[RP] Once Upon a Neverwinter Part 3 (by Queen Gillie)

As the girl emerged into the fae realm, the auras of the fae surrounding her were blinding. She was swarmed by all types of creatures, many of which had never seen a mortal. They were curious as to why their king had returned with her.
Before the girl could become overwhelmed, Oberon whistled into the air. Before the sound could break, a winged Pegasus swooped from the sky, rearing on its hind legs as it landed. Oberon gave a slight bow to the creature, and the Pegasus returned the gesture.
“Aren’t you King?” asked the girl. Oberon smiled at the girl, as though she still had much to learn. He lifted her onto the winged steed, and slapped it’s rump to send it soaring in the air. With each beat of the wings, the girl tightened her grip on the mane, terrified of falling.Oberon met them in the sky, soaring with his own magnificent wings. She had never seen anything so beautiful. He explained that in the fae realm, all creatures are shown respect. Being king made him no better than the mud goblins that’s bordered the lakes of the kingdom.
They soon came to a large glass palace, its elegant spires towered above the clouds. The sound of bells could be heard ringing in the air.
“They’re excited to meet you” said Oberon.
“Who is?” asked the girl. The king only nodded to a balcony on the tallest spire. A beautiful woman with silver hair and sun kissed cheeks stood waiting. She was surrounded by four children, all with hair like hers. As they landed, Oberon removed the young girl from the Pegasus and turned to introduce her.
“Gillie, I would like you to meet your new queen, Titania. She will care for you, and teach you our ways.” The girl was mesmerized by the woman, her skin was as smooth as river stones, and her crystal blue eyes seemed to look past the mortal body to see into the soul.
Titania glided across the floor and kneeled beside the girl.
“Don’t be afraid child, you are under my protection, and you shall come to no harm” she said. Titania smiled at the girl and kissed her on the forehead.
As the years passed Gillie learned the customs of this realm, as well as the layout of the land. She made friends with merfolk in the bottomless lake, and drank mead with the pixies who, despite their size, could empty a tavern.
Though she loved her new world and family, the girl always knew that she wasn’t truly one of them. She pleaded to the queen to make her a true fae, but time and time again the queen refused.
“The process is dangerous my child, and I can’t bare the thought of losing you.” Unsatisfied with the queen’s response, the girl sought her own information on how to complete the task. Her search lead her to the darkest parts of the fae realm. Areas filled with creatures that weren’t as accepting of her presence in their world.
After years of quietly searching, she stumbled across the wandering cottage. It was rumored that an elder fae named Eldraine, the fae of wishes, resided here. It is said that it only appears to those in dire need. The girl approached the cottage, weary of what she might find. As she made her way up the steps, the door opened. What looked to be an old woman appeared in the doorway. The girl stood frozen in a mix of fear and excitement.
“I’ve come” said the girl before the woman interrupted her.
“I know why you are here child, and I know what it is you seek” said Eldraine. The woman turned to walk inside and waved for the girl to follow. As the girl entered the house, Eldraine pulled a chair to the table and told the girl to sit. Eldraine circled the table, looking at the girl. The girl trembled with fear and placed her hands in her lap. The woman pulled a book from a cabinet and placed it on the table.
“What you are looking for will come at great cost,” said the woman as she took her seat across the table. She opened the book and flipped to a page with golden script.
“At the darkest depths of this word is a tree that bares the fruit of the ancient ones. If your body is strong enough to make the journey, and your heart pure enough to accept the gift, you shall be reborn as what you most desire. If your heart is corrupt, then your form will be that of corruption.”
The girl pondered for a moment, thinking of the world that had become her own, but she couldn’t think of where she could find this tree. She left the cottage, no more sure of her path than when she arrived.
She made her way around the land seeking advice from friends as to where she should search for the mysterious tree. Days pass with no luck,and the girl makes her way to the lake where the merfolk reside, to speak with her friend. She takes a seat on the rocks by the lake, and places her feet in the cool water. Moments pass before her friend emerges with a spectacular flip, and splashes her in the face.
Gillie explained her predicament to the young mermaid, and upon hearing of a tree at the darkest depths, the mermaid reaches forward and grabs her, dragging her down into the depths of the lake. She struggled for air, and tried to escape the grip of her watery friend before she lost consciousness. The girl woke to her friend tapping her on the forehead.
“Hey…hey…wake up silly girl.” As her eyes opened, she found herself in a cave.
“The tree you seek is that way” the mermaid said, pointing down a tunnel. The girl stood up and began to walk toward the entrance of a long narrow passageway. A golden glow shimmered at the end of the tunnel, and a sweet smell hit her nose. It was so strong it was as if it were pulling her towards the source.
As she entered the chamber, she saw a large apple tree bearing golden apples that shone like stars. On the cave walls she noticed depictions of the first fae planting the tree. As she walked toward the tree, a limb began to lower as if she was meant to receive the offering. She reached up and plucked the apple from the branch, and polished it on her dress before placing it to her lips to take a bit. She hesitated, remembering the elders words. Was her heart truly pure? She had already come this far, it was too late to turn back now. She desperately wanted to belong. As she bit into the apple, the glow of the fruit faded from the apple and passed to her lips and began to spread through her veins like poison.
She began to convulse and fell to the ground, her skin felt like fire as the golden glow engulfed her. The initial pain started to subside, and she could hear her heart beating. With every passing moment her heartbeat began to slow. Her sight got blurry, and her body cold.
“Is this it? Am I to die in this cave?” thought the girl as her soul began to slip into the beyond. All was quiet as she slipped away, wondering why it didn’t work.
Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her back as her skin split open, and her bones began to break. She let out a blood curdling scream, and struggled to her knees. Her heart kicked back up and began to race, and from her back a set of beautiful wings burst through, soaked in blood. With a powerful flap, her wings sent her soaring into the air hitting the ceiling of the cave. She fell to the ground and the pain slowly subsided.
She struggled to get to her feet and made her way back to the water, where she was met by several merfolk. The elder Mer swam to the edge of the bank and held out her hand.
“I will take you home” said the elder. As they emerged from the lake Titania stood there with tears in her eyes, obviously relieved. The queen helped the girl onto dry land.
“Your father will be so proud” the queen whispered in her ear as she held the girl in her arms.