Amythest dreams

Chapter Six:

 They agreed to make camp underneath the apple tree. Night would be approaching soon and Prince Kallan wanted to hunt up their supper before the sun went down. He told her of a small stream about a quarter mile away that she could use to wash the grime off and gather water for their canteens and supper. With that, each one went the opposite direction, he carrying a small bow with arrows that she had no clue how fit in his pack and her with the canteens and her pack. As she made her way to the stream she contemplated all she had learned. It seemed that Puerr Terra was vast. Way bigger than the stories told. Unseelie and Seelie courts. Tiernim. Even the land that the Fae didn't even travel in. That was what intrigued her most of all. What could be out there that had even the most fearsome of creatures hesitant to explore? And if it was truly so unpredictable and untamable, why wasn't it too bordered off away from everything and everyone? The Unseelie court was something she hoped to avoid entirely. The way she had always understood it, all Fae were basically of the same mindset. She was starting to see that what the history books knew was nothing compared to what she was going to learn.

The stream looked inviting in the muggy forest air. She knew that it was still too cool to be considered comfortable, but it would also do wonders to help with the traveling she had done. She was ready to get the sweat and grim off of her. She would wash her traveling clothes in the stream as well and hang them to dry so that they would be fresh and ready for her in the morning when they began their journey again. She set her pack down and pulled out her soap and bath linen and then filled the canteens with the fresh water so that there would be no trace of soap in it after her bath. Then she pulled her clothes off of her and freed her hair. Slowly stepping into the water, she allowed her hair to pool around he like black ink spilling out into the water. First she set to washing her clothes, lathering them fully and dunking them underneath the water. Once she was done she rung them out and then she hung them on a wayward branch, allowing the breeze to begin to dry them. She sunk back down into the water, just enjoying the quiet alone time. As she lathered herself with her soap she began to sing. 

~~ Up high in a tower she sat on a throne,

A queen of infinite wonder.

Still she wished she wasn't alone.

Longed for the love of another.

So she sent for a king that would be her true love

Ever so patient she waited.

No answer that came, from carriage or dove

Soon her heart became jaded.

Up high in a tower she sat on a throne.

A queen of infinite wonder.

Her subjects in fear they left her alone.

Her heart held no love for another.

Slowly she died never knowing true love

and knowing that she was hated

No message was sent from carriage or dove

to mourn the queen who was jaded. ~~

Iredesa ended the song, her eyes still closed. "You have a lovely voice." She heard from behind her. Iredesa yelped, turning around to see Prince Kallan propped on a tree. She covered herself the best she could, which caused him to laugh. "I will never understand human modesty." "TURN AROUND PRINCE KALLAN!" she yelled, her face heating up. "Call me Kallan and we have a deal." he said, folding his arms over his chest. "FINE. KALLAN. JUST TURN AROUND DAMNIT!" He turned, shaking his head. "You know, I will eventually see you naked right? So what difference does it make? And besides, you are the one who lured me over here with your singing. What was I suppose to do?"

"You were suppose to stay away and let me have my privacy." She snatched her bath linen from the tree branch and wrapped it around her. "And I didn't lure you here. You chose to come here. And lastly! The difference here is that I did not give you permission to ogle me while I bathed. You pervert." He turned around, one eyebrow raised in amusement. "Permission? Ogle? Pervert? Lady Fletcher. I do believe that you are sounding just a bit like you've never been skinny dipping before." Her cheeks reddened even further, causing his grin to widen. "Iredesa. You have a mountain of things to catch up on my dear, sweet, innocent bride to be. And skinny dipping is one of them. As it is, supper will not cook itself and you have the water, which is actually why I came. I cannot prepare a stew without water to boil it. So if you are done with your bath would you care to come back to camp so that we may eat?" She growled at him, turning away and grabbing the canteen. "Here!" she said, throwing the canteen at his head. He easily dodged it and laughed as he picked it up and sauntered away. 

She got dressed and made her way back to camp. As she approached the camp she saw that he had skinned a rabbit and had a stew simmering over a fire. He had managed to find a couple of wild potatoes, onions, and mushrooms to add to the stew. He was putting salt from a salt rock he had into the stew as she sat down. "Did you enjoy your bath?" he asked, looking at her with smug amusement. "Yes, thank you, I did. Do you ever intend to enjoy one?" she retorted back, thinking she had won. He gave her a wolfish grin and asked in a low, velvety voice. "Is that an offer Iredesa? I had planned to bathe alone later, but if you would like for me to enjoy it I would love the company." 

All of a sudden she had images of pale moonlight gleaming off her as straddled him in the water. Her head thrown back in the throws of ecstasy. Water drops slowly trailed down their bodies as he held her up and slowly worked his mouth down to- "STOP IT!" she shrieked, standing up. She was breathing heavy, her body trembling, from anger or desire she wasn't sure. "I truly didn't do anything this time my dear? Dare I look into that pretty little head of yours and see what has you so bothered?" She shook her head, confused. "Please stay out of my head." she said, trembling.

"You are projecting too loud. You should shield better and I wouldn't hear what you are mentally screaming at the top of your metaphorical lungs. I really didn't put that image in your head. But I would be more than willing to bring it to life if you are." She shook her head, unable to speak. So far this trip was not going at all how she had planned it. Instead of spending her time making it known that she was going out of nothing more than duty and that she wanted nothing to do with him, she had kissed him twice and was day dreaming about him doing things to her that made her toes curl. It was almost as if she was glamoured. Her head shot up in time to see a deep scowl on his face. "No. I am not messing with your head. Your desires are your own. It's insulting that you would even consider that. It's a pathetic and sick sort of r**e, to force s****l feelings and desires into another's minds and make them believe that they want you." 

"I wasn't considering that. The thought crossed my mind fleetingly about the glamour. If you want look into my head and see the truth of that. I just don't understand how I could be this affected by you. Does it have anything to do with you being Fae and I human? I read somewhere that Fae naturally enchanted humans just because of who they were." He just shook his head. "It's not that simple Iredesa. Some Fae are able to attract humans easily. A full blood Siren or mermaids as an example. But the ability is rare and I do not have it. While I have siren blood in me, I did not inherit that skill. And it doesn't work on just humans. There once was a siren that took down a whole Fae army just by singing a song. They all turned on each other, so besotted with her. Each one eager to win her favor and claim her for his own. Once their numbers were so decimated that they stood no real chance of winning, she sent her army in and finished them off. All so she could create her own kingdom apart from the other courts." Iredesa listened, no longer riddled with confusion, but with interest. "She sounds fascinating." He chuckled, "Yes, my mother is a force of nature that is for sure."

"Your mother?" He nodded, "Yes. That was five hundred years ago. She has long since toned down her thirst for blood and even married and had me." Iredesa sat in shock. His mother. Her soon to be mother in law. Took down an entire army just with her voice. She didn't know whether to be scared or empowered by the feminine power that Queen Suelita possessed. To not have a man see her as a lesser, but as an equal. It was awe inspiring. She felt a twinge of sadness knowing that she would be going into this family as a convenient match. She suspected the queen would see her as a kitten sleeping with lions. Or perhaps a mouse. That seemed more fitting of an image. King Eitri may have wanted a bride that was his equal and one to be rivaled, but it seemed that was not the case for his son. 

When the stew was finally done they ate quietly, watching the sun set and the moon slowly begin to rise. "I think I will take that dip in the stream now. You should try to get some sleep. Don't worry about the fire. I have enchanted it to stay lit and not spread throughout the night so it will keep you warm." he said once their bowls had been cleared. He picked up his pack and walked away without another word, leaving her confused. He seemed agitated when he left. She wasn't sure why it bothered her, but it did. Looking down she realized that he had left the bowls sitting there. She picked them up and decided she would take them to the other end of the stream to clean. That way she would not be in view of him, nor him of her. With her mind made up she made her way back to the stream, careful to avoid the same area she had went before so that she didn't happen upon him.

She had just finished rinsing the bowls when she saw him. He was slowly gliding through the water doing acrobatic combat moves. The moonlight danced off of his body like a personal spotlight. He was so intent on what he was doing that she was certain that he didn't even realize she was there. His arms moved in rapid succession as he practiced punch after punch and ducked and weaved in the water. She would have thought that the water would be going wild and incumber him but he never slowed, clearly manipulating the water to keep it  contained around him. Suddenly he turned his back to her. She gasped, her hand going to her throat. His back was perfectly muscled. Sinewy muscles stretched and tightened with every move he made. It was one hundred percent clear that he had a body built for power and precision, yet it was the giant scar upon his back that had captured her attention. It started at the top of his right shoulder blade and went down and disappeared into the water. It was long and jagged, almost as if whoever had done it had taken extra care in making sure it caused the maximum amount of damage. At the sound of her gasp Prince Kallan turned, eyeing her inquisitively. "Your back.." She said in shock. "Done fifty years ago by Totalius Dred." He shrugged as if it meant nothing, yet Iredesa could see the burning anger in his eyes as he recalled the incident. "You care to join or are you just going to stand and watch me the whole time? And you called me the pervert." 

She could tell he was deflecting, trying to get a rise out of her so that she wouldn't ask about the scars. She let him, holding up the dishes to show she had simply come to clean. "You wish I was watching. I came to clean our dishes before I went to sleep." 

When she turned to leave he stopped her. "Iredesa?" She turned back around, looking over her shoulder at him questioningly. He looked as if he was going to say something before he shook his head and said simply, "I'll be back up in a little while." Iredesa wanted to ask him what he had on his mind that had him losing his usual snarky and flirtatious attitude but she left it alone, understanding that sometimes it was best to not have to explain what you had in your head. "Goodnight Kallan." She replied,  slipping back through the trees and making her way back the camp to fall asleep underneath the canopy of the eternal harvest apple tree.

 Iredesa was fast asleep when Kallan had finally returned, so she never heard him until it was time to rise and start the day. He had picked a few more apples and was cutting them up and setting them in a small pan with a sprig of cinnamon and sugar. He poured water over them and added a few drops of honey and let it come to a boil and soften the apples. Then he added oats from the pack.  "How do you have all those things fitting in there and not weighing you down?" She asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "It's enchanted. It is able to hold five times its capacity and will never get heavy. I got it for my one hundred and twenty first birthday. I never leave home without it if I can help it." She was fascinated.  In the human world that bag would have an unfathomable amount of worth. "Tell me more of your home.." she said as he put the sweet apple and oat mixture into bowls.

"Our home Iredesa. You will be living there too.." She said nothing, unwilling to claim a land that she had never been to as home. "I've told you that there are 3 main kingdoms in Puerr Terra. The Unseelie court to the North, Ukinzor, the Seelie court to the East, Adilonia, and Tiernim to the South. Then of course what we consider the wild, the Old World to the West. Most call it Palios Kosmos. Tiernim is in a prime location. There is the Aberdeen River. It is located in between Tiernim and Adilonia. We use it to distribute goods to them. It is also useful since we have modernized plumbing in a way that allows us to use water to bathe and use the restroom without having to lug the water back. We have placed pipes that come from the Aberdeen River to our Kingdom. Those pipes bring in the water and we use our magic and a cleansing station to filter the water and push it back out to the river once it has been properly dealt with. No waste or contaminates enter the water. It is basically the same as when it leaves the river. The water is brought through pipes that we heat using the same elemental magic that helped us to harness electricity. As a result we have instant hot water so baths is streamlined and our people can spend more time doing other things."

Iredesa listened in awe. The people of Tiernim had really learned how to be sufficient and evolve. Tiernim seemed like a magical place. "Behind Tiernim is the forest we will be traveling through. It is home to many of the fae  like the Folleti and the pixies that I mentioned before. The Folleti tend to sleep in tree houses and spend their days in the sky or tending to the Folleti baskets and making sails. The pixies literally just live wherever they choose. Flowers, tree trunks, holes in the ground. Some take up residence in little homes they built attached to homes in the city quarters. The forest in Tiernim, like this one has small ponds and streams but don't go into them without making sure from me that it is safe. Kelpie reside in many of them and they would love to find a human in their territory. It has been so long since they have tasted human flesh. She shivered, wanting to change the subject. "What about holidays?"

"We celebrate multiple holidays. The Winter Solstice on the twenty first of December. It's a celebration of the longest day of the year. We have a Solstice ball every year. Each Kingdom takes turns hosting it. Then there is Imbolc on February second. We have a fire festival to evoke the changing of the seasons. Next is the Verna Equinox, or Ostara, on the twenty first of March. This is a time when the day and the night are equal. The first true day of Spring. We prepare the flowers and crops at these times. Then there is Beltane on the first day of May. It's the celebration of fertility and new life. This is the day we are to marry. Then of course the Summer Solstice or Litha on the twenty first of June. It is when we celebrate the longest day of the year. From the time the sun rises all the way to the setting we have a day filled with festivals and games. Then next we have the harvest festival on the first of August called Lughnasadh. We have a bread festival on this day to celebrate the Sun. And finally Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, on the twenty first of September. It is the final day before night becomes longer. It is a day of pondering. Most Fae wander through the woods, getting to know themselves a little better."

"Beltane. Is there a specific reason that you chose this holiday for our union?" Iredesa asked curiously. Kallan nodded, " Beltane is said to hold a certain magic in itself. Unions that are done on this day are said to flourish. It is said to boost fertility for future offspring." Iredesa blushed. "Oh.." He smiled wickedly and replied. "Don't worry Iredesa. I do not yet wish to have children. Not yet anyways. So we have a ways off from riding the full power of Beltane. Many Fae use that day as a breeding day. Since it is the time when it is said we are at our most fertile many Fae use that as a time to try to bear their offspring. Children are rare in Puerr Terra. Which is why many Fae in times past use to switch human children with Changelings. They yearned for a child of their own. As a result of that yearning for children the magic of Beltane has become rather wild and if you allow the full force of that power to come upon you then you are submerged in a lust and desire ridden wave of power. Those that ride that wave have been known to have orgies in the woods and not have their desire sated until the rise of the sun the next day." 

Iredesas' eyes widened. She was certain that she was not an orgies in the woods kind of lady. She didn't care how long she lived in Puerr Terra she would not be attending those parties. "Don't worry my dear, I have no intentions of sharing you." Iredesa breathed a slight sigh of relief, glad to not have to worry about that. 

"We should probably get going if we are going to keep it on a good time. I want to give you enough time to get adjusted to Tiernim before we marry. It will also give my people enough time to meet their new princess." Iredesa still couldn't get over that word. Princess. Her? She had no earthly clue how to act like a princess. She might have been a lady by title but she was not a dainty little woman. She was loud and opiniated. She had taken archery instead of sewing classes. And even though she knew the social niceties expected of her she rarely had to use them because nobody would approach her. "Iredesa you are projecting again. I have no doubt that you will make a good princess for my people. You will come to see that Fae women are not like human women. Many of our greatest warriors were and are women. The Seelie court, Adilonia, is governed by Queen Anthurium Nevershore. She has one son, Adan Diaspore who will take over when she decides he is ready. The King, Ompius Diaspore, dared to cross go into the Old World. He never returned. That was about a hundred years ago and Anthurium has ruled ever since."

Iredesa listened in awe. Women who ruled instead of men. Women warriors. It seemed the Fae were more advanced in many ways.

 They packed up, taking a few of the delicious apples with them for their journey, and headed further North towards the border. This time Iredesa kept a closer pace to him, listening to him speak. Over the next day she listened as he spoke of home. She could tell how much he loved his land just by the way he spoke. His people were a free people. They were Fae from all over the realm. A melting pot of Seelie and Unseelie. Long ago when his mother, Queen Suelita, had fought for her own kingdom it had been against both courts. She was both Seelie and Unseelie by birth yet wanted nothing to do with either court and refused to choose a side. So she fought and created her own kingdom nearly four hundred years ago. They were a relatively new Kingdom in the terms that the Seelie and Unseelie were a thousand years old. And a newborn to the Old World that had been there since the dawn of creation. The creatures that resided in there were said to be the most powerful and fearsome of creatures. Their power predating the written word. The longer they walked and the more Iredesa knew, the less she was angry about going to Puerr Terra and the more she welcomed the journey. She was the first human to set foot over the border for two hundred years. She was going to see something that hadn't been seen in a long time and definitely not by any living human. By the time they stopped to make camp for the night Iredesa was already eager to be off. 

"I have to say, when you aren't having thoughts of poisoning me and actually open up to the idea of Tiernim, you look even more beautiful. Your face lights up like a million Will O Wisps." Prince Kallan was looking at her with a quiet sort of joy. She smiled in surprise at him. "Your world truly does sound fascinating Prince Kallan. I know that I am not the happiest of our arrangement. But I can honestly say that I am excited to see your world." He smiled again before journeying off to hunt dinner. She made her way down to the stream  and washed up before heading back with fresh water for them. She gathered wood for a fire and had just got it going by the time he returned with two small birds. He set them down and unwrapped two eggs from a cloth he had tucked into his belt. "Breakfast for in the morning. Don't worry. They were not going to hatch. I see that you have started the fire, I have to say that I am rather surprised." Iredesa smoothed her hair back as she grabbed one of the birds from his grasp. " My father taught me many things. How to make fires, how to use a bow and arrow, and many other unlady like things." She began to pluck the feathers from the bird, taking care to not leave any fibers that would stab them in their mouth. She worked quickly along side him in silence as they finished preparing the the birds, discarding the insides in a hole that Prince Kallan dug, rubbing salt and other small herbs they found onto its skin and putting them on sticks to slowly roast over the fire. 

" The more I learn of you Iredesa the more I am intrigued. You are by far the most compelling woman I have ever met in my two hundred years." She blushed as she turned the birds over, not knowing what to say.  He had deceived her father and publicly taken her from her home. Yet his words of approval for not being a proper lady seemed to mean something to her. They ate quietly, neither one of them wanting to break the peace they had seemed to find with each other over the hours of the day. After they had disposed of the bones and settled in for the night they went to sleep, Iredesa dreaming of a woman with purple eyes running through a valley of wildflowers and laughing.