I stared out at my friend, now held in chains before me. She put her trust in me, and I’d failed her, I’d failed everyone that put their trust in me.

Her auburn hair covered her face as she looked up at me, tears forming in her eyes.

I took a deep breath, calming myself for what I knew to come. “Well, I am here now. Just as you requested.”

“I did not expect you to come.” A voice spoke from the darkness behind the woman in chains. “To think that the great serpent of the east, the last of the free Royal Fae would let his cause fail for a single woman.” The man stepped out of the shadows, wearing a green cloak with its hood lowered, revealing his luminescent blue eyes, long brown hair and pointed ears. “What is she really? I know that you would not end this, simply to save someone you love. Your cause means too much to you.”

“We made a deal, my life for hers. I do not trust your masters, but I know you Ellion, you must fulfill your bond. Let my man take her and leave this place.” My most trusted man, Astor, stepped to my side, a great sadness in his eyes. He knew why we must do this, but it didn’t stop him from arguing with me for the days it had taken us to get here.

“Don’t do this Saron. It isn’t worth it.” The woman on the floor finally spoke, but I didn’t listen to her. I couldn’t listen to her.

I waited a breath, before Ellion nodded. Astor hurried to the woman, unlocking her chains and lifting her up, her own two legs unable to hold her weight.

As they left, the woman stared at me, sorrow, and a much deeper emotion obvious in her eyes. 

A great stone door closed behind them as they left this place, leaving me alone with Ellion and some fifty men of his that hid in the shadows. 

I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt them leave the confines of Ellion’s territory. I smiled at Ellion sadly. This was likely to be my last day awake in this world after all.

Reaching into my coat pocket, I pulled out a bottle of wine. “Come, drink with me for my last day.” I said, bringing two cups out from seemingly nowhere. I sat down on the floor pouring some wine into the cups

I sensed some surprise from the others in the room when Ellion sat down across from me. He reached out, grabbing the cup in front of me, and handed me his cup to drink.

“Did you honestly think I would poison you?” I asked, chuckling at the thought, and taking a sip of the wine.

“No,” he said, taking a sip of the wine, relaxing with a sigh. “That’s some good stuff.” He said motioning to the bottle before continuing, “no, I just felt like taking your cup.”

“How does it feel?” I asked tiredly, “giving your freedom over to the human mages?”

“They treat us well, being free of the corruption is a relief.”  Ellion responded, gulping down the last of the wine in his cup and holding his hand out for more.

I obliged him, pouring some more of the wine into his cup. “Was it worth it? The loss of freedom for protection and some shiny rocks?”

“I know you don’t agree with me, but I believe it was the best choice for the young ones. Too many would’ve died fighting the corruption on our own.”

“And yet now we are treated as playthings for the courts of mortal kings.” I poured myself some more wine, knowing that as soon as the bottle ran out, my time would come to an end.

“Happy safe and alive playthings, who know that their children are safe because of the decision they made.” Ellion said, staring into his wine with melancholy.

“Trading freedom for safety.” I glanced at the bottle in my hand, only a cup’s worth left. “What an archaic story.”

“I respect you greatly Saron,” Ellion held his cup out, I poured the last of the wine into his cup. “You never gave up in your belief of our freedom, you overthrew kingdoms, raised armies and gathered allies I never thought I’d see fighting for you. I am sorry for what must come next.”

I gulped the last of my wine, as we both stood up. I threw my cup to the floor. “One day you will see why we fought so hard. Hopefully that day won’t arrive too late.”

Ellion motioned with his hand and one of his men appeared beside him, holding a sword that hummed with power.

“Saron De’ron Lamonste, Serpent of the East, the last of the Free Royal Fae, and youngest son of former Fae King Oberon. I hereby sentence you to death for crimes committed against human and Fae alike. Treason, murder, rebellion, theft, and regicide, for these crimes, you have been found guilty.”

“You forgot public indecency.” I said with a sad smile. 

Ellion ignored my comment, instead pulling out the former sword of the Fae kings, Tethlion, one of the few weapons capable of permanently killing a Fae Royal. “Goodbye Saron.” He said, thrusting the sword through my rib cage and into my heart in a practiced motion.

Then he tried to pull the sword out. Shock overcame his face as the sword refused to move.

A bright light spread through the room, blinding everyone but myself. I looked down at the wound in my chest, a small smile appearing on my face as I watched my body rapidly turn to stone, I looked up into Ellion’s eyes, which had recovered from the light. A strange glint of mischief flashed in his eyes.

Ah, even in the darkest moments of this world, you were a friend. Thank you Ellion.

The room watched as one of the most powerful beings in the world was encased in stone, his yellow eyes like a cat forever watching them with a smile, two fangs protruding slightly.

No one but Ellion escaped that room alive. Ellion told a tale about how in Saron’s final moments, he fought back, killing everyone in the room until Ellion finally managed to slay him with the Fae sword, Tethlion, destroying the Fae sword in the process. But that was just the tale he told. Only two people would ever know the truth of what happened in that room, and neither of them would tell, for while one lay trapped in stone, the other found his throat slit by a supporter of the rebellion.

Ellion knew there would be a price to pay and in his final moments, all he felt were two emotions, greatfulness, and hope towards the young Fae he knew would lead them out of the bonds of slavery someday.

Ellion died with a smile on his face.

***

Time moved on as it always does, never stopping for kings, peasant, mortals, or Fae. The world changed as wars ended and all the living races on the planet worked together to stop the corruption that was spreading through the lands. 

Things that lived in the deep and in the dark, which had been slumbering for centuries, woke up.

Two hundred years passed the world by, and even those who had lived in the Great War, started to accept the world as it changed.

In the heart of the human kingdom of Lamin, a group of four young adventurers ran through a dark cave. The two men and two women were trying to  escape from a large creature which skittered across the cave behind them. They had almost been caught by a spider’s web, but one of the young men was apprenticed to a mage. He had lit the web on fire, expecting it to be one of the spider’s lesser brethren, not the behemoth that was currently chasing them down.

Soon the group reached a chasm, looking down on a fast moving underground river. Left with little choice, they jumped in.

Some time downstream, the last of them crawled out of the river onto a bank, exhausted.

“Do you have any idea where we are Leila?” The mage of the group, Delon asked the only non-human in their group.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Leila was a member of the lesser Fae known simply as elves, she was currently wringing out her light brown hair, showing the pointed ears adorned with the earrings that marked her clan. If you paid enough attention, you could see a small blue collar around her neck. She looked over at Delon with her unsettling, piercing blue eyes, “No, we lost the map in the river, not that it would be of much use anyway.” Leila looked up the river with a thoughtful expression, “I could probably find our way back if you were willing to go through the spider’s territory again.”

“I-I don’t think I could make it back up the river.”  The youngest person in their group, a boy of fourteen, said while looking at his ankle. “I think I hurt myself pretty bad.”

The second girl, who looked quite a bit like the young boy, hurried over to him. She gently lifted up the boy’s foot with a sharp intake of breath. “Oh Felix, I knew I shouldn’t have brought you with us.” She said the second part to herself as she pulled out the only bag the group hadn’t lost to the river. Gently, she applied some herbs and bandage which hadn’t been damaged by the river, thanks to the waterproof bag.

“I’ll be ok Tria.” The boy responded to his sister, “more importantly, where are we?”

The whole group paused to look at their surroundings. Along the walls of the cave, were stones that glowed with a soft light, allowing them to see in the darkness of the caves. That wasn’t too uncommon considering that these caves were the ruins of an old outpost during the Great War. No, what caught their attention was a large stone door, still standing after who knows how many years of neglect.

“Well, we are here to explore these ruins, after all. Might as well see what’s in there.” Delon said, turning to Leila. “If I loosen the power on your collar, will you be able to open those doors?”

Leila nods, and a moment later, glows with the power of the Fae magic running through her, her eyes lighting up to appear almost inhuman. With a wave of her hand, the stone door opens in front of them with barely a squeak. Then the power inside of her is cut off as the collar around her neck brightens. Returning her to her normal self.

They stare into the room in front of them, unable to see anything as the room is completely dark.

“You go first Leila,” Delon said, “we’ll be right behind you. There might be another monster in there.”

Cautiously, the elven woman walked into the room. As soon as she walked in, the room lit up revealing a sight unlike any they had seen before. 

In the center of the room was a statue of a Fae with a sad smile on his face, as a sword pierced his heart. He looked to be about twenty years old

Surrounding the statue were human bones from at least thirty people according to Leila’s count. But everything paled when compared to the sword in the statue, a slow pulse of power radiated from the sword, calling to Leila.

“Holy water, that sword must be worth a fortune! Look at how it’s still in pristine condition despite how many years have passed.” Delon said, following Leila into the room, the rest of the party close behind.

Delon glanced around the room, “Leila, there may be some kind of trap around the sword since it looks to be of Fae make. I don’t think I will even be able to touch it.” Delon turned a sharp gaze to Leila “grab the sword.”

Leila stood frozen for a moment, shocked at his bluntness. There wasn’t much she could do about it. Even if she disobeyed, there was nowhere to go.

Slowly, with a slight shake in her step, she walked up to the strange statue, grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled.

***

I vaguely felt time pass after I was stabbed, but there was no way to tell how much time truly passed outside of my prison of stone. Maybe tens of years, hundreds of years, or thousands. I truly couldn’t tell.

It gave me plenty of time to think however. I ended up telling stories to myself to pass the time. I wondered what would happen if my allies won without me, would the greater Fae even except their freedom when all they see is the comfort that the humans wanted them to see? Sometimes age breeds arrogance. They thought that they knew everything; but I could see the path they left for the lesser Fae. They did not have the power that would force the humans to surround them with comfort, keep a wool over their eyes. I knew that eventually, the humans would enslave the lesser Fae as they did their own kind.

I don’t hate the humans. I have known many, who despite their short lives, had taught me many life lessons in humility. Humans are simply… human. Without the long lives of the Fae, they make each moment count, they make each moment as meaningful as they can. Sometimes they just cannot see the difference between powerful and meaningful. They think that with power over others or over things, life gains meaning, I don’t believe it does. But maybe that is just me. 

I know that many of the fae believe the same thing, that power equates meaning. You could see it in the machinations of the Fae courts. Everyone vied for power, but they also strived for power for another reason, to make a change.

No, I do not hate humans, in fact I am quite fond of them. But that does not excuse their actions, even a child must be held accountable for their actions or they will never learn. They have enslaved my people, and I cannot allow that. They must learn. I just wonder, can I be the one to teach them? Am I the one to free my people, as so many believe? I did not want this life, nor did I expect this life. I was the youngest son of Oberon, even if he were to leave this life, I would never be the one to take his place. I did not vie for power with the other children of the Fae courts.

A long time ago, I was a storyteller. I absorbed the stories of our people from Fae that had lived longer than I care to guess. Maybe this is what made me wiser than the others, what made me realize where our court was going.

I had a chance to stop it, after Oberon left this world to his children. I saw where the court was heading, I could have fought to stop it. I could have convinced my brother to fight the enslavement of our people. But I was a storyteller, and I knew that this would be but another story for our people. So I watched quietly from the sidelines until it was too late. Until I realized that there wouldn’t be a hero to this story unless I created one.

Sometimes I wondered what the outside world must have thought of me. Was I but a betrayer to our people, causing needless bloodshed? Was I the hero I wanted to be, fighting to free our people? 

In the end I could only assume that I was both. A bloody betrayer and a hero.

These thoughts, and many like them continued throughout my imprisonment, until one day, I felt a twisting in my heart as the sword of Fae kings was pulled from my body.

My body unfroze slowly, and I opened my eyes onto a strange scene. A young Fae stood with her head tilted toward the floor, a sadness in her eyes that I resonated with. Next to her, studying the sword Tethlion with glee, were three humans in the early years of their life.

I snuck up on the humans, my footsteps silent. None of them noticed my presence as I stood directly behind them. 

“You’re going to sell such a priceless sword? That’s idiotic.” I said, causing all four of them to jump, grabbing at their own shabby weapons. The youngest among them ended up holding the sword of legends, his hand shaking with it in his grip.

“Oh come on, it’s been a long time, but my humor isn’t that bad.” I said, holding my hand up and calling the sword to my palm. It flew out of the poor boy’s hand and into mine. Its sheathe following it into my other hand a few moments later from another corner of the room. Reverently, I sheathed the sword.

“Leila, I’m unsealing your full power. Kill this man.” The leader of their group said to the elf.

I raised my eyebrow at the young man, then turned my gaze to the young elf. I watched with some fascination as a collar around her neck that I hadn’t noticed stopped holding back her Fae magic. Both my eyebrows raise as I feel magic equal to a greater Fae coming from her.

I remember them now I thought to myself as I studied the collar. They were rarely used back in the war, as even the most loyal of the Fae would never have allowed their power to be blocked by a human like that. 

Leila stood still for a moment, obviously unsure how to handle the situation, before her expression hardened. With a wave of both her hands, she sent a wave of pure force toward me.

I couldn’t help but laugh, I hadn’t been faced with such a weak attack since I was being taught the very basics of Fae magic. With a casual wave of my hand, I collapsed her magic, disrupting the strings she used to control it. 

“They never taught you how to properly control your magic did they?” I asked softly, as all of them stared at me stunned. “It makes me even more angry at the greater Fae, to let a young one’s talent go to waste like this.” Without any movement of my hands, I cut the collar she wore off of her, allowing her power to grow larger ever so slightly.

The poor girl stared at me, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

“You can keep attacking me if you want. Maybe you will even learn a thing or two about how to control your power better.” I motioned for her to continue.

“Who are you?” The young Fae woman asked still shocked.

“What did you do to the collar?” The youngest boy asked unafraid. He obviously didn’t realize the state of fear his companions were in.

I smiled at him, still feeling rather jubilant about my freedom. “There is a certain spot on the collar that if you cut just right, will completely disable it. Of course, if you cut the wrong spot, it is likely to explode, killing the wearer. So don’t do it lightly.” 

I turned my gaze back to the Fae woman. “I’m no one important in the grand scheme of things.”

When no more conversation seemed forthcoming, I tied the sword around my waste, the wound near my heart twinging slightly as I tightened the sword. Even with Ellion’s protection, the sword did damage that will take quite a long time to heal. I moved towards the exit, glancing back at the group of people, my gaze eventually landing on the young Fae woman.

“You know,” I said softly, “I cut that collar off because I detest the things. But if you would like to truly unlock the chains you are bound by, I can free you. You don’t have to be a slave to them.”

I watched as a tear slowly slid down the girl’s face. “Please.” She whispered.

I smiled softly. “Leila,” I said, remembering the name that the young man had called her moments ago. “I, Saron De’ron Lamonste, son of Oberon and the last free Royal Fae, hereby release you from your bonds of loyalty to the humans.” As I spoke, a soft light shone from Leila, a small tattoo on her forearm shattering to pieces. “You are free now.” I said to her.

She ran forward hugging me, tears rolling down her face. The others were completely ignored as she breathed into my ear “We thought you were dead.”

“Well everyone is in for a big surprise.” I responded, gently running my hand through her hair to calm her.