Their Little Fae

01| Python-Mariana

01| Python

The place would soon become her home.

"Mariana, hurry up." I rushed downstairs with an elegant pink dress that tightly wrapped around my torso and flowed freely below my waist. With each step I took, my coiled hair bounced effortlessly down my back reaching towards my feet, contrasting with the blue that lit up my wings.

"Mari. Come on." Mama doesn't scream, she never did and never will. As I reached the bottom of the staircase she examined my body with pride in her eyes as always. "Beautiful."

Thanking her gracefully, we linked arms and headed out of the house. We weren't able to get that far before Rosie stopped us. Before I spoke a syllable, Mama reminded her, "Rosie, I love you, but we must be going so please make it quick." Rosie nodded her head and scooped me up for a quick hug. I could feel her cold pale touch contrasting against my warm almond-colored skin. "I'm going to miss you so much. How about you stay here, and your mom goes. I think that's the best idea I've ever had." I broke away from her hug smiling.

"Brilliant. That sounds great." My expression changed as I became aware of my reality.

"I will be back in two days, Rosemary. I love you." With that, I was walking with Mama, holding back tears because I have never been away from my best friend for so long. "It's okay, don't cry," Mama said as she bestowed a quick kiss upon my forehead.

We began our journey into the edge of Nysa where a moon gate is. There are moon gates in every part of our world so that traveling is trouble-free. The

moon gate was engulfed in flowers and vines. Circling the border were bushes with blooming roses. Clutching onto Mama's hand I whispered to her, "Scared." Glancing down at me, she whispered back, "Don't worry, I'm right here." Her eyes focused on the gate, as she whispered words I couldn't understand.

I flinched back as colors started to swirl around me. As my grip tightened on Mama's hand, our feet left Nysa and arrived in Python, also known as The Den of Dragons. A shiver ran through my spine, one of anticipation. Mama and I were here because of a council meeting, and she's the one representing the faes in our realm. Last year, it was Alpha Aaron's turn in the werewolf realm, and the year before that it was Lucifer's turn in Hell. Mama said it was not fun.

Every year, the council holds a meeting to check in with all the realms and make sure everything is in order. This year it was King Ezekiel's turn. He's the king of the dragon realm, seeing as he's a dragon himself, but also a vampire. His brother, King Cassian of the Vampires, is a hybrid of half-dragon and half-vampire. The kings quickly gained power, seeing as their parents were already royalty, they were automatically alliances. Many rumors have always been spread around about them. Ones like them are coldhearted and weren't blessed with a mate.

I thought Mama was cold-hearted last month because she didn't let me go out with Rosie, so I'm not too biased, just a little scared. Other species used to hunt ones below them, though it's against the law now. A lot of them used to specifically feed on faeries, seeing as they thought our blood would give them some sort of power because our wings were where we got our magic. The witches use things like elements as power sources, something to drain and use for personal benefit because it's not affecting them.

In addition, faeries learn and perform spells very easily, considering the magic that flows through our veins, but we have to be careful with how much magic we're using because it can get spent very quickly.

"Mariana," My gaze met Mama's first, then to the castle before us. Shadows were cast all around it. I looked up to see a dragon soaring above, a beautiful red dragon. I dragged my eyes back to the building. Spirals rolled upwards and windows were in many places, yet not a lot of them were big.

Thunder crashed and I flinched, but still admired the way it lit up the building. Every single detail was so intricate, it was truly amazing. Mama declared brightly, "It was built by the elves." I nodded, not quite paying attention to the information given, but focusing on the marvelous building in front of me. "Come, let's go in." The marble shined brightly in the foyer along with all the chattering noises.

My head bowed down so my hair could provide a shield for my ears. "Mama." A small whimper slipped out of my mouth. I never liked loud noises. They made me feel very overwhelmed and trapped me in a way where I couldn't function. Her arm pulled me closer. "I know, I'm sorry." The voices grew louder, then stopped suddenly, and the only thing you could hear was the sound of shoes hitting the floor.

Dominance swept the area, my head automatically bowed in submission. Silence filled the room, none of the seven council members or their partners dared to speak. "Your rooms will be provided in the castle, dinner is at 6, freshen up and return. The maids will show you to your rooms. Carry on with your needed tasks." Raising my head to gaze at the voice that made me gasp, I locked eyes with King Ezekial. The man's tanned skin slightly stuck out against his black suit

shirt and pants. Their black hair curled slightly and they stood a good 6'6, maybe 6'7. But the height wasn't what caught my attention, it was the striking red eyes. The color of fire. The color of blood.

I didn't get a chance to stare any longer because I was pulled away by Mama following the maid leading us to our room. I gave the maid a small smile and was happy they gave one back before they stopped abruptly in front of no door. "Is it a secret door? Can it be a secret door please?" Mama's laugh floated in the hallway after hearing my ecstatic words. "I don't think it's a secret door, I'm sorry dear." A small pout formed on my lips while I grumbled about wanting a secret door. "I'm sorry about that, Miss. Let's continue." As I skipped alongside the two aging ladies, we were led upstairs and around a corner before a door popped open. "This is where you two will be staying. I hope you enjoy it, ma'am."

Glancing around the room, I was amazed. A large bed sat in the middle with two tables on the side of it. A vanity was placed next to a walk-in closet and the door on the right of that was a big bathroom. "Woah," I whispered gleefully. I was too engrossed in the room to take notice of Mama's worried face. "This is amazing!"

My body landed on the bed and I faced staring up at the crystal chandelier attached to the ceiling. "Are you changing your dress?" I shook my head no at Mama's question after assessing my attire. "Don't need to." She came to sit down next to me, my head placed itself in her lap. Her hands started to massage my head and her voice quieted down. "Are you tired?" A yawn prevented me from answering right after the question was asked. "Mhm." My purple eyes started to close and before I knew it, I was missing dinner.

A dinner that was supposed to decide my fate.

-Mariana