FSE

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At the western end of the Fertile Expanse, there stretched a thousand-mile woodland of primeval trees and ruins of ancient druid settlements, known collectively as the Whisperwoods, so named after the myriad voices of nature spirits which made the trees their homes. Wild magic permeated these woods and gave rise to magical creatures of all varieties, not the least of which being the faefolk themselves. Playful by nature, most of these spirits were largely harmless unless provoked or carelessly invited to take more than the average mortal was willing to give. Even under such circumstances, most of their antics were good-natured, with the exception of those who served the Unseelie Court. These fae, whose minds mirrored the twisting thorns among which they resided, were a far cry from the laughing, dancing pixies most commonly seen in Flower Crown Grove to the north. Whereas fae of the Seelie Court were of a generally pleasant disposition, these creatures born of nature’s oily shadows reveled in screams and tears, and made their home in the southern Thornlands. Somewhere within this wood of piercing brambles and slashing vines was said to be an ethereal realm within which the Unseelie fae held court, forever in service to their wicked queen.

Mortals rarely returned from this place unscathed. So naturally, it was exactly where Farah, a half-elven sorceress, had to go. She’d made her way to the southwest over the last several days alongside a new companion of hers. Kaida, the blue-scaled fae dragon, trotted dutifully at her side, a glowing violet mote of magic lighting the way before the pair as they cautiously navigated the vicious overgrowth. Harsh murmurs oozed around the trunk of every tree, and the glinting lights of glowing eyes followed along, never straying too close, and always lurking just at the corners of their vision.

Perhaps they owed the unfriendly faeries’ reluctance to approach to the charms Farah carried; silver acorns enchanted with Kaida’s magic, specifically attuned to turn away the spells of the dark-inclined fae of these thorny woods. Farah had sensed their initial attempts to twist the woods around the pair and disorient them. Many a traveler had become lost for days, or even weeks, attempting to navigate this horrible place, only to emerge from the direction they’d entered—if they were even allowed to leave at all. Far too many ill-prepared mortal explorers wound up dead trying to cut through this section of the Whisperwoods.

With any luck, these two adventurers would not join their ranks. Kaida kept the lead, azure eyes darting this way and that, his ears flicking to the sound of anything daring to move too close. Farah kept her staff held firmly in both hands, lest anything attempt to snatch it away from her. Nothing had attempted to attack them outright yet, and as long as those charms held their power, she wagered nothing would. But she wasn’t about to let her guard down.

“Not far now.” Kaida murmured over his shoulder to her. The wolf-sized dragon kept his eyes forward, following strands of mana in the air. The fae were a tricky sort, always eager to find new games to play. Leading mortals—even those well-versed in magic—on wild goose chases with false sources of mana was a common one. He wagered Farah would have wandered around for hours before finally finding the entrance to the Unseelie realm. By then, the friend these frightful faeries had kidnapped might already be wed to one of them. “You might want to let me do most of the talking. But since Soren is explicitly your friend, you’re going to have to speak for him. And that means you’ll have to remember—VERY carefully—the way to talk to fae without agreeing to anything stupid.”

The half-elf girl swallowed hard. This was way more pressure than she’d expected, coming here. She’d figured it’d be as simple as grabbing Soren and hauling ass out of the woods while the fae spit and cursed their mortal lives. Sadly, it wouldn’t be so easy. She’d only known Kaida for a short time, but this was the first time she’d seen him so serious about anything.

“First thing.” she recalled him saying, paws up on her shoulders as he met her with a firm stare. “Never, ever, EVER offer your name like you did with me. That was incredibly dumb, and you should be glad I’m only fae-born and not a full fae. If I was, you would no longer know your own name, and I’d have incredible power over you.”

Communicating with the faefolk was similar to the way Kaida had described wild magic; their powers worked largely in concepts and beliefs. Things like names, memories, and thoughts were as tangible to the fae as trees and rocks, and could be as easily plucked from a person as a strand of hair. With enough magic, such things could be willed into the hands of an unscrupulous pixie, and the mortal victim would be entirely at their mercy.

“Rule two: Do not lie. At all. Lie to a faerie, and you submit yourself to whatever punishment they deem fit. Once we’re in Blackrose Throne, the penalty for lying is almost guaranteed to be death. Watch what you say.”

“Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?” she’d scowled, prodding his snout with her nose in a show of defiance. “Faeries lie to mortals all the time. Tricking someone is deceptive by default.”

“There are different rules for mortals and faeries. Call it hypocritical, call it unfair. It’s just the truth. And if you want to get Soren out of there without earning their ire, you’ll have to abide by them.”

Gods, if she never had to deal with another fae aside from Kaida ever again, she’d live a happy life. So many rules to follow, so many precautions to take. How had she honestly considered doing this alone? Kaida volunteering to accompany her had been nothing short of a miracle.

“Here.” the dragon stopped. He nodded to a circle of sickly violet toadstools on the ground just ahead of them. “Put your charm on. This is technically a trap for catching stupid mortals, but it’ll serve our purpose.”

“And the charm won’t keep it from bringing us to Blackrose Throne?” Farah inquired as she looped the acorn necklace over her head and around her neck, its enchantment glowing a faint cerulean color in the dark of the woods.

“We’re entering it willingly. It’ll bypass the protection spell. But you need to want to go in.” Kaida paused to take a few deep breaths. “So… you know. Prepare yourself.”

Farah stepped forward. Her feet stopped just outside that fungal circle. “I’m ready. Don’t worry about me.”

“Yeah well, I’m… not. Gimmie a sec.”

“You alright?” She turned back to see Kaida trembling and taking another long breath. “Gods, you… don’t look like it.”

“I’m fine.” the dragon hesitated. He stared at the floor and watched his own paws shake. He knew he’d freak out. Damn it all. The girl’s hands gently tousling his hair and ears returned some small measure of his confidence, and he resolved to press on. A life was at stake. No matter what these vicious fae said to him, he’d have to press on.

The pair stepped into the ring, and were immediately overtaken by a sense of vertigo. The forest twisted and churned around them, and a half-moment later they were somewhere… else. Enormous thorny vines flanked them on either side and behind, and before them sat a throne woven from the branches of a black rosebush. The sky above twinkled with angry, unknowable stars, framing a blackened moon, a void that swallowed up a large portion of the heavens. From all around came devilish snickering and crooning as winged figures floated into view.

“Oh look, it’s Kaida.” one of these black-winged fae giggled, giddy malice dripping from her words. “It’s been a couple decades, hasn’t it? And I see you’ve brought a friend. Adorable.”

“We seek the hospitality of the Unseelie Court.” Kaida stood tall, but stiff. His projected confidence was a mere facade, and the dark pixies knew it, flitting around him and whispering to one another. “We shall abide by the rules of your realm as we would any household, and shall expect the courtesy afforded to any guest, in kind.”

The most confident among the Unseelie who’d come to greet them, all shades of black and purple and wearing nothing at all, gave Kaida a diminutive but firmly dismissive smirk. For someone who stood only four inches tall, she sure had the gall of a lion. Hovering so close to the dragon’s snout, he could see the violet tone of her skin as it glowed with fae magic, her charcoal-black hair, and malicious golden eyes. A tiny purple flower of some exotic origin blossomed from within her hair, and her diaphanous wings, darkest indigo and trimmed with a gold luster, fluttered lightly to keep her aloft.

“As is your right.” Her tiny voice carried far more power than it had any business doing. “You are free to shrink and tremble behind the Fair Folk Accords. It wouldn’t be your first or your last act of cowardice.” Kaida scuffed at the ground with a paw, but kept his mouth shut. His momentary tormentor cooed tauntingly, “Aww, nothing? Fine. I’m far more interested in your friend, anyway.”

Farah, who’d already heard enough from this pint-sized terror, was assailed by the pixie’s violet glow as the tiny creature appeared before her eyes. She squinted in the obnoxious light and waved a hand to try and swat at her, but the Unseelie fae just dodged and weaved. “I don’t know if I like the idea of catching your interest.”

“Well too bad. You’re new. And that means you’re interesting.” the pixie smirked. “May I have your name?”

“You cannot HAVE anything of hers.” Kaida barked, eyes narrowed dangerously. “She did not come to make offers.”

“Oh fine.” Not to be denied, the little sadist approached at another angle. “No tricks. I’ll just take your name.”

“You won’t TAKE it either. Keep pressing your luck and I’ll be sure to appeal to your betters.” Kaida waited until she finished pouting. “You may know OF her name, should she choose to introduce herself.”

All this name business sounded completely ridiculous, but Farah knew better than to question Kaida’s experience. He’d been born of this part of the world, navigated its intricacies and hazards. The power behind names, spoken law, and exchanges… They weren’t a joke. “You may,” Farah chose her words carefully, “know of me as Farah. And that’s all you may do with my name.”

“Yeah, yeah.” the faerie grumbled, crossing her arms as she floated there, somewhat deflated compared to her earlier confident posturing. “You mortals are no damn fun when you have a proper guide. Even if he is the most pathetic dragon ever born.”

It stung to ignore that, but Farah had bigger problems. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have a name to remember after this. Even if it was only for the start of a list of pixies she’d eventually kill. “And what may I know you as?”

“I? Well, mortal, you address the Hand of the Queen of Autumn and Winter.” the smug fae grinned, spreading her arms wide. “You may know of me as Asphodel.”

Way too pretty a name for such a little shit. She didn’t say it, lest she break some rule of courtesy, but Farah could think it as much as she wanted. “Alright, Asphodel. I’ll get right to the point: I’m here for Soren.”

The violet fae’s eyes lit up, and she smirked. “Oh, my fiance. I knew you looked familiar. You were there that night, weren’t you?”

“So it was you. You’re the one who took him.” Farah failed to hide the malice oozing into her words. She’d been half-asleep when the flash of wild magic tore into their tent and ethereal vines yanked Soren right out of his sleeping bag. The sadistic giggles of faeries had been all they’d left her with as they zipped into the woods and out of sight.

“Goodness! Look at that surge in your mana.” Asphodel mocked, waving two of her pixie attendants to flit away—presumably to retrieve Soren. “I dare say you wanted to kill me right then and there.”

“There have been several moments, actually.”

A sadistic little giggle left the faerie’s lips. “Oh, I know, dear. I know. But start a war in here, and it’ll end poorly for you, your friend, and your trembling little guide over there.” Her eyes turned back to Kaida, who turned his gaze away immediately. “Honestly. This half-breed is truly good for nothing. Were it not for the laws of this realm, I’d probably just kill him.”

Farah took a step between the two. She might not know their history, but she sure knew she didn’t like this pixie bitch one bit. “You lay one finger on Kaida, and I’ll set this entire wood on fire.”

“Please. I’m bound by the rules of courtesy.” Asphodel casually turned her attention to her claw-like fingernails. “He entered via invitation—traps are technically invitations, mind you—and spoke all the right words. So I suppose he’s good for following rules to save his own hide.”

“Funny, he only came here to help me save another. Maybe you don’t know as much about him as you claim.”

“And maybe you don’t.” Asphodel let that statement hang in the air. Kaida bumped his head against Farah’s hip, and she responded by caressing his ears. An uncomfortable silence held on for far too long before the malicious faerie turned her head to greet an approaching figure flanked by two of her kin. “Ah, here he is now. Say hello, my beloved!”

The nude figure of an anthro rabbit floated into view, held aloft by two faeries via glowing red magical vines covered in vicious thorns. His black and white fur covered most of the cuts and scrapes he’d apparently endured in this hellish realm, but the white splotches among shadowy black had been stained with blood. His eyes looked far-off and devoid of consciousness, breaths coming slow and shallow.

“Gods, Soren!” Farah rushed to her friend, and no one bothered to stop her. She cupped his cheeks and shouted his name over and over, but he only stirred lightly. Concern gave way to righteous anger, and she glared at the two pixies holding him aloft. “Release him!”

“Oh, go ahead.” Asphodel waved a casual hand in her attendants’ direction. “Let her have her moment. He’ll be all mine after midnight tonight anyway.”

Soren, suddenly released from his bindings, collapsed to the grassy floor, with Farah struggling to soften the fall. He blinked for the first time since they’d brought him over, and his ears began to twitch at the sound of the half-elf’s voice. “Fa...rah..?”

“Soren!” Tears threatened at the edges of her eyes, and she resisted the urge to squeeze her friend, lest she worsen his wounds. “Look at you… Oh Soren, I’m so sorry…”

“I…” the bunny rubbed his forehead. He stared at Farah, uncomprehending, green eyes wetting as he began to quietly weep. “Is that… my name? Farah, they… I can’t remember…”

Rage once again consumed the sorrow of seeing her friend in such a state. Suddenly Kaida’s warning about losing her very identity to the faefolk rang uncomfortably true. A sinister giggle from behind reminded her of Asphodel’s direct responsibility for this ordeal, and she cast a dangerous glare in the pixie’s direction. “Give him back his name.”

“Why? He gave it willingly. All I had to do was ask.”

“You know damn well why. Don’t play coy with me.”

“I’m not.” the fae woman smirked. “You know our rules. You know we don’t view the world through your clouded eyes. Anything offered freely is taken freely. That is how nature operates. You do not throw a sheep to a wolf and then callously demand it back once it’s eaten its fill.”

“Wolves need to eat.” Farah rose and stomped over to the horrible faerie. Oh, she could just gnaw those godsdamned wings off right now. “What do you do with names, other than collect them and torment your victims with their absence? You don’t need to do any of this!”

Asphodel cackled, hands on her diminutive hips as she relished the girl’s anger. “Need to? I can argue that you don’t ‘need’ to live. So if I locked you away and starved you to death, I could just dismiss you as inherently worthless and be done with the whole idea. We are faeries, you silly elven mutt. Nothing we do is ‘necessary’. We do what we want, and that’s it.”

“I am going to…” Farah let that thought die in a growl. Making threats would only entertain the bitch more than she already had. She turned her attention to Kaida, took a deep breath, and steadied herself. “What do we do?”

The dragon stared at poor Soren for a long moment. Reading him. Sensing the fae magic upon him. “Give him the pendant. That’s first and foremost.”

“What are you playing at?” Asphodel’s tone shifted to an annoyed suspicion. Her eyes flicked to the acorn charm around Farah’s neck and its twin, now in her hand and being offered to Soren. All her confidence dried up immediately upon realization of just what was being offered to her ‘fiance’. “No! Don’t you dare!”

“Anything offered freely is taken freely.” Kaida reminded the pixie with a smirk of his own. A small victory, but it felt good to finally take a stab back at her. “No rule against giving gifts in the home, is there?”

Asphodel glared in the dragon’s direction, but did not argue the semantics. There was no point. She could only watch as Soren accepted the pendant and, upon clasping it around his neck, was made immune to the faeries’ magic. Her frown turned upside-down a moment later, however. “You came prepared, I’ll give you that. Kaida, you surprise me, acting against the Court like this. Maybe you have some backbone after all.” The pixie conjured up a coin-sized, perfectly round and smooth gem of some unknowable mineral, and declared, “But you haven’t won. I still have his name. And while I own this most precious thing of his, he is still bound here. Bound to me. The best you’ve done is delay any further torment, and I’ll be sure to make up for lost time once that trinket’s enchantment wears off.”

“Then Soren begs the hospitality of the Unseelie Court!” Farah insisted, still at her friend’s side and holding him gently. “Right?”

“Whatever gets me the hell out of here.” the rabbit groaned.

“What you refer to as ‘Soren’ doesn’t technically exist in this realm anymore. I own his name. He was brought here as a possession, and possessions are not granted the right of hospitality.” Asphodel smirked. But as she watched them wrack their brains for some answer to this, her smile faded, and she began to recognize the trouble they were going to pose. The half-elf was clearly stubborn, and something had lit a fire in Kaida’s soul, enough to make him act directly against the Unseelie fae. Trifling half-breed he might be, but even mutts could cause more trouble than she wanted to deal with. “Honestly. What does it take to just make you all go away, so I can have my fun?”

“Give Soren back his name and let us leave. That’s literally all it’d take.” Farah glowered up at her. She was half-tempted to break all decorum and make good on her promise to burn the forest down at this point.

Kaida piped up as he trotted over to stand beside Farah and her bunny friend. “There are always other mortals to toy with. Hell, some of them would genuinely enjoy what you do.”

“That’s no fun.” Asphodel groaned. “Suffering isn’t suffering if they like it!”

“Then there has to be something you’d bargain for.”

“Oh, there are plenty of things.” the pixie’s dangerous smirk returned. “The pretty purple gems in that elf girl’s skull. Or you, Kaida.” Her already sharp talons extended and tightened to needle-points. “Oh, I’d for sure trade some sniveling rodent for the chance to claw you to death over the course of a century or two. Filthy mutt.”

Farah hugged the trembling dragon close. “Absolutely fucking not! We don’t trade lives in the civilized world.”

“Don’t you? Your kings and lords might feel different.”

“Yeah well, they’ve clearly learned a thing or two from your kind.” the half-elf didn’t bother to disguise the hatred coating her words. “Surely there’s something more precious to you than someone’s pain and suffering. Even your disgusting ilk have family, right?”

“Careful, girl.” Asphodel warned, “Guests don’t speak ill of their hosts’ kin.” She paused, momentarily thoughtful. Something came to mind that hadn’t surfaced for nearly three centuries. “But you aren’t wrong. We do have family. And as it so happens, I do know of something worth trading for that rabbit’s name.”

“His name and his freedom.”

“Naturally.” the faerie’s gaze turned distant. “Many of your lifetimes ago, my mother and I haunted the Whisperwoods together. Many mortals fell prey to our antics, and we thought ourselves impervious to retaliation.”

Kaida cut in with a quip, “Everyone with even a bit of power believes that right up until someone humbles them.”

Asphodel gave the dragon the closest thing to a respectful acknowledgment that she’d ever dare for a half-breed. “So you aren’t braindead. Good. Then you’ll accept the short version of the story and piece the details together yourself. Any scholar of your religious history could tell you about the Esoteric Order of the Knights Divine. A so-called ‘holy army’ of one of your gods, the Lady of Light. For nearly a thousand years, they led campaigns against any magical creature which refused to bend the knee to their deity, and one day thought to trample through the Thornlands to shorten their trek to a vampire’s lair.

“Too bad for them, we had other ideas about their intrusion.” The faerie smirked and licked her violet lips. “Oh, how they screamed. How they panicked, trudging through the woods for days as we twisted the paths around them, drove them in circles, and led them into the dens of beasts far more deadly to an armored knight than any blood-drunk nightwalker. Their torment could have gone on forever… until one of them got wise.”

Farah frowned. She’d read of these alleged ‘knights’. The clergy surrounding the Lady of Light excommunicated these fanatics long before they arose as a power in the north, but their propensity for slaying dangerous creatures gave them a leeway that intelligent folk don’t tend to give to zealots. Their atrocities against immortal and magical creatures alike were innumerable, and they rarely spared mortal non-believers who found themselves on the wrong side of their blades.

“They were adept, you see, at dealing with spirits.” Asphodel continued. “Possessed all kinds of tools made for killing or imprisoning us. Back then, the Court was less about killing mortals, and more about the screams, the fear, the hilarity of watching something ten times our size fleeing in abject horror. We could live with the idea that we’d made them suffer enough.” Her tone darkened, one hand balled into a fist. “Until we were taught to know better. When these ‘holy knights’ unleashed their divine magic and slew us in our own homes. They’d tired of the game and started to play for keeps. And my mother…”

“Gone?” Farah offered, surprised at the level of compassion she’d allowed to creep into her voice.

“Not as you would understand. Not for good. But forever beyond my reach.” Asphodel relaxed her posture, allowing the memories to retreat into the depths of her unknowable immortal mind once more. “When faefolk are killed, we crystallize. These crystals are the shape of our souls, given physical form in death. Given enough time, that soul will regain the strength lost in its body’s demise and reshape its body, effectively resurrecting itself. But like any soul, these crystals are malleable, and given the right tool, they can be contained. Trapped, in this case. Inside a wrought iron cage.”

Soren spoke up, still huddled up at Farah’s side. Part of him didn’t even believe she was there, that this was just another layer of cruelty the faeries had inflicted upon him. A hallucination. Still, he tried to convince himself this was real, and partaking in the discussion was all he could do for himself right now. “Wrought iron completely nullifies fae magic.”

“Anathema to our very existence, as the true essence of mankind’s irreparable alteration to the natural world. One cannot unshape iron once it is wrought, just as none can undo man’s curse upon this land. And we, as beings intrinsically linked to the natural world, cannot so much as touch it.” The dark pixie turned her gaze to Farah. “But you do not practice wild magic. You are unbound by this place, and in the perfect position to retrieve my mother’s soul crystal.”

“And you know where it is.” Farah stated more than asked as she caressed Soren’s ears. He still trembled, but not nearly as much as earlier.

“Aye, I know exactly where. Clutched in the steel gauntlet of that knight’s armor, forever animated by his enduring will to snuff out the life of any who’d call another god their patron. His hate for our kind lived on long after his bones turned to dust.”

Kaida rose from his seat. “Then I’ll go with her. It’ll be easier with two.” Anything to get the hell out of this place and away from the mocking whispers of pixies. “I might not be able to affect the prison, but I can still back you up.”

“No.” Farah held up a hand. “I need you to look after Soren. I don’t trust that they won’t immediately go back to tormenting him the moment we’re gone.”

“Yeah, but…”

“I’ll be fine.” Farah smiled. She moved to the dragon’s side and caressed his chin and ears. “You only saw the um… quirky side of my magic. I’m more capable than you might think.”

Kaida fidgeted in spite of her reassurance. He sure didn’t want to undermine her confidence with his own insecurities, so he resolved to let himself trust her. “Kay… But you better come back.”

“Promise!” Farah kissed her friend’s forehead, then hurried over to Soren to gently hug him. “Back soon. You’ll be free before you know it.”

“Gods I hope this isn’t just some cruel trick.” the rabbit groaned. It took a considerable amount of time for him to release Farah, but he eventually relented and shrank back into the little ball he’d curled into. Pixies buzzed nearby, occasionally testing the efficacy of the charm around his neck, only to have their spells fizzle on contact. “Just leave me alone, you little bastards…”

Asphodel wove her mana into a star-shaped crystal and offered it to Farah. “Take this. It’ll guide you to the imprisoned soul. If you’re serious about this, you’d best be ready for a fight. If not, well… I’ll know.” The faerie gave her a wicked smirk. “And I’ll have two toys to play with instead of just one. Try not to die.”

“Before I get to kill you? Perish the thought.” Farah pocketed the magical stone and made for the exit. The circle of toadstools stood in their obvious circle, ready to transport her back into the realm of mortals. She turned to briefly look to her friends and shot them a quick smile before the world twisted and spun around her, releasing her from the world of the fae.

The sound of Asphodel’s devilish giggling put Kaida on edge immediately. The pixie buzzed around his head and tutted in a dismissive manner. “You haven’t learned, have you? How many of your mortal friends need to die before you realize you’re no good for them?”

“Shut up.”

“Aww, poor Kaida. Poor little baby, can’t help but cling to the nearest kind soul! So lonely! So sad!” she smirked, taunting faux-sympathy laced into her every word. “Boo-hoo-hoo! How long will this one last? Will that ancient knight tear her apart? Or will she come back to find you and her bunny friend whisked away into our realm, never to be seen again, and slowly waste away in her sorrow, just like…” Her lips pressed to the soft furs of Kaida’s ear as she whispered: “Poor old Renda…?”

Something snapped. Kaida whipped around and gnashed at the mocking pixie, his teeth just missing the edge of her wing. “You can call me every nasty name in every language ever spoken. But utter that name in my presence again, and I’ll fucking end you.”

“Oho. Touched a nerve.” Asphodel giggled, flitting far out of reach, to a distance where she was merely a shimmering violet light from the dragon’s perspective. “Pathetic. You dare use the word ‘fae’ to describe yourself, but you’re little more than a beast. All wrath and rage, ready to gnaw my wings off because I reminded you of your failure. Disgusting, the lot of you half-breeds.”

“Does this count as courtesy in your laws? Mocking the dead and those they left behind?”

“Courtesy extends to trickery and outright violence.” Asphodel crooned from above. “Especially for your kind. I wager I could get away with a lot when it comes to mutts.”

Soren, having finally escaped the attentions of the now bored pixies, came to stand at Kaida’s side. “You know, Asphodel? You’re a bitch. Like, a genuine bitch. Literally no one would willingly marry you.”

“Spend enough years in here and you’ll change your tone.” the faerie’s voice carried the air of a smirk, even though the pair couldn’t see her face. “If your friend fulfills her end of the deal, you’ll never have to find out. Until then, I have plenty of other things to do that don’t involve overgrown lizards. Toodles.”

The two watched her flit off between the trees, into the gnarled, thorn-choked forest that seemed to stretch on to infinity. They exchanged a glance, then cast their gazes around. No one remained to supervise them, though there wasn’t exactly a point in trying to escape now. Soren was the first to speak up again, slumping down to the ground and groaning as his body ached in protest. “You have no idea how weird this feels.”

“I have some.” Kaida offered, settling down beside the bunny. “I’m fae-born. I know how it works.”

“People keep saying my name, and I know it for a split second before I forget again. It’s fucking maddening.” Soren hid his face in his hands. “Just a moment of carelessness was all it took.” That’s what he told himself every day when he and Farah left town to go adventuring. “One single moment of carelessness will end your entire adventuring career.” And look where he was now, after one godsdamned moment of carelessness. The rabbit stared at Kaida for a while. This dragon didn’t particularly like the Unseelie pixies, so he could at least trust him that much. “So.” he finally worked up the nerve to ask. The last thing he wanted now was more surprises. “What’s your story… Kaida, was it? How’d you and Farah meet?”

The dragon took a stiff breath. That was not the story anyone needed to hear right now, at least not in its entirety! “Oh, um… It’s nothing remarkable. She heard about a dragon who could cast wild magic, and we just kinda… worked out a deal.”

“That deal involved you coming here and facing down these sadistic little shits? Whatever she paid you, I doubt it was enough.” Pfft, if only he knew. “Still. Glad you’re here. Farah’s a great adventuring partner, but she’s a lousy scholar. I think if she’d wandered in here herself, she’d be stuck right beside me after a few minutes.”

“Sounds about right.” Kaida chuckled. Hell, she hadn’t so much as peeked at his mana before approaching him. Some sorceress she was. That thought killed the smile on his lips, and he breathed out a little sigh. “I hope letting her go out there alone wasn’t a mistake.”

Soren waved a hand to dismiss his worries. “Nah. She sucks at studying, but she has a natural affinity for magic. She’ll be alright.”

The two sat in silence, that thought weighing upon them despite Soren’s assurances. Kaida would just have to hope the rabbit was right. If push came to shove, he didn’t have to stay here if Farah failed, but he’d sure feel bad about leaving anyone to rot in this place until the end of time. Rather than dwell on the possibility of failure, he chose to have faith in his new friend.

--

Sunset threatened to turn Farah’s search into a nighttime trudge through brambles and twisted roots. She’d followed the magical pulsing of the crystal Asphodel had provided for nearly an hour, all while drowning out the devilish taunting of the faefolk in the woods around her. One might assume Asphodel would have called them off, seeing as it was her own mother’s soul on the line. Apparently not.

“Just shut your stupid faces. I’m trying to—” Farah paused. Something glinted in a clearing ahead of her. The shine of metal armor was faint in the light of the setting sun, but unmistakable among the harsh, thorny undergrowth. She hurried to the clearing and came to a stop just before the trees gave way. The steel raiment of a knight sat upon the grass, its back propped up against a dead tree. What once surely stood tall and silver-pure had given way to time and the elements, rust marring its former luster, moss clinging to its joints. Holes dotted the surface of the armor where magical thorns once found their mark. It was a wonder there was even a glimmer of sheen left to the aged metal. As promised by the dark fae, clutched in the left gauntlet was a cylindrical iron cage containing a shimmering blue crystal. The soul of an Unseelie faerie.

Farah knew better than to simply walk up to the dead man’s armor. It was faint, but there was mana in the old cuirass, and it was slowly spreading to the rest of the suit. Whatever consciousness resided within the armor had noticed her, and it slowly began to rise. She held her staff at the ready, but didn’t attack right off the bat. If there was still a soul within this armor, it wouldn’t sit right with her to strike it down without cause.

The former knight stood tall—nearly twice her height, in fact. What a giant of a man this wayward crusader must have been in life. Its massive helmet tilted down as if to look upon her, golden light seeping from the cracks in the metal. Vestiges of the divine power that kept it animate. “...My Lady…” came a hollow, metallic groan. “...In death… I serve… My Lady of Light…”

The woods grew eerily quiet. From the corners of her eyes, Farah spotted faefolk between the trees, looking on in a mix of fear and curiosity. She immediately recognized why they’d never destroyed this remnant of the old faith themselves: The divine aura seeping from the armor had purified the land around it, cleansing it entirely of the faeries’ influence. Thorns and mushrooms shrank from its light, ever clawing at the edges of the armor’s radiance. “I have no quarrel with you, knight.” Farah began, standing just beyond the divine light’s reach. She’d find it as fearsome a force as a gentle sunbeam, unlike the faeries who’d find it quite uncomfortable. Stepping in, however, might provoke the centuries-old soul into attacking, however, and there was still a chance to end this without a battle. “But you have something I need. Your Order has ended, its scripture relegated to a footnote in mankind’s history. You need no longer fight your fight.” A hand extended across the threshold where divine order and Unseelie chaos met. “Hand over the faerie’s soul and rest. There’s no need for violence.”

Ancient metal creaked and groaned. The old knight stepped forward, lurching on rusted joints and shedding dirt and moss. The light within grew more fearsome as it raised its time-worn blade. “...In the name… of the Light…” Pixies darted deeper into the forest as the sphere of Light’s influence moved with the walking armor, which now slowly approached Farah. “...All shall… know Her and fear Her…”

Bands of golden light trimmed the rusted armor as the knight charged in with surprising alacrity. Farah stood her ground, staff primed and held forward. Mana surged within her as she focused, drawing from the nearest leyline to empower her spells. The magical veins which intersected with the physical plane pulsed with her own flow of mana in the half-second she took to attune herself to it, her staff blazing a bright blue. “Embala Cthonia.”

Something yanked the knight’s metal boot and stopped it in its tracks. Its blade, held in an extended arm, stopped just short of Farah’s nose as the earth itself wrapped around her attacker’s legs and pulled. Inch by inch, that sword was forced to retreat, earth and stone forming tendrils to restrain her opponent.

“...Lady of… Light…” groaned the old knight, trembling hands fruitlessly attempting to strike at Farah, each swing of its sword leaving more and more air between them as the ground swallowed up its armored calves.

The half-elf breathed out slowly. Not even nearly the most challenging opponent she’d faced, though definitely the closest she’d come to having her nose taken off in a while. Her mana flowed once more. No reason to prolong this old soul’s suffering. She could have chosen a simpler spell, but she had an audience, and one she particularly disliked, at that. A demonstration was in order.

“Stella Ora Cerulea.” From Farah’s staff emerged a shower of arrows the color of a starlit night. Mercilessly, the conjured missiles made a metallic pincushion of the soul-trapped armor, tearing metal in horrible groaning shrieks and casting golden light in every direction. It poured from the armor’s new injuries, scattering into the air and dissipating with each steel-shredding impact, until the knight dropped to its knees and let its sword slip from its gauntlet.

“...The Light… fades…”

Divine mana seeped away, leaving only the fading glow of a soul finally given rest. The armor slumped and fell still, gravity winning out against its fading power, until the last mote of magic flickered away. Farah stood at ease, lowering her staff and shutting her eyes to spare a moment for the fallen warrior. Twisted though his faith may have been, he fought with conviction until the end, and beyond. He’d more than served his time in this hellish place. Stepping forward, Farah pried open the metal glove of her adversary and retrieved her prize. The ugly wrought iron prison had withstood the test of time, though its rusted bars were a solid indication of just how old this cruel and unusual soul cage was. To the naked eye, it might seem an easy thing to simply break apart, but the intricate divine magic woven into the metal told Farah otherwise. Ornate swirls and runes dug deep between the layers of iron, strengthening the alchemical structures that composed the very metal, thus ensuring this thing would outlast the ire of the fae it insulted by its very existence.

This magic, however potent, was old by human standards. Though the fae could never so much as approach this prison, never mind affect its composition with their impotent spells, it was well within her ability to dismantle the divine protection cast upon it. That the Unseelie Court had thus far refused to enlist one of the many mortals who’d passed through these woods in the passing centuries spoke to their true hatred for mankind. But the absence of a dear friend or parent was as a thorn to the heart, fed by time and made more painful by the years. Asphodel must have truly missed her mother to have agreed to this exchange.

Farah focused upon the cage. Divine magic followed easily-recognizable patterns, as most of its principles mirrored its faith-based approach: A strict adherence to the laws of man, governed by divine will. While complex in design, these patterns of mana relied more heavily upon barring certain creatures from testing their bonds entirely, rather than baffling the minds of mages attempting to unravel them. Enough brute force from, say, a demon or a particularly old and powerful faerie might overpower this spell’s protection, but the presence of wrought iron would keep the fae from even touching it, and they weren’t dumb enough to consort with demons.

Farah followed the lines of golden mana and laced her own azure magic into the iron’s bonds. Runes swirled and spiraled out like threads pulled from a fancy embroidery, uncurling the patterns and straightening out the magical powers within. Thus unfolded, the mana would lose its purpose and harmlessly dissipate into the aether. With its magical fortifications stripped away, the time-worn iron crumbled to dust, leaving the soul crystal bare and freed of its prison. Farah stashed the gem in her bag and cast a dangerous glance to the fluttering, murmuring onlookers among the trees. “Remember the battle you witnessed here. Tell your friends. Your fellows. Your enemies. Trifle with me or my friends again, and being skewered alive will be a kindness compared to the agony I’ll inflict upon you.”

Perhaps it was the charm of protection around her neck that gave her confidence, and drove the faeries to retreat into the shadows in turn. It mattered little. She’d burn this entire forest to the ground if another pixie so much as buzzed in Soren’s direction again. And if she came back to find either him or Kaida in any measure of distress, she might just do it anyway. Farah turned on her heels and made her way back toward the ring of mushrooms, victorious, and just a little bit smug at having put the fear of a scorned half-elf in these bastard faefolk.

--

The perpetual twilight of Blackrose Throne paid no mind to the setting sun outside the fae realm. The red and orange stars above flared with a cosmic malice unknowable to mortal minds, and the blackened shadow of an alien moon never seemed to move. Soren cast nervous glances in the direction of the mushroom circle every now and then, silently praying for Farah’s swift return. His marriage to Asphodel may have been put on pause for the moment, but there was no telling when the Hand of the Queen would tire of waiting and commence with the wedding in Farah’s absence.

“So, anyway,” he gathered his thoughts again and turned his attention back to Kaida, “Here I am, walking into the academy to pay Farah a visit, and what do I see but her walking naked down the hall, just… completely unaware of it, as casual as can be. And that crazy pervert, Caledon, is just cackling like a godsdamned idiot from the floor above while all the other students stare in disbelief.”

“Her TEACHER did this?” Kaida gaped, momentarily in disbelief, but a quick thought dismissed that shock entirely. Farah had mentioned her master having been… quirky with his spells. But to spill that knowledge would prompt Soren to ask how he’d come upon it, and Kaida wasn’t exactly ready to tell the story of how Farah became a dragon fucker.

“He’s known for it.” the rabbit grumbled. “Kitsune, you know? Really talented, really knowledgeable, and probably lived way too long considering the antics he gets up to. One of the most powerful arcane mages around. He knows a thing or two about wild magic, too.”

“And Farah didn’t go to him for help because..?”

“Oh I’m sure she did! For one thing, he’s a difficult guy to find. For a teacher at the most preeminent magical school in the Vale, Caledon sure does shirk his duties a whole lot. He’s talented, but he’s always wandering off on some stupid quest or another.” Soren’s tone soured even more. “That aside, he has zero sense of urgency. Doesn’t take a damn thing seriously most times. He’d probably laugh at my plight and tell Farah to go figure it out. In fact, I’m assuming that’s exactly how that exchange went, assuming she was able to get in contact with him to begin with!” The bunny sighed heavily. Another look at the circle of toadstools revealed no approaching half-elf. “So anyway, that’s the day Farah learned about hypnosis magic, and also nearly got expelled for setting Caledon’s robes on fire.”

No wonder she’d been such a pervert about it with Kaida. The dragon idly wondered how long it’d taken her to master this particular brand of magic—and, perhaps more importantly, how many sketchy situations she’d been put in while learning it. “So using her for a pervy spell demonstration is acceptable, but getting revenge for it is not. Funny rules.”

“It’s more that there’s no one in the Vale who can really stop Caledon from being the moron he is.” Soren leaned back against the tree he’d propped himself against. His wounds still ached, but chatting Kaida’s fuzzy ear off had helped take his mind off the pain and humiliation he’d endured here. “I’ve never liked the guy. People with way too much power and none of the responsibility needed to properly apply it… It never sat well with me.”

“And yet you take part in human society.”

“Yeah, well I like running water and a roof over my head.” he rolled his eyes. “Kings and lords can be dethroned. Mayors can meet ‘unfortunate accidents’ if they’re caught lining their pockets with tax money. People like Caledon, though? Practically immune to consequences, and it shows. Perhaps the gods, in their unknowable mercy, tempered his immense magical prowess with his squirrely mind. There’s no ambition for world domination in that head of his, at least.”

Kaida hummed. He puzzled over the whole dynamic between Soren, Farah, and Caledon. The dragon thought aloud, “If he’s so bad, why does Farah learn from him? And for that matter, why does he teach her?”

“He says Farah has some major untapped potential or something. I say he just saw a cute half-elven girl eager to learn every spell in every tome and beyond, and that triggered his fetish for bookish types. Good thing she doesn’t wear glasses—he’d probably lock her in his bedroom.” Soren waved it off. “That being said, he knows damn near every incantation ever cast throughout our world’s history. Much as I dislike him, he’s practically a walking, talking repository of magical knowledge. I can’t deny that being hand-picked by someone like that might turn even the most skeptical mage all starry-eyed.”

“Yeah, if you’re looking for bondage magic, maybe.”

The rabbit blinked. “So she did tell you about him?”

“Uh—” Kaida stammered. Dammit, he knew he’d slip up somewhere! “Well, kind of! In passing! You know?”

An awkward silence spanned the length of five eternal seconds. Soren cast a suspicious glance in Kaida’s direction, and the dragon fought every instinct to hide his face in shame. “Curious about how that got brought up.” Soren finally murmured, one brow raised.

Serendipity appeared to smile upon Kaida even in this place of misfortune—he never thought he’d be so relieved to hear Asphodel speak up again: “Looks like your friend didn’t die. She’s about to cross the rift.”

“Hey, Farah’s back!” the dragon hopped to his feet and made his way over to the mushroom circle a little too quickly, especially for someone who totally didn’t explore his new elven friend’s kinky magical abilities. Soren hobbled along behind him, mumbling something about getting the truth out of Farah after this ordeal was over, and Kaida subtly prayed that the rabbit would forget the whole damn thing.

As just moments ago foretold, the air about the circle twisted and warped, then unknotted itself to reveal the purple-haired half-elf, none the worse for wear and looking quite pleased with herself. “Hey, boys. Sorry for the wai—EEP!” A lumbering blue beast pounced her to the floor and licked her cheek. “K-Kaida! Come on, I told you I’d be alright!”

“Right… Sorry.” the dragon chuckled bashfully. So much for subtlety. Now Soren would never let it go.

“Yes, yes, I’m sure you mutts are so happy to see each other.” Asphodel interjected, an insistent pitch in her words. “Did you retrieve the crystal?”

Farah produced the item in question. Asphodel went in for a touch, but the violet-maned girl pulled it out of the way. “The immediate return of Soren’s name, safe passage for him, Kaida, and myself from the Thornlands… and no further harassment from any of your kind.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“The alternative is that a whole bunch of your people die the next time something like this happens.” Farah bit back with venom. “If you can’t make that promise, then at least put it in their heads that they are NOT safe from me if they so much as glare in Soren or Kaida’s direction ever again.”

Asphodel scowled. She made a move like she wanted to pounce for the crystal, but apparently thought better of it. “I can warn them. We have our laws, but they are not like yours. I can only command them to follow those laws, and cannot make deals on their behalf. But you will be allowed to leave the woods unmolested.”

“Good.” Farah offered the crystal, which was plucked from her fingers by a levitation spell. Her expression softened somewhat. “There are people I’d do anything to see again, too. I know this wasn’t easy for you.”

“Save it.” the pixie glowered. “I won’t accept sympathy from the likes of you.”

“It’s actually empathy—”

“Oh so you’re a dictionary now! Get the hell out of our Queen’s domain.” She conjured up the crystalline representation of Soren’s name, held it aloft, and crushed it. Soren, in turn, glowed faintly for the briefest of moments. “Your idiot friend has his name back. He is no longer bound to this place. And considering how annoying all this wound up being, he never will be again.”

“Good. I’m gonna have nightmares for years as it is.” the rabbit spat. He took a breath, held it nervously, then tested his name: “Soren. So-ren.” A big grin found its way to his lips. “Ha! Ahaha! I’m Soren! I’M SOREN!”

“You sure are. Now leave.” She watched them hurry away toward the circle of mushrooms, then quickly called out, “You—purple-haired one.”

Farah turned back. She half-expected some last second antagonism, her staff clutched firmly in both hands just to be safe. “Yeah?”

Asphodel hesitated. She looked this way and that, sucked down a deep breath, and quietly conceded, “I’d have never had this chance if not for your presence, and your persistence. That, I cannot deny.” She leaned to the left to stare at Kaida as he waited by the portal leading out of this thorny realm. “Be careful with that dragon. Humans and elves are one thing—you don’t spoil any bloodlines in your crossbreeding. But fae who dilute our essence with beasts create trouble for the people of both worlds. He invites misfortune by his very presence.”

“Really? I think I was pretty lucky to run into him.” Farah said flatly. “Do yourself a favor and truly appreciate the second chance you have with your mother. Not everyone gets one. Don’t give another knight a reason to take it away.”

Without another word, she turned her back to the faerie and joined her friends at the circle. Perhaps more should be said. She definitely wanted to know more of Asphodel’s history with Kaida. But Soren needed out of this horrible place; his wounds required tending, and his mind would certainly need several days of rest. They were thrust into the mortal realm once more, and this time found no glimmering little pixies to taunt them. No time was spent on testing whether or not Asphodel would keep her word—they hurried to the forest’s edge, Soren clinging to Farah’s side for support whenever his body gave way to pain and fatigue. Two strenuous hours later, and they were back at the edge of the Fertile Expanse, the three collapsing in a heap as they finally found the confidence to rest.

Night had set in by the time they’d made camp. A large tent was pitched, fire was made, and rations passed around. A quick glance at Soren’s injuries revealed no lasting wounds that Farah could identify. He’d have to be checked by a healer once they got back to civilization, but she was confident he’d survive the night.

“And you’re certain you didn’t eat any of their food?” Kaida pressed the bunny boy with questions while Farah went off to get fresh water. “Didn’t make any promises in exchange for a moment of peace? No ‘I’ll give you my firstborn’ or ‘Please I’ll serve you if you stop the pain’?”

“No, no, and no. Gods, Kaida, can I get a second to process this whole thing?”

“You won’t have one if you did anything to give them justification to take you back.” the dragon sighed. “I’m not trying to scare you—”

“Well you are!”

“—BUT! I promised Farah I’d help get you out. I want to make good on that promise and ensure you stay out.”

“Yeah, about that.” Now it was Soren’s turn to dig his proverbial teeth in. “How did you two actually meet? Farah isn’t one to just openly talk about Caledon’s kinkier magic to strangers.”

Fuck. Kaida’s heart thumped, and his tail whipped across the floor behind him. “W-Well, look at the time! I’d better go uh—keep watch! Beasties and creatures big and small stalk the darkness of the night and—”

“Real subtle, dragon!”

“NOTHING HAPPENED!” Kaida blurted out as he retreated from the tent. Yeah, that’d totally convince him. Gods, how stupid could he be? He groaned and flopped beside the fire, one paw resting over his eyes. “This is not how I figured I’d spend the last few days.”

Quiet footsteps approached from the left, and Farah’s voice quickly joined them. “You and me both, hon.” Kaida practically leapt out of his scales, and the half-elf giggled at his sudden fright. “Sorry.”

“N-No problem! Uh—no um… no issues getting water?”

“No?” Farah raised a brow. She knelt beside Kaida and brushed a hand through his hair. “You alright? You’re awful jumpy. Soren didn’t say anything weird, did he?”

“Uhhh.” the dragon’s brain hit a brick wall. There really wasn’t any better way out of this than telling the truth. He motioned for her to duck in close, and when she did, he dropped his voice to a whisper. “Pretty sure he suspects what we did.”

“What?” Farah’s voice immediately dropped to a panicked hiss. “What do you mean?! How would you suspect that?”

Kaida’s paws dug into the grass like a kneading kitten. “I may or may not have let slip that I knew about your master’s bondage magic.”

“And how did THAT come up?”

“He um… told me about Caledon’s, uh… proclivities.”

Farah’s face couldn’t have gone redder. There were so, SO many stories she’d rather not be spread outside the academy. Bad enough they were so well-known IN the academy! “Oh. Oh good. So you’re both shit at keeping secrets.”

“I’m sorry!” Kaida hid his face under his paws. Gods, he wanted to disappear. A moment later, her hand found his head again, and at first he flinched. But that touch remained gentle, combing through his hair and raking across his scalp.

“Well, I guess I did kinda mess with you pretty hard.” Farah conceded with a sigh. “You’re off the hook, sweetie. And so is Soren, I guess. He’s been through a lot. Speaking of, I’d better check on him.”

Kaida nodded quietly as she disappeared into the tent. Ears perked to the sound of the two chatting. There was an air of… disbelief. Not in regards to Kaida and Farah’s alleged lewd encounter, but to Soren’s escape from the Unseelie Court’s grasp.

“I think there’s a part of me that’s still in there.” Kaida heard the rabbit admit, his voice trembling. “Not literally, just… I can’t convince myself that I’m actually free. That this isn’t just a new layer of cruelty they’ve added onto my torment. I think I spent half my time there hallucinating shit…”

Farah spent the next hour talking him down from that. Soren eventually asked her to hypnotize him to sleep, and she did just that; the familiar rainbow swirls illuminated the canvas walls of the tent, and Kaida listened in while Farah gently guided her friend into a deep, restful sleep. The dragon nearly nodded off himself, carried away by her gentle words, the monotone drone of her voice, and the memory of his own experience under her control.

Fuck, he couldn’t think of that now! Last thing he needed was to get horny all over again. Eventually the sound of Soren gently snoring prompted Farah to dispel the hypnosis magic and quietly reemerge from the tent. She settled beside Kaida, guided his head into her lap, and gently caressed his ears. The dragon positively melted under her affections, rumbling and purring deeply. “You’re so nice…”

“When I wanna be.” the half-elf smirked. “So. What’s next for you?”

“Next..?”

“I mean, our deal is complete. Unless you intended on charging me retroactively for coming this far?”

Kaida snorted a laugh. “Nah. I might only be half-fae, but I try to follow the rules. This was voluntary, because I… like you.”

“Aww.” Farah crooned playfully. “I like you, too, cutie. You’re a lot of fun to have around.”

The dragon went quiet. Echoes of Asphodel’s taunts struck him even now. What business did he have tagging along with mortals, anyway? Yet even as he thought this, he nuzzled up to Farah’s tummy, and she let out a ticklish squeak. “I don’t wanna be in the way.”

“You wouldn’t be.”

“I’m kinda useless.”

“Are not. You’re the entire reason the fae couldn’t touch us. And I definitely would have messed up if not for your guidance.”

“Yeah, but what if—”

“Kaida.” Farah smiled, gently coaxing him to look at her. “I’m asking you to stay with us. I want you to stay. What will it take for you to say yes?”

Gods, what a sweetheart she was! Tears threatened at the corners of the dragon’s eyes. He choked them back and, clearing his throat, declared, “Lots and lots of exactly what you’re doing now! And um… tasty snacks. Yes. That would be sufficient.”

Farah giggled with delight and hugged his head to her chest. Yep, she realized she’d just squished her tits against his cheek, and nope, she didn’t care. She’d seen the pain in his eyes at the mere thought of being alone again, and she just couldn’t bear it! “Welcome to the party, Kaida.”

Welcome, indeed. A face-full of elf boob and promises of further shenanigans. He couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his muzzle. For better or for worse, he was in it long-term now. Side-by-side with Farah. Adventure awaits!