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An older fae man steps forward. He’s bearded and burly, but befor
e I can worry his scowl is permanent, he stands up and bows respectfully. “I’m Tristan. On Earth, I was a mechanic. In Faerie, I helped construct the buildings and I would love to help rebuild.” My grin is immediate and he gives a small quirk of his lips in response, which is a relief.
“I was a few months away from a degree in architecture, maybe between us we can do Faerie justice,” I offer.
“You already have, my Queen,” he says solemently. The words have me pausing, emotion clawing at my throat. But before I can respond, the next councilor is standing, moving our conversation along. If she didn't look so excited, I might have been annoyed.
“I’m Adara, I was a teacher on Earth and Faerie,” the short, cheerful Fae announces, giving me a huge smile. Her happiness is contagious and I find myself smiling back easily. She’s petite, at least several inches shorter than I am, with short auburn hair and bright blue eyes. She’s gorgeous, seems friendly, and I like her immediately. Definitely a step up from the three assholes I kicked out of our council.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I tell her. “It’s a relief to have someone who knows education here. My friend Andras can likely help us get the materials you’ll need to get classes started again.” Her eyes light up like it’s Christmas and she nods enthusiastically.
My gaze shifts to the next man. “I’m Tegan. Guard,” the stony-faced fae introduces himself. His words are short and curt, but it doesn’t come off as rude. Instead he just seems like a serious individual. He’s tall and lean, his long dark hair giving him a deadly assassin look. I’m certain he will prove to be an amazing guard captain.
“We are honored to have you as our Captain of the Guards,” I say evenly. His eyes widen a bit but he doesn’t protest.
A younger fae man stands next, his voice quiet and composed. “I’m Gareth, I was a servant in the castle, on Earth I was a personal assistant.”
“If you manage to keep Bella organized, then I’ll be shocked,” Jacob teases, earning a laugh from him.
“I think I’m up for the challenge,” he says confidently.
“Then I’m happy to have you here,” I say without hesitation. So far it seems we won the lottery of councilors. Turning to the next, I hope our luck continues.
An athletic older woman stands next, giving me a quick nod. “I am Brynn, I was a magic trainer.” She has a slight accent, her words almost harsh. I had a feeling she was the no-nonsense type.
“Welcome,” I smile softly. “Training will come in handy, I know many will appreciate your assistance and mentorship, myself included.” She nodded again but offered no other words, so I continued. “I’m going to cast a spell that will keep our discussions to ourselves. You will not be able to tell anyone about what we discuss here, if you do not agree with that level of privacy for our meetings, you may leave now.” My tone is firm, but kind. I want them to make this choice for themselves.
After a few moments when no one stands to leave, I use my magic to create a spell that will stop them from breaking their promise of silence. At least I hope it will.
“Thank you. Please call me Queen Bella, or simply Bella. I prefer it over Arabella. To start, I want to get rebuilding efforts underway. Tristan, I would like to work with you soon on that. We need to make blueprints and get to work on procuring materials. I may need a bit of a lesson on what materials Faerie has to offer. Our people need a proper mess hall and shelter. Then we need my home, not castle, and council chambers for meetings.” He smiles broadly at the news and I can practically see the gears turning already. The fact that I have all of these more experienced fae listening to me is humbling.
“Does that mean the council will live in the town when it is built?” Brynn inquires. I study her for a moment, both visually and with a brush of my magic, trying to get her feelings on the matter before proceeding. She’s got amazing mental walls and keeps her face emotionless, giving me nothing.
“Not a requirement, but encouraged for now. The other lands aren’t safe. We can revisit it when I’ve made more progress. And I’ll find a way to communicate between us when that time comes so you know when I’ve called a council meeting.” Several of them nod, looking pleased with that answer. I’m glad we’re all on the same page, because this whole thing is definitely a work in progress, and will be for a while.
“Is there anything we need to do now?” Tristan asks.
Looking at the makeshift town below, I make a quick plan in my head before giving them my attention again. “I would like Gareth, Adara, and Andras to come up with a census list of our current residents. Ask each individual what their skills or preferred jobs are. That way we can direct them in the best effort to help. For now our society is what we make it and everyone is expected to help if they’re able.”
“And the rest of us?” Brynn asks excitedly.
“If you could help to train the younger fae who haven’t had the chance to learn their magic, I would appreciate it. Earth didn’t give them much use of it, so they’re likely behind. And finally, Tegan, if you could seek out and train potential guards. Once I am able to restore the lands, that means the creatures of Faerie will be back as well and we’ll need protection. We also found out the hard way that not everyone is trustworthy. Be vigilant and report any odd behavior to me or my knights.” Pausing, I give everyone a moment to process.
“Queen Bella, what about the trial?” Maddox inquires, respectfully reminding me to deal with Allwyn’s treason.
I nod in acknowledgement, keeping a mask of calm in place even though the reminder has my emotions a mess. Anger has officially replaced hurt, likely thanks to my new knights, but I’ll still need to find his partner. But that’s a problem for another day.
Turning back to my council, I catch them up. “Allwyn has betrayed us, we need to decide on his fate. He was found plotting to kill me, after allowing me to restore our lands. He is a threat to the humans and mixed fae we have here. We need to create a fair punishment for his crimes.” Keeping my voice emotionless, I explain his crimes for them to pass judgement on.
“Banishment to Earth would be perfect," Tristan suggests, and as I think over his idea, I love it more and more.
“I would also permanently bind his magic," Brynn adds. “I could help with that.” It’s honestly the perfect show of justice. He will forever live as a human… ironic.
“I like the way you two think," Emrick states with a belly laugh. He wasn’t happy Allwyn betrayed us and has been itching to take care of him since we left the castle. He sees the beautiful irony in the sentencing too. I knew I liked him for a reason.
“I do like that plan. We shall announce it tomorrow and carry out justice. I want to make his exile permanent and bar him from entering the portal," I decree.
“We will meet before dinner each night for several days, just to keep updated on the plans we are making. I would also like to announce that we have made progress on restoring the lands of Spring. We have our first King of Faerie, which is Bowen. He will be treated with the same respect given to me. The king of each Court will be finalized as I travel to those lands, it’s a decision made by Faerie itself," I finish speaking and stand, officially dismissing our meeting.
