Fantasy fairy circles — closed.

[mourning star]

i am the merry wanderer of the night — ;

☾

Crystal L. Windsor

i'll follow you and make a heaven out of hell— and i'll die by your hand, which i love so well...

In a grand throne room filled with spindly wooden support beams and spider webs strung up like party streamers, there stood a king and his daughter next to his throne.

The king was tall and unaffected, his thick brows narrowed over green eyes that reflected the same hue as the gems in his crown. His full lips were twisted into a frown, a hand on his hip. He was busy listening to his daughter, watching the crown princess gesture with her hands in an untamed moment of frustration.

Holding up his hand, he spoke a single word.

“No.”

Crystal felt her lips part, staring at her father with the same hue of emerald-green eyes that coldly regarded her.

“Why would you say no? We both know I mentioned that mushroom ring because no human has stepped into it before,” She spoke, her tone cold. “It feels cruel to hold me to that informal promise I made over a century ago. Especially now since I’m almost close to being crowned queen.”

Adjusting one of her braids over her pointed ear, she crossed her arms over her chest.

Her father took a step closer, laying his large hand over her shoulder.

“As a member of this family, I expect you to uphold every promise you make to our people,” Her father murmured, his normally-booming voice soft with consideration. “And that includes the promise you made about your betrothal. It wasn’t just your words, it was your actions. You can’t back out of it now.”

Crystal felt tears fill her eyes.

Stepping away from her father’s grasp, she turned away and held her arms over her sternum. Her wings were tucked close to her back, her head slumped as long moments of silence stretched between them.

“I’m going to see him alone,” She stated, stepping down the stairs to make her way to the door.

She paused near the entrance, her brows furrowed as she finally met her father’s gaze with a bitter expression on her face.

“I’m not going to stop fighting you on this,” She said coolly, “Because I know that no one will see him as my equal in our court. Not even you in the end. So, stick to your stubborn ways. I’ll find my own solution.”

Straightening her spine, she wheeled back forward before forcibly opening the doors on her own.

The guards jolted to attention, wide-eyed as they watched the princess stop throw the doors before sending a blast behind herself to shut the doors with a heavy ‘bang’.

Her ears twitched but she soldiered on, eyes narrowed as her wings fanned out behind her back.

She knew they were keeping the human in one of the royal suites, far away and isolated from the main sections of their castle.

It didn’t take long for her to find herself at the doors, ignoring the two guards as they cautiously gave her access to the room.

Stepping into the room, she glanced around to find the figure of the human who was already so infamous in their realm.

“Hello?” She called out cautiously, wavering by the entrance. “I heard you were the human who got shrunk and dragged here this morning. Do you… ?”

Crystal cut herself, cursing under her breath.

"I wish to speak with you." Her voice grew casual as she moved to the bed, sitting down with a regal air. "If you could come out from wherever you're hiding, I promise I'll tell you everything you wish to know."

© pasta

 

[Hope_and_Heir]

Erland

Erland was often lost. Whether lost in his thoughts or in physical space, Erland struggled with direction. However, this time it wasn’t of his own doing. He was on the run from his kingdom as a fugitive, attempting to find his best friend who had somehow mysteriously disappeared in an explosion of wild magic. Most of the time, he was able to hide from his pursuers fairly well but on this day he had an uncommon stroke of horrible luck.

His black hair flew in the breeze as he ran through the woods, away from the guards that were chasing him. He closed his eyes as if it would drown out the sounds of their yelling and kept sprinting, hoping they’d eventually stop following.

A current of magical energy ripped through his veins out of nowhere as he ran. It almost felt as if he was somehow shrinking. He opened his eyes and peered down at himself.
Everything was growing taller around him as he noticed a ring of mushrooms that he had the displeasure of stepping into. He had heard of them, fairy rings. Many rumors surrounded them but most of the time the people that entered were never found again.

Erland’s mind flooded with thoughts of never seeing the end of the war as a small kingdom eventually appeared around him and he continued to shrink.

‘At least the guards can’t find me here...’ he thought to himself. Looking around, he noticed he had ended up in a small marketplace just outside the inner kingdom. He was met with stares from the fae that saw him come in. They began mumbling to each other as they pointed out that Erland didn’t have any wings.
Erland’s brow furrowed as two large fae guards grabbed him on either side and started leading him somewhere. Despite his protests, they wouldn’t let go of him and wouldn’t answer his questions.

‘So much for freedom...’

They led him to a fancy suite within the castle and locked him in. Not much time had passed before he heard the guards talking to a girl outside the door. Thoughts began to cloud his mind of how he was going to get out of this situation.

As he thought, the doorknob began to turn and Erland made a split second decision to hide behind one of the curtains nearby. His shoulders tensed in anxiety as the princess entered the room and began trying to converse with him. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke.

“Am I to be executed for trespassing...?” Erland’s voice was gentle but filled with fear. He peered around the curtain that he was hiding behind, giving the princess a view of his features.

He had a pale face with freckles dotting his cheeks and the bridge of his nose along with dark circles under his eyes that made him look as if he never got any sleep. His messy, black hair fell into his face and stuck out at odd angles, entirely untamable. His most startling feature was his amber-colored eyes. Not only were they an unusual color, but they flickered as if flames had been caught in them.

Erland moved a strand of hair out of his face. “I promise it wasn’t my intention...”

 

[mourning star]

i am the merry wanderer of the night — ;

☾

Crystal L. Windsor

i'll follow you and make a heaven out of hell— and i'll die by your hand, which i love so well...

Crystal turned her head in the direction of the masculine voice, peering over her shoulder at the man.

She shifted to sit taller, her wings tucking even closer to her back as she pondered what to say.

“Fairies don’t kill innocent people,” She spoke quietly, her sharp eyes softening as she registered the fear in his expression. “And I know it wasn’t your intention to step into that fae circle. No human has ever walked in it. It’s incredibly rare to find anything this deep in the forest except for deer and small animals.”

Sighing quietly, she moved to perch her head in her hand.

Her lips pulled into a frown, shifting her gaze to stare at the wall with unseeing eyes.

“What your intentions were aren’t in consideration, however…”

Glancing back over her shoulder, she stilled for a long moment before getting to her feet.

She found herself drawing closer to the human, her steps silent.

With only a few feet now between them, she was able to get a better look at his face.

She briefly thought of how seeing a human up close like this was often discouraged by the elders. They warned how dangerous the human race was, how eager and power hungry they were to claim fae magic and use it for their own.

Now, standing before her soon-to-be groom, she found herself unsure on how to feel.

“I made a claim when I was a child,” She began, pivoting on her heel to slowly pace about the room. “That I wouldn’t marry before I became queen. And I fully intended to uphold that promise. However, I was required to make an exception by my mother and father. So, I promised that whatever humanoid creature stepped into the fae circle deep in the woods I would make my partner and have them rule by my side. It was that way for over a hundred years; until today, I suppose.”

She turned her body to stare at the human, her eyes narrowed.

“What were you doing so deep in this part of the forest?” She questioned, stepping close.

Her eyes were narrowed as she closed the distance, peering up at him with a frown on her lips.

© pasta

 

[Hope_and_Heir]

Erland stared at the fairy in front of him with great discomfort. “I uh…” he swallowed, attempting to fix his posture in order that he wouldn’t look stupid.

“I was running away from something. I figured if I kept going, they would eventually give up their pursuit. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I would rather keep the specifics to myself for now…”

He found himself unable to stop looking at her ears. He had heard stories of fairies but wasn’t sure if they existed until now. He didn’t expect for them to have such similar ears to elves. In fact, he may have thought he had been captured by elves if it wasn’t for everyone’s delicate but beautiful wings.

Erland paused for a moment before realizing what she had said earlier. “Wait a moment, I sincerely hope I’m hearing this wrong but are you saying that I’ve entered into an arranged marriage just for accidentally stumbling into a circle of mushrooms?” He took a step back.

“You realize how strange that sounds, right?” He tilted his head. “I have the right to refuse, don’t I? I’m sorry, but I don’t even know who you are.”

Erland took a deep breath, looking away from her. “I have a friend back at home… and she’s in danger. I can’t stay here. I need to find her.”