You stare at the green cladded man that stands before you, gawking at him. You know it's unbecoming of the potential future queen of Skaia to gawk, but can you blame yourself? This embassary of the Sylvan Court, you think he introduced himself as Jake, looks a shockingly good deal like you. His hazel eyes, his jet black hair, his dark skin, the way he holds himself, hell your height is even the same! You want to say it's a trick, a shocking coincidence, anything other than him being as clearly related to you, but you know this isn't a trick. He's human, it's clear as day from how he flaunts his name like it's something to be proud of owning, no fairy would be as willing to share his identity as Jake is.
"Dirk?"
"Yes?" Dirk looks just as surprised as you are, though he masks it extremely well. If you didn't grow up with him, you're sure you couldn't tell how baffled he is.
"Is he...?" You vaguely gesture at him then at you. "You know?"
"I don't know, but I'm inclined to say yes."
"Erm...." Jake clears his throat. "I can hear you."
"Yes, we know that," Dirk says, shifting back into the cold professionalism that he holds while acting as your personal advisor. "We are just surprised about how many similarities you hold with Princess Jane. It's quite a shocking coincidence."
"Yes, it is!" Jake agrees. "Mayhaps we're doppelgangers? That'd be a hoot!"
A part of you wants to shout that no, this can't be a coincidence, this must be a political ploy of the Sylvan Court to get a horse in the race that is the tussle for the Skaian crown that you've been fighting with Feferi and Meenah. You want to pull out your hair and scream, you want to throw off your crown and have it shatter against the ground, you want to do SOMETHING other than face the fact that someone else now has legitimacy to YOUR throne.
"What is your reason for being here?" You say, trying to keep your voice even and calm.
"Of course, your majesty!" Jake bows, his multicolored coat swishing as he does so. "My lord, you may call him Lord English, wishes to establish a stronger connection to his kingdom and yours. He figures that it'd be best to send a human instead of a fae, as a show of peace and generosity."
"You've misinterpreted my words." Dirk shoots you a warning glance that you blatantly ignore. "Why are you here?"
"Ah, well," Jake shifts his focus away from you and down to the ground. "I've been living in the Feywilds for most of my life. For as long as I was in the Feywilds, I was working for the Royal Court as my Lord's personal entertainer. Because of my history with my Lord, I am the only person he deemed worthy enough to send out on this mission."
You feel your face twitch. You open your mouth to retort, but Dirk cuts you off. "What my princess means to convey, is that she wants to know if you have any personal reasons for taking this mission."
"Oh! That's what you mean." Jake laughs. "My apologies, I'm used to taking everything literally, since, you know, I live with fairies. I don't really have any personal reasons for taking this mission.... I guess I accepted this request from my Lord because I'd like to meet more humans! There isn't a lot of them where I'm from, and It'd be nice if I made friendships outside of the Feywilds. Maybe I could even have a pen pal! I've always wanted a pen pal."
You turn to Dirk. "Is he lying?" You whisper.
"Not that I can tell," He whispers back. "That doesn't sound like the full truth, but that's more of an assessment of his words than anything else."
You nod and turn to the jester. "So, Jake, have you heard about the recent power struggle in this court?"
You see Jake knit his temples together. "What now?"
"The ongoing political situation with Skaia," Dirk chimes in. "Queen Crocker was thought to be dead, and Jane, being the only known heir, was going to ascend to the throne. Then, at Jane's coronation, Queen Crocker returned with two more heirs, and now the rest of the Court is trying to decide who will become our future queen."
"Oh. Well, that sounds like a mess and a half for this kingdom to deal with!" Jake shakes his head. "I wish you luck with this tussle, your majesty."
You feel your anger deflate as he says that. "Pardon me?"
"I wish you good luck?" Jake repeats.
"It's a term that means he wishes for your success," Dirk says.
You wave Dirk. "Yes, yes, I know what it means. Jake, you're not at all interested in this political matter?"
Jake nods. "Yeah? To be honest, I didn't even know about it until now!"
"And you don't want to join in on this political matter?"
"Not really. Being a court jester is enough royalty for me!"
You turn to Dirk.
"He's telling the truth, he's not interested in the throne."
You let out a breath, sinking deeper into your chair. "Thank the gods above and the spirits below."
"Is... Not being interested in politics something to be excited about?" Jake asks.
"No, oh heavens no. I just assumed that you were a secret fourth heir to the Crocker throne, and you were here to take it and give it to the Sylvan Court."
"Oh. No. No! Dear Oberon, no! I would never do such a thing. To imagine, me, a king! I could never." He glances down, smiling to himself. "And besides, I'm not even royalty, I was just a farmers boy who got lost in the woods. Nothing to be afraid of, I am just here in Lord English's stead."
"I see that now," you murmur. "Casey, please escort Jake to a guest room. Treat him like how you'd treat a prince. And Jake, I deeply apologize for how I treated you earlier, it was unbecoming of me."
"Oh, it's absolutely no problem! Consider this all water under the bridge. Until we meet again!" Jake gives you a bow and follows Casey out of the throne room.
"Woof. That was embarrassing." You cover your face and shake your head, both relieved and embarrassed. "And to think, he was some long lost twin of mine! Only a farmer's son, goes to show how paranoid I'm getting after those trolls came here."
"He was lying."
You look up from your hands. "What did you say."
Dirk stares at the doorway Jake exited, his lips a thin line on his face. "He was lying about him being a farmer's son."
"How can you tell?"
"He looks down whenever he's trying to figure out what to say."
I did a little thing that's basically Aurthour talking about Equius (in the context of my AU, basically a fantasy setting, Equius was raised by a noble family and homeschooled by Aurthour)
Aurthour: The child... he's peculiar to say the least, in some aspects not unlike many I have taught before, but certainly has areas where he greatly differs.
I am not talking about his interest in equines or his... forest friend, those could be topic of an entire conversation on their own. I am referring to his attitude towards the future that has been laid out for him.
At first glance, it's the same narrative you'd expect from high class children, arrogant and overconfident, clearly trying to live up to their nobility, but... look a little closer and Equius's facade crumbles with much more ease than others'.
Just pry a little bit beyond the surface and he has no ego of his own, he's not trying to be better than the competition or gain power for himself or get some petty revenge on his family. He simply wishes to suffice, no real interest in anything he's put to do, I might as well say he doesn't look like he cares for any of it at all! And yet, excellent grades, impeccable etiquette, well read in the classics, all you would want from the most dedicated of students...
You shift and turn in your nest of leaves, the only one of its size in the entire castle. It's cold, but comfortable, as it always is every time you wake up in it. You keep your eyes closed, trying to cling to the last bits of sleep you're going to get. After a few minutes of rustling, you finally accepted that you're not getting anymore sleep and open your eyes.
You see bright, lime green eyes instantly meet your gaze. It seems like Titania's child was watching you sleep again.
"Good morning Jake," She says, a wide smile on her face.
"Good morning your majesty," You blearily respond, blinking the crust out of your eyes. "How was your night?"
"It was just as wonderful as the last. Did you have any dreams?"
"Not today, no."
She looks disappointed. "I see. One second," Calliope turns and offers you a plate of your favorite fruits and nuts, a cup of nectar teetering on the lip. "I've brought breakfast for you to eat!"
You give her a nod and take the plate. "Be careful with your words your majesty, if you were any kinder, someone could've taken that offer as a proposal!" You joke, subtlety reminding her of the dangerous ground she treads.
She frowns as you take a bite out of an apple. "I don't see anything wrong with being married to you. In fact, I bet you'd make a wonderful husband! N-not that I want to marry you, of course, it's simply a statement." Calliope says, quickly catching herself before she actually proposes to you.
"Thank you for your words, but that's not what I mean when I say that."
She scrunches up her face. "You mean being careful about my wording, right?" You nod and she pouts. "Jake, I know I should be careful with my words, especially since you're human and I'm a fae, but it'll be fine! I know you aren't mean enough to twist my words into something I don't mean, and you aren't going to do anything if I accidentally do slip up."
You hum. "You're right, but I wasn't talking about myself."
She gives you a sour look as you crack open a walnut. "You're talking about my brother, aren't you."
"I mustn't give names, you know the kind of power they hold here."
"So it is my brother," She sighs. "Jake, you know I watch my words around him, you have nothing to worry about. And besides, even if he wanted to do something, he can't do anything about it! I will become his Queen, and if he does something funny I can just exile him when I gain the crown."
"And that's exactly why you should watch your words," You mumble into your cup.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing important, your majesty."
You two fall silent, neither comfortably or uncomfortably so. You finish your meal and place your utensils to the side.
"How was the food," Calliope asks, her voice so quiet you can barely hear.
"Just as delicious as the day before," You whisper back. If you were honest, you wish that you could eat something more hearty and less sweet, but you'd hate to see Calliope so downtrodden, so you don't bring it up.
Calliope stares at you with a sort of longing and hunger in her eyes. "Could you describe it for me? Again?"
"Of course, your majesty. The nectar tastes sweet and floral, I assume from your garden?" She nods and you continue. "The walnuts taste, well, nutty. Almost like if dirt tastes good? It's earthy. The apple was just a little bit sour, I'm not sure if it was ripe enough to eat. But-"
A shrill voice cuts through your words. "JAKE! HAVE YOU RISEN FROM YOUR HUMAN NEED TO SLEEP?"
"Yes I have, your majesty!" You yell back. "I will be out there soon, let me change out of my night ware!" You turn to Calliope. "I wish to exchange your favor for my own. May you entertain your brother while I get ready?"
"Of course! You must finish your story about breakfast after wards." Calliope gives you a wave and leaves your room. You yawn and rub your eyes. It's time for you to start your day.
If i make fairytalestuck a thing in order for me to write dirk into it i need to read beowulf in order for me to figure out how dirk compares himself to the character via a vie masculinity
Fairytalestuck hic adopts nanna who becomes the heir, nanna is put in a arranged marriage with grandpa harley (who hic groomed into this position ever since she adopted nanna). After about a year or two of the marriage old man harley promptly fucks off then nanna has jane and jake. Afterwards nanna then runs away after unsuccessfully trying to run with her kids. Jane and jake are raised in the castle as hic's children, with jane positioned to inherit queenhood since shes the older kid. Jake then gets himself kidnapped by a bunch of fairies leaving jane alone with hic. Jane is close to her inauguration of queenhood (because oooooo hic fucked off a few years ago because shes not actually human and needed to do some monster stuff to keep alive) and wants to have kids. Through fey fuckery (not literally) she has twins! But is forced to give jade up to the fae (who is then given to jake to raise because jakes a funny little jester for the fae court or something). Jane, with little baby june (shes a baby and isnt anywere close to being transitioned because of babyhood), is about to be crowned, but hic returns with meenah and feferi, two of her bio kids living in the monster place she rejuvenates her monster shit with. She immediately declares both of them her heirs as well with the explicit purpose of stopping the transfer of power. Now the story is in this three way fight about who gets the throne while hic sits back and waits for everyone to kill each other so she can go back to being the queen. Jake comes back to the kingdom to try and establish a fae court/human kingdom treaty and the three sisters nearly strangle him on sight to make sure he doesnt take the crown from any of them
Meenah is a traditional fae folk, tavros is a midsummer nights dream fairy, jake is a little boy who was raised by fairytale faries, jade is a witch who regularly interacts with fairies, calliope is a grotesque oracle fae monster, and arenea is like the stepmom from cinderella 3 who got her hands on the fairy godmothers wand and acts like one
