Once sated, the Ranked Duke Volar-fey flew towards me, stopping within arm"s reach he began to hover, his focus and perception scanning me as he sought to understand the gift of Blood I had just shared.He was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with life"s energies, energies from the Blood and honey so heady that he was finding it hard to concentrate, let alone hover. The energies empowering him, infusing him with a headiness that resulted in a languid almost drunken euphoria. Bowing elegantly, pleased and drunk on the power of my tribute, he thanked me. The movement was graceful despite his obvious inebriation and occurring in mid-air. His movements even in his Demi form as courteous as it would have been by any Seelie n.o.bel with feet planted firmly on the ground.
"It has been long since the old customs have been observed," he said. "The Volar-fey have been forgotten and ignored, cast out and replaced by Wisps and Aziza by most Sidhe. We thank you for your kindness and extend guest rights to you.
"I am Ranked Duke Hawthorne. I had thought myself the last ruler of the Volar-fey. But in this place we have been called. Gathered by Danu.
"While it may be true that we are not the last of our kind, it is not far from the truth. Those that did not answer the summons when this Sithern was formed have chosen instead to fade. Unable to trust that our future is anything more than extinction. So, we are all that remain of the Volar-fey that have embraced this new start.
"We are pleased with your gift of blood, honey, and milk. It will go far to replenish our fading powers and give us the energies we need to birth a new generation of Volar-fey. The first newly born since Mab contended for and won the Seelie throne.
"The Sithern is pleased with your gift, it can be as curious as a child, so forgive any unseemly responses as it attempts to adapt to your desires. You are not the Sithern"s creator, but you have been claimed as a friend, in return for your gift."
The tendrils of distrust and uncertainty, that feeling like someone is watching you just out of sight, stopped abruptly as a bond of trust and friendship snapped into existence between the Sithern and myself. The mental and magical a.s.sault, the testing of my defenses and attempts to breach my aura and subsume my mental processes with the glamour the Sithern was projecting ceased and a welcoming warmth and acceptance replaced the feelings that I had been experiencing. The certainty that something was off, that danger existed all around.
"Thankfully and unfortunately, the energies that you have gifted will force my metamorphosis, an imperative of Volar-fey that cannot be ignored. It will allow me to Rank and Level, to become King of these few that remain.
"As King, I will be empowered to return life to the Volar-fey. Life begins at the top, and as I a.s.sume the throne of my people, they too will be changed, the spark of life once more blossoming.
"Even now, I fight the demands of that metamorphosis. I will need to enter Sleep for a time as I transition. I apologize but needs must. As such, I will leave you in the care of my wife Lady-Knight Petal," Duke Hawthorne explained flying after another graceful bow.
"Lady Knight," I said, uncertain on who to address of the Volar-fey gathered since she had not introduced herself yet, "I am Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax, Ranked Prince. Are you one of d.u.c.h.ess Wynne"s outliers?"
=[That was a mistake,]= Caraid said, =[The lower Ranked are required by precedent and protocol to introduce themselves first before they are gifted with the name and House of those higher Ranked.]=
=[And even if it was a happy coincidence, you have gifted the Volar-fey greatly this day. You have given back their fertility. They will never be able to repay that gift so will be almost desperate to pay homage and honor when possible.]=
=[It won"t be a problem here, but you have to start paying attention to Protocol, no matter how silly you think the conventions. The mistake is small, and she will definitely overlook it, especially in her current euphoria, but remember she is Sidhe, no matter her size, and Sidhe can be easily insulted, finding fault where none was meant, and protocol and honor have been used to claim slights and insults are enough to warrant a duel.]=
It was little mistakes like this that cropped up, the unforeseen, that reminded me that I had a long way to go before I was fully Sidhe. Embracing the culture and values of these peoples may take me a century, it was no wonder that they considered their young still children until after their fifth decade.
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[The Danu"s Blessing that you have been gifted with will have increased their trust, and they will find themselves willing to help and obey you, even though they won"t realize that Danu has warped the weft and weave of your aura to make it more attractive to the fey. So, this slight would have been ignored even without the gift of blood and honey. Just remember in future and wait for those Ranked lower to approach and introduce themselves before deciding to reply with your name and House.]
"Your Highness, I am Knight Petal, Clan Hawthorne," she said kneeling in midair. "The d.u.c.h.ess has offered us sanctuary and allowed us respite when we found ourselves drawn by Danu to this world in the same event that created this Sithern.
"We are neither Va.s.sals nor subjects, instead we are much like you, strangers in a strange land. Land of iron and magic that is both hospitable and inhospitable to the Demi-fey. We are safe inside this Sithern, but for those that would venture out. The very air is polluted with the poisons of iron and a miasma of poison and pollutants that cause those Demi-natured to wither even if protective measures are taken."