Fantastical Creatures

The Bard's Vendetta

The monster watched as a mix of realization and horror dawned on the boy’s face. It relished the emotion- even fed on it. But by then it was too late. The boy’s body dissipated in the air till all that remained was a straw hat. The monster closed its eyes and took the human boy’s form, flexing the small hands experimentally. The human boy’s body was clumsy but convenient for its task.

The monster was a changeling, in some legend- changelings were demons who took babies from the cradle and took their forms. But that was all folklore. 

Changelings were, in fact, of the Unseelie Faery Court- among the cold, malevolent faeries most of whom were cursed Seelies. Like the creature, Red Cap- a vicious fairy who drenched his cap in the blood of his victims to survive. There were also symbols of death in the Unseelie Court, like the Dullahan- the headless rider.

On the other hand, there was the Seelie Faery Court of kind fairies who believed in helping humans.

This changeling too had once been a Seelie faery of the High Court before Queen Eris had wrongly accused him and turned him into a lowly Unseelie creature. But all that would change that night, during the fair folk’s full moon festival.

The changeling reached for a portal in the air, this was a tricky method since the air elementals rarely ever stayed in one place. The Sylph appeared though and the parallel portal opened, a burst of air came through. One minute the changeling was in the barn, the other it was back in Tir Nan Og- the land of the fair folk.

The changeling had timed this perfectly; the full moon festival had everybody celebrating inside including the domovoy guards who usually guarded the entrance to the land. The changeling, using the human boy’s form, dressed itself as a bard. The fae folk could do all but sing and a human bard (poet) was valued.

As soon as it entered the Summer Palace, a wave of nostalgia washed over it. Once it  had been a part of this. The Summer Palace was ruled by Finvarra, the king of the Seelie Court fae, who was ever absent off with some paramour or the other. Officially though, the Summer Palace was run by Queen Eris.

It was a large shimmery palace which did justice to its title. The roof was made of hanging vines, snowdrops, chrysanthemums and pink carnations while the floor was covered with fox gloves and anthuriums. There were illusionary trees made of fae dust which gave the impression of ripe clementines. It was all sickeningly perfect.

It entered the main hall. There was dancing everywhere and the tinkling sound of pixie laughter. The changeling cleared its throat, the music stopped and the dancing fae froze, then an appreciative hum of talk spread over the crowd, the changeling caught mutterings of, ‘’Oh, a human bard’’… ‘’Queen Eris will be so pleased’’…

It glimpsed Queen Eris seated upon a hammock made of four leaf clovers, regarding everything with cold eyes. She looked at it expectantly, not realizing that it was not human, ‘’Well bard. Recite’’

The changeling began,

‘’The dark consumes

All in its path

But enjoys the flavor

Of tainted souls’’

The changeling paused. The entire court was so entranced with its recital; no one had seen the wisps of blue smoke rising from Queen Eris. The changeling smiled and went on,

‘’what is ruined,

May rise again

But the tainted,

Shall ever suffer-‘’

The changeling’s recital was cut off by a shriek. The courtiers turned toward Queen Eris, who was now half-burnt. The blue flames had consumed her lower half. The pixies panicked and the elves tried to use fae dust but to no avail. Slowly, Queen Eris burned away leaving a pile of blue dust.

In the commotion, the changeling slipped away, smiling secretively to itself. Its vendetta was complete.