Fairy Cider
"Things are going to escalate now."
Lexi's prediction turned out to be remarkably accurate.
The celebration in the fairy village continued long after dinner had finished.
Thousands of fairies filled the clearing.
Music drifted through the air from instruments Jax couldn't even identify. Tiny glowing figures danced above the mushroom houses while others sat around tables eating the last of the stew Jax had prepared.
The chilled Pixie Mead had been an enormous success.
So had the Fairy Cider.
Especially with the Vixens.
Jax leaned back comfortably and took another drink from his mug.
It was good.
Sweet.
Smooth.
And it left a pleasant warmth spreading through his body.
Similar to Pixie Mead.
But not quite the same.
He couldn't put his finger on the difference.
Yet.
Nyxian had gradually migrated closer to him over the past half hour.
At first, she'd simply been sitting beside him.
Then her thigh was touching his.
Then her shoulder.
Now she was practically wrapped around his left side with one arm draped behind his back.
Not exactly unusual for Nyxian.
What was unusual was Llandra.
She had somehow moved her chair considerably closer without Jax noticing.
Her fingers occasionally brushed his arm when she spoke to him.
Once could have been accidental.
Four times probably wasn't.
Bunny had abandoned her chair completely and was sitting on the ground beside Jax, leaning against his leg while talking animatedly with several fairies.
Zee was smiling.
That particular smile.
Jax knew that smile.
He had learned to fear that smile.
Especially when she started whispering things to Nyxian that caused the succubus to laugh.
Jax looked around.
Something was definitely different.
Everyone seemed...
Affectionate.
Very affectionate.
Then there was Pixelle.
Pixelle had discovered an interesting problem.
Fairies possessed a natural resistance to many toxins and poisons.
But resistant didn't mean immune.
And Pixelle had spent seventy-one years drinking Fairy Cider from cups designed for someone three inches tall.
Tonight, she had spent most of the celebration at five feet, six inches.
Which meant she had also decided that five-foot-six Pixelle deserved five-foot-six drinks.
That decision was beginning to have consequences.
She had already finished the enormous mug she'd toasted with.
Then she'd refilled it.
Twice.
Lexi had attempted to point out the potential flaw in this strategy.
Pixelle had ignored her.
Completely.
Now Pixelle sat across from Jax, staring at him.
Not subtly.
Just staring.
Jax eventually noticed.
"Everything alright, Your Grace?"
Pixelle's wings fluttered.
Her cheeks turned pink.
Almost matching her hair again.
"Perfect."
Jax nodded.
"Okay."
He went back to his drink.
Pixelle continued staring.
Nyxian noticed.
Of course she noticed.
The succubus took another drink and tightened her arm around Jax slightly.
Pixelle's eyes narrowed.
Nyxian noticed that too.
A mischievous smile appeared.
She leaned her head against Jax's shoulder.
Pixelle's eyes narrowed further.
Nyxian smiled wider.
Lexi hovered nearby.
She looked at Nyxian.
Then Pixelle.
Then Jax.
"Oh no."
Pixelle stood.
She walked around the table.
Jax looked up.
"Your Grace?"
Pixelle stopped beside him.
There was a problem.
Nyxian had one side.
Bunny occupied the space near his legs.
The other side of Jax's chair was partially blocked by the table.
Pixelle studied the situation.
Then smiled.
Her body shimmered.
In an instant, five-foot-six Pixelle disappeared.
A three-inch fairy zipped underneath Jax's right arm.
Then—
She expanded.
Jax suddenly found himself with a full-sized Fairy Queen pressed against his side and his arm resting around her shoulders.
He blinked.
Pixelle adjusted herself comfortably against him.
Jax looked down at her.
"Is everything okay, Your Grace?"
Pixelle smiled up at him.
"It is now."
Jax stared at her.
"...Okay."
Across his chest, Nyxian looked directly at Pixelle.
Pixelle looked back.
Neither woman said anything.
Nyxian's smile slowly grew.
Pixelle smiled too.
Jax looked from one to the other.
"What?"
"Nothing," they said simultaneously.
That was concerning.
Jax took another drink.
A few minutes later, something appeared in front of his vision.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
STATUS EFFECT DETECTED
Aphrodisiac Compound
Source: Fairy Cider
Effect: Increased physical arousal, lowered inhibition, heightened sensitivity
Would you like to purge the effect?
YES / NO
Jax froze.
He slowly lowered his mug.
Aphrodisiac?
He looked at the golden liquid.
Then at Nyxian.
Then Llandra.
Then Bunny.
Then Zee.
Then the Fairy Queen currently snuggled beneath his arm.
Suddenly, the last half hour made considerably more sense.
Jax looked back at the notification.
He wasn't worried.
His body felt completely fine.
His mind was clear.
His System could remove the effect instantly.
And if things changed, he could always purge it later.
Mostly...
He was curious.
Pixie Mead already created an unnatural feeling of happiness by magically influencing the body.
Fairy Cider apparently worked on a different set of impulses.
Jax looked at the notification again.
NO.
The message disappeared.
Jax lifted his mug.
Let's see what this stuff does.
He took another drink.
Nyxian watched him.
"What did your system tell you? Something juicy I bet."
Jax looked at her.
"How did you know?"
"You make a face."
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
"What face?"
Nyxian scrunched her eyebrows together and stared blankly into the air.
Jax frowned.
"I don't look like that."
"You do."
Bunny looked up.
"You kind of do."
"Traitor."
Bunny giggled.
Jax turned toward Pixelle.
"Your Grace?"
Her expression brightened instantly.
"Yes?"
"I have a question."
"Anything."
"Is Fairy Cider an aphrodisiac?"
Pixelle blinked.
"Of course."
Silence.
Jax stared at her.
Nyxian stopped moving her chest up and down on Jax's (not squiggly, but defined) arm.
Llandra slowly lowered her mug.
Zee looked into hers.
Bunny looked at her own mug and then immediately took another drink downing the last of it.
Jax finally spoke.
"Of course?"
Pixelle nodded.
"Yes."
"You didn't think that was worth mentioning?"
Pixelle frowned.
"Why would I?"
Jax stared at her.
"Because you've been giving it to us all night."
"Yes."
"And it's an aphrodisiac."
"Yes."
Pixelle seemed genuinely confused by his confusion.
"It's Fairy Cider."
Jax waited.
Pixelle waited.
"That doesn't explain anything."
"It explains everything."
"No, it doesn't."
Pixelle looked toward Lexi.
"Doesn't it?"
Lexi took a slow drink from her tiny cup.
"I'm staying out of this."
Nyxian finally moved.
Very slowly, she turned toward Pixelle.
"Wait."
Pixelle looked at her.
Nyxian pointed toward the keg.
"That..."
She pointed toward her mug.
"...is an aphrodisiac?"
"Yes."
Nyxian looked around at the Vixens.
Then at the thousands of fairies celebrating around them.
Then at Jax.
Then back at Pixelle.
A smile began spreading across her face.
Not a normal smile.
Jax knew that smile too.
It was the smile Nyxian wore when she discovered chaos and immediately decided she wanted to help.
"Oh."
She looked at Pixelle again.
"You and I are going to get along wonderfully."
Pixelle smiled.
"I thought we already were."
"Oh, sweetie."
Nyxian raised her mug.
"We're just getting started."
They clinked their drinks together.
Jax stared at both of them.
That was considerably more concerning.
The music grew louder.
More fairies joined the dancing.
Several of the village musicians had apparently decided that volume was more important than musical accuracy.
Nobody seemed to mind.
Jax remained seated for a while longer.
Mostly because extracting himself from the women surrounding him would have required considerably more effort than simply accepting his fate.
He was familiar with this scenario every morning he awoke.
Pixelle had no intention of leaving.
None.
Every time Jax shifted, she shifted with him.
If he leaned forward, she leaned forward.
If he leaned back, she settled against him again.
At one point Jax stood to refill his mug.
Pixelle stood with him.
Nyxian watched the entire thing.
Eventually, Pixelle became distracted when several fairies flew over to speak with her.
She moved several feet away.
Only several.
Nyxian immediately slipped away from Jax and walked toward Lexi.
Lexi saw her coming.
"What?"
Nyxian looked toward Pixelle.
Then Jax.
Then back at Lexi.
"Your queen wants him."
Lexi stared at her.
"Obviously."
Nyxian blinked.
"Oh."
Lexi tilted her head.
"I know you knew."
"I did."
"She's been talking about marrying him since Merriweather started telling us stories about him."
Nyxian's eyebrows lifted.
"Marrying him?"
Lexi nodded.
"She has plans."
Nyxian looked delighted.
"What kind of plans?"
"Bad ones."
"I like her more every minute."
Lexi sighed.
Nyxian glanced toward Jax.
He was talking with Bunny and Zee.
Pixelle stood only a few feet away, pretending to speak with several fairies while repeatedly looking toward him.
Lexi folded her arms.
"Does Jax know?"
"I don't think he does."
Lexi looked at her like she'd asked whether the World Tree was small.
"How could he not?"
Nyxian laughed.
Lexi frowned.
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
"She stares at him."
"I know."
"She follows him."
"I know."
"She joined a raid because of him."
"I know."
"She practically crawled underneath his arm."
"I was there."
Lexi pointed toward Jax.
"How does he not know?"
Nyxian studied him.
Then sighed.
"Your queen has somehow managed to fall for a man who is simultaneously one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever known..."
She paused.
"...and the stupidest man alive."
Lexi stared at Jax.
"That doesn't make sense."
"I've been sleeping with him for over a year."
Nyxian took another drink.
"Trust me. It doesn't get less confusing."
Lexi considered that.
"Are you mad that she is pursuing him?"
"Why would I be mad?"
"Because you are engaged to a man that my Queen has interest in."
"Girl, you don't know me yet. I want this to happen," Nyxian stated boldly.
"So what do we do?"
Nyxian smiled.
"We?"
Lexi immediately realized her mistake.
"I didn't mean—"
"Oh no."
Nyxian put an arm around the tiny fairy's shoulders with one finger.
"You said we."
Lexi groaned.
Nyxian looked toward Pixelle.
"We don't need to make Pixelle like him."
"Obviously."
"And we definitely don't need to make her want him."
Lexi's eyes widened slightly.
Nyxian chuckled.
"I can hear those thoughts, remember?"
Lexi looked toward her queen.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Nyxian smiled.
"Our problem is him."
They both looked at Jax.
He was currently explaining something to Bunny using a spoon and two empty mugs, while she seemed to be paying attention, while rubbing her chest on his leg.
Lexi frowned.
"What do we do about him?"
"Nothing complicated."
Nyxian took another drink.
"We make him actually look at her."
Lexi blinked.
"He looks at her constantly."
"No."
Nyxian shook her head.
"He looks at the Fairy Queen."
She pointed toward Pixelle.
"We need him to see Pixelle. You two are beautiful, and he needs to see that."
Lexi slowly smiled. Blushing profusely.
"I like you."
Nyxian raised her mug.
"Everyone does eventually."
They didn't have to do much.
Pixelle handled most of it herself.
The cider helped.
The music helped more.
Soon Pixelle had dragged Jax into the celebration.
"I can dance a little, but prefer not to."
Pixelle stared at him.
"You haven't experienced dance, until you dance with a Fairy Queen."
She tried to lead.
That lasted approximately three seconds.
Jax smoothly took control of the dance, guiding her into a turn before she even realized what he'd done.
"Your Grace—"
Her wings fluttered.
Jax noticed that.
Every time.
Your Grace.
Flutter.
He still didn't understand why.
Pixelle grabbed his hands from a twirl.
"You are more amazing than the stories."
Jax questioned.
"What was that?"
Pixelle smiled triumphantly.
The fairies around them cheered.
Jax was a star, moving with grace and his feet moved in step even when the out of rhythm band wasn't.
For a being who could literally fly, Pixelle had never understood what people meant when they said another person made them feel weightless.
She understood now.
Pixelle used every opportunity to lose her footing when Jax pulled her close, to ensure that he chest crashed into his body, allowing her to move it up and down on his chest.
At this point, Pixelle didn't care.
She was living a dream that she had no intention of ever waking from.
She was pushed out in a movement that made her both yearn to touch him again and yet, feverishly love the twirl that he put her into, know where the next stop would be.
Back against his body.
She was in a foggy bliss that she forgot the steps herself.
She accused him of distracting her.
"I didn't do anything."
"You were looking at me."
"We are dancing together, of course I'm looking at you."
"Well..."
Pixelle thought about that.
"...don't do it so intensely."
Jax laughed.
"And don't stop doing it either."
Jax began to laugh even harder. Pixelle laughed with him.
And somewhere along the way...
Something changed.
Jax stopped thinking about the raid.
Stopped thinking about trade.
Stopped thinking about the World Tree.
For the first time since meeting her, he wasn't looking at Queen Pixelle Starbloom.
He was looking at Pixelle.
Her bright-pink hair moved around her face as she laughed.
Her wings shimmered behind her.
Her cheeks were flushed from the cider.
Her smile was enormous.
And her eyes kept finding his.
Jax stared for half a second too long.
Damn.
The thought came before he could stop it.
She's beautiful.
Jax immediately looked away.
Nope.
That was the Fairy Cider.
Obviously.
He had been drinking an aphrodisiac for hours.
Of course he was noticing things.
That didn't mean anything.
Pixelle was a queen.
An allied queen.
Merriweather's cousin.
A woman whose people had just entered into a major trade agreement with him.
There were probably seventeen different diplomatic reasons why thinking about her that way was a terrible idea.
Possibly more.
It's the cider.
That was all.
Jax took a breath.
Don't embarrass yourself.
He created a little more distance between them.
Pixelle noticed immediately.
Her smile faded slightly.
"Why did you move?"
Jax blinked.
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I moved like three inches."
"Exactly."
Jax stared at her.
Pixelle stepped closer.
Jax instinctively stepped back.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not avoiding you."
"You just did it again."
Jax looked behind himself.
He had caught a glimpse of the other Vixens watching him. Their faces were in awe and entertainment.
Pixelle pulled arms closer to her, forcing him to put them around her waist.
"Do you not like me?"
"What?"
"Do you not like me?"
"Of course I like you, your majesty."
Her expression hardened. Those weren't the words she wanted from him.
Jax immediately realized that answer might have sounded different than intended.
"As a person."
Pixelle's eyes narrowed again.
"And as a queen."
Worse.
"And Merriweather's cousin."
Much worse.
Pixelle stared at him.
Jax desperately searched for another category.
"You're an excellent trade partner."
Pixelle's mouth fell open.
Across the clearing, Nyxian slowly covered her face.
Lexi hovered beside her.
"Is he always this bad?"
"Worse than I remembered."
Pixelle stopped dancing and planted her hands on her hips.
"Jax Darquebane."
Jax straightened.
"Yes, Your Grace?"
Her wings fluttered despite her irritation.
Pixelle took another step toward him.
"Stop calling me that."
Jax blinked.
"I thought you liked it."
"I do!"
"Then why—"
"That's part of the problem!"
Jax stared at her.
"What problem?"
Pixelle looked at him in disbelief.
She glanced toward Nyxian.
Nyxian made an encouraging motion with both hands.
Pixelle looked toward Lexi.
Lexi nodded rapidly.
Pixelle turned back toward Jax.
Then she took a breath.
"I like you."
Jax smiled.
"I like you too."
Pixelle's eye twitched.
Nyxian groaned.
"No."
Pixelle stepped closer.
"I like you."
Jax's smile slowly disappeared.
Pixelle pointed her finger against his chest.
"I like you."
Jax looked at her wide-eyed.
But she kept going.
"I've been trying to get you to notice me since you arrived."
Jax stared.
His mind began replaying the last several days.
The hand.
The staring.
Her insistence on joining the raid.
The favor.
Her reaction every time he called her Your Grace.
The way she'd crawled beneath his arm tonight and practically attached herself to him.
Nyxian's comments.
Lexi's looks.
Pixelle standing directly in front of him now.
Jax's eyes widened.
Oh.
Pixelle watched him carefully.
Then Jax had another thought.
A considerably more dangerous one.
The Fairy Cider might have made him notice her.
It might have lowered his inhibitions.
It might have encouraged thoughts he normally would have immediately pushed away.
But it hadn't created what he was feeling now.
Jax looked at Pixelle again.
Really looked at her.
Her pink hair.
Her glowing wings.
Her nervous smile.
The young queen who had driven him crazy during training.
Who had threatened a trade agreement to force her way into his raid.
Who had worked until she collapsed because she genuinely wanted to prove she could stand beside them.
Who had spent the entire evening finding increasingly ridiculous excuses to remain near him.
Jax swallowed.
Oh.
I like her too.