Land of the Faery

Chapter 6 - The Hunt

Ella and I walked arm In arm through the snow until we reached the massive event that was 'The Hunt'. I had never seen anything like it. So many fey of all kinds had joined together in celebration.

"Have you ever been to the hunt before?" I asked Ella.

"Twice but it was never quite as big as this year. Now that the war is over I think many of us are ready to celebrate."

"That would be a reason to celebrate."

"Look over there," she said pointing to a tent that seemed to have food. Not just any food but snow cones. Tiny cups held perfectly round balls of snow. Colorful syrups made from fruits including the golden fairy fruit were poured on top. I made a mental note to stay clear of the fairy fruit given my previous drunken experience to it. Ella walked up to the attendant.

"I'll have the fairy fruit and she will have the..." she glanced at me with an inquisitive look.

"The red one," I said finishing for Ella.

He handed us the two cones. I could see that the attendant was human- a human slave. I took the cone from his cold hand and began eating it.It was a horrible despicable thing to enslave people. In the winter court slaves were as common as tourists in New York. I don't know if it was better or worse that these people were glamoured to follow every command mindlessly. Maybe they didn't know what was happening to them. I couldn't get rid of a thought that scratched at the back of my mind. What if they were conscious of their enslavement but unable to fight it. Constantly fighting their mind and body for control. I shivered not wanting to think about it. 

 I don't know whose idea it was to serve snow cones it the middle of winter, but I liked it. Even though it made my body about ten times colder than it already was. I knew the fruit as nothing that came from the human world, even though it tasted somewhat like cranberries.

We walked closer to one of the massive fire pits in order to keep warm. I looked off into the distance towards the tree line. I could see several riders emerging from the trees hauling their newly killed game.

Two young men worked together to haul a giant deer that was sprawled out on a sled. The sled was tied to their giant horses. One was white as pure as the snow. The other was completely black- dark as night. The man on top of the white horse had shaggy dark brown hair and a strong lean build. I recognized the other man. He was the stranger I ran into in the woods the night before.

Now that I was seeing him in broad daylight I could tell he was even more handsome than I originally thought. I kept my head down not wanting him to notice me.

I nudged Ella's shoulder.

"Do you know who those two guys are?" I asked pointing to the men on the horses. She looked in their direction and a shadow of recognition crossed over her face.

"The one on the white horse is Damian, he is the prince's best friend. And the one on the black horse is prince Gray, It is said the Queen named him Gray after seeing his steel grey eyes. They are handsome aren't they?"

"I mean, I've seen better. "

"Where?"

"In my dreams," I laughed a little and so did Ella. "Can we go hunting?" It was true that the fey were either startling beautiful or absolutely hideous there was not in between. 

"Do you know how to ride a horse?"

"No, but I know how to shoot a bow and arrow, I was part of my school's archery team. I even placed at nationals." She shot me a look.