“Are you mad? She's one of the SEOL ELIE. Haven't you heard the stories?”

“Exactly. She's precisely the kind of fae we want on our side”

“Her lover is Rhydian Coedwig! You know, the ENFORCER!”

“And yet, she is still unseelie. It seems to me she might be more sympathetic to our cause than most. But don't worry, even if she refuses, I know how to deal with her…”

***

Blodeuwedd sat alone in the garden, simply enjoying the wind in her petals while a small radio sang beside her. She didn't notice the shadowy figure emerge from the trees behind her, moving as it did with almost inhuman silence. It stood for a while, watching her, before it spoke.

“Greetings, Bloduewedd of the Seol Elie. My name is Gron. If you have the time, I would like to speak with you.”

The flower woman turned her head to look at her visitor. They were clearly fae, nearly seven feet tall with deep purple skin and three horns protruding from their forehead. She had never seen the face before in person, but they matched the description from a story Rhydian had told her. A ruthless unseelie, who had a knack for escaping the law…

“Oh, I didn't see you there. Yes, of course I have time to chat. Please, won't you sit with me?”

Gron smiled, revealing a mouth of black, pointed teeth. and positioned themselves cross-legged on the grass next to her.

“Now, how can I help you?”

“Ah, but my dear Blodeuwedd, I think a better question is how can we help each other. I represent a group of fae who, like you, have chosen not to sign away our freedom in the name of 'safety'. We yearn for the days when fae were powerful and feared, when we could take whatever we wanted and keep it for eternity, before humans enslaved us with a smile and a handshake. We seek to free ourselves from the oppression of Samuel the 'Guardian', and abolish his hateful pact once and for all. And you, Blodeuwedd, you I think will want to help us”

Blodeuwedd raised the daffodils that currently served as her eyebrows.

“Oh? And why is that? Samuel has never oppressed me, in fact he invited me to a lovely dinner party just last week. I can't imagine what he'd have against fae, especially as he is one himself.”

“Ah, but he wasn't always. He used to be human, and deep down that's all he'll ever be. You're fooling yourself if you think he really cares about us; he just wants to keep his precious humans safe, and the rest of us fae nice and docile. That's all any of them want! Even your beloved Rhydian used to slaughter our kind - do you really think a simple spell changed that? Do you really think he actually loves you? He hates us all, and now Samuel uses him as an attack dog to keep us in line”

Gron leaned in closer, his eyes burning with the promise of revenge and revolution.

“You're better off with us, Blodeuwedd. Better off with your own kind. Together we can crush the Knights, tear down Samuel's palace, and create a new world. A world where we take what we can keep, with no one to stop us! Fight with us Blodeuwedd, and you won't be restricted to this joke of a garden, you can have everything you want, everything!”

A face made from flowers is difficult to read, especially for one not used to it, and so Gron failed to notice the expression on it slowly change from curiosity, to amusement, to anger.

“What I want,” The Soel Eile spoke in a slow, measured voice “is for you to leave. Now.”

“Think about it, flower girl. I know that Rhydian's not here right now - he's off with the trickster Lahav, hunting down yet another of us who wouldn't bend to Samuel's will. They won't admit it, but there's a war being fought: the unseelie on one side, the humans and their pets on the other. And you need to decide which side you're on.”

“I decided a long time ago: I am on Rhydian's side, and he is on mine. Now leave, I won't warn you again”

Gron sighed, and surreptitiously slid their hand to the pistol concealed in their belt.

“I'm sorry to hear that, Blodeuwedd”

In a burst of action the fae attempted to spring to their feet and draw the gun, only to find themselves crashing back down to the ground. Looking down, they saw a mass of vines and brambles had sprung up around where they sat, ensnaring their feet and legs. As they struggled to work themselves free, they suddenly became aware of Blodeuwedd standing over them, and this time there was no mistaking the fury in her eyes.

“A gun? Really? Have you ever tried to fell a tree by shooting it? The last person who tried to kill me at least had the sense to bring a flamethrower.

You seem to know a lot about the Seol Elie, even if you clearly don't understand us. Tell me, did anyone ever tell you about Pryderi? Did anyone ever tell you how he died?”

The plants were growing faster now, covering Gron's entire body. Thorns pierced every inch of exposed flesh and vines crept around their neck, making it hard to talk, hard to breathe.

“You can't…do this… the law…”

“Oh yes, Rhydian never shuts up about that. It's always 'take them alive' and 'show them mercy' these days. But then, as you pointed out, Rhydian's not home right now, is he?”

Gron tried to open their mouth to plead with her, to beg forgiveness, but as soon as they did the enchanted vegetation crept between their lips and down into their throats, stifling their final, desperate screams.

The mass of greenery stirred for a moment as the body beneath it twitched and shifted, but before long grew still. Once she was sure it had settled down, the flower woman repositioned herself on the grass, turned off the radio, and closed her eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of the wind in her petals.