Chapter Text
Fern liked sneaking out of his room. It made him feel free, as if wandering around the castle halls at night, secretly, out of his parent’s sight, could help him get rid of his princely responsibilities. It was a nice change, feeling excited, able to breathe again, and run again, and just be a kid.
That was something he didn't experience very often. To his parents, he was meant to be perfect, act perfect, do magic perfectly, and have a perfect health. As if it was that easy. Fern knew he struggled with learning magic, and with staying on his feet on a daily basis, but he chose to believe that he could do better. That he, one day, could just wake up, and be as his parents wanted him to be.
Truth was, all that hope hadn't been working. Fern still had to wander the castle halls, all alone, to feel that he was someone he actually liked. And because he had managed not to be discovered just yet, every night he risked going a little farther from his room: he had made it past the music room already, and the main ballroom, and even the servants’ room, one step at a time.
That night, without realizing it, he arrived at his parents’ chambers.
It was his father’s voice what made him notice where he was. He shrank in place; an instinct triggered by Saturnius’ rough, forceful voice. It was so common for Fern to hear the king’s exasperated tone that it didn’t even surprise him anymore. However, for once, the screams weren’t directed toward Fern himself.
Out of curiosity, he dared to get closer to the bedroom door, and he was able to hear his dad’s words, sliding through the air as oil would do.
“It is of no use, Mae. It’s been years! You and I both know he is not getting any better, and at this rate, he never will. He’ll end up dead before we can put a crown on his head! Much less a deserved one!”
Oh.
That was nothing new. Being called useless. Being referred to as “prince” just as many times as being called a “disappointment”. Fern knew it was not his fault that his wings were white, or that he sucked at source magic, or that he couldn’t leave the castle more than an hour before collapsing to the floor, out of breath and in pain.
The problem was that his dad didn’t seem to get that memo.
“Saturnius,” His mom’s voice normally flowed like silk, like warm flowers soothing him to sleep. However, right then and there, she sounded so… vulnerable. As if a single step of his dad could make her petals wither. “We’ve talked about this before. You are purposely ignoring that he’s tryingー”
“He isn’t trying enough!”
Fern knew he should leave. He should turn around, go back to his room, and wake up the next morning ready to try again, and fail again, and pretend he’s got it together again. He knew he should.
He didn’t.
“Mae,” Saturnius' voice sounded more severe, now. “He is not the king that Frenatae deserves. Not a king that can help us, with the humans always threatening to attack us. He can’t even stand on his own sometimes! His magic is weak.”
His dad made a pause, and Fern could almost see him taking a deep breath to steady himself. “Listen. I know how difficult it was to get him in the first place, but… Don’t you think we should attempt to conceive a more suitable heir?”
Fern had never drowned before, mainly because his mom didn’t allow him near the water, but he didn't need it anyways. He knew what it was like to lose all oxygen around him and to cough until his lungs burned. He had been stuck with that feeling before, due to his sickness, or his dad’s words, or even both.
It was washing over him again. He took one hand to his chest and covered his mouth with the other, so the pained noises wouldn’t betray him. He couldn’t move. Previous experiences told him that he had to cope until someone saved him, hugged him, whispered 'you will be okay' in his ear. Until someone stretched his hand and got him out of the water, so he could breathe again.
“Mae,” Saturnius insisted. “Please say something.”
Fern had closed his eyes. He was waiting, hoping, for the help to come, for the air to flow again, for the pain to subside and the warmth to envelop him…
“I don’t…” Her voice wavered, and his chest hurt, and any moment now, any moment soon, someone wouldー “I just don’t know anymore. I need time to clear my head, okay?”
His hand slipped. An invisible weight dragged him to the depths of the sea, and no matter how hard he tried to get back to the surface, he couldn’t. His anchor, the only anchor he had ever known, had left him. She hadn’t said “no”, straightaway. She was considering replacing him, getting someone better, someone not broken.
Someone that Fern could never be.
With a blurry sight, Fern turned around and forced his heavy limbs to get him out of there, anywhere but there. He ran. He screamed. He stumbled and fell and hurt his knees. The cold air cut his skin while he crossed the forest he barely knew, and the floating islands disappeared behind him, all magic around him vanishing.
Every step made his chest hurt even more. He felt his throat clogging, as if a giant cotton ball were lodged there, not letting him breathe. But he didn't stop. Only when he found himself alone and his legs finally gave in did he allow himself to collapse to the ground, tired, weak. With barely any force, he punched the grass. His godforsaken sickness wouldn't even let him run away!
Not bothering to catch his breath, and sitting on the floor hugging his knees, Fern started to cry. It was the most pathetic sight of a prince anyone would ever see, and he knew it, but nobody was hearing him, anyway.
Nobody that mattered was there.
⧫ ⧫ ⧫ ⧫ ⧫
Arcade liked exploring new places. Discovering new things. Gathering all the memories and experiences he could, because he didn't know when he would return to a certain place again. He knew it was a reckless thing to do, but he had learned to have no fear! And he was careful! He kept a bunch of bandages in his pocket for medical emergencies, and chocolate bars, for food crises.
At eight years old, Arcade knew what berries he could eat, what plants would leave him itchy for days, and what rocks of a river he could step in without slipping and falling. He had experienced and seen it all, except for fairies. And Arcade was damn sure they existed. With cities here and there, different kings and queens, they kept themselves hidden from the human realm. Almost a mystery.
His mom had told him that every place in the world had fairies, and that they were dangerous, and that he should never get close to one. It was funny, though, because they had moved to New Zealand, the place where one royal fairy family lived! Arcade didn’t know their names or appearances, and he barely cared; there were way too many royal families scattered around for him to remember. The only thing that mattered was that, if he was lucky, he could make friends with one!
The very same night they arrived at their new home, Arcade ran out of the house and into the small forest right behind it. He allowed himself to wander for a while, observing the mushrooms and flowers, trying to see if there was anything fairy-like that caught his attention. He walked and examined, but hours passed, the night fell, and he had promised his mom not to be late.
Objectively, it wasn’t a big deal. He knew he could try again the next morning. However, it was still frustrating not being able to find anything pretty, not even a rock that helped him remember his first day there.
“This is a boring place,” Arcade mumbled, looking around one last time. He still could see the lights of his house, although somewhat far away. He sighed, disheartened, and started his way back home. “Boring!” Arcade repeated, kicking a rock on his way. Another followed. Then the third one ended up hitting a lizard.
Both of them screeched, but before Arcade could panic and apologize to the poor thing, the lizard moved. And, woah. The new angle allowed the moonlight to hit it directly, and it started to shine. As if someone had decorated it with thousands of tiny lamps, as if the lizard had the full night sky trapped on its skin. Suddenly, Arcade found himself in front of the most beautiful animal he’d ever seen.
When the lizard ran away, Arcade did the only logical thing to do: He followed.
Arcade took pride in his own agility. Days of adventures had taught him how to move around nature, and he was using all those abilities to pursue the lizard, which was surprisingly agile. Good thing was, the animal was leaving a trail of light on its way, so he focused on following it, jumping over rocks and crossing the forest as fast as he could. He wanted to touch it.
Slowly, the obstacles on Arcade’s way became fewer and fewer, until he found himself chasing the lizard in an almost straight line. Noticing that he now had a clearer view of the animal renewed his adrenaline, and he started to run at high speed. He stretched his hand before leaning forwards, almost grazing the lizard’s tail…
There was a sound at his left, the lizard jumped out of the way, and Arcade was going way too fast to stop on time. He tried to, but he ended up stumbling forwards and crashing, immediately feeling the cold enveloping him like a ton of small needles. Arcade opened his mouth to scream, but his lungs filled with water, and his body caught up to the situation before his mind did.
Oh, no.
He began to move his limbs desperately, trying to find the surface, but he wasn’t sure what side was up or down. After a few seconds of his chest starting to burn, he managed to get his head out of the water and take a deep breath, gasping, shivering, totally disoriented. The adrenaline pulsing through his veins must’ve been the reason why he didn’t even flinch when he saw a kid standing at the edge of the lake, with big beautiful white wings glistening behind him.
I must be so dead.
The two children stared at each other for a solid ten seconds, and Arcade tried to take in the boy's appearance, but down there, still in the middle of the lake, he couldn’t make out much of the other kid. His hair seemed to be the color of autumn leaves, the freckles on his face glowed, and his wings looked way too heavy for his seemingly weak body. Was he even real?
Meanwhile, Fern’s stance couldn’t be more defensive. His head still throbbed from how much he had cried, hidden behind a rock, and the fear of having heard a huge splash on the lake tingled throughout his whole body. Fern had thought it was a big animal, or even his parents, and had tried to run away before registering a scream. A very high-pitched one, by that matter.
Curiosity got the best of him. And he stumbled with a human child instead.
Standing there like a statue, with his knees barely holding his weight and his fists clenched in front of him, Fern observed warily at the person floating on the water. His black hair was like a starless night sky, his skin color was similar to harvest acorns, and he had droplets falling from his face.
The human started to swim closer to the edge, and Fern moved a step back, not knowing what to do. He knew they were almost at war. He knew humans were dangerous. Humans were dangerous. Humans were…
“Hey!” The kid’s voice was loud, and just strong enough to ground him back to earth. The kid was still approaching to get to the shore, while Fern stood there, silent. “Can you help me get out of here? It’s freezing cold and mom will get mad if I get sick on our first day.”
Fern didn’t help.
Arcade didn’t insist either.
“Seriously, this is no fun,” Arcade mumbled, reaching the verge of the lake on his own and propping himself on his arms to get out. The cold air hit him like a truck. He shivered, his teeth clattered, and in general, he felt like a gigantic wet noodle. “I must be very far away from home now. God, mom is gonna be so upset. I don’t wanna be grounded this fast! The place is so big, and there’s so muchー”
“ーkay?”
Arcade paused, looking at the winged kid in front of him. He had his eyes cast downwards, his face hidden behind his auburn hair. Yet, Arcade was sure he had said something. “Huh?”
Fern moved in place a little, anxious, and raised his head so he could project his voice better. “Are you okay?” he repeated.
“Oh.” Arcade blinked, noticing right away he had been rambling non-stop. He took a second to calm down and analyze the situation better, looking at the kid in front of him. The boy moved again under Arcade’s gaze while he stared at his flowy clothes, his hair full of twigs, and his eyes, now visibly red and puffy.
The fairy had been crying.
“Oh! Yeah, I’m okay!” Arcade said, smiling as big as he could, suddenly feeling like the cold wasn’t relevant anymore. “I just got distracted by a lizard and fell, but worry you not!” Trying not to increase the fairy's concern, he started jogging in place. “Mom taught me that I can keep my body heat by moving constantly, see? I will be fine!”
Fern stared at him. At the way he slightly jumped in place, puffs of warm breath forming clouds as soon as they left his lips. At the way his focused frown seemed to turn into a smile every time they locked gazes. And, when the reality of the situation hit him, he couldn’t help but laugh. A bubbly sound escaped his mouth, making Arcade slow down his movements, his eyes widening.
It sounded like a harmony of bells.
Woah. New Zealand was full of beautiful things, wasn't it?
“My name is Arcade.”
The boy tilted his head. He looked confused, with his pointy ears drawn back and his wings fluttering like a hummingbird’s. His smile made him look younger, even if he was only a kid, and he didn’t look scared anymore, which was good. “Like, my actual name,” Arcade clarified. “Not a nickname. I’m really Arcade.”
Fern blinked, half-listening, still admiring the human kid ーArcadeー in front of him. He had never seen a human, in person, before. Their ears were too round, and their clothes looked tighter, and judging by the way Arcade was smiling, they didn’t have pointed teeth either. He wondered if all of them could move around as lightly as Arcade; like flying, but with no wings.
Most importantly: Arcade didn’t seem threatening. Fern felt more scared in the presence of his own father than standing two feet away from a human.
“I’m Fern,” he answered. He wasn’t planning on fully trusting Arcade just yet, but he figured saying his name wouldn’t hurt. He knew that the human realm knew the names of all royal fairy families, anyway. "I, uhm. I’m glad to see you are not hurt," he added.
Now that Fern ーhe was named like the plant!ー was actually looking him in the eye constantly, Arcade noticed that he had very dark eye bags. He wondered if that was normal for every fairy, and then he realized. Fairy. Arcade had completely forgotten who he was talking to. Her mom’s warnings started ringing in his mind, but before they could take over his entire thoughts, he shook his head slightly.
Fern wasn’t dangerous. He couldn’t be. He was terrified just a few minutes ago, and he was just a kid, maybe younger than himself, who looked tired. He was wearing somewhat ragged clothes, and his bleeding knees…
“What happened to you?” Arcade suddenly asked, looking down. Fern followed the movement, noticing that he had scrapes on his knees and legs. He barely remembered having stumbled while running out of the castle, but if he had hurt himself then, he hadn’t even felt any pain.
“I fell,” he simply stated, trying not to pay any mind to it. The wounds reminded him of his parents; of how his mom hadn’t refused the idea of a new heir the second she heard it, and he felt out of breath all over again. To prevent his headache from worsening, he moved his hand around. “It's nothing.”
But Arcade was already rummaging through his pockets, water still dripping from his whole body and clothes. He didn’t feel cold anymore, and even if he did, it wouldn’t matter, because there was a hurt person in front of him. Even if that person was a fairy, he wanted to help somehow.
“I’m sorry,” Arcade said, finally fishing some bandages out of his pocket. “They're kinda wet, from the lake water. But I have good quality ones! I’m sure they will stick well!”
“Okay?” Fern said, confused. Arcade opened one bandage, crouching in front of him, and Fern looked to the side immediately. Seeing Arcade kneeling made him feel sick. It reminded him of his servants back in the castle; it felt like being treated as a prince again. And that was exactly what he didn’t want to be.
After a few moments, he felt something similar to tree sap hit his knee, and he shivered slightly because of how cold it was. Arcade kept sticking bandages on Fern’s scrapes, covering them the best he could, until he was satisfied with his work. He stood up again and smiled at the basketball-themed dressings. “That’s better!”
Fern dared to look down at himself, slowly, before another laugh made his way out. He had a ton of blue bandages on his skin, decorated with orange circles, and the sensation was not half bad. It was so different from anything he had seen before that he stood there for a little bit, mesmerized at the novelty. Arcade smiled.
“Mom also taught me that chocolate can heal any wounds!” Arcade said, once again frantically looking through his pockets. Fern’s ears perked up. He had no idea what the human stuff was or how it worked, but he couldn’t help the curiosity that overwhelmed him. It had gotten him into this mess, after all.
A few seconds later, Arcade got a red wrapper out of his pocket. He held it out proudly, stretching it towards Fern, who took it warily. “Chocolate, you said?” he asked, analyzing the shiny thing in his hands. Arcade nodded confidently, so Fern tried to open the wrapper, slowly, revealing some kind of gooey substance that was just slightly thicker than mud. It even had the same color. “What do I do with it?”
“Ah!” Arcade screamed, taking the chocolate out of Fern’s hands in a rapid movement that startled the fairy. His ears went down as well as his wings, and Arcade raised his hands upon Fern’s panicked expression, regretting immediately his actions. “Sorry, sorry! I just… You are supposed to eat it, but the water ruined it.”
“It did?”
“Yeah. Chocolate is more solid, normally,” Arcade said with a pout, looking at the soggy candy in his hands. “If you taste this one, I won’t be… chocolate-y.” Fern frowned, genuinely confused, and Arcade smiled sheepishly, scratching his head with his free hand. Of course the fairy had no idea what he meant. “Yeah… I guess I just wanted you to have a good experience, you know?”
“Oh.”
Before the disappointment could crush Fern’s heart, Arcade smiled again. Fern wondered if that was his default mode. He didn’t know someone could have one so bright. “I can get you good chocolate, though! If we meet again tomorrow, I’ll make sure to bring the best one I have.”
“You will?” Fern asked, his eyes shining under the moonlight. Arcade enjoyed the fairy’s small actions that betrayed his feelings, and had already decided that his favorite was how his wings fluttered behind him, like an excited heartbeat, when he was happy.
“Yeah!” Arcade exclaimed, excited, hope glistening in his eyes. And then, “do you think you could make it? Tomorrow?”
Every reasonable part of Fern’s being was screaming at him that he shouldn’t do it. That he wouldn't make it, that his parents would lock him up before he could cough more than three times out of the castle. Besides, things would only worsen after that little run-away act, and only if he was able to go back home.
“Yeah,” Fern answered, anyway. “I think I can.”
Arcade’s smile was worth it. “Great!” he said, turning around and almost starting to run back home. He stopped halfway through, though, and turned back to Fern, unsure of what to do. After a moment, he settled on waving an awkward goodbye. “See you then, Fern!”
Fern wondered if this was what friends said to each other at the end of every day. The thought made him smile, and he waved back, his wings framing his body behind him.
“Yeah! See you, too!”