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[notreallyking-milori]

A Time To Bake || Milatta

Though he was a winter fairy through and through, Milori had always appreciated the autumn. There was something about the changing of the seasons at the end of the bright, busy summer that soothed his soul. Perhaps it was instinct upon knowing that those winter months were to be soon upon them. 

Whatever the reason, the upcoming change of season brought a measure of peace to Milori, even if he had no desire to participate in the celebrations. As king, setting the mood for dances and socials in the hollow had been part of his duty. Everyone looked to him to be best and brightest of all of them. 

But he wasn’t king any longer. Not really. Though he tried to avoid actively moping, his heart wasn’t in the celebrations this year.

And yet, when Atta had asked him to help her whip up some harvest pies, he couldn’t deny her.  “Aye, young one,” he grumbled good-naturedly, stepping into the kitchen where she seemed to have been flitting around organizing. “What did you drag an old badger like me here when we all know you could whip up these pies in your sleep?”

@the-princess-atta​

[notreallyking-milori]

A Moment of Your Time | Royal Pair

Milori couldn’t help but sigh as he read over the note from the queen. He may be a king without a hollow or a shred of magic, but he was still the leader of his people and was responsible for making sure they didn’t cause any trouble.

For the most part, the Orkney pixies were the very model of good fairy society and had integrated into the Enchantra hollow seamlessly. Of course, there were odd blokes in every family and theirs was no exception. Apparently, Frostbrittle had struck again. The young sparrowman was a kitchen talent who’s greatest talent was cluminess and this time had been the cause of a small fire in the mess hall. Back home, he had always given it his all, but was often the source of disaster. Milori had always done his best to encourage the young one. 

Milori had been summoned to the Queen’s office to speak on the matter, and so he went, shoving aside the familiar pangs of longing and regret that always surfaced whenever she was near. Once he reached the destination and had been announced, he was immediately granted an audience. Upon entering, he offered the queen a bow. “Your majesty. You wished to speak with me?”

@the-queen-clarion​

[notreallyking-milori]

Name: Milori Sinclair

Affilation: Pirates

Occupation: Pirate

Magick Status: Fairy

Milori Sinclair was many things. A fairy without his wings. A royal without a hollow. A captain without a ship. The first two were shameful and problems of his own making but the third. The third was nothing more than betrayal of the highest order. A mutiny. 

After turning his back on his calling as a royal, he’d set out to sail the seas, earning his ship and building his crew from the ground up. After many years of adventure and treasure hunting, he heard rumor of the ultimate treasure hidden deep within a cave on an island rumored to be cursed. Milori, not believing such nonsense, set course for the island immediately.

Little did he know, his trusted first mate had been planning a mutiny and one night staged his attack, injuring Milori and leaving him for dead on a desert island. It was up to Milori to find a way back to civilization. No one knows for sure exactly how he managed to make his way back to Swynlake Port, though the rumors range from the wild to the impossible.

Tucking his desire for revenge away for the opportune moment, Milori has since joined the crew of the Queen’s Revenge and awaits the day when he’ll be able strike back at the one who took everything from him.

[notreallyking-milori]

baenxietydad​:

If You Want Friends, Offer Them Free Food || Marlori

@notreallyking-milori​

Date: The night of adult prom

Marlin, for the record, was not thrilled to have refugees in the Hollow because that meant many more fairies than who’d arrived must have perished. He was however, excited to have some new fairies around that didn’t know what an absolute disaster he and his son were. A fresh chance wasn’t very common in the Hollow.

And then he went and brought Ashlee to the Hollow, a decision he didn’t regret, but one that caused him to have to wear the crown of thorns and now all the refugees knew him as that guy.

Even if Milori, the (King? leader?) of the refugees had been kind to him that day he ran into him, he felt it was the same way Clarion was kind to him. From obligation, from duty, not because he actually liked him or cared to understand him. That was how Royal talents were, and it didn’t so much bother him as it just kind of…made him want a shot at redemption.

While that was on his mind it wasn’t what he set out to do that night when he wandered around the mostly empty Hollow. Even most of the fairies went to adult prom; he let Nemo spend the night at Tae’s, and he was alone. Both inside his Hollow home and outside of it, alone. 

It was pure chance he ran into Milori, the kind sparrowman, and mustering up every ounce of bravery he, as the kids say, shot his shot at friendship. “You stayed in too?”

Splinters, should he add ‘your majesty, or…?’

Milori had not gone to the prom. He was still far too caught up in his grief over the loss of his people and their home to even consider a night of merriment. Not only that, but he had no desire to be around humans any more than was absolutely necessary. Besides, he'd heard Clarion would be in attendance and thought his presence might make things awkward. 

He’d, of course, encouraged his Orkney pixies to go. They deserved an evening of fun and he trusted they’d be safe enough with the Enchantra pixies.

With his pixies gone, he had no duties to attend to. In happier times, he might have taken the opportunity to stretch his wings and go flying in the forest, however, seeing as his wings were mangled with no hope of recovery, he decided to go for a walk instead. 

He hadn’t gone far before he met another fairy. He recognized the sparrowman from the dining hall awhile back. The one who had suffered through the crown of thorns. Milori wasn’t one to hold a grudge. That’s what punishments were for, so the pixie at fault could pay for their misdeed and everyone could move on.

At his question, Milori offered him a sad smile and replied. “Aye. It seemed best all things considered.” He shrugged, eyeing the other curiously. “How about you? Are you not the partying type?”

[notreallyking-milori]

the-princess-atta​:

Milori had gone to Clarion’s coronation. 

Atta’s eyebrows twitched. That in itself wasn’t all that unusual. She knew that royalty-talents sometimes did visit each other’s Hollows. Their closest neighbor was a spring hollow in a forest in Scotland, and then, of course, Enchantra. But they’d come to Enchantra not the Inverness hollow. They came here because Milori knew Clarion. They came here because he knew that she would not turn him and their people away. 

Something else must have happened. Though at the same time, why hadn’t Atta ever heard…? 

Would Queen Clarion have traveled to see Atta’s own coronation at the end of the year in the depths of the winter? 

But no. No, because– she’d not asked after Milori’s apprentice. She didn’t even know that Atta existed. 

“And then?” Atta said then. “A few centuries is a long time. She wasn’t going to come to my coronation, was she? Why not? And why– if you both had a falling out, why would you come here now? Milori…” She tilted her head. “You can trust me, you know you can.” 

Milori was quiet a long moment, his lips pursing as memory after memory flashed through his mind. He knew he was acting like a sentimental fool—his time with Clarion had long since passed. That season was behind them, and yet— here they were.

His eyes flicked to his apprentice. This dear one was as much his own daughter as was possible. They were family and there shouldn’t be secrets among family. Sighing, he crossed his arms and leaned against the rail before launching into his story, his voice barely above a whisper, “We are here because—Clarion and I—” he paused, swallowing hard. “We were lovers. Once. A very long time ago—just after my own coronation. And, as you can imagine, it didn’t end well. But I know her. Well. She is good and kind and compassionate—the epitome of selfless.”

Milori knew the queen of the Enchantra Hollow would care for and protect his pixies as if they were her own when he couldn’t.

[notreallyking-milori]

the-princess-atta​:

“Then we are at an impasse and we’ll both have to be grimy forever,” Atta said and she sighed and rolled her eyes at him– but made sure to smile too. 

With Milori and with the rest of the Hollow, she had to find the strength to always smile. Even after the difficult travel, Atta tapped that place inside herself to produce another right now. It didn’t matter that they were safe. That they could rest now. If anything, it was more important now than ever to be as strong and steady as the tallest pine in the forest. Her king might no longer have his Hollow, his talent, even his wings– but he had her. 

They had each other. 

And now they had Enchantra.

That thought brought her back to the meeting with Queen Clarion. Had she been imagining the looks between her king and this Hollow’s Queen? Atta rarely trusted her gut, but she knew when she didn’t have all the information, and certainly, the way that Milori and Clarion looked at each other…

It was more than what Milori had told her and the rest when they’d began their journey here. 

“Milori…” she began again, carefully. “How exactly do you know Queen Clarion?” 

Milori allowed a small affectionate smile to curve across his lips. He shook his head in mild exasperation and amusement. It had been on the tip of his tongue to reply with a teasing statement about how fortunate for them that it was to rain soon, but then he saw her expression shift and she asked the last thing he’d been expecting. 

He was quiet a long minute, looking away and out over the hollow as his mind whirring with the flurry of fond memories that had long since tucked themselves away for safe keeping. 

Clearing his throat quietly, he turned back to Atta, his eyes pain dimmed and a little sad. Of course, he wouldn’t lie, Atta was family and deserved to have her question answered. But he wasn’t quite sure how much to tell her. Though, he realized he probably had acted like a besotted fool when they’d had their audience with the fairy queen.

“I—” he began quietly. “Well, a few centuries ago she had her coronation and I attended along with my mentor at the time, the last winter queen of Orkney Hollow.” His voice trailed off at the mention of their home, a sadness clenching around his heart. He thought to keep it simple to start with. If there was one thing he knew about his Atta, it was that if she had a question, she would ask.

[notreallyking-milori]

the-princess-atta​:

“Oh, you mean my bossiness?” Atta teased back, quirking her eyebrows up. “I knew it’d come in handy one day.” 

And she had to joke because–

Because it couldn’t be true. She’d felt the memories and knowledge of their Hollow rip itself out of her chest the same as Milori. She was riddled with holes in her heart and holes in her mind. Sometimes she’d be in the middle of a sentence and she’d lose where she was going– the words would simply drop into one of those holes. She’d grasp and turn up with nothing. 

If that was how she felt, she couldn’t imagine how Milori did, having actually had the magical connection to the fountain. As long as it had flowed, his magic shined brighter than any moon. 

The two of them were barely glimmering stars now. They were lost inside a very deep, dark night. Atta would never feel her talent stir inside her again. 

“And since I am so bossy, I’m ordering you to take a bath.” She put her cloth into his arms. “And to eat something before bed. And maybe a few other things, I haven’t decided.” 

“Perhaps,” he said quietly, his smile growing. In his experience, “bossy” individuals were simply misunderstood. Bossiness was usually a disguise for unrefined leadership potential. And this dear child had great potential, he could sense it in his very bones, even in his hollowed out husk of a state.

He, himself, had nothing. Was nothing. But Atta? She was still young and her magic hadn’t been ripped from her very marrow of being. The memories and history? Perhaps. But her magic had not yet melded with the spring. He had hope for her future. 

Besides, there was so much more to the royal talent than the magic. It was a magic of its own, unrelated to any magical trees or springs. That, however, was a lesson one had to discover for oneself.

“Unfortunately, I am afraid I must counter your order,” he said gently, standing a bit taller. “For there is nothing under the moon that will convince your king to bathe and go to bed before every last pixie under my care does the same.”

[notreallyking-milori]

The hollow of Enchantra was more beautiful than he’d remembered. A soft breeze rustled through the trees and dappled moonlight fell softly like a blanket over the forest floor below. It was a bitter sweet feeling, to have this very real, thriving hollow laid out before him while his own hollow lay in desolate ruin.

It was in ruin because he had not been enough.

Thankfully the Pixie Dust Spring had seen fit to bless him with Atta years before. Even before the fall of their home, she’d been an indispensable help to him and a beloved daughter. 

He had been lost in thought when Atta quietly entered his temporary room, startling slightly at the unexpected touch, but quickly recovering with a small smile and a glance over his shoulder. He rested his hand on hers and nodded.

“Indeed, dear one,” he said quietly. “We made it, but I would be wrong to take all of the credit. We have you to thank for much of it.” His smile grew a bit more, with pride over his protege. “Like it or not, your royal talent is really starting to shine.”

New, Old Histories || Milatta

Enchantra’s pixie dust tree was finally quiet. 

It had been a long and difficult day in a stretch of long and difficult days. But Queen Clarion and the spring fairies worked quickly to clear one of the rooms for the Orkney fairies to rest in, at least for the night. Cots and blankets were carried in, along with warm cider and freshly brewed tea. Atta worked with several of her Orkney scouts to set things up while many of her fairies went to bathe and have their wings washed after much, much too long. And despite their weariness, Atta knew that tonight would be full of restlessness again. She only hoped for a few hours, now that they were all finally safe. 

Atta insisted on being last to have her own bath. When the lights were finally out, she finally took the milkweed cloth and fluttered out.

But she didn’t head to the bathhouse yet.

Instead, she went to the separate chambers prepared for the king. She knocked before she entered, pushing the door open slowly and peeking in.

Milori was staring out at the rest of the Hollow from the window. 

“Milori?” she uttered and came in. She fluttered over to him. She put her hand on her king’s shoulder and smiled gently. “We’re here,” she said, urged to remind him of this. “We made it. You got us here safely.” 

@notreallyking-milori​

[notreallyking-milori]

Milori had, of course, heard about the incident with the human girl that had happened just before he and his refugees had arrived to the hollow. The trial had taken place while he was busy getting his people settled after their ordeal, so he had not attended the proceedings. He had heard whispers of it, however, and Clarion had explained when he’d asked. 

Personally, he 100% agreed with Clarion on this. The child would have been welcomed had the rules been followed properly. The rules were in place for everyone’s safety and to have one fairy outright flout them? Well, that did not sit well with him. 

But the crown of thorns punishment was meant to remind others to gently admonish their brothers and sisters not to bully and mock and torment them. 

Though he may no longer be king of his own hollow, some habits died hard. He drew himself up to his full height and leveled his gentle but stern gaze at the fledgling who had been doubled over in fits of giggles. The fledgling sobered up immediately upon seeing the winter fairy king watching them. 

“I do not think that is any way to treat a fellow fairy, particularly not an elder, regardless of whether bear the crown of thorns. If you have gentle words of correction and encouragement, however, by all means speak—” 

He eyed the fledgling, an eyebrow raised. The fledgling's eyes flicked to the ground and remained, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Nothing?” he prodded. “Then I believe you owe him an apology.”

The fledgling’s gaze snapped up to his own, shocked and slightly offended. Milori held the child’s stare with his own even look. Finally, the young one huffed a sigh and said, “S-sorry Mr. Bae.” And skittered off.

Milori turned to the other fairy with a sympathetic look. “The young have much to learn about respect , it seems.” He sighed. “Are you ok?”

crown of thorns {fairies}

{see here for fairy law and order for context}

{also a fairy’s guide to talking shit or having a low opinion about marlin}

So he wasn’t banished from the Hollow. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not that yesterday’s trial (May 26th) had that outcome. A part of him resented Hollow life but a bigger part of him appreciated the safety it provided him to raise his son.

It’s just that he left his Hollow in Korea to escape the shame that followed him after, well, the thing that Nemo now knew but was never supposed to. Of all the problems he’s had in this Hollow with only ever feeling welcomed or so much as tolerated by a handful of fairies - Queen Clarion, most of the Healing talents, a particularly kind water talent that used to love playing with little Nemo - he never had to feel shame.

Yet now, on his second day of his week of wearing the crown of thorns, the Hollow felt like poison. In a month he would recall this thought and realize what an over-dramatic little bastard he is, but for now, that’s what it felt like. He could deal with being the guy the fledglings like to scare because even at thirty-nine years old he was jumpy as hell. Being the least-liked fairy in the Hollow was fine because he didn’t need the Hollow to want to party or make flower crowns with him as long as they let him raise Nemo here and work for the Hollow here. The crown of thorns and the shame it was meant to bring, however, was almost too much.

He was constantly ashamed of himself, but inviting others to feel that shame toward him…was like asking him to walk on hot coals.

He should be thankful his sentence was so light– several heads of talents actually voted him innocent so even with a guilty majority, the harshest punishments could never have passed a super majority. Crown of thorns for a week and he had to join the Hollow for public meals to receive the proper extent of the crown, he was demoted from his high rank among the healing talents, and he was banned from the next moon celebration.

(The third was more of a reward, if you asked him. It meant Nemo couldn’t whine if he didn’t go and couldn’t drag him to go.)

So there he was, at the Circle, getting that evening’s dinner that the kitchen-talents made, eyes cast downward and just hoping nobody spoke to him. He almost wasn’t hungry, or that’s what he told himself. If he just hung back and didn’t go to get food, he could blend into the background and nobody would say anything and–

“AHHHH!” shouted a fledgling, purposely at him.

“Aiya!” true to his jumpy nature, he jumped a mile high and bumped into another fairy. Oh no, oh no, oh no…

[notreallyking-milori]

the-queen-clarion‌:

Though Clarion had had a feeling that what they would have to say wouldn’t be good, she hadn’t expected it to be quite as bad as this. Orkney Hollow….gone? It seemed too outlandish to be true. But she could see the evidence in the weariness of the fairies, the grief…it was impossible to miss.

“You’ve suffered a terrible loss. I’m so sorry Milori. All of you.” Could they have imagined this years ago when they were young and in love? Of course not. Clarion could never have seen something so horrible coming. She wished she could comfort him, as she once might have years before…but those days were long past and it would not be welcome.

Clarion could do something though, and that was to provide a safe place for the poor Orkney fairies who had lost their home so wrongly. “You are all welcome to the Hollow, of course.” That was not a difficult decision for her to make. She glanced over the few fairies that he had with him, trying not to frown over how few of them there actually were. It was terribly sad. “So long as each of you abide by our laws, you may stay as long as you need.”

That decision made, she knew several things would have to follow: temporary housing for the fairies until more permanent solutions could be made, food supply to be shared, a supply of dust so that they’d be able to fly properly. Things like that. “Is there anything that you need or would like before we get you settled in?”

@notreallyking-milori​ @the-princess-atta​

“I—” Milori started, his chest tight and his gaze softening just a bit, never leaving Clarion’s as his voice caught in his throat. Damn it. He was supposed to be strong, a pillar of refuge for his fairies—their king! And here he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown in front of an entirely new hollow. 

“Thank you, Cla—” He cleared his throat. “—your highness. Your generosity and hospitality are most appreciated.” He managed to tear his gaze away from the queen before him and glanced back, catching Atta’s eye as he said, his voice sounding much older than his years, “We have been traveling by foot for weeks now and are quite tired—I would be grateful for my fairies’ immediate needs to be taken care of—a solid meal and a place to rest, if its not too inconvenient, of course.”

He made to turn back towards the queen when a sharp spasm rippled up and down his spine, radiating from his wings. Milori managed not to cry out, but couldn’t completely mask the pain from his expression, brief though it was. “Young Atta,” he gestured to his apprentice, who didn’t want to be called out as such, and managed to speak calmly through the pain, “has been a great help on our journey and is most familiar with everyone. She can assist in getting everyone settled in smoothly and should be able to answer any questions that may arise in the meantime.” @the-queen-clarion​ @the-princess-atta​

An Audience With The Queen || Royal Squad

[notreallyking-milori]

the-queen-clarion‌:

the-princess-atta‌: 

The farther they’d gone from Orkney, the more the world around them bloomed.

Spring was supposed to be a time of celebration, the hard work of autumn and winter finally slowing down as the summer moons winking closer. There were still nights to fill with aurora; there were still branches to frost and coarse winter coats to brush through. But the subtle flawing had once meant renewal and rest. Now, the green world was an alien world, the humidity sticky on the back of Atta’s neck. When they stopped for sleep, huddling in badger dens or in bird nests, that humidity coated Atta’s throat and she swore, she couldn’t breathe. 

She always closed her eyes and counted, running her thumb over the lines of her own palm until she found the rhythm of her own heart again. 

When they arrived to Enchantra, that tightness in her throat returned. Atta’s gaze darted from tree to tree, her delicate wings folded yet still trembling, like she could dart into the sky at any second. The forest was freshly wet from a spring rain, so everything looked so impossibly green and tasted like soil with every breath she took. She clung to Dot’s hand, like a breeze could rip her away. 

She clung tighter when the first Scout arrived, even though this should be a sign of hope. Of relief. 

She wished she could close her eyes and find something from Orkney Hollow to help her. Royals visited each other’s Hollows all the time, she knew this in the same way she knew that summer followed spring. But she was empty inside. It was like telling herself that fairies had once walked on the moon. 

“Queen Clarion only leaves the Hollow on official business,” spoke one of the scouts. “But we can take you to her.” She glanced at her friend. “Fury, alert Queen Clarion of King Milori’s presence– here, follow us–”

As the second scout darted away, the first fluttered into the air. 

At once, Milori’s careful mask darkened, his eyes flicking away. Her King had always known how to stay composed. Wasn’t that part of their talent– a Royal, knowing everything, learned the art of revealing just enough so they could hold the weight of the rest. The Orkney fairies all glanced at each other as the silence ticked another second, and this second was the heaviest of all. Their King–ashamed of his wings. 

Atta wanted to close her eyes. Instead, she spoke for them. “We don’t have enough dust to fly,” Atta said. “And our King is injured.” 

The scout frowned and lowered back down to the ground. “I see,” said the Scout. Her eyes instantly softened. “Is this your whole Hollow then?” 

Atta nodded.

The scout nodded again. “Don’t worry,” she reassured. “I’ll go fetch a few more of my troop. We’ll make sure you get to our Hollow safely. Just wait here for a couple more flits.” 

The Scout darted back into the trees and Atta let out another breath. She reached forward and took Milori’s hand, squeezing it gently as this strange new world rustled around them, watching them just as they watched it. 

-

It didn’t take long for the scout to return with several more, and an animal-talent as well. They couldn’t yet use the dust from this Hollow without talking to the Queen, but they all boarded the backs of squirrels in order to make the rest of the journey. When they arrived, they were taken straight to the Pixie Dust Tree– tall and thick and beautifully brown, reminding Atta of rye bread. Yet the tree was alive, glowing from the inside out, and full of heartbeat. Atta breathed sharply as soon as she saw it, feeling the emptiness of her own hands, the smallness of her own body. When she looked back at her Orkney fairies, she knew they must feel the same, their eyes filled with tears. 

They walked slowly up the winding staircases of the tree, up and up, deeper and deeper. Inside the tree, Atta breathed easily. 

Finally, two heavy doors were pushed open and the Orkney fairies entered into the Queen’s corridors. 

Atta held back, letting Milori take the lead again. She stood behind her sister and tried to disappear, though her eyes watched everything. 

@the-queen-clarion​ 

It was a rarity for things to surprise Clarion. Many things were predictable: the change of the seasons, when fairies would be readying for their placements and so on. The Hollow had its routines, and it wasn’t often that something changed it. Her own routine for the day would likely have been going over plans for the summer, possibly making a visit to the tinker workshop and convening with the past royals. She had her system.

But then Fury came rushing in rambling about King Milori and other Orkney fairies. Despite the many years it had been since she had last seen him, it still made her heart beat a little faster, even if only for a moment. There had been a lot of emotion there, though Clarion was happy to say that she had pushed it back, far back and only let herself think on it on the rarest occasion. She didn’t regret the decisions she made. 

Not even now that she was face to face with Milori and his fairies in her throne room. She straightened up in her seat, taking a long moment to study Milori, the exhaustion on his face…on all of their faces really. She ignored the brief flash of a memory, an evening spent somewhere between her Hollow and his and being held in his arms, brushing it aside before it could really take root.

“Your majesty, I must say I am surprised to see you here.” Clarion spoke up finally, eyebrows furrowing as she glanced over at the girls huddling up close to each other, the group in general look as if…as if something dreadful had happened. “What can I….what can the Hollow do for you?”

@notreallyking-milori​

Milori had felt so many things over the weeks since they’d left what was left of Orkney Hollow behind. Grief over the loss of his people. Worry for the few that were left. Shame over the state of his wings and his magic. He was a hollow version of what he once was—merely a husk of a fairy, unworthy of the title of “king”. 

But in spite of the near crippling sorrow and pain, an old familiar flutter stirred in him as they followed the scouts to the throne room. It had been many years since they’d parted ways and yet—as the doors parted and he saw her perched on her throne gazing evenly back at them—it felt like barely a day had passed since they’d last shared a quiet sunrise awakening together, safe and at peace in each other’s arms.

Out of sheer necessity, he shoved those thoughts back and maintained his smooth, professional mask—he may but barely a whisper of magic left to him, but some parts of his royal talent were simply engrained into his very being. 

“My apologies for our unexpected arrival, your majesty,” he started with a respectful nod. His voice was quiet, but clear as he strived to keep the brokenness and grief from creeping into his tone. “But I am afraid that contact was very much impossible as a great tragedy has befallen our hollow.” He paused, his eyes darkened as he considered how best to explain without causing more pain to Atta and the others. None of them needed to relive those memories if at all possible.

“Suffice it to say that Orkney Hollow is no more, and we—” he glanced back, meeting Atta’s gaze and gesturing to his fairies as he continued, “are here to humbly request refuge here in your hollow.” 

@the-princess-atta​

An Audience With The Queen || Royal Squad

[notreallyking-milori]

An Audience With The Queen || Royal Squad

Gone. 

Milori was still in a bit of a daze. Less than two weeks ago, his hollow had been thriving, his fairies working diligently to finish up the spring thaw and everything that came along with it. And in the flutter of a wing, everything was just—gone. 

So many had perished under his watch that he could barely breathe from the weight of the burden. 

He and the handful of his surviving pixies from Orkney Hollow had been traveling for the better part of a week. With the destruction of the pixie dust spring, they could not fly, though Milori wouldn’t have been able to fly anyways with his broken wings. And so they walked, sometimes persuading the creatures of the land to assist them. A flock of puffins had gotten them to the mainland where they found a friendly fox that was already heading south to carry them for the better part of the day. The next day they walked until they found a new woodland friend to help them. And so the pattern went on, day in and day out until they finally reached the Forest of Enchantra. 

As if his heart wasn’t already heavy as a stone, his chest tightened at the centuries old memories he had of happier times spent in this forest, times spent with—her. Times that were long past, but not forgotten. 

This was not the time to dwell on such things, however. He had much more pressing matters to attend to. Like seeking refuge for the last of his fairies. Especially his Atta. He may be a husk of the fairy he once was, and no longer fit to be king, but he still had a responsibility to his people. He would make sure they were safe. 

He glanced over to where the young fairy whom he considered a daughter was walking, and couldn’t help but notice the tension in her expression. His gaze softened as he reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Though he didn’t necessarily agree, he understood her reservations about revealing her talent to the Queen. And he would respect her wishes. 

Before he could say a word, however, a pair of scouts approached, wary but polite as they asked what business they had in the area. Milori straightened to his full height, his mangled wings drooping uselessly behind him and said in a polite, yet authoritative voice, “We request an immediate audience with Queen Clarion. Please tell her that King Milori of the Orkney Hollow wishes to discuss a matter of great urgency.”

@the-queen-clarion @the-princess-atta

[notreallyking-milori]

Found these and love ‘em!

[notreallyking-milori]

…still obsessed.

[notreallyking-milori]

eric the model huntsman