The wind whispers around you, blowing your hair gently. It hums in tune with the clattering of the porcelain teacups as you carry them to the table. Excited chatter fills the room, all of your maidens chittering about their work and the growth in the fields. You take your seat at the head of the table and one of your attendees rings the bell. Quiet falls, but excitement is still present in the room.

"Good evening, maidens!"
"Good evening, Mistress!" They chorus back.
"I know that you all saw two unfamiliar people enter our lands today, so I would like to explain their presence. As you all know, only those blessed by Celestia or Morax are allowed to enter our lands. They had no clue of this being our land, so I was very curious as to why they were allowed here.
However, as soon as they entered my space, I knew their purpose. They have my mark, and as you all know, that means we are fated lovers." Cheers erupt from around the room, excitedly congratulating me. I raise my hand and quiet falls again.
"However, when I informed them of why they were allowed to enter and who they were to me, they informed me that they were in a monogamous relationship and were not interested. As you all saw, they then left our grounds." The feeling of the room immediately drops, all the bubbly excitement from earlier drained at my news. A hand raises from the garden faerie table and I nod, directing attention to them.
"But Mistress, won't their presence being far away affect your health?" Faeries from around the room nod, their worried expressions focused on me.
"Yes. As we are soul bound to each other, their presence being away will affect me now that we have met. I know many of you will wonder why I did not keep them, but I will address that now as well. They are humans, it is in their nature to be curious and to refuse change. They will also feel the pull to me, and I have no doubt that they will come back to me. They are not immune to the bond either.
With that said, I know that many of you are worried about me. Do not fret over my health. I can handle much more than many of you have seen me deal with, I will hold onto life for as long as I am able to. In the unfortunate and unlikely case I am wrong about the humans, a new Mistress will take my place and life will resume as normal.
    But please, do not worry. As I said before, I have no doubt the humans will come back. With that news out of the way, continue your conversations and let dinner commence!" Chatter breaks out as I finish my speech, and I settle into my seat. Baked treats and bowls of freshly harvested food are passed around each table, and I converse with the faeries at my table, learning about the fields and about each one's personal life.
     Internally, my mind wanders. What if they don't come back? What if I die alone and the faeries do get a new Mistress? How painful will it be? From the stories I learned when I became a Mistress, the death isn't even close to pleasant.
     Dinner comes to a close a little over an hour later, and I bid my maidens goodnight as they each retire to their homes or head out to begin their night shift. Two guards escort me to my cottage, and I thank them before heading in for the night.
     I quickly get ready and collapse in bed, ready for sleep. I slip into my sheets and sigh as my body relaxes.
     Suddenly, I start hyperventilating and I sit up, trying to calm down. Pain sharper than a new sword slices through me, and I barely manage to stifle my scream with a nearby pillow. After a few moments, my body returns to normal and I lay back down.
     So it begins... I snuggle deeper into my bed, a few tears dropping onto my pillow as I drift off to sleep.

I know it's been over a year since I last updated, but someone requested a new part and I was so happy to see that people do care for my work! If you do enjoy my writing, please do leave a comment, it lets me know that people do genuinely want more parts. I unfortunately cannot read minds, and while views do give me some idea of what people like, they don't give me encouragement to write more.

With all that stuff out of the way, please try to stay healthy and hydrated and remember that I love y'all! <3

Originally Published: July 22, 2024 at 5:32 pm