Heir of the Underground

Chapter 1: Aurelia (continued)

The Fey were a unique race, seemingly humanoid, but ultimately different from any existing human, due to their unnaturally colored hair, eyes, and skin. In addition, each of the Fey were rumored to have some sort of animal or plant characteristic, whether that be something like wings, thorns, scales. And on top of all that, the Fey were known to possess magic, often elemental in nature.

Given that magic, the humans had come to fear the Fey, scared that they would someday deem the humans inferior and enslave them. The man at the forefront of this fear was the first High King himself, Fenric Areventus, a hunter who returned from a hunting trip one day with awakened powers, which he claimed were sent to him by the Patron so that he could protect mankind.

From that point on, war broke out, and the humans seized their opportunity to eliminate the Fey before the Fey could eliminate them. This resulted in the Great War, which spanned for eighty years, finally meeting its end twenty years ago when the Fey were declared extinct.

They weren't actually extinct, however. Some had managed to flee, but not enough that the High King ever expressed any concern. And he was right to feel that way, to let the situation slide. The Fey were a problem that could be kept under control.

In fact, when any Fey were found, often in the conquered, colonized land that had once been theirs, they were promptly executed. And those that had been captured during the war had since been enslaved, forced to wear iron cuffs that dampened their magic, and given drugs that made their eyes glassy and minds foggy.

If the humans had the remaining Fey under control, then why would one be roaming around the palace? Was the problem somehow bigger than it was often made out to be, or were Aurelia's eyes simply deceiving her?

Despite the uneasiness she felt, Aurelia settled for the latter, and continued walking with Laurent. She shoved the memory of the strange man away just as she reached the door to the throne room and pushed it open.

The second the door parted, Aurelia and Laurent were engulfed by the sound of chatter. And as they stepped inside, they could see servants working to set up tables of food, hanging up lanterns, washing windows, polishing the floor. Guards stood watch at the front door, and some stood at the base of the steps which led to the High King's throne. And in the far-right corner of the room, at the sectioned off instrument pit, Zachariah stood with his arms folded over his chest.

Aurelia swallowed nervously and glanced up at Laurent, who gave her an encouraging nudge. "Everyone else is still preparing for the ball," Laurent pointed out, "so I doubt that he will be cross with you."

With a sigh and a light nod, Aurelia gave in, and with Laurent still by her side, she trudged through the sea of workers and towards Zachariah.

As they got closer, Aurelia spotted several Fey servants behind Zachariah in the pit. They were tuning instruments and sifting through sheet music.

The Fey were often thought of as being musically inclined, so it had become a common occurrence for them to accompany Aurelia during balls and other events. They were also helpful to have around in case Aurelia needed a break from singing, though, she always felt some guilt around taking breaks given that the Fey weren't allowed any. She knew that they were slaves, that they were depicted as being a threat to human life, but there was still something unsettling about the way in which the Fey were treated.

Sighing, Aurelia brushed away the thought, and kept moving. Laurent remained by her side, his shoulder practically bumping against hers as they took step after step, until, finally, they were right in front of Zachariah, who exuded authority and wisdom with his graying hair, knowing brown eyes, serious expression, and looming stature.