The Changeling

Chapter XXXIV- Harsh World

Sophie:

A knock rang out against my door, and I jumped up at the noise. "Who is it?" I called as I rushed towards the door.

"It''s me, your dark and charming prince," a cheesy voice that I immediately recognized called out.

"Sup bitch!" I said as I opened up the door to Muirgen dressed in a skin tight black outfit, not unlike the one I wore to the council.

"Hey whore," She said back while pulling me into a hug.

I lead her into my room and we climbed onto the comfortable couch and faced each other, "So what brings you to my neck of the woods?' I say, while dramatically pointing to the room around us.

"Oh shit, right, well the high king himself sent me here to inform you that he could not have the pleasure of spending this evening and afternoon with you, that an important but annoying meeting came up," Muirgen recited.

"That's too bad... but it seems my afternoon has made a turn for the better with you in it."

Muirgen rolled her eyes but smiled, "You're too sweet- I can leave you if I want you-
"NO!" I said, grabbing her arm as she made a break for it, "I miss girl times- and I miss being able to talk to someone who gets all my human references."

The two of us laughed and chatted for what felt like hours, we sipped a little wine, nothing as strong as what I had at the winter court or that time we got drunk off of champagne. Suddenly, we hit a lull in the conversation and I found myself talking about things that we normally wouldn't.

"Do you ever have the urge to be evil?" I ask Muirgen quietly. I let out all the thoughts that had been tugging at my mind since I found myself in the City of Darkness.

Muirgen tilted her head slightly, her lips open in a wide pout of confusion, "What do you mean?"

"To be badass and ruthless? To burn it all down? Thoughts of that flicker through my mind. Telling me to defy, to deny, to rebel, to snap back. That part of me wants to be his dark queen, I- it's terrifying, that untamable power I feel right under my skin," I admitted, clenching my fists together as if I could contain that energy.

I locked eyes with Muirgen's icy blue ones seriously, but she let out a spout of laughter.

I frowned, Well that was not the response I was expecting.

"Sophie, baby, I'm part Siren, trust me, just because I'm a pretty mermaid doesn't mean I actually am that innocent," She winked at me and tossed her red hair. "Besides, you know I'm no good. But- it does make me wonder, who were your parents? It's been bothering me this entire time..."

I pause, absorbing that information slowly, "What's going on with you and Conrí?" I blurt out.

She sighed, and looked away, pain all over her face, "I mean, I can't help but feel the obvious pull between us, the undeniably chemistry, the feeling but- it's not-" she fumbles for the words.

"A mate bond?" I offer, she nods eagerly.

"To look for love outside of a mate bond is to play with fire, to gamble, and unless both people's mates have died, there's no certainty you'll have eternity with the people you've grown to love. Because- you could have lived together for centuries, have little babes together, and yet- if someone found their mate, you'd have to up and leave it all," Her voice sounded firm but pained as she spoke, but once she finished she just shrugged casually.

She shrugged it off casually, but I was brought to tears at that notion. The tears swelled out of my eyes and trickled down my cheeks even as I tried to blink them away.

Muigen laughed a small laugh, "Sophie, you can't be evil, you are so emotional- in the most endearing way."

I laugh as I swipe away the thick hot tears, "I don't know why I am crying so easily, I rarely do."

"You know, even I miss the human world," Muirgen commented, "It's just so- vibrant and happy, It hasn't been like that here in a couple decades."

I tilt my head in confusion, "What happened?"

Muirgen leaned back her head and closed her eyes as if remembering, 

"First of all- I'm older than I said I was- but merrows, druids, witches and Werewolves can all lie- it's only the Daoine sìth (or fae) that are unable to. But that being said, I was young, just a little child when the war happened. Out of the blue, warriors came from sea like we'd never seen them before, and they took the Earom court by storm. It was insane the speed at which they fought, and they took the cities one by one. It wasn't until they got to the capital that they met their challenge. They slayed the king and queen until there was only one more heir to the throne.

She was called the Golden Princess, and as she was killed, she gathered all the power from the court, and dispelled them from the lands. But, by that time, it was too late, the land was ravished to the point of no return, and despite the fact the monsters may not be able to land on that soil, that land became largely uninhabitable- creating large populations of refugees. The death of the golden Princess is the reason there is no sun- Earom was a court of sunlight, and without a court, there is no sun.

The other courts barely had any time to rally before the monsters set their eyes on the summer court. In the end- all the warriors could only protect themselves, not defeat these evil ones. The monsters slayed the king and queen of the summer court, and enslaved it's people. But- the other courts put enough pressure for them to agree to a truce mandated by the fates- if they could present a ruler that was of fae birth, they could rule the summer court.

So, they produced Étain- she is fae- but no one knows of her origin, and she definitely sides with the monsters. The only reason we aren't at war right now is because of that truce, and technically it is legal to challenge a court's leaders and defeat them. Since the monsters never made an offensive attack on any surviving courts- they never technically went to war.

So- that is the reason for no sun, for the refugees, for the slaves, for the resistance, and and for the death of our most prized warriors. All because of the loss of light- the imbalance of power in the courts," Muirgen finished, and my jaw was hanging open at the story.

Good God, this world was a lot harsher than I expected.