|One Week Later|
After how the prince had spoken to her Rhianwen had done her utmost best to stay out of his hair, which was easier said than done in the small space he occupied. From his sleeping place he could see her no matter where she was standing, unless she hid where she slept. Which was not happening because she could hardly stretch on that small plot of walkway, not without touching the water. And she preferred not to take any chances, because that Xana had promised she would look for Rhianwen one day.
Mister Snark had recuperated fully and quickly, though his ego did not bounce back quite so sprightly. He seemed to have a hard time digesting she had been of minor help to him, spending even more time away than he already had. And although she really wanted to take off there was the threat of the shadows. Running off sounded wonderful and alluring but she would have liked living on top of that. Pip had told her how Fortuna would take the Sphere from her and 'evisceration' didn't come close to bringing it justice.
Right now all of that had to take a backseat to the mind-blowing request she had just received. "You're sure about this? Like, you know I'm not a pixie, right?"
Lena smiled serenely, sitting in the palm of Rhianwen's hand, her dark hair that was uncharacteristic of pixies framing her delicate face. "Somehow I was aware of that, yes."
The human ignored Lenore's snicker of 'don't see how we could miss it' and instead rubbed her free hand across her cheek. This wasn't exactly a request to take lightly. "Even after I was ignoring you guys for all that time? And I'm not exactly of royal blood. Hell, I don't even have money, at least not that much. I'm a horrible choice."
Lena folded her hands around her belly, looking down at the bump of life growing inside her. "You always pulled through for pixies when we needed you most. And Pip said that the amount of love you would have for your godchild would outweigh any amount of gold."
Rhianwen swallowed, directing her gaze to where Lena was looking. Pixies themselves were just a hand tall on average. The baby bump couldn't have been bigger than a cherry pit. She had the uncomfortable notion she could hurt the unborn child just by breathing on it. "Pip also knows there is more to a pixie godchild than love. I mean… that means… it would…"
She couldn't find the words to describe the list of responsibilities she would have for the kid. Apart from an entire list of things it would need when born - the godparent usually paid for everything because of the honor - she would also be the official guardian in case something were to happen to Pip and Lena. She would be the guardian of the next heir to the pixie throne. There had to be someone else.
Lena placed her hand on Rhianwen's palm, not looking half as panicked as the situation probably merited. "We wanted to ask you because you are Pip's family. Nobody would look after our child as well as you would. You're already stressing out and it's not even born yet."
Not yet but the way things were looking it could be any week now. Lena couldn't even fly for a few minutes without being tuckered out. Rhianwen took a deep swallow. "This will be the first pixie baby in over twenty years. It's too important to choose me."
Lenore patted Rhianwen on the top of her head, hardly making an impression as she did so. "That's why nobody is more suited than you, you big dummy. Who is the only person in the world that's the vessel of Fortuna's fertility Sphere? That thing inside you controls which baby gets to live when born and which doesn't. I'd say that's a pretty big factor in deciding who gets to be godmother."
Rhianwen placed a hand over her own stomach, expecting to feel something inside of her. There was nothing except the usual queasy feeling she got when considering what was in there. "It's not like I can control it."
And she wouldn't live over a century either, probably. What was she supposed to do for the kid once she was dead and buried? At this rate they'd be better of picking prince sourpuss as godfather. He'd be more of a protection than she was.
When she voiced her concern about this Lena's gaze grew distant. "Don't worry about aging. We'll handle that sort of detail."
Yes, totally not creepy. If she hadn't known pixie magic was limited to pulling pranks she might have gotten worried they were up to something. "Cryptic factor put aside, what about the necessities? A crib is the pure basics, right?"
"Pip's grandmother already took care of all of that. It's her first grandchild and she is over the moon. We had to promise we'd head straight back to court once the bundle of joy is born." Lenore told them both.
"Then there is another thing. You know, pretty important." Rhianwen continued. She was hinting at the tattoo godparents wore in honor of their charges. Apart from the name of their life partners and own children, important events were also recorded on a pixie's body and it hardly got any bigger than a godchild.
Lenore nodded, folding her hands over one another. Lena seemed less convinced. "Well, you're not really a pixie. I suppose we could let it slip."
This caused Rhianwen to shake her head in denial. "Oh no. If you're going to treat me like a pixie then at least let me do some of it by the book. Not that I'm looking forward to it… sounds painful."
"Only a little tingly feeling after you get your first facial tattoo." Lenore said in what was supposed to be a helpful way, pointing at her own face where the blue flower was barely visible in the shadows. "More importantly, what side are you going to put it on?"
"Left." Rhianwen answered without hesitation. Pip had his faults, but he had taken care of her like an older brother. It was only natural a child of his would be placed on the side closest to her heart.
Lena bowed her head in thanks before Rhianwen continued. "Which means I'm going to need gold. I doubt fae artisans take Visa."
"How are you going to get gold? You don't exactly have a useful profession like smithing or something." Lenore pointed out, keeping an eye out in case other pixies might feel like eavesdropping on them. The women would probably side with them but the men were liable to go running to Pip.
Rhianwen reached for a stack of cards near her. "We wait until I feel a lucky streak coming on. You think people play poker around here?"
|Three Days Later|
The jump to playing poker to earn some money wasn't that far-fetched. Some days she woke up feeling lucky, and those days were good days. Not that she ever won big with lotto or anything, but she usually did make a few bucks if she were to buy a ticket. As long as it was pure chance she had a shot. It made more sense now that she knew there was a relic from a luck goddess stuck in her body.
And today was a doozy. She had only felt like this two times before, a surge of luck that made her feel as if her body was under an electric current. The power left the taste of lightning and mint in her mouth.
All she had to do now was make her escape. Lena had no objections to the godmother of her child showing initiative in getting out there to do her duty. Gambling was almost among the more respectable ways of making money for younger pixies. Lenore had taken more time to convince but all had to waver in front of the 'godchild' argument.
The only problem was they couldn't let the men know, least of all Pip. The pixie prince would have an aneurysm if he found out his charge wanted to skip about on the troll market. No matter how old Rhianwen got he still saw her as the babe he had gotten into trouble. Which meant Lena would distract him while she attempted to get Nuada on her side. Which was easier said than done.
"It's not like I'm asking you to sacrifice fae children to me. All I need if for you to bring me to a bar in the Troll Market and I'll handle the rest from there." Part of her hoped he would realize she was being perfectly reasonable in her request. The other part couldn't stop thinking about her original plan which had included knocking Nuada out with some pixie dust. If he tried to stop her she could always go back to that plan.
He almost rolled his eyes at her, she could tell. In the past few days she had been studying him, trying to find some sort of weak spot she could press. Sadly he only had the one and that was his promise. "C'mon, it would be a show of your good will."
"I have none to spare for you." He said curtly, looking at the mug of tea she had made for him. It was standing on a small table near them, smoke visible in the cool air.
"But I even made you tea! Just the way you like it, so sweet I get cavities from being in the same room as it." She had never seen someone with such a huge sweet tooth as the elf prince. Picking up on his habits was easy enough since she had bitter little to do during her stay.
"Be a sport and let me do something for my godchild. I swear you won't regret it."
He exhaled so strongly Rhianwen feared he might lose a lung in the process. "You are not leaving this room. I promised to keep you safe and by the gods I will keep my word."
"Okay, first of all, you only promised to keep me safe. Nothing was ever mentioned about the location you'd be keeping me safe in. And second, maybe I didn't phrase my intentions that correctly. I wasn't asking your permission but more giving you a heads up about what I'm going to do. Honestly speaking, my first idea was knocking you out." She waited a moment so the elf could let the idea sink in, crossing her arms over one another. Things would probably be safer if Nuada accompanied her but she was prepared to make the trip solo. Anything to get away and do something for just once, even if that meant going to a troll market.
She had never been to one of those, too caught up in ignoring the pixies and all of their friends. And a part of her really wanted to go back to ignoring everything magical, but that would have to wait until the shadows stopped chasing her.
Nuada looked at her, trying to read what she was up to. She replied with a grim smile because she really did not have ulterior motives with this one. All she wanted to do was earn some gold while she was still feeling lucky. The luck was crackling underneath her skin like when she would take a look at the pixie shields. The taste of lightning never left her mouth, sending shivers down her spine. "You can hold my hand if you want to make sure I won't run away."
Finally he scoffed. "If you believe I will lower myself any more than I already have-"
"Please, I barely even touched you."
"Then you are sorely mistaken. You are safe here, and safe you will remain." Nuada finished his sentence, glaring down at her.
Did he ever smile? Did he even know how to do that? Rhianwen shook her head in exasperation. "All I'm saying is, pixies take this kind of thing very serious. And you are the most honorable guy I've ever spoken to." Funny how he could always seem taken aback by this sort of comment.
"So I'm sure you can understand I don't want to violate their traditions simply because I didn't dare go out in a market. You don't even have to take me to the center. One shady bar is all I'm asking for. They won't even know I'm human."
He reached for the tea but pulled his fingers back before he had even come near the mug. The glare he sent her way insinuated she had spoiled the cup simply by preparing the contents. "I have no desire to be seen in the company of a human."
"They won't see a human. They'll see exactly what they expect to see." Rhianwen replied. When she had woken up in the morning she had let the pixie women know that today would be the day. They had already laid the foundation to the 'tattoo' spell in the bathroom with a mixture of mud and blue coloring powder. All she needed was the finishing touches on her hands and face.
"I've used it before, back when I was- when I was more active in the Other community. Unless they are expecting to see a human they will never realize who I am."
Nuada hesitated for a moment. "I still don't owe you this kind of favour."
Rhianwen felt close to begging on her knees or reverting to the dust plan. "C'mon. Apart from that little trip almost two weeks ago I haven't left this place once. I don't even know what kind of weather the outside world has right now. All I want is some contact with people that don't look at me like I either have a horrible disease or must be protected at all costs."
Strangely enough Mr. Wink was in a category all of his own. At times he treated her as delicately as Rhianwen treated the pixies, though seldom when Nuada was also present.
Seeing that Nuada was finally beginning to falter - she supposed the stereotypical elven kindness had to shine through some time - she finally made her final promise. "Nobody will find out who I was. And when you say enough, I will come with you without objecting. If I don't you can tie me up and hang me somewhere. I cross my heart and hope to die. I'll promise on anything you want me to."
His eyes, dark as ancient amber, finally locked directly on hers. He was weighing her. "Promise on what you hold dearest."
Rhianwen swallowed. This bastard… but he should have caught on what she loved most earlier. He probably wanted her to confirm out loud. She took a deep breath, scanning around to see if any of the pixies were around. "I swear on Pip's life."
Now this clearly wasn't what Nuada had expected her to say. "What about your normal life?"
"If I ever have to choose between Pip and a normal life, I'll choose Pip. I promised, can we go now?" she snapped, not wanting to linger on the subject. He had expected her to promise on her hope for a normal life? She should have taken that route because at least that would have meant he wouldn't know the truth. She only waited for the beginning of his nod before taking off.
|Later|
Rhianwen clasped the tattered cloak Wink had slipped her closer around her, hiding her head in the folds of the hood. Nuada had not seen her as someone else, but that was because he had expected her to be a human. He had stopped in front of a small bar, nearly causing her to bump into him.
They were only at the beginning of the troll market. Rhianwen could hear the chatter and yelling near them, she could see the jostling of supernatural creatures as they went about their business. The scent of herbs, smoke and less familiar things hung heavy in the air. A sudden feeling for nostalgia overwhelmed her when a passerby left behind the scent of rose oil.
Thankful they wouldn't be venturing further Rhianwen followed after Nuada, Lenore urging her to do so from the shelter she had found in Rhianwen's curls. The prince didn't linger near the doorway, not keen on giving the impression they were there together. Instead he instantly found a place at the bar from where he could easily oversee the perimeter.
Rhianwen's eyes trailed elsewhere, landing on the tables hidden in white smoke to the side. Though she couldn't see any cards the distinct rattling of dice could be hear in the room. She bit her lip so as not to grin. Dice were even more random than cards, meaning her luck would have the best chance of shining through.
She raised her hand in a gesture to the bar, as instructed by Lenore, before she walked over to the dice table. The introduction was always the tricky part because she couldn't know what the others were seeing her as. "Any room for an extra player?"
A female looked up, her deep blue eyes widening as she laid eyes on Rhianwen. "We always have a place for an extra player. Do you know how to 'Court the King'?"
Rhianwen checked on the table, noting that there were indeed cards on the table alongside the dice. More importantly was a stack of coins. "I'm a fast learner."
A gnome, his skin a pale green in the candle light, patted the seat next to him. "Hope you don't mind us going all-out on the newcomer."
She assured him she did not mind at all. When she had taken her seat she was across a man with a strangely long nose. His eyes slanted slightly upwards and he made no effort to smile. Just to be polite she inclined her head towards him as well.
The woman started to deal the cards with a grin on her face, counting on easy pickings. "Are you feeling lucky today?"
The taste of lightning grew stronger at the question, a taste that was not purely copper. Liquid luck seemed to run through her veins. Pulling up the corners in a subdued smile she accepted her cards.
"Just a tad."
OptimusPrimeGirl213 : I'm glad you like several of my stories! ^^ It's always nice to hear people like my writing, so yeah, thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a nice day!
kateskates24 : sorry for only replying now, I simply wasn't up to it before. Thanks for the kind words!
lillalil : Thank you so much! I know, characters like Nuada NEED to be written in a slow romance. This is not the kind of guy that falls for someone he considers to be horrid in a few short weeks. Glad I'm doing okay up until now.
Netag Silverstar : first of all, a very pretty name you have going on there. Thank you for the kind words, and for the reassurance. I still keep worrying I'm moving it too quickly sometimes.
xSiriuslyPadfoot : Nuada is the hardest character I've ever had to keep in character. Like... wow. I've never backtraced so much before in a story as this one.
Wanda Lensherr, samantathm : Updating may be slow, but they always get there eventually.
Stella : I know right? And Nuada is a really good character. Too bad they couldn't do more with him, but complaining is no use.