Feathers and Freedom (malleus x reader)
Basically just Malleus rewritten as Maleficent? idk I got bored, it's only a small part of the actual story 💀 oh, and "MC" is basically just "y/n" and was mentioned once as female, so uhh sorry to any guys?? idk, I did my best to leave it as ambiguous as possible
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Aye, our two kingdoms are the worst of neighbors. At this point, the discord between us and them is so vast that only a truly great hero or a terrible villain would have even the slightest chance of bringing us together.
The words of your grandfather’s story echoed through your mind as you darted cautiously through the trees, stopping every now and then to make sure the coast was clear. The human kingdom and The Moors had been at odds for many years, and the adults in the village often told cautionary tales about venturing too close to its great woods. Children go missing…monsters lurk in the shadows…they’ll drag you in and feast upon your bones! Mostly a load of drivel, you thought. Of course, one shouldn’t go into The Moors given the current tensions running between the two kingdoms, but…it’s for her, you reminded yourself, pressing onwards.
It wasn’t long until you came upon the area you were searching for: a pool of clear water surrounded by towering crystals that glistened in the early morning light. It was a fairly secluded area, surrounded by trees and a vine-covered cave on the opposite shore. The pool itself had many smaller crystals at the bottom of its shallow waters, and walking up to the edge of it, you plucked one of them from its shore. Got it. You weren’t planning on keeping it, more like…borrowing. That was all. Holding it up, you admired the way it caught the light and cast mini rainbows all around. While you were admiring the small rock, a sharp snap echoed off to the side and you spun around to face whatever had made the noise.
Two of the towering guardsmen were making their way towards you, spears clutched in their hands. You’d heard stories about them, about their ruthlessness in battles. They looked like living trees, and they could withstand much more than the average human soldier. Flinching in surprise, you quickly skipped across the rocks littered within the pool to the cave you saw earlier. Pushing your way through the thick vines foliage, you pressed yourself into a small nook in the rock. It was cold and damp, but no way did you want to be caught by those things. Who knows what they would do to you? Would they run you through with their spears for trespassing? Would they drag you off somewhere else and feed you to some unknown forest beast? I sure hope not, you thought, trying to calm your racing heart. They couldn’t reach you in here at least, so you had time to think up a plan to get out. You could hear the splashing of the water as they waded towards the cave.
Okay, okay, what to do? Running isn’t an option and this cave doesn’t lead anywhere…maybe you could try leaving when they’re not looking and climb up the side of the cliff? It wasn’t that high, you reasoned. Climbing it wouldn’t be an issue, doing so without being seen was the difficult part.
I just need to wait—your thought was interrupted by the sound of heavy flapping and then the strange sound of the guards speaking to someone. Their language was unintelligible to human ears, sounding more animalistic than anything. You stood there, frozen to the spot, listening intently. Are they talking about how they’re going to cook me—another voice rang out. This one speaking in a tongue you could understand.
“I’m not afraid.” Was that another person? A boy, by the sound of it. Maybe he could help you get out? “Besides, I’ve never seen a human up close.” …Nevermind. Clearly, not a human, based on his words. You sighed. Were you simply doomed to be stuck here forever?
“Come out!” This time it was directed at you. You jumped slightly at being addressed directly, even if you couldn’t see them.
You debated what to do for a few moments before calling back, “...No. They’re going to kill me.”
A quiet chuckle echoed through the air at your response. “It’s not right to steal, but we don’t kill people for it.” There was a pause, neither of you saying anything. “Come out, I promise you will not be killed by them for such a petty crime.”
You contemplated your choices. Go out, or stay stuck in here for Gods knows how long? You sighed again. Well, here goes nothing… Bracing yourself for the worst, you got up, dusting yourself off as you took a few tentative steps towards the cave mouth. Taking a deep breath to steady yourself, you pushed through the green vines back out into the sunlight.
“Are you fully grown?” The voice did indeed belong to a boy, but he was far from human. A pair of feathery black wings sprouted from his back, and two horns sprouted from his head, curving upwards. Not to mention his ears, they were sharp and pointed instead of rounded like a normal human’s.
“No,” you responded, eyeing the boy in front of you. He was beautiful, and the way his emerald eyes caught the light was mesmerizing. He didn’t really look any older than you. If you had to hazard a guess, you’d say you were the same age.
He turned to speak to one of the guards. “I believe she’s just a girl.”
You raised a brow at that. “And you’re just a boy…I think.”
The boy looked back at you, taking you in with his gaze. “Who are you?”
You hesitated for a moment. Your grandfather had told you stories about foolish travelers who’d given their names to faeries, and ended up under their control. That being said, your grandfather had also acknowledged that a lot of traditions regarding faeries became warped by old wives’ tales. Deciding to just go with it, you told the boy your name. “I’m called MC, what’s yours?”
“My name is Malleus,” he answered. He looked like he was going to say something else before being interrupted by one of the guardsmen again. It spoke and pointed at you, seemingly accusing you of something. “Right, of course.” Malleus turned back to you and spoke again. “You have to give it back.”
“Give what back?” You were playing dumb, though it wasn’t fooling any of them. Malleus simply gave you a look and stretched out his hand. Realizing you’d been caught, you sighed in defeat and stepped forward, placing the small crystal in his hand. Your fingers brushed against his skin briefly and you shivered, taking a step back after handing it over. You watched forlornly as he cast it back into the pool, where it belonged.
***
“If I knew you were going to throw it away, I would’ve kept it,” you said sulkily, ambling along the dirt path. The two of you were walking back to the edge of The Moors through the thick forest. It was a lovely place, if you were being honest. The sound of the wind rustling through the treetops and the occasional birdcalls were quite soothing.
“I didn’t throw it away, I delivered it home,” Malleus replied, a slight hint of amusement in his tone.
“Same thing. I was gonna bring it back anyways…” you muttered under your breath, stepping over a small patch of clovers so as not to crush them.
The boy took note of your action, his large wings grazing the ground as he continued to walk alongside you. “Forgive me for not believing you, most thieves wouldn’t return what it is they have stolen.” He watched you with intrigue, curiosity written in his expression. “You seem…rather mindful for a human.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” you asked, unsure of whether to be offended or not.
Malleus thought for a moment, seemingly trying to decide what he wanted to say. “The others say that humans are…destructive beings, that they don’t pay any mind to the natural world around them. They simply use whatever and whoever to get what they want. But…you just went out of your way to avoid stepping on those flowers.”
“Oh,” That was not what you had been expecting. “Well, insects need those flowers for food and…what’s the point of stepping on them anyways?” You really didn’t know what to say to that. You knew that humans weren’t all good, but they weren’t all bad either. You supposed it was the same with faeries, given your interaction with Malleus so far. “You really shouldn’t judge someone based on something so silly,” you muttered.
Malleus listened to you speak with interest, taking in your words and reasoning. You weren’t at all how he’d expected a human to be. The ones in the stories were violent and boorish, with foul-tempers and fueled by greed. “...I suppose not,” he agreed.
The two of you slowly came to a stop. You’d reached the edge of the forest, the edge of The Moors. Before you stood rolling fields of grass and wildflowers, the human kingdom’s castle standing tall and imposing in the distance. “I suppose this is where we must part ways,” he said solemnly.
“So it is.” You gazed out at the sprawling fields, feeling the cool breeze as it blew towards you.
“...Are you going to come back?” The fae asked curiously. Malleus had rather enjoyed your company, though he wouldn’t admit it. Humans fascinated him, and you seemed to be a genuine person unlike the tales he’d heard.
You looked back over at him, contemplating his question. “...If I made that choice, would you be here?”
“Perhaps.” He answered noncommittally, though you could tell that what he really meant was yes. At least, that’s how it seemed based off of his tone.
Instead of answering verbally, you stuck out your hand to shake his. A silent truce. A promise. However, the moment he took it he flinched back, hissing in pain.
You looked at him worriedly. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He rubbed at his palm where he’d touched you, brows furrowed. “Your ring. Iron burns faeries.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” You slipped the ring off of your finger and turned to chuck it somewhere into the tall grasses before turning back to him. “Does it hurt terribly?”
“No, I’m alright. It was just a bit of a shock, that’s all.” It was true, a small amount of contact like that didn’t do any lasting harm and he’d already completely recovered from it. He didn’t even seem all that bothered. If anything, he was only more interested in you and your strange manner.
“Okay, that’s good,” you trailed off, fidgeting with your sleeve, unsure of what to say. “Um, well, I’ll be going then. It was nice meeting you, Malleus. I like your wings.” You hurried off before he could see the flustered expression on your face, walking swiftly through the swaying grass.
Malleus was surprised by your words, an expression of shock taking over his face as he watched you go. Once he finished processing what you said, he slipped into a soft smile. “It was nice meeting you, as well, Child of Man.”
a/n: not really new to Tumblr, but this is my first time posting/writing a fic. really don't expect anyone to actually see it lmao but I apologize if it's bad
