49 Into the Faey Kingdom
Red moved closer towards the snow globe Ari held. Tiny little glitters floated inside the glass sphere like snowflakes but during a warm summer day. She could see how the grasses swayed gently and little white flowers danced with it.
"This scenery… I've seen it before. It's the one I saw in my dreams before I awoke." Her pretty turquoise eyes widened and she felt absorbed to the tiny magical item.
"This globe contains a little part of the Faey Kingdom's magic in it. The pixies made it by incorporating a bit of what exists inside the kingdom and encapsulate it into something of the outside world." Ari explained.
"What we see here now is a little patch of the Valley of Dreams. The flowers inside that are what I gave you when we met - Zephyranthes." Archer said as he closed and locked the heavy trunk.
"But don't be fooled by the serene landscape. That place sometimes could get really nasty. A bunch of zephyranthes can give you certain dreams by inhaling their scent-"
"Wait a minute!" Red raised a hand to object. "So, you're saying you gave me flowers that act as hallucinogens?"
"What?" Archer said in confusion.
"Drugs, idjit." Red crossed her arms. "And you let him?" she glared at her faey warrior.
Ari raised his hands in defense and avoided eye contact. Red's temper had started to rise again and he didn't want in on it unless absolutely necessary.
He'll let Archer handle all her wrath for now.
He only knew Archer gave her the zephyranthes after she awakened. If he knew it beforehand, he would have preferred she wasn't given any at all. The flower was kind of dangerous if not handled properly.
"Oh no they aren't drugs I tell you. But too much of them can get people sluggish for too long."
"They are drugs." Red insisted and stomped her foot down like a child having tantrums.
"No, they aren't, queen of complaints. I know my flowers; I'm an ex-flower shop owner remember?" Archer raised a finger to make his point clearer.
"Fine! Whatever." She said as she threw her hands in the air in frustration.
Archer secretly smiled as he had won a battle of 'fake it till you make it'. The flowers themselves were truly powerful things. The scent could get humans crazy and faeys paralyzed.
"But then if this item is a portal, does that mean we need to traverse that valley when we cross into the Faey Kingdom?" She squinted her eyes, a bit suspicious that there was definitely something else Archer tried so hard to hide from them.
"Why do you insist we use that portal?" Red asked him.
Ari stood straight and moved beside Red. He too wanted to know why his younger brother demanded this. He would only come with them if they agreed with his condition, and this was it? To endanger them by crossing a field of blooming flowers that could get you high?
The younger faey raked his raven black hair and it became a bit ruffled. He guesses that he can't keep everything away from them now that he showed the portal.
"I need to stock up on the Zephyranthes." He told them quite briefly. Ari raised a questioning brow at him as if to say, 'That's it? That was your reason only?'
He shrugged and paced away from Ari and Red. If they didn't want to then he wouldn't insist on it.
"Hey no worries. If you two don't want to then I can just stay here and do my own search for Granny Cane." He said. "Have fun in the Midsummer Festival. Don't drink the pumpkin juice, nasty little thing."
Red and Ari exchanged looks of uncertainty. Should they? Archer's plan sounds ridiculously dangerous. If they did manage to get across from the human realm to the faeys, would they last long in the Valley of Dreams?
"Alright, I suppose you have a plan that could keep us safe while you collect your flowers?" Ari spoke to his younger brother.
"I sure do, big brother. Trust me on this one." He winked at Red and grinned. His perfect white teeth showcased as the corners of his mouth lifted into his charming smile.
Red's heart did a triple somersault when he winked at her. Her stomach felt like it would burst any minute with all the flutters. She needed to control her attraction towards the young faey for she fears she'd go insane if not!
"So, do we give it a go now?" Archer asked one last time before he breaks the portal and transport them to the Valley of Dreams.
Red felt herself go cold and there was a mix of dread and excitement with the prospect of actually entering the Faey Kingdom. She was a descendant of pure faeys and the kingdom was their true home.
How would it feel to step foot into a world run by pure magic? To be in a world of nothing but an endless burst of peculiars. Would she feel anything after finally being home in a place she has never been before?
"Ready now everyone?" the young faey announced and Red followed the movement of his hand that held the snow globe.
Archer raised the ball in his hands and swiftly brought it down on a piece of rock that was beside them. The glass sphere shattered into hundreds broken pieces and an explosion of shimmering peachy pink and mellow orange tones of smoke rose from the wreck.
The smoke enveloped them and steadily covered everything that was inside the greenhouse. Red's eyes anxiously searched for something to lean on as her heart and brain raced with uncertainties.
Ari grabbed her hand and she felt the warmth of his touch in hers. She didn't realize her hand had grown cold from her nervous internal musings. She smiled at him, grateful for his presence.
Her faey warrior's hazel green eyes glimmered and she felt safe within his circle of protection. Ari offered his other hand to his younger brother and Archer grabbed hold of him with a grin on his face.
Together the three of them stepped into the shiny bright light that converged at the center of the clouds. One foot at a time, they slowly crossed from the earthly wet floor of the greenhouse towards the summer grassland of the Valley of Dreams.
Red closed her eyes and ducked behind Ari as the light had been too intense to her liking. She felt the gradual change of the feel on her shoes from wet and cringe worthy to soft and peaceable. Gradually, she opened her eyes and saw the full glory of the place she had crossed to.
"Welcome to the Faey Kingdom, future Faey Queen Ruby Rose Springfield." Ari said to her. Soft wind blew and she could feel the magic crawl into her skin. Like a lover's caress, it slowly seeped into her system and she felt energized from the mere hit of the wind.
In the far distance of the horizon, she saw a beautiful castle made of glittering glass. The rays of the mellow light danced and she held her breath in amazement.
The Faey Kingdom truly is something to behold.
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