Becoming Fae

I was glad to see the things that had happened while I was gone. Not only were the tunnels and dwellings nearly finished, but it would seem that Ben, Blaine, Glitter, and Naz had sorted out a way to get supplies from all over the Sidhe instead of relying on one or two nearby sources that had already proven they distrusted demons enough to turn us away.

Harmon had taken over as the healer and was training others how to make and use a number of medicines as well as treating wounds, injuries, and illnesses. Ben had changed his view on Harmon’s trustworthiness from “not at all” to “not as bad as he could be”, so I was taking that as a solid win.

Now that everyone had, more or less, settled into the new location, we were able to focus more on preparing for whatever we needed to do in order to get Ambrosia for Tony as well as training a bunch of farmers and shopkeepers how to fight in a war. So, it was no big shock when an imp popped up in a cloud of smoke as I ate dinner with Ben, Blaine, Mal, Naz, Rollie, Harmon, and a handful of leaders from both Houses.

“You have a message?” I asked, handing the skinny thing a chicken leg and some water.

“About time. I was beginning to think Tony was blowing smoke up our backsides,” Mal muttered.

“I come from my lord Greed,” the imp bowed, careful not to spill the water.

“Greed?” I paused and everyone froze, staring at the imp as she ripped a huge mouthful of chicken off the bone. “That’s unexpected. What’s the message?”

“He wants to meet you,” the imp spoke around her food.

“Why?” I asked.

“Everyone wants to meet the queen,” she replied with a greasy smile. “And he says he has something you want. As a token of good faith, he’ll let you have it.”

“Greed? Giving something away?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

The imp smiled, bowing and disappearing in a puff of smoke before coming back with a small-framed woman who looked like she wasn’t much older than I was with golden blonde hair that fell in waves down her back and bright blues eyes. She wore a gold dress that looked like it belonged on a strip club runway and no shoes on her feet. She had a resigned, broken, haunted kind of look in her eyes that said she was much older than she looked.

The room was silent for a few seconds as she looked around and I stood up slowly.

“Ambrosia?” I asked.

“Yes, my lady,” she lowered her head and sank to her knees.

“Please don’t do that,” I made a face. “Formality isn’t something we care for around here.”

She looked confused and a little scared as her eyes went around the room and rubbed her arms.

“Come on,” I said, holding out a hand and walking around the table. “Let’s get you in proper clothing that doesn’t show half your ass and then we’ll get you fed.”

“I’ll bring some food to the room for you both,” Mal said, getting up as Ambrosia joined me.

The imp from Greed cleared her throat and I chuckled.

“Sorry. Please let Greed know I’ll agree to meet him tomorrow morning,” I said and nodded to Glitter. “Can you make sure she’s fed before she leaves?”

“Of course, most kind and wonderful majesty,” Glitter said, puffing his chest up in pride as the imp looked between us with as much confusion as Ambrosia did before she ducked her head again.

I took her hand and linked our arms as I led her towards my dwelling.

“You’re a little smaller than I thought you would be,” I commented, opening the small chest at the foot of the bed that held my clothes. “To be honest, I’m not sure what I was expecting the vessel of a relic to look like. I’m kind of new to the whole... not human thing.”

I pulled out a pair of brown pants and a tan shirt that were thick, since the Hell Pits sounded like they would be pretty warm. When she hesitated to take the clothes from me, she reminded me of an animal that had been in a cage for far too long; wary of the people coming to gawk at the bars.

“You know, I was going to kidnap you,” I said, with snort and she looked up quickly, her eyes wide. I held up a hand and made a face. “I know, I know. Ill-advised. But I have an ally that wanted to rescue you but couldn’t. Gluttony.”

She stiffened and her hands tightened on the clothes I had given her.

“I hated the entire idea of it, honestly. Taking you away from one Sin just to send you into the hands of another? Not my idea of freedom,” I said and sat on the end of the bed. “I don’t know what he plans to do if I follow through with the agreement and let him take you. I don’t know what you went through before with Greed, either. But right now? I can offer you as much freedom as I can. Something tells me nobody has asked you about what you wanted in a very long time. So? What do you want?”

She just stared at me. We stayed like that until Mal knocked and came in with a tray of food for us and Glitter happily following at his heels.

“What can I do for you Glitter?” I asked with a smile when he bowed deeply.

“I wish to accompany you to your meeting, kind and thoughtful mistress,” he said, not standing from his bow.

“Your flattery is lovely as always, Glitter, but I do believe I asked not to be called ‘mistress’,” I chuckled. “You know the meeting is with Greed, right? Are you sure you want to go?”

“Never trust a Sin, Fae,” Mal said. “He can get us out of there quickly if something goes sideways.”

“I’m not a fan of putting more people in danger than necessary,” I made a face.

“It was his idea,” Mal crossed his arms.

“It would be a great honor, most treasured majesty,” Glitter nodded, finally standing up straight.

“You seem to have convinced Mal of the idea, and we all know how difficult that can be when discussing my safety,” I smirked at him, and he rolled his eyes. “If it’s what you want to do, then I’d be fortunate to have you with me, Glitter.”

“Even numbers are auspicious,” he puffed with pride again.

“So they are,” I laughed. “Now, could you tell me if there’s an empty dwelling nearby for Ambrosia? I’m sure she wants to bathe and get changed before she freezes. And it would be great if you could ask around for a pair of boots that will fit her.”

“Oh, of course! There’s one right across and a little down from here,” he pointed towards the door.

“Thank you, Glitter. Helpful to a fault,” I smiled and stood up.

“Do not inflate his ego anymore, please. He’s getting insufferable already as it is,” Mal complained.

“I want to be free,” Ambrosia said. “Like Glitter. Useful beyond my abilities.”

“Do you think you can have that with Gluttony?” I asked her and she shook her head, looking at her feet. “Okay. Mal?”

“I’ll get the others here for a meeting,” he nodded. “Don’t forget to eat, Fae.”

I grabbed a roll and stuck it in my teeth as I picked up a plate for Ambrosia and followed Glitter to the dwelling down the hall from us. Glitter showed her around the space while I ate my roll and put sheets on the bed.

“I never asked, but what are your abilities?” I asked her when she came back from the bathroom in the clothes that I had given her. They were large on her, but she didn’t seem to care much as she sat down and started eating. “I grew up on Earth and there’s this myth about ambrosia being the food of the gods, not a person. Supposedly, it granted immortality.”

“Long life,” she replied. “I heal wounds, slake all hunger, reverse aging, and grant a longer life to those that consume my essence.”

“Please tell me that isn’t cannibalism,” I made a face.

“My life force,” she corrected. “I may have a fleshy body, but I have no blood. It’s my life essence.”

“That’s... well, that’s awful,” I shook my head. “I can see why you want to do something outside of your ability.”

“I’ve never not had a master demanding to be fed,” she picked at some bread. “I’ve lived many lives in different vessels, but each time my cycle begins again, I’m found before my memories of my past lives return.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Ambrosia,” I said, my wings puffing out before settling again. “Hopefully, this life will be different. I’ll do my best to make it that way, at least. I do have one small request, though. Until we sort things out with Gluttony, it might be safer if you stayed here. You’re free to do as you wish, so long as you don’t harm my people or steal from us. Once things are sorted out with him though, if you want to leave, I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

“The queen is most gracious and understanding,” Glitter added.

“According to many, not very demonic for a Demon Queen, but I’m a trailblazer,” I shrugged. “Come on, Glitter. Let Ambrosia finish her dinner and get some rest. We have things to do.”

“Of course,” he bowed deeply before opening the door for me.

“If you need anything, ask around for me or Mal. We’ll do the rest of the introductions later,” I added before leaving.