Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Fairies are from two main clans, the Oberon who live under the rule of King Leucothea, and the Titania who fall under Queen Blaze.

Titania Fairies look humanoid, but grow no larger than ten inches with transparent white wings spanning only a foot; two if granted the title of Queen. They wear a mix of colorful clothes made from leaves, grass, and some sort of liquid that coats the outside to hold it together and gives it a more vibrant expression.

Oberon Fairies share the same vibrant colors, but it’s due to the millions of tiny feathers that make up their bodies, rather than clothing. They grow to average sizes of four and a half to five feet and most have a wing span of eight to ten feet. Their faces lack a nose and mouth, giving them the impression of wearing black masks—you can tell they originated from Kikimaru over Vol from their birdlike eyes. Their wings are rounded just like those of Titania, but with a solid black hexagon pattern instead.

*

The entrance to The Land of Poppies is arranged similarly to that of Vol’s. Trees had been planted around the entire area, blocking and funneling you to the entrance, where the largest tree stands. It had been carved in a manner to create a set of stairs that spirals up through the trunk all the way to the top.

The stairs led to several other doors along the way, most of them had been used as rooms for the MoonShadows Elves, but now they looked to be long abandoned. Moss and vines had grown through the cracks of the petrified wood, lining the inside walls with its once lush greens, creating a natural insulation against the cold Vol winters.

The door at the top had a pattern carved around the frame, one that told the story of how Alinanda and the others asked the Ents for help with creating their new home. There was space left on the right side, where I would assume they were going to finish their story.

Maeve pushed against the door—it didn’t move. She placed her shoulder up against it and pushed again. It slid open slowly, rubbing up against the moss that had grown over it.

“Guess the Fairies don’t use the door since they have wings,” I stated.

Maeve slipped down into the shadow and slithered under the splintered base. I heard one grunt and the door was removed from the hinges and tossed to the side.

“It was really stuck there.” She said, “By the way, why didn’t we just teleport over the trees instead of walking up all those stairs?

“Oh.” I took a few steps inside. “The last time I teleported into someone’s home, they all got mad at me.”

Maeve turned away, ignoring my comments. “Regardless, look.”

The top of The Land of Poppies is made of branches from the trees below—the Ents had forced them to grow in such a way that they intertwined amongst one another, creating an elevated floor. The walls of leaves were grown and arranged to create a shadow around the border of the floor for sleeping areas with vines wrapped around bent branches to create beds.

The landscape wasn’t what Maeve was talking about though.

Nine silhouettes were heading in our direction, four of them flying, four galloping, and the last just sprinting with intense speed.

“Do we go to them, or do you think that will be seen as a threat?” Maeve asked.

“Considering one of them is keeping up with hooves and wings just with their legs, I suggest we stand guard here for a moment,” I replied.

“What if they attack us first?”

I looked back at the silhouettes, they had closed the gap faster than I thought. “We can deal with that then.”

*

“Take me to Zero and I will talk to him for you.” Varin and Ko were walking through the forest, putting distance between where he was supposed to deliver her to Fontaine.

“You’re willing to give me another chance? Just like that?” Ko was trying to keep himself from getting too excited—the feeling in his chest was still tumbling around inside. “Even though I killed your mom?”

Varin kept walking, grinding her teeth as she kept herself together. She turned around, smiling at him angrily; “Don’t make me change my mind.”

*

“A’CHOOO!” I exclaimed, removing my mask for a moment.

“Ah, someone talking about you, Zero?” The lead Fairy adjusted herself slightly, tilting her head to try and see behind my mask.

Maeve looked to them, then to me—I replied with a slight smirk only she could see before placing my mask back on. “Now that you know we aren’t Dryads, can we know who you all are?”

Before us were nine individuals; two Oberon Fairies, two Titania Fairies, Four Satyrs, and one Shroomer. Each of them covered in wounds and scars, some of them still looking freshly obtained.

The leader of the group stepped forward; “We are the New Casaders of Vol, I am King Leucothea of the Oberon Fairies.”

Maeve and I both reared back in shock, exchanging a subtle head turn with one another.

“King Leucothea? What are you doing in Vol?” I blurted my words out, trying to catch them, I bowed my head. “I’m sorry, continue.”

Even in the absence of a mouth, I could feel that she was smiling at me. 

“My sister told me you unintentionally interrupted a lot, but she said you mean no harm by it, is that true?”

What a weird question, but okay.

I lifted my head. “That is true you Highness.”

“Odd, but humans are such.” She turned to the group. “On the right there, we have Miko, a Clavaria Shroomer. He was sent topside by his kind and is to relay to them when The Dryad Empire has been removed from Vol.”

*

Shroomers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but Miko is a Clavaria—this species is built for speed. His frame is a slender bipedal form with hands and feet similar to that of a humanoid, you do need to add seven fingers and four toes to each appendage though.

Their heads are made out of several short branches that differ in color from the rest of their body to differentiate it. His body was an off-white, almost cream color, while his head was that of lavender like King Leucothea’s feathers, just darker.

*

“He understands that his kind is hard to keep eye contact with, he would appreciate it if you would treat his entire head as your talking point.” King Leucothea stated, moving her hand to Miko’s left to the four Satyrs.

“Calypso, Alekos, Eirini, and—.”

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“SKIPHOOF!” The last Satyr shouted.

King Leucothea let out a small laugh before nodding her head; “Yes, Skiphoof, a rather eager young Satyr from Brisdale, he may not look it, but his Rapier skills are unmatched.”

I titled my head outward. “Rapier expert, you say?”

Maeve slapped my stomach. “Let her finish.”

“Sorry.”

*

Each Satyr was similar in features, half human, half goat, Sliphoof was the only male, but that is solely an assumption based on he is the only one of the four not wearing a shirt.

Calypso and Eirini had long braided hair and their shirts were pieces of fabric wrapped around their chests, looping under their arms and around their backs. I’m not sure about the material, but it was thicker, and the color had long faded, leaving what was once a dark blue as almost white.

Alekos had a similar style of fabric, but theirs looked to have always been white. They had wrapped it around their stomach and chest, and even down their arms, it was odd to think about how they put it on, but once it was all together—it did look neat.

*

“I like your, uh, fabric wrapping technique,” I stated, pointing to Alekos.

“Thank you, my father taught me how to mend thin pieces of wood into what is basically fabric, if you wet it, it can be bent in manners such as this.”

Maeve let out an audible sigh. “Continue your Highness.”

I took a seat on the ground, placing my head in my hands;  “I’ll be here, not talking, just listening and staring at the ground, I promise.”

King Leucothea continued to introduce us to her group, moving to the two Titania Fairies floating in between Calypso and Sliphoof. 

“Ashera and Siofra, the only Titania Fairies I have been able to find since I arrived here.”

I did my best not to snap my head up and ask about Queen Blaze. There is always a chance he is still alive, somewhere hiding—we did find an Ent and some Elves, oh and the Shroomers are still going too, yeah, Queen Blaze is still out there I’m betting.

“It was their Queen’s life force being put out that called me to Vol.”

Nevermind.

“Last, we have my Royal Guardian, Nissa.”

Nissa, like the King, is an Oberon Fairy. Her feathers were a bright red, with a faint blue at their tips, and one of her wings was badly burned, yet she was still able to seemingly fly with ease.

I leaned my head up; “How many outposts have you taken down?”

“Twenty-Four,” Nissa replied.

“We got one, so make that twenty-five total.” I stood up and wrapped my arm over Maeve, pulling her into me. “Maeve and I here are actually trying to get Varin back.”

Maeve pushed me away. “Yeah after you gave her to the enemy twice.”

I looked at the King and gave her a subtle nod. “That I did, but I have learned my lesson!”

“Because Lyren showed you how to spot a Changeling,” Maeve stated. She turned to the King. “Please don’t mind him more than you must.”

The King went to reply when her attention was suddenly pulled behind her, just outside Maeve and I’s view. There was a silhouette hovering in the sky.

Maeve and I summoned our weapons.

“Ko?” I asked.

Maeve nodded.

“Good.”

I teleported into the air.

“What is he doing?!” Nissa exclaimed.

“What he’s good for.” Maeve replied.

I appeared before Ko and swung the ax above my head. “Where’s Varin?!” I transmuted the ax into a warhammer and pulled it forward into Ko. It connected with his head just to pass through. “Of course, an illusion, shoulda known.” I forced mana into the head of the warhammer, stopping it from pulling me into a roll, then teleported back to the ground.

I immediately dropped the hammer. 

My arms were throbbing, I hadn’t done something like that in a while. 

It almost tore them off, I should probably be more careful.

“I’d say he is close, but he set up a second sun for all of Arrithia to see, I don’t know the full capabilities of this guy,” I said.

“I’m right here.” Ko’s voice called behind us. He was standing in the doorway, his head tilted with a smile. “Howdy Zero, how about we have ourselves a little chat?”

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