[Rosekitten]

Magic still roamed freely among the lands, though the balance between the mortal and magical realms is far from stable. More and more conflicts have been arising, as well as other acts to undo the very balance of the world. The beings charged with protection of certain lands or areas have started turning rogue for no apparently reason, though it is believed that the humans have something to do with this sudden change in behavior.

Humans have started imposing more and more on the once scared lands, lands that were said to be forbidden to their kind. With these trespassers and the casualties of the magical beings inhabiting the areas tensions have grown thin. Certain races try to uphold the peace and law between the two realms, though even their numbers are beginning to dwindle over the centuries.

This such tale takes place in one of the once protected forests, one that's name is long forgotten now as the protectors of the groves have fallen down to one sole guardian against the seemingly endless number of mortals or non magical beings tat are intruding upon the lands, destroying the woods and disrupting the very balance.

The fairies and elves of these lands try and uphold the peace to the best of their ability, though only so much can be done and a grove without a protector is little more then a ordinary forest. But this said protector is also being charged with a crime against the very laws of nature, apparently breaking multiple vows that he once swore to long ago. Though the elves hesitated this matter the fairies have not, trying to keep a stern hand even if it mean this grove will be no longer protected by the kingdom of magic.

[Maniacal_Moon]

((I like the title))

Dalea smiled as she floated among the flowers. She rarely saw them anywhere else anymore. She lived in a grove where the heart of the fairy kingdom laid. The courts of the fairies were underground, which pertained to their nature. They were creatures of flight, but stayed underground in their mounds for protection. She was supposed to be out looking for the dryad of this grove, she thought he'd been the last one too. She got easily distracted when doing checkups on inhabitants of the forests in which she lived.

When she neared the place where the dryad was supposed to be, she started seeing a thinning of undergrowth in the forest floor. This concerned her as she flew farther. She saw and heard a strange cry, which made her fly with haste towards it. She saw the dryad now, but he was standing over the dead bodies of at least ten humans. Her eyes got big, but she acted quickly, sending a spell right at his 'heart' to render him helpless. She walked up to him as he faded from conciousness. "Why?" She asked and sighed, sadness in her voice.

[Rosekitten]

His form was that of what seemed to be a mere wood elf, though this was a muse on it's own. Even in a unconscious state the form remained. Dryads normally looked more like walking trees then anything when they dared show the naturally given forms they held. Though this was a rare sight, dryads were a dying race, each grove if there were any of the guardians remaining held one to two at the most. There were rumors of a forest somewhere where the capital of these beings still held together strong, but it's location was long lost.

She might have asked why, if he had heard he'd gladly have given her a answer, one to shame probably most of his kind, though the other half might stand to agree with his harsh words. The magic in the world was dying, there was no bringing it back. Humans were forgetting about the races of old, the promises and ties they have to the world. They no longer cared or prayed for the gods or goddesses to protect them. Thus with none believers the magic was slowly fading. Even if there was only the thought of fear of the magical birthed beings it was still something to force the humans into believing in them again, a cruel method of saving the magic realm.

Though this would hardly stand strong in the court of the fairies... yes there were fairies that were not as forgiving of the humans and that did strike out but not the ones here. They were still trying to preserve the long lost peace. He knew what had struck him before he even hit the ground and lost his consciousness. This also meant he knew his life was already forfeit.

The fairy that had struck out against him stayed to guard the fallen dryad as she signaled for backup to assist her.He would he tried, and it was already very much proven all of the accounts that he was accused of were true. The grove looked abandoned almost as the undergrowth thinned out, the trees seemed to wither anyway or be weak looking. His very duties he had ignored, but to what cause to seem to fight for the right to live yet to not follow the sworn duties of his oath?

Once help did arrive and the small group took him to the fairies capital he was quickly restrained, not that they had troubles seeing as the spell used was strong enough to leave him in his current state for days if the fairy so desired it. Though they just needed a few hours, he would have to wake up eventually for questioning.

The room they forced him in was dark and they made sure to restrain him so he would have no chance of escaping. Chaining him with steel chains, his hands over his head and back against a stone wall, there was none of his elements he had to work with here. No sunlight would reach this far into the earth's surface either. Though if kept here too long he'd die due to the lack of sunlight, one of the downfalls of the dryads.. they needed the sun, it was one of the few ways they had to restore energy, rain would work as well.. but that wasn't likely down here either.

By the time he came to he groggily opened his eyes before they seemed to snap open darting around the room he was in. Not that he couldn't have guessed where he was. There seemed to be no one here at the time being, not that they had to guard him he had already tried to summon forth any element he normally held power over but they were all too far out of his reach. Testing his restraints he knew all too well it was more of a matter of time of when they'd finish him. Really he wasn't expecting to wake up truth be told so that was a bit of a surprise.

[Maniacal_Moon]

Dalea followed behind the captured dryad and made sure none of her backup brutalized him. Some of them tended to be a little violent to anyone that wasn't a fairy. It didn't used to be that way. Every creature used to respect each other. It saddened her that this happened on a regular basis now.

When they came to the room that the dryad would be kept in, she stood in the corner as he was chained up and the other left. She left a spell over her so that he couldn't see her there. When he finally awakened, she watched him with a curiousity that was unique to her. After he seemed to calm down, she walked out of the spell and looked levely at him. "Please don't fear me." She stood there, looking naught a threat to anyone. But she was lethal and he knew it.

[Rosekitten]

He all but laughed at her words. "the day I fear a fairy is the day I might as well beg the humans to cut down the very tree that keeps me bound to this accursed world." Sure he knew well what fairies could do, hell he was already in a situation where he knew he wasn't getting out of it. Why bother trying to suck up just to have a few more days in a world he cared little for. Nothing he did would change it, and the fairies were blind to most of the acts going on, no matter how wise they thought they were.

His eyes narrowed a bit looking over her before speaking again. "so tell me, what games are you seeking to play before finishing me off? Surely there is some twisted reason i still draw breath" He laughed slightly thinking over the tales he had heard of fairy captives. "Don't feed me any of the crap about a fair trial either, I know very well what I'm accused of and there is no trial to be had in the eyes of the fairies." He held a rather steady voice for someone who was chained to a wall and unable to do anything, though why be bothered by this as he knew before his life was forfeit no matter what he did or said.

[Maniacal_Moon]

Dalea sighed softly, listening to his speach. She knew he had every right to be bitter. "I know what your fate is. And, no you will not get a trial. Its more like a sentencing really. They have a witness and she's bound by law to tell what she saw and tell the whole truth." She stepped closer, but a couple feet away. "I do not want the only dryad in my home to die if he is innocent. Please, give me some truth that will save you." She really didn't want to see the dryad dead, because her home would die all the faster if he was gone. There were more motives to her questioning, but she wouldn't force him to do anything. She knew the fairies wouldn't listen to him, but if she told them what happened from his point of view they would believe her. She was the daughter of the head of the council and had never been dishonest to them before.

[Rosekitten]

He smirked a little listening to her talk, about saving him some truth. "You want to know the truth.. you damn fairies are blind.. that's the truth. I watched over the years as one by one my kind was picked off.. cut down for mere lumber by the mortals.. yet your kind did nothing. I owe you nor anyone else favors.. hell killing me will only aid in the destruction of balance between the two realms." He laughed slightly thinking about it. "really if you don't kill me someone else will, the humans perhaps..." He shrugged slightly to the best of his ability. "There is poison in the water and they expect me to keep supply them with forest.. to watch the trees that still need many a year to grow to mature be cut down in their youth?" He couldn't make the trees grow faster, they required years to grow the time they never got anymore, the very soil was sick it took nearly a full days worth of energy to force anything to grow in certain areas.

"Look there is nothing I can say to sway the minds of fairies that I'm innocent, thus I'm not wasting my breath. Besides with as much faith and your kind has in the mortals a new guardian should be born to take my place as soon as I draw my last breath.." He grinned a little "or do you fear there's not that much magic left in the world? That maybe it's noticed that the ones of old are not returning.. some races have even been wiped from the world.. oh but fairies would never notice this." He seemed to roll his eyes a little at the thought, yes he was being a smart mouth but he could hardly help himself. Really he was one of the younger remaining guardians, he had no respect at all for the elves or fairies. Te only reason he took this form was because it allowed him to get close to mortals.. for certain reasons.

He seemed to grow silent for a moment after he was done speaking. Though it was short lived as he glared at her. "now if your quite done, I'd suggest you leave, that or kill me now instead of letting me rot here with the slowest death known to my kind." Sure he had said a few things that could be used to defend his actions, though none of them would stand too strongly within the fairies court. Besides what did she care, they had enough magic to protect the area they called home, dryad's had all but lost any true power they had, it had dwindled to almost nothing. Before they could raise whole forests within seconds, or rework the very land to fit the will of nature better.. but now such things were unheard of.

[Maniacal_Moon]

The fairy heard him out, her wings just fluttered slightly behind her but in a sort of sad way. She nodded to a few things he said and she looked at him with a saddened expression. "I know my apology will not count for anything, but you have it." She bowed slightly to him, which was a big thing for a fairy to do even to other fairies. It was virutally unheard of in modern time because they thought nobdoy worry of their respect. "I know the plights of the forest, for she has cried out to me. Being who I am, I suffer with the fact that I can do nothing for her. I am powerful, but I am still a young fairy and I do need my home. If I were to go against fairy law, I wouldn't be killed, but I'd be banished from the forest and sent to the sea." She looked grieved by her own words.

"I...I understand why you hate us so...I have spoken with my mother several times about the forest being slaughtered for no good reason. Her mind has been consumed by the court and its all she thinks about." If she were not a fairy with pride, she'd have let how hurt she really felt show. Maybe she'd have even cried. She looked at him, then stepped up to him, hand an inch from his cheek. "I..I want to help you, truely. But, I need your permission to touch you. My fairy's honor that I will not harm you...though I know fairy's honor isn't worth much to other creatures."

[Rosekitten]

He seemed to doubt most of her words, though they probably were true. Though it bothered him, why talk to him. He was as good as dead, it was just a matter of time. Even with one fairy helping there was little to not hope he was walking away from this. But something... something told him this one was different. Why was that, he had been around probably longer the this fairy but he was still young for his kind, hardly wise in the old ways though he remembered the stories he was told by the elders who were long past.

"Tsk.. Do what you want, I can hardly stop you." he retorted to her asking for his permission, it was probably as close to getting his permission as she was getting from him. He wasn't even sure why she was asking him such a thing let alone saying he had her word. He cared little for her word he wanted one of two things to either die already or to be released. Though he wasn't always this bitter towards the world, there was a time he trusted he other races and their words but that was long past.

[Maniacal_Moon]

Dalea was so close to him that his words seem to strike her. But, she seemed to recover quickly and she lightly placed her slightly cool hand on his cheek. Any other fairy would know why her hands were always so cold, but she doubted that he would know. "It won't hurt, promise." She then slowly closed her eyes and gathered her own power.

She wanted to give him enough power to escape on his own. She didn't much care if he killed a fairy or two on his way out. They were all rotten to the core anyway. The only one she'd mind loosing is her mother, though she was currupted, she loved her. She then poured her power into him, it felt like fire against his cheek, with none of the painful effects. When she'd finished, she was panting slightly and her eyes had dulled. She smiled a little though and looked at his chains.

[Rosekitten]

He nearly flinched when her hand touched him. There was something about the cold and fairies tough he had forgotten by now. It didn't matter he hated the cold though he would have preferred it to the next sensation... in truth the first thought his mind went to was she was going to kill him. Though when that did not seem to be the case he looked back at her. What had she just done.. but that was quickly answered as a slight streak of pain ran through his body in the form of that heat that was felt before.

He wasn't sure what to make of this one, she was helping him? Why bother sure the last guardian but he hardly had a excuse to live in the fairies eyes. Even with her words he didn't believe she had a reason to pardon him. Mere seconds later roots seemed to entangle themselves through the chains forcing them apart and releasing their captive. Even as he stood there with his freedom within his grasp it seemed he didn't trust the fairy, there had to be a motive.

As quickly as the roots appeared they seemed to fade and crumble into dust as if rotting quickly, even with the power she gave him it was impossible to escape from here, pure rock made sure of that, but there was earth not far from here.. that could be used and he could ensure he was not seen that he knew. "One question.." He started not bothering to move just yet. "Why... I heard your story but I see no real motive to help someone who has broken nearly every vow of his kind. Even escaping here I cannot be the guardian of these woods.." There was a way that could be changed but that required a journey and the odds of success were slim to none. Plus the fact he was still bound to a heart tree, it could be cut down in the time the journey took.

[Maniacal_Moon]

She watched him as he freed himself, then blinked when he didn't run. She was about to ask why before he spoke. Dalea looked down at her hands for a moment, which were shaking slightly, but she hid the slowly. "Because." She looked at him with guilt in her eyes. "I was not going to be the one to turn in a dryad that was only trying to protect his home. I'd thought about what I should do after I found you and even after they carried you here." She looked toward the door, then a sliver of a smile appeared on her face.

She went to it and put her shaking hand on it. A small darkness enveloped from it, then sank into the door. There was a moments pause, then a thud could be heard outside the door. She'd taken care of the gaurds for now. They'd wake in a few hours, but they'd be gone by then. She turned to the dryad and smiled. "Come. I will lead you out." She already had a plan to get him far away from this forest to someplace safe that she'd heard of.

[Rosekitten]

He frowned a little, did he really just get pity from a damned fairy? It couldn't be helped now, though it seemed he had no choice in where he went to from here. He moved to follow her seeing as she was offering to lead him out, though this hardly meant he trusted her even without her powers she had lent him he could be a match for a fairy if he had elements to work with. Though for the moment it was better to not test such things.

He never spoke a word as they hurried towards where ever she was leading him. Though on that note he never bothered to change forms either, she had not earned that right even with helping him. Though he had a problem the longer he thought about it... Leaving this forest his home.. the one thing keeping him bound to this world was still here, it could not be moved and he would not be here to protect it. The fairies sure as hell wouldn't bother to after he had escaped even if it was with help.

[Maniacal_Moon]

Dalea smiled when she saw that he was willing to follow her. She peaked outside the door and slowly moved out it. Then waved to him to follow. She waited until she was calm again to start walking down the halls, with an air of authority. Nobody would question why she'd taken the dryad out of his chains.

She looked back to make sure he was following her, then smiled a little. She waved to him to have him walk beside her to make it less awkward to her. "So...what do you plan to do when you leave?"

[Rosekitten]

"simple.. I'm leaving, if the tree that holds my being to this world is destroyed in my absence so be it." He seemed to pause a moment in his speech before going on. "i am no longer able to protect it anyway so me being here or not makes no difference." Sure he had a few ideas of where he would go but he wasn't telling her that much information.

It was odd really there were hardly any guards, though the cell areas down here were stripped of any elements the beings of the forest would use so it was probably unheard of that any escaped. Even as she brought him closer to what seemed the way out she was leading him to there were few guards and most never looked a second glance at her. He wasn't a fool that was certain only certain families held that power.

[Maniacal_Moon]

Dalea blinked at him, then thought about his tree. She then led him through what seemed to be the back way out of the mound. They came to a large set of doors. "This is the exit. But, there are gaurds on the outside of the tunnel, so I'll go with you." She spoke softly to the door, then it opened smoothly. "Lets go."

After they got to the exit, the gaurds glanced at her but said nothing. She knew they would tell her mother, but it wouldn't make a difference. She wouldn't be returning any time soon. Her mother would only take her powers for awhile, that was a small punishment. She led the dryad away from the mound enough to where he could tap into the forest. "Here we go. You're free now. But, I have a question." She looked thoughtful. "Can you not just take the seed of your tree and grow a new tree? Take the seedling somewhere that is protected from the humans so you can live in peace?"