The War of Two Worlds

@ beautiful monotony

(That's alright! I hate when that happens)

Giving a curt nod to his next comment, Mariella decided to sit in silence from there on, settling into her thoughts. Despite knowing that the Humans did not favor the Fae, she did not notice how deep the hatred ran to make rumors like that. It almost made her wish that she had not heard of them at all. As far as she knew, the Fae were not spreading rumors around the kingdom about the Humans. Maybe they were little white lies, if anything. Soon, they arrived at the barrier between the Fae and Human world. "Proceed, please." She ordered the driver as the carriage charged forward toward the portal. It happened in a flash, and they were inside of the Fae world. Mariella released the tension in her shoulder, arriving back in her kingdom. "Please, take a look outside of the window, Sir Theo."

--

Tylor could see on her expression that he was not on her good list, for now anyway. He would be determined to change that. "Yes, but many people do not take the advice to improve." He continued onto her statement, stopping just a few feet from her. Glancing down at his clothing, Tylor nodded his head slightly before returning his eyes back to Ravyn. "They were afraid that something might have happened to the representative. You cannot blame them for taking the caution." He reasoned while she seemed to be displeased. As long as she was a guest at the Human castle, she would be treated on their terms. "Why are you up at this hour instead of getting some rest, Ravyn?" Tylor questioned out of curiosity.

@ Dandy Darling;

Theo was glad for the reprieve as the Faerie Queen went silent, though he did feel that he had messed up in even mentioning that there were rumors, much less stating a few of the kinder ones. He did hope though that it wouldn't be detrimental since he wasn't even in the Fae world yet, much less nearing the end of the month he would be here. Then, as he was bid to take a look out the carriage windows, he gave her a small nod and moved to push the curtains away from the windows, his eyes widening almost as immediately at the sight that unfolded around him. "It is beautiful, your Highness," he said in a quiet voice to her, his eyes taking it all in.

---

Ravyn gave a small nod. "True, but those who do not take the advise usually think they are the best. I know I am not, though I am skilled with a bow." She motioned to the stick she had in her hands. "This is the closest I could find. It is weighted wrong, but it has been serviceable." She sighed quietly as his reasoning for why he'd been woken in the middle of the night to find her, but did not argue. It was better to remind her that this was a different kingdom, and she couldn't simply expect everything to be the same. "I will get rest. Soon, likely. I am prone to restless nights though." She motioned to the dummy she had been beating. "Practicing like this will wear my body out so that I can sleep." She smiled a little. "You are saying my name wrong by the way, Prince Tylor. My name is not 'raven', such as the bird. It is Ravyn. The 'a' sounds softer, like in the word 'unravel'."

@ beautiful monotony

A smile grew on her lips when she saw his eyes widen in its beauty. The Faerie Queen wanted to share the beauty of her lands with the Humans but did not want to give it to them. "I am glad that you find them beautiful. These are the lands we have ruled over since the beginning of time. You may confirm or deny these rumors that you have been hearing from experience now that you are here." She moved back her own curtain to watch over the hills and valleys. Soon, they arrived back at the Fae Castle. There were many differences between the two castles, and one of them was the appearance. Mariella stepped outside of the carriage with the help of the driver, thanking him during the process. "This is where you will be staying the next month. I will have one of my subjects come and prepare a room for you."

--

Tylor could not understand why the Fae still used old-fashioned weapon like bow when the power obviously lay in the sword. A mere arrow could be stopped in its tracks by one of their wooden shields. It was obvious who the clear winner in a war would be between the two worlds. "I see. Your body must have adapted to running on little sleep." He glanced over at the dummy to see that it had taken quite a beating. It would have to be re-purposed when they left. It was odd for a women inside of his race to even think about staying up let alone train to drain her energy. Although, he had seen her expression the last time he had said something of this caliber. "Okay, I shall try then. Ravyn. Am I pronouncing it correctly now?" He attempted to say it the same way she had.

@ Dandy Darling;

As the carriage arrived at the castle, Theo climbed out after the Faerie Queen, still gazing around in wonder. "Yes, your Highness," He quickly said when he realized that she had been talking to him. "Thank you, m'lady." They had been standing outside the steps, but now faeries came out to greet their queen and all but clamor for her attention. "My queen," one man asked. "Where is Ravyn? Has something happened to her?" This faerie had light brown hair and midnight blue eyes and regarded Theo with mistrust.

---

Ravyn gave a small shrug. "It's adjusted to running on less sleep. I do have days where I will fall asleep immediately and won't get up until well into the next morning unless I'm woken up. It depends on the night, really," she answered, leaning against her make-shift bow. It wasn't the sort that fired arrows, as someone would think at the word bow. A bow was a wooden weapon that resembled a walking stick more than anything. It was personally Ravyn's favorite weapon and the one she was best with, though she did practice with other weapons as well. She smiled a little as he tried to copy the way she said her name, giving a small nod. "That sounds about right. Fae words can be hard to pronounce."

@ beautiful monotony

Mariella's eyes widened with delight as her faeries came to crowd around her by the carriage, greeting each one with a smile. "Do not fret. Ravyn is with the Humans back in their world. Unfortunately, we were not able to negotiate the treaty with them, but she is there now to be our representative. I have the utmost confidence in her." She reassured the others that there would be no problem. Moving over toward Theo, she placed a lightly hand onto his shoulder. "This is the representative form the Human world. His name is Sir Theo, and I expect all of you to welcome him with open arms. He has been nothing but hospitable toward me during this journey."

--

Tylor was sure that a sleeping schedule like that would not be a healthy for a human, but it may be different for Fae. "Yes, I cannot pronounce half of them at the moment. My teacher is trying to teach me how to pronounce them properly though. It is important if our two races are two exist in harmony." He explained to her. Remembering the way to pronounce her name, Tylor made sure that he would no longer say it incorrectly. "If I may ask, what is your Queen like? I have never spoken to her in such close quarters other than today." He questioned since she seemed to be very different than from the way his parents ruled. The Fae Queen seemed to be more kind-hearted and giving than the tyrant his parents were.

@ Dandy Darling;

All gazes seemed to gravitate towards Theo almost as soon as the Faerie Queen put her hand on his shoulder, and he wasn't particularly sure he actually liked it. "Hello," he gave them the warmest smile he could muster, despite how awkward he was feeling, and resisted the urge to give a small wave at the crowd.

---

Ravyn gave a small nod to him. "If you need help, feel free to let me know," she offered. "The fae grow up with both languages, so..." she shrugged a bit, trailing off as he asked about her queen. She blinked in surprise for a moment, and then smiled. "She's very kind. The entire kingdom loves Queen Mariella, and no one more so than those who are closest to her and personally know her. She is fair and always puts her people above herself."

@ Dandy Darling;

@ beautiful monotony

The Fae looked to each other with some hesitation with their Queen's request. Theo was an outsider that had given them much trouble over the years, but they could not disobey their Queen. "Please." Mariella stressed, seeing indecisiveness. Soon afterward, each Fae offered a small nod with a few words of welcome. "Well, then, Sir Theo, please follow me." She requested as her hand went back down to her side, and she proceeded to move toward the castle.

--

"Thank you for the offer, Ravyn." Tylor had not expected her to offer his assistance, but it was appreciated. Hearing of the type of ruler that their Queen was, Tylor could not help but automatically compare it to the opinions that his father received. "I see. You seem to be quite pleased then. How do you perceive my father? I do ask you to be honest. I assure you that I will not speak a word of it to him. I just wish to know your first impression."

@ Dandy Darling;

Theo supposed he understood the unwillingness of the faeries. He was sure his kingdom would act the same towards the faerie representative. So he didn't take it to heart, though he was admittedly relieved when they agreed to their queen's request. Maybe it would help alleviate any troubles that would undoubtedly crop up. "Yes, your Highness," he answered as he was asked to follow the Faerie Queen, and soon fell in step following her.

---

Ravyn hesitated on answering, her eyebrows drawing together. Even if he claimed that he would keep what she said between the two of them, she couldn't imagine it would be good to speak of the king how she had perceived him thus far, especially as the king was his father. "I think it might be best if I say nothing," she told him, almost apologetically. She stretched out then, and took the piece of wood back to where she had found it. "I am sorry again that I have kept you up. Perhaps it is time we both retire to bed?"

@ beautiful monotony

Moving inside of the castle, a smile came about her lips at the familiar surroundings. This was truly the home that she loved. Mariella paused in the middle of the hall to look toward one of her servants. "Please, prepare Sir Theo one of the best rooms in the castle. Make sure that he receives everything that he needs." She ordered and then turned to face Theo. "I am sure that you are tired from your travels. If you wish, you may retire to your chambers as soon as it is ready."

--

"Fair enough, Ravyn." Tylor could see the hesitation in her answer, signaling that she wanted to say something. Although, she had decided against it, which had disappointed him. "Yes, that would be for the best." He nodded, feeling the exhaustion over taking him once more. Guiding her back toward the castle, Tylor walked her back to her chambers out of courtesy. "Good night, Ravyn." He stated then parted ways with her to return back to his bedroom.

@ Dandy Darling;

As he followed the Faerie Queen, careful not to lose her, Theo did also take the time to look around. The castle seemed to be lighter in a way... he was almost sure there were more windows, actually, and less curtains. It was a castle without a doubt, but so different from the castle that he was used to. However, when the queen suddenly stopped, Theo stopped as well, tearing his attention away from his surroundings to focus on what was going on before him. "Yes, thank you, your Highness," he said to Mariella. "I wish you a good night's rest."

---

Despite her late night, Ravyn was up bright and early the next morning. Unfortunately, she was also back to being restrained in the ridiculous costume that human women wore. And such would be her fate for the next month... Not many others were awake this early except a few servants. She would have coerced one into showing her to the kitchen, except she somewhat expected that someone would want to talk to the faerie's representative. So instead she simply walked about the castle in an attempt to memorize the layout. She would not be relying on others to get her places for the duration of her stay, after all. Eventually, while walking down a hallway, she came upon a certain knight that she remembered, who was standing beside a door as if a guard. He didn't look grateful for being up so early, though if her memory served her, she was the reason for his lack of sleep the night before. And despite her general distrust of humans, she decided to stop and apologize, which actually led to a conversation with the knight, whose name turned out to be Cedric. Well, and if she was going to be representative, she supposed she would be doing this sort of thing quite a bit.

@ beautiful monotony

"It is no problem, Sir Theo. If you feel any discomfort with the room arrangement or need anything, do not hesitate to ask anyone." All Mariella wanted was for Theo to feel as welcome as possible inside of the Fae castle. In the back of her mind, she was starting to wonder how Ravyn was fairing. After all, the Human world was the polar opposite of their world. The servant soon returned back to the main hall to escort Theo into his chambers. "Good night, Sir Theo." She bid him farewell with a small smile then turned to return to her chambers. It had been a long day for the Fae Queen, and all she wanted was to have a sliver of rest.

--

The next morning, Tylor awoke to one of the servants requesting him to awake as per his parents' order. The young prince groaned while sitting up in the bed with his disheveled hair. After the long night he had, Tylor could not catch a break to even have extra sleep. "Of course. Thank you." He dismissed the servant to change into his proper attire. From the hallway, he could hear the sound of two voices conversing while he pulled on his coat. Tylor could recognize that one was Cedric's while the other was feminine. Although he was unsure, he merely assumed that it must have been one of the servants, but servants never bothered to make conversation with a guard on-duty. Tylor looked into the mirror to asses himself, making sure that everything was sufficient. After adjusting the collar of this coat once more, he opened the door to his chambers to view Ravyn speaking with Cedric. That had been one person that did not expect to see so early in the morning. "Good morning, Ravyn. Cedric." He nodded his head in both directions before clearing his throat. "I hope that your chambers were to your liking." He addressed Ravyn, considering the late night. Maybe something had prevented her from sleeping properly that night. "If there is something that you feel needs to be fixed, do not hesitate to tell someone."

@ Dandy Darling;
(I'm so sorry school, then my birthday, then school some more, and my sister is in band so we had to go to a mardi gras parade yesterday)

As the Faerie Queen turned and left, the servant motioned for Theo to follow, and soon he was being led down hallways (thankfully, only a couple) and was soon led inside the chamber he was to be staying in for the next month. Thankfully, he had managed to pay enough attention to where they were going that he knew he would be able to make it back to the main hall on his own if nothing else. He had hardly gotten a thanks past his lips for the faerie who had escorted him before the servant left, apparently reassured that everything was alright. Exhaustion tugged down at the knight, who set his travelpack down at the foot of the bed, quickly washed the signs of travel from his skin, and then decided that it was time for some sleep. Within minutes of his head touching the pillow, Theo was asleep.

---

Ravyn smiled a bit at the muttered, vague response the knight gave his prince. Apparently Cedric was a quiet one. "Good morning, Prince Tylor," she answered, her head inclining a small amount. She took his words to mean that he thought there was some reason as to why she had been gallivanting through the castle the night before rather than sleeping. "The chambers are lovely, thank you. In answer to your unasked question, nothing kept me awake. Last night is actually the perfect description of most nights of mine. I simply forgot I wasn't home, where no one would have questioned my walking about the castle in the dead of night. My apologies for disturbing your sleep." And simply because she couldn't help herself and no one was around that would admonish her behavior, she gave the prince the same brief bow that Cedric had upon seeing him.

@ beautiful monotony

(It's alright! Don't worry about it! :) )

Following suit with Theo, the Faerie Queen retired to her chambers for the night after the rest of her people were placed at ease. Many of them wanted to know of the human world and its rulers. Of course, Mariella was unable to share details with them, but she explained enough to satisfy the crowd. "Good night, everyone. I hope that you will all rest well tonight." She announced then turned to move up the stairs with a pair of guards following a few steps behind. Reaching the top floor, Mariella moved to the set of large white doors at the end of the hallway. It was the most protected place in all of the castle, especially since Mariella was the most vulnerable in a sleeping state. After taking a relaxing bath inside of her royal chambers, the Fae Queen dressed in her night attire and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

--

Tylor was pleased to see that she had picked up on his underlying question. It would be rude of him to outright ask why she had been wandering the castle in the middle of the night. His parents would have reprimanded him for any type of ill manner toward their guest. "I am pleased to hear that, Ravyn. There is nothing for you to apologize for. You are adjusting to the sudden change in your environment." He reassured her, inclining his head back slightly in their direction. "There will be breakfast served shortly in the dining hall. Would you like to accompany me?" Tylor offered to Ravyn with the slightest of smiles, holding out his arm for her to take. "The cook is rumored to have the best foods in all of the human world."

@ Dandy Darling;

The next morning, Theo was woken with the request that he join Queen Mariella for breakfast. After procuring his agreement, the servant waited outside the hall as the knight, and then once he had emerged from the room, the faerie led Theo to the dining hall. He was shown to the room and then asked that he wait for the queen. Left alone once more, the knight ended up curiously venturing around the room, and paused to admire a painting on one of the walls. It was a beautiful painting of what looked to be an oak tree in shape, though the colors were bright and could even be called magical.

---

Sudden change in environment... Ravyn suppressed a sigh. Apparently she hadn't been clear enough in attempting to explain that the insomnia wasn't a stranger to her. Oh well. They would eventually figure it out or they wouldn't. She wasn't going to attempt to bother with any further explanations at the moment. As he offered his arm, the immediate urge to decline the offer had to be squashed down. Here, she wasn't a knight. Here, she was a representative... and that was going to take some getting used to. So though she hesitated a moment, she did take his offered arm. "Breakfast sounds lovely," she answered.

@ beautiful monotony

The following morning Mariella awoke the sounds of the birds at her window at the crack of dawn. She moved out of the bed carefully then padded along the wooded floors to the beautiful white doors. Opening them slightly, Mariella peaked her head out to see her guards' stoic demeanor. "Good morning, Sir Johnathan and Sir Howard. I was hoping that one of you could send along a request for me. I would like Sir Theo to be invited down to have breakfast with me today. Thank you very much for the assistance." She stated then pulled away to quietly shut the door. After changing into more formal attire, the Queen made her way down to the dining hall a few floors below them. She could already smell the fresh bread baking in the oven accompanied by the strawberry jam. "Good morning, Sir Theo." She greeted while walking inside of the room to see him admiring the painting. "Beautiful, isn't it? The portrait was painted of the gardens during Queen Victoria's time. She was another Faerie Queen about three rulers ago." Mariella noted with a small smile as her eyes slid back over toward Theo.

--

"Great." Tylor responded then guided her down into the dining hall. Although, a part of him believed that she already knew her way down to the kitchen from her journey during the previous night. "Good morning." He greeted his parents with a tight smile as they were already seated at the heads of the table. "Ah, good morning, Tylor. I see you have found our representative, Ravyn." The King nodded his head followed by the Queen, pronouncing Ravyn's name as 'Raven'. Tylor felt the urge to automatically correct his father for doing so, but he suppressed his emotions for he was in no position to. Pulling out a seat for Ravyn, he gently pushed her in before taking his own seat.

@ Dandy Darling;

Hearing doors open behind him, Theo looked back to find the Faerie Queen striding into the room. "Good morning, Your Highness," he greeted, giving her a small bow as she began to speak of the painting. He briefly glanced back at it once more and then returned his eyes to Mariella. "It's very beautiful," he agreed. "I don't believe I've ever seen a tree with quite so many colors, not even in autumn. Do you know if that was simply a decision by the painter or if it was real?" he was curious to know. If they had been back in the human realm, there would be no question on it. But he was in Faerie, and he honestly had no idea what was possible and what wasn't.

---

"Actually, your Highness," Ravyn said, straining to be extremely polite, "you are pronouncing my name wrong. Think of the word 'unravel' rather than 'raven'. Its a soft 'a' sound." She offered a cordial smile. "I do realize that normally it would be rude to correct the King, but I hope that you may forgive me as I will be here for a month." An entire month of hearing her name butchered? She wouldn't be able to stand it. Still, she did hope that she appeared polite and sorry enough. Maybe that would help ease her breech of manners. Then again, all she knew of the King and Queen was from observing at the previous day's meeting.

@ Dandy Darling;

@ beautiful monotony

A small smile spread across her lips, knowing that the beauty of the garden compared to nothing else. "It is completely real, Sir Theo. When you have the chance, I advise you to take a walk. I am sure that you will enjoy the tranquility." She offered then took the seat at the head of the table for breakfast. As per usual, the table with filled to capacity with its exotic fruits, breads, and delicacies that could only be found in the Fae World. Waiting until Theo was seated, she reached over for a slice of bread to spread the fresh peach jam on top of it. "Please, eat to your heart's content." Mariella smiled then bit into the piece of bread. Because she could not finish everything by herself, the Fae Queen always gave anything that was uneaten to the Fae on the street. Those who could not find work and starved. Although she wished she could have helped them more, this was the least she could do.

--

Of course, the King was appalled by her correction of his speech but did not allow it to show in his expression. Someone had dared to defy him for something as mundane as pronunciation. He would excuse Ravyn for her rudeness this time since she probably did not know the proper behavior toward a royal. "Rayvn, then." He corrected then drank a sip of the red wine. The King refused to drink anything other than the red liquid, but no one dared to bring his alcoholism to his attention. Clearing his throat, Tylor's eyes flickered over to Ravyn then back down to the food, urging her to take something. Maybe it would be best that neither said anything for the time being.

@ Dandy Darling;

"Thank you, Your Highness," Theo inclined his head as he spoke, taking her lead and reaching for foodstuffs. Despite the long carriage ride the day before in which they had had a long conversation, Theo still felt ill at ease. He wasn't entirely certain how to act and was straining to be polite, worried that he might do something wrong. The Fae Queen seemed very kind and to be going at great lengths to make him feel at ease, but he was finding a difficult time in relaxing. Maybe that would come with time... at least, he hoped so.

---

Following the King's reply was a lengthy, tense silence that Ravyn found uncomfortable. The human world seemed to be chalk full of silence though, from what she could tell so far. It set her nerves on edge in a way, and she found it was all she could do not to fidget in her seat. She was not used to stillness or silence or even acting the part of a lady of a court when she was in truth a knight. When Prince Tylor seemed to indicate that she should eat something, she was grateful for the distraction and decided to take heed of the directive, giving him a small nod to let him know that she understood.