So, this is my first story for this site. I hope I'm adequate enough for people's tastes. This story is one that is subject to inspiration - as I have never been known to have a steady production rate for stories. So far I have two chapters finished, roughly about the same length, and the beginning / framework for the third. Sorry if there any mistakes, this is following the happenings of the movie versions of Hellboy 1 / 2, and inspired oddly enough, by many Nuada fan fictions though this is a Johann Krauss fiction. Enjoy!
"Lady of Autumn"
Chapter 1
No one in the park knew how old the old ash tree was, everyone had just decided it would always stand, like a stone monument, except so much more beautiful. The tree was most beautiful in the fall, leaves gold, red and orange, just barely brown on their edges. Oddly, there were no claims for the tree to become a landmark, though by far it was one of the largest ash trees in the state. Perhaps because it wasn't an evergreen, in the evergreen state, the state council didn't believe it worthy of mention. Well, for the children and adults who came to the small state park in which the tree was just outside, the tree was special and held many memories, and some even ventured to call it 'magical'. Hence why a protest was in place, a large circle of people with signs protecting the tree.
A business owner liked the area, and wanted to make a vacation hotel there, but lo and behold in his way was a massive ash tree that could also make a load of money by being made into paper or other precious items. Very rarely trees got to that girth and height and survived outside of a park. So it was set that the tree would be cut down for his gain, after all, it didn't hurt him in any way. Fortunately, people loved the mountain ash, and would not idly stand by to let their precious memories be chopped down.
She wept fearfully, invisible to those humans below her boughs. She also wept happily, for her friends, for that was what she considered them, were protecting her. Her glamour, her protecting magic, was strong, and she matched her tree beautifully. But now her tree, and her life, were in danger. She would have only a short amount of time to gather help, for the evil humans would eventually bear down on her home, her life, and kill the both of them. Her purple gown, held up by a malleable golden frame that resembled a great curve-branched tree, shifted slightly as she hopped down another branch, her nose sniffling. Her long hair flounced behind her, seeming to change color in the sunlight, yet always mimicking the beauty of her leaves.
She needed to get help, and there was only one family which she knew would help her. The Bethmoora Clan. Well, the son of the Bethmoora, anyways. She had a long lasting alliance with them, and the family had always been there to help her and the other meliads before. But when the last threat came, and the Bethmoora negotiated slyly with the humans to make the state park protecting her sisters, the humans somehow neglected to place her wondrous ash tree inside the boundaries. The threat had been imminent, but she had hoped she would not need to call on the Bethmoora so soon these centuries. Most humans were greedy - but not her friends, the ones below that protected her. Children, teen and adult alike vocally protested as a large machine the humans called a 'bulldozer' stood by, the greedy workers growing impatient.
She hopped to the ground, light on her bare feet. The birds in the branches whistled sadly, ravens and crows voiced their disgust through vocal caws, jays and robins chirped angrily while squirrels chattered in the hollows the nymph had made for them, they didn't want to lose their home either. They knew the tree would not last long. Even a cat perched alongside the birds, looking sorrowful. She nodded to them, her large downcast doe-like ears flicking as she listened. The Bethmoora were on the opposite side of the country - and she had forgotten how to call them to her. She could not reach her sisters, she was alone right now because of the magical barrier the Bethmoora had placed around the state park boundary. The barrier was to ensure the park was protected for all eternity. Her tree didn't even have a branch inside the barrier, so she was completely exiled of her kin. She missed their company, but being alone had strengthened her somewhat, mentally and emotionally.
She waded her invisible path out of the protesters, the humans weren't even aware she existed, excluding the young children who still believed in magic. A little girl stopped her once, gently tugging at her pure purple silken gown. The nymph, meliad, smiled and knelt down to the little girl who released her. The little human girl was only about four years old.
"Momma gonna save you, miss." the little girl murmured sadly, pouting. The nymph smiled, and tucked a strand of curly hair behind the child's ear, then kissed her forehead, almost seeming to leave a golden glow. The girl brightened. The nymph stood once more, turned, and exited the circle of jeering people. There, a small source of light engulfed her for those who could see her, and in her place stood what seemed to be a graceful form of a doe, with all the strength of a horse including a mane, and the long tufted tail of a lion. On the center of the doe-like creature was a long and smooth upward curving horn. The eyes betrayed a loving playful nature, but at the moment they were sad. This was the meliad, the ash tree nymph, who was granted by ancient Greek gods the ability to travel as a hippoi monokerata, a one horned horse, a unicorn. Her name was Mei Monokera, taken from Meliad Hippoi Monokerata, the ash tree unicorn.
The figure seemed to dance on the two cloven toes, before running off in a leaping gait. She would be swift in this form, but she had far to reach the city of new york, and the underground where the Bethmoora's son, exiled, sought shelter.
Traveling the country had been relatively easy, she could run at a speed where not even natural animals could sense her, but to keep up that pace she had to stop frequently, every night, to rest. That left her vulnerable, though she sheltered herself in the resident trees, who trembled at her presence, more than willing to offer her a place to rest. It was mid-autumn, and the trees were just beginning to lose their leaves, and her hair was just beginning to turn brown from the golden it was currently, shortening to match her tree's changing condition. She always grew a little depressed as winter started to curb her favorite season, decreasing her beauty and energy. Soon enough her hair would be to her shoulders, the shortest it would ever be, and the palest brown, almost sickly looking in comparison to her normally vibrant green, red, or present yellow gold.
She wanted to find the Bethmoora son, but she wasn't sure where he would be inside the state the humans had dubbed 'new york', though she'd never even heard of the first york....Well, that just showed what she knew. She stepped delicately, her glamour making her appear 'invisible', but really as a small seemingly glowing speck of dust among the forest. Children and Animals, fey and truly believing adult humans could see her, or whenever she was injured. She was weary, and perhaps that was a bad thing. Her journey into the humans' state of New York had taken her all of three days - she hadn't felt any pain from her tree, so the protesters were still standing strong and protecting her, whether they knew she was a living thing or not.
She was being very careful, now that she wasn't in the bordering woodlands. She was in the full rush of humanity, large looming buildings, zooming cars that threatened to kill her, and crazy folk who crowded the pathways she was trying to use to get underground. To say the least, she was having difficulty getting anywhere, at least in her monokerata form - as her horned doe form, what the humans fabled as a unicorn. She paused, then reconsidered. It would be safer to pass as a nymph, even to the fey folk, for unicorns were very rare, and their horns precious. To be recognized as a unicorn...She was suddenly very fearful of approaching the fey, she hadn't been in contact with them for so long, she wasn't sure if she would be safe and protected or not.
If all else failed, she would call upon her guardian to infuse her essence in her tree, so she could at least raise seedlings, if not continue in her nymph-like form. Zeus owed her that much after conquering her father, forcing her mother into mourning millenia ago. She still missed her father, Uranus, but as it was, Zeus still loved all the nymphs, even if he did tend to try and woo them on occasion... She was one of the eldest nymphs, therefore he had no chance of courting her. Not that she was able to provide offspring, anyways. Seeing as she was an early form of Nymph, a shifter even so, she could only produce seedlings to plant during the spring, nothing more.
She shook her doe-like head, she'd lost concentration again, and accidentally let someone bump into her, leaving the person startled and wondering what they'd nudged. She quickly changed her form from monokerata to meliad, hence her name, Mei Monokera, and sighed softly. She frowned however when she noticed how short her hair had gotten. Her mane on her monokerata hadn't been so drastic a change, but now instead of her hair being to her ankles, the ends of the lush now pale orange and gold hair only barely reached her knees. However, she brushed this off, and tried to make her way through the outsides of the crowds, but was unluckily bumped repeatedly, leaving many bewildered humans in her wake. She felt suddenly guilty for causing them distress, but she could do nothing of it until she reached the troll market, where her source was supposed to be. She actually wasn't even sure if she was in the right state, she was prone to getting lost when so far away from her tree - it was only the natural draw to magic that lead her, and before she'd felt many such pulls. She'd gone to the one closest, and hoped for it to be the correct one.
She slipped into an empty alleyway, suddenly feeling claustrophobic among all the humans who could not see her. Her ears were beginning to sting at the tips - many people's shoulders had bumped into them. Being short had many disadvantages - seeing as she was around, oh, perhaps four foot six or so? It also didn't help that her gown was already stained with dirty water at the hem. That wouldn't come out for a long time - not without a few thorough washes of rain water. Her feet were aching, too. The cold stone that the humans favored in their cities was making her delicate feet feel very tender and sore. She hoped she'd locate help soon...
She heard a faint hissing sound - though not of any animal she'd heard before. She turned to her right as she leaned against a stone building that was on one side of the alleyway. Large metal containers of all shapes and sizes were strewn about, along with what seemed to be thin brown bark squares, too.
"Is anyone there?" she called out cautiously in her normal tongue - she hadn't spoken English in so long, it was fuzzy to her, so she spoke in Gaelic instead. Most fey knew that language, so if this was some fey creature come to her aid, they should know it. A shadow lurked out, and the hissing grew louder, the shadow seeming to grow in small sections, as if steam was emitted through the sides of a large dome. She waited for a response, but got none. She looked back out into the commotion with her golden eyes, for her eye color always matched her hair's, and then to the shadow. She yelped, and leapt back in surprise when she noticed the figure was directly next to her. But the figure seemed completely ignorant of her, as if they could not see her through her glamour. Oh, they probably couldn't. She spent a moment to investigate this newcomer, and noticed that though he was mostly a cloth-figure, mechanical sections were also prominent, along with his clear glass dome holding steam.
"Who is there?" the mechanical figure asked, in a heavy German accent. 'Ah, he must not know Gaelic...' she pondered to herself. But he had heard her? Hesitantly, she reached an arm out and gingerly brushed her hand against his shoulder, to see if he could feel her. He flinched, backing off from where she'd touched him. The vents on the side of his dome opened, allowing a bit of steam to pass, as if he were breathing. Curiously, she reached out once more, and this time touched his hand, and when he moved to back away, she held it somewhat firmly, holding it out in front of her. Unable to recall her English still, she tried Gaelic once more.
"You can feel me.. But you cannot see me? Can you hear me, too?" she asked softly, her voice quiet like a whisper, or the wind passing through leaves. His head tilted curiously in response.
"Mein heirr, I hear und feel you, but I cannot understand you. But you are magic, ja?" he asked, seeming no longer afraid of her touch, now that he partially understood the situation. She moved her hand so both of their arms were at full length, palm and fingers oddly placed together, then moved her first finger once down then up his first finger. Hopefully he understood her response as an agreement to his statement. He made an interesting sound, almost like a sigh and a release of more steam, and his dome bobbed up and down once.
"Is there a way for me to see you, Fraeulein?" he asked, though she didn't understand his last word. Reluctantly, she repeated the agreeing action.
"Will you show yourself to me?" he asked. She sighed, and repeated the action, but this time included two. 'No..' she thought to herself sadly. If folk were to look into the ally, she would be seen. He seemed to understand.
"Is there a place were you could show yourself, perhaps away from the people?" he asked, and this time she let a smile form on her tan skin, her lips a soft brown, and told him yes.
"Ah, well then. I shall lead the way, if that is alright with you, mein dame?" he asked. Again, she didn't understand his language, but he seemed kind enough. She told him yes, and he turned, beginning to walk down the alleyway. She followed, her steps light and silent on the cold stone of the alleyway. The journey seemed forever, but he eventually led her, without being seen himself, to what appeared to be an abandoned building, guarded by a lone steel gate. He completely passed the gate, and led her past the boundary through a different passageway. He led her further, though she was starting to become very worried. The building seemed very desolate. He entered through a set of doors, and to her surprise a uniquely decorated human hallway greeted them, the floor cold and stone, but smooth to her bare feet and a welcome change to the rough grit humans favored outdoors. The scene vaguely reminded her of the Greek halls, with the decorated pillars and such, but there was the constant nagging that this was human made, not god made, that bothered her. He seemed ever confident that she was a non-dangerous figure, though, so she continued by his side. Who knows, maybe he could help her find the Bethmoora's son.
"Here, mein Fraeulein. Step here, und you will not hit the walls on the way down." he stated, startling her for a moment. For that moment, her hand had left his, and he seemed startled too.
"I apologize, you frightened me." she murmured shortly in Gaelic. He didn't understand her, she knew that, but the gesture wasn't left unnoticed as she shyly took his mechanical hand once more, and also placed her other hand on the adjacent shoulder, placing one of her feet next to his, just to signal she was close. Apparently, he hadn't thought she was close enough, so he brought around his other hand, smartly finding her shoulder, and bringing her invisible body chest to chest with his. She had yelped, but he made no further advancement, so she, though blushing, made mo movement to get away. Zeus wouldn't allow her to have intimacies with anything other than the wind, so she silently hoped he wasn't watching at the moment.
"Pardon me, mein Fraeulein. I had to make sure," he stated, the little bits on his dome moving as his words were uttered. She nodded against his chest, still wholly embarrassed. But that faded away as she felt the ground shift below her, and yelped again as the ground seemed to be lowering, and the floor coming up around them. She was shaking, but realized that this was the reason the German wanted her so close. After the ground had passed above them, he'd slackened his grip on her. She looked below them, for they still seemed to be moving, and she noticed that it was just a section of the stone that was lowering, slowly, to a large underground human-made building.
"No reason to be afraid, we will go to my quarter, und no one except me will see you there, mein Fraeulein." he told her comfortingly. She had a vague sense the word he was using over and over again was some endearment, though not one that would be impolite, for he seemed to courtly for anything other than such. She nodded to him again, and wondered just how much he could feel from her, him being mechanical and all. The ground halted the lowering movements, and the ground pieces were level with each other. There was a throng of similarly dressed people, in black and a little white, with all kinds of fey being handled, some brutish creatures and large, some small and impish. She didn't know any of them, nor did she really want to. They looked like creatures that would more than willingly betray her to the troll market - though for sure all of them could see her through her glamour, and in fact a large mawed one tried to snap at her, before the humans handling it pulled it forcibly away, much to her relief. The German continued, relaxed, and led her through many hallways, until they reached a hallway bearing many large silver circles, that looked impenetrable. He left her hands for a moment, pressed a few small squares that lit up when he touched them. The silvery circle parted from the wall a bit, and the German parted it further, allowing them space. He held his mechanical cold hand out expectantly, and she took it gingerly.
He led her inside, and made sure she was fully in the space, once again bringing her to his metal and cloth chest, before turning around to close the door once more - she realized that was what it was, after she'd seen him part it within his grasp.
"There we are, we are hidden. Only I will see you, und I will admit, I am most curious to meet you. I hope you can speak English or German a little, however." he chuckled, straightening in a shivering mechanical way. He seemed cheery enough. She paused, then nibbled a little on her lip, before giving a cute sigh and calling her glamour back into herself. He seemed shocked when she gazed confidently, albeit a little downcast in her gaze, at him.
"I... am in need of... Help." she whispered quietly, in rough and accented English, her voice a little shaky. She was in no way confident in her English speaking abilities. For centuries she'd not talked to any humans, and children wouldn't understand Gaelic, or her rough English, so she'd never tried. He seemed to be looking her over.
"In what form of help do you need? Without authorization I am afraid I can do very little. I must inform you, I am already going over my orders, bringing you here, mein Fraeulein..." he told her sympathetically. And that was an understatement. Having been involved with Hellboy for the past two years or so however, had given him the mental security that he could in fact bend the rules if he saw the occasion worthy of it. She frowned.
"Bethmoora. I need Prince Nuada...Silverlance. Or his sister." she stated, a little irritated. She will not have come here all for nothing, surely? The German balked a little at the mention of the prince.
"Nuada is long since dead, und the same with his sister...Two years ago they were turned to stone by their deaths. Nuada tried to resurrect the Golden Army, und failed. His sister killed them both, for the sake of humanity." he replied softly. Now it was Mei's turn to balk. She looked at him with disgust.
"How... How dare you! Nuada... He cannot be...I would have felt..." she stuttered, wracking her memories for a moment of intense pain - for she would feel either of the siblings' pain, once or twice she had felt short simple pains on her skin, because she had sworn herself to the Bethmoora family in order for their protection, but...She had never sensed their passing. Perhaps they were not fully dead?
"I am sorry, mein Fraeulein....They are dead. I saw it myself. I am no expert on them, but perhaps Agent Sapien would be able to tell you more, he was very close to Nuala." he offered, all the while using his hands to express his words - she hadn't noticed it before. She nodded shakily.
"Please...I must see them...I am in danger," she whispered, almost in tears, though she held back her emotions just enough.