Constellations of Faerie Lights
(read on ao3)
Pairing: Helen/Lydia Rated: Gen Summary: Helen laughed. “Have you ever heard of Faerie Lights? They're actually carefully crafted by various seelies and unseelies during the year, using what little natural magic and talent we have to create garlands made up of strands of moonlight and rays of sunshine. It’s actually one of the only things I can do as a half-faerie.”
“Must be because of how bright you are,” Lydia blurted out before she could think over her words. “I mean, it just- If you’d asked me what piece of nature you held within your heart, I would have guessed Light without a second thought. Oh my god, I’m just going to shut up and let you continue your story now.”
Or: Lydia has never seen anything quite as beautiful as faerie lights (or as the faerie who made them).
For the @malecdiscordserver Advent Calendar
For as long as she could remember, Lydia had loved learning about the world.
As a child, she’d dreamed of being an explorer who got to travel wherever she wanted to, visiting the most beautiful and forgotten of places. When her parents had tried to get her to learn how to fight, she’d snuck out of the manor’s library to wander around Idris – which had earned her more punishments than she could count.
Being a shadowhunter had never been her plan. It had been her duty, and it had been what was expected of her, but it had never been her dream. She still remembered hearing the other children talking about how great fighting was and thinking ‘why on earth would you want to hunt demons when you could discover the mysteries of the world?’
Becoming a Clave representative had been her way of trying to get away from the field and maybe get sent on missions all over the world.
Of course, no one had bothered to tell her that representatives spent most of their lives stuck in Idris, dealing with paperwork and following every order they were given without batting an eyelash. So much for travelling.
Needless to say, she’d been disappointed. She’d spent the first few years of her career wondering if she would have been better off marrying into another family and gaining leadership of an Institute. At least that way she would get to move freely and decide what she wanted to do with her life.
(As much as a shadowhunter could, at least.)
In the end, it took her two years to get sent on a visit to the Madrid Institute, and another year after that to get thrown into the madness of the New York Institute. The first trip had been educational and entertaining. The second? Not so much. In fact, it had almost been enough to get Lydia demoted – or to get her to quit, if she was being honest with herself.
Fortunately for her, things took a turn for the better once she hit her fifth year as a representative. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve the sudden burst of confidence coming from the higher-ups, but she certainly wasn’t about to complain. In the span of three months, she’d been sent to deal with Downworld relation issues in Melbourne, to evaluate a couple for headship of the Saint-Petersburg Institute, and to resolve internal difficulties in Alexandria.
Finally, finally, her choices had paid off. After years of dealing with bureaucratic bullshit and being treated like she didn’t matter, she was being sent around the world to places she’d hoped to see for over a decade.
This new development in her career was how she found herself in Los Angeles just as November turned into December. The Institute had been going through some trouble as the Blackthorn family and the Lightwood patriarch fought for dominance, causing more problems with the Downworld than was usual for the very progressive city.
Lydia had been a little worried about her arrival, since her history with the Lightwood parents wasn’t exactly positive, but the Blackthorns had completely obscured Robert’s presence and had honestly turned Lydia’s trip to LA into the best one of her life.
There was just something about the set of siblings that made her heart melt and her mind feel lighter than it had in months.
“Lydia, you’re already up!”
Alright, so perhaps there was one sibling in particular who had caught Lydia’s eye, she thought as she turned around and came face to face with Helen Blackthorn, by far the prettiest woman Lydia had ever met.
“Good morning, Helen,” she said softly, hoping she didn’t sound half as flustered as she thought she did. “I thought I would get breakfast started for everyone, since you always seem to be the one left to shoulder that burden.”
“Oh, it’s hardly a burden,” Helen chuckled, sidling up to Lydia and stealing her breath away with another one of her blinding smiles. “It makes my siblings happy and keeping them happy is the only way I can make it through the day without going insane. Although I’ll never complain about someone doing my job for me. So, what are we having?”
“Nothing special,” Lydia shrugged. “Just some pancakes. Dru mentioned you all had family plans for the day, so I figured it would be good for the kids to have something that would fill them up with energy.”
“She told you about that?” Helen asked, sounding both surprised and slightly hesitant.
“I’m sorry,” Lydia winced. “Was she not supposed to? I didn’t think it was a secret since Livia also added her own two cents on the matter, but I can always pretend I didn’t hear anything if that would make you feel more comfortable.”
“It’s just not- It’s not exactly something I’d want getting back to the Clave,” Helen admitted quietly, glancing at Lydia as though she was about to run straight to the Clave and tell them the Blackthorns were hiding nefarious secrets. “We’re not doing anything illegal, I promise, but as tolerant as the Clave has prove to be in the last year or so, I don’t exactly…”
“Trust it?” Lydia completed for her, laughing lightly as Helen’s eyes filled with guilt. “Please don’t feel the need to lie about your feelings for the Clave just because I’m here. I may be a representative, but my only obligations to the institution as a whole is to follow my mission orders. I’m here to deal with the Blackthorn-Lightwood conflict, that’s all. Nothing else will get back to the Inquisitor.”
For a second, Helen didn’t say anything, only tilting her head to the side curiously, her fair hair falling to the side and revealing her pointy ears. Lydia tried her best not to stare at them, but they truly made Helen seem magical.
One thing the past two years had taught Lydia was that shadowhunters, for all their talks of righteousness and duty, weren’t half as amazing as they made themselves out to be. Faeries, on the other hand, never pretended to be something they weren’t. They were truthful and sometimes too cunning for their own good, but at least they didn’t lie about who they were.
It was a trait Helen had clearly gotten from her Seelie ancestors. She’d been honest with Lydia from the get-go, refusing to avoid the point of Lydia’s visit the same way Robert had and bluntly stating all the problems they’d had to handle ever since the Lightwood patriarch had arrived. It was something Lydia appreciated in a person, especially in one as stunning, bright, and kind as Helen.
So maybe she was a little smitten with the other woman; it wasn’t like anyone was going to notice.
“I believe you,” Helen finally answered. “I’m not sure why, but you don’t seem like the kind of person who would lie to expose a respectable family’s secrets. Although if you dig anything up on Lightwood, please don’t hesitate to send him packing. As much as I respect Alec and Isabelle, something about their father rubs me the wrong way.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lydia snorted, biting at her bottom lip as her curiosity battled with her manners. At the end of the day, though, Lydia was far more curious than she was polite. “What is your family tradition, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Ah, it’s just something I got from my family in Seelie,” Helen shrugged sheepishly. “My parents never had the time to teach us about Blackthorn traditions, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give my siblings something to look forward to in place of an Advent Calendar or a Christmas tree. Something a little more… magical?”
Before Lydia could ask what the other woman meant by that, the tell-tale sound of running footsteps caught her attention and had her twisting around towards the kitchen door.
Less than three seconds later, the entire gaggle of Blackthorn children barrelled into the room, eager smiles on their faces and far too much energy in their bodies for kids who couldn’t have been up for longer than fifteen minutes.
“It’s Today!” Tavvy exclaimed happily, throwing his little hands in the air from his place in Julian’s arms.
“Yes, Tavvy, it’s today,” Helen chuckled, fluffing the young boy’s hair lightly as Julian set him down into his chair. “I see you’re all very excited. I don’t think I’ve seen you up this early since the same day last year, Liv!”
“Very funny,” Livia rolled her eyes, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Lydia’s pancakes. “Oh god, can we keep you? Helen never makes pancakes. And we’re far more fun than the Clave, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now.”
“You do realise she has a job in Idris, right?” Emma – the only non-Blackthorn of the bunch – said sarcastically, flicking the back of Livia’s head playfully and agilely dodging the younger girl’s elbow as it flew back to nudge her in the ribs. “But I agree that I could get used to pancakes for breakfast. Perhaps Miss Branwell could teach Helen how to cook properly.”
“Lydia, please.”
“I’m sure Lydia has enough on her plate already,” Helen shook her head amusedly, chuckling as she caught sight of the plate in Lydia’s hands. “No pun intended.”
“Oh god, have the puns already started?” Ty – Livia’s twin – groaned, burying his head in his hands.
“The puns never end, brother dear,” Helen grinned widely, pulling out a seat for Lydia before sitting right next to her. Lydia tried her very best not to blush but, if the look on Emma and Julian’s faces was anything to go by, she wasn’t quite as subtle as she wanted to be. “Now please devour your pancakes like the uncivilised shadowhunters you are so we can get outside before the sun comes up.”
Lydia was about to ask why they needed to be out before sunrise, but the sudden inhalation of food by the younger Blackthorns stopped her in her tracks. She wasn’t sure whether she was impressed or horrified by their speed; perhaps a little bit of both.
“Is Miss Branwell going to put the lights up with us?” Dru asked once the pancakes had been consumed and the other children had rushed away – presumably to get their shoes and jackets or whatever else they might need for this mysterious tradition.
“If she wants to,” Helen answered quietly, sending Lydia a look that was far too hopeful for her to ignore. “You don’t have t-”
“I would love to join you,” Lydia smiled. “I have to speak to Robert this afternoon, but as long as this only takes up our morning, I should be fine.”
“Oh, you can leave whenever you want to,” Helen assured her. “The main event will be over in less than a minute, but I like to let the kids have their fun for as long as they want to be there. It keeps them busy and gives me less to worry about, so I usually just sit back and enjoy the show.”
“You’ve got me more intrigued by the second,” Lydia admitted, standing up to follow Helen as the woman gestured for her to come along. “What was Dru saying about lights?”
“Right, we got interrupted before I could explain,” Helen laughed. “Have you ever heard of Faerie Lights? Stupid question, of course you have. Anyways, the common agreement in mundane society seems to be that once upon a time, the lights were made of actual fairies. Little do they know, the lights are actually carefully crafted by various seelies and unseelies during the year, using what little natural magic and talent we have to create garlands made up of strands of moonlight and rays of sunshine. I know it sounds very theoretical and a little silly but… I promise it works. It’s actually one of the only things I can do as a half-faerie.”
“Must be because of how bright you are,” Lydia blurted out before she could think over her words. “I mean, it just- If you’d asked me what piece of nature you held within your heart, I would have guessed Light without a second thought. Oh my god, I’m just going to shut up and let you continue your story now.”
“You’re fine,” Helen smiled, rendering Lydia speechless as she gently laced their fingers together and squeezed Lydia’s hand reassuringly. By some stroke of luck, she didn’t pull away even as the rest of the siblings joined them in the Institute’s front hall. “Alright everyone, time to get the show started!”
As one, their little group stepped out of the Institute only to be greeted by the harsh cold air of an early winter morning. LA might not have been as cold as Idris, but mornings had proved to be cruel in terms of temperature. Lydia had been fooled on her first day there, and she couldn’t help but regret not bringing anything other than lighter clothes on her trip.
Not that she thought about the cold for too long; not with Helen’s hand in hers and the rest of the Blackthorns bounding forward a few steps before coming to a halt and turning towards the Institute with wide eyes.
Lydia was about to ask what was going on but before the question could leave her lips, Helen was turning her around and giggling wildly as Lydia’s jaw dropped.
The lights weren’t on yet – she wasn’t sure how that worked exactly, since Helen had made it seem like she’d put pure moonlight into the garlands, but she was far too stunned to wonder about technicalities – however, the Institute was already the prettiest thing Lydia had ever seen.
The garlands seemed to be made of both gold and silver strands, the colours visible even from afar thanks to the first few rays of sunshine peeking through the horizon. The strands themselves were covered in tiny buds of a flower Lydia couldn’t identify but could definitely appreciate. And the lights, or at least their containers, were made of what seemed to be delicate, glittery glass.
Honestly, Lydia wasn’t sure what was going on, but she wasn’t complaining in the slightest.
She was only startled out of her daze by Helen letting go of her hand with an apologetic smile. Lydia’s fingers suddenly felt more cold than they had in days, and she wondered if there was even a chance that she could get Helen back where she’d been seconds earlier once she was done doing… whatever she was doing with the lights.
“Are you ready?” Helen called over once she’d reached the Institute’s front door again – a door from which appeared to hang the very first garland.
As soon as the Blackthorn children answered with a chorus of ‘yes’s, Helen brought her hand up to the garland, closed her eyes tightly, pressed her fingers against one of the glass containers, and-
Lydia’s mind went blank.
She had no idea how long she stood there, staring at the faerie lights as they turned on one by one, but she figured it was far longer than most people would. She didn’t care, though, because she wasn’t sure she had ever seen anything as entrancing as the lights show happening in front of her.
By the time she came back to herself, all the lights were on and the children were gone, leaving Lydia alone with Helen. Helen, who had laced their fingers back together again.
Between the lights and Helen’s warm hand in hers, Lydia wasn’t sure she was going to make it through that morning in one piece. Her heart felt fuller than it ever had, and she could feel tears of awe stinging at her eyes.
She honestly wasn’t even sure how to describe what she was feeling at that moment. She wanted to tell Helen that the little bit of magic she had was the most beautiful thing Lydia had ever seen. She wanted to tell her that she’d never felt more content than she did right then, staring at an Institute she barely knew and holding hands with a woman she probably shouldn’t have liked so much. She wanted to burst into tears and grin like a loon and just sit there all day, staring at the constellation of bright stars adorning the Institute’s façade.
“Those are- Those are the most stunning Christmas lights I’ve ever laid eyes upon,” Lydia finally breathed out, frowning at how insufficient her words sounded. “No, that’s not right. That’s the most stunning thing I’ve seen ever, full stop. I just- How did you do that?”
“Not sure,” Helen shrugged, her cheeks redder than Lydia had ever seen them. “It’s really nothing much; just something to make my siblings smile.”
“Well you’ve achieved that and more,” Lydia nudged her gently. “There aren’t many things in this world that can make me speechless. Speaking of the kids though, where are they?”
“I leave coloured faerie lights hidden all around the Institute for them to find,” Helen smiled fondly. “Whoever can find the most gets exempted from shadowhunter duties for the entire month.”
“Oh wow, pretty high stakes,” Lydia whistled, impressed. “How many are there?”
“About a hundred,” Helen admitted with a smirk. “But they never find all of them, and most of them will be back within the next hour or so. They already know who’s going to win.”
“They do?” Lydia asked, more than happy to sit there and listen to Helen talk about her siblings lovingly while Lydia admired the lights.
“Emma wins ever year,” Helen explained. “That girl is far too competitive for her own good, and Tavvy always gives her the ones he finds since he’s too little to have duties.”
“Devious,” Lydia laughed loudly. “And what do you usually do?”
“Paperwork, patrolling, whatever needs to get done, really,” Helen answered with a sigh. “There’s always too little time to do everything, and not having my siblings around means I’m far more productive. However, I suppose- Well, I could be convinced to do something else, for once, even if it’s just staring at these lights for a few hours with a pretty girl next to me.”
“I- Really?” Lydia whispered, looking between the lights and Helen disbelievingly. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve the attention of the most beautiful girl in the world, but she wasn’t about to complain. “I would love that.”
“Good,” Helen murmured, squeezing her fingers again. “Because there’s nothing I’d rather be doing right now.”
If Lydia had thought the lights had stolen her breath away, it was nothing compared to what she felt at the sound of those words. Her heart skipped a beat, her stomach fluttered, and she knew her cheeks were probably brighter than ever.
Lydia hadn’t thought she would ever understand wanting to stay in one place for the rest of her life but, staring at Helen and feeling the other woman’s warmth as they sat on the grass and glanced up at the myriads of faerie lights, she thought she might finally get where everyone was coming from.
There was nothing she wanted more than for the world to stop right then, with Helen’s hand in hers and a sea of stars gleaming before her very eyes.