When Erik started gaining his senses again he was aware of some weight all over him. He didn’t know how long it had been and honestly felt groggy, like he was waking up from some deep sleep. He blinked away the blurriness and tried to focus his eyes. And when he did he was rather immediately aware of where he was. 

The prince of the homunculi was currently under a table dressed in a fine blue dress that was now a bit dirty. The weight upon him was due to the fact he was currently tied down to the smooth floor with some restraints and a trio of pale and flawless pairs of lithe feet were settled on him like he was some kind of foot rest. There was the sound of the chattering above and some laughter. 

“Gah! Hey! Release me and let me up! This is degrading!” Funny how indignation was the first thing the prince was feeling. 

“Huh? Oh, you came to your senses huh? Took you long enough, like wow you were loopy for a couple days now, little prince!” A chair scooted back and the princess looked down at him from on high. 

“You charmed me, thats why!” He accused moments before his voice was muffled by the purple haired woman pushing his head down to the floor by stepping on his face. 

He let out some muffled cries against it but she just casually rested her foot there for a bit and the other fairies seemed in no hurry to give up their foot rest either. In fact one of them was currently straying their foot a bit lower and… oh. Erik felt an involuntary flash of arousal shoot through him that silenced his protests. Princess Silvermoon gripped his nose between her big and second toes and squeezed teasingly before looking back above. 

“Oh he seemed to like that since it shut him up. Non-fairies are super weird. Who knew you could make them happy just touching certain body parts?” The princess sounded completely bewildered by that as she shifted her foot off of his face. 

“You ready to not be so fussy, prince? I can put you right back under and go back to enjoying my tea otherwise.” She said. 

Erik was about to say something he was very sure to regret but bit his tongue. The fairies were pretty and quite delicate looking but that hid power that he certainly couldn’t hope to match. Their power of illusion and mind alteration was vastly beyond his own. He had thought himself a master really and having been so utterly and casually dominated for evidently two days was enough to put him in his place. 

The fairy princess smirked. “Good boy. Don’t worry I’m gonna take you back. Your friends are all worried and stuff and searching around the forest. Will say, not really a suitor but you make an amazing foot rest for fairies. Maybe add that to your titles?” She giggled a bit. 

His brow twitched in annoyance. “I’ll take it under advisement.” The homunculus growled out. 

“Tsk, that’s the problem with you riiiight there. Very serious and stuck up. Can’t stand that. You gotta learn to live a little. Sure, I charmed you but you were pretty fun and free there. You were about dumb stuff when you’re like this. I’d probably have to charm you brainless to marry you.” The princess rolled her eyes. 

Erik wanted to avoid *that* potential future and so he kept his mouth shut. That seemed to satisfy the fairy as she tapped her foot against his face for a moment before standing up and snapping her fingers. The restraints around him flickered out and he sat up, rubbing his wrists in annoyance as he slowly pulled himself out from under the table. It was a harsh lesson of sorts. That even in an art he considered himself very knowledgeable in, there were always those that would be stronger. These fairies weaved illusions effortlessly and used magic like it was as easy as breathing. 

“Oh don’t look so sour and grumpy Prince Lostrem, I’ll even give you those clothes since you look so good in them.” She giggled. 

Erik looked down at himself. He had known he was in a dress when he woke up but it only now just sank in when he looked over himself that he was indeed in a dress. His face flushed a bright red as the giggling of the amazonian fairies filled his ears. He really really was wishing he had some of the whiskey Eva had drank with him. It would prove an amazing brain cleanser after this whole episode. 

The fairy princess gripped him under his arms and hoisted him up in the air again. She abruptly tossed him to one of the other fairies, which he recognized as the brunette that had dropped him in the lake. The fairy grinned at him in greeting and he paled a bit remembering her rough handling of him. Looked like she was going to be his escort going back to the carriage and his retainers. 

There was a strange feeling as he sat how he did in her hands. A feeling different from when he was compared to the rest of the women on his journey so far. This was a race he was comparable to and yet here he was, handled like a toddler. It was this more than many other moments that really ground in that if not for his race’s ability to craft immense and powerful golems they probably would not be so well regarded. 

“In annnny event, it was fun having you here, Prince. Had lotsa fun playing and dressing you up, but yeah, for the sake of every other suitor on your list maybe loosen up a bit. Get some fun in you instead of being all serious all the time. Your face will stick that way.” The princess giggled before nodding to the brunette. 

“She’ll take you back to your fellows. Don’t squirm so much this time. Maybe won’t get tied up.” The royal fairy said as she waved to the prince. 

“Hey! I was being kidnapped!” He shot back. 

“Psshhh, kidnapped. Just some harmless fun. Like I said, loosen up.” The fairy said dismissively. 

That caused Erik’s blood to boil but he let out a breath as he was lifted up further as the fairy took off into the air and they were flying out of the castle. He was silent for the way back as he pondered things. He pondered this whole journey really as the wind whipped by his face. The point of it was to find a suitor. Yet each and every place he had gone were a bust or even those he found enjoyable were unconvinced by him. Was there something he was lacking? Something I needed to figure out? 

He found no answers in the air that moved past him. By all rights this quest was something he should have abandoned but for his people he was willing to do many things. Even if it meant suffering indignity after indignity. Erik valued his companions at the very least and for what it was worth, the travel was great. As he saw the forest moving around him at a high speed he reflected that this was probably the best part of the journey. Going to all these places, places many might never see in their lives.

He had gone to the highest cities above the clouds. He had gone below the earth. He had been in the realm of elves and fairies. He had walked the cities of man and still there was more open road to travel through. Put through that lens, with that in mind, he found the conga line of humiliations almost worth it. Almost. 

At last they reached the carriage, stopped and with both of his retainers shouting his name into the forest. The fairy promptly dropped him right upon Ryna’s head and waved as she fluttered away. “He’s your problem now!” She said by way of parting. 

He was currently holding the bangs of the rather clumsy knight for dear life and she was cursing from the tugging at her hair. She lifted her hand up and curled her fingers around Erik and pulled him off. “Your Grace! We’ve been looking everywhere- why are you in a dress!?”

Ah this would be fun to explain.