Chapter Text
“Remember, you shall not give him your name.” The old woman told you, putting a little iron coin into your mouth. “Wait for him to give you his word. Unless he does, neither you nor your sister are safe.”
You bowed your head to her, thankful for all her advices that could save your life - this woman was the only one to escape faerie ring and stay alive. She was a young girl when she got lost and returned when her hair turned grey, her skin wrinkled. Her scarred face warned the ones wandering the woods from going too far to the north.
“Do not be afraid.” She said gently, caressing your cheek wet from tears with her rough, work-weary hand. “Your sister is still alive. Do everything right, and you will set her free.”
You nodded and lifted a heavy basket filled with jugs and jars with wine, honey and butter, your offering to the wee folk to pass safely. If not your stupid, uncaring sister, you would never have to set your foot so far into the forest. But with no one to seek protection from, you had to go there yourself.
If only your sister didn’t spend her days dancing in the woods despite all your warnings. You admitted you didn’t raise her well, yet with no one by your side you spent all your time trying to provide for the both of you - life in this little village surrounded by woods had never been an easy one, especially for orphans.
As she had never listened to your pleas, no wonder one day your sister didn’t return. The villagers had immediately gathered to start the search, but the only thing they found was a piece of your sister’s dress hanging on a bush right near the faerie ring. Everyone knew then what had happened to her, and no one was ready to risk their life to save a silly young girl who didn’t know better but enter the realm of the fair folk. People were helpless against the faeries, and many of the villagers had lost their loved ones to them. You could still find human bones if you went too far into the woods.
The basket was heavy, and you exhaled loudly as you set your foot outside of the elderly woman’s hut, looking at the dark gigantic trees far away with worry. The woman told you that you wouldn’t return - you would ask the fairies to take you away instead of your poor little sister.
“Wait, Y/N!” You heard someone’s voice and turned around to see another woman, her hair all grey too despite her age - she was the one who had lost her only daugther to the wee folk a few years back. Since then she had aged faster than any other woman in the village. “I… I have something to help you!”
You blinked when she got close to you and reached out to your face, a little bottle in her hand. You closed her eyes as she rubbed a strange smelling salve into your eyelid, covering your eye with something that made you feel like someone poured a bucket of cold water over your head. Inhaling deeply, you opened your eyes and realized one eye was seeing much better than the other. The objects became sharper, the colors more bright as you stared in the woman’s face with confusion. What was that?
“This is what one witch gave me when I was looking for my daughter.” She whispered quietly as if she was afraid the Fae would hear her. “Now they won’t fool you with their glamor. But don’t show them you can see everything!”
“I won’t.” You assured the woman quickly and squeezed her shoulder gratefully. “God bless you for your kindness.”
She nodded and hurried away, hiding the bottle inside her long worn out dress and never looking back at you. You knew she was scared. No one dared to come with you to the faerie ring, afraid to be tacken away by the creatures they feared and detested. Yet you were grateful to the woman - she knew how much it hurt to lose your beloved ones to the fair folk.
Turning to the woods, you licked the iron coin in your mouth and pushed it to the side, pouching it in your cheek. It didn’t feel pleasant, but it was the least of your worries now as you went closer and closer to the gloomy forest, thinking of all the dangers it hid. Why did you sister go there? Why didn’t she dance somewhere on the meadow, basking in the sun? What made her forget all the warnings every child was given?
Biting your cheek, you stepped inside the forest and clenched your fists, following the path an elderly woman had showed you. You stopped near the huge stump, taking a few pieces of fresh bread out of your basket and placing them on an improvised wooden altar for little forest sprites as an offering. Although you didn’t need them to guide you, you asked them not to play with your path, twisting it such way you might end in the village again instead of the faerie ring. Losing their favor was not wise.
As you moved further, you sensed yourself speeding up despite feeling lightweight as if you were a little feather carried by the wind. For a moment you felt frightened, but then realized the sprites took a liking to the offering you brought them and helped you on your way. Did they know why you were coming so far into the woods? Maybe they did.
The further you moved, the more nervous you became, afraid to put your head up and look upon your surroundings - you saw elderflower glowing on your left and averted your eyes immediately, afraid to be charmed before you reached your destination. Then a few blue sparkles lit up the trees to your right, and you hurried further into the woods, wiping away your tears. You could make it. You could save your sister despite fairies’ attempts to charm or scare you away.
Soon you moved to the left, leaving the path, and saw the ring formed by those little white mushrooms. It looked odd as the ring was the perfect round shape as if someone purposely made it.
Sighing heavily, you had doused your lantern and set it on the grass. Dear God, you were truly doing it. Licking the iron coin in your mouth, you pressed your lips into a thin line and stepped inside the ring, closing your eyes for a second. The moment you were past the line of mushrooms, your senses were clouded, your head light, your body almost flowing in the air - you could feel you entered the other realm as the forest lit up around you, and you heard the laugh and charming voices.
When you opened your eyes, you saw a great fire and many strange-looking creatures circling it. They danced, screamed, laughed and cried as they sat together, certainly celebrating something, and you stared at them in awe, blinking and unable to move. Your left eye showed you graceful fairies with their long curly hair laying on their shoulders, their faces strikingly beautiful, their bodies glowing warmly as they sat close to the fire. But your right eye, the one covered with that salve… it showed you ugly, revolting creatures with their fingers crooked, their faces dry and wrinkled, tree branches piercing their backs, their silky clothes being just some dirty rags. Not all the fairies looked distgusting, but many, many of them did. You almost flinched when they looked at you, standing in the ring with your large basket full of food and wine.
You didn’t see the man sitting on what appeared to be a throne on the other side of the cirle, hid by the flames of the fire, but once he rose to his feet everyone fell silent. He was tall, well-built, looking stronger than any man in the village, his dress made out of pure golden threads. Certainly, his glamor spell was way stronger than the charmed salve made by the witch as both your eyes showed only one of his forms, unlike the other fairies.
He was the fae’s lord, you realized as you bowed deeply, refusing to look him into his deep blue eyes. You didn’t even see his face clearly as you stared at your own shoes, clenching the basket.
“What a lovely human I see.” The man said, and you heard the wee folk chuckling at his words, whispering something to each other. “Will you give me your name, little one?”
You gulped and froze on the spot. You knew well you should never respond to the fae’s question with your name as you would simply hand them the power over you with it, “giving” yourself to them. But staying silent was considered rude, nonetheless.
“Forgive me, lord fae, for I cannot. But I can tell you it is Acantha.”
A thorn. It wasn’t your true name, of course, as even saying, not giving it to the fair folk was dangerous and unwise. The lord fae knew it well, of course, and narrowed his eyes at you, smiling.
“My name is Steven, little one. I am the King of the Fae, and this forest belongs to me just like the meadows, fields, rivers, and lakes.” Though he was smiling, it didn’t reach his eyes - you didn’t realize you weren’t bowing to him anymore and stared at his pale face, glowing in the dark. “Why did you come here, little one? What are you searching for?”
As you heard nasty cackling to your right, you clenched your teeth, realizing these very creatures had trapped your poor sister for their fun. Now you saw many of them drinking not only ambrosia and wine, but also a dark red liquid that looked like blood.
Murderers. Ugly beasts banished by God himself to all the darkest places, unworthy of sunlight. Did they claim they owned the meadows and rivers and lakes? No, the villagers did. And they would drive out and kill all the fair folk with iron knives and pitchforks who would dare to come out the woods. The forest was the only place humans were afraid to enter.
Gritting your teeth, you bowed your head again and gently set the basket in front of the fairy’s circle, taking a step away. You had to keep calm. You needed to get your sister out.
“I am searching for my sister, fae lord. She’s a silly little thing, and I’m afraid she took the wrong path in the forest, disturbing your kind folk with her dancing.” You said, choosing your words wisely and not looking at anyone, savouring the taste of iron in your mouth. The coin was muffling your words, but no fairy had sensed anything yet. “I came to plead you for help, fae lord. Please, bring her to me, let her come back to the realm she belongs to safely, and I will give you whatever you would like me to.”
You sighed, squeezing your eyes shut. You said it. You just exchanged your life with hers. If he took your word, you would be trapped here, in this cursed place belonging to The Unseelie Court.
The King looked content with you being so courteous, your offering very generous for a simple village girl, indeed. He motioned to two forest sprites to bring your basket to him and pulled a jug filled with the finest wine you could find, setting it near his thrones while handing the basket to others. As they flew to it, ripping it apart and claiming whatever they could reach, you bit down on your tongue, feeling utterly disgusted. All of them deserved a pair of shoes made from branding iron.
“You have good manners, little one.” The King smiled at you, and the next moment he wasn’t standing near his throne made from gold and decorated with gemstones shining in the dark, but cupping your chin as he stared down at you, his warm breath tickling your skin. “You brought a nice offering. I will give your sister back to you, and sprites will escourt her to your people. I give you my word.”
Your eyes went wide. He said exactly what you wanted him to, and it only took you an offering and a plea. How was it possible? You knew well how cunning, haughty, and treacherous the wee folk could be. But the King himself gave you his word. It was an oath the fae couldn’t break.
Before you could bow your head again and express your gratitude, however, the King had suddenly put his warm palms on your shoulders and turned you around, forcing you to stare at the procession, several fairies leading your still dancing sister to the fire. You could see her feet bleeding, but she had that strange little smile stretching his lips and enlightening his eyes as she kept moving, laughing and throwing her hands into the air. Her clothes were dirty, her hair disheveled, yet she didn’t see it, caring about nothing but dancing.
You realized you were crying only when the King gently wiped your cheek with his palm.
“Set her free once she steps out the ring.” He said as fairies lured her to that little circle of mushrooms. “Bring her home safely and make her forget all that she saw. Do not ever let her come back.”
You tried to make a step towards her, take her into your embrace, kiss her cheeks, whisper her to never set her foot into the forest again, and ask her to promise she would take care of herself, but the King still had his hands on your shoulders, and his grip was becoming tighter and tighter, forcing you to stay still despite all your attempts to run to her. He wouldn’t let you tell goodbye to your own sister. You were made to watch as she was taken away from you, and your eyes were full with tears again. Dear Lord, why? Why didn’t he let you approach her for a mere minute? You wanted to scream and cry, but realized you couldn’t open your mouth. The Fae King had charmed you.
Once your sister disappeared inside the faerie ring, you had collapsed to the ground, your fingers buried into your hair, pulling at the roots in despair. You would never see that little girl again. Cruel laugh of the fairies surrounding you made you face wet from all the humiliation and pain.
“Shhh.” You heard the Fae King speaking as he got down to you and caressed your hair gently. “It will be alright. She will live her life like all humans do, and you will stay here and forget all your sorrows.”
You cried harder at his words, and an iron coin the elderly woman gave you slipped on your tongue. The King had immediately reached out to your face and opened his hand, looking at you patiently. Now he knew you carried a coin in your mouth.
Pausing for a moment, you realized it was meaningless: it was over now. You were in the hands of the wee folk, and no one would come to save you. You submitted, dropping a coin to the fae lord’s hand - he hissed as it burnt his skin, but once he clenched his huge fist the coin disappeared as if you had never brought it in your mouth.
“See? It’s easy, little one.” The fairy murmured, dropping a kiss to the top of your head and making you turn your face up as he wiped the remains of the salve from your eyelid - he saw it, too. In the next moment the darkness became light, and ugly creatures surrounding you turned into the most beautiful beings you had ever seen. “You will forget. Don’t you know you were born under the Milk Moon, little one? You shouldn’t live the life full of hardships as a peasants’ daughter. You deserve to be happy in my lands.”
With me, you could hear his whisper inside your head.
He didn’t tell you he had been watching you gathering herbs and berries in his forest close to the village for years. He didn’t tell you he lured your sister into the faerie ring, knowing you would follow and try to save her, ready to trade your own life for hers.
You didn’t tell him you kept an iron nail in the pocket of your dress, prepared to fight for your life till the very end. You weren’t born to become a little doll of the Fairy King, and you were ready to prove it.