The gift of Fae

The Fae Realm

Everything is this beautiful fresh shade of green that nature gets in Spring when its at its best and brightest. Flowers of every color and type, the sound of a waterfall in the distance, peace. Complete and utter serenity I feel right now, I feel like I am home, I belong. 

I feel Mum lightly wrap her arm around mine and we smile at one another, "This place is so beautiful, David always talked about home and this is what he described" she said with her heart full of happiness and sorrow at the same time. "Living here is not going to be hard at all, it feels like we just woke up in heaven" I say to her. 

Noticing however that we are alone? I can't see anyone else around, but we are still in a forest area with lots of shrubbery and trees blocking the distance. We decide to walk along the part of a track that you can see in yellow rubble along the ground. 

Not very far along the track I can see an opening out of the shrubbery, beyond that is a large field, with little houses all around the edges as far as the eye can see, I large waterfall on the other side of the field to where we are at the opening from the trail. People everywhere, some set out on picnic blankets in field or walking around the field in groups, others playing games, some in the fountain, oh that looks so good, I hope I get to swim in there. 

Walking into the field, there are quite a few eyes on us, but not everyone has stopped and stared, so maybe its not that unusual to have strangers walking in. I wonder if anyone can sense what or who we are? 

Stopping in about the middle, there is a group of people, well I guess fairies, I should really get used to saying that... Mum pulls us closer to the group as my heart starts racing, I am not ready for this. I can see so many different colors radiating off these fairies, but none giving off any colors related to anger of madness which eases me somewhat. There is a lot of purples, blues, yellows and pinks, making me wonder what they are feeling, they look happy but the blues and purples are throwing me off, that has always signaled sadness and loss to me... 

"Hi there, my name is Catana and I'm here with my daughter Felicity to see Queen Liana, is there any chance someone could point us in right direction?" Mum asks politely. 

A quite attractive older man gets up and walks over to us with an outstretched hand to shake my Mums hand, she obliges while he introduces himself "Well hello there, I am Ryan, I can sense that your daughter is a fairy but you... are not?" 

"Ahh... that's right, I'm a...  werewolf but Felicity's father was a fairy from this community" Mum says quietly.

"Oh wait, you were David's lover?" Another woman asks as she stands up and walks over as well,  how did she even hear what my Mum said. 

"Sorry to just butt in like that, I'm Cordelia, I grew up with David and we were very good friends and I do recall some eighteen years ago he fell in love with a werewolf, but no one knew he sired a child" Cordelia probed pointing at me.  

"You are right, David was my lover" Mum says with her eyes pointed to the ground, I can only imagine how she feels being in front of these people that were his community and ultimately she was the reason he was killed. But do they know that?

Ryan is staring into my Mum's eyes and must feel what she feels and a mutual understanding with no words seems to take place as he nods his head "Well if it is Queen Liana you are after she is in the palace next to the waterfall... But please be careful, she is not what she seems" he says very sincerely with worry and fear looking at both of us now. While Cordelia shoots him a glance of disapproval of what he has just told us. 

That's a little unnerving. 

We thank them for their help and go on our way to the Palace. 

The Palace comes into view the closer you get to the waterfall. When we finally reach the palace I am consumed by its glory, I am almost certain it is made out of diamonds, the glow and shine from the outside is some type of precious material. Three large arches at the front for entrances and two towers above them, intricate statues all across the front of what appear to be knights, like they are guarding the palace but they are made of stone. 

Making our final steps towards the arches a statue moves and blocks us with a stone blade, I let out a scream and my Mum grabs my arm and pulls me behind her for protection while she lets out a growl from her chest. What the hell was that. Stepping back from the statue it returns to its previous form in guard mode, unsure of what to do next we detach from each other and I can see Mum looking around if there is an alternative way in or someone around. 

After a couple of moments though a man very neatly dressed in a butlers outfit comes out of the arch in the center, heading straight for us. "Greetings from the palace, state your business please" he says with a rather unimpressed tone. "We are here to seek council from Queen Liana about joining this community" Mum states back just as monotone as the butler. 

I can see his brain thinking overtime, because he can obviously sense that Mum is not a fairy. Without a word the butler places a hand at us signaling stop and he turns around and goes back into the palace, a few awkward moments later as we stand there unsure of what just happened the butler reappears. Maybe he was asking for permission. 

"The Queen will see you.. however not together, who shall go first?" He asks in the same tone as before, like this isn't a big deal to just separate from each other in this strange place. I turn to Mum and she has the same worry on her face that I do. "It will be ok Felicity, I will go first so I can explain everything that happened eighteen years ago, then I'm sure all will be fine and we will be together again, I love you."

I love you, why would she add that, she is worried. Tears forming in my eyes, I try to hold them back. 

"I love you too Mum, please be safe, I can't do this without you" I let her know, trying to sound brave but I'm sure she sees behind the image I'm trying to put up. 

The butler steps between the statue guards and raises his hand to them and they stop immediately, as he ushers my Mum through and they both walk up into the Palace. 

And then I am alone, standing on the steps of this Palace in the middle of the forest in a hidden fairy realm. This is all too much, too fast, what has become of my life? I get the feeling I am going to have to toughen up real fast in this place. Looking back into the field, it seems less crowded then it did before and I can feel a ball of unease creeping up in my stomach as what appeared like heaven from the entrance of the field, now feels anything but.