Fable - Ask Wild Kelpies for a Prince

[Ianthe]

Ianthe's laugh came out as a snort before she finished off the last of her porridge. Done and with Saangs determined reassurance he was ready she set the bowl down and then stood with a firm nod. Far firmer than she had any conviction for.

"Let's go then."

Naturally the kelpie pack swam for the most part but a boat that they used to transport their goods was ushered forth for Saang, Ianthe, the Matriarch and her two sons to ride in. The conversation was light and cheery and purposefully not relating in any way to the trial ahead. It was not long, however, before the narrow passageways of the bergs fell away and a small island in the distance became the clear destination. Once the boat hit the shore the mood changed.

"The first trial is a test of ferociousness and hunting skills," the Matriarch said in a voice loud enough to carry to the bobbing kelpie heads in the waters behind them. "This island is home to a clan of Winter Woods, an elusive type of fae and a fitting sport for our Duanann guest. The task is simple: wipe them out," the matriarch grinned. "Any survivor will be a mark of failure of the trial and you shall not proceed to the next test."

 

[Saang Lusce]

Winter Woods.

They once were common among the lands of the tundra, back before the Night Court moved in. Since then, higher fae had also made a sport of hunting the harmless little fae. For most, they were nothing more than a pest to have around ... equivalent to mice in a human's cupboards. They provided very little to courtly affairs and did rather nothing else than make a nuisances of their presence.

But Saang had learned that the Winter Woods had societies as complicated and layered as the major courts. Courts within courts, with Kings and Queens, Princesses and Princes, nobles and paupers alike. They were merely overlooked among the populace of the high fae. He supposed over the years he'd once been like any other Night Court noble: sparing them no second thought. But one lone night spent waiting for a contact at the Goblin Market had opened his mind to the community hidden from his world.

After that he'd told himself he would spare them all that second thought from then on.

The Warden Commander of the kelpies sat in silence as the Matriarch announced the first challenge: a hunt of lesser fae. The sinking feeling in his stomach sickened him so much that briefly Saang thought he might lose his breakfast in front of them all. This was unconscionable - hunting and killing lower fae for sport.

Was that not exactly what he was trying to prevent on a larger scale?

His expression locked into a mixture of disturbed discontentment, Saang turned a wilted gaze to look at the kelpie seated next to him who had for so long been at his command as a lesser fae. Suddenly, it was very important to him that this not damage his relationship - whatever that may be - with Ianthe, "Will you think less of me for this when it is over?"

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe started from her thoughts - memories - when Saang turned and ask his question. It caught her so completely off guard that for a moment her mouth gaped, then worked like a drowning fish as her mind tried to summon the words to express what a stupid question that even was.

"No!" she spluttered eventually and her cheeks turned a shade of dusty rose. Her eyes briefly flickered to the matriarch who watched the pair with a hint of curiosity and a curved smile that made her want to slap the woman across the face. Ianthe turned, her hand gripping Saangs upper arm to turn him too so their back was practically too the woman waiting for him to refuse.

"Do you think less of me knowing I completed these too?" She hoped he said no or her point rather stopped there. She decided not to give him the chance to answer. "At least you are doing this for a reason. I merely did it... because."

 

[Saang Lusce]

He thought, or rather he hoped, hearing that answer would quell the burning coal in the pit of his stomach. It didn't. Even if it eased a bit of weight from his mind knowing that at least this would not tarnish his reputation with her, there still remained the fact that they were asking him to commit genocide against his own kind. Fae kind, that is.

Maybe he was just a bleeding heart, but wasn't that what set him apart from the rest of the Night Court? Saang's frown deepened, his brow furrowed ever more, his shoulders hunched under the sensation of his proverbial hackles flaring along his spine. He wrapped a hand overtop of the one gripping his bicep and forced a sigh through his nose. It billowed out as fog.

"You were right," he said after several moments, steeling his misgivings about it all, "I am going to hate myself for this."

Standing finally, Saang squeezed her hand before pulling away and turning to depart from the boat where he paused on the dark and frigid shores to look back at the Matriarch. There were so many things on his mind he would have liked to say to her, but nothing made itself known as words he could not leave unspoken. So without another word at all, he put boots to frozen soil and made his way inland, disappearing into the thicket of trees.

 

[Ianthe]

A few coins angrily exchanged hands and fins as the first load of kelpies lost their bet he would refuse to leave the boat altogether. Ianthe scowled at them all. She knew her Handler. She knew this task would break a piece inside of him, the trouble was she didn't know if when he came back if he would be able to heal and make himself stronger, or whether this would be a constant point of weakness for others to pray upon. Angrily she clenched her hands in her lap and watched the retreating mans back then did something she rarely did. Ianthe prayed.

* * *
​

Most of the island was wild snowy wastelands. There were not many who called the Tundra home and fewer still who lived out in this islands far removed from easy trade. The Winter Woods were a reclusive lot and did not need much in the way of food or shelter. Islands such as these suited their ways and wishes to be left alone. Shipwrecks whilst not common happened often enough to keep them entertained torturing the few survivors until another ship happened to dash itself against their rocks.

To take advantage of any such wrecks the Winter Woods did not live far from the shore; a few hours on foot at most. The landscape did not seem to change much apart from the sudden appearance of icy domes in which the fae lived. Soft glows warmed them from within and signified fires and life. There were not many outside and those that were went about the business of simple trades like fetching water or treating furs. It looked like any ordinary, slumbering town.

 

[Saang Lusce]

It was often said by rumor, story, tale, or joke that the smaller fae were of simpler minds; capable only of feeling a single emotion at any given time. Saang did not know the truth behind this - though he had found his own lesser fae servants in his home to be rather simple creatures. Easily stirred to any such feeling and rarely conflicted on such things. He'd decided on this quiet, cold, and lonely walk that if he was to bring death to these innocent families in order to save the lives of other innocent families, he would do so as gently as possible.

There would be no wanton slaughter or crazed hunting. No bloodshed to stain or paint the snows and frozen lands here. No violence. No fear or terror. No rage or hatred. There would be curiosity. Wonder and awe. Serenity and peace.

Across the frigid expanse the Lord allowed his powers of empathy to spill and spread. Like the warm draft of an approaching sea front, his outstretched hands submitting the realm to the whims of inquisitiveness. Like those rumors and stories of old that spoke of the lesser fae's simple minds, they also spoke of times of yore when the high fae had been regarded as Gods. As Saang's dark boots cut across the landscape, it was this sense of awe and wonder he saturated them with, drawing forth the far-roaming Winter Woods who had left their homes to stalk, to hunt, to scavenge, to scout, to roam, and calling them in with a silent song.

Who was this creature of black and red, so wondrous and powerful?

He could feel them as they each became ensnared in the spell. Tiny pinpricks of emotion like stars dotting a night sky, and to him they flocked and followed as he continued to move farther inland.


From the shores where Ianthe prayed and the others waited, sneering and impatient or wary and untrusting, there came not a single sound from the island to suggest a hunt was afoot. The silence lingered heavily and seemed to grow heavier still as hour after hour crept by. The day wore on, uneventful. Whispers that the duannan had fled instead of faced his fate began to circulate. Hard eyes began to turn on Ianthe, who had brought him here, but none would dare to make a move without the matriarch's command.

The afternoon wore on and the skies quickly began to darken, as the northern realm's shorter days gave very few daylight hours to live by. When dusk had settled over the still and reticent lands, it perhaps seemed as though the rumors may have been true. No sign of Saang. No sign of anything.

Then a pale glow in the distance grew from the center of the island. White at first that shifted through hues of pale yellow to orange, and then to deep and furious red. There was a sudden inhale on the air that sucked the sounds of the world with it and a defeaning silence followed. After a moment a gentle breeze picked up, tumbling out from the island itself that carried with it a low rumbling sound.

Ianthe would know this sensation. She'd seen it numerous times before on the battlefield and every instinct in her body and mind would scream at her to get underwater. Now.

The rushing roar of an infernal blast exploded outwards from the heart of the island without any further warning, consuming the island's landscape, incinerating everything in its path. By the time it reached the shore lines it was a wave of righteous flames, billowing and devouring and burning everything in its path. When it reached the water's edge it all suddenly turned skywards, though the heat of the inferno remained surrounding the caustic walls of fire that shot toward the heavens and dissipated with a hiss.

Ash and burning embers patterned the skies over the island, now a charred and blackened corpse of the tundra wasteland.

 

[Ianthe]

Now.

Ianthe moved before her mind could comprehend the what or the why. Other kelpies. having seen her move or perhaps on some subconscious instinct to survive, followed her into the icy depths. She could see them all, wide-eyed and staring at one another, beneath the surface as the sky beyond erupted into an inferno. It was not fear - well, not a strong douse of it anyway - that she sensed in any of them however. Many grinned and when she broke the surface of the water once the flames had faded there was laughter and cheering and whooping too. Several of the boats that had been closest to the shore were smouldering themselves, the heat from Saang's attack having forced them to combust despite the frigid temperatures, but the kelpies did not seem to mind.

"We have a CHAMPION!" The matriarch roared from a berg several meters away from the shore and her boat which was one of the ones now simmering nicely. The other kelpies cheered in answer.

Ianthe grimaced and turned away from the speech, kicking for the shore and watching the hazy heat shimmer for any signs of that red hair.

 

[Saang Lusce]

It would take some time after the inferno cleared for the flicker of red to emerge. Saang's gait was not one of victory, but one of dreaded purpose. It had not exactly been a glorious feat of power for him, but if there was one thing Saang was grateful for it was the drain on his ability to feel. It meant the daggers of grief, disgust, and regret now firmly lodged into his emphatic soul were dulled. Present, but only just-so.

Over time they would sharpen and, no doubt, dig deeper in the way that only a lionfish' quill could.

He arrived to the cheering off shore and let his sullen, deadened gaze of a candlewick burnt out slowly slip across the scene. It landed upon Ianthe and there it stayed, weighted in all the things he couldn't presently feel. The man's jaw worked, trying to force words out, but his mind had none to share.

 

[Ianthe]

The kelpie stumbled on the black shingle as she rose out of the water and tried to splash through the last of the choppy sea as quickly as she could. There was something so wrong about his eyes. She couldn't quite place her fin on it but it was like another person stared at her with that grim-set mouth. Once free of the sea Ianthe bolted up the gentle sloping shore before skidding to a stop a few inches from him as though realising what exactly she was doing.

Worry caused every little crease in her face as her eyes wandered over him for a hint of any injury he might have taken.

"..." Any words she conjured felt empty so instead the kelpie merely offered an understanding nod before stepping forward and wrapping her arms cautiously around the other fae's waist in a rare hug.

 

[Saang Lusce]

He was totally unharmed. No blood. No cuts or bruises. Everything about him was whole aside from his shattered moral compass. Saang stared down at Ianthe as she stared up at him and for several moments the kelpie was the only thing in the world. It was easier to deal if he just focused on her presence, but he wished she wouldn't look at him like that. Even when she had no words for him he found there wasn't a single shred of disappointment.

Silence was best.

Let us never speak of this day again, he thought to himself as Ianthe wrapped her arms around him, and let his gaze shift upwards to the darkened skies now filled with clouds. Not even the Gods granted him reprieve from his transgressions here. No beautiful night sky, no aurora to lighten his soul. Just dimness and foreboding. The weight of impending guilt looming on the horizon.

Saang gently enveloped Ianthe in his arms and sank into her presence, letting it fill him for just a moment with a squeeze. Then his arms loosened again, enough that she could extract herself without much effort, and he sighed into her hair.

"I am...tired."

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe cursed herself for not stopping him before it had gotten to this point. She had known when Sorelia had first mentioned the Trials that they went against everything Saang had ever fought and stood for. Senseless murder, pain, fear and suffering. Staples of a Court and the harsh environment in which they lived but not Saang's. Slowly she pulled back enough that she could look up into his face. Her jaw clenched as she fought with herself over whether or not to say something, to ask him to stop these Trials now before they went further.

But if she asked him to do that the lives he had just taken would have been for nothing.

"I shouldn't have brought you here," she said with no small amount of anger directed solely at herself. "I should have..." she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a frustrated breath through her nose. When she reopened her eyes though Ianthe appeared determined. There was never any point dwelling on the what ifs.

"Let's get out of here. You need rest for tomorrow."

 

[Saang Lusce]

The should-haves surely would plague him as well when the fatigue of his power use had passed. For now he could not extend any form of connection to her own whirlwind of emotions. Though it would have been so easy to feed off them, Saang couldn't bring himself to do it. The duannan nodded to the kelpie and let her lead the way. Her steps would lead them along the shoreline and then down into the mercilessly cold waters. As most of the boats had been incinerated, their journey back to the kelpie's cove would be that of a frigid swim.

He did not immediately empower his innate warmth as protection, but let the cold penetrate his body and bit into the gasp of air as the waters drew higher the further he walked. It was a terrible sort of pain, the frozen depths, that he did not often partake in. This place the kelpies thrived and called home was the grave for many a man and other fae. Saang sank in until his tall figure finally submerged completely and remained there, floating in the murky deep, searching for some form of absolution.

It never came. When Ianthe tugged at him to keep going, he relented his self-punishment and let the heat of his blood set the water around him to a comfortable simmer.

They arrived to shore to the raucous cheers of the clan and a veritable celebration already thrumming. Seemed his willingness to flay an entire colony of fae alive had garnered him some appreciation and admiration - which would have struck him as ironic had he the ability to emote such things. Truly, the spectacle should have terrified them all. Especially considering he could have done the very same thing to them.

A drink thrust into his hand, the merriment of the evening washed over him in waves. It was ... impossible for him not to imbibe the energy of the clan's high emotions, and the longer he stood among them the more dour his expression became. Each smile and grin, each laugh and jeer, each moment of enthusiasm and joy fed his depleted stores of empathy until the dread of what he'd done began to settle in.

He was seated somewhere by a campfire. He had no idea where Ianthe went or who the kelpies seated around him were. Saang hadn't touched his drink, but sat there staring into it as though he were staring into a void.

 

[Ianthe]

"He would be ashamed if he knew you were here, begging like a... like a whelp."

Ianthe had known the response to her request but she had still had to ask it.

"Please, Sorelia. Saang isn't a Kelpie - he shouldn't be taking these trials in the first place! There are other ways to prove his loyalty," her teeth ground together with the effort of keeping her tone pleasant. If Ianthe hadn't needed the old witch to put a stop to this whole thing she would be a lot less... friendly. Or at least if she was alone. Her eyes flickered to the two young grandsons of hers that stood at either shoulder.

"He has chosen the Path and until he fails, he will not leave it," she said and it sounded final. Ianthe could almost hear her teeth splintering. Suddenly, the matriarch leaned forward and grabbed a hold of her chin. "Maybe you should ask yourself if you're begging to spare him, or yourself girl."

People wisely moved out of the young kelpie's way as she stormed back to the festivities. A few people gave her sideways glances but otherwise paid no heed, too enthusiastic about the night of revelry ahead. Seeing Saang in the exact position she had left him in only made her more furious. Wrapping herself in that anger she stomped over to the Duanaan and grabbed him by the shirt.

"It's done, Saang. You need to snap. out. of. it," she growled. "Or you won't live through the next two days."

 

[Saang Lusce]

She got his attention, that was for certain, but his expression did not change. If anything, his frown only deepened. The man lifted a hand to grasp lightly at her wrist, his warmth suffusing the frigid chill of the air and of her anger. Funny ... usually a woman's anger was heated, fiery. The kelpie's fury was the coldest anger he'd ever known.

"This is me, Ianthe," he said plainly, quietly, unconcerned with the eyes now watching them and the slight hush falling upon those closest, "this is the price I pay for my power. I cannot simply snap out of it."

The man's gaze, once the fury of an inferno and now a dulled candle flame, looked her over briefly, the edge of concern creeping in, "What's wrong? Why are you so angry?"

 

[Ianthe]

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" Ianthe let him go and threw her hands up in the air.

Except you're not, you.

Except you look broken.

Except it's all my fault for bringing you here!

She pursed her lips and ran her eyes over him. Anger was a better feeling than the worry she could feel creeping in so she clung to the fire until it burnt her fingers. With a huff she sat down opposite him and took the drink from his limp hands.

"If you're not going to drink it," she muttered into the cup before downing the contents with a wince. The sour liquor the kelpies made was not to her taste but it did hit the spot. "I managed to get you a tent, if you would like to sleep. Or try to..."

 

[Saang Lusce]

Somewhere in the shadow of his expression, Saang Lusce looked unconvinced that nothing was wrong. In his experience, nothing never actually meant nothing when said in such a tone by a woman. The fae took a shallow breath, lips parted to pursue the real truth of the matter but quickly closed again as the cup was snatched from his hands.

He blinked, frown returning. He'd been thinking about drinking it...

But sleep? Sleep did sound like a good alternative. Possibly the better option, really. A nod, a sigh, Saang looked over at her once more, "Will you stay with me?"

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe looked almost offended he even had to ask.

"Of course," she said fiercely. Kelpies couldn't be trusted, especially not drunk ones. Saang might have earned a little respect from them today by going ahead with the senseless murder of a whole clan, but that didn't mean tempers would rise as drink flowed and testosterone would be pumping round fool male bodies. What better person to pick for a fight than one who had been the centre of attention all day?

Over her dead body.

She eyed the mug to see if there was any left then threw it carelessly to the side before standing and without another word heading for the tent.

"It's not much..." she said by way of apology for the small skin-made tipi that had been erected. "But I thought you might want some... privacy after today."

 

[Saang Lusce]

Saang wasn't entirely sure privacy was what he really wanted or even needed, but he wasn't about to pass up such a gift of selfless concern from Ianthe. The man followed after her, carefully wending his way through the celebrating kelpies, silently wondering just what exactly there was to celebrate.

It's not as if any of them wanted him to become part of the clan. Did they truly just find enjoyment in senseless slaughter of innocent lives? Was he so wrong in thinking that the kelpies held captive by the bonds of their Masters within the Night Court deserved to be freed? Would he only be releasing unto the wilds more monsters?

When he reached the teepee and stepped inside, the sudden drop of noise from the party struck him so profoundly that Saang found even his own rampant thoughts quieted. This was ... nice.

"It's perfect," he replied to her, "thank you."

With a deep sigh, the Lordling settled upon the pelts inside, planted his elbows upon his knees and his head in his hands as he attempted to wrangle the pressure of his mind into something less ... overwhelming.

"My family can never know about this ... what I've done today and," a breath, Saang grimaced into his hands, "what I will likely do for the next challenges. Promise me Ianthe - promise me you will not tell them."

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe's lips twisted into a grimace at the mention of his family. His mother would skin her alive, his young-older sisters would no doubt then flay what remained, and that little gremlin would clap through the whole thing. Though, when she thought about it, of all Saang's siblings perhaps she should have brought the whelp. She'd have probably enjoyed the whole thing far more.

"The trials cannot be spoken of," she intoned and after a moments hesitation crossed her legs and sat down opposite her Lord. "But... I wouldn't speak of them to your family if they were," she added a touch more gently. "They never knew what was coming, or any sort of pain if the heat of the blast is anything to go off," she rubbed at her upper arm awkwardly. Comforting about killing went against everything that she was. Was that the type of thing fae like Saang would life to hear in a time like this?

"The other trials are more about you if it's any consolation," she grimaced. "This one was the easy one." Or it had been for her.

 

[Saang Lusce]

That was some weight off his mind, knowing his family would never learn about this. At least not from him and not from her. Her comforting words were of course appreciated, but Saang did not feel as though he could emote or express such a thing in his current state. He did look up to her as she described the next trials, the dulled flame of his eyes settling on the bright cerulean seafoam of her hair.

"Then I hope I am as strong as you," in every way that counted. Ianthe was one of the strongest fae he knew and despite her penchant for causing trouble and ditching out at the first sign of red hair, he had a hard time thinking of anyone else he would have wanted with him now. Sure, there were other strong, branded kelpies - but none that he'd trust so well to lead him through this.

"When this is all over, I'm going to set you free."

 

[Ianthe]

The kelpie suddenly went as still as a lake's surface on a windless day. She dare not move, dare not breathe, for fear of breaking the dream and waking up to realise those words had not been spoken but rather conjured in a hopeful slumber.

"Don't..." the word broke on her lips and the young kelpie's expressionless face almost fractured. "Don't toy with me, Saang... Don't promise what you can't fulfil," it was a cruelty she could not bear, certainly not from him of all her Handlers.

 

[Saang Lusce]

"I'm not toying with you," the weight of his decision could be seen in his expression - a modicum of emotion having returned to him siphoned from the very sudden and strong wash of feelings in his kelpie companion, "I should have done it years ago. What freedom I gave to you ... I fooled myself into believing it was enough but all I did was extend your leash. It was nothing but a farce I offered to make myself feel better about your situation while escaping the consequences that would have found me had I done things the right way."

Gods, the emotions were returning to him in waves now and he felt them crashing over his mental walls and rushing in upon him like a flood. His hands were shaking with a fresh surge of adrenalin.

"I'm just a fucking hack. I'm no better than any other Night Lord. I was ready to marry my sister off to Prince Kana'ti and I know what a horrible person he is. I gave you your freedom as a lump of coal and called it a diamond. And for what? For the Court's approval, my father's respect? What fucking good does any of this do if the people I love are living in misery? My family deserves better than that. You deserve better than that, than me."

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe sat there with wide, bewildered eyes. Saang had always been a cool, reassuring constant in her life. The calm eye of a raging storm that was the rest of the Night Court. He had always come across as sure and dedicated to the causes he thought was right. But the man she knew, the one sat before her, was unravelling into an unknown and it terrified her far more than any battle she had or would face.

"There.... There isn't anyone better than you," Ianthe wasn't sure if he would take that as the compliment it was or see it as the bleak reality of the state of the Night Court so she put a hand tentatively over his to show how she intended it. "None of us expected what you were able to give us, let alone more. Until this Court is... is different then there isn't hope for any better," she took a breath. Politics were not something she tried to get involved with or think about for there was no way for her to impact them and so thinking of them only made her angrier.

"Why don't you just... leave?" It seemed the simplest solution.

 

[Saang Lusce]

Even with her comforting gesture, Saang could not help but see the reality of her words. There was no one better than him in the Night Court - and that was a sorry truth to know. If he was the best of them? There was such little hope for anything better or more for anyone that wasn't nobility. Gaze settling upon the hand over his own, he let the cold of her touch seep into his skin unimpeded.

Freezing. She was freezing. How did she live like this all the time? As tempting as it was to flush it out with his own inner warmth, he wanted that cold to remind him of his shortcomings. That his power couldn't cure what ailed the Night Court, nor would it defeat it alone. He needed the coldness of those most scorned if he had any prayer of effecting any sort of change.

So why didn't he just leave?

"It isn't that simple," Saang replied solemnly, "my departure would put a target on my entire family. They would be striped of rank, imprisoned, killed ... or worse. I am one of Prince Kana'ti's closest friends and confidants - what he would do in response to such a great offense ..." brow furrowed, he shook his head, "I will not leave until I am sure I can get my family to safety first. For that, I need the sanctuary and help of another Court to protect them. Kana'ti would hunt me down and use them against me."

 

[Ianthe]

And there it was again.

Family.

It seemed to Ianthe that it was far less complicated to simply hate all of ones family as she did. It meant she had no ties and could do whatever it was she wanted to do. Well... as much as the Handler bond allowed. Ianthe considered, not for the first time, whether she should do Saang the favour of removing him of his family too, then he could see how free he could actually be. She wanted that for him but she knew that he would never see it as the gift she would intend it as. He would probably be disgusted if he ever discovered she'd carefully plotted exactly how she would do it, too.

She had nothing else to say into the silence that followed his words. Instead she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small neatly woven doll, a small shard of red stone had been tied to its waist. She placed it carefully in the space between them.

"They bring luck, for the next few trials...."