Faith: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Season 1 Chapter 7: Gorugath, a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer + Kingdoms of Amalur Crossover fanfic

Chapter Seven: Gorugath

"Oh… wow," Gwyn breathed out, eyes wide.

"Seconded," Faith stated. The Fae sure knew how to make a theatre, that's for sure.

The House of Ballads, even from the gate, looked like it was a part of the landscape. For lack of a better word, each building was 'constructed' from magically grown flora. Vines were manipulated to form thick walls, while the leaves were made into roofs. It had been so expertly done that the only way they knew the structures were alive was due to the roots poking out of the ground at the base. Every frame was the same way, giving the place an otherworldly feel. It made her curious as to what the interiors looked like.

She had a good feeling they wouldn't get a chance to explore, though. Mostly due to an older Fae walking across the bridge to them, a rather severe expression on his face.

Agarth grinned. "Ah, Hallum!" he called out. "How have the Tellings been, my friend?"

Hallum bowed in greeting. "They are going quite well, and please do not call me 'friend,' Agarth. We are acquaintances, nothing more." He looked at them. "But right now, I must ask you all to leave. We are preparing for the Ballad of Sir Sagrell and the Thresh and have no time to entertain you."

Faith sighed. "Actually, the Ballad of Sir Sagrell is why we're here," she replied. "Illuvia was attacked in Gorhart by members of the Red Legion. She had overheard their plans about attacking Gorugath during that very Telling."

Hallum shook his head. "Of course. You Dustlings seem not to distinguish between the Seelie Fae and the Tuatha Deohn. Tell me, is Illuvia alright?"

"Thankfully, yes. Herc Oswald and his village guard were able to protect her from a second attack."

"Then I shall thank him the next time I see him. I do not want him to think that we will try and exact retribution for the acts of others. Now, about the Red Legion attacking the Telling…"

"They may be able to pull it off," Tilera replied. "They managed to get their hands on a poison capable of killing even the fae quickly and painfully."

"And there is the fact that their numbers have swelled," Agarth added. "They're preparing for war against your people, which may bring the Summer fae into the war on the Tuatha's side."

Hallum frowned, thinking hard for a moment. He was unsure but then stiffened. "Then they may have already struck," he stated. "Sir Sagrell has disappeared before his story could begin. We are sending a group to Gorugath to select someone to take his place, but if they are still out there, laying in wait…"

"How about we go to Gorugath with them?" Faith suggested. "If nothing else, you may have a better chance of your story going off without a hitch."

"Hmm… not a bad idea." Hallum frowned. "Unfortunately, we have no means of paying you for your services."

"Don't worry about it. We're trying to prevent a small-scale war from erupting in Dalentarth." She turned to Agarth. "Didn't we pass Gorugath on the way here?"

Agarth nodded. "We did. I never saw its interior, but it's the only other known Fae location in this area."

"Which would explain why they chose that as a target," Gwyn added, looking at Hallum. "Are your candidates ready?"

Hallum nodded. "They were just about ready to head out before you arrived."

"Well, then, let's get going."

Their journey did not go unnoticed. It wasn't the Red Legion that was watching them, however.

From her home far away, the female Fae watched as a small group of Ballad Initiates left for Gorugath, the dustlings from Gorhart walking alongside them. They were obviously there to try and protect the Telling. She approved. It wouldn't matter in the end, but she still appreciated the story itself.

Her gaze invariably shifted to one of the Dustlings and observed her, the dark-haired Almanian female. She wasn't sure why, but something about that one fascinated her. Physically, she was not much different from any other member of her people. Her hair was down past her shoulders, which worked for her. She had a pretty good physique, better than most of the others she had observed. But other than that, she was nothing special.

So why was she interested in her?

Perhaps it was because she had stood up for a Seelie. She protected that Seelie from a threat when she had no reason to. That was a degree of morality that even the Fae struggled with. That was most likely the reason.

Or perhaps it was because this one was different in a different way. She had managed to change something. Something that shouldn't have changed. Illuvia was supposed to die that day at the hands of her attackers. It didn't happen… and it was supposed to.

And nothing happened.

'This Dustling managed to change Fate, and Fate didn't react at all,' she thought, looking at her staff. 'She did what I am trying to do, and she didn't need any sort of aid to accomplish it.' That was something to applaud.

She had a terrible feeling that Fate would not be as kind to her.

"So, what does the Song of Sir Sagrell imply?" Gwyn asked one of the Fae after a moment had passed. "I know that he defeats a thresh, but not his reasons for fighting it. Was it a servant to some greater foe?"

The Fae, who was known as Ticon, nodded. "The story of Sir Sagrell and the Thresh isn't all that glorious by Dustling standards, but it is connected to a greater power. One day, Sir Sagrell was sleeping off a night of song and women when a terrible roar woke him up. The Maid of Windemere was calling forth a terrible beast to send against King Wencen himself. When she departed, he entered Gorugath and slayed the creature before it could carry out its task, rescuing a maiden it had captured in the process."

Faith blinked. "Maid of Windemere?"

A female fae nodded. "Yes. She is an UnSeelie Fae who sought the love and affection of the King but the throne of the Court of Enchantments. She was a trickster capable of deceiving any being she wanted, save for the strongest of us. In the end, she was defeated by Queen Belmaid. But that was only possible because of Sir Sagrell's own story."

"The Fae, both Seelie and UnSeelie, are big on celebrating even the tiniest victories," Tilera noted. "I would say write a book, but that would prove difficult for them."

"Why?"

"The Fae don't have a written language."

Faith looked at them in surprise. "You lot can't write?" she asked.

Ticon shrugged. "We never saw a need to," he replied. "The deep magic of Amalur guides our very actions."

Gwyn frowned. "Why not ask a scholar to write it down for you?"

"In this day and age, what scholar would help us?"

An accurate assessment, if downright depressing. And even before the Crystal War, few would have wanted to.

"And here we are! Gorugath!" Agarth declared, sweeping his hand out in a grand gesture. "Let's hope that it hasn't changed at all."

"It's a cave entrance under a giant tree," Gwyn responded. "How would that change?"

"Cave-in," Tilera noted.

"The tree roots growing down to cover the entrance," Faith added.

" A Cave Troll sitting in front of it," Ticon supplied helpfully.

The Warsworn sighed. "I didn't need an answer."

The cave of Gorugath was unique in that regard, however. As it was crucial to their history, the Fae of old had used their magic to strengthen the cave walls, the tree roots now weaving through the rockface. Vines were also utilized to significant effect, helping to negate any chance of a collapse. That way, the Telling could be done in all its brutal glory. And with proper maintenance, the cave would last indefinitely.

But the possibility of a cave-in wasn't the real problem. The Red Legion was.

"Do you see any sign of them?" Tilera asked, looking around.

Gwyn shook her head. "I don't. That doesn't mean that they aren't nearby. Hells, they could be waiting for us within."

"Which means I'm going to be going in with them." Faith unsheathed her blade. "Better safe than sorry."

"Good idea. In the meantime, we'll scout the surround. They may have a camp set up nearby."

"Well, be careful. I don't want to lose my bodyguard just yet." The young almanian smirked as she said that.

Gwyn quickly caught on to what she was implying and turned around so no one could see her blush. 'Of course, she's going to tease me about that,' she thought.

Tilera and Agarth looked at each other, perplexed, before shrugging. It wasn't any of their business, after all.

The female Fae nodded as she watched them split up, with the Seelie fae entering the cave with the Alamanian female and decided not to do anything to impede them. She had already achieved her goal of the one who was to play Sagrell's role in the Telling. If any of them proved worthy enough to take his place, they earned it.

She hoped the Dustling was the one to do it.

She decided to focus on her companions for a bit while they searched for the Red Legion. It wouldn't take long, as they had set up a camp at a stream not too far from Gorugath. It didn't take a genius as to why they had set up there.

'Perhaps I can help take them down,' she thought, an idea forming. 'And I think I can do it without even leaving my fortress.'

For a second after entering the first room, Faith thought she was back in the Erathi ruins. But only for a second.

Once the initial surprise faded, she immediately noted the differences between Gorugath and the ruins. For starters, it was far more organic. Plenty of flora was around, covering the walls in moss and vines. The tree's roots were also put to use, serving as additional support to prevent the cave from collapsing. Other than that, they were surprisingly identical.

"What's wrong, Dustling?" Ticon asked. "Have you never seen a Fae Cavern before?"

Faith shook her head. "Not really, but that's not the reason. I just noticed that you built this cavern in a similar manner to the Erathi. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a few hidden rooms scattered about."

One of the other male Fae nodded. "Ah, the Erathi. Even we Fae were surprised by what they were able to accomplish."

"… … Do you have any memories of them?"

"Unfortunately, no." Ticon sighed. "Our 'immortality' is very basic, if it can be called such. Our souls will return to our homeland before emerging in your world. Those of us who are a part of the Court of Enchantments are then given our names and positions in the Telling. This is the first time we have had to change that."

"Ah." Their immortality wasn't that special, after all. If anything, it was similar to what had happened to her; their method was simply natural. "Well, let's take care of this. Are there any dangers besides the Thresh here that we need to worry about?"

Ticon nodded. "Just the usual creatures who make their home here," he replied. "There are several nests of brownies scattered throughout Gorugath. They act innocent but will strip the flesh from your bones if you are careless. They're very efficient like that."

"Stay away from the sharp teeth. Got it."

"And there is their camp," Agarth muttered. "And oh dear, it is a large one."

Gwyn had to agree there. She had never seen such a large bandit camp before, and she didn't think for one second that this was their entire force. But there were enough of them to qualify as a small army.

She had known that the Red Legion had become a problem, but this showed her how bad it had gotten. If they managed to survive the Crystal War, they would have a hell of a time trying to take them down.

"By my estimates, there appear to be seven hundred troops," Tilera whispered. "They have enough weapons here to raze the House of Ballads to the ground ten times over, including siege equipment, which they don't really need." She sighed. "You know, if they had joined the efforts at Mel Senshir, they may have turned the tide long ago, even if only for a few months."

Agarth nodded in agreement at that. A few months would have allowed Mel Senshir to refortify itself properly, a chance to retake some nearby territory. It shows how much of war was about propaganda and information.

The Tuatha's seemingly overwhelming power was pretty good propaganda.

He took a look around. "I don't see any crates of poison here," he muttered. "Probably means they haven't begun distributing it yet."

"Maybe they aren't planning to, just yet," Tilera pointed out. "They're most likely going to attack the Fae with only conventional weapons and spells. Probably save up the poison for when they attack the Ballads directly. After all, why would you waste your secret weapon on just a few Fae?"

Gwyn nodded, though she frowned in thought. She would be the first to admit that she needed to improve at tactical strategy or troop mobilization, but this was far too large a camp to take out such a small target as the House of Ballads. They didn't even need half of this force to pull that off. So what were they going to do after Gorugath? What would their next target be?

And the three of them wouldn't be able to attack them outright. They would have to find another way to break the camp, if possible.

Agarth sighed. "All right, let's head back to Gorugath. At least when they attack, we can defend the entrance more effectively."

"Agreed." Tilera sighed as they pulled back, coming to one inescapable conclusion. Faith most likely had the better mission.

Faith felt like she had drawn the short end of the stick. Aside from a few skirmishes with small groups of brownies, her job was boring.

As it turned out, the thresh's sanctum was protected by a massive wall of vines. To reach it, the Fae would need to manipulate three 'levers'(because really, what else could they be called) to force the obstruction to pull away. Only then could the thresh be reached. On paper, a pretty simple operation.

In practice, not so much.

Faith was standing idly by, trying not to doze off as the Fae slowly moved the first 'lever,' grunting from sheer effort. At this moment, she learned something new about herself; she didn't do inactivity well. She needed to do something.

So, while her charges tried to show off their strength, failing miserably, she pulled the Well of Souls Book out and started reading again…

The Crystal War has achieved something that I never thought would have occurred in Odessa; desperation.

The lands of Klurikon are falling one by one. General Tilera's forces are being forced back without reprieve. If this continues, Mel Senshir will fall.

Thankfully, Ventrinnio and I have finally achieved permission to start our project. If we are successful, then we will have created the means for an inexhaustible army to use against the Tuatha. And not only will we be able to contribute to the war effort at long last, but we will also contribute to science itself. The possibilities are endless!

But so are the dangers and problems that will occur with it…

Faith stopped reading at that point for two reasons, her mind whirling.

Reason One: The book was telling her what Hughes had told her in the Tower. The Well of Souls project had been started out of sheer necessity, not greed or an ill-decided quest for immortality. And the good doctor had also acknowledged the possibility of the Well being used for the wrong reasons.

Reason Two: The Fae had finally turned the 'lever.' A loud groaning sound was heard, signifying that something had moved. "Finally," she muttered, putting the book back in her bag. Seriously, did the Fae not work out? She could have done that in a fraction of the time, for pity's sake!

Ticon finally took a breath, shaking his head. "That should not have taken this long!" he got out. "Sagrell was able to do it by himself!"

"Well, I imagine Sagrell had also trained himself for that." Faith looked around. "Well, let's keep going. And pray that whatever loosened was enough, so the other two will actually move easily."

"So, Tilera, what made you become a soldier?" Gwyn asked after several minutes of standing guard at Gorugath's entrance. And, since they had yet to learn when the Red Legion would attack, she figured that conversation would be an excellent way to pass the time. "Most people join for a chance at glory or adventure. What about you?"

Tilera sighed as she thought about it. She had wondered when the young dokkalfar would get around to asking, though she wasn't keen on answering. It had been so long since she had thought about her past, or had even wanted to. Too many bad memories.

But, in the end, there wasn't any harm in talking about it, was there? And young Gwyn wasn't trying to hurt her.

"My father was the High General for nearly forty years," she began. "On the day I was born, he had gone on a routine inspection of our outer colonies. This was during the days of Dead Kel and his pirate legions, so it was possible he would be gone for years." She rubbed her head. "For the first five years of my life, all I heard about him was his greatness, tactical brilliance, and bravery against his enemies. I would never get to meet him, as he was killed in battle, taking Kel with him into the sea."

Gwyn winced. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Don't be. I never met the man, but that didn't stop me from wanting to live up to his legacy. So, when I was of age, I joined the Alfar Army. I rose through the ranks thanks to hard work and some victories of my own, eventually reaching the rank of General. Of course, I married and had two children of my own." She smiled. "When the old High General was prepared to retire, I was one of the candidates to take his position. I had almost reached the same heights as my father… and then the Crystal War happened."

"I'm guessing it wasn't too bad in the first place."

Tilera shook her head. "No, it wasn't at first. I was the one chosen for the assignment, as I had had experience dealing with defending multiple targets. We did pretty well against them. After the fifth year, however… well, you know what happened."

Gwyn did, indeed. They all did.

Agarth sighed, shaking his head. If there was one thing that he couldn't stand, it was politicians who thought that their Generals should be able to achieve the impossible against the impossible. "Well, I am certain that after the fact, they realized that they had made a mistake."

"Perhaps, but it doesn't matter now. Once they made their decision, it was over. As far as they're concerned, I am nothing now. All of my accomplishments do not mean a damn thing to them."

Another sad truth. Though she ran out of tears after the first few months of her exile, the wound never went away. But she had persevered. She had survived.

Her attention suddenly shifted back to the woods, her ears twitching. "I hear movement coming from the brush."

Gwyn stiffened, her spear coming to bear. "So do I," she noted. "And it's coming from the direction of their camp."

Agarth grinned, unholstering his sword. "Well, let's work on our appetite for dinner!" he declared.

Thankfully, the first 'lever' had been the primary obstruction. The other two were far easier to turn. (Of course, it helped that Faith decided to take care of them herself, but Hallum didn't need to know that.) As she did that, she waited to see if it would trigger another flashback. So far, nothing, but she was hoping it would change.

The brownies proved to be a simple distraction for her, but that was all they were. The same could not be said for the Fae as they fell before their groups one by one. Apparently, they had difficulty dealing with multiple opponents. Either that or they could have been better at asking for help.

But here she was alongside Ticon, standing before the room that had been revealed. And to say that it was a pretty large room was an understatement. The Allestar Tower's main laboratory didn't even come close to this.

Ticon looked over at her. "The thresh awaits ahead, Dustling," he said. "Are you prepared to step forward and face it? Unlike the others, this will prove to be a challenge."

Faith shrugged. "Can't be worse than a Cave Troll. But won't my becoming a part of this fight make me a competitor for the title of Sagrell?"

"Perhaps, but the thresh is quite dangerous. And unfortunately, I am an Initiate without the level of skill that Sagrell had."

Faith turned to him in shock. "You're a Rookie?!" she got out. "Your Court sent out a bunch of Rookies?!"

"Yes."

"Well, that certainly explains why they were all flailing about. Crazy idea, perhaps next time, get some proper training before you decide to become a hero."

The Fae nodded. "Fair enough." They entered the room after that, weapons out and ready.

The thresh in question was beginning to awaken from its slumber. When it was still, it looked more like a gnarled tree, complete with twisted branches and decaying leaves. The only thing that set it apart was the light that seemed to emanate from within.

But once it managed to unmoor itself from the ground and floated in midair, which startled Faith, two of the branches turned out to be arms, with its head adorned with two glowing eyes. Eyes that were looking at the two intruders who dared to disturb its nap.

They immediately dived out of the way as it flew at them, an animalistic scream erupting from it.

Agarth came to one obvious conclusion; they needed shields to be an effective barrier. Sadly, that wasn't possible, so they chose the second most logical option.

The entrance to Gorugath was decent, wide enough for three people to stand side by side, allowing some freedom to swing their weapons. It would also force the bandits into a bottleneck, allowing for a better defense. If they had to retreat, they could.

Of course, it would only work effectively if the enemy didn't have archers accompanying them. So, naturally, the enemy had archers accompanying them.

When the battle was well underway, several of their number falling before the three defender's blades, they revealed themselves. Their plan was to try and catch the defenders unaware. And they would have succeeded if their aim had been just a little better.

Three arrows missed Tilera by a slight margin. A fourth arrow embedded itself into Gwyn's shoulder plate, getting nothing more than a grunt from her. However, all it would take was one lucky shot, and one of them would be seriously injured. And there were still over thirty fighters coming out of the bush with bloodthirsty expressions.

"We need to fall back!" Tilera shouted. "We can use the cave to thin them down even further!"

"Good idea!" Agarth blocked another strike, cutting the bandit's arm off. "Gwyn, let's go!"

The three of them quickly retreated, the bandits following them.

Faith managed to avoid the thresh's attack with some difficulty, eyes wide in disbelief. She would never have guessed that something that stayed rooted to the ground, for the most part, could move so fast in the air. Something to remember for her next encounter with one.

She quickly learned that the thresh was also quite strong when it lashed out with one of its arms, catching her across the face. It possessed an attack that could skewer someone if they weren't careful. And if it landed and dug its roots into the ground, it could send those roots at its target. Again, it could severely hurt or kill someone if it hit.

She would need to take it out first.

Luckily for her, Ticon turned out to be a gods send. Despite his inexperience, he was still well-trained in the mystical arts. His spells were more than enough to help keep the thresh off guard. It was a grueling battle, made even more so by the nearly half-a-day trek through Gorugath. But, working together and with a healthy dose of luck, they finally took the creature down, with Ticon giving the final blow. Afterward, they simply stood there catching their breath.

"If this is… the type of creature Sir Sagrell always faced," Ticon got out, "then he... can keep his spot."

"Oh, I don't know," Faith mused, grinning. "I find cave trolls much harder to beat just because of how tough it is to cut through their skin." She looked down, grin fading. "However, I don't think Sagrell will come back soon." She pointed to a body near the thresh's final resting spot.

Ticon went over to the body, looking it over. His eyes widened when they landed on a ring, immediately recognizing it. "By the Maker," he whispered. "It is him… he has fallen to the Thresh! This has never happened before in the Telling!"

"Yeah. This is why stories should be written down or acted out, never relived. Sooner or later, something like this will happen." She turned toward the entrance. "And here comes our other problem."

"Actually, I think we have two." Ticon pointed to the far end of the cavern. Confused, Faith turned around.

There were two more threshes, surrounded by a large gaggle of boggarts that hadn't been there before. And, unless the two of them were very much mistaken, they all looked decidedly pissed off.

Faith made a quick tactical decision. They had achieved their goal, so they had no reason to stay. She knelt, quickly pulling the ring off the corpse. "Okay… run!" she shouted, taking off immediately. Ticon wisely followed.

They met up with Agarth and his group at the entrance, and their news wasn't much better. "Red Legion here," he got out. "We're not going to be getting out of the main door!"

"Well, Ticon finished his task, but the cave disagrees!" An arrow flew overhead. "Come on. I've got an idea!"

"What's the idea?"

"The Red Legion wants to kill Fae? There's a whole room full of them behind us!"

It didn't take long for them to figure out what she had planned. Tilers smirked a little at it.

As it turned out, it didn't take a whole lot to piss the threshes off even more than they already were. They were already halfway across the room, the boggarts keeping pace with them. A few arrows from Faith kept them from diverting.

And, at the last possible moment, the fae creatures missed Faith by the barest of margins as she rolled out of the way, just as the Red Legion force charged in. A force that quickly realized that they should never have come here.

Panic ensued as the two sides engaged in battle. Branches, arrows, and spells flew. Boggarts flitted about, distracting every bandit present. The threshes waded into their midst, giving their woefully underprepared targets a proper thrashing.

However, they didn't walk away unscathed. Half of the boggarts were wiped out, and one of the threshes was missing an arm in the end.

Still better than the Red Legion, of course. None of them were breathing in the end.

When the battle ended, the two threshes reentered the main chamber to enjoy their new home, the remaining boggarts flocking around them, leaving behind a massacre.

This didn't include the two they had chased in the first place… if they had been chasing them at all.

Faith and her group strolled out of Gorugath, the woman whistling aimlessly. She had to, as it was the only way she could handle what she had just witnessed. Never before had she seen such brutality before.

Agarth, by contrast, was grinning. "I have to admit, that was a pretty good plan," he stated. "Using the very creatures to beat them, and without getting caught in the crossfire."

"I am suitably impressed, as well," Ticon admitted. "However, this will make the next Telling very different."

Gwyn grinned. "Just call it a creative twist. Sir Sagrell defeats the first Thresh, then tricked two more to defeat his mortal enemies."

"Hmm... that might be doable."

Tilera looked over at Faith as the other three talked about the events, noting her expression. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

"… … Not really," Faith replied. "I mean, I had to make the call in a split second, but to witness the Red Legion being torn apart like that… it kind of drills in just how dangerous the fae can be."

"A fair point. And if you remember that, you will be ready to face them." She frowned. "Other than that, anything else? Did you have a flash of memory or a feeling?"

"No, nothing. Maybe I never did anything like that before." Shrugging, Faith took a look behind her. "So, Ticon, it looks like you are the new Sagrell?"

Ticon frowned a little. "Indeed," he murmured, looking at the ring in his hand. "However, I am unsure if I can do it justice."

"Well, you won't know until you try," Agarth stated. "Sometimes, all you can do is try."

"Perhaps…"

The female Fae sighed in relief as she witnessed the events that occurred. She hadn't been sure her plan would work.

She had watched as Ticon, and the Dustling defeated the thresh, the Dustling proving to be the better warrior, urging them on the entire time. She gave them the chance to grab Sagrell's ring before she summoned the two new threshes. She hoped one of them would be able to use them to stop the Red Legion attack. And, to her joy, the Dustling did just that. It was pretty impressive

... if a little bloody.

She was finding herself more and more intrigued by her. She wanted to meet her and see who she was and what she was capable of. But, considering her own situation, that was going to be difficult.

'Maybe I should talk to Ticon,' she mused as the idea began percolating. 'I just hope my persuasion skills are still up to the task.'

Ticon stared at the ring as they approached the House, contemplating its significance, not to mention the role he would have to take. He then looked over at the Dustling that had helped him achieve this and the other Squires that had fallen during it.

He mourned his fallen comrades but knew they would be revived in a few months. However, the fall of Sir Sagrell in his own ballad was unheard of. It was the first time in Fae history that a Telling had been changed. He wasn't sure how to handle that.

And if he was having difficulty dealing with that, he could only guess how Hallum would deal with it. He practically lived to keep the Stories going smoothly. This was something beyond his people's ken.

For the first time in his life, he envied the Dustlings and their ability to adapt. To be able to accept changes to their stories with ease. He found himself wondering if he should turn the position over to her. She had performed admirably, having done most of the work. She only let him get in the final blow so he could say he had defeated the thresh.

As he tried to decide whether or not to do just that, he heard a whisper in the wind. A whisper that no Seelie fae wanted to hear. The whisper of the Maid of Windemere. He could even understand what she was saying.

I await you in the House.

Shaking his head, the whisper fading away, he realized that she hadn't been trying to charm him. She just wanted him to know that she was at the House of Ballads… or, more likely, her projection. But why?

"Hey, you okay?" Faith asked, apparently catching onto his contemplative state.

Ticon frowned. "I'm not certain," he replied. "I thought I heard something on the wind."

"Oh." She didn't sound convinced but didn't press the issue. He was grateful for that. If he were to be Sagrell, he would need to face the Maid of Windemere alone. But where was she going to appear?

His answer came when he saw a flicker near his residence. "Could you excuse me?" he asked. "I need to check on something before I speak with Hallum."

Tilera nodded. "We'll wait over at the main building," she replied easily enough, the small group of Dustlings continued on their way.

Ticon made his way over to his House, entering it quickly. "I am here, Maid of Windemere," he called out. There was no sense in holding this off. "So, what is it that you want to say?"

For a moment, there was silence. He began to think he had just been losing his mind.

And then… "I don't think you should be Sagrell."

The Fae turned around, taking in the astral projection of she who would be his opponent. A female fae of the Unseelie variety. There was no way to know her colors, as it was all a simple blue, but it wasn't difficult to figure out who it was. "Why? Do you believe that you would fall again?"

"Because I believe that Dustling who helped you would be a better choice," she replied.

"You know that Hallum would never allow that."

"But Hallum also was expecting the one who would be Sagrell to be there, was he not?"

"Did you kill him?"

"No, I did not. I will not kill someone who was forced into a role any more than I will kill you. You should be allowed to create your own story, not retell the glory of someone else's."

Ticon frowned. This conversation was not turning out as he had expected. For some reason, the Maid of Windemere wanted a mortal to take Sir Sagrell's place. "But why the Dustling?" he asked. "What reason would you have for wanting her to be part of the Telling?"

The projection was quiet for a moment. "I find her interesting," she finally responded. "I want to meet her. I think that she would play the role most effectively. And… she may either change my fate or end my suffering forever." She looked at him, almost pleading. "Please, give her a chance. Let her aid in the Telling."

"Wait… your suffering?" But by this point, the projection had vanished, leaving him confused. What did she mean by that?

But there was one thing that he did agree with. He just hoped he made the right choice.

"How long does it take for a fae to take care of business?" Faith asked as the group waited with Hallum. "I mean, I can assume you guys don't have small gardens you care about when you're not busy."

Hallum shrugged. "It could be any number of things. As you Dustlings would say, he is perhaps girding himself for his new tasks. He will be involved in several different stories that Sagrell was a part of." He frowned. "Though I shudder on hearing about the other Tellings. Two more threshes appearing, Sagrell most likely dead. However, the Telling must go on, regardless of the setbacks."

Gwyn traded a knowing look with Tilera, agreeing with one thing. Hallum certainly seemed to be set in his ways.

Ticon jogged up at this point, his gaze unwavering. "My apologies for the delay," he said. "I needed to take a moment to think about something."

Hallum nodded. "Quite all right," he replied. "This is a unique situation that we have never faced before." He grinned. "The Dustlings told me about what happened in the cave. I am grateful that you managed to survive. Now, it is time for you to take your place as the new Sagrell."

"...I fear that I must decline. And I must give this ring to the one who deserves it."

Faith turned to look at him in surprise, seeing him holding the ring out to her. "Ticon?" she got out.

Ticon smiled. "You did most of the work," he said. "I appreciate that you ensured I would deal the killing blow, but you ensured we got to that point. You also ensured that we could escape both the threshes and the Red Legion. That is something that the real Sagrell would have done. So you are the worthy one."

Faith looked at him, at the ring, then at Hallum. "Is that even possible?" she asked. "Can he just… give it up?"

Hallum sighed. "Considering how everything is going so far, I have no real opinion." His gaze sharpened. "But there is no time. He says that you are worthy, so we will go with that." He looked at her, bowing. "Welcome to the House of Ballads, Sir Sagrell. Let us hope that we do not regret it."

Slowly, hesitantly, Faith reached out, taking the ring from Ticon and sliding it onto her finger. She stared at it for a second, unable to believe this was happening. "Do I need to do anything?" she asked.

"Not immediately. The next story doesn't begin for another two weeks or so, so if you have anything you need to do in this region, you should finish it up."

Agarth grinned, slapping her on the shoulder. "How about we visit Ander then and deal with your question? That way, we won't have to backtrack after all these stories are finished."

Faith nodded, her gaze remaining on the ring for a bit longer. "Yeah, let's," she finally said in agreement, nodding at the two Fae. "We have held off that long enough."

The Maid of Windemere smiled in relief. Perhaps now, things would turn out differently for all of them. She hoped.

She prayed.

In Kingdoms of Amalur, Ticon was one of the Fae that had been selected to try for the position of Sir Sagrell. He is actually the last Fae standing, so he aids in the battle against the thresh. After the first thresh is destroyed, two more appear, as do several boggarts. No matter what the player does, Ticon is killed for story reasons. (Even if he isn't touched, he'll just suddenly be struck by thin air, and die like he had been sliced wide open.)