Chapter Text
It was a cold evening, the town caked in a thick layer of snow and the wind howling. Most people hated the cold season; illnesses were at an all time high and certain foods became scarce. Gwen hated it too, but winter’s her blessing in disguise.
No one would glance twice at her long sleeves and gloves. During the summer, people would stare at her, thinking she was covering up too much. She could at the very least roll up her sleeves to her elbows and get rid of the gloves, but she couldn’t.
Gwen’s body was covered in markings for as long as she could remember. They weren’t the prettiest sight; lines that ran across her body like veins, they could’ve been mistaken for burn marks or scars if they didn’t cover everything except her face. That was the give away that she wasn’t human, but a fae.
She wasn’t oblivious to the reason as to why the humans hated fae or anyone related to the kind, she went to a human school and the history got repeated multiple times. A few fae weren’t good people, used the powers that were supposed to be a gift to hurt others. The humans were already weary of the thought of non-human kinds living near their towns, so this information was enough to try and completely destroy the fae kind.
They failed at their mission—killing every faerie in the land and the world was impossible,—but their hatred never left. So since Gwen was still a little girl, she wore long sleeves and gloves outside and hid her wings under clothes. As a child, it was an easy task. With wings still small and growing, she could hide them easily. But now the job was harder, considering her wings were fully grown.
She didn’t have anyone to ask for help. Her father was there, but he only knew from what her mother—a fae herself—told him. And he was always gone and working.
At least she wasn’t alone now, she still had a special boy in her life.
He didn’t know her secret yet, she wasn’t sure how to approach the topic. She knew he wouldn’t turn her in to anyone, he was very much against the idea of fae being hunted, despite the town he was now living in for a few years. Her secret was very much safe with Miles, that wasn’t her issue at this point.
Her biggest fear was that he’d hate her.
Miles would never let her get hurt or killed by anyone, but she couldn’t help but wonder if he would leave her behind. She’d be alone again except for her band. Maybe she could convince them to go back to the life of travel they once had, move from town to town to play in different places. Or maybe she’d start moving by herself like she did before she came across her band. Either way, she’d be gone if he left her because of her true nature. Nothing else was keeping her in a town that was known for its famous fae hunters.
Gwen pushed those thoughts out of her head for now. Miles wouldn’t find out, not right now or soon anyway. She didn't have to worry about where she’d go if he left her.
“Alright Gwen, we’re closing up early today,” Gwen suddenly heard. She was sitting on the edge of the small stage in the back of the bar, going over some song lyrics to make sure she had them memorized. She looked up from the songbook to see the wife of the bar owner standing in front of her. She was a kind, older woman. She and her husband welcomed the band with open arms, never having such talented and nice musicians there before. Ever since their first night here, they kept coming back to this town to perform here.
“Why?” Gwen asked as she got up. Not that she didn’t mind the extra free time today, it meant spending the evening with Miles. They rarely got evenings together; Gwen was out late performing and Miles was busy with his art for school. Miles finally had a night to himself, but Gwen was still supposed to perform—at least, that was the plan until now.
“Snow storm’s heading our way, thought we should end things early before everyone’s trapped in here,” the woman explained. That made sense to Gwen, she thought the wind had changed a little this morning. She then smirked a little—Gwen knew a dumb comment would be made. “Wouldn’t wanna worry that boy of yours.”
Gwen’s face flushed a little at the mention of Miles. Whenever they had time and Gwen wasn’t performing here, they’d have dinner here together. They weren’t exactly subtle about their relationship anymore. Outside, they got weird looks from some of the folk here—you couldn’t be together before marriage according to this town’s customs,—but inside the bar were usually students who either were from a foreign town and didn’t know the customs or simply didn’t care. So naturally, the owners Gwen had grown close to noticed her and Miles spending a lot of time together.
“Yeah, he’d worry if I didn’t come home tonight,” she spoke softly.
The woman chuckled. “So pack up and go home to him,” she told Gwen.
Gwen smiled and did exactly that, all that was on her mind was Miles and what they’d do together.
“We finally made it!” Betty said with relief as they entered the town.
Being traveling musicians, the group always tried to find new places to stay and play, even if it was their second visit. But something kept drawing them back to this place. Maybe it was that the people here showed genuine interest in their music, maybe it was the pay (which was really good compared to other places), maybe it was the bar owners themselves, who were always so kind and welcoming when they saw the group arrive.
Gwen, however, wasn’t too fond of this town. The more wealthy folk always thought they were superior to everyone else, looking down on anyone who wasn’t of high status. Not to mention that this town was well known for its successful fae hunters, which already put her at risk of being here.
It was the reason why Gwen preferred to travel around with her band: it was the safest option for her. She didn’t have the time to get to know people, so no one would catch onto her secret. She still had to hide it all from her band, but at least there was one less worry about her true nature.
The cold early morning air nipped at Gwen’s skin, her face starting to freeze since she could barely feel her nose. The group decided to travel during the night, the wind was changing at their previous place and they didn’t wanna stay an extra few days because of a blizzard. They were tired and cold, but had security here. They only had to go to their usual spot and the owners would give them a room upstairs.
The day was just beginning; a few shops started opening their doors and people were heading off to work. Gwen found this town tolerable at its quiet hours, there were no judgemental, wealthy snobs to give weird looks at them. This folk didn’t like that travelers could come here and try to work. Hypocritical, in Gwen’s opinion, since they travel to hunt faeries all the time. But sure, that’s different because it’s to “protect the humankind.”
Gwen glanced around the streets, silently observing what was happening around her. She noticed a few children playing with a street cat, a man opening up his bakery and a group of men talking outside their usual bar, which was a few meters away.
Gwen had already begun looking at the other side of the street when a man approached the men outside the bar, and he had a girl with her. She was stumbling around, almost as if she was barely conscious. Gwen thought she might’ve been under the influence, but then she looked, really looked. She wasn’t drunk, she was hurt. Clothes torn, blood from cuts staining her clothes. But between the tears in her sleeves, Gwen noticed something. It then clicked in her mind, that girl had the familiar markings. She was a faerie, just like her, except she was caught and taken.
“Well, look what you brought home today. And the sun has just risen!” One of the men outside of the bar said, looking at the girl laying helplessly on the floor. “Bet you could get a good amount of money from her.”
The man who caught the fae chuckled. “Getting jealous now, are we? Maybe you should focus more on hunting than waiting for the bar to open at the crack of dawn,” he told the other man.
So they were hunters, likely partners on the job as well. Gwen knew some hunters preferred to work together, it apparently made the job a little easier. Gwen hadn’t even noticed that she had stopped to watch the interaction.
The man who started talking scoffed. “Just take it to a cell and collect your money,” he clearly didn’t like that someone was beating him to his job.
The hunter shrugged. “Best idea you’ve had,” he said before dragging the faerie to her feet, forcing her to walk towards wherever they kept them despite the state she was in.
Gwen felt her heart sink a little. It felt awful to just stand here and watch as her own kind got hunted and taken away, but she couldn’t do anything. She’d get killed herself, and that scared her a little.
“Gwen, come on,” she suddenly heard MJ’s voice. She turned to look at her bandmate. “Let’s head inside already, it’s freezing,” she added before walking to the entrance of the bar.
Gwen could only hope she wouldn’t end up like that, that she wouldn’t die in the hands of the people who hunted her kind. But being born with wings and patterns was like you were born with a death sentence, you’d be lucky if you had years to live.
I’ll be okay, Gwen thought to herself as she walked to the bar.
Gwen had arrived home just before the storm got worse. It had already started snowing heavily by the time she left the bar, but it was manageable. She wanted to get home to Miles, and she was gonna make it no matter what.
Gwen had started staying over a few months after they started their relationship. It meant leaving behind the life of travel she was used to, but she loved Miles and didn’t see herself with someone else. So the band agreed they’d come by to visit, but Gwen was staying here.
Miles and her often talked about leaving this town, since Miles wasn’t fond of it either. But his school was here, so he had to stay. He told Gwen that once he graduated and they were married, he’d take her to his home town and meet his family, and they’d stay there for good. The idea made Gwen look forward to the future, since she couldn’t wait to leave behind the risk of being here.
Gwen took off her coat, wet and cold from the snow. She hung it up near the fireplace, allowing it to dry and warm up. Her clothes were also soaked, which meant changing. She quickly peaked through the crack of the door to their little art and music room; Miles was busy with a painting he was working on. She could change without drawing too much suspicion.
Gwen went into the bedroom and chose a new set of clothes, which would be a lot more comfortable to wear since she was staying in for the rest of the day. As much as she loved her flowy and pretty dresses, she preferred being in something simpler.
As she started to get undressed, Gwen couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief. The amount of layers she was wearing to keep her wings hidden was annoying. It always got really hot, especially during the warmer season. As she took the last layer off, she gave herself a moment to let wings breathe.
She couldn’t help but look in the mirror in their room, her eyes traveling towards her markings and wings. She had light pink, butterfly-like wings with black and white accents. They were beautiful in her opinion, and she wished she could just keep them on display, both for their beauty and the comfort. But unfortunately, in this world it was just impossible. The markings on the other hand, Gwen preferred to hide those. It wasn’t the prettiest sight, they looked more like scars. Gwen wondered if faeries could be blessed with the beauty of their wings, why couldn’t they have had the same luck with the markings?
Gwen wondered what Miles would think of her wings and markings. Would he still think she’s as beautiful as he always says she is? She had quickly become his muse after he first saw her, she was always the centerpiece of his art. On the nights they got together, Gwen would sit beside him as he quietly sketched his next masterpiece. Sometimes it was something out of his comfort zone for school, sometimes it was his family or her. But whatever it was, she’d watch.
Maybe he wouldn’t be repulsed by her true nature, maybe he’d embrace it into his art like he did with every small detail about her.
Gwen sighed as she thought about it. She should tell him, they were starting to get more and more serious. They had pretty much planned their entire future out, and telling him about what she really was had to happen sooner or later.
Not today, Gwen decided silently, not when we finally have a day to ourselves.
Gwen started putting her new clothes on, carefully layering it so her wings were neatly tucked underneath the fabric. And just like that, Gwen looked like an ordinary, completely normal girl.
She walked out of the bedroom and made her way to the art room. She quietly opened the door, trying not to disturb him too much. She could honestly just watch him draw like this for hours.
She quietly sat down in the chair beside him at his desk, something he had put there so she could continue watching him draw peacefully. “Can I rest my head against your shoulder or would that mess up the painting?” She asked, her voice soft.
Miles smiled. “Go ahead, it won’t mess anything up,” he told her. So Gwen put her head against his shoulder, nuzzling it into his neck and taking in the familiar scent. It felt so safe, so comforting, Gwen could stay here forever.
They stayed like that, Gwen watching Miles draw until they decided that they should get started on dinner.
Warm lights and soft music filled the crowded bar. Gwen knew it often got busier on the days students and workers were free, which was usually towards the end of the week. Gwen didn’t mind, she had more of an audience to entertain.
“I woke up in the morning about half past nine
The hacks and the buggies standing in line
Gents and gamblers standing around
Taking little Sadie to her burying ground”
Back when Gwen just found her interest in music, she found her mother’s old songbook. This song was near the end of the book, but it peaked Gwen’s interest the most. She followed the chords her mother had written under the lyrics with her mother’s old guitar, and quickly fell in love with the instrumental of the song. The tune kept getting stuck in her head from how often she practiced it, at this point she can dream the song.
“I began to think of what a deed I'd done
Gonna grab my hat and away I'd run
Made a good run, just a little too slow
They overtook me in Jericho”
Gwen enjoyed seeing the bar so crowded, seeing people dancing to the song she and her band were performing. The fact that people enjoyed it so much always made her so happy, it made her love for music only grow.
Her voice continued to carry through the bar, singing the words with ease. Each note and placement was done as if it was second nature, which it was at this point. Her father once told her when she started singing and playing guitar, it was clear she had inherited the natural talent her mother once had. She was so much like her mother, from her great intuition about music to her wings and patterns.
“So they took me downtown and dressed me in black
Put me on a train that started me back
All the way back to the Thomasville jail
Had no money for to go my bail”
As they moved to the instrumental break, Gwen’s eyes went over to the back of the bar. Her gaze immediately went to a specific corner, and just like she thought—and hoped,—the same boy was sitting there.
All she knew about him was that he was a student at the school in this town. She wondered what he was studying there, seeing as he wore the recognizable uniform. She hoped it wasn’t hunting, that would be a shame. A boy she kept glancing at and hoping he was there would be the one person trying to kill her.
Maybe he did something with art; she always saw him drawing at that table he sat at. He was here almost every time she came to play here, just sitting in the back with a drink and a sketchbook. She always wondered what he could be drawing. Maybe he drew people, or was more into drawing landscapes. Whatever it was, she could imagine it was beautiful.
He looked up from his sketchbook and noticed her looking over at him. She flashed him a soft smile like usual, and he smiled back nervously. It caused Gwen’s heart to flutter a little.
“The judge and the jury, they took the stand
The judge had the papers in his right hand
Forty one days, forty one nights
Forty one years to wear the ball and stripes
Went out one night to make a little round
And I met little Sadie and I shot her down
Went back home, jumped into bed
.44 pistol under my head”
The band finished their song and got an applause from the audience. Gwen smiled, but her gaze drifted back to the boy sitting in the back. God, he really was occupying every thought in her head. It almost made her wanna keep staying here. Every time she left, she couldn’t help but wonder if it would be the last time she saw him. Or maybe he would’ve found another girl already, he was a pretty handsome and attractive guy, any girl would probably wanna go out with him.
The ending of the song meant the ending of their night here. They started to pack their things up as people started leaving to head home or go to whatever place they were staying at. As Gwen carefully packed up her guitar, she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her.
“Hi, uh…you sounded great today.”
Gwen turned to look behind her and it was the boy she was just staring at, who she smiled at and he smiled back, the one she’s been looking and smiling at every time she came here and saw him.
“Oh, thanks,” Gwen responded, her voice a little higher than usual from the nerves. She had such a charm and confidence on stage. But interacting with people? God, she was terrible at it. “You…you look like you’re drawing well too.”
“Thank you,” he responded, but Gwen could tell the comment caught him off guard. That was a stupid thing to say, she’s never even seen his drawings before!
“Yeah,” was all Gwen could get out. God, she was ruining her only chance at talking to someone that caught her eye. She felt the flutters in her stomach worsen the longer they interacted.
There was an awkward silence until Gwen decided she wanted to stop embarrassing herself. “I should probably get going, have to perform late again tonight so sleep would be great,” she quickly said as she turned to continue packing up her guitar.
“Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense,” the boy responded, though Gwen could hear the hint of disappointment in his voice. Fuck, she was making this worse and worse.
“But maybe if you have time, we can talk and have a drink,” she then suddenly heard. Gwen turned back to him, surprised by the offer. Was he asking her out?
But despite the surprise, she definitely wasn’t gonna turn down this offer, not when it was him asking her out. “I’d like that,” she said, a soft smile tugging at her lips now.
His face lit up a little, and it made the flutters within Gwen grow even stronger. “Really? I mean…that’s great!” His surprise and happiness made Gwen chuckle a little. “Should we meet here at the time you start performing?” He asked.
“Yeah, sounds like a good plan,” Gwen responded. “I’m Gwen, by the way.”
“I’m Miles,” the boy, apparently named Miles, said. Miles. Gwen would definitely remember that name.
“Can’t wait until tomorrow night, Miles,” she spoke softly.
As Gwen left the bar, she knew this was probably a mistake. Fae and humans usually didn’t work well together. Her parents may have been an exception, but her mother was taken away winters ago by an illness and left her father heartbroken. The universe had something against faeries and humans dating, she couldn’t start something serious with Miles.
But her emotions were at a high, so those thoughts quickly left. All she could think about was how tomorrow night would be.