And I answered....
One foot step at a time . .
With that step.. Lo and behold a world unlike that of which I have ever seen...
It was strange… the colors were all wrong, odd, misplaced, yet impossibly vivid.
Vegetation that should've been green now shimmered in a deep colored violet. Some leaves gloewd in a ghostly lilac. Various trees around me displayed proud bark in a multitude of colors, twisting in unfamiliar hues, bending into peculiar shapes.
The colors though these twisting trees, crimson, cobalt, orange, silver, like something painted by a mad artist.
Another odd detail was unless I had already gone mad the outside world had been approaching sunset, this place however was already cloaked in night.
But even the night was different here.
The sky above was a deep, velvety purple, not the familiar shade of a dark almost blackened navy blue, and while people often describe stars as gold, in reality they are more like a silver hue. But here the stars were literally a golden bright yellow.
I finally had to say it. I whispered in awe, "The villagers were right after all. These woods really have been touched by the Fae."
But had it really been touched, or was this simply the way it always was . . just hidden?
I took another step further. Deeper into this sanctuary of immigration and wonder . .
Colorful fire flies scuttered past my face . . yet upon closer inspection their heads looked almost human . . and no . . these were not fire flies, these must of been pixies of sorts . . they had legs, arms..
One of them landed gently on the open lip of a strange, flower-like plant, its petals a wide and seductive garlic shade. Almost like a red carpet laid out for the guest of the hour.
The pixie pointed toward its companion, as if beckoning it closer.
Inviting it to dance.
The second hesitated, shaking it's head.
So the first began to twirl, delicate, joyful, like it was proving there was no danger.
And then . .
SNAP!
The petals slammed shut like a jaw, swallowing the dancer whole. Purple blood dripping from it's mouth . . I grimaced. It's friend immediately fleeing.
The forest reminding me . . that this was indeed a piece of the fae realm and should be approached with upmost caution.
And that was when I remembered the warning of my old masters during our lecture on the fae.
"There are very few alive who may, with any honesty, claim expertise in the realm of the Fae.
What little knowledge we possess is pieced together from the half-mad ramblings of survivors.. and the scattered notes of scholars foolish enough to forsake safety in the name of magical advancement."
"But remember this my dear students"
"We are wizards and witches, students blessed with the ability to manipulate mana and through imagination give it form. Yet even we must exercise great caution when treading upon the lands of the Fae."
"Do not allow curiosity to over take you"
"And if you must follow it, know that you do so alone."
"You will be isolated. You will be watched. You will be surrounded by dangers you cannot name, and perils that wear pleasing faces."
"No aid shall reach you from the outside.
No spell, no pact, no plea will avail you. you will be alone"
"The only help we may offer you is this warning"
"Trust nothing involving the Fae."
Yet it was most likely this very warning that led me here.
A place where danger and unimaginable things were everywhere.
I had to see it in person, and now I was here.
This world was strange, unfamiliar in every way.
And yet, for reasons I couldn't quite explain…
I felt at home.
There was something else too. Something felt different in my body
I felt stronger here.
As if the air here was providing me long deprived nutrients. Like I was holding holding my breath this entire time and finally allowed myself to breathe.
Despite just witnessing a miniature flying man being eaten alive by a plant... I felt at peace here.
Was it some kind of enchantment? A Fae illusion seducing me to stay?
Or was there something deeper? A forgotten thread pulling me back to a place I never knew I'd left?
The professors preached frantically: If you ever find yourself in the domain of the Fae, trust nothing. Believe nothing. Assume everything wants to kill you.
"Ah… there you are, my sweet love~"
I froze.
A sing-song whisper brushed just right across my ear.. soft lips just centimeters away from me.
"I've waited so long for you to arrive… my sweet, beloved~"
Soft gentle words, teasing, and seductive. Close . . very close.
Two delicate yet powerful arms, warm and silken, wrapping slowly around my torso from behind. But this was wrong...I had to react!
My hand instinctively reached for my wand, if I didn't kill it now, I would end up no different than that pixie!
...
I had always prided myself in my quick draw, back in the magic acadamy no one ever drew faster. I attempted to draw, yet I was only to be beaten by a soft, gentle, undeniable pressure over my wrist. A soft delicate feminine hand.
"Relax, my dear love."
Her voice dripped with affection. Too much affection.
"I mean you no harm~ Darius told me you were coming home, so like a good wife…"
She leaned in, even closer, I could feel her soft breasts pushing against my back.
"I went for a stroll to greet you halfway~"
My cheeks were red . . I did not even know what this woman looked like, but her scent was undeniably pleasant. Far better than any scent I encountered outside of here.
But that name. Darius?
I sighed. Of course, the first time I feel a over whelming attraction to a woman, and it is most likely some demon who is out to kill me. Well perhaps peace was still an option if I explained myself.
"Listen," I said cautiously, "if this is about that demon from outside the woods, I genuinely thought it was a stray goblin, you really should give your minions name tags.
And you should know, it charged me first!"
She didn't let go.
I could hear a giggle.
Than suddenly as I tried to step away
My boots slid in the muddy moss, then the world tilted.
A breathy giggle brushed my ear, as I felt two gentle arms catching me. Followed by the scent of lavender. Before I could summon a spell or a protest, gentle arms guided me gently downward. And the next thing I knew the crown of my head came to rest against something impossibly soft and impossibly warm.
Glorious . . Warm . . Soft . . Massive breasts
I looked up.
She knelt behind me, cradling me . . as if we weren't strangers but long time lovers. Moon-silver light spilled across her features: a nurturing smile that could have belonged to a saint; hair of shifting green teal, spilling down her pale cheeks falling down over me. I made eye contact with her and noticed her eyes had a muted violet tone, with sprinkles of pink. She looked like a perfectly made painting from a mans imagination.
She giggled and asked "was it a long journey to find your way here my dear?"
I didn't know what to say. in every sense of the word she was beautiful, and to be honest, she put just about every noble woman I met back at the kings court to shame.
For the span of three heartbeats I forgot the lore of voice-snatchers and name-stealers none of it mattered at this moment. But I felt my senses re awakening, remembering the pixie that was violently snatched by the plant. Was I behaving no different?
Before I could respond, She leaned down close, whispering."Easy, sweet traveler… The Feywood can be overwhelming your first time. But know I mean you no harm." Her hand stroking my cheek ever so soothingly..
Overwhelming?
This was the understatement of the century.My face burned hotter than a dwarves forge as I felt her hand rubbing across my cheek
She lifted her free hand gently dipping it under her chin, leaning on it casually.
"As for demons . . are you talking of that ugly little creature who has been pawing at our barrier these past several months?"
I blink nodding my head sheepishly
She laughed loudly and heartfully. . I blushed more, I could feel the rising in her chest against my head as I laid on it. Had I said something wrong?
I blinked.
"...So you're not its master?"
She gasped with mock offense, raising both her hands to cover her cheeks.
"Master? Me? Of that pathetic little thing? No, no, no, my sweetest, if we're being precise, you actually did me a great favor in disposing of that vermin."
I hesitated.
"...Then who's Darius?"
She giggled and lifted me up and ruffled my hair as if I was nothing more than a child.
"Darius is my raven, silly~"
Then she turned me gently toward the forest path, her arms still looped around mine.
"Now come, my sweetness."
Her smile was radiant and utterly dangerous.
"I've prepared all sorts of treats and desserts for you~"