The Queen Must Remember

Part 2: Ask forbidden questions... ignore the curses...

The next morning I had felt much better, my memory felt full and not fuzzy...

I was wearing a dress of oversized orange butterfly wings and my hair woven loosely with a small braid of tulips and amber fragments. A pixie toyed with my hair, thrusting it's small spindly hands into my locks to weave it into a stronger braid.
I smiled at it, rising to eat a larger breakfast alongside the dark Fae.

The pixies had made me toasted bread smothered in honey and sprinkled some parsley leaves around it.
I took the ceramic plate away, nodding in thanks for thier effort and made my way to the birdcage.
Wearing a black long sleeved shirt, Orpheus's midnight hair was unkempt and his face wan with fatigue as he glared up at me from where he wearily slouched against the ivy-grown bars.

I felt a sudden feeling of pity for him, "Dear Goddess above... You look terrible... What did you do?" I whispered.

He groaned, pulling at his face, "I did nothing- It was the flowers... Made me tired... My head hurts... Don't let the pixies give you flowers at night." He warned, stopping after so few words as if he were calculating what he could say before he would be silenced.

I rolled my eyes, "You're so untrusting of the pixies- they're so wonderfully good to us- look what they made me for breakfast!" I beamed, gesturing to my plate. He gave it a snarl of disgust before retreating to holding his head in his hands.
I didn't have to obey him. He was the one in being treated like a domesticated bird, for some reason-

That thought suddenly left my mind, I couldn't acknowledge it anymore...
Anyway, the pixies were here to help me, to attend to my needs as I looked after the Garden, why would they want to do me harm? The flower scents were relaxing, they felt healing, thier beauty and smell was beautiful and calming to my often foggy mind, I took refuge in that- Orpheus could not convince me otherwise.

"I read that Faerie Haberlillies are good for headaches, I can get you some if you stop complaining." I offered, he glared at me again, this time more angry, yet a flicker of surprise glinted his eyes,

"Don't bother... I'll let the pain distract me from my unending boredom." He grumbled, rising to his feet.
I felt annoyed at his rejection, "Well, if you actually accept that the flower scents are meant to be good for us instead of straining so much it wouldn't give you a headache!"

He ignored me, climbing up the bars towards a swing inside. He truly was treated like a bird... He had a look of humiliation along with his fatigue as he slumped himself onto it, kicking his leg back and forth, causing it to creak with morose movement.
I decided to ignore him also, delicately eating my breakfast and pretending his burning stare didn't creep me out in the slightest- but it was truly unnerving, like this his gaze was turning me to stone...
I could tell he was also staring at my tattoo on my arm, hating the evidence I had to ignore his begging.
I finished my food, leaving the plate for the pixies to clean up.

**

The watering can was heavy in my hands as I watered the purple chrysanthemums in their patch.
A pixie was gathering up small starweep flowers, usually used to create a soothing scent at night for my own troubled mind.
I crouched down to their level,

"Hey, Orpheus doesn't seem to like the starweeps, could you keep these away from his- his home?" I asked, I didn't want to say cage, it didn't feel right- but that was what it was, he was trapped, why was he trapped-

Again, the thought was gone, making my head spin, I blinked repeatedly. I looked back at the small pixie, it's pointy little face scrunched up to look at me, squinting from sunlight. It shrugged, squeaking a little before fluttering off, blueish starweeps heavy in it's arms.