VexedReflections - Vexar - Miniphae

Vexar’s living room was always a bit of a mess. Mismatched furniture, strange devices, random pipes jutting from walls, and disorderly lighting made it all the worse. At the heart of the room was a low coffee table, fitted for a giant. A large reddish sofa was on the side closest to the kitchen. Across from it was a massive brown loveseat. Between them sat a chair that matched the sofa. 

Learith let out a resigned sigh. It was only a few days after his ‘rescue’. Layers of pillows propped him up where he lay on the massive loveseat. “Novini, please. That’s not ladylike.” Atrophy still weighed heavily on Learith. She sat across from him on the sofa. He pulled his gaze away from Novi and toward the off-angled ceiling above. “Close your legs.”

“Wat?” She glanced down. “Wai?” A cherry stem had gotten stuck between her teeth, so she plucked it out.

“It’s unbecoming of a woman.” He blinked slowly and looked back at her. “Either cross your legs, or keep them closed. You shouldn’t...” Learith struggled to move his hand for a gesture. “You shouldn’t advertise your goods.”

“Ehhh?”

“A woman shouldn’t brazenly display her, well... you know.” He tilted his head more toward her direction so he could more easily focus. 

“Y’doun’ see anyway. I’ms wearin clothes.” 

“Vex clearly has not taught you manners.” Lear let out a frustrated sigh. 

“He doun’ have’m eitha.” She shrugged.

“Fair point.” The prince rolled his eyes once more. “For someone who was once a prince, he’s hardly the type.”

“Wat?!” Novi stifled a mischievous giggle. “He ain't no prince.”

Lear’s eyebrows rose as his attention wandered back to Novini. “He, was, most certainly. Though it was a very long time ago.”

Novi’s left hand scooped up a handful of berries from the bowl on the coffee table. She settled into her spot on the couch, closer to Learith, then gestured to him while she popped a tart blackberry down. “Tellme, tellme.” 

Shafts of light scattered through the glassy roof of the Atrium’s canopy. The transparent petals widened the rays into broad cones of light below. Vexar was sitting cross-legged on the grass at the center of the Atrium. Queen Miniphae’s small frame was bathed in golden light. Her right foot tapped impatiently as she pouted before Vex. His right hand rubbed at the nape of his neck. “I did come to see-!”

“You said you would come here. JUST. FOR. ME!” She stomped her foot on the last word. “But NOOOoooo! You came here to ask me for another favor!”

“I came here to tell you everything is taken care of, and to show that I was fine, and to visi-”

“AND TO GET ME TO HELP WITH ALL THAT.” She gestured wildly in the direction of Vexar’s home.

His hand stopped rubbing his head, and he rested it on his lap. “Mini, I-”

“NO! I will not! -Hmph!-” Her arms crossed, and she turned her head to the side with her nose up. “You lied!”

“Try as I might, Mini; I cannot predict the future. Alas, I set the whole day aside for you; though your court saw to waste several hours of that.” He darted a look to where the throne would be, some distance away. “So I came for many reasons, and seeing you was chief among them.”

“It’s still not just for me!” She continued to pout.

“You are right. But, I did not come here for a favor either.”

“You want me to-”

“Trade.” Vexar was gently blunt.

“Trade?” She peeked a glance at him.

“Yes. Not just any trade, either. I bring you a story about my past, and yours.”

Her foot stopped tapping.

“In exchange, you help with Learith; not Novini. I just need help healing him.” Vexar’s eyebrows rose as he disarmed his intent.

“So you will give me this story. To keep?” She faced him once more.

“No.”

Her brows scrunched, and she almost spoke up.

“The story already belongs to you. It is just as much mine as it is yours.”

“What do you mean?” She took a few steps forward.

“Do we have a deal, Miniphae?” He extended his right hand to her.

She squinted and thought for a moment before she shook his finger. “Deal.” She conjured up a blossoming cot of large white flowers and sat comfortably among them. 

“I’ve always been fond of fairies. Do you know why?” A slight smirk graced him.

“Indecent reasons.” She lowered her brows and glanced away briefly.

His eyes rolled, and he chuckled. “No, actually. You see, ever since I was a princeling, I’ve loved them. Mother told me stories of the fae that must've lived in the nearby forest long ago. Father’s castle was nestled in a valley, secluded from the rest of his kingdom. It sat atop a hill, next to a stunning waterfall that would burn amber at dusk.”

Mini raised a brow as she leaned forward to listen.

“I’d sneak off to play in the forest. It was full of creeks and brooks. I'd search all over for evidence of fae folk. Of course, there was none. Mother's stories came from books she’d collected over a very long life.” 

Mini’s shoulders slumped some as she neared a sulk.

“That’s how it remained for a long while... But one day, I spotted this gnarled tree. It was a winding, twisted tangle of branches and dark bark. It reminded me of one of Mother's stories. It hung over the mouth of a brook. I wandered over to it and found something quite intriguing. A band of runes encircled the trunk. I blinked, and the whole thing was gone. Poof!”

The fairy queen was intrigued again.

"Another time, I stumbled into a clearing I'd never seen. This opening in the forest should have been something you could see from the castle walls. It was covered in short grass. That's strange enough, but it was filled with rings of stone, or mushrooms, or flowers, and even clovers. It was exactly the clearing I imagined in Mother's story about the siblings who were tricked into a house of candy. 

Vexar held his pointer finger up. “Then came the day that I was lost more than any other. Every creek I followed took me to the same pond. A pond so small I could hardly call it a puddle. Dusk came and went; worried as I was, I'd decided to just stay by the pond and try my luck in the morning. A shaft of moonlight lit the middle of the pond.” He motioned with his hands. “It was the strangest thing. Just above the surface of the water, the light scattered as if it bounced within a diamond. It wasn't the first time I witnessed magic, but it was the first time it didn't come from within the walls of the castle. I refused to blink, for fear it would vanish like the gnarled tree. I wandered over, and as I did, it took shape. The center of the poor excuse of a pond held a crystalline lotus. And, Mini, there was something in the lotus.”

Miniphae’s eyes widened some. “You...” Her voice was quiet.

He smirked. "It held a ball of white-blue light that moved, ever so slightly, and stole my breath away. I believed I finally found one of the fae from Mother's stories, but I didn't know any story about a ball of light and a crystal lotus. I gave that little ball of light a name; I named it-"

“Pixy...” Miniphae’s voice quickened. “You-”

Vexar held up a hand to politely hush Mini, and nodded with a smirk. 

“Pixy! The fragile little ball of light... She was my first friend. I talked to her about anything that came to mind that night. I don't remember falling asleep there, but I do remember waking in my own bed. Mother's smile, how safe she made me feel. I told her everything. She was hardly surprised. I know now that she was steering me toward Pixy. She had to have known the truth. From that day on, she encouraged my little retreats into the forest. There were times that I couldn't go, of course, but I tried to go every single day. Mother would bless me, truly. She imbued me with the light of a celestial. I thought it was just to keep me safe."

Vexar rested back on one arm as he looked up through the glass-like canopy of the Atrium. "There was more to it than that. So much more. You see, Pixy was weak and weary. Each visit made her less tired, less weak. Where I once had to wait till moonlight shone, I only had to wait for dusk. In time, I didn't have to wait at all. It was the second winter solstice when she finally gained a voice of her own."

"I'd been bringing her light and stories. I never asked her for anything. How desperately I needed a friend... When she could finally speak, she gave me stories of her own. My stories felt so simple compared to hers. Hers..."

Miniphae must have stood up from her small grove of petals at some point in time. She now stood a few steps away from Vexar. He looked down from the Atrium canopy to see her radiance before him. His smile was soft as he studied her, then he continued. "My Father is a terrible person. So her stories didn't surprise me. They only reinforced my desire to not be like him. He slayed her kin, and trapped her in such a way that she was only barely alive. Father would've killed her, but leaving her as she was meant that the forest would remain as he saw fit. He's a man of efficiency and effectiveness. Things must go exactly as he wills. Ancient or not, his every action is a curse upon me... Do you know why he trapped her?"

"She was the spirit of the forest..." Her voice held a twinge of sadness.

Vexar nodded slowly. "That she was... That she was... In time, I no longer needed to be lost to find her. When second spring came around, she left the crystal to greet me. She had your shape, and she was only a little shorter than me at the time. I was a 'normal'-sized kid.” His voice gained some enthusiasm. “Her beauty left me enamored. She was hues of silvery-blue, mottled with flecks of golden light. I remember every detail of her so vividly, still. That was the very first time I got to actually play with a friend. She taught me songs. She taught me spells, basic little things, but uniquely hers. I realized far too late that she was giving me her spells... I still didn't understand how you all worked."

Miniphae spoke up, “You were a good kid... For her to do that...”

“I dunno about all that. Hardly felt like it.” Vexar shrugged and continued, “I think Mother must have been looking for her. But no fae in ‘Father’s woods’ would have made themselves known to an adult. Not after all he’d done. Mother wasn’t powerless, however. While she couldn’t stop him, she could help reverse his effects... It's such a burden...” He sighed. “To always seek to undo that man's vile actions."

"Mother was very good at it. The pure light of a celestial, however little I was given, over time was more than enough for Pixy. We spent days exploring and laughing. By the time the long summer arrived, the forest felt more alive than ever...” Vexar’s face darkened. “It was a good thing; and with all good things, it came to an end.”

Mini rested a hand on Vexar’s knee.

“One night, I awoke to the smell of ash and ...” He let out a long sigh as he recalled. “Father had the castle razed. He took my brother and left. Mother and I, and the rest of the people there, were left to burn. The men who sought to bring my Father’s castle to ruin would find it as smoldering rubble by the time they reached it. Mother had little time; her wings were- I don’t remember seeing them.” 

Vexar’s eyes searched Miniphae’s. “She did what she could, injured as she was. She made sure I got out through the hidden passage in my room. She told me to go to Pixy, and gave me one last blessing. She shut the way, and that was the last time, in all my long life... and death... That I saw her.”

Mini’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“That’s not the end, friend.” Vexar brushed his thumb along her small left cheek. “No need for tears.” 

"It didn't take long to find Pixy, and I didn't need to explain. We left. We went east and didn't stop until the mountains became gentle hills. The forest remained unbroken, but it grew thin. Pixy told me she would help find a new home, but as the soul of the forest, she would have to return. I think that was the most painful part of it all. To be safe, I would have to leave my only friend. She must've searched while I slept the nights away. One day, nearer to the middle of the long summer, she told me she found a couple that would be a perfect fit. Dahmlin and Jade were their names, a couple of fur traders that lived closer to the forest's edge, along one of the streams that eventually became a small river. Pixy gave me three more days with her before she left me at their doorstep. It was hard to be happy, but I wanted her to remember me with a smile. I'm sure she wanted the same for me... When we finally parted ways, she promised that she would see me again one day. Did you know she took my name?"

Mini shook her head.

"Yep, I named her, but I also gave her my name." Vexar shrugged. "So, she gave me a new name. To this day, I still don't remember what my first name was. Do you know the name she gave me?”

Miniphae nodded and answered quietly. “Tonnen en Vecari... The child of caring.”

“I used that name for a long while. I built a new life with Dahmlin and Jade, my new Father and mother. They loved me, and I loved them. Dahm taught me how to be a man, and Jade loved me just as fiercely as Mother did.” Vex paused as he remembered the better parts of his youth. “I suspect they knew who, or at least what, I may have been. Though they never brought it up... I grew up fast, too fast. When I was old enough, I got their blessing to venture out in the world. I wanted to find a purpose for myself. I had made some friends in my trips to town, so that's where I began my journey.” 

His attention returned skyward, to the glassy canopy. “I never made it back to that home, at least not while it still stood... Events took me away from that world, and by the time I managed to return, it was entirely different. I was no longer who I once was.” He sighed. “It took a long, long while for me to uncover where either home had been. The mountains themselves, that used to surround the forest, had crumbled to low hills. The forest was now a bog. There was one fortunate thing, however. It was so far removed from society that technology had yet to interfere with the magic altogether. The bog felt right, familiar even. There was only a smattering of cypress and oaks here and there. The murky water was covered in lilies and white lotus. “

Vex returned his focus to the fairy queen. “Mini, when I closed my eyes there, it felt like home. It felt like she was only a few feet away. This wasn't the case, but it helped. All I needed to do was close my eyes and get-”

“Proper lost.” She interjected. “Naturally.”

“Naturally.” He smiled. “I blindly wandered the bog for days. Each day brought me ever closer. I eventually found it. Her crystalline lotus was a brittle thing, missing petals, and worn. I knelt in the muddy water and told her, 'I've finally found my way home.'...”

A pang of guilt laced his words. “The faintest ball of blue and gold light sparked to life at the heart of the lotus. It cracked along the petals, and I scooped my hand under the fragile crystal. It crumbled to dust...” 

Miniphae let out a small gasp.

“...but not before I saw her light lift from it. For the briefest moment, I could see her face. It was one last time, but we finally saw each other again."

Mini gripped his jeans softly, her hand still at his knee. “She kept her promise.” 

“That she did.” He nodded with a somber smile. “I gathered the dust into a pouch. I figured I should return the dust to her people. Maybe I was just looking for a reason to stay on Viluten a little longer.”

“So you found us?” Miniphae climbed up onto his shin to be nearer to his face.

“I wasn’t fully certain I would, given the state of the world. It came down to luck.” His smile warmed as she stood atop his knee. “Mother’s magic changed Pixy in a way I’d never imagined. I wonder if she knew what she was doing for the fae. At first, I searched for fairy tales in libraries all over. I searched across their electronic networks. All the stories with fae featured one common thing. They lived in deep thickets of forest or jungles, always where there would be plenty of sunlight to share with the flora.”  

Vex sighed with feigned frustration. “So I wandered the remotest lands of Viluten, but I didn’t know I had it all backward. Civilizations tend to impinge on what is natural, and I hadn’t expected fae to be so close to cities, much less in a city.” 

She reached for his upper arm and rested her hand there. “They built it around us. Once chosen-”

He nodded. “The soul of a forest cannot wander too far from its heart.” 

She cast a downward gaze. “And to think we tried to kill you...”

“Tried, but failed.” He smiled. “I was doubly lucky that I wandered into the park at all. I was simply curious as to why it was so beautiful. Your mother was exceptional.”

He gently lifted her head up, with his finger under her chin. “You all were so different from Pixy. Fierce and angry... vengeful. I wouldn't have believed you were of the same family if not for your reliance on light. Moonlight wasn’t enough; the link to Mother’s magic.”

He chuckled as he recalled the moment. “I had to shout my name over the cacophony. That silenced y’all pretty quick. When I mentioned Pixy, your mother made herself known. Gods, she was stunning. Hair as black as night, and eyes to match... midnight skin. She absorbed so much light that she hardly seemed real, like a cutout over reality.” 

Vexar pondered for a moment. “What was it she said?” 

“Silence, children!” Miniphae tried her best motherly voice. “This is the Greatmother’s friend-” 

“Best friend!”  Vexar happily corrected.

Mini smiled up at him. “Mom was the only one of us who was ever patient.”

“I was glad for it. I remember her being so tall, just a bit taller than you are now. How I wanted to talk to her for days.” Vex searched his left coat pocket. He pulled out a glassy slab. It was rectangular and clear, with rounded edges. “But this bastard went off.”  He shook his head in disgust. “To think they originally wanted me as an Eradicator. That visit was cut far too short.”

Miniphae tried to console him. “You’ve saved us twice over by bringing us here.”

“No.” He tossed the glass aside. “My Father destroyed your true home, and sealed away your greatest matriarch. Then I...” Vexar studied her eyes. “I brought the attention of the Agency onto you. I fear the sins of my blood were yours to bear.”

She shook her head in disagreement. “It is not the mountain’s fault that a landslide crashes down.”

“Perhaps not, but I seek to stop it from hurting anyone.” His voice grew quieter.

She gave his forearm a small stroke. “Why didn't you give Mom Pixy's crystal remains?” 

“I tried on my second visit, when we planned on how to respond to the Agency. Your mother said to hold onto them until the ‘King of Fae’ calls upon me.” He shrugged. “So I’ve kept them safe and sealed. Until I understand what I must do with them.”

“What does that mean?”

“As I’ve said before, you’re not meant to be queen. There is no forest here that requires a soul.” He focused entirely on her now.

She glanced toward where her throne was, then looked back up at him. “Why not tell me this story till now?”

“Trades must be equal in value.” He smirked. “As per your Solarifae Court, are they not?” 

A smirk slid along her lips that matched his. “What other secrets do you keep?” She thought for a time. “If Learith’s healing is this valuable. I will help you.”

He scooped her up in a strong yet gentle hug. “Thank you, Miniphae.” 

The tips of her ears, the bridge of her nose, and her cheeks reddened some. “You’re welcome...”  She returned the hug as much as her small stature would allow. “You big idiot.”

“So, his time as a prince nearly matched my own.” Learith explained to Novi. She sipped at the pot of coffee she held in one hand, pinky out. “Where I became a young king, he became... An orphan; but the family he found was exactly what he needed.”

“What about rest of hims family?” There was more curiosity than concern in her voice.

“I don’t know. I mean, I could guess about his mother, but his brother and Father? No clue.” Learith’s eyes gazed up at the high ceiling. “Alas, I’m simply thankful for his kind soul. He aims to help those of us who deserve it least.”

Novi shrugged. “Why you call you prince still?” 

“Because-” Learith started, but the front door burst open. 

“Hi, honeys! I’m hoooome!” Vexar teased.

Learith could not turn back to see him; Novini squinted at the door. “So briiiiight, close it. Learith tellin’ stories.”

“Rude, Novi.” Vexar closed the door behind the flittering source of light. “I’ve brought home a guest!”

The disabled prince wanted, dearly, to turn around and see who it was. Novi realized her pot of coffee was now empty. “Hi. I refills now.” Is all she said before she got up and headed toward the kitchen, where she kept the light off and began her coffee routine.

Mini disregarded Novi’s... everything. She made a gesture that dimmed her bright glow to a soft light, then flew over to Learith and hovered in his view. “Stories?” She smiled. “Do tell!” 

Learith’s eyes were wide with wonder. “Q- Queen Miniphae?” He was somewhat ashamed that he could not properly move to bow before her. The faintest nod was all he could muster.

Vexar leaned over the back of the loveseat with a smirk on his face.

“Your illusions do not do her justice, Vex.” Learith couldn’t help but watch the hovering fairy.

Mini spun and pouted toward Vex. “Illusions!? Of me!?”“I did my best!” Vexar held his hands up defensively. “I only told him good things!” 

Learith’s laugh had gained some warmth. “Truly, he speaks of you like a boy with a crush.”

“Wassat?” Novi spoke as she waited for the coffee to brew. The kitchen had grown several shades darker. Her wrappings rattled along her skin, and some of the light returned.

“It means-” Learith started.

“I really like Miniphae!” Vexar cast a mocking glare down at Learith.

Miniphae's face was several shades of pink. “VEX. UH-HE SAYS YOU NEED HELP. Heal. Healing?” She so eloquently recovered.

Novini’s voice was quiet from the kitchen. “Dat’s what you like?”

Learith:  -_- 

Vexar:  -_-; 

Miniphae:  oДo;;;

“ANYWAYS!” Vexar clapped his hands and looked back down at Learith. “Yes, he needs healing. Severe atrophy, loss of- well, everything.” Miniphae flitted about, inspecting the prince all over as Vex explained. “You’re what? Twenty-seven?”

Learith blinked in surprise. “Uh, no. No. Heavens no.” The prince’s eyebrows were flat as he stared at Vexar in astonishment. “I’ve told you-”

“You lost count after two thousand.” He gave the prince a soft poke. “I’m just messing with-”

“Three thousand forty-two.” Miniphae glanced up at both of them. She then explained, “You stopped counting; your body did not.” 

“Me! Do me next!” Novi was next to Vexar, slightly behind him to the left.

Vexar yelped. It was a high-pitched bark that startled Miniphae and Learith. Novini had walked over with her fresh pot of coffee, unknown to Vex. He stood in a ‘defensive’ pose, one fist raised over his head and the other making a scissor shape toward her shoulder. 

...

Learith laughed. Vexar, of course, was not laughing. Neither was Miniphae. She was staring at Novini.

“You gotta stop with that shit, Novi!” Vexar scolded her.

She clearly found it amusing. “Eheheh, fraidy cat-”

“Wait...” Vexar squinted at Novi. “Are you shorter???”

“Ioknow.” 

“She does seem a bit shorter.” Learith agreed. “The wraps are a little loose too.”

“Why are you shorter, Novi?” Vexar knelt down to study her.

She shrugged and sipped from the steaming coffee pot.

He checked the wrappings; though they were a little loose, they still worked as they were supposed to. He let out a small sigh. “We’ll keep an eye on this. Mini, what’s your guess over there?”

“Huh?” Mini was in a trance-like state as she observed Novini.

“Till he can walk?” Vexar added in response.

Mini blinked a few times and snapped out of it. “Where am I-what? Huh?! OH! He should be able to walk in a few weeks. Then maybe two or three months to get back to normal.”

Learith gave Mini a puzzled expression. “You can get me back to normal?”

“Pretty much. You have no lack of spirit, so there is a lot to work with.” She beamed a smile to the prince. “Vexar came to me for a reason.” She patted Learith’s shin. “We’ll get you up and about soon enough.”

His gaunt face and ever-weary lines seemed to fade as joy washed over him.

“So slow,” Novini complained. “I can fix it right now-”

“NO!” The other three unanimously interrupted.