Reconciliation

Ari decided to be really cautious with Red the very next day. He didn't expect her to turn cold on them when she learned she was the only one oblivious to the existence of Faeys - more so that Granny Cane was once one of them.

It felt just like yesterday that he witnessed the banishment of the Canes as they were stripped away by the Queen herself of their magic.

It wasn't a pretty sight. The royal family with which Granny Cane's sister was betrothed to had made sure the Courts would take their side. That the Canes had abandoned their duty to the Kingdom and tolerated the insolence of their daughter.

At the period, Ari was only a apprentice in the Faey Militia directly under the Courts. Archer on the other hand had been off to train on his own, disregarding the tradition of the Elfen race of serving as warriors of the Faey Courts.

Archer was as much of a stubborn jerk back then as he was today.

He had the charms of a young abled Faey gent but possessed the smugness of human overconfidence and bravado. Wherever he got that, Ari doesn't know.

Out of the blue, a knock came from the worn-down door of Archer's apartment. Ari immediately knew who it was and braced himself.

"Bruh, you seriously just going to sit this one out?" Archer said as he chugged down a can of cold beer.

Another series of knocks came, this time it sounded angrier.

"Guess I'll save your ass this time. You owe me." He heard Archer say, "Coming!"

The door opened and there she stood in all her five-foot three-inches. For someone so small, Red when she is angry looked like she could tackle a lion with nothing in her arsenal but her bare hands.

Red invited herself inside the flat and dragged the only available chair in Archer's living area as if intending to bash anyone in the head if they blocked her way. His apartment looked pretty bare and minimalistic. He had little to no appliances at all and the wallpaper was bland.

"Can I get you anything Red?" Archer asked as he casually swung his arm around her.

Red's heart almost jumped to her mouth.

"You can get your arm off of me Archer." She said as she tried to act cool and compose herself from shock as no guy had ever been that intimate with her before.

There is just something about these brothers that makes her heart skip a beat and loose her cool. Especially the younger one.

She tried to hide her blush by passing it as anger.

"Oof... Someone's having the red tides I see." Archer said. "No pun intended future queen." he quickly added.

Red brushed off Archer's joke and proceeded to address the reason she came.

Arikyer was squatting at the floor beanbag and he quickly stood up when he saw Red coming.

"Arikyer," She called her Faey warrior. "Do you swear your service to me, your queen candidate?"

"Yes, I do." Ari replied eagerly. "It is my fate and calling to serve you." Whatever it is they need to do to reconcile with Red, he'd willingly do.

"Do you swear to always speak the truth and not hide anything that could potentially make me lose my trust on all of you?" she continued.

"Yes my queen, I do."

"This is beginning to sound a lot like a marriage proposal." The younger brother commented.

"Shut up Archer." Red said and Archer raised both his hands in surrender but nothing about the act was actually submissive. Maybe because his face gave away that he was actually enjoying the banter.

Red returned to look at Ari who stood straight like she was his commanding officer.

She clapped her hands and sat down the chair she dragged.

"Great, now both of you. Tell me in full detail how this battle royale works."

==========

"So basically, the Queen had foretold a grim future for the kingdom of Faey and she needs a successor before she dies?" Red said, happily munching on a piece of pizza Archer had brought out of his tiny fridge. He thankfully had a mini microwave so the food didn't have to be cold.

The brothers noticed her quick change of mood when food had been offered. Faeys are men still and apparently isn't much well versed in handling women. Particularly one raised as a human.

"Yes, the Faeys have always been ruled by one queen since time immemorial. We live for centuries without as much as aging, but we aren't immortal." Ari explained.

"Death is something most Faeys do not think of because time works different for us. Heck we don't even bother counting time." Archer added. "So it was a huge mess when Queen Tiana suddenly proclaimed her own death prophecy. We never thought another queen would rule us except her."

"You weren't there to witness it though." Ari pointed out.

Archer laughed and jokingly punched the elder brother saying, "You don't have to say it again bruh, you know me. I'm not bound to any family tradition because I was born not to be."

"Hey Archer, I have to ask. Aren't you supposed to tend to your flower shop?" Red asked.

The younger brother smiled at Red and leaned towards her, "You already awoke future queen. I don't need to pose as a flower boy anymore. The zephyranthes worked their magic."

"The what?"

"The flowers you were given was what he meant Red." Ari said.

"When you smelled their scent, it reminded you of what?" Archer asked. "What did you feel? I'm curious."

Red paused and thought for a while. She struggled to grasp the perfect word to describe her feelings when she got the flowers. She looked at Archer and his emerald eyes met her gaze.

She turned her sight towards the older brother. They do resemble each other so much except for their height and body built.

"I felt happy. Like I was transported back to the time I had it all."

"Like maybe a time where you will have it all." Archer suggested.

Red pondered about what he said.

Perhaps…