Chapter 9-Land Of Nod Cold Mountain

Waking from an uncomfortable slumber was something Sean never got accustomed to. The return of sensation to his numbed body was like a thousand spikes nudging him beneath his skin. His eyelids were crusted and vast. Even his bones had turned against him, stabbing him when he went to sit or lie down. The screeching of the bird rubbed at his nerves, and the sun smarted at his eyes.

But that was the worst of it. He seized a tentative sniff. The smell of the fresh morning air, the calming dewy smell of the morning, makes him smile. He then cracks his jaws and stretches his arms.

"Wake up everyone," he said, fighting the urge to sleep back, but he knew they needed to keep moving and find the Fae Warrior for an answer.

"We have a long day ahead of us," he added. The sunrise radiated off swans like clouds, and the rising air breezes buoyed them. It was his first foray into the Grassland, and he was enthralled.He was curious to see what adventure lay ahead.

The ground was enormous and the early sun was clouding his vision as his two companions had kept their bearings. He watched Catherine when the silhouette of her hair was against the morning light and it made her magical in his eyes. But today wasn't a day to be self-conscious, as she tied it up behind her head and, in its messiness, it was even more desirable to Sean.

The chirping of the birds gives rise to calmness in his mind; a soothing melody, a natural lullaby. The journey passes, the grassland morning scenery; a tincture of the morning lingers, like dew upon leaves, a gift of freshness as they travel north.

"We're here," Catherine announced their arrival. 

"Where?" Nathan replied, glancing at the place with just an ancient, battered tree visible with its vines running through the woods covering its pathway from the distance.

She then added, ignoring Nathan's innocent complaint, "Fae Warrior of the North, open thy mist so thy humble friend could enter," she mumbled as she saw the garlands.

It often made the garlands of marsh Fae flowers and hovered over the doors of most Fae's homes to protect them from invaders and safeguard their Fae horses from being ridden to exhaustion by rogue Fae at night. 

Fae flowers were spread over windowsills and hovered above the door-posts of the home for protection. The Fae could mist their dwellings and could vanish at will, remaining invisible to others as long as they pleased. 

And carrying a four-leafed clover would allow Catherine to see the fairies. Catherine peeked closer, studying the texture of the woods and vines, and drew in a sharp gasp as she then bowed her head. She could sense moss and the smell of wood, bark, and bugs acknowledging her presence.

The moment Catherine touches her clover, the misted house of Fae's appears, and the unladylike roar of one sister can be heard distantly. Miah opens the door wide with a genuine smile. She grins back, and Catherine can feel the enthusiasm radiating out from her stronger than a hundred-watt bulb.

Nathan and Sean's shocked faces were perceptible as an air-splitting scream broke their surprise. Nathan's eyebrows raised and he spoke more than he had in years as he watched them bickering with each other.

Miah was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet like a frantic child and rubbing her hands, hugging Catherine as if her life depended on it.

"Well piss on you, Chabs!" Prestiney lost patience with herself and ran after Miah.

Miah responded in a lighthearted manner, which brought a small smile to her face.Hiding behind Catherine,

"Who bloody cares if you are the coin keeper? No one cares!" scoffed Prestiney.

The conversation developed into a furious and vicious round of name-calling, which, like picking at an old wound, was not without fulfillment. But as the insults fizzle out, a dull heaviness sets in.

When they noticed that Catherine wasn't alone, they stopped. Pristine gave a little squeak and hugged Catherine once more, enjoying the sight of her human friend, happy to welcome the guests as she led them inside.

"What the hell was that?" Sean asked in awe.

"FAE Warrior"

Well, for a second there, I thought your Fae friend was like Tinker Bell, but I'm wrong. "So wrong," Nathan added, dismayed.

The Fae Warrior had no wings, and neither were they slight. Nathan thought they looked rather like the Amazonian warrior, unlike the Hollywood version he'd expected, and they were more humanlike but also had a natural sunny glow and neon-yellow hair, the bright hue of a newborn petal. With a slight smile on his face, he went to check the fae's humble abode, or not so humble.

Once they were inside the house, Sean noticed that every surface seemed to have a yellow-honey-colored nostalgic shine; the little stairs shaped on the walls and the ten-foot ceiling, the pattern on the golden wood floor, and even the windows. They gilded it with gold! 

Sean tried not to gape at the luxury. It was no myth that the Fae loved gold. They plastered it on everything they owned. Catherine's voice hindered his internal pondering, smooth and deep, "Wait here."

He dragged his attention away from the grandness to find Catherine smirking at him. He was flushed with embarrassment. Maybe his wide-eyed stare hadn't been so reasonable. He then took it out and hustled himself. 

He had been a millionaire. For heaven's sake, a slight bit of grandeur shouldn't turn him into an ogling fool. 

Catherine disappeared into the chamber and shut the door behind her. The cousins stood in the vast living accommodation, silent, none of them feeling the need to make chitchat. After a few minutes, Catherine emerged, saying, "The food is ready." 

In the kitchen, Cheena cracked open the homemade clay oven to survey her honey bread rolls. Sniffing, she let the yeasty-rich fill her lungs.

Why do you have to check those lovely rolls fifteen times a minute? Catherine, glancing at the flavorful rolls. She nestled a large bowl in the crook of her arm as she slung the contents around with a wooden spoon.

"Hey, old friend, are you afraid they'll be stolen?"

"You wouldn't have to look that way if you learned how to read an alarm," Catherine said. Smiles and teasing

She replied, "I didn't need an alarm. One glance at the plump forms pulsing over the coals and I recognized my rolls were ready to be eaten." Using her yellow apron as a hot cloth, she pulled the pan from the oven and lowered it onto the cooling tray.

"You look a little raw, if you ask me," Catherine teased.

"Ha! I noticed you were just jealous because I created the fairest bread and pastries in the Grassland. "

"That, I agree," she replied, scanning the goodness in front of her, trying not to let her know how hungry she was.

As if Cheena hadn't known that, she had made different piping-tasty oatmeals, teas, biscuits, and stews for her recent visitors as the morning coolness had set in to warn them of the incoming battle.

Cheena never comprehended that dying would be extraordinary. She hoped it didn't happen to her son; she wouldn't be able to afford it. Luckily, her kind siblings had assured her not to worry about such a thing.

As they enjoyed their breakfast, they discussed the upcoming war. The Second Grassland War

Cheena continued, a spoon oozing with the looking sauce she'd been stewing in the kitchen.

"Alton Lothbrok, the son of the Fae South Leader, had known to have broken the treaty, and that action had moved to start the Grassland War all over again," Cheena exclaimed while everyone was enjoying their food.

Ten years ago, they fought the First Grassland War between the Fae of the North and the Fae of the South because of border disputes and the ambitious expansionism of both the belligerent parties. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of the Coins. During the war, the Fae warriors of the North struggled to keep their land.

The three Fae sisters made a notable contribution during the conflict that earned them the Prophecy Coin Keeper Award, and they did it to protect the prophecy coin from reaching into the wrong hands.

Cheena, the eldest sister, was like a mother to them, praising their achievements. She was a very sensitive and soft-hearted Fae who took care of their well-being. An unmarried Fae who had inherited the position of head of the family, with all the tasks and ideals associated with the title. She exercised all the rights afforded to her as ahead.

After the battle, they heralded her for her ferocity. She was distinguishable from the males on the battlefield by her long, flowing blond mane. 

Miah was a well-known Fae Warrior from the Grassland War who earned the title of Second Prophecy Coin Keeper, gifted in the spiritual realm of the afterlife.Her hairstyle had bleached to a lighter shade of gold, not in streaks, leaving warm caramels in-between against her honeyed skin. 

She took up arms and armor and fought in a battle alongside men during the war without a single rest. 

Her bravery earned her the nickname "Miah the Shield-Maiden of Grassland," as they often saw her with a shield and a sword wherever she went. Her shield was her primary personal defense. They built it of planked wood and cut it in the shape of a circle. At the center was a rounded, convex piece of iron bolted to the front of the shield to repel the enemy's blows. The blade was both the favored weapon and the treasured possession of a Miah. 

Pristine was the youngest of the Fae Sisters. Her frame was slightly athletic, not weak, just lean and muscular. And yet, she was the smallest, the wittiest of them all, with short brown hair and a slim body, a strong Fae Warrior and a force to be reckoned with. She has always supported the shield wall alongside Miah. Although fate has pulled her apart from being the Coin Keeper, the gods must have a plan to bring them back together in the battle where they belong.

During the war, the Fae of the North defended their land, losing many warriors. The sisters fought side by side, and a powerful bond had improved. Unlike the others, these legendary Fae warriors marched onto the battlefield alongside their male counterparts.