Ties of Fayte

A girl who follows her orders without retaliation, but wishes for her humanity back; wishes for her life back.

I tossed my knee-length, snowy hair over my shoulder as I turned to face Ellemoore Manor. I cocked my head, my blood red eyes taking in the scene, wondering where the inhabitants of the mansion had fled. It was much too quiet for my liking. I could hear the wind tearing through the shattered windows, still clinging to the paneling, the soaring oaks swaying dangerously. Overgrown vines crawled up the side of the house, like thousands of slithering snakes. Why am I here? I asked myself bitterly. Many times I dreamed of leaving this God forsaken world, of leaving my past, of leaving my future. It wasn’t fear that kept me from running away, it was fate. Fate was the very thing that forbade me from ever leaving this world.

            Why was I here? Not just here, in the front lawn of Ellemoore Manor, but here, doing this job that was forced upon me? Why me? Why did the organization choose me for this? Unfortunately, as much as I despised this job, I didn’t have a choice. There was no turning back to my past life, not that I remembered it. All I could recall was bright light and a deafening sound: thunder, perhaps? Or maybe it was crashing waves? Nothing more than that brief moment of recognition could I remember. Each time I tried to delve into my mind, hoping some memory of my past would resurface, I would hit a wall. A wall that I couldn’t break, couldn’t step around. I hated myself for not being strong enough to break it. I wanted to shatter that wall into a million fragments, gloating as the shards cascaded down, enabling me to search my mind thoroughly without an annoying obstacle in my path.

            A gust of wind blew my hair back, the white strands billowing in the wind. The bright August sun shone on my body like a beacon of light and I could feel the radiance emanating off of me. The glistening light danced across my hair like a sparkling diamond on display. Sunshine. I felt a strange serenity when I had the opportunity to bask in the sunlight. Perhaps it was because of a memory of my past. My past…a time that was such a short while ago, and yet, it felt like eons since I was altered and reborn into my new immortal form. My new Faerie form.

I remembered hearing voices all around me, however, nothing was comprehensible, just a loud buzzing in my ears. I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. Pain shot through my body and a wave of dizziness passed over me; I felt like I had been hit by a semi truck. I glanced around the room and noticed that all four walls were glass, as if I was being watched from all sides. I didn’t like it, I felt naked, though I was fully clothed. The room, despite the four glass walls, felt cramped and claustrophobic. My eyes then settled on a group of people, who were dressed in white lab coats. Doctors, perhaps?  The people there all had huge grins plastered on their faces. Whispers arose from the group, and I could hear snatches of what they were saying. “…Can’t believe it worked…compared to the others we brought in…will she be able to…” Questions raced through my head while I sat listening to the people whisper. Can’t believe what worked? What was I compared to the others they brought in? Will I be able to do what? What has happened to me? Then one of them broke away from the buzzing group and came up to me. His eyes traced over my body approvingly and spoke, “Welcome to your new life, Alyss.”

When I opened my eyes to this world for a second time in my life, I felt like I had been reborn. I had entered an entirely new life, leaving my old life and finding a whole new one welcoming me.

            Was it fair that I was able to live two lives? Honestly, I would have rather lived one life and died, than be born again. I could never die naturally, my humanity was gone forever and there was no turning back. I hated this life, I hated my creators. The people who spoke of destiny and fate, words I never believed in, but was now following the path of my predetermined future.

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            I leaned against a tree trunk as I waited for my next assignment to come in, thinking about what normal people would be doing on a day like today. It wasn’t a very nice day; it was chilly and drab. The wind tore at my body, rumpling my clothes and whipping my hair around in every direction. The gray sky threatened rain with each passing second, as if it were trying to make up its mind on the weather. I don’t mind rain all that much; I feel like rain is cleansing and pure. However, I much prefer the sunlight, the warm rays spreading over my body.

I felt a drop of rain fall on my face and I knew the sky had reached its decision. Rain or shine, I knew I would be forced to follow through with my assignment. The only problem was that rain made it that much harder to work in.

            Finally, I thought. I turned around and peered into the shadows of the forest behind me, searching for the person. The bush closest to me rustled, and then a masked man walked out from behind it. He did not speak as he handed me my next assignment and he stalked back into the shadows and disappeared. I glanced down at the envelope in my hands with my name on it: Alyss. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, I then opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper. It only had one line written out: The Forest of Arcanine in the Kingdom of Kurra: Ilyro Town.

            The Kingdom of Kurra wasn’t close. It was just past the Kingdom of Myst in the eastern continent of Sheye. To add to my journey, Sheye wasn’t the safest of continents. In fact, it was the most violent out of the four. Fantastic, I thought, more annoyance to add to my assignment. I’m probably going to have to fight off Chimaeras and Dragons, not to mention other smaller vicious predators. The continent of Sheye is known for its malevolent creatures that lurk deep in forests and lakes. In order to live in a place like Sheye, one must become just as vicious as the deadly creatures.

            I pulled out my map of the world. Not the one I was in, but one for the world of Fayte. Ironic for my situation, though I never found it humorous. Fayte is a world the humans have no knowledge about, though sometimes the conflicts from Fayte cross over into this one. The world of Fayte and Earth are closely connected, each drawing power and energy from the other. When something happens in one world, it can be happening in the other. Tsunamis are usually due to angered Naiads in the world of Fayte, and earthquakes are almost always the fault of Golems.

            Glancing at the map, I looked over the continents of Ente of the North, L’Cyr of the South, and Phelle of the West. My eyes went to the eastern continent of Sheye last, dreading the thought of fulfilling my assignment. Sighing, I searched the area of the Kingdom of Kurra until I found Arcanine Forest in the southernmost region, near the Black Sea. The town I was searching for was smack dab in the middle of the forest-meaning that I had no chance but to fight my way through the dense foliage to reach the town, all the while fighting off pesky creatures. Ilyro Town called us for many assignments in the past, and it seemed like they had the most trouble out of all other towns in the area, no scratch that, all other towns in the continent of Sheye.

I always ended up going to Ilyro, even when other members were ready and able, I was the one who went in their place. Was it because I was the most experienced? I doubted it; I had only just become a member of the organization six months ago, though it feels like much, much longer. Were they trying to get rid of me? Possibly, although I can’t see why they would seeing as I was one of the elite, even if I was not the strongest. Perhaps it was my duty to attend to the distress calls of Ilyro, much like an assigned place to protect. I didn’t like that thought-being assigned wasn’t how I liked to operate.

Annoyed, I set out down the road, away from the city I was near. I couldn’t become careless and have people see me as I passed into the next world. Placing my fingers on my necklace, I closed my eyes and spoke only one word, “Fayte.” A whirlwind of gust appeared behind me and the sky in front of me tore open. The tear grew larger and I stepped forward, now completely engulfed in the blackness of the world. As the world behind me closed, I felt the familiar sensation of falling and my stomach dropping. No matter how many times I switched into the next world, I would never get used to this feeling.

After a moment of free falling, my feet touched the ground and the world around me appeared once more, though it was entirely different than the one I had just left. I had landed on a cliff high above the crashing waters below. I turned and stared out across the sea as the sun rose, the rays pushing through the orange sky as the last bit of night fell away. The time in Fayte was the exact opposite of Earth; if it was night there, it was morning here. I inhaled deeply and the scent of salt and algae filled my nose. Just like sunlight, the smell of ocean water made me feel serene and content. This must be another memory from my past, a memory I can’t remember, and it kills me that I can’t. Will I ever remember?

Taking one last glance to the horizon, I pulled my map out and began searching for where I had landed. Right now I was just on the outskirts of L’Cyr, meaning I would only have to cross the Black Sea to reach Sheye. Getting to Ilyro was another matter, however. No matter which continent I landed on, I would have to wander to the middle of Sheye anyway, it was only convenient that I ended up on the border of L’Cyr and crossing the Black Sea was the only obstacle I had to cross to get to Sheye.

From where I stood, I could just barely make out the outline of the Kingdom of Myst. Normally a journey across the Black Sea would take hours, though for me, it would only take a matter of minutes. Peering over the edge of the cliff, realization set it. I had not realized how high up I actually was. As if to help mask my fear, I closed my eyes, prepared myself for what I was about to do, and jumped.

I felt the full force of the wind against me as my body plummeted further and further down. I didn’t need to open my eyes to tell that the water was growing steadily nearer; the waves crashing against the rocks grew louder and more ominous as I fell. At the very last possible moment, unbelievably large black wings sprouted out of the back of my shoulders and I pulled up, my fingers skimming the surface of the water as I flew. I rose higher and higher as I proceeded on across the sea, watching the Kingdom of Myst grow clearer and clearer. I hadn’t flown in quite a long time and it took a little more concentration than usual. My shoulders are going to be sore tomorrow, I thought to myself, wincing at the thought of the pain I’d be in. It was the only setback to my wings; if you weren’t accustomed to using them all the time, you would most likely feel sore the next day, much like working out hard after not working out for a few months.

I was now so close to the Kingdom of Myst that I could make out buildings and houses surrounding the Centre of the kingdom. Each kingdom has a Centre in the very middle of the kingdom where people can worship the statues of Lyra and Elena, the Fearies who saved Fayte from extinction many years ago.

Once I reached the border of Sheye, I immediately retracted my wings, so I wouldn’t draw attention to myself. From here on, I would travel to the Kingdom of Kurra by foot. Flying would draw too much attention to the creatures of the land and I didn’t need the extra hassle. Besides, I don’t like flying much, it only makes me stand out more than I already do; it only makes me less human.

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[Morrigan Nicole]

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