14 February 2024
I am not entirely happy with this. The deal Isaac agrees to at the end, in particular, seems far too unbalanced and idiotic even for this version of Isaac, especially when I don’t think that’s going to cause significant problems later. If it does, I still need to make it more believable.
The two fairies looked over his note and studied him carefully. Lena asked, “And what will you give us in return?”
Huh? Isaac blinked and cocked his head.
“You are requesting a service of us, are you not?” said Frieda. “Quite a difficult one at that. So, how will you compensate us?”
That… actually seemed quite fair. He felt at his coin pouch; he doubted the amount in there would tempt them. What else did he have of value?
One idea struck him, and with some trepidation he unbuckled his sword and set it on the table, sheathe and all. Yet the two fairies merely looked at it disdainfully.
“That's it?” Lena asked.
“He could be offering his swordsmanship as well,” Frieda posited. “How else would we know how to use it?”
Isaac flinched and shook his head. The sword he could part with, but his skill… The thought made him shudder. But what else could he offer? He took back the paper and quill to write, “What would you want of me?”
They studied him for a time. “What about three moments of your time, picked at our discretion?”
“Or perhaps… your thirst for adventure?” Lena walked up and used Isaac’s chin to turn his head to the side. “Yours is surprisingly powerful, after all.”
Cold beads of sweat trailed down Isaac’s back. His thirst for adventure? Who would he even be without that? And three moments of time… It sounded like a good deal at first, but it seemed suspiciously like owing the fairies a debt. Isaac felt grateful for all of Maleficent’s dry lectures on magic. With a shake of his head, he wrote. “I’d rather not pick those. Is there something I could do as a prince?”
Lena huffed and turned away, but Frieda continued to stare at him, unblinking. Finally, she said, “Do you have power to let the fae freely and legally enter Lowenveil?”
He did not. Especially after what had happened with Aurora, his mother would never allow that. And even if and when Isaac became king, he knew better than to just open the doors to any fae who asked. But… if it was just these two…
“The fae in general, I cannot,” he wrote. “But especially if you help return the princess, I am sure I can convince the queen to make exception for the two of you, and let you walk openly. And so the two of you, and only the two of you among the fae, would have free access to Lowenveil.”
After reading his words, Frieda leaned back and nodded to herself. Lena sneered, however. “And what of her? The Fairy-killer? We know your family has dealings with that witch. What protection can you offer us?”
Isaac blinked. “I can try to convince her to spare you, to leave you be. She is my godmother; with the help you’re offering, I should be able to prevent her from harming you.”
“And if you cannot?”
For a long time, Isaac paused. He had an idea, but was it worth the risk? Finally he put his pen to paper. “Then you can have me. Whatever I have at that point is yours.”
Both fairies’ eyes lit up at that, and wide, almost cruel smiles formed on their faces. “Agreed.”