Page 38 of If the Shoe Fits (Rainbow Tales #2)

Warmth. The sweet scent of blossoms. Sparkling light. Everything swirled around Xander. His head rolled on something soft. A hand brushed his cheek. Lips kissed his forehead. And the pain receded.

Opening his eyes, Xander groaned. But there was no reason for the groaning.

The pain was gone. He touched his shoulder and found it whole.

Then his hand fell limply to the gossamer silk sheets that covered him.

He was already propped in a seated position so he didn't have to sit up to see the enchanting room.

From the expanse of white silk covering the bed, embroidered with golden leaves, his stare went to the pale wood bedposts, carved with vines and roses.

Overhead, a canopy of those vines formed a dome, the work so detailed and delicate that it looked as if real rose vines had grown there and then been turned into wood. Petrified.

But the bed was just the start. A glossy stone floor peeped out from beneath thick rugs woven with bright flowers.

The walls soared up to a peaked ceiling from which a single lantern of exceptional beauty dangled, its silver cage flowing into graceful swirls around a giant glowing orb.

Golden frames bordered paintings of landscapes that Xander didn't recognize, and not just because he'd never seen those mountains or waterfalls.

They were unusual, with purple-leafed trees and rainbow water.

Xander pushed himself out of bed, his feet sinking into one of the luscious rugs.

He wore a cotton tunic embroidered with little birds around the collar and a pair of loose pants.

The quality of the garments was even finer than the clothes he had taken from Elmer's room.

Amazed, Xander wandered around the space, hands trailing over tables inlaid with gemstones and gold statues of elegant people.

He breathed in and closed his eyes to appreciate the strength it gave him.

The very air felt magical. Every breath made him feel better.

“Where am I?” Xander whispered.

“Home,” his mother said.

Xander spun to see Princess Levania standing in a doorway, her beauty almost too much to look upon. With her blond hair streaming over her pale shoulders and her mint-green gown flowing in currents of magic, Princess Levania rushed forward to embrace her son.

“My son is home at last.” She kissed his forehead and released him. “I hate that you were injured, but it gave your grandfather the excuse he needed to break our laws. So, I am thankful as well.”

“Is this the fairy world?”

“The First Realm, yes. I had to bring you here to heal you. There isn't enough magic on Earth.”

“But my home is there. My friends. Leovar.”

“I've charged the King with caring for your people and property. They will be fine.”

“And Leo?”

“Prince Leovar will be fine as well.” She lifted her chin. “He is not worthy of you, Son. That flighty boy would have broken your heart. He knows nothing of commitment or love. Do you know how many lovers he's had? ”

“No,” Xander whispered.

“Hundreds.”

“What?”

“I speak truly. He is a libertine. That is why his father demanded that he marry.”

Xander's heart sank. “He said he loved me.”

“They do that. Humans. They toss that word about as if it's a flower—cut and given away only to be regrown again after it withers. Here, we know the power of love. We know what real love is, and we respect it. And now, you can find a man worthy of your heart. A Shining One man who will be true to you.”

“A Shining One man?”

“You are immortal now. Touched by the magic of our realm. It has awakened the eternity in your blood.” Princess Levania kissed her son's cheek.

“My son! I'm so relieved and so happy that you will not face a mortal death like your father.

And now, I can show you your true home! Come with me.

I can't wait for you to see our realm.” She took Xander's hand and led him out of the room.

“Oh! You need shoes.” She took a flower from her hair and cast it to the ground before him.

As it fell, it transformed into a pair of leather slippers. “There. Those should fit.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Xander slid the shoes on.

“You'll be able to do magic easily now that you're here. Nevan tells me that your lessons have progressed faster than he expected. That means you're very powerful, Xander. Possibly more powerful than me.”

“How can that be possible? I'm only half Shining One.”

“Magic does follow lineage, but it also manifests in those who deserve it. And you, my sweetheart, are a prince and deserving of all our realm has to offer.”

“Mother.” He squeezed her hand. “I'm just happy to be with you.”

“I'm happy to have you with me at last as well, my beautiful boy.” She stroked his hair. “You don't know how I've suffered to be parted from you. I cried for years. But my home needed me, and I believed you were safe with your father. I'm so sorry to have left you with those savages.”

“They're not all savage, Mother. Leovar is—”

“He stood aside while you were butchered!”

“He was held back by a knight. And I was the one who chose to defend the King.”

“If that boy truly loved you, nothing would have stopped him from helping you.”

Xander went silent. He couldn't dispute her words. He knew nothing could have stopped him had the situation been in reverse.

“Don't concern yourself with that selfish boy a moment longer. You'll soon have better lovers. You have a whole court to choose from. You'll see. They're all waiting to meet you.”

“Now?” Xander looked down at himself.

“You look very handsome.” She ran a hand over his tunic, and a cloak sprouted from his shoulders—plush purple velvet bordered in gold embroidery. Birds again, their golden bodies flying across the velvet. “My Eagle Prince.”

“What did you call me?”

“The eagle is your symbol. Your grandfather assigned it to you at birth. You are the Eagle of the Shining One Court. Flown far from us, but now returned to the nest.”

Xander's chest warmed. His life had been full of pain and shame, but everything had changed.

It seemed as if every day brought new wonders.

First, he regained his inheritance in the mortal realm, and then his inheritance in the first realm.

It would have made his head spin if magic hadn't filled him with such vigor.

And there was so much to see. Just walking through the vaulted hallways of the royal castle was enough to make him weep in joy.

It was so bright, everything polished or faceted to sparkle, but that gleam was tempered by plant life.

They were everywhere—overflowing pots of various sizes, growing from openings in the floor, climbing across the walls, and hanging from the ceiling.

There was so much vibrant color from those plants—everything from flowering vines to full-grown oaks—that the shine was necessary.

Light bounced off those polished surfaces to feed the plants, and they absorbed it so it wasn't so harsh. Harmony.

“Incredible,” Xander whispered.

“Yes, it's lovely here.” His mother picked a fuzzy peach from a tree growing out of a rectangle of earth in the marble floor and handed it to him. “Try this. You must be hungry.”

“I am. Thank you.” Xander groaned through the luscious taste of the sweetest peach he'd ever had. The flesh satiated his hunger while the juice quenched his thirst. He savored every bite.

And then came the people—the Shining Ones.

Beautiful men and women in flowing garments bowed to Xander and his mother as they passed by.

Some of them smiled at him a little more than politely, and Xander was surprised to feel an interest awaken in him in response.

He loved Leo. So why did he feel attracted to these men?

Shouldn't love stop such things? And if it did, did that mean Xander wasn't in love?

Xander breathed in the sweet, fresh, enlivening air and began to think that his mother was right.

He did belong there. This felt natural. It felt like a homecoming.

As if he'd known his entire life that this was what he was meant for, and every atrocity he had suffered had been endurable because it led him here.

Princess Levania escorted her son into the throne room with her chin lifted proudly and a serene smile on her face.

Shining Ones poured in after them to join the throng already filling the room.

That gathering parted for the royals, leading them to a dais at the end of the room—a dais that towered over the space, accessible only by a flight of gracefully winding steps.

The man seated there, upon a golden throne, looked as young as Xander, with the same shade of blond hair, pulled back in an intricate braid.

A gold crown topped the braid, glittering with diamonds and wreathed with ivy.

The ivy matched the King's eyes, although those eyes glittered with magic.

The Shining One King descended that long, winding path to the main floor, his deep purple cloak trailing behind him, giving glimpses of golden bears embroidered into the velvet.

Beneath the cloak, garments of leather and silk hinted at a muscular but trim body.

The difference between this king and Leo's father was vast.

“Father.” Princess Levania held out an arm as the King reached them. “This is your grandson, Xander. Xander, this is your grandfather, Garis, the Bear King.”

“Your Majesty.” Xander bowed.

“I probably deserve that.” The King took his daughter's hand and kissed it before pulling Xander into a hug.

“Know that it pained me to bar you from our realm.

A king must make hard decisions, and it wasn't fair for me to allow you entry and not others.” He stepped back and cupped Xander's cheek.

“But I have loved you from the moment you were born, Xander.

And I've dreamed of this day. Please, call me Grandfather.”

Tearing up, Xander said, “Grandfather.”