Chapter Text
The moon was full, optimal for summoning, bringing on the mental images of monsters and faeries alike. With the cloak pulled low over her head, Nancy could hear the grass rustling under her feet as she fled across the grounds, keeping to the shadows as well as she could before she could reach the treeline of the forest behind the palace. The forest was thick with trees, an almost ominous sight, but in her desperation she disregarded the danger, following a thin path deep into the trees before she finally reached the clearing she had been searching for.
It was ridiculously dangerous to go to a faerie circle. Everyone knew that. You never knew who or what you could summon, or the years you could lose if the fae managed to lure you into their parties. Many people and children have gone missing thanks to the fae before.
But Nancy had also heard the better stories. Tales of when the fae were friendly, and helpful, making friends with humans who had gained their favor. Those who offered their services in exchange for trinkets from the human world. She had to have hope that things would work out the way she thought it would.
Taking out a pouch, she laid out several crystals, as well as a goblet of the palace’s best wine, and read out an old spell from the parchment she had brought along with her. When the wind suddenly blew, she closed her eyes tightly, pulling her cloak tighter around her, before the wind seemed to halt abruptly, and she could smell black cherries. After a moment, she opened her eyes.
He was tall, and pale, almost glowing in the moonlight, dressed in clear hunter gear. His blond hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, clearly revealing the strong jaw and straight nose, those deep ocean blue eyes staring her down with curiosity as he swirled the wine with the goblet he had picked up from the ground. If anything, his appearance already looked inhuman, punctuated by the sharply pointed ears he had, as well as his supernatural beauty.
“Summoning a fae?” the elf asked, a little smirk playing on his lips before he sipped at the wine. “Not normally the best idea, Your Highness.”
Nancy huffed, pulling the hood of her cloak off of her head, exposing the small golden tiara resting in her fiery red hair. “And here I thought I had well disguised myself.”
“And yet that fancy little cloak you wear could easily fetch me a few hundred gold pieces,” the elf replied.
“It’s the simplest garment I have!”
“It’s made of high end fibers with a gold trim.” He chuckled. “But it was a good try. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
She sighed heavily. “I am...set to be married. Now that I am nineteen, my father has sent proposals to other kingdoms, and one of them answered by offering their nearly thirty year old prince.”
“...Congratulations?” the elf said, raising an eyebrow.
“Not really!” She covered her face in her hands for a moment before raising her face again, staring up into his eyes. “I don’t want to be married. I haven’t even see the world beyond the palace walls, or the summer castle near the coast. I’m not ready for this. I need to get out.”
The elf was quiet for a moment, sipping the wine again. “Then why don’t you?”
“I’m of royal blood. I can’t just...walk out of the gates with a horse and take off. I’ll have a bounty on my head. Both from thieves and murderers, and from my own father offering a reward for my return.”
“That seems like a ‘you’ problem.”
“I came because I crave a boon.”
That caught his attention, even if it was small. Lowering the goblet, the elf tilted his head, extending his hand slightly to let her continue.
“My father and I argued for hours. But I was able to buy myself some time. I can get out of the marriage, but only if I can find the Lost Treasures of Old, as well as some ashes of the great prophetess, Selenia.” Nancy worried her bottom lip under her teeth. “Please, I... I know that may sound crazy, but I’m desperate. And I can offer you anything in return. I just need the help of someone in the fae, someone who can be a good tracker, someone who can help guide me through the world. Someone I can bring as company.”
“Not a servant nor a bodyguard?” the elf asked.
“No,” Nancy answered sincerely. “I need a friend. Someone who can help me, and I can help them in return. If you can help me find the Lost Treasure, and the resting place of Selenia’s ashes, I can give you anything you would ever want. Gold, jewelry, potions, gemstones, books...”
The elf was silent for a long moment, gazing at her like he was trying to see into her very soul. The clearing was eerily silent, no motion in the trees from the wind, no chirping of the crickets, nor any soft hoots of owls or howls of the wolves. This was the tricky part, where she could wait on bated breath for who knew how long, in an effort to appeal to this ancient creature.
After several minutes of pure silence, the elf sipped at the wine again, before handing her the goblet. “I will accept your offering and grant you this boon,” he said. “I will hold off on my own request until we have found the Treasure and the ashes and I’ve brought you back home.”
Her eyes widened, and for a moment Nancy almost threw her arms around the elf in her happiness, but was able to restrain herself. Taking the goblet, she also took a sip of the wine, her mouth tingling from the magic as the contract was sealed. “Thank you,” she said. “This means so much to me.”
“I can imagine.” He gave her a little crooked grin. “Marriage should be a happy time, not a moment of dread and doom.”
She gave a small laugh, feeling a thousand times lighter now. “I never got your name.”
“My name in Elvish is very hard to pronounce for humans,” he said. “But a rough English translation would result in Joseph, or Joe. Whichever you prefer.”
“Well, Joe,” she said. “Call me Nancy then. Traveling would be easier if I didn’t present myself as a princess everywhere we go, we could run into trouble.”
“True.” He looked her up and then down. “And we’ll also need to get you better clothing, to let you blend in easier. Where we may end up going, you’ll be needing to wear practical things, not things clearly meant for show. Meet me here in three days, and we’ll head off.”
“Of course.” She nodded, gripping the goblet tight in her hands. “And thank you, again.”
“Of course.” He winked at her before turning and walking back into the trees, vanishing within the shadows, and only then did the wind finally blow again.