The sun was beginning to sink in the sky when the ground began to rumble. At first those gathered wondered if this might be another earthquake, but then the lake exploded upward, giant crystals emerging from the water. Upward they climbed, continuing hundreds of feet in the air until they curved inward and stopped.
It was a crystal wall, and it extended in either direction as far as the eye could see. The police began to usher everyone back toward the city, but the ground continued to shake and tear open, crystal and stone emerging in various colors and heights and bundles in random areas of the city. Some of them destroyed buildings, while others missed completely and grew unheeded.
A massive explosion drew eyes inward, toward city hall. There, the building lay in rubble around a giant crystal throne, four pillars of amethyst rising up toward the sky around it, continuing until they met the crystal walls that had grown into a dome over the city, leaving a single circle of light directly above the throne.
On the throne sat Opal, glamour no longer concealing her reveal her true form: six feet tall in heels, in a blinding white dress, resplendent, with her multi-colored moth wings, pointed ears, and entirely white eyes on full display. Around her, fanning out in all directions, stood at least a hundred thousand fae, at attention, enchanted weapons at the ready.
“Citizens of Faerune!” Opal exclaimed, and her voice rang out for miles. “I am Opal, Queen of the Unseelie fae! For centuries we have waited and watched while the invaders took a beautiful kingdom and turned it into this monstrosity of metal and wires, built on the corpses of our cousins, brothers, sisters, family. We do not want another war, we simply want this land returned to its rightful rulers. We, the fae, who have been here for millennia and will be here for millennia, this is our home. Our magic. Our legacy! And I have come to take it back.
“Your Council is weak. It took them months to do something about the buildings and lives destroyed during the earthquake. They did nothing while someone was murdered under their own noses. They fell easily to poison administered on their watch. I have ruled my kingdom for hundreds of years. I will not be so slow to act when my people are in need. Ask any of my subjects and they will tell you that under my reign the full splendor of the Feywild will return to this place.”
She paused, gesturing to the walls of crystal surrounding the city. “These walls are enchanted to allow fae and those natives of the Feywild in and out as they please. But those without pure fae blood . . . I will not force you to leave, but you will not be able to cross. Your kind in the outside world will not be allowed inside our world from now on.”
She lowered her arms. “Now, I don’t wish to hurt or kill anyone, but those who oppose me will be punished. Be smart, Faerunians. My people have only been growing in power over the years, and they will not hesitate to put an end to any insurrection. Please, return to your homes, go about your lives, and be at peace. Your Queen will take care of you.”
She smiled, lowering her arms to rest her hands on her throne. “Welcome to the new Faerune.”
