Skysong: Where the Ocean and Heavens Meet

[Changeling Arthur]

Panicked green eyes stared back at Arthur from the ornate mirror above his dresser. Everything was in place; the same sandy blond hair, lightly built and rather frail-looking body, pale skin, the huge eyebrows that no amount of fussing by the maids and tsk-tsking by his mother would fix.
Yes, everything was the same... but something was there that shouldn't have been. Slowly, Arthur reached behind him, not taking his eyes off of his reflection for a moment.

His trembling hand met something soft and petal-like, but unmistakably warm and alive and inexplicably, horribly, terrifyingly part of him.

"Wings," he breathed, and stood there for a short while, examining the new growths from every angle. From what he could see (they were rather small; most likely not yet fully grown), with the edges tapering off in a way that reminded one vaguely of some sort of leaf. Their colour deepened as it approached the centre, going from a blue-green to the same shade of emerald as his eyes. They were beautiful, exotic, and otherworldly.

And most importantly, they marked him as inhuman, despite what he had grown up believing all his life.

This can't be happening. Fae and humans had been at war with each other for centuries; any child knew that the magical folk were inherently evil and the sworn enemies of all who lived in the kingdom. Fae were murderers, monsters, alien — and he was one of them. A Changeling.

He'd heard the stories, of course. There were many tales told of human babies kidnapped and replaced by Fae children, who were called Changelings. Arthur had never really believed them to be true; what use would the mysterious and powerful Fae have with mere human children? The idea was ridiculous. But the undeniable proof the matter was right in front of his eyes.

Arthur did the only thing he could think of — he concealed the things with a shirt, packed as many supplies as he could find without venturing out of his room, and climbed out of the window, running desperately away from his former life.

Edit: Formatting derp thanks to me copy-pasting from my original application fixed.

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred glared at the border between the human and fae world. There was no physical line, no wall erected to keep the two warring worlds apart. Sure, the fae had an enchanted barrier placed there, but it didn't hurt their own.

Alfred smirked and clicked his tongue. He was one of their own, and now he was the proper age to step into the human world and wreck havoc all his own. Alfred pat a simple looking canteen hanging at his waist, a watery sloshing sound echoing inside.

"Look out world, here I come!"

As he stepped past the ancient barrier, Alfred felt the cool breeze brush past his face and ears. Gotta cover those. He remembered, pulling up the hood of his cloak. Double checking that his canteen was secure, Alfred set a steady pace for the nearest human city.

Soon he was walking the streets and occasionally tried slow, almost inaudible songs on a few homeless beggars, ensnaring their feeble, weak minds with ease. Some of them randomly burst into dance at the amusement of the common folk, others went into wild rage and attacked all who neared.

Alfred chuckled and moved on. Somehow, he knew he was going to enjoy his stay in this village.

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur climbed down the unusually thick and supportive vines that wound their way up the trellis to his window. His mind was racing at a million kilometres an hour. Fae.... I'm a Fae.... The thought echoed over and over in his head. A part of his mind absently wondered what else might end up happening to him — pointed ears? Flying abilities? Perhaps even... magic?

The boy quickly shook himself out of those thoughts as he dropped from the vines and crouched low behind a conveniently-placed pair of rose bushes. This was not something to be happy or curious about — and that was the understatement of the century. If anyone found out, he'd be killed, perhaps tortured. But if his father found out.... Arthur shuddered, old scars and phantom bruises tingling. The wounds he'd suffered at his father's hands would be nothing compared to the ones the man would inflict if he found out the truth.

The coast seemed clear; luckily, it was entirely too early for even the servants to be up and about. The moon was still hanging in the sky, the sun not yet risen. Arthur had woken in the early hours in the morning after the back pain that had been plaguing him for the past week intensified sharply and jolted him from his sleep.

Still, stealth was key; it was quite literally a life-or-death situation, and he didn't want to risk alerting anyone to his presence. Arthur slowly and quietly began to make his way across the grounds, ducking behind obstacles and cursing his erstwhile family's vast estates. So engrossed in the task was he that he didn't notice the rose bushes moving of their own volition back to their proper spots, and the vines, duty done, returning to their normal length and thickness.

[Siren Alfred]

This human village had a simple structure- the poorer, humble districts to the front and the finer, luxurious district to the back.

Alfred has stayed out the entire night roaming the streets, curiously becoming familiar with the village. Not that he had any place to stay, a fact that didn't weigh on Alfred's mind at all. He preferred it outside, under the stars, the light of the moon bathing over him, energizing him.

Alfred soon found himself at a large, intricate gate bearing a family crest. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed. This house belonged to well off, soft humans that lived far from war and hardship, no doubt. He felt a smile light his face and a whisper of an idea in his ear.

He cleared the gate easily, though the cold surface of the metal felt foreign under his hands and feet, and dropped himself soundlessly into a bush. Alfred had been practicing this sort of thing his entire life and although the terrain was unfamiliar to him, managed his way across the grounds.

Hmmm, wonder what I should do? Steal something? Scare someone? Maybe I should eat all of their food or-

Alfred's thoughts were thrown askew as he crashed into something, knocking his train of thought and wind out of him. Blinking roughly, he jumped back and bared his fanged teeth. He hadn't sensed any humans about the area, so what did he run into?

[Changeling Arthur]

The gates were in sight! Bittersweet freedom was almost in his grasp. Arthur was so relieved to see them that he broke into a run, eyes fixed on the tall metal bars that gleamed in the moonlight. So concentrated on reaching his goal was he that he didn't see the shadowy figure creeping across the grounds until it was too late.

There was a sudden impact of body against body as he crashed into the person. The impact knocked him back, and his wings sprang up from their hiding place beneath his shirt in an automatic reflex, no doubt fully visible. Arthur froze. So much for his escape — this was the end of the line for him. Whatever servant he'd run into would kill him quickly if he was lucky, and bring him to his father if he wasn't.

Then the figure jumped away in a fluid, lithe motion, and he got a good look at them for the first time. The stranger was hooded and cloaked, with one stubborn strand of wheat-blond hair sticking up from under the hood. His features (for it was definitely a male; Arthur could see enough to be sure of that) were somewhat hard to make out in the dim light, save for a pair of inhumanly blue eyes. Those eyes were piercing, as blue as the ocean on a warm summer day, and they shone through the darkness as though it was high noon. Arthur's breath caught in his throat as the figure crouched, baring fangs that shone in the light of the moon. This was no servant. It wasn't even human.

"S-stay back!" he hissed, doing his best to sound intimidating. He could feel his wings moving behind him, spreading to their full size (which, admittedly, wasn't very large). It must be an instinctive reaction to make me look bigger and thus scare away potential enemies, mused his scholarly side.

No time for that! he snapped back at it. Let's worry about the thing trying to kill us first!

Brilliant blue eyes snapped to the wings. "Oh, you see those, do you?" Arthur said. "That's right, I-I'm a Fae, and — and I know magic, so back off or I'll — er — magic you to death!" he finished lamely, holding out a hand and making a gesture that was supposed to be threatening but that probably scared the stranger as much as if he'd waved a limp noodle in the man's face. He felt horribly out of his depth, but he nonetheless glared defiantly up at the man before him, determinedly ignoring his desperate urge to run away screaming like a little girl.

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred roughly pulled back a fist, raising it to strike, until he caught an eyeful of the stranger's wings. They were small, immature, but at the same time, defiantly raised, the starlight dappling them beautifully.

As Alfred lowered his fist, he took in the stranger's appearance- sandy, spiky blonde hair, comically large eyebrows, scrawny... no, lithe stature, and emerald green eyes that Alfred was sure were amazing if not for the fear that flooded them.

Then he heard the stranger speak the words "magic you to death" and lost all sense of seriousness, nearly doubling over in laughter that rang in the empty courtyard. He clutched at his sides and fought for breath before speaking.

"Y-You'll do what now?" Between his fight for air above his laughing, Alfred managed to pull the hood of his cloak back, revealing a set of scale-feathered, pointed ears. "You're hundreds of years too early to think you can 'magic' me to death!"

To prove this point, Alfred grinned and gave a soft whistle. The note was soothing and gentle, and tickled the stranger's ears. He only held the sound for a second or two before cutting off, it wasn't his intention to harm the other Fae, but he couldn't hide the sparkle of amusement in his eyes as the stranger batted at his ears and stared.

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur puffed out his cheeks in annoyance as the stranger laughed hysterically at him. "Shut up, you absolute moron!" he hissed. "Do you want the entire household waking up and finding us here?" He crossed his arms and huffed as he waited for the giggles to subside.

Eventually, the stranger straightened, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes and making some sort of ridiculous boast. Arthur wasn't really paying attention to the words — all of his interest was caught by the astounding pair of ears that was revealed when the man removed his hood.

They looked rather like a pair of fins; delicate webbing connected each scaled spine, tapering out to fanlike points. They were tinted a blue-green colour, and quite a bit larger than a normal ear would have been. Arthur had run across a few mentions of creatures like this in his studies, but he couldn't think where.

He pulled his attention away from the ears to study the rest of the stranger's face. The stunning blue eyes he'd noticed before shone out from behind a pair of spectacles. The man had wheat-blond hair that was parted to the side (apart from that singular, gravity-defying lock he'd noticed before) and a boyish-looking face, his youthful looks only accentuated by the ear-splitting grin on his face. He looked like a rather handso— l-like an idiot! He looked like a daft idiot!

The man with the blue eyes gave a whistle, and Arthur couldn't stop himself from gasping in shock. The sound was so beautiful and soothing... he felt waves of calm wash over him, and the sudden desire to just lay down on the ground and go to sleep, all troubles forgotten.

The note stopped, and Arthur blinked, slowly coming back to his senses. He felt a strange tingling in his ears, and reached up to touch them in wonderment. The stranger had affected him so with only a few seconds of sound! In a flash, Arthur remembered what creature the finlike ears were said to belong to: a wingless, aquatic Fae that lured sailors to their doom with haunting songs, weaving their magic through sound. "Siren," he whispered, more to himself than to the Fae before him.

Arthur wasn't sure how to react to the revelation. Another Fae! Would he attack? Be friendly? Should he ask him questions, or was it dangerous to reveal his status as a Changeling? Why wasn't there some sort of manual for these situations? "Discovering You're a Fae: A Guide For Changelings on How to Not Be Brutally Murdered and Survive For at Least One Bloody Day."

Suddenly, Arthur heard the door to the servant's entrance of the house opening and closing. One of the staff must have woken up! If they discovered him here, looking like this, he and the Siren would be hauled before his father immediately. "Quickly!" he whispered urgently as he started towards the gates. "We have to get out of here! If my father sees you, or discovers I'm a Fae...."

He ran towards the gates and began to climb, blood pounding in his ears. This adventure business seemed much more appealing when he was reading a book from the safety of a comfortable chair. His entire world had come crashing down around him in the space of a few minutes, and now he was running for his life from his own household.

He dropped on the other side with a small "oof", and glanced back at the house. For all of the horrible times he'd had there, it still felt so strange to be leaving forever. A strange sense of melancholy finality washed over him. His entire world had come crashing down around his ears in the space of one morning. Last night, he'd been Arthur Kirkland, the son of a prestigious noble and heir to the vast Kirkland estates. Now he was an outcast, the threat of being seen by one of the people he'd considered himself a part of and murdered or worse hanging over his head. Perhaps his old life hadn't been the most pleasant, but it had been his, and to have it yanked from him so abruptly.... The changeling boy almost felt as though he could cry.

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred let his ears perk up in unrestrained amusement. The Fae before him didn't know it, most likely because he had only recently came into possession of his otherworldly gifts, but his wings bristled and fluffed out when he was angry. It was kinda cute, actually.

His ears gave a reflexive twitch as he heard the stranger call out the word "Siren". This strange Fae, whoever he was, was well educated, a fact that could be both useful and fearful. Alfred found himself instinctively drawing a hand to his canteen, holding it close, though trying to play it off as a casual motion.

Somewhere in double checking the security of the canteen, he heard the stranger shout out something about his father, being caught, and what would happen to him. He passed Alfred, speeding for the gates.

"Huh?! Your father? Then you're... they you must be a-" He breaks off at the sound of people calling a name out into the morning's air. Alfred turned on his heel and ran after the stranger, the one he could now identify as 'Arthur', if the name being called by the residents of the house belonged to him.

"Hey-! Hey, Arthur, wait up!" Alfred scrambled over the gate and landing in a heap on the other side. He quickly regained his footing and managed a few paces before noticing that Arthur wasn't in front of him. Whipping his head back, he saw him staring at the house, locked in thought.

"Arthur, come on-!" Alfred roughly grabbed Arthur's wrist and dragged him away. He didn't know where he was going and only stopped when he took a sharp turn into a seemingly unused alley, slumping his back against the wall and panting heavily.

A searing thirst ravaged his throat and he grasped wildly for his canteen, barely managing to unscrew the cap with a shaking hand. Alfred threw his head back and drank deeper than he probably should, a trickle of water escaping his lips and running down his face. He forced himself to stop and pulled the canteen back, leaning heavily against the wall.

Alfred gave the canteen a shake. Dammit, shouldn't have taken that much. Gonna have to refill in a few days...

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur was catapulted from his thoughts by a firm hand on his arm, dragging him along behind the siren. He nearly stumbled quite a few times — the man's grip was extraordinarily strong, and he wasn't terribly used to running and the like — but memories of the Fae executions and torturings at his father's hand that he'd been forced to watch spurred him on.

Eventually, they stopped in an alleyway and the siren let him go. Arthur bit his lip, glancing back down the alleyway in the direction of the house. They'd been calling his name; they must have seen him. If they hadn't seen the wings, his mother and father — no, Lord and Lady Kirkland, they weren't his parents, not really — would be doubtlessly organising a search party to find their missing son (more out of the fact that he was their only heir than out of any real concern, Arthur thought bitterly). If they had, well, he'd seen how fast Lord Kirkland had gotten Fae-hunting parties together.

Either way, he needed to get far away from this place, and quickly.

The changeling's attention was caught by the sound of the stranger beside him frantically gulping down water from a canteen that Arthur hadn't noticed he had. From the way he was carrying on, you'd think him a man dying of thirst! Is that a Siren trait? he wondered. True, he'd heard of them before, enough to identify this one from his ears and abilities, but only as a passing mention or short blurb in one of the few books the library had had from before the start of the war. Most of the books didn't mention Fae at all, unless they were talking about a great human victory in the war or repeatedly hammering in just how awful and despicable the beings were.

Those astounding blue eyes snapped open and caught his own, and Arthur flushed, realizing he'd been staring. He scrambled for a topic as a distraction. "What on earth were you doing there, anyway? Are you really daft enough to walk into a household full of humans that would have you killed on sight, if not tortured painfully first?" His tone was rather more confrontational than he'd meant it to be, but really, who could blame him? Most people would be a little irritated after that sort of experience!

"And," he continued, getting angrier by the second, "what kind of mannerless oaf are you, to grab someone you've just met and drag them away so rudely? Not to mention — whatever it was that you did to me with that horrid cacophony that barely passes for a whistle!" That was a blatant lie; what little he'd heard had sounded more beautiful than the most talented singer to perform for the court. But Arthur would be damned if he'd actually admit that to this man.

He folded his arms and glared at the siren. In truth, he was still scared witless, both from the escape and the fear of this stranger's capabilities. If one short whistle had affected him so profoundly, what else could he do? Arthur had no idea of the politics of the Fae world — perhaps it was a savage, survival-of-the-fittest situation, and he'd be seen as a weakling to be bumped off sooner rather than later. Or perhaps Sirens didn't get along with other species, or Changelings were looked down upon by other Fae. Once again, Arthur felt as though he'd been thrust into a strange and dangerous new world, with no warning or instruction on how to behave in order to ensure his safety.

((Have a bit of a shorter one to make up for the whale I gave you last time XD))

[Siren Alfred]

((That's "shorter"?! XD))

Alfred blinked a few times, aware that Arthur was watching him. The siren grinned as he was asked question after question, flat out ignoring Arthur's ruffled tone. Catching his breath, he leaned against the alley wall, resting his hands behind his head as he answered the abrasive barrage of questions.

"I'm here to make a name for myself!" He stated blatantly. "Y'know, kill some humans, steal some stuff, just be on my own for a bit before maybe joining in on our side of the war?" He laughed boldly at Arthur's proclamation of his hypothetical capture. "It'll take more than some soft, plush humans to take me down. As long as I can open my mouth, they don't stand a chance!"

"You probably didn't notice, staring at that house as if it should mean something to you, but you were practically glued in place. If I didn't take you with me, you'd've been caught and, what was it you said would happen to me? Oh, yeah- tortured and killed. So how about a 'thank you'~?" Alfred clicked his tongue. "Well, it's been a while since I've used my songs on other Fae. I don't really have a reason to do it unless it was a practice fight or something. Want me to try another note? 'Cause I could easily knock you out and leave you here, if being with me is such a problem."

Alfred sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "In any case, nothing's stopping you from leaving me. By all means, go back to those humans. I'm sure they'll welcome you back with open arms once they get an eyeful of those." He nodded to Arthur's wings. They were far more expressive than his face and gave an unconscious nervous twitch at the suggestion that Arthur go back.

Feeling he was being a little too hard on the other Fae, Alfred put his hands behind his head and leaned heavily against the alley wall. "Say, Arthur, have you ever been to the ocean? I'm thinking of making a trip out there soon. Not that I need company or anything, but you seem kinda out of the loop as far as things go, so..." He ended that rather awkwardly in retrospect and found himself wondering why he even offered. Arthur looked to be the type that would trust him as far as he could throw Alfred, and given his slim stature, that wouldn't be far at all.

[Changeling Arthur]

((Oops. Well, it was meant to be, anyway; it looked shorter while I was writing it. ^_^; I'll try for a more manageable one this time!))

Arthur's breath caught in his throat to hear the Fae stranger speak so cheerfully about murder. The stories about the evil and bloodthirstiness of Fae were starting to look more and more plausible. Would he become this callous about the humans he'd once thought were his own kind? The thought troubled him.

Tearing himself away from that morbid train of thought, he heard the siren boasting about his prowess and making light of his plight and rolled his eyes. Honestly, he must have found the most self-centred and obnoxious Fae in existence. "No," he replied dryly in response to his comments about knocking him unconscious, "I don't think that will be necessary."

Loathe as he was to admit it, the annoying siren had a point. There was no way he could go back home, not like this. And the other man didn't seem to harbour any particular animosity towards him — well, to be completely accurate, he didn't seem to want to kill Arthur, which was more than he could say for anyone else he could have fallen in with.

"I haven't seen the ocean," he replied shortly. "I suppose I will take you up on your offer, at least until we reach our destination." Arthur hesitated, then averted his gaze once more, being careful to keep his face neutral (except for that damned blush). "I, er, should thank you as well. For saving me, and for asking me to accompany you," he mumbled. "You're correct about my being 'out of the loop', as you said — though," he continued defensively, "anyone who'd had this entire business thrust upon them quite literally overnight would be! I'm, er, not terribly certain of much to do with Fae.... I just woke up this morning with these bloody thing on my back."

He gestured to the wings, which, he realized with horror, were drooping sadly, broadcasting his true emotions as clear as day. Damn it! Arthur frantically willed them back upwards, but they refused to budge. How do you even move these things?!

[Siren Alfred]

((I'm merely teasing, love~ Whale as much as you'd like!))

Alfred blinked several times, looking at Arthur like he had just sprouted another head on his shoulders. "I'm... sorry, did you say you 'haven't seen the ocean' before?" The question, the lineup of those words, it seemed so foreign to him. He just barely managed to resist the urge to take Arthur by the hand and run off again. Instead, he happily launched into a heavily excited, though probably confusing, explanation. "Oh, you just haven't lived until you've- it's the best thing ever- like nothing I could ever describe- beautiful, vast, perfect- oh, and when the stars shine on the water's surface at night..."

Alfred was probably babbling incomprehensibly by now, but he didn't care. His kind could feel it on every breath of wind, the whispering traces of the ocean in the breeze that called it's children home. It pulled at every siren's step away from the vast body of water, becoming worse and worse the further they traveled. Small bodies of water, such as lakes, made sturdy, if not temporary, homes, but nothing would ever fill the yearning weighing on Alfred and his kin's mind.

The siren broke off when he heard Arthur thank him, begrudgingly as it was. Alfred was a breath away from teasing him about it when he heard Arthur admit he had only just woken up with his fae traits. "Oooooh, you must be a changeling, then!" Alfred didn't bother to cover up how stupid that sudden realization sounded. Aside from other water dwelling fae, he didn't really observe the others of his world with much interest.

But that means he has no idea about our world. Or who he is for that matter. As fun as it had been to ruffle Arthur's wings, Alfred felt a bit bad for him knowing this. He had seen it happen to many of his siren kin who had the unfortunate luck to make their homes too close to human ports. To have their homes, everything they've known and love, ripped away from them without explanation... and to make matters worse, Arthur had lived his life believing he was a human. He was a special case- Changelings, though rightfully fae, walked the line between the worlds.

Arthur seemed to be realizing some of this himself, as his wings, still as beautiful as ever even in sadness, drooped.

Alfred thought for a second before extending his hand. "Come with me." He paused, his expression the most serious it had been since he met the changeling. "You don't have to. But I can at least leave you with two things if you don't. First off, if you don't come with me, at least get the hell out of here. You're known here, your... 'parents', they'll come looking for you, and trust me, that's an encounter you want to avoid. Second..." Watching the changeling try to keep his face serious while his cheeks were dusted pink made him smile softly. "The name's Alfred. Always preferred it to 'hey you' and the like~"

[Changeling Arthur]

Oh. Well, that was surprising. Perhaps Arthur had judged the other a bit too harshly. It appeared that this siren was actually capable of being, well, rather nice.

Alfred, was it? Not a particularly exotic or fae-like name, but then, what did he know about such things? He hesitated for a few moments, then took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Arthur Kirkland, son and only heir of Lord and Lady Kirkland." He paused, realizing the inaccuracy of that statement. "Er, actually... I suppose that's not true, is it? I'm not really Arthur Kirkland... that name belongs to whatever human I replaced. And I'm neither their son nor their heir, not anymore. I suppose I don't really know anything about myself anymore." Arthur's grip faltered, and he brought his hand back to his side.

Damn it, Arthur, you are not going to break down like a bloody weakling. The art of keeping his emotions hidden was one Arthur knew well. Or, well, he had, until these blasted wings showed up and kept broadcasting his thoughts for the goddamn world to see. He steeled his features and continued on in clipped, businesslike tones. "I don't know much about fae, so I'm not certain of what species I am or anything of the like. You probably know more than I do on that subject." He hesitated again, cheeks colouring. Why is it so difficult to speak to this man?! "And, well, if you'll have me along, I believe I'd like to see the ocean... Alfred."

[Siren Alfred]

"Don't get hung up on the details." Alfred shook the changeling's hand back and released it when he pulled away. "You're already used to being called 'Arthur' anyway, so what's the point of changing your name now? Besides, you look like an 'Arthur' to me anyway~"

His eyes absolutely sparkled when he heard Arthur use his name, not to mention the changeling indirectly saying he wouldn't mind accompanying him. Add in the goal of going to the ocean and Alfred was rocking on the balls of his feet, itching to get going as soon as they possibly could.

It was only when Arthur's wings caught the dawn's light that he realized they would be in trouble before they even stepped foot out of the alley. "Got another shirt or something on you? It's probably uncomfortable and we'll be able to let you wear your wings free when we get past the village limits, but as stunning as they are, they'll attract attention quick, so we have to stash 'em for now."

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur's cheeks only pinked further when Alfred called his wings 'stunning'. He coughed. "Ah, yes, I suppose that would be wise. I'm sure I have another shirt in my bag, hang on."

Arthur took off the satchel he'd slung over his shoulder with the few provisions he'd managed to bring with him, and pulled out a tunic that looked close to the kind that peasants tended to wear. Perfect. He took off his other shirt and stared at the rips in the back unhappily. Perhaps if he could get his hands on a needle and thread, he'd be able to mend it.

Arthur turned around to put the shirt away in his bag and saw Alfred's eyes on his naked torso. The peeping tom promptly got a shirt in the face. "S-stop staring!!!"

The changeling turned around in a huff and quickly donned the tunic. It felt slightly uncomfortable with the new additions to his back, but he would manage. Better a bit of discomfort than a beheading, after all. Still annoyed after the incident with the shirt, he snapped, "Let's stop dilly-dallying and get going already!" before grabbing his shirt and satchel and stalking off towards the end of the alleyway.

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred pulled the mangled shirt from his face and tossed it back, still wearing his seemingly trademark smirk. "Sorry, sorry~" He didn't bother offering up an explanation, as it would probably only aggravate Arthur more. Though in truth, he didn't know exactly what piqued his interest so much about the changeling to begin with, aside from how fun it was to tease him every now and then.

He noticed Arthur walking down the alley and hurriedly pulled the hood of this cloak up, covering his ears. "H-hey, Artie! Don't run off without me-!"

Alfred easily caught up and fell into step with the changeling, leading the way. They were silent as they passed a few buildings and the lack of conversation started to make Alfred uneasy. "Soooo... I'm sure you've got a lot of questions about our world and stuff like that, huh? Of course you do! Feel free to ask me anything, okay Arthur?"

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur pondered that offer for a good long while as the two walked briskly through the deserted streets. The problem was that Arthur knew so very little about the world he'd been thrust into that he was very unsure of where to start in his attempts to educate himself about it.

Well, details that pertained to himself might be a good starting point. A bit of warning for the next time his body decided to do something unexpected would not go amiss. "Do you know much about my species? About what will, er, happen to me as I grow older? Or changelings, do you know about them? Why I might have been left there, in the care of humans?

"And," he continued, on a roll now, "what about politics, and the like? Who governs the Fae? Are there tensions between the different species? What sort of general public opinion is there towards the war and towards humans?"

Arthur glanced over at Alfred and saw his eyes beginning to glaze over. Wonderful, you're boring him, "Why don't you just tell me about what you think is important for me to know?" he suggested. Letting Alfred steer the conversation would keep him from being terribly bored and take the onus off of Arthur to speak, which was rather relieving due to his people skills being basically nonexistent. Besides, Alfred seemed as though he was the type to be perfectly comfortable with talking for long periods of time. Arthur, on the other hand — well, when most of your non-painful childhood interactions had been with books and the occasional servant, you tended to be a tad awkward around socializing and the like.

[Siren Alfred]

Those two questions asked couldn't be any more different. Of course he wants to know about his fae kin. But politics? That's such a... human question. Alfred gave his head a firm shake and thought hard for a few minutes, trying his best to sort out the answers to Arthur's questions.

"I don't really know much about changelings, to be honest. Your right in assuming that fae species tend to stick to their kind. It's a mix of familiarity and tension, though the war has sort of brought us all together. Though I do know, for one thing- those wings you have? You haven't seen anything yet. They'll grow and before you know it, you'll be able to fly on your own some day!"

He found himself smiling warmly again at the idea of Arthur being free and enjoying himself. He seemed so grounded and trapped, Alfred hoped he would be around to see Arthur's first flight.

"The war is lead by the four Fae Lords- one for each of the great territories of the world. We live in the northern territory, ruled by the Northern Fae Lord. Don't concern yourself with him now, when you don't even know who you are to begin with." He hesitated answering the general opinion on the war. It seemed so strange, having another fae ask him that kind of question.

"It's kill humans or be killed by humans, everyone knows that. The humans have forgotten the old ways, when we worked together to live in peace. They now put their faith in modern advancements instead of magic." Alfred's expression darkened. "I don't really know how it all started, but... as painful as it might be to think about, humans are your enemies now. I'm sure they teach you pretty much the same things about fae in your human history lessons, right?"

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur was rather disappointed that Alfred didn't know anything more about him or his species, but he supposed he should be thanking his lucky stars to have found another faerie at all. He turned his head and looked at his small wings wonderingly when Alfred mentioned flight. Was it really true? Flying was the stuff of dreams, something humans had been trying and failing to achieve for generations. He would be like one of the birds he'd envied from the windows; free and unbound.

That is, if he could actually manage it. And knowing Arthur, he'd probably bollocks it up and be the only winged Fae without flying abilities.

He listened to Alfred's rather short explanation of Fae royalty and wanted to ask more, but held his tongue. The siren didn't really seem like the studious type; perhaps he'd know of a place where Arthur might be able to get his hands on some Fae books? Arthur was lost in thought for a short while, imagining all of the amazing things he could learn from a Fae library.

The changeling snapped out of it when Alfred spoke of the wars and hatred for humans. Arthur didn't like the way his face looked when he talked like that; it was a dark and brooding expression, not at all fitting on Alfred's cheerful face. Arthur was already missing the broad, ear-splitting grin that the man seemed to wear near-constantly, the grin that made those breathtaking eyes shine even more, and seemed as though it could light up a room by the sheer force of—

Arthur yanked himself away from that train of thought, hard. Blasted siren magic was doing strange things to his brain. Instead, he listened to Alfred's next comment. Kill or be killed? Humans as the enemy? Maybe he was being silly, or a sap. But something about that just seemed wrong. How could one dismiss an entire species based on the actions of a few? Yes, many humans weren't particularly fond of faeries, but the Fae didn't seem too kind to humans either, at least if Alfred was any indication.

"I suppose they do say much of the same things...." Arthur mused. He kept his tone neutral and didn't share any of his misgivings with Alfred. The other faerie would undoubtedly take it as human brainwashing or something similar, and perhaps it was. But he couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps there were some gross misunderstandings on both sides of this war.

The two of them reached the town's limits. Arthur watched Alfred step easily over the border and wait expectantly for him to continue, but he hesitated. "I know this is going to sound like a queer request, but... would it be possible for you to continue on a short ways? I've lived my entire life here and, well, I think it's only fitting to say goodbye. I won't be long." Ugh, he really was a sap. But Arthur was doing more than leaving his childhood home; he was leaving an entire world and identity behind. It felt wrong to just walk away casually.

Luckily, Alfred agreed. Arthur waited until he'd walked far enough away and was turned about so he couldn't see what Arthur was doing. He hesitated, then reached into his satchel and pulled out a small trowel and bag. The changeling dug a small hole and, undoing the bag, pulled out a single seed and placed it inside, then covered the seed back up with dirt. Perhaps it was silly of him to bring such things, but his garden had been the place in the mansion that had most felt like home. He knew that the kind servant that had taught him the art of gardening in the first place would recognize the flower that grew eventually; he had bred it himself. Arthur stared down at the little mound. "It's not much," he said quietly, "but it's something to remember me by."

As he turned around and walked back towards Alfred, turning his back on his old life, Arthur could not see the little seed he'd planted take root and grow at an alarming rate. In the span of seconds, the flowerhead had bloomed into its full glory — not as the deep scarlet that it would have been naturally, but the colour of deepest, starless midnight.

For, though they are not found in nature, that particular plant still whispers a message to any who know their lore. You see, in the language of flowers, the meaning of a black rose is "Goodbye".


((OTL I'm waxing entirely too purple in my prose, aren't I? *kicks her authorness*))

[Siren Alfred]

((T-that was so sweet!! *clings to Arthur*))

Alfred shrugged and continued to walk onward, for once deciding to not be overly intruding and peek at what Arthur was up to. Be it a human goodbye or something made up on the spot, Alfred could understand what the changeling was trying to convey. He had been like that too, the very first time he stepped foot outside the ocean.

At least Arthur has me to help him. This thought soothed Alfred as he rummaged through his pack, assessing their supplies. Along the way of leaving town, the siren had managed to snare a few humans into giving them some traveling necessities. In absolute truth, Alfred would have taken much more than what they had accumulated between the Kirkland estate and the edge of town, but he didn't want Arthur to have a negative opinion of him and his abilities.

Alfred paused, a hand above his canteen and lost in thought. He didn't usually care what others thought of him. His thoughts shifted again as he shook the canteen, a hollow splash sounding inside. The siren let out a long sigh. Three days journey to the ocean in the company of a changeling with a human's stamina...

All forms of fae logic dictated that he should leave Arthur behind. Alfred hadn't been lying when he said fae tended to stick together with their own or similar kind. Perhaps if he had been traveling with another siren or a water nymph, some other kind of fae that needed the ocean as a means of survival as much as Alfred did, things would seem less risky.

Alfred shook his head. No, he couldn't just abandon Arthur like that. They had barely known each other for more than a day, but Alfred saw it in the changeling's eyes when he mentioned flying- somewhere, deep within Arthur, he wanted this kind of adventure and freedom, even if he was stubborn and a tad reluctant.

The siren soon found himself smiling again. He waited patiently for Arthur to finish his goodbyes, and once he felt the changeling trailing behind him again, turned his head back a bit. "It's three day's walk to the ocean. Better brush up on your social skills with me in the mean time~"

((I got the idea for a mini-plot between here and the ocean. Hope it works~))

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur scowled at the suggestion that he "brush up on his social skills." "Just because we're travelling together does not make us suddenly the best of friends." Perhaps he was being a bit too prickly, but frankly, he'd shown enough vulnerability in front of this upstart siren that he'd barely met, and, after all, the best defense was a good offense.

Speaking of the fact that they'd only just met.... "Anyway, you've barely told me anything about yourself. All I know is your name and species, and I barely know anything of the latter. Tell me about yourself, and about sirens."

Alfred rather looked like the type who'd enjoy talking about himself anyway. If Arthur could get him going, he'd doubtlessly ramble for hours. That would save Arthur from the hell of having to speak to another person, which would no doubt end in Alfred abandoning him once he inevitably bollocksed it up and scared him off with his standoffish personality and cutting remarks. Arthur just wasn't good at interacting with people, as evidenced by his lack of playmates or friends as a child. And, although many things about Alfred already rubbed him the wrong way, he couldn't very well afford to lose his only lifeline to the Fae world.

Still, he wasn't going to apologise for insulting him, either just now or before. This git looked cocky enough as it is without Arthur adding to his swelled head.

[Siren Alfred]

"Huh?" Alfred shot a curious side glance to Arthur. "I didn't say we were best friends, unless you secretly want to be 'cause you said it like that and all!" He smirked and sidestepped, as if a physical dodge would spare him from Arthur's glare.

"You want to know about me, huh?" He attempted to move the subject more in Arthur's favor. He seemed genuinely interested enough, but that didn't make Alfred feel any less threatened on certain subject matters. "I'm not anyone important. Just regular-as-you-can-get Alfred, thanks~"

For some reason, it downright stung to lie to Arthur like that. Alfred was very glad he had pulled the hood of his cloak up, not just to hide his identity as a fae from passers by, but to hide his emotions as well. His feather-scaled ears, like Arthur's wings, were all too good at showing his true emotions for the world to see.

"Well, I guess I'm not that ordinary. Male siren aren't as common as females, so I guess that makes me kind of special in a way." Getting too close for comfort there, Al, back it up a bit. "Anyway, as you've already seen, we specialize in casting hypnotic spells through music. As long as we're able to open our mouths to produce even a single note, it can prove deadly to our opponent, human and fae alike."

"We generally make our homes near large bodies of water, but that doesn't mean we're bound to them." Alfred put an extra spring in his next step to emphasize this. He thought of telling Arthur how his appearance would change once he got in the ocean's waters, but decided to keep that as a surprise for later. "Siren aren't generally fond of going such a great distance from the ocean or lakes, but the war changed all of that."

"That's where this-" Alfred grabbed his canteen and held it up for Arthur to see. "-comes in handy. Siren need water to survive, and not just any water- water free of the humans' touch. So we fill these with the water from our homes and any sources we come across on our way to help us survive long journeys."

Alfred felt unease pricking at his chest. This was a vulnerability that most siren pretended didn't exist, and here Alfred was, admitting it to Arthur, laying his crutch in full view for the human-until-recently changeling to see.

As the sun started to dip past the horizon, the siren hoped that was enough to spark a little trust within his companion.

[Changeling Arthur]

Ordinary? No, whatever Alfred was, he certainly wasn't ordinary. That was one thing that Arthur was entirely sure of.

"Males are more uncommon? Then I suppose you must be rather popular with the girls back home." To be entirely honest, Arthur was sure that Alfred would have had females flocking around him regardless of the scarcity of his gender; with a face and body like that, well, it was impossible for them not to.

Arthur ignored the strange feeling he got at the thought of Alfred surrounded by a harem of beautiful, fawning siren girls and instead listened intently to Alfred's explanation of his species.

When Alfred told him about his weakness, he stopped in his tracks, then whirled suddenly and jabbed the siren in the stomach, glaring fiercely. "You bleeding idiot! What do you think you're doing, telling things like that to someone you've just met?! For all you know, I could've been planning to murder you in your sleep, and you've just given me the perfect idea to do so! If you aren't more careful, you're going to go and get yourself killed!"

Arthur crossed his arms and sat down in a huff, rather shocked with himself. He usually had much better control over his emotions than that. And why in God's name was he getting so worked up about the thought of Alfred being hurt?!

"It's not that I'm concerned about you, or anything!" he hastened to add. "It's just that you're my travelling companion at the moment, and it would be annoying to lose you now. Once we are no longer associated with one another, you can go and get yourself stabbed in the chest or hung by humans for all I care."

Looking up at the sky, Arthur was surprised to see that the sun was already setting. They had been travelling for much longer than he'd thought. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him: it had been a long day, perhaps the longest of his life. Arthur tried to hide his yawn behind one hand, but he had a feeling that he wasn't fooling Alfred for a second.

[Siren Alfred]

"I said that," Alfred started as he set his pack down and dug through it's contents. "So you would, you know, trust me, not yell at me."

He grabbed a think blanket and threw it to Arthur, perhaps harder than he had intended to. "Don't be so quick to cast me aside, will you? I already told you, I could leave any time I wanted to. You're forgetting that you know nothing about our world, so I'm more of an important link than you want to admit~"

"Besides, do you really think you'd last a day out here all by yourself? You even told me straight up that you've never been away from home before. There are hundreds of things that can kill a person out there, human or fae." Alfred chose a roundabout way of telling things rather than downright telling Arthur how weak he was in comparison. Not knowing any magic of his own, not even having a weapon, he would certainly die out here on his own, it was just a matter of what would be the thing to do it.

But Arthur had a staggering amount of pride and saying something like that out loud would just make him angry, maybe even enough to have him storm off on his own. Alfred felt his chest tighten at the thought of him running off on his own, into the open claws of God knows what lurked in the night.

He noticed Arthur yawn and smiled softly. "Go on, I'll take the first watch." He didn't give Arthur time to argue. Alfred knew Arthur was used to a human's sleep schedule and wasn't accustomed to night travel, much less sleeping on the ground.

Looking up to the stars, Alfred sang a slow, wordless tune, each note hanging in the air as if it were something tangible. He didn't mean for it to lull Arthur to sleep, he just wanted to sing under the broad, open sky full of stars, but when he looked back to Arthur, he noticed the changeling sleeping peacefully.

"Night, Artie." Alfred murmured softly. He unscrewed his canteen and drained the last remnants of water from within, and looked back to the stars.

[Changeling Arthur]

((I have to stop writing like a writer OTL *kicks author's instincts*))

Arthur was nearly knocked over from the force with which Alfred threw the blanket. He stared for a moment in surprise; was the boy really that strong?

He grabbed the blanket and lay down, grumbling under his breath. He had to concede Alfred's point, though begrudgingly. Arthur knew how much of a weakling he was. He'd never been any great shakes physically (a great source of disappointment to his erstwhile father), and he knew absolutely nothing of magic or the mystical arts. No, Arthur was under no illusions about what his probable fate would have been if Alfred hadn't found him.

And that irked Arthur. Already, he owed Alfred too much. Saving his life, accompanying him, and now even lending him his belongings? And what had Arthur done in return? Slowed him down and yelled at him.

No, Alfred didn't benefit at all from this so-called "partnership". In fact, it inconvenienced him in many ways. This was charity, plain and simple. Like Arthur was some sort of pathetic, homeless peasant that a kind stranger was giving food and shelter to.

But, Arthur realized with a horrible sinking feeling, that's what I am now, isn't it? Except, no, peasants aren't ostracised and hunted down by the rest of the kingdom, including their family.

The full implications of the day's events finally hit Arthur with all the force of a tidal wave. There really wasn't any going back now, was there? Never to see the kind, if eccentric, maid Erzsébet and her husband Roderich, or any of the other servants and staff who'd been the least bit friendly to him, ever again. Never to tend to his garden, or sneak down to the village, cloaked, and pretend to be a commoner. Never to be accepted by any member of the human race he thought he'd been a part of. Never, now, to reach his secret wish of one day being truly accepted by his family.

A soft, sweet melody drifted through the night air. It was as though the notes themselves were whispering, "Calm. Peace. Rest. Sleep." Arthur gave in to the pull of the lilting lullaby and drifted into unconsciousness.

But not before a few lone tears managed to spill over his closed eyelids and fall free, splashing on the ground.

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