Of Faes and Foes
Author: Silver
Category: AU, CC
Summary: Liz is the spoiled daughter of the Elven King, Maria is her cousin, while Max and Michael are knights in (not so) shining armor. What else needed to be said? It's a light fantasy fic. Alex is a wizard, and Isabel is an elven priestess. I'll alternate the POVs every chapter.
Chapter One
The fun of fairyhood
'Liz! Wait up!' I jump to the next tree. The branch is slippery from the moss and I nearly fall down. Let the packs of Hell have it! I leap and spread my wings. With a few forceful beats I'm through the green cover of the Forest.
I blink in the blinding sunlight, and shade my eyes with my hand. The lush green carpet stretches to the horizon. Birds dance above and around, and I'm inclined to join them. Instead I sigh and tear my gaze from them and begin to scout around. My feet brush the highest leaves of the ancient oak trees as I fly a big lap, calling her name. I can only hope that she'll turn up, if she doesn't want to be found, she won't be.
I'm about to give up and return to the castle, when she finally pokes her head out.
'Stop shouting 'Ria, I'm here!'
'At last! You know how long I've been chasing you?'
'Yep,' she says nodding fervently. 'Since you saw me near the fountain. Though I thought I lost you near Grandfather Oak. How did you know which way to come?' Oh, so she was just playing the fool, I knew it! I knew all the way that she knew I was after her. Then why did I have to run after her for miles and miles? There are questions best left unasked, if I don't want to work up myself anymore. Instead I just say:
'I asked the Grandfather.' She looks surprised, like the thought had never occurred to her.' Look, we've got to go back. Your father is already on the edge…' I try to explain, but she interrupts me.
'No way. There's simply no way that I'll be attending another party tonight.'
'But, Liz, think of the fun we could have...' I try weakly.
'No. I'm sure there'll be some prince or other to introduce me to, and then everyone will watch us and talk about it for weeks. I'm not going home tonight. I order you to stop trying to persuade me.'
'Look, your father commanded me to bring you home, so that one won't work on me.' She nods and grins.
'Yes, but I'm sure Pop never said "persuade her". So I can forbid you to do that. And because you can't try to talk me out of this, and physical violence is out of the question, you can come with me and we can disappear for a while.'
I sigh. Honestly, I tried, Sire. I whisper then I shrug mentally. If I can't bring her home, then the least I can do is keep an eye on her.
'Okay, that's settled then. And if we don't go back, what will we do?'
'Steal the gold of the Kobolds?'
'No way, we did that last month, (and the month before that, and the month before that ), they'll be guarding it like… well, like it's treasure.'
'Then we should party with the pixies!' She says, brightened by the new idea. It'd be sure fun, the pixies host the best parties, from a certain point of view, if I might add.
'Hello, anyone home, ' I wave my hands in front of her face. 'The pixies will be at the ball held in your honor, your Highness. You know, the place where you're supposed to be?.'
'Don't be such spoilsport, 'Ria,' she says. She folds bright amber wings and sits down on the top of a particularly tall oak. She is thinking hard, going over our usual hobbies. Her face lights up again, and I know what she is going to propose.
'Forget it, Liz. Your father will think of that one too. There'll be guards all over the place.' I've guessed right. She sticks out her tongue at me; then her face brightens again.
'I've got it! Let's play with humans! We haven't done that in ages!' I'm about to protest, then I reconsider. It's harmless, at least more harmless than anything else she would come up with, and it might be fun, so I nod.
Now that she has a plan, she jumps up from the tree she was sitting on and spreads her wings in one fluid motion.
'Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the Old Road!' With a few beats we rise high over the trees. Soaring high, we fly towards the boundary of the Forest, away from the castle.
Liz is unbeatable among the trees, she is light and agile, but I'm stronger and my opalescent wings carry me faster… not that she'll ever admit that.
Soon we race, high above the greenery. Father Sun is slowly returning to Mother Earth, and his light reflects on the upper leaves, flashing in a million colors, coating them in liquid gold. It's the most beautiful sight of the world, the sunset over the Forest. When we are finished with our little competition, (Guess who won? Guess who?), we glide above our homeland with open wings, letting Brother Wind carry us in his arms.
As the hours pass, the horizon draws nearer. Instead of the endless sea of trees, green and yellow fields of corn and wheat lay under us. We cover ourselves in a coat of glamour, making ourselves invisible to the common eye. Though we cannot be seen, we watch, with rapt attention. Like little ants, peasants head home from their fields, their skin brown from toiling under the watching eye of Father Sun, their hands are calloused, their cloths rough and dirty. With a few forceful beats, we leave them far behind.
A girl walks alone on the road, with a heavy basket full of peaches on her shoulder. Brother Wind plays with her dirty-blond hair, while she sings a song. We slow and descend, enthralled by this simple music. The tune is hoarse and a bit false to my ears accustomed to the best singers of the elvish kingdoms, but it strikes a chord in my heart. The song is about a princess setting out to find her one true love. She journeys the world from east to west; from north to south, from the highest mountaintops to the deepest dungeons, but to no avail. In the end, tired and hopeless, she slowly gives in to desperation and on a cold, winter morning, leaves this world behind forever. When the last notes die away, I shed a tear, and then we glide away in the evening breeze. We are sisters to this folk, and yet how much we differ! I'm amazed and bewitched by their world, and maybe that's why I let her take us on this adventure.
