Chapter 17: Sidhe and Courts

If kin of any kind achieves a level that could be considered by local gods on many worlds as on the cusp or as a prelude to greatness (or infamy), they are blessed/cursed in some select worlds to evolve into a Sidhe. This is seen by most kin as a way for petty deities to limit the power of the fair folk who could issue challenges to their pantheons. (See: “The Meddling of Gods and Monsters”, pg.3)

The Sidhe are a peculiar breed of kin: they strain and struggle for independence and freedom by enslaving themselves to a parcel of land, which they call courts. To outsiders, courts are sometimes known as fae (or fairy (derogatory, See: "Small-Minded Fools" pg. 1)) mounds. Courts, or mounds, are pockets of reality that are both considered anchored to and disconnected from the world they are planted on. They usually hold qualities singular to that one designated space and are wholly unique entities to themselves. One court cannot be compared to another; usually, the rules vary wildly from court to court, depending on the Sidhe Lord's whim.

A court may be a literal mound, a cave, a forest, or a house; anything that a Sidhe wants to claim can be a potential court. The area of land that the court generates inside the dimensional pocket is known as a demesne.

After the Sidhe plants their essence into the soil they want to claim (See: "Fae Essence", pg. 43), the court grows around it in an inverse expansion, in turn, claiming all the immediate surrounding area and then spreading larger and larger within. The doorway connecting the world to the mound is called an "anchor."

Once the Sidhe has claimed a court, they are known as a Sidhe Lord. If a Sidhe has more than one court, they are referred to as a Sidhe King.

Sidhe Lords rarely ever leave their claimed courts while the mounds continue to grow until the growth is stalled by a lack of mana input (much like an incubation period). Mana input comes from the Sidhe Lord’s personal stores and can also be generated by any being who swears to the court itself. A small amount of a court member’s natural mana generation is tithed to the fabric of reality inside of the mound, and with enough input (either from high-value members, a large amount of lesser members, or a combination of both), courts can contain quite large pocket realities. In return for tithing their mana to the court, some Sidhe Lords pledge boons, protection, and in rare cases, kinship to any recruited to join courts.

After their courts are planted and grown, a Sidhe Lord may find meaning and entertainment in the fae tricks of blending into the human (or other) populace while hunting for potential court members. However, they never stray far from their mounds, as the courts are what generate personal mana for them, as they, in turn, generate the fabric of reality inside the court.

It is unknown if the Sidhe willingly claim courts and recruit members, or if it is a compulsion generated as an extension of their natural magic or a curse from gods.

To sunder a mound, the Sidhe simply must die or surrender their claim upon the essence that grew it. (See: "Killing the Powerful", pg. 333)

(Excerpt from [Blending In]. Pages 26-7)

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"Oh, fuck no."

Green was ranting about arrogant elflings poaching his future queen. The elf king, Aren, was silently fuming; he had his hands fisted on the tabletop and his face was turning red. He was glaring at Green like he was about to draw a weapon. The blushing Cora looked embarrassed and like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole. The shadows were whirling and whispering to each other and had gathered close around her as if she needed help.

Puppy looked embarrassed.

Merrick: I thought he said you were cousins? Is it like those pack families that are known for inbreeding? That’s … it’s none of my business. Never mind.

Miles was laughing from around her neck, cackling like a madman as if he had heard the funniest joke while watching people fall off of ladders while holding pies.

Max wanted to punch Green in the face, punch Aren in the face, and then punch Green in the face again. Cora, so far, was cool. She, at least, didn’t want to offer something Max had no want to take.

Max had no idea that this was where it was headed, and it kinda felt like it was an affront to her dignity. Could they not cement House bonds without trading in flesh? She had complimentary parts to theirs so they’d, what, just call dibs?

Damn. Arranged marriages are fucking catnip to royalty in all species, I guess? Should I shift into and solely interact with them from now on as the slime or insect creature I picked up on my route here? Would they still offer their royal scepters for my use? If I had dangly bits, this would have not been the conversation. Damn.

Marriage. And a political one.

Over her dead and smoldering body.

A throne. Or, she figured, two of them.

Never fucking godsdamned again.

She silently stood and backed away from the two magical men who were gearing up for a brawl. She walked over to the wall she had made and touched the controls for the lights.

Max: I’ll explain the cousin thing to you once they shut up. It’s a kin thing. Cover your eyes, Pup.

She turned off the lights and then turned them on at full power. Back and forth for several beats. Flashing lights at them like they were an unruly mob of children. Green stopped ranting and Aren looked blinded and startled. Cora, blinded, still looked like she wanted out.

"I just said I didn't want to do all of this political bullshit. Honestly, I don't fucking care enough." She pinched the bridge of her nose. She girded her non-cloaca sheathed loins. Okay. She sighed. "Yeah, I'm not looking for an arranged marriage nor a throne, from either of you, thanks. Mr. Green, we will have to discuss this later. I think maybe there may have been a miscommunication. Alliances are stronger with well-defined boundaries, yes?" She nodded in askance at him.

He had questions and a small bit of heartbreak in his eyes but nodded back.

She looked at the elf king. He was pretty, but not that fucking pretty.

Fuck the vibes, let’s go with the gut.

She flopped back down in the chair, not bothering to hide just how tired she was. "I respectfully decline the trade of thrones and flesh, but the rest of it sounded fine. We can train your folks to do what they are good at and find niches for them to fill. That all sounded great.”

”You aren’t looking for a throne and marriage partner, or you aren’t looking at us as suitable candidates?” Aren questioned. He looked as if he didn’t understand the rejection. Had he ever been told no before? Was he under the impression that he was bestowing the greatest gift he was able to by offering his bed in holy matrimony?

Ha, ha. I learned lives upon lives ago that the prettiest ones are the lousiest lays. And he’s a fucking stunner.

"The first. I'm not looking for marriage at this time. And if I ever did consider my options, it wouldn't be for political purposes."

Max looked at both of the crestfallen, confused men and sighed, "You aren't listening to me. But let me repeat myself. I don't want to rule the world. I don't want thrones. I’m technically already a Lord, but of a court of …” she tried to say four but instead swallowed and said, “…five. But I want small. I want peace. I want to tinker in my forge, and sometimes blow myself up with experimental potions. I want to grow my court into an impenetrable bastion to hide in. I want to make pretty swords that never shed a drop of blood. Your thrones mean fuck all to me but responsibility I don't want. I just want my kids and my kin to be safe and happy.” Green perked up at that. “If I can help people, I will. If I have to kill shit or shitty people, I'll do that too. But I don't want to have to do anything in the name of a throne or kingdom. And for the marital part of marriage, I can get that without having to dedicate my life to someone I hardly know and barely trust. Sorry, not sorry. If it's gonna be a big issue, I can always just be male in our interactions from now on.”

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Fuck it all. Fuck this. Fuck that. Fuck all of it.

She used one of her ignored goddess abilities to shift into the first male body she could think of. Totally average human male. A little scrawny. Slim build. Underfed. Bad eyesight. He, because he was a he now, was just, well. A guy. A normal human guy. Maybe twenty, twenty-five. Brownish-reddish hair, hazel eyes. A little taller than average height. Could get lost in a crowd. He looked a bit bookish like he could work at a library. Completely average. Not hot.

He was definitely now nothing two kings would fight over.

He lucked out that he was wearing casual clothes that fit both bodies. A t-shirt and sweatpants. Score.

This body never stopped traffic. Except for Anais. Eventually.

That should sort it out.

Max said in his completely average, human, male voice, "Can we please continue now? As I said, I'm tired and I'd like to spend time with my kids. If I have to build a home for you, I'd like to be able to finish it before it gets too late."

Everyone went deathly quiet.

For some reason, Puppy gagged and his eyes started watering. He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling and not at the other people at the table.

Max: Puppy, is the magic down here that bad? Was it my shift? Can I do something to help?

Merrick: THAT'S IT I'M SAYING IT.

Merrick: If everyone in this fucking room doesn't stop smelling so fucking horny, I'm going to fucking puke.

Miles: HAHAHAHAHA Max! The god of sexual frustration! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Max: What the fuck! No. Cora too? The shadows? All of them?

Merrick: The shadows, the elf. Both kings. All of them.

Max: Thirsty fucking degenerates.

Max: I give up. I really do. Maybe the blob or insect would have been a better choice to shift into.

Miles: They'd probably all drop trou at the sight and start mutually masturbating.

Merrick: Oh gods! Now Lady smells like it, too. Please, stop, Miles!

Max: Just call me Max, Puppy. If I'm wearing a dick, it's weird to call me Lady.

****

Eventually, after several instances of Puppy gagging and Max losing his patience at all the frustrating, dick-waving drama, Aren and Max signed the agreement welcoming eleven elven refugees into the House of Max.

Max quickly escaped the underground room and was trailed by everyone else, leaving the still-sleeping children underground to rest. Puppy was most obviously relieved to leave the enclosed area and sneezed when he was released into the open air of the demesne.

"I will return with the last two of my, our, people. I shall leave Cora, the sleeping children, and the shadows in your care."

"Sounds good." Max nodded absently at the retreating king. He was peopled out with the lot of them and just wanted it to be over. Once he got them housed, he wouldn't have to interact with them for a while. Maybe a whole day. That sounded like a small slice of heaven.

He remembered the cover of the books he got with his Druid class. The one for the light elves had a tree. The one for the dark featured a moody cave. Easy peasy lemon whatever.

Max looked over at Green, who was silently hovering a few feet behind and to the side of him. Max nodded and sat in the dirt. Cora wandered away with Puppy to look at the forge and alchemy bench. She was chattering to Puppy about how she could start a tailoring studio. The shadows were drifting through the trees. Good.

Max put his hand on the ground and began to grow a tree over the stairs, directly over the rooms the group had just used. A simple oak whose roots would hide the entrance. While it was growing, he picked up a twig to doodle in the dirt and began the dreaded conversation with Green. "Time for our a question for a question game? Or did you want to talk about how our prospective alliance has changed now that you know whatever it is you think you know?"

"Question for a question is what we had agreed to, cousin mine."

"Did you want to go first?" Max wanted Green to set the tone of the game, to see if they were still handling each other softly, softly, or if they were going for each other's throats.

Green watched Max while he was playing in the dirt and channeling the growth spell. Saw wasn't a hard spell for Max to maintain. Green nodded his head as if agreeing with himself.

"How did you attain your godhood, Max?" No "Ms./Mr. Traveller", no "cousin." He'd never called Max by name before. That was more jarring than the actual question.

So. The throat, then. Okay.

"I died a thousand thousand times in horrible ways and was saved by a kind heart on a forgotten planet." Max shrugged nonchalantly. It was old news to him. He threw the twig away. "What do you actually want from me?"

"I'm undecided yet. Are you planning to restart the system?"

"Oh, gods and monsters, no. The system is very, very dead on this world, and will stay that way as long as I can help it." Max snorted like it was preposterous. He wasn't planning on initiating anyone into the system anymore. If his kids couldn't get it, no one else could, either. He didn't minutely trust anyone else with it. "Are my house and I in danger of getting problems from you and your house?"

"Not previously. Not now. It depends on what you do in the future if you will be then. Are you going to summon any monsters or heroes?"

"I never lied about wanting to live small. No, I'm not summoning anything. Fuck that." Max thought for a moment. "What gave me away? The godhood? What gave it away?"

"Your necklace." Green pointed at Miles, who was still being a beautiful bauble around Max’s neck. "I've seen god-forged golems before. Those never survive the death of those who forge them and are never stolen or traded away."

"Ah, so you knew immediately." Max nodded, but as it wasn't a question, and it wasn't his turn to answer yet, Green ignored him.

Green, still serious, seemed more relaxed now that he had assurances Max didn't plan to end the world. He continued, "Are you really going to grant elves casting abilities? Elves are the best mana-generating court batteries. That's why they were pursued so hard by all our other kin and hunted so thoroughly by the rest of the world. They walked through that portal more than a hundred strong, and in the ensuing centuries have been eaten or drained to eleven. Lots of mana and they are prohibited from spending it themselves." He finished, "And they tend to be arrogant assholes who eventually get bent toward world domination."

Max shrugged his shoulder. "A promise is a promise. I don't need their mana, really." Max looked at the tree. "Elves in the past probably deserved whatever curse they earned from whatever god they pissed off, even if it was a curse and not just a shitty cistern. These didn't earn any punishment, though. And they've been through hell. They deserve a little boon." He considered Green's worry. "Although, if find I’m just a sucker for a tragic backstory, I'll rein them in if they need it." Max finished channeling the spell growing the tree. It was almost the size of a fully-grown redwood but with more sturdy limbs. Branches thread through the already established canopy, creating spaces he could use to support the tree houses the wanted to build. Proper fantasy elf houses, like in books from his original world. He could, potentially, make this really cool. "How did you directly lie to Aren? Or are we really courting and I was unaware?"

"It's nice to see that you are still a little new, cousin.” Green looked at the canopy and not at Max. “For an hour or so, I considered you my intended bride and wanted you more than anything else, down to my very soul. I used it as a way to give you an out without hurting your chances of recruiting the snobs. I suspected he would push for marriage because elves have a tradition of selling their royals into consort relationships with their patron deities. I find the flesh trade abhorrent, even if the flesh is attached to an arrogant elf who is trading himself.” Green sniffed. “Lying for kin is simple. I convinced myself of a truth that wasn't true first so I could tell that truth to him.”

Green focused on Max’s male face and gave him a wicked grin. A sinful grin. One that promised all things decadent and delicious and dangerous. “Why? We discussed sharing a bed in the past. Did you want to court me in reality, Max? I might be open to the idea. I wouldn't even offer you a figurative throne I would never and could never grant to you." Green leaned down and gently lifted Max's chin with the tips of his long, elegant fingers. He murmured, and lightly trailed his thumb over Max's lower lip, smoldering eyes setting fire to the line his thumb traveled, "And all you have to do is beg for it."

A hushed footfall. A broken twig. Max looked over as Puppy, followed closely by Cora, walked back through the foliage, into what was a clearing but was now under the canopy of a massive tree. Green's hand fell away and he stood up straight again. Max smiled a welcoming smile and waved to both for the timely intervention.

Puppy called, "Max, did you need any help?"

"Yeah, Pup. Would you go get Beasty and Flower and bring them here? I wanted to show you kids basic earth and wood-shaping spells."

"Do you mind if I watch, my Lord?"

"Not at all, Ms. Cora. Hang tight for my kids to get here.”

Green straightened his lapels and touched both cufflinks. ”Is our game concluded for tonight, Mr. Traveller?”

”It’s probably best if we pause it there, cousin. Wouldn’t want to get too many answers in case things get stale.” Max snarked. He did have a bit of residual irritation about never getting told important kin stuff. Unless it was in the manual, and that read had a lot of anger, bias, and hearsay. “What about the alliance?”

Green grimaced. ”We are kin. Of course, our Houses already have an alliance. I told you already that you are of us. Unless you were wanting to entwine our territories and magic by getting married in truth, it doesn't get more allied, cousin." Green gave the same affronted look to Max that Max had given to Puppy hours before.

“Oh.” Dang. Maybe I am dumb.

“I’ll take my leave from your court for tonight. Could I ask for someone to escort me out?”

Rigel stepped out of Green's shadow and looked flushed. “I can do it, Lord Green.”

”Wonderful! And a feast for the eyes on the way out!" Mr. Green eyed Rigel up and down like he was food. "Delightful! Goodnight, cousin. Remember to call if you need anything else! Normal rates apply!” He waved over his shoulder and followed the blushing shadow out.