You Are My Escape (G/T) (Completed)

3

Adrenaline roared in Ezriel's ears as his heart beat mercilessly in his chest. He didn't look back after he’d heard them yell and splash into the water. It wasn't his cleanest escape ever, and he felt more than a little bad about having to assault the guard like that; Wet wings are an extremely uncomfortable thing to deal with, but it was the only way to make sure he didn't get followed. No fairy can fly with wet wings.

He pushed on, heading towards the barrier and not hesitating for a second before going through. He'd been as far as the edge of the forest before, never beyond. But today that was going to change. 

Once he made it quite a ways away, he stopped to take a rest on a tree branch not too far off the ground. Beneath him was a small clearing with grass and flowers, a favourite hideaway of his that nobody else knew about. Or if they did, they never visited. The small beaten path that the humans sometimes take cuts right though the corner of the clearing, deterring most fae from hanging around. 

But to the prince, it was pure solitude. A haven away from prying eyes. And now, hopefully, the starting point of his greatest accomplishment yet. 

All that time practicing glamour magic was going to pay off, it had to. He had almost perfected the two spells he needed-- whenever he tried it on something in the past it always worked, but he hadn't tried it on anything living yet. And with nobody else to turn to, he had no better specimen for illegal magic experimentation than himself.

Ezriel lowered himself down onto a decently sized rock below, taking a few deep breaths before he prepared himself. He knew that he shouldn't be using his magic like this, to mingle with humans for his own entertainment. He knew how gullible they were and how careless they were with their names and manners, but he didn’t care about any of that. He wasn't out to cause harm, and had no intent on using his powers past the disguise. It was simply a means of escape. 

A very complicated, dangerous way to escape, but still safer than entering the town as a fairy.

The first spell that he cast was the one he was most familiar with. He checked again to make sure the coast was clear, before closing his eyes tightly and whispering the word with every ounce of hope in his body.

Incrementum

Immediately he felt the magic begin to take effect, as a sickeningly numb feeling washed over every limb in his body. It felt like something was festering and swirling inside of him, trying to expand and escape. His lungs constricted and he couldn't breathe for a moment, making him wonder for the millionth time if this was a good idea. But he held on tight through the horrid sensation, and after a few moments he relaxed as the feeling began to fade.

And when he opened his eyes he was left breathless once more.

It worked. It actually worked.

Everything around him was suddenly so much smaller, and farther away. Even the rock beneath him looked like it could fit in his hand, rather than act as a platform to stand on. He stumbled a step back as he looked down, landing him on his rear, his vision being thrown off by the sudden distance to his feet; Sure he'd successfully scaled himself up to the average height of a human, a feat he was insanely proud of, but boy was it disorienting. 

It took a moment for the prince to get his bearings, but once he did he wasted no time in casting the next spell. The first one took a lot more out of him than he'd thought, but the last thing he wanted was for someone to find him like this, a giant fairy all alone in a clearing in the woods. He'd never be able to explain himself, and he wasn't sure if his wings would even work at this size.

Thankfully, the second half of his disguise wasn't nearly as painful or complicated as the first. Making his ears appear rounded and hiding his wings was only slightly tingly, but it was manageable. Overall being a human felt rather uncomfortable, but he considered it a worthy price for anonymity. 

And he got his first taste of it just a few minutes down the path from the clearing, when he came across his very first human. 

He stared at her for a moment like a deer about to flee, unsure of what to do. A nervous smile cracked across his face as he tried to keep his composure, the other growing closer and closer with every step. It was a narrow path, and they'd have to pass each other eventually, but as he continued to walk his heart only beat faster. 

Would she recognize who he was? Was the spell even still working? Would she notice something was wrong? Would she say something about it if so?

Completely distracted by his worried thoughts, he'd barely registered when she spoke to him. "Nice evening for a walk, hm?" She'd asked with a casual smile as she passed, continuing on past him into the forest like he was just a casual passerby.

"Oh.. uh… yes." Was all the prince could manage to say in response.

Not very eloquent for his first conversational words with a human, but he was too elated with the fact that his disguise was actually working to be upset over his social shortcomings. She hadn't stopped to stare, or even spared him a second glance. She didn't know who he was, and she didn't care.

This was amazing.

His nervous smile grew into one of confidence, his strides becoming more and more impatient as he grew closer to the town. He could hear it all now, the foreign homelife of the humans. And he was eager to explore.