Trapped in the Fae Realm

Should I step in? In front of me was a small ring of mushrooms, probably only about two feet in diameter. If you were just walking through the forest, it probably would be pretty easy to miss. They looked innocent enough, varying in shape and size, and all various shades of a yellow tinged brown. The fact that they were in a near perfect circle, though, is what gave me pause. I knew that there was something I was told as a child about this, but at this moment I couldn’t quite recall what it was. Any thoughts, or memories that I might have had about mushroom rings left my head as soon as they came. I couldn’t tear my eyes away, like the mushrooms themselves were seducing me. Before I had realised it, my feet were at the edge of the circle. Now that I could get a closer look, the grass inside of the ring was more vibrant and lush. The air had a shimmering, magickal quality to it that I just barely tugged at a memory. I felt as if something inside was calling to me, begging me to step in. Unlike before, instead of feeling like my body was moving on its own towards the center of the circle, I felt as if I had to make the conscious decision to step inside. As if the magick contained could only do so much to draw me in. I didn’t let that last thought linger in my mind. Letting out the breath I hadn’t realized that I was holding, I lifted my foot and stepped into the ring. Immediately, I felt my body fill with a rush of what could only be described as the heart pumping feeling of finding out something soul crushing, intertwined with the feeling of butterflies you get when seeing your crush or new lover. The feeling wasn’t bad enough for me to want to step out again. If anything, it made me even more curious about what would happen if I stepped the rest of the way in. So I did. In the blink of an eye I was somewhere completely different. Like I had teleported to a different country. The trees around me were still definitely trees, but the leaves looked completely forign, different from the three pronged maple shape that I had grown up with. There was no longer grass, but long, wild strands of something that could only be described as thick hair. It was soft yet seemed like it would do a better job of hiding small animals from prey. Lifting my head to look at the sky, I saw not one, but three bright shining suns. Though each was probably only a quarter the size of the sun I was used to seeing, and shone a different color. The difference in light gave the sky an almost lavender hue. The air smelled different, too, almost flowery. As if I was standing in a field of wildflowers, even though there were none to be seen. I whipped around as I heard the sound of a guitar, no-maybe a ukulele? But there was nobody behind me. Hearing another strum, I quickly realized that the sound was coming from a bit deeper into the forest. Before I can think about making the actual decision to do so, my feet started heading towards the music. After all, I’m never going to figure out where the hell I am if I can’t ask anyone, right? I stepped through the soft brush, into the denser packed trees. The rough bark of them at least feels familiar. I could feel tree roots and rocks pressing into the bottom of my flip flops, which I definitely wouldn’t have worn had I known that I was going to end up, well ,wherever I was. I quickly reached the source of the sound. Sitting on top of a fallen log, like something out of a renaissance painting, was someone with long, intricately braided hair the color of warm beach sand. The figure was slender and even from this distance I could tell their clothing was practical yet full of fine detailed embroidery. “Um...excuse me.” I mumbled softly. They turned around, and upon giving me a quick glance over, gave a small smirk. “You must have wandered very far to end up here, little one.” The voice was deeper than I originally expected based on his stature and looks. He had an accent as well, something between irish and english, with a strange lilt to it that I hadn’t heard before. I couldn’t see his face well from here, but I could tell he had some sort of tattoo or birthmark cupping his left eye. I wasn’t sure how to respond to him, and was busy getting a look at him, so his reply was met with silence. “Come, sit. You look quite lost. Perhaps I can help you.” He added, gesturing to what I had to assume was another empty log. I nodded and hesitantly stepped forward. I lowered myself onto the log and blankly looked at him. He didn’t seem to skip a beat. “Let us start with this. Could I get your name?” He asked. I snapped out of my short daze.. “Hm? You want to know my name?” I confirmed. At that, he raised a surprisingly well groomed eyebrow and smirked. “Yes.” Is all he replied with. “My name is Maya.” I replied, unsure of why he had reacted that way to my rephrase. “It is nice to meet you, Maya. You may call me Oren.” I gave him an uncertain smile and nodded. “Well, Oren, would you be able to tell me where I am?” I asked. “I would be able to, yes. But first, I’d like to know how you happened upon this place, Maya.” He answered, it almost seemed as if he was mocking the fact that I used his name in my question. I tugged at the ruffled hem of my skirt. “It’s not all that interesting of a story, really.” I start, “I’m visiting my late grandmothers’ cottage, and stumbled on a ring of mushrooms. For some reason, I was extremely compelled to step into the circle. When I did, I ended up here.” His eyes, which I could now see were a deep, emerald green, lit up knowingly. “Ah, a faerie ring.” Oren stated. Faerie ring? I felt as if I had heard that before, a long time ago. “Do mortals no longer warn of the danger of fae circles?” he added. Fae circles. Faerie ring. The words swirled around in my head. I knew I had heard them before. Someone told me a long time ago about them. But the memory was just too far away to reach. “The words sound familiar, but I can’t remember what I was told about them.” I said. I wasn’t sure if I was telling Oren, or saying it aloud to see if that might bring forward the memory. “Well, Maya. In the simplest of terms, your home, the realm of the mortal, is closely linked to this realm, the realm of the fae. There are few ways to reach each other. One being faerie rings. Fae circles are the only naturally occurring link between realms, though they are quite rare and do not tend to linger in the same area for long.” His explanation would sound absolutely insane, if I didn’t have that nagging memory telling me that what he was saying was absolutely the truth. “But wait-” I started. “If you are about to ask if this means that you cannot go back until we find another, yes.” Oren interrupted. “So there isn’t ANY other way to get here or back?” I asked, raising an eyebrow “Well, it isn’t the only way between realms. It is, however, the simplest. The other methods require hard to find relics or the midnight of a solstice.” As he explained, Oren stood from his stool, seamlessly putting his stringed instrument behind his back, and extended his hand to me. “What I am trying to say, Maya, is that you may end up being here in this realm for a while. And you’re going to need a place to stay. You’ve been blessed by good fortune because I have plenty of extra rooms at my home.” So, I was in some sort of alternate dimension, have no way back, and the first guy I meet wants me to stay with him? Oren didn’t seem to even notice my hesitation. Hell, it even kind of seemed like he expected it. “I mean you no harm. I simply understand that this must be very overwhelming for you, and perhaps some rest would do you good.” He added. “I...guess I just don’t understand. Why are you being so nice? You don’t even know me.” I asked. The corners of his mouth lifted in a mischievous smile. “Not yet, Maya. But I’d like to. You intrigue me quite a lot. You see, I’ve never met a mortal before.” Normally, I’d hear something like that and run far, far away. Hell, even coming from a very attractive elf looking dude, it was a little creepy. But for some reason, I didn’t get a bad feeling about him. It was like my intuition was telling me to just go with the flow. So, I did. “Alright Oren,” I started, grabbing his extended hand, “I’ll take you up on your offer. Just don’t try anything crazy.” At that, his mischievous smile turned into one that looked more genuine. Even if I’m some weird study subject because he’s never met a human, he at least seemed like he genuinely wanted to help me. “My home is just across town, we will be there in just a moments notice.” He said, leading me back towards where the faerie ring had been. “Town? I didn’t hear anything but your music earlier.” “Ah- that would be because the village is enchanted to be nearly impossible for outsiders to find. You will see that once you have entered, the barrier will disappear for you in the future.” He tilted his head a bit and his brow furrowed. “Though- I cannot say if I know that it will work that way for a mortal.” “Guess we’ll have to find out.” I add. “Indeed we will.” He answered with a giddy smile. We continued to walk through what seemed to be an endless forest. I could feel branches and pebbles poke through my dollar store flip flops as I stumbled alongside Oren. Had I known I’d step through a mushroom portal to a different world, I probably would have worn somthing a little more practical. Unfortunately, that’s not something I really planned for when going for a swim outside my grandmothers’ cabin. I was torn away from my thoughts of regrettable footwear when Oren stopped in front of two trees. They looked unremarkable at first glance, other than the fact that they were just inherently foreign to me. However, when I gave them a second look, there were a couple of larger branches about ten feet up that intertwined to connect the two, making a sort of very well hidden arch. “Oh splendid, the town square is bustling. You’ll get a wonderful glance at what fae life is like!” He said, staring at the space between the two trees. I didn’t get the chance to ask what he was seeing before he pulled me forward and through the two trees. Like with the fae circle, it was instantaneous. One moment I was standing in a forest, and the next I was standing on a stone path surrounded by tons of people. Well, to be more precise, they weren’t exactly people. They were like Oren. Slender and graceful, like ballerinas, with long pointed ears and luxurious silky hair of all colors. I instinctively reached up to smooth down my own hair, which by comparison must have stood out, considering the curls and vibrant auburn color. Not that I minded much, considering I my big hair had always made me stand out a bit. I did my best not to look awe struck as Oren lead me through what seemed to be a small village. It was just different enough to feel foreign, but I could also recognize what seemed to be shops and homes, so this place couldn’t have been too different from my own. As we exited the heart of the village, I could hear the sound of live music being played. The music itself had a wild, untamed quality to it, as if the musicians had no sheet music to read from,, but were rather playing whatever they wanted, but somehow it was still absolutely beautiful. We approached a rather large group of people gathered around the sound of the music, and as we got closer, I noticed that they were dancing. Laughter and singing started to fall into my ears as we stepped near the group. As soon as I stepped next to the dancing square, another hand reached out and grabbed mine. I was pulled in the opposite direction that Oren had been pulling me. This new grip had more pull than the one Oren was using, so his hand came free of my wrist quickly, and I was easily pulled into the circle of dancing fey. I looked up to see who had pulled me in, and my eyes grew wide with shock when I saw that it was a fae woman. Her skin was a darker tone than Orens, or mine. More of the look of someone who spent a lot of time in the sun, with small freckles dotting her nose and upper cheeks. Her eyes were a deep brown, and her silky hair was a dark, dusty lavender color that perfectly harmonized with her skintone. Her mouth was wide with a grin as she lead me into the dance. “I hope that I did not startle you!” She said, spinning us around to the beat of the song. I stared blankly at her, then shook my head. I was too busy reeling to know what to do or say. “I was meaning to grab someone else, you see. But I will consider this a happy accident. I’ve never seen you before, what is your name?” She continued. “M….Maya” I manage to stutter out. Between trying to get a grip on what was happening, and trying to follow her dance lead, there wasn’t much more room in my brain for words. “Hello Maya! I am Evie. You seem quite lost, is there anything I can help you find?” She said, leading us back towards the edge of the dancing group, and back to where I had been snached away from Oren. “Um, well. I was with someone else. His name is Oren. He’s helping me out while I’m here” Her happy demenor seemed to falter a bit when I say Oren’s name. Evie stops dancing. “He is right over there.” She said, pointing to a bit beyond where she had pulled me. Oren had his eyes locked on me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Evie looking at me very intensely. “Maya, be careful with that one. His intentions may be different than yours.” She said, and then immediately pulled her hand away from my shoulder and looked a bit embarrassed. “My apologies, I did not mean to pry into your emotions like that. Thank you for dancing with me!” Before I knew it she disappeared into the group again. “These dancers do not know true musical talent.” Oren said as he approached me. “I hope you at least enjoyed yourself.” My mind flashed back to the grinning face of Evie and her sweeping hair. “I did, thanks.” I replied. In no time we were standing in front of a modestly sized, stone set home. It seemed to have various shiny things embedded into the walls, as the fading sunlight glinted against it. It definitely seemed like some sort of otherworldly home, but with the comforting feel of a deep woods cottage, like my grandmothers. “We’ve arrived. Welcome to my home, Maya.” Oren said, stepping in front of me and sweeping his arms out in big, swooping movements. Just a moment after his statement, the door opened, and a smaller, younger fae stepped out. “Oren, you said you would be right ba-” he started, but stopped as soon as he spotted me behind Oren. “Who is this? You don’t typically bring people home during the daylight.” He asked without missing a beat. I raised an eyebrow. I wondered what he meant by that one. “Wonderful timing, Jax. This is Maya, she will be staying with us for a while. She is a mortal, isn’t that fun?” Oren answered. Fun? Jax gave me a painted on smile. “Hello Maya, I am Jax, Oren’s younger brother.” I waved back in reply. He didn’t seem to want anything to do with me. Jax almost immediately stepped back into the door and closed it. “My apologies for that, Maya. Jax is in that rebellious phase that most young male fae go through. He dosen’t seem to care for me or those I associate with at the moment.” Oren said as he lead me toward the front door that Jax had popped out of. The exuberant confidence that Oren had been letting off this entire time seemed to falter a bit after that interaction with him. “It’s alright!-” I started, almost reaching for his shoulder, “I have a couple of little brothers. They both went through that phase too. He still cares about you, even if hes being a weirdo about it right now.” I felt a blush rush to my cheeks. Why was I being so open and friendly with someone I just met, let alone some magical dude from the forest? Oren just nodded, not even looking back to acknowledge my comforting words. As we stepped through the front door, I shifted gears to get a good look at where I’d be staying. It had that same impossible, “How did I just get here?” feel that I had when stepping through the fae ring and the arch that lead into the village. We stepped into an immensely large entryway, that was decorated in intertwining golden vines along the walls and around archways that most likely lead to different parts of the house. I looked at Oren with wide eyes. “This is crazy! How is the entryway so big when the house looked so much smaller on the outside?” Oren lit up with an amused grin. “It is not lovely? We live in comfort yet the home takes up so little space in the village. My ancestors learned this type of magick so that our family home could be so close to our people.” Magick. Of course, why not? “Well, would you rather get a tour of the home now? Or would you prefer to get some rest and I can show you through in the morning?” Oren asked, catching me mid yawn. “I could go for some sleep.” I responded simply. Oren nodded and started leading me through the archway on the left and down a hall. As we walked down the hallway I let my eyes eat up as much of the house as I could. The golden vines and leaf theme that had decorated the entryway continued into the hall, but in a more subtle way. Delicate engravings ran along the baseboards and along the top of the walls, with just a subtle hint of metallic gleam. The walls themselves were a deep, lush green that immediately brought nature to the mind. It was both luxurious and soothing. We passed several doorways on our way to what I assumed was going to me my room for the time being. Each looked as if it were rarely opened. Finally, Oren stopped at a door just at the end of the hall, which lead into what seemed to be a study of some sort, though I could only see a bit of what was inside. “Maya, welcome to our finest guest room. Though our family rarely has guests, this room is always kept immaculately cleaned, as we never know when one may arrive.” He said proudly. He opened the door to reveal a bedroom that I could imagine a queen or king living in. The bed was quite large, with a delicate sheer fabric creating a canopy around it. The bedding was the same deep lush green that the walls of the hallway had been. I take a few steps into the room, and immediately feel a pull towards the bed, as if my body knows that I need to sleep for a while to process all of this. I don't fight it and crawl into the plush bed, falling asleep right away.