Dancing Among The Stars

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Many years ago, the entire land was a wasteland, devoid of life of any type. Then came the Great One, the magic user who reshaped the lands, who rebuilt a magical kingdom for those who had lived in fear to come and be free. The dragons soon followed, sworn protectors of the realm, aiding the magical rulers, tying themselves tightly to the throne of the small valley kingdom, making it a true power. Then things in the world started to change, and the Great One, in all his wisdom, cast one final spell. The spell that separated the valley realm from the rest of the world, making people forget about them, as magic faded away from everywhere else, growing stronger and more concentrated over time in the small valley.

Every once in a while someone would leave, either because they felt they just truly did not fit in, mainly because they themselves had no magical abilities, or because they wished not to use them and give the magic up, or because they had been watching the outside world - usually through scrying - and either felt the call to assist or had fallen in love with someone. No one tried to stop those people who truly wished to leave, but everyone knew, if you left, there was no coming back. The magical barrier just didn't allow it. Yes, rarely an individual would make it in through the barrier, one who had an exceptional gift, one who desperately needed training, or who was lost to the rest of the world, cast aside, despite incredible potential. The realm gladly accepted anyone who came in, knowing their dragon protectors, the ones who usually brought the lost souls in, would not allow anyone who would expose or bring harm to them within the spell borders. For you see, the Great One, knowing his time on earth would eventually end, knew the dragons would be around as long as magic existed, somewhere. So he met with the dragons, seeking out their help and permission to tie the barrier protection spell into their magics. Dragons could freely pass in and out of the Valley, using the magic of the barrier to make themselves invisible to help assist the kingdom, in exchange, the kingdom would help take care of the dragons and ensure magic was always welcome, in all its forms. Dark magic users were even welcomed, although they had a special corner of the valley all their own that they tended to prefer and typically stuck to it, finding the happiness and peace of the rest of the valley a bit much for them.

Elves, dwarves, pixies, gnomes, fairies and fae, trolls, unicorns, and all manner of fantastical beasts and beings roamed the valley lands, calling it home alongside the humans and dragons. The rulers of the kingdom had long since stopped being strictly one race, as the major races of Fae, human, elves, and even the occasional dwarf, often married or raised children together, either adopting orphans, or bringing magical children of their own into the world. All of this strengthened the magic in the valley. And there were children born, outside the valley, with magic, every once in a while. Usually they had very limited potential and never really knew about any powers they might have, the only small influence the magic having on their lives was a bit of added luck at opportune times, or a bit of psychic ability that most people passed off as mere coincidence, and quite often, a bit longer than normal lifespan. Some however had a good deal more. They were often descendants of those people who left the valley, or the family of those who had lived in the valley before the great barrier was lowered, but were on the wrong side of it.

As time went on, and the world moved further and further from magic, the people with this magical potential became fewer, but stronger, when they did appear. And because of the advances in technology, it became harder for the dragons to venture out to find the young magic users. So the dragons sought the help of a council, consisting of Pixies, Sprites, Fairies, and other wee folk who could move about freely, disguised and easy for humans to ignore or miss completely, looking for those who met the criteria and who needed training. Whenever one was spotted in the outside world, the seekers would report back to the council who would determine if they were indeed a candidate for life in the valley. Before being given the final test after training, and being allowed a permanent place among the residents, the dragons would inspect and make a decision on each individual. If they failed to measure up, their magic was locked back away within them and their memory wiped of the time they spent in the valley, then they were dropped off somewhere new in the outside world, usually with a bundle of money in their pocket as though they had worked abroad for the last year, and vague memories of doing so. Those that stayed joined the community and helped the realm prosper, never returning to the outside world again. When given the choice, all of the candidates opted for the second option, life among the valley residents, living in relative peace and harmony.

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The two beings stared quietly up at the night sky, perched on the edge of the string, their tiny bodies glowing faintly in the moonlight. They knew it was a risk, coming out this far into the human world, without using a glamour to disguise their appearance, but both of them were young and daring, more bold than brainy, if you asked the elders. The female turned her head toward her companion, who glowed a faint blue-green where he sat, and directed a thought his way [Do you suppose the humans know how beautiful all this truly is? The stars, hanging like jewels in the inky darkness, the gentle flow of that wondrous music they have managed to create, and all those incredible colors and foods they make?]

Her companion looked over at her, turning away from the stars for the moment, studying her pale violet white light before he slowly answered. [Some of them seem to. I do not understand them. Only a few seem to really see the beauty of the world around them, and many of them are saddened by it. They take no joy in life, seeing only pain and despair at every turn. They seem to have lost their inner peace.]

The female sprite nodded sadly. [That's true. Many humans are sad, more than they should be for all the wonder and light they have created, despite all the dark they do as well. But every force must be balanced. Do they not understand this? That is why there are dark forces in the universe to begin with, to show the light and let it shine all the brighter. Some places shiny so brightly the darkness is mere shadows and is celebrated the way the light is in the places darkness is the norm.]

Her male companion nodded. [We know this well. Perhaps it it something humans don't know, deep inside, when they are created. It might explain some of their behaviors. We assume they are very like us, for all that they look so different, bear no wings or light, and live such short lives. It must be frightening to be so full of unknowns and fear, if that's truly the case. How do they function?]

The female sprite tilted her head down, looking at the human party-goers passing beneath her feet, and pondered the question, her brow furrowing in thought. [That's a question for the elders, if it's even true. We're assuming the way these humans think and feel. We came here tonight to observe them and watch the stars. I suggest we get back to it, before we miss something important.] With a nod of assent, her companion tipped his face back up to the stars, mesmerized by the beauty before him once more. She turned her attention back to the party, hoping to spot an interesting human or two she could watch and learn more about for a few hours.

What she found surprised her greatly, there, just below her, was a tall, pale, heavy-set woman, with long dark hair, piercing dark eyes that shone brightly and saw clearly, reflecting far more than the moonlight, appearing to stare directly up at her and her small companion. The sprite nearly flinched and flew away before she forced herself to stay still, knowing very few humans could see any type of magical being anymore and even fewer could spot a fairy when they weren't causing mischief. The woman's eyes never left the two sprites as she walked around the small gathering, collecting a small plate of food and a drink, then settling herself on the very edge of the garden wall, barely part of the festivities still. The sprite was intrigued, to say the least. Who was this woman? Could she really see the fairies? Why was she not joining the rest of the party? As the night continued and the party wore on, most of the guests moved inside. The woman never moved from her perch and people seemed to have forgotten about her, mostly. Her eyes stayed locked on the sky or the fairies, much to the sprite's dismay. Finally, after all but a few people had ventured inside, the woman stood up and walked over to the string of lights, standing directly below the two tiny beings. Then she spoke softly, in Old English. The fairies blinked in surprise, as they understood her quite clearly. [[Hello, little ones. What are you doing out tonight? Are your elders not worried about you?]]

Both sprites flushed, their glows brightening momentarily as their embarrassment flared. The male coughed and returned to normal first. [[Milady, how do you see us? So few humans can see magic, we must know.]]

The woman smiled, a small, slightly sad expression. [[Can't the two of you tell? Have your elders not trained you how to see the old blood in humans yet? Or am I really that weak?]] She sighed and looked down.

The female sprite gasped. [[You have magical ancestors? But the elders told us no humans still survived who bore signs of that and few were even alive who could see us any longer.]]

The woman looked up again, something sharper in her gaze now. [[Your elders were wrong. There aren't many of us, it's true, but a few of us have managed to be born into the bloodlines. I thought... Nevermind what I thought. The pact was made so long ago...]]

The two fairies exchanged looks, confused and bewildered by the sudden change of subject. The male spoke up first again, gentleness in his tone. [[What pact, lady?]]

The woman stared up at the two, arms crossed. [[The blood pact stating those of us with magic must be trained when we are old enough. There is no one to train me. I am calling on the pact now, requesting the fae train me. I can't continue as I am now, barely controlling my powers. You saw how things were tonight, yes?]] The two sprites exchanged confused looks again and shook their heads. The woman sighed. [[No one here has been able to see or hear me for most of the evening. Unless they brushed against me, no one knew I existed at this party, which was being thrown to celebrate MY birthday. How can that be? Even my parents forgot.]] She looked down, sorrow clear on her face, in her body language.

The female sprite was shocked. That was a glamour stronger than any even the elders could throw. She stared open-mouthed for a moment, then cleared her throat. [[Can you cast that on other people? That forgetting?]] The woman looked up, sadly, and nodded. The sprite blinked. [[What else can you do?]]

The woman shivered. [[I can create lights and control who sees them. I can cast circles that others cannot cross or escape from and barriers to protect and shield myself or others. I can summon objects, make them float or fly, and change the appearance of an object from one thing to another.]] She closed her eyes for a moment and made a small noise as she took a few steps off the ground. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing with magic, silver and gold swimming endlessly, lighting the chocolate brown irises and filling them with a multitude of magnificent stars. The fairies were shocked. They had never heard of a human learning to fly without wings. The male sprite looked at his female companion in confusion.

She bit her lip as she thought, trying to decide how to handle this confusing human best. Clearly she needed an elder's help, but could she just show up with this human in tow? Would the elders tolerate such a breach of normal tradition? And what about this pact the lady was claiming she had a blood and birthright to? Did the fae really have to train her? She was clearly exceptionally powerful, far more powerful than any magic user the young sprite had ever encountered, and she shuddered to think what could happen if this lady remained untrained for long. Magic tended to break out, away from the control of the wielder, especially if they weren't given good training, in the early part of their magical life. Either way, the elders needed to know about her, and fast. They would no doubt need to contact the elves and dwarves who lived close by for assistance too. If the lady was a strong as the sprite suspected, the fae might even need to contact the dragon realms and summon a dragon to train her, possibly to bring her back with them until she was fully educated as well, for everyone's safety. But would the lady's glamour hold that long? Would people start to wonder where she went? The sprite was terribly confused. This really needed older and wiser heads than hers. [[Wait here please. Oh, and can you please cast that glamour you used to hide on me? I need to go contact my elders, hopefully to bring them back with me.]]

The lady bit her lip and nodded, looking worried as she waved a hand. As soon as she felt the spell settle, the female sprite flew off, making it back to her home in mere moments. The village elders were less than pleased with her, but listened to her story, particular the part about the lady with the magic. They could sense the foreign spell, the power behind it, and the raw, untamed nature of the wielder. The two head elders spoke up after the sprite finished speaking. [You were right to come back and tell us about this person. She will bear watching indeed. Go and bring her back please young one. You, go and fetch the elves. And someone fetch a representative of the dwarves. They will need to be here for this as well, if she is as they have claimed.]

The female sprite nodded slowly, bowing her head. The village murmured, the appointed messengers flying off at tops speeds to return with the requested allies. Meanwhile, the sprite returned to the party and watched her companion and the lady, both watching the stars, an odd pair, but somehow the same. The sprite smiled. [[The elders request you return with us, immediately, lady. Will you come away?]]

The woman stood up and nodded. [[A moment please. I must leave a note, in case anyone does happen to remember me suddenly. I will simple state I am away at school, not an implausible excuse at my age, and add a strong memory to the note that they sent me away to that very school.]] The lady shook her head, a look of sadness, pain, and small humor on her face as she finished the note and left it on the table. [[I doubt anyone will remember to look for me for several months anyway. And this will buy me far, far longer than that. If I'm lucky, they will simply forget about me all together.]]. The lady sighed. [[Enough sadness. Let's away before the night ends and dawn starts to creep in. I would imagine the light would make it harder to travel and keep me disguised, if I'm not to do so myself? I don't know if I can make myself completely invisible for a long trip.]] The two fae nodded and cast a spell they had been taught as soon as they were allowed outside the valley for the first time, a spell of concealment, then grabbed the lady's hands and gently lifted her, their tiny size belying the great strength they were both displaying as they whisked her away to her new life.