Leap- Chapter Two
So Ember's not sure if anyone's reading this. But Ember's enjoying it, so up it goes!
Leap- Chapter Two
When Terra woke up the weather had changed drastically. Where once it was oppressively hot and muggy, the day had suddenly turned cold and rain was falling outside of her convenient rock cover. She looked around, noticing for the first time that she was in a cave and she was not alone. Ignoring the young man who had hit her with his bike, for at least there she could find some familiarity, she turned to the complete stranger.
He was a short little man with chestnut brown cropped hair and eyes a startling shade of green. He seemed to be wearing odd clothing that might have been in fashion somewhere in England during the medieval period at some point, complete with a little green hat. He was standing at the entrance to the cave looking out, and she noticed that he could stand upright in the cave, which was about three feet tall according to her best guess.
Shock quickly overtaking any sense of manners Terra had, she asked, “Who are you?”
The man turned, surprised and then relieved. “Oh, good,” he said, his voice light and crisp, sounding like it was on the verge of laughter. “At least one of you is awake. It’s about time; you’ve been asleep almost all day.”
Terra’s blue eyes widened. “What?!”
The little man sighed. “For that, we’ll have to wait for your friend there to wake up. I’d really like to only explain this once.”
“He’s not my friend,” Terra replied shortly. “I barely know him.”
“Oh?” The little man sounded disappointed for some reason. “I had hoped… but never mind.”
Well, that just answered all Terra’s questions. Before she could demand something more satisfactory from the little man, though, she was interrupted by a groan beside her.
Turning, she noticed the young man from earlier in the first stages of waking up. “Wha…” he mumbled, slowly opening his eyes.
Instantly the little man adopted a much more formal pose. “Greetings, and a very formal welcome from the most gracious King of Sídhe.”
Both Terra and the young man exclaimed, “What on earth?!” at the same moment.
The little man chuckled. “Oh, but don’t you realize yet? You’re not exactly on Earth anymore, dearies.”
Terra sighed. “Don’t tell me. We’re stuck in some limbo, unicorns really do exist, and you’d really like us to do something to save your race before you’ll let us go back home.”
The little man smiled. “Well, two out of three isn’t bad. We’re off to a good start here.”
“Actually, we’re not,” Terra declared. “How about you tell us who you are, and then maybe we can really start talking?”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. My name is Terence. And yours are Terra and James, correct?”
“How exactly did you know that?” the young man-James-asked.
“Well, a summons doesn’t exactly work unless you know the names of those you are summoning,” Terence replied impatiently. “Can we move on to more important things now, or must I answer a few more idle curiosities first?” A cold wind whirled through the cave at his words, making Terra shiver and wish she had worn more than the thin cotton shirt and shorts she had donned before stepping outside back home.
“Well, why don’t we hear what you’ve got to say and then ask questions later?” Terra asked sensibly.
“Finally! A human with sense,” Terence muttered. “Now, this might take a while, so just bear with me.”
Terra and James shifted so they were sitting a little more comfortably on the cold stone floor of the cave.
Terence began. “Well, first thing you should know is that Terra was right. You are in some sort of limbo. We’re not really on Earth, but we’re not really anywhere else either. We call this land Sídhe, and it used to be quite a pleasant place to live.” As if agreeing with his words, the gloomy weather died down just a little and a single beam of light played at the entrance of their cave. Terence’s green eyes were distant, seeing a past that was too far away to remember easily.
“Many different races live in Sídhe, and they tend to divide themselves into two different groups. The one I belong to is known as the Seelie Court.”
Terra chuckled all of a sudden. She knew she was dreaming.
Terence broke off his story to stare at her. “And what, pray tell, is so amusing.”
“You’re… you’re a fairy?” Terra giggled.
Terence was not amused. “Technically I’m a hobgoblin. We prefer to be referred to by our races.”
Terra laughed harder. “I knew it! I’m dreaming!” Her laughter began to verge on hysterics.
Terence’s face grew serious for a moment before he slapped her across the face. The smacking noise rang throughout the cave walls and the beam of light that had been playing at the cave mouth died, its source once more covered by clouds.
Terra snapped out of it. “What was that for?”
Terence shrugged. “You were losing it. Besides, doesn’t feeling pain in a dream mean you died or some such nonsense? Now you know it’s very real, the struggle we’re facing.
“Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the Seelie Court. Terra, since you seem to know so much about it, would you care to explain to your friend there?”
Terra sighed, unwilling to deny the whole friend thing again when James was awake. “The Seelie Court is the nice fairies, right? At least, that’s what I remember from my fairy phase three years ago…”
Terence shook his head. “Humans. So woefully uninformed. The Seelie Court is not nice. It’s just nicer than the Unseelie Court, which won’t hesitate to harm humankind. The Seelie Court is full of pranksters, hobgoblins, brownies, and so forth. I do believe one of the more famous examples of a typical Seelie Court member is my dear friend Robin Goodfellow?”
James perked up. “You know Puck?”
Terence smiled. “But of course. He messed with the lives of one human too many. Ever since that prank on that Shakespeare fellow of yours he’s been famous in your world. It’s hard for him to even get in one prank every ten years or so now. Is that the end of the interruptions, now? We have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time.”
James and Terra were both silent, so Terence continued. “Good. Now, somehow the two groups managed to coexist until about ten years ago. How they did it, no one knows now. But we do know the reason for the split. The Unseelie Court finally had enough of the Seelie Court’s protection of humans and its leaders stormed out of the castle. We have been at civil war ever since, and it hasn’t been a pretty one either.
“Before you even start on the whole ‘but we have magic’ thing-don’t think I don’t know you were going to say that, Terra-the other side has some of the most powerful magicians and sorcerers the world has known. There’s a reason Morgana and Morgause are so feared, you know.”
Even though they had no idea who the two names belonged to, Terra and James shivered at their mention as a bitter icy wind surrounded them once more.
Terence seemed to not notice the sudden drop in temperature, for he continued. “For ten years we have been at war with them, and it has nearly wiped out both sides. We need to end this war, and we need to do it quickly. My king believes we could use a fresh perspective, so I was given permission to summon humans to Sídhe for the first time in decades. We need your help, or there will be no more of us. And if anyone from the Unseelie Court survives, they will not hesitate to wipe out your race as well, in case you need a more selfish reason to offer us your aid.”
Terra hesitantly asked, “We can ask questions now, right?”
Terence looked at her briefly with those expressive leaf-green eyes before nodding.
“Well, you said I had two out of three correct, and I was wondering what you meant.”
Terence chuckled briefly. “Oh, that. Who on earth told humans the fool’s tale that unicorns actually exist?”
Leap- Chapter Two
When Terra woke up the weather had changed drastically. Where once it was oppressively hot and muggy, the day had suddenly turned cold and rain was falling outside of her convenient rock cover. She looked around, noticing for the first time that she was in a cave and she was not alone. Ignoring the young man who had hit her with his bike, for at least there she could find some familiarity, she turned to the complete stranger.
He was a short little man with chestnut brown cropped hair and eyes a startling shade of green. He seemed to be wearing odd clothing that might have been in fashion somewhere in England during the medieval period at some point, complete with a little green hat. He was standing at the entrance to the cave looking out, and she noticed that he could stand upright in the cave, which was about three feet tall according to her best guess.
Shock quickly overtaking any sense of manners Terra had, she asked, “Who are you?”
The man turned, surprised and then relieved. “Oh, good,” he said, his voice light and crisp, sounding like it was on the verge of laughter. “At least one of you is awake. It’s about time; you’ve been asleep almost all day.”
Terra’s blue eyes widened. “What?!”
The little man sighed. “For that, we’ll have to wait for your friend there to wake up. I’d really like to only explain this once.”
“He’s not my friend,” Terra replied shortly. “I barely know him.”
“Oh?” The little man sounded disappointed for some reason. “I had hoped… but never mind.”
Well, that just answered all Terra’s questions. Before she could demand something more satisfactory from the little man, though, she was interrupted by a groan beside her.
Turning, she noticed the young man from earlier in the first stages of waking up. “Wha…” he mumbled, slowly opening his eyes.
Instantly the little man adopted a much more formal pose. “Greetings, and a very formal welcome from the most gracious King of Sídhe.”
Both Terra and the young man exclaimed, “What on earth?!” at the same moment.
The little man chuckled. “Oh, but don’t you realize yet? You’re not exactly on Earth anymore, dearies.”
Terra sighed. “Don’t tell me. We’re stuck in some limbo, unicorns really do exist, and you’d really like us to do something to save your race before you’ll let us go back home.”
The little man smiled. “Well, two out of three isn’t bad. We’re off to a good start here.”
“Actually, we’re not,” Terra declared. “How about you tell us who you are, and then maybe we can really start talking?”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. My name is Terence. And yours are Terra and James, correct?”
“How exactly did you know that?” the young man-James-asked.
“Well, a summons doesn’t exactly work unless you know the names of those you are summoning,” Terence replied impatiently. “Can we move on to more important things now, or must I answer a few more idle curiosities first?” A cold wind whirled through the cave at his words, making Terra shiver and wish she had worn more than the thin cotton shirt and shorts she had donned before stepping outside back home.
“Well, why don’t we hear what you’ve got to say and then ask questions later?” Terra asked sensibly.
“Finally! A human with sense,” Terence muttered. “Now, this might take a while, so just bear with me.”
Terra and James shifted so they were sitting a little more comfortably on the cold stone floor of the cave.
Terence began. “Well, first thing you should know is that Terra was right. You are in some sort of limbo. We’re not really on Earth, but we’re not really anywhere else either. We call this land Sídhe, and it used to be quite a pleasant place to live.” As if agreeing with his words, the gloomy weather died down just a little and a single beam of light played at the entrance of their cave. Terence’s green eyes were distant, seeing a past that was too far away to remember easily.
“Many different races live in Sídhe, and they tend to divide themselves into two different groups. The one I belong to is known as the Seelie Court.”
Terra chuckled all of a sudden. She knew she was dreaming.
Terence broke off his story to stare at her. “And what, pray tell, is so amusing.”
“You’re… you’re a fairy?” Terra giggled.
Terence was not amused. “Technically I’m a hobgoblin. We prefer to be referred to by our races.”
Terra laughed harder. “I knew it! I’m dreaming!” Her laughter began to verge on hysterics.
Terence’s face grew serious for a moment before he slapped her across the face. The smacking noise rang throughout the cave walls and the beam of light that had been playing at the cave mouth died, its source once more covered by clouds.
Terra snapped out of it. “What was that for?”
Terence shrugged. “You were losing it. Besides, doesn’t feeling pain in a dream mean you died or some such nonsense? Now you know it’s very real, the struggle we’re facing.
“Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the Seelie Court. Terra, since you seem to know so much about it, would you care to explain to your friend there?”
Terra sighed, unwilling to deny the whole friend thing again when James was awake. “The Seelie Court is the nice fairies, right? At least, that’s what I remember from my fairy phase three years ago…”
Terence shook his head. “Humans. So woefully uninformed. The Seelie Court is not nice. It’s just nicer than the Unseelie Court, which won’t hesitate to harm humankind. The Seelie Court is full of pranksters, hobgoblins, brownies, and so forth. I do believe one of the more famous examples of a typical Seelie Court member is my dear friend Robin Goodfellow?”
James perked up. “You know Puck?”
Terence smiled. “But of course. He messed with the lives of one human too many. Ever since that prank on that Shakespeare fellow of yours he’s been famous in your world. It’s hard for him to even get in one prank every ten years or so now. Is that the end of the interruptions, now? We have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time.”
James and Terra were both silent, so Terence continued. “Good. Now, somehow the two groups managed to coexist until about ten years ago. How they did it, no one knows now. But we do know the reason for the split. The Unseelie Court finally had enough of the Seelie Court’s protection of humans and its leaders stormed out of the castle. We have been at civil war ever since, and it hasn’t been a pretty one either.
“Before you even start on the whole ‘but we have magic’ thing-don’t think I don’t know you were going to say that, Terra-the other side has some of the most powerful magicians and sorcerers the world has known. There’s a reason Morgana and Morgause are so feared, you know.”
Even though they had no idea who the two names belonged to, Terra and James shivered at their mention as a bitter icy wind surrounded them once more.
Terence seemed to not notice the sudden drop in temperature, for he continued. “For ten years we have been at war with them, and it has nearly wiped out both sides. We need to end this war, and we need to do it quickly. My king believes we could use a fresh perspective, so I was given permission to summon humans to Sídhe for the first time in decades. We need your help, or there will be no more of us. And if anyone from the Unseelie Court survives, they will not hesitate to wipe out your race as well, in case you need a more selfish reason to offer us your aid.”
Terra hesitantly asked, “We can ask questions now, right?”
Terence looked at her briefly with those expressive leaf-green eyes before nodding.
“Well, you said I had two out of three correct, and I was wondering what you meant.”
Terence chuckled briefly. “Oh, that. Who on earth told humans the fool’s tale that unicorns actually exist?”