FATESWORN

1 ~ fae birth

The street is silent, the pavement wet from the rain that had fallen earlier. Fog curls around the bridge, and the lone street lamp casts its eerie, orange glow on the bridge. The night is cold, and so still and silent that I swear, I can hear my heartbeat. But I stand there, staring at the churning water so far below the bridge, it's hard to hear it. In the night, the water appears black. I know it is freezing, even more so than the air. My breath clouds the space before me, and I turn my attention from the bridge, then back to my cell phone that rests in my gloved hands.

It is 1:08 am, and as I stand there, listening to silence, I focus on the digits on the small screen. Now, it is almost 1:10 am, and as I step forward, I decide that maybe tonight isn't the best night to do this. My sister is likely wondering where I am now, but ....

Sighing, I turn away from the bridge and start to walk. My sneakers hitting the wet pavement is the only sound, but when I look up, I see I am not alone.

A small girl stands there, her hair tied up in loose braids that hang on either side of her face. She is pale, and in the orange lamp light, she seems almost sickly. Her blonde hair is shiny in the light, and those eyes of hers seem to glow faintly, but not orange, like the lamp. No, they glow blue.

"Hello," she says. She tilts her head. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same," I say, glancing around. She is alone, no sign of any parents. I look back to her then. "Where are your parents?"

She tilts her head again, and a small smile crosses her face. The girl is wearing a red dress with white polka dots, and her shiny, red shoes click as she walks toward me. "I don't have any. They're dead, just like yours."

My heart skips, and my mouth turns bone dry. "Wh- what?"

The young girl laughs. But the sound is warped, turning cold and vacant, not kind and happy, like most kids. No, this kid, she's not a kid. She's something ancient.

"Ah," she says. "You know what I am, then."

"What?"

"Silly goose! Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!" The little girl giggles, and covers her mouth with her hands as she does so. Wind, cold and bitter, slices through the area, and I shiver, but the girl, who's not wearing a coat, doesn't even flinch.

Right then, something in me is telling me to run. I stare at her, my legs frozen in place. She steps closer to me, her eyes glistening with blue light. She holds out a free hand.

"Who are you?" I ask her.

"Hmm," she mutters. "You can call me ... Fate."

"Fate?" I ask, confused.

"Yep! I'm Fate. Don't worry, I have other ways to show up to you.... "

Suddenly, she's gone. I look around, but then, I feel breath on the back of my neck. I whirl around and suppress a scream. The young girl is gone, replaced by a creature. Thorns, long and black, poke out of a humanoid body, and I cannot see a face behind the mask the thing wears. A blank, white mask with black eyes are all that I can see on its face. And the thing wears a dark purple robe over a thin frame.

"If you'd prefer ...."

"N - no," I stutter. "What .... what do you want?"

"Hush now, little Changeling," Fate croons. Fate's horrific, masked visage fades instantly, replaced by a new form. Now, I am staring at myself.

My long, white hair. My pale skin, small freckles dusting my cheeks and nose, my silver eyes. The figure, she is still in that purple robe, like before. She steps closer to me, and I swallow, but my throat burns.

"What ... what did you call me?" I whisper.

"Oh, little Changeling, you know exactly what I am speaking of, don't you?"

"Why do you call me that? I am not a Changeling," I say.

Fate smirks. "Oh? I can see your truth, even without using the Sight."

Then, there's a soft hiss, and she whirls around, facing the other side of the bridge, where a figure in a long, dark coat stands, their head down. I scoff, and she looks at me.

"Run, Changeling. Go, now!"

I hesitate, but then, the person in the long coat starts to speed walk toward us. Fate looks at me, her eyes wide. She looks scared, but it's not for her. For me. She's afraid of what this thing can do to me.

"Don't run, little Changeling," a deep, demonic sounding voice hisses.

I freeze, unable to move, no matter how much I tell my legs to just fucking move, they won't. My eyes widen as the being in the coat walks toward Fate.

"Get out of here," says Fate, still not taking their eyes off the other entity.

The being in the coat steps up to the other side of the bridge, the side we are on. My heart in my throat, I stare as the second being lashes out, striking Fate in the chest. Fate stumbles, but then they strike out. They bring their power forward, and silvery pink light swirls around Fate's outstretched hands.

Then, that light bursts free and coils around the being. They scream, and that is what lets me run. I turn and sprint, trying to flee. But I do not get far, before something grabs me by the ankles. I am thrown to my hands and knees on the pavement.

I start to rise, but then, whatever has ahold of my ankles pulls me hard and fast. I cry out as I am dragged on my belly across the pavement.

"You are a foolish little girl, Changeling!" cries the entity, its deep, distorted voice in my head.

"Let me go!" I scream, and then....

Pain erupts in my back. White-hot flames of agony surge through my entire body, and I scream as it curls around my spine. I sob, doubling over and digging my nails into the pavement. I hear a loud noise, but it takes me a moment to figure out that that noise is me, I'm screaming.

"Stop your pathetic screeching, little Changeling," sneers the entity, as it walks around me. I'm not moving anymore, but that pain in my back remains. It grows more painful, more full of white-hot light that sears my nerves. I feel as though I am being ripped apart.

Then, just as soon as it had started, the agony .... it fades. But there's a new weight on my back, and I can't move, for if I do, the pain could return. The entity gasps, and I open my eyes. I'm still laying on my stomach on the cold, wet ground. I turn my head, and slowly pull myself up to stand before the being.

Fate is there, standing on top of the railing on the edge of the bridge. They smile at me once, before vanishing. The creature before me is now in my line of sight. And it wasn't a coat I'd seen before, I realize it is a pair of wings that trail along behind them.

The entity stares at me, or rather, behind me. I slowly glance back, but then, I do a double take.

Because a pair of silver, feathered wings seem to be attached to my back. I gasp, and turn back to the entity, which turns away from me.

"I'll be back for you, Changeling."

Then, it's gone. And I'm alone on the bridge, wings curling around me.