The next morning came rapidly, and Tristan woke up comfortably snuggled up next to Felicity and heard her mumbling something but could not make it out. He rolled out of the bed and stretched, dipping in the pool briefly to fully wake himself up before drying off and putting on the fresh underclothes. As he began to don his armor, Felicity woke up and yawned. “Morning,” she mumbled.

  Tristan smiled at her, “Good morning. Care to help me gear up? It’ll speed things up.”

  Felicity hopped out of the bed and assisted him in latching on his gear, before she shifted to her fairy dragon form and landed atop his head. “How’d you sleep?” she asked.

  Tristan filled her in on the occurrences of the night, ending with, “and I made sure that she knew her place. Which made me feel weird. I always tried to treat servants and guards and the like as…well, not as lessers-”

  “But now you have only lessers in this Realm,” Felicity said with a grin. “Which is perfectly fine; all Realms have rulers and those who obey them. Heck, The Matriarch is the ruler when you’re gone – and we never question it.”

  “That reminds me,” Tristan said as they reached the main level, and he began walking down towards the dirt circle with the stalagmite from the cave still marking the back edge. “I was meaning to ask; you call her your mother, but you’re born from seedpods.”

  “Oh, we just call her ‘mom’ because we all look like her. And, I mean, even the lady who made her called her the ‘mother of all fairy dragons’, hence why she chose the name Matriarch of the fairy dragons, or just ‘The Matriarch’, as she now prefers to be called.”

  “So, all these other fairy dragons aren’t really siblings?” Tristan asked.

  Felicity looked aghast as she leaned her head over, “Of course not! That would be so weird. W-e-i-r-d. Weird.” She scoffed and sat upright on his head, making small paw-claw biscuits on the top of his skull, “I hate some of these other fairy dragons.”

  The two bringing the horses over both looked at her and shouted in tandem, “Up yours!”

  Felicity chuckled, “You couldn’t joke around with your siblings the way that we joke around with each other.”

  “Right,” Tristan muttered as he walked over to Onyx and Midnight. He leaned in close and pulled their heads to either side of his with gentle nudges. “Hey there, you two have a good night’s rest?” Both horses neighed and nudged him softly, eliciting a chuckle from Tristan. “Okay. We’re going to be riding hard to start, but then as we get to midday we’ll slow down. Just bump me a bit if you need me to swap. Okay?”

  Another series of nudges told him enough, and Tristan looked up at the fairy dragons who were keeping the horses as stable hands. “Good job, you two. Please let the house-arrest guards know that our visitors can be brought to the circle here.”

  They nodded and zipped off, and The Matriarch walked over. “Lord Tristan, you should know that this Fallthorn woman was reported to be scheming with her fellows about doing something to you upon your return and taking your ring. She deduced that it is how you traveled to and from the Fey Realm. It did not seem that her fellows were in agreement with her and tried to talk her down. I do not know how successful they were.”

  Tristan scowled once more as he felt a heat in his chest. “This ends now,” he stated as he began walking to the guest houses which began to empty of their occupants. The performing troupe was walking over to him, and stopped as they saw him approaching with sure, swift strides. Shandra, the Fallthorn Elf, was glowering at Tristan.

  He spun his essence crucible in his chest and pushed it into the king's favor on his seal of nobility. “Kneel,” he ordered as he used the stored Command spell. All the group went to one knee, looking up at Tristan with awe, fear, or in Shandra’s case, hatred. “I heard that you were plotting against me and my benevolent, very kind treatment. Is this true?”

  “No,” Shandra said. The rest of her allies did not speak.

  Tristan grimaced, “I commend you for not wanting to speak out against your ally here, but the fairy dragons keeping guard over you lot told me that you plotted to steal my ring.” Tristan took off the ring and handed it to the Fallthorn elf, “Go ahead, take it.”

  She snagged it from his hand and put it on. It began to glow with an auburn light, and she laughed with joy. “Now I will come and go as I please!” She tried to activate the ring, and her brown-colored essence surged into the item of artifice, emitting a deep, bark-colored light.

  Then, her finger exploded. She screamed out in pain and fell to her face, sobbing on the ground. Tristan plucked the ring from the ground, wiped it off on the grass, and slipped it onto his finger. “When I first received this ring,” he said as Shandra kept crying, “I was told it would only work for me. And now I see that proven correct.” He waved over The Matriarch, “Bring in our fairy dragon with access to rejuvenation.”

  She bowed and flew off as Tristan paced in front of the group of bards who were now looking at him with fear and terror. “I hope you see, now, how fruitless trying to kill me and take my ring would be. I do not seek any ill-will towards you, but I cannot risk having you reveal my secrets at this point.” He looked up to Felicity, “I know that enchantment can control people, but what about manipulating thoughts and memories?”

  Felicity shrugged, “I don’t know.”

  Tristan looked back at the theater troupe, including Shandra who now met his eyes with fury and a true understanding of just how insignificant she was compared to him. “I will come back here,” she growled.

  The Matriarch came back with the fairy dragon in question, who stepped over and mumbled his rejuvenation Third Order spell Cure Wound. The woman’s finger healed over, but did not grow back. “Lord Tristan,” he stated, “Regenerate is Seventh Order, and I cannot yet do that spell.”

  “She does not play instruments, she is a singer,” Tristan replied. “She will still be able to make a living. Consider it the price of a lesson.” He looked back into her fury filled eyes and let his essence vent from himself as he spun his crucible, shrouding his body in silvery mist that crackled with crimson, gold, black, and icy-blue sparks. The temperature dropped noticeably, and the traveling bards recoiled back in fear. “The lesson is do not go against your superiors.”

  Tristan turned to The Matriarch, “You are skilled in enchantment, yes? I want you to perform a spell, if you have such knowledge, that wipes all memory of me, the Fey Realm, Felicity, and all they have met or done since the past day.”

  The Matriarch raised an eyebrow and shook her head, “Such a spell does not exist within enchantment as a spell type, Lord Tristan. The memory spell type could perform such a feat. But I do have an enchantment spell I could use of the Tenth Order. Deca Command, which would let me craft a ten-word order that they would be compelled to follow.”

  “Wait,” Tristan replied. “Doesn’t enchantment only last for a day?”

  The Matriarch shook her head, “Third Order or lower. This is Tenth Order. It will last for years commensurate to the essence I expend. More than all save Shandra’s lifetime. But this spell, combined with your natural inclination towards ordering lesser Elf kind should ensure she complies.”

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  Tristan nodded, “Do it. The order I want you give is as follows; you cannot communicate anything about Tristan or the Fey Realm.”

  The Matriarch nodded, “I obey your will.” She turned to the group and began speaking in Elvish, “Lukekaa sanat huuliltani ja noudattakaa k?skyj?ni niin kuin parhaiten osaatte. Minun sanani on laki, ja teid?n on noudatettava sit?. K?sky?ni ei voi kielt??. Noudattakaa m??r?yst?ni ?lk??k? vastustelko. Sit? vastaan ei voi taistella. Alistukaa tahtooni. Sanojeni v??j??m?t?n vetovoima tuudittaa teid?t kuuliaisuuteen. Kuuntele k?skyj?ni ehdottomasti. Etk? halua miellytt?? minua? Miksi taistella sit? vastaan, kun voit vain alistua? Tottele minua." (Read the words upon my lips, and obey my orders as you are best able. My word is law, and you will follow it. There is no denying my order. Heed my stricture and do not resist. There is no way to fight it. Submit to my will. The inexorable pull of my words lull you to obeisance. Listen to my orders without fail. You want to please me, do you not? Why fight it when you could just submit? Obey me).

  As she spoke, she made the same spell gesture with her fingers as she would for the First Order spell, Command. Tristan thought, it must be because the spell itself is effectively the same? Just more complex? The starting sentence was identical for both the basic Command and this Deca Command spell.

  The eyes of all the theatre troupe glazed over, and she repeated the ten-word phrase that Tristan had given her. The theatre troupe was then led over to the horses; even Shandra who walked with plodding steps. The Matriarch looked to Tristan, “It is done.”

  “Two questions,” Tristan said as he turned to the group. “First, why was the spell gesture the same for Deca Command as the First Order Command?”

  “The same spell, just a more intense version.”

  Tristan nodded and thought, good, my intuition was correct. He cleared his throat slightly, “Second question; how could someone cast spells if they lose a finger like Shandra over there?”

  “Have you ever heard of phantom limb pain? When people describe pain that is there, despite the limb not being there?” Tristan nodded, and she continued, “Well, they are feeling their essence channel. The movements of fingers and hands are just us moving our essence channels, since the channels exist alongside our corporeal forms. When you lose a finger, such as in Shandra’s case, and needed to use an index finger for a spell gesture, then you would move the ‘phantom limb’ just as you would the real one. That phantom limb is moving the essence channel.”

  “If I lost a finger,” Tristan replied, “Then I could still do all of my spells without issue?”

  “You could lose an entire hand and still be a skilled essence-weaver,” The Matriarch replied.

  “Thank you for both the spell and answering my questions,” Tristan said. “Now, we travel. Take care of the Realm for me.”

  “Of course.”

  Tristan went over to the group, channeled essence into his ring, and the group appeared in the dell campsite. And it reeked, as the starting-to-rot meat of the defeated creatures from the night before permeated the air.

  Tristan nudged Onyx and Midnight, and the two horses began making their way out of the dell at his whispered command. But he paused as Felicity let out a growl. Turning around, he saw Shandra holding up a short sword while her companions looked shocked and appalled.

  “Hey! Lordling! I may not be able to speak, write, or do anything else to convey what I saw or heard about…that place, or your real identity. But there is nothing stopping me from trying to get back there!”

  Tristan frowned, “Felicity, go to the horses. I’ll be there shortly.” He spun his essence crucible as she flew off, and he willed the essence surging through him into the armor, so her tiny sword had no hope of injuring him. Stepping forward faster than she could react, he grabbed the blade with one hand and ripped it away, grabbing her by the throat with the other. He did not squeeze, but rather held her there. “You will give up this foolish endeavor. If you had been kind, respectful, and listened to my commands, then I would not be treating you this harshly.”

  She whimpered slightly and looked at her allies, “What are you standing there for!”

  The group just looked at her and then turned away, with Conner, one of the humans, stating, “We can find another singer. One who won’t piss off a goddamn king.”

  Tristan threw Shandra’s short sword to the side and let go of her throat. He let his voice become gentler, and almost pleaded with her. “Please, just give up. You have an essence crucible now; that already makes you unique. Do you know how many people would kill, quite literally kill another person for one?”

  She shouted, “What am I supposed to do now! I don’t have a troupe anymore. A woman, traveling alone? I might as well put a sign on myself that says ‘capture me!’”

  Tristan crossed his arms, “You seek safe passage? Too bad. You will not get it with me. Perhaps if you hurry after your companions, and apologize, they will let you accompany them to the next town.”

  She scowled, then let out a barking laugh, “Why should I listen to you?”

  “You lack respect,” Tristan replied as he let his voice harden and become harsh. “You lack respect for me. Respect for the few guidelines I placed upon you. How hard was it to just stay in the goddamn house?” He pushed his finger into her torso just below the collarbone and tapped as he spoke. “You could have just listened. But instead, you dared plot against me.”

  Shandra pushed his hand away, and he let her, even though he could have easily resisted. “I will never stop trying to get back to what is mine! What belongs to every Elf!”

  Tristan grimaced and drew his sword to show his resolve. I should have never taken this group into the Fey Realm, he thought. I should have just saved them and rode off into the night and left them to tend to their own. Once more, he kicked himself for his unwise decision.

  Plus, he felt incensed at her statements, and that draconic greed surged in him. “The Fey Realm is not yours to own,” Tristan growled. “I rule it, so I own it. It is mine. I don’t know if you looked outside the windows at all at your neighbors while there, but I allow half-breed Broxtar to live there; people who left behind their own because they instantly fell in love with the Realm’s beauty. Eventually, more will be invited to reside within.”

  I’m not being greedy, he thought as he tried to rationalize his words and this twist of nature. This is pragmatism. This woman was given a safe refuge, money, and a simple set of rules to follow. She even got a free essence crucible out of the whole deal. And still, she wants more. Well…too bad. She can either be happy with what she has received, which some would kill for…or… he did not want to think about what he would have to do.

  The woman sagged in place, seemingly defeated. “You’re right,” she whispered as she shook her head. “People would kill for a chance to experience what I experienced in that place I cannot speak of. Or to have an essence crucible.” She looked at him and frowned. “If my troupe does not let me travel with them? What then?”

  Tristan shrugged, “I do not know.” He turned and left the dell, turning around as he heard the woman chasing him. “Goodbye, Shandra Fallthorn.”

  “That’s not my surname,” she said as she approached.

  Tristan turned and looked at her with a hard, piercing gaze. “Go, live your life. Become an essence-weaver. Sing your heart out.” He turned and got to Onyx, mounting the horse. Sparing a glance back, he saw the Fallthorn woman had followed him further. “Felicity,” Tristan muttered, “I can’t seem to get her to leave.”

  Felicity flew atop his head and began making paw-claw biscuits, “I hate her stupid face. Just kill her and be done with it.”

  Tristan frowned, “I’m not doing that. Leaving her here in the wilderness is as good as letting her die.”

  “But you won’t be killing her.”

  Tristan was torn. First, he thought about what his mother would advise. She would have wanted me to rescue a person in need. And done whatever I could within my power to keep them safe and deliver them to a safe refuge.

  But then, he thought of what his grandfather would have advised. He would have wanted me to do whatever was necessary to protect myself and ensure that the bloodline persisted. But…if he were in my position right now, I think he would try to do the morally upright thing.

  Tristan looked at Felicity, “I will permit her to travel with us to the next town only. You will keep an eye on her at all times.” Tristan dismounted and walked over to the woman. “Strip.”

  “Pardon?” she asked.

  “I want to make sure you’re not hiding any weapons. Felicity, I entrust this task to you.”

  The fairy dragon frowned, “Very well.” She shifted to her elfanoid form, and as Tristan walked over to the horses, she helped the woman disrobe and yelled out when her task was done. “I found five hidden blades! But she’s clear now!” Felicity reverted to her fairy dragon form and flew to Tristan’s head. “I made sure to scratch her just a little bit so she knew who was in charge.”

  Tristan sighed and looked at the now thoroughly confused Shandra. He pointed to Midnight’s saddle. “You may accompany us to the next town. Then, we will give you back your weapons, some money, and part ways.”

  Shandra nodded and got up onto Midnight with practiced poise, then stopped. “How do you control the beast?”

  Tristan leaned over to Onyx, and whispered to him, “Take the rear.” He then looked over at Midnight, “Lead the way, Midnight.”

  The horse that Shandra was on began moving forward, and the Fallthorn Elf gripped onto the saddle horn as the two horses, the two Elves, and the single fairy dragon traveled along the road leading south.