Tales of the Travellers

2

We all stood in straight lines. We could've passed a military uniform inspection. We were all very attentive and frightened in the same motion.

One of the Head Representatives stood before us, talking to the Head Servant about something. This wasn't unheard of, sometimes they would need a servant in the palace, or maybe servants would be sent to neighbouring fairy colonies. Most of the time, we as servants weren't excited about this.

But this time we were all on edge. We could all sense an ulterior motive to this visit.

The Royal looked to all of us with a smile and looked at some paper he had. When I looked at it, I saw names, our names, on the paper. He started pacing in front of us, not really paying attention to when he was stopping, and continued to go back and forth between each end of the line. None of us made a move, none of us questioned what he was doing, because otherwise that would draw attention to ourselves and we may have been picked for whatever was needed.

After a moment, the man stopped at the start of line. He lifted his head and stood long strides forwards.

Cattai grabbed my hand as I bit down on my lower lip. We were the youngest of the group, I just hope there wasn't any long term positions needed otherwise we may have been chosen to do whatever their looking for. The man's wings were completely up, showing off their superiority in comparison to the limp or hidden wings of the fellow servants and myself.

In fairy culture it was a sign of respect for your wings to bow to those superior.

The feeling in my stomach started to grow into a fluttering mess of butterflies. I could feel myself trembling and my mind go haywire hoping it wouldn't be me, but knowing it would be. I'm the half-caste, I'm the outcaste, and I'm the one that nobody likes.

It would make sense for them to send me away, to not taint their pure existence.

I forced my eyes to open, I needed my moment of pride if this was going to happen to me, and I was going to look the man in the eye when he announced my name.

The Royal stopped in front of me and turned to face me. I forced myself to remain looking up, looking dead straight instead of looking down like I badly wished to. But I didn't. I made a mental effort to keep looking up.

"Cattai," he said.

My butterflies multiplied by a million and threatened to spill out of mouth, only for me to swallow down hard to keep them from escaping.

Cattai looked at the man fearfully, and even hid behind me. She was latched onto my arm.

The man smirked as he straightened himself out and snapped his fingers for the guards to grab her.

I was in too much shock to stop them from grabbing her and forcing her to detach from me. Everything that held a sense to me slowed down or completely shut down. I couldn't hear her yelling my name, but other servants told me she was screeching for me to help her. I could hardly comprehend what I was meant to be seeing, but it was her trying her best not to be taken. Not to be separated from me.

I could hardly comprehend what was going on and what this actually meant until long after the Royal Representative was gone, and all the servants attempted to calm down. Many weren't able to keep their butterflies down, and many were actually coughing theirs up. The whole room was just filled with fluttering butterflies from the aftermath of a bunch of sick nervous fairies.

While everybody coughed with relief or laid on the ground or leaned against a wall, apparently I had remained standing where I was for a long time before ultimately fainting.

I don't know how long I was out for.

Nobody really gave me a proper timeline for the next few days.