Ivy and Elise *REWRITING* *SLOW UPDATES*

Chapter Seven

Ivy watched as who she assumed was Ao approached Elise. At first glance, the chief looked friendly but there was something that lurked under her forced smile that didn't feel right. Elise scrambled up onto her knees as Ao leant forward silently.

"You're a disgrace, just like your mother." She hissed.

Elise seemed to shrink under the gaze of the crowd of grey-robed onlookers.

Then Ao raised a hand and Ivy seemed to act on instinct. She ran to Elise, her body reappearing as she did so. She forced herself between Ao and Elise and surprising even herself, caught Ao's hand before she could hurt her friend.

Ao staggered back, her mouth agape. "The Princess?" She whispered pulling her hand away as though she had been burnt. Then her shocked face turned into a scowl. "Don't ever let me see your face here again." She spat.

*

Elise stopped Ivy in front of a circular stack of houses that seemed to be built around a tree and knocked on a dark red door. The fairy houses were strange to Ivy. Some were towered up in an almost haphazard fashion and some were just singular. They were all jumbled together in an area labelled 'Home Area'

Elise hadn't said a word since the scene with Ao, she had just silently guided Ivy to her home. But when they reached one door she turned to Ivy with a conflicted look on her face.

"Ao doesn't like me because of my mother." She began. "When I was little, she got into an accident which ruined her wings and half of her body. If a fairy cannot fly then its believed that they are useless. So of course, what use has Ao got for a sister who can't fly and a brother-in-law whose an outlier?"

Ivy processed Elise's words but there were some she didn't understand. "What's an outlier?" She asked.

"An outlier is a fairy who marries someone from a different tribe. My father is an Atlas, my mother is a Lacewing." Elise explained, pointing at her orange, black and white striped wings as she did so.

The door opened and an older woman poked half of her face out. Upon seeing Elise she swept her up into a hug. This had to Elise's mother. A crumpled wing and a scarred face adorned with a singular golden eye that suddenly looked at Ivy.

"Elise, you didn't tell me you were bringing back company!" The woman said before greeting Ivy.

She let go of Elise and said with a shy smile "Morgana Lockwood, pleased to meet you." She hesitantly held out her arms and Ivy accepted her invitation, leaning into the woman's embrace.

There was a disturbance at the door and a blonde man appeared at the door. "Morgana have you seen my- oh." He faltered when he saw Ivy before dropping into a bow.

"What on earth are you doing, Louis?" Morgana asked confused.

"That is the princess of our country!" He hissed, looking embarrassed.

Ivy blushed as Morgana gave a curtsey. "You don't have to bow to me." She protested. "And please, no formalities, I'm just Ivy and I need some help."

*

The pink fire was unusual to say the least but it cast a cosy warm glow across the room and Ivy felt herself relax. Together, she and Elise had explained everything from their visions to Ao's behaviour.

The occupants of the circular living room were so absorbed in their explanations that the sudden knock at the door forced them to attention. Elise ran to investigate and after a few moments, she re-entered followed by two identical grey robed women.

Somehow Ivy had the inexplicable impression that she was going to get some answers.

A/n: Hi, happy Thursday!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will stick around for more. Have a lovely day and I'll see you all soon :)

- Love from Poppy x