CHAPTER LIII
"The Secret Kingdom of Trees"
Celeste's POV
The moment Cael helped me down from the horse, I felt something shift — not in the air, but within me.
We had traveled past the edge of the visible kingdom, beyond the map I thought I knew. But this… this place she brought me to…
> It didn't feel like another part of the world.
It felt like another world entirely.
Where the outside lands shimmered with marble towers and ancient fairy runes, here the earth was alive in a way I had never seen before.
> The grass glowed softly beneath our feet — not from magic, but from life itself.
The trees were tall, spiraling, their branches dancing with light and wind, whispering songs I couldn't understand but somehow felt deeply in my chest.
And there was no black stone, no shadows.
> Everything here breathed green.
Lush, radiant, peaceful — untouched by war, untouched by fear.
Except…
> Except for Cael's palace that rose in the far distance — the only thing carved in black and silver.
Even in this paradise, her home stood as a reminder of her roots, her past, her power.
And yet, here she was — guiding me gently through a place that felt nothing like that palace. A place I could tell… very few had ever been invited to.
We walked quietly through a grove filled with strange and beautiful plants — petals that shimmered like dragonfly wings, vines that hummed when touched, and trees that seemed to lean in, curious about us.
I reached out, fascinated, and touched a small, puffy pink flower blooming low to the ground.
> And instantly — it screamed.
Let out a high-pitched squeal and darted backward, its petals flailing like limbs as it scurried across the mossy ground.
> "Ahh!" I gasped, stumbling back in surprise.
"What was that?!"
Cael chuckled — actually chuckled — like I had just stepped on a squeaky toy instead of terrifying a sentient flower.
> "Relax," she said softly, walking toward the now-hiding bloom.
"She's not a flower. At least… not just a flower."
> "Then what is she?"
Cael knelt beside the shivering little creature — who had now curled up into what looked like a blossom again — and extended her hand.
> "This realm belongs to the treefolk," she explained. "This isn't a fairy land. It's an ancient kingdom of plant spirits — children of the first forest. That little one you scared?"
She paused as the bloom slowly peeked out again.
> "She's not just anyone. She's a young princess."
The creature — now fully revealed — blinked up at Cael. She was small, no taller than my knee, with soft pink petals for hair and a tiny pair of boots on her feet. A glowing golden crown hovered above her head, delicate and bright.
And she wore a dress — stitched from leaves and dew-threads — the palest shade of rose.
> "Princess Tuli," Cael said with a gentle smile, bowing her head slightly.
"You don't need to be afraid. She's with me."
To my amazement, the tiny girl blinked once, then stepped forward — slowly — and gave Cael a deep, respectful bow.
> "Your Majesty," she whispered in a tinkling voice.
Then, after a curious glance at me, she gave me a small, polite nod as well.
Cael turned to me, her hand reaching out to find mine.
> "Come," she said softly. "You've seen the heart of my realm, now let me show you something even deeper." "Let me introduce you to its King."
> "Wait," I asked, bewildered, "there's a King here too?"
Cael nodded, her fingers wrapping firmly around mine.
> "Not a King like me. Not one of crowns and courts." "He's older. Wiser. The guardian of this entire green realm. Even I… answer to him here."
We began to walk again — this time with Princess Tuli leading the way, her tiny crown bobbing as she skipped ahead.
And I followed Cael — hand in hand — deeper into this impossible kingdom of living roots and blooming skies.
> I didn't know what awaited me in the King's halls.
But if Cael said he mattered…
Then I was ready to meet him.
Because any world that Cael called sacred…
> Was one I wanted to understand.
And one I wanted to love — just like I loved her.
"The Garden of Leaves and Royal Roots"
Celeste's POV
As we walked deeper into the land of treefolk, I couldn't help but notice how the entire realm seemed to pulse with a quiet reverence — not just for nature, but for Cael.
The palace we approached was unlike anything I had ever seen. It wasn't made of stone or metal, but of towering trunks and woven vines, shaped by time and magic. Flowers bloomed from the walls themselves, and sunlight filtered through translucent leaves above like colored glass.
But what struck me most…
> Were the people.
They looked like us — humanoid, graceful — but where our hair would be, they had long, trailing strands of shimmering leaves. Emerald, golden, russet, violet — each one unique, reflecting the life inside them.
And the moment they saw Cael, every single one of them bowed their heads in deep respect.
> Not out of fear.
But out of love.
Even more surprising was the way they looked at me. Eyes widened. Whispers stirred like wind through branches.
> "That's her."
"The wife…"
"She really did marry someone from beyond…"
Cael didn't flinch. She held her head high, and her hand — still wrapped around mine — tightened ever so slightly. She was proud.
She was proud to walk beside me.
We passed through a breathtaking garden — where blossoms floated in the air and vines curled into archways — and just as we reached its center, a joyful shriek rang out.
> "Cael!"
A small figure came running across the garden — no, dancing, like the wind itself carried her — and launched herself straight into Cael's arms.
> A little girl.
She had soft pink leaf-hair that flowed like ribbons and wore a gown made of dewdrops and silk-petals. A tiny crown rested on her head — formed from woven branches and moonlight.
> "I knew it was true!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Cael's waist.
"I heard you got married and that your wife is beautiful!"
Cael laughed — the sound so rare, so precious, I felt it bloom in my chest.
> "Lily," she said fondly, bending to meet her eyes. "You always find me before anyone else."
Then Cael turned to me, her hand still gently placed on the girl's back.
> "Celeste, this is Princess Lily. She's the youngest daughter of the Tree King and Queen — and the brightest blossom in the whole kingdom."
I knelt down a little, smiling warmly.
> "Hello, Lily. It's an honor to meet such a lovely princess."
Lily's eyes sparkled like the morning dew. She stepped forward shyly, then took my hand between her tiny fingers.
> "You really are beautiful," she said with childlike wonder.
"Even more than the birds described."
I laughed gently.
> "You're beautiful too, and honestly… too cute for words."
From behind us, a familiar voice interrupted with a mouthful of something crunchy.
> "I told her," Ivory said casually, holding what looked like a glowing fruit snack.
"I may have mentioned your marriage once or twice to the entire palace staff."
Cael turned, arching an eyebrow.
> "Of course you did."
And then I saw them — all of them.
Ivory, Olivia, Chiko, Flash, and Rira, sitting on low petal-shaped benches at the far end of the garden — sipping nectar drinks and nibbling enchanted fruit like they'd been living here for years.
> But what truly caught my eye were the two figures seated at the center — radiant, still, and surrounded by an aura of calm so ancient, it made my breath still in my throat.
The King and Queen of this land.
The Queen — tall, graceful, with flowing willowy hair the color of jade — had eyes like polished leaves and a presence that hummed with quiet power. She wore robes stitched from silver fern threads that shimmered in the light.
The King — broad-shouldered and rooted in his stillness — had bark-textured skin on his arms and deep, earthy eyes that seemed to hold a thousand seasons within them. His crown was made not of gold, but of living moss and golden twigs.
> "Celeste," Cael whispered beside me, her voice softer now.
"Meet King Alder and Queen Willow — guardians of the treefolk, keepers of this sacred land."
I stepped forward slowly, and as I bowed my head in respect, I felt something wrap gently around my wrist — a vine, glowing with soft green light.
> Not as a restraint.
But as a welcome.
The Queen smiled at me with a grace that felt like sunlight after rain.
> "Welcome, Celeste," Queen Willow said, her voice like a lullaby carried by the breeze.
"Any soul loved by our Caelum… is a soul welcome beneath our leaves."
And the King added with deep reverence,
> "May your roots grow strong here, and your heart find peace in our soil."
Cael looked at me, eyes warm — that rare, vulnerable softness returning once again.
> And I knew…
I wasn't just being accepted into a kingdom.
> I was being accepted into a family.
A legacy.
One older than war, older than pain.
One rooted in love.
To be continued…