Becoming Fae

“Fae,” Naz inclined his head when I approached. “I want to introduce Pauth, Jarkkis, and Haggar. They are from my House.”

I looked at his three companions and blinked. They shared the same dark skin as Naz, though they had varying shades of color. Haggar looked bluer and Jarkkis was midnight purple, I think, while Pauth looked browner. They also didn’t have the sharp teeth and only Pauth had a tail, but it was more reptilian than Naz’s.

“My queen,” Jarkkis bowed. “It is an honor to meet the descendant of Immail.”

“I’m not sure if I agree with the honor, but if you insist,” I shrugged. “What’s going on?”

“We were drawn by the call of our queen,” Jarkkis answered.

“I’m not impressed,” Haggar crossed his huge arms.

“I don’t care,” I looked at him. “The only person I seek approval from is myself and I happen to think I’m pretty fluffing awesome, thanks.”

“That’s not all,” Naz interrupted, his tail flicking in amusement. “It would seem most of my House has left the Demon Lands and is making its way here.”

“That might be a problem,” I made a small face. “We aren’t exactly rich in space, even when we move into the woods.”

“We prefer to live underground,” Pauth said. “We will make do.”

“Underground? That’s actually not a terrible idea,” I said thoughtfully. “How does that work, exactly?”

“Focus, Fae,” Naz, pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I am. We’re in serious need of living space and are sorely lacking in resources. Living underground might be the perfect solution to that issue,” I looked at him. “And don’t you snap that tail at me, old man. I will zap you.”

“Reinforced tunnels and living spaces,” Pauth answered with a wicked grin at Naz. “I like your spirit, kid.”

“I’m regretting bringing you along,” Naz said flatly.

“But it’s entertaining,” I smiled innocently, earning a laugh from Jarkkis. “I would like to discuss this in a little more detail later, if you have a moment.”

“Of course,” he inclined his head slightly.

“You said most of your House,” I looked at Naz. “What happened to the rest?”

There was a tense silence before Haggar hissed and stormed away.

“We were attacked by another House,” Jarkkis supplied quietly. “Many were taken as prisoner, some were killed. Haggar’s woman was one of them.”

“Oh,” I said sadly. “That’s a terrible loss for anyone to deal with in normal circumstances.”

“Haggar is just an ass,” Naz snorted. “Always has been.”

“What about your injured?” I asked.

“We’ve taken care of them, mostly. There are some injuries that can’t be treated properly while traveling, but we’ve managed well enough,” Pauth nodded.

“Well, we had some aid arrive from the King and Queen not long ago, so use what you can,” I frowned. “It’s not much, but it will help.”

“I’ve heard a rumor already, Fae,” Naz looked at me hard.

“If it’s what I think it is, then it’s true,” I looked back at him.

“You’re being soft again,” he crossed his arms.

“Is that so bad?” I replied. “If I remember, it was my softness that didn’t end up crushing you like a worthless bug when you were caught sneaking around in our camp. And it’s my softness that hasn’t sent you packing your faithless hide back to the Demon Lands without a tail to tuck between your legs like a whipped dog.”

“He attacked you! He can’t be trusted to lick you boots, let alone anything else,” he growled.

“The way I see it, you attacked me by influencing my father and Bonded into sleep and not making yourself known before I woke up to you nearly hovering over me like you wanted to kill me,” I pointed out. “He at least came at me while I was awake and able to defend myself. You’d be shocked to know just how much people say I can’t trust a demon, either, and yet, here we are.”

“That isn’t the same thing,” he snapped.

“Isn’t it?” I tilted my head to the side.

“Who are we not trusting?” Pauth asked.

“A Celestial,” Naz spat, making the other two hiss.

“I get it,” I held up a hand. “Celestials and demons don’t get along. Most have earned the disdain, I’m sure, but can you honestly say none of you have earned it either?”

“It’s not that simple,” Pauth said.

“Of course, it’s not that simple,” I scoffed. “There are hundreds of demons and one single Celestial. Are you really saying you’re scared of one person when he’s outnumbered so greatly?”

“When he could be reporting to others, bringing an army right to us? Yes,” Naz nodded.

“He’s a threat and can’t be trusted, my queen,” Jarkkis nodded.

“Perhaps, but I could say the same about you,” I crossed my arms. “I know more about him than I do you. Why would I trust you? Just because Naz says I should? I don’t take someone else’s word for it when it comes to what I feel I should do and nothing in me says Harmon is a threat at this time. Until that changes, I suggest you get used to him. It might also be wise to actually talk to him instead of leaping to judging the individual based on the actions of the whole. We have enough bigotry to deal with from the fae in the city already and I’m not feeling very tolerable to having it within my own people.”

“I do not approve of this, Fae,” Naz spoke up after a moment. “You knew I wouldn’t.”

“I’m aware of your dislike for all thing Celestial. Need I point out I’m just as much Celestial as I am demon, or should I save that for another time?” I asked him. “Now is not the time to be holding on to feuds and grudges. If you can’t set aside the past, then the past is where you belong.”

“I will never let this go, Fae,” Naz growled. “You don’t know what his kind have done.”

“He could say the same about demons, couldn’t he? I’m not asking for you to forgive and I’m certainly not asking for you to forget. I’m asking you to be better than what his people think you are,” I said firmly. “I would have thought you would be jumping for the chance to prove them all wrong, but I suppose that would be asking too much of the great Garloth the Nightmare King.”

“You are pushing in the wrong places, little girl,” Naz growled.

“I’m the queen. I push where I need to,” I said and narrowed my eyes at him. “If you have a problem with my choices, by all means, challenge me for the throne, uncle. I don’t even want it, so take your shot. Just remember what this ‘little girl’ is capable of and know I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface.”

“Devil’s beard,” Pauth groaned, holding on to his chest while Jarkkis fell to his knees with a pained grunt.

“I wouldn’t dream of challenging the heir of Immail,” Naz said, shifting uncomfortably.

“I don’t care if you trust Harmon. I don’t even care if you hate him. But you will put away the hostility and we are going to get along because we have enough problems coming from outside. We don’t need them coming from within,” I said, releasing the tension in my shoulders. “And that doesn’t just apply to the Celestial. Is that clear?”

“Perfectly,” Naz replied, his tail lashing behind him in annoyance.

“The hounds and foxes are getting along. I suggest you take notes,” I said curtly. “I’ll see you after the announcement. We have things to talk about and plans to make that are going to be far more pressing now than they were before.”

“There is something else,” Naz sighed as I started to turn, making me stop and look at him. “It’s not just my House that came. It’s yours, too.”

“I don’t have a House,” I frowned.

“The House of Immail has been without a Lord for a very long time, true. But you are the heir of Immail, which makes you the lord by birthright,” Naz said.

“Great,” I rubbed my temples. "Anything else I should know?”

“Nothing pressing,” he answered and bowed shortly. “My queen.”

“Don’t start that crap again,” I scowled at his sarcastic tone.

“It is entertaining,” he smirked.

“It is when I send you sailing,” I huffed. “Actually, I could use the practice with water. Want to help?”

“No thanks,” he held up a hand. “The last time, you froze my tail.”

“I froze water around your tail,” I corrected. “I figured the way you snap it around like that, it would be quite dangerous with a club on the end.”

“You... what?” Pauth looked at me, his own tail swaying slightly.

“It was funny. Have you ever tied a ribbon on a cat’s tail and watched them spazz out trying to get it off?” I grinned and Naz growled and started pushing me away.

Pauth and Jarkkis laughed, and I went to find Ben.

He looked like he was about to snap when I found him talking to a man and gesturing towards the ox he was feeding.

“We have newcomers arriving soon,” I said as I approached. “Naz’s House and my new one are on their way.”

“You have a House?” the man asked.

“Apparently, by default,” I sighed. “What can I help with?”

“I already said I’m not letting someone take my ox and cart anywhere and I can’t leave my wife,” he said, getting tense.

“It would be greatly helpful, having a larger cart and bigger beast to pull it,” I nodded. “Some of the supplies we’ll be needing to transport are going to be too heavy, too big, too numerous to be moved any other way. Horses can only do so much. Is there nothing to be done that could change your mind?”

“I need my cart and ox, your highness,” the man bowed his head slightly.

“We need your cart and ox,” Ben huffed.

“I can’t say we don’t, but it’s his property, Ben,” I nodded at him. “Perhaps I can convince you to help haul our supplies when we move camp, though? Would that be something you are comfortable with?”

“I can agree to that,” he nodded.

“Great,” I smiled. “May I ask about your wife? Is she well?”

“I’m not sure,” he sighed and looked at the tent with a worried look on his face. “She’s... Not herself.”

“Would it be okay if someone checked on her? The Celestial has some small skill in healing, I’m told. At the very least, he may be able to tell what might be going on,” I said. “Or I can maybe find someone else?”

“Demons aren’t exactly healer’s, Fae,” Ben said. “There might be some knowledge of herbs and basic medical care, but it’s not really our strong suit.”

“The Celestial will be fine. I don’t know what else to do,” the man admitted, hanging his head. “I’m so worried about my wife.”

“I’ll see if Harmon can spare some time today,” I put my hand on his elbow. “We’re going to try.”

“Thank you, your highness,” he said quietly.

“Come on, Ben. Let’s see if we can find another solution. I’m sure there’s a livery stable or a farm that might be willing to deal with us,” I said, hooking my arm through his elbow. “This is going to be fun. I haven’t gotten to explore much since coming here.”

“You think exploring is a good idea?” he asked me as we walked away.

“Word has gotten around that I’m the princess. Not many people around here would be dumb enough to try anything and I’m kind of recognizable,” I said. “We’ll be fine. Oh! One of Naz’s friends has a solution to the space issue that sounds kind of brilliant, actually. Tunnels, of all things.”

“We’d have to be a long way from water sources to not have issues with mold and mildew,” he said thoughtfully. “And there would have to be a lot of structural support and enforcement. It would be easier to keep people warm, though. Natural insulation. Being attacked would also be more difficult. I can see the benefits of it.”

“We’ll have buildings up top as well, because I doubt the hounds will be okay with being underground all the time. You know Blaine was half crazy living in that cellar.”

“Some of the others would prefer it as well. We’ll have to make sure everyone gets time outside, so they don’t get their days and nights mixed up.”

“It’s healthy to have fresh air and sunlight,” I nodded.

“Unless your a vampire. Then you need fresh air and... I guess moonlight?” he tilted his head.

“We don’t have any vampires here, so I’m not overly concerned about it right now,” I chuckled. “Let’s check livery stables first. If we can’t find what we need or get turned away, we’ll let the others know and try some of the closer farms.”