Prince Reiven fumed with rage. His father had no right to force him into marriage...and with a female, no less. The dark elves had long since been able to choose the sex of their mates freely, technology assuring that every couple could procreate a child no matter the sex of the parents.
Unfortunately, ever since the intergalactic war had done away with the majority of the ruling class in just about every planet, royals struggled to arrange the marriages of their surviving offspring to form solid alliances between neighboring planets.
King Helios had always desired to form an alliance with the Fae planet. The entire royal family of the Faerie realm had disappeared under suspicious circumstances, but the council had agreed to hold a special ball so that the prince of the Dark Elf realm could chose a bride from their planet and unite both worlds.
"Father, you know I favor-"
"They said bride, and that is what you will choose," the Elf king's voice boomed. "You will be the King of that planet and should learn to play by their rules. Later, if you wish, you can take a male lover if it's so important to you."
Prince Reiven cursed the tears that sprang to his eyes. He'd seen the results of being forced into an undesired marriage. His mother, a beautiful Arborian Nymph, was literally withering away while his father indulged his passions with a Lycanthrope.
Knowing there was nothing he could do, Reiven turned and stormed out of the throne room, burning with fury.
*****
Rainbow's knees hurt, and his back felt afire with fatigue. His bloodied, dirty fingers dug through the hard soil and rock to find the special Faerie stones he would later grind to make Faerie dust. Many years ago, there were servants to do this job, but his stepmother and stepsisters had whittled away the family fortune to the point that they no longer could afford servants. Once done, he put away his findings and set to work on scrubbing the floors, using an old brush his stepmother insisted he use because it left the floors extra shiny.
Rainbow scratched underneath the green cap he wore when he worked. He'd woven it from grass blades to hide his long iridescent hair. The last time one of his stepsisters had seen it, she'd become so jealous, his stepmother had shaved it all off. Leaving him as bald as an onion. He never unfurled his wings in front of them either, for fear they might want to tear them off as well.
A commotion in the receiving chamber of Faerie castle drew his attention. Slowly he crawled to the edge of the door and stood peering in. A council messenger handed stepmother Malvora a golden scroll. Raindrop and Breezy jumped up and down with high-pitched squeals of delight.
"Now-now, girls, calm yourselves or the council emissary will think poorly of you."
To this, the Faerie dressed in a gold and scarlet robe sniffed, eying the two over-jubilant Faeries with a frown.
"So," stepmother Malvora sighed, "I see King Helios is searching for a bride for the prince."
The messenger cleared his throat. "As the last remaining ties to the royal family, it is required that all royals attend." Somehow, Rainbow felt that the messenger did not consider his stepmother and stepsisters true royals.
Raindrop and Breezy squealed louder until Raindrop wet herself from the emotion. Breezy broke into peals of laughter, pointing her finger at her embarrassed sister. The mirthful giggling ceased when an unfaerie-like puttering sound emerged from Breezy's aft, making her gasp and turn as scarlet as the messenger's uniform.
"Ha! That's why mama named you Breezy!"
Breezy screeched, like a rabid banshee, and launched herself on her sister.
The messenger snorted in disgust, turned and left.
"Girls-girls! Stop that this instant!" Malvora clapped her hands. "Perhaps I should not send you to the ball after all."
The two wrestling Faeries stopped pulling each other's hair and stood scowling at one other.
"Rainbow! What are you doing eavesdropping there?"
Fear skittered up his spine, but there was no escaping now. Trembling he approached them, feeling the weight of their hostile stares.
"I finished polishing the floors to the dining-room," he replied in a small voice.
Malvora smiled. "Such a good boy. And you were going to scrub this room, is that it?"
Rainbow nodded, clutching the worn scrub-brush to his chest. "Y-yes, stepmother."
"Oh, Rainbow, but your face is dirty," Breezy said snatching the brush from his hands. She bent over and swiped the brush through her sister's pittle. Before Rainbow could back away, she'd grabbed the back of his head and scraped the harsh brush on his face until he was sure his skin was raw.
Raindrop laughed and pittled herself again.
"Now-now, Breezy," Malvora chided gently, "you're going to break a nail as well as work your digestive system up."
Both Faeries laughed as Rainbow sobbed, his tears making his reddened cheeks sting; then again, it could have been the disgusting pittle that dripped from his face.
Malvora pouted at him. "Don't cry, Rainbow. You know I hate sniveling."
Rainbow took a deep breath, his lower lip quivering, his tears falling like rain to the floor.
Malvora rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. She pulled off the ribbon tied around her waist and proceeded to tie it around Rainbow's head. His two Faerie stepsisters laughed louder. "There. You want to cry like a girl, then you will look like one."
Rainbow looked up from beneath silver lashes, feeling the strands of pink satin brush his shoulders. If Malvora only knew how much he enjoyed when she made him wear the frilly feminine garb she used to ridicule him. He'd always felt more feminine than masculine, something quite common in the Faerie realm.
