Part 1: The guilds of the cosmos
Fallsenia stood in front of the elaborate stained glass doors to her uncle, King Oberon’s court. The scenes depicted in the door appeared like they were originally intended to depict the different landscapes of the Mystic Realms, but the images seemed to blur and fade and melt into one another. Had Fallsenia noticed these warped images, she would have assumed (rightly so) that the imbalance in the magical fields of the Mystic Realms were affecting even the artwork in her uncle’s castle.
But she was staring at a piece of paper in her hands. Though ragged and crumpled from the journey to the castle, the message had obviously been written in a regal hand on the finest parchment. It was two sentences, but these two sentences had been running through the faerie’s mind for hours.
Fallsenia, my beloved niece, you must choose, and choose wisely. All of Faerie hangs in the balance.
For some odd reason, all Fallsenia could think about was the last time she’d watched the mortals playing games. Their antics were always so intriguing! Their costumes were fascinating, though Fallsenia found the one dressed in skins and bearing a huge blade to be just as terrifying as some fae of the Unseelie Court. And their games were so varied and so strange, some involved shouting words, some involved moving tiny humans and monsters around a board that looked like a battlefield, and others had the most fantastic looking airships moving around a flat landscape. She wished more than anything to be back among them.
But there was a decision to be made, and it was with regret that Fallsenia found her mind wandering back to the present. She had quite the weighty decision to make, especially if she wanted to learn more of her past and family. However, she knew that even that might have to take the side of the campfire to the task of unraveling the mystery of the trouble in the Realms.
Fallsenia had written to her uncle of her trip to the current chaos of the Luminae Arcanum and her meeting with its Steward, Verseau. She had related the details of her journey to the Fellwood with the Steward and the Chief Tinkerer of the Court of Curiosity to investigate why in Titania’s name talismans bearing the Court of the Uncanny’s sigil were found among the chaos of Capella. King Oberon had been very frustrated when she had revealed that the talismans were planted by Dearg, the powerful leader of the Court of the Uncanny who resided in the Fellwood, in order to draw emissaries of the other courts to the Fellwood rather than going through official diplomatic channels. (She had omitted, for reasons even she could not articulate, the fact that Dearg and his people had been the ones who raised her. She had likewise thought it best not to mention that Dearg and his people had ambushed them.)
Her uncle had been a little less annoyed by the lack of diplomacy when she related the dire state of the Fellwood.
Although the trip with Dearg and his people to Embervein hadn’t yielded many answers, it had at least eliminated some possibilities. During the course of the trip Fallsenia had spoken with Serkan, a Redcap in Dearg’s Court. The short, angry fae had looked so insulted at the very idea that his Court was involved that he almost attacked Verseau just for suggesting such a thing while they were traveling.
“Why in Puck’s left eye would we bring even more disdain on ourselves? You lot look down on us enough as it is! It’s a conspiracy, I tell you!” the Redcap insisted. With the fervent sincerity of the declaration and the ongoing destruction of the Fellwood, Bracken and Fallsenia were inclined to believe him.
Bracken ushered the group into the city of Embervein, the heart of the Court of Curiosity. Upon their arrival in the city Fallsenia sent a missive to her uncle outlining her journey so far. Had Fallsenia been able, she would have spent days in the city, listening to the (literal) music being made by the workers’ hammers. The tinkerers of the city were working on the most fascinating looking devices, and their clicks and whirrs added to the symphony of the great city. Fallsenia could not understand why the citizens of Capella looked with disdain on the Court of Curiosity when Embervein was just as beautiful as Capella, in its own unique way. Fallsenia couldn’t help but wonder what her game-loving mortals would make of this city!
The arrival of a messenger from Capella bearing a message from the King himself brought Fallsenia’s joy in their brief exploration of the city to a crashing halt. In this letter, he informed her that as a citizen of the Mystic Realms and a member of the Royal family, she would be expected to align herself to a Court. The beginnings of a connection had already been made to all three of them, and each would be eager to attach themselves to a powerful member of the Royal family. Oberon assured her there was no wrong choice, but it was also a choice that could only be made one time. She would still be able to travel to the other Courts, and cultivate the friendships already started, but Fallsenia was learning that the identity she knew little about carried many expectations.
The group made good time from Embervien back to Capella due to Bracken’s knowledge of a secret shortcut between the two cities. Fallsenia wanted to be fair, and took time to speak with both Bracken and Serkan at length during the return journey to learn more of their realms. And while the inspired, manic energy of the Court of Curiosity definitely had its draw, Fallsenia knew that she was unlikely to find answers about both her mother and the cosmic imbalance there. The fae of Embervein never seemed to rest, rushing from one idea or concept to the next. That energy would be very helpful in her quest but she didn’t think she could keep up! It was a similar situation with the Court of the Uncanny, though for a different reason. Serkan spoke fondly of cruel pranks and grand hunts, but there was an undercurrent of a deep respect for the others of his Court, whom he obviously viewed as family. Fallsenia couldn’t help but think that her current traveling companions somewhat mirrored the motley assembly of outcasts and undesirables who made up the Court of the Uncanny. She also knew that the diverse members of that Court would bring many viewpoints and ideas to the table. Fallsenia spent the last few hours of the journey from Embervein carefully considering her options.
Upon their arrival in the city, Fallsenia had received the note she now held. The faerie was apprehensive about the political ramifications of her choice, but in the end it wasn’t a difficult one to make.
As she walked into her uncle’s throne room, empty except for himself, she looked at the group of beings around her. It felt fitting that it was to her uncle and new friends alone that she announced her choice.
“Uncle Oberon, I choose the Court of Stars. Verseau has told me of different masteries to be found within Capella, and I will pursue one of them. I will work towards both saving the Mystic Realms from magical imbalance and finding your sister,” Fallsenia said, keeping most of the tremble from her voice. It was a momentous choice, and one she knew could carry consequences for herself, her new friends, and her homeland. This might be one of the most important tasks of her entire existence.