It was interesting to learn about pixie culture. So far, all Rowan knew about the pixies was from what she heard from the faeries, which did not paint them in a very flattering light. Still, she had wanted to give the pixies a chance, and figure out why there was a fight going on, before she made any decisions for herself. It was hard to see the pixies as terrifying monsters when they made flower crowns to celebrate their young girls coming of age. Rowan paid close attention to Stig's explanation, nodding along when it was appropriate.

Rowan let out a wry laugh when Stig questioned where her skills were at, "Oh I have no clue how to make a flower crown at all. You will definitely need to start at the very beginning." As good as Rowan was with swordsmanship, and the delicacy she displayed when riding, Rowan was very poor at using her hands to do smaller tasks. It was all fumbles and gracelessness in most things she attempted (ex: sewing, needlepoint, flower crown making...) that required precise hand movements. It was as if her hands were too stiff and broad to be precise and cautious.

Rowan's interest in Stig's culture delighted him to no end, though he supposed that he should actually be a little worried about her curiosity. After all, curiosity killed the cat.

At Rowan's laughter, Stig couldn't help but grin. She laughed so freely, as if she did not have to worry about others judging her every move, which he supposed that she didn't.

For a split second, Stig envied that freedom, the freedom to laugh and love and be sad without worrying about a steep drop in reputation. Of course pixies had emotions, and of course the children laughed, but so rarely did pixie adults show true emotions. It was almost like being kept in a cage that you had the key to and yet you were afraid to release yourself from.

Before Rowan could notice Stig's darkened eyes, he blinked away the traitorous thoughts and instead invested himself into teaching Rowan how to weave a flower crown. "Well, if that's the case then we really do have to start from the beginning huh?" Stig huffed and gave Rowan a small, momentary grin.

"First things first, I assume you wish to make one for yourself? Since you have to measure the head you are making the crown for and all."

quick q before i write a response: do we want to ts thru the teaching process and pick up once rowan has made one/two or go through it all?

You can ts through the first one, but probably be halfway through a second flower crown that way they're distracted when the pixies show up. ;)

Rowan was a person of many talents, and flower crown making was definitely not one of them.

Her first attempt, despite Stig's patient teaching, was a mess, and the resulting crown could barely be recognized as a circular shape - more of a misshapen blob.

Still, despite the epic failure, Rowan immediately started on another crown, determined to improve. Her lips were pressed tightly together in concentration, blocking out everything but Stig's advice as she made another (very ugly) flower crown.

To be honest, Rowan's struggle amused Stig to no end, but he did envy her perseverance. She refused to give up even if the crown looked... atrocious. "There you go," Stig spoke as she made a proper knot, "this one is already looking much better." His form shimmered in and out as he watched Rowan's steady hands, the small grin on his face revealing small, sharp teeth.

Watching Rowan's work didn't entirely distract Stig, so when the trees suddenly pulled back and the leaves shook, his reaction was immediate. His head immediately did a 180 as he stood, eyeing the dark wood around them. "You need to le-" Stig never got to finish as a dagger appeared against his throat and a pixie shimmered into existence in front of him, spitting the word "traitor," in his face as if it were a vile, sickening word. Stig's hands immediately went up, dropping the dagger he'd grasped automatically, his camouflage shedding and revealing his true appearance.

Stig's skin was a honey-bronze in color and shimmered with white freckles thrown across his body like splattered paint. His dark brown hair was shoulder length and done in a half-up, half-down style with a slight wave to it. The white freckles dashed on his face contrasted his thin, arched brows that were currently furrowed. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, revealing his small, sharp teeth. Stig's anger was evident on his face, and his large, emerald green eyes glared at the pixie in front of him. He looked no older than 30, and his entire facial structure was eerily similar to Alvaro's.

"What a surprise," a disembodied voice spoke as another pixie appeared from the shadows, they didn't fully reveal themselves but Stig recognize them by their voice alone. "Libitina, this is not what it looks like," Ranvos, the pixies' language, slid off Stig's tongue like a melody, the language of the pixies had an entrancing effect. "Oh my dear Stig, I fear that it is exactly what it looks like," the woman revealed herself, showing her true appearance. With long white hair and dark, almost black eyes, she painted the very picture of an evil queen.

Her dark eyes slid over to Rowan, giving her a flash of pointed teeth. "And who might you be young one? You stink of faerie," Libitina hissed, her accent making her words sharp. "Libitina leave her out of this she is just a harmless imm-" Stig went silent as the pixie in front of him pressed the dagger against his neck, causing two small drops of blood to slip down his neck.

"I don't believe I was talking to you Stig, now," Libitina turned back around to face the immortal in front of her. "Who the hell are you? And please don't try to fight us, we are everywhere."

The trees groaned at the woman's words, whispering out hushed warnings to Rowan before shrinking back from the white pixie's dark aura.

Rowan wasn't as far removed from the world as she appeared, although she did not move an inch. Instead, she strained her hearing, and stretching out her personal magic - an action she had never tried before - 'feeling out' the area, and locating the new threats based on their magical signature. Even as she did so, Rowan did not look up from where her fingers were steadily making the second crown, coming across as uncaring and as unworried as she possibly could be.

Internally, Rowan's hands were itching to grab her sword, and run it through this new pixie. Despite her impulsive nature, Rowan maintained her cool. The trees fear was palpable, and Rowan was not eager to make the bearer of such power angry, although if it happened to occur, well... Rowan hoped she could make a sizable dent before going kaphooy.

Still, Rowan had to say something, so she finished up the flower crown - an improvement from the first, for sure - and finally, slowly, looked at the new guests, rising to her feet gradually, unhurried by the tense atmosphere.

"I'm Rowan," she said simply, and with her next shift, it was as if her sword had jumped from her sheath to her hand, "and I'm not dumb enough to pick a fight I can't win, but if you attack me, I'm at least going to take a few of you down too."

She held the sword easily, not quite at the ready, but not lax either. Rowan's head cocked to the side, and the smile she sent the obvious ringleader was dry and sarcastic, as were her next words, "It's always the ones who are compensating for something that ruin others fun," Rowan held up the misshapen and honestly hideous flower crown in her free hand, "I'd offer it to you, since it's appearance suits your personality, but I had too much fun making it, and fun definitely doesn't belong in your vicinity."

Snarls of rage went up in the trees as Rowan drew her sword and Stig hissed a warning "Rowan," before the dagger against his neck drew more green blood from his veins.

Libitina's eyes flashed in glee as Rowan drew her blade, a challenge was always fun in her eyes Stig knew that much. He'd seen her draw out a fight for as long as possible before ripping out their throat with her teeth, she was a ruthless killer, and she loved a challenge. Stig flooded the forest with his fear for Rowan, hoping that someone would help her for he could not, his desperate plea did not go unheard though, and the trees began to whisper amongst each other.

Of course, Stig knew that Rowan was more than capable of protecting herself, her ease with a blade said that much, but against an ancient pixie? Stig knew that even he could not best Libitina and her ancient skills, let alone Rowan who was barely even an immortal.

"You are quite the fool, immortal," Libitina hissed, her dark eyes roaming Rowan's defensive stance, sizing her up from what Stig could tell. "Coming on my land, our land, and insulting us is something only an idiot would do. Though you must not be entirely brainless, you did somehow manage to convince one of our best to make flower crowns with you," Libitina's lips pulled back into an animalistic snarl as she turned slightly to glare at Stig's still form. Instead of seeming afraid, although he was, he glared back, his fists clenched in nervous anger.

"I must applaud you for the creative taunts though, you are certainly getting the point across that you're a tough little immortal." Ghostly laughter echoed through the branches of the nearby trees as the watching pixies taunted the young immortal beneath them.

Stig's breath caught in his throat as Libitina stepped one single foot closer to Rowan. "You should watch your words here child," all previous humor had evaporated from Libitina's tone, "you know not who you trifle with. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand, and don't mention those disgusting faeries you are so friendly with, I could crush all of them in a mere moment." Libitina's face had gone ghostly pale and her grim aura had become overwhelming, Stig swayed as her anger and hatred flooded his senses. A pixie leader could share their emotions with whoever they desired to, and right now it was Stig, though Libitina's overwhelming aura could be felt by everyone and her ancient power yawned as if it had just woken from a long slumber.

They needed help, and fast.

Rationally, Rowan knew she should be fearful. Libitina was a dangerous opponent, and if a battle were to begin, it was near-certain that Rowan wouldn't be the one walking away (at least, not without great cost). Yet, the familiar rush of adrenaline that came with a true challenge coursed through Rowan's veins. She was a fighter, after all, both with her actions and words.

(Her mother had taught her how to flay a man with her tongue at the age of 8, when some men in her father's court had decided to show their true nature. After all, while Gwendolyn may not carry a sword, her words were just as deadly.)

Rowan's eyes shifted to Stig for a single moment as he attempted to warn her, but she was in far to deep to have regrets. Even if she wasn't stuck in an impossible position, Rowan wasn't one to back down from any sort of fight.

"Aw, you think I'm tough?" Rowan's voice was a sickening sugar-sweet, "You certainly know how to flatter a girl. Although I'm getting mixed messages here, calling me idiotic one moment and tough the next. Almost like you can't quite make up your mind about me." She fluttered her eyelashes coyly, mockingly, a non-verbal taunt. Rowan was an expert is annoying people, after all.

She adjusted the grip on her sword, the sunlight glinting off the metal.

Death, in an unusual fashion, when it came to Rowan, inched close and closer with every word. Normally, Death rushed forward in the clanging of steel on steel, or in the whistle of an arrow. Here, it festered in the quiet between each snark and biting word - in the mocking laughs in the trees. Rowan shot a glare into the branches nearest to her. The trees fear was palpable, and it was not appreciated.

"And as for why you should not kill me?" Rowan focused her gaze back on the pixie leader. She pretended to ponder the question, before smirking wickedly, "I'd have to admit, I'm hoping to go out in a much better fashion than speaking to death. Maybe in a grand blaze of glory, if it suits the situation. This is much too dull - no cute spectators to impress - so I suppose my own vanity would prevent this from being my end."

Rowan shrugged, a glint in her eye that was much to pleased for the situation, "I have to say, this has certainly been fun. It's been much too long since someone has been willing to stand toe-to-toe with me, as I am certain the same is for you. Powerful women are so under appreciated in this day and age."

The trees whispered warnings had reached listening ears.

Alvaro was working, speaking with his people, and preparing for visiting faeries who would be helping restore his village to its former glory when the trees spoke.

It wasn't often the trees grabbed his attention with such urgency, they'd completely pulled his thoughts away from the current task at hand and demanded his full attention. The language of the trees was slow, mostly used for reports and the like, so when the trees needed something quickly they'd send clear images. The images that now flooded Alvaro's brain were frightening and left him terrified.

Somehow the pixies had gotten Rowan.

His reaction was not immediate, the faeries around him stopped their own idle conversations as their leader suddenly quieted, realizing that he was receiving a message. A bad one. Once Alvaro shook off his initial reaction he began distributing orders, demanding the best warriors at once to suit up because one of their own was in danger. He assigned two to stay behind and watch his children while donning his own armor.
Within two minutes he had fifteen faeries by his side, flying as quickly as they could to save Rowan from death.

Because no one ever beat Libitina.

-------

Rowan's words stunned the laughing into silence and wiped the smile entirely off Libitina's face. The shock that replaced it was comical, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

It wasn't that Rowan's words were alarming or anything of the sort, it was the pure audacity of a mere immortal to say such a thing to the queen of the forest. No one had dared to question the pixie's authority for centuries and no one, including the woman herself, knew how to react to it.

"I-well I have never heard such a small being say such daring words. You say too much for such little power." Despite her strong words, Libitina's voice shook with a newfound fear, if her men heard Rowan speak to her like this with no retribution they would not trust her to lead. "I think I'll just kill you now." Libitina's cocky grin had returned, and false confidence blanketed her newfound fear.

Without moving an inch, Libitina's icy blue sword materialized in the air, aimed straight for Rowan's heart and a cry tore out of Stig's mouth.

A loud clang resounded as the sword's tip reached about a foot away from Rowan, and it shattered into millions of pieces. A green shield pulsed in front of Rowan, and the pixies in the trees began to cry out in pain. Libitina looked about in fear, eyes glaring into the depths of the dark trees that hid the faerie intruders. "Let's go," she barked to the pixie who held a knife at Stig's throat before turning to face Rowan again. "We will meet again girl." Then she disappeared, followed by a saddened Stig who mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to Rowan before popping into his small form unwillingly.