“My queen.” Jess knew not whether it was awe or gentle protest behind her words, but the great lady before her continued to favor her with the gentlest of smiles before gazing at the golden light still emanating from the Mirror of Truth, sighing sadly. Much to Jess’s surprise, the queen gently took Jess's hand, squeezing it softly, commiserating as one would with a sister or close friend who shared one’s heartfelt loss. Even through her grief, Jess knew she was being paid an unfathomable honor, yet her heart ached no less for that.
"Nothing grieves me more than to know that my son was lost to such terrible madness, to have distorted his life so profoundly for a glimpse of a gift that for all the gifts a mother could give; beauty and strength, mastery and sway over all the land, the gift of eternity alone was the one boon I could not grant him, for the sake of our very realm." She turned to Jess then, and Jess beheld the weight of a mother's grief in those eyes, terrible and potent as they were. For as much as the Queen of Faerie was a being out of legend with powers that would make a mortal king tremble, she was also a mother like any other, one who had just lost her beloved son.
The Queen of Faerie smiled then through her tears, flashing as they did like diamonds, falling upon the great marble floor with a melodious ring. Tears much like Jess's own. "Yet what gives me solace, dear Jessica, is that for a time you were able to pierce his madness. For a time, however brief, he was able to know a season of love, in your arms. And in the end, I think it was his love for you that allowed him to finally accept his destiny, to do what must be done to break the dark chains that bound him most foully to a life distorted so out of true, ending at last a perpetual summer that risked shriveling all of Faerie as the endless season went on and on, as his vile adviser had so hoped it would.”
The queen turned to Jess, her gaze one of deep, heartfelt gratitude, and Jess trembled when the great lady reached out to gently clasp her hand, for it was like the first rays of sunlight piercing the bleak clouds pouring their sorrows upon Jess's heart. “It was thanks to you, Champion of Faerie, that my beloved Talvi was able to accept his destiny once more, to allow the seasons to turn anew, so that he might once again become one with the land, restoring our realm, for all that my heart weeps for the price we pay.”
“I did love him,” Jess confessed, holding back her sobs as best she could. “With all my heart. Even when I knew the entrancement was sweetened with the magic and wonder of Faerie, my love for him was true. Even at his darkest, even as the madness strove to claim him, even in the depths of my anger, I loved him so, and it breaks my heart to know that I couldn’t save him!”
“I know,” the queen commiserated, even as she gazed sadly at the spot where Jess and Talvi had entered the light, where her son had found redemption at last. “It tears my heart asunder, every turn of the wheel, for all that I welcome the first blush of newly awakened love when it is time for these lands to blossom once again, when a mortal lover who captures my heart is made welcome, to live with me, by my side, my king and equal, till the mortal coil claims he and my child both, once more.” She turned to face Jess, and Jess found herself entranced by the Faerie Queen’s sparkling eyes, lost within their great depths, shuddering at glimpsing the endless lifetime's worth of knowledge and wisdom that lay just beneath her brilliant gaze.
“The pain of loss is the great sacrifice I pay for the sake of my realm. For no matter how wondrous its majesty, however steeped in power and beauty my lands may be, never shall I be able to escape the cycle of loss and renewal, for such is the price we must both must pay for the sake of the worlds we have given up so much for.”
The majestic queen sighed, stroking Jess’s cheek gently. “There are times that I feel our dear Jezabelle made the wiser choice. To forever sacrifice herself to the great wheel of time, embracing the eternal cycle of rebirth and renewal. For even if every turning she has to face and go willingly to her own demise, never must she watch her all too mortal children fade away with winter's final caress, before her world may bloom anew."
Jess gasped, on the cusp of that which she knew she dared not glimpse, the secret black door to her deepest memories striving even then at the heart of her sorrow and triumph to crack open, when instantly her beloved Twilight was at her side, his purr a gentle rumble, his luxurious silky fur a soothing balm to her anxious fingers, never mind that she did not recall him being waist high before.
“No worries, my mistress. All is well, and you have triumphed, as ever you shall.”
“Twilight!” Jess gave a relieved sigh, realizing only then her beloved familiar whose wounds had rent her heart with worry, was hale and whole by her side once more. “My beloved Twilight, I feared the wound you had suffered a terrible one.”
Her familiar chuckled softly, butting Jess with his powerful head. “No worries, my Jess. It got better.”
The queen gazed at Jess's familiar, and much to her surprise, bowed solemnly before the great cat.
“And I thank you too, Endless Night, for remembering your sacred promise, and sparing my realm the terrible burden of your awakening. That you had to suffer blood for your forbearance grieves me, and I am grateful for your own sacrifice.”
Twilight flashed a great grin Jess recognized all too well. “In that case, my dear Aurelia, you are more than welcome to make it up to me with the deliciousness of fishies. Real fishies, if at all possible. I've had quite enough of the idea of fish, the dream of fish. What I crave is some fresh flaky meat, bones and scales and all.”
The queen's gentle laugh put Jess instantly at ease, even as a gentle wave flowed at their feet, the sharp tangy smell of the sea one Jess recognized instantly, for all that she had never been to any save in Faerie, the soft cry of seagulls for a moment filling the grand chamber. And splashing by Twilight's feet was a great bluefin tuna, half again as long as Jess was tall, flapping with gusto and vigor. Twilight rumbled happily as he tore into the stupendous feast before him, declaring it the tastiest fish in all of Faerie, and quite real.
Jess gasped and collected herself, aware her familiar had committed a grievous breach of etiquette, addressing the queen so directly, and Jess hadn't even been aware of her true name, for all that she sensed it resonate with the land even as her Twilight had uttered the word aloud. Yet the great queen's smile was filled only with warmth and understanding.
"Your familiar serves you well, Jessica, Champion of Faerie. I am more honored than words can convey to have both of your noble souls come to my aid once more in the turning of the great wheel."
Jess shook with the queen's words, though she could not fathom why, save perhaps the awe and wonder she felt at beholding the smile and gratitude of such an exquisite creature as Aurelia, queen of Faerie, a woman of perfect beauty and grace, infused with the majesty of an entire kingdom that stretched as far as the eyes could see.
The queen's shimmering gaze then rested gently upon the hundreds of faerie lords shaking their heads in confusion, and an equal number of very human looking girls blinking their eyes and gazing upon the vast audience hall with varying degrees of terror and awe. Some were sobbing with horror and shock, others crying with wonder at the terrible splendor of the Faerie Queen's exquisite palace; a masterpiece of art, architecture, and magics beyond any edifice ever constructed of mortal hands, despite the devastation it had suffered. Others were crying with joy at simply being alive. And so many of those girls, Jess was relieved to see, were immediately taken in hand and comforted by their stunned paramours, the lords of Faerie themselves appearing to have just awoken from a dream. The many scores of girls collecting themselves, gazing with awe at their surroundings, were then gently led by their slightly more aware suitors to bow before the queen of their realm.
Aurelia's gaze was filled with compassion as she dipped her head to her lords and their shaken consorts, before turning once more to Jess. “Your mortal peers have been through a grueling ordeal, my dear Jessica. I would make amends for wrongs suffered and covenants broken." The queen gazed consideringly at t
he trembling girls even then gazing up at her with wide-eyed wonder. "For the seasons of their lives surrendered and chastity sacrificed for the sake of our lands, I would grant them a boon in turn, Champion of Faerie. A boon of vitality and solace, if they but ask for it, such that memories of these terrible events fade to dream over time, even as they are gifted with a lifetime's vigor. Their bodies shall lose no strength with time's passage, cheeks ever flush with the vitality of youth, their bodies unmarred by decrepitude or disease. Old age alone shall come to them gracefully at their appointed time, as they slip into the gentlest of sleeps carrying them off to the great garden once more, a fate far sweeter than most, for all mortals must eventually answer Death's call."
“My queen. Truly a priceless gift beyond compare,” Jess said reverently.
The Faerie Queen nodded, and much to a gasping Jess's surprise, clasped her champion's hand in her own as one would a confidant or a sister. So awkward Jess felt; tired, and sweaty, tattered clothes in odd contrast to her shimmering mithril mail, to be so graced with the clasp of the unspeakably beautiful woman before her.
“You do me too much honor,” Jess whispered, the queen's response being naught but gentle laughter.
“Hardly, my dear Jessica. For we have spoken as royalty addressing her champion, as mother and affianced both commiserating over the passing of that which is most precious to them.” And for a moment the queen paused, solemn, Jess’s heart once again crashing against the shoals of bitter loss.
Like the brilliant sun emerging from darkest clouds, the majestic lady’s smile emerged once more, Jess’s own heart lightening just to see the sight of it.
"Now, dear Jessica, I would speak to you as an equal. Myself the representative of my realm, she who holds domain over all these lands entire; and you, should you be willing, the representative of your own realm, that lowest order of mundus, once but a shell of Hades, brought to life and vigor by the sacrifice of a noble paladin and queen, many ages ago."
“You wish me to speak for my realm?” Jess asked breathlessly, earning a regal nod in turn.
"As she who holds Domain and Primacy over all the lands she has sacrificed herself for, you have that right, Jessica de Calenbry, she who was once known as Jezabelle, queen of the Moonlit Realm. Whether you know it or not, whether you remember it or not."
And Jess was struck with the unshakable certainty that the great queen before her spoke nothing but the truth. Whatever congress she embraced here, whatever accords she struck with the queen of Faerie, they would resonate with significance for all the lands of her home.
The very thought sent shivers down her spine.
Her familiar emitted a soft, rumbling purr. “Fret not, my dear mistress. It is time for fishies and treaties, and frankly, far better you than anyone else speak for the realm of Dawn. After all, in a land filled with fallen souls risen once more only by a sacred act of sacrifice, a land now dotted with mortal kingdoms filled to bursting with corrupt nobles and petty bureaucrats, who better to advocate for those silly souls than she who has been knighted a Paladin of Truth?”
Jess girded herself and nodded, knowing her familiar was right. She didn't trust most nobles as far as she could throw them, for all that she had met a few honorable exceptions of late, and as much as she admired Duke diOnni and loved his son like a brother, the one noble she trusted above all others to genuinely put the needs of the whole above himself, the one man she thought was truly fit to serve as the emissary of an entire realm was her father, who was worlds away.
“Very well, my queen. I do not know if I am fit for the role, but I will do my best to honor it.”
The queen smiled in satisfaction. “I can ask for no more than that, dear Jessica. And from your lips alone, queen shall mean friend to me.” Her sigh was a soft affair, yet nonetheless Jess could viscerally feel the trees around the great palace sway, as if blown by a sudden gust of wind.
“I would like to speak to you of an accord, my champion. A formal treaty between our two realms.”
A gentle paw against her side gave Jess pause for just a moment, the weight of her familiar’s silent words of caution echoing through her mind. “Proceed carefully, my Jess. For as much as you see yourself a small pawn in the mighty games of power being played by the nations of your realm, what you agree to here will indeed bind your world entire to the accords you make with Faerie.”
Jess shuddered with the burden of such a responsibility, taking her familiar’s words very seriously. Yet she sensed viscerally that an accord must be reached, for the sake of both their realms. As gracefully as she could, she gave the inhumanely beautiful woman before her a nod of acquiescence. “Very well, my queen. Let us come to an understanding between our two realms.”
The mighty figure before Jess seemed almost to glow with approval, so great was her relief, a brilliant hope shining brightly from her eyes. “It pleases me to hear you say that, dear Jessica, for the sake of both our worlds.”
Aurelia gazed forlornly out of one of her many shattered windows, devastated by the battle that had taken place, and with the barest touch of the great queen’s power, a wave of light and song appeared to wash over the chamber entire. With its passing, the perfect glass windows overlooking her kingdom in all its splendor and glory were whole once more, the exquisitely carved marble inlay and tiling restored to pristine perfection. Even her courtiers; bruised, bloody, wearing tattered uniforms but moments before, were whole and healthy once again, gazing upon the chamber in clear-eyed wonder, attired as exquisitely as a dream come to life.
Only the young women, mortal creatures that they were and under Jess’s dominion as she instinctively knew, appeared to be still bruised and dazed, though clarity and an increasing sense of terror and awe were blossoming upon the countenances of more than half of the girls, some squeezing their paramours hands for support, others clinging to each other, overwhelmed by the majesty and power radiating so unselfconsciously from the great queen of this realm, who did them the unimaginable favor of gracing them all with her gentlest smile.
The impossibly regal figure nodded once in solemn satisfaction at a realm restored, for all that her eyes were still heavy with unshed tears for her lost son. She turned to Jess, squeezing her hand gently. “These mortal children are under your dominion, my dear Jessica, so I will not presume to alter their physical forms, even for a simple blessing. I only thank you for allowing me to grant them at least one boon to make up for wrongs suffered.”
Jess nodded her approval. "And a great boon you offered them, my queen. The gift of vitality and gentlest memory, gracing them as well the right of Choice, acknowledging the power and potency of free will to shape their own destiny."
The queen smiled. “Precisely, my champion. And such is reminiscent of the accord I would forge with you this day, should you be willing. Come, Champion of Faerie. Walk with me.”
With that the queen strode from the great chamber, leaving her courtiers to sooth their increasingly anxious young charges, even as servitors appeared as if by magic, filling the vast, beautiful, and somewhat stark chamber with cloth lined tables, food, drink, and minstrels, and within moments the hall was transformed into a place of feasting and song, many of the girls allowing themselves to be soothed with wondrous music, exquisite fare, and the gentle ministrations of their caretakers, even as others huddled together, too shaken and horrified by their ordeal to allow themselves easy comfort.
Jess gazed at the scene before her, acknowledging both the bitter and the sweet, much as life itself was. For her heart still ached with a piercing sense of loss even as she gazed about in awed rapture, entranced by the unspeakable beauty and grace possessed by so many things of Faerie, now that the realm’s natural order had been restored, the queen once again one with her land.
Jess turned then, proceeding a step behind the queen, Twilight by her side. Solemnly they proceeded down steeply arched corridors sparkling with brilliant gems inlaid upon majestic tiled landscapes crafted with exquisite care
sufficient to dazzle the eyes of any who gazed upon the walls or ceiling above. Jess felt her heart moved by scenes of pastoral beauty and majestic wonder, cloud castles shimmering in the golden rays of a setting sun, her gaze resting at last upon a handsome prince, expression captured so perfectly as he frolicked among the Pegasi he rode upon, laughing with joy as he and all his men cavorted through the clouds.
It was an image so striking Jess burst into tears once more, so piercingly did her heart ache, so utterly was her beloved’s rapture captured in the artwork above.
Squeezing her tears away, she felt the gentle touch of the queen herself, her melancholy smile no doubt a mirror of Jess’s own. “We have both suffered a terrible loss this day, my champion. Come, let us enter my chambers and forge an accord sufficient to bring inspiration and joy to both our lands.”
Trembling with pent up emotion, Jess nonetheless strove to master herself, nodding calmly even as she entered the magnificent chambers of the Faerie Queen herself.
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The first thing Jess noted were endless rows of jewel inlaid tomes and scrolls lining countless bookshelves of living wood, many sprouting limbs as leafy and green as any found in the deepest forests of her own realm. A fascinated Jess strode over to those shelves, upraised hand gently stroking the fine-grained living wood, greeted with a sense of warm familiarity, for all that the wood before her resonated with the power of a realm strangely different from her own.
The wood was no species she recognized, and she knew she could neither manipulate nor enhance it as she could the myriad plants of her own world, yet she sensed its warm kinship and affection for her, nonetheless. Bemusedly Jess caressed the brilliant green leaves, soothed by a wave of arboreal green contentment, feeling how happy the wood was to serve as a bookshelf for its beloved queen, pleased as well to sense yet another ally of life itself.
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