In the beginning, there was doubt.
The Unseelie Court was horribly silent. The eyes of all the fae were turned to the windows, the dull, stagnant light filtering through and hitting their faces at frightening angles, the twilight casting shadows into the strangest of places. At the very top of it all sat the queen, her wings deathly still, her face pallidly pale, like porcelain. Her eyes lay unmoving in their sockets- they had been that way for nearly an hour now.
They were waiting.
Another Ashe was coming into their court, an Unseelie to join the ranks of their fae. Another Ashe was coming, and soon.
Without warning, a warm, balmy wind picked up, tugging at loose corners of clothing, caressing others in a flurry of exotic scents before settling nicely in the center of the room. The lonely light seemed to illuminate the dusty ashes it had picked up along the way, putting it, quite appropriately, into the forlorn, cyanotic spotlight for all to see. The court held its breath in wonder.
The wind stayed in the center for a long time, hovering like a butterfly before picking up its speed. It started in a circular motion until all the ashes were picked up, ashes that had been scattered around the center of the court, and then with the greyish color came a smoky hurricane, wild and frenzied, chaotic without knowing the extent of its power. The fae watched in awe as this hurricane danced and danced; they watched for minutes on end before it finally died down- slowly, poetically- until a faint shape was left in the center.
It wiggled like a child, flapping its wings weakly, but when no one came to aid it, it seemed to pick up a whirlwind of spite on its own, shaking the ash off its own shell. What was left was a beautiful iridescent green, to which two beautifully fragile cobalt flowers clung to like long lost lovers. It was supported by what looked like a storm cloud, and the darkest of wings grew from both sides, fluttering every so often, almost like a reminder to its existence.
Rim, a beautiful, young but still naïve fae was the first to notice that something was wrong. She was relatively short, and so lingered near the front, one of the closest to the egg and felt its troubling aura almost immediately.
“There’s something wrong with this egg,” she announced, perplexed, looking to The Queen for answers. The Queen, still emotionless as ever, only turned her eyes to find Camoth, the shaman in the crowd, knowing she would be the most knowledgeable. But by the time she had found the elderly shaman, she was already at the scene.
They watched with bated breath as the old fae swept her hands over the sheen of the shell, something obviously bothering her from the look on her face. It was summed up in three simple words that left the whole room shell-shocked.
“I know him.”
Her voice was strong, as always, with no room for doubt, but there was still something unbearable sad and trembling hidden in its depths. She continued.
“I know the man who’s ashes make up this egg,” she said quietly, a look of disbelief even etched in her own face. “He was my brother.”
And with that the court fell even more silent than before. Every pair of wandering eyes was locked on this old, breakable woman, her every movement still fluid, but weary. The woman’s eyes were the only one’s on the queen.
“There is a problem, though, Your Highness.”
The Queen quirked a brow, urging the lady on.
“My brother was abandoned by our parents because he was mute. We had assumed that he did not survive, but evidently, he did. In that time, however, it has seemed that he has developed a very strong hate towards humans.”
The Queen stayed silent. Hate towards humans was a good thing, so there must have been further complications. And she was right- there indeed were.
“However… that hate was much too strong. It seemed this egg, even as a barely living entity at the moment, is questioning the reason why it harbors such a feeling for something it has never met. In short, it is realizing that there is some underlying existence that was its root, it’s more than just itself- its parts of another being. The worst part is that the egg is doubting itself as an entity. It is unsure of even the smallest things at the moment.”
The court rose up into an uproar. Some of the scholars, who fully understood the implications, gasped in horror, while others railed and yelled for their own personal plan of action. Bewildered youngsters or less scholarly fae made noise simply to add to the din, making The Queen raise her hand in annoyance.
The court fell silent almost instantly again.
“Then what do you propose we do with this egg, Camoth?” she called elegantly, looking down from her throne to the elderly shaman.
The shaman shuddered with the weight of her own words as she spoke, the fright and ghastliness of what she was suggesting reaching her eyes.
“We must give it to a human to raise and care for.”
And in that moment, something snapped. Where regularly, a large protest would have erupted, the court was struck dumbfounded. Jaws hung open while anger flashed in uninhibited eyes, and small growls of pure hatred could be heard from the back.
Camoth frowned and continued, silencing the noisemakers with an icy glare.
“This is to ensure that this boy discovers himself that the humans need to be punished. If he does not trust himself as a being, how can he trust us when we educate him? He must realize himself, and in time, he will grow to loath his caretaker, thus matching the will that was first implanted in him by my brother. This is the only way.”
Rim, who had listened intently to every word, felt a drop of insecurity in this method. She raised her hand and stood on her tiptoes as to appear larger, but was still evidently very petite.
“Queen, may I speak?” she asked aloud, waving her hand so as to be more visible.
The Queen turned her head to the girl and nodded curtly.
Rim cleared her throat before looking to Camoth.
“How will you ensure that this Ashe does not grow to like the human? What if the human is exceptionally kind to him?” she mused aloud, drawing a few grunts of acknowledgement from the crowd.
Camoth opened her mouth to speak, but then was interrupted by The Queen.
“That is simple, my dear child. We will make it so that once he becomes an adult, he will have to kill his mortal guardian to rejoin the ranks of us, the Unseelie. And if he refuses, he will have to become a rogue fae, we will not let him in no matter how much he begs. There is no way he will refuse,” she laughed cruelly. “It is a win-win situation, do you not see it?”
At that, the old shaman shivered visibly, as if she could not stand the idea of her former brother being treated that way. Though if she had any protests, she did not voice them, only bowing down low to the ground to her queen in response.
“That’s… an e-excellent idea, Your Eminence.” she tried to fake a smile, but Rim saw through it and frowned in her stead, falling back into the gyrating ranks with displeasure.
It was the cruelest idea she had ever heard.
-------------------
Later that night, The Queen was having a hard time deciding the fae to pick to human. In the end, she decided on Rim, and she knew she could not refuse.
So that was where she found herself, sighing into the night gale, hiding her wings in heavy clothing and walking down the street, trying to find the meanest, most easy-to-kill-and-deserved-it human she could find. Unfortunately, almost no one was out at the hour, and she was losing hope by the second, the egg growing cold in her hands.
At last, a small light could be seen in the distance, sparkling like a fallen star. It turned out to be the golden bracelets on the wrist of a beautiful looking young adult, her green eyes glittering with joy at the delightful night. Rim knew this was not to be the one- how could she condemn such a young child, looking barely into her twenties and very kind, to certain death? But by then, it was too late. The green-eyed lady had caught the fae girl’s eye, and made her way there, a sweet smile gracing her lips.
“Well, what have we here? Should a girl your age be out so late?” she inquired pleasantly, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Rim looked for any means of escape, but finding none, offered a quiet smile and the truthful answer.
“I can’t really go home until I find a home for this little guy,” she admitted, showing the green-eyed lady the egg in her hands. Almost as an afterthought, and to ensure that the lady would not become the guardian, she added, “He’s really going to be a lot of trouble to take care of, I don’t think you’d be the right person…”
But the auburn-haired adult only smiled at the girl and shook her head graciously, holding out her hands for the egg.
“No, I’d love to take care of him! Does he cost any money? What will he hatch into?” she pondered curiously, looking into the Rim’s eyes for answers. “I’m Raina, by the way. Raina Tremblaine.”
Rim’s stomach flip-flopped before she answered naturally,
“No, h-he’s free, but I don’t really think you should-“
“Oh, no, it’s not a big deal. But what kind of egg is this? It’s too big to be a bird, and it doesn’t seem to look like anything I’ve encountered before…” she let her voice trail off, studying the green with an intensity.
Rim just gave a nervous laugh.
“I-It’s a surprise… I’m not supposed to tell you, Raina… see? It’s probably better you don’t take him in…”
But Raina still carried her grin, and gently lifted the egg from the fae’s hands.
“No, consider it done. Now run along home now, you’ll catch a cold,” she teased, and to Rim’s horror, clung onto it like her possession. Still, it was done now.
Before any further doubts set in, Rim ground her teeth in her mouth with anger at herself, but didn’t let her voice shake as she turned away,
“I’m Rim, thank you. Good luck raising him.”
By the time she had gotten back to the court, she told the Queen that the mission was successful and immediately retreated to her quarters, too many things on her mind. No one stopped her as she walked back, her head drooping, her eyes sullen. They were too busy celebrating the arrival of the newest Ashe in the dining hall with The Queen.
But she was already mourning Raina’s death.
That night, realizing what she had done, Rim buried her head in her arms and cried herself to sleep.
They were waiting.
Another Ashe was coming into their court, an Unseelie to join the ranks of their fae. Another Ashe was coming, and soon.
Without warning, a warm, balmy wind picked up, tugging at loose corners of clothing, caressing others in a flurry of exotic scents before settling nicely in the center of the room. The lonely light seemed to illuminate the dusty ashes it had picked up along the way, putting it, quite appropriately, into the forlorn, cyanotic spotlight for all to see. The court held its breath in wonder.
The wind stayed in the center for a long time, hovering like a butterfly before picking up its speed. It started in a circular motion until all the ashes were picked up, ashes that had been scattered around the center of the court, and then with the greyish color came a smoky hurricane, wild and frenzied, chaotic without knowing the extent of its power. The fae watched in awe as this hurricane danced and danced; they watched for minutes on end before it finally died down- slowly, poetically- until a faint shape was left in the center.
It wiggled like a child, flapping its wings weakly, but when no one came to aid it, it seemed to pick up a whirlwind of spite on its own, shaking the ash off its own shell. What was left was a beautiful iridescent green, to which two beautifully fragile cobalt flowers clung to like long lost lovers. It was supported by what looked like a storm cloud, and the darkest of wings grew from both sides, fluttering every so often, almost like a reminder to its existence.
Rim, a beautiful, young but still naïve fae was the first to notice that something was wrong. She was relatively short, and so lingered near the front, one of the closest to the egg and felt its troubling aura almost immediately.
“There’s something wrong with this egg,” she announced, perplexed, looking to The Queen for answers. The Queen, still emotionless as ever, only turned her eyes to find Camoth, the shaman in the crowd, knowing she would be the most knowledgeable. But by the time she had found the elderly shaman, she was already at the scene.
They watched with bated breath as the old fae swept her hands over the sheen of the shell, something obviously bothering her from the look on her face. It was summed up in three simple words that left the whole room shell-shocked.
“I know him.”
Her voice was strong, as always, with no room for doubt, but there was still something unbearable sad and trembling hidden in its depths. She continued.
“I know the man who’s ashes make up this egg,” she said quietly, a look of disbelief even etched in her own face. “He was my brother.”
And with that the court fell even more silent than before. Every pair of wandering eyes was locked on this old, breakable woman, her every movement still fluid, but weary. The woman’s eyes were the only one’s on the queen.
“There is a problem, though, Your Highness.”
The Queen quirked a brow, urging the lady on.
“My brother was abandoned by our parents because he was mute. We had assumed that he did not survive, but evidently, he did. In that time, however, it has seemed that he has developed a very strong hate towards humans.”
The Queen stayed silent. Hate towards humans was a good thing, so there must have been further complications. And she was right- there indeed were.
“However… that hate was much too strong. It seemed this egg, even as a barely living entity at the moment, is questioning the reason why it harbors such a feeling for something it has never met. In short, it is realizing that there is some underlying existence that was its root, it’s more than just itself- its parts of another being. The worst part is that the egg is doubting itself as an entity. It is unsure of even the smallest things at the moment.”
The court rose up into an uproar. Some of the scholars, who fully understood the implications, gasped in horror, while others railed and yelled for their own personal plan of action. Bewildered youngsters or less scholarly fae made noise simply to add to the din, making The Queen raise her hand in annoyance.
The court fell silent almost instantly again.
“Then what do you propose we do with this egg, Camoth?” she called elegantly, looking down from her throne to the elderly shaman.
The shaman shuddered with the weight of her own words as she spoke, the fright and ghastliness of what she was suggesting reaching her eyes.
“We must give it to a human to raise and care for.”
And in that moment, something snapped. Where regularly, a large protest would have erupted, the court was struck dumbfounded. Jaws hung open while anger flashed in uninhibited eyes, and small growls of pure hatred could be heard from the back.
Camoth frowned and continued, silencing the noisemakers with an icy glare.
“This is to ensure that this boy discovers himself that the humans need to be punished. If he does not trust himself as a being, how can he trust us when we educate him? He must realize himself, and in time, he will grow to loath his caretaker, thus matching the will that was first implanted in him by my brother. This is the only way.”
Rim, who had listened intently to every word, felt a drop of insecurity in this method. She raised her hand and stood on her tiptoes as to appear larger, but was still evidently very petite.
“Queen, may I speak?” she asked aloud, waving her hand so as to be more visible.
The Queen turned her head to the girl and nodded curtly.
Rim cleared her throat before looking to Camoth.
“How will you ensure that this Ashe does not grow to like the human? What if the human is exceptionally kind to him?” she mused aloud, drawing a few grunts of acknowledgement from the crowd.
Camoth opened her mouth to speak, but then was interrupted by The Queen.
“That is simple, my dear child. We will make it so that once he becomes an adult, he will have to kill his mortal guardian to rejoin the ranks of us, the Unseelie. And if he refuses, he will have to become a rogue fae, we will not let him in no matter how much he begs. There is no way he will refuse,” she laughed cruelly. “It is a win-win situation, do you not see it?”
At that, the old shaman shivered visibly, as if she could not stand the idea of her former brother being treated that way. Though if she had any protests, she did not voice them, only bowing down low to the ground to her queen in response.
“That’s… an e-excellent idea, Your Eminence.” she tried to fake a smile, but Rim saw through it and frowned in her stead, falling back into the gyrating ranks with displeasure.
It was the cruelest idea she had ever heard.
-------------------
Later that night, The Queen was having a hard time deciding the fae to pick to human. In the end, she decided on Rim, and she knew she could not refuse.
So that was where she found herself, sighing into the night gale, hiding her wings in heavy clothing and walking down the street, trying to find the meanest, most easy-to-kill-and-deserved-it human she could find. Unfortunately, almost no one was out at the hour, and she was losing hope by the second, the egg growing cold in her hands.
At last, a small light could be seen in the distance, sparkling like a fallen star. It turned out to be the golden bracelets on the wrist of a beautiful looking young adult, her green eyes glittering with joy at the delightful night. Rim knew this was not to be the one- how could she condemn such a young child, looking barely into her twenties and very kind, to certain death? But by then, it was too late. The green-eyed lady had caught the fae girl’s eye, and made her way there, a sweet smile gracing her lips.
“Well, what have we here? Should a girl your age be out so late?” she inquired pleasantly, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Rim looked for any means of escape, but finding none, offered a quiet smile and the truthful answer.
“I can’t really go home until I find a home for this little guy,” she admitted, showing the green-eyed lady the egg in her hands. Almost as an afterthought, and to ensure that the lady would not become the guardian, she added, “He’s really going to be a lot of trouble to take care of, I don’t think you’d be the right person…”
But the auburn-haired adult only smiled at the girl and shook her head graciously, holding out her hands for the egg.
“No, I’d love to take care of him! Does he cost any money? What will he hatch into?” she pondered curiously, looking into the Rim’s eyes for answers. “I’m Raina, by the way. Raina Tremblaine.”
Rim’s stomach flip-flopped before she answered naturally,
“No, h-he’s free, but I don’t really think you should-“
“Oh, no, it’s not a big deal. But what kind of egg is this? It’s too big to be a bird, and it doesn’t seem to look like anything I’ve encountered before…” she let her voice trail off, studying the green with an intensity.
Rim just gave a nervous laugh.
“I-It’s a surprise… I’m not supposed to tell you, Raina… see? It’s probably better you don’t take him in…”
But Raina still carried her grin, and gently lifted the egg from the fae’s hands.
“No, consider it done. Now run along home now, you’ll catch a cold,” she teased, and to Rim’s horror, clung onto it like her possession. Still, it was done now.
Before any further doubts set in, Rim ground her teeth in her mouth with anger at herself, but didn’t let her voice shake as she turned away,
“I’m Rim, thank you. Good luck raising him.”
By the time she had gotten back to the court, she told the Queen that the mission was successful and immediately retreated to her quarters, too many things on her mind. No one stopped her as she walked back, her head drooping, her eyes sullen. They were too busy celebrating the arrival of the newest Ashe in the dining hall with The Queen.
But she was already mourning Raina’s death.
That night, realizing what she had done, Rim buried her head in her arms and cried herself to sleep.
