“Mercy?” Fen’s voice pulled me awake.

“I’m awake!” I gasped, sitting bolt-upright. “Are you okay?”

“Relax, I’m fine.” his voice was tired. My fey friend was still lying on his stomach on the bed, obeying Amilee’s instructions not to move.

I got up and went to his bedside. “Are you hungry? It’s about time for breakfast.”

“Yeah, that’s why I woke you up. Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I wish I’d woken up before you did.”

“It’s fine.” he flopped his hand on the bed as if waving away my concern.

Amilee entered. “I thought I heard you up.”

“Yeah. I want to eat, but that’s going to be hard if I can’t roll over or sit up.”

“Let’s have a look at your back.”

“I’ll go ask for some food for you.” I left the bedroom, hurried through the sitting room, and poked my head into the hallway. There was a servant hurrying by, and I flagged her down with an urgent wave, “Sorry, do you speak English?” I asked hopefully.

The servant paused, and curtsied, “Yes, miss.”

“Sorry, I don’t speak any Faerie.” I grimaced.

“That’s alright.” she said politely, her tone was slightly accented.

“Would you ask Rose to have breakfast sent up?”

“For the High King?” she she tilted her head to the side inquiringly.

I blinked. What? High King? Did she mean Fen?! I mean he’d said he was titled, but was he royalty royalty? As in the High King? “Um, um...for Fen, yeah. I’d like some as well, if that’s possible.”

“Of course, miss. Please tell his highness that we hope he’s okay.”

They’d have heard the screams, of course. “I-I’ll let him know. Thank you.” I pulled my head back into the room and slowly made my way back towards the bedroom.

Was…Fen the king of Faerie? That would explain a lot of things. But why…why hadn’t he told me?!

I walked back into the bedroom, feeling confused and more than a little taken aback.

Amilee must have decided that his spine was stable enough, as Fen was now sitting up in the bed, propped up by many pillows.

I blinked, “Amilee, I should have asked for breakfast for you too.”

“No, I’ve already eaten, but thank you.” she said, straightening. “I have to go to my clinic for a little while, but can come back here whenever you need me to, alright?”

“Alright.” Fen nodded. Or should I think of him as the High King?

I sat down, feeling oddly hollow inside. Why hadn’t he told me? Why’d he let me traipse around, making a fool of myself, thinking we were friends? Kings weren’t friends with baristas. They just weren’t. Not even in my world. It wasn’t necessarily right, but it was true.

Amilee left.

It was quiet for a few minutes.

“Did you sleep okay? I mean, once you got back to sleep.” Fen asked in a conversational tone.

“I guess.” I muttered, not sure how to act or what to say.

He frowned, “What’s wrong? Come sit here. You’re really far away, makes it hard to talk properly.” he motioned at the chair beside the bed.

I drifted forward, but didn’t sit.

“Mercy, what’s wrong?” Now there was true concern in his voice. “You’re white as a sheet.”

“The servant that I asked to tell Rose to bring up breakfast she called you…she said you were…I…” For some reason, I couldn't put the words together to ask if he was the king of Faerie.

Fen blanched, looking away. “She used my title, didn’t she?” he asked quietly.

"I think so.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

“Why…why didn’t you tell me?” I heard myself whisper. Tears came to my eyes. “I-I thought we were friends! I-I’ve probably made such a fool of myself!”

Fen swore in Fearie. “No, no. You haven’t! I do see you as my friend, I swear, Mercy!” His turn was urgent.

“Th-then why didn’t you tell me?!” I sobbed.

The High King of Faerie sighed. “Because at first, we weren’t friends, and then suddenly we were. I didn’t know how to bring up the topic, and I didn’t want you to be intimidated by me. I like the way we interact. I’m not a king to you, I’m just Fen. I’m not just Fen for hardly anyone. I didn’t want our friendship to be strained, but I know that it’s hurt you. I...didn’t mean to, I just...just wanted to be just Fen, with you. I mean, you knew I had a title, just not which one, specifically, and you didn’t seem to care all that much what it was, since you never asked! I’m…I'm sorry you found out this way. I would have told you eventually."

“What, you’d have just up and said ‘oh by the way, I’m the ruler of this kingdom we’re in’ one day?!”

“Um, no, that wouldn't have gone well, I don’t think."

“Then how?”

“I hadn’t figured it out yet.” he sighed, shaking his head. “I am sorry, Mercy.”

“I just…I don’t even know what to think anymore!” I put my head into my hands, “E-everything just k-keeps changing at the drop of a dime! I-I don’t know how much more I can take!”

“Please, just…I’ll make it up to you, I swear. Please don't ask to leave.” his voice was urgent.

“I couldn’t leave if I wanted to!” I cried, throwing my hands into the air, “I-I don’t have anywhere to go!” The new house wasn’t ready yet, and the old apartment wasn’t safe either.

“I’m so, so sorry. I know I’ve broken your trust. I didn’t intend to, but I did by omission. But for what it’s worth, it’s just your perception of me that’s changed. I’m still the same. I was the king before I met you, and have been this whole time.”

Well, he had a point. “K-kings aren’t friends with baristas. Not even in my world!”

“Maybe not, but I am friends with you.” Fen shook his head, “And I’d like to stay your friend. Even though it’ll probably take a little while to earn your trust back, I want to stay friends, Mercy. Kings should be able to be friends with baristas, and baristas with kings. We should be able to be friends with whoever we want to be.”

He wasn’t wrong. “I-I just…I feel so stupid…I-I…” I whispered, flopping into the seat beside his bed.

“Don’t. You didn't know.”

“Everyone knows I didn’t know, didn’t they? They must think I'm a complete idiot."

“I don’t know if anyone realized or not. It doesn't matter.” Fen shrugged, “Astrid knew, and Axl and Rose knew, and went along with it because I asked them to, because I wanted to just be Fen to you.”

I pulled my knees to my chin, hugging them. “I-I wish you’d told me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” His voice was soft and sad. “I’m still just me, though. I’ve never once acted differently than I would have around any of my other friends. I promise that you do actually know me, and that our friendship is real. I’m not much of an actor, if I’m being honest.”

A hysterical sort of snort escaped me. “I-I wouldn't know, would I?!”

Fen grimaced “No, I guess not.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

There was a soft, chirpy sort of maow, and Diana hopped onto the bed. She brushed up against Fen, letting him stroke her fur briefly, then went and made herself comfortable on my lap, much to my surprise.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Hi there, little queen.” I sighed softly, glad to have a distraction from how upset I was.

“She likes you.” Fen mumbled.

“Yeah.” I scratched her chin and she purred loudly.

It was quiet again for a few moments, aside from Diana’s purrs.

“Mercy, I really am sorry. I didn’t keep it from you to hurt you.”

I stroked the sweet kitty’s fur silently a few more times before responding. “I know.” I mumbled.

“I promise you really do know me. I just want to be me. Just Fen. No expectations of how I should act or anything. I can just be me with you.”

I sighed, “I-I get it. Sort of, I’m obviously not royalty or anything other than a barista, but people expect me to act a certain way based on how I look, or my age, or my gender.” I paused, staring down at Diana, “I’m sorry I got angry.”

"I don't blame you. It's alright." he waved his hand tiredly.

“No, it’s not as if you lied.”

“Well, I did by omission."

“You didn’t omit it, really, I did know you had a title. I just thought you were like a viscount or a baron or something. I never even considered that you were the king. I just thought you were wealthy because of your business. But you’d almost have to be the king to be able to run a business like yours, wouldn't you?”

“Being the king makes it a lot easier, yes.” Fen nodded.

“Is…is that the only thing I don’t know?”

“I mean, there’s plenty you don’t know about me, we’ve really not been friends for very long, but I think that’s the most shocking thing. Everything else is just normal stuff, I’d guess. You didn’t know I had wings up until fairly recently.”

“Well, that’s different. You’d lost them, right? I mean, I know they’re back, but…it’s different.” I shook my head.

“I know.” he sighed.

It was quiet again.

“Will you forgive me?” he asked.

“Only if you forgive me for being angry at you.” I mumbled.

“Of course.”

“Then yeah, I do.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.”

Fen smiled slightly, but Rose entered before he could respond.

“Oh you look like you’re doing better, dear!” Rosie expression relieved as she smiled at the fey king.

“I do feel a little better.” Fen replied quietly.

“We’ll have to get Astrid to make you some new clothes.” the housekeeper said as she parked the cart beside the bed.

Fen blinked, “Oh shit. A shirt.” he looked down, apparently having forgotten that he wasn’t wearing one, and then paled. “The scales.” He reached up, brushing shaky fingers against the new scales that climbed up his shoulders and onto his neck. There were a couple of patches on his chest that were new too, which I’d seen force their way through his skin, as well as the ones that now ran the length of his spine.

“You do have a few more, yes. But it’s normal.” Rose smiled encouragingly at him. “I believe your mother had some.”

“Um, yeah. But I don't think she had this many." he muttered.

“They look like hers too.”

“I guess." Fen still sounded doubtful.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to eat. Please let me know if you need anything else!”

“Yes ma’am!” I told her, getting up and making a plate. “Want me to make a plate for you?”

“Um, sure. Thanks.” Fen sighed, picking idly at the new scales on his chest. “Would you get me a shirt? I don’t want to see this.” A flicker of disgust crossed his face and he let his hand fall.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just…a shirt please.” he didn't meet my gaze.

“Sure.” I put down the plate, looking around, “Where’s your dresser?”

“The closet is over there.” the fey man motioned at the door beside the one to the bathroom.

“Oh, right.” I went and threw the door open, then stared, “Holy cow, Fen!” His closet was a huge walk-in number, and it was stuffed with clothes. “How many clothes do you have?!”

“A lot." he snorted, "I like clothes, and Astrid likes making them for me, so it's all just accumulated over time. But to be fair, some of it is only worn during specific ceremonies or celebrations.”

“That’s interesting!” I went in and perused the ridiculous amount of clothing items until I located his shirts. “Does it matter what shirt?”

“Nothing fancy, that’s all.”

“Alright.” I selected a pale blue shirt made of a very soft fabric, and took it out to him. “I hope it fits.”

“Me too.” he muttered, then paused, and frowned, extended a claw and cut two holes in the back. “Hopefully that's about the right place.” He put the shirt on over his head, then began to struggle as he tried to get it over the new wings.

“Hold still, let me help.” I said, going forward and tugging it up and over the new appendages. “There.” Though he’d only grown two more inches the night before, the wings themselves had grown steadily until they were really very big, undoubtedly big enough for him to actually fly with.

“Thanks.” he muttered, pulling the shirt down. It was a little too small. It was really only a little short, but it was a bit tight on him, I could tell. After all, he wasn’t a stick.

“Now, breakfast.” I poured him a cup of tea, and gave him a plate of food before taking my own food and tea and resuming my seat.

“Stupid shirt is too tight.” he muttered, tugging at it irritably.

“Oh it’s not so bad.” I told him, feeling my face heat as I sipped my tea.

“Well, of course you would think that, you’re human. And you’re not the one wearing it! It keeps catching on the new scales.” he rolled his eyes a little.

I grimaced, “That sounds like it probably feels weird. I’m sorry. I don’t like tight clothes either.” I paused. “Can I do anything to help with the scales? We could bandage them, or something, until you’re more used to them.”

“Nothing is going to help.” he said quietly, “Unless you can get rid of them.”

I blinked. “I don’t think so.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

Fen ate slowly, struggling with his fork and the teacup. Finally, he gave a sigh of annoyance, “I f*cking hate this! I-I just want to eat! But this f*cking body is just…difficult!”

“You’ll settle in! I know it’s different, but you just need practice!” I said firmly. New things took time to adjust to, so he just needed to be patient with himself.

“It’s more than that!” he put a hand to his face, clearly frustrated. “It’s…like…being in a whole different body! I…I’ve not had wings in years, and now there are more scales a-and I’m four inches taller!”

“Six inches, actually.” I grimaced.

“Six?”

“Well you did grow again last night.” I shrugged.

“F*ck.” he put his head in his hands. “I…I hate it. I know I probably look fine, that’s just how we are, as fey, but I feel so gangly and awkward and kind of gross.”

My heart broke for him. “I’m sorry. You’re not though."

“My brain knows that, but I…I can’t help how I feel!” he muttered, and I saw tears leaking between his fingers. “I-I hate this!” The ease with which he showed vulnerability, and the openness was good. I didn’t like that he was upset, but I liked that he was comfortable enough around me to be vulnerable. That meant I was safe, for him. Safe enough that he could tell me such a personal thing. It also meant he was willing to be vulnerable. So many people weren’t. I really liked that about him, actually. That’s how relationships of all kinds moved forward. We were just friends, of course, but that’s how you got to be better friends, you leaned on one another in the difficult times.

I thought for a little while, putting down my plate as I tried to gather my thoughts into a way that made sense. He needed to know that he wasn’t alone, and that would require me to be vulnerable as well. To repay his vulnerability with anything short of being vulnerable myself would be poor repayment of his trust.

Besides, I knew how he felt. He knew he looked fine in his head, but what he saw and what everyone else saw didn’t align in his head, and he didn’t like what he saw.

“I-I mean, I…I’ve never gone through exactly what you have. I’m human, after all, but given that I’m human, I do know what it’s like to not…not like how I look. To know what people see me when they look at me. I think that they think I’m alright, my friends have always said as much, but I don’t see it. I see a nose that's too big. Hair that won't cooperate. Two different cup sizes. Boring brown eyes that are too close together. I know in my head that I’m physically small, but I’ve…thought of myself as enormous my whole life, like I take up too much space."

-

Fen turned his gaze to her, upset at her words.

Mercy had set aside her breakfast and was stroking Diana as she talked. “Again, I know what you’ve gone through is traumatic and upsetting, and I’m not trying to compare that to the frankly pedantic self-image issues that I have, but I just know what it’s like to be unhappy with how you look, and be upset that there’s not much you can do to change it. I…I know it’s best to try and love yourself as you are, but I also know that’s hard. Really hard. So I made a deal with myself, I’d be at peace with what I look like, since I can’t change it, and maybe someday the love would come on its own. Sort of like a hopeful take on an arranged marriage...or like faking it until I make it.” she paused. “Sorry, I’m rambling, I don’t even know if that made any sense."

“No, I understand.” he said, looking down at his now-larger hands. “I can actually say I do understand. I probably wouldn't have before. I’d have sympathized, but couldn’t have empathized. I can now, unfortunately.”

Mercy laughed a little, then sighed. “Unfortunately is right. I know it’s not a nice feeling.”

“No.” he paused. “I…Because of you, of your…body, for lack of a better term, I’m healed. That sounds weird, but your magic comes from you. Your physical form. And I’m grateful to be healed, even if I still need to get used to the ramifications of being healed. It’ll be good, once I’m settled. And your body houses your brain, which I’m really very fond of. You're one of my closest friends, all things considered. I also have grown increasingly reliant on your soul, which has shown me far more kindness and grace than I could ever deserve.” He also was very much attracted to her, body, mind, and soul. But she wouldn't want to hear that, and he wouldn't make her uncomfortable by telling her that. Because it would make her uncomfortable if he told her, and would ruin their friendship.

Mercy blinked, and looked up at him. “Stop, you’re going to make me cry again.”

“Well, I cried, so I guess we’re even.” That didn’t make any sense, but he was going to go with it.

It was quiet for a few moments.

“For what it’s worth, Fen, you are still very good-looking. Not that it matters what I think.” she smiled wryly, her tone self-deprecating.

“Of course it matters.” he rolled his eyes at her. “And I appreciate it.” Fen said honestly. “I know you mean it.”

“I do.” she shrugged. “I do recognize when people are attractive, I just don’t wanna sleep with them.”

Fen snorted. “Thanks, I guess.”

“I wasn’t talking only about you.” It was her turn to roll her eyes, but was now red in the face.

Fen let himself laugh a little, “I know, but thanks, all the same.” She did think he was attractive. That was nice. But she didn’t want to hop into his bed, and that was fine. He respected that.

Mercy smiled at him, “I like your cat too!” Diana was still sitting happily on her lap, murmuring, "Sweet Miss Annie!" to his sweet grey cat.

“Well, of course!” he nodded approvingly.

Gods, he loved her. It wasn’t just a crush. He loved her.

The thought made him pause, surprised and slightly panicky, for a moment. But that moment quickly passed. Yes. That made sense. He loved her.