The Faerie Blade

Chapter 14

Six months later

It was half a year into my reign, and still various petitioners flocked to the throne room to seek out my help. Boons were requested and granted, pledges from Courtless Fae received, and judgement for arguments dispensed. One such petty argument was taking place in front of me now, and I pinched the bridge of my nose firmly. I could feel a headache looming, and if I did not resolve this dispute soon, the discomfort will bloom into a throbbing pain.

"She stole my fish!" the banshee wailed. The ear-splitting shriek echoed through the chamber, making everyone wince. "I was washing my fish in the loch and he stole it from my fingers!"

"It'sss my lakesss," the kelpie hissed, baring pointed dagger-like teeth at the banshee. "Whatss goess in isss miness."

The banshee let out an inarticulate cry of rage, leaping at the kelpie with spindly arms outstretched and thin white hair fanning out behind it. Bedievere barely managed to catch and restrain her.

Sibilant laughter emanated from the kelpie as he tossed his head, his mane of scraggly seaweed-like hair rippling. His webbed fingers clutched his emaciated waist, jutting out his naked skin-and-bones torso. I eyed the kelpie with distaste. No matter how many of the kelpies I spoke to, they all refused to wear anything but a skimpy loincloth to cover their genitals, baring their leathery sea-green skin proudly for all to see. All of them were notoriously skinny, even with their voracious appetite which caused them to steal from the other Fae frequently.

At least, they tended to spend most of their time in their equine forms, so I did not have underdressed kelpies gracing the various lakes in Camelot. And searing my eyes every time I decided to go for a ride on Llamrei to explore more of my realm.

Below the raised dais I was sitting on, a heated, senseless debate was going on.

"It's my fish!"

"It'sss my lakesss! Everyone knowsss thatss anything that goesss in my lakess iss minesss!"

"I bought that fish! Fair and square!"

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stood up and bellowed, "Enough!"

The banshee and kelpie fell silent.

"You," I pointed at the kelpie, demanding, "how many times have I told you that you are not to steal from others?"

"Noness, my lordsss," the kelpie grinned cockily at me, his pale yellow eyes glinting as he confidently met my gaze. I kept my expression stern, refusing to give in to this bit of Fae word-smithing.

As the silent battle of wills dragged on, the kelpie grew more and more nervous. His tail swished and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. In the end, he looked away first, lowering his eyes.

"How many times," I repeated with a hard, uncompromising tone, "have I told you kelpies that you are not to steal from others?"

"Three hundredss and forty-twoss timess, my lordsss," the kelpie mumbled.

Satisfied, I sat back down on my throne. "Well, consider this the three hundredth and forty-third time then."

"My lord, my fish!" the banshee protested. "Are you going to just let him off with a - "

I held up my hand to silence her. "I'm not done. You, kelpie, will find a way to repay her three times as much as the amount of fish you took from her."

The kelpie gaped. "My lordsss, you can'tss do thatss!"

My answering smile was grim, mirthless. "I can, and I did."

The kelpie's eyes bugged out even more. "But she'ssss a femalesss!"

I leaned back and raised my face to the star spangled ceiling. "How many times do I need to tell you Fae," I sighed, "that my reign will be different from all the other monarchs you have ever known?"