Fae beginnings

How my life changed so quickly and yet so drastically, how did it change so quietly? It was so subtle to notice at first until it was already happening and all I knew and loved was ripped right out from under me. My once peaceful, easy going, carefree life was gone, at only 16, the home I was brought up in, gone, my parents Susan and Greg a distant memory now. All my high school friends all on their own paths thrown furiously into another, some fighting on, some barely surviving, some are thriving, but some are gone. The new job I started straight from school, the best job, I was learning how to help those who are vulnerable, that is gone, long gone. I did not even get the chance to enjoy this new beginning of my adulthood.

No one noticed the slow, silent invasion, there were no militaries or alien spaceships, they were too skilled, too ready for that. The other world, a world hidden from us for centuries, so long that history has no recollection of them, but they did not forget us. They had watched and waited, watched us destroy ourselves with the wars and greed. They waited till there was no other option for them, some would even claim they meant well, waiting until it was their last option, us, we were their last option, our humanity. The fae, a darkness was taking over their world, their fae lands poisoned, their homes and lives crumbling around them. Just like they did to us, like a darkness they took it all from us. Only they claimed prophecies were declared that humans could save them, we would help fight their darkness, but not with our tanks and guns, no, with our humanity, with our love. Because their darkness was infertility, that is all, which seems insane, but their entire world was dying, male and female fae were struggling to conceive, stillborns, miscarriages and those who survived birth too little would be female. And then there was the problem of waiting for the females fertile age, which was getting later and later, accompanied by fertility issues if they could conceive at all, and the fertile windows were ending way earlier than before fae beings had begun to be non-compatible.

And so began their plans, their invasion or saving as they called it. The entire world taken over, they had infiltrated into our society years before, to learn our ways and to slowly prepare. We never knew it was happening till it happened, one minute normality the next all those beyond their fertile ages gone, those not strong enough to procreate gone, those who would not help with the orphaned young gone. Not in violence, just stopped living, we assumed some fae magic ending them quickly and I hope painlessly. Some areas of the world are so violent and deadly, any lone man or women would be risking their lives there. Humans especially women are held in captive containment for breeding like cattle, others raped daily after being kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder, those less powerful trying to gain more power and money with procreation, many of those slaves die painfully. Many countries have respectful leaders like ours, our government handed over control eagerly knowing we would lose the fight quickly, and so our new leader, our fae king, took control smoothly and dignified, humans and fae coexist quite peacefully, there has been many births of both human/fae and human/human, fae know to survive long term they cannot wipe out human DNA and so human babies are just as encouraged. Most fae were knowledgeable in their futures and knew we would need to survive for them to remain. Our country which was once England was first to be taken, and so once more we were thrown into the olden days of sovereign reign. He took a few brides for himself, those women of higher prospect, before he introduced his cleaver scheme, a way of dividing us up between his fellow fae, not all the fae qualified straight away for a bride, but those within his court, respected. The scheme was quite basic really, a little like a lottery draw, and then as time went on the draw was not needed so much as we had begun to accept and coexist, every now and then a draw would be needed especially for certain powerful friends. But he was always kind and respectful, he ruled his new kingdom with ease, I can only assume he ran his fae lands similarly. Not that we had another choice, but we adjusted quicker than you would expect, us humans are able to do that.

This was 12 years ago, in all this time I have not been drawn into marriage, and I certainly have not fallen in love with a fae, I have been avoiding that, but I do have a few friends happily married by choice to fae. But I didn’t want that, I didn’t want commitment and that’s where I went wrong, if I had registered a marriage fae or human, I would of been removed from the draw, but it had been close to 4 years since the last draw, I guess I felt safe, I forgot, and damn I wish I hadn’t.

It was my 28th birthday last week, a quiet celebration spent drinking wine and eating tacos, my favourite, with my two closest friends Rory and Lou, both married to fae, both mothers, both sickeningly happy. But me I’ve been so focused on my surviving, my healing of the quick loss of my parents, I’ve been throwing my all into my work, at the biggest human library left, working hard to ensure our human histories and literature continue, making copies and prints, eventually our past will be forgotten if we don’t keep making new copies. But in my spare time I enjoy the nature the fae has brought with them, nature has thrived. Our world is lush with colour, explosions of fresh natural wonders, the trees a brighter green, the flowers more vibrant and scents so beautiful and the animals are more relaxed and flourishing in their pristine environment. There are less cars now, even though we still have modern life, internet etc. The fae have all kinds of wonderful magic that keeps our world healthy from the pollution and damage humans once encouraged in their jet planes and waste. Which means my garden is my heaven, which is where I spent 90% of my spare time, outside my small one bed home, I have helped to surround it with all things growing and the inside lush with greens as the outside. It is my solitude, one in which my parents also enjoy, their greenhouse, they had to work much harder than I had to, but that was a previous life. I have grown to accept and live in relative harmony with our fae invaders because it is done, it is over, they won. And within our part of the world, they treat us well enough, and I need to allow myself to live, to go forward and not dwell on the horrors of that day. I have grown allot since then, in every aspect, at 16 I was still coming into my body, I was awkward and unsure of myself. Now I am more comfortable in my larger hips and breasts, I know my hair is more untameable than most and my body softer than some. But it is me, I am far from unattractive I know that, and I know some like Rory would kill for a behind as round as mine. But my favourite features must be my eyes, deep green, like my mom’s. And my unruly hair dark black just like my dad’s. I could not be more grateful to be left with their most stunning traits, it reminds me of them every time I look in the mirror, I am blessed.

But it is today where my luck changes, May 19th, 9 days after my birthday. A previous announcement had been made that our fae kings only pure fae son was to come from their fae lands and step into the crown, so his father could in some way retire, relax. He had ruled fae and humans for almost 200 years, and now his time was ending. His announcement caused some panic, but it is said nothing will change in how we are run, I am not even convinced his sons wants the role it is not like he has even showed his face in our world once in 12 years. But this was when they decided to announce a draw, our soon to be king needs a bride and he refuses to find his own. I was not concerned as I was assuming, stupid assumption, that only those within a higher position would be entered. Well, I was wrong wasn’t I. As they announced the lucky brides name over TV that I had been sat watching,

“Sophia Rose Wescant”

Shit.