The garden was wrapped in the pastel tones of early spring as lithe winds danced through the trees, the winds carrying the sweet scents of honeysuckle and jasmine. The tree branches rattled together creating a fluttering of leaves that sang a sweet song, the sound wrapping around the small, dark haired fae child.
Said child sat perched in the largest oak, watching with a predator's intent as the two figures, one the embodiment of light and the other shadow, in the garden chatted idly.
Glancing out the corner of her eye she took in the figure next to her, a boy a few years her senior with onyx hair, cobalt eyes and a scowl to rival an angry moose. The girl's lips upturned at the corners, the warm spring sun breaking through the branches and highlighting the small splattering of freckles across her nose as her eyes crinkled in amusement.
"What's the matter," she whispered, a name familiar on her tongue trying to come forward, gently nudging the boy in the ribs, "you look like someone poured ice water down your back."
"This is ridiculous," he muttered with equal quiet, his cobalt eyes flashing in the rays of light creeping through the trees canopy, "we shouldn't be up here spying on them like this Celeste!"
Her name, she remembered.
"Oh shush!"
A rustling of wings had both children silencing themselves, burying themselves away from sight in the branches. Peering through the leaves Celeste noticed that winged man hadn't taken notice of their presence, the shadows at his wings oblivious to the two children watching the display.
The boy's wards had worked.
Delight crackled through her veins.
They watched in silence for a several minutes, watching the winged man slowly inch his way towards the shorter caramel eyed woman, her lips pulled up in a sweet smile, watched as he slowly reached a tentative scarred hand out towards the woman's waist, her head leaning back to look up at him-
"Ooooo they're gonna kiss!" Celeste chirped loudly, her small hands clapping together in amusement in front of her. At the noise the shadows at the male's wings flared darting in a various directions and the male's eyes widened, his face snapping immediately towards the tree. The boy slapped a hand over her mouth as a small "oops" escaped her lips.
The man's hazel eyes immediately narrowed and the shadows at his wings quieted, dancing as though in delight, something like amusement strumming through them.
A sharp rustle of leaves echoed throughout the garden as the boy shoved his other hand over Celeste's mouth, his cobalt eyes wide in panic.
"Shut up!" the boy hissed, loudly, a pulse of power rattling out of him as his wards wove around the tree once again silencing their sound and hiding their presence, "They'll hear you."
The woman, the slender lovely thing, stifled a giggled, her brows raising in amusement as she too was now looking at the tree.
A smack.
The boy's hands immediately pulled away from the girls lips, as he gripped his arm where she'd slapped him none too lightly.
"Oww!" he hissed, cheeks flaring red, "Why'd you hit me?!"
"Cause you blew our cover!" Celeste growled back, her master plan crumbling before her, "you're the worst spy I've ever seen! You're being too loud!"
He silently moved his lips, mocking, 'You're being too loud'. Turning her attention back to the figures Celeste found that only the woman remained-
"Kids." A deep voice rumbled, startling Celeste so violently she shot upwards, her wings, oh her wings, knocking her off balance as she went tumbling backwards, heals over her head out of the tree. Out of instinct she braced for impact, wrapping her wings around herself for protection, knowing she was too close to the ground to glide safely down-
She collided with strong awaiting arms instead and was met with the amused look of the shadowed fae male, one eyebrow cocked upwards. His face up close was very handsome, and so very familiar, as were the shadows at his wings, the shadows that nearly sang in greeting to her.
A name, forgotten, tried to come to life in her mind.
"Hey," She chirped, her arms crossing over her chest as she offered him a bright lopsided grin, her two bottom baby teeth missing, "Good catch! I didn't realize you were out here. We were just playing tag."
A bemused spark darted through the stone faced man's eyes, "Tag?" he inquired looking up into the tree where the boy sat, his jaw slack and hand still outstretched where he'd tried to catch her from her tumble, "in a tree?"
"Mmmhmm," Celeste nodded her head vigorously, her black hair clinging to the static off the man's shirt, he felt so safe and so warm, "Yep. It's a new kind of tag, see you sit in the tree and count to like a bazillion and then the first person who falls out of the tree is it."
A pause of silence.
"You're so full of it Celeste," the boy grumbled from above, earning a heated glare from said girl, "It was completely her idea. I told her we shouldn't have been up here spying on you and _, I shouldn't have set up wards—"
What name? What name had the boy said?
"You set up wards?" the man inquired, brow raising to meet his hairline.
"Urghh!" Celeste hissed, flailing her arms up at the boy, violet eyes narrowing, "You're not supposed to give information to the target! Now you've gone and completely destroyed our assassination attempt."
"Assassination attempt?" The woman repeated, her brown eyes wide as she came around the large base of the oak her lavender gown billowing in the breeze. She bit her lip to hide the smile.
Celeste stuck out her tongue at the boy above her, her eyes squinting as she made flubbing noises up at him, shoving her fingers in her ears to taunt him. The fear that had been in the boy's face immediately melted away to irritation, his dark cobalt eyes narrowing.
"Uh oh," Celeste chirped and immediately rolled out of the man's arms, landing on her feet her wings straightening behind her to give her balance, "Sorry! Gotta go!" Giving a quick salute she shot off through the garden as she heard the tell-tell poof of the boy disappearing into shadow. Cheater, she thought scanning out the corner of her eyes looking for him.
There, he appeared on her left, poised to tackle her. They both went rolling as his body collided with her own, end over end, and crashed into a smaller oak tree behind the house. The tree shuddered beneath the impact and sent a nest tumbling out of it, landing with a wet crunch and alarmed squeaks.
Celeste shared one look with the boy before they both peeled themselves off the ground, covered in grass and dirt, and hurried to the fallen nest. With small, gentle hands, Celeste flipped the nest over and was met with the site of several terrified baby robins crying out huddling together.
"Are they okay?" The boy asked, his little hands glazing over the terrified birds as guilt filling his cobalt eyes, "I didn't me to knock their nest down- "
Celeste's eyes had locked onto one little robin, not moving and its neck twisted at an odd angle.
A well of darkness opened in her chest, déjà vu settling over her like a veil.
She swallowed hard.
A burning sorrow tore through her, stomach knotting in fear.
"No, Celeste," the boy mumbled, sinking next to her, silver beginning to line his eyes, his hands still gently covering the other terrified robin hatchlings, "We didn't mean too—that poor baby bird."
Celeste gently rubbed the baby bird, willing it to wake up. Nothing happened. She tried again and again until she felt warm tears trickling down her cheek. This had been all her fault. Pulling the bird to her chest she let out a sob as she willed the small thing to wake up.
Something pulled at Celeste.
A tug.
A warmth suddenly surrounded her, easing her sorrow and coaxing her, coaxing her to try.
Try what? She thought, clutching the bird close. Just try, the warmth seemed to coo, a sudden tingling beginning in her stomach. Everything around her seemed to stand still for a minute as she wished, wished with all of her being, willed the baby bird to wait up a warmth, like nothing she'd ever felt, pooling in her stomach—
A gasp, from the boy.
"It's alive."
Celeste peeled an eye open and saw that indeed the baby bird had sprung back to life, it's little wings beating frantically in Celeste's hands, fear coating its scent as it reoriented itself, it's neck no longer twisted.
A smile took over her face, it was okay.
Turning towards the boy she saw that his face had gone pale, eyes wide. He stared at the bird before turning his gaze back to hers, something like fear dancing there.
Why was he scared of her? Had she done something wrong?
Why was she so upset that the boy feared her? WHO was the boy?
"_?" Celeste questioned, a name she couldn't quiet speak, tumbling from her mouth. She was so concerned at the sudden look the boy had given her. She saw his lips begin to move but couldn't hear him.
"_ please," She begged, feeling suddenly lightheaded and panicked, like a wild animal shoved suddenly and violently into a cage. She felt her heart thunder in her chest, a cold sweat overtaking her body.
Scared, she was so terrified-
She shot to her feet, the baby bird left at the base of the tree, crying out for its nest mates, as she stumbled forward, fear beginning to course through her.
What was wrong with her?
"Momma?" Celeste murmured, the flashes of a golden-haired woman coursing through her mind, a golden-haired woman who looked so much like the one near the shadows-"Papa?" the scent of citrus and the warmth of home-she felt as though the world was tearing apart around her-
A sharp pain bit through her skull as she stumbled off towards the house, she needed something, anything to make this stop. Where was she? Who was she? The world was beginning to grow fuzzy around the edges, blackness blotting the things around her out.
She stumbled into silky lavender and soft hands. Glancing up she took in the concerned caramel eyes, fear clearly written across that beautiful face as the woman's lips moved frantically, calling someone? The man with the shadows?
"Please," Celeste begged, feeling the world fall away underneath her "I don't know what happened, please- "
Cool hands were on her face instantly and she was met with those hazel eyes again, always so calm and stable she recalled, filled this time with fear and his lips moved. She shook her head, the dizziness growing worse, the fear spread as his eyes widened, she couldn't hear anything—
He couldn't save her. No one could.
Power rippled behind her, the skies darkened around her, the two beautiful strangers dissipating into fine dust carried away into the air. She knew what awaited her when she turned, she willed her legs to stay still, her head not to twist and turn to face what stood behind her.
Against her will her gaze was turned behind where she was met with dark monstrous legs, those of a monster, the one she feared most. Lightning shattered the skies she felt her breath hitch in her throat, dread snaking down her spine.
She felt herself glance up, felt her eyes lock onto that face, if one could call it a face.
The comfort she had felt snuffed out inside of her and was replaced with icy tendrils of fear, pure horror that tore through her in torrents. She watched that clawed hand reach down and run through her hair, the dizziness building to unbearable levels.
The clawed hand reach from her hair and grabbed her shoulder and yanked her around, exposing her wings to it—
She couldn't contain it, the thrumming of power building-an earth shattering shriek ripped free from her lips-
Celeste jolted upright immediately, sweat drenching her.
The second her body was awake coughing seized her, rattling her body violently against the mast that was beginning to chafe horribly at her back.
She fought to orient her thoughts, bring some meaning some semblance to what she'd seen. For the life of her she couldn't place the names to the faces, the faces to a place.
She squinted her eyes and hissed, willing some recollection of who they were to her mind. The dreams faded so quickly when she woke that she often lost most of it, everything before waking becoming a had always been like had some very clear memories; places, sites, smells and sounds but the rest blurred.
She leaned forward heavily, the chain still taut across her abdomen, her body shivering. That dream, nightmare, had seized her countless times since saving Marrien, since everything had gone to absolute shit.
Adder and Martha had taken her and Anelisse home that night, laying her down on her makeshift bed, where she had slept for days. The dreams had all been as relentless, full of things both so horrifying and lovely and wasn't sure where memory ended, and fantasy began.
She'd only been awake half a morning before the men had stormed the cottage, armed to the teeth with ash arrows, spikes and these damned chains. She hadn't even heard their approach when Anidre had gone to the door after a small knock and let them in, wolves led into the den of disabled and weak prey.
Anidre had only watched with cool disinterest as she allowed them to pin her, kicking, clawing and screaming, and chain her to that damned ash board before stating that it had to be done and there was no other option.
As for Anelisse, Celeste hadn't even given her a moment to consider fighting back when she'd screamed at her to run as fast as should could, especially after Anidre had announced that Lukas would soon be her future son in law. Anelisse had bolted for the back door and had only glanced back once, eyes wild, onto Celeste who had managed to ground two of the larger men, their blood pooling on her pile of blankets.
It took them several minutes before they'd managed to pin her down completely, several rough blows being delivered to her torso and face to keep her from tearing out their throats as they'd looped those chains around her body binding her and drove the ash spikes into her limbs.
She'd cried out in anger as Anidre had watched, swearing against the woman who had sold her own daughter into an arranged marriage all for the pursuit of the damned fae lands. Celeste had hissed her hope that the first fae Anidre encountered would show her exactly how deadly her kind could be.
It had been unnecessary.
As they'd lifted her to leave, her energy spent and chest heaving, Anidre had stepped forward demanding her part of the payment. The biggest grunt had only laughed before putting a bolt through her chest. Crimson had bloomed at her bosom, staining her yellow dress, her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for breath before she'd collapsed to the floor.
Dead.
Celeste, too shocked to react, had only stared in horror as sick satisfied chuckles resounded throughout the group of men as the woman bled out on the floor, coating her blankets and Anelisse's paintings, so carefully stacked against the wall, in that same crimson.
It strummed up some dark memory in her.
Straining against her bonds Celeste prayed to the mother, to any deity listening that Anelisse had avoided Lukas and managed to get out of Vanica, even if she knew the likelihood of that was nearly zero.
Too exhausted and drained to fight further Celeste allowed them to parade her down through the town square, bound to a board like a pig on a spit, and watched as those who had shown her such contempt gloat over her removal.
Like an infection cut from a wound, now clean so that it could heal. She wouldn't let them see here cry, even as the hatred dug deep inside of her.
She was relieved to see that Martha, Adder, Pennelope and her husband, as well as Marrien's family's faces were not among the crowd.
She thought of Marrien, of her sweet round face and delightful laughter.
At least she had managed to save something.
She hung her head and finally let a few small tears trickle down her face as she felt the gentle rocking of the boat, almost like a mother rocking her child to sleep. How was she even going to get out this one? How was she even going to get back to Anelisse? Would there be anything to go back to?
Part of her wished she'd just died that night on that beach.