Sylvaya Saphira's Story

Sylvaya scanned her eyes over the wide hall as her mother spoke. She'd been to plenty of meetings with her mother, but this one was supposed to be "crucial" to her race. In all honesty, she didn't exactly understand how talking to a cranky old man was going to help the Sidhe. They should be out there fighting off vampire hoards, she should be fighting them. What better way to prove herself to her court than by killing a few bloodsuckers. But her mother would never let her out. "Princesses are supposed to rule their country through diplomacy and good leadership, not through bloodshed" as her mother insisted whenever she brought it up. Princess Sylvaya Saphira of the Seelie court would never see a battlefield if she had anything to say about it (which she certainly did).

The young princess's eyes strayed to a tapestry pinned to the wall across from her. It was a wide woven cloth, meant to look old. The fabric was obviously newer because of the detail of the "Supernatural Tree" printed on it. Most tapestries were made by Sidhe seamstresses and depicted the Sidhe race at the top. This one was an unbiased one, similar to the one Sylvaya's mother had created specifically for their diplomacy hall in West Virginia. The top held the four ruling races: Vampires, Wizards, Seelie Sidhe, and Unseelie Sidhe. The branches reached out to the Hunters on the left side and Fallen Angels on the right. Humans were somewhere near the bottom. Sylvaya scanned the tree, looking for the Unicorns and Sprites she loved. Their image was not shown on the display.

"Where are the Unicorns?" She turned toward the Merlin in mild anger. "Or Sprites and Fairies? This is incredibly inaccurate! The Goblins and Trolls and Centaurs are missing to! It's outrageous!"

Sylvaya hissed in displeasure as she crossed to her mother, furious that the old man was treating her like a child. She was princess of the Seelie court, not a mere apprentice underling of his. What right did he have to boss her around. Her mother, however, was another story. Queen Keira of the Seelie Court, mother to Princess Sylvaya and princes Eric and Evan, certainly could give her orders. Not being able to deny the queen was an important part of Sidhe culture, but it was a pain. Not to mention the insulting tapestry. There was no "mankind". Only creatures that nature blessed with her life. How dare the old man interfere.

"Now, as we were saying. In my opinion, the first step to victory is showing unity despite our enemy's endeavors. At first I thought one of my two sons would be the best choice, pairing them up with a wizard. But the boys are in Europe, securing a treaty with the fairies of that area." Sylvaya's eyes snapped to her mother again. She'd sent those two to visit creatures she knew Sylvaya loved, and then wanted to use them to show the force of the Sidhe court? What about her, the heiress to the throne, soon-to-be queen of every Seelie Sidhe in the world. Wasn't their confidence enough in sending her to help the wizards? Granted, she didn't like the old man to begin with, but being able to leave the protected walls of a castle or court would be enough!

"I'll do it!" Sylvaya agreed quickly. "If It were allowed I would pair off with another wizard."

The Merlin watched, bemused, at the exchange between mother and daughter, and then his attention was redirected to the war when Keira brought it up once more, speaking of unity. He listened, interested by the idea of pairing a Sidhe and a wizard up, and looked through his head, for a good wizard to pair a Sidhe noble with when the young one broke through again, volunteering for the job. The Merlin smiled, for he had just the man for the job. "Well that settles it then. There is a Warden in Chicago, by the name of Alexander." he turned, and began writing down the address, along with a formal order for Alexander to take her in and treat her with the utmost respect, and to keep her alive at all costs. "Alexander is an excellent wizard, and he has just the attitude she needs. Be warned though, he is a war-wizard, and he does not suffer fools lightly. I advise caution." And with these words he dipped his ring into a pool of red wax and slammed it into the parchment, marking it with his seal. He then strode over, and handed the letter to Sylvana. The Merlin moved to face the Queen, and said "Well M'lady, I hope that is sufficent. Now, if you will follow me into the study, there are specifics that I must show you on the war map. Oh and I almost forgot. The young one requires transportation." The Merlin waves his hand, speaking in a low baritone in Latin. When he finished a portal had opened, connected to a park in Chicago.

Sylvaya took the letter in her hand with a badly disguised smile. "Thank you" She tucked it into a bag an attendant handed her, glad she had thought to bring a change of clothes. With a swish of magic she transferred the gown she wore into a mortal outfit; simple but effectively making her stand out. She gave a small curtsy to her mother before slinging the messenger bag over her shoulders and stepping through the portal into a green park. Sylvaya was suddenly surrounded by lush green trees and grass. The air was overhung with the acrid smell of pollution but Sylvaya took no notice.

"How did he expect me to find this Alexander" Sylvaya cursed under her breath. The address on the paper was easy enough, but she didn't have the map of Chicago memorized as her mother did. And asking for help would be asking for death in such a politically torn area. Anyone could be vampire or Unseelie.

"So Keira does send her pretty little daughter to do her dirty work" Sylvaya spun as she heard the wickedly cold voice from behind her.

The voice belonged to an Unseelie Sidhe. He was taller than she was, dressed in mortal garb that outlined his toned muscle distinctly. Cold blue eyes stared her down as Sylvaya took a step back, surveying her situation. Judging by the black, star shaped pendent that pierced his left ear he was one of the Winter Court's higher ups. Stars in her kingdom were marks of crimes against the queen. In the Unseelie kingdom, they were the marks of assassination squads the Queen ordered to track and kill higher ups of Summer. Sylvaya imagined that she was at the top of his list, right below her mother.

"I wouldn't talk so big, Winter" Keira fumbled slightly as she jerked the dagger from the inside lining of her bag, holding it out in front of her as she'd been taught. The blade was made of silver, with a hilt decorated with falling leaves. It was a specially made one, the tip being made of just a pinpoint of iron. Enough to wound when it pierced skin, but the essence caused barely a ringing in the ears of whoever was touching its hilt. It was one of Sylvaya's most prized possessions.

"Are you sure this..Alexander...is the best choice for showing my daughter around Chicago? She's been there before, mind you. But she's never left the court before" Keira wondered as she followed The Merlin toward his study, worry blossoming in her mind. The world was a dangerous place, and though Sylvaya was as skilled a fighter as either of her brothers, she was still naive on how things worked. "And will she be able to find your Warden? Surely he won't recognize her by face, even if she's a princess of Summer. If he were to mistake her for one of the Unseelie bunch...."

Besides the obvious flaws in the plan, Keira knew that the Winter Court had loosed its Sidhe into Chicago long before the death of such an important vampire figure. Her own Sidhe were fighting them under the noses of the humans for years. The wizard Warden might not know Sylvaya, but any Sidhe would. And not one of them would hesitate to kill the young princess and leave their opposing court without an heir in a time of war. She wondered how adept this wizard would be if the Merlin dared to give him watch over her daughter.

Vampire. Sylvaya sensed her before she saw the redhead. The woman was walking seductively toward the Unseelie Sidhe in front of her, ignoring Sylvaya all together. She doesn't know who I am Sylvaya sent a silent prayer toward the Mother Gaia before she used her magic to shroud herself and bolted toward the exit of the park. Hopefully the Unseelie wouldn't reveal to the Bloodsucker who she was. Being a Sidhe princess was a dangerous title in Chicago. It would be better if she avoided other Sidhe while she was here, lest they gossip about the Queen of Summer sending her daughter to the forefront of the war. Keira pulled out the little piece of paper and held it up as she exited the park.

"288 31st street" She read off quietly, glancing up at the street sign. She was at Janura park, a few streets over. If she headed east she'd be fine.

Before leaving, Sylvaya turned to the brick wall surrounding the park. She could leave a message for the vampire woman that had saved her. She pricked her finger on the tip of her blade, mixing the silvery blood with magic so that only a supernatural could see it. Bringing her finger to the bricks she carefully scrawled her message. Thank you....if we shall meet again, I'll refrain from killing you -S.S. After stepping away, she sealed the small wound with magic and set off down the street, assured that her cloak would hide her from anyone who hadn't been exposed to her magic. Both the Vampire woman and Unseelie male would see her if they were looking, but she wasn't too concerned with that.