Summer Garden

Summer

The room was bustling with whispering when Summer arrived. The pillars of the room were inlaid with bronze and gold, twisted into the shapes of trees stretching up from the ground to form the roof overhead, and dipping down into the crystalline chandelier, where balls of blue flame danced slowly.

Her feet touched the ground softly, and those gathered around the table immediately when silent. Her wings snapped backwards and she tried to keep her arms by her sides as she nervously approached the Council. The other Fae all stared at her, some with looks of horror, some with looks of awe. She fought the urge to swallow and took her seat slowly. She turned to the Fae standing beside her and nodded slightly.

The man banged a fist on the table, "The Seven-hundredth and Eighty Sixth Council of the Queen is called to order. Janus has called as Arbiter, he may present."

A blue-haired figure stood up slowly, placing his hands on the wooden table delicately, yet all the same smoke emerged from the wood. "I am Janus, Guardian of the Realms. The Queen has charged me with protecting the paths in and out of this world. Today I observed a member of this Council accompanying the body of a... Human... Into our Realms."

He'd nearly choked on the word 'human', and the others had flinched. Their hatred of humankind was well-earned. All of them had lost family in the wars with the mortals. All of them bore their own injuries. There was no reason for any of them to feel pity or responsibility for a race of people that was well on its way towards exterminating themselves.

Summer folded her hands, and looked at the man who had stood against her so many times, knowing she'd just given him the fuel he'd needed to remove her. "I did."

The others all turned to her in surprise, and Janus went to begin a tirade, but she held up a hand. "I claim the right of Durian."

The Council froze. All of them were too terrified to speak or breathe, to get caught in between these two figures. It was her right to claim. Janus couldn't oppose it, if it was her willing choice. There was exactly nothing he could do. Yet the implications were insane. The precedent this could set could fracture not just the Council, but the entirety of the Realms.

There would be no Fae unaffected by this, no Fae without an opinion.

Janus nodded slowly, "As Arbiter, I request an explanation, and yield the floor." He bowed stiffly, respectfully, and took his seat.

All eyes were on her, and she knew her every action would directly effect her future. She could stand and answer as if she were being charged, or she could stay seated and remind Janus just who he was speaking to.

She remained sitting.

"It was an accident, of sorts. I went to the human world to collect materials for my work. Coal, mainly. My Realm is facing a distinctive shortage of the material since the annexation of the mountains by our Arbiter." She began, speaking factually, without the deep hatred she felt towards Janus for stealing a part of her world. The Council had already ruled on the matter, with Janus utilising an ancient and obscure rule that allowed the Arbiter to steal lands from the other Council members. If this were to work, then she needed to turn public opinion in her favour.

"Whilst there, I sneezed." She said with a shrug. It wasn't exactly an unusual happening. Plenty of Fae experienced various allergies to the climates of the human world. It was little explanation however. "In doing so, I prevented a soul from leaving the body of a mortal. He had recently been killed, a murder."

The others barely reacted. They all viewed the humans as endlessly violent creatures to begin with. Her story was making sense to them, but it wasn't explaining her reason for calling the right. "When I touched the mortal, intending to release his spirit, I saw him. I saw his aura, and history, pass before me."

Janus looked up at her in surprise, and raised his hand, "Pardon the interruption. I wasn't aware that foresight or inner sight were among your gifts. Is this a recent development?"

"I do not have the gift." Summer said smiling, "Arbiter, for those on the Council who may not be aware, can you explain why such a thing might happen?"

He swallowed nervously, and Summer suppressed a grin. The uncomfortable man spoke slowly, "The only known manifestations of temporal magic in those who do not have a gift for it, is one of two things. Either the permanent and irrevocable entangling of two souls in one creature, the birth of a chimera... Or the meeting of two souls that have always been destined for each other."

She nodded slowly, "As I am here, and he is not, there can be but one explanation. I could not leave the mortal in his world, nor cleave his soul from his body. To do so would disrupt my own soul and damage my Realm beyond repair. Thus, there can only be one responsible action I can take, both for the Realm, and this Council. I am entangled with this mortal, and thus, to preserve the peace, he must be my husband."

The room was silent as each Fae considered the options. Some would be wondering if it wouldn't preserve the peace more to erase the mortal's soul and force her own reincarnation. It was an option with precedent, but peace wouldn't be preserved. She would be unable to lead the Council as a newborn, and so a power struggle would ensue. Janus would likely seize control, but it would be a violent war. A thing that was absolutely repugnant to all Fae.

They could also delay, require examination of her and the mortal. In the meantime Janus as Arbiter would take control of the Council. In the short time he was there he would be able to implement a large number of the policy changes he wanted. He could change the balance of power, so that even if the Council didn't disagree with her, Janus might be able to seize control in all but name.

Or they could preserve the status quo. A marriage was a big event, but it was one that could be spun easily to the public, especially if the mortal was her soulmate. It would be easy to justify to each of their worlds, and give them excuses to increase the number of political events, parties and dinners where they could make deals and treaties without the pressure of the public spotlight.

The Fae she'd first nodded spoke, "The Council will now vote. We begin with Kru."

A pink-winged Fae stood up to the left of Summer, "As representative of the Kruei, my word is irrefutable. My word is the will of the Realm. The Right of Durian cannot be denied. I vote in favour of granting."

And so it began, one by one, each Fae naming their right and voicing their opinion. The Council was divided. Some voted in favour, and some against. Some refused to meet her gaze, and others openly glared at her. Summer noted each action, knowing that they were all preludes to the tangle of politics that was to come.

The vote was nearing its end, and Summer felt her heart fluttering. It looked like the vote would be without a majority, in which case the deciding vote would be passed to the Arbiter. There was another chance after that, but it wasn't one she wanted to employ. It would turn the Council against her, and likely mean the end of peace in the Fae Realms.

The Fae beside her sighed, "The vote is tallied. Twelve for, ten against and one abstaining. There is no clear majority. However, a majority exists. Arbiter, do you wish to cast your vote? Or shall you abstain from employing your role?"

Janus stood, placing his hands carefully behind his back, "I would like to speak, before answering."

"It is your right."

The Arbiter nodded slowly, "The Realm has clearly become endangered. A human is amongst us. This is a threat to the very peace we have all worked towards since the First Council was formed. A human has once before come among us, and he slaughtered our kind. I have stood as our protector for centuries. No mage can claim breaching the barriers upon our world. The Right of Durian is the right of every Fae. To marry those they love, to spend their life with them. I agree, and would not dare to threaten such a precedent. However, if the Right is to be granted, then restrictions must be placed upon this newcomer. He does not know our laws, or our ways. He may prove to be as dangerous as the one the humans call Hero. Thus, I do vote in favour of granting the Right, but I also ask the Council to consider a motion to restrict the newcomer and his bride-to-be, until such time as he has acclimated to our ways."

Summer struggled to stop her hands curling into fists. There was nothing unreasonable in what Janus was demanding. He was even being generous - accepting her claim at face value without even checking it. But in the name of security he was proposing cutting off her Realm from the rest of the Fae, effectively ejecting her from the Council and seizing power, even if it were for a limited time like he was claiming... The Council would never believe that a human now belonged.

The Fae beside her turned, "Such a motion is unusual. Will you hear it, my queen?"

Summer stood up slowly, "I accept the Arbiter's extensive knowledge on the security of the Realms, but I will not permit my soulmate to be treated as anything less than anyone else in the Realms. I will take full responsibility for his actions, as any bride should."

There was the clincher. All Janus needed to do to ruin her forever was bait the human into committing a horrifying crime. He was human, and stupid, and without magic. This would be difficult.