A/N: This is a lovely short story I wrote for the NT. Don't know if it made it in yet though. :) It's basically a prologue to a series I have in the works. A lot of it is going to be based off Celtic lore and such things, as in the May Queen, the Queen of Winter, Samhain and Beltane. :D Constructive criticism, anyone?
Disclaimer: Me no owney!
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Darkness had settled over the green rolling hills as an opaque blanket. These hills, with their lush grasses, were all that separated Faerieland from Brightvale: the single exception was a small ring of trees. This ring of trees looked particularly abandoned to-night, alone at the foot of a tor. Alas, this was what could have alerted any stray passers-by to the fact that the trees were not truly in solitude. These trees were the trees under which most who passed paused, or slept beneath to pass a traveler's night.
Within the elusive ring of trees, a meeting was taking place. This meeting was one that could only take place upon the darkest nights of the months; sometimes the meeting was forced to take place only once a year, depending on the emptiness of the spot and the dimness of moonlight. To-night was quite the fortunate night for these gatherers.
"Mr. Lafayette, I suspect you have some information of adequate importance?" queried one of the gatherers. He may have been able to blend in with the landscape if he tried: his skin was a dark shade of blue, and he was sporting a black suit. He also looked rather more like an enigma than the trees he was sitting amongst.
The being to whom the dark-skinned enigma of a Krawk had addressed was seated across from him upon the grass. Lafayette was a much lighter color than his comrade; and his eyes were as beacons that would lead any strangers to be alerted to his presence. Luckily for Lafayette, in his mutant Lupe form, the comrades he was seated with were far more powerful than any passing strangers could possibly be, and if anyone did happen to walk by, they would be unable to see through the cover of magic.
"Naturally, Mr. Krawley," said Lafayette. His voice had startling disparity from his appearance. Whereas he looked to be quite rough-and-tumble – and his clothes were those of a wealthy fellow, though raggedy and with some haphazardly sewn-on patches – his voice was so velvety, it may well have been chocolate in another form. "I can practically taste the distrust in the air," Lafayette added in his rich voice; "I cannot recall ever summoning a meaningless meeting. Lady Gulna, why do you appear so distraught? Your day was well to-day, I hope?"
"Just cut to the chase, Lafe," snapped another: it was not Mr. Krawley. This one who was so informal had been pacing back and forth behind Lafayette's back while the Lupe spoke. Now the Uni, whose silhouette was difficult to distinguish from the black sky behind him, stopped, glaring down at Lafayette. "We don't want to hear your stupid formal talk. Tell us what we gotta know."
Another Uni, this one both dark and light all at once – she was shadow-dark with streaks of red, orange, and yellow climbing down her ears as the lickings of fire – spoke. "I apologize for my brother in his unkindness," she said, shooting a glare in the informal Uni's direction. "I hope you will accept this most humble apology. Now, please do continue with what you were saying before."
Lafayette inclined his head toward the lady. "I do accept your apology, Lady Desir. I would prefer, however, that upon Mr. Faim's next unjustifiable action, he would apologize to me himself."
"I am quite sure that more such actions will take place in the near future," said Mr. Krawley, a new edge in his tone, "if we do not continue the meeting. Mr. Lafayette, kindly do us a favor – we are all comrades here – and pray tell what it is that you now know that you did not know before."
Lafayette shrugged one shoulder, conceding to Mr. Krawley's evident logic. Most unfortunately for Mr. Krawley, Lafayette, and the impatient Uni, the giving of information was put off again, as Lady Gulna finally spoke. She was floating slightly above the ground, the whir of her lavender wings a rather distracting sound. Lady Gulna was almost deceptively beautiful; and she was most definitely the one that would have been noticed first, if others could see. Her colors were a disarmingly charming combination of lilac and sky-blue. "Please," she said, in a small, dainty voice, "do not argue with each other. I positively despise when there are disagreements." Her baby-blue eyes suddenly sparkled with strange fire. "You do not desire to push me beyond the level of distress I have already reached."
"No, Lady Gulna, we do not," said Lafayette. He seemed to be ready to finally get down to business. "I have, as all of you are aware, been working with the Winter Queen. I have both gained her trust and the information we need in the past several months." He directed his eerily yellow almond-shaped eyes toward Mr. Krawley. "Mr. Krawley, the small hurly-burly that the Neovians were put through is absolutely nothing compared to what can occur with the rest of the world." Lafayette redirected his odd gaze to Lady Desir. "And Lady Desir, what your lovely comrade Xandra attempted to accomplish against the Faeries is even less."
"What can she do?" asked the disagreeable Uni eagerly.
"Do not get ahead of yourself, Mr. Faim," said Lafayette. His chocolaty voice was now as hard as stone. "Do not fret, as it is an easy mistake to make. I very nearly did the same with the Winter Queen's minions. I was forced to take some…timely measures." Mr. Krawley smirked, as though he was remembering some inside joke with Lafayette; perhaps he was the only one who had gotten the joke.
Lafayette continued: "The Winter Queen, I am sure, would not refuse to grant us some of her power. She has a surplus of it, and she is rather gratuitous when it comes to those such as us. The only obstacle that is currently keeping us from the path to greatness is that the Winter Queen does not desire to show herself as part of this plot. She enjoys her current life far too much to lose it if the ruse does not come through for us."
"The Winter Queen," said Lady Gulna spitefully. "She says she will do something for us, and she hardly ever does. Mr. Krawley – do you not recall the time with Galem and the Night-Bringer? The Winter Queen had claimed she would use her sorcery to bewitch Galem, and here we are, without the Night-Bringer or the power of the jewel."
"The Winter Queen trusted Masila," Mr. Krawley said tartly. "She also trusted the Court Dancer. Neither of them pulled through for her. It is not the fault of the Winter Queen."
"Why are we always so formal?" Mr. Faim abruptly exclaimed. "Why do we always have to call her the Winter Queen? Why do we always have to refer to the other one as the Summer Queen? And the Spring Queen, and the Autumnal King? Why can't we just say Jhudora and Illusen and Fyora and -"
"Hush!" cried Lady Desir, panic-stricken. "Brother! We have no idea who might be listening!"
Lafayette scowled deeply. "And we have no idea what is capable of hearing." Mr. Krawley, Lafayette, Lady Gulna, and Lady Desir each turned to look Mr. Faim in the eye. He took a stumbling step backward, beginning to look quite alarmed. "Do not worry for the moment, Mr. Faim," said Lafayette, twisting back around; "We would not dare to put one of our comrades under a spell."
A tense silence washed over the group, and it was the unspoken that caused Mr. Faim to be even more troubled: they would not dare to put one of their comrades under a spell, but that was exactly what they had attempted with Kanrik. For now, though they all had misgivings, they would have to trust each other; or, in the very least, try not to kill each other.
Not yet.
Not until the plan had been put into action.