Wellwish's Story

"Oh, come now, boys," called thin, Irish accented vocals from not too far away. "Is that there any way to treat a lady?"

The scene halted almost entirely and the axe-wielding soldier was left scanning his surroundings with a frantic gaze; his subordinates weren't quite sure whether to aim their crossbows at the trees in his aid or keep them trained on the creature whom they'd originally been harassing.

Emerging from the dense woodland into their leader's line of site, three strange men ventured closer to the brawling group. Slowly and casually, as if there was no worry in their minds.

At the head of this group stood Alec Iris; simultaneously the creator and destroyer of the world in which they all now lived. Although most would not recognize him by sight alone, he possessed an air of great importance regardless. He had changed quite a bit since fleeing from his mistakes one year ago, but he was still the same boy beneath the stern stare and muscular physique. Royal training still in effect, he stood straight and held his head high, openly challenging the authority of these soldiers.

"Leave the damned thing alone," he drawled.

"Why the fuck would we do that?" one of the soldiers barked back, making it clear he had no intention of backing down. That was a poor decision on his part. Alec raised a single brow at this challenge, one hand slipping from behind his cloak. A sphere of raw white energy pooled in his palm, his feet shifting in a way that he could launch himself towards the group at a moment's notice.

Either side of the exiled Prince stood his two companions. On his right, an eager-looking individual with chaotic eyes, adorned with black paint, and a wispy beard. Much like Alec, he too changed his stance, his lips twisting into a grin. On his left, a stoic yet impressively brawny soldier; dark of skin with thick dreadlocks that grew down to his chest. Calmly, this man turned his gaze towards his leader. "Surely there is no need for violence here, Alec," he prompted, his voice rough but pleading. "After all, are these not your grandfather's men? They may still wear his mark."

"What the hell could you do with our mark?!" the same soldier growled at them. "You're not Alec... You can't be." Not a single one of them paid him any mind, to his utter annoyance.

Alec gave some semblance of thought to his companion's idea before confirming his decision with a single nod. He did not need any more blood on his hands, disgusting as their behaviour may have been. Objectively speaking, they were only really following their Queen's orders.

Without spoken instruction, both men set about removing Alec's cloak from his body, as if he were still a respectable member of the royal family. Beneath it, he wore a fitted black leather tunic, breeches of the same colour, and fine leather boots. Both of his arms were scarred with sigils from shoulder to wrist, some more faded than others. One marking on his right bicep stood out above the rest as it glowed a dull blue; it often did so when it was near others of its kind. These soldiers all bore the same mark upon their arm, except Alec's was vastly different.

When he created this sigil at the beginning of the war, he made sure that he and his grandfather were special above the rest. They could control all others who wore the Remei sigil; a simple tap would give their words power and influence that no other creature could possess over the soldiers.

Alec lifted his hand; two fingers pressed together would give a simple tap to his scarred skin, and the sigil glowed a brighter blue for but a second. "You will gather the rest of your patrol, and all fourteen men will return with you to the capital city. There will you report directly to your Queen and you will tell her that Alec Iris has returned from hiding and wishes to speak with her at once. Understood?"

Mindlessly, the soldiers nodded in unison, holstered their weapons each in turn, and walked back the way they had come without another word.

Alec lowered his hand at that point, watched the men until they were out of sight and turned back to the fox, checking that it had not yet run away. Perhaps it was curious, grateful, or just plain stupid. He did not yet know, but since it had not fled, he thought it might be time to introduce himself and his companions. He gestured to the dark-skinned man on his left. "This here is Zio, my mentor," he explained. "The crazy bastard over there is Wellwish, and my name is Alec."

Zio stepped forward, a warm smile gracing his handsome features. The fox was a fair bit smaller than him, to say the least, but he bowed his head out of respect nonetheless. He aimed to make it clear that the group meant her no harm. "Might I ask your name, little fox?"

In complete silence, the trio watched with amused expressions as what appeared to be a small white fox began to shift into a form resembling a mortal woman.

"Antheia... it's Antheia Ophiuchus," she finally offered as her first response. Before Zio could open his mouth to speak, however, she had already continued. "My home is known as the animanty realm but you people like to refer to it as the realm where residents are one with nature."

The eldest of the three members turned to his companions with a confused frown weighing on his features, and he did not turn around until Alec offered him a brief nod of reassurance, as if to say: 'Yes, I've heard of it.' Which was entirely true, of course. As a Prince, learning about other realms was a necessity.

"I do have to ask another favor of you. I’ve been wandering in this forest for moons now but can’t seem to find a certain shelter of rebelling Fae. I wish to join them. Can you show me the way there?”

At long last, Zio returned his attention to Antheia, a bemused expression replacing the confusion that had once been there. Perhaps they would have themselves a new companion after all? They were both seeking the same audience, and had somehow ended up meeting along the same path to reach it. Had they not been interrupted shortly thereafter, Zio might have happily begun to extend her an invitation to travel with them. Things were rarely ever so easy...

“We’re being watched. And it’s not that squirrel over there," she warned them, triggering a state of alert hostility among the men. As they all scanned the surrounding woodland, not one of them had noticed her return to her 'original' form until Wellwish heard the patter of tiny little feed against the dry forest getting quieter and quieter. She was heading towards the threat alone, which was both incredibly brave and incredibly stupid.

Unsurprisingly, Wellwish was the first of the trio to pursue the fox, bounding after it with a skip in his step and a grin stretching ear-to-ear. His delighted, childlike giggles filled the sudden silence.

Ever since he'd joined the group, Wellwish had established himself as an outstanding combination of a full-blown madman and an exceptionally able magick-wielder. As such, he was rarely one to stray from any sort of conflict. In fact, he often tumbled into these situations head-first, much to the chagrin of the two men who practically became his babysitters.

The crazed magi, much like his new fox 'companion', appeared before the unfamiliar male, entirely hunched over with his hands on the ground and his fingers splayed outward. He directed his unyielding stare towards the stranger and crinkled his nose as if he'd caught wind of something strange. "He reeks o' your kind," he spat. Collectively the remaining two men in their group seemed to understand that this was directed solely at the Prince, who was now more in tune with his Faerie side than he had ever been. They also seemed to understand that this boy, wherever he came from, might potentially have ties to the Rebellion. Luck was clearly on their side that day.

"Bes' tell us where the Fae Folk are hidin' these days," Wellwish hissed, "or we'll 'ave yer tongue out in a second." He then proceeded to part his jaw with unnecessary amounts of aggression, grab the end of his tongue and pull it as hard as he could without risk of ripping the damned thing out.

"Or, in a less hostile manner... We've been travelling for many weeks now, trying to find the Rebellion's camp," Zio interjected, knowing that a calm and well-mannered approach would likely yield better results in this situation. "We simply seek an audience with the Faerie King... Would you know him by any chance?" he asked, then paused a little with his hands raised in a gesture of surrender. "We mean him no ill will, nor do we have any kind of ulterior motive. By my word as a Faerie, I promise this."

"Not just anyone can get an audience with the King. Maybe if I catch your names, it may help me with deciding whether I know the King or not," spoke the stranger, with the all the confidence of a boy who believed he had any legs to stand on in this situation. Alec wasn't sure whether it would be necessary to remind him that he absolutely did not. For now, he opted to humour the kid.

Alec met the stranger's gaze, although it was considerably less hostile than the one he was offered. He became so focused on his potential opponent that he hadn't spared a glance in Antheia's direction for some time. As such, when her introduction broke the silence, he was surprised - so much so that his head whipped around and found her standing there in human form. How had he not noticed her shift? Even if he wasn't looking in her direction, he should have been able to sense that.

It was at this time he noticed a slight blur in his vision, and he exhaled slowly. Perfect timing... Keep calm, he thought to himself as an aching sensation slowly began to form in his left shoulder.

"Like this Fae said, we come in peace and seek no violent confrontations," Antheia echoed, to which Zio offered a murmur of confirmation.

Steadying his voice to ensure that it would not quiver, Alec decided to follow Antheia's introduction with one of his own. "This is Zio," he began, gesturing towards the oldest of the group. "And Wellwish," with another brief gestures towards the feral-looking man. "Of course you must know who I am at this point. They would have warned you about me, hm? Alec Iris, world-destroyer, evil bastard."

The aching sensation had begun to escalate into sharp pains that shot through Alec's left shoulder and waist every time he spoke. It became slightly painful to inhale, so he took a moment to control his breathing before he continued.

"Listen, I know you've got a fuckin' issue with me, kid. There's no hiding it," he barked, the stress and pain effectively removing whatever remained of his patience. "But you do know the King, because if you didn't, I'd have choked on my words before finishing that sentence."

Zio stepped closer to stranger, holding his arms slightly in the air to show that he was unarmed and would remain so. "We only wish to deliver a message... About the King's mother," he explained, adopting a pleading tone. "Realistically, do you think he would be happy to learn that you'd denied him a decent chance to save her?"

It may have been a bit manipulative to ask that question, but it was perhaps the easiest way to convince this boy that it was important for him not to make a fuss.

Alec, clearly agitated and now holding his shoulder with his right hand, decided to interject. "Be a good boy and make this easy for us, wont you? Take Zio back with you so that he may deliver my message, or you'll be useless to us and I'll kill you myself for wasting our time," he growled. "The camp must be close anyway, if you're here."

Wellwish began to giggle, hoping from foot-to-foot in anticipation. "What'll it be, boy? What'll it be?"

"I will take you to the King."

Zio breathed his relief aloud, utterly grateful that - in spite of Alec's threats and continued frustration - this boy had maintained his composure and agreed to comply with their request. Even the Prince himself had softened his countenance, although his lips remained pressed in a thin line.

"Apologies for acting like a smartass earlier with my question. Had to make sure your motivations were legitimate. You two are indeed welcome to come since it is your message you want to deliver... and the Rebellion is aware that you three are here, anyhow."

So he had sent word to the camp earlier, perhaps before Antheia sensed his presence. That much was to be expected. Not one of the three men stirred at this news, however, Zio felt obligated to offer a nod of understanding; as if to say 'no hard feelings' - or perhaps the ever-so-subtle smile he wore was more of a 'fair enough, well done' than anything else. Alec couldn't quite be sure.

Not that he had much time to think it over, of course. His eyes traced the boy's gesture. Suddenly he became aware that he was gripping his shoulder, and that the tips of his fingers were tingling and cold. His arm dropped almost instinctively, accompanied by a small wince that caused his brows to furrow.

"We have doctors. If you need."

Alec blinked through his surprise, a million different reactions cycling through his mind. He didn't know whether to reject the offer with gratitude, or laugh at the utter absurdity of it. Was he so disconnected with the situation that he thought his family wouldn't kill him at the first available chance? No, he couldn't return. His only hope was that they would hear his message and trust that he only intended to help. Zio knew of the risk to his life when delivering this message and he was willing to accept it. Alec could not be so careless.

"You... you're like the heart of this forest... who are you..?" spoke the shifter, her voice barely above a whisper. It wasn't directed at Alec but he accepted the comment as if it was, a sudden chuckle shaking his torso and thus irritating his shoulder.

"Far be it from me to underestimate a stranger, but gods be damned, you're quite the girl," he returned, drawing up his brow in a mixture of amusement and awe. "You can feel it too, can't you? The Earth's pulse; its heartbeat." The faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips and he watched Antheia with such intensity that it was almost as if no one else in this world existed but her. In that moment, she was the only creature who deserved his attention. Perhaps even an explanation... before they parted.

"I am bonded with this world... in a strange and wonderful way," Alec corrected, gesturing to their surroundings with both arms extended. "Its heartbeat is my own, as is its pain and decay."

A slight sway in his stance had Zio and Wellwish by his side in the blink of an eye, allowing him to rest his weight on their own. Still, he didn't avert his gaze from Antheia. In fact, he seemed even more intent on getting his words out. It was a strange urge that he couldn't quite pinpoint, but something deep within his mind was telling him she should know. She was the only one thus far who'd actually felt it.

"The world is dying, Antheia, but I will be its saviour, as I was its creator," he breathed, desperation and determination fighting for a dominant role in his tone. His eyes were fierce, his jaw tense, and he struggled against his companions who were now restraining him rather supporting him. "I will be its source of power; the one who maintains its balance... its Life Tree."

His gaze searched briefly for Roan before settling on him. "Your offer may have been well-meant, but it was useless and quite stupid... I cannot be healed, nor can I allow myself to be killed - the latter is far more likely to occur," he admonished, then nodded his head towards Zio. "Take him and leave. My message is of dire importance. Erieda doesn't have a lot of time left."