A Time to Sow... – Sheryl, the Fae-Touched – 24.02.2021

---

Merla opened her eyes and she was home.

Surrounding them were the denizens of the Summer Court, dryads, satyrs, pixies and sprites, centaurs, brownies - all manner of folk, and all were applauding. It was overwhelming in the best possible way that saw the fae-bard grinning ear to ear.

Then she caught sight of her Mother.

The Queen of Summer stood, hands resting on her great, gleaming longsword, head held high as she regarded Merla and her friends from her great height of nearly twenty feet tall. Then their eyes met and every other sound fell away. It was just the two of them and a Song carried on the wind.

I am home.

Titania raised her hand and the celebratory applause died down.

“Welcome honoured friends,” she says, addressing them all. “I know you all to be true allies of my cause, true friends to my daughter, now redeemed. All doubts having fallen off like the trappings of false gods and seasons past. We celebrate a new beginning, a new age to come about. We will begin a new time, a new era. A better future for all of us, for tomorrow and for the ages to come. Today we sow the seeds of the new age. Today we will make the first step towards a better future. You are my honoured guests. You are my trusted friends. You are the symbol of what an alliance between the Feywild and the Material Plane can truly yield. Welcome.”

The swell of joy and celebration rises again from the fey surrounding them on the festival grounds (a couple of fey faint from excitement) and Merla feels herself being swept away by it. She looks to her friends, BB, Ghesh and Matthew and see their faces brighten unconsciously, the energy of the Summer Court hard to ignore. Then she looks at Faye but they are rather reserved. She reaches out to them, laying what she hopes comes across as a comforting hand on their arm. They give her a slight smile.

Not wanting to draw attention to what may be unfolding there, Merla turns back to her Mother and steps forward. A new hush falls over all. She can feel Matthew’s eyes on her, uncertainty making him want to come with her, but with a gesture she communicates all is well.

Oh, how much has changed, my friend, since last we talked about my Mother…

She stops halfway between her friends and the tall imposing figure of the Great Seelie Queen.

So much has changed.

A hushed silence falls over everyone as Merla brings her second and third fingers to the imperial topaz in her circlet, then to her lips, then bows her head, resting her fingers over her heart as she curtsies.

“May Summer’s Light bless our Path, O Great Queen Titania,” Merla intones formally in Sylvan.

Then the Daughter of Summer straightens up and the biggest, brightest, and most heartfelt smile spreads across her face.

“I am so glad to be home. Thank you for believing in me.”

Like the sun breaking through the clouds, a smile alights across Queen Titania’s features and it fills Merla’s heart to brim with joy.

“Welcome home, Daughter. I am so happy you have returned to my side once again.”

With a gesture, Merla turns back to her friends and they come forward. She properly introduces each of them to her Mother, singing their praises and telling her how they all have assisted her in one way or another on her journey to finding the truth. Queen Titania nods to each, the appreciation she bestows a warm balm for them.

“All of you, as friends of my daughter, are welcome in my Court,” Queen Titania says to them. “All of you have proven your worth, all of you have proven your valor. This above all other things I value, and I see that you are true allies of the cause of Summer. This is why I invited you, this is why I welcome you in my court. Today is a new day, today we shall sow the seeds of a new tomorrow.”

With a twist of her giant hand, a small person distinguishes themselves from the crowd, coming towards them as Queen Titania continues.

“As a sign of my affection I will allow you to witness the seeding of the Sunflower Fields.”

Merla gasps, ecstatic. “BB!”

BB grips her hand and Merla feels how excited she is. The tall blue lady’s expression is pure exhilaration as she looks between Merla and Queen Titania.

“This is a great day,” Titaia says, noting the excitement Merla shares with BB with an amused twinkle to her eyes. “This is my Royal Gardener, Azalea. I leave you in her capable hands.”

Once again, the Summer Queen does an elaborate gesture with her hand to the dryad that now stands before them in the centre of the festival grounds.

The fey’s form is smooth and green, her head elongated and unlike other dryads that can be seen in the crowd, she is very green and closed up indicating her youth. She looks from Merla to the others and gives a graceful bow.

“I’m sure you will enjoy the proceedings. I look forward to further mutual gains with you. May this be the beginning of a Summer that never ends.”

---

Azalea brings them to a clear patch of land that has been especially chosen for the planting. There are some shrubs, a few trees, clusters of mushrooms, some in concentric circles, others just in small rings all their own. She explains that the land was chosen specifically for the batch of seeds they were to plant, the Queen’s very own Sunflowers.

Despite having lived in the Summer Court ever since she could remember, there were many things about the place she called home Merla did not know. So many layers to the Court itself, to its people, and the way things are done. She had lived a rather sheltered life, if she was being honest, and it really only focused on one thing, music. But that’s what her Mother had promised her and if there’s one thing the Daughter of Summer learned early was once a fey gave their word it was not easily broken.

So Merla had never seen the process of the Sunflower planting before, but she knew by the fact she had seen her Queen Mother walking amongst the fields of the royal flowers, that it was an important part of the Summer Queen’s power. Merla’s enthusiasm was on a different level than BB’s – her big blue furbolg friend was practically vibrating with anticipation, talking at length with Azalea about all the gardening and all manner of plants with the young dryad. Azalea took a keen interest in Jasper as well, the walking talking shrub, normally a novelty on the Material Plane, fit in quite well in the Summer Court.

As for Merla, she was looking forward to having a hand in something important, tied to the Summer Court. She could finally continue on the path she started walking down, before her banishment.

---

After an engaging fight against a giant squirrel, Azalea casting a spell that shrunk them all down to be no larger than the Tit-Ants that came to help sow the seeds, the young dryad returned them to their natural height. Then, with Matthew’s help, cast a spell to help the seeds grow.

It doesn’t take long. As the mighty Sunflowers rise up from the soil Merla watches in wonder, their stalks wiggling this way and that as the buds start to slowly turn from a bright, youthful green to yellow. They grow larger and larger, reaching for the sky, almost like they seek to touch the sun itself.

“You’ve done so well!” Azalea praises them excitedly. “You’ve really helped us. This is so great – they’ll bloom any moment! They will give us joy and a wonderful harvest for years to come. Thank you so much.”

Merla smiles at her, pleased by the joy the young dryad shares with them all.

“What do you harvest from them? Do you take more seeds to grow more flowers?”

Azalea turns to look at Faye, their wintery eyes looking with uncertainty between the dryad and the Sunflowers nearly ready to bloom.

“Yes, sure,” Azalea says. “But that’s not why we are raising these flowers.”

Faye shifts, growing uncomfortable. “Why?”

“These are the Queen’s flowers. These are the Queen’s own,” Azalea explains. “This is a pillar of her Power.”

“Like a symbol?” BB asks.

“Like the laser-beam flowers that stop people from invading?” Faye presses.

“I think she means literally,” Matthew says. “If anyone manages to find a way to destroy all of the Sunflowers it would hurt Queen Titania – physically hurt her.”

Merla looks at Matthew. She wasn’t sure she liked where this conversation was going.

Azalea thinks for a moment. “I suppose so, but how would you ever do that? No, no, just watch.”

The buds start to grow yellow and ripe. Slow the buds open and from inside each Sunflower tumbles out a figure.

Their skin is black and tough like a hull. Striped, natural armour appears to be on their forearms, hips, over their shins, and feet. They look to be both lean and bulky, it’s hard to tell which, until they start to stand up from the freshly tilled earth. Merla sees yellow petals, the markings of sunflowers, on their shoulders like some kind of pauldron, but also over other parts of their bodies as well. One of them turns towards her and she is mesmerised by the sight of two yellow, glowing eyes underneath a half helmet of what looks to be beaten metal.

The warriors look about, seeing their brethren. Then they lift up the swords they were born with and they give a shout up to the sun.

---

Queen Titania watches the battalions of new se’akhrua* as they march across the promenade of Perihelion Palace. Beneath the great branches of the Festival Tree, her ceremonial armour does not reflect the light as harshly as to blind them as they approach, though that would not stop Faye. Merla keeps pace with her friend easily, their long, determined strides driven by a cold anger she has not seen before. She looks between them and her Mother, not sure where this will lead. Certainly nowhere good.

The Summer Queen turns towards them as the two draw near. Merla throws a glance over her shoulder and sees the others are quickly trying to catch up.

“I see you have done well,” Titania says to them both.

Merla has to hide a wince as Faye’s shoulders stiffen.

“I don’t think I have done well,” Faye says flatly. “I have just given you a weapon that will be used to kill people. That is not ‘doing well’.”

Titania regards Faye as if from a great distance. Merla recognises that look and takes a small step closer to standing between her Mother and her friend as Matthew, BB and Ghesh arrive.

“The Power was always mine to command. Others may not have seen it for lack of wisdom or clear sightedness. The Feywild is out of Balance and I am the one who will need to right it.”

It was the first time Merla heard such a tone to her Mother’s voice. It reminded her of someone else…

“You may take my head for saying this,” Faye started, “but if you are the true Queen of the Feywild you shouldn’t need to deceive people into helping you build an army to invade. People should want to follow you. I know Morrinn, I know how she operates, and if you start by invading you’re just going to look like a bully. Start a war and everyone will turn on you.”

Dark storm clouds begin to gather on the horizon as Queen Titania fixes her gaze upon Faye, looking down at the winter eladrin.

“If they know what is good for them I will never have to lift this sword. They will recognise my right to rule or they will crumble.”

Merla looks between her Mother and Faye, not sure what her friend will say but hoping they will stop. They glance at her and shake their head.

“Very well,” they say, turning back to the Summer Queen. “I have offered all the advice to you I could, Queen Titania. I hope you don’t have to lift that sword to anyone. I also hope that none of my people have to experience your wrath.”

Merla sees the others sharing uncertain, half confused glances. Matthew’s face is stoney as he looks up to Titania, almost accusatory, a slight scowl to his lips. Merla turns away from them, not sure what to do or say at this moment. She needs to talk to her Mother, a proper reunion where she can tell her everything and ask questions that would be best said between the two of them…

“Femaer, I would speak with you again soon, about many things. I need to get my friends back to Daring. May I see you again in a day or so?”

“Very well,” Queen Titania replies. “See your friends and allies home. There is much we need to talk about. Many a task that I have for you in the days to come. There is much work awaiting both of us.”

“Yes, I believe there is,” Merla lifts her hand up and does a formal parting bow to her Queen Mother. “May Summer’s Light guide my Path.”

Turning towards Faye, Merla rubs the ring of shadows on her right hand with her thumb, casting a message to them.

“I’m with you Faye. Don’t worry, we will get through this, together.”


*se’akhrua – flower warriors


Continued in ‘…Then All is Found’ 🌻