Chapter fifteen

Quick thing, my wonderful readers; this chapter is a bit longer than the other ones, so be forewarned! You may want to look at how long it is, and figure out how you’re going to read this. Please tell me if this chapter was too long in the comments below. I really just wanted to try a different approach to writing my book, and needed to fit a LOT of descriptors and explanations in this chapter, so bear with me.

The first words out of my mouth; “Who the hell are you?”

Smoooooth one, Stella.

“I am marveling at your extreme friendliness, Irish child,” muttered Orenda. I shot her a glare from across the cushion, trying with all of my might to relay the are you f*****g serious stop with the sassery, m-fer I don’t even like you. I think I came across menacing enough.

Will smirked. “Told you she was a nice gal.” He rolled off the cushion, and I followed his lead.

“You talked to these people before we came here? When did you even have the time?” I asked, confused. Last I had checked, I had been with him nearly all of the time, if not every single second. I dusted off my shins and gazed at my surroundings, trying to get a feel for my next setting. Fairy tale castle? Check. Woods? Check. Sterile infirmary? Check. Grecian palace that Penelope and Odysseus could have easily lived in? Check again.

“Don’t worry about it,” he responded condescendingly.  

I took a deep breath of air into my lungs and decided to focus on what was around me instead of the dick bag that was in front of me. What I found was absolutely astounding; It was once a huge atrium or hall of some sort, and still was. We were at the top of a huge staircase that lead down to the main floor. However, it was nearly impossible to tell what color the walls were or what adorned them originally because everything was covered- and I mean covered- with vines, flowers, and nearly any plant that you could describe, fantasy or not. Light was let in through the roof, which was covered with windows. Or, would have been, had it been day in the sky above us. Instead, the light of a million galaxies could be seen from my single standpoint, while hundreds, if not thousands, of what looked to be near spherical jellyfish floated through the air.

“Wow,” I whispered, totally and completely awestruck. I turned to the woman I had insulted. “I’m sorry I was so hasty in my insults towards you. What is your name?” I inquired quietly.

“Feidlimid, dear child. And your’s is?”

“Stella. Stella Lyra,” I answered, my eyes resting on her slight frame. She was graceful, even in her old age, truly living up to her name’s meaning; ‘beauty’. I could tell that, many years ago, men would have swooned at her feet and begged for her to be their bride. I could tell that none of them were successful in their endeavors; her ring fingers were bare, and her whole left hand taken by a swirling ornament. It had a large gemstone on the back, and was able to move fluidly with her hands. It wove around her fingers, and was the color of freshly unfurled leaves in the spring, threaded with silver.

She smiled kindly, her eyes twinkling with the light of the brightest, warmest of stars. “Shall we go?”

I nodded. “Would you mind if I asked a few questions that I’ve had for a bit?”

“Not at all. Please, ask away while we go where we are needed.”

I gestured to the ceiling. “I’m sorry, this question must seem a bit of a stupid thing to ask, since you seem to know what’s going on. Will I be seeing them again?” I gestured back towards Will and Orenda.

“No. They occupy seats left behind by the Grecian legends, and, since the Irish legends only left behind one seat, we are technically a constitutional monarchy. They are an oligarchy, or were until Will took over and is now called Zeus Will.”

I looked over at her. “Well, no offense, but the name seems a little stupid.”

She laughed, throwing her silver hair over her shoulder. “What else could we call them though? They are not deities, but they still have the power of them while retaining their personal identity. The only ones who truly change their body are us, the fae, and our queen, who holds the title of Maeve.”

I nodded, finally starting to understand what was really going on here. “So, does the same thing holds true for fairy tales? I mean, they’re from legends, for the most part…” My voice trailed off, accentuating the awkwardness that I felt around this woman.

Her mouth turned itself into a grimace. “Yes, it does. However, they do not have any real laws binding them to honor while in their position. They, unlike us, can do whatever they please. We are chosen for what we do; their title is passed down from generation to generation. The brothers Grimm were two of our best many years ago, and so were their fellow tale-creators. Alas, they fell from their place and decided that they wanted the power that they were denied in their trials.”

“Now, you said something about the Irish seats being the only ones that actually change their holders; what does that make you?”

“One of the fae, my dear child. The only actual seat we have that requires an elaborate, difficult trial is for that of the title of Maeve, the queen, or king, of the fae. Usually, the titles follow the legends closely in gender, but they sometimes fluctuate in gender and race. Orenda is a good example; she is African, but the origin of her seat pertains to a woman of Grecian decent. Most seats offer unique abilities as well. While most do not really live up to their seat’s origin character, the title of Maeve certainly comes with great power, responsibility, and wisdom. That is why we hold one of the largest trials in all of our land; if we did not, it could fall into the wrong hands.”

“What happened to the former Maeve, then? There obviously could not be a trial if he or she was still in power.”

Feidlimid winced visibly, and I immediately felt horrible for asking the question.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to discuss what happened,” I hastily rushed out. I  rattled around my brain for something to switch the topic to, one that would, hopefully, be a safe one. “Um, also; why is it night-time right now?”

The topic seemed to ease her mind, even though we walking down some of the most beautiful pathways that I had ever seen. It may have been near summer in Dublin, but here it was all of the seasons. Some trees were bare, some looked like they were on fire, some drooping with blossoms of every color, and some in full leaf. The trees looked to be thousands of years old, and they made up many of the structures that many of the rooms were centered around. The walkways were surrounded by water, where the pillars dove deep into.

“Well,” she began. “We aren’t in a regular space-time plane; this was created by the creators of the current seats, whom we call Characters.”

I nodded, while peering deeply into the waters that we walked past. “What’s in there?” I asked curiously.

She smiled. “Have you read up on your Irish myths, young lady?”

I laughed a little. “Yeah, why do you ask?”

Her eyes twinkled with only the knowledge of a morsel of information soon to be revealed to the student. “We have intelligent creatures that dwell in the deep. We always welcome those that failed their trials into our arms as one of the fae, where they could live for hundreds of years. Would you like to greet them? They really are quite friendly.”

I shook my head, recalling the legends of beautiful aquatic humanoid creatures that lured their prey with kindness and beautiful melodies. “Um, how about later?”

She laughed melodiously. “Later, then. But I’m sure you’re curious about the trial that you’ve heard so much about.”

“Terrified is more like it,” I admitted, the paved ways crowded with people.

Feidlimid looked sympathetic. “Yes, I can understand your worries, but it isn’t like that new dystopian series.. What is it, where the teens are killing each other?”

“The Hunger Games,” I answered quickly. “Continue, please.”

“Right. You will fight, and you will train, but much of the trial is based off of intellect, since you will not be doing much, but rather trying to win wars and run a kingdom.”

“So, how many will I be facing?”

“Many. At any time, if a majority thinks that you or any other candidate are unworthy of being in the secluded trial, you can be removed. This includes cheating, etcetera. All in all; play fair, be fair, and your position will not be in jeopardy. Even if you are given the boot, as they say nowadays, you will most likely have an active political career. Most who are not chosen for their desired or chosen seat go on to be extraordinarily impactful players, sometimes even more so than the ones who beat them in the trial that they lost in.”

I didn’t know if I had any other questions, so I chose to be awed by the extraordinary place that I was walking in. Imagine; if I won, I would not only live here, but I would also rule all of this, and be responsible for these people’s well-being. The thought scared me, until I also realized that I would live for a few hundred years. Tears leapt to my eyes and my knees grew weak as I realized that there would be no going back to Da or Adda. What would I do?

Reviews

[Lady Celery]

I definitely think this chapter is a good length! It's long enough that the reader has time to immerse themselves and really get involved with the story - don't be afraid to go even longer in the future! I know it can be annoyingly difficult to figure out how long to make the chapters (for me, anyway) but you've done a great job thus far!

[samarahmed]

great story tbh loved it!

[firabelle]

Thank you so much! It really makes me glad that my readers, (or at least one), loves my story! Do you have any suggestions? It could be something that you may consider stupid, but I'll take it to heart.