Entering the palace of the Fairy Queen, Darren let out an astonished sigh. At their current size the palace loomed over head. The palace itself appeared to be built into an ancient looking oak tree that rose far above everyone's heads. As Darren looked closer he was surprised to see decorative looking limestone bricks perfectly integrated with the tree. The entire appearance made Darren think a fantasy posters he had seen in various comic shops. "So what is Queen Thea like," Crystal asked.
"Well," Mina stated, rubbing her chin. "Shes kind, very pretty, definitely fun loving. Did you know she used to spend alot of time in the human world?"
"She did," Hannah exclaimed, the gynoid monkey finally coming to rest next to their fairy guide. "Oh yeah she used to hangout there all the time," Mina nodded. "I think she was even friends with some guys named Jon and Tyler. You can ask her when we get there."
The teens now hurried forward, excited to ask the Fairy Queen about her experiences with humans. As they entered the throne room they paused, their mouthed hanging open in astonishment.
The room was huge, solid white marble floors surrounded by turquoise stone walls that seemed to shimmer from the sunlight that filtered in through large picture windows. Towards the rear of the room the teens beheld a small wooden staircase, a mahogany love seat with velvet cushions perched atop it. Sitting on this love seat, a blond woman with gossamer wings sat, a serene smile upon her face. "My queen," Mina stated. "It is my honor to introduce to you Darren, the new Catalyst, and his friends."
Darren and the others now awkwardly bowed, causing Thea to chuckle softly. "Pleasure to meet you," Thea smiled.
Darren felt himself break into a cold sweat as he slowly approached with Crystal. What exactly was he supposed to say? "Dont be so nervous Darren," Thea said softly. "Its not every day humans come to visit."
"So is it true you used to hangout with humans," Crystal blurted out. Thea chuckled, nodding before sighing. "Yeah but that was before I was crowned queen. Ever since I've had to be more reaponsible."
"Must have been fun," Darren said awkwardly.
"Ih it was a blast," Thea said excitedly. "Although had to hide my true nature from my friends. You know, be human sized. I even used to change my appearance from time to time."
"So your a shapeshifter too," Hannah exclaimed excitedly. Thea nodded, standing to stretch as she now slowly walked to get the teens. "Yep," she said. "Just watch. I'm a bit Rusty but I think I can still pull this off."
Darren and his friends now watched as Thea closed her eyes. Slowly they could see the womans blond hair begin to darken. Auburn strands slowly but surely overtaking the blonde. "Somwtimes I had red hair," she said. "But that wasnt the only change I would do."
Thea now concentrated once more, this time Darren and the others noticed Theas skin. At first it seemed like the woman was getting tanner, as if she had spent the entire summer at the beach. Slowly though she darkened, her skin taking on a chocolate tone, while her red hair darkened, becoming midnight black. Thea now opened her eyes, showing off a sparkling dark brown like coffee.
"You wouldnt believe the kind if adventures I used to get into," she laughed. "Between Jon, Tyler, even Annie I found myself shrinking, ageing, even growing humongous breasts from time to time. It was all in good fun."
"So what happened," Crystal asked.
"I had to come home," Thea sighed. "Responsibility to my people as queen. But enough about me lets talk about you, and especially you."
Darren and Crystal now pointed to themselves, unsure where to start. "Well," Darren started. "I came into possession of the Ring of Age and Ring of Transformation. Ever since Ms. Yuriko has been training me on magic."
"And I just found out I was part fairy," Crystal added. "I guess my great grandma was a fairy and then married a human."
"That happens from time to time," Thea stated. "I can say from personal experience fairies love the human world. It's just so interesting. More than one fairy has ended up deciding to stay."
"So," Darren stated awkwardly. "The reason I came was to try and strengthen the alliance that the Fae have with wizards."
Thea crinkled her nose, a bemused smirk spreading across her face. "You spent alot of time rehearsing that line huh," she chuckled. Darren looked flummoxed, only causing Thea to laugh harder. "Relax kid," she said. "Of course we'll help. But I have one condition. I want this one here to train with us and visit from time to time."
"Me why," Crystal exclaimed.
"Well I am curious about your great grandmother," Thea stated. "Anytime I learn about a fairy having children with humans I want to know who they are. Besides, if I know who she was I can probably help you learn about her history. Who knows, you might have some relatives here that you never knew about."
Crystal excitedly agreed as Darren let out a sigh of relief. Things had gone far smoother than he anticipated. Now he could relax and learn more about the world of the Fae.