Chapter Text
---⁖⁘ ❄🌰❄ ⁖⁘---
"Stop the carriage!"
A young elf with pale blue hair and strikingly blue eyes jumped out nimbly and ran to the side of the muddy dirt road.
"I knew it!" He grinned like a someone who just found a new toy.
"Careful, highness! It's dangerous!" His attendant, Novick, and a couple of guards came running after him.
They were in a two-cart lane winding through an oaken wood stretching far into the horizon, and hemmed by rocky mountains on the east. There at the mountains' feet rose a stalwart castle hewn from the very bones of the earth. It guarded an old pass that cleaved through the mountain range and emerged through the lawless lands beyond. Despite the castle's proximity to the Vale of Death, a rich city bustled around it. The mountains were a rich source of ore and the valley at its feet grew a wide variety of food and rare herbs. A powerful human mage controlled this area and it is to his castle that the young elf prince was headed.
"He's a half starved boy with a broken wing," the elf prince scoffed at his guards and extended his hand to the shivering waif trying to hide behind a tangled bush. "Would you like to come with me?"
A child with a messy mop of brown hair stared wide eyed and open mouthed at the noble before him. He looked like most human children if not for a small pair of wings that sprouted from his back, black as night. One of them hung limply though and the disheveled feathers made them look all the more sad. Mud stained his cheeks and made his tattered clothes look more ragged. He should have run away but his curiosity got the better of him. And besides, he was tired, terribly hungry, and his right foot hurt. He'll probably fall flat on his face after a few strides.
He has heard of elves, their arrogance, and their fabled beauty, but he has never expected to see one up close. Moreover, this one had breathtakingly clear eyes that were bluer than the sky. He looked no older than himself though with very fine features and skin as white as snow. He wore elegant clothes and his tell-tale pointed ears were decorated by opaque blue precious stones. Also, his voice was rich and very pleasant. He is a boy, right? Bam wasn't too sure.
"Hasn't anyone taught you it is rude to stare?" the elf smirked.
The boy blushed and looked down. "-m sorry," he mumbled as he fidgeted with his hands.
"I didn't say I minded," the elf took off his travelling cloak and wrapped it around the boy's shoulders. "Shall we go?"
This time the boy timidly took that offered hand.
Bam grimaced as he tried to walk. The elf took notice and lifted him off his feet like he weighed nothing.
"You don't need to-!" the boy protested.
"You can hardly walk," the elf said simply.
A friend! The brunette hoped against hope as they entered the waiting carriage. Maybe we can be friends?
---⁖⁘ ❄🌰❄ ⁖⁘---
How interesting. Khun looked closely at the little boy he found. He has vaguely heard of winged people and seen various illustrations depicting them but now the object of legends is sitting right in front of him.
From what he remembered, winged people were part of a vanishing tribe. Their numbers have always been extremely few. They can't fly, really. Their stubby wings were too clumsy for that. Some say they are descended from a forgotten race who once ruled the skies. Some say they are the results of a botched magical experiment; a mockery of angels. There are whispers that they were some kind of hybrid created in a bid to best elf magic. After all, magic meant power and a lot of ambitious human mages firmly believed that the world is ripe for human rule. And so a cold war bristled between the elven nobility and the mage lords for the limited resources the known world possessed, with the non-magic classes caught in between.
Khun hardly felt any stirrings of magic in the boy, however. Even so, he watched fascinated as the hapless waif stared at the passing scenery with big innocent honey-colored eyes. And Khun hid a smile behind his hand as the boy realizing his gaze, shyly looked down and bloomed a blush on his cheeks.
---⁖⁘ ❄🌰❄ ⁖⁘---
"Ouch!"
"Sorry, I'll be done soon," the elf said as he bandaged the boy's foot. Luckily, his little black wing was just dislocated and no bones were broken. It hurt quite a bit but the torn ligaments should heal cleanly. His foot on the other hand was badly sprained.
"Oh no, it's not your fault, your highness," Bam shook his head vigorously. He learned from the elvish attendants who cleaned him up that he was in the presence of elven royalty. He was also grateful for the delicious meal and the new clothes he was allowed to wear. "I don't deserve this kindness and I don't want to cause any more trouble." Why is the prince patching him up? Couldn't he have left it to his servants? Why was he being so nice?
They were greeted with much pomp when they arrived at the mage's castle. The elf prince was assigned the west tower as residence along with his guards and attendants. They were in the topmost chamber that served as the prince's personal quarters.
"It's no trouble. Let's just say I was bored. My name is Khun Aguero Agnis. Call me Khun." The elf's eyes glowed as he brushed two fingers lightly over the newly bandaged wing and then the injured foot. A soft blue light glimmered from his hand like a thin mist. "I've cooled down your injuries. That should dampen the pain a little and help you heal. I've also called for some healing herbs. What is your name?"
"I am called the Twenty-fifth Bam," the boy looked on, big eyes growing rounder in fascination as a cool but comforting sensation wrapped his injuries. Some elves were supposed to be naturally gifted with the elements. They could harness these forces as naturally as breathing; without the use of complex incantations, spells, scrolls, runes, or diagrams that human mages had to resort to. How lucky was he to have encountered one?
"An unusual name. I'll call you Bam. And how may I ask, did you get yourself hurt?"
Bam flinched but he thought his savior deserved an answer so he said in a soft voice as he stared at his lap, "I ran away."
"Good for you, then. We're not much different. I am nothing more than a prisoner in a golden cage."
"Your highness?" Bam raised his head, not sure if he heard right.
"I'm sure you've heard the servants whispering. This diplomatic exchange is just a euphemism for political hostage. You don't really think those high and mighty mages would willingly host an elf here, do you?"
"Oh," Bam didn't really know how to respond to that. He knows how the world works. Right now, mages and elves were not on the best of terms to put it lightly. This must be someone's half baked plan to promote cooperation.
"I want to see the world. I want to be my own master and go on an adventure," the young elf had a wistful smile and a far away look.
"You're highness is strong and beautiful! I know you can make your desire come to pass!" Bam said with so much faith and conviction that the elf laughed. It was pleasant like the tinkling of bells.
"I told you, call me Khun! Enough of this depressing talk. And I was supposed to cheer you up. I know! I'll let you listen to me play," the elf prince grinned.
"Play?"
The elf prince retrieved a case carved with delicate designs from the wooden chest at the foot of his bed. He opened it and took out something strange.
"Is it some kind of weird bow?" Bam tilted his head and looked at it warily. How could anyone hunt with such a clumsy thing?
"It's a violin, silly," Khun took out the bow as well and started checking the strings. Then, he tucked the instrument under his chin and deftly drew the bow across taut strings. His slender childish frame seemed to wrap around the instrument as a bright sound rose through the chamber like a graceful swan. It was the definition of elegance as it glided flawlessly in the hushed air. Then, the elf closed his eyes tight as the melody turned harried, as if chased by a hunter on urgent wings, until it finally floated away, regal, breathtaking in mid flight, soaring serenely towards a safer haven. But in all it's exquisite melody, in all it's soulful beauty, it was accompanied by a heart piercing melancholy like the echoes of some lost soul's despair. And as the last note resonated in the stillness of the room, Bam burst into tears.
"Hey, why are you crying?!"
"Because," the boy wailed, "it's so beautiful and so, so sad."
"You silly thing. How dare you cry for the likes of me?" Khun sighed as he wiped away heavy drops that rolled from big golden eyes.
---⁖⁘ ❄🌰❄ ⁖⁘---
The evening closed in with bitter winds and flailing rain. The cold seeped through shuttered windows and hard stone walls. A fire roared in the grate. Bam shivered. The blanket around him has slipped. He wanted to move closer to the warm blaze. He must have fallen asleep on the couch after bawling his eyes out. Then, he woke to the sound of voices by the door.
"He is staying here."
"Please your highness, you can rest better if we take him to the servants' quarters," insisted Novick.
"Nonsense! He is staying with me. Now leave me be!" Khun's tone was cold and somewhat annoyed.
"Yes, sire," the attendant closed the door to the chamber.
He is a prince after all, thought Bam. But he was glad that he could stay. He did not trust the others.
"You're awake," Khun smiled at him. His voice was once again calm.
Did his heart just skip a beat? Bam nodded and his voice came out a tinny squeak, "Yes!"
Khun didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he just didn't mind.
"They brought food. Come and have supper."
---⁖⁘ ❄🌰❄ ⁖⁘---
Novick has watched over the prince for years. No matter where he was, the attendant made sure he was marching through the days like clockwork, weaving as prescribed through the seasons, counting down the years till he would come of age and take his rightful place in the Seelie Council. Only a high elf such as Novick is worthy of undertaking such a noble task.
However, though he is a patient guy, even he sometimes finds himself at the end of his ropes. The prince is seen by most as smart, talented, and clever beyond his years but Nobick knows he is also a cold, cunning, and manipulative child brimming with mischievous energy. There is no telling when he will truantly neglect his lessons or suddenly disappear altogether.
Yet now, it seems the prince is acting more maturely ever since he found that strange boy.
Never has he seen that soft expression on the prince's face. Never has he cared for someone other than himself.
Was it fondness? He, Khun Aguero Agnis, the most haughty of all the elven princes showing affection? Has the pet tamed the master? Should he be glad that the prince has not caused any mischief for the longest time? Or should he be troubled that a chink has marred the prince's cold, hard, and aloof armor?
Yet all he could do for now is keep watch. The prince hates having his actions dictated. However, a wrong move could leave him all the more vulnerable and Novick can't have that.
So for now, he will keep his eyes peeled. Besides, the ritual is coming up. He will see clearly then.
---⁖⁘ ❄🌰❄ ⁖⁘---