the sound came from. Were there bells somewhere?
The prince’s eyebrows rose. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you hear that, too?”
Another stroke, and her body spasmed with pain.
“Heard what?”
“The stroke of the bell.”
The prince studied the sky. “It’s midnight.”
Another ache made her stumble back. She looked at her feet, and the shoes were glowing. “I need to go back home before midnight.”
“Home? The slippers.” He pointed at her shoes. “Their magic ends at midnight.”
With another stroke of midnight, she felt a crushing sensation in her chest and held on to her heart. “I need to go. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what will happen, but my body feels strange, and my feet want to …” She didn’t finish her sentence because the slippers had a mind of their own and forced her legs to move.
Grabbing the skirt of her dress, she stopped fighting the urge to run and let the magic lead her.
“Odette. Beautiful fairy,” the prince called, running after her.
“I am sorry, Prince Edrahil. You have been so kind, but I need to leave. Perhaps, I’ll get a chance to meet you again. You have a wonderful kingdom, and I had fun dancing with you.”
“Remove the slippers. There is a lot we need to talk about.”
She never ran this fast in her life. Even if she wanted to stop, she couldn’t. The prince seemed gloomy as he ran beside her. Still, her home wasn’t there, and she couldn’t lose the chance of returning to Earth.
“I have to get back home, prince.”
“This can be your home. I know it might be new and strange but don’t leave yet. You need to know that you are exceptional, Odette. If you stay, I can help you understand your true legacy. Just give me a chance.”
Odette felt terrible for leaving the prince in a lurch. He seemed like a nice guy who wanted to get to know her better. But home was waiting with those who truly knew her. Plus, this magical realm had started to hurt. It was not her fault that midnight brought pounding pain and the feeling of panic. The saying ‘magic has a price’ was becoming real. If she missed the window of leaving, there was no telling what kind of fate she would meet.
“I’m sorry, I can’t risk it. Thank you for your kindness. I will try to return and see more of your kingdom.”
She let the slippers take full control and covered her ears to ignore everything that the prince had to say. As long as there was a risk of getting stuck, she had to focus on leaving.
Guests stared at her as she ran past them. No doubt, wondering why she was in such a hurry. With the prince running after her, the rumors about what was happening were going to spread. Feeling mortified in another realm was just her luck. She wondered if the prince would call his guards and force her to stay.
Outside the doors, she saw a portal waiting and ran straight in. If she ended up anywhere but home, she was in trouble.
When she opened her eyes, she understood that she was standing in front of the mirror that had dragged her to the Elven Realm. Not just that, she was back to her plain self with her regular clothes and looks. While there was a hint of disappointment, she was glad to be home. After all, she had friends and family who would miss her if she disappeared. Her parents definitely didn’t deserve to return home and not know what happened to her.
In the end, running off to a magical realm wasn’t an executable fantasy. She had college and lots of responsibilities. She had classes to attend, reports to write, an inventory of the number of books with different editions in her parents’ library to run, and study for the exams.
As she put the slippers in their place and strolled to her bedroom, her mind thought about everything she had seen and experienced. Prince Edrahil was extraordinarily handsome and—she dared to say—charming. His kingdom was obviously flourishing. The castle alone seemed priceless, and the grounds were well-kept by the staff. He had been a perfect gentleman. She abandoned him because of the increasing pain and wished to return home to Earth. It couldn’t be avoided unless he came, too. But that was just silly thinking.
She was home in the real world. No matter how mystical the fae realm was, it couldn’t replace Earth and all those she cared about. Besides, the man she loved was here. Not off in an elven kingdom, sulking on a throne and bored with his royal existence. The prince had engaged in a conversation with her because she was something different. Being different was recurrent in her life. Was it that bad to be different, after all? She didn’t feel special. Her stellar grades and wealthy parents were based on hard work and luck. One can’t decide what parents they will have when they are born. Social environment and intellectual ability play a part, but, in the end, our choices determine our destiny. Different was just a word to describe someone who had opted to accept who they were and not care about what other people thought about them. Then, why was she willing to change? Was Carl worth her effort?
Not knowing. Not daring. Odette once read that one regrets what they hadn’t done before they died. Giving a chance to Carl’s world and conforming with the cultural environment of her college peers might be seen as an experiment. How else could she get to know Carl on a spiritual level? How else could she find out if they were compatible? As much as physical appearance shouldn’t be important when it came to love, Odette knew that attraction played a huge part in who people decided to be romantically involved with.
Rolling in bed, her active brain didn’t let her sleep. She had a fantastic experience. Another world existed. According to Edrahil, several other realms. She had to try on the magical slippers again.
How could she resist the temptation?