Chapter 94

94 Human Potential(Part One)

As the Queen and King Consort of the Northern Fae Settlement entered the courtyard, the entirety of it fell silent. Tidas, Lucas, Lidia, Peggy, and every other human, gawked at them. The bear huffed and occasionally growled as it walked along on all fours. Some glanced with fear, some stared with hostility. Murmurs of happiness could be heard as the cougars stayed back by the gates.

Aero felt utterly uncomfortable; like they were on display. It felt like they were an attraction in some twisted show; something for the humans to sneer and jeer at. He could feel his temper flaring up, until a lone human voice shattered his anger with it’s absurdity.

“Hello there, Celestia! Aero! Nice to see you again, too-ah; Mr. Bear! Yer winter coat has come in beautifully!”

Skye came down the few steps with a large, genuine smile plastered on her face after greeting them. Her jovial nature had put everyone around them at ease almost instantly. Celestia beamed back at Skye as she fluttered off of Aero’s beta, and straight over to the human girl. He’d tried to hold her hand and keep her put, but Celestia didn’t take orders; she gave them.

Skye held out her index finger and said; “Ima So excited to meet you! While yer conscious, I mean,” Skye laughed nervously as she finished.

Celestia chuckled melodiously before replying; “I agree, and it’s fine! I know better than to get so close to humans.. I’m very grateful you turned out to be a good one.”

Grinning with sincere excitement, Skye responded; “There’s lots of good humans around here, but you’ll see.”

Aero huffed derivatively at Skye’s comment. She’d noticed it, but counted herself lucky that it was all he said on the subject. Celestia had whipped her head around to glare at her husband for his lack of manners. Skye felt tension between the two, but before anything could happen; Maevis and Nicolas came flying out of the castle.

They fluttered over to where Celestia and Skye were. They bowed to Aero; who finally felt a little more at ease with the two orchestrators around. They could tell he was annoyed, but was surprised at how little. The two old fairies figured being in a human castle would keep Aero on maximum alert. But he was several feet from Celestia, which struck the two as something nearly unbelievable.

.....

Skye was the only thing they each thought could be the cause. Celestia had confided in Maevis about Aero’s change. Nicolas figured it must be Skye because he’d told Nic that she ‘wasn’t a normal human’. The two Fae had discussed it before; while the newlyweds were on their honeymoon. Each had the same conclusion: that in a way; Aero was afraid Skye. Or rather, he feared what she represented. If their plan worked; Aero would have to let go of his animosity towards humans. And if he didn’t, he risked losing his wife

Celestia and Skye talked to each other a mile a minute. Their mannerisms were different, but similar in their sincerity. Their conversation flowed like they were childhood friends catching up. Maevis and Nicolas barely got a word in as they complimented each other, then began to discuss Skye’s traits.

The fact that a human had more magical capabilities than even her mother, astonished Celestia. She asked Skye about Dragonhorn when she’d mentioned healing several workers there. Then their conversation connected to the berguest, and his fondness for hard apple cider. Celestia laughed so hard at the story that she nearly dropped out of the air.

Aero had finally decided to join them, and had been the one to catch his wife by her waist before she’d descended. She was happy he’d finally decided to join them, and grinned lovingly at him. Skye smiled at the obvious love between the two, and admired their openness about it.

The small group had been talking for nearly fifteen minutes before Tidas called out; “Would any of you like to eat? It’s half past noon, and I, for one; am ravenous!”

Skye blushed due to her terrible manners. She’d been talking with Celestia the whole time, and hadn’t even introduced anyone else yet. She bowed and apologized to the Fae royals, earning her unknown credit with Aero. While he didn’t think anything of being rude himself; he found it highly distasteful in others.

Skye escorted everyone up the few steps and began to do proper introductions. Both Lidia and Peggy were stunned at the beautiful fairies. Aero was just as handsome as Skye had described to them. Celestia’s white dress was shrouded in her rainbow-colored glow; making her look like she came straight out of a fairytale book. Skye hadn’t seen her glow before, due to her unconscious state. Now, she gazed at her with awe.

When they’d reached Tidas and Skye’s father; Aero had flown forward and bowed to the prince. He then nodded deeply to Lord Moonstone out of respect and gratitude. It seemed like he was being gracious, but Celestia knew that he just didn’t want her to have to refuse to.

There were two Fae in the world that were never allowed to bend a knee to anyone but each other: Celestia and her mother. The Empress was obscure about the reason, but it was decreed during her youth that her family would never bend to anyone. It was an odd tradition, but one the two women loved to follow. As it showed their fortitude and willpower from the start.

Aero handled most introductions anyway, as an informal screening process. His connection to the Source was stronger than most, and it allowed him to sense the intention of others, through their magic. It was almost like intuition, but more accurate. It was also how Aero knew Skye was something unique.

The magic she’d used to heal Celestia was much purer than anything he’d ever seen a human wield. It was on par with the strongest Fae in the world; which included Maevis. Ones that had a deep-seeded connection to the Source through their bloodlines; like Celestia. It made Aero curious about the Moonstones, and he made a mental note to do some digging later..

After entering the castle, the group immediately went into the banquet room for lunch. Peggy had outdone herself in the best of ways. Not only was the food arranged aesthetically, but she’d brought the other chairs and dishes from the dollhouse; to accommodate the additional fairies. Celestia had loved their setup, and even Aero was surprised by the unseen level of hospitality they were being shown.

Knowing that the fairies preferred vegetables and fruits to meat, she’d had the kitchen prepare a few dishes that Genie had taught her to make. They used ingredients available during each part of the year, and had little or no meat in them. He didn’t eat meat often, and preferred food that only had chicken in it whenever he did.

The table was covered in food, and the smells wafted through the air. Skye and Tidas were practically drooling as they walked over to the table. Lucas, Aero, and the prince had all pulled the chairs out for their wives. Maevis shot her friend a prompting look, causing Nicolas to chortle while saying; “Don’t look at me; I’m not crazy enough to marry you.”

At one end of the table; two plates brimming with thin slices of ham and elk sat next to several loaves of bread. A large plate of various cheese slices accompanied them, with saucers of different sauces at the ready on either side. There was also lettuce and spinach for additional toppings, but were rarely used by the men.

In the middle, sat a large casserole pan with rice, broccoli, carrots, sweet onions, and mushrooms mixed together and cooked in a cream sauce. Two kinds of grated cheese sat on the side of the pan, for topping. Further down was Peggy’s signature salad, a fruit mix with a special berry syrup, and a bowl of green beans that had crisp bits of bacon mixed in.

The other special dish Peggy had made was a type of dessert. It was called dorayaki, and it was one of Skye’s favorite childhood desserts. It wasn’t as good to her without the sweet red bean paste, but the chocolate-hazelnut spread that Peggy made was a close second. It complimented the sweet, fluffy pancakes that Skye could never make right; much to her disappointment.

Celestia and Aero were taken aback by the amount of food served. They were put at ease when Nicolas mentioned that the servants got to have any leftovers, to with as they wished. He also told his king of the other charities the Moonstones did throughout the year, trying to get Aero to see the good people that they were.

Aero had known many wasteful and arrogant humans throughout his life. The Moonstone family didn’t seem to be almost anything like the humans he’d known, say for a handful. It had been a long time since he’d had cause to even think of anything, other than his hatred towards humans. They’d been having problems with humans getting too close to their Sanctuary lately.

The Solstice was only a couple months away, but the winter weather had arrived early. Humans were going in deeper into Warrick Forest to hunt. The risk of exposure was getting too high. Aero wasn’t a fool; he knew that the humans would discover them soon enough. It was the only reason he had agreed to Nicolas and Maevis’ plan in the first place. But like everyone else; the Moonstones had to be vetted thoroughly; especially Skye.

After everyone had their fill, Lucas suggested heading to his office to create a contract. Aero and Celestia were confused, but went along. Skye and the queen had been talking almost the entire meal, and Aero was a little happy that his wife’s attention was available again. Not sure of what to say in the moment, the king asked; “Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

“Yes! SO much! I wish Skye and Tidas weren’t leaving today.. Otherwise we could stay for the night!” in her excitement, Celestia’s wings flapped out of sync a moment; nearly causing her to crash into her husband.

Aero had caught her, and pinned her against himself so she wouldn’t fall. Giggling at her own incoordination, she apologized to her husband before attempting to fly on her own again. He kept her pinned against his broad chest and remarked in his deep tone; “It’d be easier if I just carried you.”

Celestia loved the gravely sound of her husband’s voice. It was his most desirable trait to her, and he knew it. She could tell he was feeling a little neglected due to her constant conversations with Skye. She wrapped her arms around him as he scooped up her legs, to carry her bridal style.

Peggy had a look of happiness as she watched the three couples, and the old Fae before her. Lidia and Lucas whispered to each other as they walked along, arms locked. The royal Fae were acting like they were the newlyweds. Maevis and Nicolas were obviously(but playfully); bickering again. And Skye and Tidas simply leaned against each other as they walked with their hands entwined.

It was a blissful sight to the old servant, and she prayed to the gods for more moments like the one before her. She wasn’t na?ve enough to think or pray for constant peace; not with the world as it was. But she did pray for many moments in between..