The Bite of the Frost Fae

Sailing at Night

There's something different about sailing at night. Not necessarily bad, but definitely different. More quiet, and obviously more dark, with chilled wind and the rock of the waves that you can barely see.

Mathias pulled his hat down more to cover his ears. Trying to protect them from the cold snow that started falling. The rest of the crew had already gone inside, but Mathias wasn't quite ready to head in. Instead, leaning over the rail and looking out over the waves.

The lights from the boat cast a yellow glow on their path. The light that convinced Mathias that the glowing swirls of snowflakes in the distance were a trick of the light. Though the longer he stared the more perplexed he became. The flakes swirled and congregated just out of reach of the boat.

"Must be the wind..." He murmured, ignoring the fact that the wind he could feel, wasn't that strong and wasn't disturbing the snow around him, in the way the swirling flakes ahead were. Mathias suddenly stood straight and rubbed his eyes. Atop the water and in the snow, there were figures. Dancing and laughing. The man could just barely make out their shape and sound.

"Maybe too much to drink..?" He started to step back, chills running down his spine. This time not from the cold. "It's time to get to bed with the others anyways... I just need sleep." He continued to stare out at the dancing figures that never seemed to get any closer.

After hesitating for a moment, Mathias stepped back to the rail for a better look. He leaned forward, gripping the rail as tight as he could, but despite that, he still slipped on the slick floor; grunting as his stomach hit the bar and flipped him over the edge and down. He braced himself to fall into the icy water, more focused on catching a breath first, rather than yelling for help. Except, instead of splashing into black waves, he gasped and wheezed from hitting a flat sheet of ice, definitely bruising most of his body. After catching his breath, he looked up in time to see his boat passing through the ice as if it was just mist.

"What the fuck... What the fuuuck.." He stated, rather than asked softly.

"That's impossible- this is impossible," he whispered to himself as he shakily stood, groaning slightly as his body moved. The ice was as solid as actual ground, yet it appeared to not exist when the boat touched it. Mathias pulled at his hat, watching in bafflement and shock. Finally, it settled in that the boat was leaving without him.

"Hey! Wait!" He ran to catch up and ignored the ache in his body, still not fully comprehending what was happening. "Stop the boat!" His lungs started to burn, he undoubtedly needed to stop smoking. The Dane had completely forgotten about the people he had seen on the surface until he slipped on a wet patch. Sliding across the frozen sea, wincing at the scrapes and bruises he received, his skin starting to burn from the temperatures. Shivering and teeth chattering, Mathias propped himself on his hands and knees and looked up again. Chest filling with a sense of wonder and fear from what was before him.

Men and women of all races and shapes were dancing and laughing, a mystic and indescribable type of beauty to them and their dance. Almost as if floating and gliding over the ice. Their clothing mixed between modern and early Victorian in vibrant shades of blues, purples, and whites, occasionally a shade of green. Any pain and problems Mathias had were forgotten as he sat back on his feet, watching them in sheer bewilderment. The way the snowflakes twisted around them as if guiding their dance simply entranced him. None of them seemed to notice his presence, barely sparing him a glance as their dancing and conversations started to pull them further away.

Mathias didn't know how long he had been watching them until a man stopped in front of him. He was gorgeous to put it simply. The sailor's breath seemed to catch in his throat as the man crouched in front of him.