Story Arc #2, The Doctor and the Fairy
The Faerie Prince
A chapter of a choose your own adventure story
You can click here to go back to the previous chapter written by Samuel Kenneth Kauffman, which is also the beginning of this adventure. Writers, click here to join the Choose Your Own Adventure Collaboration!
“I’m sorry but I have to abide by the laws of the land,” you say.
She raises an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me, do you?” Before you can mumble some reply, she says, “Don’t think I won’t abandon you to your fate, human. I’ll give you one last chance. Do you or do you not wish to come with me?”
You avoid her eyes, which are surprisingly intense and penetrating. Even if she were a delusional boy thinking he was the legendary faerie queen–sorry, princess–she could be dangerous as a companion. You waver, trying to stall for time. But she purses her lips, and lowers her voice to a whisper, “That’s it. Your time is up.”
In the next split second, she whirls, and with a dash of gold dust, the sulky boy transforms into a jaw-droppingly gorgeous woman, with flowing, bright orange hair. Her eyes are a powerful crystal green, and a pair of shining wings protrude from her back.
“Oh no,” you stammer, “I didn’t realize you were–”
“Telling the truth?” she replies with a sneer. “Faeries don’t lie. Farewell, human!” With a flash of blinding light, the faerie princess fades into thin air.
You panic inside, regretting your choice already. What if you never get a fair trial and you just doomed yourself to a life sentence?
Before your thoughts can get even darker, a prison guard you vaguely recognize struts towards your cell and peeks at you through the bars. He has a cheeky grin on his face. “Woah…I had my doubts about her story, though I figured that anything was possible. But man, I wouldn’t have imagined what a sexy babe she was!”
You grimace inside, bracing yourself for whatever the guard is about to do to you, despite his apparent words of camaraderie.
But to your astonishment, the guard starts to unlock the door to your prison. As if reading your mind, he says, “No worries, brother. I ain’t gonna hurt you. But I’m taking you to see someone.”
You are wary, but also relieved, because your claustrophobia can only stand so much of this prison before you’ll go insane. You’ll take whatever chances you can get.
As the guard leads you down the row of prison cells, you hear obscene jeers, as well as worse noises, from the inmates on either side. You try your best not to make eye contact with any of them.
Before you know it, you find yourself in a narrow corridor with no prison cells around you. The walls seem to be gleaming with black paint, or maybe you’re just seeing things.
Then you reach a door near the end of the corridor. The guard knocks and a deep male voice rumbles, “Come in. You’ve taken long enough.”
When the guard opens the door and pushes you in, you gasp when you see the man lounging on the couch in the middle of the room. He’s dressed all in black, his leather jacket gleaming like the wall outside. His hair reminds you of dark forests and stormy skies, and his sea-grey eyes both fascinate and intimidate you.
In short, he is the handsomest man you have ever seen, but you hope that his effect on you isn’t too obvious. You are not out as a bisexual man, as your colleagues, family, and most of your friends are quite conservative, and everyone knows how homophobic prisons are.
In your stunned haze of feeling, you murmur, “Oberon.”
The man’s smile makes his face even more striking to look at, and you promise yourself to never disappoint him. It’s bewildering how a stranger can affect you. But then again, he is a famous faerie king–um, prince.
Oberon’s voice echoes like a rich cello in a music hall. “I see you’ve rejected my sister’s help. That means you’re mine.” You shiver inside at the implication, though you’re sure that wasn’t what he meant. Oberon continues, “Something strange has been happening at the Summer Court. The lands have been–shifting from Seelie soil to Unseelie soil, and the opposite is true on Queen Mab’s end.”
Holy shit. “The Winter and Summer Courts are switching places?” you squawk.
Oberon looks remarkably confident despite the bad news he just brought to you. He throws his head back in a laugh. “It does sound funny, doesn’t it?” His face turns grim. “But the consequences aren’t. Because of the Seelie and Unseelie swap over, unnatural things are happening. You being framed for a crime is one of them.”
“So you believe that I’m innocent?” you ask in a tremulous voice.
Oberon smirks. “I wouldn’t have bothered coming to your rescue if you were truly a killer. Come with me now. You can repay me by helping me to investigate this matter and put things right. But first, you need a disguise.” A look of utter mischief lights on his pretty face. “Do you want to pass for my servant boy, my friend, or my lover?”
You are utterly stunned (and secretly excited) at his proposal, but you’ve got to choose fast.
You choose…
- “I’ll be your loyal servant boy!”
- “I’ll be a devoted friend.”
- “I’ll be — your lover…”
