Thwack!

The arrow landed right on target, and Hayun grinned proudly. Taehyung had managed to put charms on all the arrows to help them meet their target, and despite knowing that, she could not help but feel proud and thrilled that she would be able to help Namjoon defend their home.

Home. The time of getting up before dawn, her entire body aching at the end of each day, the claws of hunger that raked against her insides, the unfriendliness and curses she had to bear, it all seemed so far away now.

How long has it been since she came here? She was not sure. Days melted into each other, and things such as the days of the week did not matter – what mattered was the cycle of the moon, and the seasons. Has it been twice or thrice that the fae harvested moonlight?

"Vey good," said Namjoon approvingly, and she beamed. "I suppose you should start practising with un-charmed arrows as well, before moving on to sword fighting."

"Is the sword ready yet?" Hayun asked, stringing another arrow on the bow and taking aim.

"The dwarves sent word they will come today, and Taehyung will use metal they bring," Namjoon replied, watching the arrow fly and embed itself into the target. "I will trade furs for some new treasure, I think."

Hayun could hear the contained excitment in his voice, and grinned. Dragons and their treasures! Namjoon was magpie-like, hoarding anything that caught his eye.

"Will Taehyung be able to finish the sword soon, after the dwarves come?"

"You are very impatient," he said.

"Because I want to help you defend this mountain! I think you are being rather too laid-back about things. Just because the last time humans came and left without causing damage, it does not mean the next batch will! I think that group was scouting the place, to send word to whoever they work for – you know, like the terrain and how long it takes to get there."

"I suppose. The person they work for must be terribly lazy."

Hayun shrugged. "Rich people are like that – especially the nobles. So, will the sword be ready soon, or can you teach me using something else?"

"All right, since you are so impatient, we can start with basic moves using.... um.... sticks-"

"Sticks? Really?"

"Why not? They will get you used to the moves."

"True, and I won't cut off your head by accident if I slip."

Namjoon seemed horrified. "C-cut off my head?"

She laughed loudly. "Don't worry, I'm not that clumsy!"

"Are you sure?"

"You know I'm not that clumy! Anyway, I promise to take extra care, because cutting off your head would be a very sad thing to do."

"Yes, it would," he said seriously. "Yours as well."

"What's all this about cutting off heads?" Hoseok's voice suddenly called from behind them. The flower fae was looking after a patch of plants.

"How long have you been watching?" Namjoon asked.

"Long enough to see that our Hayun is a wonderful markswoman!" Hoseok said happily.

"Oh, I'm not!" Hayun protested. "The arrows have charms on them-"

"Still, it takes skill!" Hoseok insisted, and she smiled, knowing that the flower fae was completely sincere in his compliment – the magic folk here always appreciated everything and everyone, even if an effort led to nothing fruitful – it was the inention that mattered the most. "So, dragon, what kind of things do you do to reward your pupils?"

Namjoon shrugged. "Teach her how to not cut off anyone's head."

Hoseok shook his head. "No, no, what kind of reward is that? Pupils need rewards! Yoongi told us, remember? He said humans need a reward when they make progress so they get happy!"

"Oh, but-" Hayun tried to say, but the fae went on.

"Food? Or treasure, perhaps? Oh! I know the perfect reward!"

"What is that?" asked Namjoon.

"Take her on your back, dragon, and show her the sunset! Show her how the sky fae paint the sky!"

Hayun gasped. "Fae paint the sky? T-that's what the colours of sunset and sunrise are?"

"Of course," said Namjoon, slightly amused. "What did you think it was?"

"You are so lucky!" she exclaimed. "You can see it any time you want, all you need to do is fly up!"

"Would you like to see it?" he asked, eyes soft and warm at her enthousiasm.

Hayun hesitated. Flying up in the sky on a dragon's back was not something she could imagine doing fearlessly.

"I have flown up on his back countless times," Hoseok said warmly, as though sensing her unspoken anxiety. "So have the others. It is very safe, and if for some reason you fall, he can easily catch you. None of us have ever fallen, though!"

"I... I would really love to," Hayun said, suddenly shy for some reason.

Hoseok beamed and clapped his hands. "Wonderful! You do deserve a reward for being such a dedicated pupil – Namjoon said you practise hard every day and he does not even have to tell you to!"

Before Hayun could reply, Jimin and, of course, Taehyung appeared, both of them calling out excitedly. "The dwarves are coming! The dwarves are coming!"

"Really?" asked Namjoon, snapping to attention.

"Yes! The animals saw them and told Jungkookie."

"I must hurry and get the furs, then!" The look on the dragon's face reminded Hayun of her cousin, Jangmi, on her birthday – when she knew there was a gift for her and she looked forward to it very much.

"I will help you," she offered, and he nodded. The rest of the fae scattered, to gather other things they would also trade.

Namjoon kept a very large pile of animal furs in a small storage room hewn from the inside of a rock. It was dark and slightly dusty, and Hayun kept sneezing as she and the dragon shifted the furs outside.

"There are really a lot," Hayun observed.

"Well I do go hunting nearly every day, and we keep the fur and skin of every animal."

"Doesn't Jungkook mind, though?" Hayun asked. "You know, as an animal fae."

"Dragons are the natural predators and on top of the food chain, it is simply the cycle of nature. Jungkook knows this. We use every part of the animal, and thank it and ask for forgiveness."

Hayun was wrapping her head around the differences between the way the magic folk hunted compared to the way humans butchered animals, and rich men killed for fun. How on earth had the magic folk been so demonized? They respected even the animals they hunted and asked their spirtits for forgiveness and made sure nothing went to waste.

"Taetae, do you have the list of things you need?" Jimin's voice asked from outside.

"Yeah, don't worry, I do!"

The dwarves visiting was quite an event. Everyone gathered around in the garden, and excitment buzzed in the air, so intense and dense it was almost like a tangible thing, as they chattered about the different things they would need and like to have.

At long last, a surprisingly small wagon came into view. Nothing pulled it. It came to a stop before them, and out stepped a very short, dumpy man. He barely came to Hayun's waist, and his long, dirty grey beard dangled down to his belly. His face split into a wide smile and he greeted the magic folk like friends. "We are here!" he shouted into the wagon, and three more dwarves stepped out, puffy -eyed and wearing wrinkly clothes, all of whom seemed like they had been sleeping.

Hayun had only been to a market once, and it was filled with aggressive bargaining and shouting. It was almost similar here, but less aggressive and more excitment and happiness. The wagon, she came to realize, was a magic wagon – it looked small but the inside was enormous. The dwarves opened up one of it's sides to display a dazzling array of fabric, bags of food, pots and pans, and so many things she did not know the names of which were clearly magical.

"Ah, yes, and for the dragon," one of the drwarves said, as the other three became engrossed with Yoongi, Seokjin, and the fae. He beckoned Namjoon to the other side.

Curious, Hayun followed, and her eyes nearly popped out of her skull when they laid upon the treasures the dwarves had. Gold and jewels winked in the sunlight, and she stole a glance at Namjoon – yes, that was exactly Jangmi's face when she was presented with goodies! She hid back a fond laugh.

As Namjoon turned over various treasures in his hand, inspecting them, the dwarf gazed at Hayun. She smiled, but the dwarf's eyes hardened and filled with malice.

"That human bothering you?" he asked Namjoon abruptly. "I would like to remind you that our services include disposing of-"
 

Hayun felt the blood freeze in her veins.

"No, thank you," said Namjoon firmly, and held up a heavy gold locket. "This piece is slightly scratched, look at that-"

"Well then I would like to remind you that she would fetch a good price. There is a cove of warlocks and witches that-"

Namjoon shifted so he stood between Hayun and the dwarf, hiding her from his malicious eyes. "I am not interested."

"Dragon, it would be a shame to not take advantage of-"

"Let me remind you of something, dwarf." Namjoon squared his shoulders, and somehow seemed taller, bigger, and terrible. "Dragons never, ever, sell or give away their treasure. I would advise you to not provoke me." He turned to look at Hayun, and ordered, "Go and make room for these things."

It did not occur to Hayun to disobey. As she hurried away, she could feel the other dwarves' eyes on her, puzzled and spiteful. She wished she had not been looking so forward to seeing the dwarves. She did not stop until she was in Namjoon's treasure room, and let out a deep, shaky breath.

Until now, it had never occured to her some of the magic folk would hate her. Personally she had never done any harm to them, but humans, her species... what they did to magic folk was unforgiveable. Still, the anger and hatred directed at her from the dwarves felt a bucket of icy cold water had splashed against her skin.

For the second time in only a few years, someone wanted to buy her. She was only an item, if even that. In the human world, she was useless, ugly, burdensome, unlucky, and in this world, she was vermin, pure filth, one of the hated species. Now, she was aware once again of her worth in these worlds, and if Namjoon or any of the magic folk here got tired of her, it was only too easy to get rid of her and even make a profit from doing so.

Blinking back tears and trying not to let her hands shake in fear, she looked around the room, wondering how on earth she would make any space. Everything was crowded and spilling out of drawers and shelves. Somehow, she managed to clear the top of a table, trying not to let her mind dwell on the dwarves and the possibility of being sold to warlocks and witches, and as she was just finishing up, there was a loud clang behind her.

Startled, she jumped violently only to find Namjoon standing there sheepishly, holding a large box of various jewelry, gold, and pretty trinkets. As expected, it was overflowing, and a gold candle-holder had fallen out.

"Sorry," he said, and from the expression in his eyes, she knew it was not an apology just for startling her.

Not knowing what to say and feeling put on the spot, Hayun pretended not to notice. "It's ok, your box is too full. So, found any good treasure? Here, I cleared up this space, I hope it's enough."

"-so rude! An apology, we must demand an apology! And boycott their goods! Give our business to the elves instead! I wish Namjoon had told us before they were all gone, I wouldn't have traded a thing!" Seokjin entered, ranting loudly, his face purple. "Hayun! Are you all right? Those rude good for nothing earthworms! Some creatures are so filled with hatred and anger that they condemn an entire species, even those that are innocent!"

"It's alright... I mean, isn't it what everyone does? Humans have demonized all the magic folk as well..." Feeling slightly suffocated by the force of Seokjin's anger that seemed to radiate off him, she gave him a watery smiled. "It's ok, Seokjin, don't worry. It's good you all got the things you needed-"

"Humph! The nerve of them, as though it was not clear you are one of our family, and not one of them – not one of the hostile humans!"

From Seokjin's behavior and the way Namjoon's jaw clenched, she realized that the dwarves must have said something after she had gone. The fact that it made Seokjin angry, and that Namjoon sent her away so she would not have heard and felt more, it made her heart suddenly fill with warmth. She was reminded once more that she had chosen to trust them, and had never regretted it even once, and that though they knew her worth that the world had placed upon her, they chose to ignore it.

Dragons never, ever, sell or give away their treasure.

You are one of our family.

These two sentences repeated like a mantra in her mind, and she glowed. Treasure, family... the words the used to refer to her were so precious.

"It's a pity Namjoon did not accidentally set their miserable wagon on fire, and I mysteriously would have lost my powers," the nymph fretted.

Hayun laughed loudly, and they both jumped slightly in surprise. They exchanged a glance, and then joined in. It was like all the bad feelings melted away, and they showed her the various things they had gotten, and Taehyung came to measure her height and the length of her palm and fingers. Hoseok followed, praising her archery skills.

"I should give you your reward today!" Namjoon said. "Let's see... yes... I think we can set off soon."

"Today?" asked Hayun, a bit alarmed – she was not really mentally ready to go around flying yet!

"Why, is there a problem?"

"No, of course not! I just did not expect it so soon."

"Well the weather is good and you have mastered archery somewhat, so what better time than today?"

The afternoon melted away quickly, like the very last of the winter snow hugging the trees in spring. Hayun was busy helping the fae put away and organize everything they had bought. As she was helping Jimin put away the many jars and powders in his cupboard, she was also answering Taehyung's many questions which ranged from her pain threshold and whether she feel more connected with moonlight or sunlight.

"See, it's all important," he explained, after she asked what it was for. "Protective charms will work in general for everyone, but every individual is very different, so custom made charms are better. And, like Jimin had sensed, you feel more connected to the moon – to our goddess, our symbol of the divine feminine."

Hayun shot him a baffled look, and Jimin laughed kindly. "The divine feminine! Creation, intuition, abundance, healing, and compassion. We all, whether male or female, have the divine feminine within us, as well as the divine masculine. They are the energies that govern our world, and balance them. Right now, they are not balanced – patriarchy, war, hatred and aggression are witness to that."

"So, the divine masculine is about aggression and control?" Hayun asked.

"No, the divine masculine is about taking action, protection, security. He can connect with his divine feminine side as well. This imbalance is not the divine masculine, it is simply an excess of masculine energies, as there is no security nor any compassion and it is a desire to dominate and to force. That is not the divine masculine."

"Do women have the divine masculine within them?"

"Of course. We all have the divine masculine and feminine within us."

"Then why did Taehyung say he was not surprised I feel more connected to the moon – the divine feminine?"

"I sense a deep wound within you – a wound from patriarchy that in time I believe you will heal from," Jimin explained. "The Divine Feminine is more approachable to you, and should you call upon her energies which are already within you, you can connect with her. The Moon is her symbol; the moon is connected with intuition, and the twenty eight day cycle of the moon and mentrual cycle is closely linked. The word menstruation originates from the Greek word menus, which moons moon, power, and month."

Hayun did not expect Jimin to speak of menstruation, that shameful phenomenon she had been taught to never speak about, and was taken aback and embarrassed to hear him speak of it – he was male, after all, and it was bad enough to hear a woman speak of it!

"It is not shameful," he said, as though reading her thoughts. "Nor is it dirty – I heard nowadays humans regard the shedding of the uterus lining as dirty and on the same level as bodily wastes. How could it possibly be dirty? The body is ready to recieve a fertilized egg, to nurture and create a life – it is the best blood that makes up the lining."

"That is true," Hayun admitted, stunned – why had no one made the connection, and instead treated it like a filthy thing? Why had she never made the connection, or even questioned why it was filthy?

"It is a great pity that the belief has come, because women have lost touch with the divine feminine by shunning their moontime, which causes so many problems. During the ancient days of Goddess worship, where one worshipped the Feminine, fertility, and creation, menstrual blood was considered so powerful and sacred that Ancient Taoists and Egyptians, among others, drank it mixed in red wine – it was believed to increase spirituality, and honor creation. In Ancient Greece, the blood was used to help crops grow and was buried during the fertility festival in Spring. You are repulsed, I see..."

"I'm sorry," Hayun said. "It just.... it seems so..."

"Disgusting? Yes, I understand you think so, because for centuries you have been taught it is impure. You have been taught so because of the shift from Goddess worship to the patriarch. Women were intuitive and highly spiritual, more so than men. Their moontime was a sacred time and heightened their intuition. I wonder if it is any coincidence why it is the menstrual cycle that has been so demonized by patriarchy. The pain and discomfort you feel during your period is due to you rejecting femininity and your belief that you are impure and dirty. Your beliefs and the menstrual cycle are so powerful that it manifests itself into pain, discomfort, and menstrual disorders."

"How does one... well, change that?" Hayun asked. "I am in a lot of pain every month, both physical and emotional."

"Honor the time. Do not think of it as an inconvenience. Think of it as a sacred bond, honor yourself during this time. Your intuition and vulnerability is at it's height, and if you feel emotional pain it is a clue that there are beliefs, suppressed memories, emotions, or even trauma that you need to work on – to heal from and ultimately release them. Create – draw, paint, make music, write, anything. Avoid people who do not make you feel good, if you can, and retreat to spend time with yourself in silence, work on yourself, create, and honor yourself. All of this puts you in touch with the Divine Feminine, which is so forgotten about these days. You are the Goddess, you are creation, intuition, compassion, and creativity. Honor her once more, for she is wounded and demonized now."

Hayun held Jimin's gaze, and when he smiled in understanding at her confusion, revulsion, and anger at the patriarchy for demonzing something that was once so sacred, those feelings scattered like a pile of leaves.

What the healing fae told her was.... nonesense.... it was nonesense, yet she knew there was truth in his words. Honoring herself, the Divine Feminine, the menstrual cycle – her moontime – would take a lot of work, and many beliefs would need to be unravelled and released. The moment she thought this, she realized she was already on her way – wanting to start was the first step, and she had already taken it.

A.N// Hello, everyone! I hope you are all doing well <3 Comments are greatly appreciated, I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback, good or bad! ^^
So, the Divine Feminine is something I have been very interested in for a while now. A simple Google search will take you to many articles, be it the Divine Feminine and Masculine, and the sacred ond between someone and their menstrual cycle.. Everything I have written about it, including about menstruation and how it was very sacred and used in rituals, is fact.  If you are interested in learning more, here is a good article that explains things in an easy way to understand, and recaps much of what I have written here ^^