When my sight returned I found that where Blue once stood there was now a beautiful woman with green eyes, bright blue lips and curly red locks that spilled down all the way to her waist. She wore nothing more than the same simple pieces of silver jewelry that Blue had worn before. She waited a few moments as I looked on at her in amazement before magicking up in a flowing green silk dress. It was the woman from my dreams.
“You asked me my name once, mortal. Now I shall tell you. I am that which you seek. I am the Lady of the Wood and Tuatha of these lands.”
My jaw dropped. I fell to one knee in supplication, held out the key in my hand, and averted my eyes. The understanding it had given me left, but I knew that it had marked me and would remember what I was in the future. “Milady, I …”
She took the offered key and interrupted me. “I remember you, Sir Derek, and I know what it is you seek. As you have saved me from Fafnir's dread enchantment, I will forgive the favors owed and, of course, honor your request. Is there something you want for yourself? Some gift I could offer you?”
I glanced up and gulped. “Nothing comes to mind. I am honored by your presence, milady, and peace between our peoples will grant me reward enough.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you wish, Sir Derek, is yours. Now would you care to join me for a feast in my hall? I feel a celebration of my return and our new treaty is due”
I nodded, stood up and offered her my arm. Once she took it we traveled through the empty forest to the mighty palace at the heart of it. When we arrived the great thing was empty and decaying but with another flick of her wrist the Lady restored it to its former glory. Servants appeared from nowhere and I found myself ushered into a huge banquet hall seated next to the Lady. It was soon filled with all manner of faerie and Daoine, only some of whom were able to sit around the great table.
I looked around, a little nervous to be the only mortal surrounded by this many faeries. I knew that there had been a great many faeries in the forest I had passed through to get here, but at least there I had the home field advantage. Here, I had no idea what the rules were and I had the sinking suspicion that I wasn't about to find out.
One rather short dwarf lifted a golden goblet and shouted “A toast! To our restored Lady and her Consort, who has unmade Fafnir! Long may they reign!”
Everyone cheered and I found my glass now filled with what I hoped was wine. I gave the Lady a look of concern and she laughed. “It is not poison unless you wish it to be, for whatever you desire to the goblet will provide.”
With that in mind, I raised my glass with everyone else and took only a small sip, resolving to have as little of it as possible so that I could keep my mind sharp.
A centaur that towered over me raised a mug the size of a pitcher and called for another toast. “To the treaty! Long may it live!” Another cheer went up, accompanied by a great deal of uproarious laughter. The Lady blushed and everyone drank deeply. Everyone except for the centaur, who more poured his drink on himself than drank it. I took another sip and continued to keep a wary eye out for any shenanigans.
“Sir Derek, why do you not partake of the celebrations?” Asked the Lady after I drank. “Do you wish to offend my people? They are here to celebrate us both, not only me.”
I took another sip. “I have partaken in each toast, I just did not want to drink myself into a stupor and make fools of us both.”
She gave me a very slight smile. “If you trust me not to give you more than you may handle, may I trust you to join fully in each toast?”
“Of course,” I said as a dwarf shouted an incoherent toast and fell backwards into a crowd of other dwarves. Everyone laughed and drank took deep drinks from their goblets. I joined them and took a deep drink as well, hoping that it would not come back to bite me in the ass later.
