Page 5 of Within the Veil

Trees that stand and never bend

Rivers endless in drought and flood

What of the Blessed Court?

FIERCE AND SHINING, BRIGHT AND GOOD

The Thorn that stands without a plight

Wood brightly burning as a flaming brand

Blessing flows throughout the land when rightly honored and understood

PartOne

Rebirth

Foreshadowing

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They say that when you're about to die, you see your whole life flash before your eyes. Me? I saw my entire possible future flash before them.

A Note on Prophecies

A prophecy is a prediction, not an edict carved in stone. It's a mere whisper, a fleeting shadow, a tug on the fringes of reality. It can guide you or mislead you, for its true power resides not in the words but in those they're meant for. And when one is unprepared, unready to seize what's offered, that power can turn fickle, a treasure slipping through outstretched fingers. So, how does one decode the veiled language softly sung through the annals of time?

Come now, gather around this ancient visage--you, my dear readers, and you, the hidden souls who drift between lines of text and flame's light. As this tale unfurls, let us explore a wisdom both ageless and elusive: the distinction the Fae draw between fate and destiny. Ah, yes, it's wisdom that's been passed down, whispered by the wind through gnarled boughs, scrawled on parchment made of moonlight and enshrined in the annals of forgotten lores.

Let the crackling fire serve as our chorus, and each spark that leaps skyward, a fleeting glimpse into the mystic realms we'll traverse. I see you're intrigued, captured by the allure of a tale as old as the cosmos yet as fresh as the dawn. So settle in, let your eyes lock onto the flickering flames, and allow this narrative to cascade over you. For what you're about to hear is not just a tale, it's a journey--one of soul, spirit, and an essence that defies mortal comprehension. Onwards, then, to a world both terrible and wondrous, a world that waits for no one but beckons to all.

Fate, that ephemeral force, is a cosmic loom, upon which the destinies of all beings are woven, its ethereal threads spun by the hands of meddlesome, unseen weavers. Each thread, intertwines, both with the one before it and the one after it, to create a complex, intricate pattern of existence. Layer upon layer, it starts breathing life to a grand design, predetermined by powers beyond our control. So you see? Fate is not merely a path; it's a celestial script, charted in the ink of stardust, a story written before the first word is spoken.

Confused yet? Good. Confusion means the mind is working much like the looms of fate. Hold that thought as we explore Fate's fickle sister; Destiny.

Destiny, dear hearts, is a different entity altogether. Think of it as the ember that smolders within your soul--a divine spark gifted by the ancients, a sacred key to unlocking the gate between 'what is' and 'what could be.' It is the sacred spark, bestowed upon us by the ancients, that allows you, the alchemy, to transmute thread into tapestry, blueprint into palace. It is the map you can redraw, the flame whose course you steer, and the lyrics you craft in life's unfolding song. In short, we become the sculptors of our fate.

Within the hallowed realm of the Fae, the lines between Fate and Destiny blur in a dance as old as time. Fate provides the music--a celestial melody that tells of what's to come- a hypnotic tune that guides our steps. Destiny, on the other hand, is the rhythm in your steps, the improvisation in your moves, the agency that lets you break or make the dance. It's the compass in your hand, which can either follow the stars or carve new constellations across the heavens.

So you see, while Fate whispers the tune, it is Destiny that grants you the liberty to hum your own melody, to let your soul sing in harmonies or dissonances with the Universe. It's a dance, my dear souls--a delicate, daring, everlasting dance where we honor the cosmic tapestry of fate while embracing the power of destiny.

We are the weavers of our own dreams, the seekers of our own truths. Fate sets the stage, presenting us with opportunities and challenges, while destiny allows us to seize these moments and shape them according to our will.

In the ancient tales of our people, fate is the mighty river that carries us upon its currents, while destiny is the rudder that steers our vessel amidst the ever-changing tides. Destiny beckons us to seek our purpose, to weave our own threads of fate into the tapestry of existence, leaving our unique mark upon the grand design.

Bah, I have given you enough examples. My advice? Heed the wisdom of the ancients and embrace both fate and destiny. Allow fate to guide your steps, for it holds the secrets of the cosmos. Embrace destiny as your faithful companion, let it empower you to shape your own narrative, fulfill your highest potential, and leave a luminous legacy upon the sacred tapestry of life.

May these ancient words find resonance within your hearts, illuminating the path ahead as you embark upon your own magical journey;for if you deny your destiny, you will find nothing but darkness and pain as your soul disintegrates into nothing more than a memory, your mind broken beyond repair.

ChapterOne

Oberon

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I layin wait amounst the trees, tuning out Ruadhan's ridiculous humming, choosing to focus on my target rather than the momentary satisfaction that would come with slipping my knife through his ribs, which will only amuse him.

I spend a lot of my free time, --which admittedly isn't much considering that training my soldiers and ensuring that they are strategically placed around The Stolen Kingdom for recognizance--, takes precedence over my own pleasures; perching in the trees waiting to slit the throat of any ally of the imposter queen. But today, my more indulgent hobbies have to be set aside. For a myriad of reasons, truly. The most important being that the wheels I will set in motion today and the actions I will have to commit to ensure the future of the Seelie--ones that will ripple throughout eternity-- are not something I can merely delegate. Not because I lack confidence in my whisperers abilities, but quite the contrary. It is because I know theywillsucceed that I cannot allow them to do so.

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