YOI Fantasy Week, day 3, prompts; Fairy, leaf, mint green.
For this Fairy, I combined fairy characteristics from Slavic Mythology (some fairies being protectors and others dancers) and several other sources. I also mixed this with a Myth from my country, Colombia, called La Madre del Río (The Mother of the River) I don't want to say too much because it would be kind of spoilery, Victor's backstory is based on this myth. All I can say is she lives near rivers, but she is not a protector or anything, she mostly lures people to their deaths.
Also, If you have read "The Kingkiller Chronicles" (If you haven't, please do) I pictured Victor just like Felurian in The Wise Man's Fear.
Again, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it and pray for me to see if I can actually write something else for this week.
Victor felt it as soon as it happened. There was a human in the forest. He had been swimming in his spring making sure that it was clean when he felt the slight change of energy. This forest was the home of several magical creatures such as himself, and the arrival of a human could be felt by the way everything stood still. The wood nymphs that were usually chatting grew silent. They were shy creatures and they were wary of humans because they tended to cut them down. The birds stopped their usually incessant chirping and the fairies, well, they got ready to have fun breaking down a new human.
Who would be so foolish to enter his territory? Victor wondered. He came out of the water and lie on his back in the grass to enjoy the sunshine. The villagers knew about him. They were smart enough to stay away and warned their children about him; children were so trusting and it was easier to attract them with magic and make them disappear. Sometimes, he was benevolent and returned them, but their parents spent the rest of their lives wondering if the child that came back was theirs or a changeling. It had been years since the last time someone entered this forest. It was about time, Victor was getting bored.
Since he became the protector of the river and springs, the humans knew better than to go in and disturb him and if they did, they better came in with a decent offering. Victor's favors did not come cheap. By the looks of it, this human had nothing with him. This was going to be entertaining. He hadn't had any fun in years and he was already thinking of new, and interesting ways of punishing this person for trespassing. Although, he still needed to wait for the human's actions, What would they do first? Would they drink from the spring? or Would they stumble onto a dancing ring? Victor was hoping for the former rather than the latter. If they drank water, they belonged to Victor to do as he pleased, if they found the dancing circle first, they would belong to Yura and he did not like to share. Fairies were very territorial creatures.
Someone was blocking the sun on his face and Victor opened his eyes to find the head of the dancers. Speaking of the devil. Shoulder-length, blond hair covering one of his green eyes. He was wearing a white robe tied to one shoulder and his multi-colored wings were out reflecting the sunlight so beautifully. Too bad the whole image was ruin by the perpetual scowl on Yura's face.
"Someone's in," said Yura, stating the obvious.
"Hello, my dear Yura. How are you on this fine morning? Did you come to take a dip in my spring?"
Yura scoffed, "Please if I try to take a bath in there I would come up dirtier."
He never understood how Yura became the head of the dancers. Don't get him wrong, he was talented. The way he danced, it was mesmerizing, he could capture anyone's attention, but that attitude was not helpful. Since someone was blocking his sun, Victor decided to jump back in the spring, splashing Yura. He was floating on his back, long strands of silver hair floating around him like a halo. This was life.
"I might have a new plaything tonight," Yura said. "I wonder what I should do. I could make them live in constant anger, make them so distress that they would never be able to find happiness or cast a single spell that would make them dance until their feet bleed. What do you think? I personally prefer long-term suffering."
"Those are fine choices, but what makes you think that they are going to be yours? They might get thirsty first?"
"We are having a dance tonight and..."
"Don't you always?" Victor interrupted him. "All you do is jump and dance around. What good are you anyway?" He could feel Yura's anger from where he was. Yura was an elemental, Victor felt the change in atmosphere, where it had been warm and pleasant before, it was now cold and bleak. Yura needed to learn to control his emotions. It was so easy to get a rise out of him that Victor couldn't help it, besides, there was nothing to be afraid of, Victor had lived longer, hence his control of the elements was greater than Yura's.
"Don't forget where you come from, Victor. You used to be one of us until you decided that she was more important and look where that got you. We'll get the human and you'll stay alone, as usual." Yura smirked and left. Warm coming back to the spring as soon as he left.
The dancers blamed Victor for their lack of human entertainment. The number of humans that went into the forest had dwindled since he became the protector. Less and less risked crossing the forest for fear of finding him. The dancers said that Victor was too harsh on his punishments, but he was the protector, his job was to protect, it was right there in the name. It wasn't his fault that human minds were so weak and couldn't handle a bit of fairy magic. However, they did have a point, it had been a while since the had had fun with a human. The last time had been perhaps two years ago, and that had been just a traveler who had gotten lost trying to find the village. Victor was sure that the man had finally managed to continue on living with a donkey's tail and ears. Honestly, they totally matched the man's face.
Tonight, he might have to do some actual work to get the human, though. The dancers were all beautiful and widely known to lure anything into the forest. They had beautiful Mila, that red hair of hers and those eyes, a striking combination along with her jet black wings. Such an unusual color for fairies, but Mila made it work. Otabek, who surprisingly could attract even the most reluctant of humans with that stern face of his. Sara, Georgi, Sexy Chris, the list went on. The protector was just little old him. Victor smiled, one of the advantages of being a river fairy, there was water everywhere. The grass, the trees, and he was a very good friend of the wood nymphs. He could make the human's path to end in this spring. He wouldn't even have to pass through the dancing circle. A plan forming in his head, Victor dived deep in the spring and felt the water giving him energy. Tonight was gonna be fun.
Victor had managed to keep the human from stumbling into the circle by having the wood nymphs whispered things in their ears and slowly guiding them towards the spring. Yura had fought, he had used everything in his arsenal, but the nymphs weren't particularly fond of him. He needed to work on his connections as well, not everything was dancing. Besides, Victor was doing this person a favor, the human had been running around the forest all day, he must be tired and thirsty, that poor soul clearly needed something to drink. Victor was being an excellent host, now if the person drank and didn't have anything to offer in return, well, rules were there for a reason. He couldn't just let this person go unpunished. He had a reputation to maintain.
Victor was in the water waiting for the human to approach. Once the person drank some water, he would pop out of the water giving his guest the first scare of the evening. They should be coming any minute now. Victor had chosen this spot in particular because it was like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert. The water was so clear that Victor could see the bottom of it and when he looked up he could see the moon clearly from its depth. The trees were arranged in a circle around the spring; one of the few places where you didn't feel as if the trees were following you, which they probably were, this was an enchanted forest after all. Dancing fairies were alluring, but what was more alluring than a drink of clear water, a place to rest and a chat with the most beautiful fairy in existence.
Victor looked up and saw the full moon. Fairies were extremely powerful creatures, however, they were at their most powerful when the moon was out. That's why most of their dances happened at night. He smiled, he was feeling all the energy from the water and the moon coursing through his veins. This was definitely going to be a good night.
The human arrived, he could feel it. Victor took his position and waited for that sip of water. He waited five minutes, ten. Nothing happened. Ajá, what was taking so long? He knew the human was there. Why weren't they drinking? He poked his head out of the water to see what was happening. The human was sitting with his back against a tree, with his knees drew up against his chest and with his face buried in his hands. His shoulders were shaking. Was that man crying? Victor immediately went back to the water. Maybe it was not too late to send him back to the dancing fairies. Victor didn't know how to deal with crying people. On the other hand, the last time a human had gotten lost in the forest, the dancers had taken him. It was his turn to have some fun.
With a long sigh, he popped his head back up and decided to go with a more direct approach.
"Why don't you drink some water? It might help you." The man raised his head and Victor noticed that he had a bruise on the left side of his face and a cut that went from his eye to his mouth. It looked bad. It reminded him of the time when people used to come to his spring because there had been a rumor in the village that the water had magical properties. It didn't, but that hadn't stopped Victor from accepting the gifts the humans brought them and he sent them back home with useless water. It had been extremely enjoyable, at least for him. Now, he was trying to convince this particular person to drink his water. It shouldn't be too hard.
The man scrambled to his feet. Apparently, he didn't know whether to run or stay and face his fate.
"I wouldn't run if I were you. On one path, you will run into a dancing circle and you know how much dancing fairies despise getting their fun ruined. On the other hand, you have the wood spirits. They are not particularly fond of your kind. I'm your best option." Complete lie, but humans were gullible creatures. The man stood there waging his options. He had short, black hair. There were some square things on his face, near his eyes. What was it that the humans called those things? Espectacles? Bespectacles? watching thingies? face glass? Something like that. The man was wearing a blue shirt, a black vest, black pants and a really nice pair of leather boots. Victor might keep them. All in all, just your regular human, though this was a bit more handsome than the rest of the villagers, maybe he was not from around these parts. Too bad, Victor needed him to drink his water so he could punish him. He couldn't do anything unless the human drank it.
"You have been running around in the forest all day. You must be tired and that cut in your face doesn't look good either. The water in this spring is the best in the land. One drink and all your problems will be solved."
He shook his head. The human must have amazing willpower, no one said no to Victor. He didn't even have to talk to them. They came willingly to him. Victor could feel the man's exhaustion. Why wasn't he drinking?
"Why won't you drink?"
"I have nothing to offer," the man whispered.
"Nonsense, everyone has something to offer. However, if what you are saying is true, then why did you decide to take a stroll in the fairy forest?"
The human slumped down and resumed his previous position. Please, don't cry again, thought Victor. He would help this man out himself if he started sobbing. "I did not decide to take a stroll. I was attacked on the road while I was going back home. It was either get in here where I knew they wouldn't follow or let them kill me."
Stupid choices, he was going to die in here anyway or if he didn't, he wouldn't be the same. "You are aware that you chose the worst of two evils, aren't you?"
The man nodded. That was a smart boy. Well, not that smart, he was in here after all. "Why didn't you fight?" Victor asked genuinely curious.
"I don't fight. I'm a pacifist. I believe in resolving things with words rather than fists."
Victor laughed, this little human is so adorable. Was he hoping to talk his way out of here? "You are weird for a human. All they know is war and violence. Look where your pacific ways led you, right into me." Victor considered it for a few minutes, this man had turned out to be more amusing than he had expected. "I like you, human. What if I offer your first drink of water free of charge?"
"I would say that you are lying. Nothing is free in the land of the Fae."
"True, we do love our presents. Then, let's make a deal. How about a story? Give me a story and I'll let you drink. That can be your offering."
"Just one story?" there was incredulity in the man's voice. It was understandable, fairies were known for their greed as well. The bigger the favor, the bigger the offering.
"Yes, just one."
"What's in it for you?"
"I get to hear a story, we don't get anything new in here. You said you like words, didn't you? Then talk away, little human?"
"Okay, I'll bite. What kind of story do you want?"
"Do you have a romance story? Call me a sap, but I love a good romance." He started coming out of the water, slowly. Victor wanted the human to fear him, but what he was not expecting was the man to cover his eyes, Excuse me, Why isn't this person hypnotized by my beauty? "Why are you covering your eyes?"
"You are naked," the man mumbled.
Victor stood in front of the human now and he looked at himself. Of course, he was naked. He was a fairy. "I'm not naked, this is the natural state of all living things. Humans are the ones covered. You feel shame about nudity, but not about violence. What a backward people."
"It's about decency. Would you please put on something? I can't concentrate like this."
Victor leaned in and saw that the human had a faint blush on his cheeks. So, his beauty did affect him. Good, Victor thought that he might be losing his touch. "Do I have to? You seemed to like it based on the flushing of your face and the acceleration of your heartbeat. I can't see your eyes, but I'm sure your pupils are dilated. Am I wrong?"
The man turned even redder if that was even possible. He shoved his face into his knees so hard, Victor was sure he hurt that bruise. "Please." the human squeaked.
Fine, that story better be good. He went to the trees and got some leaves from the wood nymphs and with some twigs, he managed to make a robe that got to his knees. He tied it on his shoulders and let his hair go free. He was covered, but he knew his hair was his second best asset. He lied on his back in front of the human and tapped him on his leg. "You can look now."
The man raised his eyes tentatively, as if not believing Victor, then he jumped back when he noticed how close the fairy was. There you go, he couldn't scare him while he was drinking water, so he got his revenge now.
"What is your name?" Victor asked. The man shook his head. This human was proving to be smarter than Victor thought. "You don't want to tell me. What if I tell you mine first. I am Victor, protector of the river and the most handsome fairy around here."
"That cannot be your name."
"I'm not going to tell you my real name. Names have power, little human. Besides, I don't think you would be able to pronounce it. Human speech is very limited."
"My name is… Uh…. Skate?"
"Skate? Your name is Skate?"
"Yes, my parents love ice skating very much, so they named me after it."
Victor couldn't help it and he laughed, he hadn't laughed in years. It felt refreshing. He looked at "Skate" and he laughed, even more, when he saw the blushing on his face. This human was being entertaining already and Victor hadn't even pulled out the big guns yet. "Okay, Skate," Victor turned on his side and supported his head with his hand. He noticed the human's eyes following the movement of his long, silver hair. People couldn't resist it. He smiled, "Tell me your story."
"Okay," he cleared his throat and look at the spring, obviously craving that sip of water already. "My grandfather used to tell me this story when I was a kid. It goes like this."
Many, many years ago. There was a girl in the village, very beautiful, she had long, red hair. She was taller than the average ladies of the village and she was smart and kind. She helped in the school, she helped at church, she made clothes for the poor. To sum up, she was the embodiment of everything that was good on this planet. Every man in the village wanted to marry her, but she always refused their advances. She said she had better things to do. One day, she disappeared from the village and everyone went crazy. What could have possibly happened? They searched everywhere for her, but at the end of the day they always came up empty-handed. AT some point, the villagers came up and presume her dead.
Several years passed and one day, a hunter from the village went deep into the forest and found a house. He was sure that house had not been there before. He came closer and saw two children leaving the house. They couldn't be older than three, but there was something unusual about them. It was as if they were glowing, then their mother came out. The man was shocked, that was the girl that disappeared, they have given her for dead, but here she was, alive and with children.
Why had she left the village? Everyone had been worried about her? He was about to approach her when the children screamed: "Father, Father is here." He followed the children's gaze and from the depths of the forest a man was approaching, but he wasn't like any other man, this person had green wings. That was a fairy, she had….
The human stopped abruptly, Victor was no longer lying down, and his eyes were no longer blue, but a deep red. He hissed and jumped at the human, pushing him on his back and putting his hand around his neck.
"Shut your filthy mouth! You have no right to speak of that." There was fear in the human's eyes, but also some steely determination that had not been there before.
"It is you, isn't it? You are the fairy from the story."
"I said shut up. Do not speak of things you can not even begin to comprehend." All humans were the same, they never understood anything, they just destroyed and put everything out of their minds. However, this man in front of him was different, he didn't back out, he lifted a hand and touched Victor's cheek, wiping away a bloody tear. Victor let go of him as if that little show of compassion had burnt him. He sat as far away from the human as possible. He was the one hugging his knees now. The human sat up but was wise enough not to approach.
"Why did you pick that story?" Victor asked, trying and failing to hold back the tears he hadn't let out in years.
"When I saw you, I had a suspicion that it might be you. I'm sorry for what happened. I know it must be painful."
"What do you know about pain?" what had been a cool evening was now reaching below freezing temperatures, the human was shivering. He presumed to understand Victor's pain, then let him feel this. "You know how the story ends, don't you, "Skate"?" He stood up to his full height, letting his tears flow freely and approaching the human, who was huddling against a tree. "How can you understand that pain? Has a group of people murder your family in front of you? Have you ever seen your wife are children burn to ashes? Do their screams hunt you at night?" He turned around and show the man his back, where the wings were supposed to be there were just long scars covering most of his back. "They ripped my wings from me. Don't tell me that you know pain, little human. I have suffered everything your kind has to offer. That's why I killed their filthy children so they would feel what I did."
"But that didn't bring your family back."
"SHUT UP!" Victor turned around, leaving the human behind and sat in front of the spring. The memories he worked so hard every day to keep at bay came back in full force.
Victor had been out hunting, the dancing fairies mocked him about becoming a family man, and they were still a bit angry at him because he had taken their plaything away and turned it into his wife. She had stumbled into their dancing circle, but she was not like the other humans, she was smart and kind. Victor had danced all night with her, not just dance, they talked too. Humans rarely provided interesting conversation. Victor proposed and she said yes, they got married that very night. Victor had never been as happy as when they had their twins. He had a family now, why would he be out dancing with others when he had a beautiful wife and children waiting for him at home?
When he came back, he noticed that something was different when the children didn't come right away to welcome him home. Then three humans came out of nowhere and threw a net at him. The net burnt him, they had used iron for the bindings. That's when he heard them. Another man brought her and the children out of the house, they were tied up and the kid's arms and faces were red. They had used iron bindings with them too. Victor started screaming and pleading for their lives, he offered his in exchange. He would do anything for them. The humans didn't listen, they declared his wife a witch for consorting with a demon. The children were considered demons, so they were condemned to die as well. He watched them burn. The humans not content with that, ripped his wings through the net and toss him in the river, hoping that he would drown and he would have. He had no reason to live, but the river spirit freed him from the net and spoke to him, offered him a way to come back and have a second chance in life. That's how he became the protector, it enhanced his powers and made him more lethal and he used them to get revenge on those who wronged him...
Victor felt a hand on his shoulder and the next thing he knew someone was hugging him. The human hadn't left, he was here trying to comfort Victor instead. Humans were definitely stupid creatures. Then why are you accepting the hug? Instead of pushing him away, he turned and buried his face in the human's shoulder. He hadn't been hugged in so long. It felt foreign and comforting at the same time.
Skate was shaking badly, so Victor turned the temperature back to normal and left himself be consoled by a human. What a rare sight this must have been for the wood nymphs. Skate was passing his fingers through Victor's hair and kept apologizing. Skate didn't need to apologize, it hadn't been his fault. He hadn't even been born. Yes, but have you not been doing that? Blaming and punishing every human that set foot in this forest for the sins of others. A voice in his mind told him. He knew that voice. The river spirit spoke to him from time to time, trying to reason with him. Revenge was not the purpose of him giving Victor a second life. It was supposed to be a chance to find peace and forgiveness. The pain and hate had been stronger. He kept hugging the human even when he ran out of tears. Victor was sure that his face was bloody and Skate's clothes must be bloodied as well.
He looked up and Skate was smiling at him. He put his hand in the water but didn't drink it. He used it to clean up Victor's face. Skate didn't stop until all the blood had been wiped from Victor's face and he still didn't take any water for himself.
"Why didn't you leave? I wouldn't have stopped you," asked Victor softly keeping his eyes on the human's face.
"When I came into the forest after escaping those men, I heard a voice telling me that I should find you."
"That was just the wood nymphs, I told them to guide you here and keep you away from the dancing circle."
Skate shook his head. "It was a different, more urgent voice. The nymphs were trying to lure me here. This voice was asking for my help."
Victor looked at him with incredulity, what kind of person just follows a voice? This man had no idea what kind of dangers inhabited in this forest. This human clearly lacked self-preservation and he knew the owner of that voice. The river spirit was meddling again. "And you just followed the voice?"
"Yes, I figured whoever or whatever was behind that voice would not let anything harm me. You are not going to harm me, are you?"
"I haven't decided yet, I have a reputation to maintain here, Skate."
The man laughed. All this time, he had not stopped combing Victor's hair with his fingers. He was sure that Skate was doing it now for himself rather than for Victor's sake. "Name is Yuuri by the way."
"Yuuri," Victor repeated and a shiver went down Yuuri's body. He had given Victor his real name. This man had no self-preservation. Names had power, you can't just go around giving your name willingly to a fairy of all people. "You must have some fae in you. The river spirit cannot speak in a human's mind the way he spoke to you."
"The voice was very worried about you. It told me that someone needed my help in this forest. I told it I could barely help myself, how was I going to help others. It said that I should have more faith in myself and that I shouldn't run away once I found you."
"And you didn't run."
"And I didn't run."
Victor cupped his hands and dipped them in the spring, then he offered this water to Yuuri. Yuuri shook his head, they had had a nice talk, but this was out of limits and Victor smiled, apparently, Yuuri did have some sort of self-preservation in him. "I'm offering you this water, you are no taking it directly from the spring. You wouldn't owe me anything."
Yuuri looked at him through the squares on his face. He narrowed his eyes, but he must have decided that Victor was not lying because he drank, and then asked for some more, he was really thirsty. Victor also used water to heal Yuuri's face. Fairies were capable of healing any injury and that man had a cute face, a cut had no business in there. He noticed the patch of blood on Yuuri's vest and started unbuttoning it, but Yuuri stopped him.
"Didn't I say something about decency before?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Skate. I'm going to wash it to remove the mark of my tears from it." Then Victor went back to work, but Yuuri stopped him, place his hands on the grass and he did the job himself. Humans and their prudishness. He handed Victor the vest and he proceeded to wash it in the spring.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Yuuri went back to combing Victor's head while the man was doing the washing. Victor didn't like talking about it, in fact, he had never talked about it. The other fairies knew, but they never asked. They probably thought Victor deserved it for abandoning them and consorting with humans. He slowly nodded, but he wasn't sure where to start. Yuuri did it for him.
"What was her name? It is never mentioned in the stories."
"Her name was Alena. The name means: bright; shining one. And she was just that."
Victor told Yuuri everything, even the part where he admitted he had felt some sort of remorse for the things he did, while he was in his revenge state. He had destroyed those families, but Yuuri was right, that didn't bring his back. He knew he had been wrong, but that hadn't stopped him from doing it.
"I hear them too, not just my children. All of them. They were innocent in all these and I hurt them, just like they did with mine. Hate begets hate, and the innocents are the ones who end up paying the price." The humans were dead now, but he would live eternally with that pain and guilt.
They talked until the sun started rising in the sky, Yuuri was clearly tired, but he never stopped Victor's story or fell asleep while he was talking.
"As you can see, I am beyond help." He looked up and saw Yuuri's tired face still as alert as he had been last night. "You should leave now. You are hungry, I can see it, and if you eat anything here, you would have to stay. There is no way to go around that like with the water."
"So, are you letting me go? I thought you had a reputation to maintain."
Victor smiled and stroked Yuuri's face, "I'm going to make myself a new reputation. How about the most handsome fairy of the land?"
"I think it suits you." Yuuri blushed, another one that needed to control his emotions and reactions. His face was like an open book, and after everything Victor had told him, about the things he had done, Yuuri wanted to stay, but Victor wouldn't allow it.
"I'll walk you out. The dancers might still be around and once you get into that circle there is no going out, you belong to them." He stood up and offered his hand to Yuuri. The man took him and his cheeks flushed again. It's just a hand. This human is weird. Victor gave him back his vest and took Yuuri to the part of the forest where he could go freely without being attacked by any other fairies or humans for that matter.
"Will you visit again?"
"Do I have safe passage through this land?"
"The river spirit likes you. It will protect you. The wood nymphs are my friends. They are not going to let any of the other fairies touch you."
Yuuri nodded and Victor smiled, "Make sure to bring some food and water for you."
"Don't I have guests rights?"
"We don't like guests. So, we don't have such things as guest rights."
"Okay, I'll be back next week, with my own food and water and I'm not going to share with you."
"Fair enough. Goodbye, Yuuri. It was a pleasure to meet you." Yuuri gave him a shy smile and waved before turning around and leaving.
Victor stayed there, even after he couldn't see him anymore. I brought that man here for you, you know, and you just let him go, said a voice that sounded mildly annoyed. I know, but I am not worthy of him, at least not yet. The voice laughed, You've been alone for too long. True, he hadn't had any other companion since his wife died, but nobody could be a match for her, except for Yuuri, maybe. I need to atone for my sins first. The spirit scoffed, You have a lot of sins. How long do you think is going to take? That was the thing with voices in your head, you couldn't punch them. As long as needed. Yuuri doesn't deserve a shell of my previous self. I'll work hard for it. The spirit finally hummed in agreement, it knew Victor was right. He had lived for so long in a path of destruction that he didn't know himself anymore. She wouldn't have liked this Victor. Don't take too long, he has a lot of suitors. I'll keep them away while you do your soul-searching.
Victor went back to his spring, jumped in and swam his worries away. He would do something to deserve Yuuri. It might take years, but nothing that was worthy was ever easy to get.
It wasn't until mid-afternoon that a thought struck him. That little human had actually talked his way out of here.