Opening her mouth to end the meeting, a loud bang echoes through the throne room. The heavy oak doors wrench back as Elwood and three other royal scouts walk forward into the room.His dark hair hangs in a black waterfall down to his waist. Dark eyes miss nothing as he looks her over, then nods towards father.
Fren's relief at his son's safe return is evident.
The Fairy Queen goes to inquire when her eyes snag on a figure draped between the other two scouts. He is a creature she has never seen before. There is a familiar quality about him. The scent wafting from him fills the room.
As he approaches, she gets a better look at him.
Leather conceals his feet as he is dragged against the wood floor. Forced onto his knees, his head snaps upward. The Fairy Queen swallows as she takes in his face. He is handsome with his tan skin and pink cheeks.
Old, faded scars adorn the sharp bridge of his nose and the harsh line of his stubbled jaw. Golden hair falls to his shoulders. Sparkling blue eyes, a few shades lighter than themistbird's, are framed by honey colored lashes.
His jaw is strong, and his lips are full. Even on his knees, she can tell he is a tall male of impressive build. Beneath his tattered shirt are ridges of hard muscles. His tan ears are round, and the teeth that grit against his captors' hold are blunt. How strange.
The Fairy Queen's eyes lift to Elwood for explanation.
"My Queen, pardon the interruption. We found thisthingprowling the meadow."
"Prowling?" the strange being chokes. "That makes me sound creepy."
Besides the scout's tight grip and the grass stains marring his clothes, he seems to be unharmed.
"He came through a portal. Traces of starlight were found on his clothes. We do not know how he came to possess one," Elwood says through clenched teeth.
The Fairy Queen inclines her head.
"I see you gave him the language."
Elwood pales, looking at his bare feet atop the flooring.
"It wouldn't stop talking. I thought it best we understood its trivial ramblings."
"Ramblings? Do you creatures only speak in insults?"
"Fairies," the Fairy Queen says, locking eyes with the being. "We are fairies. What are you?"
The creature's eyes widen. Just as Elwood had, the stranger looks her over completely. The marked difference between the two stares is the strange fluttering in her stomach. Parts of her warm under his appraisal. The hostility in his gaze dissipates the longer he focuses on her.
Elwood notes it with disdain. The creature's lips part, revealing two sets of dazzling white teeth.
"A human."
Human.
The word clangs in her mind, bringing up long-buried memories of myths and legends about such creatures. They were reported to be weak. Frail beings who would perish in the meadow. This human doesn't seem to be of a sickly constitution. He ripples with vitality.
His presence teases her magic. Encourages it to rise.
"There are only stories about your kind. We've never had reports of one coming through," the Fairy Queen shares.
"A pity. Any you meet after me will be a let down."
"He will be sent back, your majesty," snaps Elwood, coming to stand between the Fairy Queen and the human. "If we cannot find the portal he left behind, at the very least, he will be remanded to the cells."
The dungeon is no place for a human. Elwood's concerns are valid, but he is behaving too rashly. This human does not possess magic. While the blades along his hips present a challenge, it is one her three royal scouts should be able to overcome.
A human has never stepped foot in Meadowmist, not even during her parents' reign.
It must be a sign from the Spirits. This human could very well be the answer they've been searching for. To throw him away out of fear would be unwise.
