Beginner’s Course: Lottie and Troy
She could see the apology on his face turn to angst, and then shock. For all his hours studying and researching, it seemed it never crossed the lad’s mind that the whole answer to his problem was time. Pity.
She could hear the frustration in his voice, and if she could feel shame she might have scolded herself for sucking up the pain and fear he was emitting. He probably wasn’t even aware, and after having been blasted by such heat the Queen would permit it only for a while, allowing the Dark Fae to regain her strength.
“These are not new questions. Opposite will always attract and always destroy each other,” Gwedhiel answered at a nod from the queen. “Summer and Winter will burn themselves at a single touch, and Dark and Light will drive each other insane.
“As for the Others, Fae have always taken mortal lovers; but you must be prepared to watch the grow old and die. Mermaids are out closest kin, Werewolves are simple creatures, all ye have to do is prove yer an alpha and they’ll love ye forever. Witches can be bothersome things, unaware that their magic was a gift from the Fae a long time ago. Demons are tricky, but they’ve proven to be worthy friends in the past. Yer right daft if ye think ye can make a Vampire yer lover, even a White Court Vamp.”
“The Summer court does not associate with Demons.”
“So Yer Grace commands.”
“You will live a long time. The monarchs are powerful, and have been alive since the beginning of time. Gwedhiel is approaching her second millennium.”
“I do love glamour magic.”
“Faeries age slowly, and can only be killed by a mortal wound from cold iron. However they can fall sick, and if the will to live is lost their will wither away quicker than ever.
“As for your father. Well,” the queen paused, only the slightest twitch messing up her perfect face. “Some noble perhaps. You were concieved during the last Beltane feast, at the start to spring.”
Troy was feeling all over the place right now and it was starting to give him a headache. He had had an idea of how this was going to play out and it definitely wasn’t it. He felt a little odd but he really couldn’t tell what it was- he was sure it had to do with being in the land of his court.
Again the Queen seemed to default to Lottie- Gwedhiel- and that was getting a little irritating. He didn’t need to come here to have Lottie answer his questions, for that they could’ve sat in her cabin- or his- and talked. Summer and Winter would burn each other and Light and Dark would cause insanity. Lovely. Guess that was the cost of having their powers. It wasn’t uncommon for there to be mortal lovers but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to watch his lovers die over and over so another fae was his best choice. Except for the part where the only fae he knew was Lottie.
Troy was astounded that he was going to live for…ever. She said the monarchs have been alive since the beginning of time and he was descended from a monarch. His father might shorten his life he supposed but still he would be alive for longer than he could even conceive of.
Evidently, though, she had no idea who his father was. He was conceived during a Beltane feast, celebrating Spring at the start to their rise of power. Troy just closed his eyes and put his head in his hands. He was too mortal to live with the other fae that much was obvious but there were no fae in the mortal realm so he was doomed to find love in all the wrong places, he was the illegitimate child of the queen who had slept with so many men during beltane that she had no idea who his father was. He sighed and shook his head.
“Alright. I think that I’m just…I’m gonna go because I’m going to end up saying something that I’ll regret and my companion has actually been the one answering all my questions anyway.” He said with a heavy sigh, feeling worse about himself and who he was before he had even come here. “I’d say that it was a pleasant visit but its only made me feel shittier about who I am, so bye mom I’ll see you in like another hundred years slash seven months.”
His tantrum beginning to end, She could tell he was defeated. This very routine and generous meeting with the Queen was standard; she remind herself that it must be incredibly odd and rude to a Human, or someone with a Human mindset.The queen said nothing to him though, she was no obligated to. Irial, her adviser, was there to deal with bothersome changelings.
“Don’t be such a brat,” the man said, “All royal children are sent to the Mortal realm.”
There it was, the answer to all his questions. Of course, Talia had so strategically avoided answering the question by passing it off to herself. The question had, after all, been directed towards the queen, the one who had exchanged Troy for a mortal child.
“Don’t be so huffy and think you are the only one exchanged. It is a tradition of belonging to all the courts. You have had brothers and sisters before you traded for mortal infants. It ensures the safety of the holy or royal child. Truth be told, you would have received your official summons back to court on your second centennial. Someone, should have known that.”
She tilted her head, annoyed with the other grown Faerie. “Och, I was suppose to ken Summer’s prince just like that?”
“You are neither young nor naive.”
“Well usually there’s a tell. The lad doesn’t even have a Companion, Irial.”
“You brought him here to throw off the Summer Court, and suck in the havoc you have caused our Queen.”
“Earth and Air, Irial. Even if I did have an inkling about the child, ye know I’m the conventional sort. I don’t set on the rules. I would have denied my help. I thought him some noble’s bastard, and saw no harm in the bringing him to Faerie.”