An Unlikely Romance
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The next few weeks were long and hard, but Philothea endured them with a happy heart. Until very recently, her entire life was a mystery. Now, not only did she know who she was, but she knew very clearly what she was meant to do.
Every day as they traveled, she practiced her magic. Protecting Zoe and Pouli as Raven attacked them with various things. Zoe made it clear she was not pleased with the arrangement, though she understood it was for the greater good.
Philothea grew stronger and more comfortable using her magic. It felt like such a natural part of who she was now. The idea that until recently, she was completely unaware of her own powers was so odd.
Despite their grueling pace, endless practice, and the immense responsibility that came with her powers, Philothea never felt more free. Soon, she could deflect Raven’s attacks without even thinking.
Raven responded to her progress by spinning up illusions of larger and larger groups of people in peril. Once, she projected a great landslide crashing down upon a village. Philothea ran about in the illusion, pushing and pulling people out of the path of the flowing earth.
Once, a swarm of dragons descended from the sky, raining fire down on field laborers. Philothea projected an invisible shield above them that absorbed the dragon’s fire and kept the beasts from descending.
The exercises were exhausting, more so since Philothea spent most of her days walking. Every evening, Philothea fell asleep the moment she lay down.
One day, when the traveling party stopped to rest on the edge of a cliff, Raven created two opposing armies in the valley below. Philothea recognised one of them as Zeno’s by their deep blue banners and dragon coat of arms.
The other army she didn’t recognise. They were dressed in red but had no other symbols or decorative embellishments.
“Protect the red army,” Raven ordered, flopping down on the edge of the cliff.
But Philothea did more than that as both sides charged forward; she caught them in her magic. Willing that they couldn’t touch each other at all.
“You don’t have to protect the blue guys,” Zoe offered helpfully.
“I’m protecting everyone,” Philothea glared.
“But I really want to see Zeno’s guys wiped out,” Zoe protested.
Philothea turned an astonished face on Zoe. That was not the sort of attitude the Keepers would condone.
“Not in real life,” Zoe shrugged. “Just in this… illusion thing.”
“Oh,” Philothea giggled. That made her feel only slightly better. Still, she continued protecting both sides.
“I wish we had a real army to train you,” Raven sighed. “This is too easy.”
Suddenly, Philothea felt Raven’s illusion fighting her. The armies strained against her magic, trying to break free from the invisible barriers that held them at bay. She found herself expending every ounce of willpower to stop the collision.
They aren’t real. She thought as she began to ache from the strain of keeping them separated. Still, she couldn’t bear to let go. The next time she met Zeno, she would indeed be protecting real people.
Raven’s magic fought against hers even harder. How was Raven doing this? She had also been walking all day. Did she ever get tired? Finally, after what seemed like ages, Philothea let go.
She crumpled over onto the cliff, and the fake armies collided for a few brief seconds before Raven pulled them out of existence, leaving the valley empty.
“You, little one, are a force to be reckoned with,” Raven smiled proudly.
The next time they came to a village, Raven purchased some parchment and a pen and scratched a note.
“I don’t think the Fae king is going to believe that,” Zoe commented, as she read over Raven’s shoulder.
“It’s worth a shot,” Raven remarked.
“I will miss my Pouli,” Fae commented as Raven tied the note onto her leg.
“I’ll have you know,” Raven replied. “That I do not approve of this relationship. You’re like… three feet taller than him.”
“Ho, ho, ho, he is a little thing,” Fae remarked. “But he is my pretty boy. My handsome bird.”
“Fae is a pretty girl,” Pouli replied, before bursting into song.
Fae, my lovely, I suggest,
We go away and make a nest!
A nest with speckled eggs of blue,
And little chicks that look like you.
“Aw! Pouli, that’s so sweet.” Philothea squeaked.
“Yeah…” Zoe started. “No, that’s not going to work. They aren’t even the same species.”
“Good luck convincing them,” Raven grumbled with an eyeroll. “And we are not having any kind of wedding until after we’ve saved the world. Understand?”
Pouli and Fae were too busy complimenting each other to hear her.
“Fae,” Raven interrupted. “Time to go.”
It took some convincing, but eventually Raven got Fae to take off.
After she’d disappeared from sight, Raven began scratching another note.
“This one’s for you, Pouli,” she remarked. “But you aren’t going to deliver it just yet.”
“I will take the note, because I am a good boy.”
“Yes, you are,” Raven said. “But we need you to stay with us just a little longer.”
The Fables of Para Sympan 