Our Survival

Ch1 : On the run

A young girl runs around while a man looking to be in his early 30s washes his clothes in the water. Unlike him, she did not seem to have wings.

"Morrigan! Do not go in the water."

The young girl falters, eyes fixating just beyond the horizon.

"Father." The word has never felt as heavy as it did then, weighing down her tongue. "We need -" Her throat is tight on her next swallow, feet carrying her a step back. "We need to go...poachers -"

A loud boom was heard in the direction of the great wall, created years ago to keep the humans and Fae apart, now crumbling down the mountainside in a deluge of dark smoke and rock. Footsteps. The heavy thud of thundering footsteps followed in its aftermath, quickly approaching their hidden nook, but her attention snapped back to the crouching form of her father.

"Morrigan, you must run! Stay safe!"

She looked at her father, the tingle of dread melting in her bones and hesitation leading her feet at the mere thought of leaving him behind. But her father pushed her with all his might in the opposite direction. The heavy flutter of his wings as they expanded from the divets of his spine, and the mass of purple glow winding up his wrists, burning at his fingertips her final warning.

So she does all she can do - she runs.

15 years later - Morrigan is 22

It has been years since I first went on the run, and despite my appearance having eased my worries amongst the humans in the Kingdom outside of Moors, the feeling of wanting to succumb to the so-called cowardly choice never seemed to numb.

Queen Ingrith of Ulstead has fallen, leaving King Phillip to rise to the throne. And from rumours scuttering about the undergrowth, Maleficent has crowned the human, Aurora, as the Queen. As expected, many have placed newfound faith in the young rulers. The humans claim that the King and Queen have worked tirelessly to untangle the strained knot that has worn on the relationship between the humans and the fae for decades. But the transfer of power can only do so much.

Outside the palace walls, the humans remained unchanged, tongue-in-cheek and unincumbered in their disgust for the fae in the wake of new laws. There was no harmony here, where fae remained the outsiders, barred from the human buildings, and regarded as no more than scum at the bottom of their damned silk shoes. Since the fall of my home, the humans of the Kingdom have become more aware of us - those who wear their features like priceless dining clothes, blending in perfectly amongst them at their dinner tables when they prefer we sit at their feet. But as much as my appearance has fooled the likes of them, my magic has grown strong - gradually becoming likened to the vibrant purple of my father's and the shimmering green he once said my mother held at her fingertips, reminding me that despite my best efforts I will always remain the outsider; forever unlike them. My mother disappeared after she and my father had shared a bed, leaving me in his nest without turning back. From what my father said, their love had run deep, binding their souls as one another's to keep. So it came as a shock not to find out that not only had she been with child; she had chosen to abandon me.

In the morning, I plan on going to the Moors in search of herbs, perhaps an answer or two I have always sought. It is well known that humans cannot enter the Moors. Thus, if I cannot enter, it would mean I am no more than human, and my father is not my father - a fact I doubt if the tiny bumps on my head and the groves of my shoulder blades I'd hidden in my youth were anything to go by. So when night rose, I knew the difficulty I would face come tomorrow at the castle gates. Still, my resolve refused to waver. I prepared my luggage and got ready for bed, knowing that come morning light, running away may come easier than standing my guard and refusing to give up without a fight.