Page 46 - Demo

Leo Greer
Paradox
The woods were dark and the anima of the natural world was making a pointed effort to harm someone traveling through them. The pine needles were especially sharp and the briars tore at her dress as she made a painful quick pace toward the house quite a few miles ahead of her.
She was holding a child of about five months tight in her arms. Through the screech of bark against bark and the shrill humming of the wind, the only noise the infant made was a sound of contentment. Her mother held her close–taking the brunt of nature’s lashes.
The woman stumbled through a clearing and righted herself before she could fall. Leaning on a craggy maple tree, she thanked its spirit, not understanding that the world she had entered was devoid of such spirits.
The whole world seemed to be against her: the gravity, unbearable; the dirt, slick like oil; and the rain, sharp as needles.
She sat down beneath the tree and examined the child for the hundredth time. The name the woman chose for her meant “pleasant” and “miraculous,” but she was now questioning the decision. How wonderful could this problematic creature be?
The child gurgled and squirmed. Her little fist escaped her blanket and she shoved it in her mouth. The woman spared the thing a glance of what could have been pride or contempt and tucked the arm back in. She curled up on a bed of damp moss, keeping the baby safe in her arms. She settled a small war in her mind here, resolving that her troubles would be for naught if the baby became a lifeless shell of what she might become. After all, the woman needed an heir.
The wind blew a shrill and dissonant chord and the woman fell asleep. The child’s hand crept out of the blanket once more, wandering through the air that kissed it with its sweet autumn breath. While rejecting her mother, the world loved this child. Both this one and the world she came from were head over heels enamored by this small creature.
Fayette was the ruling family in the land far away called Fairy. In this kingdom the stronghold castle which protected the royal family was at the center of it all. The town wrapped in the castle stronghold’s walls was prosperous and all lived in harmony as they were particularly blessed to be ruled by a wise and just family. The lands were divided but whole, each cantref had its own court and local government and each town was provided for. Across the countryside strongholds were placed sparingly, but strategically. These fortified towns surrounded lesser castles allied to the royal family, but functionally very good grain storage. Even the smallest of cantrefi consisting of a small cottage or