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It wasn’t often that the fair folk agreed to meet with anyone, let alone those that they deemed “below them”, so when Patton heard that a ball would be held with all invited, he couldn’t help but nearly explode with excitement.
“Can you believe it!” He exclaimed, dancing around the salty-slick rocks that decorated the jagged edge between forest and sea. His pelt was bundled tightly against him, glowing white in the waning moonlight. “Think of all the people, the food, the excitement!”
Nearby, a huff of agreement came from his furry-eared companion. “I really can’t believe it. All these moons, and now the courts decide to meet? It seems suspicious to me.”
“Oh, lighten up virgil!” Patton laughed, taking a seat on the layers of pine needles next to his friend. “Maybe their new prince had a change of heart?”
“That could be true,” virgil replied, staring off into the starry night sky.
“Plus,” patton added, “you’ve been wanting a chance to practice socializing, and this could be just the thing to help you get more comfortable at parties!”
“I guess that’s true,” the werewolf nodded. “But I’ll be staying on my guard. Goodness knows what the fae can do, and I’ll not risk falling into one of their traps. You should be careful too, patton,” he said, throwing a look of concern to his friend. “The fae have silver tongues and lust for control. Keep your pelt close, and don’t give it up for any reason.”
Patton smiled, touched at virgil’s concern. “You don’t have to worry about me, silly! Just enjoy the night, who knows what could happen?”
Before Patton knew it, the time of moon-darkness approached, and with it came the ball of the faes. He made sure to dress in his finest, with his pelt tied tightly around his shoulders. Soon it would be time for he and his sisters to leave for the portal to the fae courts, but first he had one more stop to make.
“Virgil~” he called into the cave he knew belonged to the moody werewolf. “Are you ready?”
“Almost, pat!” A voice called out from within. Second later, Virgil’s familiar form came out of the darkness. He was dressed simply, but still elegantly, a purple and black tunic with decorative white stitching hugging his thin frame.
“You look great!” Patton exclaimed, grabbing Virgil by the hand. “Is your brother ready? We can all go together, in one big group!”
Virgil took a step back towards the caves entrance. “Emile, you coming?” He called out. Second later, another familiar face emerged from the cave.
“Hello, Patton!” Emile greeted the selkie cheerfully, his cream colored ears perking up. “I see your all ready for the ball! Isn’t it just fascinating that the fair folk are letting us in, after all this time?”
“Yeah, yeah, fascinating, can we go now?” Virgil said, shifting anxiously. “I’m kinda starting to get a bad feeling about this, Y’know? Just want to get it over with.”
“Alright, alright, let me just get my sisters and we can go!” Patton assured, grabbing Virgil’s hand to lead him to the shore, where he called to his sisters.
Their group made their way into the forest, deep, deep into the trees, until the tall oaks and pines seemed to block out the sky like towering walls. On they walked, until the heart of the forest came into view.
“Wow,” Patton breathed, amazed at the sight in front of him. “It’s, it’s so pretty!”
A circle of bright scarlet roses made a wide ring set right in the middle of a clearing of trees. The blossoms glowed brightly in the darkness, with scarlet sparks dancing through the air and along the breeze.
“Alright, I’ll admit, that’s pretty cool,” Virgil remarked. Others had began to gather around the circle of roses; other werewolves, from neighboring packs; a scattering of glowing eyed figures with twisting horns; a tall woman with antlers that reflected gold light across her dappled shoulders. They all mingled together, sharing whispers, and staring at the circle of roses in front of them.
“It’s almost midnight,” Emile remarked, his eyes fixed upon the roses. “Any minute now…”
Suddenly, the circle of roses piled with a bright light, sending a murmur of surprise through the gathering of creatures. The sparks that floated along the winds began to coalesce in the middle of the circle, twisting and spinning, until a vortex of crimson light formed in the center of the rose circle.
The whispered conversations from before were halted now, as all eyes were focused on the strange portal so suddenly revealed to them. Hesitantly, patton stepped forwards, until his feet touched the edge of the ring.
“Patton, b-be careful!” Virgil whispered, stepping up to stand behind him. “We don’t know what this does!”
“But I think I do,” Patton said, taking a deep breathe, before stepping into the ring of roses.
For a second, the world seemed to go underwater, and upside down, and burning red into his mind. But in the next second, he was out, and blinking away surprise as his feet found solid ground.
“Ah, it seems the first guest has arrived!” A booming voice exclaimed, and Patton gasped at the splendor before him.
He stood in a clearing of trees, similar to the one he had just stepped out of, but that was were the similarities ended. Instead of brown bark and green leaves, the boughs were gilded in shining gold, with all a manor of gemstones dripping from the shining branches. Candles floated just a few feet above his head, their flames glowing in a bright rainbow of pinks and greens and purples. Dozens of tables lined the edge of the clearing, each filled with decadent looking desserts and finely sliced meats. in the center of the clearing, mirroring the circle of roses, was a large, gold-tiled circle, where people swayed to soft musing that floated along the breeze from somewhere Patton couldn’t place. And the people, oh, the people! Each one seemed more lusterous than the last, with dresses spun from living fire and tunics woven from the finest threads of shining ice. Long, pointed ears dripped with chains, charms dancing in the candlelight, bringing precious metal and gemstone to life. Busy most noticeable about the crowd was the stunning gossamer wings that lifted each guest off their feet to flutter a few inches off the ground
A few in the crowd stood apart from the rest, with long, spiraling horns and many winking eyes, but one man stood out from the rest.
His hair was a gentle brown, that shone like the soft pelt of a rabbits fur after the morning dew, and glittered with tiny rubies that were woven into the curly locks. Eyes sparkled red, than gold, than back to red— a dizzying display that drew Patton deeper into the strange fae’s gaze. His vest seemed to glow like dying coals, shifting with golden flames into scarlet sparks, a living fire threaded with a simple garment.
“Hello, traveler, and welcome to my fine court!” The fae exclaimed, bowing slightly to patton. “You are first, and hopefully not the least to arrive.”
Behind him, a flash of scarlet drew Patton’s attention. He hardly had time to blink before Virgil came crashing into him, arms outreaches to hold him tightly.
“Patton!” Virgil exclaimed, pulling apart to inspect the selkie. “You can’t just rush into the random magic portal, you have… to…”
Virgil trailed off as his eyes widened, taking in the stunning scene Patton had absorbed only moments ago.
“Wow,” he breathed out, eyes shining with wonder. “This is really… wow,”
Soon more of their fellow creatures began to stream out of the scarlet portal, until the clearing began to fill, and Patton and Virgil were pushed along the crowd to the center of the clearing.
“Welcome, everyone,” the beautiful fae from before spoke, voice ringing over the crowd. “I’m delighted to see so many of you have decided to accept my invitation to tonight’s festivities. Now I know, you must all be wondering if the rumors are true. Will eating our food force you to stay in our realm? Will offering your name bind you to our service?” The fae addressed the crowd, hovering high enough to be seen by all. “The answer would be yes, usually. But today, you may dine freely and speak safely, knowing that no debts will be owed. I can ensure your safety, as long as you are polite and well-behaved guests. Now-“ he raised a goblet that seemed to appear from thin air- “let the festivities begin!”
Suddenly the stunning figures from the dance floor were dispersed among the crowd, as if they had always been mingling with them. Virgil’s hand gripped Patton’s tightly as party goers began to surround them, and Patton was filled with concern for his companion.
“Virgil, maybe we should get out of this crowd?” Patton asked, gently leading Virgil out of the suffocating mixture of people and fae. Virgil’s eyes had become blown wide with panic as his breathing stuttered, still thrown off from the sudden intrusion. Once they were on the quieter outskirts of the ball, Virgil began to relax, tension melting from his shoulders and the hair on his ears laying back down.
“Is he okay?”
Patton jumped at the familiar voice from behind him, turning again to meet the red-gold eyes of the captivating fae from before.
“Oh! Hello, sorry, you just… startled me!” Patton laughed. “He’ll be fine, it’s just, crowds aren’t really his thing.”
The fae hovered inches off the ground, peering curiously at Virgil. “I’ve never seen one up close.”
“One what?” Patton asked.
“A werewolf,” The fae remarked. “I’ve heard stories, and seen pictures, but never saw one up close.” The fae floated closer, and Virgil startled back from his advances with a growl. The fae only laughed, before his feet touched the grass and his wings folded down, trailing nearly to his ankles. “Ah, feisty, are you?”
“Only when I’m provoked.” Virgil shot back, eyes narrowing. “Who are you, anyways?”
The fae opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as another man joined their small group on the outskirts of the ball.
“There you are, my prince,” The man said, placing a hand on the faes shoulder. The man had no gauzy wings floating behind him, but instead an iridescent horn spiraled out from the middle of his forehead, ending in a delicate point topped with ornate gold. “I’ve been looking for you- were did you run off to now?”
“Relax, Logan!” The fae huffed, though his smile suggested a playful tone. “I’m mingling, like you said. See!” He gestured to Patton and Virgil, “mingling!”
“I’m sorry,” Patton interjected, “but did you say… prince?”
“How silly of me, not introducing myself!” The fae cried dramatically “I am prince Roman Oberon, of the seelie court. And this is my loyal advisor, Logan.”
“Oh, your highness, I- should I bow?” Patton asked nervously, looking between Virgil and the two fair folk in front of him. Prince Roman let out a laugh, his delicate features pulled into a smile.
“No bowing is necessary, not tonight. Tonight, we are equals! And hopefully, in the future as well.” The prince exclaimed.
“Yes, that is the plan,” Logan nodded, addressing the other two. “Now that prince Roman has come of age, he hopes to reach out more to those of the common realms. We wish to, er, bond with you all, in a way.”
“Well that sounds lovely!” Patton said. “If you don’t mind me asking, why the sudden change of heart?”
“I’ve always had an interest in the realms that sat outside ours,” The fae prince explained, “and now that I’ve come of age, I wanted to extend the olive branch. I want to bring the two worlds closer together, so that can exist in harmony, with no qualms or prejudices.” Romans faced was filled with an honest happiness as he talked about his plans for his rule.
As the party continued, the four of them talked; at first, just banter, back-and-forth about surface level topics. But soon enough the four men found themselves opening up, laughing at jokes and anecdotes, sharing smiles and stories. Even Virgil has relaxed, finding the presence of he two fae interesting, though slightly overwhelming. By the time the stars began to fade and dawn colored the sky a blush pink, the four could truthfully claim to be friends.
“It’s nearly time for the ball to end,” Roman remarked, staring up at the brightening sky. “The portal will be closing soon, and you two will have to go.”
“But you can return,” Added Logan. “Prince Roman is planning on having the portal become a permanent fixture of the realm. Soon, you can visit us any time you’d like.”
“But for now we have to leave?” Patton asked, not hiding his disappointment.
“Yes,” Roman conformed. “But let it be known it was a pleasure to meet you two.”
“I… had fun tonight.” Virgil said, his midnight black ears drooling not from sadness, but simply from how tired he’d become. “And usually this kind of thing isn’t really my style. So, I’ll look forwards to coming back.”
“I’m glad to hear!” The fae prince said with an earnest smile. “Now, I must bid you adieu, but I promise our paths will cross again.”
The ring of roses that once flowed so brightly in the darkness was now dim in comparison to the night before, but it still held the same beauty that beckoned Patton to step in just hours before. Even though he knew home awaited on the other side, Patton hesitated, looking over his shoulder omond last time, meeting the ruby and gold eyes of the fae prince one more time, before plunging into the portals scarlet depths.