I know it hurts / It's hard to breathe sometimes / These nights are long / You've lost the will to fight
I know you can't remember how to shine / Your heart's a bird without the wings to fly
Is anybody out there? / Can you take this weight of mine? / Is anybody out there? / Can you lead me to the light?
You are not alone / I've been here the whole time / Singing you a song / I will carry you / I will carry you
I know it hurts / It's hard to breathe sometimes
AO3 Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Character Interpretation, Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Changelings, Fae & Fairies, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mental Health Issues, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, This moves so slow it makes glaciers look fast,
She felt his sides heaving, but she urged him into the jump anyway. Branches tugged at the bottom of the riding habit. She heard them batter against his belly and legs. But his footing stayed true as they landed.
"Good job, Neige." Weiss leaned forward and patted his mane with a gloved felt bad about putting him through such hell over the past few hours, but it was the only recourse she had. The hunting party had been arranged as a celebration of her betrothal.
She had to get away. She couldn't be married to that disgusting pig her father wanted her to wed. She was only sixteen and he was twenty-five. Not the worst age gap in Atlassian arrangements, but she knew what awaited her. Rape, children, more abuse… A fate worse than death. She'd probably end up no better than Willow. She'd never touched alcohol in her life, but she might very well turn to the bottle if she got married.
She lightly tapped Neige's side with her heel and he started off at a walk. After the mad dash of the past thirty minutes, he needed to regain his breath. Even aura breeds had their limits.
So far, she hadn't heard the hounds or anybody in pursuit. But it probably wouldn't take long. She didn't have a lick of wilderness or survival training. She wouldn't survive past three days without water nor a week and a half without food. Only Holy Father knew what would happen if she tried to forage without that knowledge.
However, Neige stopped walking and his ears angled sharply to the right. "What is it, boy?" She'd never seen him act this way before. He was normally quite placid. So to see him interested in something, it had to be big. Then again, he was on guard. She was trying to get away, so he was trying to keep her safe.
" Magic. Somebody's singing." Magic? What was he talking about? It was complete nonsense. But she'd never known him to say anything so ridiculous. He'd always had a good head on his shoulders. She could at least believe somebody was singing.
No.
Wait.
Why would anybody be so out in the middle of nowhere?
Though there was another problem to worry about…
"Go to it, boy," she urged. His head bobbed and he broke into a trot. He should have been walking. His sides frothed with sweat. But she had to stay ahead of the Grimm. Even if she could somehow survive, the Grimm would get her. She was panicked and fearful. That would draw them in and she'd be a sitting duck. Myrtenaster was safely tucked away where he couldn't find it. She didn't have so much as a dagger on her to defend herself.
Within a few minutes, a soft tune reached her ears but it quickly cut off. It was a beautiful melody and she felt drawn in. Regardless, Neige pressed onward until she came to the source.
She saw a girl about her age though her eyes were drawn upward to the top of her head.
Cat ears.
A Faunus.
But there were also wings on her back. Clear and detached in six different parts. They weren't like any sort of wings she'd seen before. Pure, clean and razor thing. It almost looked as if the clearest winter air had crystallised into physical form.
But her eyes… Left amber, right blue. SHe'd never seen somebody with heterochromia before. How strange.
The girl's cat ears flattened and she looked away. "I should go. I shouldn't have been here in the first place." She sat on the bank of a small stream, incense burning with an arrangement of other objects. What was she doing out here? There was no logical answer for any of this. Weiss really didn't understand what was going on here.
"Can you help us?" Neige spoke up despite Weiss having a hold on him. What was he doing? They didn't need anybody's help, let alone a Faunus! "Her father has betrothed her and it will lead to severe consequences. At best, she'll be used as a vessel for a man's pleasure. At worst, having multiple children will lead to an early death for her. Please. Help her."
"Neige, hush! We don't need help, let alone from her kind!" she hissed. She was lying through her teeth and she knew it. But her pride refused to acknowledge the fact she needed help. Plus, what could this lowly Faunus do for her? It wasn't like they held in any sway in Atlas. This girl would get arrested on side for trying to kidnap the Schnee heiress.
However, her insides froze as one of her worst fears confirmed. The eerie howling of a Grimm game in the distance.
They were closing in on her.
The girl shoved the various objects into a leather messenger bag then took hold of Neige's reins near his mouth. "What are you doing?!" She turned to face Weiss and her expression was cool. It reminded her of Winter in all the wrong ways.
"Your steed asked for my help. Either I help you or I leave you to face your fate…whatever it may be." The tone chilled Weiss to the bone and she gave a meek nod. Something about this girl absolutely radiated power. It was best to shut up. She'd long ago learned that that speaking up only resulted in punishment. This girl seemed more powerful than even President Jacques, so it would be best to not anger her.
Weiss sat back in the sidesaddle and let the girl start walking. Soon, she found herself in a much warmer area, surrounded by stables and lush gardens. The gardens of even Schnee manor paled in comparison to this. And why was it so warm anyway? Yes, it was summer, but it felt as if the temperature had raised about thirty degrees.
"You can get off. Our stablehand will care for your hose." Weiss gave another meek nod and slid off after the mounting block came into view. Yeah, this was really hot. She felt the dress already clinging to her uncomfortably from the sweat. She was going to faint if she had to keep the habit on for too long.
"Follow me. You can borrow one of my dresses." But the other girl was taller than… How was she supposed to fit into her clothes? So many questions and no answers… Where were they? Who was she? How did they end up at this place? How could the girl understand Neige having just met him? Was she a prisoner now? Would they ransom her? That last point did seem likely… Weiss was betrothed now so they could get any sort of ransom they wanted… Both the SDC and her fiance's family would pay anything to get her back…
They entered a large manor home and the air mercifully cooled down. It still wasn't Atlas cool but it was much more tolerable than the outside.
The girl remained silent as they headed through the manor. It didn't take much for some strange details to start emerging. Almost all of the servants had red eyes, though there were some brown ones mixed in. She did catch sight of one amber-eyed servant, but the woman looked away from Weiss as soon as they made eye contact. How strange.
Eventually, they reached a large room, pulent as any she'd seen in Atlas. At least the girl was well off and she wouldn't have to endure awful treatment…assuming they didn't turn her into a servant. That…might very well happen too. What was this girl planning to do with her?
The girl motioned for her to settle on the bed and she dug through her expansive closet for a bit. Eventually, she came out with a sapphire, blue dress and laid it next to Weiss. "Go ahead and change, then wait here for a while. I hate to go talk to my parents. Please don't leave this room until I return. Do not tell anybody your name either. I'll have some of the staff bring you something to eat and drink while I'm gone." Weiss gave a small nod and was left alone a moment later.
She changed quickly and then looked around the room. What was she supposed to do until the girl returned…? A glance at the bookcase revealed all of them were written in unknown scripts. She couldn't read… How was she supposed to keep herself entertained…? What a nightmare… She'd been kidnapped and now she couldn't even read! This was one of the worst scenarios she could imagine!
‡
Blake picked her way through the hallways, ears drooped over a bit. She probably shouldn't have been so cold to the terrified girl, but it was hard. Lowly? Just because she was a hybrid didn't mean she was lesser. Yes, it had been directed at the idea she was a Faunus, but it had been too close to home. Far too many other fae acted like she was scum of the earth. All because her parents had fallen in love with somebody outside of their race.
She knocked on her parents' door and it took only a moment for Ghira to answer. "Blake? What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon. But come in." He let her in and she looked around, ears twitching.
"Where's Mom? It's a bit early for her to be going out to the meeting…" She was way ahead of schedule. Kali had promised to take her with her to the gathering that evening. It was barely into the afternoon. Why would she have left so early? Yes, she did like to meditate, but so soon in the day after her morning session?
"Kelia asked her for a blessing. She learned today she was pregnant. Is this is not something I can help you with?" Ghira settled in a chair and offered Blake the couch. She settled down and hid her wings, not wanting them to interfere with her comfort.
She shook her head. "Unfortunately not. It's nice to hear Kelia's finally getting her child after close to two decades, but I really do need Mom for this. Only she can handle the paperwork… Though I will need to go to the Misum court. I…might have found a human in dire need of help today." Her ears remained drooped over. This was going to be an absolute nightmare and she knew it. Changelings were a paperwork catastrophe. Plus, the fact they needed blue eyes was nothing to scoff at either. Only Undine had them. She had someone in mind for the exchange, but her parents had never allowed her to travel to the Misum court by herself. They should have been there anyway, but with Kali's callings, they were sometimes places they shouldn't have been.
Ghira sighed and shook his head. "Blake you can't go kidnapping every human you see. Changelings are hard enough, let alone for somebody who's older…" His blue eyes closed and he massaged the bridge of her nose. "It wasn't like she went out and brought wayward humans home. It was hard to be completely callous when she saw waywards traveling like this. She'd seen too many from abusive situations try to get away like this. Unfortunately, she'd had to simply leave them to their fate. She probably should have done that here too. But the way this particular human's soul cried out… She feared a fate worse than death should the girl return to home.
"I know, but you've heard the stories changelings have brought back from Atlas and Mantle… This one is upper class, no doubt. The quality of clothing is clearly tailored and the high materials. I sensed on her she'd been betrothed. Do you really want her to suffer that fate?" She was so glad neither Lider nor Misum oppressed sex or gender. One gender did tend to be more dominant, but there was no true oppression based on sex or gender. "She's only about my age…"
"Blake…" Ghira sighed again. "She's already here, so I'll see what I can do. But for you to go to the Misum court alone? Are you sure you can handle it?" It was a pretty tal order. But she'd spent enough time around the chaotic fae to know how to handle herself.
"I'm only going to visit Auria. She's not a member of the court yet." A few decades away… She'd have to delay for a few decades more, but it wasn't a huge deal. After two centuries, what was another sixty or seventy years? It really didn't matter that much. Though she wouldn't be happy having to spend time over in the Lider court…
"If you're sure you can handle it. Duke Gineres won't be happy losing his daughter for some decades."
"I know to be careful of his anger." The duke was infamous for not being happy with people getting into his business. But Blake was practically another daughter to him, so she would be less likely to earn his ire.
Or so she should be, theoretically.
She hoped the close relationship she bore to the duke would shield her from the worst of it. This wouldn't be an easy proposition. She had a feeling Auria wouldn't mind too much. Misum did inherently enjoy messing with humans and Faunus. What better way to do so than becoming a changeling for a few decades?
"Well, all right. Do you want to learn about our new charge before going to the duke?" That…might be a good idea. She'd had the girl take off her dress so that would be more than enough information. She was clearly reluctant to trust anybody with how she'd acted earlier. So she had to rely on outside sources in order to get information. Auria would need her memories, though, assuming she agreed to this. That was going to be an extremely hard seel for this abused soul.
"I'll go see what memory her dress has." Maybe she'd bring her down to the tailors too… That dress she'd given her was the only adjustable one she had. They could easily enchant a few more to tide over until they got her wardrobe done…
Though…
Her hand went to the earring in her right ear. "Does Mom have another one I can borrow?" Hopefully her mother would be okay with her borrowing one. It'd leave her with a mismatched pair, but until they could get the girl her own…
Ghira stood up and looked over the rack of earrings, then handed a delicate diamond one to her. "She can't be seen with that in public." Yeah. gemstones were only for the upper class and the girl wasn't part of them. The family didn't need the scandal of having a human far outside of her social strata. The changeling faux paux was going to be the subject of gossip for at least the next decade in both courts! A Lider asking a Misum to be a late changeling? How utterly scandalous!
Blake nodded and she hugged her father before heading out of the room. She went back to her own and saw the girl sitting in the reading nook in the window. Her head snapped up and her blue eyes arounded. Although now that she thought about it, that shade of blue…
She had Undine blood?
It was a slight bit darker, but it was close enough that the connection was apparent. SHe had connections to the Misum court through ancestry. How far removed was the question… Not so much that she'd completely lost the eye color, yet still far enough removed that it had shifted ever so slightly. She'd need a genealoger to cast a spell to determine where she fell.
Blake walked over to her and offered her the earring. "Here. Put this in your right ear." Her tone was much softer than it'd been before. Confusion, anxiety, and guardedness bled through the girl's soul. She couldn't blame her…Abusers shifted their personalities like this without much regard for their charges. Some of her energy flows had simply left her frustrated and hurt.
The girl compiled but still looked up at her. Blake flicked her own earring—a soft aquamarine with silver. "It'll let you understand any language and let anybody understand you. Keep it in at all times aside from sleep." She gave a small nod, though Blake saw her eyes fall on the books beside her.
She offered one to the girl. "You can read them now." The universal translation spell really was a useful one. Fae society would stop functioning without it. Only a few select people actually took the time to manually learn the other fae languages.
"By the way, can you give me your last name?" Blake smiled at the girl who gave a small nod.
"Schnee. Where am I anyway? Why did you tell me not to tell anybody my name?" Yeah, the girl had to have a ton of questions, all completely reasonable.
"I don't have time to go over much unfortunately. I need to go talk to someone very shortly. But you're in the fae or fairy realm now. Names are important here and hold power. As long as I don't know your full name, I can't hold you to anything." But she needed to at least know her last name to pass it onto the duke. They could look into the records and possibly see where the Schnee family came into the picture. It was of Undine ties, so it really did mean they cold find it. It was easily within the past two to three hundred years, so finding the lead probably wouldn't take too long.
She felt the girl's soul twist incredulously but she said nothing. All she did was give a meek nod. "I suppose I'll talk to you later then?"
Blake shook her head. "I'll take you to the tailors first. Time is of the essence, but it won't take long for them to get your measurements." She picked up the heavy dressy and sighed. The object radiated sorrow and anxiety, identical to its wearer. A small reading spell revealed scenes of the father gripping her shoulder much too tight. Her soul protected her from low-grade damage, but it didn't stop the discomfort.
"You can call me Blake, by the way." It wasn't her soul name, so it wasn't a big deal to share it. Schnee nodded but didn't say anything. She really had been beaten into submission, hadn't she…? The dress hadn't revealed as much as she had hoped. It was only for riding horses. That horribly limited Blake's access to her new charge's past.
For the next half hour, the tailors fussed and fiddled with Schnee's measurements. But they did offer her some simpler dresses and breeches until they finished with her full wardrobe. She gave them the riding dress. Summers were much hotter than in Atlas. No point in having Schnee wear something that would probably make her faint.
"Again, please don't leave my room until I return. We can discuss things over dinner when I get back." She would be seen as rude to the other families coming over. But it wasn't like she skipped meals a lot. She had a perfectly good reason to miss out on dinner with them all… She'd make it up to them with breakfast.
Though she should probably go to one of the jewelry shops while visiting the duke. Schnee could not be seen with the diamond earring by other noble families. It was a stopgap measure for the time being. But a human being seen with a diamond when she hadn't grown up among the fae… It would be such a scandal for her family.
With Schnee tucked safely in her room, Blake headed for the teleportation room. She touched the garnet bracelet to the terminal and took a breath. "Duke Gineres, summer manor." This was not going to be a fun conversation…
