Sometimes it takes a third party. Sometimes it takes an entire goblin city full of third parties.
-/-
What, exactly, is a Fae realm? The realm of a Fae, obviously- their hiding space from human eyes, their way of moving through the world unhindered by space. But what i s that space, and how does it exist? Why do some Fae have very small pockets of space that could only so bear them in it, while others have great enormous kingdoms, vast expanses that other Fae- and humans, for no Fae realm is complete without humans- can inhabit?
Well, to put it simply, Fae realms are the realms of imagination. A Fae creates their realm by imagining a space they can slip into, and then do. Fae rulers, to expand on that, imagine a very large space, and then imagine things that must exist in it.
You may conclude, then, and rightly so, that a Fae realm is just an extension of its ruler- that entering a Fae realm is to enter into the Fae's imagination.
Still with me?
Crowley's realm- the goblin city he had created- was as much an extension of him as any realm is an extension of its master. It existed in the shape it did and in the way it did because he imagined that it would. He imagined, for example, that there would be a vast wall around it, because then he could have a nice solid border. He imagined a convent into the wall, and suddenly there was, and he even let the nuns' desires further shape the convent around them.
But Crowley's realm was unique, for reasons that will be explained later, and what this led to was that his realm was not just an extension of himself, it had developed a consciousness of its own.
The realm bent and responded to Crowley's will, but it also had its own will. And it loved Crowley.
So while Aziraphale sat hunched over on the ground, wings forming a cocoon around him, and Crowley slouched moping on the bridge, letting the plants in the bog twist in agony, a ripple of conversation rumbled through the vast gardens that made up the bulk of the living labyrinth.
The master wishes the fairy to stay
What does the fairy wish
The fairy wishes the child
(This is, of course, an enormous oversimplification of an actually deeply detailed conversation about the nature of desire and the different ways it manifests, but if we were to translate the vast and incomprehensible language of plants into its most literal analog, we'd be here all day and barely understand a tenth of it. What you are reading, therefore, is a version the human brain can follow, for the author assumes you are human, and apologizes if this is incorrect.)
What will the master do if he keeps the child
The child will become a goblin king like him
And what will the fairy do if he has the child
Unclear
The child is not a fairy prince
The child is human
Then what could the fairy desire of him
("Now hang on," You're probably asking right about now, "What's all this?"
How is a Fae ruler born? In fact they are not born at all, but rather made. Think of a beehive: how is a Queen born? A baby bee is chosen and fed a special diet of royal jelly and becomes a Queen, and really there's nothing special about her at all before then. Fae are much the same way, apart from one major difference: rather than choose Fae children to metaphorically feed the royal jelly to, they need human children. Only human children can become Fae rulers. Every people has their own custom of acquisition: Goblins have the Game.
The Game has been played for countless millennia. The rules are simple. The goblins steal the child, and if the child remains in the goblin city past the time limit, the child belongs to the goblins. But the child must be given a chance. The goblins must allow a champion to fight for the child. And if the child's champion should happen to fall in love with the master of the goblin city in the process and remain to raise the child alongside them- well- where's the harm in that?
Fairies, for the record, have a very different way of going about it. Supposedly it's a more fair method that depends on the premise of equal exchange but 'fair' is a definition that really depends on which part of the equation you're standing on when that is decided.)
If the fairy falls in love, will he stay
He will
Then he must be made to fall in love
How can this be arranged
It should be easy
How could he not love the master
He fears for the child
If he could be made to see the master will not harm the child, will he reconsider
He will
He must
What other could he do
He must be shown
How?
How?
How?
Ask the madame
The madame will know
The madame
Send for the madame
The madame
She will be sent
-/-
Deep in the labyrinth there was a meadow that was so packed through with wildflowers that no green could shine through the petals. Fat honeybees drifted over the flowers, carrying nectar from all over the labyrinth back to one of the many hives that dotted the meadow.
A lane passed through this meadow, and in the center was a house: a cottage straight out of a fairy tale. And in the door of this cottage an older woman in a slightly girlish dress stood listening to the conversation passing through the labyrinth.
As the conversation died out to the excited murmurs about the madame, she nodded firmly.
"All right, then," she said. "Let's see what may be done."
-/-
YOU ARE READING
Tight Trouser Never Won Fair Angel
FantasyIn which Crowley, a goblin king, attempts to steal the child Adam Young from the hands of his guardian. Unfortunately, his guardian at his particular moment happens to be his fairy godfather, Aziraphale. Aziraphale must now solve the Labyrinth of th...
