The Dancing Rebirth - FFXIV Fae TF

Patron commission, another Final Fantasy 14 one featuring my own Warrior of Light. Based on art received from Fokk3rs (https://www.deviantart.com/fokk3rs/art/Dragon-girl-to-Fairy-909239687)

Contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers, and some implications about Endwalker but nothing specific. 

-----

It was night on the road to Il Mheg. Just the sight made Petra Stelle smile a bit, remembering the long and hard journey it had taken to bring that starry sky back to the First. The dark made traveling inconvenient - she didn’t exactly have night-vision - and made her jump at shadows every now and then. But when it was compared with the eternal light that had filled the heavens when she’d first arrived in this particular dimension, she’d take the dark every time.

Quite some time had passed since the Warrior of Light from the Source took on the mantle of the First’s “Warrior of Darkness”, and Petra hadn’t visited as much as she might have wanted. While she could still travel to the First herself, it was a tiring transition, and her companions had yet to learn how to replicate it to join her there (as much as Y’Shtola tried - frankly it was only a matter of time before she figured out how to drag herself between the shards of Etheirys). She didn’t make it often due to the immense amount of aether it required - even she had her limits, as often as she’d gone and surpassed them in the past.

But now that things were settling - the end of days averted for both her homeworld and the remaining worlds that reflected it - she could come and visit. She’d already spent several days catching up in the Crystarium with assorted friends - telling them how their loved ones who’d returned to the Source were doing, jotting down messages to share when she returned, and so on. She’d gone to Rak’tika Greatwood and reported on Y’Shtola’s condition to the Night’s Blessed since they’d be dying to hear, and reassured their leader in her absence that she was doing her best to figure out how to traverse the rift between worlds. She’d visited Eulmore and practically had her bones crushed in a hug by a certain very very large Miqo’te woman as she told her how Alphinaud was doing, and then checked in on those recovering from Sin-Eater corruption in the deserts of Ahm Araeng.

Now, all that was left on her circuit of the First (short going to the Great Empty to see how it’s restoration was coming along - there wasn’t all that much of the First left to visit) was the kingdom of the fae - Il Mheg.

The fae were a strange lot, a tricksy people who valued their debts and oaths above all and worked on a system of morality quite strange to your average person. They reminded Petra of the Source’s Sylphs, the small floating people of the Black Shroud (people, not beast tribe; her time in the First, and the trials afterwards, had taught her that the “beast tribes” were no less people than an Au Ra like her was), who certainly loved their own fair share of mischief. Though, she hadn’t heard of anyone who annoyed the Sylphs being turned into a topiary.

Petra was well acquainted with the fae’s king, Titania. Or Feo Ul, as she had known them before their ascension; the pair had a pact, and even after rising to Il Mheg’s throne they’d maintained it. Perhaps she didn’t speak with her friend as much as she should have while she was in the First earlier… in any case, the present Titania was a close ally, having ascended in Petra’s place after the Warrior of Light had accidentally performed the ritual to take the throne while trying to defeat the previous Titania.

As Petra went further North, crossing a line marked by “turn back!” and “here there be fae beings” signs, she began to notice something odd. As she approached Il Mheg proper, the ground going from forest grasses to blooming pink flowers, the mist grew thick. Her mount - a winged beast known as an amuro, favored by the people of the First for transportation not unlike the Chocobos of Eorzea and borrowed from the Crystarium - grew restless and irritated.

The fog grew thicker and thicker as she traveled, until she could hardly see ten feet in front of her face. This was familiar. It had been the case the first time she’d arrived in Il Mheg, a trick by the locals. “Feo Ul, would you tell your subjects to stop it? I was trying to come and visit in person, I thought you’d quite like that.” she said to the open air. Feo Ul had been quite annoyed in the past about Petra’s not being as personable as she could, but hopefully an in-person visit would smooth things over nicely.

There was no response, no flash of light as an irate fae king appeared in front of her or even the smaller shard of themself that they’d had following Petra ever since they split. There was just the quiet, foggy night and the clank of Petra’s armor.

Petra knew better than to try and proceed in this kind of environment - she’d somehow find herself back where she began, if she was lucky with how they decided to prank her. She dismounted her amuro and set the beast on the path back home, while she took a look around. She was focused on the ground. What had Thancred said the looking grass looked like last time? ‘Furled tips’?

Voices swirled around the paladin as she searched, whispers from unseen pixies. They tried to entice her to speak with them, ask her questions she knew would be loaded. “Can I have your attention?” No, she’d rather maintain her ability to focus. “Come over here and look!” Not if she’d like to keep her sanity, thank you. Eventually, she found the strange looking grass she had searched for.

“Alright, that’s enough. I can see you.” Petra said as she raised the grass to her eye. Through a ring in the plant, what was once obscured was now clear as day - the pixies circling her and nagging for her attention. Pixies were tiny, smaller even than a Lalafell, barely reaching her knee if they’d been on the ground. But they generally weren’t on the ground, flying around joyfully with their butterfly-esque wings. They had pointed ears and oddly colorful eyes, usually matching the rest of their color scheme.

Many of them fled upon realizing that she could now see them, but the braver of them remained. When she put the grass down, they remained in sight, no longer able to rely on their invisibility.

“Oh, it’s no fun when the mortals know all our games!”

“No fun at all, no fun! Should we punish her?”

“No no no, that would be against the rules, we have to trick her!”

“But can we trick her if she hears us say we’re going to trick her…?”

Petra rolled her eyes. “Can we skip the games, maybe? I’m here to see Titania. Or do you want the ‘madbloom’ to be mad at you like they were after the last time you pulled this?”

The faeries looked at each other, and laughed themselves silly at the threat - but they withdrew all the same. Part of the fog lifted, but not all - Petra followed the revealed path, towards the soft blue light of an Aetheryte.

The rough-hewn, floating crystal beacon marked the first “settlement” one would encounter upon arriving in Il Mheg. Strictly speaking, Petra could have teleported to it, still being attuned from her initial arrival and having the aether to spare for the trip. But so far in her journeys she’d done her best to take the long way when she could (for the experience, and not at all because the Scion’s accountant Tataru was getting annoyed about having to subsidize all the aethernet fees…), and a few fae pranks weren’t going to dissuade her from that course now.

As she took a moment to rest by the aetheryte, she saw a light ahead in the fog - light glinting off something. Out of curiosity, she walked over towards it.

There was a leafman on the road - a topiary of leaves and vines that the pixies made for fun. And only some of them used to be people. Or maybe most of them. She’d never asked, and wasn’t about to do so now. That wasn’t the odd thing; leafmen were present through all of Il Mheg. One had even been sharing the bench beside the Aetheryte crystal. No, the weird thing was that it had an accessory.

Petra carefully lifted the circlet from the leafman’s head, and almost as soon as it was in her possession, the fog abruptly lifted. One moment she’d been surrounded by the stuff, and the next it was clear as day. “I’m really not amused by these tricks, ‘lovely branch’...” Petra muttered to herself.

A part of her considered whether she should just leave. That’d teach Feo Ul to pull pranks on her. But the other, stronger part had seen a challenge presented, and refused to back down as a matter of principle.

She looked down at the crown - it looked distinctly familiar. But no, it couldn’t be what she thought it was, could it? That’d be silly.

…As if anything about the situation wasn’t.

With a loud sigh, she started to walk. She was tired already, having looked forward to just getting to sleep after her arrival, but she was sure if she tried to sleep she’d be woken constantly by pranks - assuming the dream-manipulating Pixies didn’t just have their fun while she slept. Maybe she shouldn’t have left the amuro behind so quickly…

-----

Il Mheg’s reflection in the Source was, Petra was reasonably sure, the snowbound lands of Coerthas, under the dominion of Ishgard. However, while Isghard was known as a grim and frozen nation these days, before the Calamity that befell Eorzea it had been a temperate plain, a natural neighbor to the dense forests of the Black Shroud and lush Dravanian Hinterlands. It’s climate had been completely broken. Petra liked Ishgard, quite a lot actually, but she was nonetheless very glad that Il Mheg had never faced a similar ecological catastrophe, which made the lengthy walk pleasant.

Petra stopped in at an abandoned manor house as she passed it by. Much of Il Mheg had been originally inhabited by the mortal races of the First, before their kingdom fell to ruin and the fae moved in to occupy the remains. This manor house, however, was a bit stranger than the others. The inside of it was a total mess, and yet free of dust and decay. Papers and books were strewn around the ground, yet clean. Aetheric tools and machines still hummed with energy. Urianger - the friend who had lived here before - would probably be flattered to learn the Pixies had decided to maintain his abode in his absence, exactly as he had left it.

She stepped in to look around. It was more for nostalgia’s sake than any genuine reason she had to be there, really, but that was reason enough. Urianger had never been an especially tidy fellow to begin with (at least when it came to research), and he’d left everything behind; the transition between worlds didn’t allow one to bring anything with them, outside of Petra’s own special circumstances.

While she was poking through the home, wondering if she should take anything there with her back for the man, she heard a fluttering behind her. Another pixie had appeared, not bothering to hide. “Oh, mortal! Come, come! I need help-”

Petra looked at them skeptically. “What’s the trick?”

“Well, we were going to try and trap you in a fairy circle and leave you there for a bit,” the Pixie confessed, “But we closed it too early and one of us was stuck.”

Petra looked the Pixie over. This one was familiar. While many of the small species looked the same to her, this one she recognized - it had been one of those that assisted Urianger in the manor. …Also, they were asking for help, and she couldn’t not give it. It just wasn’t in her character.

“Fine… show me where they are….” Petra grumbled, and followed the Pixie out of the manor house. They continued up the road a bit, before finding the trapped Pixie.

The ‘fairy circle’ turned out to simply be a ring of rocks. It was large enough that unless one was looking for it, they might not realize the rocks were in a ring, but since she was specifically searching she saw the outline of the circle easily enough. Petra wasn’t overly familiar with the concept of a fairy circle herself, but Urianger had mentioned it once - stone circles that amplified the abilities of fae when cast within them.

The unfortunate Pixie who had fallen into their own trap was buzzing about the circle, trying to find a break in it, when they noticed the new arrivals. “Oh, oh, you found her! Good good, come, the keystone is here…”

“Keystone? Is that a rock that’s different than the others?” Petra asked.

“It’s whatever anchors the circle with it’s power,” one of the fae said. “We use crystals usually, but this time…”

The “keystone” wasn’t a rock at all, it turned out. Or rather, it was no mere stone. It was a tall rod made of rock, a stone scepter humming with magical energy. Thankfully, all that energy was presently directed into the circle, keeping the Pixie trapped.

“What’s this doing here…?” Petra muttered, as she took the scepter and pulled it free of the ground with a grunt of effort.

She’d thought she was mistaken with the crown, but between that and this scepter, there could be no mistake - she was being made to retrace her steps from her initial visit to the land. The crown and the scepter fae relics, two of the four needed to open the doors to the palace when it had been sealed before. Without that seal, she’d imagined that it was as simple as walking in - but now it seemed she was being forced through the task once again.

“Thank you, thank you!” The freed fae said as they darted out of the circle. “Now would you be a dear and hop in? It’s a waste of a good prank otherwise!”

“No.” Petra replied flatly. “Besides, you got your goal finished. I was supposed to take this, wasn’t I?”

“Eep!” The Pixies squeaked and fled, leaving Petra alone. She sighed loudly. She understood how this was going to go, now.

“It was the lake next, right…?”

- - - - -

While the specific locations of the relics were different, the path Petra had to take was much the same; after finding the staff, she found her way forward barred by more illusions, and she didn’t have anyone to help her sneak past the pixies guarding the path this time. She took a detour to the lake - diving under and looking around the flooded city beneath the surface.

Finding the next relic was easy once she knew to be looking out for them. It also helped that they seemed intentionally placed in her path; she practically tripped over the crystal shoes when she explored a particularly large ruined home.

After that, she was able to pass the Pixies who kept trying to prank her and visit the home of the canine Nu Mou; they were as happy as ever to see a mortal, and eager to help, they confirmed to her that this path had been arranged for her by Titania. Petra decided that the fae king would need a very good explanation for this, if they didn’t want her getting mad for a change.

After that, she hit the village occupied by intelligent amuro - it’s leader wasn’t present at the moment, though. Maybe he had gone off on those adventures after all?

She was passing through when she encountered the fourth and final treasure - the white dress, draped over something beside the road. “...You’re running out of ideas, aren’t you Feo Ul…?” she said to the air as she approached. Wary of potential traps and pranks, she was careful, watching for oddly laid out stones. She even picked up a few rocks and tossed them towards the dress, but they didn’t discover any hidden magical traps that way.

Eventually satisfied that the dress had not been booby trapped, she walked over to pick it up - and the weird rock that it had been draped over turned out not to be a rock, but a large, live (if mud-covered) toad, which promptly leapt at Petra.

Petra’s reaction was instinctive and violent. There was no communication whatsoever between intent and action as the toad was backhanded away. While that wouldn’t be so bad from a normal person, from the Warrior of Light wearing full plate, it was enough for Petra to hear a sickening crunch before seeing the toad launched all the way back to the village.

The woman wrung out her hand, making sure it didn’t get too much muck stuck to it. “Rude.” she muttered. She checked the dress - and sure enough it was just as she remembered it from her first trip to Il Mheg. It was a tiny thing, Pixie-sized rather than someone a normal person would wear; or even what Titania could wear, really. It was more symbolic than anything.

Having secured the last relic, it was a straight path to the castle. Or, well, a straight path to the stairs, which took a roundabout route as they rose up to cross the lake and come to the entrance. Petra didn’t bother to take in the sights. As impressive as the royal castle was, she was tired and annoyed, so she wasn’t in much of a mood for looking at the elaborate fountain or pretty pink flowers.

She stomped up the stairs, barely paying heed as the relics lit up and leapt out of her bag and towards the door. It had been a long day even before this line of pranks and trials began, and she was looking forward to the end of it and getting a nice long rest. The great doors slid open and she marched into the castle.

Petra took a beeline to the throne room, and just as expected, she arrived to find Titania waiting for her. The fae king was huge, easily twice or even three times as big as Petra herself, but size had long since stopped being an intimidating factor to the Au Ra - especially when she knew this particular giant well.

“Titania, I hope you’ve got a very good reason for all this nonsense.” Petra snapped - she wasn’t in a mood for formality. “I thought you’d appreciate your pact-mate coming for a visit instead of forgetting to call you, but I probably wouldn’t have shown up if I’d known this is the welcome I’d receive.”

“It’s all in good fun,” said Titania. If they were annoyed by her lack of deference, they didn’t show it. “None of the pranks have harmed you, no? If they have, there will be words with the one who harmed my beautiful sapling.”

“Is this some tradition, in how you ‘greet’ guests, then? I thought the relics were for the seal, not just to come and say hi.”

“Why yes, it is something of a tradition, though not for that purpose~” Titania said, giving a distinctly less than regal smile - the Feo Ul in them showing through. “Speaking of tradition, the next one is this. May I have your name?”

“Petra Stelle.” the Au Ra said automatically, and realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. She’d been too annoyed and let her guard down.

The fae loved this kind of trick. They’d use it to actually take someone’s name, and have power over them as a result. The Au Ra was no longer Petra Stelle - in fact, she didn’t have any name at all.

“Thank you~ I don’t think I’ll use the name, but I’ll keep it safe,” Feo Ul said, “But I can’t just have my beloved sapling wandering about nameless~ As a gift, your lovely branch will give you one of theirs. I think Titania would suit you well, since you went to all the trouble of gathering the relics.”

In addition to opening the gates to the castle, the relics of the fae had one other purpose - designating the new King. “Feo Ul, what do you think you’re doing-”

“I promise it’s just for a time, Titania~” Feo Ul said. Titania already felt she had to use the name, and had difficulty even remembering her old one. The faerie turned uncharacteristically serious, for a moment, as the relics glowed and started swirling around Titania. They were already shrinking, while Titania was beginning to grow. “Saving the world is all well and good, but most mortals don’t know how hard it was. They don’t see your heart as I do. They don’t see the wounds that don’t show on your body.”

The ritual was meant to help a faerie ascend to the mantle of Titania, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t work on a mortal. It nearly had done so the first time the warrior of light came, and this time Feo Ul wasn’t planning to take it instead. Titania felt her horns receding into her head while her hair grew longer and her ears became more pointed. She reached up to touch the changing body parts, and was surprised by how natural the changes already felt - either part of the ritual, or part of Feo Ul already having given her the name. “I’ve always had to bear it. This is no different…” she said as she flicked a thumb across her ear. Seven hells, she could pass for an Elezen if she wasn’t so short…

Though that was still changing - she was growing larger, and her perfectly fitted armor wasn’t made to match it. Rather than constrain her until she popped inside of it though, the armor began to fall apart - plates shaking off in thick sheets and clanking to the ground beneath. The chain undershirt, meanwhile, was outright morphing in material. The links grew tighter nit, gaps closing, until the whole of the chainmail was one contiguous piece - which then shifted in composition, going from metal to a dark-brown silk in the blink of an eye

The color began to lighten on the chainmail as the leggings fused and became a skirt, and Feo Ul continued talking. “This time, you need not bear it so harshly. You have a reprieve, but I know you - you would never allow yourself true rest.” At this point, scales were falling off Titania’s face as well - it was a strange sensation, as scales fell away to reveal smooth skin. She was now of even height with Feo Ul, before continuing to grow while the former Titania shrunk back towards their original Pixie form.

“I don’t have time to frolick with fae… so many things that need to be done…” Titania muttered. But even as she said it, that sounded hollow, a token denial. Wouldn’t it be nice to take a break from being the Warrior of Light? Wouldn’t it be nice to take a break from the troubles of the world?

“But you do have time. Other people can handle the world in your absence - you deserve a break.” Feo Ul insisted, and that did sound nicer to Titania by the second.

With the armor no longer presenting a strong obstacle, a new growth burst from the back of the rapidly forming dress. A pair of orange wings, reminiscent of a butterfly, began to swell from Titania’s back rapidly. Her hair was growing longer, and flowers began to settle inside of it, as if anointing the queen in the making. The dress grew more elaborate, large dark orange ribbons forming on the shoulders and chest.

“Maybe… maybe I can… maybe the world won’t collapse just because I had a rest…” Titania muttered. Maybe she could have fun… maybe she could enjoy herself…

The transformation reached the finale as a tiara formed on top of Titania’s head as she reached her full size, her green hair now long and floating behind her and bedecked with flowers, while her outfit had shifted completely to an off-white, lengthy gown that trailed on the floor. Her wings flapped lazily as she began to float in the air, more a result of magic than the actual movement, and she gave a manic smile. “I am Titania, Queen of the fae~” she said, fully settling into the role.

Feo Ul smiled as well. Once they had said that her mortality was part of what they loved about their favorite mortal, and that remained true. Feo Ul would rather her keep that spark that came with a limited lifetime. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t take a break from the mortal world when her soul bore such scars.

Titania flew a circuit around the throne room, reveling in her newfound freedom from the responsibilities of the mortal world - there were new ones, yes, but the fae largely kept to themselves. It felt like she’d shrugged off a world’s worth of weight, and was as light as a feather. She still remembered her old self, naturally - and she wouldn’t abandon it - but for the time being, the cares of that fussy mortal were so far away. “Now… what shall I do first, with all this free time, hm?”

“Whatever you wish, Titania.” Feo Ul responded, “Might I suggest first dealing with a certain group of trespassers? It seems more treasure hunters have arrived in Il Mheg, and I was saving them for you.”

“Ah, thieves and brigands… of course. Come, lovely branch~ I would have words with these would-be fortune seekers…”

Titania flew off with Feo Ul on her heels. Soon, even fewer mortals than normal would be coming to visit Il Mheg, for fear of it’s unpredictable new ruler…