Fantasy [They Told Me They Were Faerie Tales]

[sadladsalad]

Oswald Traeger

❝ I have passed the same tree several times and honestly it needs to stop. ❞​

The ivory compass needle with gold laquer inlay could not decide where to point, so it tragically pointed to all earthly directions feasible. North or south, east or west— if it could apply to the third dimension, he was sure it would point up and down as well. It was as useless as the decorative buttons on his trousers.

With a heavy hand, he slapped his ivory compass closed, knowing all too well that he was utterly fucked.

Oswald was lost.

He has seen the same gnarled tree, the very one with the “X” mark he carved himself, at least several times. All he seems to be doing is walking in circles, no matter how straight of a line he walks. Holding his walking stick with a tired grip and his other on his military-grade duffel bag, he limped his way toward the foot of the tree rather than past it as per usual.

Something about how nestled and comfortable it looked seemed like the ultimate temptation after walking several hours in the woods.

Oswald, deciding to settle down for a short break for once, prepares to crouch down. A good amount of his weight was shifted onto his cane as he turns around to carefully ease himself into the nestled dirt between the trees thick roots. It almost hurt to see him struggle. Eventually, after much careful trepidation he finally finds his legs sprawled across the forest floor with his wooden cane at his side. Letting his head lean on the trunk of the tree, he stares at the canopy of golden leaves.

Huh.

And it's not even autumn yet.

original code by natasha. & edits and character by sadladsalad

 

[Nali]

Life was lonely for Lily. Ever since the large buildings started to spew black smoke high into the sky, the kingdom of the Fae had gone ill. Their people were dying as well as their forest. She was one of the last.

The blonde faerie was a mischievous one at that, and so she'd been given the best task of them all (in her mind) during their harshest of times: make the humans regret ever stepping foot into their forest. The more humans that were thwarted, the more time they could recover. One day, hopefully when her father was better, they'd claim back their land and remind those pesky humans what life was like before their advancements! Until then? Lily would marvel at their wonderful contraptions, all whilst damning them at the same time.

She'd been busy transforming the leaves of their forest to gold in boredom when he'd shown up. Someone to play with. Someone to torment. But after some time? She'd grown tired of manipulating that little needle of his compass, and it seemed that he did, too. He'd settled beneath a tree, legs sprawled, with his duffle bag beside him. He was beautiful in that moment of simplicity, and so curiosity compelled her to flit her tiny wings and propel her tiny self into his field of view as he stared up into the shimmering, golden leaves overhead--a place where she once hid.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Lily asked simply, her hands on her hips as she swayed to-and-fro. The wind was light, but it was enough to make it hard for her to hover in place. "Will you not come here again if I let you go back, and promise not to say anything?"

She'd cross her arms then, her legs pinching at her knees. It seemed she was impatient, as she didn't give Oswald a single moment to think. "Well?!"

L I L Y

f e e l i n g s o B O R E D

​

​

 

[sadladsalad]

Oswald Traeger

❝ They exist. ❞​

Oswald blinked.

His ice blue eyes, paired with his dark bags underneath, flickered up and down— observing the presence of the faerie.

Although tiny, she was undeniably ethereal. Blessed. Untouched by the taint of human kind. The air around her seemed to glow, as though she was an ember fallen from the sun. Long blonde hair graced down far beneath her waist with tiny petals of flowers and leaves decorating her hair and her outfit, swayed by the will of the winds. She was pretty, yes, but it was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen.

The existence of faeries.​

Even though he seemed unmoved, even though he seemed so indifferent, don't ever let that blank face fool you.

Oswald is so incredibly overwhelmed that his brained just... stopped thinking. Suddenly engulfed with feelings identical to nostalgia and sentimentality, several tears threaten to fall out of his eyes.

It was so strange. He couldn't stop. He can only look at her with his stupid blank face and his mouth agap. He doesn't even know why he feels so reminiscent.

He's never even seen a faerie before.

"The first time I ever see a faerie in blood and already they want to shoo me out. I can almost laugh," he rubbed the edges of his unplucked eyebrows with defeat, broken chuckles falling flat to the ear.

"Alright, if it's by your will, I'll do it. I promise. Nothing would make me break the promise of a faerie. Even if it means I will never see one ever again."

original code by natasha. & edits and character by sadladsalad

 

[Nali]

His voice, his chuckle; they were like music to her pointed ears. A cute scowl had transformed into a look of bewilderment, and she loomed before him with her maw parted. He was unlike other humans she'd seen. He seemed kind and gentle in that moment, wholesome and honest as he appeared enchanted just at the sight of her. Lily had been swatted at before-- large, masculine hands threatening to kill. The first woman she'd seen shrieked at the sight of her, nearly fainted and then told her companion that she wanted her. Humans were strange creatures.

"..." Her silent hum brought her to his face, her big blues staring at his every feature. His eyebrows, long lashes... "I suppose you could stay for a while. You haven't harmed anything, save for the tree. Though I do not believe that he felt very happy about it I can see why you did. Survival. It was my fault you had to resort to it in the first place."

She'd shrug her shoulders as she looked him over more. "You look as though you are about to cry..? Have I bullied you too harshly?"

Keeping up her chatty demeanor, she'd let herself land upon the coarse fabric covering his arm and let her luminescent wings flutter. Dust of glitter seemed to fall from them, and in turn, covered her body to create that glow he'd seen. "..It's kind of you to cherish them. Promises, that is. I honestly did not think a human could understand the true meaning of a promise. They aren't made to be broken. They are made to be kept. Your people truly are quite fascinating. I'd like to learn more about them--you know, to tell the others back at home, but I'd not know how to start."

She'd flip her long blonde tresses over her shoulder before smoothing out the petals that made her beautiful ensemble. Lily was a proper name for her, and upon thinking that this particular human would think the same, she decided to share it with him. "My name is Lilyana Hyacinth Rose Briar. What's your name, human?"

As though she were content enough by his display of beguilement and awe, Lily would go so far as to seat herself upon his arm and folded her legs to one side.

L I L Y

f e e l i n g s o C U R I O U S

code by yousmelldead

 

[sadladsalad]

Oswald Traeger

❝ I, uh, make clocks? ❞​

The faerie asked a fair question.

Oswald, in his part, was hardly prepared for it though.

Actually—
He was mortified.

With a sharp inhale, he rubbed the back of his sleeve against his face. As he drew away, his eyes pretended not to see the little damp spots that permeated through the linen. A quick sniffle to contain all his disgusting nose phlegm/mucas/snotsoup back up, and HOPEFULLY, in all capital letters, he looks a bit more leveled. He couldn't tell, though. It's not like he had a mirror on him or something.

Oswald can't tell that his eyes are still red and watery with dark circles that scream that he probably hasn't slept for a year. The former caused by emotionally instability, the ladder just for his psychological instability of never fucking sleeping. He can't remember what the doctor called it. Entropy? Insula? Fuck, whatever. Sleep is a rare phenomena for him.

But who the fuck cares? A fucking faerie is sitting on him!
The subject of his very desire: sitting! On his bad leg no less!

"O-Oswald Traeger. Oswald's fine, though," he responds, his face frowning as he has a hard time catching up with Lilyana's quick chitter, "I... I'm a clockmaker. I, uh, make clocks?"

The young man rubs the back of his neck before deciding it was far more polite to hold his scrawny hand out for her to shake. He hesitates for a quick second after comparing his palm is the size of the faeire.

original code by natasha. & edits and character by sadladsalad