Walking through the village I couldn't help but sigh. People walked past me and looked at me like I was scum under their feet. Why are humans so rude? They know I'm not human, they just don't know what I am. They think I may be a baby fae. I'm not a fae. I know what I am. If they knew, they would have tried to kick me out long ago.
They don't want creatures like me inside the tall safe wall of the village. Humans always assume the worst of each other.
Frowning a bit I ran past people and to the orphanage I live in. People moved out of my way. They hate me because of how I was born. I look human, I act human. Just because they found me as a baby crying cradled in the roots of a tree in the village square doesn't mean I'm not human... I'm not human, but they shouldn't have assumed.
Now I'm not allowed out of the village. Other people can leave as long as they dont go into the woods. But I can't even leave the confines of the tall stone walls.
Once I reached the doorstep of the orphanage I slowed to a walk. Entering the building I looked around. Most kids were out playing in the courtyard or wandering around the village. The caretakers were walking around and cleaning things. Helping with the preparations for dinner.
"Tomas! You're filthy! Why did you come here all dirty? What does a wicked child like you do to get this dirty." The head caretaker walked over to me, brushing off my clothes.
"I'm not dirty." Frowning, I looked at her.
"Your fifteen Tomas. You should know better than this. In three years you won't live here anymore. You should learn to take responsibility for your actions. Now go outside and clean up." They then walked away. Scoffing, I trudged out of the throng door. The other caretakers didn't bat an eye as I was scolded, it being a normal occurrence around here.
"They don't let me do shit around here. Don't play in the dirt. Don't be so loud. Be respectful. Don't leave the village. It's all bullshit." Scowling I walked towards the wall, walking next to it, letting my hand run along its side as I walked.
As I walked the sound of the birds chirping in the forest on the other side seemed to be calling me. Of course the forest would be calling me. They wasn't me to finally come home. I abruptly stopped as I found an opening in the wall covered by ivy. The Ivy hung perfectly to obscure the opening and make it easy to go through.
Looking around I took a deep breath and let the warm feeling in my chest consume me. The next moment when I opened my eyes, everything looked different. My senses were better. Laughing I felt my razor sharp teeth in my mouth. My hands were now clawed and my pointed ears twitched. A long tail curled around me, The end of it was a tuft of fur.
Smiling, I ran through the opening. As soon as I was out of the confines of the wall the sounds of the forest bombarded my senses. Giggling to myself I ran into the trees.
Once I was hidden by the darkness of the trees, the cold night, hiding me more. The fae don't snake me and I'll be the downfall of wandering humans. It's been so long since I've had a proper meal.
Giggling, I crept around the tree towards the main gate of the village. There were lights hanging from the wall and guards standing by the entrance.
"Why don't you come into the forest. It's nice and fun here!" I crooned to the guards. Both of them immediately fell under my spell. The enchantment made them walk towards me drowsily. Floating slightly off the ground I smiled at the two hypnotized humans.
"That was too easy." Laughing I reached a clawed hand towards them. Placing a hand on each of their chest I felt around for the presence of what I was looking for. Once I found what I wanted I focused on the energy and tugged my hands back, holding onto two glowing spheres.
"Thank you for your souls. I hope they taste good." Both guards crumpled, A shell of what they were minutes before.
Humming in satisfaction I stuffed a soul in my mouth and chewed happily. Too lazy to walk, I floated around. I probably looked like some sick ghost or spirit. I'm technically a nature spirit.
"Will-o-the-wisp!" Laughing to myself I grabbed the other soul and nibbled on it. The nice taste flooded my taste buds.
"It's so hard to get food in the village! I have to feed off animals! Yuck!" Complaining to myself I landed on the forest floor. My barefoot landing in moss. Giggling at the feeling I began walking. I don't want to return to the orphanage right now. Maybe later, or tomorrow. They don't usually mind.
Once I finished the souls I shifted back to looking like a human. Now my presence can be detected by the Fae. Does it bother me? No. I don't really care.
Humming a cheerful tune I wandered around the forest. Picking plants to weave into a basket I started picking berries, mushrooms and fruit I passed by. The Fae couldn't do shit against me if this pissed them off anyways.
Continuing minding my own business I made my way into a clearing. A large fairy circle sat in between the roots of a tree.
"Well damn. That's what a fairy circle looks like. Kind of disappointing." Walking towards it I stood a bit away so as not to get grabbed.
"That's a bit rude don't you think?" A melodic voice echoed around the clearing. My chest warmed at the sound. A small smile tried to creep its way on my face.
"What's your name, little human?" The voice now came from the fairy ring. A fae stood in the middle of it, dressed in Royal attire. There was a crown perched on its brown hair. The crown had blue gems glittering around it. Ignoring the insult of calling me a human I stared at him.
"My name? You can just call me... Actually I don't know. I'm not good with nicknames." feigning ignorance I looked around, a thoughtful expression on my face. The fae made a frustrated noise before speaking again.
"No little one. Your real name. The name you were chosen to have. Your name." He tried to explain, impatience lacing his voice a bit.
"Oh! My name!" Looking back at him the fae had a smile on his face, pointed teeth on full display.
"My name is Prometheus!" I giggled at my quick thinking. The fae frowned.
"Little one. That's not your name, is it?" The fae looked at me.
"Nope! I'm not going to give my name to a fae. I'm not stupid." Immediately dropping the façade I sat down in the grass. The fae gave a frustrated hiss.
"If you want me to tell you my name, you have to give me your name!" Looking at him I didn't smile.
"Why should I trust that you'll not betray me?" The fae said, frowning.
"I have no interest in causing you harm, prince of fae." I said giggling. The fae stiffened.
"How did you know that!?" The fae hissed out.
"You have a crown. And you're dressed all fancy." I pointed out, rolling my eyes.
"Fine. But I don't trust you. Humans love to lie." The fae glared at me.
"I never asked you to trust me. It's a simple exchange. A name for a name." Little did he know that even if he had my name he couldnt use it against me. I could use his name, but he couldn't use mine.
"You better not betray me or you'll have the whole royal family after you, human. My name is Wilbur." The name held power and the whole forest seemed to go quiet.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Wilbur. My name is Theseus." Smiling at him, the fae nodded.
"Theseus. What a strange name." Wilbur looked thoughtful for a moment before a sharp grin made its way on his face.
"Well Theseus. Thank you for your name. Now, Theseus, come into the fairy ring." Power resonated with the command, but the power only bounced off of me. None of it affected my thoughts.
"Now why would I do that?" Sneering, I looked at the surprised fae.
"That wasn't your name was it?" Wilbur paled.
"Oh no, it was my real name. Fae power just doesn't work on me." Wilbur didn't seem to believe it.
"That's impossible. Humans can't resist the charm of a fae. Especially one who possesses their name. I own your name." Wilbur tried to explain, his voice sounding helpless.
"There may be a miscommunication here Wilbur." He immediately stiffened. "You know my name. You don't own or possess it. You only know what it is." Wilbur paled more.
"That doesn't make any sense." He muttered. Sitting back down I rummaged through my basket of fruits. Grabbing an apple I bit into it. The apple was sweet and crunchy.
"So little human. Why are you this deep in the woods?" Wilbur asked.
"I wanted to. The village doesn't let me leave so I snuck out. I just wanted to see what the forest looked like." Talking around a mouthful of apple I poked a flower next to my foot.
"What!? Why aren't you allowed to leave your village? Even I know that humans leave there constantly. Why don't they only not allow you." He asked.
"They don't like me. They think I'm a fae." Wilbur scoffed.
"You are nothing like a fae!" Wilbur was laughing now. "No one in their right mind would mistake such a rude and sneaky kid as a fae." Wilbur doubled over in laughter, the melodic sound sweet in my ears.
"Har har. We get it, I'm not the nicest. Can we move past that. What's the fairy realm like?" My voice sounded wistful as I asked my question. Wilbur stopped laughing and looked at me quizzically.
"Do you want to see it for yourself?" Wilbur tried again to trick me. I rolled my eyes and Wilbur slumped his shoulder looking dejected.
"Why do you want to know that the fairy realm looks like a little one?" He asked.
'Because it was supposed to be my home but I got trapped here instead'
"Because I hear people talking about it being a terrible place while others say it's peaceful and pretty. I want to know what the truth about it is. What does it really look like?" Leaning forwards a bit I looked at him adamantly. Wilbur chuckled.
"Ok, fine. But you have to give me something in return." Wilbur said, a dark glint in his eyes.
"Depends on what it is." My own voice had a bit of a cold edge to it as I spoke this time.
"I want the soul of a human from within the walls. It would be fun to put it on display in the castle. I had recently stumbled upon a device to remove the human soul and I wanted to test it out. Would you be a dear and do that for me?" Wilbur asked, his voice echoing around the clearing.
Suppressing a gleeful smile I nodded solemnly. Wilbur looked a bit surprised.
"I wasn't really expecting you to accept. You really want to know about the fairy realm don't you?" Wilbur tilted his head, examining me.
"Yeah, I'm just curious." Wilbur smiled.
"Just don't forget, curiosity killed the cat."
"Whatever. Just give me the device so I can learn." Wilbur laughed.
"You're impatient. Just come back here tomorrow with the soul and I'll tell you all you want to know about the fairy realm, I Promise." The promise held power and I smiled as my request would be met.
"Of course. Now where is the soul sucker? I'm ready to do some human sucking!" Wilbur grimaced at my words.
"Why would you phrase it like that!?" Cackling, I didn't respond. Wilbur sighed before reaching into the fairy ring and pulling out a strange looking stone. Immediately I recognized it. It's the heart of a Will-o-the-wisp. Wilbur probably didn't know what he was holding.
Immediately I felt sick and I probably looked pale as Wilbur looked at me confused.
"What's wrong little human." He asked.
"Why do you have that?" My voice sounded high pitched.
"Have what?" He asked. Shaking my head I snatched the stone from Wilbur. Gingerly I placed it in my pocket.
"Sorry nothing. It just looks a bit like a crystallized heart to me." Wilbur hummed in acknowledgement.
"Well, hope to see you tomorrow with my soul." We bid our goodbyes. Wilbur waved before vanishing. As soon as Wilbur was gone I began running through the forest back to the village. Running along the wall I stumbled through my hidden entrance. Falling onto the moss covered floor I took a shaky breath before vomiting.
"Why the fuck does he have this. They should have been destroyed long ago." With a shaky hand I took out the heart from my pocket. It glowed at the contact of another Wisp.
"I'm sorry." bringing the heart to my chest I poured some of my magic into it. My magic would replenish itself anyways. Me and the heart begane glowing. In a flash of light I was holding a little creature. It could fit in the middle of my palm. It was like a little fairy.
"Aww! You're a little baby wisp now!" Giggling, I patted its head with my pointer finger. The little one tried to bite my finger.
"Don't bite me." The baby wisp just stuck out its tongue before flying up and nestling itself in my coat pocket.
"Ok. You've been reawakened. And I have to get a soul for Wilbur now. Ok, let's go." Talking to the little wisp I snuck around the sleeping village, trying to think of the best sacrifice.
Someone who they wouldn't really care if they disappeared. Or some really bad douchebag.
Thinking for a moment I came up with the perfect idea. Sneaking around I made my way to the village mares house. He was a big douchebag and liked to sit on the throne he had.
Once I was outside of the house I shifted back into my natural form. My tail flicked impatiently. Giggling, I flew up and through an open window.
The tip of my tail was now glowing gold and my eyes were probably glowing too.
"I'm going to get to know more about my home!" Skipping down the halls I made my way to what I assumed would be the bedroom of the mare. Entering the room I saw the mair asleep in his bed.
"Perfect." Waltzing to the edge of the bed I latched onto his soul and pulled. In my palm now as his soul. The lifeless shell was the only thing left. The baby wisp chirped before floating down to my hand, attempting to take a bite out of the soul.
"No. This is not for you. I'll get you food later" The baby wisp pouted on my shoulder.
We made our way out of the house. Shifting back I snuck towards the wall. I have to make it seem like I lost track of time and fell asleep here so they won't be suspicious.
The next morning I woke to panicked voices. It seems the people of the village have found the three dead bodies. Standing up I dusted myself off and walked to the center of the village where people were gathering.
"THERE IT IS!" A person pointed at me. Another villager grabbed me by the sleeve and dragged me to the front of the group.
"What!?" I asked. Crying out in pain as I was tossed to the ground.
"Don't act so innocently. You know what you did!" The first villager called.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Pleading with them was quite easy. Acting has gotten simpler over time.
"DON'T LIE MONSTER!! YOU KILLED THE MARE AND THE GUARD AT THE GATE!" Voices rang out in agreement.
"I didn't do anything. I was asleep by the wall the entire night." Curling up on myself I looked at the angry crowd. Why are humans so rude?
"We know you're a fae. You want to kill us all!" Someone yelled from the crowd.
"I'm not a fae. I can lie. I can be rude and I definitely can't persuade people for shit. I'm not a fae!" After what seemed like an eternity they eventually let me go only with a warning and a few cuts.
Walking through my hidden hole in the wall I made my way into the forest towards the fairy ring and clearing.
"Stupid humans. Not everything malicious is a fae. You hate anything you can't explain." Scowling I stomped into the clearing.
"Why are you so grumpy, little human?" Wilbur appeared in the fairy ring.
"The stupid humans! They always insist that I'm the cause of everything that goes wrong! They put their failures and mistakes on me and they judge anything they can't understand!" Complaining, I sat on the grass. Wilbur studied me for a moment.
"You called them stupid humans. I have never heard a human refer to other humans as what they are." Cursing mentally I rolled my eyes.
"Well not all things are like you think!" Wilbur sighed.
"Did you bring what I asked for?" I nodded before grabbing the soul from my pocket. Wilbur looked at it in fascination as I handed him it. He held it like it was made of glass.
"What happened to the soul extractor?" He asked, finally looking up.
"Um...It faded after I extracted a soul. I think it was only made for one use." I said. Wilbur scowled.
"You destroyed one of my prized possessions." He glared.
"No I didn't. It was made that way. Where did you even find it and how did you know what it would do?" I asked Wilbur.
"It has been held in the royal family for centuries. It was made by an ancestor of mine." Wilbur explained, still glaring at me.
"Do you know how they made it?" Wilbur scowled.
"No. If I did, I would make another one." Wilbur rolled his eyes. Scoffing, I sat back down onto the grass.
"Well, now that I got you your soul. Tell me about the fairy realm." Sitting on the ground I waited patiently. Wilbur sighed before also sitting down.
"Ok, what do you want to know?" He asked.
"Anything, the weather, the buildings, the wildlife and the creatures that live there." I asked. Wilbur hummed, thinking.
"Well, the weather is like your seasons, different parts of the realm are different seasons. The wildlife is wild and beautiful. It's more well grown and healthy. The buildings depend on who lives in them." Wilbur said.
That evening me and Wilbur just talked about the Fairy realm. I would ask questions and Wilbur would respond quite content.
Days were spent hanging out with Wilbur. Then days turned into weeks and weeks into months.
I could now get souls easier since I found a way to leave the village. The village still hated me and they showed their hate more.
Today I had just woken up in the orphanage. Most of the kids were already awake, eating breakfast downstairs or already out and playing. Sighing I rolled out of bed.
Getting ready I walked down the stairs and out the front door. Human food just doesn't cut it anymore. I'm was made to eat food from the fairy realm and souls. I cant get food from the fairy realm so I can only eat Souls.
Grumbling my complaints I walked to the forest. Arriving in the clearing Wilbur was already there, waiting for me. Today there were two other fae with him. Probably his father and brother.
"Wilbur? Who are these two?" I asked, walking and sitting down a bit from the fairy ring.
"This is my father and brother. They wanted to meet you." He smiled.
"Nice to meet you little one." The blond haired fae said, smiling with his sharp teeth. This must be the king seeing as he had a fancier crown. He had a more intricate outfit.
"Nice to meet you, your majesty." This is the king of the fairy realm. I need to make a good impression.
I bowed down. There was a chuckle from the Fae. The other one with long braided pink hair studied me.
"There's no need for that little one." The fae laughed. Nodding, I backed up again.
"You're the little human that Wilbur has been so fascinated with? I expected more." Scoffing, I glared at the other Fae.
"Wilbur, why is your brother picking on me?" I asked. Wilbur started laughing while his brother glared.
"Are you really a human?" The pink haired fae asked. I didn't answer, pretending not to hear.
"Wilbur! Did you know that the people from my village are planning to storm the forest to burn all your entrances to this forest?" I asked. Instantly all three royals stiffened.
"What!?" Wilbur asked. The clearing immediately felt tense.
"Yep. They are stupid. They think it would be a good idea to burn your portals. They want to find a fae and kill it. They think it will leave a message to not mess with them. They're going to open the wall for all the creatures to see the sacrifice, then they're going to storm the forest." I said as if it was nothing. The three fae looked tense.
"Why in death's name would they do that?" The king said in an icy tone. I shrugged. The pink haired one vanished, shortly followed by the king.
"Sorry, did I ruin it?" I asked.
"No, you warned us, thank you." Wilbur said. "I should probably go and help my family. I won't be able to see you for a while, little one. I hope I will get to see you again. Goodbye." We bid our goodbyes before Wilbur vanished. Walking back solemnly to the village I entered the village through my secret entrance.
"Tommy! Where have you been!" The caretaker screeched.
"You know there is a curfew now! Tomorrow is the sacrifice!" The caretaker slapped me across the face before shoving me into the shared bedroom. All the kids were already in there, some sleeping. The ones who were still awake looked at me in disgust or fear.
Attempting to ignore them I laied down in my bed. I couldn't sleep as the only thoughts that filled my mind were worried and scared. Wilbur and his family would prevent anything bad from happening to the forest. But what happens if they get hurt? What happens if the humans catch one of them and use them as the sacrifice. A public execution.
After a while I drift into an uneasy sleep. When it was morning I was woken up by a hushed murmur in the room. Sitting up in my bed I rubbed my eyes, hoping to wake up a bit more.
"What the hell is all the noise for?" Complaining, I looked around the room. Freezing where I sat I looked at the people around the room. There was the new mare, the orphanage caretaker and some of the people who lived in the village.
"What's going on?" I asked. The caretaker grinned.
"Your finally going to be punished for your sins. A fae like you doesn't need to live. Were going to use you to wage war on your fae kind." The caretaker sneered. My blood ran cold as I looked at her.
"You are crazy. I'm not a fae!" No one believed me. I was dragged out of the orphanage kicking and screaming by two of the villagers.
"I'M NOT A FAE!!" I yelled as they dragged me to the center of the village. All the walls were already gone. How they removed several large walls in a day, I have no idea.
"Save it, you spawn of Satan." A villager shoved me into the ground. I yelled as my head hit the hard cobblestone.
"Why the hell do you insist I'm a fae when I have proven time and time again that I am not a fae." Scowling I was picked up by my arms and tied to a wooden post.
"Oh! What are you planning to do? Burn me like a witch!?" My voice was raised as I glared at each and every one of them. I knew deep down that Wilbur and his family could probably see what is going on here.
"Shut it! You are an evil abomination of nature. A malicious spirit! You deserve to burn forever in the pits of hell." The new mare lit a match and was about to light the wood below my feet when the sound of laughing resonated through the whale village. Everyone froze where they stood.
"A fae." One villager whispered.
"Look Tommy. Your kind have come to try and rescue you." The mare smeared.
"Silly, stupid humans. You can't see what's in front of you." The voice of Wilbur's brother spoke.
"We knew humans were ignorant. But we thought they could at least recognize their own kind." The king spoke. The trees and birds were all quiet.
"Why do you discriminate against your own people? So traditional." Wilbur appeared in the middle of the crowd. There were yells and screams of surprise as people scrambled to get away from the fae prince.
"You're too late! Stupid fae! This is a declaration of war! Watch your own kind burn!" I didn't even get to say anything before the mare set the wood I was standing on, in flame. Wilbur yelled, attempting to run forwards. His brother and father stopped him from getting closer to me.
Everyone stood around watching me, probably expecting some sort of reaction.
"Oh! You want me to be in pain, to be dying! I can pretend if you want?" My voice echoed around as I looked at the villagers. They all looked a bit surprised, including the fae.
"Sorry for disappointing you all. I'm not a fae, or a human!" Laughing, I freed myself from the rope. Still standing in the flames I shifted. There were gasps from around as they looked at me.
My eyes were glowing electric blue while my hands were sharp and clawed. My years were pointier and my tail flicked back and forth in annoyance. Sighing I jumped off the platform and floated down.
"You act as if you've never seen a Will-O-The-Wisp before!" Laughing I walked over to the mare.
"Such a pity. I was hoping to cause a bit more chaos before being discovered. Oh well" With that I tugged at his soul and retracted my hands with the glowing sphere held there.
There were screams, people running away as the mayor crumpled to the floor. Laughing I pushed people around, tripping ones who passed. The fae were nowhere in sight as I fed the chaos, throwing flaming logs and sticks at people and houses.
Once I deemed my job done I headed into the forest, the walls were back up and I could see smoke floating up from behind them.
"How the fuck do they put the walls up and down so fast?" I asked myself. Shrugging I walked deeper into the forest. Once I made it to me and Wilburs usual spot I saw them. The three Fae were waiting for me.
"Um...Hi?" I waved awkwardly. Wilbur broke into a smile before running forwards and hugging me.
"You're a Wisp!" He sounded so happy! I laughed as he ruffled my hair.
"Yeah. Sorry for not telling you." I said sheepishly.
"Well, since you are officially part of the family it's about time we told you our names." The king said.
"I'm part of the what!?" I asked. He laughed.
"My name is Phil, little one." He smiled warmly at me.
"My name is Technoblade." Wilbur's brother said. Wilbur beamed as his brother and father gave me their names.
"Oh. I'm Theseus. But I don't think that you having my name will do anything." I said.
"That's ok. It's the thought that counts." Wilbur said. "Are you ready to come home now?" He asked, smiling.
"Of course." Smiling, he brought me into the fairy ring.
"Ready?" I nodded. The wind seemed to pick up and the air became fresher, if that was possible. Phil and Techno were standing next to us. When I opened my eyes I gasped. It was beautiful.
Everything seemed more vibrant and healthy. There were animals of all different types. There were beautiful waterfalls and big trees the size of mountains. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue and barely any clouds dotted the sky.
"Welcome home Theseus. The youngest prince of the winter court." Techno said proudly.
I think I could get used to this. My new life with my new family in a world I was meant for. The four of us walked towards a big castle. My new home.