<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d7/fa/4d/d7fa4db7d7ea74deb4ef3b410de57d0a.jpg)<br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Conri</strong><br/><strong><em>The Forgotten One</em></strong></span></div></div>Everything was prepared; little details tweaked with careful precision until he was satisfied.  Everything had to be ready for his precious guest.  Everything had to be<em>just right</em>.  When he was finished, he went into the forest that welcomed her master; blending in until his body was swallowed up by the verdant brilliance of his home and the shadows therein.<br/><br/>And from there, he waited for her.<br/><br/>As part of their bargain for chasing off an evil presence from her land years ago, a fortnight of her absence had come and gone, and she was expected to arrive in his domain within the hour.  When they first began the arrangement, letting her go had been an easy thing.  Anticipated, even.  She’d had the curiosity of any free-spirited youth, and he found he didn’t have much patience for teaching.  Not after being alone for so long.  Having consistent mortal company had raised his proverbial hackles, and when the time came to return her to her realm there’d been no second guessing.  No lingering glances as her form walked away, and certainly no staring into the distance long after she’d left his sight.  No, none of that had been an issue in the beginning.  It was after they’d spent time together, baring parts of each other’s souls that he began to look forward to her arrival and dread her departure.<br/><br/>In the best of times, such feelings were a nuisance.  At the worst, well…<br/><br/>It was agony.<br/><br/>Conri, as he’d been named by the young woman, utilized the many pair of eyes throughout to watch for her arrival.  The owl perched on a limb; the wolf trotting across the path; the fox scavenging for food.  Once she stepped into the circle in the human world, his magic would draw her into his, and keep her until it was time to release her yet again.  The day was nearing its peak, bringing with it all the warmth and scents and life that was summer.  When standing directly under the sun in his domain, one could feel the kiss of magic upon the skin.  His magic.  From the moment she stepped into his realm, she would be protected by it up until she left.  Had he been strong enough, and were his magic able to reach that far, he would have had it follow her home.<br/><div class="floatright">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/c3/26/73/c32673dae42fab4d99cbcbfb716650c5.jpg)</div><br/>As the sun rose, it spread light across the canopy of trees.  The forest, at the start of it, was too dense to allow much light, leaving only enough illumination for her to tread safely should she decide to wander down that path.  Even so, he trusted that she’d learned enough in her lessons to navigate his forest safely.  It was the other unwelcome threats that would find it a chore to travel through, and had never failed to be an effective deterrent to the dubious guest.<br/><br/>His original purposes for making the bargain were never founded.  He had intended to ease the ache of loneliness with her in ways only a soft, supple body could, and when she began to show potential for other talents, he decided against it.  And, after his opinion of that annoying girl shifted to the clever young woman, he decided he would never use her in that way.  Instead, he took her under his wing to hone her senses.  Sometimes he would cause her to go temporarily blind, or deaf; sometimes he would strip the forest of all sound, or all light.  He loved watching the initial struggle; it made her triumphs that much sweeter, and he looked upon her with pride, knowing he helped create the confident, powerful woman she had become.<br/><br/>This time, he didn't set a trap for her as was his usual; she'd started to outgrow his tricks, anyway.  Instead, he had something special for her, and couldn't wait to present it.<br/><br/>It was during his vigil that another thought came to mind; one that he often revisited.  She was<em>his</em>, and that, no matter how vehemently he knew it to be true, he also knew that she could never be<em>just</em>his.  Their worlds were too different, and their natures.  She deserved more than being trapped in a fae’s bargain.<br/><br/>He sensed a shift that was a precursor to her arrival, though something was… off, and he couldn't quite place it yet.