In the Beginning
Long ago, Faey and humans had lived together in complete harmony. The queen possessed immense beauty and power, and naturally humans revered her as their living goddess. She ruled and was both benevolent and wise yet was also someone nobody ever dared to cross.
Light Faeys who were fond of helping, gave 'blessings' to humans who deserved it. Sprites and nymphs flourished nature's beauty and abundance was everywhere. Of course it wasn't all perfect with some mischief from little Faeys now and then but everything had been bliss.
Until one day, a little Faey who served the Courts became green-eyed of the queen's power over all of the earthly terrain. He obsessed how the humans worshipped her and relished on the thought of ruling the whole world himself.
His dark desires turned him hateful and his youthfulness reversed, no more beautiful like the rest of the Faeys.
He was the first of his kind to turn.
It didn't take long that he became a target of discrimination within the Faey Courts. Eventually on a cold night at the glass pavilion, out of anger and frustration from all the mistreatment, he retaliated on a noble Faey whom he had a discord in front of the queen.
No Faey was allowed to kill another Faey outside of ritual battle, and because of his actions, the furious queen banished him to the world of dreams where he will drift in nothingness for eternity. For centuries he schemed of a way to overthrow the queen, convinced that she judged him unfairly.
It was not justice, he thought.
His hatred grew and his thirst for vengeance intensified.
Day and night, he schemed 'til he accidentally realized something.
In the dream world, he learnt he could travel into the unconscious of humans.
In their sleep, he whispered evil into their ears that the Faeys were not allies. That they swap newborn humans with abominables and make them slaves to the Faey.
Faeys weren't capable of lying, in fact they don't know how to lie. But he knew how to twist everything as if his tales were true, and he succeeded into corrupting the hearts of the frail humans.
Waking up, man slowly feared and lost faith in the Faeys.
The forests with which they dwelled were burned to the ground. Where once the Faey were welcomed, they weren't no more.
One fateful night, they connived to desecrate the glass pavilion where the queen resided. Their unsolicited hatred and fear fed the darkling and he became stronger by the minute. It did not take long for him to be able to influence weaker Faeys and turn them like him too. Soon the entourage of dark faeys and humans reached the queen's throne.
As the people entered the glass domed pavilion, there sat the queen in all her glory. Bone-white flesh and stark eyes partly covered by long curled lashes. She had worn a crown of white rain lilies that was dainty yet made a strong contrast to her flaming hair which flowed like the crystalline water gushing from the fountain.
She held an empty goblet stained with left-over sangria mixed with ambrosia. She sighed and then swiftly every single person in the room dropped dead. It was an immediate judgement. She had been tolerating their insolence for a while now.
And she had had enough.
They have harassed and killed harmless Faey under the pretext of fear that didn't have evidence.
The queen felt the ominous darkling's magic seeping from where he was banished and knew that it was him that coerced the humans to go against the people of Faey. She casted a spell that brought him out of the dream world and she faced him again in all his abhorrence.
He was an enmity that didn't directly pose danger to the Faey and yet he was able to influence humans to go against her. Before the darkling could attack, she locked his consciousness inside his own mind and thrown him to the depths of the glass castle's dungeon. Guarded by Cerberus and never to be released from the torment he inflicted onto both humans and Faey.
Ever since that day, the queen decided to leave the humans behind and the Faey lived in seclusion in a kingdom where time itself ran differently.
The human heart was fragile and quickly swayed by selfish desires. Her people deserved more than what they offered.
Centuries passed since the Faey left the earthy realm, newer generations of Faey became curious of how the humans have progressed. Perchance it was inherent to the Faeys that they are always fascinated with human activities. They visited the humans in disguise and blended in with the crowd.
Times have changed and the humans have long forgotten the Faey's existence.
History changed and was written by those left behind.
The queen had ruled for countless of centuries and in each passing year, she had seen the destruction humans had done towards nature. Without the Faeys, they were helpless beings who were destined for extinction in the name of their so-called progress.
On a bright and cheery day, the queen saw in her dreams a foreboding prophecy.
Blood, betrayal, lust, and death.
At once she summoned the Faey Court to assemble and announced:
"In the span of a hundred and fifty human years, a sinister entity will come and consume the Kingdom of Faey. A bloody battle will ensue and I shall die in the hands of the unclean." She said.
The Faey Courts and all that heard her hadn't expected her prophecy. Since time immemorial there was no one powerful enough to challenge the Faey Queen. Disbelief echoed in deafening silent gasps. The queen continued...
"Thus a new queen shall rise through ritual battle from the ashes of the fallen. Seven trials to conquer, the victor crowned shall be my successor." She peered through her long-curled lashes and thought:
And no one will know who will be the chosen candidates but me alone.
A need for a worthy heir was adamant; she knew her days were counted. But she couldn't fully trust the Faey Court.
For the unclean will come from within.