Now with real Mermaids (The CaFae) 23/x

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May 29, 6pm

We are heading out when Connie waves at us from the corner of the lot.  Her tree is looking beautiful as ever, even with that scar from the car incident.  She motions for us to come over.  “Ladies, it is my distinct honor to invite you to the Court.  Please take my hand.”  She reaches out her hand.  Jackie and I share a look.  We clasp hands and then I take Connie’s hand.

I don’t know what I was expecting.  Walking through the tree?  A gate?  Mushroom circle?  I wasn’t expecting it to be spring in New York and the moment I grab her hand to be in the FeaWyld.  Crazy.

Connie is resplendent.  Her figure made of supple wood, her green eyes flashing and her feet are actually roots.  Pine needles grow from her head like hair and decorate her arms and legs sparsely. Wait, is that?  Girl has a landing strip in pine needles?  Naughty girl.

She looks down and blushes. Fuck I broadcast that. Jackie fucking giggles as she looks to where my eyes were. “Pat you little perv.” 

Jackie gasps and I follow suit.  I hadn’t looked at her before the comment.  Before me is a being of fire and light.  I can see her form in shining copper with fire blazing all around.  She looks like a superheroine in a comic book.  The wedding was her at a 7.  Now her form looks like it has been dialed up to 11.  She points at me.  I look down.  My body is chrome.  Surrounding me is green fire and lightning.  My dragonfly wings are out at full length. My hair has grown to something far longer and I see it formed of all manner of things.  Both of us look far more otherworldly than when we were at the wedding for May and Lemar in the FaeWylds. “Um, Connie…”

“You are both to be present at the Court as ones that hold power.  Your power as ArchFae has grown since the wedding, significantly.  At this point even outside the CaFae you are both rivals to almost any ArchFae, including the Queens.”

We are next to her tree.  Her tree is unbelievable shades of green, capped with white and decorated in a million twinkling lights. It is also like 4 times bigger here than in New York City.  She speaks up. “Your decorating my tree for the winter is one of my favorite memories. It will always live on, here, in its splendor.”

 She points to a gate that is right next to her tree.  As we are about to walk into it she smiles. “We also have a surprise for you both.”  We walk beyond the edge of the portal into a beautifully appointed building.

We walk in and she leads us to a room laid out in a half circle.  On the left are oranges and greens and reds, chairs draped in leaves, vines and all sorts of nature stuff.  I think I see a doe walking around.  The Summer Court in all its splendor is a gorgeous sight.

Near the center it gradually fades to grey.  This area is barren and devoid of anything but a few grey looking winter trees and something hidden from me. Huh. This should be the Autumn Court, but that seems to be part of the Winter Court now.  I guess the Spring and Autumn Court are both gone now.  They had been falling out of fashion for decades from what the irregulars told me.

The Winter Court is to the right of this empty center area. It starts with the greens and browns of Autumn and transitions to blues and greens and whites, snowflakes, icicles, and granite everywhere.  A reindeer is hanging out, because of course there is. 

Once I have looked at everything the veil in the center is lifted.  There are two chairs similar to the ones Titania, Verenestra, Chione, and Mab use.  Next to one, and not seated, is Morgana.  The Queen of the Sea and Storms has no official Court as she stays out of politics and while the other Queens have held power over either Seelie or Unseelie, she calls both her children. Her being here is not only unusual, it and that extra chair are ringing alarm bells in my mind.

Seated in chairs in both the Summer and Winter sections are members of the Courts.  They are in a heated discussion.  It appears to be about a Hobgoblin chained to the floor in the center.  I see a lot of familiar faces and a few I don’t know.  I see Jack and Chione for the first time in weeks.   I know it is completely undignified, but I wave at them.  They wave back and smile.  Both seem so happy that I am still impressed with my matchmaking pro move.

The discussion dies down as the Fae notice us.  Connie steps up and is obviously a little terrified.  I whisper to her and only to her, “Be calm, you were given a duty you have fulfilled above and beyond the call.  You got this.”  She straightens up.  “Esteemed members of the Courts, I present to you Pat and Jackie.  The ruler of the Tearmann and her Con…stant companion.”

Tearmann?  That Gaelic?   Ugh. I have heard it before.  SANCTUARY!

I see several smile, I am not sure what this is about but I have other things to deal with.  Time is fuzzy here.  I could miss my bus ride home.  By a few decades…

Then they do something I am completely not expecting.  Both the Queen of Air and Darkness and the Queen of Land and Light stand up and motion to a chair in the center of the half circle.  Goosebumps while my skin is hardened metal? I hear a few chuckles.  I step around the hobgoblin.  He looks a lot worse for wear.  We get to the chair, and I stand in front of it, looking at the Fae all around me.  Behind us I hear a throat clearing.  Morgana also has a chair and appears to be waiting for me to sit before she does herself.  I then am about to sit when Jackie grabs my hand and helps me do so.  She then stands to my right.  Connie stands to my left.  She seems to have gotten more green leaves and her left arm forms a shield out of her vines, branches, and needles.  In her right hand is a long spear tipped in sharpened pine needles that look as strong as any metal. I finish sitting by crossing my legs as I lean back.  This feels right.

The room around me changes.  I feel that thing inside me reach out. Green stretches out in every direction.  Just green.  It melts into the greens of the two sides of me.  The ground directly around me is covered in the dark and light greens of the seas. The trees in the area erupt in the color on the needles. I wonder how long they planned this.

Why does it feel like I am home or at the CaFae? 

Because I am home.

In any case, I look at the Hobgoblin and I wait for some hint because I am clueless here.

Mab stands up.  “We wish to pass judgment on this creature as it is one of ours, and I WANT TO FLAY THIS LITTLE FUCKER ALIVE FOR A FEW CENTURIES!  I want to make him watch as my trolls eat his organs. I want to crush his heart in my hand and refuse to let him die. I will sew his eyeballs to his hands and make them work so he can see the ruin that what was once his body.  He will gasp for air that never is enough for his lungs.  His bones will ache for freedom from the relentless crushing they will endure.  His soul will scream in anguish and horror and I will tell Thanatos he cannot be taken because this little fucker will be mine for hundreds of years to invent new tortures on.“

 She pauses for a breath. There’s more?!

“I will hand him over after I am done, perhaps.”  Jackie and I gasp.  In all our time knowing her, this is the first time we have seen the Mab from the stories.  Lightning crackles around her and the Hobgoblin begins to sob.

Titania stands up.  “We wish to pass judgment as it is the Spring and our season, this creature attacked one of our dearest friends, and OBERON AND I WANT TO MAKE HIM WISH FOR A DEATH THAT MAY NEVER COME! Slow, painful, never reaching it.  I want him to experience pleasure so intense it is painful.  Ruinous pleasure. Never ending. Forcing his body to react without the climax he desperately wants. Teasing, promising release. And never reaching it. So much and so intense it stops being pleasure and is just pointless stimulation that crushes his senses. Every touch becomes a hated thing.  Ever caress, pain.  Then I will hand him out to orgies for decades. A toy that hates every moment but cannot stop.”

I shake my head.  “All this because of a fight?”  Wait, I have some vague memories of it being more.

A dozen heads turn to me.  “Did no one tell you?”  They all look at one another.  My expression speaks volumes.  Emmantiensien looks at the Hobgoblin.  For the first time I see him loom and be terrifying in a manner I cannot grasp. He is a treant.  Though that term is recent.  He’s actually an Oread.  A dryad that is actually the tree as much as a spirit. But all in his line are probably part of the inspiration for Tolkien having a forest move.  Not just that missed opportunity in MacBeth. Somehow his true form only makes his command seem all the more terrifying as it is issued. “Tell her what you told us.”

The Hobgoblin looks up at me. I can feel his terror. I can feel his pain. I can also feel…sorrow?   “I was hired to get into a mock fight with a human conspirator and when you came close enough, to remove your unseen enchantment charm.  I promise, I didn’t know what else would happen I…. ARRRRRRRGH!

He screams in pain as Mab bathes him in lightning.

“Stop.”  I barely say it.

It is a small word, said softly.  She immediately does.   She looks at her hands and then at me.  The Evergreen has invaded both Winter and Summer Court.

I get up and walk up to the creature that is chained to the ground.  I can see the chains burning him as I get close.  Cold Iron?  Their anger is… something.  Even in restraining him, they went with torture. I pull his chin up and look in his eyes.  “What did you expect would happen if a gift given to me to protect me from the people that would mean me harm was removed?  I vaguely recall now realizing the attacker hadn’t noticed me until you pulled off the charm. I thought I was going to be killed by a professional in that moment.”

He cries.  “I asked.  I asked… I was told they wanted someone to talk to you when they could threaten you.  They can’t even do that unless they don’t mean it.  Someone that could convince you to sell them the place because they were serious.  I thought it was mundane people that had figured out your favor with the courts.”

I nod.  “And if they couldn’t threaten or intimidate me when I have my charm on, what could they do to me when I didn’t have it on?”

His eyes scream in pain.  “I didn’t think anyone would dare harm you.  They’d be a fool.  You are magnificent.”  His voice quakes.

DAMN RIGHT!  So many voices said it in my head that it almost hurt.

He is just kneeling there, sobbing in grief. This isn’t pain, it is sorrow. The burning flesh isn’t even registering as important to him.  His sobbing hurts my heart.  I pull the chains off him as if they were made of tissues.  My strength is insane. The iron chains hurt a little when I touch them but not enough to cause real pain or damage.  “You are smart enough to stay here, right?”  He nods.  I look at the others. They are staring. I look back at him.

“So, you were to remove the charm, and expected the fight to end but now had a front row seat to my almost getting my head bashed in.  What did you do when you realized the massive error in judgment you made had gone awry?”

“Good Queen, I grabbed his arm and screamed that he wasn’t supposed to hurt you.”

I dimly remember hearing someone say that.  I thought it might have been him. Glad I was right.

“He had been about to hit you again, highness.  Others helped grab him as soon as they could and I held him until help came.  I knew I couldn’t flee, so I gave myself to the Courts.”

“A confession.”  Not sure who it was but they weren’t helping.  These are the actions of someone that didn’t think through a mistake. 

“What did they offer you?” My curiosity is piqued.

“A name.  I have none.  Names have power.  I haven’t been able to be anything more than a worthless unseelie. I wanted more. I was so stupid.  I was wrong.  A stupid fool. So very wrong.  Please forgive me, my lady.  PLEASE!!!  I don’t care what you all do to me. I just want you to forgive me first.”

Crap, I can’t hate this guy.  I look up and address the others.

“If it would please the two Courts, I would judge and determine the punishment of this Hobgoblin.”  It’s a risky gambit.  I am willing to try.  He needs someone to believe in him.

Mab and Titania laugh.  Several Court members start exchanging things.  My head tilts as I realize what is happening.  “Did you all fucking bet on if I would ask for this?”  They nod. 

Oberon gives me a thumbs up.  “No objection from the Summer Court.”

Jack smiles. “None from Winter.”

You all suck. I love all of you.

I happen to know some Gaelic. Why is that important?  heh.

“Alright then.  Arise, Amaideach, Fool, you belong to me until said time that I determine you have paid your debt. You are forgiven by me, my fool.  You will be required to earn it from all the others hurt by your actions.”  Bet none of you fuckers saw that coming.

They all stare. He seems to glow, his wounds heal, his eyes seem to become lit with inner fire.  Green fire. He stands up and looks as though his body grows stronger.  Tears begin to fall as he immediately takes a knee. “Yes, my Queen of the Cúirt Síorghlas, may it ever stand!”

Only Mab looks on with no surprise. She nods.

Even so, the room is dead silence. Uh-oh

 

 

May 30

“Everyone, meet Amai.  Spelled Aye, em, aye, eye.  Pronounced Ah-m-eye.  He will be learning the ropes. First will be busboy activities, cleaning, and essentials that can be learned quickly. Once he has those down to routine, we will be working on making him great in the kitchen and then a barista.”

There are 8 faces staring at him with death glares. “Hey boss, this guy almost got you killed. I don’t know about anyone else, but I want this punk in jail.”  Wow, Paul, I am touched.

“I know. Look, how many here screwed up because you were desperate and in a bad place?”  I raise my hand.  A few of them do as well. “He should raise his hand.”  He does.

“How many of you realized you made a big mistake and immediately tried to fix it?  Or asked forgiveness and tried to make it up to the person harmed?”

A few more hands. “He should be raising his hand too.”  I look at Amai.  He looks surprised and raises his hand.

“Folks, I am asking for this to not be a hostile work environment.  I am asking you to give him a chance to make up for a stupid mistake. He isn’t the guy that tried to kill me. He didn’t know that was the actual goal.”

That was a screw up. Half the people look at me in shock.  Oh, some of them thought it was a simple battery and he was just in the middle of it. Whoops.

I hold up my hand before they get too upset. “It is being looked into.  And if not for him doing what he did at the moment when a lot of people would have frozen or run, I might not be here. So please, let’s all give him a chance.”

Henry walks up and tries to get me quietly off to the side. “I get what you are doing boss, and I respect it.”

“I hear a ‘but’ coming in…”

He shakes his head. “No. Not a single one. Let me remind you of something.  2 years ago.  You were just promoted to manager. A guy that checked off ‘convicted of a felony’ walked into an interview he never thought he would get because checking that box basically ruins your chance at getting any interview. You asked him if the thing he was convicted of would be something he would be struggling with in this place. You didn’t ask if he would cause problems. You didn’t ask what he did.  You told him he would have help if he needed it.  He promised you it would not be a problem.  That he would always ask for help. You took him at his, at my, word.”

I nod.  Dude is gonna break me.  I can’t cry on the floor. I should not.

“I have done my best to never let you down. If Amai promised you he would not be struggling, and you believe him, I will trust you.”

God damn you for making me cry.  “I forgot all about that. It didn’t matter after week one.  At that point all I saw was ‘Henry, great guy that needs to learn how to properly make cold foam.’ And you got that down eventually.”  I give him a wink.

I get a hug. A really crushing hug.  I hug him back hard.  HR might get mad if I wasn’t HR…

 

 

June 5

“How is there an Evergreen Court now?”  The angelic and fallen angel brothers stare at me.

“I fucked up.”

Samael is a hair short of laughing his ass off at me.  Michael is already there.  Mike has literally fallen off his chair. “This isn’t funny.  I think the members of the Courts are pissed.  None have come into the place for a week.”  God I sound pathetic.

“I think they may have withdrawn their boons and such.”  I sound dejected to myself.

Both of them look at the door.  “Nope.  Still there.  Hell, the writing changed and that was why we were curious…”

Startled, I push my senses to the level needed to see the writing.  I pull it to me with 2 fingers and look at it.  The last section has changed. “May all who come to my place find peace, calm, happiness, and may they follow the rules!! The rules of etiquette and hospitality are absolute here.  Break them at your peril, as you risk the wrath of the Summer, Winter, and Evergreen courts.”

FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

I would try to figure this out but both angels are staring at me silently.  “What?”

“You know, it appears that when you manifest your powers, the glamour isn’t maintained against the irregulars and possibly the enlightened.”  He points, half my staff is staring at me like I… well, transformed into a Fae Queen, again.

“I know.  But why are you staring at me?”

Mike begins, “Angels and Fae can see a person’s core.  Your core, your soul, if you will.  For most it is seen as a thing within you.”

He keeps going, “Fae are ALL core.  They are a manifestation of their very soul and their outward appearance is literally what they are inside.  That’s why iron is so hurtful to them, it is introducing the mundane into their very soul. They use glamour magic to cover it up around mortals.  But you are different.  Your core is still mortal.  However, it shines through when you are like this and becomes its most fulfilled. You BECOME your soul when you become this. We don’t often get to see ArchFae in their true forms. They almost always hide their core to some extent.  Their true form is likely as gorgeous to us as it is to the other Fae, probably more so for them. Frankly I am surprised none of them has recently attempted to seduce you or invited you to their orgies.  Also, could you change back?  I am getting very lascivious thoughts.”

Samael looks intense as he says, “I would agree to a threesome with you and Mike using this booth right now if you offered. Fuck, you are gorgeous. I would gladly spit roast you and let everyone watch.  Hell, I’d even let the ‘Fool’ Hobgoblin help…”

Mike and I both respond “SAMMY!”

“Just putting that out there. Dad damn you are fucking even hotter than usual right now.  I didn’t realize that was possible.  How the hell do the Fae avoid it… Oh fuck. One minute!!!”

Sammy runs out and I am left with a bewildered Mike until he walks in with Connie. Come to think of it, she is the only one who has still come in this week. Though she hasn’t looked at me directly even once…

Wait, her form is the same as when we were at court to my eyes now.

“My Queen.”

“Will you stop that?”

She shakes her head, respectfully from the impression I get. “I cannot, my Queen. I am your shield maiden. I owe you and your con…stant companion my life. I cannot stop treating you like anything else.”

“Okay, so what am I a queen of?” Let’s see her give me something catchy…

“The Queen of Caffeine and Comfort.” She smirks.

“Ugh. I lose. Continue Sammy, you brought her here for a reason.”

“Yes, and you still haven’t changed back.”

“Oh. Whoops. Better?”  I notice Connie becomes her normal human look when I do. No, that’s not right. I can’t see through the natural glamour the Fae have to hide their true forms. At least not fully, I can sort of see through it.  Oh.  OH.”

Sammy speaks to Connie. “Has she changed forms?”  Connie looks at me.

“I can’t tell.  She stopped being able to hide her gorgeous core from me after she assumed her power at court.  When she took the mantle of the Queen of the Evergreen, her power ascended to its full potential.”

Mike catches on. “Can she hide it from any of you?”

“Not really anymore. I mean, especially here. She is always magnificent…simply gorgeous… and here it is like she is… well...”  Did she just sigh looking at me?  Is she licking her lips?  She is!

“My offer of bi-awakenings is still on the table my Queen.  I would gladly be that for you. I’ll even get that Librarian outfit if you like…” 

The fuck, Connie?!

Sammy nods.  “SEE!!!”

Behind me the door opens.

“OH, FUCK BOTH OF YOU!”

The chimes ring and it has Firestarter by Prodigy.  It has the melody of a Fae and sounds like it is being covered by AC/DC.  The fuck?   Jackie makes a comment as she walks in, “At once?”

She ducks my glare and I am sure some poor New Yorker just got hexed outside.

“Okay, so how the hell do I fix this? Is every Fae that used to come here having problems with their libido because I can’t turn off being whatever the hell I am to them?  Is that why none are coming to the shop? And why don’t any of the other queens have this problem?”

“You are the Queen of the Evergreen. The place where all are welcome. And you can turn it off, somewhat, even now. You will need to learn to control it more. It took the others time to learn to do so. You can as well. As for their libidos, that is on them. Though most usually try and get out their frustrations a few times a year with some dalliances. I know you, you wrongly believe you would die if you did that. And I, frankly, believe a few of them might die if they became possessive of you.”  Connie smiles.  What does she mean by that last line?

Um… huh?  “Mortals engaging in such activities with Fae don’t end in good places.” I stammer a bit saying this. Still trying to process it all.  

Connie laughs. Puts her hand on mine. “Good thing you don’t count as one when you embrace your power.  You would probably melt the core of any normal mortal that got in bed with you while you embraced your power.  At this point Jacquline can do so as well.”

I don’t have words. I am simply trying to process this as Sammy fucking laughs. “Jackie, stop looking so proud and… predatory here.”

“Shut up, sexy. I can think of a few people that I would love to hate murder fuck.”

Connie responds with a quip that is far too casual for the content.  “You could reduce a normal man to ashes in seconds without needing to touch him, dear. Such as a certain assaulter or an ex of someone’s…”

“I am going to be right back. I am gonna call in a favor or two so I can visit a coma patient and try this or maybe find a guy in Georgia…”

“YOU WILL NOT!  NEVER JOKE LIKE THAT AGAIN!”

Jackie sits down and immediately drops to an almost docile pose. “Yes, my Queen.”

Did I do that? Did she react to me asserting myself here?!  I am trying to grasp the implications of this series of events when I hear the thought, like a fucking chorus.

That was so fucking hot!!

I knew it. I am surrounded by horn dogs. A bunch of Submissive horn dogs…

 

June 5, later

“You are royalty now? The Queen of a court the other Fae made for you…”

“THIS FUCKING SUCKS DOC!!!  I can barely keep my powers turned off. If I don’t the Fae all see me as a queen and they get really weird…”

“Define really weird.”

“A satyr humped my leg.”

“Oh, wow.”

“He was naked.”

“Yikes.”

“It was hard and not small…”

“OH…”  She is shocked.

“And barbed…  I can go on.”

“No thank you.” She looks mortified. 

“That was yesterday.  I was going to the court to talk to Morgana. Titania almost killed him for the insult. I had to talk her down.  Should we go back to weekly meetings?”  I sigh. This is insane.

Doc shakes her head.  “No, you are doing better, this schedule should do, keep going.”

“Most won’t come to the shop though some have checked and told others I am doing better.  And then there’s some things that are bothering me after I nearly got killed.”

“Hold up. Patricia. I know you are a survivor. I know you tend to push things like this out of you mind, but maybe, just maybe, you should have led with that. You were almost killed?”

I explain the details I remember. For some reason I don’t hold anything back.  Somehow all the insanity of my broken stream of consciousness is still in this brain. She starts taking notes. By the time I get to the part of the EMTS she won’t look up at me. Is she mad?  Her breath catches when I mention Jackie looking like a Tsundere heroine.  I stop and wait. Something is wrong with my doctor. Did I break her?

She is crying.  Just a few tears.  Ugh, Doc.

“Patricia, please continue.”

I get through the ride. Talk about trying to fix my nose the second time.  She sobs just a little. And then she hears the details that the doc and I went over. I hear a snap. She calmly gets a new pencil.

“Patricia, please continue.”

“I am not sure I should.”

“Patricia you have run away from this pain for so long that this is the only time you have acknowledged it when not making it a joke with me. I never knew how bad it was…  I… show me the scar, please.”

I roll up my sleeve. She looks at it.  She nods.

“To heal you need to face this and accept it.”

I look down.  “I mostly have.”

“You said the form you take on is that of your soul made manifest, correct?”

I nod.

“Show me.” She says it almost sadly.

“Doc, I… okay.”  I get up and strip to my underwear.  She sees my arm first. I let my power wash over me. It lets me feel like I can handle anything.  I look at the doctor. She calmly walks over and looks at all the cracks on me.

She points to the mirror. “Look at yourself.”

They are along my jaw, arms, chest, back, neck, feet… I think I finally realize every one of these is an injury HE gave me. Most are thin, almost nonexistent.  The neck and arm blaze from what I see in the mirror. I also see a spot on my left hand. I look at it. Where I wore my wedding ring is a band of fire. I guess that has some meaning too.

“It isn’t often I have a patient that can show me a representation of their emotional scars from abuse. Most have healed. Mostly. Let me guess, the ones that are chronic pain and the constant reminder are these. She points at the ones that are ablaze.

I nod.

“I see the place where you wore your wedding ring is a pain point.”

I nod again. I hadn’t realized how much the betrayal of our vows had hurt me.

“You have been so very, very hurt. And your reaction was to become hardened against someone hurting you again.  You have wrapped yourself up in a dense metal to protect yourself. And yet you are so very gentle to not do the same to others. I would say you have done well. But you haven’t let anyone get through this exterior.”  She taps on my arm. The chrome looking shell suddenly starts making sense.

I nod. I don’t know what to say here.

“Patricia, you need to talk with Jacqueline about this and other things. She was hurting to see you like that. Very much so. She needs you now as much as you need her. You also have to quit brushing off your emotions.  Tell me what happened after that?”

“Oh wait until I tell you about the Hobgoblin I sort of adopted…”

“Let me guess, the one that almost got you killed?”

“How did you know? You would have won a bet at court if you had been there…”

She shakes her head.  “You are always going to take the route that lets someone have a second chance. That’s just who you are.  The people thinking otherwise are fools.”

“Well, he isn’t a bad guy, he was just naïve and a little greedy. Speaking of fools, guess what I named him…”

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