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Flying black shadows dove at us, calling my attention to the fight at hand. Once being phoenixes to rise in the flames, they were no longer in their fiery forms from their infernos burning out. Once upon a time, their magic helped us save many in the wars, bringing them back in health, now they were nothing more than the smoldering embers of their dead fires. It was hard on all of us to see them die out. In figure eights, the phoenixes wailed and cried from losing so much. Our swords were swinging wildly when they came for us, promising an end to their suffering that we didn’t really want to give.
Most knew our lands for the frolicking joy of all the creatures, but we only hosted nightmares now. All four of us had grown used to this lifestyle, knowing we couldn’t leave the keep of our castle without spilling poisoned blood in the process. It had been Morrigan’s true purpose, ruining us in her victory overall. She harkened unto the lost creatures as if they were her pets, and they responded as though they belonged to her.
But she didn’t care how many were forced to die in her process of complete supremacy. There was no humanity left in her soul other than the drive to claim lands that were not hers. All of us were alive and around to see it because we were all about one hundred and fifty years old. We lost more than we were able to admit in our adolescent years, so we misplaced our carefree attitudes, forging ourselves into the monsters who had to save our world. That was the true curse of it all.
In order to save what had been stripped from us, we had to become something similar to the one who wanted to take it from us. We all had more bloodshed on our blades than we’d ever tell a soul. Forced to carry on with this new way of life, all of us were wishing we had been dead instead of our parents. Sadly, we knew only we were the only ones left to stand between Morrigan getting her complete victory of our lands. Áine was our last hope in finding a way to fix what had been taken, and she was the first prisoner Morrigan captured.
In haste, we traveled to the foot of the castle. We saw their flag of their family crest, furled and pulling apart at the seams, touched by scorch marks. Even in the thick of our battle, we all paused to honor the family that had fallen. Something bothered us all about this, but none of us were willing to talk about it. None of us wanted to admit defeat when it came at the price Morrigan was asking. The two sons of Áine were worthless in our eyes.
With the area destitute of all fae life, the castle had been abandoned during that war. The door sat agape in a way that said the kingdom was lost. A cold draft met us inside as though the temperatures could no longer right themselves.
Bain was the only one not affected from it because his source of power was the cold being a fire fairy. I looked over to see his dark skin highlighted by his white hair and eyes. To the few humans we met, he was the most terrifying out of us all. We just knew him as someone from the winter court in our home world. Fergus came from the spring court with his element being the earth. His hair was a light red color, and his eyes were the brightest of greens on his pale flesh as though he hadn’t seen sunlight in centuries. Alasdair was the one who resided in the summer court with his golden skin and tawny hair. His eyes were the bluest of the seas to showcase his warmth and affinity for water. I appeared differently than them all with my auburn hair and brown eyes, looking the most human among us with my power being air.
We had two forms, and these were our natural ones. Being so young, none of us had unlocked our more primal states.
“It's too silent,” Alasdair whispered.
Fergus placed his hand on the ground to see if he could sense anything living among us, but he shook his head at me to tell me he felt nothing instead. We knew that we were safe to be here, but that price had been steep from all those who had fallen. The eerie silence hit us the more we traveled deeper into the pit of the castle. We scurried over the cold stone in our leather foot coverings to get to where we needed. Not long after, we found ourselves following the path to the chamber below where prisoners had been kept when this place was up and running.
None of us were prepared to see Áine curled up in the corner of her cell nearly starved to death. We all knew she wouldn’t die from her magic being sufficient to keep her mummified until her recovery, but it didn’t make it any easier to witness. We all saw her in her prime right before she left to aid someone she knew in the human world. That was the beginning of all this going to shit. At first, she thought it was just some witch picking on the humans, but it led to all of this.
“Áine!” I shouted at the former queen as she opened her eyes briefly to take in the four of us. There were other reasons as to why seeing us was hard for her. Reasons she had never spoken about with it ripping out her heart, but she treated us as her own in the absence of her sons.
“It’s been a long time, boys.” The greeting had been filled with the sadness we knew to respect, so none of us mentioned more on it.
“And we don’t have much time,” I spoke first.
She nodded her white tresses at us that now reached the end of the cell from growing for so long. It was as though she knew what we sought from her. “You came for my help to seek the champion,” she smiled kindly as she spoke.
“We have, my queen. We need to know how we can stop Morrigan, and you’re the only one who knows enough about her to help us.”
“I can give you the name and place of your champion, but I am sad to say it’s not any of you.”
“What?” I asked her. She simply shook her head before trying to climb to her knees. Her body struggled in her crawl toward us, meeting me at the bars that had been spelled to keep her inside. Many of us had tried freeing her over the years, but Morrigan’s magic wouldn’t let us.
“I have just enough essence to create you a weapon that will help her on her journey to defeating Morrigan, but it will not be easy retrieving your champion.”
“She?” Fergus inquired.
Áine gave him a motherly smile, one we had all missed for so long in the absence of our own. This woman had been the best friend to all our mothers, designed to be queens of their thrones with our fathers.
“Her name is Briar Rose, and she is the only one who was ever touched by Morrigan but did not die. With her having Morrigan’s power inside of her, she’ll be your only hope in defeating the woman who has taken everything from us.”
The name sounded familiar, but I wasn’t sure why. Áine could see the moment of recognition in my eyes as she gave me a nod. None of the others noticed it, but I had an inkling I wasn’t going to like the reason behind it.
“This woman lives on Earth, but she’s been cursed to sleep until true love’s kiss wakes her.”
“So why hasn’t he?” Alasdair asked.
“Because he fell the day her kingdom was taken. The only way I see this working is if you find him and kiss her with his skull. The magic of it should be strong enough to wake her.”
Bain started gagging at the thought. “You want us to dig up some guy who died in order to kiss his girlfriend awake?”
Áine gave him a pointed look that told him to respect her better, so he shied away in respect. “I’m telling you that there is only one person who did not die when touched by Morrigan’s magic, and it will only be that person that can save our kingdoms.”
Appreciating her, I gave her a bow with my body and promised to do what needed to be done. “Where can we find her?”
“Fergus,” she called to the shier one of our group while patting down her pockets. She pulled out a little scrape of cloth that had some blood on it. “The land is dead over there, but this should help you find the body faster.”
