Becoming Fae

To say that Mal resembled a storm cloud wouldn’t do his mood any kind of justice. It was incredibly early in the morning two days after our meeting with Gluttony and I had written a letter to the Fairy Queen requesting an audience with my Bonded.

Ben and Blaine were as sure as Naz, Rollie, and Mal were that she wouldn’t or would put it off for as long as possible if only for the fact that I was an unknown Queen who, technically, had no throne. I could claim to be the princess of the Sidhe and would likely get more attention that way, but I was approaching her in the interests of demons, not the fae.

Mal had packed a small bag of clothing and provisions for the flight last night, shoving things in with an attitude while he remained silent, his jaw ticking in agitation. Regardless, he had laid beside me in bed, holding me just like he always did. No one would know, however, by the sour look on his face as we stood in the courtyard before the sun had fully climbed over the horizon.

“Please, reconsider, Fae,” he looked at me and I felt the ache and desperation through our bond.

“If there were another who had a better chance, I would,” I shook my head and rubbed my chest where the ache of separation was already burning.

“We’re better together,” he took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

“I know,” I whispered and felt my feather shaking, the rustling sounding like leaves in the wind. “But I can’t make the trip and this needs to be done.”

“It can wait until you’re better. It’s not so pressing that it must be done right away,” he shook his head.

“No, but I’m under no illusions that you won’t be made to wait,” I moved closer and put my arms around on his shoulders, leaning our foreheads together. “You are my Bonded, but to them, you’re a bastard and I am a freak who calls herself a queen. The odds are slim that you will even be entertained.”

“I pray I’m turned away,” he muttered. “I don’t like this, Fae.”

“I don’t either, but it has to be done. If you’re turned away, return immediately and I’ll deal with the Fairy Queen later,” I said and stepped back. “I love you, Malachi.”

“I love you, too, Fae,” he kissed me softly. “Don’t disappear on me again. Please, be careful.”

“The way the lesser demons have banded around me since I was poisoned, I need to be careful I don’t step on a tail or something,” I giggled. “I’ll be fine. You watch out, though. The best way to get to me is you and you’re going to be alone.”

“Another reason I don’t like this,” he growled and stepped back, scrubbing his hand down his face. “Please, Fae. Please, reconsider.”

“I’ll miss you,” I smiled softly.

He growled and bent his knees, launching into the air and flying away. I gasped and stumbled slightly, my hand on my chest as the ache turned into pain.

“Mistress?” Glitter asked, patting my thigh with concern.

“Being apart is unnatural for the Bonded,” I gave him a small smile. “I’ll be fine.”

-----

Mal

I arrived at the palace and frowned as a shudder ran down my spine.

Bastard as I was, I spent a fair amount of time here at my father’s side when I was younger. The disdain, even then, was almost a tangible thing that I could swear I felt like a wool blanket smothering me slowly. As I grew up and became self-sufficient, I was, blissfully, spared the usual visits, forced only to return for special occasions.

I rubbed my chest, feeling the painful ache once again and praying that I would be turned away from the palace. I landed in the square just beyond the royal grounds and walked forward, hearing the whispers and feeling the eyes of many others and I groaned internally when I realized why. My wings still glowed brightly, just like they always would.

I approached one of the guards and inclined my head slightly before producing the missive Fae had sent me with.

“I have need of an audience with Her Majesty,” I said as one of the guards took the letter and turned it over, inspecting the seal pressed into the wax.

“Who requests this?” he asked, looking up. “This is not a crest I know.”

“Queen Apparent Faella, Lord of House Immail and heir to the Infernal Throne,” I replied, noticing the stiffening of both guards. “I am her Bonded and am here on her behalf.”

“Queen Apparent,” he said slowly.

“The Demon Lands have no ruler,” the other guard scoffed.

“They do now,” I replied.

“And what business does this... Queen Apparent have with Her Majesty?” the first guard asked, flipping the letter over again as if it held the secrets to the universe.

“That is far beyond your station,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Deliver the request or send me away but be quick about it. I’m not in the mood to deal with low level guards sent to man a gate in a completely useless display of protection so you’re out of the way.”

They both glared at me, but after a moment, the first guard went to a small shelter and produced a glowing glass orb, enchanted with spells to allow communication over some small distance. He spoke to it quietly for a moment before replacing it and walking back, thrusting the missive towards me with a sour look.

“Remain low and you may approach the palace. Someone will meet you,” he said, and I took the letter with a nod before flying close to the ground towards the grand entrance of the palace.

-----

Ben

Rollie was, admittedly, putting in a lot of effort to oversee Mal’s self-appointed tasks. Still, he made most of the lesser demons uncomfortable, just as I knew he would. Instead, they sought out me. Or they did.

I watched as Fae listened to an older fox, wringing his hands while he spoke about whatever grievance he has. She looked... terrible. Better than before and vastly improved than when she was still under the effects of the poison, but she was still weak and tired easily. Not many would notice, but Blaine and I did.

Her wings were held lower than usual, and they shook slightly with the effort it took her to hold them up. That was the only true sign of her weakness, aside from the dark circles around her eyes that still lingered. That, and the many times her hand went to her chest.

“She’s recovering well, Ben,” Harmon said, following my gaze. “Slower, now that Mal has left, but recovering all the same.”

“She shouldn’t have sent him away,” I shook my head. “She’s stronger with him here and he’s the best person to protect her. That was made obvious when she was poisoned.”

“She’s also not wrong,” he shrugged. “She is taking a rather direct approach to her goal. It is wise to have a second option as direct assault rarely works unless you have the brute force and numbers to achieve it. Not to mention the hardhearted disposition required to see many falling on the field.”

“Fae doesn’t have that in her,” I scoffed.

“I have noticed,” he chuckled with a fond smile on his face. “All the more reason for her to have other options at her disposal.”

“You know she is Bonded, right?” I growled, flashing teeth.

“I have no desires of a romantic nature with Fae,” he looked at me shocked.

“That look on your face says otherwise. Mal will kill you if you try anything. If Fae doesn’t do so herself,” I said.

“I regard Fae fondly, but more as a friend than a partner. I admit, she possesses a beauty I have not seen before, but my attentions are drawn elsewhere,” he admitted. “Unrequited and vain as they may be.”

I watched him sorting through herbs for a while, trying to understand him. He wasn’t like I expected, and I wasn’t seeing anything of the sneering, intolerable prude he had been when he attacked Fae.

“I don’t get you,” I finally said.

“I’m not sure I... ‘get’ myself,” he shrugged.

“You aren’t what I was expecting after the way you so politely introduced yourself to us before,” I admitted.

“And none of this is what I expected of a host of demons, either,” he gestured around us before holding up a jar of herbs and grinning. “There it is.”

“What is it?” I peered at the jar.

“Feverfew,” he answered. “A few young fox kits have low fevers and some body aches. Mild colds.”

“Yes, I heard about it. Normally, we don’t get sick often, even before we Awaken, but...” I shrugged.

“Stress,” Harmon nodded, tucking the jar under his arm as he moved about the tent to prepare it.

“What were you expecting?” I asked, picking up a jar and reading the label before putting it back.

“Before meeting Fae? I would have expected the worst. When I looked around me after I returned to the Spired City, I saw things differently, noticed the corruption that had been hiding, disguised as righteousness,” he answered. “I’m not sure what I expected to happen when I arrived, in truth. Distrust, obviously.”

“Plenty of that,” I scoffed.

“Not unjustly,” he sighed. “The crimes I committed, told that it was for the greater good... That can’t be erased from my soul. I came here expecting to be made to pay for the crimes of all of my brethren, and I would have done so, because I’ve seen the truth and know my suffering wouldn’t be enough.”

“Not the way Fae sees it,” I shrugged.

“That was the most unexpected part,” he smiled again and shook his head. “Her acceptance.”

“She’s something else,” I looked out of the tent and noticed that the old fox was now smiling at her and chuckling.

“I did not expect such kindness and warmth,” he paused to look over at her again. “Not from any demon, much less one named queen.”

“Fae is more than any word can describe,” I nodded.

“I’m beginning to see that,” he chuckled, going back to his task. “Part Celestial, part demon, but so vastly different from both. A breed apart.”

“Nephilius?” I lifted a brow at him.

“A term meant to be worse than a curse, but yes,” he nodded. “I’m finding many things I once thought of with certainty are questionable at best.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” I scoffed.

“Some of it is shocking and disheartening to face, but not bad,” he said, replacing the jar of feverfew and taking the medicine with him as he left the tent.

There was a warbling that we all knew in the distance. The sound of hounds baying. Far more than we had here and the frightened shouting of the fae in the city behind us joined the scared hush that had fallen over the camp. I looked at Fae and she had her head tilted to the side as the cacophony outside rose and Blaine ran over to her.

“What’s going on?” I asked when I joined them.

“Those aren’t ours,” Blaine said, looking ready to fight.

“They will be soon enough,” Fae put her hand on his arm. “They were freed from Gluttony.”

“How did you manage that?” I blinked at her.

“I would say I made a deal, but no such thing was actually done,” she giggled, gesturing for us to go with her out of the gates to meet the new arrivals. “A loose arrangement and a vague promise, perhaps, but I’m inclined to think I have the better end of the deal.”

“What did you do?” Blaine asked, frowning.

“More hounds mean better security, right?” she smiled at him. “And more rest for the ones already here.”

“We can’t feed them, Fae,” Blaine shook his head.

“I also am expecting all of his imps, as well,” she laughed. “Their ability to teleport is going to be quite useful. Since we can’t get people to volunteer to bring any of the supplies we might be able to secure, they imps will be able to do so easily.”

“If you can get them to focus,” I groaned. “There’s a reason humans call trouble-making children imps.”

“I find their antics to be entertaining,” she smiled as we left the city walls.

“We have no place to put them,” I said.

“We’re not going to be in the city much longer, so I don’t see this as a problem,” she answered. “Besides, Naz’s builders have been asking for more help, so... That’s a few problems solved.”

“That doesn’t help the food situation,” Blaine said.

“No, but that helps,” she pointed towards the crowd of people we were walking towards.

Wagons. Lots of wagons.

Puffs of black, inky smoke popped up, dissipating to reveal a host of imps sitting on wagons loaded with crates of food amid the hundreds of hounds that were watching us approach. There was a pop and a cloud of smoke near us, and Glitter squealed with glee and clapped his hands, seeing his own kind.

“Oh, mistress! This is most amazing!” he said, looking up at Fae with wet cheeks.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Go say hello to your friends and family,” she laughed, and he popped away, showing up among the other imps, who crowded around him with chittering and crooning, welcoming him back. “I received word from Gluttony this morning. It took longer than I expected, but apparently breaking contracts with hounds takes a while.”

“There are so many,” Blaine whispered.

“Glitter has explained the conditions in Gluttony’s command and while he assures me it was the best many could hope for, it was still appalling,” she said with a frown. “I figured it would do them good to have freedom in the woods instead of being crammed into the camp and with our impending move, many of the others have expressed concerns about predators.”

“The hounds can run the woods, hunting freely and keeping the new location safe,” Blaine nodded slowly. “Fae, this is a lot of hounds to look after.”

“I know,” she nodded and patted the elbow she was holding. “Might I make a suggestion?”

“Always,” he nodded.

“The foxes have dens, overseen by a kind of representative. They bring the concerns to Ben, right?” she looked at me and I nodded. “Perhaps the same could be applied to the hounds?”

Blaine frowned and sank into thought for a moment before he laughed and put his arm around her shoulders.

“You are a hell of a queen, Fae,” I chuckled and shook my head.