A Land of Flowers and Fae

Flight

Lavan was so casually good at magic it wasn't fair, Elina decided. With barely a flick of his hand he enchanted some ivy to move the still unconscious guards onto various guest beds and cushions. According to him, they were unlikely to wake since their symptoms mirrored what had happened to the Enchantress.

If the most powerful fairy in Fairytopia couldn't overcome the poison, then it was unlikely these guards could either. The best they could do was make them comfortable and perhaps notify some nearby fairies to keep an eye on them. Though Lavan seemed cagey about making his involvement in Azura's kidnapping known.

"No one's going to believe I wasn't behind it" He said with utmost certainty.

"But how? You were injured too! You weren't even here when it happened!" Elina objected as she packed the last of what they might need in a small bag. They would have to travel light but she wasn't going to make the same mistake she'd made when leaving the Magic Meadow. She was bringing food and a blanket this time. Especially if they were going all the way to the Wildering Wood.

Lavan shrugged "I get blamed for things that are not my fault. Ive stopped trying to make sense of it.

"That's ridiculous!' Elina objected "Just because you rule the dark fae doesn't mean you're evil!"

He raised an eyebrow at her "Did you think I was evil before you met me?"

She sniffed "No! I didn't in fact" he kept staring at her, those green eyes cutting straight through her with their intensity. She huffed "I didn't think you existed actually. You sounded like a myth"

He laughed out loud at that, grabbing a nearby table for support.

"Stop laughing at me!" she snapped. The sound of his laughter making a grudging smile fight its way to the surface "Most fairies think you're a myth". That made him cackle harder. She crossed her arms "Which probably means you need to get out and meet people more". That finally shut him up. He looked a bit uncomfortable "I meet people"

"Uh huh" her voice dripped disbelief.

A sly smile crept across his face "I went to a festival not that long ago. Maybe you saw me there"

She sniffed, not letting him change the topic "Yes, and the last time the Enchantress came to the Magic Meadow, everyone knew about it a week before she got there. I even saw her from a distance when she came to meet everyone" she cocked her head "Yet you come to a festival in Fairytown and the only person that remembers you were there is me"

He smiled cheekily "Which I am very happy about. If you had forgotten me that would have made last night terribly awkward"

She sighed, then stepped forward and poked the end of his nose with her finger. Making him blink quickly "My point is, Im very happy I met you. And I think other fairies wouldn't be so scared of you if they met you too. Properly, not just bumping into you on the way to a punch bowl with no idea who you are"

He caught her hand and contemplated it for a moment, a thoughtful expression replacing the teasing one. "I don't have the best history of getting fairies to like me"

"Well I like you...so far" she added a bit of mock suspicion to the statement. Eyeing him up and down with overdone scrutiny. "If I find out you don't like marigold muffins or watching sunsets then we may have a problem"

He flipped her hand over and kissed the back of it, making a surge of energy run down her arm "What if I told you I know how to make marigold muffins?"

She placed a hand over her heart "A hidden talent for baking?! Now Im sold!" She laughed.

He shrugged "Baking and alchemy aren't so different. Its just about timing and amounts"