Chapter 1.


    Awoke the next day feeling well rested, a servant brought me breakfast. It was hot spider milk cereal with a side of water, my favorite. Once I was finished with breakfast, I got dressed in my usual attire, and then I began to brush my hair. Soon Rays came in. He smiled at me and said, “My Sovereign, I have good news: we don’t have much to do today, but I figured we’d get the most tedious thing out of the way first. I was able to get you an audience with the Elder Council. I sighed, finishing up. I was glad we were able to get this done.


    First I grabbed my parasol and walked out onto the balcony and flew to the Elder’s tower. I sat at the podium and I watched as all the elders got seated, and yes, I had to wait for all 43 elders. Rays had informed me that this meeting was about the basilisk in our territory. The elders were concerned mainly because of the basilisk’s poisonous nature; they were worried that it could infect our water supply and spread disease. I was adamant about my decision; however, if possible, I would rather resolve this peacefully. Rushing into war would only cause unnecessary losses. The meeting ended with a stalemate; ultimately, nothing got resolved at all.


    The next appointment was with two members of the Farmer’s Society; apparently, they wanted my input on a dispute they had been having. I flew to the farm, and I met with Farmer Layloon and Farmer Hestro Rays, who informed me that the dispute was over a thievery claim. Farmer Layloon had noticed that his stock of raspberries had been running low while Farmer Hestro’s stock of raspberries had suddenly been expanding.


    Farmer Hestro stated that he had started growing raspberries in his own garden and that it was purely a coincidence I would ask to see Farmer Hestro’s garden, but then I remembered that a Farmer Faerie’s garden is sacred; only the Farmer’s family may enter it. The reason I can’t go there or know about it is because it’s an ancient custom; going against it would be heresy. I then moved to the next best thing.


    I asked Farmer Layloon to show me her storehouse. Farmer Layloon agreed and led the way to her storehouse, and I began to investigate it. I then noticed the smell of chipmunk droppings. This was a smell I knew all too well because I had raised a chipmunk until Mother told me to send him away. I now understand why.


    I then took another look around, and I saw a large hole in one of the walls. It was blocked by several rocks. It seemed hastily done as well when Farmer Layloon saw the hole; she was shocked.


    I then turned to Farmer Layloon and asked, “My dear, do you have children?” Farmer Layloon nodded her head and led me to her home. There I saw that Layloon had adopted two children. They were both boys, and I could sense it. These two were born from my mother. I then approached the boys and said, “Hello, little ones.” The two just waved and said hi. They were obviously too young to know who I was. I just smiled and said, “Do you kids know anything about a chipmunk?” The two slowly began to look nervous, but they shook their heads no.


    Farmer Layloon then began to dig into them; the two were forced to bring out the chipmunk pup they were hiding. The two then explained that they had found him while cleaning the storehouse, and they had been caring for him ever since.


    Layloon was furious, but she calmed down upon seeing the chipmunk pup’s cute face. I volunteered to take the pup to the ranger’s base. Layloon happily agreed, and her children had to say a heartfelt goodbye to their new friend, but I promised them that they could visit him any time they wanted.


    I then held the pup in my arms, and I carried him over to the ranger’s base. It was a rather short trip, to say the least. I met with the ranger warden, and I told him the whole story. He agreed to take in the chipmunk and raise him until he was ready to be released. With that done, came the final task for today: I had to see how meeting with the Basilisk went. I then flew over to the Cavalier base. I flew into Tantalo’s office; he had a pained look on his face. I wondered if the mission was a failure. Tantalo then spoke up and said:


    “Greetings, my Sovereign, I have dire news.” I took a deep breath and took a seat across from Tantalo. He told me that the Basilisk refused to leave for a very important reason: the Basilisk had just laid her eggs, and she was brooding them, and if that wasn’t bad enough, this Basilisk was a matriarch who had lost her entire lounge. I got incredibly worried. It would be one thing if she was brooding, but the fact that she was a matriarch had made it even worse, but at the same time this was an opportunity. I asked Tantalo to retrieve the Natuserpentrae Speaker because I wanted an audience with her. Rays opposed the entire thing, but I was firm. Tantalo also insisted that I not go, but I needed to do this.


    I compromised with Rays; he let me go as long as I wore the Serpent’s charm. It was a relic gifted to us by the Dwarves when we traveled through their domain. The Serpent’s Charm’s soul purpose is to nullify the effects of creatures with the Reptilian Genus. With that done, Tatalo pulled together his finest Cavaliers and the Naturae Speaker, and we made our way to the Basilisk Matriarch’s nest.


    As we traveled closer to her nest, the smell of decay was heavy in the air, but this wasn’t a misuse of her powers. This was her marking her territory, you see; a normal Basilisk has no control of her poisonous powers, and their poison is so bad that it makes anything unlivable. It’s so strong that if there is poison that touches the bare soil, it becomes so bad that nothing will ever grow from there again but a basilisk. Matriarch has the ability to control her poison. which is good because compared to her male counterpart, a matriarch’s poison is stronger and more deadly.


    So I know that this display is not out of pure whim; the Matriarch is simply marking her territory, but the deeper we went, the worse the smell got. This only strengthened my resolve.


    Soon we heard a loud screech. The Speaker called out and said, “That was a warning cry. She knows we are here.


    I took a deep breath and spoke up, “Matriarch Basilisk, I am Esteria, the Sovereign of the Arcus Stella Clan. We live in this forest as well, and your future lounge threatens my clan, but I have come here hoping to create an accord between our two races.


    The Matriarch Basilisk then let out another screech. This one seemed calmer somehow. The speaker then translated,Let me come to you; please wait a moment. Soon we began to hear footsteps; they got closer and closer. Soon two legs came into view; they were slender and green. I looked up and saw a raptor-like body with two green wings. The feathers on those wings are bright pink and blue with shades of dark green mixed into the design. The frilled neck is the color of purple and gold; the eyes are that of a snake. She is a matriarch basilisk in her full magnificence.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She lets out another screech, translated: “I am impressed with your courage, little Faerie." The fact that you entered my territory yourself shows great courage.


    I bowed respectfully and said, “I am glad to see you in your full radiance, your grace. Now I know that nothing I can offer can make up for the loss of your entire lounge, but I wish to make an offer.”


    The Basilisk Matriarch tilted her head inquisitively, showing she was interested. “My offer is this, your radiance: we split the forest in two parts, with you keeping your lounge on the northeastern side and you leaving the southwestern side to us. We will also make sure you have an abundant supply of food and your own personal spring that will never run dry, but in return our two races are to never cross into each other’s border. Do you agree to this arrangement?”


    The Basilisk Matriarch thought it over for only a second before nodding her head in agreement with the arrangement in play. I would then use the Serpent Charm as the catalyst for the Accord; using my magic, I would inscribe our arrangement into the Charm. Suddenly, the clouds would gather, starting to form a storm; the wind would howl, and a light would gather in the sky. Suddenly, it came down upon us, forming a wall between us and the Basilisk Matriarch; lightning would fill the sky for the rest of the day. In that time, Tantalo had escorted us back to the settlement.


    I gathered the whole settlement together and told them about the Accord I had made. The Elders were furious at me, saying I had risked the entire clan’s life and that Basilisks can’t be trusted.


    I remained adamant on this, plus I didn’t tell her about the punishment for breaking the Accord, and it was another stipulation why I couldn’t tell my clan that detail either because I want our arrangement to be of mutual faith. I then told our finest geomancer to go to the basilisk territory and create a lake burst. He looked to me and nodded. He took a team of Faery knights and left immediately. Until that link is performed, the Accord will not manifest. Luckily, geomancers can create lake bursts from several yards away.


    When I had made my announcement, everyone slowly returned to their routines. I then learned from the farmer’s society that several Faerie gardens were in the Basilisk territory, and I simply shrugged, saying they would have to start new gardens. They were furious with me, but they had no other choice. At that time, the geomancer had returned, stating that the lake was created safely within the Basilisk domain. I smiled because now we only had to worry about keeping them fed. I sent a letter to the ranger base telling them what to do. Luckily we have Piper’s to lure in animals.


    Pipers are a faction within the Ranger Base who focus on routing animals with special flutes made from Moonstone. Luckily the ranger warden would be able to keep that up with all that done. I was incredibly tired. I took a long bath to unwind, and then I began to melt in the tub. It was absolutely nice. When I got out of the bath, I dried off and began to relax. I placed my parasol on the bed, and I stepped out onto my balcony and observed the settlement, all the comings and goings. It was absolutely beautiful.


    I then realized that I was still wearing the Serpent’s Charm. It was the very symbol of our accord, meaning it was now much more important. I traveled to the treasury and locked it up safely. I then returned to my room and began to people-watch from my balcony. Once again I started to think about everything I had accomplished today. It was wonderful. I then began to wonder if my mother would be proud of me or not.


    I soon felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and saw Maia; she smiled and said, “Hello, my child, I heard about what you did today.”


    I blushed and looked to the ground. I was kind of conflicted about it. “I’m sorry, Maia, but honestly, I’m conflicted about my decision. I’ve been up here wondering what my mother would have done. Maia rubbed my back and said, “Oh, you sweet thing, I know your mother would have done the same thing. She was always the type to make peace; then again, she would have moved the entire clan if things got bad, but the fact that you choose to coexist shows great promise. I know it.


    “Thank you, Maia, but why did you come? I’m sure it wasn’t just to cheer me up. Maia chuckled and said, “My child, I came to show you something really important. Please follow me." Maia led me to the Faery Dome and led me inside. Once we were in the darkness of the Fairy Dome, I felt a strange wave of joy wash over me. It was soft and gentle. I then went into the pool of bulbs. Once in the pool, I saw that the bulbs were giving off stronger light; some were even flashing multiple colors, but one bulb was shining like a star. The closer I got to it, the more the feeling of joy began to rush over me; it felt like I was in my mother’s embrace again. The bulb then began to open, revealing a small faerie baby resting inside it. I then picked up the small newborn in my arms and began to cry tears of joy. This small child was my firstborn. born, I just couldn’t stop crying. He was beautiful. My heart felt so bright. I then felt Maia flutter up to me. She smiled and said, “Welcome to Motherhood, my Sovereign. This is your firstborn.


    The newborn then opened his eyes and looked up at me and smiled. I stopped and wiped my tears away. “Hello, little one, welcome to the world.” I then gave the child to Maia; the moment I did, the child began to cry, and it broke my heart. Maia smiled and said, “Don’t worry, my child. It’s common with newborns; they imprint on the first thing they see and get so attached, and what you''re feeling is perfectly natural; your mother felt the same way. I gave the child a kiss on the head. He smiled at me, then he settled down. I then made my way back home. I lay in bed crying because I would never get to raise any of the children I bring into the world.


    A sovereign bears no responsibility to any child she births. A Sovereign may only care for the successor to her reign; that is her burden. So basically, as long as I survive, it doesn’t matter how many children die in my name. I wonder if my mother felt this much remorse about her own obligation. Soon dinner had arrived. It was a berry and veggie stir fry with fried frog meat as a side dish. It was heavenly. I wonder if they would let me take a shot at cooking.


    I then made a call to the staff, and my tray was taken. I then went back to my vanity mirror, and I began to brush my hair and sing. It was a song my mother liked. She was a terrible singer, though her voice was like listening to a frog being castrated.


    But Mother loved this song, even though she would constantly forget the words. It was such a good memory. I then got ready for bed. I began to sleep, and I kept thinking about the child I held today. He was so sweet, so innocent, and he quickly consumed all my thoughts. This was bad because a faerie sovereign must think about the entire clan''s well-being; focusing on just one is just selfish, but I want to be with him. I want to hold him and raise him as my own. It feels as though my instincts are conflicting with my duty. I was tossing and turning all night.


    I somehow managed to get three hours of sleep by morning light. I just remained in bed with Rays. He came in. He was concerned. He reminded me that I had important tasks to do today, but I refused to leave my bed. Rays ultimately conceded and said he would add my tasks to tomorrow''s schedule.


    I ended up resting till noon. When I got up, I began to get ready for the day. I brushed my hair and got dressed, and I grabbed my parasol and flew from my balcony over to the plaza. I began to socialize with my subjects. Since yesterday, my subjects have been divided down the middle when it’s come to my choices. Some respected my decision; others were reviled by it, and it stung to have my own subjects think of me in such a way, but I really did appreciate those who were on my side. I just hope the council of Elders was just as divided because if they could overturn my decision if they got the full support of the citizens.


    Eventually I went back to the palace, and I began to rest for the remainder of the day, but I couldn’t get any sleep due to me sleeping all day. I then wandered through the palace halls. I began to think about the future of the clan and the forest where we lived. If the Basilisk Matriarch sticks to her word, we won’t have to suffer. Even though half of the forest will become unlivable, we might need to create some detoxing shrines to ward off the poison.


    A faerie architect can create more than just standard buildings; they can also create shrines. Shrines have multiple uses; it mainly depends on what crystal is used for the catalyst. For a detoxing shrine, we would need to use Howlite gems; that is something I would need to tell the Chief Architect to construct one right away, but we would also need to get Howlite gems from the Gnomes that come by to trade with us.


    They come by once every so often; they usually trade gems for food and medicine. I can only imagine how precious a Howlite Gem could be.


    I eventually found my way to the palace greenhouse. All the plants here radiate with perfect beauty and so much life energy. They are all so beautiful I smile and pick a berry, and I bite into it. I smile at the flavor. It’s so flavorful and vibrant. I soon make my way to my room, and I lay in bed, and soon sleep consumes me.