Private Tales Secrets Left Sealed

[Nairth San'Seya]

The forests of The Falwood, the home of the Spring-- Such an everlasting fortress of nature; a final haven of untouched life that remained undaunted in the face of hastily growing civilization. In a world where new lands to explore and new air to breathe became less and less frequent with every passing cycle of the sun and the moon, that there remained a place where one could witness the earth as it was at birth was thanks only to the effort of the Fae who safeguarded this final bastion of purity from the corruption of the outside world. Those who traveled beyond the elven cities that dotted the tree-covered region could find the fruit of their effort, memories left locked away in the mist, pieces of history that remained only in song.

In its time, the great tower that sprung from the thick, misty treetops of the deepest forest's heart was considered a wonder of the world. Cherished by the Fae as a symbol of their prowess, worshipped by mortals as though the Gods themselves had planted it in the soil as an unbreakable connection between the realms of Heaven and Arethil.

The Tower in The Mist, or what was left of it, held a much greater significance to Nairth San'Seya, Ruler of The Spring; He'd been born in it's shadow, in the waning hours of the evening, in a bed of violet flowers that he preserved to this very day. This was where he'd met Illia, his lover. This had been where they joined one another for the first time of many, sparking a passion that would lead them to many children, and eventually, Nairth's own heartbreak.

Nairth was not dressed in the garb of a King as he approached one of the walls, reaching out to lean over it as he gazed at the crumbling and dilapidated Tower. His crown had been left at Grovehaven, and in the place of his gaudy robes of splendor were the modest cloth wraps of a simpler time, woven by his own hand long ago. San'Seya refused to return to this place as King. This sanctum, it was the only place he still felt as though he was himself, unburdened by the title of ruler.

The occasion for his return? An unusual one, to say the very least.

Again the Wild Hunt had come and gone, and once again it had introduced an interesting twist of fate, just as it had once before. A young Leannan Sidhe, a woman named Solenne had fought his eye. She was an interesting one, unlike many of the leannan he'd come to know in his time in the Spring. Solenne was mysterious, somewhat secretive when it came to herself, but what stood out about her was her thirst for knowledge of the unknown. No, not the unknown, but the known by few. The Leannan all fed off of specific things to thrive, and through his interactions with Solenne, it had become clear that her lifeblood was that of secrecy.

Nairth had danced with her, to the music inspired by this very place. It was pleasant, and the King, never one to turn his nose up at companionship, offered to show her the song's namesake. She could tuck this place into her collection of little-known secrets, and He could find some solace in her company, without the bothersome weight of rulership on his shoulders, even if only for a moment.

Before he left the Hunt, he'd given her the path, spoken to her the instructions. Now, he awaited the Sidhe, eyes staring solemnly up into the mist.

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

Her approach was quiet, slow, but until she was within view, her barefeet did not crunch against the grass, nor did her dress skirts drag behind her. She was dressed in all white, giving her inky black hair a stark contrast against olive skin. Her dark lips held a pleasant smile as she came to join the King of the Spring Court's side.

"Your instruction was easy and clear. Makes one wonder how they could not stumble upon this themselves." She turned to peer up at the taller male, lips stretching wider. "Hello, dearest Nairth." Those rust coloured eyes glistened with pleasantness before dipping her head in a bow.

"These are the famed mists that conceal your tower?" She inquired, turning those curious eyes upwards. Solenne had to crane her neck some to get a proper gaze towards the heavens.

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

Nairth continued to stare at the aging structure in front of him, his fingers running slowly through the valleys that dipped between every ancient brick that comprised it. Still, Solenne's voice did bring a small smile to his lips; even with his instruction, not everyone could find this place. He'd been right to believe in her.

"It is not a place that just any can approach. I have kept it under my protection for centuries, ensuring the outside world does not attempt to topple it before the hands of time do." He speaks wistfully, finally turning to look down upon Solenne with his golden gaze. It felt odd, to hear his proper name come from the lips of another in his own court.

Odd, but not unpleasant.

"I'm glad you came, Solenne. I've been looking forward to meeting you once more." Briefly, he looked over the pristine white clothing she wore, a fondness ringing in his voice as he so shamelessly added, "And you look divine, as I expected."

Of course, she was a Leannan. It was not a difficult thing to appear so ravishing.

Turning back towards the Tower, he gestured up to where the mist enshrouded the structure, taking a step to stand closer beside Solenne. "Not my mists. These were left long before I ever drew breath. It has always been a dream of mine to see what lies beyond them, to dance upon apex like the Gods in the story..."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

Sweetness pulled at her lips as he complimented her, and she felt that strangely dark and coy allure pull her a step closer to the Spring Court King, just as he came to be by her side. He towered above her, but her neck was already craned to peer up at the Tower he so fondly told her the tale of last they met.

"Then are we here to achieve that dream? You are quite talented with dance, if memory serves me well." She turned her rust coloured eyes to him, blinking those long, thick lashes before the smile strengthened again. Solenne never showed her teeth, but a smile was enough to ensnare someone's attentions, and eventually be gifted with a prized secret.

Her hand sought out his, knowing it was near to her own. "Shall we see more of this Tower? Perhaps tell me more of the story, once more? I may have forgotten." It had been some weeks, and there was no harm in hearing it again to refresh her memory.

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

The King was no slouch at flattery, but Solenne proved herself to be quite the smooth talker as well. The way she so effortlessly stole his hand, summoning memories of the dance they'd shared during the Wild Hunt festivities, reminded him a bit of his own wiles, especially before the crown stole so much of his time.

All in the pursuit of secrets, he was certain.

"If only such a feat were within my power." Nairth bemoaned, again gazing wistfully up into the mists overhead. Dancing atop the tower with her would be a wonderful experience indeed. A shame that it could not be so. "The tower has no entrance, seemingly no way of scaling it. For all of the power that I possess, flight is not one of them. I have never truly seen the top with mine own eyes, only the stories paint my visage of it."

In all of his time, he'd tried to ascend it in a multitude of ways. When he was only a juvenile he'd attempted to climb the wall himself, hoisting himself to the summit through brute strength alone. When that failed, he tried to employ the birds to help him, but even they could not find the top.

As Solenne slid her hand into his, he squeezed it gently, a fond, nostalgic smile crossing his face as he led her on a walk around the base of the tower, the grass soft and invitingly warm beneath their feet. "I've climbed to the treetops of this forest, and even from the tallest branch the top of this tower is enshrouded in fog."

His head turned back to his company, a fond warmth in his eyes as he briefly recounted what he'd told her earlier.

"The top is where two Gods were said to dance endlessly. One, a God of Peace and Love. The other, a God of Hatred and Violence. They competed endlessly, each aiming to outlast and outperform the other. The intensity of the dance shook the land beneath, shaping the mountains and oceans, forming the world as we know it today."

On one side of the tower, there was something carved into the stone. The letters were faded and worn, but seeing them made Nairth stop in his tracks for a moment, a somber recollection on his face as he regarded the markings.

"In the end, they both realized that they could not win. They were exhausted, physically and mentally. The dance had lasted for so long, and they had come to know each other so well, that they instead fell in love. They joined upon the tower's summit, bringing a balance of good and evil, of peace and war. Their union ensures that one never outweighs the other."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

Curiosity and wonder fell back into her in waves, remembering the tale he recounted to her as they danced to the song played in honour to such a story. Solenne's free hand lifted to the faded letters, fingers tracing them. "A memory for you? Or is this a clue, that perhaps we may get to glimpse the top of this tower?"

The smaller fae turned to look up at the King, who stood well over a head taller than her. She could be sure the top of her head barely reached his shoulder, but peering up at him gave picture to a somber face.

Solenne squeezed his hand, dark brows furrowing slightly as full lips pressed into a line. Her eyes swam in molten hues as she watched him.

"I feel a connection to the story still, you see Nairth. '...ensures that one never outweighs the other.' I like to think of yourself and I to be like that. We have a dance of our own... you know what it is that delights me, but instead of trapping me into servitude, you have inspired me with a dance and a tale. Company, to get to know those in the Court I reside in..." She canted her head to the side, dropping her glowing eyes. "Perhaps... for such kindness, I can repay you with loyalty. I can become your confidant, and in turn, I can tell you the whispers said in the darkest, quietest corners of your court."

He would know her hopefully by now to believe she was not one with cruel intentions, and in fact, this deal was meant to give her purpose in her solitary life.

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

"A memory, indeed. One old and meaningful." Nairth reached out to gently brush his thumb across the engraving, a faint smile briefly crossing his lips as he gave a small shake of his head. Meaningful, yes, but it no longer held power. The bond this marking once signified was long dead, buried underneath the Castle of Grovehaven.

"I made this mark, when I was young." The King turned toward Solenne, The hand not holding hers crossing over his midsection. "This is where I professed my love to my late wife. We would come here almost every day, being abhorrently unproductive for hours on end..." San'Seya's eyes were cloudy with recollection as he turned them up into the clouds. Now, the ancient site was more of a grave to his gaze than a monument; a summoner of gloom and melancholy rather than wonder and amazement.

Yet somehow today did not seem so cloudy as the fog would suggest.

That tale had a sad ending, so he was more than happy to allow Solenne's musings to clear his head of such somber thoughts. It was true that Nairth could have easily subjugated Solenne, having discerned what made her tick. However, the gratitude she expressed for his restraint was really quite unnecessary. It was not the way of the Spring to stifle and shackle life. To trap the Sidhe would be an affront to his tenants.

"Loyalty is yours to give, not repayment. There is not a reality that exists in which I would take advantage of the desires of a Leannan. That quirk, that hunger for the unknown, is what makes you who you are." Nairth smiled, warm and comforting, lighting the murky day above. "Had I known that you lurked among these trees, aimless and alone, I'd have sought to help you blossom long ago. As ruler of your home, I seek to make it feel just like that-- Home."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

The Leannan smiled too, as if his own were the sun upon her petals.

"Well then," she brought their connected hands into the warmth of her other, holding his larger hand between her own as she lifted them to her chest. "Will you still have me? Show me the realm you preside over so that I may know this home you wish I can call my own?"

Her home was amongst the trees, away from others, where she could be free and natural. Not hidden, not living in a tremor of paranoia that they would still take her wings. No longer part of the safety and support of her own kind, Solenne was left to fend for herself. She had even tattered her own wings to keep poachers from prying them off her own back and gain riches from it.

"I think I can be useful to your Crown, King of the Spring Court." Solenne's soft, lilting voice had a natural ensnarement. "You surely know that I do not require the same sating as the others of my kind, that a little information will be enough to enlighten me. I can swear it, if you'd like."

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

When Nairth had first met Solenne, he'd been drawn in by her beauty. Even during their first conversation, he had not been shy about his hedonistic lifestyle. The last year had been a tiresome and lonesome one, and the companionship of a Sidhe, especially a Leannan, was an enticing cure for his melancholy.

The King had taken the time to think and consider his actions between then and now, however. Solenne gently clasped her small hands around one of his and brought it to the warmth of her chest, and lust was not what came to San' Seya's mind. Not immediately, anyways.

"It was never in question, Solenne. You are of Spring. You belong here, and you will always have a place with me, be it under my care or in my service." Solenne was not like her kin, but that did not mean she would be treated differently by Nairth. She held a beauty all her own, unique from her other Leannan. So long as she wished to remain in his presence, he would allow no harm to befall her. "As for your use to the crown..."

The King's other hand raised to brush some of the long, raven locks from her face, his thumb trailing across her cheek as the golden amber of his eyes pulsed and glowed under the thin sunbeams that pierced the fog above them. He leaned in, bringing his face in close to hers, and turned her head so that his lips nearly grazed her ear.

And then, he told her a secret.

Spoiler

"There is a way to reach the top, and I have the key."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

It was as if the King of Spring knew how to tantalise a Leannan after secrets as he brushed away the hair covering her ear, whispering so softly so that only she may hear it: a secret he kept from her.

Her heart swelled at the idea, the very thought exciting her blood that she warmed. Her hands squeezed over his, still pressed against the pale flesh of her chest. "A key?" It was difficult for her not to sound intrigued, but the Duannan male had some such an excellent job of keeping her on her toes, and that was beside their height difference.

But he had bowed down enough that his face was beside her own, and perhaps this were the closest she had been to stare into those golden warmed ambers he was gifted with peering from. Her own pale rusted pinks swirled, entranced by their close proximity. "Well I must now insist on seeing the view."

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

The King's lips curled into the softest phantom of a smile one could imagine, the faintest hint of amusement playing on his face as the Sidhe of Secrets found herself just as enraptured by the mystery of the Tower as he. The beating of her heart sped against his palm, the blood flowing through her veins rushed with such speed at merely the thought of bearing witness to such unseen views.

It had not been Nairth's intention to lure her in so, to have his hand at her breast and his lips softly grazing so softly at her ear, but he was also not so chaste as to balk at such an outcome. The dull pink of her eyes swirled with want, both for the secrets he held, and perhaps... something more.

It was this tension he lived for.

"You may... perhaps. The key is not one that merely anybody can turn." He pulled his face away from her cheek, silver locks still tickling at her neck as he straightened and slid his hand from her chest. As he spoke once more, words low and hushed, his fingers to draw long paths down to rest at the curve of her hip. "Even I have not been able to open the door. It takes two, you see..."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

Solenne naturally leaned his way, captivated by the promise of secrets waiting to be discovered by all her senses.

Even his touch, still never leaving her, drew her in. Her lips parted, staring up at the Spring Court King, and a sly smile lifting her pink lips at the corners. Her eyes glimmered, holding onto every word he spoke. "Two? Then how fortuitous that we are that in company."

The Leannan's wings came into view, peeling from her exposed back, and fluttering ever so gently with excitement. It gave her a few inches of height, her bare feet leaving the grass. "Well, Nairth. May I see this key?" Hopeful, expecting. Solenne was hooked and eager to know more, to see the very height of the Tower herself.

"You wouldn't be so cruel and let me wait any longer, would you?"

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

Whether she knew it or not, Solenne had said just the right things to The King of Spring. The playful tilt to her voice, that hopeful spark that made her words bounce just like the fluttering wings that emerged behind her. It was easy to say Nairth San'Seya had his hooks in the Sidhe, but in actuality, she had enticed him just the same.

San'Seya's face lingered mere inches from hers with golden eyes both soft and knowing. Nairth knew what it was to desire a taste of fruit unplucked. Yet he had only ever sought such things for the sake of curiosity. To the woman pressed against him, it was more than that. Such secrets were life, and discovering them was bliss.

To this being of wondrous beauty, Nairth would deliver that euphoria. It would be his honor and privilege.

"I do not like to keep a woman waiting..." He purred, allowing his lips to gently graze the skin of her cheek, the heat of her flushing skin all the excuse he needed. One of his hands travelled slowly from her shoulder down her back, his fingers tracing the valley between her wings and lingering at the small of her waist, before slipping to take her hand in his own.

"Come back to my Castle. The secret lies there, hidden from all eyes but mine own. And soon, yours."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

With all her composure, her ability to weather any and all manners of charming her, Solenne quickly found herself melting at the touch of the King. An involuntary gasp left her lips as his fingers trailed down her spine, her wings fluttering with a tremor that gave voice to her inability to keep herself reserved. The Leannan felt his large hand take her own so delicately, and she peered up at him, almost dazed.

Her lips pressed together, as if to keep herself from grinning as his tongue mentioned the secret that had him lure her here today. "I have not stepped inside the Castle of Spring before." And in her mind, such spectacle was a secret she kept form herself.

Solenne's bare feet began to step forward, being led by Nairth as he guided her wherever it was that would take them there, her gaze trained on his face to notice.

What intoxication it was to feel the beginnings of a secret uncovered, but she knew there was another reason to her curiosity. The Duannan himself, the way he held her, had ensnared her attention and not just by the prospect of the Tower's secret.

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

As the two left the Tower and its unrevealed mysteries behind them, the fog that had permeated the air parted, as if allowing them passage back into the clear, sunny forests of the Falwood where Spring made its home. Bleak greys gave way to shining skies, and the moist, mossy earth at their feet dried and embraced them with warm blades of grass.

They would not see it, but once they'd crossed back into this realm of normality, the fog would once again thicken at their back, concealing the path to the tower once more, only to be broken by those who knew how.

"Grovehaven Castle is a bastion of nature and life." Nairth hummed, gripping snugly her hand as he led her through the brimming trees, a symphony of birdsong guiding his feet, serenading him with the way. "Until very recently, The Spring Court had no central point of gathering, no 'capital' as it is sometimes called. When I attained the crown, my first act was it's construction, a city woven into the wood, where all who wished to be with those life-loving souls akin to them could live happily."

There were a few dissenters of such an idea, who called his vision heresy, a breach of tradition. Perhaps it was the latter, but Nairth did not believe in the torture of isolation as a justifiable evil to serve one's tenants "At it's heart, a castle, built over the heart of this court, and the source of its energy."

Already the Castle came into view, tall and illustrious, shaped from natural stone and wrapped in vines and roots. The trees around them began to grow sparser, and a glistening crystalline river ran at their left side, wide and teeming with life, running straight towards the distant capital of Spring.

"Much of the water in this court runs from a hidden wellspring underneath the Castle. It is there we must go, and bathe in this wellspring together, immersed in the magic that saturates the waters as the gods who danced atop the heavens were."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

With their hands intertwined, she followed after him as he slowly brought her to a point that the world seemed to shift. The castle made her pause, taken by the sheer vibrancy of the greenery and the score of the river running at a leisurely place. It was alive, full of life, and with each step of her barefeet on the grass, it felt as if she were being fed energies that heightened her. Secrets poured from the winds that rustled the foliage, whispers heard from the river's current, and hushed tones of magic lured her closer.

The explanation of the spring drew her attention back to the King of this Court, a brow raising at the essential act they would do in order to gain insight of the Tower's secrets. "I am more attuned to water than any other element. Did you know, my king?" Her lips upturned, enjoying this pleasurable time in his company. "In fact, place me in the stillest of waters, and I shall glean a secret from anyone nearby. I spent much time in a pond on the borders of your Court, so much that the sprites thought of me as a selkie." Her light laugh was melodic, a softness that only made Solenne lean closer to the King.

"Do not fret, King of Spring. I will not try to listen to your own secrets."

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

If Nairth thought Solenne the type to balk at an act such as bathing with one another, he would not have offered her the chance. His aim was not a lustful one. At least, not in essence. There would always be an aspect of desire to his actions with her, an underlying want that had only grown in the time they'd spent with one another on this day.

The King allowed his hand to slip from hers but did not stray far; Instead, his arm slinked around her waist, fingers gripping at the dip of her midsection and pulling her hip flush with his own. She spoke proudly of her attunement, flaunted her prowess like a colorful bird in pairing season. San'Seya had no doubt she blossomed in the waters. He wanted to see for himself, he wanted to watch as she came to fruition before his very eyes.

"Something about the way you say those words... 'my king'. It has an allure to it that I find myself leaning in further to hear every time you repeat it." Nairth admits, turning his head to once more allow his breath to fall across her cheek as they walk nearer to the edge of his Castle, closer and closer to the key that would unlock the secret she thirsted for most. "But... how very tempting it must be." The words were a whisper in her ear.

"If you can glean a secret in a still puddle." He breathed, "The waters of Spring's Heart may reveal the secrets of all of the Falwood to you."

A pause.

"If I told you, would you listen?"

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

If there was a way to ensnare the attentions of the Leannan Sidhe, it was his last uttered words to her that drew her in closer than the embrace he welcomed her with. He knew which strings to tug at her, to reel her in with the delivery of his promising words. But it seemed she found the right words to tug at his own strings.

A curious smile curved the ends of her lips, allowing this lack of distance between them rally her boldness. She lifted a hand, fingers softly touching his cheek as she considered his next words.

"The Falwood would be glad to whisper it's secrets to my ears..." She had done so in the past, but she need not learn every secret so readily available to her. Solenne knew how to listen, how to decipher through the torrential murmurs at her ears to find what she was looking for. Her fingers caressed his face, until a finger softly brushed at his bottom lip. "I think you will find that I will listen to anything you wish to say, my king."

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

Nairth's leading steps toward the castle stopped at her words. The arm that had been tightly wrapped around her waist now slid back to her hip as The King turned to stand in front of her, all of his attentions focused squarely upon the Leannan who'd blessed him with her company on this day.

She wanted more. The desire for the secrets and knowledge untold dripped from her words. That, and perhaps more. Possibly, a desire for something more tangible.

The glowing skin of his face and the edge of his lips still burned with the brief touches she'd so gently offered him, brief warmth in the midday breeze that was remembered by the flesh like memories to a mind. Reaching up, he slid his large palm across Solenne's cheek, gathering some of the stray raven hairs that fell over her brow and tucking them neatly behind her ear.

"When we reach the apex, when we embrace and dance with one another, just like the Gods of the story..." He murmured low, leaning forward until they were all but nose-to-nose, every word meeting her lips with warm breath, "We will be the first in eons. Together, we will bear witness to a sight so grand and rare that no Fae alive and breathing in all of Arethil can fathom it."

Slowly, Nairth closed the distance, pressing his lips ever so softly against hers. It was a brief kiss, gentle and chaste. Beneath though, baked in the words that came next, was the want for more.

Nay, the promise of more.

"Our own secret to hold, just you and I."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

She could taste the allure of secrecy upon his words as they gently warmed her lips, and as if to seal the promise in which he presented her, his own lips lay a soft kiss upon her own. Solenne could not be any closer to the King now, but the pools of rusted pink sought his own gaze as he proposed to the Leannan Sidhe a secret only known to the two of them.

A smile, coaxed by his pretty words and tantalising intrigue, Solenne raised a finger to touch her lips. They still tingled, as if hungry to get a taste of this secret he was dangling before her.

"Cruel of you to tease me so. I am beginning to hunger." She swallowed, hoping that he would not keep them out here long before showing her the way to the Spring, the key to uncovering the mystery shrouded atop the Tower. She could be unkind, unraveled, if not given a secret after long. To deny a Leannan would be a grave mistake, but Solenne had every ounce of trust in the King of the Spring Court.

Nairth San'Seya

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

It would have pleased him so to linger with her here, to watch her squirm as the anticipation built, to pepper her with idle affections as he kept her from what she desired most. Alas, those were the games of lovers; While Nairth did enjoy her company, he'd also made a promise, and the time to deliver was now. So, sating himself with that brief taste of her lips he'd stolen from her, he unobscured their path and continued to lead them toward Grovehaven Castle.

The city itself was a marvelous sight: Not so much a construction as it was an addition to the forest. The buildings that lined the roads of Grovehaven almost seemed to have grown there rather than have been built; trees and rocks shaped into homes without any visible damage, the roots and branches wrapping across entire blocks, arching over the pathways beneath like bridges.

The air was permeated with energy, raw life that rose from the waters Solenne and Nairth had followed to arrive here. Every breath filled the lungs with vigor, and every voice of the Fae passing by them on the street pausing to pay respect to their King, and to look upon the Sidhe with quiet awe and admiration.

"Rather than construct this city by hand, I expended a considerable amount of magic to bend the forest to my needs. Of course, I could not force it. My old friends, these trees... they were happy to oblige me. So long as I defend them with my very life."

The Castle itself lie just ahead, a short walk beyond the rest of town. It stood tall, built with pristine white rock, and shaded beneath the trees surrounding it, save for the high tower that broke the canopy. Nairth nodded towards the structure, smiling.

"Your secret lies there, underneath the castle."

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

Solenne turned her rusty pink hues towards the Castle once more, taken in by the sheer grandeur it gave. For so long she had avoided visiting, but how could she refuse the invitation of a King?

"Then we best not dillydally any longer." The Leannan smiled, taking the first few steps towards the looming white rock structure before them.

It called to her, the secrets left unheard and gathering dust beneath that castle. The King may have brought her as a guest, but Solenne began to hunger and crave for that one secret that dangled before her. How could she explain the pain in her gums, now that she was closing the distance? How could she get him to understand the tightrope she now felt as if she were walking on now, feeling he taut rope beneath her bare feet. It ached there too, almost consuming her whole as she advanced.

"Aren't you going to lead me, my king?"

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

The further they traveled through Grovehaven, the wider the road became. Narrow corridors of winding roots and billowing brooks emptied into wide paths teeming with critters and younglings chasing one another, playing the simplest of games that the mind forgets with age and worry.

The Castle stood silently, though it almost seemed to move with the swaying of the leaves surrounding it, casting shifting shadows on its polished white face. It beckoned, unseen hands opening the massive doors to the grand hall where all life energy of the Spring joined at a singular point; For the Castle was the beating heart of Spring itself, pumping light and life to every being so privileged to live among it.

With arm linked in hers, the pair entered the grand hall beyond the entryway doors. It was quiet, empty save for a few pixies weaving in and out of the massive skylights that allowed shimmering sunlight to pour in and bake the crystalline waters flowing out from underneath the raised throne in the back of the Hall as they ran out through small slots in the wall, bubbling out into the city.

And lead the seeker of secrets did the King, down the middle of the hall, across the cobalt-colored carpet that ran from throne to door, warmth and heat washing over them as the light embraced them with every step. Once they reached that dais, and the ornate seat of the King began to slide aside to reveal the winding staircase leading into the bowels of Grovehaven, she would feel the call of the unknown, stronger than ever before.

Solenne

 

[Solenne]

Strangeness and mystery beckoned the Leannan Sidhe towards the spiral descent into unknown depths. She had not been able to admire the castle or interiors, too focused on moving forward to take it all in, but Solenne was sure this would not be the only time she would visit.

She took that first step into the stairwell, taking another step to begin her descent. Her arm fell away from Nairth's, but her hand would catch his own and pull him along with her. With each step, a whisper would be at her ear, growing more clearer and soon becoming a single whispered command.

Closer...

"I hear it, the whispers." Solenne felt as if she were in a trance, lured by the whispers and mystery force drawing her in. All the way towards the pools of which Nairth spoke of. She did not dare take another step towards it, but now turned to look up at the towering Nairth.

Bathe...

"They tell me to submerge my entire self in the waters." Attraction to the King of Spring brought her to step into him, a hand reaching for his cheek. "Am I to go alone?"

 

[Nairth San'Seya]

The stairway leading underneath the castle grew more narrow the further they descended, the stone walls soon giving way to moist and undisturbed soil as the steps gradually became little more than stone footfalls wedged in the dirt.

It was easy to see why; It was less of a cave that awaited them, and more of a crater: What had once been Nairth's grove, a wide field of flora and fauna brimming with raw life cultivated by the now King with his every waking moment, was now an almost barren hole of dirt and grass.

The only signs of substantial plant life now was the thick green vines running along the sides of the crater, which Nairth quietly accompanied Solenne in using to finish their descent, safely sliding down the incline of what had been his safe haven.

But it was that which lie in the center that called to Solenne, that called to the both of them.

A lake was cradled in the crater's center, its shimmering water the primary lighting source for the area as it glowed brightly with the raw ley energy that flowed through it. In the cavern's darkness, it appeared to the eyes as an unnatural, perfect blue. Flowers still bloomed around the water's edge, even in the absence of sunlight.

In those calm waters, the whispers of every Spring Fae, past, present, and future, still lingered. The secrets not even Nairth knew lie hidden, and the path to the apex they both sought so readily now awaited them, open arms set to embrace those worthy of witnessing what lie beyond.

Truthfully, San'Seya expected Solenne to heed the call of the water immediately. So it was to his surprise that instead she turned to him, reached for his flesh, and sought out his touch.

"Am I to go alone?"

The King smiled, leaning his head against her palm as his powerful hands reached out for her, digits slowly running up her sides as that same lidded look of mischief stole his eyes. Her skin was hot; hotter than it had been even under the sun outside.

Nairth knew why. His was the same. Now, he pulled her closer, to press against his chest and feel that heat as he breathed against her lips in reply.

"We go together, wrapped in one another as we travel through the lay." His mouth brushed so gently against her ear as he whispered to her, his fingers hooking on her clothing, pulling slowly, deliberately. "Reaching the top would mean nothing without you, now."

Solenne