For a single moment in time, we were respected and even mildly feared amidst the presence of others within The Court of Flowers. After all, who wouldn't be afraid of those who could change the tide of a battle with a snap of their fingers? Those who could end the life of another within a blink of an eye. Yet...even then, it wasn't enough to really keep the darker thoughts at bay. The temptations for more than what one would need, can sway even the purest of creatures.
Perhaps, that is where the mortals came up with a fitting phrase.
'The bigger they are, the harder they fall.'
They were not referring only to those bigger in physical size, much to my dismay. For those with pride or an ego larger than life itself, it seems they fall harder than even the tallest of the Giantfolk. To witness such a thing...I wish I never had to. However, the temptations were too much for even my kin. My brother betrayed not only myself, but the Queen we served under.
It was subtle at first, really. He was gone longer than was usual, and at first it was not something to question. His specific role in The Courts, was of a more unsavory line of work. So of course, none of us batted an eye at the fact that he was returning less often than usual. Perhaps, that was the sense of comfort and stability that lulled us into a false sense of safety.
There were rumors- whispers of a planned rebellion against us from The Court of Storms. For it had always been such for years now, almost a century even. This time however...the rumors turned out to be more than just whispers in the dead of night. With the assistance of a strange mortal Queen; we were able to protect a majority of the archtree we considered our home. However, as mortals tend to say...there is no rest for the wicked.
My brother was the reason the whispers had sprung back up from the barrel they were kept in. For he was the one that had spearheaded the attacks, and he was the one who was trying to assassinate Our Queen. The mortal Queen...she took his life. Our kin was punished- with the execution of everyone but his children and myself. Stripped of my status, I was given as a sign of peace- to be a slave to the mortal Queen and her family line until I would return to the flowers that brought me to existence.
It was because of his choices, his actions...his desires. We lost everything. I...lost everything.
For a single moment in time, we were respected as people.
Then that moment was gone.