I.
"EEEE-YEOOOOWWW!!!"
She sighed as she saw the bloom enclose itself around her companion, ultimately trapping him within its flowery confines. Although she specifically told him not to go near the flowers while she worked, this perhaps was the umpteenth time she had done so. For no matter what words came out of her mouth, her companion did so anyway—chucking all warnings to the ground as if they were merely the song of the wind. Don't say I didn't warn him, she thought in irritation.
"C'mon, Dan—let me help you out," she said as she glided towards him with silvery wings, sparkling like a dragonfly's. "I told you not to go near those daisies! How many times do I have to tell you?"
Daniel—or Dan, as he was affectionately called—was finally freed from the flowery prison once his sister heaved him out of the pretty daisy. Pollen had flown everywhere, and he began sneezing like there was no tomorrow. One of his wings also looked slightly bent, but fortunately, it wasn't anything serious. "I"—ACHOO!—"thought"—ACHOO!—"you"—ACHOO!—"finished"—ACHOO!—"a while ago!" he protested, making a few more sneezes until his sinuses had calmed down. She put a hand to her forehead in frustration, releasing an irritated sigh.
"My magic works after three minutes! I keep telling you that!" she scolded, giving him a condescending look. "But no, you still keep getting yourself trapped in sleeping buds anyway."
"Well so-ree," Dan spoke sarcastically. "I'm just a fairy, for crying out loud! Ain't my fault that I make mistakes every once in a while, Amelia."
Amelia—or Amy, as she was nicknamed—just groaned. "Whatever. Look, twilight is almost over and we have to be at the Seelie Court once we're done here before the fairies from the Unseelie Court come. Now, I don't want you goofing around for no reason so we could finish the job, okay?"
Dan just frowned, with his wings fluttering in a rhythmic motion. "Fine, fine. You don't have to be so bossy," he muttered, gliding glumly to a batch of open blooms and closing them with sparks of magic.
II.
Now, at the Seelie Court, everyone seemed to be in an air of merrymaking and celebration. This was so since it was the annual celebration of the Defeat of the Unseelie Court, wherein the brave soldiers of the Seelie Court had fought chivalrously against the invasion of the boggles who had tried to take them out eleven years ago. It was also during the Invasion of the Unseelie court wherein Amelia and Daniel's parents had died, shortly after their mother Hope had given birth to him. Yet this didn't stop the siblings from participating in the festivities, since every year the celebration was truly very merry and quite exciting.
While the fairies of the Seelie Court happily drank nectar from their goblets and feasted on a colossal banquet, King Alistair—the King of the Seelie Court—lifted his goblet up and tapped it with a spoon in three rhythmic raps. Everyone was silenced by that, and Dan was forced to put down the leg of roasted Minotaur meat he was munching on.
The King, who was also the uncle of Amelia and Daniel's mother, had eyes filled with mirth as he laid his goblet down. "Greetings, my fellow-fairies! As you all know, today is a time of festivity and celebration, for today is the day we commemorate the defeat of our darker brothers!"
A fit of cheering had ensued after that. Amy and Dan shared a smile, with the wistful memory that their father had also been a part of that revolution.
King Alistair continued. "Yet for what purpose is this festivity if we ourselves do not know the story behind our celebration? Therefore, with this, I hereby commence this year's storytelling!"
A chorus of a million voices then came with delight, because although everyone in the Seelie Court had heard the story a million times, the performances usually got more and more spectacular each year. King Alistair smiled, then gestured to an ornately decorated door at the side of the Court.
"As you all know, each year we have a different set of performers that accompany the storytelling. Today, the Tale of the Defeat will be performed by one of our Council members, Corinia—alongside with her husband and son, Broderick and Jonah."
Amy clapped until her hands wrung. Councilwoman Corinia [kho-rihn-NHAI-yah]—or Cora, for short—had always been known for her spectacular performances, and the fact that she would be performing with her family was even better. The trio was often appraised for their talents in the art of theater.
The Councilwoman and her family then walked through the doors as the enchanted doors opened themselves, with the three all garbed in fiery autumn outfits. Their smooth coffee skin was often a subject of envy to the other councilors, and the fact that their wings sparkled like gold was another coveted trait. Yet all this was forgotten because since they were the ones to perform, they were to be held in the highest respect—second to the king, that is.
The three gave the audience their best smiles before bowing simultaneously, and with a magic spark, the Court lights dimmed into a pitch black. Amy felt a bit nervous at that, yet that sliver of nervousness had vanished once the Court had been filled with a bedazzling light of an enchanted fire, coming from the hands of the Councilwoman herself.
"In the olden times, there was a devious King named Vikram who ruled over the court of the Unseelie," Cora narrated, the flames in her hands forming into the shape of a tall, sinister man. The audience gasped, yet clapped in delight of this. "And he came to envy the power of the opposing kingdom, the Seelie Court."
With that cue, her son Jonah then cast enchanted flames from his own hands, molding into the shape of a vast, pristine fairy kingdom that was the Seelie Court. More cheers erupted from the audience.
"Thus, in his envy, he gathered his army of boggles to invade it—and with their brute strength and ruthlessness, they had momentarily taken the kingdom captive," Cora continued, and Broderick then cast flames from his own hands. They formed into vile, beastly boggles—whilst his son's flames transformed from a pristine kingdom to panicking fairies. The boggle flames eventually overpowered the fairy flames, causing the audience to gasp in shock.
"With this, they forced the fairies of the Seelie Court to undergo menial labor, various humiliations and tortures—and for years, it had been a dark period for the people of the Seelie Court." Cora's flames then transformed into that of a slave-driver, while Jonah and Broderick's flames shifted into suffering fairies. Whimpers were heard all throughout the crowd.
"Yet fortunately, this did not last long—because under the gallant rule of Sir Arthur, the fairies rebelled and were able to start a revolution that would put an end to King Vikram's oppressive reign over the Seelies!" Cora yelled, and the flames morphed into a gallant battle between the Unseelies and the Seelies. The whole audience cheered, with Dan's voice being the loudest of them all.
"The Seelies did win, yet unfortunately, Sir Arthur had lost his life in the process—along with the life of his wife, Hope," Cora spoke sadly, and the whole audience began to feel sympathy. Amy tried to stifle the sadness that slowly crept up into her heart, knowing that her parents had died for the best. At least she had her grandmother with her. Not to mention her brother, as annoying as he got.
"Fortunately today, the kingdom now strives under the rule of his uncle-in-law, King Alistair—and with a few negotiations, the Seelies and the Unseelies now live in peace." Cora concluded, and the pyrotechnic show then erupted into an array of colored fire. The audience cheered.
"LONG LIVE THE SEELIES!" Cora yelled triumphantly.
"LONG LIVE THE SEELIES!" the others chanted, raising their fists up in triumph. "Long live the Seelies! Long live the Seelies! Long live the Seelies!"
Amy was in the middle of the victory chant as well, until her grandmother tapped her on the shoulder. "It's time for you and Daniel to dress up, my dear. The victory ball will begin shortly after this."
Amy sighed. She wanted to participate in the chant further [it was much too much fun], yet she obliged to do so anyway. "Sure, Grace. I'll call Dan."
III.
Meanwhile, while the Seelies were enjoying their victory, cruel structures laid in wait ominously far away from the Seelie Kingdom. A dark castle loomed over the rest of the structures, and one of its inhabitants sat smugly upon a black throne as it drummed its fingers rhythmically on the armrest. His amber eyes were as emotionless as they could get, with no sign of remorse evident in any of his features. He smiled cruelly as a figure entered the throne room with strong strides, then closed the door with some sparks of black magic.
"Ian, my boy," came the menacing voice. "How glad am I to see you."
The cruel looking boy rolled his eyes at the figure on the throne. "Yes, Father. Now, would you mind telling me what business you have in store for me?"
The figure, King Vikram, chuckled. "Mm-yes… the moment of the Unseelie Court's victory is at hand, my boy. Yet in order for it to happen, I'll be needing you and your sister to infiltrate the Seelie Court as inconspicuously as possible.
Ian raised an eyebrow. "But Father, you know that the Seelie Court is protected by an invincible shield. The only way to penetrate it is to become a Seelie, and that is virtually impossible. I thought you knew that."
King Vikram interlaced his fingers. "You didn't think that I've thought of that? Why, you underestimate your old man too much," he spoke, grabbing something around his neck. Snapping the chain off, it held a vial of some black, ethereal liquid that constantly morphed.
"This, Ian, is a transfiguring liquid. Good enough for two persons and one hour."
Ian's bored expression instantly shifted to one of shock. "But Father, in order to make such potion, you would have had to…"
"Kill at least seven of my men and use their blood," King Vikram spoke casually, as if a sin that grave didn't matter. "Son, did you really think that I became King for nothing? Of course I know all of this! And if it would make you feel any better, it was your mother who committed the murders, not I."
An unnerved ripple came upon Ian's face, yet it passed quickly. His face returned to its unemotional quality. "Very well. What then must I do to infiltrate the Seelie Court?"
The King once more revealed a vicious smile. "As you know, today is the day when those blasted Seelie fairies overcame the power of my army. They'll be having a ball in a few minutes, and I want you and your sister to attend it to undo the spell that protects the fairies. Afterwards, send us a signal so that I may launch my army over those accursed Seelies and destroy them once and for all."
Ian smiled smugly. Good old Father never lost his touch. "Very well. I will do as planned."
And while the Seelie Court celebrated their fateful victory, they were oblivious to the fact that in somewhere far, far away, their worst enemies were planning their return with a horrifying comeback.
Author's Note: Well, since I decided to refresh my mind a bit for new plot avenues for TGCR, I've decided to try out storyteller221's contest, that is, the Mythical Love Contest. If you want to participate, you can go check out her story The Prince of Serpents, chp. 5. All the information is right there. :) I also thought that this was an opportunity to explore more plotlines, so I thought, what the heck? Also, if you're wondering, the creature I've thought out is indeed fairies. [I considered angels, but I thought: Nah, too controversial.] As for the pairing... I think I'll be mean again and keep it a secret. After all, what's a story without the drama? XD