Iris' legs give up as her body begins weighing her down. Her breaths hasten to an audible degree as her fingers desperately clutch on dead leaves for moral support.
All her eyes registered were wings. Big, black wings, flapping to and fro, manipulating the abandoned leaves to race against each other. A dull gold accent was scattered like veins over the levitating body, its silver, pin straight hair bumping off the wing's motions. The creature used a head voice to screech and Aurora felt the vibrations in her soul.
She needs to get up.
She needs to do something.
Get up, you wretched body! Don't give up so easily!
But her thoughts were in contrast to her actions for her limbs remained plastered, grounded with utter fear of the unknown. But she needs to act quick before the little Arcel was devoured because of her greed! She, Aurora Harper, was already dead. This was her second chance at life— but for Arcel, this was his world. This was his life and he deserved to live it!
"D-d-dont t-touch him!" The ravenette stutters, heart dipping into her gut. Why was this body so pathetic?! Aurora Harper had not stuttered since eighth grade!
And in that moment, the creature turned. Iris spotted twinkling ruby red eyes burning like a furnace over its ashen skin, in the darkness of the night. Its mouth stretched wide, giving way to a set of canines masquerading as ghost of a smile. Iris gulped, eyes searching for Arcel, but its flapping wings consumed all sight behind them.
It was voluptuous, with dull gold accents lining over its face and body, covering it with a veiny pattern. Its hands were auburn claws, cinched to the tree trunk, pinning Arcel down.
Iris'breath hitched when the wings stopped flapping and halted to rest over its back. It took to the ground with its beautiful ashy feet, veined gold, and started walking toward the ravenette. Iris was so sure it was going to rip her arteries apart with those canines and bathe in her blood.
That is, until, it spoke.
"Well, well, well, bling bling, how did me never notice you right there?"
In the most nickelodeon narrator voice ever. As if, the next thing out of her mouth would be— 'What comes after two? Three, that's correct!'
Its voice was husky, breathy, high in the head and spoken as if the speaker was constantly straining her muscles with a smile.
Iris'brown eyes sparkled with excitement. Aurora had yet to witness such a voice on a creature so vicious! Marvellous! Aurora wanted to hear more of it!
"I guess you were too busy with my friend," the ravenette replied, swaying left and right on her heels, trying to sneak a peek at Arcel.
The creature pulled out its claws from the trunk and flew in front of Iris with its mouth stretched into a wide grin. "That me was, you see, bling bling," its body stood straight but its head bent low to scrutinize Iris' curious eyes before leading its head to Arcel. Iris too followed the line of sight and found Arcel flailing over the ground, trying to catch up to them by crawling (because the life had left his legs, temporarily.)
"Do not hurt Iris! Do you hear me? Do not scare her! Take me instead!!" Arcel shouts haphazardly, much to his observing duo's amusement.
"Me was around makin a potion which required a child's tears, you see, bling bling, me ran out of stock so me thought that scaring a child would make them tear up, right, bling bling?" The creature explains in the most capricious tone ever, head bent to Iris' height.
The ravenette nods, eyes stuck on Arcel struggling with leaves sticking on his coat and socks.
"So, me caught the child off guard, bling bling, and pinned him to the tree, bling bling! But, bling bling must know, when me screeched to terrify him- the child looked me in the eye and smiled! With all of his teeth out! Bling bling, I have failed!" The creature was in hysterics now, circling with its gorgeous feet, trying to comprehend the situation.
Iris scoffed. Why was she scared for Arcel in the first place. That child is a—
"Psychopath, bling bling, me thinks he is unhinged in the head!" The creature points it's accusatory claws at Arcel who had finally caught up to the duo.
"What are you guys talking about? Tell me as well! I wanna have fun!" Arcel grinned, still crouched to the forest ground.
The world would be burning and Iris wouldn't be surprised if Arcel stood in the middle of it to get the best view - for fun.
The creature groaned with a mesmerizing head voice and flew up to hit its head against a tree. Iris helped Arcel up, before an idea popped in her head.
"May I ask, wha— ahem, who are you?" Iris questions, dusting off Arcel as he stands wobbly on his feet.
The creature, who was hugging the tree, pulls its head away and replies, "Why, me is a fairy of Alchemia, of course."
"Well, fairy of Alchemia, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Iris and he is...Arcel," Iris introduces themselves, contemplating on revealing Arcel's princely title but deciding against it. The creature narrowed its eyes at them, bitterly. "And I," Iris puts a hand over her chest and curtsies, "would like to conduct business with you."
"Oh! I would like to do business too!" Arcel suddenly exclaims.
Iris jabs him in the ribs to shut him up.
The fairy tilts its head and flies over to the children again, its ruby eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Bling bling, me likes the proposition. Please, tell me more." It pursues the topic, quite intrigued by these children.
"Do you require a child's tears on a regular basis?" Iris questions. There is an otherworldly, almost authoritative glint, in her eye and it captivates people to listen to her. As if her words are important and she needs to be followed as soon as possible.
"Well, bling bling, that is affirmative. A child's tears are a very precious ingredient for potion of youth. It happens to be my bestseller!" The fairy claps with its claws.
"Spectacular! Then, I shall be your supplier for tears as long as you provide me five percent of the profit!" Iris dares to suggest with a bright smile.
The fairy stands up straight, head shadowed by the tree looming over it. The red glint of its eyes stare the children down. Iris stares back to assert dominance.
"What makes bling bling think me will not tear your limbs apart, steal your tears and run far far away." It giggles so maliciously but it makes Iris' heart flutter. It was a melody!
"But you haven't done it yet," Arcel interjects with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Then me will start with you!" The fairy grins, raising her claws to pick up Arcel but Iris shouts a sudden, "Stop!"
"He's a prince!" Iris reveals, fanning over his face and showcasing it to the fairy. The boy too takes it upon himself to pose his best assets. (Though there were none, in Iris' perspective.)
"Oh, don't worry bling bling, I'll feed him a regrowth potion." The fairy shrugs.
"Dammit." Iris grits her teeth, biting her lips.
"I agree!" Arcel suddenly exclaims, waving his hands, volunteering as tribute.
"No, you do not!" Iris catches back his hands and hides them behind her back. Looking up to the fairy, she addresses it, "You see, even if you were to do that once, you'll soon run out again and go through all the hassle of finding new kids, scaring them or torturing them. That would require quite a lot of time and effort, right? Which you could rather use to make new potions or gather new herbs...or something, I don't know. If you have two kids at your immediate dispense, and a monthly amount of tears fixed then work would be much easier! Also, we could help with other stuff as well! Do you want hair? Nails? Boogers? Ear wax? We got it all!"
The creature seems to be pondering over it, as its midnight wings fluttered in thought. "Five percent, you say, bling bling?"
Iris nods.
"What if you run away, bling bling?"
"We live in the Maynard Castle!" Arcel suddenly reveals, much to Iris' displeasure.
"Hm, how will you cry for me, bling bling?"
"Oh, you leave that on me!" Iris grins. "Give me something to cry in," she holds out her hand. The fairy drops a crystalline blue vial in the girl's palm.
And then, it did not even take Aurora five full minutes to fill it up. All she had to do was channel the pent up emotions she had been procrastinating to think about. Her death. The loss of her glamourous life. The absence of familiarity. The pain of never going back. There was much to cry when you were Aurora Harper.
The fairy and Arcel looked in awe as the vial was filled with Iris'tears. Though the creature seemed happy, Arcel did not. His friend cried a little too genuinely for the situation to be fun. As soon as the ravenette was done, Arcel hugged her close.
"You're all okay now," he awkwardly patted her head as the flustered ravenette tried to comprehend the situation she was in. In cold nights, under strange trees, over unknown grounds, Arcel was warm. He was familiar. He was all Iris could momentarily count on.
As Arcel pulled away, Iris sniffled, wiping her eyes on his shoulder, giving him a 'you-did-not-have-to-be-all-extra-and-do-it-for-me,' expression, before facing the fairy again. "Now, how should I know that YOU won't run away with it?" Her voice was a little deeper now, eyes a lot more puffed.
The fairy was still in awe with how quick the process had been. "I won't, you have my word bling bling." It replied, holding its hand out for taking the vial back.
"Tell me your name," Iris demands, gatekeeping the vial behind her back. As if the fairy couldn't just snatch it and fly away in the blink of an eye. Their naivety amused it.
"Faeries do not have a name. Me is a Fairy of Alchemia, who says bling bling." The creature replies.
"Okay, how about Ambrose? I always thought it was a beautiful name and you are beautiful. Would you like to be called Ambrose?" Iris suggests.
The creature, in the spur of the moment, loses its footing and drops on its pretty knees, looking Iris in the eye. Its desolate and barren world just shone with a glimpse of sun over a sprout of hope.
A name.
An identity.
An individuality.
A seperate existence that all magical creatures are denied of.
Did this little girl differentiate between it and its herd and gave it a name? Ambrose. The name was ethereal. It loved it!
To think that a kid would break all socio-cultural boundaries with just a word. To have known the cruelties of befriending creatures and naming them, rather than instinctively using them. These children were angels!!
This is what the true magic of heart must be.
"I...uh, I love it." Ambrose said, using 'I' as its individuality for the first time in its life. It felt fantastical.
Iris, grinned, thankful that it liked its name. She was afraid that she'd forget about this creature or their deal. A name takes away much hassles of forgetting and remembering. Her reasoning was much different than the internalized glorification Ambrose had subjected her to.
"Okay, here you go Ambrose," Iris passed the vial over to the creature's claws, keeping a good distance between its claws and her hand. "I shall meet you here next month?"
The fairy nods brightly, not having words to speak.
"Can Ambrose do us a little favour while you are at it?" Arcel questions with a glint in his cyan eyes, and mouth turned in a coy smile. Iris looked at him weirdly.
"Anything!" Fairy Ambrose jumps to exclaim, much to Iris'surprise. The ravenette takes a step back, in case the next excited move by the creature would result in its claws tearing her apart.
"Would you take us to Lake Virae, please?" Arcel asks, foot digging into the ground as he embodied the word coy as his personality.
Iris' jaw hung.
"Why, of course I can!" Ambrose lets its wings out, huge black and gold feathers, moving to and fro. "Let's go!" It exclaims, not giving time for the children to get used to. It picks one child with one claw and takes off into the sky.
And Iris, screams for her life because WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT SHE WOULD BE FLYING IN THE ARMS OF A FAIRY AT MIDNIGHT?!
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THIS IS A FEVER DREAM.
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