SUMMARY: An account of the night Umbriel and Deimos met. Was it fate or mere coincidence? Who knows!
WORD COUNT: 4,747ish
WARNINGS: Generally morbid topics (discussion of suicide and death)
(disclaimer: this has a slow start, half of it isn't really g/t, but it does get there! hopefully i'll share some more g/t oriented stuff in the future :D just a lotta lore about my guys and world i wanted to get out of the way and post)
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The radio on his dresser crackled to life, static buzz filling his room.
“THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OF AVALSHIRE HAS ISSUED A… SIGNIFICANT SNOW SQUALL WARNING… FOR THE CITIES OF AVALSHIRE, ASTRAKANE, VALENAE, AND SURROUNDING RURAL AREAS…”
Umbriel hummed as he sat on the edge of his bed, organizing and packing for his trek-to-come.
“At 930 PM EST, a dozen extremely dangerous snow squalls were located, seemingly popping up across the entire country with little warning. Hazards include extremely poor visibility, sustained winds of up to 40mph, temperature drops of up to ten degrees, and up to 3-4 inches of snowfall accumulation in an hour.”
“Really now?” He scoffed to himself. “Out of every night, just had to be this one?”
He knew the weather in Meris fluctuated fast. One minute, it could be barely flurrying, the next, he could almost get buried alive in snow. The prince had been warned of this for a decade now: if he snuck out on nights like these, nobody would be there to save him if worse came to worse.
But that was a risk he was willing to take.
Glancing yet again at the tear-off calendar on his nightstand, the date was circled in bright blue. Underneath it, the text “SELENIDS 11pm-3am” was scrawled out.
The Selenids, an extremely beautiful meteor shower best seen from Meris, named for their kingdom's supposed savior, only occurred around once every three centuries, and he wasn’t planning on missing it. Not with his fixation on astronomy and stars. It would be like a chef passing up the chance to work with the finest ingredients, or a bookworm neglecting the opportunity to visit the largest library in the world. He couldn’t bear to not even attempt to see it; Umbriel had been dreaming about this night since he first read that old legend when he was a little kid.
He would never get those descriptions out of his mind. The sky completely clear, not a cloud in sight. Auroras dancing across the heavens. A full moon. Thousands of stars amidst the cosmos, and hundreds of beautiful, shimmering meteors streaking across it all. That's how it was described six centuries ago in the legend. During the last appearance of the Selenids, though some clouds were present, and the auroras milder, it was just as stunning. By sheer chance, he was born at the exact right time to see it. A once in a lifetime, no, once in multiple generations opportunity.
The problem was, well, it wasn't viewable from the palace. Clouds had been plaguing Avalshire and his home for the past week, and he was sure they wouldn't part just for him to see the sky tonight. Maybe he should ask his mother to invest in someone that could make a machine to do that. It’d save him a lot of trouble.
For now though? His best option was hiking up a tall hill near the palace. Its peak was a plateau, and it usually reached a bit above the low clouds, giving him much better visibility.
The weather made little difference to him. Snow squalls didn't last very long anyways. They were small, and could miss the area entirely. Weather warnings were always somewhat broad in Meris.
Those were all things Umbriel told himself, but for some reason, the anxiety nagging deep in his gut didn't want to go away. He continued to pack his bag slowly, taking care to arrange all the things he'd need. A thermos with hot tea, a travel first aid kit, a small blanket, some trail mix he'd managed to buy, a pair of binoculars, and his oldest possession: the rondel dagger his late father had gifted him.
Running his finger across the cold steel of the blade, his thoughts began to darken.
All of a sudden, there was a sharp knock on his door, one he’d come to be very familiar with.
He swiftly shoved the dagger into the bag. “Ahem. Come in.”
The door creaked open. Someone of average height, sporting brownish-pink hair cut just above the shoulder, and donning ornate clothing bearing the Merisian Royal pattern, peeked in.
“And here I was thinking you’d be getting ready for bed like a sane person.” The man’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t seriously gonna attempt going out tonight, are you? You can’t.”
“You don’t have to come with me, Castor. I’ll be fine without a bodyguard for a few hours on a trail. Besides, where I’m going is still technically on protected palace grounds.”
“Technically,” Castor gave an eye roll. “Tell me, what do you plan to do if you get caught in a snow squall? Or you if you get seriously hurt? What am I supposed to tell your mother, as your personal bodyguard, when her son’s body is missing in the wilderness in the morning?”
Umbriel stayed silent.
“I know it’s a bit morbid and harsh, but seriously, please think about this more. I know, the Selenids. Everyones bummed that they’re hard to see this time around. I get it. But risking your life and lineage isn’t worth some stars, is it?”
“This isn’t like you. The Castor I’m used to would be all for me sneaking out to see the stars.”
Castor fidgeted with the locket hanging around his neck.“Well, it’s really—“
Umbriel’s eyes flicked up, making direct contact with Castor’s. “Did my mother ask you to dissuade me? Is she really that worried?”
“S-She asked me to prevent you from leaving! It's just, knowing you, Your Royal Highness, you’ll find a way out no matter what I do!” A large sigh escaped him. “But… if I really haven’t changed your mind, just… Please be really careful, alright? The snow thing isn’t a lie!”
Umbriel nodded. “Sure. I’ll think it over. Maybe I won’t go out then.”
“I would say good luck, if there wasn’t a big part of me that doesn’t want you to go.” Castor shut the door behind him, leaving as fast as he’d entered.
Guilt pooled in his abdomen.
Sure, he knew most parents were naturally worried about their children. But when his mother is a queen, and he’s an only child with a dead father, he really can’t afford to go and freeze to death. Umbriel was the only heir, the crown prince. What would happen if he died? Moreover, his mom was worried about his sneaking-out-and-hiking hobby in particular, because his dad had died in an avalanche while hiking.
But still, passing this up? The sole thing in his life he’d genuinely been looking forward to? That wasn’t an option. If it was going to be extra-hard to sneak out tonight, then so be it. He’d rather get caught than not even try.
So, the prince finished packing his supplies, just as the clock tolled ten. After struggling for a moment with the buttons on his coat, getting his boots on, and tightening his gloves, he was ready. Adrenaline raced throughout his body, and he affirmed one final time: he was going to see the Selenids.
Taking a deep breath, Umbriel slowly opened the thick wooden door to his room.
Nobody was outside. How convenient. Castor was truly the most responsible bodyguard in the world.
A lot of watchmen had asked Umbriel around the palace about his tricks. How did he manage to get out so unnoticed? The truth was, he didn’t a lot of the time. Guards noticed him a lot. He was just small, quick, and stealthy, so he could get away before actually being caught. Quite a perfect trio for sneaking out.
Oh, and also, they didn’t know about the forgotten side corridor that hung on the side of the palace, where he was currently walking to. And by side, he meant the literal outside. It was a narrow breezeway, high up, often covered in snow. As Umbriel arrived, he noticed a bit of wind, some flurries, but definitely not anything characteristic of a snow squall.
Maybe he’d get lucky.
So, he continued on, reaching the end of the breezeway, where a spiral staircase awaited to take him to the ground. The thin layer of snow crunched as he walked down the steps, not yet putting on his hood to stay hyper-aware of his surroundings. Because if he was to get caught, not only would he be absolutely grounded, but it would reflect badly on Castor, and he didn’t deserve that.
At the ground, he immediately crouched down. There wasn’t much cover in this area, and—
Crunch. Clink. Crunch.
Umbriel froze, blood running cold.
Those were definitely the footsteps of a guard. Growing louder and undoubtedly closer with each passing second.
What was he supposed to do? There wasn’t anything substantial to hide with! A row of small pine trees stood to his right, but he’d be incredibly easy to spot if the guard crept up to inspect them; the top of his blue-haired head would stick out. He tried to think about the best option, but the time was ticking.
And, just as he was sure that the guard was about to round the corner and see him, he dove for that row of small pines.
“F-Freeze! Who’s there!”
He held his breath, heart pounding in his ears.
Through the needles, he could see the guard take a few steps forward, a small sword drawn.
Yet, in a stroke of luck, a rabbit dashed out of the trees. Making a remarkably similar noise to him diving into them as it hopped away into the distance.
“Ah… it was a… nevermind…”
The guard resheathed the sword, turning away.
He exhaled.
What a close call.
Umbriel indeed passed by a few more guards on his way out. However, through a combination of sheer luck and years of covertness, he managed to get past them without much of an issue. And the fact he was outside with a plethora of shadowed hiding places did, admittedly, help. There also weren't very many on duty that night; he supposed some had gone inside due to the weather warnings. Nonetheless, the prince slipped out the correct side exit without so much as another glance from one.
He knew the way from here well, and the snow was still pretty mild. Follow a few signs and trail markers, a left there, a right here. The "hike" was really just walking up an inclined slope with a couple turns. It wasn't very difficult for him after all the times he'd been that way to stargaze.
"KRAA, KRAA!"
And this was the first sign something was going to go wrong. Something that signified he should’ve turned back at that very second.
A single raven flew overhead in the opposite direction, its loud cry eerily echoing through the empty snowscape. Ravens were a common superstition in Meris that meant "doomsday," because many of the oldest depictions of that legend showed ravens in the backgrounds of their storybook-esque illustrations.
Umbriel cleared his throat, a chill running down his back. He’d persist, he’d be fine. He was going to see these meteors and be totally, completely ok. Superstitions probably weren’t real anyways. Just scary things made up to tell on an equally spooky night.
Yet, with each step that he took in the snow, a growing sense of unease was mounting in his chest. Maybe Castor was right. Maybe he should've listened to him. But if he turned back now... no, he couldn't. He'd already made it this far. He could do it. Taking a small breath to calm his mounting nerves, Umbriel pushed onwards.
The prince recognized the area he was in. It was close to the first fork he had to make to get on the correct path. Walking through the clearing that cut through the forest, his anxieties began to die down. The snow was fine. He was fine. There weren't any ravens anymore. And he knew exactly where he was.
The forest was completely silent, apart from his footsteps. The snow died down a little. How peaceful.
And then, a large gust blew from his left, and everything went white.
Ah.
Right. The snow squalls.
The flakes were incredibly large, their frequency speeding up at an alarming rate. The air plummeted from the nice twenties he was used to, enough to give him a chill even in his layers of thick, warm clothing. And the wind was the worst part; he couldn't see anything due to how much it blew the snow. It felt like miniature daggers piercing the little exposed skin he had.
He'd... he'd be fine. He'd just stop at the next trail marker and wait for it to pass. The next one had a lantern.
He'd live. He'd walk.
And walk.
And walk.
And walk.
And walk.
And walk.
The next trail marker never came.
The snow pelted him, just as intense. Except now, he was shivering. Shivering bad. Even if he tried to take out that warm tea from his bag, he'd probably drop it in the wind or it'd slip out of his trembling hands. And lighting a match? Forget about it. His breath was labored and slow; every breath took a considerable amount of effort, and the subzero air that filled his lungs hurt from the sheer cold.
One step in front of the other. He'd make it. The Selenids. He was on his way to see them. He walked more. Just a little farther with each step, no matter how freezing cold he felt, or how blinding the snow was.
Finally, as the snow died down a bit, as he was just about to start thanking Meris' savior, he came to a horrific realization.
He was lost.
Umbriel didn't recognize the area he was in at all. He was positive that this wasn't on the trail he took, despite his muddied mental state. There were barren trees around, and trees in Meris were almost exclusively pine. What's more, he didn't even think he was on a path. It seemed to just be a clearing in the middle of a forest.
This was really how he was going to die, slowly freezing to death in the snow because he couldn’t follow simple instructions. Would they even find his body? Panic was beginning to set in. He had brought some supplies, sure, but it wasn’t enough for him to stay out there for more than a few hours, let alone however long a search party would take.
Dizziness plagued him. Despair crept into his chest and spread throughout his entire body. The guilt was the worst of all. Castor was right.
...How would his mother react? If he were to die?
Part of him wondered if she would even care.
If he wasn't a prince, he would've given up by now. He probably would've laid down in the snow and made a snow angel for the last time, before bundling up in his blanket and letting the cold claim him. But he couldn't let this centuries-old bloodline end with him in such a pathetic way.
Sure, he'd thought about death a lot. About jumping from his balcony. It was a quick and easy way to go. No more stress. No more pain. No more unbearable loneliness. But he'd kept on going. Not for himself, but for his kingdom.
Confronted with the very real possibility of death, though, Umbriel realized he wasn't quite ready. There were things he still wanted to do, people to meet, places to see.
Tears welled up in his eyes, immediately feeling frigid.
He was such an idiot.
Yet, as the last of his hope faded away, as he was about to open his bag and get out that blanket, something caught his eye.
Something in the distance.
He couldn’t quite make out what it was, he was too far away, the snow was too thick, but… it looked to be something omitting light. An unnaturally colored light: pale pink. Umbriel took a few steps towards its direction.
As it seemingly got closer… he could make out the figure of a person. But… people weren’t pink. People didn’t glow either. And yet, it crept closer. Clear legs, a torso, arms, a definite head.
But then, it seemed to disappear after a particularly large gust of snow. Was he hallucinating? Could've been a possibility.
That is, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Nearly jumping out of his skin, adrenaline raced through his body as he turned, hand reaching for the dagger tucked in his bag—
"Geez! I'm not here to hurt ya! Calm down!"
He stopped. Because the sight in front of him was so bizarre, so strange and different that he didn't know what he was looking at for a second. It was…
Something. Something glowing and entirely different shades of pink, with hair that reached its thighs and oversized clothing. Bandages obscured half of its face. It was also a good foot taller than him.
It clearly wasn’t a human.
He was frozen in fear as the thing continued to stare at him, smiling.
“Wow, you mortals always look so much cuter when you’re terrified!"
Umbriel blinked. “Wh-What…?”
“I said, you look cuter when you’re terrified. That thick hood of yours clogging your hearing?”
Umbriel took an instinctive step back, but the thing took a step forward to match, looking him in the eyes with a wide grin. “What brings ya out here tonight?”
“Um.” He cleared his throat, trying to stop his chattering teeth. “Meteor… shower. I’m… I don’t know where I’m at. Got lost. In the snow."
That’s alright!” It tilted its head. “I know humans are kinda fragile, do ya need help finding your way? Because I can certainly do that!”
Hearing humans described as fragile was odd to him, to say the very least. It's like whatever this thing was thought him to be an object.
"Uh. Okay.”
“Ah… but… I can’t possibly do that kind of thing for free, you see. My expertise is just simply too valuable! However… Actually, what’s your name?”
He really didn’t have the time for this, he could barely feel his legs.
“…Umbriel. Collerei. Prince Umbriel Collerei.”
For a split second, he could’ve sworn this things’ demeanor changed, the very atmosphere seeming… off. But it quickly vanished, and he had to wonder if he was imagining things.
“Wooowie, my mistake, Your Royal Highness. I didn’t expect to find such a big shot out here tonight~” It giggled, and Umbriel couldn’t tell if it was being sarcastic or genuine.
“Um. Right. H-How much money do you want? To help me get home?”
"Money? Don't be silly. I'll take you home for basically free, actually. Royal discount!"
"...Basically?"
Smiling wider, it crept to his side, wrapping an arm around his body. This thing emitted a lot of warmth, causing him to sigh from how welcome it was.
"Well, little prince, I just need ya to look this over and sign your name at the bottom. That's all, really. Then I can get ya home, safe 'n' sound." It pulled out a piece of thick paper.
He froze. From the gesture to that nickname, everything suddenly felt so extremely unnerving and off-putting to the point it was overwhelming. But, just like before, it vanished within an instant.
"Ah... um, alright. Let me look." Umbriel took the paper, hands numb and shaking, and began to skim it over from top to bottom. It was done in crayon.
Deimos’ Super Cool Totally Amazing Contract!
I, Deimos, the creator of this contract agree to the following terms:
To share any info I know about the world with the Reader! (I know a lot of cool stuff :D)
To be very nice and give the Reader lots of attention!*
To protect the reader from harm!*
I, Prince Umbriel, the receiver of this contract, agree to the following terms:
Give up a tiny, very small, portion of my soul! (You won’t notice it’s gone!)
Let Deimos accompany me in daily life!* (I’m very lonely D:)
Sign Here! \ /
“A… contract?” There was more text at the bottom, extremely small text at that, but he couldn't really read it due to the snow and his slightly blurred vision. “What's the catch?”
“Hm? A catch? Ehe, just make sure you read the fine print…”
“Uh… I can't really see it…” He squinted, but the text was so small it was basically incomprehensible. How in the world did it write that small with a crayon?
“Oh, pft, it isn’t that big of a deal actually, just some boring legal stuff.” It patted his shoulder.
“...Really?”
“Mhm!”
“Um…” Umbriel had to think for a second.
He didn’t know what this thing was. But it presented relatively friendly, if not a little odd. What's more, the pros of this contract tremendously outweighed the cons. He really wasn’t in a position to refuse this, because if he did and this thing left, he was probably going to freeze to death. The only iffy part was that thing about his soul, but even then, he wasn't sure souls were even a real thing. Sure, spirits were definitely real. That desert across the sea was chock-full of them. Glowing colorful fantastical beasts with an aggression to humans. Now that he thought about it, this thing offering him a contract was a little similar to one of them.
Those things stayed in the desert, though, and weren’t humanoid. Apart from his kingdom’s exception, the sole reason it was founded. The thing of horrors defeated six hundred years prior on this very night.
He shook his head. Too much thinking for his near hypothermic brain.
"A-alright. I'll sign it. Give me something."
It handed him a rather large quill. A black quill, with feathers that looked suspiciously similar to that of a raven.
And so, he signed his name, sloppily, due to his freezing hands, at the bottom of the contract as this… thing watched, its visible eye gleaming with a childish sort of excitement.
As soon as he dotted the last "i", something incredible happened that he could only describe as a miracle. Something that assured him he'd made a good choice for the time being.
The clouds above, which had seemed so dense moments prior, had parted. Revealing a large swath of clear night sky.
The northern lights were more vibrant than he'd ever seen. The stars were bright and visible. And the meteors, the meteors. There had to be hundreds of them. Shooting across the night sky in an incredible display. A crescent moon hung amidst it all.
He nearly dropped the contract.
It was everything he'd expected since he was little.
"What... What was your name?" Umbriel muttered, not taking his eyes off the sky.
"It's Deimos! I'm a guy, by the way!"
"Deimos... I think we'll be good friends."
"Hang on, do ya want a better view? I can get you one!"
"H-Huh? I mean, I'd absolutely love that, but how in the world..." He began to turn around.
And stopped. Dead in his tracks.
It was like he was suddenly face-to-face with a large, glowing, and pink wall. Except, well, it obviously wasn’t a wall.
Deimos, who couldn't have been more than a foot taller than him moments prior, now took up the entire clearing with his size.
His face alone was more than double the size of his body, the bandaged hand pressed against his cheek was definitely larger than his mattress. However tall he would be standing would probably be enough to reach above the—
Above the clouds.
"Sorry, did that surprise ya? Forgot to mention, I prefer this size much better. And since you signed that contract, you're super special now! You can see me and feel me when I decide to become intangible! Isn't that super cool? Basically, nobody else will notice me right now, even at this size!"
"Ri-right," Umbriel shifted, feeling a bit, well... small. It was kind of overwhelming. "Um. About the... uh, view..."
"Ah, of course, of course! Here, lemme just..."
Before he could react, Deimos' ginormous hand reached for him, warm fingers closing firm around his body, surrounding him completely. It was an incredibly strange sensation, being picked up like an object. But he didn't particularly dislike it. Especially given how warm and soft Deimos' hands were. The feeling was similar to stepping out of a shower and wrapping up in a warm towel, however strange that comparison may be.
"Geez, you're reaaaally cold. I'll have to keep ya wrapped up in my hand."
Umbriel wasn't going to protest that.
All of a sudden, his upper body was shoved out of Deimos' fist, enough for him to look around.
He felt like he was in outer space.
Gone were the limitations of clouds and snow. Umbriel assumed that all was far below him. All that remained was the infinite expanse of the starry sky, so big and beautiful that tears were brought to his eyes. The meteor shower was still ongoing.
He'd gotten to see it after all, and see it he did.
Umbriel probably had the best view in the entire world.
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He couldn't bear staring at the sky any longer. It brought back too many memories; things he didn't like, fragments of pain he didn't understand.
A smile crept across his lips as he felt the tiny prince wriggling in his hand. A sensation he'd missed so dearly.
He could play pretend for a bit. Maybe it'd even be fun. Revenge is a dish best served cold, after all.
But his true motives?
They were right there, outlined in purposefully small crayon at the bottom of a contract, stuffed securely into his pocket.
*This does not include any physical or psychological harm inflicted on the receiver, Prince Umbriel, by Deimos himself.
*Deimos is allowed to do whatever he wishes with the receiver, Prince Umbriel, after he signs this contract.
*The receiver of this contract, Prince Umbriel, allows Deimos to obtain the Merisian throne instead of him.
He couldn't believe they'd made a monarchy in his absence. As if she was even that special.
For some reason, he couldn’t escape that surname. Collerei. It followed him around like a curse.
Still, if he couldn’t escape it, he might as well make the most of it.
And so, there he sat for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for Umbriel to tell him when the meteor shower concluded. His mind wandered to what he’d missed, and to what he’d do when his eventual reign came.
Deimos was positive it’d turn out a hell of a lot better than last time. He’d make sure of it.
“D-Deimos?”
“…Mhm? What’s up?”
“Could you t-take me home now, please? The meteors are starting to die down, and, well, I feel quite cold… and woozy…”
“Oh, of course!” He lifted up his sweater, stretching the pocket of his pants open, before ever-so-carefully sliding the little prince inside.
Umbriels muffled voice reached his ears. “Is this… your pocket? I didn’t know you had them…”
“Sure is! My sweater covers ‘em. Is it comfy enough for ya?” Deimos patted the small bulge Umbriel made in his pocket from the outside.
“Mmm, yeah. It’s… really comfy. And warm. You have soft clothes.”
He couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to have somebody not see him as a horrific monster for a second.
So, he shrank down to a more humane scale, Umbriel shrinking along with him. The prince didn’t need to know about that either. Not yet, at least.
He walked aimlessly through the forest, feeling Umbriel jostle in his pocket every now and then. For some reason, he got the unexplainable urge to do another nice thing. How bizarre.
Deimos laid his hand over the pocket where Umbriel laid, and began rubbing his back through the fabric with a finger.
“Y-you don’t have to do all that…” The prince mumbled.
“Relax, it’s fine. I’ll take care of you. Where do ya want me to take you again?”
“Est… Estrelline Palace. It’s not very far, you won’t miss it.” Umbriel was interrupted by a large yawn. “And… preferably, d-don’t let the guards see me, they don’t know I went out…”
“Sure!”
And so, Deimos walked. Prince in one pocket, signed contract in the other.
He’d have to break this act at some point. Surely.
But for now?
He was quite content having somebody to take care of. Even though he wasn't planning on being very kind to this prince in the slightest after hearing that name. But someway, somehow, he was feeling... awe. Adoration. This unexplainable feeling that wanted to treat Umbriel with kindness instead of malice.
And that feeling sparked another in him. One he hadn't felt for a long time.
Guilt.
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WOWEE IF YOU READ THIS ALL YOURE A REAL ONE heres gifts
G/t community is something else cause I’ll go on Tumblr and see the most jaw-dropping, heart-wrenching story and artwork ever created, and right below the post is someone offering to draw your OCs with a dump truck rat ass.
It’s a shame sizecon is nsfw-oriented … I know there’s a virtual gt-con, but I would love an in-person convention with the idea of promoting the more wholesome side of the giant/tiny community. There’s so many talented artists and authors who are driven by their passion … the artist alley / panelist section would be so cool to witness
lots of ppl (self included) thought something was wrong with them for liking sizey stuff - especially when m4cro/m1cro is so prevalent online. the family-friendly g/t community almost feels hidden, in that regard. (ex: if you look up giant/ess, you’re likely not gonna get something sfw first)
I think if more people knew about giant/tiny - if it was normalized as something distinct from the f3tish by association - lots of people would appreciate that, both directly inside and out of the community
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
titsay
annaxmalina
discoholicmusic
turnnoffyourmind
