Thread: Castle Märchen - Fairytales for Adults

Lord Märchen stood underneath the stone walking path, looking over the low hedges that lined the areas raised for seating and into the garden. It was a bit cooler than usual today because it had rained earlier and it seemed likely to rain the next. He could, if he so chose, prevent it from raining, but it didn't amuse him to do so. Instead, he watched raindrops glisten on leaves before sliding down to the green grass.

When he bored of it he softly said, "I have need of one of you."

Within a minute - the invisible servants were never too far from their master - a pair of floating gloved hands arrived, hovering expectantly.

"Take this note to the Lady Reine," Lord Märchen ordered, taking an envelope from a pocket inside his cloak and handing it to the pair of gloved hands. His dark gold eyes watched wearily as the hands sailed off, the letter clasped carefully between them.

After a few moments, he took a small pouch filled with -
The 100-sided dice lands on 45

copper pennies and set it on one of the seats, beside a pillar, for someone to find later.

He moved on.

The curse is almost complete. The voice of the evil spirits were heavy in her mind as her body began the final transformations of the curse that would leave nothing more than a simple tree. The young elf girl tried to scream but her mouth was nothing more than hard bark now and no sound would come from it. Her mist colored eyes, the only thing still hers, shifted from side to side as she struggled in vain against limbs that were no longer hers to control. She sent out a silent pray that someone, anyone would save her from this curse that had been placed on her. But no one came and her eyes slowly went dark as the curse was completed and she was forever changed into a small sapling in a lonely clearing.

Leila woke in the grass of the garden, drenched in sweat. Looking around, she saw the tall hedges the green grass and the floating hands keeping the garden in perfect condition. The green skinned girl sat up and looked down over at her long hooded cloak. Touching the knives inside she sighed to herself. Even with their silver blades they had been no help against the spirits that had been the cause of her curse.

Getting to her feet she called out for assistance and a pair of pale female hands floated up to her. Even after being here for a month she was still amazed at the little marvels that floated around, keeping the palace in working order. "Could you please go hang this up for me," She said, her voice causing a rustling in the grass and shrubbery. The hands took careful hold of her cloak before bustling it off to a closet somewhere until she would have need of it again.

Turning once again to face the elaborate garden she smiled sadly. She had thought that sleeping here in comfort of the grass and the trees would stop the nightmares from tormenting her. But so far, even though the curse had been delayed by her gracious host Lord Märchen, the spirits of that evil place still invaded her dreams at night, showing her what would happen to her if she ever left the protection of the Lord of the castle's magic.

Taking a deep breath and striding forward into the garden that was much bigger than it seemed from inside the castle, Leila wandered farther in, determined to find out the secrets of this forest like garden.

Lord Märchen himself sat lounging indolently on a stone bench under an apple tree, not far into the garden from Leila was. She would have to pass him to proceed further on this particular path.

His long blond hair spilled over his shoulders and he still wore his long black cloak with what was a casual nod to the cooler weather. The rest of his clothes were black as well, other than a doublet in gold and bronze and a white shirt underneath it.

"Always in the garden," he said, not looking up from the small red apple he was examining. "Not that I'm surprised, but you might miss out on our new guest if you get lost for a few hours here." His tone was not inflected at all. It would be difficult to tell whether he were teasing or serious or whether he actually wished for Leila to meet anyone.

"It's been a month and slipped my mind that I haven't given you your stipend." He gestured - again, without looking - to a cloth bag left casually on top of the head of a stone, ivy-covered cherub.

If Leila looked into it, it would contain five silver, plus -
The 300-sided dice lands on 15

- copper pennies.

Leila, walking farther into the forest, found herself face to face with the Lord Märchen sitting on a bench in a small clearing shaded by an apple tree. She bowed deeply to the man or rather entity, for Lord Märchen surely couldn't be a normal man or even an ordinary mage, that had saved her from her fate at least temporarily. She hadn't seen him that often since she got here so she always tried to show the utmost respect to him when she saw him. "My lord," She greeted him with a smile, her misty eyes lighting up that he would deem to speak with her again. "I can't help myself. I have been to many forests in the outside but nothing I have ever seen has baffled me like this garden," At this she motioned to the plant life around her. "Never have plants been so tight lipped about their surroundings. Normally even the youngest sapling would love to discuss everything it has ever seen, but the trees and shrubs and even the grass will tell me nothing of importance about this magnificent garden."

She shook her head, realizing she had been rambling, and realized that the lord had said something about a new guest. She hadn't seen anyone else here aside from the shopkeepers, Lord Märchen's ward, and the lord himself. Quickly strapping the small pouch of coins onto the waistband of her short leather skirt, she had never had any real need for money before but one never knows, she bowed to the Lord Märchen and excused herself from his presence to go and see who this new guest might be.

Lord Märchen casually replied with, "The plants in the castle gardens, at least, know their place. Many make their way here - often arriving through the gardens - and most of these people have secrets, some of which I've promised to protect..."

He didn't seem to expect a reply and wasn't much surprised when she gathered the bag of money and left. Only once she left did the lord finally bite into his apple, seemingly satisfied with the conversation.

The pixie worked hard as she did every day, flitting about the flowers and other flora of the Gardens, humming a cheerful little tune to herself. The cold of the rain didn't seem to dampen her mood any at least. As usual she wore her silky black sleeveless dress that flared out into a bell from her waist to lower thighs along with a pair of black thigh high stockings and a pair of black satin slippers, all decorated with ribbon, including the small flower in her hair. Today she had put her soft blonde hair into twin tails, fastened in small buns at the top of each side of her head.

"Do not fret little one, although you may be small now you will one day grow into a flower as large and beautiful as any of the others," Zinnia murmured to a small flower that seemed to perk up at her reassurances, her tiny slender fingers caressing it's petals to encourage it to open. As she did so, the petals unfurled and a gentle smile spread over her soft lips. "Ah, see is that not better? Let everyone see your beauty!" Her smile widened as she spoke with a giggle before she'd jump into the air.

With a bit of a twirl and a laugh her crystalline wings glittered in the light as she rose above the plants, letting a soft gust of wind to cause her dress and hair to flutter around her. Casting her glance about her, Zinnia would ponder on what to do next as she had just finished her duties for the day.

"You're in a good mood, Zinnia..." The lord's smooth voice came somewhere just behind the little pixie. Though she would have just looked that direction and hadn't been there before, he certainly was now and seemed to have been standing there for some time.

Lord Märchen was standing and idly examining her work with the casual curiosity of an observer rather than the piercing thoughtfulness of an overseer. He trusted pixies to do their job well, since they loved it.

"Are all the guests to the gardens making your work troublesome or is that why you're enjoying yourself so much?"

The familiar voice reaching her ears would take her by surprise, startling her before she would whirl around and bowed deeply with a soft smile curling her lips and soft blush coloring her cheeks.

"Good day Lord Marchen," Zinnia greeted him cheerfully as she straightened up from bowing, "I hope the day finds you well." She smiled brightly to him as she'd maintain the height that she fluttered at, her soft blue eyes glittering gently in happiness from getting to see him.

At his question about the guests making her work troublesome, she'd give a soft laugh and shook her head gently. "The guests have been no trouble m'lord. They've been very respectful of the gardens." Zinnia told him honestly as she'd giggle. Watching the way that he was inspecting her work, she would be a little nervous. Not because she expected him to find anything wrong with it, but she dearly wanted him to be pleased.

Lord Märchen didn't smile - he never smiled - but his lips did twist slightly in almost sardonic amusement. He inclined his head slightly in silent acknowledgment to Zinnia's deep bow.

"It is good to hear that my dearest pixie is not overmuch troubled by the guests... I expect their number to grow again, so there may be repairs from time to time from those who cannot resist the beautiful flowers you coax to their maximum potential." He didn't answer the question about whether or not he was having a good day. He never did to that sort of thing.

Zinnia's face brightened even more as she noted the twist of his lips and his nod of acknowledgement. Any form of his approval always caused her joy and she smiled brightly. Only for her little face to turn red at being called his dearest pixie which she'd hide behind her hands with a soft giggle.

"Thank you for letting me know m'lord, I'll make sure to let the other pixies know as well later, so we can make sure nowhere ends up appearing bare from such attention. I'll of course continue to try my best," Zinnia would cheerfully speak as she continued her hovering. Having him speak so long to her would be very flattering to the little pixie as she watched him with her crytal blue eyes.

"Thank you, Zinnia. You are a treasure amongst pixie-kind."

Rather than disappearing again, he instead took a seat at the nearest stone bench, leaning indolently against the arm of the chair, and stared off into a cluster of nearby trees as if he expected someone to walk out of it at any moment.

After nearly a minute, he commented, "I can feel the winds changing." Lord Märchen did not necessarily address himself specifically to Zinnia, nor was he outright ignoring her existence either. He never expected anyone - fae especially - to stand rapt and wait for his every word.

Blushing again at the compliment paid to her by Lord Marchen, Zinnia laughed softly, covering her cheeks with her hands for a second before letting them drop back down to her sides. Lifting her one hand then however she would hold her other arm as she would watch him sit down on the stone bench. After a moment's hesitation she would flit over to the bench, to land on part of it. Feeling shy, which wasn't often, she would be silent for a moment, nodding when he would mention that he could feel the winds changing.

"Thank you. I mean that, for everything. I'm very thankful that you allow me to continue working here Lord Marchen. Your so very kind," Zinnia would finally speak up again as she thanked him before continuing on to express her gratitude and thoughts to him, hoping that she wasn't a bother. But she hadn't wanted to pass up the opportunity of having him nearby to speak to.

Lord Märchen looked over when she thanked him, regarding her with a cool, detached expression while she spoke. The expression was not unfriendly, but rather it could be interpreted more as 'thoughtful'.

After a few moments, he lowered his eyelashes and opened his eyes again with a more piercing shade of gold, focusing on her properly with his full attention. "There are not many fae little or no who care to serve any master, Zinnia. If you are happy here, you will always have a home."

There were another few moments of his intense regard before he lowered his eyelashes again and resumed his usual detached manner.

Lord Märchen got to his feet, adjusting his cloak a bit before moving off into the deeper gardens without another word further to the little pixie, apparently having grown bored of the garden and turned his thoughts elsewhere without any announcement of the sort.

That was usual for him.