Prince of the Forest
Words: 1100+
Author: Murdoch
Warnings: None
Reader gender: Unspecified
Series summary: There was a time when fae and man lived together in harmony. Over the years, the boundaries between the human world and the one of the faeries grew. But still, there were times when one could cross between the two worlds with ease. Little did you know, you'd end up right in the middle of it.
You pulled up in front of your cottage and turned your car's ignition off. The place looked just like it always did. A one story house with wood panelling sitting atop a hill. It was a family place that had been passed down through generations, but thankfully it was recently renovated.
Climbing the wooden steps to the house, you reminisced of old times spent in this place. As a small child, you often went adventuring in the woods, searching for fairies and other woodland creatures. Your grandmother would tell you stories of Titania and Oberon, the queen and king of the Fae.
Fairies were an obsession you grew out of. Less time was spent in the forest, more time inside the cottage or in the lake. When you reached adulthood, you barely visited anymore.
But this summer, it was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It would be nice to finally relax.
Gabriel watched the stranger from his hiding spot. Whiskey eyes hidden behind foliage examined the figure with curiosity.
"Gabriel, what in hell's name are you doing here?"
Gabe jumped at the sudden presence, turning to face his glaring older brother. "Mikey, good to see you!" He joked.
Michael didn't return the smile. "You know very well that you're not allowed in the human realm while there's still work to do." He criticised.
"Aw, but it's the Solstice Festival!" Gabriel whined.
"There won't be a festival if you don't help out. Father is up to his ears-" Michael rambled before Gabriel interrupted.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Be a good prince and don't have fun." Gabe grumbled.
Michael turned on his heel and began to walk away. "Oh and Gabriel? You know very well that contact with humans is forbidden." He asserted.
Gabriel repeated this line in a mocking tone once his brother was out of earshot. "I just want a little fun..."
Deep in thought, Gabriel tucked a strand of hair behind a delicately pointed ear. He was going to have fun, damn it. He looked back at the cottage as the gears in his head started to turn, forming a plan.
Messing with humans was always fun. Gabriel was going to have a better time than when he "accidentally" dosed the wrong people with a love potion. His unsuspecting target was just waiting for him.
Instead of following his brother back home like he should have, Gabriel fluttered his wings and took off towards your domain.
The drive into the countryside had left you knackered. The sun was slowly setting, changing the sky's hue to an array of pinks and yellows. Soon the stars would be out. You always loved looking at the stars.
You decided to get ready for bed. You emptied your bag of toiletries our onto your bed and rummaged around for your toothbrush, all to no avail.
Crap. Guess not brushing your teeth tonight wouldn't hurt, you thought.
You walked into the bathroom to wash your face. And there was your toothbrush, sitting right by the sink. Had you already unpacked it? You must've, it wasn't like a burglar broke into your house just to unpack a toothbrush, right?
You got the tube of toothpaste and squeezed it onto the brush. A fat and fuzzy caterpillar made its way onto your brush. You yelped and dropped the thing into the sink.
Toothpaste. It was just toothpaste. You were quite obviously sleep deprived and seeing things. You decided against brushing your teeth tonight, and left the bathroom. You swore you could hear a soft giggling coming from behind you.
Damn, you really needed some sleep.
That was only the beginning. Your tea somehow froze solid during breakfast, in the middle of summer, sitting on a table.
You'd awoken to a rooster screaming bloody murder in your room, but every time you tried to catch it, the thing would simply reappear a couple feet away, vanishing the second you threw a blanket over it in hopes of distracting it.
Every damn time something strange like that happened, you'd hear a faint voice, hooting with laughter.
You were insane. That was the only explanation. You stood by the kitchen window, running your fingers through your hair when your hands touched something that definitely shouldn't be there.
You glanced at the window and screamed at the sight of your reflection.
Ears. A second set of ears, right on top of your head. Furry cat ears that you were certain were real.
There was that laughter again. Something out of the corner of your eye moved, and you reacted on instinct, grabbing an empty mason jar off a shelf and bringing it down around the figure with lightning speed.
The laughter stopped instantly, and you heard a faint "Oh shit."
You'd gone bat shit. Lost your marbles. A few baskets short of a picnic. How else could there be a... a man in the jar.
At least it looked like a man. Dark blonde hair, golden eyes, slight smirk. Only he was around four inches tall, had pointed ears and wings- yellow, white, and black wings- protruding from his bare back. You were absolutely positive that you were seeing things.
"Hey, can you let me out?" His voice pleaded, muffled by the glass. "I was just messing with ya, you know that."
"Oh dear god-" You stammered, keeping a firm hand on top of the overturned jar. "This isn't happening..."
"Yeahhh it kinda is." He said casually. "Look, I'll get rid of the tricks and never bother you again, okay? Look-" The tiny guy snapped his fingers.
With your free hand you felt you head again. No more cat ears. "How-"
"Magic. Now let me out and never talk about this to anyone. I'm not really supposed to be here right now..." He explained.
"You're a fairy." You whispered.
The little blonde guy looked offended for a second. "Pixie, thank you very much. Now PUH-LEASE let me out!" You lifted the jar and took a step back like the pixie was about to explode. "Did your mother ever teach you that it's rude to stare?" He asked.
You scoffed. "Of course I'm staring, you're not supposed to be real!"
"Well today's your lucky day, cupcake." The pixie announced.
You looked at him for a bit. Screw it, this morning couldn't get any weirder. "I'm Y/N." You said as you gently moved your hand over to him.
"Gabriel," The pixie smiled, shaking your pinkie with his hand. "The name's Gabriel."