Best Left Buried – Merla – 9.06.2021 (+Season 8)

---

The atmosphere was tense in the Spring Court. Merla had expected as much. What she could not have predicted was her own feelings around the signing of the Contract Agreement between Summer and Winter.

She supposed it helped that all the frustrations or worries that have been consuming her since finding out what exactly happened in the now no longer Court of Glory were given voice to both Astra and Kruxeral today. Both had listened, which had been what she needed. There was no big ceremony for this. Even Queen Tylba’s usual warm, motherly-like smile was nowhere to be seen. She looked between her and Elias once and then not again. The Contract Agreement wasn’t even a permanent solution – it was but an intermission before the curtain rose on the third and final act of what has been happening in the Feywild.

Just as she was about to step forward and sign the Contract Agreement, BB’s voice fills her mind.

“You know that seed that went missing? Seems like someone else is after it.”

Merla pauses at the unexpected message. Thinking quickly about what she could be talking about, the fae-bard remembered her big blue firbolg friend mentioned the seed Uloirian had given her had gone missing. Queen Titania glances down at her but Merla does her best to keep her expression neutral as she continues to the ornate table where a quill and ink pot are waiting.

“Did you double check the place where it was? Is it put back? Still missing? I will be there as soon as I can.”

She wasn’t expecting another message to be Sent. That was why, when Merla heard hurried shuffling accompanying BB’s words, the Daughter of Summer did her best not to groan.

“Uh… I’ll check!”

Maybe this time would not be the intermission she thought.

---

“I thought it ran away. But then I thought something else came to dig it up, because I noticed a couple of days ago something was re-digging up the hole – or I thought they were. And I did see tracks leading from it, though I didn’t see anything before this time. Neither had Taffeta. And they looked a bit like a bird’s? Like Blue’s, but not quite the same? And I saw them in the houses in town where people’s food has been nibbled. Just nibbled. Something kind of like a person figuring out what they do and don’t like to eat. So I thought someone had come to get the seed, had not found it, would now be angry, and exact… vengeance? I don’t know. But now I think that maybe the seed is alive…?”

Merla had listened closely to BB’s tale about what’s been happening in New Hillborough the past few days. The fact that some creature had been eating root vegetables and seed sounded an awful lot like another se’akhrua Merla knew about. But she wasn’t sure, it was too early to know for sure if it was even something similar. The seed had come from Ulorian too, so there was a high probability that it was something the River King had given BB because it would be amusing to see her scramble about. This had been her reward from the Dust Bowl Dance – prior to the ass kicking he had received from Merla, BB, Ghesh and their other friends. Is it possible it was tampered with even more?

“Two questions,” Veridian, a human wizard Merla had not met before arriving at BB’s tent, said, raising a finger. “One, what did the bite marks look like?”

BB holds out a carrot with very jagged looking bite marks. Beyond that it’s hard to tell what sort of mouth this creature has – which means it could look like anything.

“Right… okay,” the man gives BB a shrewd look and Merla knows where this is going. “So, you got this seed and you just planted it? There was no research done, you didn’t think that maybe I’ll put it in this special location where, maybe, if something giant grows out of it I can keep it protected. You just planted it?”

BB’s eyes are cast down in shame.

“Veridian, you may not know BB too well, but when it comes to seeds and plants, it’s like me with sweets. I lose all sense, ya know?” Merla says with a bright smile. From the corner of her eye BB gives her a small, grateful smile.

The human gives her an indulgent smile. “I am an advocate of experimentation – it is good! But it is imperative to have a controlled environment. It is better than random planting of seeds.”

“It has worked out pretty well so far,” BB says, waving at her flower fields outside the bell tent that is her home. There are countless numbers of random, magical plants in their field of vision alone. Merla knows her friend has more elsewhere.

Oddly enough, the wizard gives an involuntary shudder and does not look very long at the beautiful fields of blooming flowers. Clearly something has happened before. Perhaps he isn’t as ignorant of BB’s escapades as she thought.

“What’s done is done, right?” Igrainne says.

Merla’s smile quickly fades.

“My cousin has told me about something like this before,” she continues. “Have you checked with Goosehiss?”

“Ooo, no,” BB intones, leaning forward, a mug of tea in her hands. “I thought they were more into animals, cause they run the animal shelter out here.”

“A year ago, there was something going about New Hillborough, stealing stuff – seeds mostly – from people’s houses, but also from the Animal Sanctuary. Could we be worth checking out? Or at least asking them if they’ve seen anything.”

Merla takes a big gulp of hot tea.

“If it’s feywild bullshit it may not even be a plant at all,” Veridian adds.

“True,” Igrainne agrees.

BB nods slowly. “If anyone else is going to know a disturbance in the Flower Force around New Hillborough, it’s going to be Goosehiss I imagine.” She nods a bit more firmly. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Merla stands up and is the first out of the tent.

---

“Creature attacked the Animal Sanctuary, biting the gorilla. We are going to find and stop it. Keep the children safe.”

Merla’s message is very easily received by Taffeta. Ghesh had mentioned the halfling woman was with the scouts of the small town, having a day of games and playing with the eladrin children scouts of the Spring Court. Even Queen Tylba herself was in attendance apparently. Maybe that’s why Taffeta’s response is both comforting but not surprising.

“Good luck! Tylba has done some protection magic so should be safe but I’ll keep an eye.”

What was more concerning was learning the creature had moved on from tasting vegetables and seeds to live animals.

New Hillborough is a settlement located not far from Fort Ettin, but is occupied by mostly halflings. It has always been a place Merla had intended to visit, especially after recovering her memories of her own halfling family, but something had always made her hesitate. Perhaps because, though seemingly to appear mostly like halfling, she worried the folk here would think her a fraud. Standing at a taller height of 3’9” meant she stood out. Then there was also her noticeably fey-like features and elegantly pointed ears. Her only connection to anything remotely halfling were the Copperkettles, her mortal family, but even they she has not seen in so many turns. Who’s to say if they would even recognise her let alone think she is their family? Perhaps even the Craobh de Shruth Fala had been wrong and she has given false hope to a family that has grieved for years. Stars, what if they came to see her and they curse her for leading them on?

“Merla, let’s search from the skies for leads.”

Astra bumps her muzzle against her mistress shoulder, bringing her out of her spiralling thoughts.

“A good idea. And Astra, thank you.”

The winged unicorn gives her a slow blink.

Merla is about to say as such to the others when Goosehiss asks, “Why are you sorry? Are you responsible?”

“Yeah…” BB says, hesitantly.

“How?” the kenku asks, cocking its head.

“I planted a seed, I thought it would be okay. I think this is the consequence of that.”

“I do not see the logical conclusion of planting something and then my animals are getting attacked.”

“I think the seed has transformed into something else. It wasn’t from the Material Plane…”

“I would not be so hasty to take on all that blame, BB,” Merla says, stepping. As she looks up to her friend, she rests a hand on her floral tattooed arm. “Something or someone was messing with this seed. There might have been interference from some unknown source.”

“You got it from Ulorian, if I understand it correctly?” Veridian asks. BB nods. “I have never had the pleasure of meeting him but I understand he is a bit of a-”

“A massive prick,” Igrainne states.

“Basically, yes.”

“This does not sound like the River King,” Goosehiss says in as much of a thoughtful tone as a bird-folk who can only mimic speech it has heard before can.

“No?” BB asks, doubtful.

“He is selfish. Vein. But not one to strike outright.”

“Except when he does the Lassitude,” Veridian points out.

“That was for his own, personal gain,” Goosehiss countered.

“Ulorian has nothing to gain from this,” Merla agrees. “If he did break his word – for he promised to not seek revenge on us or where we live – then there are severe consequences for Archfey when they do that.”

“I have heard the same account,” the kenu nods to Merla.

“Were you given the seed before he made that Promise?” Veridian asks BB and Merla.

The fae-bard, once again, knows where this is going whilst BB answers in the affirmative.

“All I’m saying is fey fuckery-” Merla’s brow twitches down, “-means that if he made that promise after you had been given the seed, and after you had planted it yourself, he could say ‘You planted it, it’s not my fault.’”

“Ulorian would say that anyways,” Merla says dismissively.

“I’m just trying to point out what he could say to get around that Promise.”

“Or the seed itself might have been alright if it was left alone,” Ghesh says. “Maybe something ate it?”

Everyone shudders at the thought.

Eventually, after more discussions about who could have known what the seed was before it was planted, or how it could have amalgamated with some of the other flowers in BB’s field before it sprouted legs and started hunting, they eventually start searching for where the bird-like tracks lead to. Taking this as her opportunity to get up and away, to think about what she knows and what all of this sounds like.

“I have spotted some tracks that look like they go into the Feythorn Forest, but that’s about it,” Astra says to her after flying around for a while.

“Then we can go down. The others are heading that way too it seems.”

The winged unicorn is silent for a moment, but Merla can sense she wants to say something more. There is a bit of a mental staring contest in which Merla feels like she is communicating to Astra to just say what she is thinking – whilst Astra is trying to decide how she wants to say it.

“This isn’t Ulorian’s style. We both know that.”

“Yes.”

“We both know who’s style this is.”

“Yes we do, don’t we. Unseelie Fey.”

“That is not who I meant, Merla.” Astra pauses. “There is only one fey who takes direct action like this.”

The wind whips through the waves of Merla’s pink and gold hair as her companion falls silent. Merla knows she cannot overlook the fact that though there is no proof pointing one way or another, and though there is no proof to back it up, Astra does not need to say the name of the one who she is talking about.

She feels the comforting, purity of starlight embrace her mind as Astra says, “We have to find out.”

“Yes, because there is no way my Mother would have one of these things here. She wouldn’t.”

“We have to find out,” Astra repeats.

Merla wants to scream.

“And we will.”

---

The sun begins to set. It is a very strange light that filters in through the forest. Merla is used to gold being warm, comforting. This light is not. It is still golden but it’s somehow darker than it should be and it feels wrong. So many things have been feeling wrong lately and the fae-bard cannot help but shift uncomfortably on Astra’s back.

They don’t realise they are in a clearing until those with darkvision see the really large hole with a whole bunch of the same, wiggling flower that BB had picked up when they first entered the forest.

“We’re in the right place,” Merla says to Astra.

With that, Merla takes a minute to cast a divination spell. It is strong magic but in this place with its ties to the Plane she feels the closest to, the powerful spell flows easily from her lips. The Sylvan symbol for “foresight” flares underneath the imperial topaz between her brows before melting into her skin. When she opens her eyes, Merla sees just a fraction into the future, which gives her an interesting double vision. It is overwhelming at first, but she is able to control how much she focuses on it or else it is just a passive thing.

Veridian sends his homunculus into the pit to start digging, whilst he looks through its eyes. Something suddenly shoots out of the dirt, grabbing its ankle to yank it down into the dirt before letting it go. Everyone’s hands fall to weapons or spell components, ready for something to spring out, but there is stillness as the homunculus flies out of the pit.

“It is definitely underneath the dirt,” Veridian says, panting, almost like it was his own ankle that had been grabbed suddenly.

“Right, okay…”

Merla thinks for a moment, debating if she should try something. But either they wait for the creature – Hopper, as the wiggling flower had told Igrainne when the ranger asked it what it new – to wake up, or they do something now.

“I could jump in there and if it attacks me I can pull it up,” Ghesh offers.

“Maybe we should try having a little chat with them first?” BB proposed instead. “They’re fresh and new into this world, weird things are happening. Maybe it’s just confused…”

“I can try something,” Merla says.

Getting down from Astra, the small woman pulls out a wooden mask from her handy satchel made to be in the likeness of a Flower Warrior’s visage, and puts it on. Walking over to the edge of the dirt pit she leans forward, putting her hands on her knees.

“Good morning,” she says. “Or rather, good evening. Are you awake?”

The soil shifts around a little bit and then there are two eyes that peer up through the dirt before something launches itself at her.

“Oh!”

The creature latches itself to her but continues to climb up to rest in her arms so Merla holds it almost like a pet or an infant. It is not anything like the Sunflower Warriors she has seen but she recognises the similar plant construct patterns that make it up. Another huge difference is this one is tiny. It’s big, ruddy brown eyes look up at hers through the mask and it gives a little chirping purr sound as the same colour of reddish-brown petals surrounding it’s face droop in a happy, contented way.

Merla feels her heart squeeze, a strange, maternal feeling making her hold it closer.

“Oh hi,” she says, voice instinctively going higher. “What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?”

It looks at her with a super sad, lost baby animal sort of face, nodding after the last question.

“How long have you been here by yourself?”

It doesn’t reply, just cuddles closer to her. Merla’s heart squeezes again.

“Aww… Are you the one they,” Merla points to the wiggling flowers, “call Hopper?”

There seems to be no reaction from the creature. Merla glances to BB, who is watching intently, then to Ghesh who is keeping a careful eye on the thing in her arms. His dragon eyes flick down to its feet, and Merla tries to take a casual glance at them.

They match the bird-like tracks they followed from the Animal Sanctuary.

The moment it sees her two friends, Hopper gives a throaty growl, shimming out of Merla’s arms to the ground. It begins to prowl towards them, it’s strange lips peeling back from rows or razor sharp teeth.

“Hopper, stop,” Merla says, hand reaching out. “They are nice – friends. Don’t do anything.”

It turns back to her and Merla sees a look of confusion and utter betrayal on its face. There is no mistaking the devastation it is projecting at her.

“What’s wrong? What have I done wrong? We are here to help you.”

Hopper shuffles back to tug on her skirts before pointing in the direction of the others. It looks back and forth between them and her once, twice, then bares its teeth. And it clicks into place for Merla then: Hopper does not understand why she, seemingly one of its kin, is not attacking these other creatures and why she is telling it to stop.

Before Merla can think of what to do or say, magic swirls around Ghesh’s shoulders and two minor illusions very similar to Hopper appear on the dragonborn’s shoulders. They appear to be happy, playful even. The moment the real Hopper sees them, it becomes absolutely furious and then it launches itself at one of the illusions on Ghesh’s shoulder. It passes through the illusion and doesn’t quite understand what that means. In retaliation, it bits the dragonborn really hard on the shoulder.

They all see very quickly why this creature is called Hopper.

As Ghesh howls in sudden pain, it leaps from him over to BB to attack her before leaping to a tree’s canopy some fifty feet away. All of her friends are reacting faster than she, but Merla’s instincts eventually kick in even as her heart cries.

“Astra, to me!”

She climbs up onto her partner’s back. The two swing around, leaping up into the air. Ghesh is facing off against Hopper only to have marginal success in striking it. But Merla barely registers this, only having eyes for the poor, twisted, raging sunflower. Dancing rapier in her hand – when did it become second nature to have a sword in her hand? – heart breaking at what must be done, Merla removes the mask as Astra’s wings flare out, and summons a song to her blade.

“I am sorry, little one.”

Then she brings her blade down.

---

Merla is focusing on the remains of Hopper, tuning everything else out. BB is trying to salvage something from it, though there is not much besides the same ooze that coated the creature which Veridian picked up before. She helped restore some life back into Ghesh, something she has gotten used to seeing him be like after every fight or battle they’ve been in. He mumbles a thank you and she silently nods.

“Are you going to look at-”

“Yes. We must know for sure.”

Night falls around them in the Feythorn. The buzz of conversation drifts over to her and as much as she doesn’t want to, Merla hears her name which makes her pay attention.

“…Merla was wearing the mask.”

“Yes. Positive correlations and all that, I think we might know where this came from,” Veridian says. “Potentially.”

“Just because it comes from there does not mean that place is responsible for what this became,” Merla says. BB can tell there’s something off by the sound in her voice.

“No, I think that lies still with Ulorian. He had the seed.”

She pauses in her studying of Hopper’s remains, trying to not focus too much on how it looks like a burst balloon. Merla takes a breath, then continues to study it.

BB sighs heavily. “I just… I don’t know how this happened, it was meant to happen or if this was a strange coincidence of weird stuff.”

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s probably some River King trickery,” Irgrainne offers.

Merla presses her lips together.

“It might be Ulorian, or it might be someone else. I’ve seen what one of these Sunflower Warriors are like when they’re not grown in the Summer Court and it is not like this. It doesn’t attack people, it doesn’t eat flesh. This was twisted beyond…” Merla can’t go on as her throat closes up with unexpected emotion.

Veridian looks between her and the remains. “Someone trying to improve or-”

“Or place blame.” Merla stares up at Veridian.

He shifts uncomfortably on his feet. “It would be very easy to blame the Summer Court for this. I’m not saying that I am.”

Merla shrugs, looking down to Hopper. “Even if you were, that’s your opinion. But I believe otherwise. I don’t just follow the first thing that my eyes see.”

Merla finally looks Irgainne dead in the eye for the first time that day. The ring of gold in her eyes pulses in its blue depths like a code that says, I know you were there in the Court of Glory. I know who you helped and what you did.

Igrainne says nothing. After a moment she looks away.

“I don’t know if anyone’s assuming anything…” BB starts sensing the tension between the two.

“I know you weren’t BB,” Merla says, gaze lingering a little longer before she stands up, brushing ooze and dirt from her hands. She has studied it enough and figured out what she needed.

“It’s just, maybe… someone’s trying to put the blame on Ulorian, trying to use him as a scapegoat for something. I know, I just… don’t know…”

“Unless,” Veridian starts, “he got a hold of the sunflower seed and fucked around with it and made this monstrosity. Or someone is planning to make more of these things, which is a terrifying thought…”

Such a thought had already crossed Merla’s mind and if she was right, which she was pretty damn sure she was, their little plant “friend” had definitely been tampered with. The strength and potential was all her Queen Mother’s, but the intent and feral nature was skewed to be too chaotic. One would dare to almost say, evil.

“It is a very terrifying thought,” Merla agrees.

---

Merla receives a message from Elias with a lead from some of the spy reports they were studying. It’s not a lot to go on, but Merla takes the name she is given, finds Astra, and the two head over to Equinox.

She begins to tail Marvas, the stargazer, his high cheekbones and shock of white hair vaguely familiar to her. Over the course of several days it comes back to her where she recognises him from – the revelry at the Spring Court when she had been disguised as BB’s “cousin” GG. Merla had been completely consumed with speaking to Kruxeral but now she wonders what her friend and this potential Unseelie lead had spoken about.

Merla notes that Marvas meets with quite a number of people, but not all of them are from the Twilight Court. It’s not unheard of for fey of different courts to meet, but one two different days, securely hidden so as not to be seen, the Daughter of Summer observed two meetings which were clearly meant to be private. One of them was Artemis, the other was Roxane.

“You are sure?” Astra asked, not doubtful but wanting to be clear.

“I am. It was Roxane of the Inglorious Company and Artemis.”

“Are you going to tell them?”

Merla doesn’t need to ask to know who Astra is referring to.

“Yes…”

“You are upset by this discovery.”

“I did not want to be right,” Merla admits. “It’s possible I may still be wrong. We both must investigate further. Come, my Queen Mother will want to know about this.”

Merla reports her findings to Queen Titania and asks if the Green Knight could potentially keep tabs on Roxane whilst she is away from Court. Her Mother agrees.

“Thank you, Daughter. I will instruct the Green Knight to make inquiries.”