B3 – Chapter 19: New Gear

The appointed time arrived and Tristan, in slightly disheveled clothes and not-quite properly strapped on armor, stood outside his room. Felicity was laying on his head in her fairy dragon form, snoozing, whilst he spun his crucible to fuel their travel.

Bertram and Rory exited their room. Bertram gave him a glance up and down, “You enjoy yourself?”

Tristan let the faintest of smiles grace his lips, “Ready to go to the Fey Realm?” he asked the duo.

“Yes…please,” Rory said, adding the last word as if she had been reminded to be nice. “I look forward to these Nymphs and the hot springs.”

“They have warm water here, but those baths are not big enough to fool around in,” Bertram commented.

Tristan waved them over, “Gotta be within arm’s reach, or able to touch me, or someone touching me.” The duo came over, and Tristan activated the spell in the ring. The Fey Realm arrival point was very different – with trees having been grown and molded to create a series of dividers. The ground beneath their feet was covered with grass that had been tightly woven together and was still pulsating, teeming with life and essence.

The market area had been shifted and altered – instead of a bunch of covered work benches, there were signs with markers and indications of what type of goods would be available. Plants had been moved and re-planted in more sheltered areas, away from those who may want to make off with a few sapphires from the altered berry bushes.

Felicity yawned and woke up, “Morning already?”

“No, just Fey Realm,” Tristan replied as he went toward the Queen’s Wood. Several Nymphs were lounging next to the pool – scantily clad but still clad for sake of appearances. “Excuse me, ladies.” They turned, and he gestured to Bertram and Rory, “My half-brother and his wife are interested in…spending some time with you all, if you’d have them.”

Rory walked forward and looked down at the comparatively smaller women. “Well?” she asked.

The Nymphs glanced at each other then began offering various pleasurable activities which caused Tristan to blush, and he walked away as Bertram and Rory got into a conversation with the Nymphs about lewd activities that Tristan wanted no knowledge of.

Felicity chuckled, “You look like a cherry!”

He ignored her and went into the Queen’s Wood, traveling up the spire to emerge on the top boughs. The Matriarch was up there, at the Astrologer’s Glass, and she glanced backward to the duo as Tristan’s greaves made decently loud thuds on the wood.

“Ah, you return.”

Tristan nodded and walked to the edge of the platform, surveying the Fey Realm around the Queen’s Wood. “Give me the run down of what changes have been made, please.”

The Matriarch walked over to him and began pointing and explaining. “The Training Field is still as it was before; but we have put up a wall of trees surrounding the space.” She pointed next to a series of winding paths through the trees with glowing lights inside bulbous-shaped tree houses. “We have relocated residents to clusters of housing. We can expand the pathways and add more housing if necessary.”

Next, she pointed to the area Tristan had arrived, “We plan on having the portal open on the far side of the Queen’s Wood clearing, but want a nice, open space where we can let my children put on a show – they have been getting excited at the idea of having new people to subject to their jokes and pranks.”

“None harming people, I trust,” Tristan said as he glanced at her.

“Correct,” The Matriarch replied.

“Aww,” Felicity added as her tail swished back and forth, tickling the back of Tristan’s neck. “Some of the best pranks come with a little bit of pain.”

The Matriarch continued, “We have guest housing on the far side of the clearing which is hemmed in by impassable woods to prevent roaming. In fact, if you go in any direction, without a fairy dragon guide, the woods are shaped in such a way that one will find themselves back in the main clearing.” She smiled at that, “A little trick with illusion I implemented. We can’t have guests wandering off, can we?”

“No, that wouldn’t be good,” Tristan replied. “And it looks like the crafting area is set up to look like an actual marketplace.”

“Correct. The Gnomes have fully taken charge of the market along with some of the residents. Oh! That reminds me.” She turned to face Tristan, “They are permanent residents in name, but not in binding. In order for them to be a part of the Fey Realm, they must drink of the sap at the heart of the Queen’s Wood. Just a little thimble-ful. I can begin distributing it if you desire.”

“What’s it do?” Tristan asked, as the same sap pit had been his mothers’ grave, and was also how he could take some trial to increase his fortitude and physique.

“Being a permanent resident, like my children or the other Fey Realm species, just means that when they die their soul returns here, to my care. Then, I can create a seed pod, and they can come back as a fairy dragon.”

Oh. Interesting. I guess I know what happens when a person dies, then. Seems like Obadai’s theory was correct that Realm Protectors take custody of a person after they die. Tristan nodded, “Give it to any who desire and have been here for at least half a Season. I trust you to vet them appropriately.”

“Will do.”

Tristan looked down at his feet, “Do I need to do the same?”

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“No, Lord Tristan. You merged your crucible with the Realm. That is akin to the same effect.”

“When I die-”

“If you die in the Fey Realm? I can take custody of your soul and rebirth you as a fairy dragon…though I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen.” She said the last with a sad but resolved sense of quietude.

Felicity bopped his head, “Want to go see what the Gnomes were working on? See if your armor is done?”

“Yes,” Tristan replied. “But first-” he waved for The Matriarch to follow and began circling the top boughs. From up above, he could see The Undermount off in the distance, as well as the shimmering pools of the Summerbalm Springs. Reaching the back side of the Queen’s Wood, he saw the vast fields of green, purple, and pink grassland. “We are due for another area of the Realm being unsealed, are we not?”

“Two Seasons at the most,” The Matriarch replied. “Before you must unseal another section.”