Fic: The Trouble With Fairies (Part 2/2)
"Hey. Hey!"
Someone was tapping Jensen's face insistently, calling him in a hushed voice. He blinked awake with bleary eyes to the sight of a familiar sparkling orange form.
"You!" He sat up on the marshmallow he'd been using as a bed and pushed away the sheet of fondant he'd been given as a blanket.
"Shh! You'll wake him!" Misha pointed at the sleeping giant. "Hurry! Let's escape before the monster wakes up!"
"Who are you callin’ a monster? Jared's a nice person. I can't just leave."
The fairy looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "I've never met a nice titan, and I daresay I've met quite a few. Now, come on!"
Just then, Jared stirred. "Morning... Oh!" His face lit up. Misha hurriedly flitted back as he leaned closer. "You must be Misha!"
The fairy turned to Jensen. "You told him about me?! Everyone knows you’re not supposed to tell people you saw a fairy!"
"No, you don’t tell normal people you saw a fairy," Jensen corrected pointedly. “Does he look normal to you? And anyway, you landed me up here.”
“I’ve never seen a real fairy before.” Jared’s voice was filled with wonder. “You’re very small!”
“Hey!” Misha darted forward and smacked the giant on the nose. “I’m really big for my kind. You’re a titan. It’s not fair!”
Jensen buried his face in his hand. “Are we really doin’ this?”
“But I didn’t choose to be born this way!” Jared protested. “If I were your size, I could have left the castle. I could see the world. I could be free!”
Misha frowned. "You mean you've never left this castle?"
"Yeah, and I've never seen anyone but the pandas until Jensen here came in yesterday."
"Then where did you learn to speak?"
"Books and movies."
"Stuck here alone all your life... That's too sad, even for a titan."
"Yeah, we were hopin’ you could help with that," Jensen said, turning to the fairy.
Misha darted closer to whisper, "But he's a titan! It's safer for all of us if he stays here. How do you know he's telling the truth? Maybe someone sealed him here for safety."
"You're kiddin', right? This guy expected a prince in shinin' armor to come rescue him with true love's first kiss. He asked me where my loyal steed was."
Jared ducked his head in embarrassment, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. “Do those not exist?”
Jensen looked mildly apologetic to be crushing Jared’s dreams. “Not anymore, no, not really.”
The titan looked disappointed, but then Misha was flying closer to his face, searching. Jared held his hands before his face, and after some hesitation, Misha alighted on his palms. “Oh.” He smiled, dazzling in his delight, as he looked more closely at the little fairy in his hands. “You’re so pretty.”
Iridescent wings quivered as if in a breeze, and Misha closed his eyes, deep in thought. Jared had such kind, innocent eyes, but he was still a titan. Could he really free him from this castle?
“All right,” he decided. “The magic surrounding this castle is too powerful for me to break or change.”
Jared looked so sad and disappointed, so much like an injured puppy, that Misha’s heart clenched. A titan shouldn’t be so charming. They were dangerous enough creatures as they were.
“But I might be able to use my magic on you,” he offered, hands clasped.
The giant’s eyes immediately brightened with hope. “Could you? As in like... make me smaller, so I can climb out the window?”
Misha nodded. “But because you’re a titan, no magic will work on you unless you allow it.”
Jared looked confused. “Why wouldn’t I allow it? You’re granting my wish, right?”
“Well, you can’t just say or think it like that,” the fairy explained. “You have to make a pact with me.”
“All right. How does that work?” Jared was so earnest, so eager.
“D-don’t just agree!” Misha protested, faltering. “You don’t even know what that entails.”
“Misha, I want to be free. I’ll do anything.” So desperate.
The fairy sighed. He felt bad. “If we do this, if you form this pact with me, any magic, for good or ill, that I cast on you will work. You’ll lose all your natural immunity to my magic. I could even kill you. Easily. Do you understand? You can’t- You can’t just give something like that away so freely!”
Jared smiled, his blue-green eyes soft. “Tell me what to do, Mish. If you meant me any harm, you wouldn’t warn me. You came up here to rescue Jen, didn’t you? I trust you.”
For a long moment, Misha simply stared up at the giant. Then he bowed his head in acquiescence and drew a small crescent-shaped dagger. With it, he made a small cut first on Jared’s finger, then on his left palm, drawing a little blood. “Repeat after me: Sang ila sang, fil ilya rabb un singyal.”
The other obediently repeated the words, albeit butchering the pronunciation. Blood upon blood, I submit unto my master.
Misha nodded and whispered, “Sang ila sang, towa evyr zu milam kivyan.” Blood upon blood, forever be bound within my will. He pressed the cuts together. Under their skin, red runes glowed briefly and faded up their arms. Misha turned to Jared as the cuts knitted closed. “Thank you. You shouldn’t have. But thank you.”
“So you can make me smaller now?” the other asked, excited.
“Yes.”
He flew up to hover over Jared’s head and twirled quickly several times. Brightly coloured sparkles fell on Jared, his body glowed in a bright flash, and they shielded their eyes. Then the light was gone, and Jensen opened his eyes to find himself looking into pretty blue-green ones.
"W-wow, I'm Jen's size now!"
Jensen wasn't sure when Jared started calling him Jen, but the giant suddenly being his size was pretty amazing. It also posed a new problem.
"Wait. If he's my size, how are we goin' to get down the tower?"
“Oh, don’t worry.” Misha tossed some shiny dust over them, and Jared immediately started floating.
“Whoa!” He spun in midair, marvelling at the fact that he was levitating. “This is amazing, Mish!”
Jensen stared from where he was still firmly seated on the massive bed. “Am I s'posed to be floatin' too?”
“Yes! C’mon, it’s easy! Just think happy thoughts!”
Happy thoughts? Jensen thought long and hard, closing his eyes and sifting through his memories. He remembered growing up on the farm with his family. Those were happy times, learning to care for the herd, keeping the farm in order and dining together after a hard day’s work. Then there were nights or weekends on the town, which were always fun. Sometimes, it was hard to remember those days were long gone.
“Hey!”
He felt himself falling, but then a hand caught his. He opened his eyes to find Jared holding onto him.
“Focus, Jen. Happy thoughts! You were doing so well!”
“All my happy thoughts eventually have a sad endin',” he wanted to say, but then Jared suddenly pulled him into a hug.
“We can get out of here now. You can go home to your herd. Aren’t you glad?”
He was. He really was. And he’d also met Jared, who was starting to feel like the brother he’d never had. He felt himself float a little higher.
“Well, c’mon.” Misha tugged Jensen’s wrist with both hands, guiding him and Jared towards the window. “Let’s get out of this tower before the dust wears off.”
“Wait, it wears off?” Jensen dropped a couple of inches.
“Eventually,” the fairy confirmed cheerily. “Not so soon though. C’mon now. Don’t panic on me.” They floated over the windowsill. “Okay, now clear your mind. Any kind of negative emotion will send you plummeting, but if you just clear your mind, you’ll float down slowl-hey!”
Too late.
Jensen was already freefalling in a panic. “Help!”
Jared focused on the fact that he was outside for the first time ever, on having Jensen and Misha with him; Misha beat his wings furiously, and together, they managed to slow Jensen’s descent to a safe landing on his feet.
Misha let go and smacked him, breathless. “I told you not to panic!”
“We’re forty feet in the air, you’re tellin' me I’ll fall as soon as I get distracted, and you expect me not to panic?!”
Before the fairy could retort, Jared hugged them both. “I’m so glad we escaped safely together. Thanks, guys. This is awesome.”
Misha grinned when he let go. “You should see your world in your size.” He clapped his hands and tossed a ball of light at Jared who glowed brightly, then grew and grew. Within seconds, he was back to his original size.
“Whoa.” He looked down at his hands and body again. “You really are amazing, Misha.”
The fairy blushed, fluttering higher. “And you really are-um… big.” He couldn’t help staring.
“You’re one perverted fairy!” Jensen exclaimed.
“That’s one… Tyrannosaurus prick!”
It was Jared’s turn to blush then, and he quickly bent to pick Jensen up, the human swatting Misha as he passed. He set Jensen on his right shoulder, and Misha flew up to sit on his left one.
“W-wow…” He looked around at the wide expanse of brightly coloured candy.
“Great view, isn’t it?” Misha piped up with a grin. “To think no one’s seen this place in centuries.”
“Centuries?” Jensen echoed. Jared’s homeland was very pretty from high up, all bright colours and bold shapes. It was hard to believe every feature was made of some kind of candy.
“Mm. The last account of anyone seeing Zuclas was about eight hundred human years ago.”
“Zuclas, that’s the name of this land?” Jared was still marvelling at his surroundings.
“Mmhm. Unless there’s more than one place in the world where everything is made of candy.”
"Hey, Jen, I know you're in a hurry to get home, but could we maybe sightsee a little first?"
Jensen shrugged. "Sure." He was already here, and Jared looked so hopeful. A couple more hours wouldn't hurt. “The beanstalk is a ways away anyway.”
Jared grinned and started walking. "Great! I've lived here all my life and never seen outside the castle. Everything is so pretty!" He plucked a sunflower. "And edible." He bit off a fondant petal and offered one each to Jensen and Misha, both of whom politely declined.
"I don't really like candy," Misha explained.
"Me neither," Jensen agreed.
"It's all I've ever eaten, but sometimes, I get a little sick of it," Jared admitted. "I don't know if I'd get used to not eating it though."
They walked through the garden, picked some candy fruits in the orchard and headed towards the bamboo forest. Over a hill lay a blue lake surrounded by a beach of fine vanilla sugar. Jared set Jensen down to walk barefoot on the beach. It smelled delicious, like Nana's cookies. The thought of Nana made him sad, and he resolutely pushed the thoughts away, sitting down.
Misha skipped lightly across the lake's surface, making a fancy pattern of ripples. Jared knelt at the edge and cupped some “water” in his hands for a taste - blue raspberry syrup.
"Do your homes look very different from this?" he asked.
Misha thought for a moment, then answered, "Not from afar, but up close, yes. Everything is much smaller and not made of candy."
“Same, albeit not as small,” Jensen chimed in, and the fairy gave him a dirty look.
“I’m surrounded by giants,” Misha pointed out, arms crossed, just this side of petulant.
Jared chuckled, nudging Misha closer with one finger. “And you’re the loveliest of all.”
The fairy twirled, resettling himself on Jared’s shoulder. “Flattery will get you everywhere, young man.”
The titan grinned, lifting Jensen as well to continue on their way. “Well, I’m going nowhere without you, my prince. Won’t you take me to your castle far away?”
The human groaned. Jared had been watching way too many movies of the same sort.
“Absolutely! You must visit my kingdom.” And Misha was only too happy to indulge him.
They reached the bamboo forest at last, and the pandas crowded around Jared, nuzzling his legs. He leaned down to pat and hug them in turn. They’d been his only companions for so very long.
“I’m going on an adventure,” he told them excitedly. "So you don't have to visit me for a while. I'll miss you guys though."
The pandas looked sad, but only hugged back.
"Don't worry about me, okay?"
He rose and headed over to the beanstalk. Jensen looked down.
"Tell me we're not doin' that happy thoughts flyin ' thing again."
“After what happened the last time?” Misha was incredulous. “I wouldn’t trust you to float two feet, let alone down from the clouds.”
“Good, good.” Jensen nodded, relieved. “So how do we do this?”
At that, the fairy frowned. “I have no idea,” he admitted.
“What if I carried him and floated down?” Jared suggested to Jensen’s horror.
“You’d have to be at least twice his size to do that safely, and anyone that big floating out of the sky would be hard to miss. It’d cause quite a scene.”
“Hm.” Jared sat down by Jensen’s bed, pensive. A panda came over and lay its head in his lap. Oh! “What if we used my hair as a rope?”
Jensen sighed. “It couldn’t possibly reach the bottom.”
“Not as is,” Misha agreed. “But we could join several locks together to multiply the length.”
“Wouldn’t that make it less sturdy?” Jensen asked doubtfully.
“Considering a titan’s hair can only be cut with magic?” Misha rolled his eyes. “Surely you didn’t think he left his hair this long on purpose?”
“I kinda like it long,” Jared mumbled, ducking his head sheepishly. “But I tried to cut it once when it reached my knees. Nothing worked, so I ended up braiding it to keep it out of the way instead.”
"Well, if you're really willing to cut it, I think chin-length would look gorgeous on you."
"Yeah, just like that princess we watched yesterday," Jensen agreed with a snicker. "Ow!"
Misha smacked him. "Don't you listen to him. It's your hair. You shouldn't even be cutting it for that meanie. What do you want it to look like?"
"Well..." Jared scratched his head. "I don't really know about these things, so if it looks good to you, chin-length is fine."
The fairy flew higher to meet his gaze, blue eyes gentle. "Are you sure? M-"
"Yeah." Jared nodded, determined. "Jen needs to get home."
"Okay." Jared and Jensen had only met yesterday. Maybe... Maybe there was hope yet.
Misha focused. He let loose a sharp slice of magic, snipping Jared's beautiful brown tresses cleanly off at the chin. With another wave of his hands, it was a perfect bob.
"There. You're very beautiful," he said quietly.
Jared quickly turned to uncoiling his cut hair from around his waist and unravelling the braid to hide his rising blush. Misha was so sweet, and he'd never expected his prince charming and good fairy to be one and the same.
Jensen divided the hair into ten locks, and Misha ran his hands through lustrous strands, magically joining and braiding them into a long coil of sturdy rope. He couldn’t help thinking what a shame it was that they had to cut it all off. When it was done, it looked like it just might reach the bottom.
"Now, let's just wrap one end around your waist..." Misha fixed it in place with magic.
Tugging on it to make sure it was secure, Jensen asked, "Where do we tie the other end?"
Misha looked around.
“I’ll hold it,” Jared volunteered. “Like this.” He wound the other end around his arm several times and gripped it. “Just in case it’s longer than we really need.”
Jensen nodded. “Okay.” He stood at the edge, hesitating as he looked down. “So I just… uh…”
“Oh, I keep telling you. Stop worrying! It won’t break!” He back-kicked Jensen in the shoulder, and the human screamed.
“Jen!” Jared shouted, panicked.
“But it’s perfectly safe!” Misha protested, then turned as the giant pounced after the quickly disappearing hair rope. “Oh.” He paled as it stopped with a bit of recoil. “O-oops.”
“Misha!” Jared chided, dismayed.
“I’m sorry!” the fairy cried, flying down. “I’ll check on him!”
Jensen, as it turned out, was dangling about halfway down the beanstalk, face pale and skin clammy. Green eyes glared weakly at Misha before sliding shut as the fairy took Jensen’s face in his hands.
“Hey, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to kick you so hard. It was just supposed to be a swat with my foot.” He pouted, patting the human’s cheek. “C’mon, man. Say something. Stay with me.”
There was no response, but Jensen was most certainly alive - most likely just passed out from nausea. He flew back up to Jared.
“He’s safe.”
The giant sighed in relief.
“Just slowly let more of the rope down. I’ll tug three times when we reach the bottom.”
Jared nodded, and Misha returned to Jensen, watching as he was slowly lowered to the ground. When he finally touched down, the fairy tugged thrice on the rope and flew up to get Jared, shrinking the titan to human size. With the help of some fairy dust, they floated down to rejoin Jensen. The farmer was surrounded by his herd who were nuzzling his cheek and bleating in an effort to wake him up.
“Jen!” Jared cried, lifting Jensen into his lap, much to the llamas’ irritation. “I thought you said he was safe!” He glared accusingly at Misha, who was patting the llamas to calm them.
“He is! Don’t worry, he’ll wake up soon.”
An alpaca nosed Jensen's hand, and the human stirred.
"Jen?"
"Jared? Where's that fairy?" Jensen sat up, looking around. "Imma kill him. Where is he?"
Misha was nowhere to be seen.
"C'mon, Jen, it was an accident. Mish wouldn't kick you off the edge on purpose."
Jared reached out to pat a llama and was almost spat at for his effort. Seeing his disappointed face, Jensen placed an alpaca in his lap. It nuzzled his chest, much to Jared's delight.
"First the damned beans,” Jensen groused as the titan happily cuddled the alpaca. “Then the happy dust, then the fall, and now when I need my house back, he’s gone?!"
“I’m still here,” Misha piped up, peering over Jared’s shoulder. “I’m sorry!” He dodged Jensen’s attempts to grab him. “I know I’m silly and a little careless, but I never meant you any harm. I swear!” He ducked under Jared’s hair. “Jared, help me!”
"Y'know, Mish, I won't just let anyone do that, but I'll allow you." The giant caught Jensen’s hands. “C’mon, Jen. How’s he going to fix your house if you kill him? Besides, that’d be letting him off easy.”
“J-Jared! I thought I trusted you!” the fairy wailed, fluttering out of reach.
Jared shrugged, letting go with a grin to watch Jensen and his herd chase Misha.
“Get back here! Get back here and fix my house! It’s all your fault it’s buried under a giant beanstalk!”
“I told you they were magical!” the fairy protested, evading pursuit. “You’re not supposed to put magical beans under your mattress! That’s for peas!”
Just then, a hand snatched him out of the air to bleating cheers from the herd. “Gotcha.”
Misha pouted as he turned. “How could you?”
Jared grinned and pecked him on the forehead. “You were always planning to fix it anyway.”
The fairy turned to give Jensen a baleful look as the human smacked him. “Of course I’ll fix your house, Jensen. I won’t even count it as your wish. But reconstructing your house will take time, and I’ve already been away from my home for far too long.”
"What? Then where will I sleep until you come back?"
“Why, with Jared and me, of course.” At Jensen’s incredulous expression, Misha sighed. “Look, it’s… It’s been a really long time since I’ve had so much fun, and I’d love to stay - even just to fix your house, I swear. But I am needed back home.” He shook his head, dejected. “The truth is I never should have left.”
Jensen opened his mouth, then closed it again, wiping a hand over his face. Go to fairy land with Misha and Jared? On the one hand, it sounded like the adventure of his dreams. On the other, if there was one thing he’d learned from Misha, it was that the trouble with fairies was just that - trouble.
Jared wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come with us, Jen. It'll be fun. And we’ve only just met yesterday. I’d like to spend more time with you."
The human looked doubtful, but didn’t know how to turn those hopeful blue-green eyes down.
"C'mon, it's not everyday you get a chance to visit the fairy kingdom, right?"
Jared could see the precise moment Jensen relented. An alpaca bleated.
"But wait, I can't just leave them." Jensen gestured to his herd.
"Oh, that's easy," Misha chimed in brightly. "We'll just take them along too!" Before anyone could blink, Misha had tossed some sparkling dust at the herd and was twirling above them, chanting words they didn't understand.
"Hey, what are you-"
A bright light enveloped them, and when they opened their eyes, they were Misha's size. The herd was about three quarters of their size and hovering several inches above the ground.
"-doing..."
Jared gripped Jensen to keep the farmer from falling over. The llamas and alpacas all had shimmering wings now, similar to Misha's own.
"They're adorable!" He reached for the nearest alpaca, and it nuzzled his hand cheerfully.
"Aren't they?" Misha patted a llama proudly. "I think I'll call them faellamas and faepacas."
The herd bleated excitedly, fluttering around experimentally with their new wings.
"My-my herd..." Jensen still seemed somewhat faint, so Jared kept a steady hold on him.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Misha unwound the shimmery purple and black fabric from around his waist and unfurled it. It seemed to suspend, unsupported, in midair. There were glimmering lights in it, like looking at stars, and as they watched, the stars shifted and changed. "Go on."
Jared reached out to touch it, and his hand passed right through. He peered around the cloth, but his hand wasn't sticking out the back. He retracted his hand and looked at it in wonder. He'd felt a cool breeze on his fingers.
"This is..."
"A portal to the fairy kingdom, yes."
Jensen swallowed, focused through the shock. "You're sure?"
"Of course. It only goes to one place. We used to open portals with spells, but those kept going wrong, so we created and started using charms like these instead. Simple and one hundred percent reliable."
That seemed good enough for Jared who was already excited enough for the three of them. "So we'll see you on the other side then?"
"Yup. I need to close the portal behind me, so I must be last."
Jensen closed his eyes and told himself he could do this, but right now, he trusted Misha's definition of safe about as far as he could throw the troublemaking fairy.
"Okay!"
Jared had no such qualms though, and before Jensen could react, Jared had half-carried him along through the portal. The herd quickly followed their owner without being told, and after a final check to make sure they hadn't missed anyone, Misha flew in and shut the portal behind him.
Time did not pass in the fairy kingdom. The sky appeared to be locked in a perfect moment of sunset, the sky painted in hues of purple. Jared looked around in wonder - the foliage wasn’t made of candy, and a mist hung over the treetops, diffusing the light of the sunset to a soft golden glow. In the forest, tiny lanterns hung from almost every tree to illuminate the shadowed areas, twinkling in various colours. There was a kind of sweetness in the air, fresh and crisp, different from the earthy freshness of Jensen’s farm and the sugary sweetness of home. They were at the foot of a hill, little paths winding through the forest around them, disappearing into the misty distance.
Just then, Jensen’s herd appeared behind them, one after another. They circled their owner affectionately before making a beeline for the tender shoots up high, priorities perfectly in order. Jensen patted each one on the head as it passed, counting to make sure they were all present.
“All here?” Jared asked, squeezing his friend’s shoulders lightly.
“Yeah.” Jensen had to admit they looked happy to be able to fly up to the treetops. It made him smile.
"Hey, um... Thanks. For coming along." The giant brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. "You're a great friend."
Come to think of it, this was Jared's first time leaving home, and he'd already been to two different realms today. He was probably just hiding his nervousness at how foreign everything was. Jensen gave the titan a friendly punch to the shoulder.
"Someone's gotta keep you outta trouble, and it sure ain't gonna be Misha."
Jared cracked up. "Oh, he sure seems to be giving you plenty of trouble."
"-oo!" Misha materialized behind them, rubbing his nose miserably. "You two've been talking about me, haven't you?"
Jared grinned, pulling Misha close by the waist. "What else would we talk about?"
"But you've been saying bad things!" the fairy whined.
Jensen shrugged. "You've gotta admit you haven't given me many good things to say."
Misha slumped against Jared, looking positively morose. "I said I was sorry."
The giant ruffled Misha's hair beneath the headdress, tucking the fairy under his chin.
"And it's not fair that you're still bigger than me now," Misha mumbled.
"I thought you saw something you liked," Jared whispered innocently, tracing iridescent wings.
Misha pulled away, taking a step back and turning to Jensen. "Come, there's something I must do before I can show you around." He rose off the ground with a flutter of wings. "Just climb up this hill. I need to hurry on ahead, so I'll see you there."
Swiftly, he flew up the hill and vanished into the trees. Jared shrugged and began walking after the fairy, so Jensen followed along. The last thing he wanted was for either one of them to get lost alone in fairy land. He’d have the herd to help him, but Jared would truly be alone, and one fairy was more than enough trouble - he shuddered to imagine how Jared would fare if he met several more.
It wasn’t a long way up the hill, and as they climbed, the golden sunset grew brighter and the mist faded. Around them, leaves rustled, and what seemed to be the melody of pipes echoed through the forest.
“What a pretty sound,” the titan murmured, taking his hand. "I wonder what it is."
"Pipes," Jensen replied, looking around. He could feel eyes on him, like they were being watched, and it made him uneasy. As if sensing his disquiet, his herd flew to his side, circling them both protectively.
Jared picked an alpaca up and cradled it in his arms. "l should get Misha to teach me." It fluttered its wings and nuzzled his cheek happily.
They crested the peak of the hill then, arriving in a large clearing. There was a huge gathering of fairies there, wings and garb in every colour and style, all facing a glowing… throne? It quivered in the breeze where it was set at the edge of a cliff, the sunset and a rainbow directly behind it. Someone in the crowd gasped at the sight of them, and suddenly, everyone was talking at once, pointing animatedly at them. The llamas immediately formed a semicircle around them, stomping their feet fiercely, but then the crowd fell silent. Warily, the fairies stepped aside, opening a way for them directly to the throne.
Jared, seeing that he was expected to approach, didn’t hesitate, and Jensen hurried after him. It was probably safer to stick together. Besides, Jared was a titan, immune to magic. The herd trotted after them as well, the llamas still eying the crowd with suspicion and the alpacas cheerfully bringing up the rear. As they got closer, the throne blocked out some of the light, and they finally saw who was seated in it.
“Misha!” Jared ran the rest of the way to hug the orange-clad fairy, setting the alpaca down beside him.
“You’re the fairy king?! You?” Jensen rubbed his eyes, incredulous.
“Hey, that’s Lord Misha to you!” a nearby fairy lady cried indignantly.
Misha held up his hand, smiling sheepishly. “It didn’t seem to matter at the time. And I’m still me.”
Jared grinned. “You’re really a royal!”
“Yup! And I guess this entire forest is my castle. Anything like you expected?”
The titan shook his head, but seemed perfectly content to run his hands all over the fairy regardless. Jensen sat down beside the leafy throne.
“Is that kale?” A llama took a bite. It grew back. Magical kale. Jensen closed his eyes.
Misha turned to his people. “These are Jared and Jensen, my friends. Be nice.” With that, he waved his hand, and the pipes played again.
The earlier lady announced, “The Seelie Court is dismissed!” and all the fairies dispersed.
“Well,” Misha rose out of the throne with a flutter of wings. “There’s a little time before dinner, so let me show you around.” He led them behind the throne, and they shaded their eyes. Below the cliff was a large lake with sparkling clear water, a nearby waterfall creating the eternal mist and rainbow. On the other side, built into the rising slope from the lake amid the trees, were several curtained pavilions. “That’s where we’ll be spending the night,” he indicated them. “You have to see the lake up close. It’s gorgeous.”
“Wow…”
Misha then led them through the forest, through the buzz of dinner preparations. Fairies bowed to greet them as they passed, and the aroma of freshly baked bread and cakes permeated the air. More and more fairies came out to see them from all over the forest - some built their houses into the trees, some into the rocks on the hills, some wove their homes out of vines and leaves, while still others built cottages on the ground and erected walls under mushroom clusters. The fairies sung as they worked, and the lanterns twinkled as if in time with the song. There were stalls set up all along the path, selling everything from snacks to charms to pretty trinkets. Misha put wreaths of kale wound with flowers and little crystals around their necks, and the gems immediately change colour - Jared’s to pinkish purple and Jensen’s to greyish blue.
Misha frowned, taking the human by the shoulders. “Hey, nothing bad is going to happen, okay?”
Jensen shook his head, smiling tiredly. “It’s nice here. I’m just kinda beat.” That, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were still being watched.
“Oh, you should have just said so!” They reached a clearing with several large tables that looked to have been cut out from the trunk of a giant tree. “Dinner’s almost ready. I’ll take you to your room after we eat.”
As soon as he spoke, fairies flew in with baskets of bread, platters of cakes and bowls of soup, stew and salads. Everything smelled wonderful, and Jensen was suddenly hungrier than he was tired. Misha led them to some stools to sit down and passed them some bread, ladling some soup into empty bowls for them. Jared took a bite of walnut bread dipped in pumpkin soup and smiled with delight before feeding Misha a bite. Jensen dug in with gusto, and it wasn’t till halfway through the delicious meal that he noticed.
“Is tonight vegetarian night or something?”
Several fairies within earshot gasped.
Misha shook his head and explained, “We fairies are bound by oath never to spill blood. Those who break this oath are cursed. They become corrupted and turn into dark fairies.”
Curiosity piqued, Jensen asked, “Could you eat meat if the killin’ was done by someone else?”
Misha thought for a moment, then answered, “Technically, I suppose we could. After all, we’ve used the skins and furs of animals we found dead before. But I’ve never tried, so I can’t say for certain. All we have of this oath are stories of old and the proof of those who have forsworn it in present day.”
A silence fell over the table then, and it made Jared nervous. “Could you pass me the cakes, please?” he asked in an effort to break it.
“Oh yes! I forgot you’re used to living on sweets.” Misha pulled an entire platter of cakes over. “Have as many as you like.”
The little square cakes were light, soft and unexpectedly filled with cream. They melted in Jared’s mouth, and some cream ran over his lips. Before he could wipe it away, Misha leaned over and licked the cream off. Jared’s eyes found shining blue ones, and Misha looked away.
As if on cue, music started up -pipes, fiddles and drums- and many of the surrounding fairies burst into song. They rose from their seats and shifted over to the other side of the clearing to dance in several big circles. Jared turned to watch, putting Misha’s sudden odd reactions out of his mind. It was probably nothing - even in the movies, couples usually kissed only when they were alone.
“Hey! Jensen?”
The human turned at the sound of a familiar voice. “Matt?!” The businessman was clad in nothing but a pair of shimmery pink pants. “What happened to you?” Jensen stood up. “How’d you get here?”
“Oh man, I was just walking back to town after seeing the shepherds out on their meadows. You know I have to cut through a bit of forest, yeah? So I was just following the usual path I’d taken a hundred times before when, out of nowhere, there was suddenly a hole in the ground. I stepped right into it and fell what seemed like forever, then I hit the bottom and passed out. When I woke up, this guy,” he patted the blond fairy next to him on the shoulder, “was inspecting me, and we were just a little way from here.”
“Oh, Sebastian!” Misha stood, and the blond jumped into the king’s arms, wrapping his legs around Misha who hugged back. “I bet you’ve been having fun.”
“I’ve missed you!”
Jared frowned as Sebastian groped Misha.
“Liar,” Misha teased with a giggle.
“Man though, this place is great!” Matt continued. “It’s full of beautiful people, festivities and orgies! Did I mention orgies?”
Sebastian grabbed Jared’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “Come dance with us!”
Jared turned to Jensen. “You like dancing, right? Are you coming?”
Jensen stood. He felt a lot less tired after the food. “Sure.”
The musicians struck up a spirited tune as they joined the circles of people dancing. Jared tried clumsily to follow along the circle’s steps with Misha’s help while Matt and Sebastian led Jensen to the center where they quickly joined a fast-paced couples dance with changing partners. Between songs, pixies flew in with trays of honeyed water that were quickly drained. Round and round they spun between fleet-footed fairy girls, and Jensen had to agree that this was fun.
All of a sudden, he found himself in a garden, dimly lit and filled with sweet-smelling red flowers. The music of the dinner party could still clearly be heard, so he must still be near the clearing, but all at once, he felt at peace in the quiet of the garden. In here, it no longer felt like he was being watched. In the middle, a beautiful dark-haired lady sat with a harp upon a large mushroom, and she smiled when he looked at her. Before he could approach, she began playing a tune on her harp, singing along in an angelic voice that reverberated through the garden. Content, Jensen sat down to listen, leaning against a mossy tree. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.
Meanwhile, Misha and Jared had found themselves outside the clearing as well, but along a quiet path.
“Do you want to go back?”
Jared shook his head, smiling wistfully. “I’ll just trip over someone else’s foot again. I love dancing, but I’m not very good.”
“Being good is all about practice. You should keep going if you enjoy it.”
The titan shook his head again. “Maybe some other time? Why don’t you take me to the lake? You said it’s gorgeous up close.” The truth was he really wanted to be alone with Misha. Maybe he could finally figure out if it was just the people or if Misha really was being strangely distant.
“Sure! It’s not far.”
He flitted along the path, leading Jared along, and it wasn’t long before the lake came within sight.
“Wow…”
It was breathtaking, with perfectly clear water showing a pearlescent bottom in every colour of the rainbow. He ran into the water, the fine sand soft beneath his feet and cupped the cool water in his hands. The golden sunset sparkled on the surface, and he could see his reflection beside Misha’s too. He tasted the water. It was sweet, but not syrupy like the lake in his homeland had been.
“The water of this lake is prized for its healing properties. It dispels poison from the body and cures the sick. But it only works on those who are pure of heart as the body cannot be healthy when the heart is sick. Many a wicked creature has sought this water to no avail, so its efficacy is somewhat disputed.”
“Oh, should I step out of the water?” Jared turned to walk back to dry land. “I’m sorry. I hope I haven’t-”
Misha stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You can even immerse yourself fully. As I said, it purifies things, including itself.” He flew towards the centre of the lake. “I can show you the world,” he sang softly, spreading his arms with a grin. “Shining, shimmering, splendid~” The lanterns all around the lake lit up, illuminating the surrounding forest and giving the many white flowers dotting the ground an ethereal glow. “Tell me, pr-”
Jared pulled the fairy into a kiss, brief but ardent. “I always let my heart decide, Mish.”
Blue eyes met his at last, and they seemed sad as Misha sank slowly into the water before him. “I’m sorry, Jare,” he whispered, arms still around the giant’s neck. “I’m sorry for tricking you.”
The titan blinked. “Mish, what are you saying?”
“I never checked whether I could do anything about your castle. I just wanted you to make the pact with me. I warned you of the consequences out of guilt, just like I’m telling you the truth now because I can’t bear lying to you any longer.” Misha let go, turning away. “I didn’t trust you despite what Jensen said. Your people are old enemies of mine. Remember how the other fairies reacted earlier? We remember titans as cruel destroyers.” He shook his head. “Once, before your numbers dwindled, your people wreaked destruction upon many realms, and only the dragons stopped you. For millennia, the dragon-titan non-aggression pact maintained the peace in the realms, and then both dwindled in number till it lost its meaning. No one has seen either a dragon or a titan in centuries… till now.” Misha spun around to face Jared once more with a sigh. “I thought you were just tricking me to help you escape, that you’d turn on us both as soon as we got out of that tower and our pact would be the only thing keeping Jensen and me safe. That’s why I wanted to get him away first. I could have broken the pact when we reached the human world. After all, you’d already proven that you didn’t mean anyone any harm. Instead, I brought you here, where my power is at its strongest, so you wouldn’t be able to refuse the request I’d always planned to make.”
“Mish, you know… You could have just asked. If you needed my help with something, you could have named it as your price for letting me out of the castle, and I wouldn’t have thought twice before agreeing.”
Misha nodded, looking down to avoid the disappointed look on Jared’s face. It hurt. “I know. And I wouldn’t have trusted you to hold up your end of the bargain. I’m sorry.”
The titan sat down, immersing himself up to the neck. “What were you going to ask of me?”
Misha sighed again. “Did Jensen tell you how we met?”
Jared shook his head.
“Anomalies have been cropping up everywhere, causing the appearance of strange monsters and gateways between realms. Matt earlier fell through one such gateway to end up here. The big bad wolf appeared out of nowhere one day and terrorized my kingdom for over a week before coming across another gateway and landing in Jensen’s farm. I pursued it, but by the time I arrived, it had already mauled Jensen’s grandmother.”
The giant gasped. “No wonder Jensen always seems so down. I never knew.”
The fairy nodded sadly. “I could only bind and banish it, so there’s a chance it may return, and these anomalies are caused by tampering with the time-space continuum, so we might have bigger problems to worry about soon. But recently, a much greater threat has arisen. Someone -likely the same person causing the anomalies- has woken the ancient evil dragon, Jabberwocky, and I fear it won’t be long before it begins its reign of terror. Only two creatures in all of creation can stand against a dragon: another dragon and a titan. So when I found you…”
“You knew you needed to enlist my help no matter what,” Jared finished for him quietly.
He nodded. “I’m really sorry I tricked you. And I’m sorry I can’t annul our pact. For the sake of my people, I must make you help me. And yet…” He slumped. “I like you. I can tell that your affection for me is genuine. And the last thing I want is for this to end with me sending you to your death against your will, thinking that everything we’ve ever had is a lie.”
For a moment, Jared was silent, pensive. Finally, he stood, taking Misha’s hand to make the fairy look at him. “Silly Mish. I wouldn’t stand idly by while entire kingdoms are destroyed. You should have just told me the truth and asked. I would have helped you regardless.”
“Well, if I’d known then what I know now…” Looking at Jared was distracting. He had the prettiest eyes, and the water had dissolved his sugary clothes, revealing his impossibly perfect build. Misha was anything but superficial, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have eyes. He shook his head to clear it. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “If you want me to leave, I’d understand.”
“Just tell me one thing, Mish, honestly.” Jared pressed their foreheads together. “If none of this matters, if I’d help you anyway or you never needed my help at all, would you still be here? W-”
“Yes. Gods, yes.” They were sharing breath, and he wanted, he wanted. “I really do like you, Jare. It’s not a lie.”
“Then stay.”
And suddenly, they were kissing again, Misha’s arms winding around Jared’s neck and the titan pressing their bodies closer with a hand on the small of his back. Titans, they really shouldn’t be so beautiful, so sweet and kind. He lay Jared down in the shallows, straddling his hips, and shuddered as warm fingers caressed his wings.
“Not just for tonight,” he promised. He could get used to this. He could get used to this everyday, forever.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Jared agreed, hands slipping lower with a mischievous grin.
Misha gasped at the spark of pleasure, then frowned. “I should have tested you with the unicorns! Where’d you learn that from?”
“Well, not all the movies and books in the castle are innocent.”
“Naughty,” Misha chided with a giggle, leaning down once more.
Someday, Jared would fulfill the ancient prophecy and fight the Jabberwocky. But tonight, he would sleep in Misha’s arms, and nothing could take that peace away.
~ Part 1 | Part 2 ~