Chapter Text
Tales of extraordinary adventures often begin, as fantastic stories often do, in dark, stormy nights. It is said that such tumultuous weather provides a favorable opportunity for the thousand winds of time to plant the seeds of legends, nurturing them gently until they bloom into tales that are sung across the land for centuries to come.
Despite this, Granny Berenika has always told little Ajax that finding him as a newborn was nothing short of a miracle. To her, it has never mattered that she found him on the clearest spring day she could ever remember, at the end of the Springsun Fair that celebrates the end of the winter thaw. It may not be an auspicious day for the rest of their unnamed little fishing village, but to her…
“You are a gift of spring, brought to me by winter’s thaw,” she often tells him before she tucks him into bed. “That in itself is magic, is it not?”
“Am I… magic, Granny?” he asks in return one night, his soft voice almost drowned out by the howling wind and roaring rain.
She smiles in response and brushes his hair away from his face before tucking him in with a chuckle. “Perhaps not in the literal sense, my dear, but you have made my life brighter. That’s enough for me.”
***
For as long as Ajax can remember, winter is special for him in ways that no one — not even Granny Berenika or the village children he plays with — could understand. The soft, comforting whispers of the cold winds reassure him that the coming spring brings new hope, and he will always be left in awe of the cold, quiet beauty in every sparkling snowflake falling over his head.
Sometimes, in the dead of the night when the rest of his little world has fallen quiet, he can even hear the distant sound of a woman’s lonely song, rising above the tempestuous winter wind.
“For a gift of spring, I must say that I am amused to see how much you love winter,” Granny Berenika tells him one night as she watches him marvel at the snow. She places a cup of hot tea beside him and places a blanket over his shoulders. “Be careful, my dear. Winter may be beautiful, but its cold, unforgiving winds have lured many people to their doom.”
But Ajax knows, deep in his heart, that his well-meaning grandmother doesn’t understand the power that winter holds over him. He’ll never hold that against someone he loves as dearly as her, however.
If there’s something that enthralls Ajax almost as much as snow does, it would be Springsun Fair. Held for a week after the last of winter’s snow has melted, it’s the only time of the year when the wondrous — and sometimes bizarre — people from the other side of the Forbidden Woods. The light of their tall, flameless torches and the hems of their vivid silk tents can be seen just behind the trees nearest to the village, the smell of woodsmoke and the sound of fey laughter wafting through the outermost settlements.
“I’m afraid you’re still too young to come with me to the fair,” Granny Berenika tells him, year after year, before setting off to purchase flower seeds for their garden and shop. “Their wares may be wondrous, but their songs could be dangerous to vulnerable children such as you.”
“What are they?” He never fails to ask, though he knows what comes next.
“The Folk from Beyond,” she always replies with a cryptic smile. “Magic is in their blood, and they serve no one but the Seven who keep the balance in the world, and the stars who guide the threads of fate.”
Ajax could barely understand most of what she said. But everytime his granny speaks of the stars and the Seven, he takes his time to peek through the window late at night when the rest of the world is asleep,
They’re beautiful, that much he knows. And even a child who still knows nothing of the world can bask in the comfort of their light as his curiosity over the Springsun Fair grows as bright as ever.
Curiosity is like a spark of fire, growing fiercer with every passing day until it spirals into an uncontrollable intensity, threatening to consume one whole.
On a clear, cold morning, Ajax sees Granny Berenika off at the entrance of the village, watching her hobble towards the river bordering the village. He stays where he is as she trudges towards the lush grasslands beyond where colorful tents and stalls stand tall and proud, as if spilling from the Forbidden Woods that looms in the distance.
Even from his spot, where most village children have been left behind by their elders alongside the abysmally few adults left behind to look after them, the sounds of songs and laughter wafts through the air. If he tries hard enough, he thinks he can even smell freshly-baked bread. It spurs him to slowly creep away from his companions to scramble up a tree near the river so he can observe the scene a little closer. Stubbornly, he ignores the other children's warnings and invitations to join their little games instead.
No. He must see more.
Though he has lost track of Granny Berenika, he watches the other adults flitting by various wares before his curious eyes latch on to vendor after vendor in their outlandish garb. However, despite their unusual clothes and some unfamiliar merchandise — unfamiliar caged animals, glowing trinkets, and plants with oddly-colored leaves among others — there doesn't seem to be anything inherently dangerous there. At least, there's nothing dangerous in the naive eyes of a seven-year-old child.
He gasps as he spots one of the vendors approaching the river, watching her kneel to collect water with a purple jar. He scoots closer to the edge of a branch, observing the way her roughspun cream-colored dress brushes against the grass, and the silver hair falling over her pale, pointed face.
His eyes roam to the horns jutting from the top of her head, pale and glittering like crystals — or perhaps, icicles in midwinter. He stares and stares and stares, curious but not afraid, wondering what it would be like to touch them.
All thought goes out of his head, however, when the woman stands and suddenly looks up, straight towards the tree. She does not move closer, nor make any other gesture to acknowledge his presence, but he knows that she's aware of his presence despite the distance. Perhaps, she might even know that he's watching her. Before he can gesture that he means no harm, however, she picks up her jar and heads back to the fair as if nothing happened.
Ajax stays rooted on the spot, watching her slowly disappear back into the crowd, wondering if he should follow her. She never meant him any harm, and now he wants to know more — not just about the strange woman, but also about this bizarre fair.
In the end, his youthful courage fails him. As the sun starts rising high above his head, he scuttles down the tree and runs back to the village to join his friends. That's enough adventure for a day, and perhaps even a few years, he thinks. If waiting this long has led to an encounter with that woman, what could happen if he actually waits until he's finally deemed old enough to accompany Granny Berenika to the fair?
He doesn’t tell his granny about the encounter. It would just open more questions that might get him into trouble, anyway.
"My dear, you have grown bright and strong," Granny Berenika tells Ajax one spring morning after his twelfth nameday. "Perhaps it is time for you to be acquainted with the Springsun Fair."
"Really?" He looks up from the small fire he's tending to with the brightest smile on his face. As he had promised himself, he's kept his distance from the fair for the past five years, hoping that the wait will bring him a better adventure. This will be worth it, he knows it. "I'll be going to the fair with you?"
She smiles and brushes his hair away from his face. Is it just him, or are the lines on her face growing deeper? "But of course! The Folk from Beyond may be shrewd, and too different for us to comprehend, but they have done good business with our village for years and years. You must learn, just as I and my mother and my grandmother before me have learned, to safely traverse the Springsun Fair without giving off more than you bargained for."
Ajax's mind strays back to the woman from five years ago. She had never shown any signs of danger. "What do you mean?"
Granny Berenika pauses with a little frown. "How should I say this? The Folk from Beyond, as I have said, are magic. Their laws are different from ours. It is said that they cannot lie, and yet they can twist the truth to suit themselves if needed. They can control the elements of the world to their whim, weave spells, and make bargains impossible for humans."
Magic. Of course, that's it! "Can they also look... a little different from us? Tails? Animal ears? Horns?"
Though her brow briefly creases into a suspicious frown, she doesn't press the matter. "Indeed. Though they seem human on the surface, they are absolutely not, and sometimes you can see it on their forms too."
"Should I be scared?"
"Oh, no, my dear. They may be different, and sometimes dangerous, but they are not allowed to harm you and I, and every other folk who live in this side of the woods. That doesn't mean they won't try making bargains that could spell trouble for us, however, so you must keep your wits about you."
Perhaps that woman had been trying to trick Ajax into trusting her, so she could strike a dangerous bargain later... And yet, he can feel deep down that she meant no harm. "Then I will be wise and wary, Granny."
"As you should." Granny Berenika smiles. "I know you are a sensible one, my dear, but please stay close to me for now. I'm afraid that I might lose you in the crowd."
"Of course I will!" He knows how to return to the village anyway, but he'd rather appease her. And yet, a quiet question slowly wriggles its way into his thoughts. "But Granny, you don't bring anything when you go to the fair. How do you pay for the seeds you always buy?"
The smile falls from her face as her watery gray eyes flit to the nearby windows. She briefly gazes at the patch of windwheel asters outside with a weary sigh. "I have already made my bargain years and years ago. Now all I do is keep collecting what I have traded for."
The Springsun Fair is louder and brighter up close. Brightly-garbed vendors shout their wares — ostentatious jewelry, practical supplies, freshly-cooked food, and everything in between. A golden-eyed man with talons for feet even approaches them as they head down a lane of craftsmen, asking how much Granny Berenika would be willing to trade for her "sturdy little one."
Fear quietly creeps up Ajax's gut as he stares at the man with a frown. He had thought all of these people safe just because he had encountered someone who seemed to be harmless, but a few minutes into the Fair is quickly proving him wrong. If this man can see and treat him as nothing but goods to be sold, then how much worse can he actually do?
He opens his mouth to speak, but his granny grips his arm hard to stop him.
"This is my grandson, not goods for barter. He's priceless, kind sir." she tells him, steel coloring the sweetness of her words. Turning to Ajax, she nudges him on with a smile. "Come. If we get our goods before the crowd becomes too much, then we can go home in time for lunch. I'm afraid the food here is a little too expensive for my tastes."
Mustering his courage, Ajax looks back as he follows his granny farther into the Fair, and sees the taloned man staring at him with intense curiosity.
Granny Berenika leads him to a particularly plain, patched tent surrounded by pots of seedlings, boxes of rich soil, and baskets of flowers. A snowy-haired young woman in roughspun brown and green robes tends to the wares, whistling a merry tune as she waters her seedlings. She looks up as they approach, her brown eyes glinting with recognition.
"It has been a year, Berenika," she chirps. "Oh, and who's this little one here?"
"My grandson, Ajax." Granny Berenika places a hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's helping me with my purchases today. Ajax dear, this is Guizhong, a business partner. "
Guizhong laughs and leans down to look Ajax in the eye. “Hello, little Ajax.”
“Hello, ma’am!” Despite the lingering fear, he never forgets about the courtesy that has been hammered into his very being since he was a little child. “Pleased to meet you!”
“My, my, a polite one!” She nods in approval and turns to Granny Berenika. “Now, I believe that you’ve come here so he may experience trade with my people?”
“That, I did.” Granny Berenika places a hand on her grandson’s shoulder. “I’m afraid there won’t be much to learn here, as we have finished our transaction long ago, but I might take him farther into the fair to trade for some supplies. I heard that this year’s summer might be harsh, after all.”
Guizhong chuckles softly. “Indeed, it will. But if I may, I would like to let your grandson experience his first trade with me.”
Despite her earlier words, the offer makes Granny Berenika turn pale. “Surely he’s too young for these kinds of transactions!”
“Oh, don’t be afraid!” Guizhong covers her mouth and snorts. “In case you forgot, our hard bargain was your choice.”
A moment of silence passes before Granny Berenika huffs and inclines her head — a subtle show of consent. “Very well. Ajax, remember what I told you before we left the house.”
You must keep your wits about you. Ajax steels himself as he looks up at the silver-haired woman, prepared to think hard about the offer she will make. He won’t get himself in trouble, especially not in front of his granny.
Guizhong smiles and bends over to better meet his gaze. “I must admit, child, that you have caught my eye.”
“That’s not a bad thing, right?” he asks.
“Oh, definitely not.” Her face grows solemn as a soft glow emanates from a clenched fist. “You have quite an interesting future, my dear. A dangerous quest awaits you, and you’ll need every scrap of good fortune at your fingertips to survive the ordeal.”
“What do you mean?” Granny Berenika demands.
“Exactly what I meant.” Guizhong holds out her hand, the glow slowly subsiding to reveal a simple bronze earring with a simple red crystal dangling from it. “This is a simple charm, to protect you from most harm that may come your way. It is powerless against terrible forces, but it should be enough to serve you well. All I ask in return is a simple promise.”
All I ask in return is a simple promise. It seems easy enough but a quick look on Granny Berenika’s face warns him that not all might be as they seem. “W-What kind of promise?”
“Oh, we’ll make a wily young man out of you,” Guizhong crows with a chuckle. “Indeed, you must always ask for details before agreeing to any of our bargains. My people take promises quite seriously, and may not react kindly to anyone who backs out — even if the agreement is ultimately unfavorable to one party.”
“What she means,” Granny Berenika explains, “is that her people might be unhappy if you back out of an agreement, even if that agreement is bad for you.”
Guizhong nods smugly. “Exactly. No matter how tempting it is, you must always ask for the full terms of the bargain first.”
Most of it goes over Ajax’s head, but he gets the gist. “I will.”
“Very good.” Her eyes glint with amusement. “As for the promise I require in exchange for this gift, it is most simple. Your grandmother is getting older, my child, so I want you to promise me that you will take good care of her in the years to come.”
Promise me that you will take good care of her in the years to come. She needn’t ask him that! He puffs his cheeks, ready to argue, but thinks better of it. What can a magical being like her do to him if offended direly? “Is that all you want from me?” he asks instead, putting the advice into practice instead.
“Good. You must probe further, to make sure there are no hidden meanings in their words,” Granny Berenika says with a nod.
“There is nothing else — just a promise that you will care for your grandmother, as a dutiful grandson would.” The earring resting on Guizhong’s palm glints. “Do you accept my terms?”
Ajax blinks, his gaze affixed on the enthralling red crystal. He has covered all grounds, right? “I do.”
“Then the deal is sealed.” She places the earring on his outstretched hand.
For a brief moment, he feels an unseen weight fall upon his shoulders — a reminder of the deal he has just made. He meets Guizhong’s proud gaze before turning to Granny Berenika. Though his granny gives him a reassuring nod, he catches the worried frown furrowing her forehead,
Ajax doesn’t find any sign of the silver-robed woman from five years ago, no matter how much he strains his eyes. The fair may be brimming with so many wonders, but he knows he’d have recognized her if she’s there. He remembers her distant figure, as clear as day, and a part of him hopes to meet her, talk to her.
But why?