Gaia's Champion Ch. 14

"Why?" Jason rumbled.

"Because she's gone through a lot more than you think she has. She's stubborn, and she has her reasons for doing what she did. If you two will cool off, you'll understand why," Emalia growled. Never having seen this fairy angry, Jason decided to not push his luck and sat down. Sheena also took the high road and sat down next to Jason.

"Phalmina had some... difficult encounters when we were young. She used to be a lot more open-minded about many things. Full of laughter and a love of life, she was a very different fairy back then. But that was before what had happened to her, with her first love; a human man named Heiden. He was a servant of Gaia and had been friends with Mina when they were children," Emalia started.

"The attraction they had was mutual and everyone around them could see that they were in love. It grew ever more with each passing day and as they grew, it became more and more prevalent. They were young, happy, and everyone had already expected when they would marry. Even some had taken wagers on what their children would look like. That was before Edith," the fairy woman growled.

"Edith?" Jason wondered.

"A human woman who also loved Heiden but wasn't a Gaian. She was a devout Christian who made it her mission to take Heiden away from Mina. She started filling Heiden's head with all kinds of nonsense about Gaia. How she was a representative of Satan, the Whore of Babylon, a pretender goddess. Heiden didn't believe her and shuffled off everything she said as lies. At first," Emalia went on.

"She didn't give up though, did she?" Sheena asked, feeling like she already knew the answer.

"No, she did not. That woman's singular determination to have Heiden was astonishing, and I almost admired her for it. Over time, Edith had slowly convinced Heiden of how Gaia was evil and how the path of Christianity was good. Heiden eventually started spouting these things off to Phalmina and other Gaians who served at the grove."

"Many people thought he was crazy, or insane, or Gaia knows what else. Many of the elders wanted him expelled from the grove, but Phalmina begged for them not to. She asked to try to find a way to bring Heiden back to Gaia, and they allowed it. Mina thought the only way she would bring Heiden back, was to confront Edith directly," Emalia went on, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Mina went to see her, begging Edith to let him go, but she would not. She told Phalmina that she had worked hard to bring Heiden to the 'righteous path'. Edith told her she'd be damned, before she let her take Heiden back. The two then started arguing, and Mina accused Edith of using another form of magic to turn him. Heiden walked in, just as Phalmina was using her magic to sense if Edith was using magic."

"Heiden, of course, did not understand what was going on, nor did he have the time to think for himself. Edith immediately accused Mina of using her magic to harm her, which Heiden believed, and he attacked Phalmina. Mina got away, but not before she saw the look in Heiden's eyes; pure hatred. Phalmina knew then, that Heiden was lost to her, that he no longer believed or loved her."

"With that, she rushed off to the glade and wept, telling the elders to expel Heiden from the grove. That he was no longer worthy of bearing Gaia's gift and that it needed to be taken from him. The timing on that couldn't have been better either, as a mob had been roused to go after Phalmina. Both Edith and Heiden had roused the mob to go after Mina and anyone else who was a Gaian," Emalia groused.

"That hateful little bitch!" Sheena seethed. "I meant Edith, not Mina."

"I know," Emalia told her with a smile before continuing. "The elders and Druids of the Grove then came together, invoking the ritual that would strip Heiden of his gifts. They completed the ritual before Heiden, Edith and the mob reached the entrance to the grove. When Heiden found he could no longer enter the grove, he was furious and sought to burn down the surrounding forest."

"What Heiden didn't know was that you could burn down the forest surrounding the grove, but the grove would stay intact. Gaia's magic protects such places, and no matter how much of it was burned down, the grove would remain hidden and untouched. It was a few years after that incident, that the war began," Emalia stated darkly.

"War? What war?" Sheena asked.

"Wait, neither of you know about the Great War? The one that was fought between the Fairies and the Pixies?" Emalia questioned; shock painted across her face.

"A war between the Fairies and the Pixies? I remember something about that. An obscure reference that I vaguely recollect, from English class in Senior year," Jason replied hesitantly.

"Ugh! Count on the damn stupid humans to fuck up the histories of the other races," Emalia growled. "Uh, no offense," when she remembered the audience she had.

"None taken. Humanity has done a lot of stupid shit in its time here on Earth, so don't worry about it," Sheena assuaged her.

"When the war started, I only remember being told to be ready to fight, as the Pixies were coming for us. I remember asking how the war had started, because we were always on decent terms with our cousins. No one could tell me for certain, but the fact was that we were called to fight. It was a long and bloody conflict we had with the Pixies. Things were even for a while there and there was even talk of a truce, but that was before the... Xkarites," Emalia said with a shiver.

"Xkarites?"

"Bugs, monstrous bugs, made in such a way that it looks like something from your worst nightmares," Emalia shuddered.

"What made them so fearsome?" Jason asked.

"They were... resistant to our magic, almost to the point of immunity. They were mindless beasts, caring about only one thing, feeding. They... would... feed on..." Emalia cried, her voice breaking.

"Hey, it's ok! You don't have to tell us anymore if you're not up to it," Sheena stated.

"It's not that I... have to... tell you. I... need to tell you," Emalia sniffled before continuing. "They would eat Fairies, whole. Alive or dead, it did not matter. These... monstrosities... devoured my people, nearly driving us to... extinction."

"What?!? Didn't Gaia do something about this?" Jason cried out, horrified that such a thing would happen.

"She did, but only after it was clear that the Xkarites could not be stopped. She then took physical form through our queen, Amaltheia. The pure rage that Gaia displayed that day, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the Pixies. Her fury knew no bounds, and she destroyed every Xkarite that she could find. The Pixie army was also decimated, with only enough Pixies being left alive to propagate their race," Emalia went on, her voice taking a vengeful edge.

"Gaia also declared, in a vocal edict, that the Fairies were now a race under her direct protection. That any other race, Pixie or otherwise, were to harm a fairy deliberately, then there would be consequences," Emalia stated.

"What consequences?" Jason wondered.

"A few pixies killed a couple of fairies that were at their mercy during this. But almost immediately, they became old, their life force withering away in seconds. Not even a moment later, they fell to the ground, little more than piles of dust. Since that day, no one had dared to raise their hands against the fairies, but the damage had already been done," Emalia said, her tone heavy with bitterness.

"What damage? What happened?" Sheena asked, curious about what had befallen the fairies.

"During the war, the Pixie campaign to destroy us had been so thorough, that by the time Gaia stepped in, every fairy man, was killed. When Gaia made her edict known, there were fewer than one thousand fairy women left alive in the world. Because of this, Gaia gave us the gift of long life and the knowledge that our race would flourish once again," Emalia continued.

"Wait, hold on. If Gaia took on physical form, couldn't she have resurrected the Fairy men?" Sheena queried.

"She could have, but they would have been pale shadows, imitations of what they had been in life. When the Xkarites devoured the fairies, they didn't just devour their bodies. They devoured their souls as well, so bringing them back was next to impossible, even for a goddess," Emalia huffed, tearing up at this.

"Fighting the Pixies and destroying the Xkarites, it took a toll on Gaia, and on our queen. Afterwards, Gaia, who had been speaking to her creatures and followers since the dawn of time, was silent. Queen Amaltheia went into a slumber that no one has been able to wake her from. Our once great city, which was teeming with life and magic, became little more than a shadow, of what it once was, and was eventually abandoned," Emalia told them.

"Since that day, when the war ended, the Fairy race has been dying. Many fairies who survived, were changed from that day on. Many had become bitter and angry with humankind, who were forsaking Gaia and all of her teachings. All in favor of a God who had no genuine power and gave his followers nothing," Emalia grumbled.

"That's why Phalmina didn't tell me? Because she was afraid?" Jason asked.

"Yes. In many ways, you reminded her of Heiden, and she has desperately wanted children of her own. Not just to help our race survive, but aside from me, her best friend, she has no one left in this world now. You showing up when you did, it gave her hope. Hope that she could one day, be happy like she was. Before Heiden, the war, all of that. Back to a time when she hadn't a care in the world," Emalia finished.

"Why didn't she say something about this?" Sheena wondered.

"Did you give her a chance to explain herself? Did either of us?" Jason asked, turning to face Sheena.

"No... I guess we didn't," Sheena replied shamefacedly.

"You two had every right to blow up at her like you did. But I think the three of you need to sit down and talk this out. Figure out where you're going to go from here," Emalia stated.

"For that to happen, we need to find Mina first," Jason said with a huff.

"I have an idea of where she might be. There's a blackberry patch not far from here. Mina always loved berries and I'll be willing to bet you that's where she's gone," the fairy woman told them.

"Stress eating? I guess that's a thing that crosses species," Sheena giggled.

"I would say that it does! I would take you there, but I don't know where exactly this patch would be," Emalia told the lovers.

"That's something I got covered," Sheena stated.

She then called out to North Moon, who was busy gamboling around with Xaera. The pack Alpha came up to them and Sheena told her where she wanted to go. North Moon understood and gathered the pack up with her. Once they were told of the place, the pack knew where exactly where they were going.

"So, you know the patch we're talking about?" Jason wondered.

'Yes, we know it. We sometimes take the cubs there for a treat, if they've been good,' North Moon thought at them.

"Like a mom treating her kids to ice cream," Sheena laughed as they walked down the tunnel and past the Guardians.

'What is this... 'ice cream'?' North Moon wondered as they came out of the crevasse and to the forest floor. They ran at a good pace, with North Moon leading the way, as Jason fed them images and feelings of what ice cream was. The pack was then wagging their tails furiously at these sensations and wished to taste it for themselves.

"Maybe once we find a place where you and your pack wouldn't be seen, we'll try something then," Sheena promised. She caught the wave of happiness they imparted and smiled.

"I think we're getting close. Can you smell that?" Jason called out as the pack kept leading them deeper into the forest.

"Just barely, but yeah. Love the smell of fresh blackberries!" Sheena gushed.

She then bid the wolf pack to step back and take more of a guard stance around them. North Moon understood that this matter was personal and ordered the pack to fall back. Jason and Sheena continued on to the berry patch, keeping an ear out for Phalmina. They didn't have to look very far, as they could hear her crying, which was occasionally muffled by something in her mouth.

They arrived at the patch, which was considerable out here in the wild. It was as though someone had cultivated it to be here; it was so large. A small brook babbled nearby, its sound soothing and adding to the serenity of this place. Jason and Sheena picked their way through the bushes, being careful to not get hit by any thorns. They could hear Phalmina's cries get louder and clearer, and Jason called out to her.

"Mina?"

"Come here to yell at me some more??" she moaned.

"No, we just want to talk," Sheena told her.

"Just talk?" came the hopeful reply.

"Yeah. Ema told us about what happened. About Heiden, the war, everything. We know you had your reasons and we shouldn't have snapped at you like we did. I'm sorry," Sheena apologized.

"So am I. I'm sorry that I lost my shit on you like that. I should have been asking questions, not making accusations," Jason stated, making his position known to her.

Phalmina's cries dwindled to sniffles, and they saw a mote of light dance out from a very thick and heavily laden bush. A flash of green energy and the fairy was standing before them, holding a piece of blackberry in her hands. Her mouth and cheeks were dripping with blackberry juice, which left Jason and Sheena snickering.

"What? I eat when I'm upset, OK?" Phalmina said around a mouthful of blackberry.

"It's not that! It's, oh just let me fix that," Jason laughed as he used his Gaian magic and called water into his hand. Using the trick he learned from the fairy, Jason kept the water in a single blob, while using it to scrub Phalmina's face clean. Once her face was devoid of any blackberry juice, Jason sent the water back to the brook which carried the berry flavored water away.

"You gotta teach me how to do that!" Sheena enthused.

"Oh, I will! Don't you worry!" Jason chuckled, before turning back to Phalmina. They looked about ready to speak, when Phalmina held up her hand for their silence.

"Before either of you say anything, I just want to say that I'm sorry too. I'm sorry, Jason, for not telling you that you had made me pregnant. I'm sorry for lying to you, for not telling you the truth about things. I'm sorry for everything!" the fairy woman sobbed.

"Hey, it's OK. We understand why you did what you did. And we forgive you for it," Sheena said, soothing the fairy as she held her.

"You... you forgive me??" Phalmina asked, her voice quivering in hope.

"Of course, we do! That doesn't mean that we're not mad, just so you know," Sheena told the fairy woman. "I'm still pretty pissed you felt you couldn't be honest with Jason about your reasons in the first place. I understand why you didn't tell him, but you forgot to remember one very important thing."

"Which is?" Phalmina asked tentatively.

"Jason isn't Heiden. He may have many of the same characteristics, but they are not the same man," Sheena told her.

"She's right, you know. Each one of us is unique in their own way. We all have different ways of reacting to things and requests. The one thing that humans universally dislike, is being lied to. If we can get past that, then we should be OK moving forward," Jason stated.

"I'm sorry, Jason. I should have been honest about why I wanted you around more. It's just... it's not every day you meet someone who has the potential to save the fairy race. I just... wanted..." she sniffled.

"It's OK. We know that you have no one left. Trust me, it's hard, moving forward through this world, when it's just you," Sheena told Phalmina.

The fairy woman looked at the Shaman for a moment, before wrapping her in a tight hug. Sheena made a comical face, like she was having the air squeezed out of her, before hugging her back. They stayed like this for a bit, just enjoying the feel of one another there. They then came apart and Phalmina smiled, her tears having dried now that they forgave her of what she had done.

"So, what does this mean for us... going forward? What... what are we?" Phalmina questioned.

"Well... that's a damn good question. I think the term would be classified as a... triad?" Jason asked.

"Is that a thing now?" Sheena asked.

"I have heard bits here and there on the news about it. Many people have been trying to make it a thing. It's not just two girls sharing a guy either. I've heard of some cases of it being two guys sharing a girl," Jason replied with a shrug.

"Would you... share him... with me?" Phalmina asked Sheena, her voice quivering. Sheena rolled this idea around in her head for a few minutes before answering.

"I can, but a few things we have to agree upon. The most important of which is this; no more secrets and no more lies. Nothing but honest truth, between all three of us," Sheena stated. Phalmina nodded vigorously, agreeing with it wholeheartedly.

"You know that goes both ways, right Sheena?" Jason told her.

"Yes, I know. Shush you! You'll get your stories about what I've been up to, just as I expect stories from you!" she told him.

Jason just smiled and leaned down, gathering her up in one arm, before planting a kiss on her cheek. He then gathered up Phalmina in the other arm and kissed her on the cheek as well. The fairy woman blushed and smiled, before blinking a few times and looking at the two new people in her life.

"Since there will be no secrets and no lies, there is a secret I need to tell you two. Something I have been keeping to myself for some time," Phalmina stated.

"Which is what?" Jason asked, almost dreading the answer.

"Who I really am. Phalmina is my first name, but not my whole name. My full, true name is Phalmina Tn'althion, First Song of the Morning, the only daughter to Amaltheia Tn'althion, Queen of the Fairies."

******************************

And that's a wrap for chapter 14! Lots of changes and revelations, as I promised! Also, teases of adventures to come and enemies to fight! That and much more will show up in the chapters ahead! I hope that everyone is ready to see more of the world I have revealed and that you all enjoy the ride!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!