Feel free to skip the story and go to the next heading (Your Quest: Prize, Rules, and Forms) if you want to get straight to the rules, quest, and eligible stories.
This story is most enjoyable if you have already completed the No Fae Path with Cendric the Shadow Weaver or at least read the story.
It has been a full day. Your path is rich with so many opportunities. But as you walk down the open road toward the rolling green hills beyond the forest, a strange tingling shoots up your ankles and through your legs. You halt, but it feels as if you’re still moving.
Oh. Joy. Abyssal magic. Or Void sorcery.
You cringe as the magic works its way over you, pulling you into a void of darkness. You tumble. Fall. Twist. Turn.
Suddenly, you find yourself standing on a stone platform. You extend your arms, but some strange force keeps you from moving more than a foot in either direction.
“Are you seriously doing it again?” a woman demands.
“Obviously, yes,” a man responds, his voice somehow both velvety and gruff at once.
“You cannot keep doing this.”
“Well, eventually, one of them will have what we want.”
“What you want!”
“Don’t pretend you don’t want any of the magic. I know you well enough by now to—”
“Oh, you know me? What’s my favorite color?”
You hold your head. The burn of void sorcery makes your head throb. But there—there’s a young man in black arguing with a woman in a blue dress. “What in the abyss is this?” you demand. You start to step forward, but something holds you in place. Even more joy. You won’t be able to move off this platform until someone counters the spell.
“Well, clearly, you’re our guest,” the man in black says. He picks up a glass of wine and gives it a flourish.
A young woman with her hair coiled along the back of her head crosses her arms, her gaze like a storm. “This is not how guests should be treated.”
“Well then, become the lady of the castle and instruct me.” He strides to a black throne and sits upon it.
There’s something exceptionally familiar about him. Something a little familiar about her. You hold up a hand. “Wait—Morrow?!” This is the great and terrifying sorcerer? You’ve only seen him from a distance in reflective surfaces. Appearances can be deceiving, but this is not who you expected at all.
He extends his hands, lifting his wine glass high. “I see my reputation precedes me even when I have a new face.”
“Your new face is no better than your old face,” the woman responds.
He sighs, swirling the wine in the wolf goblet. “And this is Bri. My beloved.”
Yes. This must be Cendric’s sister. She actually does resemble him, though her hair a darker ash blond and her eyes brown. Does she know he is on his way?
“I am not your beloved.” She crosses over to Morrow. “What you have done is unforgivable. And I am utterly uninterested.”
“So I kidnapped someone. Is that really a crime?”
You roll your eyes. “Yes.”
“See?” Bri gestures toward you.
“This is a love story created by the gods,” he announces. “It can’t be a crime to abduct someone who can help perfect the relationship further. Are you certain you won’t take some wine, dearest?”
“No to both questions.” Bri stalks toward him, hands clenched at her sides. Fire shines in her eyes. “And when my brother gets here with the ransom, you’ll see.”
“Your brother coming with the stories? Oh yes. As if he could find all the right elements for these love stories. How does he have time to weave when he must be so constantly attentive to those shadow creatures of his?” He tosses his head back and laughs.
Bri looks to you then. She doesn’t look frightened so much as furious. “Can you believe this man? He steals me away and changes his face to some picture I’ve sketched and thinks that’s enough?”
“Has he hurt you?” you ask.
“He’s annoyed me.” She shoots him a glare.
“I have not harm her in the slightest. And I won’t. You, on the other hand, I’ll hurt.”
“Charming,” you respond.
“Right?” She tosses her head.
He huffs with annoyance before he looks to you. “You are here to settle this.”
“Me?” The only thing you’ll do is pass this information on to a certain Shadow Weaver. And—if you can get off this platform—cause some grief and launch a rescue.
“Yes,” he says. “I want you to find me a selection of compelling love stories to make my case.”
“You want stories?” You cross your arms, raising an eyebrow. “Really?” Everyone wants stories these days. “You think you can drag me here through magic and demand even more powerful magic through stories?”
“My manners might be a touch rusty. I am used to being far more…distant from people.” He shrugs and leans back in the throne. “And I’ve struggled to determine the magic of which stories is the most vital. I have sent out several quests as it is, but now I know precisely what it should be. My beloved will be
“Ah,” she holds up her hand. “Then I demand that you get stories involving why choose.”
“Why choose?” He raises an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
“The woman gets as many men as she wants. And they are all good with it and adore her.”
He lifts a brow and then wobbles his hand back and forth as if weighing this. “Well…”
“I require it,” she says.
“There are some excellent stories that feature that trope,” you say.
“Fine—” he starts.
“And the stories can be love stories from the fae or the non-fae,” she says.
“Very well,” he sighs dramatically. “See, my love. See how you change me already. For you and you alone, I agree that the love stories that this one seeks can come from either the fae or the non-fae. Does that not make you happy?”
She tilts her head dramatically. “So you’ll read them?”
“Of course, my love.” He turns his gaze back to you. “And I want ones with forced proximity or arranged marriages.”
“So you can see how it’s done properly?” Bri asks.
“Perhaps there are things I might learn,” he says.
“Like how to be charming even if dangerous or how to take a redemption arc,” she responds.
“Yes. Perhaps many things.” He turns his gaze back to you, his brow furrowing. “Fine. Ten stories then. That’s the price for your freedom. At least one featuring forced proximity, one featuring arranged marriages, and one featuring why choose or reverse harem. The rest can be any combination of those three depending on what you think best. Just make sure they’re compelling.”
“All the stories I find are compelling.” You spread your arms. “Now let me go get the stories.”
“Oh.” He scrunches his face. “You’ll have to do it from memory. You don’t leave until you list out the stories.”
You roll your eyes. What a perturbing fellow this sorcerer is. Good thing you know so many stories that do fit his criteria.
Please note, Morrow saying you can’t go is just flavor text. You can actually reference the lists and you may leave. This is not actually a test that requires you to go off memory.
Your Quest: Prize, Rules, and Forms
Prize
Once you complete this quest, you will be entered in a chance to win a $10 Amazon giftcard.
This is open to anyone who can receive an Amazon giftcard.
Rules
To complete the Quest, you can use stories from either of the official lists. And yes, you can take stories from both.
You can only use a story for one element on the list in this quest. It is all right if you repeat a story from any other quest though.
This quest can be completed looking only at the trope cards, though you may need to look through both paths. If you feel particularly adventurous, some of the other official stories include these tropes but do not have them on their trope cards, and you can include them as well.
Tip: why choose and reverse harem titles may also include the word harem in their title or why choose in the series title.
Be kind to your fellow readers and other authors.
The Forms
You are on your way to find ten stories.
You will need to find
- one story featuring a why choose/reverse harem
- one story featuring forced proximity
- one story featuring arranged marriage
- seven additional stories that have one of the above three tropes (any combination or number)
This one you will either fill out a Google Form or email us your discoveries.
Each answer is worth one token. So you can receive 10 tokens by completing this. Each token is an entry into the giveaway.
Bonus Tokens
In addition to the regular tokens, you can get bonus tokens by completing the following acts.
One extra token for every story you share in an individual social media post. (Yes, you can post on multiple platforms.)
Use #morrowquestbonus (and if you want to absolutely bless me, save off the links and paste them in the forms or an email to make sure we definitely see them. Screenshots also work.).
(We have graphics of all the stories here so you don’t have to make something separate. Just look look under the author’s last name to find the stories.)
Submitting Your Form
Once you’ve gathered up your collection of stories, you’ll need to turn them in so we can verify.
You can turn in your stories in two ways.
- Complete this form and directly post your answers (if you do this, you don’t need to turn in anything else. The form will allow you to return to it and edit your answers).
- Email your five choices to faeornofae@farofeb.com. Make sure to include any of the bonus activities you have done as well. Use the title Morrow Quest or some similar identifier.
Make sure to submit your completed form or list by July 3 at 11:59 PM EST.
If you have any problems, please feel free to email faeornofae@farofeb.com.
The Conclusion to the Morrow Quest
“Well,” Morrow says impatiently, still sitting on his throne. “What are these stories? Tell me, or I’ll have you summarily executed.”
“Fine. Listen up.” You then rattle off the stories. It’s a good thing you love fantasy romances, urban fantasy romances, and paranormal romances so much, or you might have to use other wits to get yourself out. Void sorcery and abyssal magic are remarkably tricky to manage with just one’s wits.
As you list out the stories, you also explain what makes each one compelling. Why arranged marriages, why choose or reverse harem, and forced proximity make each tale intriguing or satisfying. Sometimes Bri underscores your point with her own observations. You can see that she approves of your choices. You finish this listing by saying, “And remember that the one thing that will always offput anyone is if the character is annoying. If you’re going to be an asshole, you at least have to be entertaining in some way.”
Morrow, however, grows more sullen. He throws his legs over the arm of the chair and turns his face away. “Well, if you can’t agree with me, why are you still here? Go away.”
“How will that work when you still have the spell in place?” Bri demands.
“I suppose execution is the only other alternative,” he says casually.
Not that you didn’t see this coming. But it is still annoying. You brace yourself, sorting through your possible options once more.
“You cannot do that,” Bri snaps.
“I think I can.” He lifts his hand as he looks at you. But then a large stack of books falls out of the air and strike him down.
You draw back with surprise. Those titles are familiar. Aren’t those the ones you shared with Cendric?
No time to question further. The shadows in the room come alive. Some curl protectively around Bri. Others surround and trap Morrow before he can rouse himself.
One shadow sweeps out and strikes at the air around you. It crackles and sparks, sending up a burning scent. But the magic falls away, and you find yourself sliding back, the scene before you changing back to the open road you were taken from. But not before you see the shadows curl back and Cendric appear, all the books you told him about levitating in the air around him. Is he going to use them to pummel Morrow again?
Vaguely, you hear Bri exclaim with happiness. And for just the briefest, you glimpse Cendric. He beams at you and lifts his hand in greeting.
Then the scene is lost, and you find yourself standing at the roadside once more.
Well…that wasn’t what you’d expected Cendric to do with your list of books. But at least he and his sister are safe.
You rub your temples once more, then resume your path. What more will this day hold?
Have you explored all the Bonus Quests yet? If this is the only one, don’t worry. I hear there are more coming. In fact, there’s an incredible savory scent drawing you forward now.