November 14, 1999
"This is the stupidest thing we have done since joining the 'light' side." Theo griped as he trudged through the mud and thick undergrowth of the forest floor.
Blaise chuckled ahead of Theo, not struggling nearly as much navigating through the woods. "No, the stupidest thing we have done since joining the 'light side' was lose to Draco and Granger when picking assignments. None of us are qualified to be speaking to the Fae, yet here we are. Three Slytherin rejects trying to make peace relations."
"Speak for yourself," Kingsley grunted as he checked a glowing blue stone in his hand to make sure they were going the right way. "We are almost there. Do you boys remember the rules?"
"No giving our names or speaking each other names in front of the Fae. Code names only. Do not eat or drink anything. Do not make any deals, bargains, or promises with the Fae. Only speak when spoken to. Yes, yes we remember." Blaise snarked, not sounding much happier than Theo was feeling.
"We know our jobs, as useless as they may feel," Theo added but Kingsley just ignored both of them and their bad moods. All three of them were wet, cold, and miserable at this point. They had been hiking through this forest for nearly two hours now and Theo was starting to lose feeling in his toes. As much as he was looking forward to meeting the Fae face-to-face for the first time, he regretted that they were meeting in the middle of November instead of August when they were originally supposed to meet. However, due to a massive raid by the Death Eaters, they had to postpone their meeting by several months.
They had to make it to this meeting and they had to get the Unseelie court on their side. The Dark Lord's forces were destroying everything without any remorse. Wizards in Britain were going to go extinct at the rate they were going.
"Faerie circle ahead. You two ready?" Kingsley announced, dragging Theo from his dark thoughts.
"Let's get this done. I want a hot shower after this." Blaise grumbled, reactivating his heating charm.
Theo just nodded, he didn't feel very prepared for this meeting but needs must.
The Faerie circle was hidden among large trees, it would be easy for someone to just stumble into it on accident. Small blue and white spotted mushrooms created a shimmering circle of power that made goosebumps go up his arms. The power felt cold, but not malicious. Hopefully, the Unseelie were of a similar temperament.
They all stepped into the circle without another word, bonuses of being here without the loudmouth Gryffindors. For a second, Theo wondered if it wasn't going to work. He felt awkward just standing inside the circle waiting for something like an apparition or a portkey sensation to occur. But then someone cleared their throat from behind them, making all three men turn around. The forest didn't seem to have changed visibly, but the air felt thicker with magic. Standing in front of them was a tall Unseelie Fae.
The man, fae, was easily over 6'2 considering that was how tall Blaise was. His pale white skin seemed to glow in the faint light of the forest. Long dark blood-red hair was pulled back into many intricate braids laced with small gemstones and silver jewelry making his thin black antennae stand out. His eyes were a piercing black with red flecks that also glowed with a warm light. He wore a black dress shirt and slacks that made his skin look even paler. The man was otherworldly even without any wings in sight. The fae smirked at them, seeming to be amused by their presence.
"Welcome wizards to the Fae Realm. If you would please follow me to where we will be meeting the others." The fae's voice was deep and soothing but he did not wait for their response, turning and walking away with easy long strides.
They quickly followed after him, looking around to see if they could spot any differences from the mortal realm's forest they had just been in. But so far it all looked the same, the air felt warmer though. Something that both Theo and Blaise were grateful for.
They didn't walk far before they stepped into a clearing that had been set up for their meeting. A long dark wooden table sat in the middle of what Theo would call a meadow. Similar dark wooden chairs surround the table, five of them vacant while two others already held two more Fae.
One of the Fae looked to be a female version of the man that had led them there, almost an identical twin dressed in a long flowing black dress, but the female's eyes were more red than black and her hair held black streaks. The other fae was just as tall as the other two, with shoulder-length golden-brown hair and amber-brown eyes. The antennae on this fae were much longer and almost looked like feathers against the backdrop of straight silky hair. The Fae wore a comfortable-looking grey t-shirt and black jeans. Dark brown freckles covered the fae's tan skin and Theo couldn't tell if this one was male or female.
The Fae who had led them moved around to join the others. "Come sit dear wizards, we will not bite."
Kingsley was the brave soul to step forward first, bowing. "We thank you for granting us this opportunity to meet with you. You may call me Panther for the duration of this meeting."
Both Theo and Blaise bowed as well, not offering any names yet as they had not yet been spoken to. The three wizards sat across from the three fae who all appeared to be amused by them.
"You can call me Burnet. My sister will be Cinna and this is Mint." The man offered in his deep tone. "No one has ever approached the Unseelie before, so we are curious about your request. You aren't the Ministry but you also aren't random civilians either, are you Panther?"
Kingsley took a deep breath and Theo had to wonder if he thought the Fae wouldn't make such observations. "You are correct. We are not here on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. We are here on behalf of the Order of Phoenix and the Chess Master."
Dumbledore's code name made all the Slytherin's want to grin. The old man hadn't chosen the name, the Fae had given it to him and it was so apt.
"What does the Chess Master want from the Unseelie?" Cinna asked in a sharp tone.
"To create a pact of peace at the very least, but if the Unseelie are willing, to also ask for aid in our war against the Dark Lord," Kingsley responded, unruffled by the hostility of Cinna.
"What do the Unseelie care about a mortal war?" Mint asked this time, his tone wary. They knew going in that the Fae were about as big of fans of Mortals as the Centaurs or Goblins were of Wizards.
"The Dark Lord will not stop at just the mortal realm. The Centaurs have seen it. The Dark Lord will be the end of all of magical Britain and the rest of the world will not come to save us until we are all already dead." Blaise said in a deadly tone. It had been in their sixth year when Centaurs had come into the great hall to warn of what was to come. To tell them that the end was near.
"And you, young dark wizard, have joined the Chess Master in hopes of salvation?" Burnet had not yet lost his amused air, unlike his companions.
"You may call me Spider, and yes I have. I may not agree with the Chess Master on everything or even most things, but at least he will not bring death to us all." Blaise spoke with brutal honesty that the Fae in front of them seemed to appreciate. Burnet then looked at Theo.
"And you?"
Theo cleared his throat, sitting up straighter. "You may call me Aspen. I am neither a dark nor light wizard. My family was dark but I have always been grey. My family was slaughtered by the Dark Lord while serving him. The Dark Lord has no care for who he kills. He is insane, a pure psychopath. He wants to see the world burn."
Burnet seemed to consider Theo's words carefully before looking back at Kingsley. "What would this pact of peace entail?"
"That you do not join the Dark Lord's side of the war."
"That is all?" A new voice asked cynically. Walking up to the table and taking a seat next to the other Fae was the most beautiful being Theo had ever seen. The Fae was shorter than the other three, unruly short black hair made the Fae's black antennae hard to spot. Bright emerald green eyes looked over the three wizards with barely concealed distrust. His skin was as pale as Cinna and Burnet's but held a brighter glow. The Fae's green silk button-up shirt and black slacks made his eyes even more vibrant. His face seemed oddly familiar to Theo, but he couldn't place it. Not like Theo had ever met any Fae before today.
"This is all that would be required, yes." Kingsley continued. "We would like to offer protection to you if the Dark Lord comes to call and we would like to ask if we must escape to hide somewhere that you allow us into your realm again, but they are not a requirement to the peace pact."
Green eyes narrowed but didn't speak. The other Fae looked to the new one for a moment before Burnet spoke again. "We would have to consult with others to get permission for that and I do not know if any Fae would agree to fight for your mortals. But we at the least can easily agree that we will not join this Dark Lord. We may be Unseelie, but we are not evil."
Kingsley smiled slightly. "We do not believe you are evil. But the Dark Lord is rather charismatic when he wants to be and will torture and kill if charisma does not work. The power of the Fae could be something that turns the tide of the war in a way that would be disastrous for us all. I have brought with me a pandora's box so you may reach us quickly and easily." Kingsley pulled out a faintly glowing small bronze box and set it on top of the wooden table. "You place any missive inside the box and it will appear in the second box we have back at headquarters."
"How do we trust that you will not turn the Fae or Fae secrets over to this Dark Lord to protect yourselves?" The green-eyed Fae asked with a frown on his face.
Kingsley hesitated and Theo knew why. Making promises with the Fae could be as deadly as casting a binding oath, and probably far more painful. The pact they had drawn up was basic and would bind no specific person or Fae. Remus had coached them before they left to not make any promises or oaths to the Fae. But Theo could read between the lines. The other three Fae looked to this new one as an authority. If they did not win over the green-eyed Fae then they would not get the peace pact at all.
So Theo did something stupid.
"I will promise on behalf of those wishing for peace between us that we will not sell out the Fae or anything we may learn about the Fae to the Dark Lord for any reason," Theo said in a steady voice, looking at the green-eyed Fae. He could feel both Blaise and Kingsley tensing up beside him at his words, but Theo kept himself steady.
The green-eyed Fae watched Theo for several long moments before his pink lips widened into a deadly grin that made Theo's heart beat faster. "Then I, Oleander, on behalf of the Unseelie Fae accept your promise, Aspen. I hope you will not come to regret it." Oleander purred.
Oh, Theo was so fucked.