As soon as the words had left her mouth, Robin's face lit up with excitement.
"Really?" he asked, grinning widely.
Tatiana nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but he enveloped her in a bear hug. He crushed her tightly to him, obscuring her view of the forest around them. Out of the corner of her eye, it seemed as if the forest was spinning around and around, shades of green and brown whirring past in a blur.
Robin let go of her, and she gripped his arm to steady herself. She felt as if she'd been spinning on the spot, making herself dizzy and nauseous. The world slowly slid back into place, no longer moving in circles around her. The forest was around them still, but in front of them was a great tree. It was unlike any tree she'd ever seen. The wood was dark, and the tree had a wider girth than she'd seen before, the tree seeming to stretch out into the distance either side of her. Thick roots bore into the ground, tethering it firmly in place, and the trunk seemed to stretch up into the heavens. Set firmly into the centre of the trunk in front of them was a door, and circular windows dotted the tree trunk.
Taking her hand, Robin opened the door and pulled her gently inside. "This," Robin declared proudly, "Is my home."
Tatiana surveyed the room with her mouth agape. It felt like something out of a picture book. To her left, set into the wall, was a fireplace. Facing the hearth was a quilted, dark leather couch, with a matching chair. A wooden end table was sat between the two, piled high with various books and knick knacks. Towards the centre-left of the room was a small, round dining table, with four simple, matching chairs. Behind the table was an open doorway, which Tatiana could see led into what appeared to be a kitchen. To her right, a staircase curled around the inside of the tree. Underneath the staircase was a window sofa and lining most of the walls were book shelves filled with various texts. Plants seemed to hang from any spare space they could find, ivy trailing down the books, flowers growing out of nooks and crannies.
"It's not as extravagant as some of the other homes of those in the court, but it suits me well," Robin said. "Behind that door is the kitchen, and above us is my bedroom."
"It's gorgeous," Tatiana said, her voice quiet with awe.
He beamed at her praise and eagerly led her upstairs to his bedroom. A large four-poster bed sat in the centre of the room, covered in a dark blanket. Another fireplace lay to the left with a loveseat in front of it. To the right of the bed was a closed door leading to another room, and a large closet stood on the right wall.
More books and knick knacks were scattered everywhere, and plants grew from every corner of the room.
"You could stay for dinner if you like? I promise, no favours attached," he offered, bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing her on the knuckles.
"I think I would like that," she replied carefully. "And perhaps you can tell me more about the fey realm, and the Courts."
Robin grinned from ear to ear. He encouraged to make herself comfortable while he fetched them dinner, leaving her to her own devices. She followed him downstairs to the lounge area and perused his book shelf. She couldn't understand most of the texts as they appeared to be in a foreign language. After failing to find a book that she understood, she sat down in the window seat, and instead watched the forest around them.
Birds flitted from tree to tree, rabbits darting here and there. The sun was only just now dipping below the horizon, the shadows long and the trees bathed in a golden glow. She watched in awe as a stag emerged from the forest, leaping and bounding into the small clearing surrounding the tree. As she watched, the stag transformed into a man, though his antlers remained. The man approached the front of the tree and knocked on the door.
Robin emerged from the kitchen, annoyance on his face. He had two plates of food in his hand that he set down on the table, before opening the door.
No sooner had the door opened that the stag-man entered Robin's home. He had tanned skin with a reddish tint, and messy, brown hair. His features were deer-like, with a wide nose, and flat features. Like much of the fey realm, there was a peculiar beauty to him.
"Robin," the man greeted, holding a rolled-up parchment to Robin. "The King summons you to attend Court tomorrow evening."
Robin took the parchment reluctantly, unfurling and reading it with furrowed brows.
The man looked around, raising an eyebrow at Tatiana's presence. She closed her gaping mouth and gave an awkward half-wave. He gave a bemused half-smile in return.
"What's he summoning me for?" Robin asked.
"The Unseelie Court have been gathering their forces at their end of the Wild Woods. His Highness expects them to attempt to take the Wild Woods," the man answered, turning his attention back to Robin. "He's summoning all of the Lords and Ladies of the Court to discuss the matter."
"Tell Oberon I'll be there," Robin said resolutely, showing the stag-man out. The wooden door closed behind the stag-man with a heavy thud. Robin tossed the summons onto one of the many shelves and turned to Tatiana. There was a weariness to his features that wasn't there before.
"The Unseelie Court are the wicked ones, yeah?" Tatiana asked curiously.
Robin nodded, as he made his way over to her. "If they had their way, the world would be a much colder place," he answered, wrapping his arms around her in a bearhug. She wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back comfortingly. "It's troubling to hear that they're gathering forces at the Wild Woods."
"What are the Wild Woods?" Tatiana asked.
Robin smiled and released her from his grip. "I'll show you on the map after we eat," he said, his green eyes lighting up.
They ate what seemed to be some sort of pie, though she couldn't place what exactly. Like much of the food he offered, it tasted amazing and left her wanting more. They talked little as they ate, instead enjoying the silence, and the crackling of the fire that she hadn't even noticed he'd lit.
Afterwards, he tidied up their plates before bringing over a large map that he spread out on the table.
"This," he said, pointing to a tree marked on the map, "Is us, here. We're on the edge of Seelie territory here in the Glittering Woodlands, protecting one of the gateways to the mortal realm." Robin ran a finger up the map, pointing to a city drawn on to the map. "This is the Sunlight Citadel at the base of the Red Mountains, where King Oberon and the Seelie Court resides. Between us and the Citadel is the Meadowlands." Robin paused and traced a circle around a giant forest drawn on the map. "Here is the Wild Woods. It's largely neutral territory, but if a Court could control the Woods, they'd control most of the land here, and have access to who knows how many gateways."
Tatiana looked over the map. It seemed to be hand crafted, edges fraying slightly. To the South-East of the Woods lay a mountain range, and another smaller forest. A city was marked on the map, the Ice Crown, and the forest was labelled the 'Forest of Night.' Other cities and villages were mapped out, and she looked over it curiously. A river ran through the map, splitting the land into two distinct territories.
"Where are the other gateways?" Tatiana asked curiously.
