The fey couldn't hear me over their own voices so I raised my voice once more, "I can't make out anything you're saying. I'm excited too, but please, speak one at a time. Also, is that bush a portal to the Feywild? Oh, and are you giving me these fruits for free, no strings attached?"
They huddled up, whispering among themselves. Soon after, a conclusion was reached and a thorn stepped forward to speak for the group.
"Correct, on your first question, incorrect on the second. I am Oak Greenstem, one charged with watching over these lands. For the chiarac fruit, we request payment in the form of honest and complete answers to three of our questions. Lies will result in a curse of misfortune that even your lofty kind would have trouble dispelling. Is this trade agreeable to you, prince of dragons?"
I mulled it over, weighing the risk of bargaining with tricksters. I'd never been one to shy away from the truth, and the exchange seemed like a decent way to form relations. Finally, my three pixie companions were still bound to their word not to bring harm to me, so it wasn't likely a setup. Really I was just excited to have so much company and was reluctant to do anything to push them away. At least I remembered to speak with some authority as mother had instructed me to when dealing with negotiations:
"I accept, Mr. Greenstem. But choose your questions carefully, for if they offend me there may yet be repercussions. Understanding this, you may begin."
My reply made his green face turn visibly stern, but he started nonetheless, "Very well. First, what are your intentions behind accompanying Lily, Bitterleaf, and Dandelion?"
"I was feeling a bit lonely and wanted company. I found all three to be amiable, so I've been earnestly trying to form a friendship between us. I've had no other intentions in mind."
"That's... reassuring. We appreciate the geniality you've shown to our three sisters. They've shared with us only pleasant tales of your brief time together, but we felt it prudent to err on the side of caution. Our second question is: What plans do you have for the Feywild?"
"At the moment, none. But once I feel I'm strong enough that no force could trap me there, I'd like to visit for diplomatic purposes. I admit, your people are a kind of wonder to me. I would never think to bring harm to, tyrannize, or take advantage of such a special realm unless I was gravely wronged first. Even then, I'd like to think I'm forgiving when I can afford to be."
The crowd murmured positive sentiments among themselves, a better mood filling the air. Even Oak, who came off as a bit stiff, had a light smile now.
"And at the time of your visit, I am sure our people will welcome you most hospitably. Now, our final question is one I've been charged to ask you by the others... I feel I must clarify that I have no personal interest in your answer," he then scowled as he struggled to bring himself to ask, "Among us, whom do you find to be the most appealing?"
A swarm of giggles filled the air. The fairies, pixies, and to my dismay, boggles, started posing suggestively for me.
"...Excuse me?" I said in shock.
"I cannot. We are bound by the agreement." Answered Oak, taking my response literally.
The satyr chimed in with an amused grin, "It's a game our ladies like to play with mortals from time to time. Now that we have a dragon prince on hand, well, they can hardly contain themselves! And I suppose the boggles are just... boggling, as they tend to do."
Feeling a bit awkward, I looked over to the coquettish performances of the main contenders. Then I noticed Bitterleaf sitting off to the side, sulking. Perhaps she found herself on the losing end of this shallow game in the past, due to her slightly chubby and stocky figure. Luckily, the way Oak worded the question let me fix that.
"Bitterleaf," I answered, causing a small uproar. She turned to look at me in surprise.
"He must be lying!" Said one displeased fairy, with others murmuring in agreement.
"The curse did not trigger," corrected Oak.
"I find her tough attitude offset by her diminutive size charming. It makes me want to win over her good side and make her smile," I purposefully gave an answer that had multiple interpretations.
"Maybe dragons have weird taste," suggested a voice.
"Well, he's still a prince. His choice carries weight," said another.
Other conversations went on about my response, but I was soon distracted by a blushing Bitterleaf flying up in front of me. Before I could say anything, she kissed my snout and said, "You're kinda sweet for a mean ol' dragon!"
Everyone gasped and Lily shouted, "A blessing! A blessing! Bitterleaf gave him her blessing!"
"Blessing? What? Why is everyone so shocked?" I asked the group.
Dandelion gave Bitterleaf a hard look, then explained to me, "Most female fey have the ability to cast temporary charms or curses on living beings, but once in our lifetime we can place one permanently as a blessing or malediction... Bitterleaf just gave you hers!"
"Oh damn." I thought.
I carefully considered how to respond. My first instinct was to ask Bitterleaf if she was sure about this, but I realized that question might come off as insulting since the deed was already done. I went with, "Thank you. I will live well and worthy of your choice."
Bitterleaf blushed once more. Then, seeing all the stares and whispering from the crowd she burst out, "It's not like I didn't think it through you morons! Asides from being fun and nice, he's a dragon born of the two lords of the continent! Unlike the mortals, he may well live forever, allowing my blessing to last through the ages!" She crossed her arms and humphed after finishing her justification.
Lily and Dandelion looked at her in surprise, then at each other. After reaching a silent agreement with a nod, they each flew up to one of my cheeks to deliver their own pixie peck. The crowd hooted, jeered, whooped, and squealed in response.
"Bitter's smarter than I thought!" Said Lily with a smile, earning a dirty look from her middle sister.
"I like the idea that my most special magic will travel with one destined to shape history instead of being given away on a flimsy whimsy, as is our tradition. Why let a mortal take my blessing into their grave when I can instead have it become part of a greater story? Truly, this is an opportunity." Dandelion gave me a mischievous wink and I felt a chill run down my spine.
Sure enough, her words triggered something in the crowd. Suddenly there were many glowing eyes staring intently at me. Before I knew it, a swarm of pixies and fairies was buzzing around my face, delivering tiny kisses. And again, to my dismay, I saw a few boggles hopping over to join in on the fun. When I saw the kappa approaching I decided that I had enough.
I flapped my wings wildly, scattering the horde. "No, no, no more! I'm good, thanks! That much was plenty! I know some of you even flew back around for a second, unnecessary smooch. This isn't a kissing booth. Now I'm saturated with your wild magic and I don't even know what your blessings do, so I believe I'm owed further explanation! What kind of effects can I expect?"
Oak answered, "A fair concern and request. For starters, having a fey blessing will ensure that other fey you may encounter In the future will view you more favorably. Just as a curse would have the opposite effect. You may be the first entity in history to receive so many at once, so it's uncertain if there'll be any side effects. Given the condensed amount of fey magics, it is probable. As for the specific blessings..."
"Mine will make you slightly luckier," Bitterleaf interrupted.
"Mine will make small woodland animals like you more, but you'll lose it if you attack any." Dandelion added, and as if in response, a starling flew down from a nearby tree and landed on my head.
"I don't know what mine does!" Lily beamed, her legs swaying in the air.
Many of the others began to call out what theirs did. A minority seemed to find it more amusing to keep their "gift" a secret, as a future surprise.
Among a plethora of strange or useless effects, some that immediately stuck out to me were: an improvement to stealth when in forests, being better at catching lies but losing the blessing if I tell one, being able to hold my breath a lot longer (which later testing showed not to work with my flame breath), being better spotting illusions, a slight improvement to my attractiveness, the ability to summon my favored weapon (if I acquire one), being able to see even farther, and through fog and smoke as if it wasn't there, the ability to summon dancing lights twice per day, the ability to hide my scent for an hour per day, a minute-long burst of extra flight speed per day, the ability to open simple locks magically once per day, and slightly improved natural healing/recovery when resting on flowerbeds.
The list went on, making me thankful for my improved memory.
Then there were blessings rendered obsolete by my draconic biology. (i.e. darkvision, resistance to fire, etc.) I supposed that it was the thought that counts.
Finally, there were the extremely odd and niche blessings, like the ability to divine if a person was left-handed, the ability to track a missing sock so long as I held its twin, and one that made sure that I'd never get bad breath.
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While I was doing mental cataloging, the satyr clapped his hands and said, "Well now, if this historic event doesn't call for a celebration, I don't know what does!"
Following many loud cheers of agreement, I found myself stunned by the speed at which the Fey Folk began to party. Singing and dancing spontaneously broke out, many members went back under the bush only to return with toadstool seats and tiny tables.
More food and drink were served (which I only consumed after verifying there were no crazy effects), and one group began performing the play of, "The Blessed Dragon Prince," the lines of which they incredibly made up on the spot.
The hammy performances left something to be desired, but I was impressed by their talent for spinning tales much grander than the events they were based on. The game of three questions was changed to a tense battle of wits, the tens of blessings became a thousand, and so forth.
More importantly, I found out that Fey wine could get me intoxicated despite my hardy constitution! I rarely drank booze back on Earth, but after being trapped for a year and thrust into a fantasy world it felt good to cut a little loose. As I lapped up fermented juice with my forked tongue and mingled, The satyr re-introduced himself to me as "Theo" and made light conversation.
"You know, I had heard The Folk were generally friendly people, but I did expect to be treated a bit worse," I admitted after more drinking.
"Oh? And why is that, young prince?" Theo asked, inebriated and red-cheeked.
"Well, it's just that I heard your culture is known for being a bit tricky, so I thought there'd at least be some pranking that went too far or something. I even expected the three questions to be more probing and invasive, but I felt I was being thrown soft balls-er, I mean that they were rather easy on me."
Theo gave me an odd look, "We may be fans of acting as folly fools, but few among us are truly so. You represent the top of the food chain, and you were sired by two legends who stand at the top of the top. Your understanding of our nature is correct, but excluding those who don't know any better," he glanced at my three favorite pixies, "everyone here fears you at least a little, Amartho."
Yet again, this new world found a way to kill another buzz. I felt a bitterness that reached my face, "Oh. I see. That's unfortunate. I mean, I wouldn't mind having those who are awful and monstrous fear me, but I don't want to make regular, well-meaning people uncomfortable. I guess I'll have to be a bit more considerate of that."
As I brooded on his words, he gave me an even odder look, then burst out into laughter, "I beg your pardon young prince! It's just, you may be the first dragon to be shocked learn of the fear he instills, let alone the first to be disappointed by it. I reckon the rest of your race would consider it the proper order of things. The Worldscar and Hopebringer have brought us a truly unique individual, who in turn brings pleasant surprises."
"That, right there! You said "unique" but you meant "strange" didn't you?! You're being tactful with your choice of words. Are you afraid of me too, Theo?" I said, pouting.
With a sympathetic look, he raised both hands in the air in a joking surrender and said, "Alright, you caught me. I was being polite. But that's just a habit of mine. No, I am not afraid of you, Amartho."
"Well... good! Also, why not? I mean, if almost everyone else is."
"Oh, I have my reasons. One of which is that my experiences have long since taught me that a trio of fools may, on occasion, see more clearly than those with too many wits dare to. The rest would better be discussed when you visit our homeplane."
"Have it your way, Mr. Mysterious," I murmured while sipping more wine. "You're not exactly what I expected from a satyr either, in a good way."
"And how's that?"
"Well, I was taught that satyrs are mostly unscrupulous vagrants who could hardly keep it in their pants."
Theo spat his wine out, choking. "Ahem, well, there may be some general truth in that stereotype, but I'd like to think I'm far from it!"
Seeing his fully reddened face, it was my turn to laugh, followed by Theo, and then the nearby Fey that were listening in. And so, I continued to mingle, I danced awkwardly, and I thanked the trio for bringing all this to me.
The boggles go to enjoy taking turns warping onto my tail so I could swing them around in the air, the fairies and pixies gossiped and teased, and the Kappa munched happily on a cucumber. After more merriment, feasting, and drinking, the party began to wind down.
Many of the fey gathered together and sang a large circle of mushrooms into existence around the party grounds. Dandelion explained that it was a special fairy circle that placed an illusion around us for security. Those on the outside who were affected would choose paths away from our area without realizing it. As for why they did this instead of returning home? Because after partying came slumber partying, of course!
Many of the ladies conjured nightgowns to change into or went nude, some fey were already passed out from drinking too much, Theo had some matters to attend to and left through the bush, the kappa made bedding out of damp mud, Oak and the other thorns kept watch at the edges of the circle, and I laid myself down on a flowerbed they conjured at my request. I enjoyed the rejuvenating effect that came from my Fey blessing. The trio once again took their positions on my body to fall asleep, but only after glaring at the other partiers not to dare do the same. Many of the elemental spirits drifted above us in slow, gentle circles, and all in all, it was a beautiful and joyous environment to fall asleep in.
"Sweet dreams everyone," I said softly, drifting off before I could hear a reply.
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I awoke the next day to the familiar sound of my three pixies playing together. I opened my eyes and briefly watched them chase each other through the air until I noticed that my location had changed and that, minus a few lingering spirits, everyone was gone.
Wait no, from the smell of things I'm more or less in the same place. It's just that the trees and shrubs have vanished.
"Girls, what's going on? Where is everyone, what happened?"
Flying up to me, Lily answered with a displeased face, "I told them they didn't have to, but they said they had to!"
Dandelion sighed, "Good morning Amartho. What Lily is trying to tell you is that after the party ended we received an order from the Seelie King to relocate the fairy gate. A safety precaution until they know you better. And the rest left because they thought the idea of the shock you'd have waking up to this would be amusing... More rude than funny frankly, but nobody asked me. Anyway, our king also sent you a parting gift, as a means of assuring you that no offense was meant by any of this."
She handed me a golden stalk of wheat.
"Oh. Well, I suppose that's reasonable. What, uh, is it?" I asked, stashing the stalk in my ring.
"Snap it if you feel your life is in danger and it may save you. I was told that it'll be more effective if used specifically on this continent. As for why, or what exactly it does, His Majesty didn't say."
Mysterious and magical life-saving item, check!
"Please offer my sincere gratitude to your king when you get the chance. And thanks for introducing me to your people yesterday, it was a lot of fun."
Following our morning pleasantries, I ate a couple of chiarac fruit for breakfast and we continued on our journey. As we traveled I thought about my actions thus far and wondered if becoming a dragon had altered my mind more than I realized.
Have I become naive? The Fey were wary of me, yet I let myself fall asleep in their midst. And every other night I've been sleeping out in the wilderness, vulnerable. I rationalized my choices at the time, but when I think further I cannot imagine human me making any of the same decisions, even if I had this body's strengths on Earth.
I concluded that I'd have to be more cautious in my choices and further self-assess my thought processes to better understand how much I've changed.
The following night I asked if the trio had any security measures they could use while I slept. They, in turn, asked some nearby nocturnal animals to be our lookouts and reportedly got a good price for it due to the blessing improving the critters' dispositions toward me. And so, in exchange for small pieces of my chiarac fruits, we gained a living alarm system.
Seeing the mice each give me a nod of reassurance before going on what I assumed was a patrol route was quite a sight.
I think I saw an owl give a winged salute before taking off as well. What a strange world, I mused to myself.
The following days passed without any major events, and finally, we reached the top of a hill that gave me a view of my destination: Dragons' Mortal Sanctuary.
Ignoring the poor naming choice, I excitedly observed the walls of stone and wood, the watchtowers, and most importantly, the people. My kind of people. Human friggen beings.
With my keen vision, I was able to see two guards standing outside a gate, one or two archers in every watchtower, and some men patrolling the walls. The village itself looked as though it could fit more than a few hundred people and I couldn't wait to meet them.
Just as I was about to move forward with renewed gusto, I turned to see my companions looking somewhat glum.
"Is something wrong ladies?" I asked.
"We can't go much further with you Amartho," answered Bitterleaf.
"You might find some boggles or other household spirits there, but being too far from nature isn't good for pixies." Clarified Dandelion.
"I heard that it's bad for our health and makes our minds weird." Added a worried-looking Lily.
"She's right. It'd corrupt or kill us eventually. We spirits are sensitive beings, bound by our nature. It'd be safest to say our goodbyes soon before we get too close to the areas where the mortals paved roads and cut down trees." Said Bitterleaf with a deep frown.
"Well, this sucks," was all I could bring myself to say.
"Sucks?" Dandelion asked with a peculiar look.
"Oh right, it's slang from my wor- I mean, that I made up. It means that something is bad, disappointing, or sad. It doesn't make a lot of sense but it feels like a good way of expressing it."
"Ah, how strange. Well then, I suppose this does suck."
"Yeah, it sucks so much! The suckiest suck-most sucking ever!" Complained Lily, making the rest of chuckle.
"We're going to miss you Amartho," Bitterleafs saddened eyes pinched my heart.
"I'll miss you too. Honestly, being born into this world has been somewhat jarring, and we dragons get thrown into it the fray pretty young. I think meeting you all and receiving the kindness and levity you provided really helped me on the inside, maybe even more than I know. Thank you, Lily, Bitterleaf, Dandelion, for everything."
To my surprise, Dandelion was the first to burst into tears and she flew up to hug me. Lily and Bitterleaf joined in with a loud, "awww." I held my arms up for them to stand on while they clung to my scaly chest. My thick hide could barely register their light touch and weight, but I felt I was holding something heavy and warm nonetheless.
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They traveled with me for a while longer and told me that to find then again my best bet was either to return to the area where we first met, or to ask any local dryad or thorn to assist me. After our final goodbyes, we parted. I turned to look back after walking just a few meters and saw them waving and smiling at me before they too turned and flew back toward the woods.
Alone again, I followed my nose to a dirt road and walked another couple of hours until the town was directly ahead of me. Excited, I began to gallop forward. The guards quickly noticed me and started flailing around.
One screamed, "Dr-dr-dragon!" while dropping his spear.
The second ran through the gate, probably to alert others. A series of bells started ringing and more guards showed up on the walls.
I dug my hind talons into the ground to quickly stop my sprint, and thought, What the fuck is wrong with me?! I'm a lumbering reptilian predator, of course, they'd be scared! Stupid, stupid! Just waltz in and see your "fellow" humans, huh Amartho? Something really is off with my mind. Well whatever, they know we are the masters of the land so they're probably just surprised. I'm already here; might as well try and make the best of it.
Seeing that the gate remained open and that they all purposefully kept their weapons lowered, I realized they must've been following some don't-offend-dragons protocol. Finding some hope in that, I continued forward at a walking pace until I was in front of the now stammering guard who screamed earlier.
Five more men came through the gate, including one who I assumed was their captain due to his higher quality armor.
Alright Amartho, time to make a good impression!
I slowly stood up on my hind legs, pointed my claws at them like finger guns, and loudly said, "Why hello there humans! Pleasant weather we're having, ain't it?!"