Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’m going out now,” Silver called as he walked towards the front door of Diasomnia. Lilia waved from his spot on the sofa.

“Have fun Silver~” he sang as he gamed with his online friend. Malleus was somewhere, most likely at Ramshackle with Yuu and Grim, and Sebek…

“Wait for me Silver!” Speaking of the devil, Sebek called from the top of the stairs. He was wearing a simple casual outfit, a green sweater, clean jeans, and black shoes. He carried a satchel on one shoulder. “Are you also going out today?” he asked when he caught up to him.

“Yes. I’m meeting a friend today,” Silver answered. Lilia chuckled from his spot on the sofa.

“Ohhh~ Of course~ A friend,” he giggled, lightly kicking his feet in the air. Silver just sighed and the two left the dorm, leaving Lilia to his game. The two walked for a while before Sebek spoke up.

“It’s unusual for you to go somewhere Silver. Who are you meeting with?” he asked, taking in Silver’s appearance. He was wearing his gym uniform and carrying two wooden swords and nodded.

“A friend. Her name is Genevieve and - ”

“YOU’RE MEETING WITH A GIRL?!” Sebek asked. Silver winced at his volume.

“Yes, Sebek. She is a girl and she goes to Lady Mystic College. She’s in her second year like me,” he answered. Sebek nodded sagely before asking the question.

“How did you two meet?”

Silver smiled as he recounted the story.

The year prior, Night Raven College Courtyard

“Where are you taking me?” Silver asked the animals. Small animals like birds, chipmunks, and squirrels had always been naturally drawn to Silver. They would talk to him and bring him small things, like acorns, flowers, or small items that they found. He was always touched by their gestures, but today felt different.

The animals had run up to him talking so fast that SIlver could hardly understand what they were saying. They eventually grabbed him by his pants leg and the sleeve of his jacket and started to pull him towards the woods near the stables.

When they got there, the animals led him to a bush, where there were three rabbits huddled together. Two were grey in color and the other one was black. They each had a different colored ribbon around their necks. The grey ones had red and green ribbons while the black one had a blue ribbon.

The rabbits looked up at him and then at the other animals. The blue bird on Silver’s shoulder twittered to them and they looked between the bird and Silver and then at each other. Silver broke the silence first.

“Hello there. My name is Silver. You don’t have to be scared. I can help you,” he held out his hand. The black rabbit with the blue ribbon came up to him first and sniffed his hand. It then rubbed its head against it. It then looked back at the other two who hesitated before coming up to him.

Silver smiled as they approached. Then he remembered. A few seniors in the Equestrian Club had warned them that there had been foxes, owls, and other predators seen around the stables the year prior. If he left the rabbits here, they could be hurt or worse. He quickly went back to the stables and picked up an empty box and filled it with hay. He ran back to the rabbits and held the box out to them.

“Only if you want to. I just don't want to leave you here all alone,” he said. The rabbits looked between each other and seemed to decide to trust him. One by one, they hopped into the box and snuggled up to each other. Silver smiled at them.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll keep you safe.” He walked back to Diasomnia with the rabbits content in the box.

He opened the door to the dorm and looked around. The common area was almost empty and he didn’t see his father or Lord Malleus around. He quietly entered the room and kept the edges in the shadows. He nearly made it to the stairs when a voice called out to him.

“Silver! There you are!” It was Lilia, the vice dorm head of the dorm and Silver’s adoptive father. Despite his young appearance, he was hundreds of years old and a respected figure in the Briar Valley. He immediately noticed the box in Silver’s hands.

“Well now, what do we have here?” he asked as he peaked inside. His eyes went wide as the rabbits looked back at him. He looked up at Silver who now had a guilty look on his face. “Now Silver, we are not in Briar Valley anymore. You cannot just bring animals into the dorm like it’s our house. Only familiars are allowed.”

Silver looked down at the rabbits, who were looking up at him with uncertainty. Silver decided to try and convince his father otherwise.

“I know I am breaking the rules, but I couldn't leave them there,” he said. “My seniors in the Equastrain Club warned us of predators on campus and I couldn't leave them alone. Please Fa-Vice Dorm Head Lilia.”

Lilia looked up at his son. Silver dawn colored eyes were brimming with emotion, the same kind that would look up at him pleadingly to help a small bird that was injured. He gently smiled.

“Let me talk to Malleus,” he finally said. Silver smiled. “But they will be your responsibility, you hear me? Well, at least we find the owner.”

“The… owner?” Silver asked, his face twisted in confusion.

“Yes. The ribbons around their necks are most likely proof of ownership. Not to mention you don’t see these kinds of rabbits in the wild,” Lilia said sagely. Silver looked down at the rabbits. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? He had been so focused on getting them to safety that he completely overlooked that part.

“Of course. I understand Fa-Vice Dorm Head Lilia,” he corrected himself. Lilia chuckled softly and floated off to find the dorm head. Silver headed towards his dorm room and placed the box by his bed. The rabbits poked their heads out but didn’t come out fully. His roommates looked at the rabbits and agreed to help him if Malleus accepted.

Luckily, Malleus accepted the rabbits as temporary residents, even if they did hide under Silver’s bed when he came to look at them. It took him a while to coax them out from under there. Lilia called his clubmate, Cater Diamond, a second year in Heartslabyul, who was a wiz with social media. He made a post about the missing rabbits and even helped print posters so that Silver could post them around Terry Town.

It had been a week before they heard anything. Cater kept him updated with reposts and even people volunteering to take them in if no one claimed them. Silver found himself getting attached to them as he learned their quirks.

The one with the red ribbon, whom he called Rose, seemed to be the leader and kept the other two in line by stomping her back feet. He gave the name Willow to the one with the green ribbon. She was the calmest of the three and loved to be held and pet. The black one he called Sky because of her blue ribbon and she was the most energetic. She was always getting into something she shouldn’t and even managed to sneak out of Silver’s dorm room and wander the halls of Diasomnia a few times.

At the end of the week, Cater ran up to him at the end of classes, holding his phone in the air with a smile on his face.

“Great news Silver! I think I found the owner of the rabbits!”

Silver's face fell when he heard that. While he was happy to find the owner, he was silently hoping that maybe he could keep them. He nodded along as Cater told him that the owner, a girl named Genevieve, had contacted him and had sent him images of the rabbits which he showed to Silver.

Lilia said he could be with him on the promised day, but Silver turned him down. He needed to be the one who returned them to their rightful owner. He told the rabbits the next day that he had found their owner and that they would be reunited soon. They seemed to recognize the name, which meant that she could be their owner.

The weekend came too fast and too slow all at once. Silver gently placed the rabbits in the box and made his way to the door where Lilia and Malleus were waiting for him. They saw him off and Lilia patted him on the shoulder, telling him he was doing the right thing. Silver just smiled and tried to ignore the tightness in his chest.

They arrived at the park with time to spare. Silver sat down on a park bench and took the rabbits out of the box and placed Rose on his lap. He stroked her fur and suddenly felt drowsy.

‘Perhaps it’s the sunshine and the rabbits' warmth,’ he thought sleepily. The next thing he knew, he was dosing off right there in the park.

Unbeknownst to him, Genevieve had entered the park and was looking for him. She looked around before her eyes found him and the rabbits napping on the bench. As she approached him, the rabbits woke up and looked up at her with recognition. Genevieve leaned forward and watched him for a bit.

“Uhm - excuse me sir?” she asked, but Silver didn’t wake up. She looked at the rabbits who were watching him and the birds that had landed on his head and shoulders.

‘How can someone sleep here?’ she wondered as she sat down next to him. It was a while before Silver woke back up. His eyes blinked open and he turned towards the presence he felt next to him. He was startled a bit, but quickly composed himself.

“Hello. Are you Genevieve?” he asked, taking in her appearance. She had brown hair that was held back with a red ribbon and dark brown eyes. She wore a dark brown dress shirt under a black dress. She had black boots over red tights and wore a silver necklace with a sword pendant. She nodded her head.

“Yes, I am. Thank you for taking care of Tranquility, Fernadell, and Primavera,” she said. Silver blinked at her.

“Tranquility, Fernadell and Primavera?” he asked, a little confused. Genevieve nodded and pointed towards the rabbits.

“The one with the red ribbon is Tranquility, the green one is Fernadell, and the blue one is Primavera. What have you been calling them?” she asked as the rabbit with the green ribbon, Fernadell, hopped onto her lap.

“Rose, Willow, and Sky. I didn’t know what to call them at first though. They just came to me.” he said. “It seemed to suit them,” he added a bit shyly. Genevieve looked at them and started laughing.

“Yeah, those do seem to suit them better,” she said with a smile. Silver felt his heart flutter a bit.

“No, I can understand why you choose those names. They suit them very well,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m Silver, by the way. I go to Night Raven College.”

“I can tell,” Genevieve said, gesturing to his uniform. “I go to Lady Mystic College.” Silver’s eyes widened.

“No wonder they ended up near the stables,” he said quietly. Genevieve laughed again.

“Yeah, I think Primavera opened up the lock to the bunny hatch with her nose and the others followed her,” she said, stroking Fernadell’s head. “It wouldn’t be the first time she did that.”

Silver looked at her surprised and laughed along with her. They exchanged stories about the rabbits and their mischief making. It eventually led to them talking about their lives, as well as their hopes and dreams. She told him that she was trying out for her school’s fencing team this year and hoped to make it captain. Silver said that he had experience with swords and offered to help her, which she immediately agreed to.

When Silver said he was from the Valley of Thorns, Genevieve revealed that she had always been interested in fairy culture. Her parents had even taken her there when she was a child once.

Silver was surprised to hear that. Unless her family was royalty, nobility, or a family with political ties, gaining access to the Valley was near impossible. Something flickered in the back of Silver’s mind. A memory. The forest, the animals who accompanied him, a girl in blue with dark brown eyes looking down at him.

Silver’s eyes went wide. Did she know? Did she remember? He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, he smiled and they agreed to meet next week to practice her form.

Back to the present

“And that’s how we met,” Silver finished. Sebek looked at him with tears in his eyes.

“Oh my, how kind! To allow you to keep the rabbits until you could find their true owner! Indeed Waka-sama is so gracious!" he wailed into his hands. Silver just sighed. Sebek’s commitment to Malleus knew no bounds. That was when he heard a voice call out to him.

There at the park entrance was Genevieve. She was wearing sports gear and was carrying a duffel bag on her right shoulder. She had her hair in a braid, matching the girl beside her. She wore dark clothes with a green satchel bag. That was when Sebek looked up from his hands and gasped.

“Nailah!” he called. The girl waved at him. The two groups approached each other. Genevieve was the first to speak.

“Hi Silver. It’s nice to see you again,” she said with a smile.

“You too,” he returned. “Congratulations on making team captain this year,” he added. Genevevie smiled back and turned towards Sebek and Nailah, who were communicating with each other via their phones.

“This is Sebek. We’re childhood friends. I believe he is meeting with her today for a lesson in sign language,” he said, gesturing towards the other two. Sebek looked up and his cheeks went a little pink, most likely from embarrassment that he hadn’t introduced himself.

“I am Sebek Zigvolt,” he said and then gestured towards Nailah, “This is Nailah. I asked her to teach me sign language.” Nailah smiled at her and Genevieve nodded.

“I know. We’ve met before at school,” she said and then gestured to Silver. “Silver has been helping me with my fencing techniques.” Silver nodded and they all made their way into the park. Sebek and Nailah took a park bench and started practicing while Silver and Genevieve went to a nearby open field.

They started stretching and Silver then handed her one of the swords. They took their positions and started exchanging blows. Silver loved this. When they first started doing this last year, he was surprised. She was a complete natural. When he mentioned this, she joked she might have been a knight in a previous life. They both laughed at that.

Before they departed, Genevieve showed him a picture of the rabbits. She told him that they were doing well and she joked that they obviously wanted to see him again. Silver smiled and told her he wanted to see them again too.

The four of them split up again at the park entrance with the girls returning to LMC and the boys to NRC. They made plans to meet up; Sebek and Nailah to continue their sign language lessons and Silver and Genevieve to do fencing again. As they made their way back to the dorm, Silver turned towards Sebek.

“So, that’s Nailah? You two seemed awfully close for having just met,” he said in a teasing tone. Sebek’s face instantly turned red.

“Wha- I don’t - SILVER!!” he really shouted this time. Silver just chuckled at Sebek’s outburst and walked ahead to the dorm. He just hoped one day he could share his memory with Genevieve.

Chapter Text

Genevieve was excited. Her family had surprised her with a trip to the Valley of Thorns for her birthday and she had started packing immediately. She had been talking about fairies nonstop since she was four when her grandmother had first told her about them. A trip to the place where fairies lived was a dream come true!

They checked into a small village where mostly humans lived with a few fairies. It was hard to distinguish the fairies from the humans, but she was not about to give up. There were some shops, but they sold little trinkets and she couldn't ask about fairies without sounding rude.

Her parents had been invited to a small gathering by the locals and Genevieve was required to attend. Her mother dressed her in a blue dress with a matching overcoat that had a yellow ribbon that tied under her chin. She also wore a matching hat with a red ribbon on it and even her shoes matched.

Genevieve stood with her parents for a while as they talked with the adults. There weren’t many kids around so she grew bored quickly. She managed to slip away at one point and into the woods.

‘Maybe there are some fairies I can talk to here,’ she thought to herself as she walked further into the forest. Eventually, she came across a boy. He had silver colored hair and wore simple clothing. Most surprisingly, he was sleeping and barefoot!

Genevieve tried to wrack her head. Why was there a little kid out in the woods like this with no adult? Why was he sleeping? Did he live in the village? It made no sense. There were animals around him, looking up at her, chittering and twittering.

Genevieve sighed. She couldn't understand what they were saying. She hadn’t learned animal speak yet. She knew she should return to her parents, but she also didn’t want to leave him all alone like this. She sat down on a log and looked at him. The animals sat down next to her.

Eventually, she got tired of waiting and knelt down next to him. She got close to his face and looked at him. He was breathing, which was a good thing, but he was sleeping for a really long time now. She was considering shaking and yelling at him when his eyes fluttered open.

The first thing she noticed was that his eyes were a kaleidoscope of colors. Purple, blue, and she thought she saw some pink in there too. He was startled by her closeness and jumped up, knocking their foreheads together. They held their throbbing foreheads for a while before turning to look at each other.

“Wh-who are you?” the boy asked her. “I don’t recognize you from the village.”

“No I don’t. I’m visiting with my parents,” she said, rubbing her forehead and wincing at the pain. Silver shot up.

“I’m so sorry!” he said, gently taking her hand away from her forehead and examining it. “I didn’t mean for that to happen!”

Genevieve looked at him a bit shocked. She had never been this close to a boy before, especially a strange one who slept in a forest. She shook her head and looked up at him.

“It’s ok. I got too close,” she said. “I’m Genevieve by the way. Who are you?”

“I’m Silver,” he answered. “If you’re not from the Valley, then how did you get here? No one enters without the Queen’s permission.”

“My dad surprised me with this trip for my birthday,’ Genevieve said tilting her head. “We’re staying in the village over there for a week. Do you live there?” she added, pointing in the direction she came from. Silver shook his head.

“No, I live deeper in the forest with my father,” he said, pointing in the opposite direction. “But I do know the people who live in the village. My father takes me there sometimes. What are you doing this deep in the forest?”

“My parents were invited to a party by the locals, but there were no kids there and I was tired of getting my cheeks pinched so I decided to look for real fairies, not the fake ones in the village." Silver’s face scrunched up.

“You shouldn’t say that,” he said. “There might be people who are half-fae or have fae heritage. If they heard you say that, they would take real offense to that. Besides, full blooded fairies live closer to the castle than the smaller villages like that one.”

Genevieve’s face fell. She hadn’t thought of that. When her family announced this trip, she had imagined the fairies from her picture books, with delicate wings and kind smiles. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but no one who could answer them. She felt her eyes welling up with tears. Silver looked at her with shock and worry.

“I’m sorry! Please don’t cry!” he begged her, as Genevieve rubbed her eyes on her sleeve.

“I’m not crying!” she said, refusing to meet his eyes. She sniffled, trying to force the tears back. She couldn't cry over something like this. It was stupid! Maybe she was stupid for believing in fairies in the first place. Silver watched her for a moment before speaking again.

“You know, my father is a fae,” he said. Genevieve’s head had snapped towards him, her eyes full of shock and awe.

“Really? Wouldn’t that make you half-fairy?” she asked. Silver shook his head.

“No, I was adopted. Though I only found that out recently,” he admitted. “I don’t know who my birth parents are.”

Genevieve’s face fell a little bit. She couldn't imagine a world without her parents. She looked at Silver. He seemed well taken care of. ‘His father must love him,’ she thought. He had clean clothes, well kept hair, and didn’t seem to be going hungry. She then stood up.

“I wanna go back to my parents,” she said. “They should be looking for me now.” Silver nodded and stood up too.

“I know the way back. I’ll show you. Father says a knight never leaves a lady alone,” he said, holding out his hand towards her. Genevieve looked at it for a moment before accepting Silver’s gesture. They began walking towards the village in silence. Silver’s animal friends followed them, hopping ahead, in between their feet, and overhead in the trees. They were careful not to trip over them.

Eventually, the village came into sight. As they got closer, Genevieve could hear voices. While she didn’t recognize most of them, she could hear her parent’s voices, calling out her name, begging for her to come back. She could hear her mother crying and her father's desperation. Genevieve felt the tears well up in her eyes again. Silver noticed and squeezed her hand.

“It will be ok,” he said. Genevieve looked at him and at her mother who was shaking from crying, her father holding her gently.

“What about you?” she asked Silver. He looked at her, then back into the woods.

“I’ll be fine,” he said with a smile. “My father is never too far behind.”

They smiled at each other. Genevieve let go of Silver’s hand and ran towards the village. She stopped at the edge of it and turned back around one last time. She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted.

“Let’s meet up again sometime!”

“Promise?!” Silver yelled back.

“Yeah!” Genevieve smiled and Silver returned it. They waved one final time at each other and ran towards their families. Genevieve ran towards her parents into her mother’s arms and Silver back to his father's cottage, his animal friends streaming behind him.

Neither would know it, but they would keep that promise years later, on a little island in the middle of the sea thanks to three little mischievous rabbits.