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It was a hot sunny morning. What better time to lounge about in the cool grass, Sir Airmer thought to himself. He had been recovering from the curse he had been afflicted with, like the rest of his fellow knights, due to the Maids new magic.
He had taken to her meddling quite badly and was very distressed when freed from it. He had lost all concept of who he was and what he had done. Some rest and reassurance rebuilt his strength and thoughts. But it made him realise how vulnerable he and his kind were to even the slightest change in their patterns, their stories. Trapped in the endless cycle of ballades, not having the ability to adapt in the face of change. Creth had always told him that survival meant learning to adapt to new things, learning to fight an adversary before even meeting them. Were Fae really able to do these things? Were they doomed to perish in the flow of time? Foresight wasn't something Fae were really all that good at.
Maybe having a mortal leader was not all a bad thing, they could deal with change and perhaps she could teach them how...even if her presence was an omen of something darker.
Airmer settled by one of the many streams that flowed around the House of Ballades. Sitting in the soft moss, he dipped his bare feet in the refreshing water, leaned back and began sipping his favourite brew, Honey Tea. If he needed time off to recover, he may as well enjoy it.
The sounds of the insects and birds filled his mind and he found himself slipping into Revery. Every sound was growing distant, the gentle whistle of the wind, the trickle of the water, the chatter of the squires in the House. All growing distant, he could just about make out the songs of his fellow Fae, also in Reverie, that should help.... "Morning Airmer!"
A light, cheerful voice called, yanking him right out of his stupor. He jolted upright and spoted the young mortal that had now become such an important figure in all of their lives. "My leige!" he squeaked, "Y-you startled me!" Airmer relaxed when he realized that in fact he was not about to be smashed to pieces by a Troll, or chewed on by Bargests as were his usual rude wake up calls.
"Sorry, i didn't realise you were sleeping." she answered sheepishly. After a pause she placed a hand her hip and leaned on it. "And what have I told you about calling me that?" she added in a commanding tone. He blinked at first but then realised what she meant. "oh, appologies my-ah, Sagrell." he corrected himself. This was going to be hard one to break out of, then perhaps, maybe not, only time could tell.
This mortal was remarkable, He had always beleived them to only motivated by whatever rewards they could achieve or saving their own skin, cowardly and greedy. But she was different, she wanted to learn Fae ways, to understand their world. He was deeply touched when he found out she had saved them all from the Maid, not for her own gain, not to earn her place or their admiration, but for the sheer affection she had for them all. She wanted to free them and ensure their safety, no matter the cost to herself. When Hallam announced her Queen, she had refused, stating she had never intended joining the House of Ballades to begin with, she was not fit for such a role, she just wanted to learn. But with the agreements of all the knights and the encouragement of Hallam, she finally had accepted. Though she still insisted on them not using her official tittle.
"Can I join you?" Caerwyn asked gently, gesturing at the spot next to Airmer. He looked at said spot for a moment, trying to understand why she needed to ask. Maybe she was still nervous around them. "Of course, of course you can!" he answered cheerfully, making room for her. Airmer was one of the tallest Fae, she had ever seen, even sitting next to him, she felt dwarfed.
"How are you feeling? You know...since what happened." she asked the knight tentetivly. "Much better, thank you. My thoughts are back the way they should be and my body has recovered well." he gave her a warm smile, "I see Green is doing well with you as well." he added gently, looking over the cuts, burns and bruises that he could still see. They weren't as angry looking anymore but mortal bodies were so fragile in comparison to that of Fae. "He's doing great. I don't think I could trust another healer now I've spent so much time with him." Caerwyn answered with a smile.
Airmer was pleased to hear she was recovering well. "I'm sure you will trust another healer... You will probably have to with everything you've told me."
"Only if they are Fae!" the girl quipped. The knight couldn't help but laugh at that. "Have you really spent so long with Fae that you distrust your mortal brethren, Sagrell?" he asked with a chuckle.
"kind of..." the Fateless One answered honestly. "Oh No! What have we done? We accidentally converted a Mortal into a Fae! What are we going to do?!" Airmer exclaimed , followed by a fit of giggles.
"Hey!" the girl squeaked, punching him softly in the arm. The Fae feigned pain but he was still laughing. That was one of the reasons Caerwyn liked Airmer so much, he was always bubbly, always smilling, always full of jokes, even if some of them were silly. He had become somewhat of a big brother to her, despite it was a concept Fae couldn't fully understand. She could talk to him easily, have a giggle over nothing with him, he helped her out whenever she messed up amongst other Fae. Even when they first met and they got seperated in Sunder Caverns, he would come and find her, make sure she was safe, help her out with what became her pet-hate, Sprites. He didn't have to do any of that. Like Creth, he could have run off ahead and completed their own ballade, and he wouldn't have to deal with the pescky dustling anymore. But he did, and he took care of her when she returned from Windermere, covered in blood and soot, and when a disgruntled squire got snappy with her, he would be there to reprimend them.
She had began noticing a pattern durring her time in the House of Ballades, a common theme amongst their songs. Love and affection was apparently a very powerful part of what it meant to be Fae. And she had begun seeing it everywhere in the House. Squires tending to each other as well as their home, if one was unwell, the others would lend them their strength to help their friend recover.
Witnessing this strong camaradery among these Fae made her wonder if that was the reason why the House of Ballades was so peacefull, why these people were so at ease. Why couldn't mortals be like this? The world would be such a peaceful place then. No hatred, no wars. Maybe that's what needed to be done, Mortals learn how to love their Fae neighbours rather than fear them.
"Airmer, this might sound like a silly question..." she started. The knight glance at her quizzically. " What do you think of the idea of Fae and Mortals living, side by side, in harmony?" he looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if Mortals learned to care about each other and the Fae in the same way I've seen here, then surely things would be easier on both of our kinds. It might help preserve your way, your songs and maybe...maybe help stop this war..." she finished hesitantly.
Airmer thought about it for a moment then let outna sigh and shared some his tea with her. "I don't know honestly, Sagrell, it's not something i've really thought about. As you know, we're not really the most innovative of thinkers when it comes to change." he paused in thought. "Hallam is probably the best to talk too, for things like that anyway." he added in an apologetic tone.
She sipped her share of the tea. "Well is it something you would like to see happen?"
Airmer shot her a concerned look." well, I-I don't know...What would happen if things went wrong? Would there be another war? What would happen if...." There it was again, the Fae's fear of change.
"No, listen to me!" the girl interrupted. The usually confidant knight looked at her with the expression akin to a scolded puppy. "Don't worry about the what if thing go wrong, just imagine the good things that could come out of it, not the bad!" she continued reassuringly. "Imagine, we could all live together safe, warm and cozy, singing songs to each other, sharing stories and wine after a hard days work. Mortals learning to live with nature rather than against it. Whouldn't that be nice?" she continued leaning against him. He thought about it, trying to banish the hundreds of bad senarios poping into his head. But then he remebered the laughs and fun he and Creth and with her, when they were looking for Nix together or when he saw the raw concern in her face when she had freed him from the Maids curse. Maybe it was possible after all, to live in harmony with mortals.
"it would take alot of work..." the knight started "but i do like the sound of that idea." he finally said.
Caerwyn could only smile when he finally let go of his worry. She reached to his face and gently scratched along his jaw and cheek and behind his ear, something she learnt very quickly that he absolutly loved. "See was that so hard?" she asked him gently. "that is how many of mortals can deal with change. Think of the goods, not the . " she finished softly. She couldn't help but let out a light giggle as the giant of a Fae beside her began leaning into her touch, eyes loosly closed and purring loudly.
She giggled again. " You like that don't you?" the Fae leaned into her touch more. "hmm...." was about all he could muster. She smiled and gently pulled out his hair tie. He looked at his mortal companion quizzically who only guided his head onto her lap and began running her fingers through his golden hair.
If this is what she had in mind for Fae and Mortals living together, then Sir Airmer was quite happy with that.