Faerie Wars I: The Six Kingdoms - Part Nine

     The table at which they sat was circular, and everyone was on the same level as everyone else. It was Nereza's job to begin the meeting, and so she stood behind her seat and addressed everyone.

     "Fellow faeries," she said diplomatically, "my great lady, the queen Sithira, and I humbly thank all of you for accepting our invitation to this summons. Please, seat yourselves, and we may begin."

     Sithira hid a grin as she sat. She had recognized her advisor's talents quickly after her arrival to the kingdom. Nereza had been insisting on being allowed into the Dark Fyoras, claiming it as her right, but no display of her abilities won her entry, as she had no fyora staff, and therefore had never become one. Intrigued by this spirited and justice-obsessed faerie, Sithira took her into her own personal staff, and within the year had replaced her advisor with Nereza. The faerie was cautious, practical, and mostly level-headed; a wise faerie despite her years; well suited to thinking rather than to doing. Diplomacy had come naturally to her as well, and her talents in strategy, organization, and reasoning made her born to be an advisor.

     And yet...

     "The nature of this summons is to address a rather serious warning made by the new Light Queen to the Dark," Nereza began, "in response to our proposal of peace. A threat, if you will."

     There was some murmuring, but it was quickly silenced. The Light Kingdom ambassador, Alcinda, said loudly, "Rubbish!"

     "If you please," said Nereza, completely unruffled by the outburst, impressing Sithira. "Several moons ago my lady and I composed a peace proposal, which was sent to the now former queen Endrita of the Light Kingdom. We sent this proposal on the grounds of smoothing over any hostility, real or imagined, between the Light and Dark Kingdoms. It is well known that the Light Kingdom has a ban on entry from any dark faeries. There has not been any apparent problem of this nature between the other kingdoms."

     "Not so," put in one of the Earth ambassadors. "There has been hostility between the Water Kingdom and the Fire and Earth Kingdoms. They have a ban on entry from any faerie type but theirs to their kingdom."

     "It is under water," said the Water Advisor, Aquaria, in exasperation. "No one who is not of the water can survive there. It is simply infeasible."

     "We have no quarrel with the Water Kingdom," put in Queen Nuria.

     "Why must we mix types at all?" demanded Alcinda. "We split into six kingdoms for that very reason—so we would not have to have anything more to do with each other."

     "That was not my intention," Nuria stated plainly.

     "That is quite the statement, Alcinda," said Isithra, the Earth Queen. "I was under the impression we created the Six Kingdoms to strengthen our numbers and keep away the wraiths. The fact that we were split into types was a matter of... general convenience, as we were largely already separated while in our tribes."

     Aquaria shook her head. "Quarrels between the tribes kept intermixing from occurring. It is just how it happened, and it has been working well, or so I thought. I know there are plenty of those in the Water Kingdom who would rather not comingle with certain less reputable types."

     "What are you insinuating?" demanded Isithra sharply, rising in her seat. "I'll have you know I won't tolerate any remarks from a slimy—"

     "Returning to the direct matter at hand," said Nereza loudly and firmly, interrupting before the argument became ugly, "the Light Kingdom has crowned a new queen, as I am sure we all are aware. Her name is Fyora, and she has refused Queen Sithira's offer of peace, claiming it is 'insulting' and calling us liars."

     The Earth ambassador snorted disdainfully. "What a name! 'Fyora'... Who does she think she is?"

     "You mind your tongue, wood-worm," warned Alcinda.

     "ENOUGH."

     Nereza stood, and suddenly it seemed as if night had fallen, for the entire room had grown dark, and very, very cold. Nereza appeared to have grown into a massive, formidable shadow, and frost kissed the windows. Even Sithira, a dark faerie, felt trepidation in this darkness, which felt unnatural to her. Not for the first time, she wondered about the nature of her beloved advisor's powers.

     "This is ludicrous," Nereza boomed, her voice cold as ice and sharp as knives. "Are we not advisors and ambassadors and queens here? The best our kingdoms have to offer? And yet you are squabbling like children! What would your subjects think of this scene, could they but see it?"

     They would see a mighty force to be reckoned with, thought Sithira, not without awe.

     When finally the darkness receded and Nereza shrunk down in size, a small smile crept onto Queen Nuria's face. It did not escape Sithira's notice.

     "And... And what are you?" Alcinda demanded, though the power behind her voice was lost. "You speak to queens with authority, though you've none. What are you that can change shape and call shadows to you like... like a wraith?"

     No one addressed the first statement—it was painfully clear to all of them that there was little holding queens to their stations; after all, had not Endrita been so recently usurped? Aside from being the most powerful magical practitioners, what right did any of them have to be queen?

     The question at the end, though, hung in the air and in everyone's thoughts, yet none of them dared to speak on the subject. Nereza herself seemed to find their fear superfluous, and declared, "It is not of current concern who or what I am. I am the advisor to Queen Sithira of the Dark Kingdom. That itself is excessive information; we are here to discuss the issue at hand, not my identity. And I resent your allusions, Alcinda. I am no more like a wraith than the rest of you, and I will not forget such a deep insult."

     Alcinda was silent, and had gone rather pale.

     Are you truly? wondered Sithira, glancing curiously at her advisor and friend. Who are you, Nereza?

     "Now, Alcinda, if you will," Nereza went on (somewhat mercilessly in Sithira's opinion, but these things had to be done), "kindly explain to the rest of us where your glorious new queen is? Her absence is incredible, considering it is her actions and decisions we are here to discuss."

     Before an answer could be given, a bright beam of soft purple light appeared in the middle of the table, startling everyone, including Nereza. The light gave way to a being, clearly a faerie, with a purple dress and dark purple hair, and elegant pink-lavender wings protruding from the back of a deep violet cloak. The faerie's face, but for the mouth, was hidden under its hood. Nereza knew instantly what it was—an ancient faerie, from the stories Uriele had told her long ago.

     For a moment they all believed the faerie was truly there, until she moved and the light struck her differently, showing her to be transparent. She flickered. It was merely an illusion.

     "My lady," said Alcinda, standing quickly so she could bow.

     "I would say 'pardon my absence,' but..." The ancient faerie gazed at the faces at the table, and then gave a little smirk. "I do not see the need."

     "Ah, Queen Fyora," said Sithira pleasantly, standing and opening her arms wide. "So good of you to arrive. It is lovely to finally meet you. Please, why don't you sit with the rest of us?" She gestured at the chairs.

     Fyora's lips curled in disgust. "I, sit with all of you?" She turned her head, spotting Nereza, who was still standing. Nereza instantly disliked her. "I think not. My visit here shall be brief."

     Sithira nodded her head. "Could you, kindly, explain the nature of your message to me? I admit I failed to understand fully how my offer of peace could be considered insulting, or what evidence you have toward me and my kind being in the habit of 'promoting lies and untruths,' as you put it."

     "Ah, yes." At that Fyora sighed, and Nereza was puzzled by it. She wished fervently that the queen would show her face so they could read her better. "It is... regrettable," said the queen, "but it is the opinion of my people that dark faeries are evil, and should be destroyed."

     A different kind of chill ran through the room now. Alcinda's face became crimson, and she sank in her chair. Sithira felt her jaw set; Nereza became cold all over.

     You are a dark faerie. Surely you know your kind is inclined toward evil.

     Morwen's words, wrenched out of Nereza's memory, burned itself into her thoughts now. She shivered. She feared where this was all going.

     Sithira collected herself. "Indeed?"

     "It is not my opinion, you understand," answered Fyora, though no one believed her. "I have been trying to quell the anger, but the ban is not enough, they say. My people want war. They will not be swayed."

     "War is completely unreasonable," Sithira protested. "It will weaken our defenses against the wraiths, as well as attract their attentions. And you are their queen—if you say it is not your opinion, make that known to your people. Stop this madness before it begins."

     Fyora laughed. "Wraiths," she muttered. "Ten years of the kingdoms, out of the tribes, and still we talk of wraiths."

     "Why would we not?" asked Nuria, entering the conversation. "They are our greatest threat. They are why we banded into kingdoms in the first place."

     Fyora turned her attention on the Fire Queen, a scowl on her face, but quickly replaced it with a brilliant smile. "Wraiths!" she cried, laughing again. "You all, truly, believe in these old tales? Wraiths are no threat—they do not exist!"

     The room exploded at once in an uproar. Sithira had gone white in the face, but stood her ground and protested loudly with the others. All faeries were on their feet, red-faced, shouting angrily, save two: Nereza and Alcinda. The light faerie had sunk further into her chair and was hiding her face under her hand, burning with shame. The dark faerie, on the other hand, was just the opposite—frozen like a block of ice, unable to move or even breathe.

     Uriele had always been proud and hotheaded. She had also been good-intentioned and kind. She loved stories and laughter and magic, and valued adventure. She was emotional, impulsive, stubborn, and had a special disinterest in rules. And she had loved Nereza more than anything. They were more than sisters; they were best friends. It was as if they shared a soul. Then she took Nereza into the woods and showed her she had turned a Neopet to stone, and everything changed forever. Their link had weakened then, for Nereza could not accept, could not forgive, her sister's actions and lack of contrition, and circumstances had kept it from ever being repaired. It allowed Uriele to resent her sister, and spend more time with Morwen—whom Nereza was certain was, in the end, the root of the problem—than ever before. It led to Uriele betraying Nereza, and disappearing after they were separated so she might never be found by her hated sister again.

     Uriele and Nereza both could give names. Perhaps they could also take them away. The thought was not comforting to Nereza.

     In the midst of the chaos ensuing in the hall, Nereza looked up at Fyora and wondered why she hadn't seen it from the very beginning.

     "Queen Fyora!" she cried, and again, until she got the queen's attention.

     "What is it, dark faerie?" Fyora snapped.

     "Why do you wear a hood? What have you to hide? Why won't you show your face?"

     Several faeries noticed what was happening and elbowed their neighbors to be silent. Soon they all watched, enraptured. Fyora scoffed.

     "Does it matter if I show my face?" she asked. "I have my own right to privacy."

     Nereza shook her head. "This is not you," she said emphatically. "You are not this power-mad, troublesome faerie, who abandons those she loves for a mere position. You are—or were—more than that."

     Fyora flinched. "What in the world are you blathering on about?" Her voice betrayed her unease.

     "Take off your hood," Nereza commanded, "and tell me your name is not Uriele."

     Sithira's eyes grew wide and she glanced at her advisor. Nuria, too, watched carefully.

     Fyora's lip trembled, but then she shook her head to collect herself. She threw out her arm, gripping tightly onto her fyora staff, which she had not been holding before, which Nereza instantly recognized; and announced, "My name is Fyora... and I hereby declare war on the Dark Kingdom."

To be continued...