Here's a thought that's been banging around in my head for a while @owl-bones and @antlered-prince about the faeu
So the war between the two kings lasted *goes to check numbers, ADHD says nvm we not doing that* A Very Big Long While, right? There's plenty that changed from the coexistence of the courts to the sudden sharp division, but what I kept thinking about was the details of how the trading of goods would be affected; specifically grown foods.
Imagine you're an extremely old fae that's still around from the time of Nimh's reign. No matter what court you're from, you haven't tasted this one fruit for so, so incredibly long. Or at least, not how you remember it. It's been successfully grown in artificial greenhouses enchanted to mimic the growing conditions of the other court, but... it's not the same. Yes, it tastes the same... but it also doesn't. It's not an inherently wrong feeling, but something similar. Maybe lacking genuineness would be the correct phrase for it? It is the fruit you loved oh so much, but it also fundamentally can't be. Not without the influence of its home court woven into it's flesh and seeds and fibers. This is only a cheap facsimile that leaves a bittersweet ache in your soul, whereas younger fae enjoy it with glee, having never known the taste of it during peacetime.
And then the truce happens. It's slow, but trade between courts gradually opens up again. Tensions are still high, but are lessening with time. It's... nice. Relieving. The war is over (you hope).
One day, a friend of yours brings over some food for a picnic. They're one of the few friends you still have around from before the war, and you cherish them with all your soul. As you two are sitting down and unloading the different foodstuffs, something catches your eye. It's the fruit. The real, genuine fruit you haven't tasted for what feels like eons. They smile.
"I wanted us to try it together," they said, picking it up and gently holding it between your two laps. "It's been... quite a long time, hasn't it, old friend?"
You're breathless, and you can't stop smiling, stunned speechless. They laugh warmly when you finally do speak, cutting the fruit and handing one half to you. You take a bite together, and it's the sweetest thing you've ever tasted, warmth and love filling your mind and soul. A bit of juice dribbles down from your mouth, but you couldn't care less.
Although this fruit is grown from the other court, it feels like home.
<3
