A/N: Oh wow, it's been so long since the last chapter! I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, the last months haven't been easy. In the meanwhile, the manga went on and most of what established in this story is not canon anymore. I'm not going to change anything: Escanor will stay alive, and so Arthur even though without the, uhm, expedient used in the manga and some other things will be different. I hope you'll still enjoy!
I have some people to thank in this chapter too, first of all Redworld96, who is still so kind and supportive even though I'm one of the slowest writers ever. She made the cover for this chapter ( redworld96/art/Facing-the-present-The-Cursed-Tree-Chapter-9-833707872) as well, it's amazing! You should totally check on her work. I also thanks Trig, who beta read this chapter and helped me getting of some silly mistakes.
I also wanted to thank AnnaK, who is an amazing artist and a lovely person and who drew a fanart for this fic (you can find it here: post/189301104886/this-is-a-fancover-b-from-a-really-good-fanfiction). She is incredible! You can find her works on Tumblr and Deviantart.
And of course, thanks to all the ones who commented on this story and the ones who keep reading even though I'm so slow.
Sorry for the super long author notes, and I hope you'll like this chapter! Let me know what you think about it!
Chapter IX: Not one of us
Flying was liberating. King took another deep breath, eyes half-closed as he shot through the trees, allowing his wings to stretch properly and the rest of his body to do the same. It still amazed him that it felt like everything was back to normal, the power he has gotten used to cursing once again through his veins. Yet, something had changed too, something he couldn't quite point out but that insistently lingered in the back of his mind. Perhaps, he thought as he opened an eye to gaze at the ground, it was his bond with the Fairy King's Forest. It was still there, as usual, but it felt numb and more difficult to read than before. He should have expected it, as his bond with the Sacred Tree had been replaced with something else, but it still made him feel a bit lost, like something that had always been inside him, in his heart and mind, had suddenly disappeared.
He sighed, dismissing the thought; at the moment, other matters required his attention. Right in front of him, miles away and almost in the core of the Forest, was Diane, and with her were Elaine and Ban. A large smile was still painted on his lips - he couldn't wait to see them and to finally make things right. Yet, he couldn't help but start to feel a bit anxious about confronting all of them together. He had hoped to be able to talk with Diane alone, before discussing his plans with anyone else. He wanted - no, he needed - to apologise and to finally explain to her why he had acted so differently. He needed to make her understand what he had to do. She still was his queen, if he hadn't ruined everything. His mouth set in a line and he shook his head, crossing his arms. Diane would have understood. Once she had known the whole story, she would have seen that he was doing the right thing. Dealing with Elaine and Ban, on the other hand, would have been harder. His sister's mind was probably filled with lies and wrong beliefs, and Ban would have followed her no matter that he didn't know what was at stake. King would have had to be careful. Gerheade was probably with them, and Gerheade -
He closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. Gerheade lied to him all his life. She lied to everyone. Part of him wanted desperately to believe that she simply didn't know the truth, that she told what she thought was right and never questioned it. But was it possible? Could she really not know? Could she ... His eyes snapped open and he pushed the thought away. He would have known only when he had talked to her, and for now, he had to focus on what he would have said. He should have probably started with an explanation of what had happened to him in the past few weeks and then he would have told them - Diane and Ban and Elaine and everyone who would have been there to listen - what had really happened millennia before to the Fairies who lived under the earth and to their Tree.
As he reflected, his gaze wandered over the grassy ground of the Forest under him and the tangles of roots sinking in the earth, partly covered by the shrubs growing around the trunks. Then, suddenly, he saw them. King furrowed and abruptly slowed down. Until now, as he advanced into the Forest, he met no Fairy. He thought it was because he was still quite close to the borders - even though they were safe as the rest of the wood, his people seemed to prefer to stay close to the centre. But maybe he was simply looking in the wrong direction. The Fairies were laying on the ground, close to a large trunk, their bodies still and eyes closed; from where he was, King could count three of them, two males and a female, and at first he thought they were asleep. He couldn't push himself to keep flying, though. There was something weird in their pose. Fairies fell asleep almost everywhere in the Forest, most of them had never even seen a bed, but those three ... it seemed like they had fallen in the ground, exhausted, without even trying to look for a better spot. Hesitating, he glanced towards the direction he was flying - Diane and the others were still there - but finally, he sighed and descended towards the ground. He couldn't simply let those Fairies there. The night before had changed him, but he was still the Fairy King, and his duty was to take care of his people.
They didn't wake up when he landed, nor when he walked between their bodies, studying them with furrowed brows. They looked distressed, even in their sleep, but at least, they didn't seem wounded. King pressed his lips together, uncertain, then let his power flow and cross the boundaries of his mind. Reading the heart of a sleeping person could be tricky. Their thoughts tended to follow inexplicable paths and usually, they didn't have anything to do with what was happening around them. But he had to try, at least to check that they weren't in pain.
As soon as he looked inside their hearts, fear hit King like a cold wave, fear and panic and confusion, almost making him stumble back. He squeezed his eyes and swallowed, trying not to let the negative feelings overpower him. Something had happened, the night before. Something bad. He was sure about this, yet he found himself unable to find out what exactly had happened, as he searched in the Fairies' minds. He caught glimpse of a night spent flying without a purpose, an endless scream in his ears - or was it in his head? Inside another Fairy's heart, he found the absolute certainty that something terrible had happened to the Sacred Tree. Blinking, he paused and took his chin between his fingers. Of course, it had to do with the Sacred Tree. Of course, it would have felt what had happened the night before and reacted - though King still didn't understand what exactly It tried to do. But of something he was sure. It hurt them. He gritted his teeth, glaring towards North, where the entry for the Fairy Realm was. t hurt my Fairies. It scared them, in the worst moment possible - when he wouldn't have been there for them. Anger and embitterment burnt like acid in his stomach. It shouldn't have done that. It shouldn't have involved them too. Whatever It wanted to do, it just made King more eager to finally reach it and tear Its core with his bare hands.
Lost in his thoughts, he almost jumped when a gasp broke the silence. One of the Fairies, a young male who lied with his back against the nearest trunk, had his eyes wide open and fixed on King. He whined when their gazes met and tried to shrink back, scratching the large roots of the tree with his fingers. "It's alright," King said slowly, raising his hands to show him his palms, "I'm here to help. How are you feeling?"
Obviously, the man was terrified. His eyes moved rapidly over King's body, pupils large and covering almost all the light blue of the irises. "Stay back," he finally yelped, stumbling when he tried to stand up, "Stay back!"
"Alright," King stood still, furrowing his brows. At his right, another Fairy moved, but he kept his eyes on the young man, trying to understand why he was suddenly so afraid. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just worried. What happened to you?"
"What -" The Fairy swallowed, briefly glancing up as he wanted to take flight, but after taking a quick look at Harlequin he seemed to change his mind. Maybe he finally realised that there was no need to be scared, King thought with a sigh. "Who are you?"
The question froze him. Speechless, he stared at the man - he looked back, eyes wide, and King noticed that he was shaking, just a slight tremor of his legs and shoulders. He probably hit his head, he thought; he fell and hit his head and now he was simply confused. There was no other way he couldn't have recognised his own king. Harlequin couldn't say he knew well every single Fairy, but he was fairly sure that they knew him, or at least, how he looked like. He had been their king for more than a thousand years, and after he finally came back to his Forest he had worked hard to make the Fairies understand that he was there for them, to be, finally, the king they needed. There was no way this man didn't know him. "I - it's me," he finally said, "Harlequin. The Fairy King."
The man didn't change his expression, though a flash of confusion rapidly passed in his eyes. King frowned. Could he have hit his head? There was no sign of trauma, but maybe he should have used Pollen Garden, just to be safe.
"You are not the Fairy King."
The voice rising from his side took him by surprise and finally, he looked away from the terrified man. The two Fairies who were sleeping on the ground were now wide awake. The female stood straight, even though she looked exhausted, and shielded the boy behind her with her body; he was crouching on the ground and stared at King with confusion and fear.
Feeling his stomach twitching, Harlequin glared at the woman, "Of course, I am!" Whatever had happened to these Fairies, it probably confused their minds, that was the only possible explanation - and he wasn't sure he could cure this. The Sacred Tree did it. He clenched his jaw. Of course, the Sacred Tree wanted to make things complicated, messing with his people's minds and memories, but this wouldn't have stopped him. "I am the Fairy King Harlequin," he repeated, joining his hands behind his back, "perhaps it's hard for you to remember it right now but -"
"I know how the Fairy King looks like," the woman shot, narrowing her eyes, "and it's not like you." She stood her ground, but her breath was heavy and her fists clenched. King could see it in her tensed muscles, in her dilated pupils, in the way her legs trembled, no matter how hard she tried to stay still. She was terrified. And he still couldn't understand why. Barely holding back his irritation - this was making him lose much more time than what he thought at first - he closed his eyes for a moment. He knew he shouldn't have been at that woman, nor at her companions, they had no fault in whatever the Sacred Tree made to them. Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind. There had to be a way to convince them, right? "I -"
"What kind of Fairy are you even?"
King's eyes darted on another pair of Fairies at his left; he didn't notice them approaching. Behind them, he could see others, not many but enough to form a small group, observing him through the branches. He stiffened under their inquisitive look. It was like they were pondering what to do with him, trying to decide if he was a threat or not. "What are you talking about?" He hated how much his voice sounded unsure. This wasn't the moment to have doubts, it was the moment to remind these Fairies who was their king. "How can't you recognise me? I'm the Fairy King!"
"You are not one of us." The man who only a few moments before had been flattening against the tree, too terrified to even try to escape, stood bold now, next to the other woman. The fact that he wasn't alone anymore made him brave. "No Fairy has eyes like that."
What was wrong with his eyes now? King gazed at the other Fairies, but in their hostile looks, he couldn't find an answer. It took less than a second to decide what to do then, and so he let go. Once again, he let his power free to explore their minds and hearts. Heart reading wasn't that common even among the Fairies, and Harlequin knew that many didn't find at ease with this ability. He tried hard not to constantly use it, leaving his people the privacy of their thoughts - but right now he had to know what was happening. The answer was disconcerting. One by one, he looked in the heart of the Fairies that were now surrounding him, but the mental image he found was always the same. The person all those Fairies were looking at was him - and yet, it wasn't, not exactly. It surely wasn't the same Harlequin who left the Forest.
For a moment, King focused only on his reflection in their mind, forgetting at all about the Fairies. His wings were ... different. Large as before, their veins and margins shone in a rich dark orange, the colour contrasting with the matt purple of the rest of the wings. His hair was darker too - he felt silly for not noticing before. The eyes that stared back at him under furrowed brows were different too, and they almost made him uneasy. The amber of his irises had become more yellowish, cut by a dark vertical pupil. They looked like the eyes of a wild animal, more than the ones of a Fairy - and, he realised, they were the reason why the light had been so hard to bear. He closed his eyes for a moment, his breathing fastening. He knew he changed, he could feel it from the moment he woke up in the cave, and he knew it was necessary. He didn't regret it. Yet ...
The physical appearance was nothing, especially not for a Fairy who could change it without any problem, but he couldn't repress a shiver. It felt alienating, almost like his old self had died in that cave, so that this stranger could rise. There was nothing King could do, though, if not accepting it, as he already accepted the way his magic mutated. His heart slowed down and he exhaled, opening his eyes. He would have accepted this too, of course - and besides, he didn't change that much, his features were still the same. And yet, all he met were cold and fearful stares. What the Fairies were seeing was scaring them to death. King could feel their fear enveloping their hearts like a thick mist, their distrust and repulsion cold as ice on his skin. They were scared because he looked different. And they wanted him to go away - just because of his appearance. Exactly like Coremorn said.
No. Harlequin shook his head. No, he was being unfair and precipitous. Those Fairies feared him because they couldn't understand who he was and what he wanted. Everything would have changed once he had the chance to explain to them what happened. Then they would have been more open to accepting him, and so the changes he was about to make. "I am the Fairy King," he repeated quietly, staring back at them without flinching, not even when one of them shook his head and another snorted, sceptical. "I can't tell you now what happened to me, I'm sorry, but I promise that soon everything will be clear! I have to speak with someone else first, but please, wait for me. I will explain to you too."
He didn't wait for an answer. He didn't know if he would have received one and anyway, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. Looking up, he spread his wings and launched in the air, leaving the group of Fairies behind. He didn't look back, but he could almost feel their eyes on his back and their suspicion following him. Harlequin heaved a sigh. This didn't go well, not at all, but surely, not all the Fairies would have been so hostile. It would have gone better with the next groups, he mused, relaxing his shoulders.
He was wrong.
Diane sighed and fought the urge to pass a hand on her face, forcing her eyes to stay open and focused on the map traced on the ground. Exhaustion started to weigh on her shoulders like a cloak of lead. Yet she wouldn't have rested, she couldn't, not until they found Harlequin. She wouldn't have been able to sleep without knowing that he was safe anyway, and the only thought of stopping looking for him made her feel nauseous. No, resting was out of the question. She couldn't abandon her husband and she couldn't abandon her people. She raised her gaze to look at them. Fairies sat on the branches of the high trees, most of them still looking exhausted, but they were there and determined to find their king. They were not as many as Diane hoped, but Gerheade told her that the others would have been more a burden than a help in their research, their minds still too shaken from the night before.
And between the trunks, there were the Giants. As she looked at them, something inside her chest seemed to loosen. She knew all the ones who gathered around the map by name, from the young, nervous Mareene to the older Oborn, whose hair was starting to whiten - something so rare among Giants, in those times. Diane had asked Matrona to take care of the recruitment and to offer the possibility to help all the ones who desired to do so, and her heart was filled with relief when she saw how many of them had answered her call, even though it wasn't a proper order. Of course, she had decided not to inform everyone about the current situation. She still didn't trust Gonf and his group to take part in the researchers nor to even know what her next moves would have been. Maybe nothing would have happened, but she wouldn't have taken the risk, not now that King was so weakened. Matrona had taken care of it, thankfully, and left a couple of trusted warriors keeping an eye on them.
Matrona herself was squatting on the ground and discussing the last details with Gerheade. The most had been already decided, the groups formed and the Forest divided into sections that every team would have explored. Diane should have listened, but eventually she sighed, letting her eyes wander on the map instead. She had traced it herself with Gerheade's help, using her control over the earth to draw lines and circles on the turf while King's advisor guided her hands, adding details here and there. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't supposed to be, but Diane could clearly distinguish the clearing where they were now, gathered around the tree that guaranteed the entrance to the Fairy Realm. Not much far away was marked the point where she and King talked the last time. From what they knew, it was the last place he was seen. Diane had to force her eyes away from it.
The map was not there to be admired, she reminded herself, nor to make her drown herself in regret and self-pity. Its only purpose was to better organise the researchers. She had felt almost stupid when Ban had proposed to divide into groups to better search the Forest, remembering her erratic wandering in the darkness the night before. She couldn't have involved the Fairies anyway, but if only she had stopped a moment to think, if only she had been more precise in her researches, if -
A gentle touch on her finger made her raise her eyes. Elaine looked back, features pale for tiredness and anxiety, and tried to give her an encouraging smile. "Don't be too hard on yourself," she whispered, loud enough for Diane to hear her but not to draw anyone's attention, "you couldn't know this would have happened and you did your best." She paused, her smile vanishing, and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "We will find him. He is not dead, and he can't be gone too far. We will find him." Determination shone in her eyes when she looked at Diane again.
Diane stared at the tiny Fairy floating over her hand and breathed in, holding back her tears. "We will," she said, and her voice didn't tremble. She managed to force a smile. "Thank you."
Elaine's words couldn't change the fact that she felt guilty - of not noticing how truly dangerous King's condition was, of letting him go without even trying to stop him - but it was good to know that she didn't resent her for letting her brother disappear once again. Elaine nodded seriously, before flying back to Ban. He was standing on the ground, studying the map, but seemed to feel her approaching and turned around to smile at her and envelop her with an arm, pulling her closer. Diane studied them for a moment; she was so relieved to have them with her. Telling them about what had happened had been almost easy, words spilling from her mouth like water that suddenly found a creak in a dam, and at the same time, it had been hard. She had to face Elaine's anguish and fears, that had only grown when she had told her about King's sudden change of personality, his nightmares, his rapid loss of power. Neither Elaine knew what could have caused it - of course, she didn't , Diane thought, heaving a sigh. Then, they discussed what to do. Ban was the one who started asking her questions she could finally answer, like where she had seen King the last time and where they already looked for him. Eventually, she had found herself discussing with the couple, Gerheade and Matrona, about research groups and how to divide the Forest. And finally, she had the chance to make order in her mind after the chaos that had been the night before.
Her eyes finally left her friends, returning to the map. They decided to divide the Forest into ten sectors, using a radial pattern, and even though its surface was enormous, the ten groups that would have searched it should have been numerous enough to cover their area, or a large part of it, before dusk. It was unlikely that King had ended up on the opposite side of the Forest from where Diane had seen him the last time, but like that, they would have made sure to look everywhere in the woods Whatever direction King had taken, they would have found him. Only one group wouldn't have searched in the Fairy King's Forest. Diane glanced briefly at the tree standing in the centre of the clearing, its huge roots skimming the edges of the map. It was the one the Fairies used as a passage towards the Fairy Realm, and that was the place where Gerheade would have taken her small group of Fairies. Diane bit her lip. The woman had been clear: the Fairy Realm was vast, so vast that not even all the Fairies could hope to scour it completely, nor, she admitted, they would have wanted. There were strange places, in the Fairy Realm, places that most of the Fairies wouldn't have visited without the protection of their king. And the ones who lived there were not always the most friendly ones within their Clan. Gerheade doubted that King would have gone in the Fairy Realm, not after his obvious efforts to avoid the place and the Sacred Tree, and Diane agreed, but they couldn't leave it out of their research. At least, an attempt would have been made.
"Diane." She blinked and looked up. Gerheade herself floated in front of her, holding her wand with both her hands. "We are ready. If you … if you want to say something else," she added, her voice tired but gentle.
Diane nodded and rose; looking around, she could embrace all the clearing with her gaze. Fairies and Giants looked back at her, eyes full of expectation. She clenched her fits, lips set in a line. She couldn't look desperate or hopeless, not now. "Thank you all for offering your help," she began; there was no time for better thanks, but she hoped that they could understand how much she meant it. "Remember that now," she continued, turning to the reason why they were all there, "the Fairy King is extremely weak. This means that you will not be able to sense him, but also that he can't have gotten far. You will have to look in every creak and on every branch, but we will find him. He has to be somewhere."
Many of the Giants nodded and Diane exhaled slowly, confidence growing inside her. Elaine was right, she had to be. With all this help, they would have found Harlequin, and maybe in a few hours, she could have been holding him again. "If we don't find anything," a young Giant asked, "will we have to cross the borders?"
Diane hesitated and glanced at Gerheade, who looked back at her and barely shook her head. The decision was up to Diane. Turning again towards the Giant, she nodded, "You can explore the borders, but don't go too far. I doubt Harlequin was able to fly much in that state, he is probably still in the Forest. And if you leave - stay in groups and stay focused on the researchers."
"What if we meet humans?" This time the voice came from a tiny Fairy who was sitting on a branch, not far from Gerheade.
"I …," Diane furrowed her brows, taking a moment to think about her answer. Considering the way Harlequin had spoken about Humans lately, she doubted he would have sought their company. "Ask them if they saw a young boy in the surroundings of the Forest," she said finally.
Even if Harlequin had avoided them, some of the Humans who lived near to the Forest could have noticed something, and now they needed all the help they could find. "Maybe don't mention that the Fairy King went missing," Ban added, shrugging, "it's better to keep this for us for now."
Diane nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could another voice rose in the clearing. "What if humans took him?" Diane glanced at Puora. His tiny wings were fluttering furiously as he looked around, clenching his fits in front of him. "What if they have him and they are ripping his wings right now and -"
"Puora!" Gerheade looked like she was about to throw up. She reached for the other Fairy, eyes narrow, and then she started to speak furiously, shutting him up. but Diane stopped listening.
What if humans took him.
She didn't have to worry about it, did she? As far as she knew, it hadn't happened in centuries, mostly because Fairies had refused to leave the Fairy Realm for a very long time; even now, the most of them rarely left the Forest. Even though centuries had passed, it seemed like they all remembered perfectly what had happened the last time a Fairy had wrongly trusted a human. King didn't tell her about Helbram all in once. The truth about what had happened to him had come piece by piece, since the first time she asked how he knew him, shortly after they defeated Hendrickson in Liones. He finally opened up completely to her after she regained her memories, when she asked him why he didn't come back. Her stomach clenched painfully, remembering his expression when he told her about the moment when he found out Helbram and other Fairies had been captured, about when he finally reached the place where they had been held captive and what he found.
Ripping his wings.
"It was obvious that they did it carefully," he had whispered to her, and she cradled him in her hands, not too tight but enough to make him feel her presence, a sort of reminder that he wasn't there anymore, surrounded by bodies and blood, "the cuts were precise, the flesh around was barely ripped. Helbram told me they were slow and careful not to ruin the wings." She could feel his shiver against her skin. "They had been alive all the time, Diane. They were alive even after they lost their wings, Fairies aren't supposed to die for that. They died of blood loss because those humans didn't even bother bandaging their wounds. They simply left them there, bleeding, too much in pain to do anything else but cry. I will never forgive myself for not arriving on time."
Ripping his wings.
In the blink of an eye the picture of him lying on the ground with blood covering his back and hollow eyes materialised in her mind. No. Diane swallowed, a bitter taste in her mouth, doing her best to push it away. No. She couldn't let her fears overcome her, not now. "No human took him," she heard her voice say. Gerheade and Puora both looked up at her, and so did the rest of the group. She gritted her teeth, and when she spoke again, her voice was firm. "Harlequin is alive, and that's all we need to know. The Humans who live around here know better than risking two Clans' rage just to get a pair of Fairy wings." She heard some hums of approval as she fell silent, taking a moment to breathe in and calm herself before continuing. "Keep your eyes open, though. If you see any evidence that he has been taken …" I will take care of it. Harlequin was the one who promised her that he would have protected her, and she would have done everything in her power to do the same for him. "If there are no more questions," she said then, looking around, "you can go."
There was something definitive in her voice and Fairies and Giants obviously perceived it. The Giants bowed their heads and the same did some Fairies, their wings fluttering nervously. Diane sighed when they started leaving, separated in the groups they had formed. She hadn't meant to sound so commanding, but Puora's words had unsettled her more than she would have wanted to admit. She needed this situation to be solved as soon as possible, and for that, she needed to think that King was safe. Maybe crouched between the roots of a tree, terrified and too weak to move, but safe. Matrona was among the last to go, and she reached for her before leaving, squeezing her shoulder and giving her an encouraging nod. When her small group disappeared in the woods, the only people left in the clearing with her were Ban, Elaine, Gerheade and the group of Fairies that was supposed to follow the king's counsellor in the Fairy Realm. "Alright," Ban said, stretching his arms, "time to go."
Elaine looked at Diane. She and Ban would have gone alone; they were more than enough, he reassured. Neither had Diane, anyway; with her connection to the earth, they would have probably just interfered. "We will meet her soon," the Fairy assured, glancing at Gerheade too. "And Harlequin will be with us."
Diane wanted to answer. She wanted to tell Elaine something as encouraging, to wish her good luck, to thank her and Ban to be there with her. But words got stuck in her throat. She was turning around even before she could process what was happening; the earth suddenly felt more alive than ever and ready to respond to her commands, her magic bursting inside her as she prepared to use it. Her wide eyes didn't find anything different than the silent wood, but she could feel it. Somewhere towards South, distant from her but close, too close to the Forest. Magic, she realised immediately, her heart racing. A source of magic had suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere near the borders.
"What the hell is that?" Ban's voice raised from her side and when she glanced at him, she saw that he was tense as well, his body ready to spring into action. "How did it get so close without us knowing?"
"I don't know," Diane answered to both the questions, barely shaking her head. This wasn't right. This power was too strong, strong enough to compete both with hers and Ban's - there weren't many people who could do that, and Diane had thought she knew them all. Not this one, not exactly. It was hard to say since it was still distant, but this magic felt strange, both foreign and somehow familiar. Where could she have felt something similar? It moved. Suddenly, it was coming closer, direct exactly towards them, and it was fast. "It's inside the Forest," she said through her teeth, turning around to look at her friends.
Ban nodded, instinctively pushing Elaine closer. The Fairy looked even paler than before, her hands holding tight Ban's shoulder. "I don't understand," she murmured under her breath, "I have never felt anything like this before. It's revolting." Diane lifted an eyebrow, but Elaine didn't offer an explanation; instead, she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. When she opened them, she looked determined. "Whatever this is, I'm not letting it lay a finger on this Forest," she said between gritted teeth.
"Of course not," Diane said, still confused by her reaction. Perhaps, she mused, refocusing her attention on the foreign magic, Elaine was thinking about what had happened the last time the Forest was attacked. Well, even though Harlequin was missing again, this time things would have gone differently. "We have to move;" she continued, glancing towards South. "If we are quick enough we should be able to intercept it before it gets too close to the centre. There are too many people here, we can't involve them if it comes to fighting."
And Harlequin could have been anywhere, she thought, clenching her jaw. Whatever this was, she wanted it to stay as far as possible from her husband. She would have kept it away from him - and from anyone else. Ban nodded quickly. "Gideon?"
"It's at home." Diane sighed. "There is no time to get it. But with the two of us together, it shouldn't be necessary."
"Let's go then," Elaine said, leaving Ban on the ground to take flight. "Gerheade, you should -" She started, turning around, but suddenly she stopped.
Diane blinked, surprised, and for the first time since she had perceived that foreign power she looked at King's advisor, realising that the Fairy had been extremely quiet. Gerheade was still in the air, gaze fixed towards South, not even glancing at the worried Fairies that encircled her and quietly called her name. She had probably let her wand fall because her hands were both empty, her arms by her side. But her expression was what concerned Diane the most. Gerheade looked like she had seen a ghost. Her wide eyes were filled with a visceral terror that Diane had never seen her show. "Gerheade?" Elaine tried again, a bit hesitant this time, "Are you alright?"
Suddenly, the woman blinked and seemed to break from her shock. Her eyes found Elaine but then she immediately turned around, facing the Fairies that were still flying around her with alarm. "Ende!" She shot, gesturing towards the pink-haired, "You take charge of this group. Alert the Fairies who are not busy in the research, if things go wrong I need you to take all of them in the Fairy Realm!"
Ende nodded quickly, eyes wide with surprise and opened her mouth as if to ask a question but Gerheade was already flying away. "We have to go," she said hurriedly as she reached Elaine, "we can't let that thing come closer!"
"Wait, you know what it is?" Ban asked, brows furrowed.
"I -" The Fairy stopped, taking a moment to breathe in, trying to calm herself. "I have felt something similar before," she finally admitted, "never like this, though. It's too strong. I'm probably wrong, but I have to make sure. We have to go now."
"What are you talking about?" Diane asked. She didn't like to see the Fairy King's advisor so shaken. Rapidly, she checked the source of magic, but it seemed to have slowed down - it was still somewhere near the borders.
"I'll explain as we go," Gerheade's gaze was almost desperate when she turned toward Diane, "but until we are not sure about what it is, we can't let it come closer to the entrance to the Fairy Realm."
"Gerheade -" Elaine started again, but the woman shook her head. "Please," she said, clenching her fists, "I'll go alone if I have to."
"As if you could leave us behind," Ban snorted, then reached for Elaine's shoulder. "We have to go now if we want to keep our advantage," he said to her softly. The Fairy frowned, still looking at Gerheade, but nodded.
Diane pressed her lips in a line. What Gerheade had to say could have been helpful. She didn't like the idea of running towards something she didn't know, especially not now, but the Fairy was right. They had to move. "Come here," she said, reaching for Gerheade with her hand. "I can carry you," she explained when the woman looked up, "We are all faster than you. It won't be a problem for me."
Carefully, Gerheade landed on her palm and grabbed her fingers. "Thank you," she said looking up, though her voice betrayed her anxiety. "Now -"
"Now," Ban interrupted her, turning around, "we go." The moment later, both he and Elaine were not there anymore. Diane gently cradled the older woman in her hand, taking her closer to her chest. "Tell me if there are any problems," she whispered to her. The strange magic didn't move much but it was still there, and Diane could perceive it clearly. It wasn't even trying to hide. Pushing the fear for King's conditions in the back of her mind, Diane started running. She wouldn't have let anyone threaten the home Harlequin and she had built.
Only some of the Fairies recognised him as he flew through the Forest. At first, Harlequin stopped when he met them to check if they were alright. His Fairies looked tired and shaken; they lied on the forest floor and on the trees' branches, looking too exhausted even to fly, but at least none of them seemed to be hurt. This didn't calm his rage. It still burned inside his chest like acid, flaring like fire after every encounter. The Sacred Tree was a god, but Harlequin knew from experience that gods were not invulnerable in front of their creation's fury.
Not only anger tormented him though. His flight towards home was a nightmare. Every time he stopped to make sure the Fairies were alright, they looked at him with fear, moving away from his touch, asking him who - or what - he was. Some didn't believe he was really their king, it didn't matter what he said. It hurt, but not as much as seeing the pure horror in the eyes of the ones who believed him or who recognised him. They seemed to think that something horrible happened to him, that he needed help. I don't need help, he wanted to scream at them, but he knew it would have only scared them more. And so he left them behind with the promise that he would have come back to explain. They would have seen that he was alright, eventually. Soon, Harlequin stopped approaching them. He flew faster, eyes fixed on his destination, ignoring the surprised yells and gasps coming from the trees around him and from below. Their thoughts were everywhere though. He closed his eyes and tried desperately to stop reading their heart, but he found it hard to completely close his mind from them. Maybe it was because he was so distressed, maybe because he still hoped that someone among the Fairies wouldn't have been so scared, so biased towards him. Only one would have been enough. But there was no one.
They will look at you and see a monster, Coremorn said.
They will change their mind, King thought, clenching his jaw as he ignored another burst of astonished cries from the ground. But as he flew into the Forest, towards Diane and his sister and Ban, he couldn't stop doubt from making roots in the back of his mind.