Silver knew what it needed to do. From the first time it heard her music, it knew, ‘I will be the one to protect her’, and that nothing else could be more important than this. From the moment it had budded, Silver was striving to grow as quickly as possible. Silver had connected with the network of roots within the garden, through which it could feel the constant love and joy of the flowers, and the one who sang to them. For all of this, Silver knew it needed to grow more. It needed to be bigger, and so it grew faster than it could imagine, but somehow still not fast enough.
As its roots expanded, so did its connections, and when it finally connected with the Thornwall, it saw. Invaders and usurpers, coming to destroy her garden. It was the first time that Silver knew rage. Rage at the ones who would dare to take what was not theirs, and rage at its own impotence. It needed to grow more.
Knowing that it was unable to protect the glade directly, Silver chose to focus on what it could do. With its central roots dipping into the Faerie’s spring, every day it drew forth a small amount of water for itself, willing itself to grow faster. At the same time, it portioned some of the mystical water and fed it to the Thornwall.
Silver continued trying to grow as quickly as it could, but then came the day of the battle. The bees which Silver sheltered took to the air, the beautiful Queen flew from her chambers like a black and gold comet streaking across the skies, yet Silver remained, unable to protect, unable to assist. If Silver had a heart, it would have been in anguish, knowing that the others were fighting to protect their home while it remained powerless to help… It needed to grow more.
It could feel her distress and melancholy through the bond that brought them together, the panic and fear that now lived beneath the surface of her thoughts trapping her in a cycle of destructive emotions, and when it heard something that was not song made by her voice, but instead a sound filled with pain and sadness, Silver knew then, that it had failed in its purpose.
It needed to grow more.
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High above the wilds within the garden, the countless plants and flowers of the glade began to shift and change. Silver now stood as tall as a mountain, keeping the residents well out of reach of the more common invaders, but they all knew that more would come with time. This home of theirs was a paradise, and it would draw those who wished to claim it like moths to a flame.
The largest immediate change was the Thornwall. The vines that had separated the glade from the outside collapsed and burrowed through the soil, then began extending their lengths along Silver’s colossal branches, draping themselves about to ensure that no unwelcome guests would make a roost there.
Along the vines that now stretched into the open air, the flowers that previously enchanted and paralyzed intruders also underwent a transformation, becoming Thornspitting Vineblossoms, ready to rain venomous barbs upon any that dared intrude whether by land or air.
Perhaps the most significant change of all concerned the area central to the entire garden. The glowing spring expanded, and Silver shifted the branch that was its former main body that previously housed the bees and encircled the spring. Now the glowing spring was a moderately sized pond. Its magic was truly overflowing to the point at which its power impregnated the air, leaving motes of light floating about in a truly enchanting display.
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Faerie’s expression was filled with childlike wonder at this new mystical feeling her garden gave her. She looked to the plants and flowers she had sung to regularly and realized that many of them had changed, taking on new and fantastical forms. Crystalline bellflowers filled her garden with the sound of delicate chimes, and even the grasses seemed to hum and sing as she passed them. Faerie dashed to and fro in amazement, seeing luminescent herbs and mosses while she smelled all of the new and bewitching fragrances blanketing the glade.
It seemed that with all the changes, Faerie had also changed somewhat. Deep within her subconscious she felt there had been a time before, filled with sadness and pain, but also joy and love. Without knowing exactly why, tears began to roll down her cheeks as she was momentarily lost in trying to grab hold of the fleeting memory before it escaped her grasp.
Coming back to herself, Faerie looked around her garden once more before returning to the spring where her companions were waiting. As she approached the water, a wave of exhaustion seemed to roll over her and she could see the concern on the faces of Arachne and Queen. Faerie gave them a small smile, and for the first time, she spoke. “Tired.” She said, and then fluttered over to her lotus to sleep.
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While Faerie rested, the other residents set out to explore and patrol their new and changed environment. Queen dispatched soldiers to patrol the outer branches of Silver’s canopy, as well as having a number of them descend the trunk to keep an eye on the lands below. Meanwhile, Arachne did as she often would and seemingly vanished without a trace.
Despite Silver now possessing a projected avatar, the avatar was unable to physically interact with anything, so it spent its time watching over the sleeping Faerie. As the day progressed late into the evening, Silver sensed something near its outer roots, now stretching well over a kilometre out from its trunk, and turned its attention there.
Beneath the canopy of the trees, Silver found some curious creatures approaching, but they carried no hostility with them, instead their spirits called out like family, similar to those who already called the garden home. Their odd crystalline bodies floated along as quickly as they could manage while there seemed to be a beast pursuing them. As Silver examined the beast, it knew; this was certainly an enemy.
The beast was a hulking six legged canid, 1.5 metres tall and nearly 4 metres long, with dark grey fur and vibrant green eyes. Along its snout it possessed silvery scales that scintillated in the dappled light, and two massive dagger-like fangs jutted down from its maw.
Silver felt its shame and helplessness when it had failed to protect the glade previously, and it swore on its soul that it would never again allow that to happen. Concentrating on the pursuing beast, Silver readied one of its roots beneath the surface, and just as the beast pounced at one of the crystals, Silver struck.
A silver root as sharp as a spear shot up through the soft earth and stabbed towards the beast’s throat, seeking to kill the creature in an instant. Unfortunately, it seemed the beast had sharp instincts, and while it didn’t fully evade the stab, it merely suffered a punctured shoulder rather than having its life ended by Silver’s thrust. The beast growled in pain as it leapt back from where it landed, trying to detect whomever attacked it, its swift movements seemingly unhampered despite the injured forelimb. ‘I will not fail again!’ The thought rang through Silver’s mind, hardening its determination further.
Observing the beast, Silver readied another strike. This time, instead of one root, Silver prepared several. As the beast sniffed at the air and searched its surrounding with its probing vision, Silver struck. The first strike came from behind the beast, and again it dodged making use of its acute instincts, but this time as it twisted its large frame, more roots struck towards it simultaneously. Three roots from various angles struck into the beast’s chest and abdomen, impaling it on the spot, and a final precisely aimed strike pierced the throat, ending the creature’s life.
‘I will not fail again.’ Silver thought once more as it drew the beast’s corpse beneath the soil.
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While this battle went on between the tree and the beast, the Aethelii kept moving forward, feeling that their destination was close. The land began to slope upward where Silver’s massive central roots had previously dragged it up back when its trunk burst forth to lift the glade. It was late at night when they arrived at Silver’s trunk.
Just as they arrived, Silver’s projected avatar stepped out of the wood, and a passage within the trunk opened up behind it. The Aethelii were startled, but followed the projection as it waved them within, the entrance sealing itself behind them. With everyone inside, the chamber they were in seemed to shift, rising towards the top of the tree before coming to rest, and a new opening appeared, with a short tunnel leading out into the garden.
Once again, Silver’s avatar waved for them to follow, and they made their way towards the central spring where Faerie slept. As soon as the new arrivals had approached the spring, Faerie had wakened, and sensing the inviting and hopeful feelings of these new crystalline visitors, her face lit up with a smile. Interestingly, it seemed that she had undergone a change while she slept, her form had increased in size, though she still looked quite childlike. Her height had surged from 15cm to 21cm, and her dark eyes had taken on a mystical glimmer that seemed to peek out from within their depths from time to time.
Faerie went to meet the Aethelii, and she felt their minds connect with hers, going still as they relayed their memories and experiences to her. As she fully processed everything these unique creatures had gone through, the painful emptiness that was their desire to have a place to call their own, she gave them a somewhat melancholic smile, before her melodic voice washed over them. “Home now.” She said, and lead them to the spring.
As she scooped up handfuls of the enchanted water, giving it to them one by one, the Aethelii felt the despair that had become their constant companion wash away, and a new light filled each of them as they accepted Faerie’s blessing. When each of the Aethelii had been given the water, they began to look around the garden for a suitable place to settle in, finally coming back to Silver’s original form that held the bee village high in it’s branches.
When they arrived at its base, Silver opened up and hollowed out the inside, forming various rooms, ramps, balconies and windows. The moment they passed inside, the Aethelii entered a large room and settled down for the first true rest that any of them could remember. Faerie wore a gentle smile as she returned to her lotus to sleep, grateful to have a group of new companions added to her growing family.