Chapter Text
When the faerie was brought in, Anna thought she was dreaming.
But of course, she wasn’t, she had participated in her very capture. Were chains supposed to sparkle like that? Last she’d checked, they were a dull gray.
Nearly glowing, cobalt eyes burned like a thousand fiery stars as they stared into blue-green ones. A man in the squad of twelve assigned to the stunning but deadly creature spoke.
“We’ve restrained, tagged, and fitted her with the strongest suppressors, ma’am,” the redhead noted obsidian cuffs around pale ankles and wrists—the only things stopping the powerful being from leveling the building they were in. She nodded with approval; they were holding up fantastically.
“Very good. Thank you for bringing her for report. Cell S1, please. That is all,” the head guard nodded, “Oh, and an extra rotation of seven at the bottom of the stairs should do.” Another sharp nod followed by a “Yes ma’am” were the reply before the entourage left.
Dropping her pen, the young woman also dropped with it the pretense of filing papers like a responsible Head of Branch. She leaned back, feeling sore muscles relax and her thoughts drift.
The forest hiding the fae was situated near a gorgeous lake. It was mid-summer, and despite that fact, the forest floor resembled a post-blizzard scene. Snow several feet deep crunched and sank Anna and her capture squad up to their knees in pristine powder. They looked out of place, hauling futuristic armor and gear that slowed their progress.
The woods were deathly silent, little stirred save for when snow collapsed out of tree branches over-burdened by the sudden weight. Razor-like ice shards dangled from every surface, menacing and cold in their beauty.
A faint rustle was their only warning. Commands were yelled, and nets woven with magic suppressors were fired over a ten-foot radius. Men scrambled into position and continued their work as others prepared to shoot potent tranquilizers.
Finally, success had come. A white mass thrashed aggressively under the reinforced mesh and went limp in moments as she was shot. From there, the men kept the tangled nets about the woman as they placed her into a carrying unit. Another while later, the team was setting off to the Humvees and Jeeps.
“Ma’am, another is coming,” an informant called out. The redhead nodded in answer before resigning herself to a day filled by reports and sending captures to appropriate cells.
***
The life of a capturer was fraught with danger and odd, difficult-to-explain situations.
“How does one even explain my job?” Anna mused out loud as she adjusted her blazer. Thanks to strict protocol, even the highest-ranking person in the building was subject to dress code—regardless of the hours of outdoor tromping prior. She had spent weeks pursuing a target personally; the mission was far too dangerous for the regular grunts.
A close friend of hers since grade school, Kristoff rolled his eyes, “Easy,” he cleared his throat to adopt a high-pitched imitation of Anna’s voice, “My occupation? Why yes! You see here, today was quite busy. I’ve had to catalogue and send a talking, sentient snowman to a holding cell. Mind you, without human guards because everyone within a ten-foot radius goes insane. Oh, also, there was a massive dude made of rocks and dirt that thank the gods enjoys sleeping. Or--”
“I get it, we’re nut jobs,” the younger woman chuckled. Kristoff had kept the institution running excellently with her out. She ran the capture department while Kristoff lead hunting. There was a difference.
The difficulty of their jobs was barely offset by excellent pay—and having each other company. With life so dangerous, it was pleasant to have a familiar face close by.
“Congrats on your realization,” the blonde man snarked. Anna stuck her tongue out in a childish manner. They wordlessly separated soon to do their own duties, but small smiles stayed on their faces at the temporary reprieve from work.
Once again, Anna’s thoughts slowly circulated her mind without her best friend. The capture had gone...oddly. The mission was so dangerous and took so long that the final capturing part was strange and almost anticlimactic. They had been lost for a week straight and lost over twenty men to injury or even replacement for wounds too severe. Another week more and the hunting unit would have been used instead. No matter how rare and valuable, if the being was causing too much trouble, it would have to be exterminated before it reached human cities.
Anna worked for the Mythical Hunt and Capture Corporation, a company paid by national governments for managing magical creatures that harmed or otherwise disturbed the human populace. Primarily stationed in the U.S., there were other companies overseas that did much the same work. The redhaired woman lead a branch designated to cover the states of New York and New Jersey and did so with great efficiency. Until the winter fae, another being that rivaled her had not been spotted in centuries.
Using her ID card, Anna made her way into the first-floor cells. Another strict rule as Head was mandatory daily checks. The building was divided into the following set-up: three above-ground layers held teams of hunter and capturer units. Much like a military barrack, there was a place for training, a mess hall, recreation centers, and sleeping quarters. Below ground, five more levels were present, the upper most layer called D for the level of its occupants. D-level beings were least dangerous and were guarded by less experienced men. The layer below was C and held better guards and more lethal beings. This system continued till the bottom-most layer—S. There were fewer and fewer cells per level as highly deadly creatures needed more secure and larger cells. It was also a rare occurrence to have anything higher than a B more than once every year, despite the high population drawing many creatures to the area.
Smiling as she passed a snowman chatting his robot guard’s ear off, she finished her tour of the D-level. Nearly an hour later after a salamander required transport from C to B for catching a guard on fire, she trudged to an airtight cell.
“Gale?” she called. The microphone system that allowed sentient air to hear and speak echoed with a chittering. Anna smiled; he was in a good mood today. Talking in soothing gentle tones, she replaced the decaying leaves that no one else could touch with bright oranges and reds again. A gentle breeze caressed her face in thanks, and a joyful grin stretched freckled cheeks as she dumped the rotted vegetation. Her last sight as she bid the wind goodbye was orange oak and red maple leaves fluttering playfully.
Another hour with rock men sleeping and water Nokks splashing contently, Anna dragged herself to the elevator once more. Descending to the final level, she made her way up a short flight of stairs to a massive aquarium-like cage. The tank had all manners of protection against winter magic and a variety of other technology above Anna’s knowledge. With only five other similar sized customizable cages on her level, the ice mage was alone as they were empty.
Warily, the tired woman made her way to the observatory after greeting the guards. Gazing past transparent glass, she gasped at the sight inside.
A currently bored snow faerie laid sprawled on her back, conjuring up glittering icy spirals. The swirls abruptly became more solid and fell as fine crystals as the pale woman conducting them turned her head.
Still in shock, Anna realized the mike system wasn’t muted. A guard must have tried to bring her food. Said meal was in the corner of the cage, and instead of a clean plate, it had been frozen and reworked into a sculpture of an ice skater on a pond, surrounded by trees. Goddamn it, how does someone make chicken, rice, and broccoli look gorgeous? As she pondered over the edible possibilities of art, a pair of eyes that resembled the coldest of glaciers and clearest of diamonds studied her. They drew cautiously closer, twin orbs watching their prey.
“Um, hello. I’m here to make sure you’re doing all right. Normally, I talk to everyone even if they don’t understand me. You’re probably not great because we just caught you this morning but still. Do you like your food okay? I can bring you something else.” the redhead cursed herself, normally, she got along fine with the captures. Although she was far from eloquent, she hardly rambled this badly.
Her spiel was ignored, the woman paused in drawing closer and instead tilted her head sideways. Like a puppy. Wait, what? On closer inspection, Anna could now see the woman did not wear skin-tight lace, but rather a strange material that seemed like frost. It crept along elegant limbs tentatively and left little to the imagination. Her cheeks flamed at the realization, but any sign of notice from the majestic being in front of her were absent.
A platinum blonde head righted itself and its owner drew back, bored again.
“Alright, so not much of a talker,” Anna said quietly, “But I don’t want you to be hungry. Do you want something else?” Arctic eyes contemplated her words, a slow head nod.
“What can I get you then,” a mysterious smirk curled pink lips. Anna grew confused.
“Am I missing something?” another elusive expression as evasive as its owner stretched the fae’s regal features. Delicate fingers reached into a compartment hidden in the frosty dress and withdrew something. The item was held up, ensnared by two pale digits and displayed: a Hershey’s wrapper.
“You like chocolate?” pleased, the woman smiled wider.
“Then you’ll get some chocolate. I’ll be back,” making a speedy trip to the kitchens above ground, she acquired a bar of the sweet treat before going back to the enclosure as fast as she could.
Slightly out of breath, she held a bar of chocolate triumphantly, “Here it is”. She slid the package into a small opening designated for trays of food and watched as a robotic arm retrieved and deposited the bar onto the floor, now inside the cage. Quietly, she watched in warm delight (like hot chocolate during a bitter winter) as the blonde woman tore into the candy happily. She ate half of it at lightning speed but with so much poise and grace that it would make royal women jealous. Cooling the other half of it like one might enjoy chocolate from a freezer, she slid the half she had broken pieces from back. The tray collector opened with a wrapper frozen neatly shut.
“You don’t have to share. It’s yours,” a delicate head shake and another small smile greeted the redhaired woman, “Thank you then.”
With that, Anna gave the faerie a final grin and a little wave before departing with the chocolate in tow. If she had turned around, she would have seen stunned guards and a certain wintry being waving shyly back.