But still, to Borados! Why did I even suggest it, it's definitely not safe for a human. But it is the one place where humans would be... We'll just have to be really, really careful.
No, no, it's fine, I'm here with her, after all. If someone tries to do something funny, I'll just tell them to get away from my indebted. Which isn't even a lie, actually. She really is indebted to me. My heart skips a beat and I instantly feel bad. I shouldn't be excited about having an indebted when it's my fault she's in this mess in the first place. It's like I tricked her.
Mama would be proud...
I shake that thought out of my mind before it has time to form properly. No. I am not that kind of a fae. I did not trick her, I don't want to keep her here against her will, and I will help her get back home if it's the last thing I do.
"Alright," I say and stop. Charlie pauses too, looking back at me. Stars twinkle above us. It's almost midnight. "I think we should take a break here."
"What?" she asks, her brow furrowing. "Why? It's just around the corner, isn't it?"
"Yes, and that's why we need to take a break," I say. The crease between her eyebrows deepens. "There's some things I need to tell you about Borados before we enter it."
She glances away for a second, but then looks back at me and nods. She takes a seat on a large boulder nearby.
"Okay, so Borados isn't... the safest place for a human to be," I start, trying to word my concerns without freaking her out in the process. "A lot of... unpleasant business happens there."
"But... I thought you said that Borados was the town where humans are?"
"Yes, there absolutely are humans in Borados. The thing is... Not one human in the Faerie Realm is here by their own volition."
Charlie is quiet for a moment.
"The humans that are here are all indebted," I continue. "They've all accepted a favour and now they can't leave before they've repaid. And I mean they physically can't, they're bound by magic to stay by the fae they're indebted to."
"How did the foreigner get out?" Charlie asks.
"That is a good question. I don't know." She hums, thoughtful. "But what I do know is that he exchanged his debt to Aidan. It's not something that happens often, but sometimes it needs to be done. If, say, you're too old to repay your debt, your children will inherit it, but that is essentially the only time it happens. I've never heard anyone give their debt forward, especially to someone unrelated."
There is a silence.
"Do you..." Charlie starts. "Do you think he's fine?"
"I'm sorry, but I really can't say."
She nods again, her eyes downcast. There is another silence.
"So... what kind of 'business' happens in Borados?" she asks.
"Oh. Um." I hesitate. "Well, there's a lot of... selling... of debts."
"Didn't you just say--"
"No, no, the humans don't sell their debts," I hurry to say. "The... the fae sell their indebteds."
She stops. She stares at me for a second. She grimaces.
"That's horrible!"
"I know!"
"That's... that's like... human trafficking..."
"Not 'like', it is," I say and she grimaces again. "Most fae don't really... care about humans, really. They don't hate humans or anything, they just... consider themselves better, I guess? Humans are treated like a servant class, doing all the dirty work, although it does depend on the one in possession of the human."
"That's stupid. Why do the humans even have to do what the faeries ask? Is the magical balance thing forcing them?"
"No, strictly speaking it's not," I say. "But since the humans can't leave until they've repaid their debt, they don't dare not do what's being asked of them. But, like I explained earlier, the balance doesn't care about that, and the fae are always careful not to ask of their humans what they need, only what they want."
"I feel like that's cheating."
"Yeah, it kinda is," I sigh. "Well, as long as you stick close to me, you should be fine."
"Right," she says and stands up, stretching. "It's kind of late, do you think we should sleep here or find a place in town? Or can we start looking for unkle Aidan right now?"
"I think it's best to leave the questions for the morning," I say. Borados isn't the safest place in the sunlight, let alone in the middle of the night. "We can get a bed in town, if you're okay with that?"
"An actual bed? Of course I'm okay with it! I've been sleeping on the forest floor for two nights and my back is killing me."
I chuckle. "Fair enough. Let's go then."
~x~
"You call this a town??" Charlie exclaims.
I turn to look at her, and then at the town that is now visible above the treetops. The tallest buildings stretch out towards the sky, their glimmering rivaling the stars up above.
"This... this is huge!"
"Oh," I say and frown. Sure it's bigger than the corresponding human town, but... "Most fae cities are much bigger."
Charlie stares at me, her mouth hanging open.
"I... I guess you've never been to a much bigger town than Donchester, huh?" I say, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Why do you even need a town this big? I thought faeries are tiny!" she exclaims.
"Well, yes, faeries are, generally, but there's other kinds of fae, too," I say. "Which reminds me..."
I settle down on the ground and close my eyes. I breathe in, deep, then let out a long inhale. The air starts to whip around me as I channel arcane power into my body. It soaks the power up like a sponge. I feel myself expand, get thicker and taller, as I fill out my other form.
I open my eyes, and glance myself over. Everything seems to be just like last time I used this form, except my robes are now clean. Which I'm quite happy about, walking around with a giant red stain on my chest would probably garner some even weirder looks than usual.
"What the heck??"
I jump a little at Charlie's outburst. She's still staring at me, mouth even more open, if that's even possible.
"Ah," I say. I hadn't mentioned form changing, had I?
"Why didn't you tell me you were actually big?" she asks, staring up at me. I'm somewhat taller than her now, and not only because she's a young girl.
"Well, I'm not 'actually' this big," I say, suddenly feeling quite bashful. "The form I was in is my normal form."
"You have such long hair now!" she says, taking a strand of my silver hair in her hand and letting it slide through her fingers. I know she doesn't mean anything by it, but I can't help but feel a bit embarrassed. "And your ears got longer! Why do you have two forms anyway?"
"Ah, that's because..." I pause. "Uh. Well. I don't really know why, actually. I think all faeries have a second form, at least all the ones I know have one. Makes it easier to interact with other fae. I, uh, I can explain how it works, if you want?"
"That's fine, I doubt I'd understand." She waves a hand. "Something, something, arcane energy, that's fine. You've mentioned other fae a few times now?"
"Yes, faeries aren't the only inhabitants of this realm, there's all kinds of other fae too," I explain. "Like pixies and sprites and nymphs and elves and a bunch that you humans don't have a name for. Borados is a predominately elven town, which... well, elves aren't the most lenient of the fae, which is why the selling is so overt in this town." I pause for a moment, before adding, "If... if someone comments on you, just... just ignore them, okay? We don't want any trouble here and they're not worth it anyway."
"I... Okay," Charlie says with a nod. "I'll try."
"Thank you. Now, let's go find an inn."
~x~
We make our way through the town. Charlie is constantly looking around in wonder; at the lights and the sights, the shining outsides of buildings and street vendors selling their wares. She almost stops several times to look at trinkets and whatnot, but I keep her moving. It's late, but the town is bustling as it always is, for better or for worse. Luckily nobody seems to pay us any specific mind, and we only get a few passing glance on our way. We see no other human on our way.
We do pass by a boarded up house. Or rather, a house that appears to be boarded up. One of the boards has the symbol of an auction house etched into it. I hurry us past it as quickly as I can.
The inn is on the other edge of town, but we make it there in good time. I procure us a room as Charlie looks around, still in awe, and then we start to climb up the many, many stairs in the building. Our room is one one of the higher floors -- not the highest, mind -- and its window faces East. That was a specific request on my part.
Charlie flops down on the bed as soon as she's inside. I pull the door closed behind us, and make sure it's locked.
"This bed is so soft~!" she mumbles into the pillow and I smile to myself. Soon enough she's sound asleep.
It must be so rough for her, I think as I look at her sleeping form. But she's taking it all in stride... She's a lot stronger than most. Stronger than me, that's for sure. I sigh. I do hope she'll get a happy ending.
I stare out the window at the night sky.
~x~
"Have you slept at all tonight?"
I smile up at Morning Star as she comes into view.
"No," I say. She gives me a look. "But you know I don't really need sleep."
"Yeah, yeah, you little weirdo," she says. "So, did you get the girl home? I'm surprised to see you in Borados in all places. And in that form... wow."
"Thanks, I guess?" I say and she laughs. "And no, not yet." I look back into the room. Charlie is still asleep. "There was a complication."
"Really?"
"You don't sound very surprised."
"That's because I'm not."
I huff out a laugh. "Yeah. She managed to Manifest herself, only... she did it in the wrong realm."
"And you can't make her a door, because now she's indebted to you."
"I would love to just let go of her debt, to let her go back home, but..."
"But that's not how the balance works."
We're quiet for a moment.
"Do you know what you need?" Star asks.
"Um," I say. Then nothing.
"Well, I suppose most people don't," she says. "I do though."
"You know what you need?" I ask. If anyone would know something like that it would be her.
"No, not what I need," she says and I blink. "I know what you need."
"Oh," I say. There's a pause. "Well, tell me!"
"I'm sorry," she says and I slump back down against the side of the window I'm sitting in, "but that's something you have to figure out for yourself. It's not something you can ask for, or force."
"I get it, it's fine," I say and wave a hand. "But if there's... anything you could tell me... a hint, or something?"
"Who are you talking to?"
I turn around and see Charlie sitting up in her bed, rubbing her eye.
"Oh, good morning, Charlie," I say. "You should go back to sleep, it's barely sunrise."
"It's winter, the sun rises really late," she says and yawns. Well, she's not wrong. "Besides, didn't I sleep like... I dunno, 15 hours last night?"
"True, but..." I try and fall short of anything to tell her. "Alright, if you're not tired anymore."
"'m not," she says and then yawns again. She gathers the duvet around herself and stands up. "So, who're you talkin' to?" she asks as she patters over to the window. I point up at the sky.
"Hi!" says Star.
"Oh," says Charlie. "Was that the star? Can stars speak in the Faerie Realm?"
"It's not about the realm, it's about your ability to perceive it," I say. "Humans are kinda really bad at hearing the Immemorial ones, but if they want to be heard..."
"I'm sorry, the who what's now?" Charlie asks.
"The Immemorials?" She nods. "They're beings that are old beyond comprehension, like the Stars and the Moon and the Sun and her Rays, and the Wind and the Sea..."
"And the Forest?"
"No, not the Forest," I say and Charlie pouts. "Well, maybe some Forest, but not our Forest."
"Your Forest is an Older Forest," Star chimes in. "Which doesn't quite qualify them as an Immemorial. But there are a few Ancient Forests still around, the oldest of whom are definitely old enough to be one."
"I see," Charlie says with a nod. "That's pretty cool. I didn't know that all these things were... alive, or something. Like, there's stories and whatnot, but I always figured..."
"That's quite alright, little one," Star assures. "But enough about us, what about you?"
"What do you mean?" Charlie asks.
"Well, what's your plan? What are you going to do?"
"Oh, we're here to look for my unkle," Charlie says.
"Yes, Lin mentioned," Star says.
"We don't have much to go on, but I figured this is as good a place as any to start," I say. "If there's been a new human, they've gone through here."
"I'd start with the town hall," Star says and then glances east. She sighs "My time is running short. I wish you good luck on your search! Oh, and Charlie?" Charlie looks up from where she'd glanced at the now slowly rising sun. "Take care of Lin for me, yeah?"
My heart starts pounding in my chest. "What?" asks Charlie.
"Well," says Star with a twinkle. "You know how they are by now. They can be a bit of a goofball, and maybe cause a fair bit of trouble without meaning, but they're a good person. So... I hope you don't judge them too harshly on the mistakes they've made."
"No, of course not!" Charlie assures. "We all make mistakes, I get that."
My face is burning up.
"Can you not talk about me like I'm not here?" I mutter. Star laughs.
"Sorry," she says. "But I mean it though. Lin is a good person." Charlie grins at me.
"...thank you," I say.
"You're welcome, dear," Star says, then glances back one more time. "Anyway, see you tomorrow morning! Take care of each other!"
Charlie waves at her enthusiastically until she's faded completely from view as the Sun's light reaches over the world.
"She was nice," Charlie says, turning to me.
"Yeah, she is," I say. A loud rumble emanates from somewhere and Charlie turns bright red.
"I... I guess I'm pretty hungry," she says. I smile.
"Well then, let's go find you something to eat," I say.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Hello again!
I finally managed to finish this ahh it took me the whole day I'm sorry. But I do hope you liked it, it went to a lottt of places.
Anyway.
Due to this... rescheduling, today's part (part 19, the topic is "Seal") is coming tomorrow morning and tomorrow's (part 20, no topic yet) is tomorrow evening. Sorry for the confusion, but that was a one day thing, I promise!
Onwards and upwards!
Pie out.
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