Dear cmbaker16, While I'm labeling each part as a gift number it is all one gift. It just has multiple parts. All parts are part of a larger short story, which I hope you will enjoy. Ailill Eriu Joanie MacDuff eyed the park carefully, as a witch she wasn't afraid of fairies, however with being so close to her due date she didn't want to risk unnecessary entanglement. As part of her promise to her husband to never come to Ailill Eriu park alone she had brought her daughter Felicity with her for this trip. As to why she was here at the park, to gather herbs, honey, and get some fresh fish for dinner. While there were plenty of other places to gather from around Moonlit Falls, Joanie had found that items gathered here always tasted better and worked better in her spells. As she and Felicity stepped onto the path Joanie felt the expected tiniest tingle, as if she'd touched an exposed wire. She watched as Felicity gave a tiny shiver before charging down the path. Only those with special gifts ever noticed the tingle, ungifted humans like her husband never noticed. Joanie was happy that there was no sign of fairies in the fairy house tucked among the ferns. It was good to see the redcaps thriving but she didn't need any this trip. Felicity joined Joanie on the bench, where Joanie was resting her feet and back. "Mom, why doesn't dad like you coming here alone?" "Because town lore has everyone believing that this park is enchanted and not originally of Moonlit Falls." "That's silly mom, how can a park not be of the valley?" "I suppose it's time to tell you the park's story, it will help you understand why you felt a light tingle when you crossed into the park." Felicity didn't question how her mom had known about the tingle, she was mom and a witch, she always seemed to know. Our story starts as with many stories with "Once upon a time there was a prince". Now this wasn't just any prince this prince was the sixth son of one of 4 powerful fae families. Now sixth sons in general are not all that special and tend to get overlooked, that is unless families or rulers are looking to arrange marriages to strengthen peace treaties or ensure family dynasties stay strong with plenty of heir choices for the future. Our prince of course has a name it is Prince Slaine. As with most of the fae Prince Slaine enjoys spending the majority of his time outdoors. As a sixth son he was able to get away with sneaking off to the, at that time in history, barely inhabited Moonlit Falls in the human world. He enjoyed the usual sport of playing tricks on humans, as well as hunting, and just enjoying all that the then wild valley had to offer. It was on one such of these excursions where he encountered a young human woman by the name of Emer. Prince Slaine was taken in by her beauty, and when she was able to spot his spell hidden wings he was even more impressed. It is said that their first encounter was when she was washing laundry along the river bank in a shallow, and that Prince Slain had it in mind to cause her laundry basket to float out into the river. It is also said that Emer glanced up towards where Slaine was hiding and called out "prince of fae I beseech upon thee to not upend mine linen's as mine mother is most sickly and I wish to get back to her in haste." Prince Slaine not only didn't play any tricks on Emer during that first encounter, he found himself helping her speed along her chore so that she could get back to her mother quicker. Prince Slaine went home and borrowed some tools of detection from the court advisor for his next trip to Moonlit Falls. It took him some time, but he eventually found Emer's home, a small non distinct cabin nestled at the top of a dirt road that ran between two of the region's mountains. He was shocked to learn that Emer was not a witch as he had suspected, that she was nothing more than a mere mortal girl. He was getting ready to leave when the door opened and Emer stepped out. "Prince of fae, thine name I still not know, I bid thee welcome and have set a place for thee, so that thou mayst share our humble meal." Leaving the door open Emer stepped back inside, and Prince Slain was able to see the rough wooden table set for 3. Prince Slaine found himself staying with Emer and her mother, not just that meal but for weeks at a time. Eventually he realized that he had fallen in love with Emer. Princes however, especially fae princes of powerful families, are not allowed the luxury of marrying for love even more so if the object of affection is mortal. Prince Slaine stared at Emer's sleeping form and regretted that he must return home each dark moon. Upon his return home he was distraught to learn that during his absence his parents had arranged a marriage for him, because it was in his mother's words high time he stopped flitting between worlds and settle down. At first Prince Slaine thought he could work out a deal with his bride to be. After all so long as legitimate heirs were produced, both parties had a certain amount of discretion within arranged marriages. When Prince Slaine learned not only who he'd been sworn to, but the terms of the marriage contract he was distraught. Not only would the princess in question never permit affairs, but he'd be much to far from the Moonlit Falls portal points to return without his absence being noted. Prince Slain spent the weeks leading up to the wedding trying to figure out how to get out of the contract, which much to his parents anger he was refusing to sign under their signatures. Word reached Prince Slain that Emer's cabin had burned down one day, and that she and her mom were living homeless in the woods near the ruins. His distraught was such that he decided that he had no choice but to seek out one of the dark fae. After a day's search he found one, or more precisely one found him. "What is it you seek young prince of light?" The shadowy figure's voice rasped out from deep within the forest brambles. Prince Slain answered with the truth, that he wished to return to Emer and marry her, which would mean living out his life in the mortal world. A forked branch holding a vial of swirling liquid was extended out, it's stopper a pure pink diamond. Prince Slaine listened as the voice rasped out the instructions, taking note that if his love wasn't pure that he would die from the elixir. Following the given instructions Prince Slain opened the vial, clutched the rare even by Elvish standards diamond in his hand, and drank the contents in one breath just as day shifted towards twilight. Prince Slaine doubled over in pain and passed out when he woke he found himself in a pool of water struggling to stay afloat, and that part of the clearing he'd been in was around him but just beyond it's edge was Moonlit falls. Prince Slaine dragged himself out of the pool ... yes this very one ... and found he couldn't magically dry himself off. Tired and wet he crossed the river and slowly made his way to were Emer's cabin had stood. When he arrived he found Emer and her mother huddled under a blanket. Emer cried out at the site of him "Oh mine sweet prince what hast thou done, thous wings are gone and thous no longer has an ethereal glow." To exhausted to answer Prince Slaine collapsed in front of Emer holding out the diamond. Unknown to both of them he was dying, as there was a part of the spell that had yet to be fullfilled, that the dark fae hadn't told Prince Slain about. Emer rushed to him, bending down she took hold of his face and said "oh mine love I carest not for bobbles or trinkets ..." she paused "... I carest that thou live no matter how poorly the days mayest be." Then she kissed him tenderly on his lips. "Ew mom, mushy really" "Yes really, a point of fact it was their very first kiss, a true loves first kiss." Prince Slain felt a surge of energy rush through him and Emer stepped back with a small startled "oh!" Once again he felt hail and healthy and was able to stand himself up. At Emer's gasp and point he looked at his no longer mud encrusted clothes and saw that instead of the royal clothes he'd been wearing earlier he was now clothed in the same style as Emer and her mother, a rough peasant garb. The next day the three of them went to the local magistrate's office and Slaine and Emer were wed. Slaine took Emer's last name, Kinnaird, having not had one before and they lived happily ever after. "Oh come on mom, you expect me to believe that the story ends with them living homeless in the woods." Joanie chuckled "no of course not, Slain sold the diamond and used the money to build them a new cabin just below where the old one had been." "Wait, you mean the ruins at the top of Lupine Lane are tied to this park?" "Yes, my very sharp and brave daughter those ruins are said to be where Emer lived when Slaine first met her." Joanie had tucked their catches into her bag as they were readying to go when Felicity finally blurted out a question that she'd been mulling over as they fished. "Mom, if Prince Slaine and Emer were real, because this park is real and the ruins are real, what became of them?" "It is rumored that after Emer's mom passed on of old age that Slaine and a very pregnant Emer moved into town proper and that Slaine built them a mansion to live in." Felicity paused, her face scrunched up "It's that empty misnamed house with that extremely cranky ancient fairy caretaker isn't it?" Joanie merely nodded her yes. Link to the park on the exchange. Ailill Eriu, I did use spawners on this lot so don't rotate it when placing it. When placed at (existing ea small park) 206 Valley View Drive, MF it does align to the front properly. Note this is not a from scratch park, I upgraded the park that ea/maxis had already built on the lot, and left the hidden picnic spawners (moved a little) on the lot.
0 Comments
|