Let Justice Be Done Ch. 62

Raguel took one last look at the servants in the lake house, before he turned to Phaedria with a stoic look. 

"Before I agree to listening to your prophecy, I have one condition." Raguel said. 

"Of course and I will accept." Phaedria nodded, already knowing what he will demand. 

"Every single person here, everyone that had been snared into this place." Raguel continued as if she didn't preemptively agree. "They are to leave and not come back for one year." 

The protests and cries of sorrow began ringing out of the lake house, as the servants had heard what he said.  

Maybe this will do nothing and in a year they will all return. Maybe he was pushing thing as they people weren't directly control.

But I do know this environment isn't helping their decisions, or helping them choose not to fall to their vices. At the very least if they are away from this place, maybe they will improve from their current state. 

"However if they return, they can never leave again." Phaedria had a playful grin. 

Raguel could feel the magic of this place holding onto him and Phaedria to enforce the conditions of their deal. 

"If they return," Raguel thought of some loophole to help these people. "And choose to stay...then fine."

"Ah, ah, ah, you have to say it out loud and clearly~" Phaedria waved her finger, and Raguel was reminded of his earlier thought about punching her in the face. 

The servants of the Lady of the Divining Lake rushed toward Raguel and Phaedria getting on their knees begging them not to go through with this. That they are happy here, that they want this.  

Raguel felt conflicted at causing harm, even if that's not what he intended. He reconsidered if maybe he shouldn't have made this decision unilaterally. If maybe he should try to talk with these people and convince them. Yet he could see in their souls, there was a small part, buried in varies degrees to not be a slave to their own habits and instincts.   

He felt Viviane supporting him through their bond, telling him that he wasn't alone. Raguel felt more at ease and sure of his decision.

"Everyone who was lured and trapped by you or this place are to leave and not return for a year and a day, but if they return and choose to stay they can't leave again." Raguel spoke with finality.  

"And I accept, then we have a deal." Phaedria said with a casualness, opposite to the screams of despair from the servants. Her attitude was like a gambler making a small bet uncaring of the result. 

The Fae Magic rang out and latched onto the two participants of the deal and became set in place. 

A fae deal was struck. 

The servants disappeared in a flash of light, sent back to the Human World.

The lake house was now empty except for four people. It was noticeably quiet. 

Ice spirits began to enter the place and take up the roles of the freed servants. 

 Raguel sent a prayer to his Father, to have Him send an angel to each persen sent away to guide them in their time of need. To be a guardian angel in the time they have away from the Lake of Idleness, to just talk to them and help them. 

Raguel felt approval from his Father. 

"Now then," Phaedria said expectantly.

"I wish to hear your prophecy." The moment he said the words, Raguel felt as if something was...struck? Sent out of him? 

He wasn't sure. He didn't feel any magic of any kind, but there was a feel of...something being more set in place.   

"You will need a few things to complete your objective of saving the young fae mage child." Phaedria spoke. Her words and presence didn't feel different, yet they felt...a bit heavier. A bit more dense. As if the world was taking note of them. Thus Raguel and his companions couldn't help but listen. "You will need an invitation, which you can easily gain upon completing any of Queen Mab's tasks. You will need to pay a toll to enter. Something valuable that will be used in the auction, you can simply try and bargain it later during the auction."

As Phaedria explained the Summer Festival Auction and how it worked, Raguel began to gain an image of it, yet it left him puzzled why people participated in the first place. While trade of treasures of all kind would be enticing to anyone, what makes that different from any trade place, or any other auction?

"After entering their is a period of leisure before the show, where the guest can mingle and trade things between themselves, be sure not to use up your bargaining items during that time." Phaedria continued. "After that, when the true auction beings, the Summer Queen will bring up the items for the auction, and the guest can bet their bargaining items for them."

"What determines the value of the items to see which is greater, and win the betting?" Asked Viviane. 

"The Summer Queen," Phaedria smiled mischievously, then raised a hand before anyone protest the obvious problem. "The reason why the auction is so exclusive, yet so sought after is the enchantment the the Summer Queen placed on the whole event and even herself." 

Viviane, Raguel and Eleen sat up straight, as a fae doing something as grand as place a spell on herself, is definitely a big deal. 

"The auction is so popular because it is enchanted to that any guest that arrives will find what they want and need." Phaedria grinned as a shocked expressions that passed her guests' faces. "In return the Summer Queen is empowered to always know the value of the items, anything really, that enters her realm, and she is enchanted to always make a fair deal during the Summer Festival."

"B-But...wouldn't someone try to take advantage of that?" Eleen asked the question on everyone's mind. 

"None succeeded." Phaedria grinned. "That's why she's the Summer Queen."

"But the enchantment for the guests." Viviane spoke. "To always find what they want and need, how could be possible grant such a thing. The magic power for that, it would be beyond any fae. You would need to be a god to manage such a thing." Viviane shook her head. "No, even then. It would have to be a god with very specific domains to manage that."

"Because that's her power, Lady Viviane," Phaedria seemed excited, almost lost in memory, and maybe even reminiscing in fondness, when thinking about the Summer Queen. "While I may see fate and set it upon its course, she Sees and controls it. That is the Summer Queen's, Queen Titania's power."

Phaedria paused as she let the words sink in, not only making Raguel realize the enormity of his future rescue mission, but why Phaedria wanted to give him a prophecy, that may lead him to succeed. She wanted him in her debt.

"No," Viviane told him. "At least not right away. Phaedria wants to be partially credited for your success should it come to pass, since she gave you a prophecy about it. As for debt, no. You wouldn't be in her debt if you succeed. Rather how she acts is to tempt someone with a prophecy and when they return a second time wanting to know the future once more, that's when she places them in her debt." Viviane telepathically clarified.  

"Thus we come to the crux of the matter." Phaedria's eyes landed back on Raguel with a knowing look, seeing that he understood her play. "You will most definitely be granted an item worth Myrddin Emyrs's freedom, 

"And if you do just that, you will leave the Summer Court without any harm or attachments." Her knowing smirked sent a shiver down Raguel's spine, yet that only made him more angry. He clenched his fist, hidden under the table. "However, in your greed, in your vanity of self-righteousness, you will try to save more than just the fae boy." Raguel and Viviane both felt angry, and both felt the other from their bond, and tried to calm down the other. It was amusing in hindsight, how their bond allowed them to very quickly calm down and stay in control. "And it's possible for you to succeed. But the sacrifice need for that...you would have to give up a piece of your Self to succeed, and it would bring ruin to what you hold dear in this life."

Raguel stilled at that, and did his best to hide his reaction. Did she know or was that just the wording of her prophecy?

The moment Phaedria finished her prophecy, Raguel once more felt the words echo outward, not with hearing, and reach out to something, that made them more assured and set in stone. 

The deeper Raguel looked, the only thing he could see was Queen Mab's soul that encompassed the Snow World. 

No, not her soul, but a specific part of it. Her psyche. 

No, not even that. It's...the part of the psyche that reaches outward. The part connected to the, what did Father call it, 'collective psychic field'? But wasn't that only for humans? No, if humans have it, then likely other species have it. So a psychic field encompassing, also humanity, would be one belonging to all living beings, right? But...you're not suppose to affect it, right?

Raguel turned his sight inward and found nothing wrong or different. And he was sure of that. No magic hold, link, or debt. 

So what did that mean? Why were prophecies important? Raguel didn't know the answers to these question. 

All he knew was the information he learned here to day.

One thing that held his attention though, was the dread he felt from Viviane. 

"Viviane, are you alright?" He asked through their bond. 

"...All Phaedria's prophecies come true." Viviane told him. Raguel could feel her worry. "Raguel...I'm scared for you."

"It's going to be fine," Raguel said back, silently glaring at the smirking Phaedria.

"I look forward to your success and to see you again, Lord Raguel." Phaedria said with a wide amused smirk. "I truly look forward to see what will happen." 

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AN:

Added this paragraph to resolve an issue I don't want to make a scene about in the next chapter:

["No," Viviane told him. "At least not right away. Phaedria wants to be partially credited for your success should it come to pass, since she gave you a prophecy about it. As for debt, no. You wouldn't be in her debt if you succeed. Rather how she acts is to tempt someone with a prophecy and when they return a second time wanting another prophecy, that's when she places them in her debt." Viviane telepathically clarified.]