By Reiycheru.
PROLOGUEAn epic, they lauded the tale.
A haunting, poignant story of hope and heart, of a lost soul's homecoming and her journey through adversity, of mistakes made and lessons learned, of courage and magic and sacrifice.
The Other-world was thrown into upheaval upon her return. Like a fiery golden flower unfurling overhead, sunlight drenched the kingdom in warmth and brilliance, and creatures great and small were still, overwhelmed by the joyous beauty of it. A mother dragon, burning with pride over her clutch of newly-laid eggs, paused and lifted her magnificent head towards the sky, the light filtering through the membranes of her widespread wings in an amber hue. A griffon rising on the air currents over the great mountain range keened its resonant cry to the firmament as sunlight turned its feathers golden. Men, women and children thronged the outer walls of the castle, smiling faces turned towards the sky . . .
And somewhere a child lay dying.
The throne room rang still with joy and pride, and her smile was life and love itself; they clapped their hands and stamped their hoofs and roared their appreciation for it. He watched as she was lifted into her rightful seat beside the father who had waited so long for her to come home at last, and could not have put the myriad feelings he felt in that moment into words. Tiny feet alighted on his shoulder and the green fairy crouched next to his ear, fingers curled about a fistful of his copper hair as she chirruped brightly at him; her fellows were not far behind her, streaking one last circuit of the great chamber in their excitement before settling one upon each of his horns.
They waited now, for him, but he was silent. He watched her, as she smiled at her mother, as she looked upon her father with shining eyes, as she blinked timidly as the assembly as they turned to cheering her name. Her happiness was impossible to miss, though she looked as out of her depth as is possible to be, a fawn frozen in the glare of a lantern's light. As the silver circlet adorned with the star of her birthright was placed upon her brow, she swallowed nervously as her fingers curled in the fabric of her dress, and he stilled when her eyes found his.
The faun nodded encouragingly, and smiled, and his decision was made in the same breath. As one, the fairies sprang into flight and rose spiralling and chattering into the air above them all, gleaming like jewels in the golden light that filled the hall.
He would stay.