Fairyland Chronicles - Character Side Stories

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Beneath the shade of one of Mt. Mjolnir's giant flowers, Lucretia sat, leaning on the plant's stem. She had freed her hair of the prison that was her dark randgris helm, and simply looked at the sky.

"I've been a blind fool." She thought, as she picked up a small flower from the ground. "I killed Jin, and now I find out he wasn't the one who ripped my wings off..." She held the flower in her right hand, looking at its delicate white petals.

The rustling of the grass nearby indicated someone was close. Turning around, she noticed it was just Cynbel. He left for a few minutes to stretch his legs after having been knocked out for so long.

"Feeling better?" Lucretia asked, looking at him intently.

The male fae nodded. "Somewhat. I still don't understand what's going on..." He said, scratching the back of his head.

Lucretia sighed. "I'll explain again, since we were in such a hurry earlier."

Cynbel sat next to her, and the two looked at the sky together. "While you were locked up, a stalker and one of my ex-prisoners sneaked in the castle to give me some salve made of Yggdrasil sap and berries. It was for my wings." She said, faintly smiling. "They explained they spoke with Jin's spirit, and thought you played part in the act." She closed her fist as she finished the sentence.

"What! I could never hurt you!" Her companion exclaimed, shocked by the accusations.

"I know..." Lucretia replied, as she held his hand. "Anyways... one of them, Summerstream, offered to stay with me for extra protection and to ensure the salve would work perfectly." She took a deep breath, before explaining further. "Some time later, you were attacked. I heard the commotion from the other room and rushed to your aid. The ninja ran off after trying to fight me. I imprisoned Summerstream, not knowing she had been framed." Cynbel didn't reply. He only listened.

"When my fae comrades heard rumors that the humans would try to rescue her and take me down, I hid you in the castle's west tower to protect you." Lucretia went on, looking at Cynbel with a twinkle in her eyes. "The day of the siege, Ezekiel ran ahead of the group, and begged me to escape with him. Apparently, Amdusias was the one responsible for my wings." Her right hand closed and made a fist once again.

"Why would he rip your wings off?" Cynbel asked, failing to see a motive.

"I can only speculate..." She replied, shaking her head. "While we rescued you from the west wing, the humans massacred my fellow brothers-in-arms. Once they rescued Summerstream, she left the group and met up with us. As we exited, the vile humans caught up. I summoned one of the fiends that roam the castle and escaped with Ezekiel and Summerstream, only to come across Amdusias near Niflheim town square." Lucetia's expression turned to that of anger. "He rambled on about traitors deserving only death, and ran off to the aid of the humans."

Cynbel spoke up again. "Amdusias has changed. He wasn't the carefree child we grew up with." He commented, with a tone of nostalgia.

Lucretia nodded in agreement. "The two humans took us to Louyang. This morning, Ezekiel, Summerstream and I left you to rest while we returned to my castle to search for any clue Amdusias may have left. What we found was that the residue found on Summerstream's clone matched some of the substances used by the biochemists that were working on the poring experiments." Lucretia sighed in mental exhaustion.

"We had traitors among us. They'd been feeding information to Amdusias all this time." She murmured, uneasy. "The most unsettling part of it all was that once we were at the castle gate, we found it was sealed with magic... How did it seal itself after we entered?"

"He was still there..." The male fae answered slowly, stricken with dread.

Lucretia nodded, undoing her hairstyle and letting it flow freely. "When we returned to Louyang, I took the opportunity that you woke up to be alone with you. That way I could warp us out to someplace safe." She explained, nudging him. "The two humans that helped us are brave and compassionate, but I don't want them to get hurt. This is between Amdusias and us."

"What's next for us?" Cynbel asked, standing up with Lucretia.

The female fae snickered. "I've heard of an object that allows you to visit a person's dreams and memories. I've got my sights set on that. We will find it, whatever the cost."

"Have you finally given up on your dreams of vengeance on the humans?" The male fae asked, resigning to fate.

"No." She answered, sternly. "Jin might not have broken my wings, but the vile humans obliterated them recently, and killed my comrades in the castle. Traitors or not, they shouldn't have died in such a brutal way. They would have killed me too if I hadn't escaped." Lucretia extended her hand, still holding the white flower. As she stared at it, it burst into flames, leaving the ashes to be scattered by the wind.

She whispered, as if to herself. "They will face my wrath soon enough."