The first time she heard about him in fear.
The second time she heard about him in awe.
The third time she heard about him in death.
The Hoarder was famed enough for someone like Aurelia to know exactly who he was. Aurelia never kept up with the world, living in her own little bubble, but his news managed to penetrate even those unknown recesses.
The first time she'd heard about him, she was three sproutings old and some Fungualfolk brought their parents' lumias to garden classes and forgot them under a leaf.
Their teacher found the money and before returning it to the fungi, she said something what stuck with Aurelia forever: "You must never leave your possessions unattended because The Hoarder is always ready to take them away."
He was infamous as a thief, plundering treasures and rarities bestowed on any species. He always got what he wanted and there was no one who could stop him.
Simply because no one knew who he was.
Other than the prophecy of destruction that followed him.
Aurelia had no extravagant assets to spare so she never really thought about the Great Evil Man being a problem to her measly life.
So, time passed and it was quite a while later when Aurelia heard about him again, through shouts and whispers, "The Fae Kingdom is destroyed! It is in ruins! The Hoarder, he done it!
The Fae were in a powerful alliance with the ephemerals and The Hoarder, allegedly to prove a point that 'Ephemerals and Enchanteds can never be friends,' had destroyed the powerful magical kingdom.
Just like that, he became the most wanted criminal. A faceless entity recognised by an epithet, constantly stalked by those who wanted to win over him, or be him, or end him.
Though, there were few who could confess of the privilege of having seen him. There were rumours that he had taken over the Fae Castle but that was as far as news about The Hoarder was made public.
That was until the third time, he was mentioned with close association to her. It was almost as if he was drawing closer every chance he was mentioned. A story once, a reality next, a part of her life now and the reason of her death in future.
The blue light fades and in the heart of the world, materialising in front of her is the Center of Harmony, an exquisite realm where ephemerals and enchanteds set aside their differences and forge momentary alliances.
The centre is enveloped by towering trees, ancient and wise, stretching their leafy branches towards the sky, casting dappled sunlight upon the landscape. A gentle babbling brook weaves its way through the lush meadows, its crystal-clear waters reflecting the vibrant hues of blooming flowers.
"We're here," Queen Roachie scrunches her pointy nose, surely unappreciative of anything but dingy sewers which could hide all of her colony for life.
Aurelia nods. When life wasn't in her perspective, marriage was surely out of proportion. She was never educated about proper fungi weddings and neither had she ever been to one. Surely, kingdom mycelium was unaware to monogamy and stuff.
But a strange part of her was happy that the day was pretty. Happy that the place was pretty. Though she was plain, the world wasn't.
At the heart of this idyllic setting stands the Fountain of Life, a marvel of magnificence. It is responsible for breathing life in the enchanteds and sustaining the ephemerals. It has been there ever since the beginning of the World and marks the land of peace.
"Now, all you need to do is stand underneath the fountain and recite the bounding vows. Simple, isn't it?" Queen Roachie leads the way and Aurelia merely follows.
She wants to scoff at how Queen Roachie disregarded selling Aurelia's soul as 'simple.' Instead, she bites the inside of her cheeks and focuses on the people waiting on the other side.
The fountain's basin, carved from shimmering marble, is adorned with intricate engravings depicting stories of unity, love, and eternal bonds. Water, as pure as the first raindrop, cascades from the outstretched hands of sculpted figures, glistening with an otherworldly radiance.
Surrounding the fountain, a sacred gathering space beckons Queen Roachie and Aurelia. Delicate petals from enchanted blossoms carpet the ground, their sweet fragrance mingling with the earthy scent of moss and damp soil. Soft rays of sunlight filter through the canopy above, casting a warm glow upon the water.
Awaiting there are two men, one tall, dressed in a fitted white suit with silver embroidery and the other's frame overwhelmed by a red cape a furry collar.
Is he The Hoarder?! Is he wearing dead animal skin on him?!
Chills run through Aurelia's spine as Queen Roachie takes unhindered steps forward.
She considers escape but the Centre of the World is nothing but non-sentient trees and lakes for a good few miles. Everything beyond that would be foreign territory to Aurelia. "There's no escape...is there?" Words fall out of her lips in a whisper.
It makes their heads turn.
The man draped in a red cape raises an arched brow, cold brown eyes staring through Aurelia's soul. He has big eyes, a strong jaw and a slender nose, all features being shadowed by his unblinking gaze.
Aurelia's spores burst into a cloud of pastel pink, making Queen Roachie and the caped man take unintentional steps away from her.
"Calm down now," Queen Roachie scolds, waving her hands to swat any possible spores away from her. "Greet the Emperor," she gestures to the red cape man.
Aurelia's gaze falters in shock, from the emperor to the man dressed in white suit. His face is covered under a crystal mask of shimmering starstones that capture and refract light in a dazzling mosaic of a pattern.
Was he...The Hoarder?
Unlike the red of the Emperor's cape, the white of his suit brings an odd sense of calmness to Aurelia's roots. She hadn't noticed but he was standing closer to her than Queen Roachie was.
"Ahem," Queen Roachie coughs, "Greet the Emperor, Mossbloom!"
"Ah!" Aurelia jerks a few steps back and brings her hands to gesture curtsy before The Hoarder slides in front of her and holds out his hand for her to take.
"No bride of mine greets that man," he scorns, holding out a gloved hand for Aurelia to take.
His face is hidden, his body is covered, his stance is relaxed and yet Aurelia could feel the tension morphing into a knife and stabbing through her heart. Having been in her own miserable reverie, Aurelia hadn't noticed how Queen Roachie and the Emperor were standing considerably afar, unmoving and stiff now.
They stare at her with cold and unfamiliar eyes. An unspeaking Queen Roachie was an unfamiliar one. They were people who did not give her a choice. They were people who had brought her to an altar and squirmed away from their object of fear.
The said object which holds out his hand for Aurelia to take, giving her a choice.
Or is she overthinking it all?
She wouldn't know until she dies finding.
"Why did you agree to this? Surely it wouldn't be p-possible if you hadn't said y-yes?" Aurelia questions, voice barely above a whisper. She folds her hands behind her back, fiddling with her fingers to distract her from forthcoming dread. Her eyes find marvelous patterns in the falling droplets, of the fountain, which escape their basin.
Her heart thumps in her chest and she can feel the beat all the way down to her feet.
"You're strangely eloquent for someone from the Lowlands," his tone is laced with curiosity. His hand remains unmoving from in front of her.
Aurelia flushes, teeth pressing against eachother to overcome the wave of embarrassment currently holding her hostage.
"I-uh, I—"
"She's the best of the best!" Queen Roachie bites on the dying curb of the conversation, "Mossbloom beats the system, really, smart she is!"
"Ha, the best parasite. How enchanting. No body asked you though," his tone is placid when he snaps his fingers and suddenly, Queen Roachie transforms back into her cockroach-self and flutters around a horrified Emperor in panic. The Emperor tries flapping away from her as Queen Roachie flutters around in desperation of escaping water and finding a hiding place.
"Ignore them," The Hoarder remarks gaining Aurelia's attention as he pushes a gloved finger under her unhinged jaw and closes it. Aurelia's spores burst into a cloud of purple around her and The Hoarder doesn't move an inch.
It further intensifies the purple around her because never had any being stood through her spore bursts without physically avoiding it with their whole body.
"You're evading my question," Aurelia musters courage enough, stupified yet comfortable at the same time.
"Not my intention. I'm just genuinely curious about your teaching standards. Does one person get to attend more than a class before they're taken out by overpopulation? Surely there's one too many Bobs to count and remember."
He chuckles at the joke no body understands because the Emperor is trying to maintain his chill in front of his enemy all the while aiming to crush Queen Roachie for good with his sceptre; but Queen Roachie too is wise with age and knows all escaping mechanisms.
"Still not the point," Aurelia supplies in a crisp tone. She is confident and feels better about the whole interaction until she realises that there is a landquake. She feels tremors rising through her feet. The Duskveins must be digging somewhere close...
"Of course it isn't. I'm just curious of the Lowland reproduction system, that's all," The Hoarder jabs.
"Gross," Aurelia replies, almost instinctively. She feels the landquake intensify around them but notices that the water in the fountain's basin was not rippling due to an exterior force.
"Not really gross, just honest. Talking of honesty, yes, I agreed because I fancy raising the stakes. Your life bound with mine, making me vulnerable and you exposed to all the threats aimed at me brings me a thrill that I crave."
Aurelia's stomach churns.