Week 12 Story | The Changelings in Faerie/Evelyn's Fate

Evelyn and the Seelie Court

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Evelyn rolled her oversized green eyes as she repositioned the massive basket of flowers on her hip.  For thirteen years, she had been bound to the Seelie Queen, and she was still no closer to obtaining her freedom.  The binding placed on her at just shy of five years old was set to expire in twelve days on her eighteenth birthday, but she had no clue what she would do at that point.  She couldn’t very well go back to Ireland… Time passed differently in the mortal realm and there wasn’t an Irish home in a hundred miles that would let her cross the threshold after she’d spent so long in Faerie.

She stepped into the main hallway of the Seelie Queen’s castle and a long, platinum strand blew across her face, tangling in her eyelashes.  Ignoring the offending strands, Evelyn continued toward the Hydrangea Room to deliver the flowers for afternoon tea.  She had almost reached the large, intricately carved doorway when she heard a yell from the other end of the hallway.

“Evelyn!  Hold up!” boomed the voice of her least favorite person in Faerie.  Oakland, the Lord of Wind, glided toward her in unnaturally smooth movements.  No matter how Evelyn tried, she would never be able to move with the grace of even the least powerful Sidhe.  As Oakland closed the distance between them, Evelyn was reminded again that he was not one of the less powerful Sidhe.  His power radiated from him, electrifying the air in the hallways as he moved.

Being around high power Sidhe had always been more uncomfortable for Evelyn than it had for her brother, Ewan.  Although they had been abducted at the same time, Evelyn had never embraced her role in the Seelie Court like Ewan had.  Within weeks of arriving at the castle, Ewan had become a favorite of the Seelie Queen.  She doted on him and considered him part of the royal family.  Evelyn, on the other hand, had always been treated as a servant.  The opinions of the lesser courtiers seemed to mimic those of the Seelie Queen, leaving Evelyn on the outskirts of court life, functioning as a servant.

Evelyn lowered the basket of flowers to the floor as Oakland circled her to block her path to the doorway. 

Evelyn sighed deeply, praying to any god who would listen for a bit of patience this morning. “Yes, Lord Skyfall?” she queried suspiciously. 

Oakland had always been back and forth with Evelyn.  She never knew whether he was approaching on official business or if he was approaching as Ewan’s best friend.  Today, Oakland’s eyes had a dangerous gleam, and Evelyn was quite sure she was in trouble the moment he approached. 

“Oak, Evie, not Lord Skyfall.  There’s no need for your hostility today, darling. I’ve just a simple question for you,” drawled Oakland, continuing to circle Evelyn.  She stiffened slightly, wishing he would just leave her to her deliveries.  Stopping directly in front of her, Oakland slowly and purposefully reached a hand to clear the hair from Evelyn’s eyes. 

“Just ask your question then, Oak,” sneered Evelyn.  Of all of Oakland’s moods, this was Evelyn’s least favorite.  The glint in his eye meant he was out to cause trouble. 

“So be it, Evie.  I’ve come for a specific purpose.  The Seelie Queen has made an arrangement with her advisors,” began Oakland.  “They’ve decided that you can’t remain in the Seelie Court once you are unbound.”

Evelyn’s breath hitched, and the room seemed to be growing darker around her.  If I can’t stay here, and I can’t go back to Ireland, does that mean I’ll have to fend for myself in Unseelie Territory? I won’t last the night! 

As she steadied herself on the cold, stone wall, she took a deep breath and looked Oakland in the eye.
          “Why did they send you to tell me this? Why not my brother? What’s the catch here?” asked Evelyn, scanning Oakland’s sun-kissed face for signs of deceit.  The Seelie couldn’t lie, but that didn’t mean they specifically told the truth, either.  Oakland cocked his head to the side and flashed a painfully white smile at Evelyn.  He reached down and selected a large, pink Chrysanthemum, before answering.

“The catch, Evie, is that you can stay in Seelie Territory on one condition; a high power fae must bind you in marriage,” Oakland admitted.

“You know as well as I do that no fae in his right mind would marry a changeling!” argued Evelyn.  Evelyn closer her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, angling her head toward the ceiling towering high above them. 

          “You’re quite right. No fae is his right mind would bind himself to a mortal who will live only a fraction of his immortal existence.  Luckily for you, there’s one fae who acquiesced to Ewan’s pleas to keep you here,” offered Oakland.  As Evelyn lowered her eyes to the tall Sidhe in front of her, he was twirling the chrysanthemum rapidly between his fingers. 

          “And who, exactly, might you be referring to?” enquired Evelyn, her stomach flipping.  Oakland stepped into her personal space, settling his hand behind her back and drawing her closer. He leaned in, tickling her ear with his cool breath.

          “Me,” he whispered so softly that she thought she might have misheard him.  He stepped back and bowed fluidly, extending the chrysanthemum to her.  When Evelyn ignored the gesture and moved to turn away, he caught her by the elbow.   

          “It’s you and me now, darling.  Don’t be going too far, our ceremony will take place as soon as your binding to the Queen has been lifted,” demanded Oakland.  As he released her and turned on his heel, Evelyn leaned back against the wall.

          What could I possibly have done to deserve this? I have to find a way to escape Seelie Territory before the binding.

Author’s Note:

          I began with a Celtic Fairy Tale called, “Brewery of Eggshells,” and really branched out.  The original story is a bit shorter, and actually tells the story from the mortal realm, where a mother discovers that her twins are not her children and are instead dwarfs.  Instead of re-telling or focusing on what the story gave us, I went a completely different route.  I told the story of one of the twins, Evelyn, and a short snippet of her time in the Faerie Realm in the Seelie Court.  In this story, Ewan and Evelyn really lucked out by being taken by Seelie Fae instead of Unseelie Fae.  Seelie Fae reside in the spring and summer realm of Faerie and although they are manipulative and deadly, the Seelie Fae tend to be more sympathetic to the human plight.  Unseelie Fae, however, are torturous and known to be dark and twisted.  Humans finding themselves in the Unseelie Court are much more likely to come to an early, horrendous demise.  I thought it would be cool to write about Evelyn’s time in the Seelie Court as it should be coming to a close.  She, obviously, experiences a twist though, and you see some classic Faerie manipulation.  I’d love to expand this story and see where Evelyn’s journey with Oakland takes her.  I think I’d like them to go on some wild adventures and maybe fall in love, but I could also see Oakland wanting to escape the Seelie Court as much as Evelyn wants to.  He’ll have a great back story one day and I’d love to see where it takes them. 

Bibliography:

“Brewery of Eggshells,” Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892). 

Portfolio Story Link: Evelyn the Changeling