Demi-Fae ( a Sarah J Maas based story)

Prologue

**Art by lingy-0 on DeviantArt, link in comments**

The rain was making it impossible to see where we were going. My father held me close to his chest so I wouldn't fall off his horse. I leaned into his touch, finally free. The only sounds we heard besides the rain were the horses, galloping in the dark woods. Through the trees, I sometimes caught golden glimpses of my father's guards as they accompanied us.

"They're here!" My dad yelled to his men, his body stiffening behind me. 

Everything went quiet, like the trees itself wanted to hide whatever was coming. Fear jolted through me when I heard something approaching us from behind.

My father held me even tighter, afraid of losing me again. His golden armour like a thick shield around me. I breathed in his scent, a mix of sea and citrus, committing it to memory.

I looked behind me, my little braid swinging, to see at least ten black clothed men on dark horses speeding towards us. 

One moment our guards were flanking us, the next they were screaming like hell. I covered my ears from the horrible noises they were making, a sound that would haunt me in my dreams. Their cries slowly dying until all I could hear were the raindrops lightly brushing against the leaves.

I had no time to recover before our own white horse went down. A scream escaped me as I was thrown forward, landing on my stomach in the mud. I carefully lifted my head, my purple cape caught by some roots, when I saw how the dark intruders surrounded me and my dad.
My father didn't balk.
He stood tall, his long white hair hanging loose over his shoulders. Taking out his twin swords that were glowing in the dark, my father was ready to kill.

"Athril, you are hereby sentenced to death for stealing Queen Maeve's property." One Fae with a voice like stone said, his hand on his sword.

"She is my daughter as well! I will not leave her with that monster!" He yelled angrily, angling his body before mine. The warriors took a step closer but my father didn't move an inch.

Before the black soldiers could react, my dad attacked.

Three went down immediately, a combination of my father's blades and his water magic. He used the rain drops like small stakes to kill his prey, his own damn people. I watched him in awe, my father fought like a God. White hair flowed with the rhythm of his fighting dance, his eyes glowing in the dark with anger.

I was so distracted by his skills that I forgot about my surroundings for a second. Before I even knew it, I was pulled up by my hair, a dagger placed on my throat. 

I whimpered and tried to get free. 

My father stopped at the noise and slowly turned towards me. His turquoise-golden eyes bore into mine and he seemed to say: use your magic, kill him.

My father always had such faith in me, the opposite of my mother who constantly told me what a piece of shit I was.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I told myself to calm down, to not be afraid. I focused on the enemy soldiers, their breathing, their beating hearts. I slowed their heartbeats down, careful and controlled. 

Down and down and down until all their hearts just stopped. 

In a few seconds, they all dropped dead before they even knew what happened.

My breathing was hard, mirroring my dad's. We were both exhausted. I looked around to see piles of dead bodies, trying to steady myself. I felt a little dizzy because I had never killed so many people at once before.

"Lyra darling, come on." My father said when he closed the distance between us and picked me up. 

He started running when I put my arms around his neck, nestling my head on his armored chest. But we didn't get far before I heard other horses getting close. My father cursed while starting to run even faster... and then I felt her magic.

My mother was here.

"Please help us." I begged the Gods when the feeling of her grew stronger and stronger each second.

As if they had heard me, I saw something moving on the ground. I made a little surprised yell that made my father stop. There, a little Faerie was waving at me to follow, a few others behind it.

"The little folk. " My father whispered while we quickly followed them, zigzagging between the trees.

One moment we were outside, the next we were in a dark giant cave. I almost crushed my father in my arms, terrified of this darkness. As a reaction, my golden shadows appeared from my body, giving me light. They illuminated the whole cave, making us able to see our surroundings. I saw no trace of the little folk when my shadows circled the whole place, revealing only a lake at the other side of the cave.

My dad looked at my golden friends with wonder before he focused on something else. On someone else. A tall Fae, also wearing the same golden armour, stood in front of us.

"Hello little girl, my name is Brannon and I'm your father's best friend. Please follow me to Terrasen, you will be safe there." The red-golden haired male said while carefully shaking my hand.

He carried me to the other side of the cave, his warmth spreading over my soaked body. Brannon then lifted me in some sort of little boat on the water, giving me a blanket because I was shivering so hard that my teeth were chattering. My father looked at something on the right side of the cave. My shadow crawled towards him, revealing a shiny sword.

"Who does that sword belong to?" I asked with a weak voice when I saw it glimmering next to him.

"It's mine." He said, his hair dripping from the rain. "I have put it in this cave for safekeeping, together with my ring, so your mother can't find it."

The boat began to move when my father commanded the water. I looked at him, suddenly afraid that he was not coming with us. But I forgot about that when I looked at the water and saw something moving.

"Dad..dad! What's in the water?" I asked in panic while pointing at the water.

Before he answered, white light erupted. I made a small yelp. An owl flew to me and Brannon. When it came closer I realised it was my father. My mouth dropped open from surprise. He landed in the boat and shifted again, his more human-looking face appearing in front of me.

"Don't be scared. The lake creature is terrified of me." He said with a grin, his fangs visible. I arched an eyebrow at that and he winked. "He has only one eye left because of me."

He came closer and touched my cheek, gently putting my wet hair out of my face when he noticed a cut on my neck. When he silently touched it, I felt the magic go into my body. The thin line of blood was disappearing, the wound closing.

"Are you hurt somewhere else?" He asked gently.

"Everywhere." I told him bitterly while putting my head on his shoulder.

"She can't hurt you anymore." Was all he said as our boat sailed further and further into the darkness illuminated by my golden shadows, further and further away from my mother.