The Untold Story Of: The Tooth Fairy

Chapter Two

As Tise approached the ground,  wind swirled under her wings. She wasn't going to fall and die, she knew that, but she still felt like she was going to. He was going to be so mad at her, but first she needed to spread her wings if she wanted to see what happened next, but she didn't, because she knew that no matter what she did to him, how mad he was, he would always catch her... and he did.

The moment Tise's back met his outstretched hand, she felt as though she had tumbled into a fluffy cloud instead of bumping into bones. Despite his rough exterior, he really had a kind and compassionate nature, and until that day, she still didn't know how he did it.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded once her fall was over and all around had calmed down.

Without giving him a second glance, she took a deep breath. He had not been the prey she had hoped for her trap. However, after considering it, she found somewhat comforting the fact that fairies far below him had ambushed him by surprise.

Propelled by the thought, impatient to see him, Tise sprang to her feet with a burst of determination. Though she had taken quite a tumble, she quickly regained her footing and turned herself around to face him. He was all tangled up in lianas, caked in mud, and—to her immense delight—seated in the midst of the river, the water reaching up to his waist.

"Surprise!" she exclaimed and, unable to contain her joy any longer, she doubled over, clutching her stomach as laughter burst forth from within her. Soon enough, her friends joined in, their laughter echoing through the air. In response, he simply growled, but she knew that as long as she was there, he wouldn't take revenge on them.

However, they didn't know that. So, as her friends approached, they took a few steps along the riverbank too, just in case they needed to escape into the forest. She didn't get mad at their fear anymore, because she understood why they felt that way. He was a frightening sight to behold. His eyes, which were meant to be the key to the soul, were dull and black, as if there was no soul inside. He also had cracked horns atop his head, along with rows of sharp, pointed teeth inside his mouth that suggested he might tear them all apart effortlessly.

"That was a good one," exclaimed Tise, with a chuckle at the prank's unexpected turn and her friends' responses. With tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, she leaped off his hand and soared into the air, spreading her wings to take flight. "You arrived early, what happened?"

Before giving an answer, he unraveled the ropes and dislodged the stones that had wedged into his bone armor. Meanwhile, Tise's focus was momentarily diverted by a commotion behind her. She couldn't help but chuckle as her companions took a step back for every move he made.

Turned out that their trap was so well made, so meticulously planned, that it took him some time to free himself from the lianas around his feet and the pebbles embedded on his back. Naturally, her friends took advantage of the time, bid their farewells and hastily scampered or soared into the woods

"Look what you've done," Tise said as she slowly descended over a rock he had thrown near the river's edge. "Everyone has left me when we were only on our first prank of the night."

He let out a forced laugh, "Is it my fault?"

"Yes. You should have laughed with me, made a funny comment, not looked at them as if you would have loved us all dead."

"Oh, sorry, now I know, because let me be honest, I never thought you would like such a..." he paused to pluck a vine from one of his horns and cast it into the water, "... hobby."

"Don't make me that face," she said, pointing a finger at him, "you have a worse one."

He didn't reply. Instead he toiled with a final vine that was tangled up with a bone of his armor. After a moment, he swung the vine and said:

"Well, you will have to put up with me, since today we are going to the town."

"Really!" exclaimed Tise with great enthusiasm, ignoring what she had said before.

"You see, you also benefit from my rare hobbies," he finished and splashed annoyingly out of the river. Softened by the recent news, Tise flew and landed on his shoulder, which was a skull, a human skull.

Together, they left the river and journeyed towards the east, leaving the In-between behind as they crossed a section of the river leading to the Seelie court. They traveled for a brief while before finally emerging from the forest's edge, entering the land of humans. In the distance, they could discern the dim radiance of flickering orange lights emanating from the dreary town homes.

Gaze turned into the distance, Tise couldn't help but recall the haunting memories of her past encounters with humans. She had known their kind long before meeting him, and had witnessed the havoc they could wreak upon the world. Trapped and tormented, it was only with his timely intervention that she was finally liberated from her suffering at the hands of humans.  

As they made their way across the field, a memory flooded her mind. It was a day from long ago, one that still sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't help but imagine how frightened her younger self would be if she saw her now, perched calmly on the shoulder of the very same monster that had once terrified her. To her now, though, the beast was no longer monstrous.It was unusual for memories to share two feelings, but hers did. The joy of knowing him was tinged with the anguish of remembering what had happened to her before. But time had managed to bury the pain and leave only the joy, so every time she thought about it, about that day, she found it amusing.

"What's so funny?" He inquired, walking leisurely towards the town that gradually switched off its lights as the night advanced and the shadows of dreams approached.

"My memories," she said, grabbing one of the many braids that hung from his head to steady herself as she stood up.

"What kind of memories?"

She closed her eyes as a wind stream stroked her, raising her wings. 

"Well, about when we met. I wouldn't have thought I'd be here."

He tilted his head to the side. To look at her.

"In all honesty, neither did I," he confessed, turning his head away from her to gaze at the ground. "I don't really know what happened that day, but it happened and I'm happy about it."

Tise leaned in and touched him gently, resting her head against his jaw.

No matter how many times they repeated the same routine, how many times they traveled the same path, she would always find reasons to enjoy their moments as if it were their first time together.