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I shook my head. No, I had no idea how much time had truly passed between my feet on the island and my feet on this boat.
Besides, I couldn’t worry about him anymore.
If I didn’t do something soon, I was going to have problems of my own. I was coming perilously close to docking at the largest port in our kingdom. This was the busiest time of the day. In my scanty fae gown and with this silver crown woven through my hair, I was going to attract a lot of unwelcome attention.
A princess was worth a hefty ransom, and I suspected the story of the stolen princess had made its way to the docks by now.
I felt my heart quicken. I had to do something fast.
First things first, I needed to get this crown off of my head. I worked my fingers through my hair, quickly pulling and teasing the strands out of their intricate braids. Once it was done, I was able to untangle the crown.
I looked at it in my hands for only a second before tossing it into the sea. I could not have this anywhere on my person or vessel.
I quickly shimmied off a matching necklace and ear cuff. I threw the necklace overboard but slipped the ear cuff into my bodice. I might need it to barter. It was the least expensive piece I had and the least suspicious.
Okay, no jewelry. That was better. I looked less like royalty at least.
But the dress. What could I do about the dress? It was a dead giveaway that I had come from the fae’s island, and that alone was suspect. Few went to the island, and even fewer returned. Still, I couldn’t go naked, and there were no other clothes on this boat.
That’s when I made my second decision. While I couldn’t drastically change course, I could veer a mile off. That would take me to the place I had never intended to visit, the fae market.
I hurried to the back of the stern and adjusted the tiller. I had only minutes before I would make landfall. So, I quickly splashed sea water on my face, washing away any traces of tear-streaked makeup. I glanced down at my body, looking for any other tells.
Then I spotted it, my sea glass ring—a painful reminder of Forrest’s offer of forever. He had called down lightning and made the glass himself. I couldn’t quite bring myself to toss it in the ocean waves. So, I slipped it into my bodice too.
As if it knew my arrival was imminent, the wind died down, and I slowly drifted into port.
I stepped off the boat as quickly as possible, not wanting to give any additional clues to my identity. Just in case any unfriendly eyes were watching.
The second my feet were on the dock, a powerful gust nearly blew me over. I turned back and saw my boat soaring across white-capped waves, returning home to its master.
The docks here were just as busy as the exclusively human ones but the company was more eclectic. A hulking redcap caught my eyes as I brushed past him.
I slowed to apologize, and he raised a suggestive eyebrow. "You can make it up to me, lamb? It’ll only take a few minutes."
I ducked my head and kept moving. I felt vomit rising in the back of my throat. I knew what I appeared to be. I was a human woman in a fae marketplace wearing a fine but tattered gown. One of fae origin.
Worse still, I was wet from the breaking waves and ocean breeze in the sailboat, making my gown even more revealing.
To any outsider, I appeared to be a concubine of the fae court. I was going to be treated accordingly.
Despite that chilling revelation and several lewd catcalls, I made it through the market unscathed. The booths and stalls were filled with amazing things—trinkets, jewelry, spells, and clothes. A small part of me longed to stop and marvel at the stalls, but it would be foolish to do alone. Maybe I could come back with Forrest.
Then I caught myself. No, I couldn’t come back with Forrest. I probably wouldn’t ever see him again. Even if I wanted to. I felt tears beginning to well up but blinked them quickly away. Now was not the time. It wasn’t safe to linger here. It certainly wasn’t safe to look even more vulnerable.
Not long after, I found a human stall run by an old woman with shrewd eyes. She raised an eyebrow at me as I wandered over. I pulled the ear cuff from my bodice and offered it out to her to inspect.
"I need a dress and shoes."
"You have yourself a deal." She pocketed the ear cuff and provided no offer of change.
"But that ear cuff is worth thrice that."
She snorted. "This isn’t a currency exchange booth, girly. Take it or leave it."
I took it.
She was happy enough with her ill-gotten gains to allow me to change behind her booth. I exited the market as a human woman in a human world.
