Archive of Our Own

The first time Tommy stumbled into the meadow it was by accident.

Of course it was an accident, he’d been told from the day he learned to speak not to stray from the forest path. It was the first thing he was ever taught—the first thing any child was taught—and it was drilled into his head in the years since.

He was constantly reminded of the dangers of the forest. The wild animals that lurked there. The maze-like patterns of the trees. The faeries.

And from what Tommy had been told, the faeries were by far the worst of them all.

They were often brushed off as myths by other villages, but in the forest surrounding the small village of Manberg, they were known to exist. Entrances to their world existed in small meadows found deep within the woods. And through a few chance encounters, the village had learned a bit about the faeries.

Firstly, faeries couldn’t lie. However, they were also incredibly smart. They often managed to twist and manipulate the truth to suit their needs. That was why they were so tricky, and why it was so dangerous to even converse with a faerie.

Secondly, everyone knew they should never accept a gift from a faerie. Faeries never did anything without the expectation of receiving something in return, so accepting a gift would put the recipient in a dangerous position, as the faerie could ask for anything at any time as repayment, including the person’s freedom. A similar debt would be put on the person if they ever thanked a faerie, as it insinuated that the faerie had given a gift and was now owed.

Additionally, it was a bad idea to insult a faerie. If the faerie decided that something a person said or did was offensive, the faerie would be allowed to punish them as they saw fit. Punishments could range from the person’s firstborn to a lifetime of service towards the faerie.

Finally, names were sacred. No one should ever exchange their name with a faerie. No one knew why this was a rule, but it had been the same for generations, and no one bothered to question it. It kept them safe, so why bother?

This knowledge allowed the villagers to create rules in case anyone managed to find a faerie. These rules were taught to children as soon as they were old enough to comprehend them, and served as a way to keep everyone safe from the fae.

Still, despite these clear rules, every generation there was a story of another villager being lost to the faeries. Whether it was from their own stupidity or a genuine mistake (the latter of which was not likely, as it was simple not to stumble into a faerie’s meadow), no one knew. They only knew that one day, the person was there, and the next their household had a glittery mark above the door, a symbol that a debt to a faerie had been repaid.

And though Tommy knew the rules of the forest, same as everyone, it seemed he was the next in the cycle.

The day was sunny and cool. Tommy’s mother was unpacking their traveling wagon, having just returned from a trip to another village, and had allowed him to roam the edge of the swampy woods that surrounded their village. This was normal for him—although the forest was completely off-limits to most, his mother didn’t mind if he wandered along the edge, as long as he was still able to see their house from where he was. There weren’t any faerie meadows close enough for her to ever have to worry, and Tommy had a fear instilled in him of the faeries, so it wasn’t as if he was going to go looking for one.

Today, he decided that he wanted to gather flowers so he could make a flower crown. After a brief period of deciding what flowers to pick, he decided on a mix of daisies and yellow dandelions, despite his mother insisting that they were weeds. He didn’t understand—they looked like flowers to him! He assumed that it was one of those lies his mother told him, like Santa Claus being real and vegetables being good for him.

Once he had gathered a substantial amount of flowers, Tommy turned back towards his house and prepared to head back.

That was, before something caught his eye.

As he turned around, a pale blue glow appeared from slightly deeper in the forest. Tommy paused and squinted to get a better look at the strange thing, and gasped when he realized what it was.

Will-o’-the-wisps were incredibly rare. It was common to go an entire lifetime without ever seeing one. They took the form of a small, floating creature of colored light usually said to resemble a lantern, and hid in the forbidden forest, usually far deeper in than where Tommy stood. He hadn’t expected to ever see one, much less this close up!

Tommy dropped the flowers he was carrying, forgotten, as he hurried towards the wisp, sinking to his knees to get down to its height.

“Hi! My name’s Tommy! What’s yours?” He asked the wisp, despite it not being capable of making any sound. It did seem to acknowledge his presence, though, turning around to face him. After a moment of pregnant silence, the wisp gently floated towards Tommy, getting close enough to touch his face.

Tommy gasped as the Will-o’-the-wisp made contact. It felt as though someone had gently blown onto the area the wisp touched, and when the wisp floated back it began to have a slight tickling sensation.

Tommy giggled. “That tickles!” He told the wisp, that again didn’t reply. Instead, it floated towards a large gap in the trees, and then stopped to hover as if waiting for Tommy to follow.

Tommy did so without a second thought. It was told that Will-o’-the-wisps would lead you to an important place, should you choose to follow. Surely, if he was with the wisp, he would be safe.

The wisp led him through the swampy woods, certainly farther than Tommy was allowed to go, far enough that the swamp turned into a normal forest. Along the way, Tommy kept attempting to converse with the silent creature.

“You don’t talk much. That’s okay, I can do the talking for both of us!” Tommy said, ducking under a branch. “You’re supposed to lead me to an important place. Is it nearby? I hope it’s cool!”

The wisp simply stayed silent, allowing Tommy to ramble. “I bet it’s going to be a hidden temple. Ooh, what if it’s booby trapped, and there’s an ancient soldier sent to protect the sacred gemstone inside! That would be so poggers!”

Soon enough, though, the two reached their destination. And to Tommy’s dismay, it wasn’t a hidden temple.

“Um, hey, are you sure this is the place?” Tommy asked.

The wisp simply floated farther into the meadow it had led Tommy to.

“I don’t think I’m allowed in there!” Tommy called after the wisp from the treeline. “Mama says I’m not allowed into the meadows.”

The Will-o’-the-wisp ignored him and floated into a circle made of mushrooms and colorful flowers, where it faded away.

Tommy bit his lip. That wasn’t good. He wasn’t allowed to be here.

But then again, the wisp had led him there, so it had to be okay.

Tommy cautiously stepped further into the meadow, slowly approaching the ring. The clearing was calm and quiet save for distant birdsongs and the sound of running water from a nearby stream. Despite this, though, Tommy was still on edge.

As he neared the circle, he realized exactly what it was: a faerie ring.

Faerie rings were created when the two realms, faerie and human, intersected. They were the only way to travel between realms, though faeries used them more frequently than humans did.

So it seemed he was justified in being on edge. Tommy began to panic. He needed to get out of this meadow before—

“Well, who do we have here?”

Tommy jumped as a tall male figure glittered into existence inside of the ring. He had brown, curly hair and amber eyes that flicked around as he examined Tommy. He wore clothes made for a king and a mischievous grin to match. But his most noticeable feature was his ears. The pointed tips stuck out from his hair, and if Tommy hadn’t already known, that would have been enough for him to tell that the man in front of him was a faerie.

“Oh, a human! How wonderful,” the faerie said. His voice was singsongy in a way that should have calmed Tommy’s nerves but didn’t. Instead, it made him more on edge.

“You—You’re a faerie,” Tommy blurted before he could think about it, and then instantly regretted his decision when the faerie’s smile widened.

Did he need an invitation to speak? He didn’t remember that in the rules, but maybe it was something he’d missed? Or maybe he had insulted the faerie somehow?

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, prepared to be whisked away to the Fae lands for whatever mistake he had made, but instead a sound that Tommy could only describe as glittery rang through the meadow.

Tommy opened his eyes and saw that the faerie was only laughing.

Somehow, that was much worse.

“I am. And you are a human,” the faerie replied. “And a tiny one at that.”

Tommy bristled in annoyance at being called “tiny”, but didn’t correct the faerie. At least he wasn’t being kidnapped.

“I am,” he replied simply. He figured that keeping his responses short and to the point would keep him out of trouble.

It seemed to work, Tommy thought, since the faerie smiled and moved on rather quickly.

“Well then, small human, what brings you to my ring on this fine day?” The faerie asked, crouching to Tommy’s eye level.

“The will-o’-the-wisp,” Tommy replied.

The faerie smiled in a way that showed off his sharp teeth, making Tommy bristle in discomfort, then stood back up.

“This little guy?” He asked, holding out his hand. The wisp appeared in his hand, gently floating towards his face and nuzzling it. The faerie’s smile grew gentler and he closed his eyes.

“It seems Friend made a good choice bringing you here,” the faerie said once the wisp had pulled away, opening his eyes to look back at Tommy.

“Friend?” Tommy asked.

“The will-o’-the-wisp,” the faerie clarified. “He likes to go out and find me little friends to spend time with.”

“He seems very nice,” Tommy said.

The faerie smiled again at Tommy, but this time it didn’t unsettle him. It was gentle, and there was something soft in his eyes that Tommy couldn’t read. He crouched back down to Tommy’s eye level.

“Would you like to hold him?” The faerie asked, holding out his hand with Friend resting on it.

Tommy almost nodded. He almost forgot all of the rules he had been taught since he could comprehend them and accepted a gift from a faerie. Well, it may not have been a “gift” per se, but Tommy didn’t want to take any chances.

Tommy shook his head. “No, it’s okay.”

The faerie’s gentle smile faltered for a moment, another unreadable emotion crossing the faerie’s face. But it was gone in an instant, and before Tommy knew it the will-o’-the-wisp was gone and the faerie’s smile was back, though now it seemed forced.

“Of course. Never accept a gift from a faerie, correct?” He asked.

Tommy hesitated before nodding. Had he insulted the faerie? Was this going to get him into more trouble than if he had just accepted the invitation to hold Friend?

“I suppose that’s fair,” the faerie said, standing up. Tommy blinked in surprise. The faerie wasn’t upset?

Suddenly, a voice cut through the trees.

“—mmy? Where are you? You know you aren’t supposed to wander off!”

Tommy turned around to face the voice of his mother, but only saw the thick forest. It was so dense and he was so deep within it that he couldn’t see her at all.

The faerie hummed behind him, reminding Tommy of his presence.

“Your guardian, I presume?” He asked.

Tommy nodded. “Mama told me not to wander off,” he said with disappointment, though he supposed it didn’t matter now. Not only had he wandered off, but he had spoken to a faerie, too. His mother was going to be so upset with him.

The faerie nodded. “Then you should be getting back quickly, shouldn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Tommy said, turning around. “But I don’t know the way out.”

The faerie smiled. “I could show you,” he said.

Tommy pondered his offer for a moment. Was the faerie offering a deal?

“What would I owe you?” He asked. He didn’t have any other way of getting home. Hopefully the debt wasn’t too much.

“You’re very clever, aren’t you?” The faerie asked. “How about this: I will instruct the forest to lead you home. In exchange, you will return to this meadow the next time you see Friend roaming the edge of the forest.”

Tommy bit his lip in hesitation. The whole point of leaving was that he wouldn’t see the faerie ever again.

“Where are you? This isn’t funny anymore!” His mother called, voice ringing through the clearing.

But he didn’t really have a choice.

“Deal,” Tommy said. The faerie smiled wider, clapping his hands twice. Something shifted in the air, and a flock of birds flew away from the trees.

“The forest will guide you home safely,” he said. “Now that I have completed my end of the deal, I expect you to complete yours. Not that I think you wouldn’t. You are a very bright child, after all.”

“Of course,” Tommy replied, heading towards the forest. Before he disappeared into the trees he said politely over his shoulder, “Goodbye Mr. Faerie!”

The faerie chuckled, gently waving. “Goodbye, little one.”

+~O~+

Friend appeared sooner than Tommy thought he would.

It had barely been a week since Tommy’s first encounter with the faerie, and he was yet again outside, finally having been released from the grounding his mother had punished him with. The whole week, he had been watching the edge of the forest, worried he would see the will-o’-the-wisp, but thankfully he hadn’t appeared.

That was, until today.

“Don’t wander off this time,” his mother warned. “And be sure to come inside again for supper.”

“Okay,” Tommy agreed, rushing outside. He truly hadn’t meant it as a lie.

However, it quickly became one once he caught a glimpse of a ghostly blue light at the edge of the forest.

Tommy gasped, looking back towards his house to see if his mother saw the wisp, too. He couldn’t be sure, though, because the front door was already shut and she was inside.

Friend seemed to notice him, floating closer to him without leaving the forest. It was as if the wisp was trying to remind him that he had to return to the faerie. He had made a deal.

Tommy hesitated. On one hand, the faerie was stuck in his ring. If he couldn’t leave, what could he possibly do to Tommy if he backed out of the deal?

On the other hand, the faerie hadn’t needed to leave his ring to lead Tommy home. And what if he could leave just to punish Tommy for breaking the deal?

Tommy took a cautious step toward the forest, Friend perking up at the action. Then he took another, and another, until he was at the treeline. Friend backed into the forest, and Tommy, knowing he didn’t have much choice, followed.

The only light that Tommy had to see was the sunlight that filtered through the forest’s thick canopy, which wasn’t much. Thankfully, Friend’s glow was bright enough to illuminate their path, so Tommy followed close behind the whole way until he caught a glimpse of the meadow through the trees.

The clearing hadn’t changed since the last time Tommy had been there, not that he had expected it to. The only difference was that the day was cloudier than before, and maybe a weed cluster or two had popped up.

Friend again floated towards the faerie ring and disappeared, leaving Tommy standing helplessly in the meadow, alone.

“Mr. Faerie?” He asked after a moment of the faerie not appearing. There was a flash of light inside the circle, and when it was gone, the faerie was standing in its place.

“You came back,” the faerie sounded surprised. Tommy didn’t know why. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter.

“Yep,” Tommy replied, not sure what else to say. “I'm here.”

The faerie smiled at his weak response. “Really? I hadn't noticed,” he joked.

Tommy frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “What else was I supposed to say?”

The faerie thought about it for a second, before coming to the same conclusion as Tommy. “Fair point.”

The two stood in awkward silence for a moment, Tommy twiddling his thumbs, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

“Why did you even ask me to come back?” Tommy asked, breaking the silence.

The faerie shrugged. “It seemed a fair deal—your eventual return in exchange for a path home.”

“You could have asked for my name or something more important than my company,” Tommy pointed out. As soon as he said it, he realized that he probably shouldn’t have since it would give the faerie more ideas, but it wasn’t as though he was planning to make a second deal. He had memorized the path back to the village that the faerie had shown him just for that reason.

“Your name would not have been of equal value. It would have been unfair of me to ask for it,” the faerie explained. “Besides, Friend is rather fond of you and likely would have tried to lead you back here anyway. Though, to be honest, I don’t understand the appeal.”

“Hey!” Tommy said, insulted.

The faerie shrugged with a smile. “Fae can't lie, little one.”

That made it even worse. Tommy crossed his arms and pouted, turning away from the faerie, who laughed.

“Oh, no, did I hurt the poor child's feelings?” He teased. Tommy huffed at the name.

“I’m not a child,” he insisted, turning back around.

The faerie hummed in consideration, crouching down to meet his eyes. “Well, you're small, look like a child, and act like a child. Therefore, you are a child. Unless there's something else you'd prefer I call you?” The faerie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tommy opened his mouth, about to say his name. Then he caught himself, mouth snapping shut again. “Did you just try to get me to give you my name?” he asked, arms crossed. “Because I'm not going to give it to you.”

The faerie shrugged. “You miss all of the shots you don't take.” He paused. “I really would like something to call you, though. ‘Child’ and ‘little one’ can only be used so much.”

Tommy almost agreed, but once he had a moment to think, began to wonder why it even mattered. “Why do you need to know? It's not like you're going to see me again after today,” he asked.

The faerie stood up and smiled in response, one of the smiles that made Tommy uncomfortable. “Won’t I?”

“Well, once I go home—”

“And how do you plan to get there?” The faerie cut in. Tommy stopped and shut his mouth, which had been agape.

“I’ll… go back the way I came,” he said, though it came out more like a question. He didn’t know why, he knew that he had memorized the path, but there was something in the faerie’s tone that made him question it anyway.

“Impossible. The forest wouldn't let you out,” the faerie replied simply, holding his hand up to inspect his nails.

Tommy wrinkled his nose in confusion. What did the faerie mean, let him? “Huh?”

“Little one, the forest is magical. It chooses who goes where, and once you come in it won't let you out. At least, not without my help,” the faerie explained, looking back at Tommy.

Tommy's eyes widened as he realized what the faerie meant.

“So… I have to make another deal to leave?” Tommy asked, praying the answer wouldn't be yes.

His prayers did nothing.

“You understand now,” the faerie said with a smile. “All I ask is that you come back and talk to me. You can leave whenever you wish, hell, you could make the deal and walk away right now if you wanted. But you have to come back and say hi, at least.”

“Why?” Tommy asked. “Is there nothing else you want? Why do you want me to come say hello to you once a week?”

The faerie sighed. “Life gets boring in the fae realm. It would be much more interesting to see you every so often.”

“You aren't going to kidnap me or trick me, right?” Tommy asked cautiously.

The faerie gestured to the ring he stood in. “How am I supposed to kidnap you if I can't even leave the ring?”

“And what about tricks?” Tommy asked.

“You’re a clever child, I doubt I could trick you if I tried,” the faerie replied.

Tommy frowned. “That doesn't tell me anything.”

The faerie sighed, caught. “As I said, you're clever. I promise not to trick you, though, little one. It’s only fair.”

Tommy mentally checked to make sure he wasn't missing anything. “Then it's a deal,” he said once he was sure.

“Does that mean you’re ready to leave so soon?” The faerie asked.

“Yep,” Tommy confirmed, heading towards the forest. He didn’t care how soon it was, he hadn’t even wanted to be there in the first place. Besides, the faerie said he could leave whenever he liked.

The faerie sighed and clapped twice behind him, making something in the forest shift just as it had last time.

“Until next time, little one,” the faerie said.

“Goodbye for now,” Tommy replied over his shoulder, disappearing into the woods.

+~O~+

“Do you know how to make a flower crown?” Tommy asked one day, sitting on the grass next to the faerie ring.

It had been six months since his first encounter with the faerie, six months full of scattered visits with the man. At first, Tommy had simply greeted him, made a deal and left, since his mother had caught him leaving the forest again and had grounded him for it, but over time he slowly began to stay and talk for longer and longer periods of time. It was slowly becoming something he looked forward to whenever he saw Friend at the edge of the forest, despite the inevitable punishment that came with.

“I can't say I've ever done it before, but I've seen others make them,” the faerie replied, twisting a blade of unnaturally green grass between his finger and thumb.

“Do you want me to teach you?” Tommy asked, perking up. The faerie smiled gently at his eagerness.

“Sure,” he replied, standing up and brushing dirt off of his pants. “Go get some flowers, I'll come back with my own.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he disappeared back to the fae realm. Tommy got up and raced across the meadow, picking the various flowers growing around it until he had enough. He dropped them in a messy pile back next to the ring just as the faerie reappeared.

“Wow, you were quick,” he said, gently placing down his own bouquet. His flowers had a strange shimmer to them, and Tommy didn't recognize what any of them were, but they looked similar to tulips, just periwinkle and sparkly.

“I’m the fastest ever,” Tommy boasted with a smile. “Okay, okay, sit down so I can teach you!”

The faerie laughed and sat down, crossing his legs. “Okay, what next, great teacher?”

Tommy picked up three flowers, holding their stems together. “You’re gonna take three flowers like this and then braid the stems together, like this,” he instructed, beginning to braid the stems. The faerie followed his instructions exactly, intertwining the soft stems quickly.

“Once you get near the end of the braid, tuck new ones in between the stems and then braid those in,” Tommy said, picking up a new flower and demonstrating. The faerie did the same.

“And you're just gonna keep doing that until it's long enough to make a crown for your head!” Tommy said, continuing to weave the flowers together.

The two continued to weave silently until they were satisfied. “Then what?” The faerie asked, holding up his long chain of woven flowers.

“Then you're gonna take the ends and tie them into the start of the braid,” Tommy said, sticking his tongue out as he tried and failed to do so. He looked up to see that the faerie had done it on the first try.

“Want some help?” He offered. Tommy nodded, gently tossing his flower crown into the faerie ring, the faerie picking it up and tying it off for him.

“There you go. It seems a bit big for you, though,” the faerie observed, handing it back.

“That’s because it's for you! If you've never made one before you must not have any flower crowns for yourself,” Tommy explained. The faerie’s eyes widened and he pulled the crown back towards himself.

“You made me a flower crown?” The faerie asked in disbelief. He gently rested it on his head, finding it a perfect fit. A soft smile appeared on his face.

“‘Course I did,” Tommy replied. “Everyone needs a flower crown.”

The faerie laughed wetly, but Tommy didn’t notice how he had teared up. “Thank you, little one. That was very kind of you.” The faerie picked up the flower crown he had made and gently tossed it outside of the ring, in front of Tommy. “Here, take mine.”

Tommy frowned. “But it’s yours!”

“I want you to have it,” the faerie insisted.

“I don’t want to owe you anything,” Tommy said.

The faerie pointed to the crown he wore. “Think of it as me repaying my debt to you for your gift,” he said. “No tricks involved, I promise.”

Tommy nodded and picked up the faerie’s gift, putting it on his head. It was a little too big for him, as the faerie had originally made it for himself, so it fell into Tommy’s eyes. The faerie laughed as he readjusted it, Tommy crossing his arms once it was resting normally on his head.

“It looks great,” the faerie said, stifling a laugh. “Just a bit too big. You’ll grow into it.”

Tommy frowned. “The flowers will wilt by then.”

“Human flowers, maybe, but fae flowers won’t,” the faerie explained. “Just be careful with them and they’ll last forever.”

Tommy reached up and touched the flower crown, feeling the soft petals. “I’ll take the best care of them,” he swore. “They’ll last forever.”

The faerie smiled. “I would expect no less.”

+~O~+

Tommy did take care of the flower crown. Even eight years later, it was still in perfect condition. His mother had never seemed to notice the flower crown that never wilted, probably assuming he kept making new ones. It wasn’t a far-fetched guess, considering his constant trips to the forest.

His mother had long since stopped punishing him for those, since it never seemed to deter him. She did sit down and give him a long talk about the dangers of the forest, though, and made him promise not to do anything dangerous.

Little did she know, he was meeting up with a faerie almost every day.

They had been meeting for so long that Friend no longer guided Tommy into the forest—something Tommy had immediately questioned the faerie about.

“You do realize that will-o’-the-wisps lead you to danger, right?” The faerie had asked in response, raising an eyebrow.

“No, they don’t. The legends say that they lead you to something important,” Tommy corrected.

The faerie shook his head. “Human legends are often wrong. Will-o’-the-wisps are very dangerous. No one should ever follow one.”

Tommy frowned. “But I followed Friend and that’s how I met you. How come I’m still okay?”

The faerie smiled. “You were a clever little child, not to mention adorable. I couldn’t trick you when you gave me those stupid puppy eyes.” Tommy demonstrated, making the faerie laugh. “Like that! You little gremlin.”

Tommy laughed. “Got it, puppy eyes are the best way to manipulate you.”

“Wha—no! You’re not going to manipulate me—” The faerie sputtered.

“Apparently I already did, because I’m still alive and kicking after talking to a faerie for years,” Tommy pointed out.

“Well, Friend stopped leading you to me, didn’t he?” The faerie said. “Therefore, I’m no longer a danger to you.”

That… made sense. The faerie hadn’t been a danger to Tommy for a long time. And Friend never returned to lead Tommy to the meadow, which meant that hadn’t changed.

Friend still came back sometimes and hung around while Tommy and the fae talked, and Tommy grew fond of the little wisp. He still enjoyed their talks even without the wisp, though, and that was why he kept coming back for years to come.

He liked being with the faerie.

+~O~+

“Careful,” the faerie warned as Tommy attempted a cartwheel. Instead, he fell to the side, landing roughly on his back.

“I’ll be fine,” Tommy insisted, getting up and dusting himself off. He lined himself up to try again, making it into a handstand before toppling to the side again.

“Seriously, you could hurt yourself,” the faerie warned.

“It’ll be fi—” Tommy was cut off by his balance faltering in the middle of his third attempt. Instead of landing on his back like he had before, he fell forward and landed on his stomach with an oof.

He didn’t move for a moment, pain shooting through his arm that had twisted awkwardly as he fell, making the faerie worried.

“Are you okay?” The faerie asked. He sounded more concerned when Tommy didn’t move. “Seriously, this isn’t funny. Can you get up?”

Tommy let out a muffled groan into the grass, rolling over onto his back.

The faerie let out a sigh of relief. “Thank the fucking gods,” he muttered.

Tommy sat up, holding his hurt arm close to his chest. “Did you really think I’d killed myself via cartwheel?” He asked, blinking away tears from the pain. His arm really hurt, but he wasn’t going to admit it to the already worried faerie.

“You would die from a cartwheel gone wrong,” the faerie replied.

“Hey!”

The faerie raised an eyebrow. “Am I wrong?”

Tommy didn’t answer, which was enough for the faerie. “That’s what I thought,” he said. “Now, what did you hurt?”

Tommy shook his head. “Nothing! I’m fine.”

The faerie frowned. “You’re tearing up and holding your arm away from me. You can’t tell me it doesn’t hurt.”

Tommy sighed. Curse the faerie for knowing how to read him so well.

“Yeah, it twisted awkwardly when I landed,” he admitted.

The faerie’s frown deepened. “Can I see it?”

Tommy scooted closer to the faerie ring, letting him look more closely at the injury.

“It doesn’t look broken. It’ll probably just ache for a while,” he concluded. “There might be a sprain, but I’d need to see it closer to know for sure.”

“Do you mean you’d need me to come into the ring?” Tommy asked.

“Only if you want to,” the faerie amended. “You don’t have to come inside if you aren’t comfortable.”

Tommy didn’t need to think about it. “Just promise me you won’t do anything,” he said, scooting closer to the ring.

“I promise you’re safe with me,” the faerie vowed. That was all Tommy needed to feel safe as he got up and stepped inside the ring, sitting down next to the faerie.

He had expected it to feel weird when he crossed into the faerie ring, since he had essentially just stepped between two realms. But there was nothing. It didn’t feel strange in the slightest, and if Tommy hadn’t been aware of the ring then he likely wouldn’t have noticed he had crossed it at all.

The faerie crouched down next to Tommy and held his hands above Tommy’s injured arm as if he was about to touch it.

“I’m going to touch your arm now,” the faerie warned, just to make sure Tommy understood. He gave Tommy a moment to pull away if he wanted to, then carefully grabbed his forearm and wrist when he didn’t. His hands were cold, making Tommy jump. He quickly apologized, but didn’t pull away.

“Does this hurt?” The faerie asked, gently bending his wrist. Tommy shook his head, and the faerie moved his wrist in a circular motion. He gave Tommy a questioning look, and Tommy shook his head.

“This?” The faerie asked, straightening his elbow. Tommy winced, a mild flash of pain in his arm when the movement started, but it was gone quickly. He shook his head.

“Okay, everything seems fine, then. You’ll probably just be sore for a bit,” the faerie concluded. “And no more cartwheels,” he added, making Tommy slump in disappointment.

“Killjoy,” Tommy muttered, making the faerie laugh.

“I warned you before that you would hurt yourself, it’s not my fault you didn’t listen,” he chastised.

“You should have stopped me,” Tommy replied.

“Wha—How? I can’t leave the ring!” The faerie sputtered.

“You should have found a way. This is all your fault,” Tommy said with mock annoyance, crossing his arms. The faerie chuckled.

“Oh, I’m so sorry little one. Next time you’re doing something stupid, I’ll try to break through the magic that keeps me in this ring to stop you,” the faerie replied sarcastically. Tommy’s arms uncrossed, and he fought back a smile.

“See, now that’s more like it,” he said.

The faerie laughed and shook his head. “You’re a menace.”

Tommy didn’t bother denying it, smugly smiling at the faerie.

After a moment, Tommy realized he was still in the faerie ring.

“Oh, I should probably leave, shouldn’t I?” He said, standing up.

“You can if you’d like, but you don’t have to,” the faerie said. “You’re always welcome to come inside the ring, you’re safe with me.”

Tommy thought about it for a minute. On one hand, he was in a faerie ring, standing next to a faerie who could easily whisk him away to the fae realm forever in seconds. On the other hand, he was in the ring with his friend who had promised him that he was safe, and faeries couldn’t lie.

Tommy sat back down, easily making a decision. “Alright, but if you try anything, I’m leaving,” he warned.

“Fair enough,” the faerie replied.

From that point on, Tommy came into the faerie ring more often. They were both glad to not be separated by an invisible barrier anymore, allowing them to do things they couldn’t before. Sometimes, the faerie would braid Tommy’s hair (well, he did his best with the short curls), since told Tommy that he usually did it for his brother and that he found it relaxing. Sometimes, Tommy and the faerie would make flower crowns for each other, and on others they would simply lay next to each other in the grass and talk.

But all good things had to come to an end at some point.

The faerie was braiding flowers into Tommy’s hair, both of them sitting in the ring. Sometimes, he would accidentally tug too hard, and Tommy would lean his head back to glare at him. The faerie always apologized, then told him off for moving his head.

“You need to stop moving,” the faerie said at some point, annoyed with how often Tommy had been moving around to glare at him. “I can't do this if you keep moving your head.”

“Maybe you should stop tugging my head then,” Tommy shot back. The faerie tugged his head back, making Tommy yelp and fall backwards.

“Rude,” Tommy said, looking up at the laughing faerie from where his head was resting on his chest.

“You deserved it,” the faerie replied. “Now, c’mon, sit back up so I can finish.” He gently patted Tommy’s shoulders to help urge him.

Tommy pretended to think about it for a second. “Hmm… no, I don’t think I will,” he decided.

The faerie sighed. “Do you want me to finish or not?”

“You’ve been braiding for hours,” Tommy complained. “And I’m too comfortable to move now.” As he said that, he shifted so that he was resting more comfortably against the faerie’s chest.

A small smile crossed the faerie’s face as he sighed. “Fine, you can stay like that,” he conceded, wrapping his arms gently over Tommy’s chest and pulling him close.

Tommy grinned at his victory, leaning into the gentle touch. He didn’t know how long the two of them sat like that, the faerie gently humming and running a hand through his hair, untangling the little braids while Tommy rested his eyes. At some point, Tommy began to drift off, but his rest was disturbed when the faerie stopped humming and whispered something.

“My name is Wil—”

The faerie quickly cut himself off as a rustling sound came from the forest. Tommy’s eyes shot open and he sat up, both of them intensely watching the treeline.

“What was that?” Tommy asked quietly.

“I’m not sure,” the faerie replied. “But it sounded too big to be an animal, didn’t it?” Tommy nodded. “Is it possible that someone followed you here?” The faerie asked.

Tommy shook his head. “I came here hours ago, there’s no way they could have hidden that long.”

The rustling sound started again, and the two watched the forest to catch a glimpse of the sound’s origin. The faerie was right, it sounded much too big to be an animal. But who would have tried to find Tommy in the forest, especially knowing the dangers of the fae?

“You should go,” the faerie said, bringing Tommy out of his thoughts.

“Why?” Tommy asked as the faerie gently pushed him away.

“I don’t want them to find you here,” the faerie replied. “It’s too dangerous for you.”

“What if they catch me leaving?”

“I’ll make sure the forest keeps you hidden and allows you to get back before they do,” the faerie promised, standing up and extending a hand to help Tommy do the same.

“Okay,” Tommy agreed. “I can come back though, right?”

“You’ll see me again, I promise,” the faerie said as Tommy stepped out of the ring.

Tommy nodded and made his way towards the forest. The faerie waved as Tommy disappeared into the trees.

The path he usually took home had shifted, so instead of going in a straight path to the village, Tommy ended up on a path full of twists and turns. He would hear the rustling every once in a while, somewhere deep in the trees, but he never saw who was causing it. As he grew closer to the village, the sounds became farther and farther away, just like the faerie had promised.

Upon his return to the village, Tommy raced to his room and hid there for the rest of the day.

+~O~+

Wilbur watched as the human disappeared into the forest, and waited in the faerie ring until he was sure the forest had led him safely home. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he thought, a mix of relief that they were safe and annoyance at the timing of the eavesdropper. He had finally worked up the confidence to give the boy his name, and he was immediately interrupted. Wilbur could only hope the human had understood.

He was preparing to go back to the fae realm when he heard the same rustling sound in the forest that he had when he sent the boy away. Wilbur paused, watching the trees where he had heard the sound, until a young child stumbled out. They couldn’t have been much older than Wilbur’s friend, maybe a year or two at most. They wielded a butcher’s cleaver in defense, not that it would do much against Wilbur, but he didn’t say anything.

The child looked at Wilbur, eyes widening when they saw him.

“You’re a faerie—” the child said, similar to what the other human had first said to him.

“I am,” Wilbur replied simply. “And you are?”

The child swallowed in fear. “You can call me Red.”

Wilbur frowned. They were smart, like the other boy. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the problem that easily.

“Well, Red, what is it you’re here for?” Wilbur paused for effect. “Would you like to make a deal?”

Red frowned. “No.” Then they thought about it for a moment more. “Well, maybe. I wanted to know who it was you were talking to before.”

Wilbur fought off a smile. They had given themselves away. “And how did you know about that?” He asked.

“Well—” Red started. They fumbled for a response that wouldn’t give them away, but couldn’t come up with anything. They sighed when they came to that realization.

“I eavesdropped,” Red admitted. “But it wasn’t because I was trying to! I was just looking for the two of you, and I overheard your conversation by accident!”

Wilbur frowned. “How much did you hear?”

The child shrugged. “Just enough to know you weren’t alone.”

Wilbur hummed in thought. “You know, it could be seen as rude to eavesdrop. And you know the punishment for being rude to a faerie.”

Red’s eyes widened in fear. “You aren’t going to hurt me, are you?” They asked.

“No,” Wilbur said. “I will spare you, as long as you leave this forest and don’t return.”

Red nodded hastily, relieved. “I won’t come back, I swear it.”

Wilbur smiled. “You’d better get going then. I’m sure your village awaits your return.”

Red nodded again and scurried away, not bothering to say goodbye. Wilbur honestly couldn’t bring himself to care. He was more worried about his friend.

He couldn’t let him come back, not now. It was far too dangerous, and he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if they were caught together.

Wilbur thought back to what he had promised the kid when he had sent him away.

You’ll see me again, I promise.

Thankfully, he had responded vaguely. He winced at the thought. He didn’t want to push the kid away, but it was his only choice to keep him from getting caught.

He looked out to the forest one last time, where Red and the other boy had disappeared, and sighed.

“I’ll see you someday, little one,” he said, vanishing into the fae realm.

+~O~+

A week of hiding later, Tommy was finally ready to go back into the forest. He had barely left his house for the last week, worried that someone was going to follow him again. He had never even found out who had followed him the first time, or why. That was why he was extra cautious when he finally decided to see the faerie again.

It quickly went wrong.

The first sign that something was wrong came when Tommy couldn’t find his usual path to the meadow. The trees didn’t seem to shift like they usually did, making him go through the twists and turns that turned him around until he ended up back at the village. Tommy tried three times to find the meadow, but he always ended up back at the village. He frowned but decided that he would just try again the next day.

The second sign was that he wasn’t able to find the meadow the next day. And the next, and the next until another week had passed without Tommy seeing the faerie.

At this point, Tommy was getting antsy. He hadn’t gone this long without visiting in over a year, and the faerie had never shut him out like this.

Part of him wondered if it was because of what the faerie had almost told him before they were interrupted. Despite not being able to finish, Tommy had clearly heard the faerie attempting to give him his name.

Wil. It wasn’t his full name, or else Tommy would have felt the magic in it as soon as he spoke. But it was enough to show his intentions, and now Tommy needed to know why. Why would the faerie give up his precious name, and why would he force Tommy away once he tried?

But Tommy couldn’t get his answer because he wasn’t able to find the faerie ring.

On the one-week mark of his failure to see the faerie, Tommy was getting annoyed.

“Wil, I know you’re doing this!” He yelled into the trees, using the faerie’s name in hopes of getting his attention. “You promised that I would see you again! You can’t shut me out!”

He waited for a response, but was only met with the silence of the forest. “You promised!” Tommy yelled again, making sure Wil knew. He knew the faerie could hear him. But as he continued into the forest, he was met with more twists and turns that resulted in his eventual return to the village.

The betrayal ached deep in his bones as he trudged home once again, unsuccessful.

Every day after that, he went into the woods and reminded the faerie of his promise, yet he always ended up stuck in the village. It took a chip out of his heart with each failed attempt.

Every night, he laid in bed and stared at the flower crown Wil had given him that rested on his nightstand. Despite him taking care of it the same as always, it had begun to wilt.

Tommy felt a tear slip down his cheek and his eyes began to burn, so he rolled over to look away.

A small, broken whisper escaped his lips, fading into the night.

“Why won’t you let me come back?”

+~O~+

Tommy grunted as he pushed through the trees, not bothering to take the twisted path that had been laid out for him. Instead, he made his own, taking his usual route to the meadow.

“I swear to the fucking gods, Wil, if this doesn’t work,” he gritted out, stomping through the woods without a care of who heard him.

After some time, he finally caught a glimpse of an opening in the trees. A smile overtook his face and he sprinted to the end of the trees. Finally, Wil had made good on his promise, he was finally going to see him again—

Tommy’s joy fizzled out immediately once he emerged from the treeline, once again greeted by his village.

Tommy’s jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists as he turned around to face the forest.

“Fuck you!” He yelled. “Fuck you and your stupid fucking forest and your stupid fucking face—”

He cut himself off to kick a tree, only succeeding in stubbing his toe. He cried out in pain and grabbed his foot, hopping on the uninjured one until his back was against the tree to help him stand. Once the pain was gone, he sighed and leaned back against the tree, sliding down until he was sitting.

“I wish I could hate you for this,” he said, not bothering to direct it at the faerie. He didn’t care if Wil heard him anymore. “You’re such a fucking idiot and I should, but I just can’t.”

The trees rustled in the wind, almost seeming sympathetic to Tommy. He huffed and curled in on himself. It was a nice sentiment, but it wasn’t going to change anything.

Tommy wallowed in his misery for a few minutes before he readied himself with a deep breath and stood up, heading home once again.

+~O~+

Two months later, Tommy still hadn’t been let back into the forest. He had long since given up; after all, why bother? The faerie clearly didn’t want to see him.

Despite his annoyance, Tommy still couldn’t find it in himself to hate Wil. He was upset, sure, but the years of friendship prevented him from truly hating the faerie, even though he really wanted to.

So, time went by and Tommy began to move on. It was probably for the best that he had stopped going into the forest, since rumors had begun to spread around the village that there was a changeling in their midst, likely started by whoever it had been that had been spying on Tommy and Wil that one day. Tommy simply laid low and went about his day minding his own business, which seemed to work. He spent most of his time helping his mother or taking care of the house when she was traveling.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last forever.

One day, Tommy’s mother returned home from one of her trips sick. At first, it had seemed like a common cold, but over time it began to worsen. They called in the village doctor, as well as multiple doctors from neighboring villages, but none of them knew what was wrong.

Tommy was about to give up when the final doctor he had called in told him of a plague that had emerged from the village his mother had returned from. He said that while there wasn’t yet a cure, there had yet to be any casualties, which Tommy hoped meant that his mother would make it until they found a cure.

He thanked the doctor and sent him away, the doctor promising to keep him updated about the cure as he left.

All of Tommy’s days after that were spent keeping the house and taking care of his mother. He didn’t know enough of his mother’s business to keep it running, but made up for it with the odd jobs he picked up. His mother spent her days in bed, resting. She never seemed to get better, but never seemed to get worse, which gave Tommy hope.

The doctor kept his promise, Tommy receiving a letter weekly with an update on the cure. Yet, it made no difference, since each update could be summed up as no progress has been made, stay safe.

Tommy kept up his routine as best he could, but one day his mother’s breathing grew dangerously shallow and her coughs grew more frequent and less powerful, and he knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

Tommy went through the house, looking for anything that he could possibly use to bargain for a cure from the fae. He wasn’t sure that the fae would have one, but he had no other options. He settled on a few precious trinkets, and packed them all into a bag as he prepared to leave.

Before he left, he went into his mother’s room and sat at her bedside.

“I’m going to get a cure,” he whispered to her, her eyes fluttering open at the sound of his voice. She looked at him with tired eyes.

“You’re going to the fae,” his mother translated hoarsely. Tommy bit his cheek but nodded. His mother sighed. “I know better than to stop you by now, it never deterred you anyway.”

“You knew,” Tommy replied, not asking. His mother confirmed it with a small nod.

“You returned safely every time, so I had no reason to keep you away.”

“He hasn’t been a threat for years,” Tommy reassured her. “I’m safe with him.”

His mother reached over and gently took his hand. Tommy’s eyes flicked to her hand, then back to her face as she spoke.

“Then I trust him, and I trust you to make the right choice,” she said. Tommy’s brow furrowed at the strange wording, but she pulled away and closed her eyes again. “I love you,” she said, before drifting to sleep.

“Love you, too,” Tommy replied, unsure if she even heard it. He took a deep breath, glanced back at his mother once more, then got up and went to the forest.

If only he had been aware of the approaching doctor, who had been coming to check up on his mother.

+~O~+

The forest didn’t let Tommy in, the trees making the same maze that it had months before. Tommy scowled at the realization but pushed through. He didn’t have the option to give up anymore.

“I need to make a deal,” Tommy said into the trees as a desperate attempt, once again praying that Wil could hear him. “Please, I don’t have time to waste,” he begged.

At first, he got nothing in response, but then a gust of wind rustled the trees, and when Tommy blinked there was a clear path in front of him. He sighed in relief and hurried to follow it, glad to finally be back in the meadow.

He didn’t bother to breathe in the familiar feeling, instead approaching the faerie ring with his bag of potential offerings, dropping it at his feet.

“If anyone can hear me, I need to make a deal,” Tommy said to the ring. He didn’t have to wait long before Wil appeared in the ring. He hadn’t changed at all since the last time they saw each other, but Tommy didn’t let himself think about it.

“What happened?” Wil asked, looking at Tommy with a mixture of worry and relief (how those two emotions could coexist in his expression, Tommy didn’t know, but they somehow managed).

“My mum is sick. There was an outbreak of the plague in a village she traveled to. There isn’t a cure, and she’s only getting worse,” Tommy explained desperately. “I need to make a deal for the cure.”

Wil frowned. “I haven’t heard of plague recently, but I’ll check to see if we have a cure.”

Tommy almost thanked him, but caught himself just in time. Thankfully, it seemed as though the rules he had learned when he was young had stuck, even though he had broken most of them.

“What would I owe you?” He asked instead.

Wil glanced down at the bag at his feet in response. “What’s that?”

Tommy hurried to dump the trinkets out of the bag, leaving them as a small pile on the ground. “I wasn’t sure what you’d ask for,” he admitted sheepishly as the faerie’s eyes skimmed over the pile.

Wil didn’t show any preference towards the trinkets before he looked back up, seeming to ponder what he was about to say for a moment.

“I have no use for any of these,” the faerie finally said. Tommy felt himself deflate at the words. He knew the trinkets were practically worthless, but he didn’t have anything else to physically offer. And he couldn’t leave empty-handed.

Tommy would have to take his chances with a different bargain.

“I’ll give anything. I just need the cure, please,” he begged. He would give Wil anything if he had to.

Wil sighed, opening his mouth to speak—

“There he is!”

Tommy whirled around at the new voice behind him, and he heard Wil move to a defensive position.

There, emerging from the forest, was a mob of angry villagers, welding torches and pitchforks, led by the doctor Tommy had promised to keep in touch with. Tommy felt the blood drain from his face.

He had been seen.

“He’s the changeling!” The doctor cried, pointing at Tommy. “He created the plague to destroy us all!”

Despite the accusation being completely wrong, the villagers all turned their fury towards him. Tommy stepped back and held his arms out in front of himself in defense, careful not to step into the faerie ring. He may have been allowed in it before, but clearly things had changed since then.

Wil shifted behind him. “This is a human child, he poses no threat to you,” he explained calmly to the mob.

Only then did the mob seem to acknowledge the faerie in their midst. This caused an uproar as they all began to scream at the two.

“Liar!”

“You’re going to kill us all!”

“Take him back to where he came from!”

Tommy winced at the sudden onslaught of voices, stepping back again. His foot brushed something as it moved, and he looked down to see that he had entered the faerie ring.

Great, he thought sarcastically. That was just what he needed right then, an angry faerie ready to whisk him away at a moment’s notice. (Wil would never do that, a part of him said, but he silenced that voice).

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut as if it would stop the events unfolding around him, waiting for the worst to happen. As he did so, a hand landed heavily on his shoulder. So it seemed Wil would be the one to get to him first. That felt symbolic somehow.

Tommy didn’t realize he was shaking until the hand softened and gently squeezed, urging him to open his eyes. He did just that, turning to look at Wil, whose eyes softened as he gave Tommy a reassuring smile.

“Wilbur,” he whispered, and Tommy felt a rush of magic flow through him. He couldn’t describe it, it was unlike anything he’d ever felt before, but it told him plenty. That was his name. Wilbur had just given Tommy his name.

Tommy’s confusion must have shown, because Wilbur added, “You can give me permission to leave the ring.” He gestured toward the mob, whose cheers and cries continued to ring through the meadow, all of them excited that Tommy had slipped up.

What they didn’t know was that, while Tommy wasn’t a changeling, he was good friends with a faerie.

“I’m Tommy,” he replied, stepping back out of the ring before Wilbur could respond, leaving him shocked. “And I give Wilbur permission to cross the ring.”

Wilbur smiled, the same smile that had unsettled Tommy when they first met, but now it was directed at the crowd. He stepped outside of the ring and gestured for Tommy to turn around, which he did without question.

“You know, it was always your rule to never anger a faerie. I wonder if you’d like to find out what happens if you break that rule,” Wilbur said, the last thing Tommy heard. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears so he wouldn’t have to hear what Wilbur did, but some screams still slipped through.

“The changeling! He did this!” Was one scream that he still heard. Tommy winced. “Your mother got what was coming to her!”

At that, Tommy whirled around. He didn’t register the scene around him, focused on the doctor who had spoken.

“What?” He asked. Wilbur, who had just finished with those who hadn’t had a chance to run away, came up to stand next to Tommy.

“She’s gone! As she should be, for harboring a changeling for so many years!” The doctor cried. Tommy felt his eyes burn, and Wilbur put a hand on his shoulder, asking a silent question.

“Do it,” Tommy replied wetly, and he turned away before he could watch.

The mob was gone as quickly as it had formed, which Tommy was somewhat glad for, even though he shouldn’t have been. The meadow was once again silent, the only sound being Wilbur’s approaching footsteps.

“Are you okay?” He asked, standing next to Tommy.

Tommy blinked to fend off the tears, but it didn’t work. He sniffled as they trailed down his face, Wilbur making an upset sound as he moved to wrap his arms around Tommy.

Tommy shoved his face into the fae’s shoulder, and Wilbur let him stay like that, crying his eyes out for who knew how long.

Once Tommy had run out of tears to cry, he took a deep breath and pulled a few steps away, making a point not to look at the mess around them.

“So… what do you want to do now?” Wilbur asked softly.

Tommy shrugged. “They won’t let me go back to the village, even if I wanted to,” he said.

Wilbur didn’t reply for a moment, leaving Tommy to spiral in silence.

“You could come back to my realm with me,” Wilbur offered after a moment. Tommy turned around, eyes wide.

“What?” He asked, the question slipping out involuntarily.

“You could come back with me if you’d like,” Wilbur repeated. “It would be nice to have you, and my family would love you.”

Tommy frowned. “You refused to let me visit for months.”

“I did it to keep you safe,” Wilbur explained. “After you left, the person who had been eavesdropping on us came to make a deal. They asked me to tell them who you were. I didn’t go through with it, of course, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide it forever. So I made sure they couldn’t see the two of us together.”

That made sense, but…

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Tommy asked. “I would have understood! It was better than thinking you were done with me!”

Wilbur’s expression turned pained. “I could never be done with you. Some of my favorite moments were spent with you.” He paused for a moment. “You’re like my little brother at this point,” he admitted.

“Brother?” Tommy asked in awe.

Wilbur winced. “Was that too much? If it made you uncomfortable I won’t say it again—”

“No! No, it was fine,” Tommy rectified quickly, stepping closer to Wilbur. “You’re like my older brother, too.”

Once he’d said it, his mother’s last words to him rang through his mind.

I trust you to make the right choice.

This felt right. He knew it in his bones.

“I’d like to go to the fae realm with you,” Tommy said. Wilbur’s eyes blew wide, then a smile lit his face. He hurried over to Tommy and wrapped him in a tight hug.

Tommy grunted as he had the wind knocked out of him, then hugged back just as hard.

And once they had hugged the life out of each other, Wilbur led him to the faerie ring and taught him how to travel between worlds. And once he entered the fae realm, going with Wilbur to finally stay, he knew he was home.