The Fairy and The Ravenstag King

Suplyšusi

Will fluttered in and out of consciousness for what felt like days.

He has the fame feverish awareness that one would have if they were severely sick, or in a nightmare...

He couldn't open his eyes for more than a second when he was aware of himself. But he could feel sensations. Like a cool hand or damp cloth touching his burning face, the sounds of someone comforting him when he tried to move, and the feeling of a pulsing pain in his abdomen that spread out like a fire...

Losing consciousness was his only reprieve from the pain.

His thoughts strayed from him during his waking moments, but the feeling of dread and wrongness gave him reason enough to fight the call of sleep.

He had to get up. He had to escape.

He just couldn't remember why.

He dreamed a lot, or was he remembering? A specific day playing over and over in his head like his subconscious was trying to remind him of something...

.......................................

"Will Sweetie? Are you awake?"

In his dream, Will was back in his childhood room in Wolf Trap. He had just begun finishing up making a rather complicated lure with his dad that had taken up most of the day. He remembered this day well.

It was the last time he ever saw his mother.

"Yeah." A smaller Will said, feet barely touching the ground as he settled back in his dad's chair. His wings, which were nearly a third the size they became once he was an adult, fluttered happily behind him as he turned to beam up at her. "Look! Dad said it was too hard for me to do, but It looks good right?"

"Yes Sweetie, it does." Her face was blurry, since he couldn't remember what she looked like all that well. But he could remember that her eyes were blue. "He'll be so proud of you when you show him in the morning."

He beamed up at her, thrilled at the idea of it, but his smile faltered when he noticed the unusually somber expression on her face.

"Mom? What's wrong? Did you and Dad fight again?"

"No, nothing like that." Her smile was small then, obviously forced. "But... I need to talk to you about something important."

"Uh huh?"

"I gotta leave for a while, do you remember grandpa? He's sick, so I have to go take care of him for a bit."

Will had never met his grandpa, but his mother would talk about him often before he fell asleep. He would listen with wide eyes at her tales of a heroic king who cared for his people and lived in an invisible castle while he fought monsters... But as the years went on and he got older, it was pretty obvious that she was just telling him a fairytale.

Funny, I haven't thought about that in years...

The younger Will frowned at her words.

"Oh." He said in a quiet voice. "Can't I come with you?"

"I'm afraid not honey. You're still too young for the trip and it could make you sick. But I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" She rubbed his back affectionately, leaning down to kiss his temple. Will had never been without his mother for longer than a day. The idea of being alone scared him immensely, so much so that he often got nightmares as a kid about waking up in an empty house. But in this moment, he put on a brave face.

"Okay." He smiled up at her, earning an affectionate pat against his wings in return.

"You sure you'll be alright? Remember what I taught you about taking care of yourself. Remember; not even daddy can see you. No matter what."