The Coward is Now Fearless

The bird couldn't come inside the room as Archer's protective spells covered every nook and cranny of the apartment. He had learned it the hard way, Granny Cane wouldn't have been taken if he had doubled, no, tripled his protective spells.

"The Faey Court's messenger bird." Ari continued. "What could this mean? Archie, open the window and let it in."

Archer slowly opened the window and the bird flew directly towards Red. Its avian wings fluttered and left loose feathers scattered on the table. The bird's eyes stared into her and suddenly it squawked and gagged a piece of parchment unto the pristine plate.

"Umm... Thanks?" Red said as the bird bobbed its head and pushed the plate towards her with its beak. She gingerly picked up the paper and flicked the slime away.

When it thought it had accomplished its mission, the bird skreiched again and spread its dark wings for flight. It lifted itself and flapped its feathers at top speed, flying towards the window and directly unto the building next to them.

"Oh shit!" Red gasped as she thought it would crash with the speed it flew. But the bird just vanished just in time it touched the wall. Red gaped at the feat of the magical bird and turned to look at the paper she held.

She unfolded the rolled-up parchment and the brothers huddled behind her to see what the bird had brought them. The paper spread-out into about the size of the plate and she scratched her head.

The paper was blank!

"You must be kidding me." She muttered and tried to turn the paper upside down. Nothing. She brought the paper towards the light to see if maybe the words were heat sensitive.

Still nothing.

She was about to give up when suddenly, the paper lit up and projected words mid-air like a glowing hologram. The letters scattered and shifted to form words in columns like eastern writing.

Red squinted her eyes and found that the message was in a language she couldn't read. Ari proceeded to read it out loud for them.

"A letter of invitation:

Greetings from the Glass Castle,

In light of recent events and the second trial which concluded a third of the total trials to be held, Queen Tiana and the Faey Courts cordially invite you, Ruby Rose Springfield and Arikyer Squall, to partake into the Midsummer Festival of the Faey Kingdom.

The Faey Queen Trials will continue after the festivities and all candidates and their warriors are expected to be well-mannered and refined. No fight should ensue lest they want to experience the consequences.

The festivities will last for a week and will be held in various areas of the Glass Castle. The candidates and their warriors are to stay in the castle's guest chambers provided.

Queen Tiana expects highly that all of the candidates will abide by the customs of the Faeys.

Signed and sealed,

Lady Mhyrra Mensari of the Faey Courts"

"Well, what a coincidence, now both of you won't need to worry regarding the trials now." Archer commented and went back to his books stacked on the floor. He flicked pages and Red sensed there was something wrong with him. "All of the nobles gather during the Midsummer Festival. Kleister Lakschmidt better be ready for the two of you."

There was a sudden shift in Archer's demeanor, it felt heavy and seemed to have been because of the letter.

"You could come with us Archie." Ari said to his brother, to which the younger faey just let past his ears. "It had been so long since you came home."

"There is no home for me in the Faey Kingdom, Ari. You know that." He replied nonchalantly. He kept his emerald eyes fixated on the words written in his book but he wasn't actually reading anything.

"I'm not saying you should come to the Squall Manor, Archie." Ari sighed. "I'm just saying you come with us because I believe we are a team."

"Like a sidekick you mean. You and Red being the important people and all." He replied to his brother. Archer put down the book he held and picked another that was on top of a stack a bit farther.

Before his hand reached the book though, he was hit by something hard and the young faey yelped in pain and shock. He glared to his left and saw that it was Red had hit him with a hardbound grimoire.

'When did she get so close to me?' he thought to himself as he rubbed his arm. The grimoire she held had the spine cladded in metal designs and it fucking hurt more since he wasn't prepared for the impact.

"You are being difficult again man-child!" she scowled. Her turquoise eyes enraged by the way Archer had talked back to Ari. "We are going together whether you like it or you like it very much."

Archer stood straight and Red realized he was a fucking giant compared to her. She almost forgot that since Archer used to slouch, like a bum or perhaps he just incorporated the bad boy persona for so long that it stuck to him like a glue.

The faey was a towering six-footer and she a mere five-footer halfling. But despite the difference she stomped her foot and insisted herself.

She wasn't going to have any of Archer's stupid ego. He will come with them.

"What makes you think I'd like it very much, future queen? You already know the reason I won't come but you still insist. Why?" he said to her, his emerald eyes sparked equally intense as Red's.

She recalled the night they had spent together on the shores of Crescent Moon Island and the things Archer confessed to her about. He was the runt of the litter, but to her, he was someone who was amazing and all he needs was to be acknowledged.

"Your insecurities won't heal if you continue to cower in fear." She said as she craned her neck to meet the tall faey's intent look. Big words for someone who used to be indecisive and cowardly. "Come with us, Archer Squall."

Archer measured Red from head to toe and he couldn't believe how she stood up to him despite her small stature. He thought if he stood in his full height, Red would back down and let go of the argument.

But she didn't.

Instead, Red actually put her foot down and convinced him to face his insecurities.

Ari watched by, weighing the situation if he needed to step in between the two. There was definitely something that changed between them, he inferred. The banters were now with meaning, like this time there was a purpose for the rage unlike before that came out of pure infuriation only.

"I used to be a coward, but you and Ari had pushed me to become who I am now." Red said, she hung her head down low.

"I need the both of you by my side, we are all equally important and we have strengths and weaknesses which the other can fill in." She mustered up the strength to look Archer straight in the eyes even when her face was probably red as a ripe cherry tomato by now.

"Please come with us and let's search for grandmama together."