Summer Garden

Summer

Summer savoured the petal as her fangs tore into it, whilst across from her Trei attempted to appear dignified whilst using a blade to carve up flesh. It took a considerable amount of willpower not to simply laugh at him. Apparently, this was normal for humans. He needed some normal in his life now. He wasn't human anymore.

She held up a green leaf, her face falling, she wanted normal. She was so tired of the political games, of people waiting for her to make a mistake, just to take their own pound of flesh. Her people suffered more than most. For the sake of her blood.

"Summer?"

She smiled weakly, and then turned to Trei, "There's someone coming this afternoon."

He frowned, "Politicians? The people forcing us to marry?"

The bitterness in his voice scorched her. That it hurt also hurt. She didn't want to marry a dead thing... Except... She did. She wanted him. All for her own. And that absolutely terrified her. How could the remains of a mortal have such control of her?

"No." She smiled weakly, "A tailor. Or rather, a tailor and his group of assistants. He'll be... A jerk. He is the foremost tailor in all the Fae Realms. He can dictate his own terms. He... Likes a challenge. You're not Fae, so you'll be a challenge. He'll enjoy the problem, and won't care about your opinion."

Trei frowned, thinking, "A suit. You said the wedding would be... Big. I'm guessing that means, traditional... What does a traditional Fae ceremony look like? ... For humans, I'd be in a black suit, white shirt. Expensive tie. You'd be in a white dress. We'd marry in a church, dedicating our lives to one of the gods."

Summer screwed up her face, failing to hide her horror. "Dedicated? Like a lifelong sacrifice to those demiurges? Most have little or nothing to do with any of us."

Trei shrugged, "Humanity... We're superstitious. Most of us feel a... Debt. We wouldn't exist without the gods."

Summer's face changed to one of understanding, "Oh. That makes sense. Sorry... The Fae weren't created by the gods. We have no allegiance to them."

Trei's eyes widened, "What? If you weren't created by the gods... How?"

Summer sighed, "It's... Difficult to explain. I think... I should start with why we call humans mortal. You live, and then you die, and then... Some souls are collected
by your gods. And that is all, in your fleeting lifespan. The Fae aren't like that. We live hundreds of years, and then we do die... And are reborn. It takes some time to remember who we are, but we continue our lives in this cycle. Our souls are... Eternal."

Trei nodded slowly, "That's... Different."

"There was a first Fae, once. Her name was Sumner. She... Wasn't created. She existed, like the gods, before the gods invented time. Before the realms were created. She made us. All of us. Every Fae is a daughter or son of Sumner, and brother or sister of each other. We're not similar in the same terms of humanity and their families... We were all created, uniquely... And we can't have children of our own. That was lost with Sumner's death." Summer stopped, her voice choking. She hadn't meant to say so much.

Trei winced, "Your mother."

She nodded weakly, nibbling on her lunch slowly.

Trei sighed heavily, "Marriage must be rare. You don't have the family bonds that we expect."

"Yes."

He shrugged, "So... What's this tailor going to make me wear?"

She appreciated it. He dropped the subject when it became apparent it hurt her. There was kindness to his soul. A kindness that she found herself craving, wanting it to shield her, allow her to lean on it, to let the weight of her world fall off her shoulders. This was a weakness she couldn't afford.

"I'm not sure." Summer smiled slowly, "There's never been a non-Fae groom before. Well, groom is the human term, isn't it?"

Trei nodded slowly, "Yeah. Bride and groom. What do the Fae call them?"

"Bride." She replied and shrugged, "We're both brides. We give ourselves to each other, entirely, completely and without reservation. Which isn't at all true, but it's what we say."

Trei smiled briefly at that, "Sounds about right. You avoided the question. What would a male bride wear, normally?"

"Nothing." Summer said quickly, sighing, "We wouldn't normally wear anything. We'd wear paint on our wings, and magical symbols on our flesh... But no clothes. We bear ourselves to each other, in the presence of those we trust. A symbolic gesture, that our lives are dedicated to each other. We're naked at birth, and marriage is a kind of... Rebirth."

Trei frowned, "Do marriages last beyond death, what with... Coming back?"

"Yes and no." Summer shrugged, "Most don't. Sometimes, when you've recovered your memories, you can seek out your partner again, and rekindle the romance... But it's always different. Every lifetime is different, for all of us. Most of the time... It's better if you don't. Your partner might be nearing the end of their life, and now you're at the beginning of a new one. You become... Childish and immature, whilst they're disenfranchised with the world. It doesn't tend to be a good match for all of us."

"That sounds... Painful." Trei said sadly, "I think I'm beginning to see why so few of you get married."

Summer smiled sadly, "Yeah."

"... Have you ever married?" Trei asked, and she looked up startled, staring at his eyes, "Oh. Well... No."

He cocked his head, "Really? Aren't you... Haven't you lived a lot of lives? Hundreds of years?"

"Thousands." Summer smiled, feeling her stomach flutter nervously, "I... I haven't told you everything. I... Don't know how to. I still need... Time... But... Marrying me is different than most. It's part of why our wedding will be so big. It'll change all the realms."

Trei sighed heavily and nodded, "I'm... Picking up some of it, Summer. This house... The garden... You're not an ordinary Fae, are you? You're someone... Important. I'm sorry. I guess the politicians are pushing you because of me... And because they know you."

She smiled sadly and nodded. She still didn't know how to tell him.