Faye and Ruin

Fool Me Once

My eyes felt heavy as I tried to peel them open. An ache, deep in my bones, kept me limp and tired.

"Hey little witch." Encouragement from a deep voice that I recognized coaxed me to open my eyes. I groaned as I attempted to push myself up from the hard... no softness below me? Confusion settled in for the last thing I recalled was passing out on a stone street. "Shhh." Bayne said softly and pressed my shoulders back down against the plushness I laid upon.

"Where am I?" I hoarsely choked out. My eyes finally focused in on my surroundings. The walls were brick, bright white and I was in a small room. A simple twin sized bed with a beautiful hand stitched quilt lay below me. Soft greens and blues littered the room with a small wooden dresser in one corner and a plush green rug spread on top of the wooden floor.

Intricate paintings of the forest and flowers littered the walls. Hot sun blazed through the single window at the foot of this little bed. The dresser was against the same wall the headboard was and the opposite wall held a small door. Suddenly I saw a little pinkish face peek through and I smiled softly.

I knew where I was.

"His mom said you saved him from one of the Ukledi." Bayne's voice drew my eyes back to him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, the scales back on his body. "Using as much power as you did with only a month and a half of practice takes a lot. Next time, warn me when you're going to do something like that so I'm prepared for you to pass out." He explained without me even needing to ask.

"What's his name?" I slowly sat up and peeked behind Bayne once more at the little pink fae that kept peering in through the door. I smiled and he scurried away.

Bayne glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Zephyr."

I pushed myself off of the bed and silently walked towards the door. Then I waited. The brass doorknob stealthily turned, creaking ever so slightly and then his little face with massive blue eyes popped in again. "Hi Zephyr." I softly said and he shrieked before running from the doorway.

Bayne chuckled behind me and then stood up off of the bed. It groaned from the shift in weight. He reached me and then opened the door, motioning for me to exit. It led into a larger living room connected to a kitchen. Similar colors of blues painted the house, except browns and grays were meshed in. A large, quite extravagant couch sat directly across from me, splitting the entranceway and the living room. A fireplace roared next to me, blue flames that actually felt cooling instead of warm. Two other little pink faeries played on the floor between the couch and fireplace, soaking in the sunlight streaming in from the window above them.

To the left was the kitchen, a steel stove with brown wooden counters and a sink fairly like mine at home, sealed with some sort of epoxy stretched the length of the wall. A dining table sat between the couch and kitchen, with two more doors to my left. A large window was to my right, next to the entrance. It felt cozy and warm.

Two adult pink faeries stood in the kitchen, grinning at both Bayne and I. They both wore extravagant clothes, while the kids were dressed in simple leathers. "Welcome to our home. And thank you for saving our son!" The one on the right spoke first. Her voice was high pitched, she had the same massive blue eyes as her son, but instead of being bald like her husband and the little fae, she had massive curly black locks styled neatly down her back. "I'm Nautila and this is my husband Cirrus."

She gestured to the fae standing next to her. While she had donned a beautiful dress that fit her curves nicely, he wore a slim fitting suit without the jacket. His eyes were large as well, but instead of blue, they were a yellowish-gold. "We are forever indebted to you." He said and they both bowed at me.

I glanced at Bayne, unsure of what to do and shook my head vigorously. He gestured towards them, telling me to speak. "Uh, it was nothing. Letting me awake here instead of on the street is payment enough." I stuttered out. Bayne pinched his lips together, biting back an amused smile as the two faeries glanced between each other.