Don't Dance with Fairies

[Jester]

Chapter Summaries
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Reserved - OP for future Chapter summaries! (Blank for now until stuff starts moving aw yeah!)​

 

[junebug]

First Time Encounter with an Almost Death
@Jester & @Kat collab

Shakol'ath, or Shako, snapped the heavy leather reins against the horse's side and grunted as he brought the back of his hand up to his nose and wiped away some snot rolling onto his upper lip. The green orc leaned forward and focused on the cobblestone road ahead, grumbling impatiently as the faeries in the street took turns scrunching up their noses and inadvertently stepping in the cart's way to give him a piece of his mind.

De'ardra, the dark green orc beside him, was the only person who kept his head on straight to not tear the eye sockets out of the pretty purple and gray walking sticks or bash them limb from limb. He grimaced, "These damn hosers won't let me through. Graah! Outta the way! Outta the way!" He snapped the reins again and again. Some of the younger unseelie screamed and moved out of the way as the horse sped up a bit.

"Outta the way!" Shako roared, and De'ardra pulled out her knife on him. "Listen here, big boy! Slow down dem horse and let me take those reins. You've got nothin' in those bones to keep you from goin' on. Move it!" De'ardra grunted and pushed Shako aside to where he almost fell off the cart, if not for his grip on the side of the seat. "Old woman!"

"You heard me!" De'ardra growled. "Move!"

The cage behind the two orcs rattled, "Oh my god, could you both shut it? No one wants to hear your bickering!" Andara rocked the cage again from side to side. It was loose in some way that De'ardra's grubby fingers hadn't tightened the chains on the cage. "Shut it, sticky!" Shako growled and came around to tighten the cage. "Stop rattlin' this or I'll make sure you stop it myself! I ought to slice off your mouth!"

"Oh, you couldn't handle last night? Ah, that's right. De'ardra kept slipping while you two were off on it. Get me out of here!" She rattled the cage again. The orcs were focused well on the faery outcast that they didn't notice a young unseelie had caught wind of their conversation and the slight flap of the black blanket over the cage. Whoever was in there, they could've likely been a faery. The young unseelie didn't know, but these orcs were up to no good, he felt, so he decided to deliver the news to one of Aulo's advisors, if not directly to him.

He dashed as fast as he could back to the court. Inhuman speed and the ability to fly came useful when he jumped to the window at inhuman height and launched himself through one of the grand, long, tall windows with grace. "Your Grace! A troupe of traveling orcs have a fairy in tow in a cage! She looks… distressed!"

Aulo set down his glass of wine and silently regarded the fairy before him, keeping as calm as he could muster. "What fairy?"

"I don't know. The cage was covered with a black blanket."

So, a fairy. He paused, swirled the wine in his glass, and rose from his chair, tall and formidable. "I'll go handle this myself. These orcs will taste ice in their veins if they attempt to stop me," he said quietly, and flipped himself out the window, gone in a flash. The fae boy watched him go from the window, and wondered.

Shako pulled off the top blanket and opened up the cage. Andara huffed, her cheeks burning as the orc reached inside and grabbed the faery by the hair. He dragged her carelessly outside of the cage and let her fall onto the ground, ankles and wrists bound together. Shako grabbed another handful of chains and cursed as he squatted down and held her by the throat, cutting off her airways every time she tried to defy him with words or movement.

He laid the chains on the ground, "This'll teach ya, ya snob. No talkin'! I'll cut ya!"

He began to wrap the chains around her throat and mouth. She could barely breathe with the weight of the heavy metal bearing down on her neck.

"De'ardra, hold down this little thing! I gotta make sure these chains are on tight!"

"On it."

The flashes of bright blue, and stings of cold were all De'arda could feel. Something pierced her skin, and she screamed looking down and seeing a small pyramid of his own blood flay the skin. It wasn't too long before the blackness swallowed the ability to see, and things spiraled away like a dream.

Authello stood where he was and considered Shako carefully. "You can let the girl go or suffer the same fate. The choice is yours."

The orc was still dumbstruck by the speed in which things occurred, and considered the fairy girl curiously before choking on his resolve, and choosing to let her go. Orcs were often a cowardly lot, and Aulo had known this would play on his fears while also making a good example.

"Hello, little one," he said calmly, and unwrapped the chains carefully around her neck. "For now, I'm going to ask you come with me."

 

[Pinion]

Much has been rumoured amongst the Seelie about the horrifying sights and bizarre architecture that awaits those unlucky enough to get lost within the Royal Castle of His Grace, the Unseelie King Authello. Talk of endless corridors, reality defying stairwells, swarms of spiders, frozen pools… Some of it is, as with every rumor, nothing but exaggeration. Certain parts are, however, surprisingly close to the truth. If you dare explore the castle's darkest corners, you might find surprises.

Deep inside one of the castle's deserted wings, in an area where not even the Augury dares set foot, hidden within a basement only accessible by a particularly rickety wooden ladder, lies the alchemist's lab. Dark and quiet, the silence is only broken by the soft murmur of a long, yellowed nail scraping against the leather spines of an extensive row of ancient codices. They speak of knowledge very few creatures are privy to. Some would call it nonsense, some would call it dangerous. Some would even dare to call it "forbidden". Some of it is, in fact, only accessible to the alchemist.

The alchemist, Mansrot Rinkrank, stops his finger upon reaching a particularly dusty and voluminous tome. He reaches for the candle on his desk, the only source of light within the lab, and nears it to the spine of the book. "Life Essence". He chuckles softly, uncovering a smile with a few gaps.

Setting the candle back where it was, Rinkrank begins to pull the book out of the shelf. For a squat, elderly fae, it proves no easy task. The weight of the humongous codex, almost as big as the alchemist's torso, causes him to lose balance and heel over to one side. He bumps into a small box of empty vials, causing it to fall over and shatter on the ground. Cursing under his breath, he finally makes way to the desk and slams the book on top with a sonorous thud, creating a large cloud of dust.

While the dust settles, Rinkrank reaches under his desk and pulls out what seems to be a small box, covered by a tattered tarp. Pulling the tarp unveils that it is in fact a cage containing a pair of house mice. One of them is alive, while the other appears to be deceased and in an advanced stage of decomposition. Having done that, he opens the tome and begins rapidly flipping pages, before settling on a particular one.

"In order to conduct this experiment, we will need two subjects, one living and one deceased…"

It is then when one of Aulo's messengers, the Augury, crawls onto the desk. Rinkrank recoils in shock and disgust. Horrible creatures.

"Greetings, Mr. Rinkrank. Busy?", chirps the spider in its eerie voice.

"Yes, can't you see? Leave me alone!", grumbles the old man.

"His Royal Highness Authello has brought a guest into the castle!", continues the arachnid. "And he wants everyone to give her a warm welcome! It is of utmost importance that you go see her."

Aulo's orders? Drat, he can't say no in that case. He annoyedly slams the book shut.

"Fine, spider. I will go. But just this once!", he barks, and begins climbing up the ladder.

Who could this important guest be?

 

[Jester]

Aulo strode into the castle with the fairy girl in tow. The room was adorned in black, blue, and silver filigrees all along the walls and extremely high arching ceilings. Banisters of silver and spider web design bordered the long center stairway, and it branched off left and right to two separate hallways ahead of them that faded off into darkness. The carpet was a fern-patterned, navy blue over the black and silver checkered floor, and large, see-through, blue drapes hung on every wall in thick curtains down to the floor. On one wall hung a portrait of him that Ivy had painted when she'd honed her skill to the point she felt confident enough to do so.

Unnervingly, far above them in the arched ceiling, were thick white webs. They were closely knit, and covered nearly the entire ceiling. Ivy had told Aulo once, that it looked like the inside of a loaf of bread, and the eyes that peered out made her skin crawl. But with time, and meeting Samantha, Aulo's confidant, she learned to appreciate the Augury. Sam in particular followed her a lot on her shoulder, when she wasn't following Aulo into important meetings by hiding under his hat. Their sweet-voiced whispers had originally given her chills, but now only comforted her. Aulo had told her in the very beginning that they would not harm her, and she'd learned through experience to trust them.

He turned to the girl with a warm smile, and gestured out to her. "I will have someone look you over and dress your wounds," he said calmly, "and then I'll have food and wine brought to you. You can stay as long as you like, until you feel better." He called out to his spiders, and asked them to get the kitchen staff together, and they scurried off along a wall.

For now, he led her to the throne room to await the doctor, and he gestured at the great low windows. They went nearly to the floor, and were wide enough to sit in. The black marble was cold and hard, but the view and breeze were lovely. "If you'd like to sit until he arrives, feel free. For now, I need to find my hedge-witch," he said with a bow.

 

[junebug]

Andara had not expected such kindness within the Unseelie king— Did he not know what she'd done? Did he not know who she was? Andara swallowed hard and decided that the best course of action at this moment was to stay quiet and only answer when asked questions, unless she didn't know the answer. Andara touched her throat lightly where the chains had dug in her skin a bit and winced. God damn those bastard orcs laying claim to her. She was no one's property, she never would be.

The back of her left side hurt and stung where they'd branded her with their complex tribal symbol; it was still fairly fresh from a couple days ago and would take a while to fully heal. She prayed no one would notice it, not that she expected anyone to with her cloak over the length of her body. There was a different kind of atmosphere within the Unseelie castle; Perhaps gloomy was not the right word, but she felt at peace, a little lighter than the dramatic overtones of red, orange, and yellow within the Seelie castle.

She acknowledged Aulo's statement with a simple nod as they stepped into the throne room and sat down on the ledge of the great low windows. Andara didn't understand the bow, but didn't think much of it either. The only thing on her mind was what would happen if the orcs found her; they'd skin her and roast her alive. They'd eat every bit of her until every last drop and she shivered at the thought. The orcs had been quite descriptive with that and very good at keeping her compliant, despite the headstrong mask she put on.

Andara leaned against the left edge of the window frame and turned her body towards her, the brand hiding away from all castle eyes. She stared at the wound, festered and boiled. She turned away, desperate to forget about it. The appearance was disgusting; it'd likely leave a scar and be a permanent reminder that she'd always be theirs. She closed her cloak over her body and closed her eyes. A few moments later, in what seemed to be a century, a new pair of shoes entered her hearing and she opened her eyes to see a short old man entering the throne room.

 

[RaccoonKing]

​

Feline eyes peered silently towards the blonde-haired witch, the unnatural shade of amethyst unwavering in their attention. Fascination brimmed within the almost sparkling depths as she watched the girl work upon her music – a topic she had little interest or understanding on but still, it was intriguing to watch nonetheless. Behind her, long raven fur swished upon her tail as it swayed slowly by her side as she plotted her next steps. Her intentions focused on the possible amusement her next actions could provide on such a mundane day. It was either test Ivy, or spend the day sleeping somewhere hidden to avoid any chance of work...

The decision was easy for the shapeshifted Maeve to make as she jumped silently from her perch upon the shelves. She landed upon the lower table before slinking slowly towards the ground, her feline paws making very little sound with her movements. Maeve sat, her fluffy tail wrapping comfortably around herself, behind Ivy as purple depths began to glow. The amethyst hue bathed her dark form in an aura of purple, which quickly spread thinly across the room till her magic covered the room - hidden from all but the feline's eyes. Just as quickly as the fairy cast her magic, it brought her desire to life before her.

Cats, and a lot of them.

The illusions seemed to pop into existence upon any available space within the room - drowning the limited area with cats of all different features, sizes and colours. The only similarity was the startling amethyst orbs that all focused upon Ivy. If she made the eyes different, she would be far to noticeable and that would ruin the fun. A voice echoed, unearthly in its presence in that is had no clear direction, though the voice was obviously that of Maeve,

"Ivy~" She cooed, "Take a break and play a game - which one of us is real?"

With her words drifting off, all the illusionary cats became animated, now seeming far more natural in their movements and actions. Some could be heard meowing as they leapt to play, with paws batting at each other while the rest seemed content in lazing around quietly. Maeve, the pure black feline, remained where she was - though she was unable to stop her own tail flicking occasionally in her growing enjoyment. It was always fun to test Ivy's abilities, especially when they gave the witch a great advantage against her own deceitful abilities.

 

[RaccoonKing]

​

Ivy was seemingly busy - something that had the fairy pouting, though it wasn't clear given her feline form. Purple eyes blinked slowly, studying her own illusion as she contemplated dispelling the magic that curled around the room, drowning it in a sea of animate felines of all kinds. There was nothing she had to do today, at least, she couldn't think of anything. With an internal sigh, Maeve decided to up keep the illusion. Ivy loved animals so at least, when her attention strayed from her work, she would have something amusing to find around her. The cat studied the witch once more before she headed towards the door, slipping it open before slipping out with silent steps.

Maeve padded down the castle halls with her tail swishing lazily behind her as she carefully wound herself around the occasional passer-by. With no direction or location in mind, she ended up wandering for a while, with the occasional stop to greet someone who noticed it was her. Not that it was hard to tell with her purple eyes. Her exploration slowly continued as the desire to hide herself away and nap began to flourish, causing small jaws to part in a quiet yawn. Wanting to find somewhere to rest, or at least, curl up and hide to ensure her rest, Maeve noted her wandering had led her to the throne room.

She approached cautiously, muscles tensed to run away as she approached the slightly open doors. Maeve's feline head poked around the small opening, peering into the room curiously. Fortunately, she found that no one she tended to avoid was present - the only downside was that there was a complete stranger sat by the looming windows. Worry plagued her for a moment before she pushed it down, letting curiousity replace it. Stranger or no, she doubted any one of concern would be allowed to remain unaccompanied - seemingly then, she wasn't a threat. Creeping inside, the cat continued to peer over at the female with dull glowing orbs, head tilting slightly as her manifested by illusions.

"Who are you?" It cooed, from no specific direction, "I haven't seen you around here...and no one is here with you either."