The Stolen Artifact

On the surface, tonight appeared to be like all other nights. The crescent lavender moon shown bright in the sky, the colored stars dancing as the magnificent dragons flew overhead with a flock of phoenix, uncaring of any drama happening on land. Nearby the horned, winged horses lay sleeping in their herd, nestled closely with their elven companions of the forest. All around the sounds of nature could be heard, the night doing little to quiet the ever beating pulse of nature. In the distance one could hear the sirens sing their songs near the rocky cliff as the mermaids played in the shallow waters of the sea. Normally U’desa would be taking it all in, basking in the beauty around her as she and her kind mischievously teased the forest imps as they slept, but this was no ordinary night. Tonight U’desa had a mission and she was close to seeing that mission though.

U’desa was the princess of the faerie folk, keeper of the lost lore, and protector of all things magic. During the summer solstice that was nigh a fortnight ago, an ancient artifact had been stolen while she and the other forest creatures had been distracted by their celebrations. This item simply could not be lost, it held too much importance. The precious artifact was a single slice of what was known to be chocolate cake, preserved for a millennia within a glass container. That single slice of chocolate cake was all that was left of humankind’s once magnificent creations. The humans had been forcibly led to the brink of extinction long ago by the other races who feared their power and corruption on all things magical and pure in their world. U’desa herself had never seen one, though it was rumored that a few still existed within the deepest parts of the forest. All she knew of them were from stories passed down from one generation to the next, none of them kind. The slice of chocolate cake soon became a symbol of what humanity had once been. It symbolized greed, grandeur, and even death if eaten by anyone not human. The artifact had to be found and brought back for its own safety as well as theirs.

Whipping through the forest and flying as fast as her wings could carry her, U’desa flew through the heavy, thick branches of the forest. She had found the trail of the ones she suspected stole the artifact and she was catching up. The thieves were within her grasp, she just knew it. Within moments, U’desa saw the brilliant glow of a small fire in the far distance. Fearing to get too close in this form, lest she be spotted, U’desa transformed herself into her secondary form. In this form she could not fly, but she could be stealthy. The glow of her primary faerie form and the tinging of her flapping wings would give her away were she to get too close to their temporary dwelling. In this way she could approach silently and without notice. Or so she thought.

Just as U’desa reached the edge of the encampment, her bared foot happened upon a smooth wooden surface. A trap! It was already too late. A silver net fell over her form, trapping her underneath. U’desa immediately tried to transform into her primary size, so that she would be no bigger than a small leaf and allow her to fly out of the silken strings that pinned her to the dewy grass, but found she could not do so. What sort of wicked magic was this? U’desa’s heart raced as footfalls came toward her, large hands grabbing her arms from either side and forcing her to stand as another hand took her petite chin and forced her head up, making U'desa look into the eyes of her captor.

U’desa took in a shocked breath. These were no goblins! She thought for sure that she’d been tracking a band of goblins, but no…these were…these were…U’desa didn’t know. She’d never seen these creatures before. They were tall creatures of dark complexion and even darker hair. They resembled a mixture of both elf and fae, yet had not the pointed ears of either. Even more odd was that these creatures adorned themselves in a way she’d never seen before. It almost looked like…cloth, but that was impossible. The only creatures who’d ever worn cloth as body art had been the humans, but their existence was nothing more than a myth!

The one who stood before her glared at her with a mixture of curiosity and caution. Given the creature’s appearance, it looked to be a female of whatever species she came from. Her long hair was the color of the midnight sky, her dark skin glistening under the purple moon’s glow. She was a tall, slender female and beautiful to behold. It was a beauty that could rival even the fae and elves, who were both renowned for their beauty. Her features were soft, delicate and her blue eyes shown like sapphire under the sunlight, beaming with a fierce conviction as they stared at one another.

“So, you are the nymph who has been following us,” the female said, her musical voice flowing over her as U’desa’s hands were bound with the same silken rope that had captured her and refused to allow her to change her size. Once her hands were bound, the net was removed. Still, she could not transform. It had to be something to do with the rope.

“I am no nymph. I am U’desa, Princess of the faerie folk and you will release me,” U’desa spoke, her usual mischievous voice taunt with the fear she tried not to show.

“Pray tell, What might a princess of the fae want with us? We have no quarrel with you,” the female intoned, her voice showing both kindness and curiosity.

“I have come to retrieve the artifact that you have so wrongfully stolen,” U’desa accused.

“That artifact as you call it rightfully belongs with us. ‘Tis our birthright, not yours. Your kind are the ones who wrongfully stole it from us. We were simply reclaiming it.”

“You…you be human!” U’desa exclaimed, bewildered and afraid as she looked at the handful of creatures around her, unbelieving, yet unable to dispute it given what she saw.

“Yes. We are the last of the humans. I am their leader, Queen Nepataea. The slice of chocolate cake belongs to us. Accept that and agree to leave peacefully and we shall release you. Refuse and we shall throw you to the changelings,” the female, Nepataea, threatened.

“Better that I be tortured by changelings than see my kind destroyed by the artifact!” U’desa spat defiantly, even as her small body trembled at the thought.

“Destroyed? By a slice of chocolate cake? “’Tis only food, princess. The only surviving masterpiece of my long fallen ancestors. That ‘tis perfectly preserved is more than we dared dream when we first chanced upon the rumor of it. We only wish to recreate it and in doing so reclaim an art of our people that has long been deemed dead by time.”

“Monsters! You are no better than the golems of the stony mountains, laying waste to all you touch. Making more of that abomination could mean the ruination of our magical realm! Are you so eager to do harm? ‘Tis no wonder your kind was deemed too dangerous to live!”

“Yet we live even so, though few of us are left now. I know not why you believe that a simple delicacy would destroy all, but your stories are grossly misinformed,” Nepataea tried to convince. U’desa refused to believe her.

“Deceiver! Vile lair! ‘Tis a poison to all magical creatures!”

“You truly believe thus?”

“I do! Please, give it back to me. My people will protect it and in doing so protect ourselves!”

“I will not. Instead you shall be my guest here until we are able to make another chocolate cake. Once we have recreated the chocolate cake, we shall give you the honor of the first bite to show you the error of you people’s teachings,” Nepataea decided.

“No! No!” U’desa screamed, but her screams were in vain. How long U’desa stayed with them, she knew not. She became Nepataea’s constant companion, ever watched and always bound. Despite her resistance, she found herself growing close to these humans, but closer still to their queen. Nepataea was always kind to U’desa, but she made it clear that her goal and her threat would not be dissuaded. The day of U’desa’s demise finally came as the creation of the chocolate cake was finally perfected and deemed ready. As promised Nepataea brought the finished product over to where U’desa was sitting, determined to see her vow through and force U’desa to take the first bite, thereby becoming its first victim.

“Willing or unwilling. Your choice, my dearest princess,” Nepataea voiced, standing in front of her with the slice of chocolate cake.

“Unwilling. Always!” U’desa refused, struggling against the magic rope.

“So be it.” With a wave of her hand, two men held her struggling form as Nepataea forced a bite of the chocolate cake into U’desa’s mouth, not releasing her until she had eaten the strange tasting substance. The taste was unique, so much unlike anything she had tasted before that she could not describe it. The closest she could come was to think that it tasted like magic itself. It was a taste of magic that was sure to kill her. How could Nepataea do this? She thought they had grown close, that perhaps she could make Nepataea understand, yet her words and their closeness had mattered not. Hours passed, Nepataea comforting her all the while as U’desa cried, yet nothing happened. She wasn’t dead. Was their history wrong? Were they mistaken about the artifact? They had to be. What else would explain this? Only once U’desa stopped crying did Nepataea finally free her from her bindings.

“You see, my dearest princess, I lied not. No harm befell you. No go and tell your people they have nothing to fear from us. We desire only to live in peace.”

“They will never believe me,” U’desa murmured softly, knowing she spoke truth. Everything they thought about these humans and the artifact was wrong, but she was only one fae. How could she possibly seek to change their minds on something they all thought was an infallible truth?

“You are their princess, U’desa.”

“It matters not! Creatures of magic will never allow for your existence nor the creation of more chocolate cake. They will hunt you down and try to kill you.”

“Then I say let them. We will do to them as we have to you. We will make them see.”

“And if you cannot?”

“Then we shall die with honor, knowing that we tried to dispel the lies about our people and who we have become since our fall.”

“I…will do what I can. May I take a slice of the chocolate cake with me? I want to show them myself that ‘tis harmless, just as you are,” U’desa requested, humbled by Nepataea’s determination.

“Of course,” Nepataea agreed, a soft smile on her face as U’desa transformed back into her primary size. After flying around Nepataea’s head several times, U’desa kissed Nepataea’s warm cheek before transforming to her secondary size once more so that she could carry the awaiting slice of chocolate cake back to her people and show them the truth. They had to listen. History had to be rewritten, this time truthfully, and U’desa would see that it was done. She would make sure that all magical creatures knew that the humans were just as magical as they were. The proof was in the slice of chocolate cake she carried with her, both in her hands and in her heart.