Chapter 16: Faeries

~~ June - Weeks 22 & 23 ~~

Sparky had recently been thinking of a family loosely related to hers, further south down the east coast.

There was even that handsome boy she had played with and who had said he was courting her. He had told her that he planned to marry her when she came of age. He had even spoken to her father. That had been two years before, and she had been quite taken with him at the time.

Sparky was thinking of Ross again when to her surprise he answered her. ‘Bláthín Scoithniamh, is that you?”

‘Ross Sheelin?’ she queried back.

(Note: I will put the conversation in English for you).

‘It is I, Little Blossom. It has been a long time since we heard of your family. I was getting worried.’

‘They all died a year ago. They were in the southern part of the forest, and a lightning strike started a fire,’ Sparky told Ross sadly.

‘Where are you, Little Blossom?’ Ross asked with concern.

‘I’m still in my valley,’ she happily told him.

‘I’m coming to get you,’ he immediately sent back.

‘I can’t leave,’ she told him firmly.

‘I know you will lose your family’s lands, but I have done well and can support you, my love,’ Ross told her.

‘Hmm ... About that. Is there any chance you would prefer to come to live with me instead? That’s if you still want me. And haven’t grown hideously fat,’ she asked him with a giggle.

‘Ha, ha, very funny Little Blossom. My mother tells me I am as skinny as I ever was,’ Ross told her, laughing.

‘Do you think your parents will still honour the contract?’ Sparky asked worriedly now she had no faerie family to negotiate for her.

‘Well, you are a princess of a very old family. I suppose you are now the Queen. I think being married to you would still be prestigious enough for them, especially as I am only a second son. Are you sure you still want me? You can do better. Caiseal is still unwed; they may prefer you to choose him.’

‘Fuck no!’ Sparky expelled.

‘I don’t know that word, but it didn’t sound like you wish to marry Caiseal?’ Ross said, amused and relieved.

Ross had been lusting after Sparky for many years. He had been waiting for her to come of age as he was five years older. At the time, he had asked for her, his brother Caiseal had been promised to another. Unfortunately, his brother’s intended had since called off the match, and his mother wouldn’t tell him, although he had a good guess as to why.

Ross had planned to visit Sparky with a formal marriage proposal very soon. Caiseal had mentioned her still being available at his mother’s nagging. Ross hated the thought of her being with Caiseal as he has a cruel and nasty streak.

Sparky’s father had told Ross that he had to prove he was a good manager before he would let him marry his oldest daughter. He’d like to think this was the case. He had been managing the bees and had increased his family’s production over the last three years. His increased propagation of the bee’s favourite flowers had made the difference.

‘It would be very lonely with just the two of us,’ Ross sent to Sparky thoughtfully.

‘Oh, we won’t be alone. True, there are no other faeries here yet. But the humans and my adopted family will like you, I’m sure,’ she told him.

‘You have been adopted by humans? What humans?’ he was confused. Humans were from the other world. No humans came through the portals with them.

‘They have come from the old world to visit us. I have let them have the big part of the valley since no one else has been here for years. So, it was free for them to claim. But my forest is safe. They are even putting up a special barrier to keep the whippers out,’ she assured him happily.

‘It will take me a week to get to you, please be safe, my love,’ he said worriedly. She could be a little impetuous, and he was worried about what sort of situation she had gotten into.

It also worried him that she had been alone for a year but hadn’t contacted him. He had no idea who or what these humans were and that worried him even more. He wasn’t sure he liked there being just the two of them, either.

‘Oh, goody! You will love my new family Ross, you will see. I have to go now,’ she told him and broke the connection.

She hoped he hurried. If she had to watch all the humans screwing each other without getting some herself, she was going to go nuts. She hoped he was still as handsome and as nice as she remembered.

When Ross told his family of Sparky’s new circumstances, his mother had suggested his brother instead as she wanted him married off. He was twenty years older than Ross was and should be married, as she wasn’t getting any younger.

Ross assured her that Sparky expected them to abide by the contract. As she was now a Queen even though she didn’t have any subjects, it was her prerogative to choose her paramour.

Reluctantly his mother agreed that a contract was a contract much to Ross’ relief. Queen Sárnait, Ross’ mother, had been worried lately about the expansion of her clan. The clan was getting a little too big for their forest. Another clan lived in the adjoining forest.

There was little room for expansion unless they planted new areas to the west, and it took time for the trees to grow big enough for them to be useful. If she could get Ross to take some of the people with him, he would have the workers that he would need and solve some of her problems.

Sárnait thought of two families in particular. They were a bit riff-raffy, but Ross seemed to like them. They would be perfect. Plus, she had heard rumours Caiseal had been bothering Tassach’s daughter Searc, and it could only end badly, so it was better to move her.

The two families she wished to send with Ross consisted of twelve members. Gormán and his son Earnán worked the bees with Ross. Tassach and his son Onchú were silk collectors. All of the wives and daughters were considered decent at making silk and many of the other products from the forests.

Daigh, Gormán’s other son, was also a good builder and crafter. They would be excellent families to send to start a new community. It would also free up some housing and provide jobs for some of the other families that needed more room.

Sárnait didn’t understand the bit about ‘humans’, but that wasn’t her problem. If others lived in the valley and provided trade, then this was even better. As long as the others left Ross’ forest as she now thought of it, alone. She told Ross she would be happier if these two families went with him.

Ross had no problems with taking his best friends and their families. He didn’t think Little Blossom would mind. It would be good to have her own kind with her. They were good, hard-working faeries.

When Ross asked, the two families also thought this move would be good for them. Status wise they would be founding families in a new territory. The fact Caiseal wouldn’t be coming with them was also a good reason to go. Neither family liked Ross’ brother.

Plus, unless they moved, one day he could be their King. They would much prefer having Ross as their King. So, they agreed readily enough. Possibly the only one unhappy with what was happening, was Ciar. She had thought Ross was a good catch. To find he was going to be married didn’t agree with her plans for him.

Even though faeries flew, the quickest way to Sparky’s forest was actually by boat. As it was at least 700 klicks away or at least seven days of sailing. Plus, they needed to take everything with them since Ross had said that the old settlement had burnt down.

The two families and Ross packed as fast at his insistence and were on the water in two days. Queen Sárnait was happy to lend her servants to help them on the way. She’d had a blazing argument with Caiseal. First, it was about sending Searc away and then for letting Ross have Little Blossom when he was available. He wanted to go in Ross’ place.

Sárnait, however, knew the two families would not go with him and she had a feeling Little Blossom wouldn’t accept him either. Unfortunately, the lazy, spoilt shit was still her problem. He wasn’t her favourite son, his arrogant nature ground on her.

Maybe she should try for a girl again. She wasn’t too old yet, she was only eighty. She didn’t think her people would prosper well under Caiseal’s rule. She had no problems getting married again either.

She had been widowed for ten years, and that was long enough to morn for any Queen without a female heir. She had her eye on the younger son of the Queen who controlled the forest near Copper City. With Ross marring Little Blossom, it increased her standing as well.

Sárnait knew Caiseal would oppose the match, so decided a new planting project would keep him occupied and out of her hair, while she arranged the match. She could use the excuse of a diplomatic mission to visit and get married while there. Queen Sárnait grinned to herself.

It would be worth doing, just to piss her arrogant son off.

Iain Bawface was a Burgis.

He and his crew of four ran his sailing boat up and down the upper-east coast of Jahnville regularly. He didn’t normally go any further north than Queen Sárnait’s Village. He wasn’t aware that there were any settlements to the north. So, he was happy to make the trip.

Iain loved to explore, and the pickings had been a bit poor of late around Copper City and further south, so a possible new port to trade from was also to his advantage. The first half of the trip was okay, but then the weather deteriorated. The monsoon season was getting up to speed.

Early on the fifth day, it got very rough. Iain had to go further out to sea than he liked to avoid the rough water closer to the coastal cliffs. Most of the coastline on the seaside of Sparky’s forest was high cliffs, but the water was deep and provided a fast channel between the coast and the islands in good weather.

All the faeries and Iain’s crew were more than glad to see land again when Iain was able to head back in. The cliffs meant they had to sail up to the very beach, Sean and Lee had walked on near the transporter depot.

The trip had taken nearly six days due to the rough weather, instead of only five. The boat was shallow based and not that heavily loaded. So, it could anchor within 10m of the beach, and the sea had calmed down that morning after the rough night.

They were busy packing the rowboat ready to drop it over the side when a transporter landed. It scarred the crap out of all of them. The sailors and their passengers had no idea what the machine coming down from the sky was.

Panicked, Ross mentally called out to Sparky, ‘Little Blossom, are you safe?”

‘Ross? Where are you?’ she asked. She could tell by the connection that he was very close and very concerned.

‘We are on the big sandy beach to the north of your forest. Iain has bought us by boat,’ he answered. Sparky also realised a transporter had just landed. It would have frightened them not knowing what it was. They were huge and noisy for a faerie.