Feywild

Prologue

And so, it shall be that on the eve of the birth of the halfling Seelie Princess, a fog will fall over the Feywild. Every single day, that tremorous fog will take victims until it reaches her. For she is a power stronger than any may know, she is the one who will singlehandedly rule the Feywild and all its realms.

On that fateful night, lightning cracked across the dark sky. His Majesty, King Briar stormed through the long corridor to reach the room where one of many concubines were to give birth. Crack! Crack! Feywild knew of the arrival. It was enraged. Of course it was, as was King Briar. The child would be an ugly little abomination. Half Feye, half human. A monstrosity. A freak.

King Briar slammed the door open, nearly tearing it off its hinges. All the handmaidens gasped and looked up at him. "Well?"

One impish girl with goat eyes and webbed feet walked up to him. "The child is very strong, Your Grace." She bent down and placed a light kiss on his ring and went back to work. He stood over and watched them struggle to draw the child out. They all knew the babe was forced into bastardy, they were all fearful for how the King would react when it was born.

Asena, the human Concubine, threw her head back and screamed. What made the woman so alluring to King Briar was her strong will and stubbornness. She was unlike the other submissive humans he had put himself upon. She put up a fight and he liked that.

Then they all heard the cry and the room fell silent to listen to it for a mere moment.

"Well, what is it? Hand it over, allow me to look it in the face!"

The goat-eyed handmaiden handed the babe to her King and he stared at it. He found the tiny little thing... Wonderful. It was a girl. A curly, red-headed girl with glowing green eyes. Her ears pointed upwards and she bared two delicate antlers. She resembled Fey more than she resembled a human.

Could he protect her by hiding her humanity? Feywild would ultimately decide her humanity would be weak. Or fun. But King Briar fell in love with his stoic, soft-eyed, half human daughter. In a way he didn't anticipate.

"Guards," he called out and stepped aside. "Seize that woman and place her in captivation."

"Briar?" Asena questioned. "No, surely you can't separate a mother from her child! I knew you were cruel... I hadn't the slightest idea that you were a monster."

One of the guards picked the sweat-soaked woman up and carried her to the door.

"Wait!" She called. "Allow me to see the baby, Briar. Just once! Please, it is the least you could do!"

He glanced at her briefly before looking at the guard, gesturing for him to take her away. Briar caressed the baby's face.

"Your Highness!" One of the High Guards marched into the room, bowing.

"At ease, Brumous," Briar stated, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around himself in a mobile cradle fashion and laid the baby inside of it. "What is the matter?"

"I think you should see this for yourself, Your Majesty, if I may lead you to the corridor window."

The King nodded and followed Brumous to the corridor and he peeked into the swaddle. "She is beautiful, your Majesty. She has taken after your wife."

He looked down at her and realized it, his wife had ginger hair. Most of the sons they bore also shared that trait. This was something they could get away with. He could pass off the child as his wife's. It's not like she ever left her chambers, so no one would even know the difference.

"Yes, she does," he said without a lie.

"What name will you adorn her with?"

Again, he looked down at the baby and tilted his head, her glowing green eyes. "We shall call her Emerald. Ema for short. Only I shall know her true name and I will never use it against her."

"Very lovely. Here, Your Majesty, please, take a look."

Briar stepped forward to the window and he froze. A black fog was covering the Feywild, dark and threatening. "What is it?"

"Not sure, Majesty. We've never seen black fog before. It's new and terrifying."

"I see. Place the Special Magix guards at every angle of the palace. Be quick, please."

Brumous nodded and bowed before taking his leave.

Briar glanced at his daughter once again. "You are going to change this kingdom."

Across the realm.

"Aramis, my boy."

"Yes, Father?" The young Unseelie boy replied.

"I can see your future. Bright as the seven suns."

"What is it, Father?" The young, black-haired, blue-eyed boy asked, his black lynx-like ears sticking up with interest.

The old, twig-like man bent down and inhaled, resting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You will slay the wicked halfling Princess. And her true name is..."