The air felt charged as Timekeeper loomed over the tiny babe, his gnarled staff clutched in bony hands and crimson robes swirling around his spindly form.
A single word rasped from his throat, shattering the heavy silence. "Pathetic."
Before Max could muster a response, a melodious voice rang out through the grove. "I beg to differ."
Timekeeper whirled around, staff crackling with azure energy, as a woman emerged from the shadows.
The rustling leaves overhead parted as a lithe figure descended with transcendental grace, drifting to the forest floor on a breeze that stirred at her arrival. Max blinked at the apparition, unsure if the ethereal being before him was a trick of the moonlight or something more.
In that moment, all eyes were on the elegant figure, she was pale and willowy, clad in gossamer silks of cobalt and indigo that shimmered with the hues of a twilight sky when she moved. Pointed ears peeked through her strawberry blonde tresses, pinned haphazardly atop her head by a crown of tiny blue blossoms. Her eyes were a shifting sea of emerald and hazel, staring at him with an intensity both curious and knowing. The stillness of the grove was only broken by the soft rustling of leaves and the hushed whispers of the wind.
“Your Grace,” Timekeeper ground out while quickly lowering his staff, “What is the meaning of this intrusion? We were in the midst of-“
“Discussing the fate of this [Human] infant, yes,” she replied breezily. “I came here at the guidance of a premonition my [Cloud Reader] trait granted during my nightly supplication to Mnemet. Now looking upon him I am sure, I can see in his eyes the destiny the clouds foretold. This child is meant for greater things.”
Max nearly leapt at her words, though he dared not show it. He kept his face carefully blank, not trusting this sudden twist of fortune.
If I learned anything from my family it's that those in power do not offer anything good without strings attached. She seems far too eager for someone who has no agenda, what does she have in mind for me?
"Greater things? I have already bestowed upon it the greatest of honors! Offering its life ensures the survival of the faeling I've sent to be raised in its place. Alone in the mortal, he will need every advantage if he is to survive; and survive he must. Soon Elaeden will have an elite division to protect your father's city, there could be no honor greater than to be chosen for the [Changeling] exchange program. Thank you for such a clear reminder, Duchess, I have been remiss not to allow Streamweaver to bring a swift end to this delay. He's been positively vibrating with excitement at the prospect of fulfilling his duty." Timekeeper paused, staring fervently at the guard until the woman stepped between them.
"His duty is fulfilled, the substitution has been made, and this child here is not relevant to the program, surely you know this." Shaking her head lightly she mused to herself, "Why must you always espouse your wild conjecture as fact? Even in our youth you always took things too far."
Meeting his eyes once more she said with growing confidence, "There is no record indicating a need for sacrifice, in every tale I have found our ancestors wrote of wanting to atone, of offering the [Human] a chance at reincarnation as an attempt to make amends for stealing them away to a land they cannot survive. Mnemet has sent me here to offer this one a different recompense."
"It has been more than a year since you last deigned to grace us with your presence within the city, so you have likely not heard," Timekeeper gloated, "Your eldest sister has sagaciously entrusted the program to me so I may shepherd them towards Mnemet's will. There is no offer you have any right to make, Cloudsong."
"I'm not as absent as you seem to think, besides, your infamy in taking over the [Changeling] program is well known even in the surrounding Freelands." The Duchess’s voice grew steadily louder till she was nearly shouting, "In the history of our people we have chosen at most one child a decade, you have taken one a SEASO-"
Locks of her hair tumbled across her face as she shook her head in exasperation, before taking a deep breath to collect herself and beginning again. "No, I will not devolve into your weird conversational wargames. He can and will survive as the first [Human] to become a [Changeling], or so the heavens convey to me. So I will take responsibility for this child. Please Tim, don’t do something you’ll regret."
Tim?? Ok, the guy is a lot less intimidating if I call him Tim!
The priest sputtered and for the first time since Max could understand the man, the loquacious and grandiose Tim seemed at a loss for words.
Cloudsong continued, "You can use whatever ability your own [Seer] type [Specialty] granted to check yourself, but I saw his fate in my evening reading. For millennia we have sent ours to be raised in what we view as a harsh mana deprived wasteland of the mortal realm. This boy has survived the acclimation to our mana density and I will raise him."
Tim scoffed, crimson brows knitting together. “And you expect us to believe this convenient revelation of yours? You are a traitor to your race, so you have to find a child to steal because that heathen can't knock you up? The clouds tell you what you wish to hear, your radiance. This is clearly a ploy to—“
The air around Cloudsong seemed to shimmer and warp as she drew herself up to her full height, eyes flashing. When she spoke again her voice echoed with a strange resonance, quiet but powerful enough that Max felt the stone beneath vibrate. “You overstep yourself, Timekeeper. I am still a Duchess, and you will afford me the proper respect.”
Seemingly chastised, Tim bowed grandiosely. “My apologies, your Illustrious and Incomparable and Stupendous and Magnanimous Eminence.”
A tense silence followed his words as an awkward battle of wills ensued between Cloudsong and the back of his head. Then, slowly, Tim inclined his head in reluctant acquiescence.
"Thank you Duchess Cloudsong, for such an... unexpected revelation," Tim managed to say, his voice dripping saccharine as he stood, trying to retain his authority. "I will accept you had such a vision but as all who peer through the veil of time must acknowledge, no information we can attain is incontrovertible. We can see possibilities, nothing more. I still believe it will perish but if you insist, I would be willing to oversee my usual ritual to conclude my [Changeling] ceremony in solitude and if it is still alive when I am done, you can take it then. Agreed?"
The duchess ignored him, her eyes fixed on Max. “How would you like to come home with me?” she asked softly. “I am Cloudsong, Duchess of the [Eladrin]. And it seems the fates have brought us together this night.”
“The fates,” Timekeeper grumbled under his breath as he turned back to join the guard at the edge of the grove, “or your incessant meddling.”
Compared to the guys, she seems like a deus ex machina savior, but that's just all the more reason not to blindly trust her. Not that I have much choice in anything though, I'm still just as immobile and defenseless as before but at least now it seems like everyone is more interested in arguing with each other than they are in observing or enacting my death.
As Cloudsong approached him, her hazel eyes filled with kindness and curiosity, she said, "Little one, I know you have been stolen away, and nothing makes sense anymore, I am sorry. I cannot make things right, cannot send you back to your rightful home, but if you will let me I can offer you a new life here."
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Bending closer so only Max could hear she continued, "I fear I will need your help, I believe you to be able to understand me, as absurd as that fact ought to be. I will need you to answer some questions to convince the priest to let me take you. I have already failed you thrice, my self imposed exile let Timekeeper run rampant or you would be warm in your parents' arms still now. Secondly, my vision informed me I cannot undo your adaptation and there's no way for you to grow up in the mortal realm where you belonged, and finally to offer you a chance at a happy life here in the Fae I must ask for your aid.” Cloudsong briefly hung her head as if in shame, before meeting Max's eyes with determination and continued, “Understandably I cannot expect you to trust me under these circumstances, but I hope I can earn it."
Max couldn't help but marvel at the absurdity as a Fae Duchess winked at him and without breaking eye contact called out a challenge to Tim, "If the boy can be [Named] as an [Eladrin] will you accept my claim to him?" Cloudsong rose and walked over to join the men in quiet conversation.
That's... a lot to digest.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
In.... out....
The chubby infant startled everyone in the grove, including himself, as he snorted at the failed attempt to bring some kind of clarity to his mind.
Ya didn't think breathing'd help much at this point
Not an [Elf] dispute after all I guess
Clearly I can’t assume anything but
It's been maybe an hour or so
I feel like I'm having a psychotic break
Cause how can I be calmly accepting this nonsense
Well not calmly but gah
I feel
Fine? I don't know, I'm pretty helpless but if I have to take things at face value I don't see any harm in trusting her. She's really pretty and seems nicer than Mother ever was, if I have to be a baby-
See
That
Right there
How can I be sanely considering choosing a mom?
As Max came to his conclusions, the trio finished their debate and returned to the altar to stand before him.
Cloudsong spoke for the group, "I believe you to have been touched by a blessing and have become more than you once were. I have staked my status in the line of succession on this, Everett has agreed to bear witness," she nodded to the guard, "and if I am wrong Timekeeper will become 7th in line for the rule of Elaeden."
Unable to contain himself Tim quickly interjected, "Yes, yes, so formal. It's absurd to adhere to tradition for the sake of one who cannot understand us. Let us wrap this up post-haste." Looking to the hairless wrinkled bundle he knew to be nothing but a [Human] he asked, "So naked monkey, can you understand me after all? Can we end this farce and notify the Archduke of his new heir?"
Tim had turned to address the last bit to his fellow [Eladrin] and as such watched Everett gawk and Cloudsong erupt in glee as Max clearly nodded in response to the high priest's question.
"I cannot promise an easy life but you would not necessarily have had that with your true parents either. Will you let me take you home with me?" Cloudsong asked before Tim could object.
Here goes nothing
Tim watched the child incline his head this time and exclaimed, "He's only nodding? If he can't speak he can't be [Named], and that was our bargain! Well, speak! See, it can’t, there's no need to-"
"Y y y y y y,” Max tried to say yes, but violently stuttered.
FRICK
I have my stutter still??
Why nooow
I should have been practicing
all this time
now shes gonna
lose her title
and
and
and then he's gonna kill me in a rituaalall
Max quickly devolved under the familiar shame, barely noticing through the torrent of his thoughts Tim trying to convince the others to concede his victory.
no
stop
breathe
it didn't help before but the stutter
that I know I can breathe through
"I"
breathe
"c- c- c- c-"
breathe
you got this
just breathe
"can"
breathe
"t- talk"
Her smile burst forth like a sunbeam breaking through the storm as Cloudsong gleefully lifted the bundle of blankets and loosened the swaddling to cradle Max in her arms.
"[Common]?? How in all the Fae is the boy answering us in [Common]? I was so close to being-"
"Very well then," Tim conceded begrudgingly, visibly restraining his frustration and narrowing his dark eyes at Cloudsong. "Your esteemed status as a Duchess does grant you certain... privileges. However, I must remind you that the Gods’ favor is not to be taken lightly. If he is to be [Named] you still need me to be the conduit for Mnemet's voice."
"Of course," Cloudsong replied coolly, ignoring his attempts to undermine her. "We will see you in the vault once you finish here. Do try not to miss us too terribly, won't you?"
Everett, relieved but sensing the potential trouble that accompanied Cloudsong's decision to adopt Max, hastily excused himself. "Your Highness, it was an honor to be in your esteemed presence," he stammered, bowing repeatedly as he backed away from the grove. "I must attend to other pressing matters. Please forgive my absence."
With that, he vanished into the forest, his apprehension palpable even as he tried to maintain a semblance of dignity.
Cloudsong's gaze remained fixed on Tim for a moment longer before she turned her attention back to Max. With a determined step, she walked away from the grove, her eyes focused on the path ahead.
My heart won't stop pounding. That was the most intense three words I've ever had to say.
And now she looks so serious, just what-
What else?
What do I hafta deal with next?
As if sensing his internal struggle, Cloudsong glanced down at him and offered a reassuring smile. He thought he felt a flicker of hope as she gazed down at him, eyes soft with affection, and smiled.
"There, now. No need to be afraid any longer." She adjusted Max in her arms, holding him close against the warmth of her body. The familiar scent of rain and ozone enveloped him as the exhausted infant relaxed into her embrace.
"I will keep you safe," she murmured, stroking a hand over his hair. "You are under my protection now, little one, and woe betide any who dare threaten what is mine."
As they made their way out of the grove, following the winding forest path, Max caught glimpses of grand spires and towering obsidian walls through the dense canopy of leaves overhead.
The [Eladrin] city, if my assumption is right. My new home.
Cloudsong hummed a lullaby as they went, her strides swift and sure. Soon Max drifted off to sleep in her arms, soothed by the gentle rocking motion and the steady beat of her heart.
“Well,” the priest said coldly, “perhaps her foolish sentimentality will be the realm’s undoing after all.” He glanced around the vacant grove, frowning at the empty place his sacrifice had lain before turning and slowly walking to follow.