So this took a lot longer than expected, it was supposed to be done a while ago, but it didn't really happen, sorry guys XD
But it's done now, and I'm working on some other chapters too, yay right?
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
Beta/Updated (Begrudgingly for audiobook): 4/15/2021
Beautiful Fairy
What am I going to do with her?
Kirito couldn't help but sigh as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked warily at his bed, where someone had deposited a female fairy. As the prince of Aincrad, his father was determined to find a girl for him to marry, and it seemed that this time, he had taken it a step too far.
Kidnapping a fairy from Alf-Heim? That's too far, even for him. Geez, when Sinon and Liz find out, they're going to freak.
Sinon was to be his future partner's bodyguard, and Liz was supposed to be the chosen girl's advisor, or, as she hated having it called, maid. Kirito's personal bodyguard, on the other hand, was a tall bald man with dark skin named Agil, and the spiky-haired Klein was his advisor, putting him in a rather harsh predicament.
"Father… You're going to be the end of me," Kirito sighed, his onyx-colored gaze wandering over the unconscious fairy in front of him.
She was beautiful, even by fairy standards. She had long, light-blue hair that was spread out behind her, with a few locks resting in the front. Long eyelashes, a small nose, full lips, the signature pointed ears of a fairy, creamy white skin with very faint freckles, long legs, and a slim and slender body type. She was wearing a simple, sleeveless white dress that would've fallen to her knees had she been standing upright, and two braids of hair connected at the back of her head. She was also barefoot.
Her wrists and ankles had been tied together using Aincrad Mithril rope, a magic-suppressing metal that would prevent the fairy from using spells whenever she regained consciousness.
Kirito hadn't dared touch her beyond checking her pulse, choosing instead to remain seated at his desk, mulling over this peculiar situation and the beautiful water fairy in his bed. At the present moment, he was waiting for his four royal advisors and his bodyguards to get here.
He had to admit, though, that he was more than a little tempted to touch the fairy's shimmering blue wings trapped within the Mithril Rope. The translucent material of her wings glowed softly in the afternoon light, and gave off shimmering sparkles every time they twitched in her unconscious state. He had heard stories about fairy wings and how soft they were supposed to be. Softer than pure silk and lighter than a down feather, they said, which made him wonder how they could even fly to begin with. The only explanation that seemed reasonable was their status as magical creatures.
Now that he thought about it, fairies were a lot like humans, except blessed with magic and the ability to spellcast.
The sudden entrance of two royal advisors into his room caused Kirito to jump in his seat. The first one looked like she was about ready to kill something, whilst the pair of bodyguards following her appeared much calmer, if not a slight bit annoyed.
"What's this about having a fairy in your room, man?" Kirito's royal advisor, Klein, asked with a grin before his gaze strayed to the unconscious fairy and his jaw dropped. "Holy… Hey, if you don't want her, can I have her-"
He was cut off mid-sentence by Liz who socked him in the gut so hard he fell to his knees, struggling for air.
"That's not funny, Klein!" Liz snapped harshly and hurried past him over to the fairy. "Fairies aren't like us! They require certain things that we don't! And I'm sure none of them would want to be your wife, Klein. If they did, they would have to have some kind of serious head injury!"
She went to work untying the rope around the fairy's wings.
"Honestly," she muttered underneath her breath as she worked. "Tying up her wings like this… What are we, barbarians? It could do permanent damage, you know…"
Kirito carefully avoided speaking to Liz and making her more upset as the two bodyguards shuffled into the room, Agil picked up Klein by the back of his armor and moved him deeper into the room before letting go.
"That's a fairy alright," Sinon pointed out in her usual calm voice, teal-colored eyes darting across the unconscious woman. "Looks like a water fairy, an Undine. Supposedly, they're incredibly skilled with healing magic, and water bends to their will."
"Yeah, but how did you end up with one in here?" Agil asked Kirito with a slightly worried expression. "And how long has she been here?"
Kirito shuffled around in discomfort.
"Recon told me they came by this morning with her, and I ended up with her here because my father is an idiot. Heathcliff's losing his mind. I messaged Sugu and told her to ask around Alf-Heim to see if they're missing anyone since she's half-sylph, but she won't be back for at least a few hours. So I have no idea who she is other than her name. Recon called her Asuna."
"So she's been here for six hours?" Agil asked, pulling the bag from his shoulder and rummaging around inside of it. "Liz, did you bring the infusers?"
An infuser was a type of bracelet they could give to the fairy named Asuna to protect her against the adverse effects of being separated from her element until they could get her out of the castle. Without it, she would get sick and lose connection with her magic and the water element, leaving her vulnerable.
"No," Liz replied from where she was now standing examining Asuna's wings for damage. "Arrow punctures. They shot her out of the sky. Explains the damage to her wings and the bruising on her head."
She carefully lifted the fairy's head up a little and twisted it from side to side, checking for any other hidden injuries. "Someone has to have brought them, I packed them the moment Kirito told us it was a fairy."
"I have them," Sinon said, slinging her bow over her shoulder before retrieving a series of small bracelets from her pocket and tossing a blue and silver one to Liz. "Catch."
Kirito watched Liz work for a few moments, as she untied Asuna and made sure she wasn't too badly hurt whilst Klein whined on the floor about how his stomach hurt.
"Should we stay here and wait for her to wake up?" he eventually asked as Liz carefully moved Asuna into a more comfortable position. "The tranquilizers are only supposed to last for eight hours tops."
"Might as well. We're going to have to explain the situation to her and try to get her home when she's feeling well enough," Agil pointed out from his position leaned up against a nearby wall. "She's going to be weak for a while though, as her magic regens after the long separation from her homeland."
"We'll rotate out, with Kirito here the most since we all have other duties to attend to," Sinon added. everyone agreed.
Asuna awoke to bright sunlight and a pounding headache, her body aching with discomfort and feeling weaker than a baby. She forced her eyes partially open with a soft groan of pain and pulled her arms under her shoulders to prop herself up. A blank stare levelled itself at the sunlit room she was in through half-lidded eyes, her mind searching for anything that looked vaguely familiar. Her wings shimmered, and would've most likely disappeared into her back were it not for the spike of pain that ran through them as she tried to turn over in the bed. Asuna tensed up, grasping fistfuls of the fabric beneath her as pain-filled tremors surged through her body, a terse moan leaking from her lips. Her arms soon gave out beneath her, causing her to fall back down again into the soft fabric once more. It was cool and soft to the touch, and felt good against her aching skin.
Blue eyes closed in agony, and Asuna had to conclude that she was simply feeling terrible in pretty much every way that counted. Moving only made the pain feel worse, and a strong desire to simply go back to sleep and wait for someone to use a healing spell on her washed over her. Still, she moistened her dry lips with her tongue and tried to cast one herself.
"Þú fylla heill…"
She broke off into a violent cough, her consciousness flickering as the terrifying truth dawned on her: her magic had been drained. She could no longer heal herself.
"Ssh," a quiet tenor voice spoke softly as a warm hand came to rest on her back, between her shoulders and just below her wings.
"You'll feel better soon," the voice reassured her as Asuna forced her eyes to open so she could gaze at the owner. He was a handsome young man with black hair and concerned onyx-tinted eyes. She squinted, trying to get a better look at him, but her body was no longer willing to follow her commands. She was in pain, her body was on fire, her head was spinning, her chest burned with the lack of magic and exposure to water, and her wings were in agony. It was time to sleep.
Her eyes slipped shut, and somewhere far away, she heard someone speak, the words barely audible to her.
"Ask Sugu how to help an Undine heal without magic." This voice was female and calm in nature, and Asuna soon felt a cool rag be placed upon her temple and forehead. "I think the fall broke some of her bones."
"Got it."
Asuna felt the hand on her back rub her softly, as if soothing a child. "Go back to sleep. You'll feel better soon…"
She finally succumbed to her fatigue, relief filling her as the peaceful blackness took away the pain from her body.
Kirito sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He and the other four were sitting around in his room, waiting for the fairy to stir again. The tranquilizer may have worn off at two in the afternoon, but Asuna had been slipping in and out of consciousness ever since, developing a low fever in the process. She usually groaned or mewled pitifully every time she was awake, whimpering from the sheer amount of pain her body was in. What made it worse was the fact that they couldn't heal her. A fairy needed magic to heal, and Sugu's arrival had been delayed by several hours. The noises Asuna made and the way she had looked at him the first time she woke up, pretty sky-blue pools aching with pain and pleading for help, squeezed at his heart, making him want to protect her and heal her to the best of his ability.
"Did you get a response back from Sugu?" Liz asked from where she was sitting using a cloth to wipe away the sweat from the fairy's face.
Kirito started to shake his head, before a message dinged in the corner of his vision, and he quickly summoned forth his social tab with a flick of his wrist. He tapped the message thread belonging to his sister, skimming through it with his eyes before he jumped to his feet and slid one arm beneath Asuna's shoulders and the other beneath her knees.
The fairy immediately groaned in protest, coming back to awareness at the rough movements.
"I'm sorry to hurt you, but this will make it better, I promise."
His words were wasted on her, however, as barely a second later, she slipped back into an unconscious state, her head drooping to rest against his chest as he lifted her up. Kirito looked at Liz.
"Grab some towels and supplies. I'm taking the fairy to the lake. Sugu said that she needs to be submerged or partially submerged in natural water, and I have to get there before her wings fade and turn invisible. Look."
He pointed to one of Asuna's blue wings, which were a lot more transparent than they had been just hours earlier. He then quickly raced out of the room, noticing with some level of surprise that the fairy seemed to weigh less than ninety pounds, which was startling for a woman of her size. He quickly reached the stables, running with his sprint active and panting slightly.
"I need a horse!" He yelled out once he came to a stop. "Hurry!"
The horse trainers quickly managed to pick up their jaws at the sight of Kirito carrying a rather delicate-looking fairy, and soon got him the horse he needed. With a jump that stretched his abilities, Kirito swung himself up onto the horse with Asuna in his arms, and carefully positioned her in the side saddle, her body still leaning against his chest.
Asuna mewled softly in pain, and Kirito felt a sudden urge to smooth down her light-blue hair and press a kiss to her forehead, but quickly beat it down, telling himself that he had no right to do so. She wasn't his, and it was his fault she was even in this situation to begin with. So instead, he rode.
"Hiya!"
The ten-minute ride to the lake felt like the longest trip of his life.
The lake was cool, borderline icy, but Kirito didn't let that stop him as he carefully waded out into its freezing depths, the water seeping into his black shoes and soaking his pants as he did so. The fairy in his arms had grown a tad bit more lucid now, and had wrapped her arms around his neck and cracked her eyes open, still shivering from her fever.
Please work… Kirito pleaded as he waded further in, until the water reached his waist. I don't want this fairy to die just because of my father.
He continued on, water pulling his shirt around his ribs, with Asuna now submerged up to her shoulders. He was careful to keep his jacket wrapped around her to ward off some of the water's chill and protect her modesty with the white dress she was wearing.
"Come on… come on… please work!" He looked down at the barely conscious fairy, whose eyes connected with his for a half a second before they closed, and her body grew limp in his arms. He glanced at her wings, who were all but invisible underneath the water, and his eyebrows furrowed in worry.
He walked even further into the lake, until the water lapped at his chin. There, he took one last deep breath, before he plunged himself completely underneath its surface.
Come on, come on! He thought as he forced his eyes open so he could look at the unconscious fairy in his arms, her long blue hair swaying with the current and floating gently above her head. He moved deeper, thankful for the heavy metal buckled on his shoes and the jacket wrapped around the fairy for weighing them both down and keeping them submerged.
However… his throat and chest was quickly beginning to burn, and his arms were shaking like a leaf as he struggled to hold his breath. Black spots were swimming in his vision, and he could hear faint splashing as Liz or one of the others arrived and started trekking towards him. The fairy in his arms didn't move, her status completely unchanged.
What now? He couldn't help but wonder as he felt an overwhelming sense of pressure run through his body. He was out of oxygen, and his experiment hadn't worked. The Fairy in his arms wasn't moving, and her wounds weren't healing.
I guess this is it… I'm sorry Asuna, I wish I could've saved you, Kirito thought dimly as his arms gave out and he fell to his knees, blackness overtaking his vision. He knew Liz and Agil would pull him out before he drowned, but he had wanted to help her, this helpless fairy.
Just as his vision turned completely black, Kirito could've sworn he saw the fairy's wings twitch and regain a shade of blue.
"Oss naða... bàrum... svalr … vatn!"
Kirito vaguely heard the sound of a beautiful voice chanting in the language that called forth Alf-Heim Magic as he regained consciousness and breathed in a deep gasping breath, coughing violently and spitting out water. Yet, when he opened his eyes, the world was still dark. Muted even. Almost as if…
His eyes widened. As if he was still under water. And in front of him were the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. They looked vaguely familiar, like he had seen them only a few times before… Memories flooded his mind and he stared at the person… no, fairy, in front of him.
Her eyes were blue, blue like the late summer sky, and seemed to glow softly in the murky freshwater lake. She had caught one of his wrists in her left hand, expertly checking for a pulse, and had slid her arms through his black jacket, protecting her modesty against her soaked clothing.
That's when Kirito realized something. He was currently inside a large bubble, resting against its walls in a half sitting position. His legs bent at the knees, and the fairy…
Before, she had been beautiful, but here, in her element, she was breathtaking. The fairy had water droplets clinging to her skin and hair as she knelt beside him, her long, blue hair swept casually over the ridge of her shoulders and dripping softly. The water inside the bubble seemed to pool around her, escaping Kirito's hair and clothes to form a glittering pool of radiance around her legs. The water seemed to be disobeying the laws of physics around her, not weighing down her hair in the slightest, rather leaving it silky smooth and a little wavy whilst softly clinging to her skin.
He was speechless, and at the same time, tongue-tied and nervous. He didn't know how to start a conversation now. What was he supposed to say?
I should probably ask if she's okay, but she looks fine. Her wounds have healed and she looks healthy. Plus, I've never been good at talking to girls- Kirito's thoughts were cut off as the Undine in front of him spoke quietly.
"Are you alright?" She murmured in English, blue eyes shining with concern for his safety. "Did you get any water in your lungs?"
As she spoke, she tucked a stray lock of sky-blue hair behind her ear.
Kirito's eyes followed her movements for a few moments, before the fairy suddenly blushed and he coughed awkwardly into his hand.
"Y-yeah," he stuttered, a shade of red spreading across his cheeks as well. "I-I'm fine… thank you."
The fairy avoided his eyes, her nose and cheeks dyed a soft, rosy pink. "I should be thanking you. After all… you were the one who saved me."
Kirito sighed. "Even so… It's my fault you were shot down to begin with."
"How?" The fairy asked, drawing her blue eyes back to him. "You weren't the one who shot me out of the sky, were you?"
Kirito sighed heavily. "I didn't shoot you down myself, no, but you were captured by my father in order to become my wife."
The fairy blinked a few times, her pink lips forming an 'o' shape before she abruptly smiled.
"Well, there was no reason to actually shoot me down then. I was on my way to Aincrad anyway. My father sent me ahead to warn Aincrad's monarchy that he was on his way. Sooo, no harm done."
Kirito blinked a few times and looked at the fairy who bore no ill will towards him even after hearing that he was the reason for her injuries.
This may be a selfish desire, he thought to himself as the fairy suddenly scooted closer to him and offered him a hand with a beautiful smile. But I hope she stays here in Aincrad. I can learn to love this girl, even if she is a fairy.
The fairy's smile widened a bit as she spoke. "My name's Asuna, and I'm the daughter of Oberon."
Kirito smiled back at her and grasped her hand with his own, noticing in the back of his head how soft the fairy's skin was.
"Kirito, son of Heathcliff."
"Asunaaaa!"
Asuna had been sitting behind Kirito on his horse. Her wings were still broken and damaged, so she couldn't fly yet. However, she had healed enough to the point where she could tuck them into her back with magic and make herself seem more human-like, besides the pointed ears.
Kirito blinked at the sudden noise and slowed his horse to a trot. What in the- He trailed off as the weight of Asuna's hands on his waist suddenly vanished, and something purple tackled the Undine off his horse and into a nearby bush of the Ruby Palace's Garden. He could barely track the purple object with his eyes, that's how fast it moved. Yet, a moment later, he came to realize that it was a girl about thirteen years of age, hugging Asuna around the waist from her position on top in the now misshapen bush.
"Yuuki, I'm fine..." Asuna cringed as her face turned red and Kirito dismounted from his horse, the Undine desperately trying to reach behind her and pry the girl's fingers apart. "I… can't... breathe!"
Kirito recognized the girl as an Imp, a class of Alf-Heim fairy, and quickened his pace, even though amusement was written all over his face. That was, until Asuna went a little pale, anyway.
"And there goes a rib," Asuna wheezed before she patted the girl on the back, looking like she was being strangled from the force of the hug, yet remaining calm and affectionate at the same time. "Oh, and another one…"
Kirito hurried over, half tempted to draw one of his two swords, just in case.
"Um, excuse me," he said and moved to tap the purple-haired girl's shoulder, only to have Asuna stop him with a strained smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement and faint pain.
"It's okay… she's… just… worried…" Asuna wheezed, hugging Yuuki back before giving a sharp gasp as the purple-haired girl tightened her hold yet again. Kirito heard multiple cracks and pops coming from the poor Undine's delicate body as Asuna gave a pain-filled squeal, before the Imp girl suddenly released her and yanked her to her feet.
Asuna hunched over a little, holding a hand to her ribs and wheezing for air. "Good… to see… you too… Yuuki."
The purple-haired girl grinned back at her and opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a tiny flying shape zooming toward Asuna.
"Mama!" The small shape suddenly transformed into a young girl with black hair and silver eyes wearing a white sundress that collided with Asuna, knocking her down into the bush yet again.
Asuna groaned, now laying spread eagle in the bush, and Kirito had to really fight to contain the snort of laughter that threatened to force its way out around his confusion.
Mama? Is Asuna already married? Kirito wondered as he awkwardly stood there, unsure of whether or not to get involved.
"Aunt Yuuki told me you got shot down, and I was so scared! I thought I would never see you again!" the girl wailed. Asuna coughed in response, blue blood appearing on her lips as she did so.
"One sec Yui… Mama's… gotta heal… from… Yuuki's hug."
She took a struggling breath and sat up with the small girl still clinging on to her. With another wet cough that sent pangs of worry flooding through Kirito's veins, the Undine held out a hand in front of her with her fingers splayed and spoke.
"Þú fylla heill austr," she chanted in the strange language of the fairies, and suddenly, thin tendrils of water burst from her fingers to form some kind of water cocoon that enveloped both the Undine's slender form and the child sitting on her lap.
When the water glowed and finally shattered into a thousand droplets, Kirito was surprised to see that the Undine was now looking a lot better than before. The blood on her lips had vanished, and the bruising on her head and arms had faded drastically. Her eyes were glowing with a faint light, and not everything was healed, but she wasn't as pale anymore, and generally looked much healthier.
"Sorry," the purple-haired girl known as Yuuki grinned at Asuna in a sheepish fashion. "But you had us all worried! You were supposed to tell us when you got here, not be shot out of the sky and tranquilized!"
Asuna rolled her eyes and stood up, easily lifting the eight-year-old girl in her arms. "How was I supposed to know I would be shot down? I don't have a sixth sense, you know. Now come on, you're drawing attention to us."
"You okay?" Kirito asked her, feeling protective of the beautiful but rather delicate-looking fairy. "Do you need to go back to the lake?"
Yuuki tilted her head slightly before grinning at Asuna and nudging her in a goofy fashion. "Ooh, look at you Asuna!"
Asuna's cheeks erupted in a pink blush, and she scowled at Yuuki. "I was unconscious and nowhere close to any water, so cut me some slack please!"
Kirito had no idea what they were talking about, but it was probably something fairy-related he didn't understand. "Erm… We should probably get back inside the palace before the king loses it," he pointed out as he walked back to his horse and swung himself up and into the saddle once again.
Asuna smiled at him and nodded before she jumped up onto the horse herself, the child that had been sitting on her lap vanishing, only to be replaced by a small pixie hovering in the air.
Kirito gawked and stared at the tiny pixie as she flew over his head and landed on Asuna's shoulder. Magic… it's freaking amazing!
