Hushed Willows fluttering wings

 @Lumiya
mid-morning
forming thread: seelie court

 

her sister had told her the way to help claim a place as your own, you had to mark it! though this was when they were just little pixies in the faerie court, she still knew this was true. the thought and action always struck the butterfly as a funny thing, a trivial thing but she wanted to help her queen out by helping her with this task. she made sure she was alone, squatting down and marking a spot did not feel like a very dignified thing to do around others. especially around fionn or an other beautiful creature. 

she moved around the edge of the place they were calling their own, a place where faeries would rule and be able to look down at the pretty world below. as usual her mind wandered, wandering to a time when the glittering snow and ice would not be here to add sparkle to the trees and ground. to a time that she could remember as a sprite but was now in this willow forest. she saw the beauty of the flowers in the spring, the playfulness of the flicker bugs in the summer. she did all this while humming a small tune, her body swaying to her music unless she was still for her act of claiming the land.

Lumiya wasn't daydreaming about the coming of spring; she was much too preoccupied with the thought of her court of wonders rising from the ashes their former home had left them with. She saw the banished faeries as small flames, burning with determination and vigor but having no where to put it besides right here, where their new queen was starting her own fire. She was incredibly grateful for their presence and willingness to stay, though somewhere she felt she hadn't given them much of a choice.

She followed the scent of the other young girl, not trying to sneak up on her but doing it anyway — Lumi was a quiet creature with a dainty step, and the snow helped her with not being noticed all that often. She was surprised to see the other marking the borders; she'd not been told to do so, but it was a pleasant surprise. The fae smiled then, chirping lightly; Would you care if I joined you?

spring, ah, she could not wait utnil this season. it was true that she found the winter beautiful she adored how the light caught the world on fire, reminding her of orlaith's fur. she loved how the snow and ice glittered  and sparkled under any form of light but there was something about spring that made the butterfly hum a little louder. the colors, oh the colors. the vibrancy, the scents, oh how she could not wait for spring. she would be able to see the delicate wings of butterflies, feel the heat of the sun in the sky— 

oh my, she was no longer alone. the voice rang out in the silence causing the little healer to jump in surprise, even give a very soft yip, what had she said? periwinkle eyes moved to meet the dual colors of silver and violet, ah, it was lumiya. "queen lulu, of course!" she gave a gentle smile, "how is this morinin' treatin' you?"

'Queen Lulu' — now, that was new. Her cheeks flushed a bright red 'neath her patched coat. It made her think of mother, how she'd referred to the young pixie as "mut" or "that tiny thing" or "the weakling" while now she was being called a queen. The only thing that had changed about her was her confidence and attitude, so maybe mother really had been wrong about her. Being small and innocent was a good thing - wondrous, even.

Quietly - gently. She answered, eyes diverting to the corner of her sight — catching a glimpse of the light refracting off the ice droplets that clung to their ceiling made of willow branches. Are you pleased by the place I've decided for us?

as a healer she became intune with others moods, noticed the way a blush could color their cheeks much like lumiya in that moment. had the fact she called her queen been the reasoning for this reaction or was it something else entirely? maybe some day she would ask but not today, no, what caused the sparkle fairy to blush was the fact she was not marking in front of someone. no, oh my, not someone, her queen.

she nodded as she tried to get over her emplacement over the degrading act, this place was quiet and gentle. "its a dream, wonder how many colors will come in spring. will we have more than one kind of willow, maybe fairy lights in the summer?" the healer mused, referring to fireflies and the many thoughts going through her mind.

Though she'd rather not have feces or urine on her pruned coat, when it was on their border it made her the happiest queen alive. It meant they were truly making a mark on the Wilderness, actively changing the scent of an established territory that would soon house them. To loosen up the little sparkle faerie, Lumi went over to mark a tree trunk herself, casually moving in a ballet-like fashion.

Oh - I'm certain it will be beautiful in spring, but if I'm being honest — She said, I've grown rather attached to the wint'ry sights. A light chuckle then spilled from her mouth that spoke so often in melodies she may as well have been singing. Perhaps, for her court, she would try and string some words and rhymes together for a song to perform at the midsummer festival.

was this display trying to comfort her? if it was all it was doing was embarrassing her further, she was just not comfortable with this activity. she was a healer not a border patrol she just.. wanted to help while the winter had its icy grip on the herbs she needed to place in a medical den.

back to the talk about the weather, now she could do this. "it is quite sparkly, the snow glitters under any light and in the sun rise and fall, the world is bathed in fire.. like Orla" her eyes were not fixed on anything as they moved, glassed over with wonder and thought.

To try and comfort her yes, but also to help with the task at hand. Lumi rarely felt embarrassed about her duties - or anything for that matter, but could relate to Deidra in a different way. Her struggles lay with the action of relieving oneself for border patrol, hers had been with her existence in general. When she was still a part of her bloodline's clan, she'd been scolded simply for being herself - for acting in the way she thought was the right one. Lumi was no hero, no warrior - she was as broken as any other, but had been better at mending the wounds her past had left behind.

The scars still visible.

Deidra's words breathed through her, clearing her mind and making her look once more at the wonders around them. Why could some not see it? But you must be excited to start a garden or roll around on grassy hills — and the herds will return, so food will be plentiful. She said, walking along the border and coaching Deidra to follow. Despite the sparkle faerie not being one for border patrol, Lumi had to be and needed her rounds done before sundown.

start a garden.. grassy hills.. herds will return.. she only caught a few of these things as she gazed out at the ice bound willows, but wait, a garden! "I am excited to find a place to make a garden and a herbal den so I can take care of those around here." the glaze of wonder returned, it helped to distract her from what she was doing. without thinking she marked a tree near them before returning to the faerie queen's side.

"..what do you love about spring?" she asked in a dreamy tone.

The queen smiled, knowing their wounded would be in good paws when Spring came. Deidra was, in her memory, a very sweet and caring healer and herbalist - she would not pick anyone else for the job. She also couldn't wait to see what garden she could come up with.

What don't I love about it? Lumi mused in response. The smell, the colors — the warmer temperatures. She listed as she remembered spending the end of spring traveling. This would be her first spring as an official grown-up, but there was no reason to mention her young age at the moment.

those were all good points. warmer weather, plenty of food, the colors. oh the colors! now that was what she loved the most about spring, it was such a lovely thing to think about. "yes, that all sounds so nice." she mused about all of these things, in her mind's eye she saw it. the frost was turned into a valley of color, soft greens swayed as blossoms of buttercup and blush seemed to appear. now she wanted the winter to be over, she wished to smell the flowers she saw, to touch their silken petals.

Fade with your post? <3

So the two went on, trapped in a wint'ry snow globe, spending their hours dreaming of Spring. They edged the boundaries of their territory, the lands they would soon lay claim on. The lands would be used well, inhabited by peaceful spirits the willows deemed worthy of their protection, and that of the queen.

Lumi halted then with a huff. This should be adequate for today. She said. They'd been walking for quite some time now. Thank you for letting me join you. The journey's been... insightful. She chuckled. Whether she was in a good mood because of Deidra, the weather, their conversation or her dreams becoming a reality, she did not know.

fading out

 

It was nice to not be the only child trapped in the dreams of the future, musing on the what ifs and how things can be. She glided next to her young queen with ease, their conversations seemed to be about nothing in particular but soothing non the less. it was when her voice came this time, thanking her for letting her join in her company,that she snapped out of her dream-like state. "no thank you my queen, you are right. when one does not think of the act.. this was not unpleasant. your company is always welcome." She blushed at her words only to give a soft bow. Now she needed to find something more enjoyable to do, perhaps she could lay out in the warmest patch of light or maybe she could find Fionn.