"Pass me the basil," I asked of my best and only friend, Sage, a mouse that stood by my side at all times. He willingly complied, bringing me the herb used to heal physical wounds.
I attempted to use potion making as a distraction from my thoughts of self doubt. It was an unsuccessful attempt as crushing the contents of the bowl in front of me didn't require my full attention.
My mind replayed my failed attempts at sewing, cooking, combat, magic, and every other profession I attempted apprentice work in.
Magic always takes a lot of energy for a faerie to execute it properly. It's the reason we don't fly too much or become the size of an elf or human very often. It's exhausting. But for me it takes even more energy. I'm not gifted enough with magic to use it properly or for a long period of time.
Trying to push away the thought of all my failed endeavors I focused on the potion at hand. Of course I hadn't noticed that I'd added too much basil. The potion immediately turned from its vibrant blue to a sludgy brown, telling me it had been ruined.
After spending an unnecessary amount of time on the potion meant to accelerate the healing process, I disposed of my crushed dreams, and sighed. Fortune never seemed to be in my favor, no matter what I did. Sage nudged my leg, his way of demanding attention and comforting me.
"What is it boy?"
A knock sounded at my door.
Quickly, I made my way to it, ready to welcome any visitor that brought distraction with them.
The faerie stood in front of me was a mail courier, dressed in their customary uniform. Judging by his appearance, he was roughly the same age as me.
"Nissa?" The courier asked in a sheepish manner. He was obviously young and inexperienced in his field; the senior in his profession wouldn't be shaking before an ordinary faerie like me.
I gave a small nod to assure him he had made it to the correct dwelling.
"I have brought," he said reaching into his bag and pulling out a slip of tan colored paper,"a message from Orion the Far-seer."
After thanking the courier, I scanned the letter from the faerie that oversaw every ceremony in the kingdom.
In summary, the letter invited me to start apprentice work with Orion after attending the Leaf-fall festival that would take place later this evening "if it so pleased me."
The Leaf-Fall festival took place every year on 25th day of autumn to celebrate the falling of leaves. It's a celebration of the cycle of life, the passage of time, and late acknowledgement of the change in season.
There are hundreds of ceremonies, parades, and celebrations in the kingdom of faeries, each one treated as if it were the only one. Many of these celebrations required an invitation or high social status to attend, neither of which I have ever had.
It wasn't clear why Orion had invited me to be his apprentice. I assumed he had noticed the way I displayed no shame in trying every profession possible.
In the hours before the festival I searched my small home for my finest clothing, wanting to make the best impression I could.
I decided on a dress my Aunt Calypso had worn and passed onto me. The thought of her laughing and dancing in it, the white blonde hair we shared swirling all around her, came to mind.
I picked up the matching necklace, this one coming from my mother, remembering when she had given it to me.
A younger me sat on her bed as her parents told her stories of the Fatum. They said they were rare magical spirits that appeared in times of importance to lead a faerie to their destiny.
"Will they hurt me?" A six year old me asked.
"Never. They guide you toward what you were born to do." My mother replied.
"But what if they do hurt me?" I asked, still frightened.
My mother didn't reply. Instead she walked over to her jewelry box and picked up the necklace without saying a word. She then clasped it around my neck saying, "This necklace will protect you from them." In reality the necklace didn't actually do anything, but a six year old will believe anything her mother tells her.
As I got older I stopped believing the Fatum were real until I started seeing them for myself. No one else could ever see the glowing yellow spirits, as they only showed themselves to the Faeries they wished to, but I knew they were there. Many thought me to be crazy when I mentioned I could see them, so naturally I kept the knowledge of them to myself.
They appeared on a few separate occasions, only one or two of them at a time, and often lead me to strange places.
Once, a couple years ago, they brought me to the ruins of an ancient faerie city. There wasn't anything truly special about the ruins other than their enormous size and the magic I could feel flowing through them. Knowing these spirits, they wanted me to venture closer to the ruins. It took only seconds for me to become overwhelmed by all the magic surrounding me.
I blinked and suddenly day had turned to night. Two figures now stood among the ruins. Shocked and confused, I tried to ask them where they came from or how the time had gone by so rapidly, but they didn't respond. They didn't even look in my direction, as if they hadn't heard me.
That's when I realized I was witnessing the past. The ruins were showing me what had been and I had given a whole new meaning to the phrase "if these walls could talk."
The first figure, dressed in a long cloak that hid their identity, handed a script written in symbols I recognized as draconic, the language of dragons, to the second.
I noticed the second figure wasn't wearing a hood like the first and I could see the long curly hair falling down her back. She handed the first a pouch of what I assumed was gold in exchange for the script.
After that, the influx of magic ceased, and I was left standing amid the ancient ruins, wondering as to the significance of what I had witnessed. Shaken, I returned home that day and life continued as if it never happened.
I clasped my mothers necklace around my neck and dismissed the memory. There was no point in wondering about something I was sure to never get an answer to.
The addition of the accessory completed my look and I was ready for the festival.
Before leaving I informed Sage of where he could find his food, should he want to eat before I got back. Sage, being the highly intellectual mouse he is, would be able to pour his own bowl of food without the help of a being with opposable thumbs.
The Leaf-Fall Festival would take place in Magistrill, which wasn't very far from my home. I lived only a half hour's trip from the faerie capital, but with my excitement for such an event, the trip was shortened to 25 minutes.
When I arrived at the garden area outside the castle I realized just how beautiful Magistrill is. Living on the outskirts of the city, I never got to see anything nearly as breathtaking as the sky high castle that had witnessed hundreds of years of festivals and ceremonies prior to this one.
The garden itself was decorated with millions of lights for the festival. They circled the garden and lit the sky above it, creating an area light enough that it was easy to see, but dark enough that you could tell it was nighttime.
To the left of the garden was a tree over half the height of the castle . The tree marked the start of the forest near the border separating the faerie territory from Dulvenward, the Elven territory. The roots of the tree created small hills in the ground. A path ran along the hills of the tree roots leading into the forest. This path was usually only ever used for political affairs with the Elves.
To the right was where the city of Magistrill really started. Beautiful buildings built around the plant life already there lined the streets. I imagined what the city might be like on a busy day. Faeries advertising their products to others casually taking a walk down the street. If I could have afforded to live in Magistrill I would.
In the garden where the festival would be held, I looked around for others. Standing almost alone in the garden, I realized the time stated in Orion's letter had been wrong. A few groups of people stood around talking, each individual looking as though they had enough money to buy the castle they stood in front of.
Across the garden I spotted Orion, dressed in surprisingly simple clothing, making conversation with two other Faeries that must have held just as high a status. Orion must have seen this festival as one not worthy of his best clothing as it wasn't a very traditional one
The Leaf-Fall festival was created only a few years ago when the king decided we should be celebrating the falling of leaves and the circle of life. This festival was rather modern. King Aerold was all about creating new tradition and being open to changing old ones.
I started toward Orion, wanting to introduce myself, when I spotted a familiar yellowish glow in the corner of my eye. Turning to look directly at the Fatum revealed there wasn't just the normal lone spirit, not even two spirits. Several dozen were lined along the path leading to Dulvenward. From past experience I knew I should follow them.
I reluctantly postponed my introduction to Orion and turned toward the forest.
The line of Fatum suddenly disappeared when I entered the forest, leaving me without their light to guide me. Wondering what was so important that it couldn't wait until after I had introduced myself to Orion, I followed the path.
As I continued walking down the path, I spotted two mysterious figures in the distance. Cloaked in black with the shadows as their allies, the faeries suddenly dashed away. Caution and curiosity briefly fought within me, but curiosity soon won out. Suddenly glad I wasn't a cat, I followed. It was obvious this was what the Fatum meant for me to see
I continued trailing my strangers for nearly two minutes until I stepped on a twig. Immediately, I ducked behind the nearest tree, praying they hadn't heard me. Listening intently I waited for a sound, however I never heard them turn back. After a full five minutes had gone by, I dared to step out from behind the tree. The strangers were gone.
I quickly approached the spot I had last seen them in, eager to pick up a trail.
First I looked to the sky, they were Faeries after all. The leaves on a tree to my right were shaking slightly. It could have been a number of things causing the leaves to move: a breeze, a squirrel, or a hooded stranger hiding in the branches.
Since there were no other signs of movement from above, I decided to dismiss it for the moment.
I continued to look around for clues as to where the figures might have gone. Nothing.
Hoping that they might have just continued walking, I walked the path some more, when I got the feeling someone was watching me from behind. No one was there when I turned to check, so I shrugged it off and kept searching.
To my right I heard the rustle of leaves and I sprinted toward it. The stranger ran deeper into the forest. If they ran any further we'd end up in Dulvenward.
They started to flap their wings and I knew I'd lose them if they got in the air. I can't fly long enough to chase someone in the air.
By going using what little magic I had I slowed them down enough to keep them from flying. If they couldn't get the speed they needed, they wouldn't be able to get in the air.
I chased them like that, occasionally slowing them with my magic, for maybe five minutes until we were both out of breath.
The stranger stopped and turned toward me. In the trees above I heard shaking. The second stranger jumped down.
The first grinned, "You're pretty good," he said, obviously impressed. The second nodded his head in agreement.
"Good at what?" I asked, confused.
"Tracking, chasing." I heard a voice from behind say. When I turned to look, I saw it was Orion.
I opened my mouth to ask why he was in the forest too, but he spoke before I could, "Come."
Orion lead me out of the woods and to the castle. The two strangers followed behind us.
We had to pass through the ongoing Leaf-Fall festival on our way to the castle and I could see faeries laughing and enjoying a festival I knew I wouldn't get to take part in.
With Orion at my side, no one even questioned if I was authorized to be entering the palace. Eventually we made it to the throne room.
Never in my eighteen years of life had I seen something so beautiful as that room. Intricate plaster designs ran up the walls at every corner. Paintings depicting our history, framed in gold took up most of the space on the ceiling. And at the end of the room, sat in a throne of precious stones and so detailed you could stare at it for days, was King Aerold.
We all bowed, slowly flapping our wings in his presence: a sign of respect. He didn't acknowledge me at first, instead he addressed the two strangers I had followed in the woods.
"Reno, Xander." They rose from their bows and looked to their king, "Thank you for your services. You have done well and are dismissed." Without saying anything, the two men exited the throne room through the same door we entered.
"Nissa," King Aerold looked back to me, "do you remember your Aunt Calypso?" He asked.
"Yes, my king." I had nearly soaked my dress in sweat from nerves and from the temperature in the throne room.
"She was one of the best, before her misfortune." The King said simply.
I waited for him to say more, but when he didn't I asked,"I'm sorry your highness but what do you mean 'one of the best?' Best of what? Forgive my asking, but how did you know my aunt?"
"Calypso was more than an ordinary trader, Nissa. And as such, your family has a legacy known only to me and the members of my court. Have you ever heard the name 'Hand of Midnight?'"
"Only in the occasional tale from travelers. But how does that relate to my aunt?" The story of the Hand of Midnight changed with each passing traveler but one thing always remained the same. The members of the Hand of Midnight were always the stealthiest faeries, protecting their kingdom from the shadows.
"She made a name for herself within my court, as did many others. All great kingdoms balance on a knife's edge. One shift on the balance, one action left unchecked, and the entire structure can crumble. As such, it is very important that I remain knowledgeable as to the inner workings of this land, and equally important that I may influence events without drawing unwanted attention. When delicate matters arise, and action must be taken, subtlety is key, and that was where your aunt came in. She, along with several others, were hidden cards if you will. When problems arose that threatened the balance of power, my court of spies made those problems dissapear. Calypso was most skilled in this manner."
"My aunt was an assassin?" I exclaimed, failing to hide my disbelief.
"Among other things. While trained in the art, she found it distasteful, and only ever fought in self defense. With her absence on my court, and rising tensions all around, I am in need of new spies. Due to this, I hired Orion, a trusted member of my court, to assist in this matter. We looked toward Calypso's bloodline to find an heir. Tonight was a test, one which you passed with flying colors. So I am here to offer you a chance. Will you follow in Calypso's footsteps and serve my court?"
"Your highness, with all due respect, are you sure about this? I don't have any talents, and the few things I can accomplish are poor in quality. I've never had any training in stealth or combat, and certainly don't know the first thing about politics."
"I am quite sure about this. I personally feel that you could even surpass Calypso's skill with enough time and effort. Should you accept the position and all conditions therein, you shall train under the senior members of my court until you are ready to preform admirably. Will you accept?" I thought of my Aunt Calypso. She had an entire life I didn't even know about. She was the last of my family to die and my closest friend for a long time. It didn't matter that I knew nothing about combat or stealth if it brought me closer to her. I needed to do this for Aunt Calypso.
"I will."
"Then let's make it official. Do you, Nissa, swear to uphold the honor and secrecy of myself and my court?"
"I do."
"Do you swear to defend your nation in peace and in war, even at the cost of your life?" I thought about that for a moment. Did I really want to risk my life for this? If it meant learning about Aunt Calypso's secret life, I did.
"I do."
"Then I induct you into the court, and wish you well. Your training starts here tomorrow. Go home and rest, I'm sure you have a lot to process."He had no idea.
Feeling as though I had just given my wedding vows, I turned and exited the throne room, lost in thought and filled with a nervous excitement. Talk about being married to your job.