Preston's P.O.V.
The more I knew Lachlan, the more I realised exactly how cheeky he was. Sure, most Fae were pranksters and always getting the way and ruining our plans, but Lachlan was a happy kind of prankster, pulling harmless but funny tricks when I wasn't looking- or when he thought I wasn't look because he wasn't very subtle- and he had no intention of ruining anything at all. He just wanted to have some fun, entertain himself, and I wasn't about to stop him.
He was flying more as well. I hadn't entirely realised how skinny he was when he first came to me but now that he was getting some actual food into him and was gaining weight, muscle as well, it was evident just how underweight he had been. However, his weight gain meant he was a lot healthier, he had more energy and he was happy to fly on his own now, able to flutter around with no problem.
"Lachlan?" I called, waiting for him to appear. He did that- he'd drift out of my sight because something had caught his interest, which happened often considering he'd been kept inside most of his life, and then his head would pop out from behind a tree, or he'd appear around a bush. He could vanish pretty well, but he never wandered far.
"Yeah?" He called back, swinging from a tree branch above my head. I grinned.
"I'm going down to the stream if you want to come?"
"Yes!" He cheered, scrambling down the trunk. On light feet he ran over to me, bouncing on his toes. He loved the stream, the water, the coolness, and I had figured that out on day one. There was this childlike excitement about him which just captured me, I had never been particularly found of the young faeries, foundlings or fae because they didn't understand how we did things, that we had a routine, but something about him was different. Perhaps it was because he wasn't actually a child, although he was close to one, perhaps it was because his pranks weren't malicious, perhaps it was because he was eager to learn about what I did. Whatever it was, I liked him.
As he wandered the bank of the stream, I couldn't help but watch him. His short stature combined with his light steps, plus the sunlight reflecting off his face in just the right way made something alluring about him, and now I saw more than the childlike excitement he had displayed only moments earlier. I was curious- and sometimes, I wondered if he was curious too.
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Lachlan stood, on tiptoes as always, on the top of a red mushroom. His blue eyes watched me as I worked, bright and happy, not wanting to go out and explore today. I had the feeling he was planning something, a joke of some sort, but of course I hadn't asked because I didn't want to spoil it for him.
"Do you ever get tired of doing the same thing, over and over again?" He finally asked, sinking down to sit. I glanced at him, wondering where this sudden line of questioning had come from.
"Not really, no. Why?" I stood up, turning to him.
"You do the same thing every day, over and over again and for what?" He mumbled into his knees. "I had nothing to do for years but this seems... almost boring. Do you not want something more?"
"Well, it isn't exactly for nothing. I care for the forest to watch it grow, even if it takes years. What I do it never for nothing and if I'm honest, I don't think I've ever wanted more. Before you came here I never thought about anything beyond this and now... well now, I've got you."
Lachlan managed to crack a smile at that, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I don't blame you though. After all those years of nothing I can absolutely see you wanting everything, more than this anyway." I said. "But what you do is not up to me. What you do is up to you."
"I like it here though." He mumbled. "There's safety and security and places to explore and... you. You care. Not like anyone else ever has."
"Oh Lachy." I whispered, fluttering up to sit beside him and hug him. He leaned into my touch. "I've always been content with the way my life had been but... you're here now. And maybe that can change?"
The smile on Lachlan's face was enough to make sure of it.
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I still cared for the forest, of course I did, that would never change, but a lot of other things did. We almost never stayed at home anymore, out on adventures, exploring the towns nearby and forests around us and meeting new fae and faeries almost everyday. Lachlan hated the meeting of new people in the beginning, mostly due to his fear of rejection, but to his- and also my- surprise, no one really seemed to notice. Yes his eye colour was unusual, strange even, but no one really cared.
It was an adventure every day. Lachlan grew stronger, more open, happier. He laughed and joked and ran circles around me in a way that only he could- oh yes, he still had that childish joy about him that came out at every new thing he experienced. I don't think I entirely appreciated how little he had been exposed to until he became excited t seeing a frog, or a new type of flower, or feeling moss on his feet. There was always something new for him, and I was so glad to be able to watch him experience for the first time.
"Come on Preston!" He cried, pulling me by my arm as he flew beside me. "Come on, look, there's sheep!"
I managed to laugh a little but flew alongside him, perching on the back of a young lamb. He held on gently to its ear, bouncing happily. Always something new. I couldn't help but to smile at him, at the amazing and overjoyed grin on his face.
This, this was what I lived for now. I thought I had been content with what I had but now with Lachlan, with everything new he had bought to my life, I could finally say that I was truly happy. He might have been inexperienced in the world, young, perhaps a child, but I still loved him.
I wanted to show him everything the world could bring.
