Swan Song

The Queen of Hearts Part 3

After a good bit of walking, Lit and Lock reached a part of the fairy forest full of mushrooms. Their sizes ranged from ones that could fit into a palm to ones that could serve as houses.

"Don't eat any of them," Lit warned, pushing forward.

"Wasn't planning on it," replied Lock, glancing at a particularly large purple shroom. "There's magic in them, isn't there?"

"Yeah, but it's hard to know which one of them will do what. Their magical properties aren't related to their biological ones. Take two of the same type, and you aren't likely to discover they're the same."

"Then why even grow them here?" Lock asked.

"We don't," the track replied. "This whole land is full of magic, unlike your Camelot. Here, we don't have to put magic into what we plant. Things grow on their own."

One of the willow trees, which looked out of place in the forest, moved its branches to catch a bird flying close to it, then promptly snapped its neck. "Like the trees?"

"Like the trees."

"But they only answer to the current fairy monarch," Lock reasoned. "How does that even work?"

Lit smiled. "The forest has a mind of its own. It chooses to protect the one who governs it."

"So, right now, it's guarding Vanitas?"

"Pretty much."

"How close are we to getting to him, anyway?"

Lit stopped walking, then pointed straight ahead. The black swan waddled up to him, then peered through the bushes.

Vanitas was there, sitting on a throne made of stone. There were numerous fairies kneeling before him, all of them clearly terrified, which seemed to greatly amuse the king.

"Please reconsider," one of the servants spoke, voice trembling. "Your grace, we do not wish to go to war-"

"How rude," the angel interrupted. "Thinking your wishes matter? That's just insolent."

The fairy didn't even see the flash of green coming, and was electrocuted to death. The others all scrambled away from him, not daring to look up.

"He's strong," Lock whispered.

"I'd thought that was obvious," replied Lit.

"Stronger. His power wasn't anywhere close to that when he cursed Camelot. I don't know what changed."

"I do," Lit replied, looking at his fellow fairies. "He's feeding off their fear."

"What do you mean?"

"The black fairy dust we found back then? It made me see what I was most afraid of. He must be gathering it so he could make as many people fear him as possible, so that he'll grow stronger."

"Bingo!" Vanitas said, suddenly standing behind them. With a wave of his hand, he sent both Lit and Lock flying through the bushes and into the small clearing where his throne was. "You didn't really think you could sneak up on me in my own forest, did you?"

Stilling his heartbeat, Lit got back on his feet, poker face in place. "I wasn't sneaking around, your grace."

"Truly? Then I suppose you were just talking to yourself back there."

The elf got stuck, not knowing how to proceed. Lock took the reigns from him and lied, "He was talking to me."

Vanitas looked amused. "A talking swan? Now why does that seem suspicious? A little irony, perhaps?"