Fable, page 18
Shaylee entered the dark, hot workshop of the master blacksmith, looked around, and before she could turn again, there was a knife at her throat.
“You are getting slow, my princess, maybe you need to get down and train some mor—”
Before the deep-voiced owner of the blade could finish, Shaylee had disarmed, flipped, and put to the ground the strong Elvenfae blacksmith. She was holding the knife to his throat and Howling Tooth to his limp lower wings. “You were saying, old Fae? And I am your queen, not your princess.”
Shaylee fluttered up off the larger than normal Fae, stood over him, and offered her left hand, as she dropped the blade and slid her beloved sword back into her scabbard.
“OK, OK, just testing you. Go easy on an old Fae, would you, my queen?”
Shaylee finished helping him up and they both laughed. Shaylee needed the distraction from everything, and she always felt better when she could talk to her old and wise friends, one of which, Stexinzar, was not around, so Darlygah would be the next best thing. He was one of her most trusted friends of all the lands of Faelynn.
“What brings you down here, Your Highness?” Darlygah had a slight smile on his face.
“You know there are no titles with us. I was joking before. Don’t make me use my sword.” Shaylee reciprocated the smile and continued, “Darlygah, I have something incredibly special to ask you and of the utmost importance and secrecy. I need a favor from you that will require immediate work and it’s a secret that will last all your days. Are you up for the challenge?”
Shaylee knew that as soon as she threw in the word “challenge,” Darlygah would not just consider the task but would jump at it without even thinking.
“Of course, Shay, you know that I will. Tell me what you need.”
Shaylee opened a long satchel. As she began pulling the item out, she became quite paranoid, a feeling she only experienced since the dark ones started showing up more frequently. She turned, walked to the old oak door, and locked it behind her. Darlygah looked confused. She was the queen—what could she have that would be so important and secretive?
Shaylee returned to where the blacksmith was standing and continued to extract the delicate item. As Shaylee pulled out the artifact, Darlygah dropped to the floor and onto his knees.
The hardened old blacksmith spoke with a quiver in his deep tone, “How did you come to have this in your Fae hands, Shay? There have been no unicorns since the dark times.”
Darlygah had not been briefed on Vyyuna, her death, or the fact the horn had been taken. He knew of old magic and through tales from the old ones while growing up learned that an Alicorn was the most sought after and powerful thing in all the lands besides the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Only Shaylee knew of its existence. The others assumed it had been destroyed when Vyyuna was killed or that the wisps took it back. Some even wondered whether the goblins took it for themselves. Shaylee would address those assumptions later with a deception. It was something she did not want to do but needed to for the protection of the Alicorn and Serena.
Darlygah would be the only other who knew. If there were any leaks from their meeting, she would know they came from him. But Shaylee was confident of his loyalty. He was, after all, her departed father’s best friend and most trusted adviser in the past before he longed for a more peaceful life after the war.
“What will you have me do with it, Shaylee? A powerful object like this should be hidden in safe quarters under constant guard or even given back to the wisps for protection. Having this will cause divisions in the palace and even attacks on the city if the dark ones learn of its existence.”
Darlygah was now on his feet again. He wasn’t worshiping the powerful relic; he was more shocked and in awe of its presence.
“That is why I locked the door and came to you. I have been given information, from where I cannot say at this stage, and the outcome of that information is the best outcome and is as follows.” Shaylee took a deep breath and continued, “Tomorrow there will be a ceremony for Serena, she is a halfling Fae child I have been caring for and training. You may have seen her lately with the master. I need a special sword made for her, strong in steel and light. She saved my life at the recent battle and this will be her reward.”
The smith nodded; he was wondering when he was going to have to make a sword for her. He had seen her with the master, and all the weapons were much too heavy for a young teen child to maneuver.
Shaylee continued, “After which I need our ancient family crest, lineage, and code carved into the top half of the blade, including this piece at the end, carved in ancient magic fire.”
Shaylee handed the smith a note in the old Celtic scribe. As he read the print, his eyes shot up at Shaylee, very wide and in a state of shock, before he replied, “If this be true, Shay, why hide it?”
Shaylee looked sternly at Darlygah before answering, “All of this is for her protection; no one at all is to know just yet, not until I can rescue my mother or until we take out the dark ones. Be of mind that it will be written, so must be believed. Should anything happen to me, I give you permission to use magic fire under the authority of the palace and the reign of the Aethelwyne house.”
Darlygah understood now. He had not been given all the information, but he knew he was tasked to do something never done before and questioned it no more.
Shaylee continued, “Last, I want the crest on the pommel and the Alicorn as the handle to the sword wrapped in the twining of the Aethelwyne colors. I need adjustments made for the Alicorn to blend with the sword itself, hiding the tip with more magic fire and creating a shortening of the horn without cutting it. This will create a hidden series of roots and veins that will journey through the metal from the hilt to the tip, leaving the larger stem of the Alicorn for the handle. Here is the spell and the magic fire along with the ingredients from several items to make this old magic work. I cannot stay, but I need it by first light.”
The blacksmith stared at Shaylee for a good while, and Shaylee stared back, giving him time to process before he questioned it all. But he never did. Agree or disagree, it didn’t matter—if Shaylee wanted this done then he would do it more than better than she had asked.
Darlygah nodded, took the items, and after Shaylee left, he locked the door and windows, and settled in for what would be a stressfully long day and most likely night for the seasoned blacksmith.
LONG LEAF
SERENA COULD NOT SLEEP FOR THE FIRST part of the night. She was far too excited about the ceremony taking place in the late morning of the next day. She closed her eyes and kept thinking about what was going to happen. Serena had visions of her gown and wondered if some of her new friends would be there for the event. She was becoming lost in the lifestyle of Faelynn. Serena thought at times she was dreaming, but upon awakening every morning she was still there.
So much had happened since she arrived and it would take ages to process it all, but at this moment in time, she was not thinking of her actual home in County Clare or the darkness she had encountered two cycles ago; she was only concerned with the ceremony.
Eventually Serena succumbed to the night and her eyes became too heavy as she drifted off into a deep sleep, a sleep that would only last a few hours, as she was eventually taken into a dark place in her mind.
Her eyes were closed, but the dream was very much real to her. Serena looked around the dark room and tried to adjust her eyes to see anything at all. Soon she could see outlines of dark figures, silhouettes of tall, strange creatures. She tried to yell but was mute. The silence was oppressive. Panicking as the tall gangly creatures moved forward, she tried to run but was locked to that position somehow.
Serena’s eyes were still closed as she lay in bed tossing and turning while sweating profusely from the dream she was having. Inside her mind she was now hoping for the faintest of lights so she could get a glimpse of the creatures. She moved her head to the left, then right, and before long a flash of light hit the room with a burst, illuminating the whole place at once, allowing Serena to see better.
After adjusting her eyes, she focused. She could see green mist flowing through the well-lit room, and then she locked eyes with the creature. A tall, gray, skinny being with a huge oval head and dark soulless eyes, it had no nose and only two fingers with opposable thumbs. There were wrinkles on its face and it looked very aged.
As it moved closer, the creature changed into a grotesque scaly monster with red eyes, a dark hooded cloak, and long sharp teeth. It seemed to hiss at Serena, but then a female voice rang out and screamed, breaking the silence, “Please, young one, you must tell Shaylee I am here, please, I am trapped, tell her it’s Fel—” Before the female voice could finish, the creature hissed once more while waving his hand, and crushed the link between all of them.
Serena woke up calling out for Shaylee, crying and trembling with fear. Shaylee’s room was close to hers and she was with her in only a few moments. She held Serena tightly, knowing she’d had another vision. Shaylee would not press her for information. She would wait for Serena to tell her. But the frightened girl opened straight up and relayed every part of the dream to her half-sister, leaving Shaylee on edge.
Shaylee could not show Serena any kind of stress in her face, voice, or eyes. She comforted her with an old song after reassuring Serena that after all her experiences it was just her body’s way of sorting it all out. But Shaylee knew better, and she now had more to tell the Seelie Court.
Serena finally drifted off to sleep and Shaylee returned to her room. She lay in her bed and whispered, “Mother, I need you. I can’t do this without you.”
She had a tear welling, but it didn’t fall. Instead, a thought hit her hard and she sat upright with haste, reviewing in her mind what Serena had just told her. She was trying to put all the puzzle together, from the cryptic visions to the ethereal unicorn to what the dark goblin said as it lay fighting for air after she had cut it in half.
Shaylee couldn’t get past the thought that the sinisters were involved somehow. She remembered what Serena had said about the description of the creature in her dream, which was identical to that of a Zeytar. Shaylee spent more than enough time with them to know exactly what they looked like; in fact, she would never forget. And then there was the constant green mist and the changing of the Zeytar to a deformed creature. Could it be one in disguise reaching out for her? Then she answered herself: No it couldn’t be, there was a female voice as well as a warning for Serena to pass on to me; and what does “fell” mean?
Shaylee was struggling. She wanted answers but wasn’t getting them all. She knew that she had to keep Serena with her for longer as there were definitely Zeytars involved in the whole thing. She needed to see Wilkes but could not do so until she took Serena back, as that was the only place she knew he would be at that time.
Shaylee let it go for now, concentrating wholly on making Serena’s day a worriless event. She closed her eyes but would not get much sleep this night.
Morning hit hard and Shaylee must have either convinced Serena that it was all just a terrible nightmare, or she had given her mind-wiping dust, because when Serena opened her eyes, she was a buzz of excitement and joy. She bounced from her bed and straight into the strange washroom off to the side of her bedroom—strange because the setup was all for Elvenfae with wings to freshen up in, and the facilities for washing were therefore all designed for Fae with wings. Serena had adjusted, and after she finished, she darted straight down to the silk maiden’s room where her gown was hanging up, finished, and awaiting the last fitting.
Jestica was already awake and awaiting Serena’s arrival. She knew she had to make any adjustments for the last fitting early, just in case. There were only hours until the celebrations, so it would be cutting it fine if there were major issues. Not that she was expecting any.
She helped Serena, who was glowing with excitement, fit into the gown. The maiden looked all over the marvelous crafting and felt quite happy with what she had completed in such a short amount of time. She told Serena to go have a look in the mirror behind the fitting room door and come back with any issues.
Serena was gone for a while and Jestica was becoming concerned. She walked over to the fitting mirror and saw Serena just staring and smiling. The grin was from ear to ear, which made the maiden smile as well. Serena had a positivity about her that made people feel good when she was happy herself, and this day was no different.
“How is it, Serena? Does it fit OK? Ride up or scratch anywhere?” Jestica said, a little concerned but confident at the same time.
Serena responded, “No, my lady, it is amazing! I absolutely love it, thank you so much. I can’t stop looking at myself.” Serena felt so alive at that moment, important, not at all like when she was getting teased at school. Here she felt like she belonged.
Jestica smiled and helped her out of the gown. Serena changed and was sent straight to other maidens of Shaylee’s who would now fix her hair and face before she returned to Jestica who was preparing the gown for the final reveal.
Serena skipped breakfast. She was far too excited, and she wanted to make sure she would fit back into her gown.
The hours rolled on as Shaylee had everyone working like a well-oiled machine for the final reveal of the halfling Fae who saved her life. The main hall started to fill. Some Seelie Court representatives had already arrived and were invited to be on the guest list. Shaylee had extra guards stationed at all sensitive posts, dressed in ceremonial attire so as not to alert the guests of a threat that may not be there. Shaylee was becoming more protective the more she learned. There were whispers of paranoia, but they dared not let that get back to her. Her time with Zeytars had changed her somewhat and it showed in times of stress.
Stexinzar had returned early in the night from a small skirmish that needed immediate attention. He had not met with the queen to gain approval prior to going, as there was no time. Shaylee was only glad to see him and did not chastise him for not letting her know. There were more pressing issues at hand, and he would be briefed on all in time.
Shaylee had kept Serena with the maidens until she was ready to call for her. Even though Serena knew about the ceremony, Shaylee wanted to make it as much of a surprise as she could. Soon a bell rang, and Serena looked up in haste. The maidens never said a word, just gestured at the door.
Serena turned to the mirror one last time. She felt like a princess and now looked like one. Her hair was long and dark, twisted in old braids from Celtic and Gaelic traditions. Her gown fit perfectly, a dark blood red with black trails and tails, also designed by the old ways. Her feet were fitted with sparkling black shoes, not quite high heels, but enough to give her height a boost and show her profile. She was a young teenager, or at least in the first stages. But she was dressed like an adult and felt more grown up. Shaylee had loaned her the palace jewels, including her ceremonial tiara with the family bloodstone crest in the middle jewel.
Serena finally made her way to the door, excited for Shay to see her and even more excited to see some friends. Serena opened the door and to her surprise was greeted by Chaxinn—the woodland elf she had only cycles ago lain under the stars and played chase with.
She smiled as he held out an arm and whispered, “Wow, Serena, you are exquisite today.” The boy paused and blushed before continuing, “I mean, you always look—”
Serena interrupted Chax. “It’s alright, Chaxinn, I know what you mean. Thank you for being my date today.”
Chaxinn wasn’t too accustomed to all the pomp and ceremony and didn’t really understand the concept of a date, but he smiled and knew enough protocols, which his father had taught him, to get through the event.
They walked arm in arm down the stairs as Serena tried not to trip on her gown or fall in her shoes. They made it to the long hallway where they would be introduced by the maidens at the top of the stairs to the great hall.
“And now, introducing the guest of the day, Serena O’Halloran.”
Serena could hear a chorus of clapping, fluttering wings, and stamping of feet, which gnomes often did to make up for their hands being busy with food and drink. She walked out from behind the velvet barrier and could see hundreds of Fae folk, some she knew, most she did not, cheering and clapping for her.
Word had got around fast that a halfling Fae child saved their princess, now queen. And they were happy for it. Shaylee had leaked the halfling part, but kept her ancestry close to her chest. Some of the Fae had started asking questions on how a human could last this long in the realms so she told a few, who in turn told others.
Serena just stood, her normally pale face slightly blushing as her hands became clammy. She felt overwhelmed and was becoming slightly dizzy from the excitement, but then she felt a swift kick in the back of her right ankle—not enough to make her fall but enough to sway her from her overwhelmed state.
Serena let out a groan. “Hey, who did tha—?”
Before she could finish, Van Coinan jumped up to the balustrade, interrupting the guest of honor, “Snap out of it, girly, before you fall down the stairs. Oh and another thing …” Van Coinan gestured with his furry paws for Serena to lower her head to him, before whispering in her ear, “You look mighty ugly, especially for a stupid girl.”
Serena snorted as she laughed and watched Van Coinan bounce away. She was thankful for his help, which had saved her from passing out. Chaxinn looked at her for a moment as Serena covered her mouth, stifling the last of the giggling brought on by her furry friend. She turned, realized Chaxinn was watching her, and said, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t laughing at you.”
