LJ Idol, Season 10 Week 19: Invitation
There was no one look for them. They were old and retired, they were young and in school, and they were middle-aged with jobs and families. They were too fat, they were too skinny, and they were perfectly fit. They were dressed casually, a little formally, or in costume. They were male, female, and anything in between. The only thing they had in common was the fact that they were dancing.
The small bonfire had been lit after the ritual, and it illuminated the ones who skipped, twirled, wriggled, and waved their arms around it, five at a time until their unspoken turn was over.
There was a lot of shirtlessness among the men, which would be nice if they were the fit ones.
Rafaela didn't mind. It made her happy to see everyone enjoying themselves so thoroughly. The joy just radiated off of them, and she soaked it in. Sometimes it felt like her life was one hostile god or monster after another, and it was nice to get a break from it every once in a while.
In the distance, on the other side of the fire, only barely within its illumination, stood a stunning blonde in what appeared to be a bikini. Nobody else seemed to notice her, but that made sense with all the dancing.
The blonde matched her gaze so intensely that Rafaela had to look away. When she looked back she was gone. Rafaela blinked, frowned, and went back to watching the dancers. One wore a gray cat mask and a matching tail. She kept her eyes on him because he seemed to be having the most fun.
“You're not dancing,” said a voice.
Rafaela squeaked, jumped, and smacked her hand against her heart. Turning toward the voice, she declared, “You scared the Bee Gees out of me!”
The blonde replied, “I'm pretty sure the term is 'bejesus.'”
Rafaela shook her head. “I'm not Christian, so I feel uncomfortable using his name like that.”
The blonde shrugged. “Seems kind of literal, but okay. I noticed you weren't dancing.”
Rafaela returned her attention to the bonfire. “I can't dance.”
“Look at everybody else. They can't dance either.”
“It's not like I don't know the steps to the foxtrot or anything like that,” Rafaela explained. “It's that I'm physically incapable of dancing. I can move my arms, I can move my legs, but the instant I try to combine that with music, that part of my nervous system shuts down.”
“That's quite the affliction.”
“It's the damnedest thing,” Rafaela agreed.
“You know,” the blonde stated, “I could make you dance.”
“Please don't.” Rafaela turned back to her. “So what does that make you?”
“I'm Titania.”
“Like the Queen of the Fairies?”
“Not 'like,'” she told Rafaela.
“Holy shit, really?” Rafaela squealed. “That is so cool!” She dropped to a knee and kissed the back of the woman's hand. “Your Majesty.”
“Rise,” Titania ordered.
Rafaela rose. “What brings you here this evening, Your Majesty?”
“Your ritual,” she replied. “You called out to the goddess, and I heard.”
“But you're not a goddess.”
“Fairies hear prayers,” Titania snapped. “We receive offerings. We may not be able to change nature on a god's scale, but we can do some stuff.”
“Sure, I can see it. I've run into gods, and I've run into fairies, and I'm not turning to either of you for help. No offense.”
“None taken,” Titania replied, though it was obvious that offense was taken. “I enjoyed watching you set up the maypole today. Very clumsy, but very earnest. You know the older rituals involved semen and menstrual blood?”
Rafaela wrinkled her nose. “I'd heard rumors.”
“I'm not saying I'm close friends with the gods, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't mind a dead animal every once in a while. Not always, but maybe on a special occasion.”
“I'm one of those witches who just loves animals,” Rafaela said, “so that would be a particular challenge to me.”
“What's your name?” Titania asked.
“Rafaela. Torres. Rafaela Torres.”
“Answer me this, Rafaela: how can you see me?” Titania demanded. “Are you of the folk?” Her hand lashed out and pressed against Rafaela's forehead. “No, you're not. Nor are you a demigod or a creature with any magical pedigree. You're a human.”
Rafaela peeled her hand off of her face and offered, “I have a different perspective on magic than all of these people here. They see it as an energy that connects the world and can be subtly manipulated. I see it as a tidal wave of chaos that can be funneled into something useful by someone who knows how.”
Titania's face spread into a wide grin. “Take my hand, Rafaela, and come with me.”
Rafaela backed off, her arms in front of her defensively. “No way, Your Majesty!”
“Why not?”
“Because you're a fairy,” Rafaela replied. “You're untrustworthy. You trick and kidnap people for fun. I have a life here, you know.” Admittedly, it was a lonely life of travel and conflict, but it was her life.
“I just want to show you something in my kingdom,” Titania pleaded. “You'll be back before you know it.”
“You never hear about people coming back from the land of the fairy,” Rafaela said. “You hear about them going in, but never them coming out.”
“If you want to come home from the fairy lands,” Titania explained, “you just need to follow three rules:” She mumbled the rest.
“Excuse me?”
Titania mumbled again.
Rafaela cleared her throat and folded her arms.
Titania sighed. “Stay on the path, don't accept any gifts, and don't eat or drink anything. See? Not hard.”
“You're going to make it hard, though.”
“Come on!” Titania pleaded. “You're a smart girl. You can outthink me. I just know you can.”
Rafaela had always wanted to go to the fairy lands, even after the age of six, when her parents taught her that they were a menacing place. The queen would remember if she said no, and she would never be asked to go by anyone again. This was literally her only chance. She hoped she wouldn't regret this. “Okay.”
Titania jumped and pumped her fist. “Yes! Let's go!” She took Rafaela's hand and led her into the woods.
The farther they got from the bonfire, the darker it got, even with the three-quarters moon in the sky. Eventually it got to be pitch black, with Titania guiding her along at top speed. She came to a halt when she collided with some dense foliage. Titania still pulled, dragging her inside of it, so she was drowning in leaves and twigs. She let go of Titania so she could have both hands free to fight through it, until she pulled one branch off of her face, only to be blinded by sunlight.
After she blinked for a minute, she discovered that she was standing on a path on a hill overlooking a meadow. Behind her were thick woods, just like the ones the path led to. A bird hopped around in front of her on legs that were just a little too long. It flew off with the wings of a butterfly.
“Holy shit!” Rafaela shouted. “I'm really here!”
Infected by her enthusiasm, Titania, now wearing a regal evening gown and a dainty crown, grinned. “Welcome to Avalon!”
“How far is it to your castle?” asked Rafaela.
Titania linked her arm through hers. “Why? Do you have someplace to be?”
Rafaela decided to relax and let it happen as Titania walked her down the path into the woods. There was too much to experience here, from the way magic just hung in the air like humidity, to the strange creatures that dwelt in the forest-there went a frog with the head of a chipmunk. Occasionally more sentient, mostly humanoid, creatures would emerge from the brush and bow to Titania. And then there was the one, covered in sharp fur and claws, who appeared suddenly and loudly, showering both of them-but mostly Rafaela-with red and white rose petals.
“Your majesty!” the creature beamed.
“Robin Goodfellow, you stop this instant!” Titania shouted.
Rafaela leaned over to Titania. “Are you telling me that's Puck?”
“The Puck,” Robin Goodfellow corrected. “As in, 'Say, who is that delighting us with his clever antics?' 'Why that's the Puck, of course!”
“Take your clever antics elsewhere,” Titania ordered.
The Puck bounded off, whistling a merry tune.
They resumed their journey, but not for long, for a few steps later, they emerged into a clearing which housed a tall castle adorned with spires and turrets that defied physics.
“We're home!” Titania announced before breaking into a run.
Rafaela sprinted to keep up with her long legs as they made it through the gate and across the courtyard to the castle proper. Once inside, Titania brushed aside any servant who came calling until they stopped suddenly.
“Would you like to see where I keep my throne?” Titania asked. “Or do you want to see my bedroom?”
“You had something to show me?” Rafaela reminded her.
“Right, right, right,” Titania conceded. “To my throne room then.”
The throne room was the definition of gaudy, with its stained glass windows, statues, and streamers of fabric, all in the brightest of colors. There were two chairs made of wood in the center. One was massive and sturdy, carved with images of stags and horses. The other was petite and delicate, decorated with leaves and birds. As much as Rafaela preferred not to make assumptions based on gender expectations, she was not the least bit surprised when Titania headed straight for the smaller one.
She took from the seat a hand mirror and passed it to Rafaela. “When this was given to us, we were told you could observe special things through it, but none who've tried it have seen anything but their own reflection. Tell me what you see.”
Cautiously Rafaela took a look. Inside the frame was an image of her from a third-person perspective, like a movie. She was kneeling on a tile floor, struggling to get to her feet, and covered in a clear, viscous liquid. Standing over her was her best friend from high school and college, Noah. Rafaela said, “I can't tell you for sure, but I think this is the future.”
Titania clapped her hands excitedly. “Splendid! Now take it. It's yours.”
Rafaela handed it back to her. “No thank you. I'm not getting trapped here because I accepted a gift.”
Titania laughed. “Oh, honey, you're already trapped here.” With her finger she tapped between her breasts.
“My heart?” Rafaela frowned. “I don't get it.”
“No.” Titania tapped again. “Look there.”
Rafaela inspected her cleavage and discovered a rose petal, which she plucked out. “Are you talking about this?”
“Robin gave that to you as a gift,” Titania explained. “You rejected what landed on your hair and shoulders, but you missed one.”
“This is bullshit,” Rafaela growled. “I'm leaving.”
She made it ten steps before the intimidating guards stopped her, so she spun around and whipped out a butterfly knife, twirling it to show off its blade.
“You brought iron into my kingdom?” Titania roared.
“I forgot I had it,” Rafaela apologized, “but I'll use it to get out of here.”
“The only way you're getting out of here,” Titania told her, “is if you can give me something of a value equal to you.”
“What do I have of equal value?” She emptied her pockets. “You want my magic credit card? That's pretty valuable. How about my kazoo? Or my salt shaker? Or my protein bar?”
“What is that?” Titania asked, pointing.
“It's a protein bar,” Rafaela replied.
“What's it for?”
“Eating.”
Titania recoiled. “That won't do at all. Give it to me.”
Rafaela handed the foil packet over.
“You're free to leave,” Titania said. “The guards will escort you to the nearest portal home.”
Rafaela questioned nothing. She just gathered up her belongings and followed the guards.
The small bonfire had been lit after the ritual, and it illuminated the ones who skipped, twirled, wriggled, and waved their arms around it, five at a time until their unspoken turn was over.
There was a lot of shirtlessness among the men, which would be nice if they were the fit ones.
Rafaela didn't mind. It made her happy to see everyone enjoying themselves so thoroughly. The joy just radiated off of them, and she soaked it in. Sometimes it felt like her life was one hostile god or monster after another, and it was nice to get a break from it every once in a while.
In the distance, on the other side of the fire, only barely within its illumination, stood a stunning blonde in what appeared to be a bikini. Nobody else seemed to notice her, but that made sense with all the dancing.
The blonde matched her gaze so intensely that Rafaela had to look away. When she looked back she was gone. Rafaela blinked, frowned, and went back to watching the dancers. One wore a gray cat mask and a matching tail. She kept her eyes on him because he seemed to be having the most fun.
“You're not dancing,” said a voice.
Rafaela squeaked, jumped, and smacked her hand against her heart. Turning toward the voice, she declared, “You scared the Bee Gees out of me!”
The blonde replied, “I'm pretty sure the term is 'bejesus.'”
Rafaela shook her head. “I'm not Christian, so I feel uncomfortable using his name like that.”
The blonde shrugged. “Seems kind of literal, but okay. I noticed you weren't dancing.”
Rafaela returned her attention to the bonfire. “I can't dance.”
“Look at everybody else. They can't dance either.”
“It's not like I don't know the steps to the foxtrot or anything like that,” Rafaela explained. “It's that I'm physically incapable of dancing. I can move my arms, I can move my legs, but the instant I try to combine that with music, that part of my nervous system shuts down.”
“That's quite the affliction.”
“It's the damnedest thing,” Rafaela agreed.
“You know,” the blonde stated, “I could make you dance.”
“Please don't.” Rafaela turned back to her. “So what does that make you?”
“I'm Titania.”
“Like the Queen of the Fairies?”
“Not 'like,'” she told Rafaela.
“Holy shit, really?” Rafaela squealed. “That is so cool!” She dropped to a knee and kissed the back of the woman's hand. “Your Majesty.”
“Rise,” Titania ordered.
Rafaela rose. “What brings you here this evening, Your Majesty?”
“Your ritual,” she replied. “You called out to the goddess, and I heard.”
“But you're not a goddess.”
“Fairies hear prayers,” Titania snapped. “We receive offerings. We may not be able to change nature on a god's scale, but we can do some stuff.”
“Sure, I can see it. I've run into gods, and I've run into fairies, and I'm not turning to either of you for help. No offense.”
“None taken,” Titania replied, though it was obvious that offense was taken. “I enjoyed watching you set up the maypole today. Very clumsy, but very earnest. You know the older rituals involved semen and menstrual blood?”
Rafaela wrinkled her nose. “I'd heard rumors.”
“I'm not saying I'm close friends with the gods, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't mind a dead animal every once in a while. Not always, but maybe on a special occasion.”
“I'm one of those witches who just loves animals,” Rafaela said, “so that would be a particular challenge to me.”
“What's your name?” Titania asked.
“Rafaela. Torres. Rafaela Torres.”
“Answer me this, Rafaela: how can you see me?” Titania demanded. “Are you of the folk?” Her hand lashed out and pressed against Rafaela's forehead. “No, you're not. Nor are you a demigod or a creature with any magical pedigree. You're a human.”
Rafaela peeled her hand off of her face and offered, “I have a different perspective on magic than all of these people here. They see it as an energy that connects the world and can be subtly manipulated. I see it as a tidal wave of chaos that can be funneled into something useful by someone who knows how.”
Titania's face spread into a wide grin. “Take my hand, Rafaela, and come with me.”
Rafaela backed off, her arms in front of her defensively. “No way, Your Majesty!”
“Why not?”
“Because you're a fairy,” Rafaela replied. “You're untrustworthy. You trick and kidnap people for fun. I have a life here, you know.” Admittedly, it was a lonely life of travel and conflict, but it was her life.
“I just want to show you something in my kingdom,” Titania pleaded. “You'll be back before you know it.”
“You never hear about people coming back from the land of the fairy,” Rafaela said. “You hear about them going in, but never them coming out.”
“If you want to come home from the fairy lands,” Titania explained, “you just need to follow three rules:” She mumbled the rest.
“Excuse me?”
Titania mumbled again.
Rafaela cleared her throat and folded her arms.
Titania sighed. “Stay on the path, don't accept any gifts, and don't eat or drink anything. See? Not hard.”
“You're going to make it hard, though.”
“Come on!” Titania pleaded. “You're a smart girl. You can outthink me. I just know you can.”
Rafaela had always wanted to go to the fairy lands, even after the age of six, when her parents taught her that they were a menacing place. The queen would remember if she said no, and she would never be asked to go by anyone again. This was literally her only chance. She hoped she wouldn't regret this. “Okay.”
Titania jumped and pumped her fist. “Yes! Let's go!” She took Rafaela's hand and led her into the woods.
The farther they got from the bonfire, the darker it got, even with the three-quarters moon in the sky. Eventually it got to be pitch black, with Titania guiding her along at top speed. She came to a halt when she collided with some dense foliage. Titania still pulled, dragging her inside of it, so she was drowning in leaves and twigs. She let go of Titania so she could have both hands free to fight through it, until she pulled one branch off of her face, only to be blinded by sunlight.
After she blinked for a minute, she discovered that she was standing on a path on a hill overlooking a meadow. Behind her were thick woods, just like the ones the path led to. A bird hopped around in front of her on legs that were just a little too long. It flew off with the wings of a butterfly.
“Holy shit!” Rafaela shouted. “I'm really here!”
Infected by her enthusiasm, Titania, now wearing a regal evening gown and a dainty crown, grinned. “Welcome to Avalon!”
“How far is it to your castle?” asked Rafaela.
Titania linked her arm through hers. “Why? Do you have someplace to be?”
Rafaela decided to relax and let it happen as Titania walked her down the path into the woods. There was too much to experience here, from the way magic just hung in the air like humidity, to the strange creatures that dwelt in the forest-there went a frog with the head of a chipmunk. Occasionally more sentient, mostly humanoid, creatures would emerge from the brush and bow to Titania. And then there was the one, covered in sharp fur and claws, who appeared suddenly and loudly, showering both of them-but mostly Rafaela-with red and white rose petals.
“Your majesty!” the creature beamed.
“Robin Goodfellow, you stop this instant!” Titania shouted.
Rafaela leaned over to Titania. “Are you telling me that's Puck?”
“The Puck,” Robin Goodfellow corrected. “As in, 'Say, who is that delighting us with his clever antics?' 'Why that's the Puck, of course!”
“Take your clever antics elsewhere,” Titania ordered.
The Puck bounded off, whistling a merry tune.
They resumed their journey, but not for long, for a few steps later, they emerged into a clearing which housed a tall castle adorned with spires and turrets that defied physics.
“We're home!” Titania announced before breaking into a run.
Rafaela sprinted to keep up with her long legs as they made it through the gate and across the courtyard to the castle proper. Once inside, Titania brushed aside any servant who came calling until they stopped suddenly.
“Would you like to see where I keep my throne?” Titania asked. “Or do you want to see my bedroom?”
“You had something to show me?” Rafaela reminded her.
“Right, right, right,” Titania conceded. “To my throne room then.”
The throne room was the definition of gaudy, with its stained glass windows, statues, and streamers of fabric, all in the brightest of colors. There were two chairs made of wood in the center. One was massive and sturdy, carved with images of stags and horses. The other was petite and delicate, decorated with leaves and birds. As much as Rafaela preferred not to make assumptions based on gender expectations, she was not the least bit surprised when Titania headed straight for the smaller one.
She took from the seat a hand mirror and passed it to Rafaela. “When this was given to us, we were told you could observe special things through it, but none who've tried it have seen anything but their own reflection. Tell me what you see.”
Cautiously Rafaela took a look. Inside the frame was an image of her from a third-person perspective, like a movie. She was kneeling on a tile floor, struggling to get to her feet, and covered in a clear, viscous liquid. Standing over her was her best friend from high school and college, Noah. Rafaela said, “I can't tell you for sure, but I think this is the future.”
Titania clapped her hands excitedly. “Splendid! Now take it. It's yours.”
Rafaela handed it back to her. “No thank you. I'm not getting trapped here because I accepted a gift.”
Titania laughed. “Oh, honey, you're already trapped here.” With her finger she tapped between her breasts.
“My heart?” Rafaela frowned. “I don't get it.”
“No.” Titania tapped again. “Look there.”
Rafaela inspected her cleavage and discovered a rose petal, which she plucked out. “Are you talking about this?”
“Robin gave that to you as a gift,” Titania explained. “You rejected what landed on your hair and shoulders, but you missed one.”
“This is bullshit,” Rafaela growled. “I'm leaving.”
She made it ten steps before the intimidating guards stopped her, so she spun around and whipped out a butterfly knife, twirling it to show off its blade.
“You brought iron into my kingdom?” Titania roared.
“I forgot I had it,” Rafaela apologized, “but I'll use it to get out of here.”
“The only way you're getting out of here,” Titania told her, “is if you can give me something of a value equal to you.”
“What do I have of equal value?” She emptied her pockets. “You want my magic credit card? That's pretty valuable. How about my kazoo? Or my salt shaker? Or my protein bar?”
“What is that?” Titania asked, pointing.
“It's a protein bar,” Rafaela replied.
“What's it for?”
“Eating.”
Titania recoiled. “That won't do at all. Give it to me.”
Rafaela handed the foil packet over.
“You're free to leave,” Titania said. “The guards will escort you to the nearest portal home.”
Rafaela questioned nothing. She just gathered up her belongings and followed the guards.