Question after question whizzed around inside her head. Lilium looked around her chamber , from the moss covered ground, to the smooth wood that surrounded her. There was only room for one faery in here, and even that was a bit of a stretch. You're trapped. You always have been.
Suddenly, she didn't know what she was even doing with her life here. Her whole life had been to please others, to train so that she could defend others against the 'Poxies', but she'd never even seen anything in battle. Her entertainment consisted of talking with Hybris or praying. What did her and Hybris ever even talk about? She strained her thoughts, to try and think of something... They talked about leaving the Hollow and making a life together. Hybris had always been far more passionate, telling Lilium about plans to escape and how they could get away. But Lilium had never listened. She always just said that they would be granted freedom one day... But now, more and more, Lilium was starting to doubt this. It was as if she could see clearly for the first time, like a cloud had been lifted from her. And then, the thought struck her. The Queen doesn't want you to leave.
She looked around her tight, cramped room, feeling crushed, like the tree was coming down on top of her. Then a feeling of hopelessness and panic crashed down on her all at once. It wasn't a coincidence that the Queen didn't let her go and help Hybris with the so called Poxies. It wasn't by mere chance that Lilium was assigned an apprentice at the most inconvenient time. You are trapped here, and there is no way you are ever going to be able to leave this place. Her body began to shake, as she felt panic rise in her. No escape. She couldn't breathe, she was convulsing with terror, as the word's replayed in her head again and again and again.
"No escape."
Her vision faded to black as she passed into the world of oblivion.
~
Some time had passed, how much exactly she wasn't sure. In front of her eyes she could see blurry figures coming to life. As her vision focused, she realised that there were three other faeries in the room, two random ones she did not know the names of, and... her. The third warrior, who she hadn't seen in a very long time. Her eyes looked worn, and her hair looked like it hadn't been attended to in a long time. Amaris. Just Amaris, she had no second name. For a reason unknown, she had decided against taking on another name. What was going on? Lilium was no longer in her own chamber, she had just noticed...Wait, where was she? Her voice returned and she asked, "Where am I?" After a short silence, Amaris replied, "My chamber."
"Where have you been?" asked Lilium.
"Ah, I've been out of the public eye for a while now. The Queen... Isn't happy with me."
"I know that feeling... What did you do? And wait... Why am I here?"
Amaris looked around, almost nervously, making sure that nobody was listening. She lowered her voice to a whisper, and her words sent a shiver up Lilium's spine, "I found out the truth."
The truth. What was the truth? Amaris continued speaking, "And the reason that you are here... Well, you're becoming more like us, we have noticed. Your self-awareness is becoming better and better, your immunity is developing... You've always had it in you, it just took a little push for you to really start thinking about things. We've been watching you. That sounds a little strange, but hear us out. Things here, are not as they seem, which you have now noticed, and you had a panic attack. We noticed the signs, so we decided to help-"
Suddenly two male faeries burst into the chamber and shot a stun spell at Amaris. They shot two more at the other two faeries in the room, before shouting at Amaris, "What have you been told about spreading this heresy, Amaris!? The Queen gave you one more chance warrior, and you have blown it. Look at Warrior Nightingale here... She's starving for more moondust, and you have taken advantage of that to try and twist her mind. You will be greatly punished for this, Amaris!" Their magic was sub par, but going on brute strength alone, they were two of the most powerful faeries aside from the Queen herself. They turned to Lilium, and helped her to get up. "Do not worry Warrior, these...criminals will be sorted out. Meanwhile, you will be taken to the Moonstone chamber. You have been starved of it, you need to be replenished." But Lilium didn't even feel hungry.. More faeries entered the room and, they grabbed Amaris and the other two faeries. "You will pay greatly for this, Amaris." Spoke the largest faery, who had his grip on Amaris. Amaris choked out, "As if. You need to hold a trial first.." it sounded to Lilium like Amaris was trying to reassure herself. The large male spoke with a smile on his face, "There will be no trial."
Nothing made any sense! Lilium and the other faeries were all being taken to the Moondust chamber, everything had happened so fast that Lilium was still in the daze. "Wait a minute!" Lilium cried out, "What IS going on? I don't understand, can somebody please explain this.."
"With pleasure," the oldest started, "Young Amaris here has been spreading it throughout the Hollow that there is something sinister taking place here. Of course, this is absolutely nonsense!" he spat at Amaris.
"But.. How did you know that Amaris was talking to me? How did I even get to Amaris' chamber, I passed out in my own chamber.." Lilium asked.
"Why do you need to ask so many questions?" he asked. A shiver went up Lilium's spine. She had said the same thing to Inanna, and now she was doing exactly the same.
When they got to the moondust chamber, Lilium was practically dragged over to the dust stream. I'm not even hungry. Why do they want me to feed? Terrified, she drew power from the earth to perform a spell which would loosen their grip...and nothing. The Queen's magic was too powerful here. Amaris looked at Lilium, and managed to scream out, "Don't do it!" despite being under a stun spell. She was greeted with a kick in the face, and she moaned in pain. She shouldn't do it, something was wrong. "I.. I'm not hungry right now. I can't feed. Can I take some in a bag instead, and feed later? You say that I am starved but I do not feel hungry." It was a meek excuse, and Lilium had a horrible feeling that they might force her to feed anyway.
The males exchanged worried glances with each other, and one said, "...If you insist. But you must stay with us in case you faint again." Then the eldest smiled sadistically to the two nameless faeries who had been in Amaris' room. Without a warning, he grabbed them, and forced their faces in the moondust stream. "Stay with them, make sure that they get enough." He said to two of the other males. Amaris screamed in protest, "Stop it! What do you think you're doing, you'll drown them!" The eldest laughed, "Don't worry. Your fate will be worse than any of theirs." And with that, she was dragged out of the moondust chamber.
"What was that!?" protested Lilium. So much had just happened... One of the males accompanied her, the same one who had said it was ok for Lilium to just take the moondust in a bag. He escorted her out of the chamber. He didn't look as rough as the other two, his hair long and brown and his features soft. Lilium was hysterical, shocked, and most of all frustrated. She didn't even get to hear was Amaris was going to say, and maybe it would have explained these strange things to her. Now, her hope of finding out what was going on was completely lost. "Calm down." Spoke the male. His voice was smoother than the others, and he wasn't as intimidating. Lilium recognized him, from somewhere... "Calm down!? You're asking me to calm down after all that? No, no just shut up, I don't care!" Where was this anger coming from? This hatred?
"You have to calm down if you want to understand anything. You are becoming more aware of what is going on around you. And that is danger, for reasons that you couldn't possibly understand... You have a choice to make."
"A choice?" asked Lilium.
"Yes..." he lowered his voice. "Oh dear Goddess... Things here have gotten so bad. I knew it would happen eventually, it's what she said would happen. Her plans finally coming to effect. I need to keep quiet... If they hear me, I don't know what they'll do to me. I don't have much time, listen please." His voice was a desperate whisper, like he was determined to not be caught and help her at the same time.
"I'm listening." She said.
"If you stay here for much longer, you'll never escape. You have to get out, as soon as you can, before it's too late. Before the Queen orders... orders..." his voice was trembling, as if what he wanted to say was too horrible to be out in the open. He shook his head, "No. I can't say it. But just trust me,Warrior Lilium, please trust me. Gather what you can, and leave."
"Leave? But, I don't have a Moonstone, how would I possibly survive out there without one?"
His expression turned grim, "Moondust starvation is a better fate than what will happen to you here. And you might not be quite as reliant on moondust as you've been told..."
Lilium considered what he said for a few moments. It made sense, something horrible was happening here and she needed to get out. But live without moondust in the forest? She had a bag of moondust. She could ration it, it would do her for a little while...
"I do trust you... Well, I'd accept any excuse to leave this place now, it's felt so awful the past few days."
He looked slightly relieved at her choice. "Go gather your stuff. I will help you get out, it's the least I can do after all I have done..."
They went to Lilium's chamber, and she grabbed the only two possessions that she cared about. A necklace that Hybris had given to her, many years ago, and a dagger. The dagger had a blue gemstone on the handle that could have been a sapphire, and the blade was made from quartz.
"This is it." She said.
"You sure?" asked the faery.
"Positive."
"Ok then, let's go."
They were almost at the exit of the Hollow, when suddenly their paths crossed with Inanna. She looked puzzled, and she asked, "Hello Master Lilium. Where are you going?" If Inanna stayed, surely she would be doomed as well as everybody else? Should Lilium tell her to come with her? There would be safety in numbers, but Inanna could possibly hold Lilium back as well.. Lilium didn't even want to train her or have anything to do with her in the first place, but now that she had trained her a little she felt like she couldn't just leave her to endure whatever was about to happen. She still didn't like her, but... She wasn't going to turn her back on her, now that she knew Inanna wouldn't be safe here. "Do you have any possessions her that you wouldn't wish to lose?"
"What do you mean?" asked Inanna.
"I mean if I said that you had to follow me right now, fly out and never return here again, would you go without stopping to collect anything you own?"
Inanna's eyes widened, before she said, "Wha- what do you mean?"
"I asked you the question. Yes, or no?"
Inanna smiled a little, her eyes flaring with enthusiasm, "Yes. Definitely, yes."
"Then follow us now and don't look back." Said the male. And so they did.
The three faeries stood at the entrance to the Hollow. The male was keeping watch, extra careful that nobody would see them leaving. "Why did you help us?" asked Lilium.
"It isn't too late to save this place. Not yet anyway. You need to get out there, find another Hollow where things are still as they should be."
"But what should I tell them? What's going on here, if I'm going to leave, I want to know what's really going on here. Please, tell me, it's all that I ask."
"I'm not 100% sure, not every little detail..." he lowered his voice to a whisper, looking around nervously before saying, "We are being used as the Queen's puppets... For what, I'm not sure, but there is something truly horrifying going on in the Queen's chamber. The real Queen's chamber. It's deep beneath the roots of the Hollow, I've heard the others talking about it before. Some kind of terrifying, dark magic. I-I've heard the screams before... Sometimes you can hear faeries and... others screaming."
Shivers ran up Lilium's spine. She couldn't believe it, "Screaming?" It reminded her of the horrible scream she had heard that woke her from her sleep.
"Yes. But nobody does anything about it, even though sometimes it's noticed. You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you? Cloudiness, hazed perception."
Lilium did know exactly what he was talking about, the times where it felt like she wasn't really in control of her actions, where she just accepted everything for the way that it was.
"It's some kind of magic. There's a spell over us, a spell that limits free-will. But some of us, we started to-" Suddenly there was a sound from inside the Hollow. There were faeries coming. Alarm was plastered all over the male's face, as he started to tremble. There wasn't much time.
"You've got to go!" he frantically whispered, "Leap out into the forest, fly away, find a safe Hollow and tell them what I told you. "
"Wait," started Lilium, but she was immediately interrupted by the male, "There isn't time, go now!"
Her heart was beating at an insane rate inside her chest, "Hang on! What's your name?" she asked. He had saved them, and she at least wanted to know his name. He was quiet for a second, before whispering, "Apollo. My name is Apollo."
The faeries were getting closer and closer, they could hear them. But there was still so much Lilium wanted to know, why had he chosen to save her from the fate that awaited them, more about the spell and the dark magic, so much more. Not really even thinking about the words that came out next, she whispered, "Come with us, Apollo. I still need to know more, and you don't need to have your fate sealed either." He just shook his head, "No, I can't.. I'm already as good as dead." Suddenly, Apollo was forced on the ground, with one of the males from earlier on top of him, his hands around his throat. "And just what exactly is THIS!? Filthy, blasphemy spewing-" he was cut short as Inanna kicked him in the back, forcing the air out of him. The second faery prepared to shoot a stun at her, but Lilium quickly interjected with a weak shield spell, exclaiming, "GO, Inanna! Trust me, just go now, fly as fast as you can, let me handle this. I'll catch up." She added as an afterthought. Inanna hesitated for a second, before darting into the forest.
"You two are done for now, especially you, Apollo. The Queen has already spilled blood tonight."
Apollo's breathing was laboured, his face contorted in concentration, "I am. But she's not." Then he shot two powerful beams at the guard faeries, before quickly turning to Lilium. "Quick, now's your chance! Get away from here, before they recover, it won't be long."
"Why can't you come? You'd be safe from them."
"No, I can't, I can't. There's somebody here who I can't leave... Please, just go now. You've got to get out there, and find help. I know that you are strong, I have seen it, and I really believe that you can do it."
Lilium felt sadness for a moment, she looked at Apollo with regret. "I'm sorry. But thank you."
"It's fine, I deserve it anyway. Go and find that apprentice of yours. I can tell she burdens you, but... There's something about her. I don't know how to describe it, but I think she'll be of help to you one day." The guards were beginning to stir. "You have to go, now or never. And one last thing, don't trust that moondust you have!"
"Em, right. Ok." She couldn't really think of what so say, nothing was good enough for what Apollo had just done for her, so she just faced the forest, and prepared her wings for flight. A million things were rushing through her head, but when the air hit her face she actually realised what was about to happen. Freedom. It really was upon her, in circumstances she could never have imagined. She spoke two last words, before leaving the Hollow for the last time. "Thank you, Apollo." There was a familiar tug in her heart as she left, but she couldn't quite place where she had felt it before.
Oxygen filled her lungs as if it was a drug. She was rushing through the trees, letting the moon and stars light her path. Now that she was free, there was much to do. "First, I will find Hybris." She spoke out loud, directing her voice to the forest, and the whole world around her. Saying it out loud made it seem more real, more possible. "Then, I will find another Hollow, whichever one I can." Her mind immediately wandered to Leira the Sunlightfaery, and the Hollow that she had come from. Maybe... she thought, Maybe what she said was true... It made more sense now, with what she had found out....
"I do not understand," started Lilium, still tense, "Why are you here? And how are you here?"
"Well..." said Leira, "I'm not really supposed to be here. But I just had to know, I've never seen a Nightfaery in real life before, and everybody, mother included, has been wondering why you never come out anymore. My mother and your Queen were close once, supposedly. But then, one Summer, your Queen and the rest of you stopped coming to the Summer Solstice celebration. Mother tried to visit your Queen here, but she was told to go away and never return. Nobody ever knew what happened, and barely any of you have been seen since. So I just came, because I was so curious, and wanted to know what happened."
Something HAD happened then. Something to do with the Queen. And Lilium was going to get to the bottom of it. Lilium, Inanna and Hybris would, once they found her. And once Lilium found Inanna, she couldn't be too far away yet.
Lilium couldn't know what was ahead. But one thing was for sure, there would be many hardships and dangers along the way. It would take courage, strength, and true determination to succeed in the challenges which were to come, but that did not frighten Lilium. Instead, it excited her. This was what she longed for, freedom, and something worth living for. For now, finally, Lilium had a purpose apart from mindlessly wandering the Hollow for the rest of her days. She was ready.
~
Years earlier...
Lilium and Hybris were sitting on the branch near the entrance, the moon in its crescent stage, casting faint light around them. The two looked completely different, Hybris' hair was straight, silky and light brown, almost an auburn colour, and her features were soft. Lilium's features were harsher, more defined than the other faery, her hair long and slightly wavy. In dim lighting, her hair looked black, but in lighter environments it was easy to see that her hair was really just a very dark brown.
"I wonder what it would be like..." started Hybris, "To live out there in the forest. No Hollow, no doing things to please others. Just being yourself, and living for yourself." Even Hybris' voice was different to Lilium's, it was soft and soothing, while Lilium's was stern, and almost always sounded on edge.
"The Queen says that when the time is right, we can leave." Said Lilium. Hybris sighed, and looked at the other faery, with concern on her face, "I know. But Lilium.. Do you ever have doubts about what she says? About the Hollow?"
"What do you mean?" asked Lilium.
"I mean... How do you know for sure that the Queen is telling the truth? Have you ever seen anybody leave this place before?" What Hybris said didn't even register in Lilium's head fully. Hybris was right, nobody had ever left the Hollow before. But that didn't mean anything, they would get their freedom eventually. "Just have trust." Said Lilium, "I'm sure everything will work out."
Hybris smiled at Lilium and said, "Yeah, I suppose you're right." Was the smile forced? Lilium wasn't sure, but she didn't worry about it. Back then, she didn't worry about anything.
"So ..." started Lilium, "Would you live alone out there?"
"Of course not. We'd live together. We could hunt for food together, and make some kind of living."
"Sounds ok to me..." replied Lilium. They rested against the bark of the tree for a while, until Hybris stood up. "Follow me." She said. Lilium watched as Hybris jumped of the branch and flew into the forest. Lilium didn't even question it, she'd never been in the forest before, and despite the tug in her heart that told her she should not go, she ignored the feeling and followed after her friend. The Hollow had never said that flying in the forest was forbidden, after all they couldn't exactly escape without a moonstone. But still, for some reason, that flight in the forest felt like Lilium's first act of defiance. The first of many.