All my life i believed in elves. Radiant beings of beauty and grace that had magic flowing in their veins. Never did i expect them to be a threat. I grew up the youngest daughter to a mortal king, with no hope of ever becoming a queen, lest i marry a prince who was heir. This allowed me a sense of freedom that none of my sisters had, and with this freedom i was able to pursue paths of learning that were seen as "foolish" and unnecessary. One of these topics were elves, others were magic and fantastical beings that were often dismissed as fictional even as elves stood before us as proof of their existence. For the longest time the summer kingdom elves were our silent neighbors, they traded with us and that was about it. Well, as far as the governments were concerned. The laymen peoples had a different story to tell.
However the elves have their own kingdoms, and it seemed that trouble was brewing. A battle between summer and winter kingdoms were raising in tension. To make matters worse, our lands were growing scarce in crops without the elves to keep nature in balance. In desperation my father struck a deal with the Summer King. We needed them for our fields and they needed us for able fighting bodies. He saw my people as disposable things to use in order to spare precious elven blood, but he wasn't so cold as to not give compensation. In return for our military support the Elves promised my father a hundred years of bounty and fertile lands. The price was only a daughter.
The deal would be sealed by one of my sisters marrying the Summer King's middle son. My father loves all of my sisters equally, and hoped to see us all as queens. The eldest daughter, Abigail, was to be my father's heir, yet she volunteered. Abigail had wanted and trained all her life to be queen, and i knew in my heart of hearts that she would never be happy just being a noble courtier. Besides, she knew almost nothing about elves and their ways of life. I, on the other hand, specialized in it. My father seemed quite shocked when i spoke up.
"Wait. She cannot be the bride." I said, my voice firm and set, i hoped that the slight tremors of fear were completely hidden from the sensitive ears of the magical beings in front of me.
It was at a meeting with the Summer King, Lord of the Bright Ones, that this matter was being settled. The prince and future groom was present, as was all of the mortal royal house. I have to say, i was unsure who was more shocked and why; my father knew me to be a rambunctious girl, yet i always held my tongue in governmental matters and here i was speaking out of turn. What shocked the elves was the fact that when i spoke up, i was speaking in elvish. I had met a common elf girl, who taught me the language and worked with me over the years until i was fluent.
"She pronounces it perfectly, if only in a commoner's dialect...." The Prince whispered to his father, looking at me with wonder. They looked at me and i was suddenly reminded why i was always quiet when it came to official matters. I was suddenly awash in fear and shyness at the direct stares of everyone in the room.
"Allow me to proceed in Common speak?" I asked to Bright King, with a slight bow of my head. He answered with a small, curt nod.
"My eldest sister is equipped to lead, not a manor, but a kingdom. Please allow me to be frank my Lord," i gave another bow and decided to push on. All that i said next came in practically one breath. "Considering the fact that you are wedding off your middle son shows that you do not deep this matter as of the utmost importance, but it shows you do not take us lightly. I am well versed in Elvish culture, and have studied it at length. Would you not prefer to have someone like that for your son, someone who would be less annoying to him?" I said this all looking down, and i dared to glance up at his eyes. They were cold and blue, yet i could detect a faint level of amusement. Especially when my father called my name in scolding.
"Please. It is strategically the best option. This kingdom will live through your war, despite how long it may last. Having her as the next queen of this kingdom would be your wisest option." I said in elvish, looking the Noble elf fully in the face now, in a rash move of sincerity.
"This is true." He responded, his voice was warmer than i thought it would be. "But why should i let you be the bride of my son? What reason should i bring you into the world of the elves?" He asked, the tone of his voice was harsh, yet not completely unkind. Suddenly i felt very cold, and uncertain. My sistrrs and Father looks uncomfortable at not being able to follow or understand the conversation. I looked down at my feet, but the King barked the order for me to face him. I was struck with the breif thought that if i couldn't face him now, then maybe i wasn't brave enough to do this. I took a deep breath and decided that a desperate act of honesty was my best bet.
"As a child, before i even understood the world, i dreamt of magic. As i grew older i continued to feel the pull of your world, and while being free of the constraints of my sister i gave in. I felt more a part of your world, than my own. Even to this day i feel a disappointment when i see my reflection and see the face of a human and i am reminded that i am so close and yet so far away from the very beings that i have been in awe of since before i could remember." I felt myself step closer to him, a move that made his guards stiffen and move hands to the hilts of their swords, only to be stayed by the twitch of his hand. Suddenly high on emotion and in a spell cast by the great king's eyes i continued.
"I have such a great respect and love for your people, a people that i am inspired and mesmerized by. The royal family, your family, i am ignorant of. But your people that you rule, and those of most of the courtiers, they are the ones i understand. The music and songs and dance... the culture and....reverence for life. The earth. Magic. Things that are cast aside in my world, are important in yours. These things that are important to me... I can appreciate your kingdom in a way that no one else in this family can because i wish i was one of your people." My voice cracked at the last syllable and i was very aware that i was caught in a spell. With just his eyes the Elf king cast a spell on me that had made me confess things i had never even said outloud to myself before.
Looking satisfied he released me and i suddenly felt drained of all of my energy. Falling to my knees, i was quickly put into the arms of my second eldest sister Tamera. I felt tired and could no longer hold my eyes open, yet as my body fell asleep i had the thought to cast a small spell of my own that would keep my ears and brain awake as my body recuperate. Elves were magical beings, but all beings had the potential for magic; i had been studying it for years now.
My father hastily apologized for whatever i had said and the Elf king laughed. In common speak he said that the rashness of humans was something he always found amusing. He then declined Abigail's offer to marry his son. He gently told her that he looked forward to her rule over this kingdom. Each of my sisters were then introduced to the prince and king in turn, in elvish they spoke and debated.
"The youngest one, the emotional one. She has potential... she was strong enough to cast an awareness spell without any training, in response to your calming spell. Even now i'm sure she is aware of the entire situation. None of these other mortals have even the slightest inkling of interest for me," scoffed the prince. His voice suddenly irritated me. That was my family he was talking about.
"She is not nearly as refined as any of her elder sisters. I sensed a wild spirit within her, she will not be obedient to you." The king said mildly. I could hear the smile in the prince's response, "Even better." In that moment, my fate was sealed. In matter of days i would be wed to an elven prince and be whisked into a world of magic and elves. Of coarse this meant i would see my family very rarely, depending on where this prince's estate was. I felt Tamera stiffen as someone walked over to us. The two Kings in the room began to speak of the coming alliance, boring details i figured i would find out later. In a swift motion i felt the pressure of a finger on my forehead and i was suddenly washed in darkness.
I awoke in my bed, Tamera with me at my bed side. Apparently the prince had flicked me in the forehead and i fell into a deep sleep. I looked at my sister with love, and gently brushed her hair out of her sleeping face. i tried to move to get out of bed but was surprised by how heavy my limbs felt. The motion woke my sister and she gasped. I looked at her and She quickly called my father in. Once he was done hugging me, i received the worst scolding of my life. I had no right to speak at the meeting. When did i learn elvish? What did i say? How did i convince them to take Abigail? All of these things i answered in honesty, yet i didn't reveal everything.
"I've been reading and learning about elves since i was released from structured lessons as a child. I reminded him that Abigail would be better as a queen and ally rather than a noble woman and daughter. All i did was talk about how much i admired them and i guess it won over the prince. Elves don't think very high of us, i guess he thought that a human with a knowledge of his culture would be less annoying?" I supplied, ducking my head as my father's angry expression turned to one of worry.
"He agreed to have you as his wife, the prince did. Our spies said that he is known to be relatively kind. But you have much to learn before your wedding. Its only a week away and I will have you learn how to recognize our spies so that should you ever need help, i will know." His voice grew gruff with worry and emotion. I gave a small quick nod. The summer courts were relatively pleasant from my research and from the elf maiden i had been friends with. It was from her that i had most of my knowledge from. Yet i understood the importance of being able to reach out to my father should i ever have need.
In a week I met the head of our army, as well as the lead assassin/spy; the later gave me the creeps. Abigail rigorously taught me the chores of a lady of an estate. I received nightly reports about my future husband, and i grew excited. He had a child. It was a little girl, whom the King had from an affair, but had taken into his family. Her being raised was a duty of the Prince i was to marry. This made my heart soar, yet also gave me more worries. What if she didn't like me? Once i had a moment to myself i snuck into our castle library. In the back, behind the oldest scrolls was a hole in the wall where a guardian faerie lived. He was a cranky old man that i had discovered accidentally.
When i was a child i hid in his hole, and when i realized how dark it was i grew frightened. I remembered reading that the elves had once lived in the world of Faerie, and the its people, the fae, sometimes lived in our world. Often it was in forests or old places with rich history that they dwelled. In my nightime stories that the maids would tell me, there were legends about guardian spirits or faeries. With tearful eyes and a shaking voice i called out to see if there was on such fae being in our castle, since it had been there for hundreds of years. Sure enough, a gravely voice came to me.
"Stop your sniveling! you'll leave a puddle in my home!" The voice came from beside me, and i screamed. I had jumped and knocked my head, and passed out. When i woke up i was in the library, with a small hunched old man beside me. He had brown skin, that made me think of bark, but it didn't have the same texture. His long scraggly beard was the color of old parchment and he worse rags as clothes. When i woke up he huffed and began to move toward the hole in the wall. I had called after him, in an apology which made him stop.
"How did you know to cal me, anyway child?" he barked, giving me a look with narrowed eyes. He moved back to me, and seeing the fear in my eyes, let out a sigh. He perched himself on the floor next to me with an "oof!" and patted my head. I told him how i was hiding from my sewing teacher and that i remembered the bed time stories.
It was through this old man, who later introduced himself as Hodgens, that i first learned about magic. He showed me which books to read in the library over the years, and even brought me books of his own. When he went to the faerie world he was contacted by a prophetess who said that i was meant for great things. Although he would never go into detail, he said that he knew just the type of magic i needed to learn, and it wasn't in my father's books! So he would bring me books written in the language of the fae, it was similar to elvish so it wasn't hard for me to learn over time.
He trained me in magic during the nights while during the day i studies everything elvish and fantastic. I took up sword play rather than horse riding like my sisters, which amused my father. Being the youngest he let me indulge every whim i had, which was mostly a strong thirst for knowledge. He never knew about my late night candlelit magic lessons i had in the hole in the library wall. It was Hodgins i was eager to report the news to. I called out to him three times softly, and waited.
He usually came in a matter of minutes but this night it took longer. Just as i was about to leave he showed up. I scolded him, worried that something had happened or that he had finally grown bored of me. He snorted and waved me off.
"Oh please girl. Now, i have been consulting my seer friend. This marriage is a good step in the right direction. Listen to me, this is important," he said, his small hand gently grabbing my chin as i sat next to him. "Do not reveal your magic until the right time." His brown eyes were serious, and i suddenly felt worry settle in my stomach like a stone.
"What? Why? when is the right time? They already know i have magic.... they picked up on it at the meeting." My voice, though still a whisper so as not to be caught out so late, was growing frantic. Again, Hodgins waved me off.
"Silly child. they know you can do basic magic. Don't let them know about the fae magic i've been teaching you for the past several years." He gently tapped my head with his hand, almost like he was trying to chop through my stress. " You'll know the right time, when it happens." He giggled with excitement, it was a strange sound that i couldn't describe as pleasant, but it was oddly reassuring. I was glad to have him as my friend and teacher. A thought suddenly sent a pang of pain through my heart.
"I'm going to miss you...." I said, suddenly sad. He stiffened and gave me a sour look.
"Look here you! I'm a guardian fae, and i'm pretty sure that its become pretty obvious that its no longer the castle i'm guarding. Don't think just because you're going to some fancy shmancy elvish place that you can leave old Hodgins behind." His gravelly voice, held a slight teasing tone that made me grin. I was so used to his harsh manner that i could instantly tell when he was being affectionate and in a rush of emotions i gave him a hug.
"Thank the gods above... i thought i was going to have to do this alone!" I said, tears of relief filled my eyes. I hadn't realized just how scared i was until i embraced my small friend. He spluttered and wiggled but eventually gave in, and gently patted my head until i let him go.
"Of ocarse you're not going alone. You think i would give up a chance to witness the rising of a Queen? Its not every day a hobgoblin gets to witness a royal bloodline being born." I pulled back in confusion.
"What do you mean? Neither I, nor the Prince are heir to any throne. There is no way i could be queen." I said, worried that he would leave when he found out i wouldn't be elevated in status. I felt my confusion grow as he laughed again.
"Silly girl.... you are to be the first Wilde Queen, uniter of the wilde and solitary fae." He said, giving me a small bow. I looked at him in total shock. The Wilde Fae were a class of fae beings that lived in the forests or oceans and other places of raw and untouched nature. They were the fae that tended to guard the places that acted as passages between the Faerie world and our own. They were thought to be a form of nature spirit, ones that coulnd't be controlled by either Winter or Summer Elven courts. They were wild cards that acted as their own accord. The very thought of them having a queen was impossible. I shook my head and pointed out the obvious.
"You can't control chaos.... thats what they are. Natural Chaos." I pointed out, my voice holding all the awe that they deserved. Wilde fae were terrifying. They were just as likely to eat you as they were to help you. The Winter Elven courts were at least lead by a leader and followed rules and laws. Wilde fae beings were a mystery and had no rules.
"Think about what you just said." He snapped impatiently. I looked at him and thought carefully. That wasn't the first time i had said those very words. The type of magic he taught me... unlike elven magic which required carefully drawn symbols and elegant offerings to the gods, the magic i learned was raw. It was chaotic and one had to simply bend it to ones will to control it. The magic i used was wilde. This realization hit me and with wide eyes i looked at him.
"The great things you said i was meant for... your seer.... she saw me becoming a wilde queen?" My voice was little more than a breath. He grinned, revealing sharp teeth, and nodded.
"But i'm human!" I said, my mind reeling. He looked at me with his famous, you're-a-moron-but-i-love-you face.
"Do you really think a human could use faerie magic?" He asked. His rough voice was patient, like when he was leading me to something i already knew and just didn't realize. I had been using this kind of magic for years.... so i knew it was something that must have happened while i was young. I did know that i was born out of wedlock, to a different mother than my sisters. Although in our kingdom, this didn't diminish my standing in the family, it did leave a mystery about my mother. Wait.....
"You're a halfling love...." He said winking at me.
