LJ Idol Week 1: Open Topic - Even a Faerie Queen Must Pivot

[belgatherial]

He finds her sitting at the lake's edge, on a perfectly shaped branch of a perfectly shaped tree. She is staring at the water, a small frown on her face. As he approaches, he watches as the branch adjusts, making space for a second person.

He sits.

She sighs. "It's not right. It's not working."

He waits.

"You know why." Her words are neither accusation nor demand, simply truth.

"I do."

She turns and looks at him with her wild fae eyes. "I gave them an opportunity to prove their worth. I gave them glory and reward. And yet, they do not believe. Is this some sort of mortal thing I don't understand?"

He chuckles. "Indeed, my love. Glory and reward is nice. Us mortals like it. But it does not create camaraderie. What you have made here - the arena, the competition - it creates borders, not unity. They are at odds with each other." He looks over the water for a while. "I think, although they all want to win, they feel that. They do not desire to be at odds. The thing they desire is connection. Belonging. They are mercenaries fighting for the entertainment of a mysterious lady. They do not belong."

She sighs. "There were centuries when we threw armies at each other and it made them believe. I thought that it was the glory of the fight. The victory and the striving for victory."

He shakes his head. "I am a warrior. But I do not fight because I enjoy the fight. I fight because I believe in the thing - the being - I am fighting for. I am not your champion for glory. I am your champion because I love you. And because I believe in what you represent."

She stares at him for some time. Then smiles, quick and bright. "I think I see. Very well. We shall pivot. We shall play this out until there is a victor, but after that we will try a different thing. I shall be... a collector. A collector of interesting trinkets and mysterious beasts. An eccentric faerie who wants only to gather many shiny things to her. We will make a home here." She gestures at her gradually expanding Realm. "They will live here, and they will create connections, and eventually, no doubt, the more intelligent among them will learn that what I was actually collecting was them."

"And then you will have to tell them." His voice is firm. "You cannot ask them to fight without knowing why they fight."

She nods. "Of course. We need much more information about what my dearest husband did to banish me before that though. I cannot leave here, but you can. I will need assistance. I will need... staff, I suppose."

He chuckles. "I am certain that Scrat will have suggestions."

Her smile is fond and indulgent. "His belief is strong."

"You saved him. That makes us believe."

Something in his voice makes her pause and turn. She is quiet for a moment. Then she turns back to the water. "Goblins are often misused. There will be others. Here they can be safe. Here we can give them work, and a home. In his faerie... it will only get worse for them."

"Them and all the so-called lesser fae." His voice his hard.

"None are lesser."

He nods.

"Very well then, my champion. I will let this contest run its course. In the meantime, we shall speak with Scrat and see if he knows of some others of his kind who can help us. And then, it may be time for me to call in some of the favours I have been hoarding."

She stands and takes his hand. They walk back towards the palace. Near to it there is now an arena, from which come faint sounds of combat practice. There is a breeze, cool against the summer heat. Where she steps, daisies appear from the grass. Behind her, the land begins to adjust, creating pathways, making spaces for homes to appear.

The Horde will be here soon. The Realm will need to be ready.



===

Art by Griffin Ess created after Scrat's first appearance in the Bellatrix Arena, way back in 2020.

Comments

[simplyn2deep]

I really liked the idea that the Queen initially misunderstood what actually inspires loyalty. She offered glory, competition, and rewards, but what everyone really wanted was connection and belonging. The distinction her champion makes between fighting for victory and fighting because you believe in something gave this a lot more depth than I was expecting from a story about a faerie competition.

And I love her solution: “Fine, I shall become an eccentric faerie collector of shiny things!” 😂 Except, of course, the shiny things she’s secretly collecting are people and giving them somewhere to belong. The moment she says “None are lesser” really summed up what she wants her Realm to become. Also, after seeing Scrat’s artwork on the last page, I completely understand why she’s keeping him around. 😂 He looks like an absolute menace, and I mean that affectionately!

[penpusher]

I feel like this story has an undercurrent of LJ Idol itself, buried within it... in the competition and the camaraderie! Maybe that wasn't your intention, but that's part of the message I received! Hordes of praise for this!

[muchtooarrogant]

I feel like this story has an undercurrent of LJ Idol itself, buried within it...
I thought exactly the same thing while reading. (grin)

Dan

[ofearthandstars]

I had the same feeling at one point!

[n3m3sis43]

I felt the same way!

[onda_bianca]

I thought the same!

[muchtooarrogant]

"And then you will have to tell them." His voice is firm. "You cannot ask them to fight without knowing why they fight."
This was great. Her champion loves her, but he also won't hesitate to tell her what's right/what she must do.

Dan

[bsgsix]

This feels (in the best way) like a piece of fiction that represents two things: a story, and a nod towards LJ Idol itself (maybe I'm off on that second one, but it felt that way a bit!). I really enjoyed the imagery in this piece; I felt like part of the conversation, which in and of itself was also realistic, even from a fantasy-laden place. There is also a sense of "get ready, for this is happening" - not a negative omen, but an understanding, and I think that resigned sense works so well for this. There is so much depth in such a short work; I'm really intrigued to read more, if you continue on with this, and am grateful you shared it as it is! <3

[gardeningatnight]

Agreed that there seemed to be two levels here with a story, but also a nod to Idol itself. Especially because Gary also misunderstands what motivates people. (But he's not a fairy queen).

[humanbeansradio]

I really liked the little magical details, especially the branch making room for him and the daisies appearing where she walks. Thanks for sharing it!

[hafnia]

Aww, Gallant Horde! It's been a long time.

Good to see the lore back, as well as you! :)

[adoptedwriter]

If there’s gonna be a fight, at least may there be a worthy purpose. Interesting take!

[imafarmgirl]

Wanting to meet Scrat now.

[imafarmgirl]

Now I want to meet scrat.

I tried leaving this comment a few times. Hopefully it works this time.

[kandigurl]

I agree with others who felt the gear up for Idol in this piece!

[ofearthandstars]

I appreciate the words on loyalty vs. glory, and borders vs. unity and belonging. I now want to know more about the faerie queen's banishment and the background/connect with the other characters mentioned here.

[krispykritter]

I love the image of daisies appearing after the fairy steps. This is an interesting world. Is this part of a larger story or the beginning of one you are starting to create?

[halfshellvenus]

For a while, I thought this might have been meta on Idol itself!

But yes, while some people jump in for love of the fight, most need the reason for the fight to matter to them.

I liked the description of how the land changed behind her path in the wake of her magic.

[legalpad819]

Smartly done! I really enjoyed reading this.

[purplepetrichor]

This feels like a great first entry for Idol.

[murielle]

Wonderful instant world building!

Must know more about her ex. 😊

Good read!

[banana_galaxy]

How much have you previously delved into this world in the past? It feels so rich with history that makes me curious to know more.

[roina_arwen]

This was very sweet and the artwork is adorable!

[ashelterofpages]

Even though this is such a small snippet, it feels like just the tip of something so much more expansive and I love that.

[lapis_lazuli615]

Clearly I needed to spend more time in past LJI seasons reading the orhter entries, because I like this world, and it seems like you've been world building for a while now. :)

[scribblesinblue]

That picture of Scrat is amazing!!

[eeyore_grrl]

Looking forward to more; one hopes.

[alycewilson]

I love how this world seems to parallel the LJ Idol competition in some ways. Nicely done!