In the Woods Somewhere (Tsukkiyama)

A Chance Meeting With an Incredible Fae

The first time Tadashi saw his fae savior, it was through eyes wet with desperate, unshed tears. The blurry figure was tall, especially from Tadashi's angle on the ground, and hair formed a halo around the fae's head, pale and golden like the moon in winter. Those were the only features he could remember from the initial encounter, and while he knew he shouldn't, Tadashi wanted to see the fae again, if only to have a clear view of his savior. It was a good thing then, that Tadashi would have to return to the ring with payment for the unwilling assistance from the fae.

In all honesty, as much as he hoped he would, Tadashi hadn't expected to see the fae again. He was mostly trying to prevent his family from being cursed due to his foolishness. But the moon-like faerie did appear, and Tadashi couldn't help but stare. He looked too ethereal to be human, with high cheekbones, long pointed ears, flax-golden eyes, and strange black patterns that spiraled around his eyes and wrapped back to his golden hair. Tadashi couldn't fathom why everyone else from the village described the fair folk as horrifying creatures, horrifyingly pretty maybe. Then the fae sneered at Tadashi, and he saw the needle-sharp teeth and claw-like nails that the being possessed. More than that, though, the faerie exuded a sense of dangerous power that made the hair at the nape of Tadashi's neck stand up.

Filled with dread and excitement, Tadashi stuttered through formalities, careful to not anger the faerie. The conversation made him thankful for his father, who, although bitter, was sure to teach Tadashi the proper way to speak with the fair folk.

As he tentatively conversed with the magical being, Tadashi relaxed. The fae seemed somewhat impressed by Tadashi's politeness, and the subtle shift in his stance meant he was no longer hostile. When the faerie asked for his name, Tadashi was not scared, though he knew he should have been. Although he knew it was a foolish endeavor, Tadashi couldn't help but to try and befriend the fae before him. After all, it couldn't be any worse than back in the village. The fae left soon after that, but he did not outright deny Tadashi, which he took as a success.

Still shaky with nerves, he sat down in front of the faerie ring to process the conversation he just had. Fae were odd creatures, he decided, but not as scary as the village elders claimed them to be. After all, this one had not hurt him, even though he could have. Maybe if Tadashi continued to be kind and polite to the fae, he would gain a friend.

With hope in his heart and a new spring in his step, Tadashi headed back home. There, waiting for him, was his father. He looked surprised to see Tadashi back from the forest, and for a second, something akin to longing flashed in his eyes, but only for a second.

In a calm tone that left no room for anything but the truth, Tadashi's father spoke. "Well, did you fix the faerie ring?"

"I did, father! And the faerie even showed up and talked with me! He was really cool!" Tadashi rocked back and forth on his heels and beamed with pride, thoroughly convinced that conversing with one of the fair folk would impress his father.

The man, however, quickly lost his calm expression and let his face twist into a configuration of rage and concern. "What did you say to the faerie, boy? You better have not offended it. Don't you know that talking with the fae is a death sentence? Are you daft, child?"

Tadashi recoiled at his father's outburst and bit his lip to prevent the rapidly welling tears from cascading down his face as they often did. " I made sure to not make him mad, father. Promise! I followed all the rules you told me... and... and he even took the honey and said I did good to ask for forgiveness. He wasn't even that mad."

Tadashi's attempt to soothe his father's nerves seemed to work, as the older man relaxed his shoulders and unclenched his fists. "Alright then, I'll have to take your word for it. And this fae, you didn't give it your name, did you?"

"Nope! Not at all, father," Tadashi paused for a second, debating whether he should tell his father that the faerie tried to take his name. "He didn't even ask for my name, so I must be extra forgiven, right?" Tadashi felt bad about lying to his father, but if the man knew that a faerie had tried to take his son's name, Tadashi would never be let outside the village again. And Tadashi really wanted to visit the fae boy again.

Tadashi's father nodded sagely, "Good. Remember to never give one of those faerie hellions your name. Your fool of a mother made that mistake, and look where that got her."

Tadashi couldn't actually look at his mother, of course. He had never met her. But he had heard plenty of stories about how she had wandered into the forest when Tadashi was a child, only to come back entirely different. The pleasant baker woman down the road had once told Tadashi that when his mother returned from the forest, the soul was gone from her eyes. The village called her one of the nameless, someone who had been tricked into handing their name over to a fae being. All of the nameless were burned alive and driven through with an iron pike in order to prevent the faeries from using them as vassals.

Tadashi did not enjoy the constant reminders and comparisons to his mother that people threw at him. Most didn't say anything to him or his father, but Tadashi was good at staying out of sight and listening, and he knew what the village really thought of him. Some claimed that his mother was a broken woman who hated the thought of children; that she purposely gave her name to one of the fae, knowing it would be her death. Others would say that she was secretly in love with one of the fair folk and that Tadashi himself was half-fae, a result of his mother's unfaithful tryst. That particular rumour was the favourite of Tadashi's tormentors, who liked to use his freckles as evidence, claiming they were lesser versions of the facial markings commonly found on the fair folk.

Tadashi was sure that his father heard the rumours too, as the apothecary had lost business after his mother's death. Sometimes Tadashi thought the gossipers might be right with their labeling him as a bastard fae child, for why else would his father treat him with such cold disdain? Still though, whenever he asked, Tadashi's father would vehemently insist that his mother had simply gone looking for herbs and was tricked. It was a comforting notion, but Tadashi still couldn't help but feel that he had somehow driven his mother away as a child.

His father's voice pulled Tadashi out of his contemplation, and he dutifully followed back to the apothecary. The rest of the day continued on normally, with Tadashi tending to the herb garden and helping his father with minor tasks. Tadashi went to bed that night feeling happier than he could ever remember being. He had only seen the magnificent faerie boy twice, but they were going to be best friends, he could just feel it.

Laying in bed, Tadashi watched the moon and thought of his savior and when he would meet him next. Counting the stars and staring at the moon, Tadashi felt as if his luck was going to change. When he finally fell asleep Tadashi dreamed of the moon and the pale face that had brought him hope.