The Virgin and the Fae

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! They really encourage me to keep writing!! I'm still working out what is coming next, but hopefully there will be another chapter finished soon that I can post. Thanks for reading, and if you have a second, please review!


It was dark when Charlotte awoke. Her neck had a bit of a crink, but otherwise most of her soreness had faded. She sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. It was pleasant out, not too cold, though still she wished she had some sort of clothing or a blanket to cover herself.

How long had she been asleep?

She heard movements in the trees to her left.

Within an instant, Charlotte was on her feet, searching frantically for the source of the noise. Could it be that Garrick and the others had found her?

How had they not caught her already? What if they were toying with her?

She watched, froze in fear, as the trees rustled again. But out from the darkness emerged, not a Fae, but the most beautiful white horse she’d ever seen.

It had a pure white coat, with a gossamer like mane and tail. He was small, probably even still a foal, with his awkward spindly legs. Charlotte felt herself drawn to the creature, feelings of peace washing over her as they drew closer to one another. But then, as if jolted awake from a dream, Charlotte realized that there on the horse’s head extended out a single, twisting horn.

“Unicorn,” Charlotte whispered aloud. “Oh my god, you’re a unicorn.”

He knickered and shook his head, as if to say, “yes.”

Charlotte began to cry soft tears of joy. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, the embodiment of all the happiness and joy she had never had. It was like finding a part of her soul, a part that had been hidden away from her at birth so that she’d never known for sure that it was missing.

She fell to her knees and buried her face against the beast’s neck, crying into its soft fur.

The unicorn sniffed her, blowing hot gusts of air against her neck.

Charlotte pulled away, laughing through her tears. With a delicate touch, she smoothed her hand up along his velvety muzzle, up to where the horn emerged from his forehead. The area around where it protruded was still flesh-colored, but she could see the white hairs beginning to grow around the horn.

The horn itself was cool to the touch. It was twisted, and her fingers traveled that upwards-moving spiral indent all the way to the tip. The tip appeared sharp, too sharp for Charlotte to hazard touching it. She imagined that it could gore a person with ease. And yet she felt no fear. The unicorn would not harm her. She closed her eyes again against the unicorn’s neck, picturing how perfect beautiful this place, this moment was. If only she could somehow commit this moment to memory so as to never forget it again.

She pictured the babbling stream as it spilled over the flat rocks before meandering into the dark lake. She saw the tree that she had slept under that day, its wide, upward curving branches. She thought of the moonlight, which filtered through the leaves casting a silvery glow over the clearing. It was beautiful here. Perfect.

Then, through the calm of the forest’s sounds broke the harsh shout:

“There she is!”

Charlotte fell to the ground as the unicorn jerked himself away galloping into the trees. She hit the ground with a thud, the air momentarily knocked out her. Rough hands latched on with bruising force and then the forest was gone.

Charlotte fell on to cool marble. Before she even opened her eyes, she knew. She was back at the castle. They had found her.

A boot made contact with her side and sent her sprawling across the floor. Bright dots flashed in front of her eyes and the pain made her almost vomit. Odd how such a response was what reminded her that she still hadn’t eaten.

“Locke.” Charlotte recognized Garrick’s voice. She recognized his tone as well, one of warning and anger about to erupt. Sitting up gingerly, Charlotte surveyed the two Fae. Locke was almost panting; his face red and flushed with anger. Garrick, in contrast, was pale and looked frighteningly in control. Somehow, Charlotte felt safer with Locke in that moment. The woman was there too, the one with the human, Hugh.

Garrick turned to her briefly, "Kaelyn, inform the others that the human has been found. I've no doubt there will be questions--" Locke snorted at Garrick's use of questions. "--there will be questions they may want answered. Especially with the women you speak with, make sure that you emphasize how ridiculous the fears of unicorns and myths are. You are sensible, they will follow your lead." Both Locke and Kaelyn appeared irate at this.

"My lord," Kaelyn paused and began again, controlling her tone "Garrick, what if the fears are not ridiculous?"

"They are. Now go." Kaelyn nodded and then disappeared.

With Kaelyn gone, Locke began his tirade.

“You saw it what was happening, Garrick. You can’t deny it. She is a danger, Garrick. The unicorn and her were forging a bond! Do you have any idea of the ramifications if that had happened?” He paused to pace furiously before turning back to Garrick. Flinging his arm wildly, he pointed to Charlotte. “She has to die. There is a chance that that bond exists and if it does, not even claiming her will destroy it. The whole of the Fae will be in open rebellion with you if you do not kill her.” Locke gesticulated wildly, occasionally looking at Charlotte with an expression of hostility and fear.

“The rest of the Fae are not as tempestuous as you, Locke. And you yourself saw that the beast fled without giving her a second thought. It was a foal, too young to even remember her, much less ally himself to her. I have waited too long for her to let old legends take her away from me,” Garrick’s voice remained even, almost soft.

“Then take her here. Right now. There is no time to waste. If she escapes again—“

“She will not escape again,” Garrick cut in harshly.

"Just do it. She's naked and weak, you wouldn't even need magic to subdue her."

"No, now is not the time, it is--"

“Garrick….no. Garrick, surely you aren’t…you couldn’t want her to…” Locke seemed bewildered, grasping at an idea that from his tone he found grave and yet preposterous.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Locke.” But Garrick’s quick denial seemed to further confirm Locke’s thoughts.

“Then kill her. Rape her. Beat her even. Do something to her.” Garrick hesitated to long in responding.

“By the gods,” Locke’s words came out on a fast exhale of air. “You want her to love you, don’t you? Don’t you?” He looked over murderously at Charlotte. In an instant he was at Charlotte’s side, lifting her by her hair as she cried out in pain. “You want this, this thing, to love you? A human?” He shook her, jerking her body over the floor. Charlotte grabbed at his arm, trying to hold on and relieve some of the pressure this put on her scalp. Tiny pinpricks of pain set her head on fire and she could feel each individual strand straining against her scalp, some being pulled out entirely.

“Locke, that is enough!” Though his hand remained tangled in her hair, Locke stopped shaking her, setting her fully back on the ground. Though his anger was directed at Locke, Charlotte trembled before it as well. Then, Garrick was calm again, his anger hidden once more behind the facade of control. But Charlotte knew now what his anger truly looked like and it was paralyzing.

“No. Its not enough. I’m your closest ally in this court and I will stand by you. But think of the others? Can you guarantee another’s loyalty when the other kingdoms hear of this? Not only will they hear that you are most ignobly infatuated with a human, but that this human is a virgin who has made contact with a unicorn. They’ll turn against you!”

Charlotte desperately wanted to speak, wanted to ask what was going on, and yet she knew that drawing attention to herself in this moment would be catastrophically stupid.

“No one will turn against me.”

“Are you blind? Do you not see how serious this is?”

“You are have been my close friend for many years, but I will not have you question me in such a manner. Guard your tone well, Locke. As long as Charlotte remains in this castle, the Fae have nothing to fear. She will have no contact with the unicorns, and you and I will be the only two aware of what we saw occurring this evening.”

“Its not that simple, Garrick. The Fae still know she is unclaimed. With her virginity intact, she poses a threat to us no matter where she is kept. The elders say that the pure can attract the beasts from great distances—“

“The elders are never listened to in other matters. You turn to their counsel now when they spout such nonsense?” Locke released Charlotte’s hair with a sigh of defeat.

“Fine, Garrick, manage your affairs as you see fit. But your Fae will be here as soon as they hear she has been found and they will seek answers.”

“They all know,” Kaelyn said as she appeared in the room. “They’ll be here any moment now. I’ve spread the word that you found her wandering in the caverns. I assume that’s not the case?”

Garrick nodded, respecting Kaelyn too much to deny what she already knew.

She looked over at the naked Charlotte, appraising her as if for the first time. “She is quite beautiful, Garrick, but judge wisely, is she worth this much?”

“Is Hugh?” Garrick replied

Kaelyn cocked her head as if in thought before responding, “No. But I am not in a position where I must choose.”

“Charlotte is.”

Kaelyn shrugged, apparently much more able to accept this idea than Locke.

“So be it. I’ll stand behind you.”

“As will I,” Locke added, glowering down at Charlotte all the while.