Road to Romance - The Faerie Princess's Muse
By Alex White
- 13 minutes read - 2707 wordsThis is one of four stories which were being told simultaneously by a game group. The other stories will be added here as they are released. These are transcripts of live sessions, and not carefully plotted short stories, so please don't expect them to be polished!
- The Faerie Princess's Muse (this one)
- Neon Nights
- Victorian Mischief
- One Day, One Knight
Safety Discussion
We wanted to test the boundaries of what we were comfortable with, and so elected to aim for sensual/steamy romances. We did a lot of check-in during the game to make sure that everyone was comfortable with where we were going.
“The Faerie Princess's Muse”
A Romantasy Classic Romance in the land of faerie
- Protagonist: Thomas, a human minstrel looking for passion, Played by Josh.
- Paramour: Princess Jewel Thorn, princess of the faeries, transgressive, charming and charismatic. Played by Marsha.
- Trouble: Prince Florian Thorn, prince of the faeries, pre-existing relationship (husband). Played by Alex.
Thomas was carried away to the land of faerie by Princess Jewel. She is an immortal who has often been taken by these mayfly humans, much to the chagrin of the faerie court.
Introduction
Thomas doesn’t know how long he has been here. He is a poetic soul at heart, and he came along following a princess and wants nothing more than to spend as much time with her as possible. He's been writing her ballads and poems and telling her stories.
He’s trying to win her heart, but one of the problems of being in faerie is that nobody can trust anything. Literally anything could happen here. The plants could be listening to what you say. The bunny rabbit over there could easily be spy. Anything you say could be reported to the Court.
So although he is enamoured with Jewel, he is aware that he could get a sword in his back for his troubles. Looking towards the thrones he can see Jewel sitting next to Florian, and the prince’s arm is possessively around her.
And here he is, tasked with painting a portrait of the two of them together.
Thomas is a creative chap though. Worked into the painting are innumerable little insults to Florian. Just in terms of imagery from the human world that Jewel would recognise and Florian, who never visits earth, would not.
After all, Florian is good royalty, who keeps himself to faerie; not like that transgressive princess who keeps going to the human world, coming back with pets and strays.
Encounter
We are at one of the many faerie garden parties. Thomas is there as the token mortal everyone wants to take a look at; including, of course, Princess Jewel. Prince Florian is around circulating separate from Jewel, and just at this moment he isn’t visible. Thomas takes a chance and says “Princess Jewel, I have a new poem for you”
“I so love your poems”
“Perhaps we could find a secluded bower in which we sit while I read it to you. Perhaps?”
She leads him to a slightly secluded place. Not hidden, but out of immediate sight of people. Thomas knows that nothing in this land can be trusted, and he is especially wary of a curse placed on mortals that prevents them from lying. Everybody knows this, and it is one of the things that makes mortals so entertaining for them. And fearful for him.
This curse does give his poetry additional power though. They have to be true in the sense that they have a tremendous amount of imagery. But when he says that something is beautiful, it's because it is. This means that the faerie folk very much value what he has to say.
Thomas reads her this poem, and it is absolutely full of all of her best characteristics. Jewel sparkles magnificently in his words. But because the poem must be true, it contains a tinge of sadness too. Even though it is full of admiration, love, and positive feelings, there is an element of sadness. While he reads, he is alert to her response. How is it being received? Can she sense his heart, and feel something in response, or does she just see him as a pet like all the others do?
As he is reading, Jewel leans in towards him more and more. When he started her attention was all over the place, but before long he has 100% of her attention. When he finishes, her breath catches, and a single tear rolls down her cheek.
“You know, Thomas” she breathes, “I have been married for 300 years, and my husband has never once even thought to do something so thoughtful and genuine for me as this poem. I am deeply moved by this.”
“Thank you. My lady”
“How... I would like to offer you some sort of token of gratitude. Is there anything that I might offer you?”
Thomas glances around quickly. They do seem to be secluded in this bower. Nobody is paying attention to them. So he leans in towards her, and requests a single kiss.
Jewel flushes prettily, and kisses him on the cheek.
“Will that suffice?” she asks.
“My lady, it is all I could have asked you for”
“Your poems are truly beautiful. How did you learn to write so well?”
“It is inspiration. And I'm most inspired!”
“I am deeply touched. Do any of the other fairies here inspire you, as well? There are so many lovely creatures here. Why have you written this poem for me?”
Jewel is wondering about this mortal that she has brought back here. He has a lot more to offer than she first thought. That depth of feeling, and honesty! She has never been paid attention in quite this deep a way before.
Complication
It could be a couple of weeks after the garden party. Could be a couple of hours. Difficult to tell.
We see Florian with Jewel, and he says “My spies tell me that you gave a kiss to a mortal”
“Well”, she replies haughtily, “he wrote a poem for me which, quite frankly, is something you have never thought to do. It was very touching and he wanted something in return as a favour. He asked for a simple kiss. How could I have said no?”
“If you see him again, I will slay him” Florian growls.
“You wouldn’t! He is under my protection and you can’t do such a thing”
“Try me”
A short while later we see Florian come up to Thomas who is working on a manuscript of some kind. Florian says “I hear it is said that you are cursed so you may only ever speak the truth”
“There are those who say that” Thomas carefully replies.
“My wife, Jewel, she’s very beautiful isn’t she?”
“You speak the truth my lord”
“If she comes to see you again, will you tell me about it?”
“If she comes to see me… I shall inform you, my Lord”
“If she comes to see you I will seek you out with my blade and I will slay you. And in a moment your mayfly life will be over and we shall continue on. Don’t worry. Be happy. Enjoy your poetry and your art. It entertains us so much. But leave my wife alone.”
Florian struts away.
Thomas taps his lip with his quill, thinking.
Clearly for any future interaction between himself and Jewel he must go to see her, and not vice versa. Even if she is standing outside his living quarters he will go out the back, come round the front and meet her coming in, so he is coming to see her…
Things are going to be a little more complicated, but they are very strict about their rules here, and Thomas thinks he can make that work for him…
First Kiss
Thomas hears that Florian is away on a hunting trip, to try to catch the white stag, and so the mortal decides that he is going to take a substantial chance. He knows that Jewel is going to be bathing down in the glade.
He doesn’t want to be disrespectful though, so he goes down to the glade with his lute and a new song which he has written for her. The springtime glade is glorious. There are flowers everywhere, garlands leading down into a bright lagoon where Princess Jewel is relaxing in the water alone, with her long hair playing around her in the water. Thomas walks backwards towards the water’s edge, sits on a rock at the edge, and plays.
Princess Jewel calls out “Such beautiful music! That could only be my Thomas. it is, it is!”
“How did you find me here?” She asked
“Oh, the wind brought me knowledge of you; your beauty floats on the air”
“I'm deeply touched by your words and your enchanting music. Nobody has paid me so much tribute before. I think, ever in my life, if you can believe it”
“You have lived long, lady”
“Thomas, I fear that you are not safe here. I know this is the most beautiful place one could possibly imagine, truly, but you are not safe. My husband is away for now, but if he hears about you coming to visit me, I'm afraid, deeply afraid that your life will be in danger. We need to get you back to your own realm, don't you think?”
“If this is what you wish, my lady, but I would want nothing more than to remain by your side”
“I don't want you to leave either. I don't. I want to keep spending time with you.”
She is coming up behind him as he sits on the rock, playing idly on the lute while they talk. He can hear the sound of her in the water, right behind him.
“I do freely come and go between the mortal world and the fairy world, as you know since you saw me in my carriage. I can visit you sometimes. but would that be enough?”
A thought crosses Thomas’s mind “Could you ever dream of becoming mortal with me?”
“Mortal? Well, goodness, you get sick and die and all of those terrible things” she pauses thoughtfully “Although I think I would look nice with some silver hair, you know, someday, but…”
“You would look magnificent, princess”
“Oh, thank you” she says, “Only, we must make a decision soon. I fear that you won't have long to live in this realm if you stay here, because my husband will shortly find out.. He's not a kind man, if you haven't noticed”
“I have noticed”
Thomas is not going able to restrain himself any longer with her right behind his ear, and he turns around and gives her a very passionate kiss. She melts right into the kiss and then pulls him into the lagoon. The lute tumbles onto the grass while they tumble together in the water.
Catastrophe
Minutes pass, then a white stag bounds past. The same that is often hunted. Then there is the sound of hoofbeats, and a sudden stop.
Florian’s voice shouts out “What in hell's name is is going on here?” He is looking at the two of them in the water.
The crystal clear water does not conceal the fact that neither of them are wearing anything under that water.
Jewel rallies. “Oh, you're back from your hunt, dear!”
“How time flies when you're enjoying yourself, apparently, my wife” he replies sarcastically.
“It's not what it looks like, dear. We just uh, we just…”
“You fell?”
“Yes. He was playing such enchanting music and I just I couldn't resist.. Please don't kill him Florian”
Florian address Thomas with deadly seriousness “Did you kiss my wife?”
“I did, my lord”
“Did you fondle her breasts?”
“Most excellently, my lord”
Jewel protests “Florian, this is really uncalled for!”
He replies sharply “Get out of the water. Display your nakedness and shame to the world”
“I will do no such thing!” She protests.
“If you do not, I shall slay him”
They both get out of the water, and Thomas quickly takes up his own cloak and covers Jewel with it; leaving himself uncovered.
Florian is still furious “So, I guess you think this is an honourable thing to do to cover up her nakedness in front of my hunt while you stand there having cuckolded me?”
Jewel speaks up “The only person who should be ashamed is you. You've never been kind to me for one single day in 300 years. And this man has been thoughtful, sweet, poetic. He cares for me”
Florian is haughty “You are the Jewel that adorns my crown, my signet ring. You are part of what makes me wonderful. You speak of your desires, your demands. What are you? What foolishness is this? Your forays into the mortal realm have turned your head. You forget who you are”
“Perhaps you forget the kind of husband that you should have been to me and never have been”
“You mean a husband like this mortal”
“Don't touch him!” She shouts as she gets between the two of them. “He's under my protection.”
“Ah, your protection? So much? What is your protection worth?”
“What is it worth? If you want to lay a single finger on him, if you dare to harm a single hair in his head, you will have to go through me first.”
“These terms are acceptable” Florian says heartlessly.
He draws his sword, thrusts it through Jewel and into Thomas’s heart!
They fall together, impaled on the sword, and Thomas’s blood spills out onto the green grass.
I really enjoyed playing Prince Florian as a self-centred, truly horrible person. Also, this was the first catastrophe scene which we did, and I wanted to demonstrate just how far you could go in tearing the lovers apart - in this land of magic I could kill Thomas and we would work out later how we get to 'Happily Ever After'!
Comeuppance
Florian is standing over them and has released the sword. Sneering.
He is a fan of pretty things, is now feeling repulsed by the fact that his wife is no longer intact and beautiful right now.
“The Jewel has lost his sparkle” he says. Then he mounts his horse and rides off.
Lying on the blood soaked grass, gasping for breath, Jewel uses her fairy magic to try to repair the wounds for both of them. As she's doing this, his mortal blood has mixed with her immortal blood and she can start to feel her immortality dilute more and more as the sword is withdrawn from his heart and comes out through her.
Thomas is taken aback. He should be dead, but the mingling with her faerie blood along with the magic has pushed a little bit of extra life into him. Making him a little bit immortal at the same time as it makes her a little bit mortal.
And Florian?
He had always referred to humans as mayflies because of their short lives, but he has a mayfly attention span. He rides out of their life without a second thought and never comes back. He thinks he's solved the problem. And he just goes off with the rest of his fairy life and never thinks back on it, it has slipped his mind forever.
Even if he did remember her, he would sense that there is a little bit of mortal about her now, making her less than perfect, and thus of no interest to him.
Happily Ever After
With the infusion of Jewel’s blood, two things have happened. Firstly, Thomas has become partly immortal. Secondly, the curse of honesty on him is broken. Even so, he swears a vow that he will forever be hers and that she need not fear that he would ever keep the truth from her.
They now both have a dual identity, and must spend one month in the mortal realm for every eleven months in the faerie realm. Both of them age, and Jewel gets a beautiful silver streak in her hair.
Thomas tells her every day that she is becoming yet more lovely, and they find a home in two worlds.