A Garden of Flowers and Bones [Lloyd Garmadon x Reader]

Chapter 5: An Iron Ring

Outside, the cold wind cut through the trees, shaking the very foundation they dug their roots in, and an owl hooted somewhere else. Rain battered against windows and sounded hollowly on the roof. The candlelight flickered, sending shadows dancing across the walls, tauntingly. The wooden floor was cold beneath the bare backs of her legs. And metal became slick under her hot and nervous palms.

Dwyn's soft breathing echoed in her ears.

Leaning the back of her head against the mattress, she heaved a tired sigh. A hefty pressure crushed her chest. Though her eyelids drooped and threatened to close, the paranoia made them snap open again and again. The flighty night gown clung and stuck to her sweat layered skin. Her feet tingled. Phantom pains.

Heart was pulsing in her chest, her rib cage almost seemed to bend and creak with every bit of the ramming force. Eyelashes brushed against her cheeks as her eyes slid closed again and then reopened with a harsh inhale. The air was soothing against the back of her throat.

With a final scrub to the corner of her eye, Y/N pulled the musket back into firing position at the door.

=======================

Reading wasn't easy. 

Most of Y/N's reading ability was self-taught as a result of her father being unable to teach her. And, of course, Cedric's knowledge of reading was incomplete, too, by that point, so he wasn't of much help. Y/N was in a very similar predicament to him at this moment. Dwyn was a growing girl and reading skills would surely help her in the future.

The problem was that she couldn't teach Dwyn everything, she could only teach her the few things she understood herself.

Of course, most of the village was illiterate. They didn't have much reason to learn to read when they lived in their own sort of bubble. Beathán wasn't originally from Summerville and had a job in which reading was required, so if Y/N had any questions she would always go to him. As such, she felt she had a good grasp on most of the English language. Enough to teach Dwyn? Well... reasonably so. But even then, Dwyn's knowledge would probably remain incomplete, too.

"Ah, you forgot the flick on the end of the 'a'."

Dwyn pouted so cutely that the youthful apples of her cheeks squished in a little. She was going to be such a heartbreaker when she grew up. Maybe she'd even be the centre of all that love drama, like Ellowyn. Y/N pinched her cheek, lovingly, much to her dismay.

"Stoooopp!" Her voice filled the hollow part of her mouth, sounding different as she whacked her older sister's hand away.

Y/N laughed.

"Then put a flick on the end, silly goose."

Dwyn huffed but followed Y/N's finger tapping against the page and did so with her thick, cracked charcoal pencil.

"'Ah' and 'oh' sound the same. Does it even, umm, really matter if they aren't spelled the same? People'll know what I mean..."

"Yeah, but some people are nitpickers like that."

"Like you?" Dwyn narrowed her bright, blue eyes up at her and Y/N placed a hand against her chest, faking an affronted noise.

She prodded Dwyn's forehead, pushing it back to face the paper.

"I'm only nitpickin you in preparation for the nitpickers you shall face in the future," She declared, sagely.

"Where am I gunna meet them? We're always staying here..."

Y/N paused at that, fumbling, uncomfortable as Dwyn continued copying down her lines. An squirming sensation settled in the bottom of her chest.

"Do you... wanna go to town or somethin...?"

"Can't I??" Dwyn looked back at her, pleadingly, "It doesn't have to be now, but it gets lonely here when you're not around. Uumm... I won't bother you when you're, uuum, at work..."

"I wasn't not bringin- I... it's not because I think you're gunna bother me, Winnie..."

Green eyes flashed in the back of Y/N's mind and she swallowed at the predatory way those woodland irises shifted into slits in the glow from the canopy between long lashes. It just wasn't safe right now. Not safe enough to ferry Dwyn through the woods. She tried to pretend like that was the only reason, letting out a sigh and electing to abandon her previous sentence.

"Of course, I'll bring you in at some point, alright? Just not now with all the... Fey activity... y'know. It's not because you're a bother, sweetheart. I'm just scared for you."

At least Dwyn understood. She gave a small, slightly disappointed nod, but it was a good enough excuse to placate her with... anyway, it's not as if the problem could last forever. Over the past four days, Y/N had been seamlessly following the path with no such encounters. No poking for giant hands or grabbing of the face. If she didn't feel like she was being watched at every point... if the birds didn't suddenly go quiet every once in a while... if she didn't hear rustling in the bushes as she walked by, then perhaps she'd be more inclined to think it was over.

However, there was a sense of unease that followed her everywhere, and it only disappeared when she passed a certain threshold. She felt even less safe with the barrier weakening. If that Fae followed her home, then they'd surely be in a lot of trouble.

"Anyway, you can stop with lines for now. I wanna test your memory skills," Y/N grinned, grabbing a familiar book from nearby on the dining table.

It was a higher level book than the children's books she sat around and read with Dwyn, but they weren't going to read this book. They were going to go through some of the words and recall the meanings.

Dwyn's pencil clacked against the tabletop and she shuffled in her seat to face Y/N a bit more.

"Okay... but only go up to level three today. I haven't practiced with the higher ones."

"Why not?" Y/N paused in turning a page.

"Because I wanted to just know the easier ones off by heart so I can stop doing them."

Y/N laughed and gave a thoughtful nod.

"Alright, level three it is, then. 'Usually'?"

"It means, like, something that happens normally."

"Good job. 'Employer'?"

"Someone who gives you work."

"Great! How about..." She flicked a few pages towards the middle of the book, "'Ridiculous'?"

"Silly."

"'Tenacity'?"

"To be tenacious," At Y/N's unimpressed look, Dwyn giggled and clarified: "Uuummm, determination!"

"Very good! 'Callous'?"

"Um... doesn't that mean, like... um, what's it called when something isn't soft anymore...?"

"You almost got it," Y/N encouraged, watching intently as Dwyn rapped on the side of her head with her knuckles like a door.

Eventually, she seemed to sit up a bit straighter and her hand dropped to her lap.

"Umm... hardened? With your mind or your skin when you walk too much."

"That's right! Well done!" Y/N ruffled the girl's hair and continued, "What about 'haste' or 'hastily'?"

"Quick and quickly! Like, umm, when you go 'make haste'. It's the same as swiftly and hurry- hurriedly."

"Very good," Y/N couldn't help but give a proud grin at that, "'Audacity'?"

"It means... bold, kinda. But- uuum- it means to be an idiot about it."

"Niiiice. That's one of the harder ones," Y/N praised, warmly.

"You always say it, so it's easy to remember!" Dwyn beamed.

"Y'know, there was a time where I didn't know what that word meant. I only learned a few years ago from Beathán, like. And it's become one of my favourite words since."

"Yeah," Dwyn giggled, "You get reeeeaaally annoying about it."

"That's so rude," She glared, "Just for that, I'm hittin you with a quick-fire round."

"Booooo!"

"'Ammunition'," Y/N urged, ignoring Dwyn's hapless protest.

Like that, they ran through a few definitions. Some of the words included: 'negligent', 'travesty' (which Dwyn didn't get exactly right, since she just thought it was a "really bad thing"), 'rescind', 'sober', 'vitriol', and 'opportunity'... these were all words Y/N thought would be useful to Dwyn in the future- words she wouldn't so easily pick up just by casual reading.

"Now, for the last one. 'Depiction'?"

"A rep... represention of something- like a drawing."

"Ooo, that was a harder one, and you got it right away!" With that, she shut the book and tossed it back down on the table, "It's said 'rep-re-sen-ta-tion, though, just for future reference."

"It's a long word! And it's only level two? Not fair!" With a childish sigh, she leaned her cheek into her hand and her elbow on the table, staring off as if entirely sick of it all.

"Well, it's a word we use often to define other words, so if you don't know what 'representation' means then you won't know what a lot of other words mean, like."

"I think you're just weird for knowing that many words."

"That's because you're only eleven, kiddo!" Pinching the younger girl's nose, she leaned away soon after, a displeased look painting Dwyn's face as she rubbed it, "When you get older, you have a lot more opportunities to use words like this-" She paused at her own words, and then grinned, "You see? Like that!"

"I get it," Dwyn smiled, seemingly satisfied with that explanation, "I'll learn even harder from now on! I promise!"

"There's no need to promise. Practice at your own pace," Y/N placed a hand in her golden ringlets gently combing her fingers over the girl's scalp, "There's no point in gettin stressed out about it. As long as you want to learn, you will. Even if it takes a long time, like."

"I still wanna show you I can do it, though..." She murmured.

How was it possible for this girl to be so cute?? Chuckling to herself, Y/N wrapped the youngster up in a hug, her heart full.

"You are so adorable!" She squeezed, earning a fit of giggles from Dwyn before she pulled away, "Well, as long as you aren't strainin yourself, do whatever you like, sweet pea."

They had no schoolhouse or formal education in their little, nothing town. All that sort of stuff was in the big towns and areas, and the biggest town in the area, Aramore, certainly didn't have any such thing. Most people left this area of the countryside and headed up North or to the West if they desired such things. Hence why the newcomers were stopping by.

Speaking of which, it'd been a four days since they arrived. Four days since the incident in the forest that left Y/N breathless and terrified. Apparently, they had broken down pretty badly. The wheel hadn't just snapped off, but there was damage to the thing attaching the wheel to the wagon, and damage to the thing attaching the thing attaching the wheel to the wagon... to the wagon, if that makes sense. 

Something something, ruts in pathway. Something something axle??? Y/N didn't know anything about it, but Malik seemed very involved and loved going on and on about it while at work despite Ingrid telling him to pipe down multiple times while she was trying to concentrate.

So repairs would take a while. Especially when the only person with experience in carpentry was a grumpy guy who preferred to get drunk at the local taverning hole. They hoped to get the job done before the end of summer, but setting off during autumn could spell disaster depending on what kind of winter the Goddess chose to bless or curse them with.

Yeah. On the topic of the Goddess, Y/N was going to have to pay a visit to her and beg for forgiveness or something. She wasn't a big woman of faith or anything. Her father had never forced anything on her (the reasons why became clear with a cursory glance at his old 'friends'...) and had always tried to let Cedric and her choose what they wanted to believe. 

Her mother had been extremely devout, though. After Celine... she basically prayed every day. When things went wrong, she prayed. Before meals, before bed, in the morning, at the sight of things she didn't like, she prayed. She went to church as often as she argued with Y/N's father, or whenever she just wanted to get away.

She was more religious than she was motherly. But it wasn't as though that was atypical for most parents. Her mother was only slightly more devoted to the Goddess than others. And while Y/N could never really understand it, she certainly understood wanting to have that kind of faith in something. And now, she was almost certain that her lack of faith had been what caused the complete CATASTROPHE that happened not long ago.

"Also!!" Dwyn jumped up, all of a sudden, "The clematis are, umm, blooming now! Did you see??"

"I have seen a couple open up recently, yeah! They smell really good, right?"

"Yeah!" Dwyn cheered, jumping down from her seat, "Are you gunna come garden with me soon? Uuumm... I've been pruning the butterfly bushes like crazy! It, um, gets everywhere! But the butterflies that come out are so nice looking! I like the bees better, though."

Butterflies... butterflies, huh? Y/N carefully danced around the thoughts blossoming in the back of her mind. She was glad that Dwyn was enjoying herself, though.

"I'll help you with that, don't worry," Y/N grinned, grabbing her satchel from the back of her chair, "I've been neglectin the garden for a bit so I should really get back into the game anyways."

"Um, you have to leave already?" Dwyn gasped, noticing her moving to put on the bag and grabbing onto her arm quickly as if to stop her, "You always smell awful when you get back from the village!! Can't you, umm, be more careful this time?"

"Y'know, thanks for that. I'm so glad that the reason you don't want me to leave isn't because you love and care about me, but rather because you're terrified of my horrible odour, like."

"Nuh-uh!" She wagged her finger in the older girl's face, "I don't get scared, Y/N. Just come back soon and don't get close to smelly, icky boys."

"How do you know it's not the girls who are causin it?"

Dwyn froze for a moment, and her face pulled into a frown.

"Umm- um- don't get close to girls, either."

"HAAHAHA!" Y/N leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I'll be careful not to do that, then. Just because you asked nicely. I'm gunna head to the church anyway, so I doubt I'll be in close contact with people for a long time today."

As Y/N pulled her bag over her head and walked to the door, Dwyn followed her like a lost puppy.

"Why are you going to church? Does the Goddess need an offering from us??"

"Not... necessarily," She evaded with a wince.

Yeah, she was not about to tell Dwyn the real reason she was going to church.

"I'll be back soon, so just sit tight. Maybe read a bit. I dunno."

Dwyn gave a salute with such a solemn expression that you would've thought she was headed to the battlefield. With another laugh, Y/N exited the house and, upon passing through the barrier, gave the old place one last look.

.

.

.

The journey into town was just as tense as it had been for the last few days. What used to be a leisurely walk that Y/N knew like the back of her own hand, had become a place swathed in unpredictability. She was afraid of the things that could go wrong- terrified of the break in routine.

Things were different now. The only comfort she had was the sound of the wildlife bleating in her ears, assuring her that the forest was alive and there was no bigger fish waiting to swallow her whole.

She had clearly marked and circled in bright bold and obvious red on the map of the local area where the Faer circle had been and had routinely worked on recalling exactly where it was so as to avoid it entirely and be even more cautious when in the general area. When she passed by that same place that she'd gone sprawling on the pavement upon his arrival, she had quietened down and stared into the forest, as if expecting him to jump out and grab her.

He didn't. The birds chirped, the sky remained bright and blue and warm. And Y/N... Y/N jogged away, hastily.

Arriving in town was much the same. That was to say- it was another distorted experience. There was a sort of wrongfooted-ness that came with stepping into a new scenario (and not just because she tripped over herself when her left shoe toe caught a raised stone in the cobbled pathway), as though things had shifted overnight. It seemed as though that was literally the case.

The township was bustling with chatter, people were moving boxes, gossiping and watching on from further away. The heart of it seemed to be that new family that arrived. As if good news had been delivered, townsfolk were abuzz with excitement. From across the way, she saw Ingrid and Gayle engaged in conversation with the newcomers- Noonan, and seemingly his wife.

Offhandedly, Y/N noticed a young girl with a strawberry blonde bob cut and dark freckles littering her face- the new family's daughter, if Y/N had to guess- playing with a more familiar young girl, Marla. A particularly tall bairn with black hair and a thinly speckled face. One of the few magic users in town with the ability to move small amounts of water. Y/N had seen the girl's small displays and had watched with fascination as she made shapes and even rainbows.

"You look surprised by all the hullabaloo," Balthazar's voice came from her side.

Y/N startled- probably a little more on edge for someone who definitely didn't have a scary run-in with a scary, giant, touchy Faer with scary, sharp teeth. When she looked up at the hulking man, who had somehow sneaked up on her despite his overwhelming height (that was still somehow slightly outclassed by said scary Fae man when he was at his human-size), she found he hadn't even noticed her plight.

"Yeah, I feel like I've missed somethin."

"You have!" Chimed Malik (this time Y/N was less surprised by men coming out of nowhere, which had now become a reoccurring theme in her life, apparently), "It happened just yesterday after you left. It's the magicians- they've been summoned to the capital."

"What-? For real?" Y/N's eyes widened as she scanned over his face, before turning to look back at Ingrid.

"Do you seriously think I'd lie about that?" He bumped her shoulder.

"I dunno..." Ignoring Malik's offended yelp, she continued, "For what purpose?? Why were they called to the capital, I mean."

Ingrid let out a jovial laugh, though she couldn't hear what the healer was laughing about. She watched the scene from a distance as Gayle linked arms with her and seemingly shared in the joy.

"They're opening up an Academy to train magic users," Balthazar affirmed, gruffly, "It's one of Crown Prince Kalmaar's first big acts as King."

"It's a big deal!"

"Looks like we only just got the news because we're so out of the way."

"Man-! Imagine the military might Opia could have if we get skilled magic users in our forces! I'm talking fire on the battlefield- who needs flintlocks and bayonets?! Man- we could have massive tsunamis on enemy ships, or magic medics...! We'd be unstoppable!!"

"Yep. It's revolutionary," Balthazar nodded, "I thought changes like this would only happen if his brother got on the throne, what with him being vocal against the church."

The main denomination of the Goddess' Church was Airjuborne, which was a severely orthodox faction that ran the majority of the country. They believed all magicians were users of witchcraft and the devil's children... all that fear mongering jazz. They used to have an iron grip over basically everything until King Trimaar came and siphoned power away. 

Of course, they were still very strong and held up in the courts, ect but now there were a whole bunch of denominations accepted under King Trimaar's rule. So generally, despite the Airjuborne church being largely against other practices, they could do little else but accept it.

The church in Summerville was of a less puritanical sect- Nevermore. It employed the belief of a specific teaching of the Goddess first and foremost, employing one of the most widely known quotes from scripture:

"Together we stand, together we rise. Let the darkness eclipse our hearts nevermore" Dyer 11:1

It was a passage about overcoming grief and sorrow following the story of Milton Dyer losing his spouse and turning away from faith, only to be blessed with a child after a great act of devotion and overcoming his hardships alongside the boy. 

Thus, the Nevermore sect saw funerals as important to those who passed, and a time to pray for the sins of the dearly departed in the hopes that they can be forgiven and pass into the Goddess' Paradise. They intimately respected death, and believed that sending people to see the Goddess was the biggest display of faith one could show.

The late King Trimaar had two sons, his adopted son Benthomaar and his biological son Kalmaar. Benthomaar was very open about his dislike of narrow-minded faiths like, well, the one with most sway over the country: Airjuborne (considered the official national religion). As a result, a big portion of the population was against him taking the throne due to fear that he'd destabilise the strength the church had over laws, policies, and the lives of the common people.

Even the Pope (whatever his name was...) had spoken out against him, although he wasn't excommunicated because of that. Which was weird, because apparently Popes were very important to religion... probably. 

To be honest, Y/N wasn't even sure what a Pope was, just that they had lots of influence. Nobody in Summerville could tell her what a Pope was, and she'd never even heard of the term until a few months ago, so it wasn't like she could ask her dead dad (who had been raised to be part of the clergy) or something. She'd thought about asking the Pastor of the local church, but she didn't want to be looked at like she was an idiot- which had happened when she'd asked him (and her mother) stupid questions about religion before.

For religious fanatics, Kalmaar was the obvious choice. He was never open about his beliefs- religious or otherwise. That's why it was a shock for him to encourage the education and growth magic users like that. The Airjuborne church would surely be in an uproar.

"He must've been hiding a plan up his sleeve all along!" Malik laughed heartily, "It all makes sense! Gee- we might be able to get back the Sommnes at this rate!"

The Sommnes was an island owned by Opia, although Y/N had no judgment of how far away it was. The kimberly (or whatever it was called) volcano was entirely dormant and apparently rich with diamonds. The war-... by the Goddess, that bloody war- with Shintaro had resulted in defeat, and thus, reparations were paid in the form of the Sommnes, which the whole country was bitter about.

That's right. A war with devastating loss that Opia couldn't even win, and they ended up having to give up their main source of wealth. The country had been in disarray. There was public unrest and riots and calls to depose King Trimaar and his children- even then, with him dead and the crown prince on the throne, there were still a lot of people resentful of the monarchy. Including Y/N.

She supposed she would've liked it if Benthomaar ended up as King. He was an adopted commoner, so he knew what life was like for the little people, and he had acted as a voice for them. By all means, he was the ideal leader for people like her- a Prince of the People. Trimaar was a largely indifferent King, subject to bouncing back and forth and being swayed by outside forces, so he never really engaged with the public or sought to give welfare or alleviate poverty.

Benthomaar would've surely made a difference in that regard.

The public was largely not happy about Kalmaar being crowned instead. There were assassination attempts, rebellions, looting, and lots of people were detained.

As far as Y/N knew, there was a couple revolts in the first few months and a huge outcry. The news came from Aramore, so what reached their ears may very well have been an understatement or even overdramatised. It was probably a good move to encourage public welfare and the education of magicians. But then, she didn't know anything about politics or lawmaking.

He had entered a political marriage at some point with some foreign Princess a few years ago. Everyone was all about it, talking about how Opia would prosper from the joining of their countries... but she disappeared. Y/N had no idea whether she'd been found yet or something. If she had, then news hadn't spread to the rural areas. Or maybe she wasn't paying attention. It could go either way.

Speaking of not paying attention, when she came back to her senses, she found Dareth had joined the fray, shaking Ingrid violently by the shoulders as if trying to drill vital information in her head. Meanwhile, Gayle was practically sprinting towards the group of three standing aside, waving erratically.

"Guys! Things are looking up! You've heard the news, haven't you, Glory-?!!"

"She's heard the news," Balthazar interrupted before Gayle could go on a tangent and re-explain everything she'd just heard.

"Okay, way to cut me off..." Behind a pair of glasses, she shot a glare at the tall man before grabbing hold of Y/N's upper-arms, "Ingrid's going-! Gosh, Glory, you look terrible."

In an instant, the joy washed off Gayle's face and she leaned a bit closer, one hand pulling from the younger girl's sleeves and instead raising to place the back of her hand against Y/N's forehead.

"Thanks. I was tryin to look like you today."

"You're very funny," Without warning, she delivered a harsh yank on Y/N's nose, making her whine in pain.

Then, she went right back to looking over her again. Malik was snickering, muttering something about 'now you know how I feel', until Gayle glared at him.

"Are you sick?" She asked, finally, "Are you tired?"

Just the thought of being sick made Y/N's insides twist and turn in dysphoria.

"No, no, I'm fine," Y/N gave a weak smile and gently moved Gayle's hand away by the wrist, "I just... didn't get a good night's sleep, is all."

She hadn't been getting a good night's sleep for the past couple days. The first day after the... Incident had resulted in her basically guarding her sister's room. After she passed out trying to do the same thing the day after, the resolved to simply sleep next to her sister instead, but even then, it was restless and fitful. And apparently, it was beginning to show through.

"Sorry to hear that," Balthazar shot her a worried look.

"You doing alright?" Malik questioned.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just happens sometimes, y'know?" She shrugged, as casually as possible, as Gayle retreated from holding onto her, "Anyways, you were sayin?"

"I was saying... yes, of course!" Gayle quickly got back to it, "I'm excited for Ingrid, aren't you?? She's going to an academy!! It's the opportunity of a lifetime!! Imagine if she comes back a master healer!"

"Man, if she gets that good, we'll probably never see her again!" Malik snickered, "I mean, she'll be scouted by hospitals... she'll probably have a big future ahead of her in the capital- more than what this place could offer her."

"Gosh, you lamb of little faith," She pinched his ear harshly, and he yelped his head following along, "She wouldn't abandon us... though she'd likely have better prospects there- oh! Oh!! You won't even believe this!" 

With some flare, she let him go, stepping back ecstatically. She was vibrating in her purple flats, the same sort of face she made whenever she had the juicy details to share.

"I heard from Patricia that they're barring off areas of the slums and renovating them, too!! For the new magic user residents! I never expected Prince Kalmaar to be such a progressive leader!"

"Patty? You heard that from Patty?" Malik questioned, still holding his ear and wincing.

"The very one!"

"Is the new family staying at Keys?" Balthazar jutted a thumb behind him in the general direction of the inn.

"Yeah, but she's also started rubbing elbows with the older moms since she became a mother. They were the first ones to learn about it from Mrs. Noonan over there," Gayle pointed to where the newcomers were, "... since she has children of her own."

"Right. I haven't talked to her in a while," Y/N noted, softly, "How has motherhood been for her? How has she been?"

"Why don't you go ask her yourself, Glory?" Gayle smirked, booping her on the nose that had previously been pulled at.

Y/N rubbed it free of the lingering sensation, wrinkling the bridge.

"More importantly, you're serious about the slums??" Malik exclaimed, enthusiastically.

Balthazar whistled lowly in disbelief.

"A whole remodelling? Not even King Trimaar touched that place during his reign."

"I know, right!?" Gayle grinned, broadly, "Things can only go up from here!"

"Then, no wonder his majesty Benthomaar was so supportive at his coronation. They probably believed the same things all along," Y/N hummed, a small smile finding her lips.

It was almost too good to be true, but Trimaar must've raised good kids even if he waged terrible wars. Benthomaar, being a righteous soul, wouldn't shut up about his beliefs. Kalmaar, being smart and having lived with politics since birth, kept quiet. Perhaps it was even a whole plan, too. Benthomaar would take the attention off Kalmaar so he could have unrivalled support and then pull the rug out from under the zealots?

If anyone had told Y/N this a few months earlier, she would've called them crazy. But it was happening now. It was really happening! Perhaps Opia would see some positive change in the future, after all.

Malik opened his mouth to say something but cut himself off just as something caught his eye. He instantly pivoted and left them in the dust. 

"ELLO!!"

The three others turned to look where he'd just raced off to. As if carved from marble, she stood with smooth skin and vanilla blonde hair tied in a high ponytail, glistening under the sun, reminding Y/N of Dwyn's pure, rich and untarnished golden locks. It was Ellowyn. 

At the sight of Malik, her honey brown eyes widened, and she waited for him with a small smile on her clear face. And... wow, the stories did not do her justice. Y/N was left basically speechless every time she saw the teen. With pin-straight hair falling over her shoulders like mist crawling down a bank and full lips and long, dark lashes. It wasn't often children with blonde hair had different coloured lashes and eyebrows like that- even Dwyn's eyelashes were the same colour as her hair.

Ellowyn was different. Even without make-up, her brows were of a perfect length in pretty arches, filled in without need for much maintenance. Her lashes were long and black, curtaining a pair of gorgeous eyes.

"There he goes..." Gayle sighed.

"That kid is down bad," Came Balthazar's reply, as he shook his head.

Even so, he seemed to find it funny.

"Tell me about it," Gayle clasped her hands, entwining her fingers as if about to start prayer, and batted her lashes up at Balthazar, "C'est l'amour, non?"

He blinked down at her, unamused.

"What?"

"It's French, you prat," She smacked his arm.

But she was beautiful in a human way. A way that only humans could be beautiful. Her face held small, human discrepancies. Not entirely symmetrical, a few blemishes on her chin, hair that was lovely but not purely one colour- there were light browns underneath, other shades of blonde mixed in and cascading from her scalp. Absolutely stunning, but ephemeral. A beauty that would not last forever. A beauty that could be touched by mortality.

The Fae had been entirely transcendent. He would remain entirely untouched by age. An unachievable beauty completely unmatched by human means.

Ellowyn would move the way the world moved her. Over time, she would grow old, just as everyone else would, and her beauty would transform into something else- a different sort of beauty that lost its youth but held experience. In comparison, the Fae's beauty was immovable. Rather than being pulled along by the current of the world, it was almost as if the world had slipped right off it with the way the light seemed to change colours against his wavy hair.

And his eyes. Surreal, glowing, and incandescent like magic plucked right from the source. Ellowyn's hues were warm, earthy like coffee, both eyes slightly imperfect- folds in the lids, little details in the irises being slightly different. In contrast, the Fae's had been perfect matches. Like butterfly wings, identical copies of one another. Flawless.

The Fae was inhuman with a kind of supernatural appearance. Ellowyn was human.

'Bugger. Why do I have to think of him again...?' She grumbled inwardly.

Back then, she'd really been too afraid to consider him from an objective standpoint. But he was attractive. That didn't change the fact he was terrifying. Perhaps his enchanting beauty perhaps added to the terror. It was almost uncanny. A dazzling exterior that could lure any wayward soul to their doom if they didn't keep their wits about them. Like a Siren's song.

Right. That reminded her. She needed to go to church and cleanse herself of whatever sins the Goddess has thought were worthy of punishment. Quickly, she glanced around, at least wanting to greet Beathán before entrenching herself in the throes of religion, as one does.

"What about you, Glory?" Gayle inquired, turning to the girl in question, "Have you scoped the new meat? Thinking of changing your mind on that vow of celibacy?"

"No thanks," Disinterested, she searched the crowd, "Have you seen Beathán, though?"

"Maybe he's hiding from another total wipeout on your part," Balthazar shrugged, and Gayle giggled at Y/N's pointed glare.

"Wow, thanks for that, dunderhead," She scoffed, "I'm gunna go then. I have to drop by the church real quick before my shift."

"Why's that?" Gayle chimed, inquisitively.

"Feelin religious," She gave a wave and headed off, leaving the two to share a mutual look of intrigue.

The church was well-maintained, being the first building that was established in the early stages of Summerville- people cared a lot for it. It was basically the poster child of the village. 

Stone brick, with a large glass window in the front and a pair of double doors. Honestly, it wasn't a big building, perhaps a little smaller than the Keys Inn, but it was still very beautiful, and it had a prestigious air around it. Indigo heliotrope grew in troughs at each side of the door, and there was a gravel path leading up to entrance.

Summerville housed one of the only churches in the whole area and had one of the only three Nevermore churches in the country. The closest church to all the other townships was in Aramore, of the denomination called the Church of the Primeval Eye (CPE), which was also less puritanical than Airjuborne, but still very strict with a whole belief system on the holy land, and seeing importance in the son gifted to Saint Milton Dyer from the Goddess, rather the journey of grief his father went through.

The basic philosophy of the CPE was: you will be rewarded for your sacrifices. It was a much more popular sect than Nevermore.

Without much ado, she saved herself from tripping up the stairs before carefully opening the door, the thick aroma of vanilla wafting from the purplish blue of the flowers at her sides. The heavy door creaked loudly on rusty hinges, and the noise stung her ears and made her eye twitch. She peeked inside, antsy.

It was empty, save for one person kneeled at the bottom of the stairs leading to the main altar- the focus of the cavernous space. Considering the denomination, it made sense that the altar had a central importance. 

A long, duty, scuffed carpet laid out through the middle of the room, rows of pews sat on either side- five of them in old oak wood, evenly spaced and long. The place could house over half the population of Summerville, and the whole population if they didn't mind it being a little cramped (of course, the vast majority of residents would have to stand).

Warily, Y/N stepped beneath the high ceiling, and she felt the way the walls leeched warmth out the room. The door slammed shut behind her, clattering without her even moving to touch it. She cringed. It really wasn't polite to interrupt someone's concentration like that.

Quietly, quickly, she crept up the carpet, each step vociferous within the gaping hall as she approached the Pastor's back. She had attended some of his sermons a long time ago. But they weren't close, nor had they had a conversation, really. Cedric and her dad had talked to him, though. 

All she really knew about him was that he hadn't always lived in Summerville. Gayle had gossiped once or twice about how he was excommunicated from some other religion or that he was exiled from another country, or an ex-husband to a powerful person, or something... the tale kept changing every time.

Either way, Pastor Vex was just Pastor Vex in Summerville, and he had been for decades.

As she reached the foot of the stairs, she carefully held her skirt around her knees to cushion herself as she took her place beside him. It did nothing to stop the stone from digging into her skin, but whatever. 

From her peripheral, she examined his still pose. Fingers intertwined, palms firmly pressed together, held up to his chin, and his eyes were closed, hiding his innermost thoughts. Black garbs over a white, clean-cut shirt, sparse, dark brown, greying hair falling down into side burns. A moustache that was almost a handlebar, if it weren't for the fact that there was nothing above the upper lip.

Looking to the altar, she copied him, closing her eyes and just... breathing. It was impossible to clear her racing mind, because the moment she thought about why she'd come here in the first place was the moment the fright from the previous afternoon caught up to her like a coyote stalking her heels.

If she kept going how she already was, the Fae would probably seek her out again. That was only if that glint in his eyes meant anything. She didn't think she was all that important, but Fae acted in ways she could never understand. 

An overwhelming power leaked from his fair skin, eyes beyond that which she'd ever seen before- an opulent green that threatened to devour her, and a striking look that desired to hunt her down.

He was monstrous. Wynorrific. Intense, with a presence that crushed her under the weight of its sheer, unfathomable power. Just the thought of him made her heart clench with abject terror.

'Um. Goddess, ma'am...'

She was sure she had been taught how to pray once, but she hadn't done it in so long. So, rather than think to hard about it, she just decided to do whatever and hoped it reached the Goddess somehow.

'I mean- Dear Ms. Goddess... it has come to my attention that I've been... unmindful, to say the least,' Bugger, this sounded like a bloody apology letter, 'Un-reverant. But please forgive me. I'm just a lowly peasant, I don't know much better... so, um. If the giant Fae was someone you sent as a warning- or, rather... maybe us meeting was the warning, and not him, himself... then, I wholeheartedly apologise. I really do.' 

How does one properly address the being who created all life and land and sea and sky...? She didn't even know how to sound polite to normal people on the best of days. Fae and Gods were a whole other can of worms. And Y/N was desperately trying to navigate around invoking both of their wrath(s).

It was a terribly tall order for a terribly small human. Talking to commoners like herself was already difficult enough.

She decided to just apologise.

'I'm sorry for not being faithful enough to you, my... lady...? Uuhhhh, my liege? Your eminence? I'm sorry. It's not that I don't believe, it's just that... I'm unsure what I'm believing in. You, yes. Of course, I believe that. I dunno how to describe it, I'm not smart enough to really... say. But you blessed me with Dwyn... and the monarchy was anointed by you! And apparently there've been positive changes because of that. So... I know you're not some ruthless punisher. You're merciful, too. Thank you. And, um. Please... show me some of that mercy. Oh! This is Y/N L/N, by the way, I didn't say that earlier. Sorry, that was rude of me, like,' She shuffled uncomfortably, 'Y/N L/N would like it very much if I never saw that Fae again... and if you protected Dwyn from harm... and please forgive me for any of my- for any wrongdoings I committed against you. Because I never did it with the intention of upsetting you.'

This whole prayer was probably terribly blasphemous. She winced at the thought that she was being observed by the Goddess right this moment. It'd be a miracle if she wasn't smited down as soon as she said "amen". Maybe she should've sung a hymn first to really show her devotion?

'W-Welcome me back into your arms again. And, please bring Dwyn and me salvation. Yours sincerely, Y/N L/N. Amen.'

She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and braced for the lightning strike that would surely puncture her body. But after a few moments of tense shoulders and despairing, nothing came. Maybe the Goddess was looking kindly on her after all... or maybe she was just so small and pitiful that she wasn't worth the Goddesses time. That was also possible.

"You needn't be so tense."

It was sudden, the deep baritone voice that echoed off the walls and crashed into her skull like blunt force trauma. Y/N bristled instinctively and peeked open an eye to look at the Pastor, who was getting to his feet and leaving her behind at the stairs.

"You've grown to be quite jumpy. It has been a while since you last came here, Gloria."

"Ahh... mmm..." Right, words, she should be saying them, "Sorry."

She shouldn't be saying them, actually. She should never say them again.

"I don't see any need to apologise. Unless that's the very reason you came here?" He inquired, climbing up the stairs, his shadow blotting out the light coming from the circular window above the altar.

"R-Right," She slowly lowered her hands to her lap as he took his place behind the altar, "Ummm... it is, actually. I came here to apologise to... um, the Goddess, y'know."

"Hmmm."

He didn't say anything, and when she looked up at him, she found him gathering a book and placing it down across the stone slab before him, nonchalantly. He didn't even spare her a glance.

Was this custom? She hadn't been to church in a while. Still, she felt the need to fill the silence. Even if the words she filled it with made her sound like a bumbling idiot. That's because when it came to conversation, she was such a thing.

"I haven't, uh... visited church enough.This church, uuuummmm... and, y'know. I figured I received a sign as of recent- that my life was goin in the wrong direction because of it. So I came here to apologise."

"To ask for forgiveness," He corrected.

"That too."

Crooked teeth filled his smile. Apparently, the Goddess hadn't blessed him with good dental... okay, that was very catty, Y/N. Down girl. His eyes lifted from the book, and he looked down on her.

"Indeed. Everything happens for a reason."

"Yes, well..." Her scabbed lip pulled into a thin line, causing a bit of an aching pain to take root, "If this happened for that reason, then I wanted to apologise and make sure it never happens again, y'know... um... I mean that in the sense where I'm not, like, tellin the Goddess what to do or anythin. Like, this is because of my own actions, so... I'm tryin to take accountability... if that makes sense."

It didn't make much sense. But unlike other citizens of Summerville, she didn't feel comfortable being informal, casual and upfront and simply talking as she saw fit with him. There was an icy flame that seemed to burn in those narrowed eyes of his. 

It was a different feeling than that of what the Fae had given her- he had been overpowering, suffocating, analysing.

The Pastor's gaze was something else entirely. Stuffy, like smoke from a cigar filling a small, cramped room. It made her feel like she was surrounded by a crowd of judging people. The Fae hadn't really been judgmental. He'd been curious. It felt as if they were alone- like she had nowhere to run because he had her caged. But this was like she was so far out in the open, bare and unravelled, the place swarming with people that glared at her, and found faults in her at every turn.

The Pastor was on an entirely different level to her. Above her. It made her anxious in a completely different way.

"What sign, praytell, brought you here?"

Was it... okay to be honest?

Yeah, no, she wasn't going to let that bite her in the arse if he decided to snitch and get her in trouble or something. She was sure there was something to say about lying under the roof of the Goddess, but she wasn't exactly lying. She just... wasn't telling the full story.

'Goddess, please forgive me...'

She glimpsed the ceiling, as if expecting her to be there. She wasn't. Hopefully that was a good sign. She let her gaze fall back onto him.

"I... had an encounter with the Fae."

Fey and Fae sounded the same, so his first conclusion would be-

"The Fey..." He seemed momentarily surprised, "You live in the woods. Surely, that is a common occurrence."

"It was... different, this time," How was she to describe it without giving herself away completely...? "I could've really been killed this time...- and that's always a risk, but... not in the way it was a risk this time."

"How so?"

"It was... I barely escaped. I couldn't kill somethin like that. And the worst part was, it was my own fault. I walked off the path- I put myself in danger. If I'd've ignored it, it wouldn't've been a problem."

"Could such a thing not cause harm to the village?"

"I doubt it," Y/N shook her head, "You would've already known by now if that was the case, I think. It was just in the wilderness... arguably far enough out. Besides, Black Annis haven't been much of a problem for Summerville, but they have been for me, so clearly most Fey stay away from big groups of people like this place."

"But it could have killed you."

"I'm surprised it didn't," She admitted, without missing a beat, "Though, that might've been down to luck."

"Hmm..."

"It's... not even just me I'm really concerned about. I'm worried for Dwyn. I... don't want her to be in danger."

"Then may The Goddess' Protection be blessed upon you both."

"That can't be all though," It wouldn't be enough, "If it's... if it's my mistakes that put Dwyn in danger... if I disappear one day, she'll be waiting, and she'll never know what happened... and if she runs here, she'll be in danger throughout the journey. She could get hurt if I'm not there to help her..."

Y/N avoided his frosty gaze, though she felt it sting her from a mile away. As a devout follower, it made sense that he'd be upset at her not belittling the Goddess' protection within the church. It was basically light blasphemy.

"Then it would be part of Her Plan. The Goddess has a plan for everything. Should you fail to return to your sister's side, then that would be Her Intention."

"How do I make it so..." Y/N shut her eyes, lowering her head with a soft sigh as she rearranged her words, not wanting to upset the Pastor with the ignorant way she spoke, "How do I... convince the Goddess to want us to live, then?"

"Hmmm... that is a good question. You can not convince The Goddess of anything. She will decide if you are worthy. All one can do is show their devotion. Trust in Her, and you will be rewarded."

"But what if trusting that she'll let us live isn't enough?" At the feeling of Pastor Vex's glare, she rushed to explain herself, "Like- her intentions are to have us both die, and that's the way it's always been? My mother died even when she was a devout follower, like... so surely that's because the Goddess wanted her to die..."

His piercing stare relieved from her shivering, lonesome form. And Y/N sat in the midst of the shadows cast by the churches walls.

"The issue with this way of thinking... is that you look on death as a punishment. In reality, it is surely it's own form of reward," He explained, and his shoes clacked against the rough stone as he paced at the side of the altar, "Your mother loved The Goddess well, and so Her Light came down, and she was blessed with The Goddesses Divine Embrace. Death is merely the Way of being welcomed into Her Arms. It should not be feared but rather accepted and rejoiced."

Her head remained bowed low to the ground. Perhaps she was just closed-minded. She stepped into a Nevermore church, and their belief system surrounded the idea that death was a blessing rather than a curse. What other advice was she expecting?

"It is... human, to want to live. All we know is how to live. We do not know how to die. We certainly do not know how to die peacefully and desire it. That is why we seek Her Guidance in the first place. So, if you do not understand, I suppose I can not fault you for it. Ignorance is a natural part of Her Creation." 

The Pastor fixed her with a glacial stare. When she finally lifted her head to meet his eyes, she couldn't help but freeze. Her knees ached from pressing hard into the stone, even the carpet and the skirt of her dress couldn't cushion it for long. 

Carefully, he descended the stairs to Y/N's level, each step more purposeful than the last. Until he stood above her, his chin tilted down and eyes looking upon her from the bridge of his nose.

"Everything your eyes fall upon, and everything you touch... this world and all it's inhabitants are Her Creation. You walk and live beneath Her Hands, and when one dies, one joins Her side for Eternity. One becomes closer to Her than ever before. That is the aspiration for all followers of The Goddess. Paradise in Her warmth and love is the happiest fate of all. Your mother has seen it- and is currently living within it. When you die, you will join her. Death is not the end, but rather, a new beginning in The Goddess' glorious Kingdom."

"So..." Y/N frowned as she spoke slowly, "It's okay if we die...?"

"Indeed. It is more than that- it is good to die. It is salvation. All of this is part of Her Plan. Her Intention is beyond our understanding, and that is not something to fear."

His cold hand landed against her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. His palms were calloused.

"Simply trust in Her, for She will reward you both in Paradise."

"But..." 

Was it even okay for her to dispute the Pastor? He knew better than her, but still...

"If Dwyn passes on, then she will be brought into Her waiting Arms. Death is better than any life she could have lived. All one can do is love Her and wait for Her love to return to you in death."

"But I don't..." Y/N sighed, and his heavy palm retreated from her shoulder as her eyes retreated from him, "I'm not like you. I don't know how to want to die, and I definitely don't know how to want the people I care about to die either. I guess that makes me... not devoted enough."

Y/N believed in the Goddess to a certain extent. She didn't know how anything could exist without a creator handcrafting it. All the unexplained questions, such as why the sky was blue, why water ran downhill, why some clouds brought rain and others didn't and even how children were created (as in, how could a child possibly be grown in a woman's womb... of course Y/N was old enough to grasp the concept of intercourse), could be answered simply as 'the Goddess willed it, and it was so'. Greater powers created things all the time. Simply look at the Fae.

But the idea that the Goddess had a whole paradise planned for those who passed on, the idea that she allowed suffering like the plague and war and famine... Pastor Vex said her intention was beyond a simple human's understanding, but surely it wasn't strange that she wanted to understand anyway?

Maybe that did make her a not-true-believer. She didn't know how to change that, though. It wasn't in her nature to not question things. And shouldn't that have been the Goddesses intention, too? If she made Y/N, then she made Y/N's curiosity, fear and confusion...

"Yes," She winced at his severe tone, "But The Goddess has brought you to me for a reason."

"And... what reason is that, like...?"

"We can not possibly understand Her Intention because we are flawed and human... however, I think She wants me to bestow wisdom upon you. To guide you to a faithful path so that your soul may be cleansed."

He reached into his pocket and produced a monochromatic ring, too small to fit on any one of his spindly fingers. Then, he handed it down to Y/N's open palm. She was left with the glistening, metallic circle. Plain... although the slightly rusted surface was marred by a few smudged fingerprints. She looked back up at him, quizzically.

"That should provide adequate protection, should it not?"

Her eyes widened a touch as she regarded it in a new light.

"Iron..."

It was cold against her fingers with spotty deposits in the inside of the ring. It was far too plain to be anything like a wedding ring, and it was far too small to be something Pastor Vex wore. Just small enough that it might fit around Y/N's thumb comfortably, although she had no intention of doing so.

"Yes. For your ward. Although, if you truly wish for the Goddess' Light to protect her, then it would do you well to bring her here."

Bring Dwyn into town...? Bring Dwyn here...? Her stomach churned at the thought.

"Ahh..." She closed her fingers around the ring, "Thank you, Pastor Vex."

"For the ring, or for the confessional?"

"Uhh... both...?" Wasn't that just a given, though?

He held her gaze until she felt the need to look away. He didn't say anything, either. He just let them both stay there in excruciatingly awkward silence. There was no effort on either side to dispel the tension.

"I... thank you," She tried and adjusted her position, ignoring the flare of aching pain in her knees.

Pastor Vex did not reply. Instead, he turned his head away and looked back up at the altar. It towered over them both, solemnly. This was a church primarily used for funerals, after all.

When he spoke again, Y/N couldn't help but be spooked. His voice reverberated through the room, creating a larger-than-life feeling to the stone prism.

"The Goddess may have been angry," He glanced back at her, "It is good that you came here today, but it will not be enough to save you. Do your best to follow Her Teachings going forward. Do your best not to step out of line. That is my earnest advice."

Not step out of line...? Y/N didn't know what that meant. Where was that metaphorical line, and how was she supposed to assuage the wrath of a higher being?

Before she could even begin to ask, he turned his back on her and clambered up towards the altar. She could only watch him stand on that higher level and return to the altar shortly thereafter.

Then silence. He looked down on her again.

"I..." She shut her mouth again, the stinging in her lip resurging as if dissuading her from even trying to respond, "Thank you...- for the advice, I mean."

"You are welcome. As all sinners who have walked down the beaten path are welcome in Her Embrace. You will surely be forgiven..." He paused, his face twisting ever so slightly as he scrutinised her again, "Surely...."

'Well... that bodes well...'

The atmosphere was thick and dark and suffocating like blinding smog. The shade from the streamlined last cast down against the altar and the entrance made her lung tighten.

And, anyway, life existed beyond these walls. Including her employment. Swiftly, she pulled herself to her feet, stumbling a bit as her ankle rolled on its side . But she didn't fall, she steadied herself.

"Well, um... thanks a bunch," She shuffled from foot to foot, "I'll be, uh... goin, then."

Pointing over her shoulder, a nervous smile inched over her face. Pastor Vex's face was carved from ice. Unmoving, indifferent. And his eyes left her, turning back to the book- a holy text, she presumed- as she started making her exit.

"Bye! Have a good one...!" Despite it being a last goodbye, she didn't yell into the open hall, instead choosing to whisper-shout as she sped towards the exit.

It was just as her fingers brushed the handle that his voice came from across the church.

"Gloria."

She stopped in her tracks, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

"Uuhhhhm... ye- yes....?" Hesitantly, she looked over her shoulder back at him.

He didn't even look at her, instead focusing on the book splayed out on the altar.

"I'm pleased you sought Her. Let your faith hold strong and overcome any trial. The Goddess will surely look upon you kindly if you do not expect forgiveness, but rather earn it. The Goddess is forgiving to those who repent."

His eyes slithered up and finally met hers with something of a passing glance. It felt too light and unbothered in contrast to the heavy weight crushing her chest.

"Repent well."

Despite opening her mouth, she found nothing there to say. Her mouth was dry, the nerves under her skin sparking with the innate sensation of being observed and even laughed at for a stupid mistake. She swallowed.

"Will do," She gave a firm nod, trying to seem more confident than she actually felt, "I will- I will do that."

With that, his harsh stare finally abandoned her, and she sucked in a breath through her teeth as she escaped the oppressive place, shoving her feet into overdrive. It was only when the door was firmly shut behind her that she felt that pressure lift.

She let out a breath of relief, the familiar alluring scent of the heliotropes flooding her nostrils as she stood at the foot of the door. Her relief gave way as her eyes swept over the grey surface of the ring. That familiar sense of discomfort washed over her in droves. She covered it with her fingers again.

"... Bugger..."

Time for work.

As she walked away, the saccharine aroma lingered at her heels.

=====================

The spotty ring was weighty in her palm. Under the dusty blue twilight sky, its tarnish was even clearer than it was in that shaded church hall. Small, but not tiny nor insignificant. In fact, it was scary how much significance this little object had. Simple, modest. Iron.

Work did not function as a viable distraction for forever. By the time twilight hit and she started on her way home, the thoughts made a resurgence.

She thought of Dwyn. Her cheery smile and warmth. 

Tomorrow, she'd focus on containing the out of control butterfly bush taking over the garden. She'd check that the soil the begonias were growing on was moist enough, look over the geraniums on the porch, check the health of the clematis, make sure the yarrow wasn't going out of control like it used to in her early teen years, and so on and so forth.

Today, she'd consider what to bloody well do with her life. And death, because that was something important to consider these day. She sighed, looking up at the dusky sky. Slivers light peeked over the horizon behind her. She didn't get any practice in today because Beathán was busy helping get the wagon ready. She didn't get to talk to Ingrid, either, but she saw from a distance that she looked entirely excited. That made sense, she'd never left Summerville before, so getting the opportunity to travel across the country was something she never thought she'd get. It would be an enticing offer to anyone.

Plus, a formal education was something not many peasants like them got the chance to experience. And for magic. There was a type of whimsy to it.

Y/N saw the appeal, but she was content with where she was. A house in the woods with all the happy memories of her family, and everything she'd ever loved.

Dwyn would be there when she returned, as she'd always been. Naive, innocent, kind. She didn't remember what her mother looked like and would never know about how her mother tried to drown her. She didn't even know anything about religion- not really. She didn't know anything significant about the Fair Folk either, aside from the few types they'd encounters, except for the rules the family had had in place from the start.

Y/N thought of Dwyn's vulnerable, small body curling into herself like leaves on a dying plant, hair draping like shrivelling roots over her blankets, a cold sweat on her forehead, hands reaching out closing around nothing. The quiet whimpers begging for someone to stay by her side. The days she groggily stood around with a fever or a migraine, barely able to concentrate, the joy washed from her face. It reminded her too much of the plague.

She closed her fist on the ring. It would easily slip around Dwyn's thumb.

She tossed it into the forest with force. Her wrist flicked with the movement, as if she were skipping a stone over water.

"OW! WHAT THE HECK-??"

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she stopped mid-step. From the bushes, rose a familiar, green-clad man. Tall, with long lashes over squinted eyes and a red welt forming between strands of glossy, light hair. She could only stare in mounting horror as a regal pair of butterfly wings seemed to lift up from behind him, despite having been invisible before. They were a resplendent green, majestic, and large, letting her see every shade contrasting the velvet black like individual brush strokes against a canvas. 

A faint light emitted from them- something she surely would've noticed if they had always been there. Or perhaps the laws of magic simply didn't apply to the laws of human perception.

Her throat closed up as she snapped to her senses in an instant. Her stature readjusted itself, more squatted to the ground, body tilting to face him head on as if preparing for him to launch right at her. The trees were silent. Where had the insects and birds gone? Just moments ago- or maybe- at what point did they start to fade away? She couldn't remember. She'd been so focused on-

"Who the heck throws that sort of thing at someone-! What did I do?" Grumbling, the Fae rubbed his forehead and sent a pointed glare her way.

Shivers crawled up her spine, swarming at the base of her skull, flitting over her cheeks like moth's wings.

"N-Nothin??" She blurted, unable to stop the words from tumbling from her mouth, "I... I didn't know you were there, like, sor-"

Rattled, she just barely stopped the word from falling from her lips. And somehow, despite having been annoyed just moments earlier, a cruel grin spread across the Fae's lips. He lowered his hand and the red spot remained.

"What was that? I didn't catch that..."

"I was sayin..." She stalled, eyes darting around looking for some kind of excuse, "I was sayin that you caught me off guard- actually, why the hell were you hidin out in the bushes for??"

Hands on her hips, she sent a glare his way. He had the decency to drop the smug attitude, but the face he pulled after wasn't much better. It was like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"Why did you throw iron into the forest if you didn't know I was there?"

"Someone gave it to me and I didn't want it. If I upset you by litterin then- that's my bad," A bit salty that he had ignored her very reasonable question, she folded her arms, "Now you go."

"I... go...?"

Right. He wasn't human so he probably didn't understand human terms.

"I answered your question, now you answer mine."

It was a good way to distract from the fact she may have committed an offence punishable by death to the Faer. She could pick up the ring and hide it in a drawer or something later.

His baffled expression was actually funny. Maybe even adorable. Confusing and upsetting people was one of her favourite pastimes, and she almost voiced it then and there like she would in the company of her co-workers, but she stopped herself short and closed her mouth.

"I was watching you," He huffed, almost petulantly, "You're a very weird human."

"How? How am I weird??" She couldn't help but let the exasperated shock pass her filters because honestly, she did not like being stalked.

"You walk the same path each time I've seen you. I was told humans are creatures of routine but doesn't it get boring?"

He fluttered his wings and she could only watch in awe as he lifted into the air with a small leap and landed gracefully before her, now on the stone path. The distance between them before had been large, but that four metre birth of forest, grass and craggy rock had been crossed within a single jump. She'd seen people jump further before, but there was no running up or preparation involved this time.

It was incredible. Incredibly perturbing.

'Why are you still here?' She wanted to ask.

She didn't ask that. Instead, she answered his question. Because she wanted to live. Despite the Pastor's words, she wanted to live.

"I won't say it doesn't, because it does get borin sometimes. But you learn to live with minor inconveniences like that..."

Perhaps in the eyes of some higher being, it would've been something to look forward to. But she couldn't. She had seen death. Gruesome death, lonely death. Death that made her sick to her stomach. She'd seen and felt the way it devastated families. How could she want to die? How could she want Dwyn to die? Or to live with her death? How could she want that for anyone?

She just didn't understand.

Her gaze fell to the ring, and its silver glint in the grass. She started the march towards it, pretending to be confident as she passed by him. At the very least, she was sure if he wanted to kill her, that he would've by now, so it was fine to let him out of her sights for a few seconds.

"Besides, it's probably more borin to watch than it is to live it. So the real question is, why have you been watchin me?"

Tucking the back of her skirt around her thighs, she crouched down on one knee. Only for the ball of a foot to drop over it, blocking it from view. Startled, she snatched her hand away before it could meet flesh. His foot was adorned with something that could only be described as a half-sandal, with soles of a straw-like material and a braided strap in the space between the big toe and the second one, pulling along to a circlet around the heel.

She followed the leg up a grey loin-cloth with shorts clasped behind it, to a verdant loose, cropped, dark green shirt of layered silk hanging over the bare skin of a stomach, each swath of fabric coalescing beneath a smooth, light green rock encased in a small golden frame at the centre of his collarbone, where the curls of his smooth hair brushed against the column of a fair neck.

"Because you're interesting."

That response seemed more like deflection.

Somehow, the view of his face from below was even more haunting in the gloaming light. Before, beneath the flighty shade cast by a canopy, flecks of green had been illuminated in his irises with an almost spectral effect. The manic face he'd made back then was almost as the same as the one he was making now. His eyes took on a strangely spring-like shade in the dying sunlight.

How did he get there so quickly? She was right behind him just a few seconds ago. She didn't hear footsteps, not even the swoosh of his loose clothes in the evening breeze. It was impossible. It was crazy.

It had happened.

Those sharp teeth gleamed down at her, reaching both cheeks in a carnivorous grin. It was something she'd only seen from predators poising to kill, lips damp with saliva. The dark centre of his eyes became slits, like a cat analysing a bird perched at ground level. She gulped down the primal fear that tangled her insides in knots.

If she didn't say something, he would surely devour her.

"Interestin...?" She could hardly wheeze the word out, "W-What's really interestin is what's on your feet."

His smile dropped so quickly that it chilled her right down to her bones. She could almost feel his nails digging into her neck and slashing her throat right out from the body. Only, he didn't seem mad, just puzzled as he glanced down at his sandals(??).

"It's my Zori."

"I don't know what that is," She stated, plainly.

"They're shoes you wear inside the house."

She blinked, uncomprehendingly, before her shifty gaze darted from side to side, like she was checking for any listeners.

"The Fae... live in houses...?"

.
.
.

"PFFFT- HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Fae burst out, stumbling back a few steps with eyes scrunched shut in mirth.

Well. Being laughed at was a step up from being murdered for her insolence... so, she couldn't complain too much.

Without thinking, Y/N swiped the ring and shoved it in her dress pocket, trying to ignore the settling mortification in her chest. She had asked an incredibly stupid question, but for a species so much better than her own, she hadn't expected them to live like normal humans. Shame crept across her neck and face in waves of sweltering heat as she scampered to stand.

"Where- where else would we live!??"

"I- I dunno!" She blustered, embarrassed, "In giant hollowed trees- or, like, huge flowers made of magic! Or even homes crafted of clouds??"

She waved wildly to the sky. The Fae's face flushed red, seemingly from both amusement and second-hand embarrassment, as he descended into another fit of laughter. Although she would've loved to have slipped away to wallow in her misery and think about the cringe of this interaction so much that she'd lose even more sleep... it was safe to say that abandoning the Fae mid-conversation would only land her in a heap of trouble.

Her cheeks puffed out indignantly as his uproarious giggling finally seemed to dwindle.

"N-No," He stammered over another bout of giggles, "Our homes aren't like yours, but they aren't what you're describing, either. Do humans really believe that?"

"Ummm..." She thought long and hard about the last time she had a conversation about what the Fairie Realm must be like and came up with nothing, "I... dunno... I've never asked what other people thought. I guess I just wasn't expectin Fae to be so similar... it was the first time I ever wondered, myself, really."

There was still a small smile on his face, but the way his eyebrows drew together as his eyes raked over her gave her the impression that he was thinking about something very deeply. Since he was doing it, she let her gaze wander over him, too, until they landed at the wound in the centre of his forehead. 

Internally, she winced, and she really wanted to apologise. It pained her that she couldn't without him instantly taking advantage of her beholden position. And she knew he would, too, considering that's exactly what he tried to do with her name.

"Is... your forehead okay?" She asked, tapping her own.

The fog of thought cleared from his eyes in an instant, and his posture moved ever so slightly.

"It's fine, it'll heal."

"Does it... hurt?" She couldn't help but be concerned, hunching in on herself a little as she rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress.

His eyebrows did that signature jerk of Fae surprise.

"It doesn't hurt as much as it did at first. I just wasn't expecting it."

"What? Me throwin the thing?" At his affirmation, she couldn't help but make an expression, "You literally moved here in under a second without me noticin. You expect me to believe you couldn't have moved out the way in time?"

"I didn't know it was iron. I thought it wouldn't matter." 

"I mean... wouldn't it have hurt anyways? I know Fae don't like iron in particular, but if I'd thrown a coin at you, that still would've hurt, right?"

"I could easily redirect a coin. It's not the same for iron," That was unexpected and intriguing, but before Y/N could ask, he quickly changed the subject, "Besides, wouldn't it be safer to keep it on you? It might've helped keep me away..." 

He was coy as he said it, leaning closer until their noses were mere inches away. She couldn't help but let her disbelief show through with an aborted scoff.

"Yeah, right. I mean, it was hurlin right at you and you didn't even move out the way. I had it literally in my hand and you were still fol- there," Talking around what she actually wanted to say was starting to get very, very, very irritating, "You were still there!" 

She threw her arms up to truly express her annoyance. However, at the sight of his weird smile, the confidence instantly left her, and they fell limp at her sides.

"Somethin like that isn't gunna ward you off..." Unfortunately.

The smirk that wriggled across his face was daunting. She tried her best not to flinch away, lest she reveal just how intimidated she was.

"Why did you have it, then?"

"Someone..." Her nose scrunched in discomfort at the memory of Pastor Vex looming over her from the altar, "... gave it to me. It's not important," She shook it off, evasively, "Anyways, how long have you been watchin me for??"

He leaned back into a normal standing position, but regarded her with narrowed eyes. Clearly, he knew she wasn't telling the full truth. But she had been trying to throw it away, so it's not like he was in any trouble just because she didn't tell him everything.

Thankfully, he didn't question further. Un-thankfully, he decided to tell her the whole truth.

"For the last few days. Of course, not for the whole time," He spoke as if it wasn't a big deal.

Ah.

'Oh, thank the Goddess... not the whole time. But most of the time- yeah, that's alright. Our saving grace, really. What a generous man,' She folded her arms, as if pressing her sarcastic aura back into her chest.

So the paranoia wasn't just her going crazy. It was real. That wasn't a triumphant thought in the slightest. All she was left with was a sinking feeling in her stomach. For once, she had been wishing she was just overthinking like always. But the one time it counted, she was cruelly vindicated. If this was the Goddesses plan, then she wasn't sure she liked what outcome was hurtling towards her.

"Don't look at me like that," He groused, and she wasn't sure what expression she had made to warrant that reaction but she was just glad he didn't kill her over it, "I thought it would be fun when I started, but it turned out to be so annoying with all those useless insects around."

The look on his face was something detestable and loathsome- the face of someone who exuded pure irritation. It did not detract from his natural beauty, but he definitely looked scarier. An angry Fae was a dead Y/N. She didn't want to be a dead Y/N, but her limbs locked up anyway.

After a few seconds of waiting for him to tear her limb from limb, the visceral fear gave way to something else. Because, against all odds, he wasn't mad at her. Just... mad. And he wasn't even taking his anger out on her. 

Actually, on that same line of thinking, she belatedly noticed that his clothes had changed from the last time she'd seen him, so he had obviously went back to the Fae Realm at some point. Yet he still came back. And he still hadn't killed her. And he was angry- downright clenching his fists and glowering at open air, but he wasn't killing her even though he could've over the passed four days. He'd been following her, and he'd been getting aggravated throughout that time. But he didn't kill her.

Bewildered, Y/N tilted her head as if to examine him from a different angle.

"If it was so annoyin, why'd you stay?" She asked, and his eyes snapped back to her, widening a tad, "Nobody was stoppin you from leavin, like. I didn't even know you were there for sure."

Several emotions passed over his face, each one too quick and complex for Y/N to guess what they meant, before it landed on something strangely pleased with a quiet undertone that she didn't know the meaning of.

"I already said that you were interesting, Gloria."

She quickly reeled in a groan of frustration, resulting in a winded kind of clipped exhale been squeezed still in her throat.

"You did do that."

His closed-mouth (thank the Goddess) smile broadened like the cat who got the cream. But he didn't follow it up with any kind of clarification. And to be frank, Y/N didn't want to pester him with questions- or rather, she did want to do that, but she didn't want to suffer the consequences of annoying him.

Perhaps it was just fascination with the first human he ever met. There was nothing particularly interesting about her other than that. Well, maybe the fact that she lived in the woods unlike everyone else she knew who were gathered in a village (safety in numbers, a sense of community and all that stuff that's important for a fulfilling life), but he clearly didn't know where she lived or else he would've broken in or something.

Another thought came to her, ramming into her at full speed, and in the silence, she couldn't help but let it break passed the flood gates.

"Anyways, why are you wearin your indoor shoes outside?" She asked gesturing to them.

Last time she saw him, he had been barefoot. There was clearly nothing stopping him from doing the same that day, but he hadn't. At the unexpected change in topic, the Fae man seemed to stutter for a second before regaining composure with a baffled look.

"Does- does it matter?" The way his eyes diverted to the side made her think that it did, but she couldn't really come up with any theories as to why.

"I've never seen 'Zori' before," She justified, "They don't have a lot of support around the ankles, like."

Her own shoes had been made a few years ago in one of the surrounding towns. It had cost a pretty penny, especially since she had gotten two pairs (one for every day use and the other in case her main pair broke) and a pair of boots. They were good quality, though- she hadn't needed new ones just yet- so it was well worth it.

"They're not something you wear for practicality."

"What does that mean?"

"'Practicality'?" At her nod, he quirked an eyebrow as he explained, "When something is practical- or useful, like 'functionality' or 'utility'."

Under her breath, she repeated the two extra new words and committed their meaning to memory, her hand resting against the side of her cheek as she placed the elbow in her other hand like a platform. The strange form seemed to peak the analytical Fae's interest, yet he chose to ask a different question instead, breaking her train of thought within seconds.

"How is your injury?" His hand came into her vision, and even though she leaned away, the tip of his finger still pressed directly against her scab, causing a throbbing pain to radiate there.

"Better."

She gently grasped his wrist and pushed his hand away. Fortunately, he followed the movement, allowing her to get some distance between them, even though he very well could've ignored her and kept holding on with his superior strength. His eyes remained locked in on it, regardless.

"Humans heal so slow. Shouldn't it be gone by now?"

"That's usually the case for lesser injuries, but I ripped into it too good. It was deep enough that it'll take a few more days."

"Will it scar?"

"I dunno. Maybe?" She shrugged, "I've never injured my lip this badly."

"What about the rest of your body?"

Memories returned. Phantom pains. Her breath shuddered in her lungs. She steeled herself with am awkward smile, trying to remain casual. Just the thought of it brought back terrible things. She didn't want to think about it.

"Um... yeah, I guess I've injured some areas of my body enough to scar...?" Slowly, she rolled up her right sleeve and presented her elbow, "I got a pretty bad scrape here at one point. There's also one on the side of my knee...- I mean, I'm not gunna list out-"

"Show me."

"Wha-??"

"The scar on your knee," He crouched down, as if expecting her to lift her skirt and show him.

Predictably, she couldn't hide the way her face scrunched.

"No. That's indecent."

The confused look on his face wasn't unexpected. After all, the guy was showing more skin than any other person she'd ever met in her life. That wasn't a bad thing... she didn't think. Well. She wasn't sure. He was comfortable with it so she didn't see any reason to be uncomfortable with it. But, y'know... modesty was important for a girl like her- a human girl. 

A human, unmarried girl.

"Why would it be indecent?" He frowned, bamboozled.

Fae were different. Their minds were different, their lives were different, their clothes were different, too. And she wasn't complaining, really. Looking at his soft stomach and broad shoulders and delicate collarbone, she couldn't help but wonder how far those speckles painting his skin went down, or what his skin would feel like under her hands.

Well. Those thoughts were absolutely getting buried in the back with all the other terrible things she didn't want to think about.

Anyway, The Fae didn't abide by the same societal rules as humans did. So Fae women probably had the same sort of attire. It wouldn't have been unusual to this Fae guy for her to lift her skirt and show him her knee. It was just her knee of all things. It should've been fine.

But just the act of lifting her skirt to a crouching man felt lewd. And honestly, she wasn't about to unpack that.

"Because I'm a woman. You're a man. I'm not gunna show my legs to a man, like- y'know, many men I know would go off their rocker if I even suggested somethin like that!"

"Human men would do that?" At her nod his eyes widened a touch, "That's weird, I know lots of women who show their legs all the time."

"Humans are different from Faer. What's beneath the skirt should stay beneath the skirt, mate."

"But it's only your leg... I'm not asking to see your... private parts."

"My leg is a private part," She folded her arms, "I'm a woman, y'know? It's lewd."

"But you've seen my knees before. Is that lewd?"

"No, that's different..."

"How?"

"It..." She stared at him, thoughtfully, "Ummm... isn't it because you're a Faer man?"

"Because I'm a man, and because I'm Fae?"

"Yeah, it's not so lewd in that case. Fae have different social customs."

"What if a Fae woman was wearing something that showed a lot of skin?"

"That- that would be-" She stammered, her head tilting, "I mean, I wouldn't personally wear it... but it would be fine for her because she's Fae... I'm not sure men would agree, but I'd have to simply respect it, wouldn't I?"

"The men wouldn't agree?"

"No... she'd... be seen as a harlot, but I'm sure they wouldn't say it to her face, ye kna?"

The Fae looked a little distressed.

"If it were a human woman-? If a human woman wanted to wear that- if you wanted to?"

"I don't want to-"

"But if a human woman did, then...?" He trailed off, a concerned expression on his face as he waited for her to explain.

She sighed.

"Well... she'd prolly be seen as a prostitute? Why would a human woman dress that way, anyway?"

"Because she wanted to," For some reason, he was giving Y/N a challenging look.

Was what she was saying so odd to him? She couldn't fathom why.

"I-I mean... well... if she wanted to... I mean, I don't know- that's never happened before," She awkwardly shuffled on her feet, a sudden uncomfortable feeling settling in her stomach at the pinpricks of his pupils peering at her, "Worst case scenario, she'd be stoned for it- especially if she's married. Adultery is wrong, y'know?"

The look on his face was strangely disdainful.

"Who said she'd be committing adultery? She would just be dressing a certain way."

"But... why would she dress that way if not for attention from a man, though? That doesn't make any sense..."

"Do you think that way of me?"

She blinked rapidly beneath his intense stare. Such a question had thrown her off guard. She'd never considered something like that before. She tilted her head at him, eyes narrowed, questioningly.

"No... why would you be seekin attention from me, like?"

"Because I'm showing skin. My arms, my legs, my stomach."

"Yeah, but you're Faer. You don't need attention from a human."

With the way his pupils thinned, she felt like an animal being cornered by a predator. He looked marginally angry. And Y/N wanted to run. Was he going to kill her over this? Why? She could hardly understand- she didn't know- was there something she was missing??

She didn't understand.

"But a Faer woman would be judged for dressing this way?"

"I wouldn't judge her for it. I don't see why she'd need attention from humans either."

"And a human woman?"

"That's different."

"Why?"

"She's human... I mean, why would she dress that way just because she wanted to? She'd know the repercussions. The only reason I can think of- why she would risk endurin that kinda treatment- would be if she wanted to draw attention to herself in that way. To attract clients or... whatever."

For some reason, his somewhat hostile expression cleared up, ever so slightly. Like the clouds of a stormy sky thinning and lightening.

"What would you think of that woman?"

"I'd... think she was desperate? As in, maybe there was a reason she'd need to attract attention in the open like that. To survive by sellin her body, or because that was all she could wear after somethin happened."

"What do you think of the women who sell their body?"

"Um... it's none of my business what people do in their free time..." At his pointed stare, she gave in with a bit of a grumble under her breath, "I mean... it's not her fault. Some people have to do that to make ends meet. They have children or even just their own lives to keep afloat. There wouldn't be such jobs if there weren't people lookin for such workers, like."

At that, his face smoothed out.

"But, that's only your opinion."

"Yes... I'm sure many others would disagree... um... and women can be attacked because of that- because they dress that way and have such jobs, they'll be attacked or even stoned. I don't think it's fair but... just because of that-? I can't very well start liftin my skirts for people. It's still just as lewd even if the intentions are different."

"I don't understand humans..." The Fae considered her, with a distant look in his eyes, "That makes no sense. How is the bare skin of a woman lewd?"

"W-Well..." Y/N couldn't find an answer right away, "Because... men are..." 

But she thought of Malik, and Bathazar, and Beathán, and Dareth.

Men are creatures of desire? They can't control themselves? But the men she knew did so just fine. Even her father was well subdued. And Cedric... loved Odette, but not in a lustful way. It was pure and devoted, enough to throw Y/N to the side. She was sure if she lifted her skirt even slightly around the men in her life, perhaps a few would get a bit flustered because of the intimate action, but she couldn't imagine any of them getting to distracted to work, or becoming disrespectful, carnal creatures.

They were all very kind, and sweet men. They weren't so swayed by something as simple as skin... and enough to go out of control? Or take it as an invitation to elicit actions? That was an absurd thought. But some men were, right? Or else there wouldn't be such concerns...

She didn't know.

"Cuz'a the fact it... it's... it represents... y'know? Sexuality."

"A woman's skin represents sexuality?"

"Yeah, because many men... will find it attractive or distractin or lewd- only your husband's supposed to see his wife's body like that. It's intimate. Women feel the same."

"Why is it intimate?" A breeze rustled the treetops and brushed over his pointed ears.

They were insanely pretty, actually. She wanted to reach out and touch them, to feel the point and the fragile extent of his helix. It would probably be like touching a flower petal. Thin and dainty and supple.

"I-It-! That's just the way it is for humans...!" She shook her head, partially to get her refusal to continue this line of questioning across and partially to expel her bad thoughts, "Anyways, my leg's not all that interestin anyways. It's basically the same as what's on my arm but on my leg instead."

Despite the pout (the pout that strangely drew her eyes to his lips and made her feel something odd that she couldn't place... anyway, it looked nothing like Malik's pathetic attempt at puppy eyes), the man got to his feet again and let it go. Y/N rolled down her sleeve.

"Fine. Then why don't you tell me why you were out so late, Gloria?"

When he said her name, there was an odd rise of panic that clambered into her chest cavity. It was weird for the Fae to know her name, even if it wasn't her actual name, it was still her name and for a stranger to call her by it frightened her in some primal way that she couldn't verbalise.

"I got back from work late," She held up her hands in a way that implied 'it's out of my hands', although the Fae clearly didn't understand.

"Anything could happen in the woods at night. You shouldn't be out here. It's dangerous."

"Well, yeah, I know that, but I can't really do anythin about it. It's not like I enjoy bein out here this late either," You know, if it weren't for a certain someone, she probably would've been at home and safe by then...

Just a thought.

"Why?"

"Why what?" She cocked her head.

He pressed a fist against his mouth, stifling a snicker. To be honest, Y/N had already forgotten what they were talking about, so she couldn't understand why he thought it was funny.

"Why did you leave work late?"

Why on earth would he care about that? But she didn't have the guts to challenge his weird Fae thought process. At least this meant he didn't stalk her all throughout the day, so he maybe didn't even know where Summerville was. Maybe.

"Uhhh, there was a lot to get done...? We were down a worker today, 'n all, which didn't help..." She thought back to Ingrid tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear as she chatted with three other magic users who seemed to be getting ready to leave.

"What do you do for work?"

She furrowed her brows.

"Bakin. I bake with a few others, and we sell baked goods to the rest of the town... ah, actually-" Without really thinking about it, she opened up her satchel and carefully produced a treacle tart wrapped in white and blue checkered handkerchief before offering it to him, "Here. It prolly doesn't compare to Fae food, but I think it's good."

He flinched back as she held it out by the knot in the top, the treat hanging from inside the makeshift patch. It was one of the goodies she was bringing back to Dwyn, but it's not like they'd miss one small tart. At worst, the Fae would chuck it away or something.

Light brown eyebrows were raised up passed his long-ish, wavy hair. Just as she'd thought, in comparison to Ellowyn, it was all one pearlescent colour. When it caught the light, it brought out an array of shades of blue and pink and yellow, like something she'd see within a soap bubble. Even the shape of his facial features was inhuman to an uncanny degree. His wide eyes with unparalleled green filling the iris and even the pupil, which had blown back to its original circular shape. 

His eyes, she realised, were reminiscent of the seaglass she'd been shown as a child, once upon a time. She'd never seen or even been near the ocean before, but her dad's friend had been in and out of ports since before she was even born. Relating his magnificent, verdant eyes to something as simple as seaglass did not do them justice, of course, and the jewel-comparison she'd made when she first saw him was clearly more apt, but that vibrant, translucent green she'd seen that day, smooth and opaque and so different from anything she'd ever laid eyes on until that point felt on point, regardless.

Those irises still outdid it, though. Completely marvelous.

"I've never met a baker before," His smile was devilish.

"The Fae don't have bakers?"

"We do. I've never met one before, though."

"You've never been to a bakery? That's usually where bakers are."

"I've never needed to," He admitted, and there was something strangely sorrowful to it.

She didn't know his life. Hell, Y/N didn't even know his name. All she knew was that he was the mischievous sort, and that was about all she was willing to know if it meant the ties binding them together could be easily severed.

But still, with a downcast look on his face like that, how was she not supposed to say anything? Normally, she would make a comment like 'I like the pained look on your face', because she actually did. It was very pretty, the way he frowned and cast his splendidly colourful gaze to the ground. Something about seeing people sad made them look very lovely to her- or funny. Perhaps that was a problem in its own right.

All this to say, she needed to stop herself from commenting on the sort of appearance by getting rid of it entirely. She was out of practice when it came to comforting grown people, but just for him, she'd try her best.

"Well," Y/N straightened up, "Now you have. Met a baker before, I mean."

A small laugh made a melodious hum in his throat as he cautiously reached out and took the handkerchief wrapped hand-out, his fingers brushed against hers.

"... I guess I have."

Weird. A small but genuine smile like that also made her happy. As if she were sharing in his feelings. It wasn't like a contagious smile that spread joy everywhere or the warm smiles that made Y/N's heart feel full. It was something innocent and melancholic and strangely resilient.

As he brought the treat up close and tentatively unwrapped it, she used her other hand to brush away the tingling sensation in her fingers that his hand left behind. He glanced up from the gift with a measured look as if expecting it to be poisoned. She didn't react, instead clipping her satchel shut.

"It's a butter tart," He stated.

Where was the butter? In the base? Yeah... the tart in question certainly wasn't loaded with butter in the centre. That wouldn't taste very good. But she couldn't dispute his claim, either, because she had no idea where it came from. So what was she supposed to say?

"It's whatever you want it to be," She settled on with a too-serious nod and a grave tone, as if pronouncing someone dead.

At the very least, he seemed entertained by it. An incredulous snigger sounded from him. When he took a bite, his brows raised in pleasant astonishment.

"Ifsh gug!"

"Please finish what's in your mouth first," She turned her head slightly away, attempting to block the image of saliva and crumbs coagulating behind and between his razor sharp teeth.

He rolled his eyes and clamped his mouth shut until he finished his bite. Y/N couldn't help but be a bit endeared by the childish display. It reminded her of Dwyn. Of course, she didn't get to enjoy the moment for long, because once he finished the bite, he held the tart away from him, and a wry smile played across his face.

"Was that a request?"

Not understanding, she frowned, and she ignored the pull against the scab.

"What? No. When did I make a request?"

"Just now."

What was he talking about? What did she say? She momentarily eyed the tart, wondering if she'd asked him to eat it... but she couldn't remember doing so.

"I didn't make a request."

For a moment, he opened his mouth wide again with a smarmy grin, as if preparing to make a retort. Until his expression made a dramatic shift. His mouth clicked shut, and his eyes moved to look to the side, landing on the tart, and his eyelashes suddenly curtained over his the emerald that she'd been so enraptured by not even moments ago.

Then, he straightened up within a second, a searing, bright red flush invading his cheeks like a deluge. His other hand shot up in a fist, pressing over his mouth like he was about to cough into it. And when his eyes swept back to her, they instantly constricted, and he averted his gaze once more. A strangled noise sounded from him, and he took a step back.

Curiously, Y/N noticed his wings did a little flap, and a strand of hair brushed against his cheek. Why was this very adorable to her? That was weird. She had been so scared just a few minutes ago. How had the conversation led to this?

Even more endearingly, the shell of his ear was not only freckled but tinted red with that same blush. What the hell? Who decided to make this guy so strangely cute? Was it the Goddess?

"Are... you okay?" She asked, taking a step towards him.

"I-" He cleared his throat, but took another step back at the sight of her getting near, "I'm good-" His eyes darted around wildly like he'd just said something silly, "It's good. It's. It's good. I'm fine."

"... You know they mean the same thing, right?"

"Huh?" His eyes finally landed on her.

"'I'm good', 'I'm fine'. They're the same thing."

He blinked rapidly before something seemed to dawn on him. The red in his cheeks slowly started to fade.

"Oh," And he took another bite of the tart.

This time, he waited until he had finished before speaking, letting Y/N stand there, awkwardly and in silence, as he chewed. She felt a bit weird watching him eat. Under normal circumstances, she would be walking beside the person, and she wouldn't have to look. But he was right in front of her, and the last time she'd taken her eyes off him, he'd gone and APPEARED in front of her.

"You don't think..." He trailed off before his expression smoothed out again, "Huh..."

"What??"

She was about ready to tear her hair out from all these frustrating half-sentences and the complicated process of picking out each word she said carefully.

Why did the Fae have to be so damn FINICKY! Actually, people in general were finicky! This is why she hated people- and talking to people- and Fae- and talking to the Faer Folk- and PEOPLE, AND SOCIAL INTERACTION!

Goddess, how was she supposed to have a normal conversation with any person at all!? She could barely speak to humans on a good day, let alone Fae who didn't say what they meant or... ANYTHING. The only people who tolerated her were the people who knew her and her terminal awkwardness.

How was she supposed to make this Faer Man not kill her?

"... You're interesting," He eventually said, as if that explained... anything.

It explained nothing.

"Are... you not gunna explain why, like?"

That sneaky grin made a reappearance, and surprisingly, there was also a hint of light pink dusting beneath his eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Y/N.

What was any of this supposed to mean? How was she supposed to stay interesting enough for long enough? How was she meant to navigate this? BLARGH! The confusion was making her head spin, and she had to widen her stature to ensure she didn't go careening into the floor like an idiot.

"Is that a request?"

Yeah, no. No getting dragged off into the woods for Y/N L/N, thank you very much.

"No."

He giggled to himself and shook his head, but the colour in his cheeks only seemed to deepen. Just what was going on in his head?

But then, even the Pastor had told her that there were some kinds of thought processes she could never understand because she was just a flawed human. The Fae weren't. Even just this Fae's appearance alone told her that he was fundamentally different, if only on a physical level.

Did they also believe in the Goddess? Had the Goddess created Fae? She didn't know. Maybe if she were smarter, she would have.

"Okay. Then, I'm leaving now," He seemed almost cheeky as he said it, swiftly turning on his heel towards the treeline.

Looking up at the sky, she found it was the same colour as before. A large expanse of cornflower blue, like a lagoon. Yellow and purple tinted clouds cascaded over the welkin, creating an almost dreamy image. Now, the last rays of the sunset had disappeared. And when Y/N looked back down again, she found the Fae had done the same.

As if they'd been locked in their own bubble of silence, the sounds of the forest slowly returned in full. Cicadas chirped, and the sough that had always been there seemed more emphasised against the call of an owl somewhere else.

When she stepped onto the path again, she couldn't help but stop, an amused grin worming its way onto her face. A few nose-exhale-laughs puffed from her as she shook her head.

'So he doesn't like insects... what the hell...?'

Despite everything, he wasn't all that different to her, was he? Still terrifying, though.

------------------------------
a.n

unimportant side lore if you're interested:

1. the reason two churches in the same area are surrounding the same Saint Milton Dyer, is because CPE was the main denomination in that region until a group broke off because they didn't vibe with all of their messages, and they started following Nevermore instead, which is like a liberal equivalent to CPE (not as liberal as present day churches ofc). They settled nearby, built the church and then the rest of Summerville was built in the same area. Because obviously they want to stay nearby Aramore where everyone they know is, but they also want to establish themselves in a different area.

2. Benthomaar lost the title of King because he was naive about politics due to lack of exposure and ended up sabotaging himself by being too vocal about his beliefs. As it was said in the Hamilton musical "don't let them know what you're against or what you're for."

While Benthomaar had the court of public approval in his favour, the higher classes weren't too happy about him threatening their positions. If the church didn't like him, then he never stood a chance. If he'd just stayed quiet, then the public support and Airjuborne's indifference would've probably given him some standing in the fight for the throne. Of course, a large faction of nobles would've hated that the royal bloodline hadn't been carried down, but that could be worked around with some campaigning, incentives, and a political marriage.

Instead, he threw himself out of the race. Or, well... we know how opportunistic Kalmaar is, and how much Benthomaar looks up to him...

meme image: (drawing toes is actually so difficult. getting the proportions right for hands and feet is hard. this is good practice for me lmao)

serious image for the chapter?? this mfer on shark week

please, when I tell you I was so excited when I started this, but then halfway through shading realised "oh dam he got wings tho"... it's not fair. why do I do this to myself?

"Somehow, the view of his face from below was even more haunting in the gloaming light...

... Those sharp teeth gleamed down at her, reaching both cheeks in a carnivorous grin. It was something she'd only seen from predators poising to kill, lips damp with saliva. The dark centre of his eyes became slits, like a cat analysing a bird perched at ground level."

in case it wasn't clear, they are making eye contact. it's one of them split manga page moments. i artiste

also, there are like 3 reasons he got all flustered at the end there. I wonder if you can guess them all...