Long before King Arthur and his round table, before the Vikings, Normans, and Romans\u2013even before they called this land \u2018Wales\u2019, there lived the Faeries and the Festia. The Faeries were jealous creatures\u2013greedy, and powerful. The Festia were companions and servants to the Faeries\u2013human, mortal, and afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNim!\u201d Koma called, fluttering up behind her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nim sat staring over the calm grey sea and the distant smudge of an island, blurred by the absent sun. She wondered if she might go there\u2013if one could cross water and find more land. More mortals like the Festia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNim!\u201d Koma said again, his wings beating the air with frantic resistance. \u201cPlease, don\u2019t keep Her waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reluctantly, Nim stood and turned to her Wisp-Fae. The flattened wolf\u2019s pelt around her shoulders gave two sets of eyes to the pleading look she levelled at him. If he wanted to, Koma could make her go. But he wasn\u2019t like most other Faeries. He spoke to her kindly, like a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nim picked at the pelt. \u201cCouldn\u2019t we delay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Queen waits for no one. You know that,\u201d Koma said, his wings slowing so he drooped in the air. \u201cPlease,\u201d he pleaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nim nodded and followed Koma through the humps of long grass. As a Wisp-Fae\u2013the lowest of the Faerie order\u2013Koma was no bigger than Nim\u2019s fist. The Gora-Fae were larger\u2013warriors\u2013and closer to the length of her arm. The Queen, though: She would tower over Nim. Though she\u2019d only seen the Queen at a distance, the Elders told tales of the Faerie Queen\u2019s might, how she grew with anger and swelled with pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nim wasn\u2019t ready for the ceremony, but she\u2019d been selected. Koma was right. You couldn\u2019t refuse the Queen, even if you had<\/em> only lived fourteen cycles. Not old enough to have loved. <\/em>That\u2019s what her mother said when the Queen\u2019s Gora-Fae pointed out Nim from the crowd huddled around the firelight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe girl will be sacrificed to the Stone,\u201d declared the Faerie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Festia had two days to prepare Nim for her sacrifice to the Queen. Two nights huddled around the fire, telling awed tales of how the Faeries gifted fire to the Festia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Faeries gave them everything, including the stone altar where Nim would be sacrificed. She shuddered thinking of it now as she followed behind Koma. Thick slabs of mossy stone laid over two boulders. Soon, she\u2019d lay on that stone and stare up at the waning sky as a Gora-Fae put a bone knife to her throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The warmth of the Festia village flicked up ahead in the grey afternoon. Pale imitations of rain misted Nim\u2019s face. She breathed in the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNim.\u201d Koma had stopped, dropping to the grass and folding back his wings as he inched toward her. \u201cI must tell you something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim swallowed. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2013you do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou think of me as a friend. I know, because you\u2019re my friend, too. But it\u2019s not allowed. That\u2019s why the Queen chose me for death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma shook his head. \u201cNo. I mean\u2013yes! You are my friend. I care about you. But, no, that\u2019s not why her Faeries chose you, Nim.\u201d He didn\u2019t meet her concerned gaze. \u201cA precious object has gone missing from the Queen\u2019s repository and she suspects I\u2019m the one who stole it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim blinked. \u201cYou? But, you\u2019re a Wisp-Fae. How would you even\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe\u2019s right,\u201d Koma said. \u201cI did steal it. Well, me and a few other Wisp-Fae who don\u2019t like how we treat the Festia. It\u2019s not right, making your people our slaves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut\u2013what did you steal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma glanced over both shoulders, though they stood in an empty field several yards from the edge of the village. Then he fluttered up so he and Nim sat at eye level. \u201cIt is a sword. A weapon. Big, long, and sharp,\u201d he mimed an approximation at her confused expression. \u201cWe hid it with magic, but the Queen knows of our discontent with her order. She couldn\u2019t prove what I\u2019d done, so she\u2019s sacrificing you to make a point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Nim.\u201d Koma covered his eyes and sobbed. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry. It\u2019s not fair. Not when you\u2019re so young.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim pulled back her shoulders, ignoring the thumping in her chest. \u201cThe Queen has decided. There\u2019s no sense crying over it now. What does this sword <\/em>thing do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma peeked out from behind his long fingers. \u201cIt\u2019s the key to unlocking the Festia\u2019s magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFestia\u2019s don\u2019t have magic. We\u2019re mortal. Only the Faeries\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Faeries stole it from the Festia, Nim. A hundred years ago. They sacrifice Festia on the Stones to keep your power. The only way to release it is to cut the Stone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo weapon can cut through stone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis one can,\u201d Koma promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shouts rang over the village. Koma and Nim turned at the noise. Koma rubbed his palms anxiously. \u201cIt\u2019s time. They\u2019ve come for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim grabbed Koma\u2019s arm between pincered fingers. He fluttered his wings to keep his balance. \u201cKoma, you need to be the one to do it,\u201d she hissed. She could see six Gora-Fae flying their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2013? Nim, I can\u2019t\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease! I\u2019d rather you be the last person I see than some Gora-Fae. I-I don\u2019t want to die. Don\u2019t let me do this on my own. Then help the Festia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut the Queen will know I\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKoma, please. For my people. You said you wanted to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do. I do.\u201d Koma trembled as Nim released him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPromise me, friend,\u201d Nim said as the Gora-Fae shouted their approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFestia girl! The Queen awaits you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI promise,\u201d Koma said as the six Faeries took Nim\u2019s arms and hauled her away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breathe<\/em>, Nim reminded herself. The stone was cold and hard on her back as the Gora-Fae tethered her wrists and ankles to stakes in the ground. Her skin rubbed against the rough ropes. She heard a gasp from the crowd\u2013her mother\u2019s gasp? She tried not to panic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Torches flickered around the altar, though it was not yet sunset, their flames whipping in the breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone clapped and silence fell over the gathered Faeries and Festia alike. \u201cGather round, all, and witness another sacrifice to the Queen! May she reign eternally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMay she reign for all time,\u201d the audience responded in reverent tones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim strained her neck to see, but she only caught the edge of the Queen\u2019s scarlet dress as the tall figure walked past her to perch on her throne, wafting pine and lilacs over the hushed air. What magic could make cloth so crimson?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen\u2019s voice cut through Nim\u2019s shivering. \u201cWe gather around the Stones so the Festia may share their blood with Faerie kind, as a reminder of the sacrifice the Faeries have made in caring for their lesser mortal companions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe acknowledge and adore,\u201d recited the Festia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUpon the request of our sacrifice\u2019s companion, the Wisp-Fae Koma shall be the one to wield the dagger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some surprised murmurs that quickly died down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim tried to steady her breathing. She turned her neck until she\u2019d pressed her cheek so hard into the stone her jaw ached. Koma flitted up to settle his feet on the edge of the altar. He glanced at her, gave her a look that said, I\u2019m sorry, then turned back to his Queen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStones, we give you the blood of our lesser servants that you may be appeased!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, the chanting began\u2013a deep thrumming that trembled through the surrounding earth. The Faeries\u2019 wings flapped in succession as they began their rhythmic throat song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBegin!\u201d The Queen clapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thrumming grew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma turned to Nim, his face tortured as another Wisp-Fae flew over and placed a bone knife in his outstretched hands. Koma nodded to his kin, a meaningful nod. Nim couldn\u2019t see the other Faerie\u2019s face as it flew back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bone knife was too big for Koma, but Nim could sense the magic as he held it aloft. He swallowed. Nim bit her lip. Nodded. Tried to ignore the tears tracking down the sides of her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma raised the bone knife above his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is it. Nim could already taste the sting of blood in her throat, metallic and sweet. She balled her hands into fists, the rope pinching at her exposed flesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCleddyf!<\/em>\u201d Koma cried. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The knife flashed brilliant white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim gasped. The crowd gasped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love you, friend,\u201d Koma said, and brought the massive silver dagger\u2013no, he\u2019d called it a sword<\/em>\u2013into her chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a surreal moment where Nim glanced down, saw it sticking out of her. Then pain. Cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGrab him!\u201d the Queen screamed. \u201cGrab the traitor!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gora-Fae descended on Koma, wrestling him off the altar. But it was done. Koma sobbed, staring at the blood blooming from his friend\u2019s chest, her glassy eyes staring at nothing, even as the Gora-Fae shoved him into the grass and wrenched back his arms and wings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe sword, you fools! Get the sword!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The entire ceremony had erupted in chaos. The Queen\u2019s voice pitched to a frantic shriek as her Gora-Fae flew up to the sword and tried to wrench it free. Faerie magic stung the air, hot and brittle, but the sword wouldn\u2019t budge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exactly as he\u2019d hoped. The sword had cut through the stone. Would magic return to the Festia, now? Would it leave the Faeries? He didn\u2019t know. It\u2019d been so many years since the spell that broke the Festia had arisen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen herself flew to the Stone, her red dress pulling back around her as she clasped the sword and pulled. It didn\u2019t budge. The Queen screamed in Nim\u2019s pale face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gora-Faes\u2019 grip on Koma loosened as their Queen let out a mournful bellow. Koma shifted, testing, then kicked out with both feet. He let out an explosion of raw energy. His captors burst back, stunned. Koma didn\u2019t hesitate. He sprinted over the uneven grass, then launched himself into the grey sky, flapping as fast as he could, the screams, shouts, and murmurs fading behind him as he fled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma didn\u2019t let himself cry until he knew he was safely away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Night descended like a crow on the field. Koma crept through the long grass, his wings tight to his back and his mouth pressed in a line to keep his sobs silent. The torchlights had long gone out, but through the gloom, Koma could still make out the outline of the stone altar, and the sword stuck in his friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen wouldn\u2019t have left the key to Faerie magic unguarded, he knew. Koma pricked out his long ears, listening. The silence told him more than any sound could. He drew up a finger and pointed it to his left. Focused. There! \u201cCwsg<\/em>,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A thump. He turned to the next Gora-Fae, pointed, and put them to sleep. He did this three more times, one by one putting each Faerie guard to sleep. Then he scurried to the altar and flew up to perch on the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim was white as the moon, her black hair splayed around her head and her lips parted with her dying breath. Koma touched her eyelids and drew them shut. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Nim. I\u2019ll help your people. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked at the sword. It ought to have done something, right? Koma didn\u2019t know how the magic worked. All he knew was what he and the other \u2018sympathisers\u2019 had heard rumoured for years: the key is what drained the magic from the Festia and fed it to the Faeries. Stolen magic. That\u2019s what sustained the Queen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019d told Nim he could do it. He\u2019d told his friend the sword would cut the stone, and the magic would be released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019d lied, and now Nim lay dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma flitted up to the sword pommel and wrapped his small hands around the grip. He yanked up, gritting his teeth. He tried jiggling it this way and that. He groaned and dropped back onto the Stone, burying his face in his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone nearby was breathing<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma went cold as his friend. He poised his finger, ready to cast. The spell sat ready at the tip of his tongue. He turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim\u2019s chest rose and fell\u2013fractionally. Impossible!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNim?\u201d Koma pattered over to her face and touched his small hands to her cheeks. A slight, warm blush. \u201cNim?\u201d he shuddered, tears splashing anew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brown eyes flashed open, bright, alight\u2013alive.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim gasped awake\u2013and immediately regretted it. It felt like a full-grown adult had laid on her chest. Her vision sharpened in the darkness. \u201cKoma?\u201d she croaked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNim! Nim! How are you\u2013I thought you were\u2013never mind!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tears leaked down each side of her cheeks where Koma held her. \u201cGet me out.\u201d The panic rose with her thundering heartbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, yes!\u201d Koma flew up to the sword skewering Nim in place and tugged on it. Nothing happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet me out!\u201d Nim cried hoarsely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNim, shush, please, you mustn\u2019t scream,\u201d Koma begged, fluttering back down to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Nim couldn\u2019t stand to be on this altar a second longer. She gripped the blade in her stiff fingers and wrenched it up, not caring whether she cut through her palms. She needed out\u2013now!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The sword shifted. Nim gripped it tighter and wrenched it up, sitting as she pulled the blade free of stone, flesh, and bone. She threw it aside, clattering to the stone, her hands flying to her chest. The hole stitched neatly together, closing into pale, untouched flesh and leaving only a residue of dried blood behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did you\u2026\u201d Koma murmured. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim threw her legs over the altar and scrambled down, pulling her wolf cloak around her shoulders even though she didn\u2019t feel cold. In fact, she felt hot\u2013fiery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNim, your feet!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim scrambled back. Her bare toes glowed like hot coals, igniting the grass where she stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRhew<\/em>.\u201d Koma pointed, dousing the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim met his horrified expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt worked,\u201d Koma breathed. \u201cYou have magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim bent and picked up the fallen sword. It was heavy, but not too heavy for her to carry. She hefted it in one hand. \u201cLet\u2019s go save my people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma flapped after her as she sprinted across the lawn, silent but clearly heaving with questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cQueen of the Faeries!\u201d Nim cried, bursting through the door. She\u2019d never been so close to the Faerie Trees, much less stomping into one to declare war against their leader. But Nim had magic. And she\u2019d already died once today. She didn\u2019t plan on doing it again. \u201cI\u2019ve come to take back what belongs to the Festia!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen lounged in her warped willow throne surrounded by her fawning, smaller Faerie court. She stood at Nim\u2019s intrusion, towering over everyone in the wooded room, her alien features more elongated and sharp than the Wisp-Fae or even the Gora-Fae. \u201cYou<\/em>,\u201d she hissed. Her eyes caught on the sword. The Queen raised her hand, her lips parting with a spell.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDistawrwydd!<\/em>\u201d Nim countered. Silence! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen\u2019s voice left her. The other Faeries froze, watching in stunned horror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis key gives me the power to kill you, Queen,\u201d Nim warned, glancing back at her friend, who hugged himself where he fluttered in midair. \u201cIt gives me the power to take magic from all Faeries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Faeries murmured in fear, but still, no one moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I know that there are some Faeries who did not know how you siphoned the Festia, nor of your greed in making yourself strongest amongst them.\u201d Knowledge, pure and tensile flooded Nim\u2019s mind. She\u2019d never been so certain of anything in her young life, even as she stood here, barefooted and small. \u201cSo I shall banish you, and your kin, to a place where you may keep your magic, but never harm the Festia again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen\u2019s eyes bulged. She clutched at her throat but still no words came out<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo save my friend, I tie you to this valley, and the lake herein,\u201d Nim declared, circling the tip of the sword. \u201cAnd I will stand guardian over your domain, between the worlds, to ensure you never escape, and the Festia live free of your bondage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Queen\u2019s face turned to fury. Her fingers sparked with magic, then her eyes glowed bright and crimson. \u201cYou\u2019ll do no such thing, you little\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlltudio<\/em>,\u201d Nim said with simple certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a flash and a bang. Power flooded through each of her limbs. Nim gasped, the light leaving her through the sword. The key. <\/em>She\u2019d have to take it with her, to hold the gateway between their two worlds. She couldn\u2019t give magic back to the Festia and <\/em>keep the Faeries locked away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Festia didn\u2019t remember their magic. They would be okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Faeries, however\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim\u2019s feet left the ground. The world swayed dizzyingly, then she felt the sword lighten and her vision went black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim awoke but she didn\u2019t breathe. At least, she didn\u2019t breathe air. She opened her eyes. Everything shifted in an ethereal haze. She turned her head. The movement was slower than usual. She still held the sword in her hand, but it floated. She floated. <\/em>She was in the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim glanced up. Light, shifting and shimmering above. She kicked, keeping a firm grip on the sword as she swam to the surface. She burst into a bright morning and spun, wading. She could breathe air. She could breathe water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next to her, another figure sputtered up from the water, then sprung up into the air to fly next to her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKoma,\u201d Nim sighed, relieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her friend grinned a sharp-toothed, ecstatic grin, splashing droplets as he threw out his arms. \u201cYou did it! You saved your people!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks to you,\u201d she beamed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She paddled to the far shore, Koma flitting next to her, exclaiming about what had happened. \u201cI never knew! What can this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim crawled up the rocky beach and threw herself down in the pebbled sand, stuck the sword in the ground in front of her, and stared over the glittering waters. Her hair dripped down her back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma settled down beside her, his excitement waning. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim sniffed and turned to him, smiling. \u201cI think so. I\u2019m sad. I won\u2019t see my family or friends again. But I\u2019m happy, because now they\u2019ll never have to send another loved one to the Stones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koma nodded in understanding. \u201cIt is good, what you\u2019ve done. They won\u2019t forget your sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nim\u2019s smile turned sad. \u201cThey won\u2019t remember me at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPerhaps not in their present memory. But your name will live on in their legends. You\u2019ll see. The Festia don\u2019t forget. Not really. Generations from now, when people look out at this lake, they\u2019ll think of your name. Of the great and noble Nimue, the Lady of the Lake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nimue put her arm around her small friend and glanced back at the glimmering sword. \u201cLady of the Lake,\u201d she echoed. \u201cI like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n END.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Long before King Arthur and his round table, before the Vikings, Normans, and Romans\u2013even before they called this land \u2018Wales\u2019, there lived the Faeries and the Festia. The Faeries were jealous creatures\u2013greedy, and powerful. The Festia were companions and servants to the Faeries\u2013human, mortal, and afraid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[389,390,391,15,385,387,242,388,80,382,386,323,384],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","tag-faeries","tag-fairies","tag-fairy-queen","tag-fantasy","tag-king-arthur","tag-lady-of-the-lake","tag-magic","tag-nimue","tag-short-story","tag-spell","tag-sword-in-the-stone","tag-wales","tag-welsh"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/9.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"The Faeries and the Festia<\/a><\/blockquote>