When Faeries Call (Ashen X BurningSun22)

[Moonlit_Fae]

A chill was in the air, far beyond the normal cold and numbness of the Unseelie court. This was the domain of winter. All who dwelled here only knew frigid air and frostbitten skin. No, this was something far worse. The cold clutches of death were upon the Winter Queen and her subjects. Despair and grief making its way into the icy hearts of this court. The Winter King had perished by the hands of the Seelie court. An attack so unexpected it took this arrogant royal couple by surprise. What happens when the untouchable meet mortality? Fae lived a long time, but that does not mean death is escapable. For centuries, the Winter King and Queen had ruled here. Their reign undisturbed for so long. There was peace because a pact had been made with the Seelie Court. Now it appears that was under false pretense to lure them into a trap. Trust was now shattered like an icicle splintering into thousands of pieces. It would never be able to be put back together again. Now was a time for action. A plan was being set in motion that would alter the reality of all three realms: Unseelie, Seelie, and Mortal.

Queen Mab knelt beside the corpse of her fallen lover. A simple white shroud forming neatly to his lifeless body. This was the only time she would allow herself to shed tears and to be weak. Of course, she would be expected to step down from power. However, her daughter would not ascend until the Seelie court was snuffed out. Mab could not let her twin, Queen Titania of the Seelie court, gain any more power or let her crimes go unpunished.

Mab stood and her long, white gown fluttered behind her. It resembled an avalanche cascading down a mountain. Her skin was a sickly blue and thick as ice. Her eyes were like sparkling diamonds and refracted light in a strange way. She held a humanoid shape, but in the Unseelie Court she was the true embodiment of winter. Her voice sounded like harsh air billowing on a subzero night where the air cut like razorblades upon the skin as she addressed her servant. “Quickly, gather Maeve for me. Time is of the essence.” The small hobgoblin scampered off to get the Princess as requested.

The exquisitely crafted ice doors opened, and Maeve walked through with her head held high. She was true elegance as she made her way to her mother’s throne. Maeve was like her mother in eyes only. Everything else about Maeve she had inherited from her deceased father. Her hair fell in long, cascading ebony waves. Her skin was pale sunlight that reflected upon the sculpted ice of the castle around her. There were tiny stars dancing around her skin as if she were a galaxy. Her lips and eyelids were coal black, representing the counterpart to light: shadow.

Queen Mab sat before her in an elegantly sculpted throne as she eyed her daughter. Maeve gave a slight curtesy to show respect for her mother.
“You have called upon me, your Grace?”, she addressed the Queen.
“Yes. As you know we are under attack. I can bide some time as we prepare for your father’s funeral which you will not be attending. I am sending you on a secret mission.”
Maeve paused and did not respond. Her heart ached with pain. She did not know how her mother could refuse her proper mourning of her father. However, Maeve knew better than to openly defy her mother in front of the subjects.
Mab took her daughter’s silence as acceptance.
“Queen Titania, my sister and your aunt, killed the Winter King. He was the strength that held this kingdom together. Now that he is gone, we are vulnerable, and our power can be stripped from us. The Winter Knight was also a loss we took in this unexpected attack. He died protecting your father.” The Winter Queen stomped her feet in anger. The powerful blow shook the ice castle.
“We can not stand for this! We will be going to war. First, I need you to retrieve the new Winter Knight for us. This mortal will be called upon to defend this kingdom. Fae law states it must be a mortal, but lucky for us Rada had a Fae lover. She birthed an offspring for him and hid this child in the Mortal Realm. He tried to hide this secret from me, but I know everything that happens in this court.” Queen Mab laughed madly before continuing.
“This is something we can use to our advantage. The new Winter Knight will be half mortal and half Fae. It shall be stronger than any previous Winter Knight we have had before. You are tasked with going to the Mortal Realm to retrieve Rada’s offspring. We know not much about this person except they have the birthmark of a snowflake that is visible to human and Fae eyes.”
Maeve finally looked her mother in the eyes. “Why give such an important task to me? I should stay here by your side as a united front. To show that we are not shaken by this loss. We are still strong..”
Queen Mab snapped her fingers to silence her daughter. “There will be a decoy in your place as you achieve this task for me. It will appear as if you never left. I am ordering you to do this because you are the only one left that I trust.” Queen Mab was sincere as she locked eyes with Maeve.
Maeve held back tears. Her mother was rarely kind with words or affection. She would do this, for her mother, for her kingdom.
“All right. How am I supposed to track this person?”
Queen Mab stood and sauntered down the stairs and came face to face with her daughter. “With this.” She handed Maeve a diamond necklace that had red human’s blood swirling around inside. “Inside is Rada’s blood. The portal will take you to the area in the Mortal Realm that his child inhabits. As you get closer this pendant will light up. It will fully illuminate when you come face to face.”

Maeve nodded. It was a simple fairy tracking spell. Blood and names were immensely powerful for spells. That was why Fae never gave their true names to humans. It would give them power over them in the Mortal Realm and force Fae to do their bidding. Maeve would have to be careful. It would be her first time in the Mortal Realm after all. “I will do my best. I do not know how I will convince this person to come here or explain this situation, but I will not fail you.” Queen Mab gave a nod of approval before ascending the stairs and returning to her throne.

That was it. Queen Mab spoke no more of this to Maeve and continued her royal duties as if uninterrupted. Maeve followed a hobgoblin servant out into the wintery woods to an old willow tree. This tree was centuries old and was one of many doorways between the Unseelie Realm and the Mortal Realm. Maeve knocked three times as the bark of the tree formed into a door. She opened it, stepped in, and the bark swallowed her whole.

Maeve was transported to the Mortal Realm as she stepped out into a wooded area. It was another forest. This forest was lively and in full bloom. The sun beat high in the sky upon her mortal skin. Fae were always in human form when in this realm. Maeve’s human appearance gave her bright blue eyes and layered black hair. Her skin was pale and had tattoos of stars in various places. The outfit she wore was a simple black dress, leather jacket, and combat boots. Her powers were also weakened in this state. The air she took into her lungs made her cough. It stunk and was full of pollution. Humans never knew how to take care of their world. She shook her head in disgust. Time to get this over with, she thought to herself.

“So the search begins….”, she said to herself as she took her first steps into the Mortal Realm.

[Ashen]

The straight flush. That was one of those poker hands that was seen infrequently enough that it almost always took the pot, often to the disappointment and devastation of the other players who had impressive hands themselves. Spade Montgomery peered at the tips of her cards again. Three face cards, one ten, one nine, all spades. The probability of such a hand being dealt to her was one over one hundred thousand—give or take; she didn’t have time to do the real math. All she knew was the man behind the counter had just dealt her five thousand dollars.

Her features betrayed nothing. She cast a glance towards the man before her, a stout thing who often played with her and the guys. He looked pained; a bad hand, no doubt. He set down two cards and waited for the dealer to give him his replacements. When he looked at them, his expression fell the slightest bit. He had absolutely nothing.

Spade turned her attention to the dealer. The dark-skinned man had the sweetest smile she had ever seen, and his pale eyes watched her. She glanced back at her hand. Victory was already secured. She had a thousand dollars in the pot for this hand. Despite her better judgment, she drew a card from her hand and tossed it to the dealer. The man dealt a card back to her and continued around the table, unaware of the terrible decision Spade had just made.

But the girl was a risk-taker. She sorted her cards, not daring to look at her new one, and she gazed around the table. One of the players had a grin on his face. Judging from the last few rounds, he was ready to go all in. She waited patiently, watching as the man before her folded. She didn’t dare raise; the men around her would win her money for her.

By the time it was her turn again, the pool was up to twenty thousand dollars. Spade threw in the rest of her poker chips, and she watched the two men still in play flip over their cards. A flush from one of them, and four eights from the other. Spade studied them for a moment before flipping her own cards, seeing for the first time herself what she held.

A royal flush.

Just then her phone rang. Spade gracefully collected her chips among the angered moans and groans of her fellow players, and she stepped away from the table. She answered her phone with a chipper, “Howdy!”

The woman on the other end was not so happy. “Where the hell are you?”

Spade paused. “I’m just at the shop,” she said, referring to the card shop she frequented for tournaments. “I’m actually just leaving now.”

“Spade, you left your location on on Snapchat.”

Shit. “Look, it’s not—”

“You said you were done at the casinos.” The disappointment in her friend’s voice was unbearable. “Please, Spade, we’re worried about you.”

She straightened awkwardly. “Did you call me just to scold me?” She rolled her eyes, though her friend would not see. “I’m an adult, Maya. Please. Let me do what I want to do, okay?”

“You’re an adult with a gambling problem,” Maya bit back. “What happens when you and your mom wind up homeless because you bet the house again? I don’t want to be looking out for you like this.”

“Then don’t.” Spade hung up the phone. What did her long-time best friend know, anyway? She rarely ever lost, and she would need the money to move out of her mother’s house. At twenty-five, she needed to get on with her life, make her own way, do something. And for that, she needed money. What did it matter how she got it?

Spade looked back to the bag of poker chips in her hand. She was hated here, too often too lucky for the guys to tolerate. She’d finally made a big win, had enough money to make the repairs she needed on her truck, start looking around for apartments. So why did she feel so guilty?

On her way home, she cut through the forest behind her house, preferring the quiet to the bustling streets in front. With any luck, she’d get home before her stepdad, and avoid the interrogation about when she was going to get a job or find a nice young man to settle down with. “Bah,” Spade said, rolling her eyes. She could just make out the outline of her home when she suddenly heard a cough from somewhere in the distance. Spade stopped. The forest technically belonged to her family, acres left by some grandfather or another, and if another human was wandering about, they were trespassing. Dealing with some punk teenager, that was just what she needed today.

“Hey,” Spade called lazily, “if you don’t want the cops called on you, you should probably get off my property.”

[Moonlit_Fae]

Maeve had been wandering through the woods, taking in the human world. Despite her first negative impression, she was starting to take to this world. The only thing she did not like was the stickiness of sweat upon her flesh. This place was so warm...she was not use to it. This world seemed so bright and exotric to the desolate wasteland she called a home. The Unseelie court was perpetual winter. Her eyes had only ever known dark tones of blue, greys, and blacks. To enter into this world and experience vivid colors of greens and blues, she did not want to go back. She felt a guilt in her heart to think this. Her existence in this realm was of few minutes. How could she possibly be thinking to leave and never go back. She shook her head and regained her determiniation. Her callous mother had trusted her with a task, she would continue on.

The necklace that was perched upon her large bosom began to shake and a faint red light darted out from the gem leading her in a direction. The blood inside was swirling like a small tornado. "Hmm..I must be closer to the chosen one then I thought. What are the lucky chances of that?", Maeve said to herself with a smile. She was happy this part was going to be easy at least. The rest of this journey was not going to be. She would have to convince the new Winter Knight of their purpose and bring them into the Fae Realm. That would hold its own complications. Maeve would probably end up being the mortal's guide to navigate the metaphorical treachorous waters of the Unseelie court.

The light from her necklace pulled her north about 4 miles, it was a light only her Fae eyes could see. In the human realm her necklace appeared as a useless bauble. The Fae always tried to cover their tracks and magic in the human world. It was for protection. Also most humans could not comprehened a world beyond their own. The discovery would destroy their fragile psyche. The human race could barely agree upon a god to worship, let alone be able to realize and understand plains of existence beyond their own.

As Maeve got closer to the source it was pulling her to, it bobbed up and down faster and the red line pulling her along grew brighter and brigher. That was until she heard a voice less than 20 feet from her. She was sure the trees kept her hidden, at least until she chose to reveal herself. Maeve's eyes could see the red light from the blood magic was now pointing directly into this human's heart. Here we go...., Maeve thought as she stepped out into the open, ready to be seen.

"I am sorry." Maeve said, her voice sounding as lilted wind chimes. "I do not mean to trespass. You see I am lost and I am not from around here....", she trailed off, not really knowing what to say next.

[Ashen]

The forest returned to her only silence. Spade waited in place, squinting into the darkness of the trees. She had heard someone, hadn't she? She took a few more steps, listening closely for the proof that she wasn't going crazy. Looking around, Spade noticed a dim light shooting through the forest. It wavered in the darkness, pointing from her to the depths of the overgrowth. Curiously, she followed the beam as it flickered in and out of her view. Before she could get very far, a woman stepped out in front of her, startling Spade into a couple subconscious steps back.

She looks like an ordinary punk, Spade thought, and she cursed herself for letting the girl startle her. Her story didn't impress Spade; how many kindhearted people had this woman tricked into mugging? Spade crossed her arms over her chest. She was a short person, standing barely over five feet tall, and her chubby physique wouldn't scare anyone. Her hair, a messy pixie cut, certainly didn't help; the guys at the shop had dubbed her Pinkie Pie over its cotton candy hue. But as much as Spade knew she couldn't intimidate anyone with looks, she also wasn't intimidated herself. As soon as the punk pulled her knife, Spade would simply pull hers. In her twenty-five years, she hadn't lost a fight yet.

But there was something in those eyes. Maybe this woman wasn't a punk. Maybe she genuinely was lost in the forest behind Spade's family's house. She uncrossed her arms, cursing herself for jumping to conclusions. "You probably took a left on Winster Avenue, didn't you? People do it all the time. I keep saying there needs to be a sign there or something. No one realizes they're in the forest until they're too in the forest to remember which way they came." Spade approached, and the red light flickered in front of her. In noticing the woman, she had forgotten about it, but now it seemed to lead... right towards her. Did she see it too? Spade shook her head; it certainly wouldn't have been the first weird thing she saw that no one else seemed to. Ignoring the light, she continued, "I'm actually on my way out of here. If you want, I can walk you to the edge of the forest. From there, it won't be far back to the city."

While Spade spoke, she looked over the woman again. She was older than the punks her family often had to chase out of their forest. If she had to guess, Spade figured they were likely around the same age. Her eyes were so pale, so beautiful; in fact, this stranger radiated a sort of ethereal loveliness that made the self-conscious woman jealous. She imagined herself with a girl so pretty, and a blush immediately met her earthen-toned cheeks. Just a stranger in my woods, Spade reminded herself. She imagined her best friend Maya making fun of her for drooling over another stranger, until she remembered the argument they'd had on the phone. Spade bit her lip awkwardly, dismissing her thoughts as she looked back to the stranger. "Follow me," she said, and she continued towards her house, listening for the stranger's footsteps beside her.

[Moonlit_Fae]

Maeve walked beside Spade effortlessly, easily able to keep up with the short woman beside her. She is short, but her height would not determine how well she did in a fight. In fact it would benefit her. Her opponent could easily judge her to be not a threat at all... Now Maeve wanted to see this woman in action. If she were the Winter Knight she must have inherited some of Rada's fighting ability. Maeve then began to wonder what her story was in the mortal realm. Was she raised by her fairy mother who was disguised as a mortal? Was her mother even still alive? Or was she riased as an orphan? Once Maeve's curiosty got the best of her all she wanted was to find out the answer. This was not the time or place, though. Maeve had to figure out how to even bring this half-mortal into the Fae realm without giving the poor thing a heart attack.

As Maeve observed this stranger she could not help but think she was attractive for a mortal. Everyone in Fae was too perfect, etherally goreogus, and thin. It was nice to look upon softer and warmer flesh. Also a substantial body with curves that looked like fun to squeeze and hold. She quickly pushed these thoughts from her head. There was no time to try and flirt. Fae were known to take carnal pleasre whenever and wherever. It almost always occured at parties held by the court. She wondered if humans were the same. Nudity was also natural, as many Fae took their natural form. Only few chose clothing. I wonder how this mortal will react to that....

As they began to get further into the woods, Maeve decided to act now. She did not want to get too far from the entrance she took to get here. She could always find another, but it might be trespassing onto Seelie court territory.
"Actually...I have averted the truth from you. I know we just met, but I have something I need to discuss with you."
Fae were not able to lie. They could talk in riddles, divert, or omit the truth. However, Fae were naturally unable to lie. So earlier it is true that she was lost for she had never been in the Mortal Realm before and she was not from this world. Fae always had to choose their words carefully.

She hoped this mortal would not react too strangely from her words. It was time to cut to the chase and take action. This half mortal had a whole other world to explore in relation to her lineage.

[Ashen]

As Spade continued through the forest with this stranger, her mind was already wandering to other things. What she would eat when she got home, how she would avoid her parents for the night--she definitely was not in the mood for them. Her winnings would take a bit to come through; should she start looking for apartments now? Make plans for her truck? Or maybe she'd spend the day relaxing, a good movie or book her only company, an opportunity to shut out the world...

But she was pulled from her thoughts when her companion spoke. Was she admitting... to lying? Immediately Spade was on guard, halting her walk and turning to fully face the stranger. "Huh?" The word was incredulous, accusatory. Even if the girl was a punk, as first assumed, didn't they usually take a bit longer before they came clean? Spade rolled her eyes. She'd hold off on pulling a knife, for now, but there was no way she was letting this woman think for a moment Spade was the type to stay helpless during a fight. "I don't think you want to do this," she said. "My friends call my Lucky because I just don't lose. Whatever you're about to pull, I doubt you really want to try it with me."

She glanced back towards the trees. They were only a few more minutes away from her back door. If she ran now, would she get there before this stranger? That would be stupid; then she'd know where she lived. Spade had almost gotten home without incident, but just like every good day she had, there was a whole lot of bad to wade through. She sighed, wishing for once things would go her way. Not today, however.

But... why did the stranger look so innocent? Spade shifted, wary. Punks usually looked meaner, more threatening. This woman just looked lost, and... desperate? Spade cocked her head, raising a brow. "Actually, what do you want?" she asked. "I don't know you, and I don't know what you want to discuss. You've probably got me confused for someone else." Unlikely, with how much she stood out, but Spade couldn't imagine anyone would want to talk to her.

[Moonlit_Fae]

Maeve remained calm as soon as Spade's anger seemed to flourish infront of her. Mortals really were volataile. Even though this person was only half-mortal, she was raised in this environment. It was only natural for her to adopt the habit of being volcanic with emotions and demeanor. Her upbringing ultimately molded who she was as a person. The Mortal Realm seemed a dangerous place and because of it this person seemed to always be on guard. Although, she could not judge her too harshly. In the Fae Realm, especially being royalty, Maeve was trained to keep a strong facade of callousness. Emotions were to be protected so enemies could not use them as a weapon against you. The Unseelie Princess felt a slight pang of jealousness at this half-mortals freedom to express herself openly with out severe reprecussions.

Once she was done with her slight outburst, Maeve addressed her concerns. "I am not here to fight. Also, I did not lie, I am unable to do that. It is true I have never been here before and I am lost. Now I must tell you my business with you." Maeve paused. "There is no way I am mistaking you for another. I have information regarding your father." She was not too sure receptive this stranger would be to this news. It was a difficult subject to breach. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of an adventure, a very unfortunate adventure.

Maeve felt awful. She just wanted to grab this woman by the hand and pull her into the Unseelie Court. It would fast track the end result, but Maeve wanted to do this the correct way. "Look, I am not use to the customs of this place. So let me start over." Maeve reached out her hand slowly infront of her, for a handshake. This was at least one custom she knew of mortals. "My name is May. I have important matters to discuss with you. However it is for your ears only and I would appreciate it if we could go somehwere private. You can choose so you are in control of the situation. I can understand your lack of trust in a stranger." Maeve was being honest and genuine, hoping she would pick up on her good intentions.

[Ashen]

This girl--this May--still wasn't making much sense. Spade cast her glance away from the strange woman, quickly irritated at this conversation. This lost woman who was wasting both their time wandering through the forest had come to find Spade about her father? What did she care? Spade was about to spit some retort, some Unless he's finally died I don't care, but she stopped herself. If this woman was coming to her and not to her mother, maybe something was really wrong.

As long as she could remember, Spade had lived with her mother and her stepfather. She had always hated the man; she was convinced he was incapable of compassion and believed himself better than his other family members for what he had in his pants. Spade had given up trying to love or even like him long ago. Her mother stayed with him because he made money, she figured, though Spade knew that was a life she herself would never be able to lead.

May stuck her hand out, trying to restart their conversation, but Spade was now defensive. She nodded towards her, then weakly took her hand for only a second before shoving it into her pocket. She sighed and turned around, started walking again, assuming May would follow her. Spade had no idea why she was humoring her, why she was wasting any more of her night with this. She had things to do, a future to plan with the money she'd earned. But there she was, leading this beautiful woman away from society, into the depths of the forest.

She walked wordlessly, silently cursing herself for even bothering with this. Spade led May to a clearing in the forest. Flowers bloomed wildly here, and animals rolled in the weeds, unaware of the two intruders in their home. Spade walked past them, to a tree stump that she'd used countless times throughout the years. She motioned for May to sit, and she plopped down on the grass beneath her. "So what do you want?" she said. Her voice was level, emotionless. She had no interest in any conversation that involved her stepfather, but she figured there was no harm in hearing the woman out, at least. "What trouble has he gotten into now?"

[Moonlit_Fae]

May drew in a slught breath when this half-mortal woman touched her hand, even though it was the briefest of contact. A spark illuminated her skin and jolted her heart. She was not too sure what that was about. She had touched many of mortals before and had never felt anything like that. May resolved that it must be from her spunkiness. This woman was definitely a firecracker given her temper. That would be a good attribute given she would be the new Winter Knight. Now only if she could motivate Spade to fight for the Unseelie Court.

May let the peaceful silence fall between them as she followed Spade through the forst she knew so well. This would not be a bad area to grow up in. The bright colors, beautiful foliage, and sounds of numerous wildlife must be comforting. It was better than having a frozen wasteland as a home. She was speechless as Spade led her into this clearing. It was wondrous to her eyes. SHe took the invitation and sat down next to Spade.

"I think you are mistaken. Your father is not in trouble he's...." She paused. May was never one to sugarcoat things. She figured it would be best to deliver the sad news and then get down to business. She was already on borrowed time she could tell with Spade. Spade seemed like no bull shit and already over their encounter. May would continue to just be honest and hope for the best. If Spade gave resistance, she would use her Faerie glamour to bewitch Spade into doing her bidding, at least until they got back to the UnSeelie court.

"He's dead. Your biological father is dead. I know you did not know him, but there is much to discuss around this circumstance. Something we can not do here. I will need you to come with me somewhere for your safety and for privacy. I do not know what ears might be listenting right now." May finally made eye contact with Spade to gauge her reaction.

[Ashen]

The words dropped like bombshells, loud and thundering. He's dead. Spade couldn't understand the emotions that stirred within her. She was happy--finally she could live a life without the overbearing asshole who had moved in with her and her mother--but she quickly felt an onslaught of anger at her own elation. How dare she feel anything but sympathy for her mother, who had just lost someone she loved, someone she had spent years with. So caught up in her own emotional turmoil, Spade barely noticed May's next sentence.

I know you didn't know him. "Wait--what?" She searched the face of this stranger, trying to figure out her motives. Her biological father was dead? Well she cared about that even less. She shrugged her shoulders, averted her gaze. As far as she was concerned, he had already been dead. He'd never been a part of her life, and she had never felt anything for him. But suddenly he was dead, really dead, and he had left something for her. Spade rolled her eyes. "We can talk here," she said steadily. "No one is around. No one ever comes around here. And frankly, I'm getting a little sick of following you around so you can toy with me."

Spade crossed her arms over her chest. She narrowed her gaze. "I didn't know him at all," she added. "And I didn't care about him, either. Whatever he left me can go to charity. I don't want him in my life. Him or any reminders of him." To Spade, it was simple. She had never cared for any relative but her mother, and she was content with her tiny family. There was no need to complicate her bloodline by learning about it. She shrugged the stranger off. "Can we speed this up, actually?" she said. "I've got a busy night, and I don't think we should be discussing any wills without my mother, anyway."