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The whole ordeal had taken Nic and Maevis over ten minutes, but they had eventually convinced John that riding while they flew would be much faster. It’d been a terrifying experience, but Jonathan had stayed on the bear’s back, and didn’t get eaten when he dismounted. He felt woozy and disoriented, but at least the traumatic experience had given him a temporary reprieve from his pain.

After a quick pat on his shirt pocket where Cu’s seeds were, Jonathan began to ask what he should do once inside the Fae outpost. He was familiar enough with Fae to understand their deep mistrust of humans, and didn’t want to insult anyone, or incite an incident once inside. Nicolas was explaining the etiquettes of their people as they neared their destination.

Once they had stopped right at the edge of the Fae territory, only Maevis had realized that they were being watched by several guardians. They had been known to be overzealous when it came to intruders, and she could feel the tension in the air building. Before any misunderstandings could happen, Maevis called out to any Fae within earshot..

“We are the Representatives sent to the human kingdom of Alcon! We return with Grave news for Queen Celestia and King Aero! The human accompanying us bore witness to the atrocities that are heading our way! Please notify the Queen of our return, and send a request for an Immediate emergency meeting!”

The area around them fell silent, as if even the crickets had understood Maevis’ words. Then, in the blink of an eye; they were surrounded by a variety of Fae. Ranging from boggers and sprites, to chimeras and griffins. Jonathan could even see a few centaurs deeper inside the forest.

A nervous chill ran up his spine as most of the Fae surrounding them shot death glares at him. He was expecting a certain level of hostility, but not to the extreme that he was seeing.. ‘Oh, shite.. They’re REALLY gonna hate humans once we tell’em what’s comin’ their way..’

Maevis and Nicolas were famous amongst the Fae, but that didn’t stop some from hating them for their interactions with humans. The deeper they went into the forest, the more Fae appeared, and their uneasiness was obvious. Seeing his nervousness skyrocket, Nicolas explained their background with humans to John a bit as they walked.

After hearing the gist of it, Nic told him of their current issues..

.....

Many elders that remembered the darker times, such as Aero, had warned them against forming connections with humans. The royal family had pushed for harmony and trade agreements with humans regardless of the past, with a large part of it being due to Mae and Nic’s exploits.

The MacArthurs had always been a friend to them, but Marco had changed everything. Nicolas sighed heavily before he explained what the New King of Alcon’s true plan was, and watched as Jonathan grew pale. Once he’d finished explaining everything that they were aware of, John went quiet until they reached the heart of the Fae territory.

Everywhere one looked, the ground was covered in a soft moss, despite it being the middle of winter. Trees grown in perfect rows and to various sizes lined what seemed to be the closest thing the Fae to a road. The tallest ones had giant rope bridges that connected them, and they grew smaller in size the shorter the trees got.

Bushes surrounded the bases of the larger trees, as if they were growing out of the middle of one oversized bush. Upon a glance, the bushes seemed normal, but if one looked through the unusually thick leaves, then they would see tiny homes inside of each one. The same could be found inside the treetops, as well as the trunks of the largest trees.

However, the beauty of it all was lost on Jonathan as he absorbed the information provided by Nicolas. If everything he said was true, then not only were his surviving loved ones in trouble, but the whole kingdom was. Lost in his horrific thoughts, John hadn’t even noticed that they’d walked through most of the Fae settlement, and had stopped in front of a certain tree.

It towered above the rest, and looked more like a building than a tree. Beautifully crafted stained-glass windows dotted the trunk in an upward spiral, perfectly spaced apart from the enormous branches. As he looked up, Jonathan could see numerous Fae fly to and taking off from them, like they were there specifically for flyers to land.

It was a beautiful scene, but his trance was unceremoniously interrupted as the three were escorted inside. Doors and and massive spiral stairway covered the walls inside as they were led to the base of it. Jonathan sighed heavily as he started his upward trudging, while Maevis and Nicolas flew ahead.

Knowing that the others with him would take him to the throne room, the two elders left John, and hurriedly flew to where Celestia and Aero were already waiting. As soon as they saw her, Celestia’s face brightened with a smile, then immediately dimmed upon seeing their expressions. She’d hoped for good news, but it seemed that the meeting was needed for other reasons..

“I take it something bad happened?” Aero asked with his usual uptight tone.

Maevis and Nicolas exchanged a look before she answered; “Something terrible...Magnus has died-”

“The King?!” Celestia exclaimed.

Maevis nodded; “Aye, and not by natural means, either.. We’ve learned some disturbing things, Your Grace, but that isn’t the worst of it..”

The two took turns explaining the events that had occurred after Skye and Tidas had left for Sai. They’d barely been gone a full day before Marco had made his move, which had only been a few hours after they had left. The entire thing seemed unreal as they covered everything they knew, with Nic finishing it off with his explanation of his experience with Doctor Stein.

Celestia looked devastated by the news, while Aero looked almost smug. He hadn’t said anything so far, but Maevis knew that he wasn’t going to keep quiet for long. Right as the thought crossed her mind, Jonathan McKurdy was escorted into the hall.

“Why is a Human being brought here?!” Aero practically screamed.

Nicolas winced, knowing that Mae was about to snap at him. They’d been through quite an ordeal, especially John. And hearing Aero’s condescending tone directed at them just because of what John was born as, was utterly hypocritical of him.

Before he could intervene, Maevis flipped the switch on her filter, and unleashed; “Don’t you go takin’ that tone at a time like this! Tis a difficult situation Because we recognize that not all humans are bad! You know that as well as I do!”

Aero grimaced; “After all you’ve said, do you think it odd of me to question his appearance?”

Maevis gritted her teeth; “Jonathan is a good man, and a friend of Skye and Tidas. Or did you so Conveniently forget that there are good humans out there?”

Aero’s expression wavered for a moment, but returned to it’s usual stern expression before he irritably replied; “I have come to realize that those two are an exception to the usual reaction humans have. If I were to gather a hundred humans in a room, and present them with a Pixiu: what do you think they would do?”

Maevis huffed; “Ask what it is..”

Aero’s irritation was obvious as he spoke; “You know what I mean! As soon as humans see something to gain, they ignore all morality to fit their own narratives! Considering what they are, is it really So odd that I question why a human was brought here?!”

Maevis could feel her patience hanging on by a thread as she replied; “That HUMAN is a Good person, and genuine enough to befriend a Cu Sith, of all Fae! Do Not take that kind of generalized, and judgemental attitude towards Him! John is only here to help!”

Aero looked him up and down with a snide expression; “How can He help? He’s just a single human.”

“Which is it, Aero?” Nicolas questioned as he folded his arms over his chest; “Are humans dangerous enough to be a serious threat, or are they so weak that they’re inconsequential to us?”

Flustered, the vein on Aero’s neck bulged as he yelled; “Do not twist my words like that, Nic! You understand me perfectly! Humans are dangerous when gathered in large groups, but one is no threat. Just a annoyance..”

“Enough, Aero,” Celestia finally cut in after listening to their squabbling; “Mr. McKurdy is our guest, and we should treat him as such. Or is our genuine hospitality only extended to humans You like?”

Aero practically flinched at his wife’s remark. She knew that he genuinely cared for Skye and Tidas, as well as a few other humans like Peggy and some of the Highlanders. Publicly embarrassing him wasn’t something Celestia would usually do, but the statement was a veiled threat that she would if he couldn’t control himself.

The Queen was well aware of how her husband truly felt, which wasn’t as hate-filled as he tried to get others to believe. Skye and Tidas had showed him the truth: that a person is the sum of their actions, not their race or beliefs. Most humans were just like Fae, simply trying to live their lives in peace.

There were some, both human and Fae alike, that profited and thrived off of the conflict between the two. Aero had been spending more time than usual with a group of Fae that hated humans, which led Celestia to believe that they were the reason behind his current and unfounded bias towards Jonathan.

Turning her attention away from her husband, Celestia focused on her guest; “May I ask you a few questions, good sir? I have heard what has happened in Dragonhorn from Maevis and Nicolas, but I would like to hear your version as well.”

Nervously, Jonathan agreed and told his perspective. It was much more emotional of a story than the version the two Fae had told, but they were basically the same. Celestia understood why his was more centered around the people, and didn’t fault Jonathan when he started to cry.

He clutched Cu’s seeds in his hand like they were his most-sacred thing after showing them to the Queen. The way he described the Cu Sith was heartwarming, considering they were a Fae known to be territorial towards all other intelligent creatures. The fact the he had bonded with one to such an extent was shocking, but..

‘He is a friend of Skye and Tidas, after all..’

Once Jonathan had finished his story, even Aero felt empathy towards John for his ordeal. Losing his own family and friends had nearly killed him, and the human before him had experienced almost the same thing. After a heavy sigh, Aero apologized t Jonathan for his behavior, which made Celestia smile..

‘He may be stubborn and egotistical at times, but he always admits when he’s wrong.. It’s one of the things I love most about him..’

As Celestia pushed the sweet thought from her mind, the full reality of the situation sunk in. After calling for her guards, several were sent off to recall her council members. Maevis and Nicolas tried to get her to call for an immediate evacuation, but the two Fae royals were adamant about going through the ‘proper steps’.

Maevis, Nicolas, and Jonathan all shared strained expressions as they followed after Celestia and Aero. The council members were told to gather in the War Council room, where the group would be waiting. As they all stood waiting, Jonathan sighed heavily.. ‘This is the same thing we did in Dragonhorn.. I hope it turns out better here, than it did at home. Otherwise, the gods help them..’