#I used to be gossamer and silk until it was all torn away || about

[moonlit-maiden]

The Archer’s 1000 Picspam —> 87: Bisexual Fairer-than-a-Fairy

Fairy Re-Tellings

In a far-off land there lived a King and Queen who were blessed with many happy, healthy children. One day, the royal pair decided to take one of their routine journeys across the kingdom to see the people and get a sense of the goings on. As they journeyed, the Queen asked to stop at a castle, for she was heavy with child. Said child was ready to be born and came crying into the world with strong lungs and tears down her face. But despite the tears and afterbirth, she shone with a loveliness that was almost unearthly. Thus, she was dubbed Fairer-then-a-Fairy by the attending midwives.

As Fairer-then-a-Fairy grew, her loveliness continued to bloom; skin so pale as to be translucent, hair light and waved like silky moonbeams. Her eyes were a pale grey and lips as sweet-pink as rose petals. Her beauty became known throughout the lands and many came to visit, just to catch a glimpse of her loveliness. One such king brought his daughter, Désirs. Désirs was almost Fairer-then-a-Fairy’s opposite in coloring; hair dark and thick like midnight, eyes the rich brown of soil after the rain, and delicate freckles sprinkled over her nose bridge and cheekbones like stardust. The two young maids met and fell in love, hearts pounding and cheeks flushed as secret smiles were exchanged. Many times after that the two princesses would sneak away and spend long twilights in the gardens, talking about their lives as they held hands and gifted one another with sugary kisses.

One springtime, Désirs did not appear. Her letters became stilled and Fairer-then-a-Fairy wept, heart broken in her chest. She wrote letter after letter, begging for forgiveness for whatever transgression she had mad in err. Still no reply. Fairer-then-a-Fairy stopped writing, silently locking away her sorrow.

At the age of 12, word of Fairer-then-a-Fairy’s beauty had spread so far as to reach the ears of the ephemeral Fae. They seethed in anger at the audacity to name a human such a thing, but also of whatever forces of Fate had gifted a lowly human with such radiant beauty. The Queen of the Fae, Nabote, knew this scalding insult could not stand. And so, she went to the castle, planning to drag the impudent wench from her own home to receive her punishment. As she did, she was ensnared by magic and cried out in agony as the spell woven into the very mortar of the castle lashed at her. It seemed a spell had been placed on the castle that allowed the occupants neither to be taken from their home unwillingly nor to be bewitched into leaving themselves. Queen Nabote knew this would make her task more difficult but she wasn’t the Queen of the Fae for nothing.

To this end, Nabote transformed herself into a simple servant girl and entered the service of the royal family. In this way she befriended Fairer-then-a-Fairy and once gaining the naive girl’s trust, laid out her plan. In truth, Fairer-then-a-Fairy found the servant girl beautiful, reminding her of her lost love Désirs. So, when the disguised fae feinted fainting outside the castle walls in line of Fairer-then-a-Fairy’s sight, the girl rushed to her side and was taken away.

Fairer-then-a-Fairy was placed into an enchanted room, her silks and chiffon shredded into rags and caked in mud as she had been dragged by the Fae Queen. ‘Clean until this is spotless!’ she was commanded, before being left all alone. But try as the girl might, the room only became more sullied. Should she sweep, her broom deposited dirt. Should she dust, the feather duster coughed up cobwebs.  Fairer-then-a-Fairy sat down in the filth and cried, heartbroken once again in sorrow for being taken from her home and family.

Unknown to the girl, another fae watched her weep, heartstrings pulled both by her sorrow and her beauty. It was the Queen’s son, Phratis, who watched the innocent girl cry and in a fit of passion decided to help instead of hurt. With the flick of his willowy wrist he made the dirt disappear and Fairer-then-a-Fairy startled at the sudden change. ‘I mean you no harm.’ Phratis said shyly, revealing himself to the human. Fairer-then-a-Fairy couldn’t help but stare at the young man, the way his limbs moved with inhuman grace, the way his eyes were the soft green of the meadow. She caught freckles sprinkled across his collarbone and cheeks like fairy dust, hair waved and wild like a dark wind. The human flushed at such beauty in a man, noting only when she looked away the gossamer wings behind him, like a dragonfly’s.

‘Take this key.’ Phratis instructed. ‘And open the wooden panel right over there. Look what is behind and take joy into your heart again.’ For he knew what was behind the panel and though it ached his heart, so taken by Fairer-then-a-Fairy’s beauty that he’d rather her happiness then his own. Fairer-then-a-Fairy did as instructed and cried out in joy when her eyes set upon the princess, Désirs. The two locked gazes and sprang into each other’s arms, weeping with joy. Désirs explained to her beloved princess as to her disappearance; she had been taken by the fae for her dark beauty, the fae angered that Fate had gifted a human so. ‘Why must they cage beauty?’ Fairer-then-a-Fairy asked out loud, stroking Désirs midnight hair. ‘Because we cannot bear to let it be free from us.’ Phratis whispered in reply at the archway as he looked at the joy the two girls shared.

With another wave, Phratis cleaned the eternally dirtied room Désirs occupied and disappeared, hoping this would be enough to let the princesses be free and happy together. Alas, it was for naught. When the fae guards came to check on the girls, they saw the spotless rooms and reported this to Queen Nabote. The queen flew into a rage and came herself to see the miracle. She knew only another fae could have done this and so ripped the girls apart and tasked them once more; Fairer-then-a-Fairy was to gather the Water of Immortal Life from the peak of Mount Adventurous as Désirs was sent to a beach to write something, anything, on the sands on the condition it never faded neither by ocean waves or sea winds.

Fairer-then-a-Fairy was dragged away. Her arms and back were covered in scalding wax and large feathers pasted upon her as to imitate the wings of Icarus. She sobbed at the pain but flew, up and up and up until she almost couldn’t breathe the air so thin up so high where the peak resided. She tumbled just short of the top, unable to go up any higher or else no breath would reach her lungs. Again Phratis came, cradling the worn-out girl and softly singing to her to restore her strength. ‘Why do you help me?’ she asked. ‘Because I love you.’ was the simple reply. Fairer-then-a-Fairy was unsure what love really was. She was still young, in the spring of her youth. She knew being with Désirs brought her joy and warmth, a sweet pleasure in her belly as they kissed. Yet in Phratis’s arms she felt no fear but rather soothing calm. Was this love as well?

The fae prince took the pitcher and laid the princess down on a bed of enchanted heather that grew so high near the peak. He then flew the rest of the way and gathered the water with ease before bringing both water and girl down to the base. ‘Help Désirs. Please.’ Fairer-then-a-Fairy begged and the boy did so without hesitation.

When the two girls returned, tasks complete, Queen Nabote smiled all ice and diamonds. Her rage was now compressed and fused into the coldest of things. ‘I give you one final task.’ she said to the two girls. ‘And should you complete them? You will go free. But fail? You shall die.’ With the stakes raised, Fairer-then-a-Fairy was tasked with capturing the Hind with Silver Feet while Désirs was whisked away to the Fair of Time to collect the Rouge of Youth for the Queen.

Being left alone in a thick forest, Fairer-then-a-Fairy ran after the animal. But alas, she was just a human not even trained in the art of neither hunting nor running. Her limbs trembled after hours of running, energy drained from her body as twilight set in. Just as before Phratis came, this time with honeysuckle nectar for her parched throat and soft sweet rolls for her stomach. ‘I cannot do this. Why am I so weak!’ she lamented. ‘You are being tasked with things that, though easy for a fae, are impossible for a human. You have worked hard and done your best. There is no shame in accepting help.’ Fairer-then-a-Fairy leaned her head against the prince’s shoulder, thinking. With Phratis she did not feel helpless nor coddled. With his help and his gentle love she was finding strength to carry on for herself and Désirs. After a rest, the two went to a pool as smooth as a mirror and pure as the heavens. There they waited for the Hind. Once it approached, Phratis quickly roped its neck with vines he’d twisted together as Fairer-then-a-Fairy calmed the beast. Upon seeing some brambles stuck to its horns, Fairer-then-a-Fairy removed the offending object and freed the fae within the beast. For the Hind was the true Fairy Queen, ensnared by the false Queen Nabote in order to exact cruelty upon humans at a whim. Horrified, the trio went quickly to the fae palace to confront the fake Queen.

Upon their arrival, the three found Désirs about to be executed for not completing her task. Nabote shrank back in fear as the true Fae Queen came forward. With a sharp snap of her fingers, Nabote was turned into a squirrel which was promptly caged and taken away. Now freed, Désirs found herself in Fairer-then-a-Fairy’s embrace and tucked her face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her delicate scent. ‘As thanks for freeing me, I shall marry you to whomever you chose, be it human or fae, man or woman.’ the true Fae Queen said as she settled into her throne once again. At this, Fairer-then-a-Fairy was torn. But the dark-haired Princess saw this and tenderly cupped her lover’s face. ‘My Princess. Our time together had filled me with joy and light. Your kindness, your laughter, your will. You will forever be the fairest bloom of my heart. But I see it in your eyes that our shared time is gone and so I wish for you to feel no sorrow nor fear. Go to him and know I give you away with bittersweet joy. For though I wish you were mine, I will not take away your happiness for my own.’ Tears ran down Fairer-then-a-Fairy’s cheeks but she understood; time and experiences had changed her heart. Though she loved Désirs still, that love had changed and another took its place. The two shared one last kiss – the kiss of goodbye – before Fairer-then-a-Fairy went to Phratis’s side and shared with him the kiss of hello.

[grctel]

tag drop

home doesn’t exist for girls like me || headcanons

troubled and harsh and hopeless? || asks

I don’t want to be ethereal || portraits

shield for a heart & sword for a tongue || inspiration

I am afraid that if i open myself i will not stop pouring || answers

I used to be gossamer and silk until it was all torn away || about

a whirlwind of broken glass || words

shards of iron and ice || melodies

fire and lightning || aesthetic

[grctel]

Left abandoned and unwanted from the she took her first breath in this world, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise to Gretel that she would inevitably be pushed out into the cold once more. The home that she thought she’d found taken away from her in hard times and even with her sibling by her side it left its marks on her memories. Killing the witch was the easy part, living with the repercussions of it less so. What was supposed to be a happy ending soon became a harsh reality as the jewels were spent and relationships couldn’t be repaired. Any softness that had been left in her was forsaken in the quest to harden her heart so it could handle whatever else life threw her way. When the offer of Fabletown came up, the girl took it in some vain half hope that it would bring back that soft innocence she’d lost years ago. But instead of reversing the past it gave her a way to move forward, a path to follow that meant she didn’t have to relinquish any of the hardness she’d fought for but could still help those around her.

Name: Margarethe Maggie Holzfaller  Age: 26 Occupation: Police Officer Residence: Fabletown Relationship status: Love? she doesn’t know her

PAST:

Her parents abandoned her at birth or at least that’s all she can assume when she was left in the middle of the woods with nothing but a blanket. It was only luck that she was found by a woodcutter who took pity on her and took her in.

The next few years of her life were as good as anyone could have had. They didn’t have much but the three of them were happy and Gretel as she became known quickly bonded with her sibling.

Things changed with the arrival of the woodcutter’s new wife and tension began in the household, only escalating when food became scarce. Eventually it came to a head with the discussion of leave the children in the woods once more and it was only through luck and Hansel’s knack for forethought that the managed to find their way back.

The second time they weren’t so lucky though and they found themselves lost in the foods only to stumble upon a house that seemed like something straight out of their dreams.

It was too good to be true though and they quickly found themselves enslaved. Hansel’s quick thinking meant that they bought themselves some time but it was Gretel’s ability to be impulsive that led to the witch’s death.

With jewels in hand and reunited with their father it seemed all would be well but the relationship never quit recovered and the siblings soon parted ways with him thinking that they would be better off by themselves.

The wealth didn’t last long however in their young hands and they were eking out what was left of their spoils when the opportunity for Fabletown reached their ears.

FABLETOWN:

As soon as she got to Fabletown she set aside her childhood nickname, no longer feeling like the girl she had been back then and now goes by Maggie/Mags instead.

Joining the police gave her an opportunity to channel some of her recklessness into something more productive and for all she can be fun loving in her time off and enjoy a lot of scotch, she takes her job seriously and is not one to be taken lightly while she’s trying to do her job.

Does okay with casual friendships and stuff but anything deeper and girl will run for the hills. She always needs to be the one who cares less or she will be out immediately.

10/10 bar friend though, would recommend

Keep sweet things away from her, she will not thank you.

But again, serious police lady so don’t get in the way of their investigation or there will be problems.