Care for a cup of tea? Stella asked and waved her arm. A teapot that was resting on the table in the corner of the chamber sprouted legs and waddled towards the fairy; two teacups hopped after it. Have a seat. Stella gestured at a cushion across from her.
Youre not going to fight ? Vur asked as he approached the cushion.
Why would I? You were the one that freed after all. If you were soone else, Id dissect you in a heartbeat, Stella said as Vur sat down on the cushion. She raised an eyebrow. You seem awfully relaxed for soone who was expecting a fight.
And you seem awfully cohesive for soone whos supposed to be insane, Vur said and shrugged as he watched the teapot vomit out a fountain of clear liquid into the two cups. Why did you imprison Rella and Bella? They helped free you too.
Stella smiled. Imprisoning them was the only choice I had. And Im not insane, not at all. Is that what theyre saying about ? she asked as she pulled out three green orbs from a bin and dropped them into her teacup. Would you like so? Theyre quite chewy. I call it tapioca. Such a nice sounding word, dont you agree? Taa-pee-oh-kah. She giggled as she brought the cup to her lips and took a sip.
I dont eat bugs, Vur said as he shook his head and picked up the cup in front of him. He sniffed it and tilted his head. Whats in this?
The tears of orphans boiled with the crushed dreams of the just departed. Its good for the soul, Stella said as she chewed on one of the eggs. A miniature worm popped its head out of her mouth as she spoke, but she slurped it back inside before it got away. So what made you co visit little old ? You got here pretty quickly considering the fact you were in the human capital not too long ago.
I got lost, Vur said as he took a tentative sip from the cup. I was supposed to get rid of the worms, but I ended up here instead. I guess that ans Aunty got lost too, since shes not here.
Stellas horns glowed red as her eyes narrowed and her body stiffened. The cup in her hand squealed before it shattered. You really did co here with her then, Stella said. After a mont passed, she sighed and watched the pieces of the cup crawl back together. Its not fair. Why does that backstabbing butt-cow get all the nice things? She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest as her horns dimd.
Vur stayed silent as he took another sip of tea. Why did you attack her? After I freed you, I an. Even if I was hung over, I could tell you were genuinely happy to see Rella, Bella, and Yella again, Vur said, his gaze locked on the teas surface. What happened between you two in the past? Is it really so bad that you have to try to destroy the continent to get back at her?
Stella tilted her head. She never told you? she asked as she poured herself another cup of tea. Well, thats to be expected. If I was a backstabber, I wouldnt want my allies to know either. Do you want the long version or the short version?
The long version, Vur said.
Stella nodded. Ill need to cast an illusion to keep that wrinkled tomato preoccupied, she said and closed her eyes. A line of smoke flowed from Stellas hands out the door. That should do the trick, she said and gazed into Vurs eyes. Youre a blue mage; Rella told . I can teach you a truth curse that you can cast on .
Youd go that far? Vur asked, raising his eyebrows.
Fairies are notorious for lying, Stella said and lowered her head as one corner of her lips quirked upwards. I want you to believe . Vur nodded and the two exchanged curses.
Stella took a deep breath. I co from the first generation of fairies. We were born from the flowers that sprouted from Aeris body when she was buried [1]. There were twenty flowers, one for each of us. We decided to part ways and establish our own colonies. I was lucky and discovered the fountain of youth. My siblings were less fortunate and eventually passed on and their offspring were later incorporated into my colony with the condition of surrendering their birthflowers to . It was lonely at the top, Stella said and sighed as she stirred her tea. Fairies had developed a bad reputation from the start with our pranks and tricks. The other races learned not to trust us and I was always suspected when I wanted to converse with them. As for my own children, how can you beco friends with soone whose life belongs completely to you? Its not the right dynamic for a aningful friendship.
Lindyss, that banana nosed outcast, was my first friend. At least, thats what I believed up to the mont I was imprisoned. We first t when she ca to the fountain and got trapped in my illusions. She told she was looking for a cure to her condition and I yielded after listening to her story. She was lonely, never had any parents. Her adoptive motherwhich wasnt even an elfwas killed by a bear. A dragonGrimmoldesserwas bored and decided to plant the elder lichs soul inside her body because she didnt want to be weak anymore [2]. When her batty bloodline awakened, it conflicted with the lichs soul and her body almost fell apart. She needed the power of the fountain to stay alive and I decided to let her stay.
It was pleasant. We used to explore the region together. Id show her places shed never been. She showed so of the more dangerous regions occupied by dragons, Stella said as she popped another worm egg into her mouth. After chewing, she washed the remains down with the rest of her tea. She was too interested in the humans. By that ti, our continent had been at war with them for close to four hundred years. There were tis where Id leave the fountain and preoccupy myself for weeks to make seeds for more birthflowers while Lindyss did her own things. I didnt know her things involved selling to the humans.
One day, after I had just finished making a fresh batch of seeds, an army of humans were waiting for . Even when I was under the cover of my illusions, they knew I was there. And they let know, using Lindyss na to bait out of hiding, saying that she sold out, Stella said and ground her teeth. I didnt believe them until after they captured . I was too weak to resist and my guardians were slain by an ambush. I cast a truth curse on them and interrogated them as we fought. I confird that she really did betray my trust in her. They managed to defeat and locked up on the spot, demanding for to give up my powers or theyd hunt down every single fairy and present their heads. I refused, believing the rest of the continent would fight against the humans for my children, if only because of a mutual enemy.
Even though I refused, they managed to extract my powers from , but I infused as much of it with my hatred and bitterness as I could. The results of the forced extraction were obvious, and the group of humans who took my power and drank tea made out of my childrens birthflowers gained imnse magical powers compared to the other humans, but they sprouted horns and beca demons. They were ostracized by other humans, but they were a sizable group and managed to hold their ground, establishing a city around my place of imprisonnt, Stella said and trembled. They kept weak, unable to do anything. A spell formation in the room would absorb all the mana in my body, twice a day. Another chain would forcibly inject mana into to keep alive.
The worst part was that they kept their word, Stella said. Her horns flared up, bathing the room in a red glow, and the teacup in her hand shattered once again with a pitiful wl. Even if Lindyss did betray , the least she couldve done was keep my children safe. With every head the humans brought, I could feel a part of dying. It made my heart ache; the pain was unbearable. They would bring my children in front of the door and rip their heads off while they were still conscious. Theyd tell them that it was my fault. That I was the reason why they were going to die so pitifully. I could feel my childrens fear within the room and Id see it on their heads monts later when theyd be teleported inside, faces still contorted in a silent scream with tears streaming down their cheeks. I couldnt even save their heads because the rats would eat them, yet I still tried every ti. There was a long period of ti where they stopped, but then brought hundreds of fairies at once. It was then that I vowed to torture the humans and everything they held precious if I were to ever be set free.
Vurs eyebrows furrowed as he frowned and scratched his cheek. Stella blinked and her horns dimd. Not you, of course, she said. I could tell there was sothing different about you, dragonlike. You brought a feeling of awe and fear rather than resentnt and undying hatred. I understood when Bella told you were imprinted by the matriarch. Everything has an innate sense of respect and a healthy dose of fear for dragons, those that dont are dead.
Its a nice feeling that you bring, Stella said and smiled. And its gotten even stronger since I last saw you ten years ago. It helps keep my head clear. More tea?
Vur nodded and the teapot vomited more liquid into his cup. You dont know why Lindyss betrayed you?
Stella shook her head. It doesnt matter. Whats done is done, she said. No reason of hers can ever allow to forgive her.
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[1] Aeris is the deity that the elves worship. First ntion of the na appeared in chapter 4.
[2] Lindyss story of how she t Vur's mother, first told on chapter 16.
For those of you who want to reread it, Vur's first encounter with Stella appeared on chapter 49.
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