When an unexpected betrayal sends a wingless fairy into a lonely world of darkness and self-loathing, Rey must learn how to love herself again - with the help of a Raven
Events loosely inspired by the movie Maleficent
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Ben had heard of the realm's most respectable and oldest fairy, Maz Kanata, only once before. Reputable for being a bit kooky and superstitious personality-wise the elder was also a woman capable of curing anyone of just about anything with her mystical remedies.
Remembering Maz was one of those who feared so-called devil birds Ben begrudgingly thought against phasing to raven form when Rey sent him to the elder fairy's oak tree for a new mason of balm for her pain, nestled within a quieter sector of wood behind the falls. And doing so left him with no other option but to travel through the lagoon at the busiest hour of the day.
Every female who was present there froze in mid-motion, hands hovering in place while combing another's hair, mouths hung open in between unspoken words, whispering and giggling to the fairy closest to them, completely enamored by his presence. Since he was the only male amongst a horde of glitz and glamour neither of them made their apparent interest in him the slightest bit subtle. The feeling itself was utterly new to him.
True, he hadn't been the most attractive fairy back in the marshes. Always felt like the ugly duckling in comparison to other males who were his age and older. So being eyed like a waddling slab of freshly carved meat by wild animals frothing at the mouth? That was something he wasn't used to.
As much as it should've flattered him, he found that none of it mattered. Because none of those girls were Rey.
If it hadn't been for the black trousers he needed, Ben would have phased right then. But he was certain Maz wouldn't have appreciated a naked stranger moseying about inside her home. So he instead swallowed the anxiety building at the back of his throat and nodded toward each respectively.
Thank gods the torture hadn't lasted long. And thank gods none of them appeared to have been desperate enough to pursue him, as he rounded the mountainside and vanished from their view. Only then was he able to feel like he wasn't suffocating beneath the intensity of their shameless stares. The blush formerly embellishing his cheeks gradually faded to their prior creaminess.
Whereas everything west of the mountain seemed to be locked in a perpetual state of gloom, Maz's prodigious ancient oak was set aglow by the flickering flame of a lantern outside its entrance, and another at the base of its moss-covered steps. Strays of sunlight penetrating a dense blanket of cloud cover allotted an ethereal spotlight over bushes of boysenberries, lavender, sage, and ferns. Its enormous roots bowed above ground.
Ducking his head so to not hit the edge of the doorframe he heard the soft, resounding voice of a woman humming merrily from inside. Save for a single wall sconce hanging opposite of the doorway, being so dim in lighting made it nearly impossible for him to make out the tiny form of whom he presumed was Maz Kanata, busying herself in a diminutive space with maple-crafted cupboards and shallow basins for growing herbs. The aroma of lemon balm and bergamot lingered fresh in the air.
Hilariously, one of the first things he did notice was the ample amounts of garlic cloves strewn about in clusters near the low hanging archway of the entrance. Frankly, there was now little to no room for doubt in his mind that the little woman's superstitious beliefs hadn't been a joke.
