Octavia's Birthday Bash at Seasonings

Octavia wondered what was going on when we led her towards this beautiful but lonely Scottish Castle.

"Rachel?" she said to me.
"Yes?" I replied.
"Do you actually know anything about this castle?"
"Um... no," I said, honestly. "I do hope nothing horrible went on there in the past. That would be awful. Why don't you tell me all about it?"
"Well, I would," said Octavia, "but this is all going on in your head and would involve you having to go and look at Wikipedia."
"Oh," I said. "That sounds kind of dreary. I was hoping I could finish this lens today sometime. I don't really know anything about Scottish castles, except this one cool photo I saw of like this Elizabethan ghost in the window of one and~"
"Rachel," Octavia said, "You're drifting off the point again and look our boat has safely landed at the foot of this island."
"So it has, well come on we have to find the entrance."
"The entrance is over here," Octavia said, tugging my arm.
"Not to the castle, my dear! We're going to Faerieland!"
"How exciting! Which part?"
"You'll have to wait and see!"
"Well it can't be to Seasonings Restaurant. You have to go to the cafe Van Gogh painted to get there."
"Oh yeah," I said, my shoulders slumping. "I forgot about that. But you do know that there are many entrances to the restaurant?"
"Are there?"
"Oh yes!" I said, perking up a bit.
"That's convenient."

She was, of course, very busy telling the little faeries to behave themselves and not jitter around so.

Some of Scotland's Unseelie Court had been invited to the revelry and the little ones were afraid of being gobbled up.

"Don't worry," Octavia said, letting little Cowslip jump right up onto her palm. "I'll protect you. All you need to do is give them a short sharp kick to the groin."
"But what of the Urisk?"
"The Urisk won't harm you," I said, "He may look frightening but he's really just a gentle lonely soul."
"What about the Kelpie?" asked Cobweb, hopping onto my head and trying to plait my hair.
"Well do you like riding horses?"
"Not likely!"
"Then you have nothing to fear!"
"And what about Shellycoat?"
"Just keep away from the water," Octavia advised.

Whilst we were waiting for the first course of delicious (and sometimes quite dangerous) faeryfood to arrive we went out into Titania's garden which was now situated by the edge of a loch and were treated to a synchronised swimming display from some local selkies from the Orkneys and Shetlands.

"Oh aren't they handsome?" Octavia said, sighing as she sat back in the blossoming bower.
"Yes," I said, inching forward dreamily until Octavia pulled me back into place.
"Oh no you don't! Your doggy-paddle would have you drowning in the middle of that loch!"
"Oh look!" I said, jumping up excitedly and sprinkling us both with petals. "It's Nessie!"
And so it was, bursting up out of the water, in the middle of a ring of selkie men was the elegant long neck of the Loch Ness monster.

"Autumn Mermaid" Mousepad by strangeling
View more Art Mousepads

"Well these fish and chips look interesting," Octavia said, dubiously pawing at hers with a faery fork.
"Yes, what type of fish is this?" I asked turning to Titania.
"Oh, it's mermaid tail."
Octavia and I both spat our mouthfuls out into a napkin and smiled politely.
"Oh how lovely," I said.
"Oh don't be so daft, dears," Titania said. "Their tails grow right back and everybody's happy. Do you like your stone chippings?"

Dark Horse by Liz Mitten Ryan by earthwindhorses
Many more tee designs available on zazzle.co.uk

"No thank you," I said, holding tightly onto Octavia's hand as the gigantic, dark horse trotted along the garden path beside us.
The garden greens were slowing turning to gold and amber and red around us as we neared the Pumpkin Patch.
"Are you quite sure?" he asked, bending his head down so his large eye was level with mine.
"Oh yes, I've never been good at horse riding."

Autmun Fairy by Holly Siek by HAJenkins
Tees from zazzle

"Oh you've changed your hair colour!" I said as Jack Lantern's partner Autumn Windling walked towards us.
"Yes, it was red for so long that I felt I needed a bit of a change."
"Well you look very beautiful," I said.
"Jack and I have had a baby since we last met."
"Oh she's beautiful," Octavia said, scooping the little fairy up into her arms.

autumn fairy by melakela
More Autumn Photo Sculptures

"Meet my sister, She's a bit insubstantial," Autumn said, behind her hand. "But she likes to help out."
"Where's this famous Jack then?" Octavia asked.
"Oh, he's in the kitchen. He's quite shy," Autumn said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Ghost of the Pumpkin Patch" Postcard by strangeling
Browse other Art Postcards

"Please sit down," Autumn said, offering Octavia and I each a giant pumpkin to sit on. We sat and the pumpkins moulded comfortably to our behinds.
I smiled apprehensively as a Bean-Nighe sat across the pumpkin table from us, grasping blood soaked cloths in her hands.
"Well this is lovely," Octavia said. "I wonder when the food will arrive?"
"Soon," Autumn said. "But first a little entertainment. The Cu Sith are going to put on a little show for you."
"How lovely," I said, huddling closer to Octavia as the giant black faery dogs and their trainer surrounded the pumpkin patch.

"Loup-Garou: Noir" Postcard by strangeling
Design custom tshirts at Zazzle

"Now, it's just a bit of fun but we thought you could all catch your dinner tonight," Autumn said, once the slavering beasts had retreated back into the mist.
"Oh no, it's not enchanted pumpkins again, is it?" I asked, remembering the mess there'd been last time.
Autumn laughed. "Oh no, tonight we're going to catch our own wild haggis."
Octavia and I exchanged a bewildered look.

"Well that was disturbing," I said. "Are you ready for Christmas now?"
Octavia suppressed a groan. "Christmas already?"
I shrugged. "I'm sure it's not going to be all turkey and crackers."
"Can I show you the way?" asked a small voice.
"We're fine, thanks!" I snapped. Did they think I was some novice at this faeryland business? I, who had slain boggarts and battled redcaps and tricked dragons out of their gold? I don't think so!
"Why were you so mean to that little nymph?" Octavia asked, once we'd left the child's hearing distance.
"That's no nymph!" I said. "And you know that little kitten who was with her?"
"Yes."
"Well he's the most evil entity in all of faeryland."

Naai (fragment) - Mousepad by Houk
Browse other Dreamworld Mousepads

"Oops sorry," I said, blushing whilst Octavia giggled.
"Oh! I wasn't expecting you so soon," he said, leaving Gloria to drop on the floor in a swoon. "Come this way, dinner shouldn't be long."
"I'm already stuffed," Octavia whispered in my ear.
"Just go with it," I said out of the corner of my mouth. "We can always scoop the food under the snow."

We sat down and sat through Rudolph's performance

"What has this got to do with Christmas?" Octavia asked.
"Oh nothing," I said. "He's such a terrible show-off! Watch - the fae women go mad for him."
And just like that faery women began to swoon until they made a huge pile and some goblins had to come in and sweep the floor for health and safety reasons.

"This looks more edible," Octavia said, sighing as Christmas dinner arrived.
"Yes," I said, my stomach still churning from the exotic fare we'd already had.
"I stuffed the turkey with haggis," Rudolph informed us. "You know, to make it Scottish."
"How thoughtful," Octavia said with a another sigh.

"Can I show you the way to May Pole's?"
"No!" Octavia snapped for me.
I rested my hand on her arm. "Octavia, this is a good faery."

Strange Woods! by WitchHazel
Many more t-shirt designs available on zazzle

After a little while I realised we were just walking deeper and deeper into the woods.
"This doesn't look right!" I grabbed the faery by one wing. "Where are you taking us?"
She giggled and struggled out of my grasp. "I'll never tell," she said in a sing-song voice.
"When will you humans ever learn?" asked a deep voice, snorting in amusement. "I've just saved this mermaid from captivity but come on, let's get you back to the path."

The faery men were all wearing kilts and traditional Scottish clothing and serenaded us with the bagpipes.
"Are your ears cold?" Octavia asked me.
"Yes," I said, clamping my hands over my ear muffs and trying to look innocent.

"And now..." announced one of the faery men, holding up a big needle dripping with ink, "we're all going to get a tattoo."
"I think you've got the wrong end of the stick there," Octavia said. "You see a tattoo is~"
I grabbed Octavia's arm and dragged her away, because I didn't really know what the tattoo was all about and couldn't really explain it here.
"We have to get going!" I said. "It's really late, but we've has a lovely time."