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--- Sally ---

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I found myself in an awkward staring contest with the Queen, unable to drag my eyes away from her deformed face. Around her the Day court had begun to leave, but she remained seated.

I couldn’t bring myself to look away for some scary reason, like the person who lost the contest would lose something precious. But in the end I was forced to as Aylin shook my shoulders with a pair of grubby hands, causing me to look at her in confusion.

“Are you okay?” Aylin asked, sounding worried but looking adorable.

“Yes, sorry I was just…” I apologised while feeling a bit confused, and when I looked back at where the Faerie queen was sitting, I saw only an empty seat.

“… Nevermind.” I said with a shake of my head, knowing that there wasn’t much to do about the Queen now, we were already in the thick of it. I let out an annoyed sigh as the event of the last half-an-hour finally settled into my brain, feeling frustrated at how unfair it all felt.

Even the interpretation of help they used to create this game, it barely and I mean barely qualified for the most basic definition of help. I can see how this court could take advantage of newbies.

Even asking for the toilet could be a trap, you could get put in a never-ending maze with a supposed toilet at the end and starve to death. And it seemed that this sort of twisted logic only applied to whoever’s earned the Faerie queen’s ire. It didn’t look like the Seelie king could care less about the word games unless he finds some sort of entertainment in it, he also doesn’t seem to be the type to create word traps. He seems to be just a chaotic creature, a different breed compared to the Queen, more blood and blades compared to the Queen’s corporate style patronisation and casual cruelty.

“Should we return to your abode my Lord?” The Servant politely interrupted my thinking, and after a moment of consideration I nodded. There wasn’t much to do out here and I felt vulnerable in the open after my argument with the Queen. I felt like she wasn’t used to getting showed up in arguments, probably a bit too used to being the smartest thing in the room. The thought of proving her wrong filled me with a bit of giddy glee, probably not the most healthy thing to get excited at the thought of ruining that smug b!tches grin, but it felt pretty damn good.

We retreated back into the tunnels, I still found it hard to tell how the hell the creatures of the courts could navigate these tunnels. After ten minutes of what I would call aimless walking we arrived at our hole in the wall, and ducked inside the room.

“Would the Lord and Lady like to have another meal prepared before I go to complete other tasks?” The Servant asked us as we settled in the couple of chairs in the room.

“Where will you be going?” I curiously asked him as he sorted through the cupboards, grabbing various ingredients in the extremely small kitchen.

“To do a task for my queen.” The Servant simply replied, raising what would usually be an unhinged concern, but the idea that this servant might be spying on us for the Queen felt valid.

“What kind of task? I’m sure there’s not much someone like her would need help with.” I commented, a slight pause in his movements catching my attention.

“She is capable of completing the task, it wouldn’t take her a minute. But such tasks are beneath her, only suitable for servants like myself.” The Servant explained, his tone never wavering from its constant polite and cheery disposition.

“Would you still like some lunch?” The Servant steered the conversation back onto its purpose, and I quickly nodded, not wanting to miss an amazing meal.

In a few short minutes he was holding a wooden plate stacked full of neatly cut sandwiches, the, what felt like professional catering, was served at the table and I helped myself. The food was fantastic as always, and Aylin and I demolished the pile in an instant, I also noticed how familiar the style of food was, especially when compared to the food we’ve had before.

For a moment I wondered where the Servant and by extension the court manage to find this nice and high quality food. And I was tempted to ask, but I quickly realised that the answer I got would probably ruin the illusion I had. Blissful ignorance or whatever.

As soon as the sandwiches were finished the Servant snatched it the wooden plate back and quickly rinsed it before stashing it away.

“I shall be back before dinner my Lord.” The Servant informed me before he quickly left through our front door. And as soon as he did the room fell into an uncomfortable silence immediately.

I looked to Aylin, the little girl patiently sitting on her chair and occasionally throwing a hesitant glance at me before pretending that she didn’t. I tried to think of something to talk about with the kid, but I was coming up blank on what to talk to her about, feeling like an awkward parent that missed out on a few years of their child’s life trying to reconnect.

“How are you feeling at the moment?” I abruptly asked her, internally cringing as the girl practically recessed into her chair like a hermit crab. For a few moments she internally debated what to say, before giving me the classic answer of!

“I’m fine.” She mumbled, while clearly not fine as she started to fiddle with her hands, refusing to make eye contact with me stared into her hands.

“I!…” I almost refuted, before deciding to proceed with a bit more caution. I knew that Aylin had had a rough time over the past month, and that wasn’t something you cold broach in a single conversation.

“hmm… Is there a game you’d like to play?” I asked her, tapping a claw against my chin as Aylin sat silently for a few moments before shaking her head.

“Ah! How about that story Orion was telling you… It was... Lord of the Rings, right?” I remembered, Aylin looking at me with a confused look for few seconds before realising who I was talking about.

“Yes!” Aylin excitedly responded, I sighed in relief knowing that I finally had something to do with Aylin.

“So where were you up to?”

“uhm… Rivenbell! With elvies!” she declared, it took a few moments for me to decipher what she was talking about before I realised that she was talking about Rivendell, when the fellowship was formed. I remembered the hobbit trilogy much better, especially the second one, my parents loved it for some reason and they got a bit anxious whenever I asked why they watched it for the third time that week.

“Let’s get comfortable, I think it’ll get sore sitting on these chairs.” I suggested as I moved to the bed, laying down on it as Aylin jumped onto the empty space next to me, shaking the bed with her momentum.

“So, the Hobbits have finally reached reached Rivendell, with the injured Frodo near death on the horses back, saved by the elven princess Arwen.-”

“Further! When all the races are talking about the ring!” Aylin interjected, sounding more excited than I’d seen her in the past week.

“Okay okay, there all are seated around the ring, talking about how they would destroy the evil ring of power. Elrond, the elf in charge of Rivendell, says that the ring can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom.” I started to narrate, Aylin listening carefully as I began to narrate the best I could from the hazy memories of the movies.

“Then an eager dwarf jumps out of his seat, a short, stout and rather square man with a massive war-hammer clasped in his hands.

‘Why don’t we destroy it right here and now!’ The dwarf shouted as he brought down his hammer, but all it did was blast him away, everybody else quietly laughing at his… overeagerness.

With the dwarf with a sore bum sitting back down, Elrond began to tell them how they would have to form a small group to sneak to mount doom. A fellowship, The fellowship of the ring!”

…

...

Gandalf shouted at the rest of the party to flee, as he stood guard on the thin stone bridge. Drawing his sword and staff as the thumping of the Balrog started getting closer. But Frodo didn’t want to go, he didn’t want to leave his beloved friend behind, but Gimli grabs him and drags him to safety.” I continued to narrate, a few hours having gone by with my, sometimes generous, improvisational story telling. Look, there are only so many long, exaggerated names from a splattering of made up languages.

At least Aylin was enjoying it, the little girl lowering those tight walls for a little bit to enjoy the story. And she loved it, especially the whenever I mention those hobbit twins, Merry and Pippin. Though now it looked like she was starting to get a bit upset, sensing the inevitable sacrifice of Gandalf.

“As the fellowship began to escape, the Balrog emerged from the caves, a massive monster of made of fire and lava, as tall as a castle’s walls with great horns, like a bulls. Its face was a… horse’s skull, made of flames.

But even as the fiery giant started to get closer, Gandalf refused to back down, standing his ground on the bridge.

He shouted to the monster that… ‘Return to the fires, from whence ye came!’ And even the most ancient demon respected the wizard’s words, a hidden power threaded in them. The Balrog reached to its side and pulled out a coil solid flames, and it shook it out, the fire unfurling like a whip, the flames becoming a whip as the demon cracked it over the endless chasm below them.

The Balrog then tried to attack Gandalf, but a white misty power flowed out of the wizards staff, forming a barrier that blocked the fiery whip.

‘YOU SHALL NOT PASS’ Gandalf declared, stamping his staff against the stone and reinforcing the barrier around him.” I grandiosely recited, my voice growing in emotion and volume along with story, and Aylin was practically vibrating at the idea that they all might get out relativity unscathed. I hate to be the person to break her hope, but the story I feel will be worth it anyways, for me at least.

“The Balrog, angered by the wizard’s stubborn refusal, took a step onto the bridge, the stone creaking under the weight. The Balrog cracked its whip again, the snaky flame managing to wrap around the wizard’s sword, ripping it out of his hand.

Feeling confident, the Balrog took another step forward onto the bridge, both of its hooved feet on the unsteady stone. With a crack, the stone arch crumbled, the demon screeching out in fear as it tumbled downwards, into the deep endless dark below.”

“YES!” Aylin interrupted me, shouting with excitement at Gandalf’s supposed victory.

“Don’t get too excited just yet, this part of the story isn’t over.” I gently reminded her, pulling the girl with my tail back into a sitting position.

“Everyone, including Gandalf let out a sigh of relief at the defeat of the monster. The weary wizard began to make his way back towards the party, but then, from the chasm came a terrifying laugh.

The flames stretched impossibly long out of the endless hole, the demon’s last act to stretch out its whip. The fire seemed to have a mind of its own as it snaked its tip around the wizard’s ankle, yanking him towards the broken edge of the bridge. The wizard managed to grab the corner, barely holding on.

‘Fly you fools!’ Gandalf shouted with all of his remaining strength, before his arms gave out, the wizard slipping into the same chasm.” I finished, Aylin falling from her ecstatic high to meteoric lows.

“Whhhy?” Aylin whined, clearly upset by the sudden ‘death’ of Gandalf. It took a few moments for me to respond, thinking of a way to explain needless death to child, yippee.

“Well… Sometimes bad things happens to good people.” I quoted, Aylin only getting more upset.

“B-but only bad things happen to bad people! Because they deserve it!” Aylin rebutted, with a fervourus conviction in her voice, spooking me a little with how… miserably sure about it she was.

“Why? What makes you say that?” I worriedly asked, the girl immediately falling silent as I obviously poked at one of her sore spots. I crept closer to her, wrapping myself around her in a loose hug.

“When it comes to good or bad things happening to people, there’s no… Fate to intervene, if we want things to happen, we have to do it ourselves, No one else is going to do it for us.” I tried to explain, the words not seeming to penetrate her thoughts.

“Grampy said that there used to be…” Aylin muttered to herself, sparking a bit of interest in me, reminding me that I know very little about this world and its history.

“There used be a Fate? Like Destiny?” I pried, curious if this world had some sort of benevolent force that depicted the future.

“uh-huh, like stars.” Aylin added, shocking me a little bit, I’d noticed the absence of the moon, but I completely missed the missing stars. I was probably just to used to light pollution, in a world without electricity there should’ve been a huge amount of stars.

“But stars are just made up.” Aylin added.

“Back in my world they’re real.” I corrected her, the girl giving me a suspicious look. # add a note about the retroactive change

“Really? What are they like then!” She interrogated me.

“Both simple and impressive. A star is just a… pinprick of light in a black sky, but there were hundreds upon thousands of them, making all sorts of patterns and pictures. People spent their whole lives finding stories in them, giving them meaning.” I explained, Aylin giggling at the idea.

“Fate sounds more real, did you guys have it back on e-arth?” Aylin asked, badly pronouncing my home world.

“I’m pretty sure that we don’t, if there was I think a few more people would get hit by buses.” I complained, forgive me if I sound like a card holding commie, but a few people do deserve it.

“But back to my original point, there isn't a fate or some all-powerful entity to dish out rewards of punishments. If someone does a really bad thing, then somebody has to try and stop them, maybe even punish them.” I tried to explain, the girl next to me suddenly growing quiet and still.

“D-do all bad things get people punished?” Aylin asked, the question just introspective enough to make me pause for a few moments.

“Hmm… It depends, mostly on how much they meant to do the bad things I suppose.” I answered, Aylin obviously not satisfied with it as she let out an angry grunt.

“Well, if somebody accidentality did something, then it’s not like they should get punished, it’s not their fault.

Like tripping and knocking someone over. Pushing someone over on purpose is cruel, but doing it on accident isn’t a crime, both of you fell over in the end, and there’s no-one to blame really. It’s not like you can punish a crack in a road or pebble.” I elaborated, Aylin absently nodding along, deep in though about something that I couldn’t gleam from her face.

“Is there… something you wanted to talk about?” I tentatively poked at the pent emotions showing on Aylin’s face.

“Uhm…” She hesitated, clearly apprehensive about talking about it.

“I-its about b-back home.” Aylin muttered, my brain taking a few moments to figure out what she meant by home. The village, of course, with her miserable mother that tried to eat her, and her cannibalised family, how could I forget. But the real question is about why she’s thinking about that when the topic of punishment for crimes gets brought up.

Who did the crime, and who deserves punishment. Probably her Mom, right? No-one there was more despicable than her.

“Hey, don’t worry about her anymore, she’s… not worth it.” I angrily said, Aylin jumping a little in surprise.

“And don’t think about that place either, it isn’t your home anymore.” I added, a place infested and cursed as that couldn’t be anyone’s home.

“W-well I have to have one?” she replied, sounding a bit lost.

“Well… I don’t think so. There’s a saying back on earth, ‘home is where the heart is.’” I quoted, Aylin giving me a look meaning she clearly didn’t understand what I was talking about.

“It means that ‘home’, isn’t a place, its where your loved ones are.” I elaborated, Aylin mulling over it for a few seconds before shrugging.

I wanted to say something more, but I really didn’t know what I could do to soothe the pained look on her face. It was almost like she was considering something drastic inside that little head of hers, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes while I tried and gave up on finding out what’s wrong and just hoped that a hug would be enough.

But the quiet and now getting slightly awkward moment was interrupted by a series of knock on the door, before a certain fox invited itself in.

“Heya Fellas!” The Fox greeted us, sauntering in like it owned the place, tipping a holey cap at us.

“ ’Ow y’all feeling? Wit the big tasks n’ all?” The Fox asked us.

“Well, not too bad, watching the Queen’s face was worth it.” I jokingly replied, the Fox letting out a laugh eerily similar to mine.

“T’was worth it Indeed!” The Fox agreed, hopping down the stairs from the door and jumping in front of us.

“But I dun’ think yu’v solved it yet!” the Fox quickly denied my enthusiasm.

“She’ll make it ‘arder now, as ‘ard as she can wit’out break’en the rules. But I reckon ye’ll need a bit more than ya currently have.” The Fox suggested, poking at some of the growing anxieties I’d been burying since the court. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to beat a single one of those creatures in a fight, even the Fox probably has some sort of magic up its Victorian sleeves.

“So, you’ll help me get stronger?” I asked, the Fox shaking its head.

“Nah, I dun know nuth’in ‘bout dragons, there might be someone who can ‘elp ye, but that aint me. Aylin on the ot’uh hand, I can ‘elp a little pickpocket.” The Fox suggested, the idea sounding productive. I wasn’t expecting Aylin to become a battle ready thief, but even if she got a bit of stamina that’d be great.

“If I ‘ould just steal a ‘it of ‘er time, I’ll turn ‘er into a prop’ah thief in no time!” The Fox continued selling its teaching ability, I turned to Aylin to see if she was alright with the idea, but she looked oddly terrified. Then I remembered that I never properly sorted out the whole, ‘Aylin stealing things to get our attention’, issue.

“Don’t worry about the ‘thief’ stuff, we can talk about it later, but do you want to go learn from the Fox?” I whispered in her ear, the girl becoming confused, before giving both me and the Fox a big nod.

“Ha, well, you go have fun!” I encouraged her, the girl waddling after her new teacher enthusiastically.

For a moment I considered whether or not I could trust the Fox with Aylin for a few hours. Then acquiesced that while the Fox is an unknown, it seemed more capable then me at entertaining Aylin, and more capable in training her.

But with Aylin finally gone, I have a bit of time to myself.

I sat there and realised that for the first time in… my life technically, there was nowhere I needed to go or plan about going somewhere, there was the impending threat of the Court’s challenges, but that was over the horizon, for now.

I took a glance at the system to see if there was anything worth looking at, and finally remembered that I have a bit of magic, the skills (Mana extension), (Mana reinforcement) were still the same as when I got them. At least (Weather Magic (basic)) has gotten to level two, but that’s just because it’s fun to mess around with so I used it occasionally.

I held up a talon and reached for the distant memory of mana flowing through me to my claws, taking a few tries to get the magic to work properly. Eventually I did manage to do it, the sheen of misty blue magic overtaking a single digit, the claw enlarged by ten centimetres or so in every direction.

I tried to do the same with the claw next to it, but the two magical shells collided with each other and I cut off the flow of mana before it had a chance to detonate, like last time I tried this.

With a bit of curiosity unlocked by the failure I tried to first re-summon the (mana extension) on my one talon, before doing the same on my other front talon. And, to my slight surprise it worked fine, though I could feel the strain on my heart as the flow of mana to my extremities doubled. I held them both up as I marvelled at the magic I was casting and manipulating with ease.

But I quickly dismissed the magic as I realised that it looked like I was currently holding up two giant middle fingers. I laid back down and thought about the way I used the magic while falling down that hole in that mountain dungeon.

Other memories began to well up, and I immediately got up off the bed and ran towards the front door.

I tentatively stepped out of my room and into the grand winding tunnels, wondering which way to walk first, and what kind of clues I would even find in here. There wasn’t any indications of which way would hold more information.

Just thinking about exploring without a guide made me want to go back and hide inside the little hobbit hole. But the alternative was sitting there with nothing but ruminations on what Orion looked like and personal tribulations I’d been putting off since the party at the tavern.

Naturally the easier option was exploring the endless cave system full of monsters.

I just picked a direction and started walking down the dirty hall, doing my very best to mentally note the path I was taking. And after a few minutes of walking I heard some drums being played in the distance, the sound strangely familiar.

Slap-tap-tap-tiptip-slap-tap.

I wandered closer, with no better leads than this ancient, cultist music. I cautiously followed it down a hall branching off from the main one, the noise getting louder until it was around one last corner.

I peaked my head around and saw a group of creatures from the night court dancing around a fire, their freakish features replacing the usual tribal masks in the ritualistic dance. As I looked closer I spotted creatures of all sizes and types, a few familiar faces from the court today mixed in with ones I might’ve not notice before.

Though the ceremony seemed pretty depressing, a dour twist on what I assumed would be joyful celebration. But as I stood there, watching closely, an aggrieved neighing noise came from behind, knocking me out of my state of concentration.

“Hello… Inheritor…” The Nuckelavee hoarsely greeted me, shocking me enough that all I could do was stare at the supposed monster.