Chapter Text
In short, Ivory Cello Rosewood was not like other villagers.
To start, she was extremely pale, no matter how much time she spent outside. She was extremely gangly—not even close to as tall as the men in the village, though still taller than the other women. Her hair was abnormally light in contrast to her dark brown eyes with (supposed) hints of pink. And for the icing on the cake, her teeth developed a sharpness that mimicked fangs at a young age. The elderly ladies gossiped about it constantly—how odd and unordinary the orphaned child was.
The other villagers all looked ‘normal’. They were athletic with sunkissed skin, and they were social and family-based. Ivory didn't fit into that ‘mold’. Nor did she want to. She was fine with doing her own thing and hanging out with Snow Piktu, the librarian and her only friend.
Though Ivory didn’t have a family (that she knew of), Snow partially filled in for that role. They were only a bit older than her and let her stay over at their house. They would give her food, teach her, and take on pretty much any standard parental (or, rather, older sibling) task, but she knew her and Snow’s ‘familial’ relationship didn’t matter to the other townsfolk.
There was only one small thing that really vexed her, though: the faerie rumor.
As Ivory was told, the villagers had found her in the town square when she was around 3 years old. After they took her in, they realized she was a very odd child—more than just her peculiar eyes and teeth. She never cried, was extremely cold compared to other kids, and barely talked to anyone. She was bullied quite a lot about it.
To make it worse, the day they found her, there was a prophecy. Snow (who was 5 at the time) and their family were cleaning out the library when they found an old text. They planned to burn it but once they picked it up, it started glowing. In blood red text, a prophecy appeared. Only the village council, Snow’s parents, and some of the elders knew exactly what it said, but the news of it spread like a wildfire.
Ivory and the rest of the town knew it was about two things: one, the fae, and two, a child with a complexion of snow. The town did exactly what you’re supposed to do when you get a prophecy—you find the closest child who’s pale, and say: “That’s definitely the prophecy child, we gotta watch them!”, meaning Ivory was immediately rumored to be the child of the prophecy.
After that, the townspeople started to believe that Ivory was a changeling, and it didn’t help that she looked and behaved so differently than the others. So the rumor spread, and Ivory, who was already bullied about most likely being part of a prophecy along with how she looked, was now called a changeling.
Changelings were usually sent by the fae as a replacement for children they stole, and were generally not a good sign. Ivory also never wore amulets or carried bread or even something iron wherever she went to protect herself from the fae, which became another part of evidence that the older women with too much time on their hands used against her.
Due to this scrutiny, Ivory avoided going deep into town, preferring to sit in the small library and read on days when it rained too heavily to go to the forest. The library was always quiet; most people got their books delivered to them. On the days when it was sunny or only sprinkled, she grabbed her basket and sometimes a cloak and went to the forest. There was one thing that she knew she was good at, she knew the forest better than anyone.
While it further instigated people’s suspicions about her being a changeling, it also meant that she was somewhat important. She could always find special or important herbs, mushrooms, etc., which the local herbalists, doctors, and botanists loved her for. Sometimes they’d make her food or pay her in exchange. Ivory was convinced it was one of the main reasons she hadn’t been attacked with pitchforks and burnt at the stake.
“I’m heading out!” she called, grabbing Snow’s old cloak. It had been given to them when they were 18 but had been too small, yet a perfect size for Ivory.
“Alright, remember to pick up some mushrooms for dinner, and stay safe! Remember to come back before sundown,” Snow said, poking their head out from behind a bookcase. They had an unusual shade of blue eyes with black hair and a lovely smile. They were tall, towering over the usual people of the village, but not lanky. They would be perfect if they weren't so involved in reading books and sharing their love of them with anyone who would listen.
Ivory and Snow were the absolute best of duos. Snow had taught her how to read and write, and because of them, Ivory could write plots comparable to any of Shakespeare's plays, quote every page of Art of War (both of them), and more. Snow preferred history and mystery while Ivory preferred plays and fiction because they were much more interesting and creative. It helped her imagine a life away from the small, rumor-filled town.
Snow also had taught them multiple instruments. Her favorite was a newer instrument called the guitar. While women were educated in the village equally as men, Ivory was much more educated than either.
Ivory shut the door behind her and made her way through the town, doing her best to avoid the scathing stares sent her way. She waved at the herbalist and her family, and stopped to pet one of the cats that roamed the town.
She was 18 now. She had been living in the town for so long. Too long. She knew everyone’s name, where they lived, and every piece of gossip that entered and exited the town, for better or worse. She had also been forced to memorize everything you do when you meet a faerie. It was town protocol. She had seen paintings of the fae, their eyes burning into her soul. She shivered thinking about it.
She cut through an alleyway and kept going straight until she reached the forest, dew still stuck to the grass, tickling her ankles. It was a rare day for the season, where it wasn’t raining but wasn’t a million degrees outside. The gray area between summer and spring. There was a slight breeze, causing it to be chilly in the shade. Ivory tightened her cloak, there was something different about this adventure into the forest.
She took out a botany book from her pack. She had already collected many of the plants from it. She avoided the poisonous and harmful ones, just in case the townspeople got suspicious. She did want a specific one this time around, though: Phlox divaricata . She chuckled, reading through the folk names—it was sometimes called Wild Sweet William. From the sepia colored pages of the old botany book, it seemed to be a sort of purplish blue color with a star shaped flower.
She didn’t know exactly why she wanted to find some of them, but since she didn’t have any requests from the townsfolk this time around, she decided to go for it. The local botanist didn’t even seem to know about it, so maybe she’d get some extra coins if she traded it in.
She walked through the forest at a brisk pace, picking up mushrooms as she walked. The search was long, so around midday, she sat down to snack on some biscuits she had brought. Ivory preferred it because it wasn’t called bread. She fell asleep for a few minutes with it now being warmer and having the soft, calming ambiance made by the chirping birds and rustling trees.
Once she woke, she walked slowly towards a sunnier, warmer area of the forest, with less shade. Even with all of her knowledge and years of exploring, she didn’t know this area well enough in her opinion. It seemed like it changed everyday, like the trees wanted to keep humans out. She touched the bark of the trees. They were much older then the ones closer to the town, and the bark oddly reminded her of war scars.
She traversed the area, squinting when the sun got too bright. Ivory finally found the lavender and blue-colored flowers, carefully digging them out with her hand-held shovel and placing them safely in a light pot. She walked around the area a bit more, the colors seeming to change the deeper into the forest she got.
She was so focused that she didn’t even notice how long she walked or even the bushes of bright reddish-pink roses that were now in front of them. She didn’t notice the circle of assorted mushrooms that circled some of said bushes, or the large, old oak tree. She was so entranced, she almost walked into the circle until she heard laughter.
“Who’s there?” She said loudly. She cringed at how scratchy her voice had become due to not talking for so long. “Who else would be in the middle of the forest in a faerie circle?” a voice said back.
Ivory stopped dead in her tracks. Sitting on one of the branches of the tree, there was the most spectacular being Ivory had ever seen. The fae had light auburn hair and piercing blue eyes (challenging Snow’s blue eyes) that seemed to change to green when he turned his head. He had golden glitter speckled all over his face, looked to be about Ivory’s age, and, while being taller than her, wasn’t the rumored ‘giants’ fae were supposed to be. The fae jumped out of the tree gracefully.
“Are you lost?” the fae asked. Ivory shook her head lightly. The fae continued, “Ah, but where are my manners? May I ask your name, ma’am?” This time, Ivory laughed. “I’d rather travel with a veil of privacy, if you don’t mind, dear fae.” She couldn’t be rude. The fae would punish her.
“Of course,” the fae answered, smiling mischievously. The fae looked down at her basket. “You seem to be quite a flower collector, would you like a rose to add to your basket?” He asked, picking one and holding it out to Ivory. The rose lacked thorns, and the smell was invigorating. But Ivory knew she shouldn’t accept.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I cannot accept. I should be on my way now,” Ivory said, though she really did want one. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Ivory said a bit more firmly, trying to hide it with a smile. The fae’s smile lessened a bit before his face fell completely. “You're a smart one,” he sighed, “I tried. I really did. But you barely stepped into the ring. …You should get home quickly, it’s getting dark.” Ivory looked up, realizing the fae was right. It was honestly a bit saddening to Ivory how quickly the fae broke his facade of being… well, fae-like. Ivory nodded. “...Have a wonderful day,” Ivory called out as she left, not exactly knowing what to say.
Once she was far away, Ivory sighed. She needed to keep this a secret. If the townspeople knew she had communicated with a fae, she’d get burned at the stake. She continued running home and went straight to bed.
—
She delivered the phlox to the botanist Katrina the next day, who was happily surprised. “You know, you're very good at foraging. Could you get me some wildflowers, preferably from deep in the forest, where you found these? I’ll pay you well for the work,” she said, smiling. She was one of the only people who didn't care who you were. If you worked well, you were respected and seen as a friend.
Ivory nodded and quickly ran into the forest. After a couple minutes of running, she realized she was back at the circle. I wonder if they can change places? , she thought. The fae was sitting on the ground, tying sunflowers together to make a flower chain. “Oh, you’re back!” The fae said, his voice light and surprisingly caring.
“Not exactly, I’m collecting flowers,” Ivory said, starting to pick up more phlox and wildflowers. The faerie carefully watched her, smiling a bit. “Do you come to the forest often?”
“When it isn’t raining, yes. Though, I don’t usually come this far though.”
“So, you’ve never been over in this area?”
“I have, just only a couple times. Kinda surprising, considering all the time I’ve spent in this forest,” Ivory chuckled. The fae only nodded, moving his focus over to the flower chain again. Ivory had never understood how to make one. They seemed simple but so beautiful. She watched the fae expertly tie them together in a pattern, adding in smaller flowers, such as the phlox.
“Would you like one?” The fae asked, finishing it up. He quickly added, “No tricks this time!” The fae was smiling sheepishly.
“Okay…” Ivory said. As far as she knew, fae couldn’t lie, so there was no risk. The fae pushed it carefully out of the circle, his hands barely touching the outside of it. He then started on another one.
“I swear, if I get tuberculosis-”
“I said no tricks!” The fae interrupted, holding his hands up and smiling. Ivory noticed the fae’s sharp teeth and wondered how she hadn’t noticed sooner. Smiling, Ivory placed the flower crown on her head comfortably, holding back a ‘thank you’. She didn’t notice the look the fae had on his face. “This is beautiful, I appreciate your gift!” Ivory smiled at him, and the fae smiled back.
After a pause, Ivory spoke up. “So, you can’t exit the circle?” she asked, sitting down and picking at some of the other wildflowers. The faerie nodded solemnly. “Yeah. Unless someone with my name summons me, but most people aren’t really into making promises with fae these days,” he said jokingly, “The only thing we get now is the offerings of alcohol, flowers, stew, et cetera from mothers to make sure we don’t give their kids illnesses.”
“That’s horrible!”
“I never said we give the illnesses. We are respected, but also feared. Kinda sucks, honestly,” the fae said, finishing up the other flower crown and placing it atop his red curls.
“‘Kinda sucks’? Don’t you guys kidnap kids?”
“Only if the kid does or gives something to us, like giving us their name. Don’t you think it’s more of the parent’s fault? I mean, what parent lets their kid wander this far out?”
Ivory thought for a second. “Yeah, but you're ignoring some variables there. Maybe the kid ran away or got lost.”
“That’s true, but we’re basically a symbol of not talking to strangers.” Ivory shook her head. “Not really,” she said, “it’s more of them teaching you how to identify a fae and saying not to talk to strangers separately. From what I’ve noticed, at least.”
“Oh. I dunno at this point. You're the first human I’ve seen in multiple years anyways, and you’re not even a kid in your society,” he chuckled.
“I’m much older than a child.”
“Well I guess for you guys, but you're a child to me.”
“What!? You seem… 18, maybe 20?”
“Good guess, but I’m more than 100 years old!”
“Oh,” Ivory said. The fae laughed. She finished filling the basket with the picked wildflowers, which looked very different compared to the ones close to town. There was no rush to go back, so Ivory sat down and dug into her bag. She finally found a small book of poems and, ironically, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
She slowly opened the book of poetry and began reading when a soft voice took over her ears. The fae is singing! Ivory had always been under the impression that fae would sound angelic, but this voice was almost human. She couldn’t make out the lyrics, but it sounded as if melancholy itself was made into a song.
Ivory looked over her book to catch a glimpse of him. He was still making more flower chains and crowns, but he looked lonely. Ivory scooted a bit closer to the circle without thinking about it. The fae looked up at them, continuing his sad ballad, but Ivory could hear the fae smiling. In return, it gave Ivory a strong urge to smile back. So she did.
~
“Ah, thank you!” Katrina said, smiling. Ivory had just walked in to see her studying the sky. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, perfectly fine. The moon and sun are close to being balanced.”
“How so?”
“Well, there is a phenomenon, called an Eclipse, where the moon and sun meet. It’s said if you look at it, you’ll become blind.” She turned to Ivory, the smile lingering on her face. “The day they found you, there was one.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. They’re supposedly bad luck, but I don’t think they are.” Katrina passed her a few coins, “Not when it brought such a hard worker.” Ivory smiled brightly.
“Thank you! I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said, waving at Katrina. Her smile didn’t waver the whole way home.
~
It continued like this for a few more days. Ivory would do something for someone in the town and have an excuse to go back to the circle. The faerie and her would make small chat, enjoying each other's company. The fae hadn’t seen many humans and Ivory had never seen a fae. They seemed to make good company. Ivory always returned with the supplies right before the sun disappeared, always carrying several small trinkets, most commonly a bunch of flower crowns.
“You keep disappearing for a while, and you’re always super tired when you get back,” Snow said, setting a bowl of mushroom stew down in front of Ivory.
“I was doing something for Katrina. I’ve been collecting some newer flowers, and I keep getting distracted.” Snow only nodded.
“What’s going on, Snow?” Ivory asked. Snow looked away, blowing on their spoon to cool down the hot stew.
“It’s the town council. They’re… worried. About the prophecy. I don’t know much, but there have been rumors of a fae sighting. We had a meeting about it today, around midday. Someone heard it singing. You weren’t here obviously, which… led to some suspicion.”
Ivory stiffened. She didn’t meet Snow’s eyes.
“Ivory…”
“I’ve been going deeper into the forest. I’ve heard some singing, but I always avoided it. I don’t think we should worry about it though.”
“Why didn’t you tell me!?” Ivory only shrugged. “I didn’t feel the need to. It wasn’t attracting me or anything and it’s pretty far out into the forest.”
“Still…” Snow looked at them with clear suspicion, but Ivory pretended to be oblivious, and the two continued eating.
~
“They heard you singing,” Ivory said the next day, the fae eyeing them.
“I don’t see why this is important…?”
“It’s important because of the prophecy. The townspeople are worried. Plus, I’m already on their suspicious person list and have been since I got there.” Ivory inched closer to the circle.
“Worried? Suspicious person list? I don’t see why they would need to be worried. They just need to watch their kids. How would my singing make you suspicious?”
“Because I wasn’t at the meeting and they think I’m a changeling.” The fae studied her for a second, looking genuinely worried. The faerie stood up and reached out his hand. Ivory frowned. “What…?” she asked, trailing off towards the end but getting her point across. “This will not harm you in any way nor lead to it. You will be safe,” the fae said, looking Ivory in the eyes, hand still outstretched. After a beat, Ivory reached out her hand, raising an eyebrow. The fae grabbed Ivory’s hand and she fell into the circle.
Ivory closed her eyes, prepared to teleport to the fae realm or whatever, but the two of them only fell onto soft grass. The air seemed different in the circle.
“What the hell?!”
Ivory immediately regretted her words. But the fae only looked at them, amused.
“Like I said, you’re not in danger, you're just under more protection.”
“How can I enter it but you can’t exit it?”
“I can exit it if someone calls my name. Honestly, even if I could leave it, I wouldn’t. It’s safe. And since if I get bored I can just go back home, it’s really not that bad.” The fae looked at Ivory. She felt an odd aura around the fae. The two sat down, leaving a few inches between them.
“What’s your town like?” The faerie asked.
“Judgemental and busy. We have someone for everything, though. Botanists, herbalists, doctors, witch doctors, lawyers.”
“Lawyers?”
“Yeah lawyers. I don’t really like them. ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all lawyers,’” she quoted, laughing.
“What?” the faerie laughed.
“It’s a Shakespeare quote,” Ivory said, giggling. She made a mental note to bring him some of Shakespeare’s works.
Ivory went on and on about books she liked, the town, and humans in general. The fae nodded, occasionally making snarky or sarcastic comments, but usually was quiet and attentive. Ivory had left earlier than usual to avoid some amount of suspicion from Snow.
~
“Hey, Changeling! Were you talking to your people? Are they gonna be taking you back?,” Ivory turned to see one of the kids yelling at them. “Took them long enough!” The kid had to be like 14, yet was yelling at a legal adult.
“No, I was telling them your name. You better be ready tonight.” Ivory gave the kid a (seemingly successful) attempt at a sadistic smile. The kid’s eyes widened in fear before running off. Ivory’s mood turned from happy to happier.
~
Ivory carefully strummed her guitar, masterfully switching between frets as she played a folk song. The fae stared, unblinking, in awe. It had only been a week since they had first met.
“Do you not have instruments in the faerie court?”
“We do, very similar to yours, but not as… amazing.”
Ivory’s face reddened slightly. The faerie looked like a child seeing gold for the first time. His eyes widened and widened the more Ivory played. It was slightly endearing, seeing such a feared being stripped back to being surprised and child-like.
“Would you like to try?” Ivory asked. The faerie nodded enthusiastically. With the help of Ivory, he carefully placed his fingers on the fretboard and strummed. He laughed loudly, strangely reminding Ivory of the sound of pan flutes being played. Ivory placed his fingers in another place, and then another. By the time she was done, the fae was still giggling.
“Congrats, you’ve played your first song on guitar!” The fae smiled even more.
“Really!? It was so easy.”
“Tell that to someone who doesn’t have a master to help.”
“Now, I think you’re getting full of yourself,” the fae laughed.
“Really? I think I’m just a really awesome teacher.” The fae rolled his eyes playfully.
“Sureeee.”
~
Ivory hated time.
Ever since she was a child, she hated it. The fear and hate seemed to be catching up with her more recently. She needed more time. She spent her days finding (sometimes begging) for tasks to do, going into the forest, spending time with the fae, going home, getting news from Snow, and so on.
The cycle was repetitive and left things unchecked or not taken care of. Snow grew more and more worried for Ivory, the fae and her got closer and closer, the townspeople whispered more and more when she came around. Honestly she couldn’t blame them, as it was very odd for her to carry around a guitar or pounds of books into the forest. She was missing something. It was like a puzzle with a missing piece.
The summer time came quickly. It quickly became hot and stuffy. Ivory had to bring lots of water when she went to see the fae, in fear that she may dehydrate and pass out. Then, one day, it started raining, and raining, and more rain. It lasted for about a week.
“Do you think the forest has flooded?” Snow asked, looking out the window. The two sat in the cool kitchen. Snow was throwing themselves into some new mystery book while Ivory worked on cutting herbs—Snow usually cooked, but Ivory had decided it was time for her to do something in return (plus, she was pretty bored, so…).
“Probably not, but if this rain continues…” Ivory attempted to stomach her worry for her fae friend. Friend. Oh god. , she thought. She knew he was probably fine, but that didn’t stop her from being worried. What if the circle washed away? What if it flooded? Could fae swim? Distracting her from her thoughts though, there was suddenly loud shouting and bells ringing outside.
“What’s going on?!” Snow yelled over the loud noise. They opened the window to see a large crowd of people surrounding a man laid out on a stretcher, bleeding. Snow grabbed a cloak and tied up their boots, Ivory following them.
It seemed the whole town stood in front of the doctor’s house. Even in the rain, sweat dripped down Ivory’s forehead. The crowd watched as the man was taken inside. Ivory recognized the man on the stretcher as Robert, the local hunter. His apprentice and some of the other men of the town sat outside while their wives or others bandaged some of their wounds. Snow gripped Ivory’s shoulder, their facial expression grim. Rain soaked their clothing.
“It was the fae! They attacked us!” yelled out one of the larger men. Collen, the leader of the town council as well as someone who never liked Ivory, sat next to them, wide-eyed.
“Aye, it had to be. We went deeper than we usually go, heard the singing, and immediately got attacked,” said another one of the men. The crowd erupted in intelligible whispers. While Ivory couldn't make out what they were saying, they were no doubt about her and the prophecy. Her boots sinked uncomfortably into the mud, the hem of her skirt now coated in it.
“By what?!” Katrina asked. The whole town went silent.
“A fae-born demon, I say. We got a glimpse of the wretched fae and got attacked by some sort of animal. Furry and with large fangs. If it stood up, it would be taller than this house.” Ivory shivered. She suddenly felt cold through the humidity.
“What did the fae look like?” One of the shopkeepers asked.
“It had sharp teeth, a beautiful voice, and golden hair. It drew us in with its singing, like a siren.” The other men around him ‘aye’-d. Ivory shook even more, some of the women around them fainted. Others covered their children’s ears.
“We’ve gotta be extra alert when going into the forest from now on. Whatever the bastard was, it could have killed Robert,” another hunter said.
“Shall we make sure everyone who goes in is accompanied?” Said someone from the crowd.
“It would be for the better,” Collen said. Snow looked at Ivory.
“My business thrives on studies on wild flowers from deep in the forest. It would take too much time if everyone who went in came with another person,” Katrina said, her gaze lingered on Ivory. She felt an overbearing feeling of pride.
“What do you propose, then?” One of the women bandaging the men up asked.
“We could have everyone write their name into a book and have a curfew. No later than 6 after midday should anyone come back, and everyone should be locked in their houses by 8 after midday.”
“Who says they will write their name in the book?”
“If they’re worried about their safety, they will…” Angry voices pierced the village, but Ivory tuned them out as Snow started to lead Ivory away. “We’ll get sick if we stay out here any longer, we’ll find out what they choose tomorrow.”
They walked quickly home and cleaned up. Ivory didn’t eat, nor did she sleep. The local church rang its bell early the next morning.
Robert had died.
~
Snow advised Ivory to not go into the forest the next day. It needed time to dry a bit more. The town was quiet, drying off clothing and cleaning broken branches. It was solemn. The wife of Robert and his 3 children were all being treated by the townspeople. There was a town meeting that Snow skipped and instead stayed with Ivory. The two stayed inside and played checkers, chess, and card games. Normally, Snow was surprisingly competitive—usually, these games lead to laughing until you were crying, joke threats, and Ivory annoying Snow. Today, it was uncomfortably silent, and all Ivory could hear was the clock slowly ticking.
Robert deserved more time. He deserved to see his children grow up, to retire, and live the rest of his life with his wife. Ivory needed to talk to the fae immediately.
“Did you know, Ivory?” Ivory shook her head. Snow looked down at their piece, keeping their eyes focused on her.
“I-”
“I won’t be angry, Ivory, whatever it was. You didn’t have anything to do with Robert’s death, but… did the description match the fae?”
“We’ve been over this, I never saw it.”
“Still, you never told anyone. Why? I get that you’re already ostracized for being part of a faerie-filled prophecy, but…”
“I-” Ivory played with one of Snow’s pieces. “I did. I met the fae, actually.” Snow looked up immediately, the look of fear, pain and anger flashing quicker than lightning. They got up and closed the blinds and checked that the door was locked.
“The prophecy. It’s happening.”
“How do you know?”
“Ivory, I was there when it was generated out of thin air. I can’t tell you much as I made a promise,” Ivory attempted to say something to retort against Snow making such a stupid promise. “But I will tell you now, be careful. Not just around the fae, but around the people of this town. The town council is probably just as aware as I am. Do everything and anything you can to make you seem unsuspicious. Come home before the curfew, sign your name if you have to. Avoid those in power unless they ask to see you. Don’t threaten or be rude to anyone. You hear me? The council will do everything and anything to stop the prophecy.”
“Why are they trying to stop it?”
“I don’t know and in my opinion, it’s a bad choice to try. All I know is that in a far away town, where Collen used to live, there was a similar prophecy, and it ended in genocide.” Ivory felt nauseous. “That’s why Collen and everyone else is so uptight about it.”
“Is it really that bad? Is it going to lead to me killing people?” Ivory asked. Snow’s face was stern but softened.
“That’s the scary part. We don’t know how bad it will be. For now, we can just hope. Hope that everything will be alright in the end. That’s all we can do right now, Ivory. Hope.”