The WishKeeper (The Paragonia Chronicles) by Maximilian Timm

I may speak freely, of course,” Elanor said, wringing the rain from her long, red hair. She looked exhausted, completely soaked, and if she hadn’t been talking to her king, she probably would have yelled what she just said instead of pushing it through her wet lips.
    Avery floated, caught between a hundred feelings. Her usual, natural smile faded to an open mouthed stare. It wasn’t magic of any kind that held her there, at least not of the fairy kind. It was a magic of a much more ancient and natural conjuring. It spilled from her heart and rushed through every vein with an energy unmatched. She had never met Elanor, though she had heard her name discussed within the every-day management for her king, and until now Elanor was just another WishKeeper doing a fine job.
    As she floated there, fingers intertwined as if she tried catching her breath but missed, Avery couldn’t stop staring at Elanor.
    “Ah, my Elanor,” Erebus said, ignoring Elanor’s bad mood. “Thank you. I truly appreciate your hard work and dedication and I apologize for taking you away from your Keeping duties to tend to a sick old man. Have you met my Regent, Avery Waterstone?”
    Avery twitched at her name and bowed her head quickly. Elanor looked, shot a forced smile. “Hey,” she barely tossed the greeting to Avery and while she didn’t mean to come across as cruel, Elanor was a naturally impatient fairy and didn’t understand why her Purity wasn’t snug in the Nursery by now. “Your majesty, if you don’t mind?” It was a request to get on with it.
    Erebus sat up and repositioned himself, “Of course. Avery, will you retrieve the Purity, please?”
    “Retrieve…?” Elanor didn’t understand.
    As bashful as bashful could be, Avery blushed her way over to Elanor and hesitantly reached out her hands, expecting Elanor to give her the Purity. The little wish, with its wide happy smile, had no idea there was an argument brewing. It grinned a calming smile at Avery as she approached, and it was the first time Avery felt a rush of jealousy. She’d rather someone else was smiling at her, not the wish.
    “Your majesty, really, I don’t have time for some form of class or lesson so that your new Regent may learn more about wishes or whatever it is you -,” Elanor was suddenly cut off. It was the first time Avery or Elanor had ever heard their king raise his voice.
    “Hand over the wish, Elanor, and you may go! If you have such integral goings-on that are more important than helping your king, than just get it over with!”
    The chamber echoed with his sudden outburst and snapped Avery from her entangled stare. They both looked at Erebus, confused, surprised to say the least.
    “I’m sorry, your majesty, I just -,” Elanor tried.
    “Please,” Erebus said, a bit calmer. “I respect your wishes to get back to work, please respect mine to do the same.”
    Elanor blinked through the confusion and followed orders. She bowed, and slowly gave up the wish. Avery accepted the little Purity with loving arms, and when Elanor connected eyes with her, she couldn’t help but blush again and look away.
    “Now then, I expect you have work to do. Thank you, Elanor, and I apologize for my outburst,” Erebus said with a deep breath.
    Avery backed away, cradling the Purity, and even though Elanor had plenty to add and questions to ask, she felt it prudent to leave them be and floated through the chamber doors. Love-struck, Avery looked at the open chamber doors, secretly wishing Elanor would come back. She didn’t understand these feelings - this sudden rush of excitement. It felt as right as anything she’d felt before, though something on the surface told her to ignore it. Few things in life are truly impossible, and Avery had just discovered one of them - ignoring a sudden crush.
    “Avery,” Erebus, again, snapped her from her paralyzing thoughts. “Bring me the wish, please.”
    She did as she was told and floated to her king. As she flew