Chapter Text
You ran, your feet hit the ground hard with each quick pace. Tears bubbled out your eyes and slipped down your cheeks, wisped away by the wind as your arms pumped by your sides.
Flashes of memories danced behind your eyes, cold hands reaching and grabbing-
The earth became uneven, stumbling you down a long overgrown path, pulling- tugging- BURNING- A tree branch swung low, causing you to cry out and duck, narrowly avoiding the sharp appendage.
Shoving you down, shouting and laughing above you- the vinegary odor filling your mouth as you scream-
Another branch swung at you, this time catching your hair- causing you to tumble and fall down- and down- and down.
You landed heavily in the soft grass of the ditch, little wild flowers breaking your fall.
“I have to- I have to get away- ” You sobbed aloud, clawing at the ground as you hefted yourself to your bare feet. Your shoes had long ago fallen off, it seemed that at every turn, the forest took something from you. You'd run to it for safety, the shouts of voices had faded the further you launched yourself into the forest. Your under shirt (your shirt and jacket had fallen off after your first tumble), was half ripped, blood dribbled down your arms and chest, soaking the edges of the fabric. You desperately wiped away the tears falling from your eyes, you’d lost the old path a few turns back, a part of you was grateful for it yet a small, small part of you worried how you’d get home.
Home.
The memories of the stuffy, humid rooms was enough to build bile at the back of your throat. You cried out wordlessly, your soul echoing your desperate cry for help, for escape, for safety.
The trees danced at the corners of your vision, the glowing eyes of distant creatures seemed closer and closer with each step. Something beckoned you deeper, it answered your call.
Come, Come to us, come home. It said, as if someone was speaking right into your ear. You followed the voice, it had no sound yet it was all you could hear. Safe- It cooed, keep safe. Keep.
It wasn’t your fault that you missed the drop, where the soft grass ended and only sharp rocks clinging to the clifface existed. Come home, come yes, yes mine!
You fell, the wind whipped away the last of your clothes, you fell into nothing and the voice had become something.
Keep safe, keep mine, keep forever.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------
A cold cloth was wiped along your forehead, the sudden sensation enough to rouse you from your deep sleep. There was a soft tinkling laugh as your eyes fluttered open, “well, well, well, someone has finally awoken.” The voice was soft and warm, settling into your soul like a hearth fire.
The figure leaned over the top of you, their dark blonde eyebrow quirked into an amused expression. Their long, pointed ears twitched and flicked, their hair was pulled up into a tight bun with a long straight fringe cut cleanly along their brows. Two twin braids hung just behind their ears, swishing slightly every time their ears moved as you looked them over, four eyes blinked every moment or so as you sat up slowly. A clawed hand nudged their huge and round glasses back up their goat like nose, their left hand pulled back with the cold cloth- you noticed the secondary set of arms, the hands perching on their wide hips.
“Silly child,” they cooed, “you had quite the fall, you almost landed in my tomato patch!” Their voice pitched higher at the end, almost accusatory. Yet their smile, full of sharp teeth, was still warm.
“I'm so-”
In seconds, they leaned over the top of you, a clawed finger pressed flush against your teeth and lips, “ah-ah, child,” they chided, their long robes felt heavy against your body, the dark green fabric was covered in gold stitching. The runes looked ancient and old, it pulled your gaze to them, what were they? What did they mean? You wanted to know- you needed to know-
A clawed hand grabbed your face, their too long claws almost digging into you. “Pay attention.” Their warm voice was now dangerous, dripping with heat, burning heat. They forced your face to theirs, the blue and green depths of their eyes flashed a molten gold for a moment.
“You are in the presence of fae, child.” You froze, their sharp smile ticked up at the sides, “ yes, child. Fae. You now belong to the feywild, as do I. It would be clever for you to learn the rules, less someone crueller then I make your acquaintance.” Their grip on your jaw disappeared and they leaned back, out of your space.
“Now I do very much hate getting so heated when making a new friend!” Their hand pet you placatingly on your head, “but a youngling like yourself must learn, yes?” They continued on, not pausing to hear your answer.
“My name is Vltra, may I have yours?” They opened out their hand to clasp yours.
Moments ticked by like years, the sudden onslaught of information had you reeling. Feywild- faes- you sucked in a low gasp and held onto it. You had grown up hearing of the stories, creatures of day and night like no other, bending the concepts of human and monster law alike, seeming to follow rules of their own.
Your great Auntie had taught you them, her old wrinkled hands holding yours as her gentle, quiet voice filled your ears. “One last story, alright chickadee?” Your little giggle made her smile, “hush now, this one is important.”
So she started, whispering tales of a land beyond your own, where creatures roam wild and free, something past what your mind could imagine. Some hauntingly beautiful, others so monstrous that simply laying your eyes upon them may curse you.
She whispered the stories, the wild flowers that only bloomed for those pure of soul, the rings of mushrooms, the endless skies filled with stars and of constellations that no mortal book had ever recorded.
“But, the most important thing to know about the fae, little chickadee, is their rules.” You perked up, half pulled away by sleep, but at the seriousness in her voice, you blinked it away.
“Never accept a gift from a fae, because it isn’t a gift- they always have cost. Don’t drink or eat their food and don't dance with a fae, time can pass quicker than you expect. Don't tell a fae your full name, otherwise they will hold power over you or worse, destroy you. Don't say 'Thank you' or 'I'm sorry' to a fae. It implies you owe them something or that you're admitting fault to something. Always keep your word. And don't repay more than you owe. It's rude to force an owed favour on someone. And finally,” your Great Aunt, Autumn, sighed, “always be polite.”
The memory faded, you blinked away the image of your frail Great Auntie, Vltra stared silently down at you still.
“You may know my name,” your voice was a bit scratchy, you coughed behind your hand, giving yourself another moment to think. You knew the consequences of uttering your true name to Vltra or any fae. “Aevum.” You finally replied, clasping Vltra’s hand gently, “it is nice to meet you.”
Vltra’s smile bloomed, a flicker of pride danced in their many eyes. The fae pulled you to your feet, to your utter horror, you were completely naked. At your outraged squawk, Vltra sighed, “oh hush Aevum, we’re going to dress you now!” They tugged you along after them, dragging you through their small cottage.
The walls and floor were made of stone it was warm under your feet, as if it had baked in the sun before being pulled inside. Curtains were drawn over the windows, thick heavy material casted the hallway in darkness, yet in each corner and shadow- there was no chill. Everything you touched or brushed passed carried a bone-deep warmth, that not even the coldest winter chill could get ride of.
“I assume you know of the fae rule around gifts?” Their warm voice plucked you from your observing.
“Yes, I do.”
They smiled over their shoulder, “then I shall propose our first trade, I will give you three sets of clothing, perfect for any event- and you, Aevum,” your name was purred like a secret, “will stay here and learn the way of the feywild and once you are a fully-fledged fae, you may be free to do whatever you please.”
Before you could answer, Vltra spun and grabbed your bare shoulders, their third arm swinging open a large wooden door, “OR!” They pushed you outside, a dark forest surrounded Vltra’s cottage, the loud growls of creatures just outside your vision sent a sickening chill down your spine. “I will allow you to leave my home, and you may face the dangers of the feywild in your attempt to reach the human and monster realm.”
You stared out into the dark abyss, the forest seemed to loom closer as the moments ticked by.
“Who said I wanted to leave?” You finally bit back, Vltra seemed to still from behind you. “Maybe I don’t want to go home- how do you know?” You turned on your heel, “it promised me safety, it promised me a new home.”
“It?” Vltra questioned. Their eyebrows lifted after a moment, “it.” they murmured, their clawed hand touching their chin. “Which deal do you accept?” They whispered after a moment, you were stunned by their odd reaction to your last sentence.
But managed to answer with, “the first.”
Vltra hummed, their hands guiding you back into the warmth of their cottage. “Come then, child, we will begin the teachings of fae and all that is of the feywild.”
—---------------------------------------------------------
“Vltra! ” Your voice was cut off with a grunt as the Fae turned and dumped the stack of books into your arms.
“Yes, yes, what?” They tutted, “you’ve whined and pouted since we arrived here.”
“My tournament beings soon, I need to go and get ready-” Vltra passed you a second stack, cutting off your view of them, “I can’t be late!”
You’d spent a long time living with Vltra, along the far boundaries of Spring, the old fae rarely allowed you out of their sight. Now you and Vltra are taking a trip into the heart of Summer to attend one of the huge tournaments this year.
You’d found out whilst being a full fledged fae that you’d had a knack for jousting and less maturely, brawls. Vltra had described that the feywild had invested just a tad too much of its wild magic into you and your transformation. It had been long and painful, Vltra had assisted with the pain as much as they could, using old techniques to help slow the process to allow your body to recover and shift.
Vltra would always deny if asked about helping you, “you assume I would stoop so low as you give up my time to baby a transforming fae?” Was usually their go-to response.
They had taught you the art of words and languages fairly early on, spending long nights dissecting their words to teach you how to adopt the skill.
“Fae can’t lie, my child. Every word is a truthful word- or you have learnt the art of conversation and understand that for fae, intent is everything. ”
“So when you say, ‘give up my time’ you intent behind those words is ‘unwillingly’ giving it up? But your truth would be that it's a part of our trade, so you’re willingly doing this?”
Vltra’s smile had been warmer then the hearth roaring in your shared lounge space.
There had been many nights where you’d cried out for them, the night where you had awoken to your flesh and muscle’s melting away from your bones. Vltra held you through it, wrapping their many limbs around your body, they never spoke during those nights- afraid that you’d see their worry. And find that if they tried to tell you how it was okay- that it would be over soon, they’d find themselves vomiting.
Vltra had helped you stand when your human-like body changed, your bones grew thicker, each rib fusing into the one beside it, when the gaps between your ulna and radius disappeared. The same thing happened not even two days later with your tibia and fibula. When your fingers elongated into sharp curved claws, Vltra was there to show you how to write, eat and groom yourself again. Your feet had changed, long talons replacing the curbed distals.
They sat and rubbed the hinges of your jaw with balm when your teeth started to change, shifting around in your mouth to make room for your new fangs and tusks. Vltra picked up the things you knocked over when your tail appeared, teaching you small spells to reverse the act of breaking something, healing hairline fractures in old vases and any cracks a painting may gain.
Vltra called you enchanting by the end of it, saying, “in all my years of being a changeling, there's no form I’ve wanted to have more than yours.”
“Why have I become this?” You’d finally questioned one day, lazing around Vltra’s cottage outside in the soft grass. The dawnlight dappled the tree leaves, breaking through in enough places to settle a gentle warmth into your white bones.
“A fae?” Vltra prodded, sitting cross legged in a pile of outdoor pillows, their personal book clutched in one hand, the left hand cupping a small inkpot as the other pair sharpened their quill.
You sighed softly, lifting up your arms to stare at the white bones of your hands, listening to the quiet scraping of each joint when they touched. “Well, yes and no. I was human- before, yknow? I thought maybe I’d get some wings,” your own wings twitched, the delicate yet strong wings didn’t fancy the overwhelming heat that the sun gives off. “I got a tail, made out of bone- I’m all bone now!”
“Weren’t you all bones before?”
“Ugh- Vltra!”
Their laughter chimed like bells through the warm meadow, it was odd, the second time you left Vltra’s cottage to be met with the peaceful meadow, a few leaning wisteria trees littered throughout the other larger oaks. They had explained that they’d used simple illusion magic, mainly to spook you.
The giggling fae shifted closer, a hand gently touching the apex of your bee wings, “you’re a stunning young skeletal fae, with equally pretty bee wings.” Their multitude of eyes blinked down at you, “maybe it’s a sign- maybe not. And these little antlers are so cute!”
You merely grumbled in response, yet Vltra giggled again when they noticed your wing never pulled away.
“Yes! We are going to be late, I can’t be late!” you juggled the books into one arm so you could glare at Vltra, they’d changed forms just to come to the Summer court with you.
Whether out of nervousness or the simple bond that the elder fae had built with you- they hadn’t wanted you to travel alone.
“Alright- alright, I’ll wrap this up then.” With a simple twist of their arms, they gathered back all of the books they had collected. “It’s been so many years since I’ve visited the summer markets- can you blame a fae?”
You couldn’t see their face from behind the sheer cloth hanging between the two draconic looking horns on their head. But you knew they were giving you a long pitifully looking pout. Vltra had taken on one of their draconic forms, long scaly legs, matched with a spiked black tail that slithered and thumped against the floor wherever they walked. And out of respect for the shopkeeper, they had tucked their two sets of black scaly wings against their spine as they shopped.
Vltra had dressed themself in a long flowy dress, slits running up both sides to show off their long black scaled legs; whilst you had worn a simple white tunic paired with soft brown pants tucked into your riding boots. Your outfit was light and airy, perfect for when you adorned your armour for your upcoming tournament.
You shook your head, exasperated, the small tinkle of the jewels hanging from your antlers was the only sound you made as you followed Vltra to the front of the bookshop.
Vltra wrapped the books into a tight cloth, drawing a rune with their claw, they hummed softly- you could never get over how amazing it was when the books and cloth both disappeared into thin air. You knew that when you both arrived home tomorrow, the books would be awaiting Vltra in their room.
“You know if you paid enough attention I could teach you more runes, right?”
You rolled your eyes, earning you a hard flick to the side of your skull, “-ow!”
Vltra merely huffed at you, now that you were both outside the shop, their wing roughly bumped your shoulder, “so rude.” Was all they huffed, the curved smile on their lips was betraying their amusement.
“Come now, my child, let's get you ready for your first Summer Court tournament.”
You rolled your shoulders, taking off after Vltra as they vaulted themselves up into the air- small wildflowers kicking off the ground in the wake of the power beats of their four wings. You were a quiet and quick buzz beside them, what you lacked in power was matched by your ability to loop and circle around Vltra as they gained speed.
The flight was one of your favourite things to learn, you’d taken plenty of tumbles straight out of the sky. And you’d spent many hours carving small wooden creatures to venture to the spring markets to trade for magic balm- to ease the pain of your wing muscles.
That had been extraordinary, learning that even skeletons had muscles, magical ones of course. Vltra had given you a small ancient book on your fae subspecies in return for the first wood carving you’d done.
Forming a physical body over the top of your skeletal frame was referred to as an ‘ecto body’ by the book, it directed you on how to summon your tongue and other- parts. It seems that your magical form had an upside to not being biased on what form you’d like to summon and hold.
Over time it became easier to form certain parts, your tongue was near permanently formed, a habit you’d gathered was to run the green appendage along the underside of your fangs and over your tusks.
The flight to the tournament grounds wasn’t long, you could see from your overhead position that servant fae’s were still setting up The Summer Monarch’s viewing box, the upper balconies had been barely finished with your first fly-over in the morning. You’d rode yourself and Vltra to the tournament ground, an easy overnight journey with your horse, Blutstrum.
Over your many years, Vltra had gifted you two animals, Blutstrum and Ghost, the latter was a stark white falcon. The old fae had gifted the hatchling to you a few months before they had to take a long trip to the Autumn court. They were pretty tight lipped about the reason as to why and only asked for one of your carvings in return.
You had been gifted Blutstrum by Vltra for saving their store during a storm. It was rare for the Spring court to get storms, much rarer a bad one. Vltra hadn’t had time to board up your shared cottage and their store in the spring markets, full of expensive merchandise; some of your carvings and many hand crafted pieces made by Vltra themself.
You'd taken up carving a few months into transitioning into a fae, something to pass the time during the eternal midday's that you lived through. Whittlings of the cute garden salamanders that occasionally attempted to steal Vltra's vegetables and fruits, or any passing by creature. You hadn't made any Fae carvings, they were still a work in progress. But you did take occasional requests for people's pets and steeds. Blutstrum had been the victim to more then a few hours of you observing the mare to whittle the perfect carving of her.
You landed in the flattened grass, in mere seconds a sweaty fae came barrelling out of the stable, “Aevum! Aevum that horse of yours-” the stable boy came to a halt, almost toppling over. “Blutstrum is kicking up a fuss.” He bit out, his large black eyes squinting at you as his butterfly wings fluttered angrily behind him.
You frowned, “Blutstrum does not fuss,” you snapped back. The fae flinched, then anger bloomed on his face. You didn’t grace him with any time to respond, brushing past him with an angry buzz of your wings. Vltra would handle him, and you could hear the start of their voice as you sped walked to the stable.
Bludstrum was slamming herself up against the gate to her stable, pinned in between two very noisy stallions- of course your mare was building herself up into a temper. The moment she caught sight of you, she let out a short blow, her own way of saying, “get me out of here.”
You were quick, vaulting over the high stable door, you popped her gear on. She only held still as best as she could, her temper waned as the two stallions started to kick up more with her lack of response.
You hopped into your saddle, the seat had been specifically made for you and was almost more comfortable then your own bed. You kicked the latch open on the stable door, Bludstrum busting it further open as she took off, half scarring another poor stablehand as she raced out the stable building.
She kicked her hind legs, lurching you forward in your seat, more short blows were let out as she paced in front of the stable.
“I’m sorry girl,” your hand landed a few comforting pats on her thick neck, the red-bay fur was tossed in too many messy directions, you silently loathed as you caught sight of the stableboy- still arguing with Vltra.
“Boy!” You barked out, temper flaring at the blatant disrespect he’d shown for your horse and Vltra.
He turned, and balked at you atop of your huge horse.
“I gave you direct instructions on how to care for Blutstrum. One specific order was to not place her near stallions. And you squished her between two!” Your mare stomped her hoofs, equally pissed.
You gave it to the fae, he stuck to his guns, “your horse is a problem-”
“Enough-” Vltra was quick to cut him off, “you did not follow your word, you agreed to Aevum’s terms on taking care of Blutstrum. This is your price.” Their voice had lost its usual warmness, replaced by a hot anger that ended with a hiss as their finger snapped harshly.
For a moment, nothing had changed, till the stable hand opened his mouth and merely neighed at the elder fae.
You managed to hide your snort with a cough, minor curses weren’t something you’d had to dabble in too much. Vltra had gifted you a book on a few, but they liked to step in when it came to curses and you were happy to watch their creative mind bloom.
Vltra’s head tilted up at you, before they cast the stableboy one more look and then walked off towards the competitor chambers.
You followed on Blutstrum, who was all too happy to leave behind the stuffy stable in favor of waiting outside of the chamber. You tied her reins to a post, the large arena was built like a hollow oval, rows of chairs lined the walls to allow the fae to sit close and watch. The Summer Monarch had his own private viewing box, usually any visitors or close friends of his would sit with him.
There had been talk of a visitor from the neighboring courts from Autumn potentially- you hadn’t really paid attention, too wrapped up in your training for the tournaments themselves.
It had been a long road before you’d managed to worm your way into one of the larger Summer Court Tournaments, first you had to work your way up through the minor Spring fights, brawls inside of taverns, easy bets passed between drunk fae’s looking for entertainment. All before your wins had caught enough publicity, earning you the title Ruhmesbringer, during fights you had allowed it to be shortened down to Ruhms.
Whether it had been in mocking or in awe, you hadn’t cared, cutting down opponent after opponent- it was an earned title. After a while, you found yourself with enough sway to earn the right to arrange the fights, picking between melee, jousting, even something as human as wrestling, striking or boxing.
As you tied Blutstrums reins, Vltra was already ahead inside of your assigned chamber, a voice called your name, “Ruhmesbringer of Spring!”
The large burly fae grinned down at you, “you’re competing in the Summer Tournament?”
You grinned, “did you think I kicked your ass just for fun last match?”
Foret’s grin twitched, “you won’t lord that victory for long, Ruhm, just wait until we rematch.”
“Uh huh.” You entered the large open arch way, it split off into multiple corridors, each held a specific room for each competitor. Foret trailed you in, “are you competing today?” You eyed the fae over your shoulder, parting your wings to look between them.
He itched his chin, casting a look to the Knight’s chambers as you both passed the archway. “No,” he finally muttered.
“Then why?”
Foret was easy to read, his nervous show was his chin itching, so when you caught his fingers speeding up- you were surprised when he actually answered, “Davian and Erhen are competing tomorrow, but they’re both in the stands.” He looked down at you as you both paused outside your chamber.
Vltra was inside, but as they heard you arrive, paused to look up from their spot by the armor stand, a cloth and shining mixture held in front of them.
“We came to support the competing Spring Court Fae’s, including you.” His wings fluttered behind him. “Well,” he hopped back a step, his wings still tittering against his back, “I’ll let you get ready,” He paused again before walking off, “best of luck Ruhmesbringer.” He clapped you on your shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before he walked off.
“How odd.” Vltra murmured from inside the chamber, your soul thrummed inside of your chest.
“Yeah…” You watched the overly large fae walk back down the hallway, his wings continuously twitching as he did.
Vltra turned back to your armor, the “It’s not like Foret to give luck to anyone.”
You finally looked at Vltra, the elder fae paused and tilted their head at you.
“Do you think I needed it?”
They pushed back the sheer silk covering their face, a mix of warm emotions swimming in their four eyes, “potentially.”
Vltra assisted you in getting into your armor, the open back was always a slight hassle- but it was convenient for your wings. Your thorax was made vulnerable due to this design, but you protected it by slinging your weapon holster between your four wings.
A sling, home to your two favourite daggers positioned between your wings, you had spent many nights dedicated to learning the few specific runes you wanted to carve into the blades. Vltra had shown how wicked and cunning they could be- they’d survived through the war and had been your trainer for everything you knew. They sat with you when you did your first rune carving, smiling with glee, perhaps a glint of bloodlust, as you finished the two blades.
Your first weapon had been a short sword, something low range- not built to last, unfortunately, but you had wanted to earn your weapons. Only when you won your first sanctioned fight did you accept the prize of two daggers. Once you had defeated all the opponents in your section of the Spring court, you accepted Vltra’s gift of the Long Spear, your first Pike.
That sat holstered on your shoulder, ready to pop out of the two straps keeping it close to your side when you entered the ring.
Your first round would be against a single fighter, usually the Fae who held a high amount of wins. It helped to weed out those who wouldn’t fare well in later fights- aka, Fae who wouldn’t entertain.
Stood as Vltra pulled back, they had painted some last minute runes onto the underside of your armor and stitched a few more into the sash that hung between the front of your legs.
You smiled, reaching down to pull the fae to their feet.
“What would I do without you, hm?”
Vltra snorted, “you’d still be some stinky human trotting around in their realm.”
You laughed, slotting your helmet over your antlers and down your face. The helmet matched the rest of your armor, classic Spring Fae attire, green metal with golden accents. The hand crafted leaf designs that trailed around your gauntlets, mimicked down the cuisse and greave’s, the armor that covered your legs.
Vltra tutted, “take your helmet off for a moment,” you smiled under the visor, but complied. They dipped their fingers into the gold paint, their lower arms cupping your face with gentle strength. Slowly and tenderly, Vltra drew the last symbol onto your forehead, between your two antlers. Their hands took the helmet back from you and still with tenderness you had once flinched from, they drapped your horns in jewelry, green crystals holding your shared magics, miniature runes carved into the faces- blue crystals brighter than the Summer Court sky that represented your loyalty with your Ruler.
You rolled your shoulders, the realms magic that lingered inside every Spring and Summer fae was quick to respond. For most Fae that resided in the Sun courts, they were adorned with flowers, blooming over their bodies and clothes- which was mimicked whenever they wore armor. It took effort to hide the physical evidence of which court you belonged to and it was an odd choice to make.
You weren’t disappointed when the vines curled over your armor, green and full of life.
“You look like a walking plant when you do that.”
“Ugh- ever insightful Vltra.”
They smiled before pulling down their facial covering, the sheer material hiding away their features, “I will be at the front row, you won’t miss me.”
For a moment, you wondered if they sat close enough to ease their own worries or yours. They never missed a large match now, they used to attend every single one. But in smaller more local fights, sometimes you never entered the ring, but if you were certain to have a fight, Vltra was there.
“Alright,” you hummed. “I’ll walk you to the entrance.”
Vltra looked back as they walked through the large open arch, their wings twitching in a small farewell as they disappeared into the crowd of fellow fae’s.
There were a few young fae mingling in with the crowd, too young for their wings to have unfurled and formed just yet, pointing at you and whisper-squealing to their parents or caregivers.
“Mama! Look! Look mama!” One young fae practically ripped their mothers arm off, launching her through the crowd- a few clipped hisses followed them as bystanders stumbled out of their way. His dark brown skin glowed with the Summer Court magic and inner light that Summer Fae carried, his head was a mess of tight curls, bouncing along as he dragged his similar looking mother forward. They both shared the bright blue eyes, the whites of their eyes gone.
“Caelum-”
The young son cut her off, “I know mama. Don’t shove.”
His mother sent him a look that read, ‘and you very well did shove.’
“But look! A competitor!” He pointed excitedly up at you, the mother fae looked increasingly embarrassed.
“Oh- how lovely.” She glanced up at you, noting the spring armor, “they’re a Spring Fae, see their green armor? And the leaves?” He nodded rapidly, before promptly dropping his mothers hand and pointedly standing in front of you.
“Hello! You may call me Caelum, I’m from the Summer Court and one day I’m going to be our court's best competitor!”
You blinked, your wings buzzed behind you, “really?” You mused, slightly muffled by the helmet.
He nodded determinedly, “yup!” He shouted, the ‘p’ popping.
“Well then, you may call me Ruhmesbringer,” you kneeled to the ground, now eye level with the young fae, “it will be a fruitful day for the Summer courts when you begin your training.”
You wondered if it was the overwhelming sense of protection magic that Vltra had painted you and your armor in when the young boy launched at you, hugging you around your middle.
“Thank you,” he murmured, face squished into your breastplate.
You paused for a moment, briefly looking up at his mother, who had covered her mouth, hiding emotions in her face before hugging Caelum back. You could see the start of two tiny antlers atop of his head.
He pulled back as quickly as he hugged you, giving you a toothy smile before he dashed off, his mother jumped, turning to chase after him.
“Ma’am.” Your voice stopped her, she turned to look back at you, “He thanked me.” Her skin paled very slightly, the large yellow butterfly wings behind her back drooped.
“He makes mistakes- I didn’t teach him the rules until he was older,” you lifted a hand and she stopped again.
“Don’t worry, it was a mistake even I could tell.” You stood to your feet, “remind him to be careful, yes?” She nodded, a bit of warmth returning to her skin.
“Good, then it is forgiven.”
She smiled, nodding slightly before turning to run after her son, who had already disappeared underneath the opening archway.
You sighed, your nerves had started to pick up, your fight was a few after the opening match. Which by the looks of the other fae rushing into the entrance to grab a seat, would be starting soon.
You lifted up into the air, the buzz of your wings filling your non-existent ears as you made your way to Blutstrum, pausing a few wingbets away at the gigantic creature beside your mare. The fae almost startled at the sound of your feet hitting the ground.
“I’m surprised, usually Blutstrum doesn’t tolerate anyone but myself or my family.”
The fae turned, pulling off his helmet as he did, you blinked. He was dressed in dark leathers, his large boots left deep indents in the soft ground as he moved.
Whilst you already knew he was huge, you had not expected to see another skeleton staring back at you. You’d heard of the few skeletons that lingered in the Summer Court, The Summer Monarch was one himself. What surprised you more was the large hole in his head, just hidden behind his large horns.
He wasn’t a Summer court Fae, nor Spring. It was further proven by the- by the stars.
His wings were massive, drooping behind him the tails brushed the floor. His wings were a beautiful mix of deep browns, a few white spots creating a border between softer slightly lighter shades of brown to the more dark browns that covered the inner areas of his fore and hind wings.
He blinked his one working socket at you, the other dead and half lidded, his overly large engorged eyelight constricted and expanded a few times before focusing on you.
“forgive me,” he rumbled, his voice deeper than any fae you’d so far met. He reached beside him, his hands grabbing at empty space, you noted the clips on his shoulders, he probably wore a cloak.
“No need,” you replied, stepping up beside your giant steed. She was tall, one of the tallest horses you’d seen in your time. She stood at a whopping 22 hands, easily 7.5ft, yet the foreign fae could stare your mare in the eyes. He was easily 10ft tall.
He peered down at you, his mouth opening and closing a few times, his teeth were long and sharp, “my name is Brontide,” he blurted out.
You offered your hand, smiling under your helmet, “Aevum.”
He shook your hand, once he let it go you mounted Blutstrum, after your first few pvp matches, you would enter the Jousting stage of the tournament and you didn’t want to waste time by walking half way around the large arena to collect your mare, so you’d retie her reins by the competitors gathering area.
You slipped your helmet off, settling it into your lap, “are you a competitor?” You fished gently.
When Brontide didn’t answer, you looked up, almost flinching back- you caught yourself. Your face was schooled into calm neutrality in the look of something on the skeleton's face. His hand lifted, it was startling once again, to note the pure difference between your two bodies, his hand could easily cover your chest. He could even touch your spine if he stretched his fingers.
Your wings buzzed behind you and you could feel Bludstrum paw her hooves at the ground. With aching slowness, as if you were a small fawn, he curled one of his large phalanges and pressed it under your jaw.
You were always warm, always, sometimes you could catch ‘cool’ breezes on a rare day but not entirely likely. You never needed anything other then light fabrics to dress in, your armor had specific sigils to aid in keeping you cool, which would kick in when you’d start to heat up whilst in your fights, the use of magic and simple physical movements always generated more heat from you.
It was something you missed from being human, you didn’t think you’d ever miss the sensation of being cold or cool. Biting back a squeal as your bare feet touched cold tiles after getting out of the shower, jumping to stand on the bath mat and wrap yourself in a towel before you started to shiver. Or running from house to car before the cold morning air sucked the warmth out of you. You sometimes miss the days where the sun couldn’t penetrate through clouds and fog, your breath leaving you in visible puffs on your walk to work.
But here, it was all supposed to be a distant memory but it all came rushing back when the cold bones of Brontide’s phalange rested under your mandible. You fought the urge to sink into it, to nuzzle your face into his palm and feel a chill-
“no, not competing.” He murmured, his large red eyelight was fuzzy, flicking over your face as if he was committing it all to memory. To ingrain every small scar, every curve or point your face holds as if you would disappear from in front of him.
His wings fluttered- more like flapped, behind him. The strength that oozed off the small movement was impressive, almost frightening.
“You’re not Summer or Spring fae are you?”
He smiled, “no.” His thumb lifted to drag under your faux-lips.
Your tongue flicked out and ran over one of your fangs, “Autumn?” You pressed.
“winter.”
“That must be snow nice,” you could’ve sworn that if he had the chance, he might’ve dropped to his knee and asked for your hand in marriage with how purely delighted he looked at your pun.
But in the fractions of seconds after you had spoken, there was a loud-screech like laughter, your head snapped up, two moth-winged fae fell out of the sky. You didn’t see it, but Brontide rolled his eye and dropped his hand.
Blutstrum whinnied, rearing up onto her hind legs as the one laughing fae and silent fae landed in front of her.
“Whoa! Whoa girl-” you cut yourself off with a foul mouthed curse, hands launching to regrab the reins you had dropped in surprise. Your helmet fell off your lap, Brontide quickly snatching it from, midair as it fell.
You finally managed to regain control, grabbing and pulling the reins back to pull her face down towards her neck. “It’s okay, calm, calm Blutstrum, calm.” You echoed yourself, tightly gripping her reins in one hand to gently pat her neck with the other. “Calm.” You cooed, her ears folded back, listening to you. You could feel her chest expand under your legs, harsh breaths sucked in and passed her bit.
The laughing fae had gone quiet, not for long though. He was dressed similarly to Brontide, yet a thick cloak was held in his arms. A bright red target hovered an inch or so off of his chest, you could feel the pure power resonating from it-
“Haaay,” his voice, sultry and deep, cut off your thoughts. For a moment your mind stalled before catching up to itself, did he just make a horse pun?
You blinked, your gaze flicking up to his dark empty sockets, a few separated rivers of dark oozy liquid ran down from his eyes. “Did you just make a horse pun?” You voiced your thoughts aloud, rewarded by his gremlin-like grin.
“Sure did, beeby.”
You caught that pun quicker this time, hiding your amusement behind a dry, “really?” As you buzzed your bee wings.
He grinned, as if he could stare right through that reply and see it.
The third fae lingered just behind him, a dark silver armor covering his body and head, but the bright purple horns that curled up from out the helmet caught your eye. His wings were up, the ‘correct posture’ as some may put it, he was an impressive sight.
“Do you know any other puns?”
Brontide groaned from beside you, “now you’ll get everyone started.”
Before you could reply, the skeleton grinned, the target in front of his chest quivered for a moment.
“well, fungi puns are my yeast favourite, there’s too mushroom for error.”
You looked up, your lips pulled for a moment, almost forming a grin- you wouldn’t give this new stranger the satisfaction of making you laugh at such a poor joke. But you caught the gaze of Brontide, his eyebrow lifted as he watched you fight back your laughter.
“isn’t he such a fungi?”
You snorted, the laughter bubbling up as Brontide chuckled, you could hear the two strangers join your laughter as you leaned forward onto the swell of the saddle.
A little fae came running over, “excuse me- are you competitor Ruhmesbringer?”
You got pulled out of your shared laughter, wiping away a green tear from your eye, “yes, I am.” you replied more-so absent mindedly.
“Pardon me, please then, but your first fight is about to start.” She jumped back when you
startled.
“ Fuck- ” You yanked Blutstrums reins into your hands, sitting back into her saddle when you nudged her side with your foot- As the red mare took off after the little fae, you shouted over your shoulder, “It was a pleasure to meet you!”
You cast them a backwards glance, barely catching the three figures staring after you as you rounded the corner of the arena. As you hopped off your mare, tying her reins into the post beside the large area under the arena, you realised you'd never learnt the two other fae's names.