Fable - Ask A Court of Fireflies and Moonlight

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Raphael

Truth-Seeker
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273
Character Biography
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It was when he tried to sleep that their images came for him.

When he had first taken on the role as Inquisitor for the famous Erlking his first job had been to get information out of a brownie. In the pecking order of the fae world, brownies were barely more worth a cursory glance from the Higher Fae and even some of the lesser. The Little Folk kept to themselves and were of no real consequence nor trouble. To this day Raphael still suspected that faerie had had nothing worthwhile in his mind for the Erlking and that it had been a test to see if the Puca could do the job or maybe it was to punish him for the amount of times he had refused the job offer in the first place. It had only been a threat against his friends lives that had eventually made him come to heel and the reward which kept on giving was that Brownie's face, peering up at him through the twisted pulp that had been his face.

Why was it always when he tried to sleep?

There had been many since the Brownie. Innocents as numerous as the guilty. Yet even if they had been guilty Raphael still saw their faces or heard their screams because he hated every aspect of his work. Using the gifts that had been forged in that nightmarish hellhole he called a childhood left a foul taste in his mouth. If he could cleave out the part of him that feasted and used people's fears against them he would have. With an irritated sigh he cast off the sweat-soaked blankets and pulled on his breeches and shirt. Sleep wasn't coming for him anytime soon.

The noises of the ball he had avoided were winding down now. Most of the fae had no doubt left to find their own quarters or that of a person who had taken their fancy. Still, he wouldn't risk getting dragged into the dancing or festivities and so set his feet on a path for the city beyond where the rest of the population celebrated the Spring Equinox. Not everyone could fit into the palace and a large portion of Midir's court chose to hold their own celebrations for this occasion. Not that Raphael intended on joining those either. For some odd reason people seemed to stop having fun with the man who could put them on the rack and twist their limbs till they confessed to things they had never even done.

Funny that.

Instead he wound his way through the outskirts of the city to one of the riverbeds glinting in the starlight and covered in a thousand fireflies. The warm wind ruffled his hair as he sat and spread his wings ungracefully over the bank. Maybe there wouldn't be a person waiting in his 'office' in the morning. Another face to add to his nightmares and ever growing list.
 
When Amaryllis left the ball, she did so after reassuring herself that Lórcan had been tucked away safely and that Faolan wasn’t looking for her. Her two friends were tending to their own matters and with the festivities slowly coming to an end, the fae princess felt a wave of relief wash over her. There hadn’t been any larger incidents and the atmosphere remained strangely peaceful, even with so many personalities clashing in one place. Amongst the Unseelie, there was bound to be some sort of trouble eventually.

Amaryllis didn’t attend the celebrations of the Spring Equinox to keep a watchful eye on autumn though and while Titania would certainly be pleased to hear that it was still quiet in the realm, the princess of summer came because she enjoyed such ceremonies. Perhaps spending a thousand years looking out of the window of your room and taking naps in the field had left Amaryllis bored enough to venture out into the world, if only to give the dry routine that had become her life some spice.

There was something about the chaotic, wild nature of the autumn court that fascinated her. Their values differed greatly from Titania’s and her own and while the princess could never openly approve of their casual treatment of lesser fae and the way they mingled with one another, there was something about their ideology – the concept of balance – that intrigued her.

Maybe because Amaryllis was able to break the balance of time with her own gifts. A power of such considerable might put her on the same pedestal as any other ancient god after all.

Her head was spinning with thoughts of balance, the secrets of the Erlking and her own fate when she left the premises of the party and headed towards the outskirts of the court; a quiet place amidst nature was just what she needed now to wind down. Amaryllis lifted her heavy dress and skillfully climbed over the bushes until she found a cozy spot by the riverbed. Night had fallen and aside from the typical sounds of wildlife buzzing and bumbling about, it was pleasantly quiet.

Amaryllis was watching the stars when she spotted another person across the river. The princess furrowed her brows and her eyes lit up with surprise when she noticed the shape of two large wings framing the outline of a lone person; a figure that blended as easily into the shadows as she did into a swarm of fireflies.

Instead of saying something, Amaryllis decided to observe him in silence for a while.
 
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Raphael didn't even notice the Darkness that followed him wherever he walked now. At first, in the depths of that cell where he had been raised, beaten, broken and remade, he had wished for a friend to come from the shadows that were his only company. He still wondered to this day if he had wished so hard it had come true and Darkness had latched itself onto his soul so that he might never be alone again. It was a silly thought but he had no other explanation for his gifts which by all accounts should not have belonged to one of his kind. Pucá were lower fae. Weak.

So how had he harnessed the power of fear itself to him?

He no longer bothered himself with trying to answer it. Not when even now it brought him comfort like a blanket might a child. The Darkness swirled and crawled over the landscape around him, swallowing bushes and rocks whole in its great depths. Sometimes he wished he could block it out with the Darkness. The images, the Autumn Court. All of it.

The inky tendrils spread further as his thoughts turned darker still.
 
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Amaryllis didn’t look at first. The fae princess twirled a strand of brown hair between her fingers and watched with pretend interest as it curled into a lock and bounced up and down. He hadn’t said anything, not that she minded, but the female was beginning to suspect that it wasn’t due to lack of interest but the fact that he simply hadn’t noticed her at all – which was shocking in itself.

The delicate and wonderful Princess of the Summer Court was rarely overlooked.

Whereas the stranger showed no signs of acknowledgement, Amaryllis found it difficult to avert her gaze any longer. There was something gloomy about him, the way he sat there all by himself, shrouded in darkness and mystery. The high fae rarely if ever mingled with the lesser species of her folk and while Ama never knew how to approach them (to some part due to superstition and prejudice) this one was strangely...captivating.

What is chaos if not fun.

Lórcan’s words, the things he’d said to her at the ball, echoed in her mind. He was right, she hoped, but there was really only one way to find out. It’s not like Amaryllis had anywhere to be at this time of the day anyways. The princess rose to full height, quietly stepped over the bushes and walked over the water until she was on his side of the river. Then, Amaryllis approached and perched beside the stranger and watched with wide eyes as the darkness seemingly seeped out of him and into his surroundings.

A tad bit awkward, Amaryllis cleared her throat.

“It’s a lovely night, isn’t it?”
 
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Raphael practically leapt out of his skin.

When he had left his rooms his only concern with remaining unseen had been inside the palace itself. He hadn't wanted the Prince to see him and drag him into some plot he no doubt had brewing to wind his father up or worse, dance with some pretty little fae he had decided would suit him. As soon as he'd lost himself in the crowds of lesser fae - his kind - he had stopped caring who saw him. Finding himself taken by surprise, however, made him regret such a reckless mistake. He was the Autumn Court's inquisitor, a master of their intricate spy network, and there were countless people currently residing in the city who would be more than happy to find him with his guard down and slit his throat. It was pure luck it had been a friend who had found him first.

"Amaryllis," he heaved a sigh of relief.

Raph hadn't met the Summer Princess before but he would be a pretty poor master of whispers if he didn't know her by description alone.

"I beg your forgiveness Your Highness that I did not see you sooner, did I disturb your stroll?" with conscious effort he pulled the darkness back to the hole inside of him where they lived.
 
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“Ah,” the princess gave an apologetic smile.

“I should be the one asking for forgiveness,” said Amaryllis and waved her small hand in a dismissive manner. “I didn’t mean to spook you there, Raphael.” As a royal of the fae realm, it was only natural for Amaryllis to know each and every person, even if she hadn’t formally met them before. And while Raphael did not belong to her court, her visits to Lórcan had been frequent enough for her to catch a glimpse of the Erlking’s servant every now and then.

She couldn’t help but notice a hint of relief in his voice when he realized it was her and since they weren’t properly acquaintanced, Amaryllis could only assume that he’d been dozing off and spacing out earlier – a dangerous thing to do when you were who he was. The brunette didn’t look to be particularly skilled in sneaking up on people either, but her youthful appearance often let the people forget her ancient age and the prowess that lay behind the facade of beauty.

“And please, drop the formalities. There’s no one around to scold us for it anyways.” She offered a kind smile and moved to sit. The gloominess around him seemed to disappear and since no one else was here to watch them, the princess decided to do something unusual and keep the lesser fae company.

“I thought I was done with company for tonight, but when I saw you I was intrigued to come here,” she spoke honestly and whisked a brown lock over her shoulder.

“I hope you don’t mind.”
 
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Raphael had none of his friends skill when it came to socialising, especially socialising with the fairer sex. His world was pain and darkness, blood and secrets. It was very hard to imagine Amayrlis surrounded by such things and so it made him a little uncomfortable when she decided to sit down beside him. The darkness shrank even further back as if they were afraid of the light she gave off. The Puca tightly folded his nightmarish wings against his back so that they didn't disturb her.

"Of course not," he lied smoothly and he remembered suddenly it was rude not to smile. Not that what he flashed her could be described as much of a smile, more of a tight-lipped grimace, and it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Now he was broken from his reverie he could appreciate the beauty of the riverbank before him and his eyes followed the dance of the fireflies in contented silence. Every now and then one of the little bugs brushed the surface of the river and broke its peace with tiny golden ripples.

What would Lorcan do in a situation like this? Raphael glanced to the Princess out of the corner of his eye and studied her quietly. He would probably talk, say something dashing or funny to make her laugh. But she had said she was done with company for the night so perhaps silence was what she wanted.

His eyes roved back to the river. Silence was something he could do well.