Title: The Demon and the Goddess
Author: TheVampireLucinda
Featuring: Prince Devitt/Finn Bálor, Irish Mythological Beings
Disclaimer: Rated T.
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a small boy with a big heart who loved to play in the forbidden parts of the world were the Spirits were said to live. And although he had yet to see one up close, he knew that they were real...and watching.
A/N: I had to do some fun research for this one! I love writing origin stories! Also, this guy has stolen my heart, LOL. He's so amazing in the ring! I marked out hard for him during a recent entrance, and now I'm semi-obsessed with the guy...
Although he had grown up by the sea and hills, Fergal Devitt had a particular love for the forest near his grandparents' house. It was one of the oldest forests in Ireland, one of the few that hadn't been destroyed in the past century, and the only one, they said, that still possessed the magic of old.
In fact, he imagined sometimes that he could make out the figure of a person watching him from afar as he climbed trees; a tall figure with bright purple eyes and long, dark hair. He had been seeing her since he was very small; however, when he tried to tell his parents, they wrote it off as yet another part of his incredibly active imagination.
The last time he saw her, she appeared to be sitting on a large purple flower, watching over him as he played among the forest, the wind blowing at her translucent wings. The golden brown skin of her arms was covered in what looked like tattoos—and, though from his distance he couldn't make out the words, he could always see those markings, and her bright smile.
From that moment on, Fergal began to call her the Fairy Queen, and he made a point to always say hi to her when he visited his grandparents, even when he couldn't see her.
This time, however, he was not headed to the enchanted forest. This time, his destination was the legendary Lake of the Eye, Loch na Súil.
He had just turned 9, and received a book from his mother full of pictures of monsters and gods. Loch na Súil was said to be the place of the demise of one of the worst monsters in history—the Demon King Balor.
And, as fate would have it, not very far from his grandmother's house.
As soon as he had been put to bed, and once he heard his grandmother's soft snoring, Devitt climbed out of his window with nothing but a flashlight, determined to see the Demon Lake, as he called it.
Although the night was deep, the moon was shining brightly above him, and Finn made his way through the countryside with little trouble. He had wanted to go during the day, but his grandmother had forbidden him, citing not only the dangers poses by strangers, but the danger of the lake itself.
Of course, that only stoked the fires of his curiosity, and Fergal decided then and there to see the waters for himself, and find out if there were any traces of the epic battle that had taken place so long ago.
When at last he reached the lake, Fergal knelt down, trying to see something—anything—amidst the almost-black waters.
'This lake is so boring!' he thought, looking around. Indeed, it was all so very normal: a small lake, surrounded by grass, with trees lining the edges of the area. Had a giant monster truly died here?
Fergal sighed after several minutes of seeing nothing, and then stood up, ready to call it a night.
However, as he stood, his flashlight slipped out of his hand, and fell with a splash into the murky water.
"No!" Fergal gasped, reaching in to retrieve it, surprised by the depths of the water. Carefully, he leaned over, reaching even deeper until his hand closed around something. He started to pull it up, thinking that it was his flashlight.
However, the young Devitt screamed in surprise and horror when whatever he was trying to pull up began to pull him back down.
He scrabbled at the ground and short grass in a panic. Whatever was puling him down was strong, much stronger than he was. And even though he had long since released his grip, the thing now gripped him, and his young mind filled with horrible images of himself drowning in the dark waters of Loch na Súil.
Fergal screamed as his head touched the surface and he was pulled further in. Before he could even cry out, he saw a large, glowing eye at the very bottom, staring up at him.
Pure terror gave him the strength to at last break free from the monstrous grip, and he pulled himself out of the water, gasping and coughing. Flashlight, and mission, forgotten, the young boy stood in an attempt to flee.
However, he didn't make it even a step before a hand grabbed his ankle—a hand that came out of the murky lake! It tripped him, and he hit the ground hard, the wind knocked completely out of him.
Devitt was nearly in tears as he sat up, and saw a large man crawling out of the water. He was dressed in full armor, a large red eye glowing in the middle of his forehead.
But the regular eyes were on the child now, and they were glowing with evil intentions and amusement.
"I personally prefer to drown naughty children," the man said in a low, rumbling voice that made Fergal's blood turn to ice. "But I see you are of that ancient line...So I will do you the honor of killing you with my own hands."
A large sword materialized before him, and the armored man picked it up with a smile. He stalked over to the young boy, who was frozen by the power of his eye.
"Stop crying," the man commanded, which of course did nothing to stay the flood of tears from the child. "Your ancestors would be ashamed."
In a blur of purple and silver, the man was knocked down hard, sword flying far from when he fell. Fergal couldn't even follow the movement, only heard the monster cry out before hitting the ground.
"Begone, Balor. You no longer belong in this world."
It was a woman. A tall woman with long dark hair and bright purple eyes.
Eyes that burned with righteous fury as she stared down at the wicked Demon King.
"Fairy Queen!" Fergal cried out, recognizing her suddenly. Her clear wings were folded tight against her back, but he could see the markings on her arms.
The mystical woman turned to him, eyes still burning, giving the child a nod before turning her full attention back to Balor.
"I do not belong in this world?" he asked, jumping to his feet faster than human eyes could follow. "If I do not, then neither do you!"
He grabbed the woman's arm, and using all his strength threw her several meters away. She landed on her feet, skidding far before changing momentum and charging Balor. With a war cry, she crashed into him, her right shoulder digging into his midsection and sending them both to ground with a thud.
They rose in unison, but she was faster, kicking him in the midsection before grabbing him by the back of his head, fingers tangling in his long hair, and driving him back to the ground as she jumped down.
Fergal, from where he sat, stunned, had never seen anyone fight like this before; and even though every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away.
The woman hopped to her feet once more, Balor moving much more slowly this time as he tried to rise. She brought her knee up, squarely into his face, and then locked her arms around his head. With a grunt, she lifted him high, his body upside down, and fell backwards, slamming the Demon King's head against the hard ground.
She stood once more, only slightly out of breath, and could see that Balor was unconscious. Unceremoniously, she picked up his prone body and threw it into the lake, where it sank with little fanfare. The waters bubbled angrily for a moment, but quickly stopped, before becoming clear once again.
Fergal crawled cautiously to the water, noting that they now reflected the moon and stars above. Awestruck, he turned to the otherworldly woman.
"If I didn't know any better," the Fairy Queen began, dusting off her tunic and pants. "I'd say you really were him, come back from the Land of the Dead...Hell, maybe you are."
Devitt looked up at her with wide eyes, still unable to move.
"You saved my life," he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head in disbelief at...everything. "Thank you!"
The woman smiled, and it seemed to Fergal that the Sun had come out.
"You are very welcome, Little One. But, please, do be more careful in the future. I can't watch over you forever." A hint of sadness flashed in her expression, and she looked up at the now-cloudless sky.
"In fact, I think that after today, I cannot speak to you again in this form." She gave him a small wink.
"You are yet young, but I can't have any of the older ones knowing that I...we...still exist."
The Fairy Queen turned to go, but Fergal grabbed her wrist.
"Wait!" he asked, still unable to find the strength to stand. "Can you make it so that Balor never hurts another kid, ever again?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, but her expression quickly softened, and even held a hint of admiration.
"Of course, Little One. But it requires a sacrifice."
The young boy nodded. "I'll give whatever it takes."
The Fairy Queen held out her right hand, a glowing ball appearing in her palm. A long tendril of light reached out from it into the lake, causing the waters to burn with a golden glow before becoming clear and normal once again. The ball in her hand began to swirl with angry red and black light, a small storm contained in what looked like glass.
"This is what remains of Balor's spirit. If you accept it, it will pass into you." The child's face contorted with fear, but she quickly shook her head.
"He can not harm you. Your human soul with naturally cleanse the malevolence of his spirit, until there is nothing bad left. And then he will never hurt anyone again."
Fergal thought for a moment, before nodding, his blue eyes set in a determined stare.
"I'll do it."
The Fairy Queen nodded in return, and let the glowing ball hover between them in the cool night air. Within seconds, it had vanished, leaving not a trace of darkness in it's wake.
"Thus ends the curse of Balor."
She reached down with all of the gentleness of a new mother or father, and picked Fergal up, holding him steadily in her strong arms. The horror of the night rushed upon his mind once more, and he buried his face in her shoulder, arms locked around her neck as tears leaked from his closed eyes.
"Come now, Little One. You are safe. I will take you home."
Devitt remained quiet as they began to walk, but a million questions quickly began to gnaw at his silence, and his awe and fear were forgotten for a moment.
"Who are you, my Lady?" he asked all at once, causing her to laugh in surprise. "You are an amazing warrior! You defeated the Demon King so easily!"
Although he couldn't see it, her smile grew so large that her eyes closed. "Well, thank you for the kind words, Child. But that was only a shadow of the Demon King; just a remnant of his power. I assure you, had he been truly alive, I would not have conquered him so easily.
"Of course, I still would have defeated him in the end."
Now Fergal smiled. He had never met an adult like this one.
But she still hadn't answered his question, and the silence between them now was comfortable, but heavy.
"Why have you watched over me?" he asked in a low voice. "I've seen you for as long as I can remember."
The Fairy Queen hummed as she thought. "I don't know," she admitted. "I try to watch over all of the children...But you certainly have a knack for getting into trouble. And...you remind me of someone. From long, long ago."
Fergal had no idea what she was talking about, but listened intently.
"I had a brother...He did bad things. Many bad things. And this man that you remind me of, he stopped my brother, and saved him from going further down the path of destruction."
Again, she fell silent, eyes far away as she walked, ancient memories swirling in her head. She thought again of Balor's words. Did she truly belong in this world?
"May I call you Finn, Child?" she asked quietly, and the little boy nodded. "You are so much like him. Brave and fearless. And very good."
She set him down, and Devitt looked around in awe. They were at his grandparents' house once more.
"Remain good, Finn," the woman admonished him, placing her hand lightly on his head. "Because you have taken in the shadow of Balor, the blood of the Demon will always flow through your veins." She knelt down, and carefully brushed back a stay lock of Fergal's brown hair. With a bright smile, she kissed his forehead gently.
"But, regardless of Balor's influence, you will always have Áine's blessing. Good and evil war in every human's heart. Never give up the fight." She stood tall once more, eyes glowing like purple crystals in the moonlight.
"And I will always watch over you."
"Áine?"
"That's what I'm known as, in this land. But I have lived in many places over the Ages, and have been known by many names." She shot him a quick wink. "That's also how I learned to fight."
Fergal nodded, understanding, blue eyes shining.
"This is so cool!" he exclaimed, causing Áine to throw back her head and laugh. "I'll always remember this! Even when I'm a grown up!"
Áine chuckled. "Perhaps, Finn, perhaps. Now, quickly, go inside before you get into trouble!"
With a nod, Fergal turned to go in; right before he opened the door, however, he ran back and hugged the tall woman around the waist.
"Thank you!" he said once more, giving her one last smile before running inside and closing the door.
Áine beamed, proud of the little warrior. With a wave of her hand, a light mist of fairy dust swirled around the house, ensuring that the child would think that it had all been a dream.
And for the first time in a long time, the Fairy Queen considered the implications of finally becoming a human.
"G'night, young Finn," she whispered, before vanishing into the night. "I am sure that we will meet again."
November, 2015
Finn Bálor lifted his arms in triumph, holding the NXT Championship high. The fans around the ring cheered and raised their hands with him, everyone in the arena united in celebration.
Finn was on top of the world once more, and he walked away from the ring that night full of pride and a great sense of accomplishment. Coming to NXT had been a gamble, but it seemed, so far, to be paying off.
It only took him a few minutes to change into a pair of sweats and throw on a hoodie, bone-tired and ready to get back to his hotel room to sleep. On the way to the bus, he could see that several fans still remained, waving at him and cheering.
He acknowledged them all with his signature smile, bowing to them in thanks as they bowed in return, arms still raised.
"Quite a following you've got out there," Enzo Amore remarked with a laugh. "They really love you, Bro!"
Bálor grinned. "I don't know if love is the right word for this...Maybe crazy as hell?"
He looked out at the crowd one last time as Enzo laughed, giving them all a final wave as he took his seat on the tour bus.
However, for the briefest of seconds as he looked out the window, one of the fans caught his eye. She was staring at him with a very neutral, almost fond expression. And Bálor wasn't sure what, exactly, made him pause at the sight of her, but he could feel something tugging at the edges of his memory as he stared into her dark purple eyes.
"Cool contacts!" he mouthed, giving her a thumbs up and pointing at his own eyes to mime his words.
And even from such a distance, even through the sea of people, Finn could see her bright smile in return.
The End! For now at least! :P
Slight confession: I'm having trouble writing slash about Finn Balor because I want him too much myself, HAHAHAHA.
Review?