femslash february 2022 prompt 4: fairies.

Flight of the Unseelie

Jessica stews. Her brow furrows, and her heart races. She grinds her molars, the dull ache preferable to the pain on the game board. She digs her fingers into her leather chair, rocking back and forth, the death throes of her relatives echoing in the otherwise silent smoking room.

Eva and Hideyoshi collapse in a bloody heap in the rainy rose garden. Stakes sharper than steel had sewn through their bodies. Hideyoshi twitches, weakly reaching for his lifeless wife, before Leviathan's stake plunges through his forehead. As her sister reforms, Lucifer rises from Eva's chest, both drenched in their warm blood, and behind them, the Golden Witch cackles at the top of her lungs.

Across from Jessica, Beatrice emits a similar snigger. She crosses her legs, resting her knuckles against her chin. "So, Jessicaaa, what do you think? My stakes truly are ruthless."

"Just another gruesome killing, you bitch," she snarls, clenching her fists.

"A gruesome killing performed by my magic." Beatrice smirks. "Now, shall we debate? I want to hear your wild theories. Eva and Hideyoshi are dead. They were killed, and to cut you off before you try, they did not commit suicide nor did they kill each other."

Jessica sits back, her muscles tensing. Beatrice had confronted Eva and Hideyoshi discussing the inheritance, proclaiming they were her next victims. Then, Lucifer and Leviathan appeared and gouged through them when they attempted to run. Compared to the other killings Jessica had seen, it was almost tame. At least they weren't choked by their intestines in the chapel just like her parents and a few of the servants.

Her eyes narrow on the deep holes leaking blood onto their clothing. While Lucifer and Leviathan bow to their master in the game, an idea strikes Jessica. She snaps her fingers. "I don't believe those murder tool girls are really there because they don't exist! Someone else could have left the mansion and shot Eva and Hideyoshi!"

Beatrice hums. She doesn't answer immediately. Behind her, Virgilia simply smiles, discomforting Jessica. "Well, besides the fact that you didn't establish who this 'someone' is or how they left, my counterpoint is that I summoned them. They're my furniture," she explains, snickering. "You know, like that dead boy toy of yours."

Jessica lunges from her seat, her fist raised high above her head. A scream rises in her throat when a hand clamps down on her shoulder. She gasps, her face flushing as Ronove tightens his grip.

He forces her back into her seat and raises his finger to his lips. "Jessica-sama, young ladies mustn't lose their composure when taunted."

She bites back her anger. Her mother would have scolded her for lashing out, and she reluctantly obeys. Jessica meets Beatrice's gaze, whose eyes glint with amusement. "Even if I haven't said my full piece, you haven't refuted me. Prove to me those girls are real. Otherwise, they were killed by another method."

Beatrice strokes her chin. Virgilia suggests that she simply summon Lucifer and Leviathan and have them offer their perspective. But Beatrice shakes her finger, the corners of her lips lifting in a wicked grin.

"Sure, sure, I could do that, but I want this to be fun. Her mood is too irate for my liking, so I'll provide a moment of levity," she says as Jessica rolls her eyes. She summons her pipe and waves it like a wand. She twirls in between her fingers, Jessica watching as it flips before Beatrice strikes it high above her head. "Come, come, heed my call, friends of the forest!"

In the blink of an eye, four tiny creatures flit around Beatrice. They're dressed in fine silk garments. On their backs, their wings glitter, reminding Jessica of dragonflies. Dust falls from their bodies as they smile and float around Beatrice, who offers them her greetings, shaking their small hands with her pinky finger.

They're fairies. Round, rosy cheeks, hair the color of chestnuts, and giggling so quietly that Jessica cannot hear them, she realizes that Beatrice has summoned fairies. In her childhood, she heard rumors spread by Shannon and the servants about Beatrice's magical companions living in the woods. Fairies often bewitched servants, or so it was alleged, to either play games or join the witch's covenant, deceived by promises of glory and gold.

They speak in a tongue that tickles Jessica's ears. They cling to Beatrice's puffy sleeves, their eyes sparkling like diamonds. She caresses their heads, their sharp ears poking against her palm. Beatrice communicates in their language, her words sounding like hiss and a chuckle, and Jessica gawks, transfixed, as Beatrice gestures at her.

"Come now, don't be rude. You're upsetting my friends," she urges, Virgilia murmuring to the fairies. She holds out her pinky. "Shake their hands. It's a sign of equality and respect between species."

The fairies flutter over to Jessica. They inspect her, their pupils dark and wide. One ventures forward and raises her hand, smiling. A ghost of a laugh escapes her, and her friends huddle around her in front of Jessica's face, patiently waiting.

Jessica has been raised to adhere to proper social standards. She lifts her pinky finger, and the fairies brighten. They shake her finger, babbling in a language that makes her head spin. She tries to keep up with their conversation, but Beatrice's shadow crosses over her, and she stiffens.

But Beatrice's expression is gentle. "Do you think they're nice?"

Jessica stumbles over her words. "That's, uh, I don't know. I can't understand them."

Beatrice chuckles. "Well, they've taken quite a liking to you." She pats one of their heads. "They're contracted with Maria, but we're all members of Mariage Sorciere, so they'll come to my aid, too."

Beatrice leans on Jessica's chair, lazily lounging. She sighs, saying something in the fairies' language that makes them chortle. She flashes her pearly white, sharp teeth at them, lightly poking their tummies, laughing with them.

It's a side of Beatrice that Jessica hasn't seen before. She almost seems genuine, or perhaps, she is genuine around her friends. Although she's slaughtered her friends and family without a care in the world, for a moment, she's human. She's a young woman chatting with friends, exactly like Jessica. Observing as Beatrice cups her hand to her ear, listening to a fairy, she lets a hint of a smile grace her face.

"Would you like to speak with them?" Beatrice asks, her ruby red lips fixed in a grin.

"Uh, maybe a hello is good for now?" Jessica offers, scratching her cheek.

Beatrice says what she hopes is her request. The fairies nod and spread out above Jessica. Fairy dust sprinkles from their bodies and land on her head. Jessica yelps, digging her fingers into her scalp only for a sudden feeling of weightlessness to snap her out of her thoughts. Her legs lift involuntarily, followed by her upper body, and then, she floats.

"You can fly," Beatrice sings, rising off the ground. She slings her arm around Jessica's waist and spins her, Virgilia and Ronove quietly looking on. "Give it a try! Flight is a standard usage of magic, you know!"

Beatrice shoves her forward, and the fairies scatter. Jessica yelps, flailing her limbs. She catches herself and flaps her arms in place. She propels upward to the fragment that has dimmed, preventing her from seeing the bloodshed. Slowly, Jessica whirls around, pivoting left and right, kicking off to the ceiling, touching it, marveling over a concept she has dreamed about since she was a child.

Fairies had given her the ability to fly. Humans cannot fly on their own. It is all because of magic that she's soaring, cartwheeling, and laughing in the air.

Jessica meets Beatrice's gaze. They smile at each other. Any semblance of disharmony is dashed in an instant, and Beatrice flies up to join her. They lace their fingers together, laughing and beaming, twirling each other around like ballerinas; the game is momentarily forgotten.

She giggles. "Y'know, if you have nice friends like these, then magic is-!"

Jessica cuts herself off. She freezes in place. The fairies jeer amongst themselves. Below her, Ronove puffs out a chuckle that borders on disappointment. Virgilia covers her mouth, hiding her amusement, her eyes wide in merciless delight.

As the witch tightens her grip when Jessica wills herself to look, Beatrice sneers.

She knows why Beatrice has summoned them. Accepting the existence of fairies is exactly like accepting the existence of all fantasy creatures.

"You believe in them, right? I summoned them just as I summoned my furniture! Hence, they exist, they exist! All fantasy creatures really do exist!" Beatrice bellows. Her words bounce off the walls and ricochet at Jessica. She thrusts forward, pushing Jessica to the ground, but her back never hits, her grasp too strong. "And look, look! You're floating and flying because of magic! It's capable of doing so much that humans simply can't do, right?"

The fairies cackle in the witch's tongue. The demon and witches scorn her. She wants to clap her hands over her ears and scream.

But Beatrice touches her chin. She soothes her, fondling her face and slinking her fingers through her blonde curls. In a voice both sultry and forgiving, she whispers, "Come on, Jessica, join us. We'll have fun every single day. You needn't have to suffer if you believe in my magic. Give in, sign my contract, become one with me in the Golden Land."

Her brain buzzes. Their eyes leech on her, but she can only see Beatrice. The witch smiles in a way that is too kind with lips too full that could kiss away her terrors. Everyone else has surrendered to her, and she is the late guest to the Golden Land.

Jessica swallows. Her heart thunders in her chest. She sighs into Beatrice's caress, slowly closing her eyes, her body drifting into her chest.

But just as Beatrice cups her jaw, she snatches the witch's wrist. They crash together, Beatrice smothering her. Jessica shoves her aside before Beatrice can even gasp, disavowing her warmth. She dashes to her feet and jabs her finger at the befuddled witch, her mirth swapping for utter shock.

"Hempel's Raven. The existence of fairies doesn't prove the existence of your servants," Jessica counters.

Ronove smirks. He brings his gloved hands together in applause. "And here I thought you were going to yield. An excellent return to form and rebuttal, Jessica-sama."

Virgilia sighs. "I agree. This is why I suggested bringing in Lucifer and Leviathan."

Beatrice seems to let Jessica's proclamation sink in before standing. She glares, lines bunching up at the corners of her mouth and eyes. The fairies seethe as well, their tiny bodies red with rage. Slowly, she raises her hands, gathering her tiny friends and cupping them in a hug, saying something that Jessica cannot understand.

The fairies snarl at Jessica before they vanish. As their dust trickles and fades, Jessica and Beatrice are all that remain. The bystanders observe in silence, Jessica hearing her heavy breathing filling the room, and Beatrice impassively watches her regain her composure.

"Not bad. Fine use of wicked logic for someone as unintelligent as you," Beatrice remarks, "but we still have a murder to discuss. Shall we resume?"

Jessica hesitates. She teases a loose lock of her blond hair. She creeps toward her chair, speaking as she passes Beatrice. "Yeah. It was nice flying, so, uh, thanks for that," she mumbles, "and uh, sorry about the crash landing."

Beatrice clicks her tongue. "I'd let you fly as much as you'd want in the Golden Land."

She scoffs. "Like I'm falling for that."

But Jessica can't help but notice the sad smile crossing Beatrice's face for the briefest of seconds before they launch their duel of red and blue.