Stumbled Into (Taken)

The trumpets and flutes were like a pair of deer in mating season. They seemed to clash with one another in such a way that neither seemed to win but they knew that one side would eventually be victorious. He didn't understand what she meant by the royal fae and the pure fae. "What do you mean to take what they lost and to capture more?" Taking her hand as they approached the guards looked at the two of them, they seemed gruff.

"Halt! State your name and business!" The two guards gripped their spears tightly and stepped forward to greet them prepared to kill the two strange newcomers if they must.

"Oh thank you! Gentleman, kind guards!" Darian called out. A mock exasperation mixed into his voice as he approached his arms raised. "My fiancé and I were attacked along the road back to Riversong. They stole everything I owned, luckily they only took the gold and not our lives!" A laugh raised from Darian's lips. He could see the guards look softening.

Stepping forward the lead guard looked both of them over his eyes lingering on the beautiful Ella. "You both look like a right mess, take to the market, if you have money they'll find clothes. The Fenn Inn is up the road to the north from the market. I'm sorry that we must bother you but the forest seems more alive than usual tonight.”

Darian began to walk through the entrance to the small village before one of the spears stopped him in his tracks, it startled him slightly and caused him to step back hoping that the guards were as kind as they seemed. “I’m sorry, where did these bandits attack you?”

Letting a sigh of release past his lips he smiled and pointed down the road. “A quarter of a day’s journey down the road. Just past the edge of the forest.” With that he placed a hand on Ella’s arm directing her ahead of him. The senior guard seemed a little too interested in her. Walking briskly he made sure to put as much distance as he could between them. The market was just closing for the day but they made a quick purchase of some fresh clothes with money Darian kept hidden in his shoe. Then he quickly paid for a room at the inn which they could enjoy some privacy. “Who are the royal fae and why are the separate from the pure fae?”
 
Ella wondered why the lead guard seemed to take interest in her. "The royal fae are those who serve under the queen. The pure fae are those who believe incestual ways are the way to the future of the fae. The royal fae have mixed with other creatures, even humans, making the fae stronger." She looked back over toward the gates. "Why did the guard stare? Did I... perturb him?" She asked, looking down at her dirty appearance. She looked down at her feet, a bit nervous. They were dirty as she had no shoes, and what did he mean by fiancé? Was that what humans called their chosen mates?
 
Taking a moment he went into a side room out of view from Ella, it took him only moments to tear the remnant of cloth from his body. The cloth was no better then bloody rags at this point. Smiling he slipped on the shirt, it was a simple woolen shirt, tan, the little emergency money had gone as far as it would. The only money left would need to be spent on transport back to Riversong. Slipping on the slacks he then walked back out into the room where Ella was. "If you need to wash I can fetch some water."

"Wait..." he was baffled when she stated that some fae had mated with humans. "There are fae that have mated with humans? Do the humans now live among the fae? I've never heard of such people before. Though you certainly look human without your wings." He smiled and moved to the bed and realized that they would be sharing this bed for the night. It seemed inappropriate since they had just met. And yet... nothing about this girl was what a human would call normal. She remarked about the guard.

"Well, you are very attractive..." It was a bit awkward talking to her about the lustful gazes which the guard had given her. "He was interested in your body, lusting after you. Sometimes men can get lonely in small villages like this so they can act oddly around beautiful women. Even if they are the fiancé of someone else. It's odd." He told her feeling it was better to get things out in the open, especially if she was wanting to learn more about human society.
 
"The humans are usually those who have captured the interests of the fae. The queen herself has a human mate." She said, playing with her hair. "I shouldn't waste water on a wash... people need it for drinking." She walked over and sat down on the bed, still in his coat. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to undo all of the tangles it had formed.

When he mentioned the lustful gazes, she looked at him. "Me? Attractive? If you find me attractive, you should see the other women of the royals. They look like angels the earth has never known, skin soft and smooth to the touch. I am ragged and rough, used for work and not to be cherished." She wished she could explain everything to the human, make him understand the society he had stepped into. Maybe if she could bring him to the royals... No, that would blow her cover completely. She needed to learn of the humans, wanted to learn of the humans. The only way to keep learning was to avoid her family finding her at all costs.
 
Angels? Of course she seemed sad... exhausted would be another word to describe her. But to say that she was not meant to be used only for work and never cherished. That was something that Darian just couldn't live with letting go. "You are neither ragged nor rough..." Standing up he smiled at her, "I will return." With that he left the room and closed the door behind himself. It wasn't long before the door seemed to creak open and Darian came through holding a large pot of water. It was not hot but warm, the innkeeper did their best to keep the wash water warm. Walking into the room he saw her sitting on the bed continuing her methodic work of untangling her hair. "It will go much faster with warm water."

With that he made his way into the other room and pulled the wash basin from the wall, he then set the warm water down. "Every woman, no matter their standing in society deserves to be cherished. You've lived a life of servitude now let someone do something nice to serve you, hmm?" Though she had spoken to him of angels Darian knew the beauty that was Ella's. Taking her by the hand he led her into the wash room, explaining the various things that were there. Then he left the room and turned his back to give her a little privacy. "I'll go see about getting us some food..." with that he left.

A fresh warm loaf of bread on a platter with some milk and cheese were on the menu for the guests, they'd had compassion on the two of them after their run in with the bandits. Returning to the room with a platter of these Darian almost walked right in but instead opened the door only slightly. "Ella? Have you finished?"
 
Ella didn't have time to argue with Darian when he showed her the washroom. She immediately got to work, cleaning herself. Underneath dirt was smooth and soft skin, her tangled hair becoming smooth layers of brown silk. She was grateful for the warm water, liking the feel of it on her skin. She noticed a bit of dirt near the window. Smiling, she touched it, a beautiful flower growing at her touch. Her green eyes danced with glee as the purple petals moved in the wind.

She jumped at Darian's voice and quickly finished washing herself, using the last of the water for the new flower. She wrapped a towel around herself and called, "I'm finished. You can come in." She sat down on the bed, still in a towel. She wondered what Darian would do if he saw her in only a towel?
 
Hearing her voice assure him that she was done Darian stepped into the room, what greeted him now was not the same as when he'd left. There was no way that the beautiful creature sitting on his bed was the same. And yet... he could still sense it about her, he still knew it was her. She was so beautiful and it seemed the bath had raised her spirits which only seemed to add to her beauty. She was smiling for the first time since he'd met her which was a gift to him. Stopping at the door he just stared for a moment, transfixed at the woman sitting upon the bed. It was soon after that he noticed she was only wearing a towel, averting his gaze from her he nearly dropped the platter of food. "I thought you..." he stopped himself, technically she was done washing so he decided to change the question. "You didn't want to put your dress back on?"

Though he was no stranger to women being in his home, never had they worn just a towel. It caught him off guard and he continued to just look down at the platter of food. "The inn keeper has been kind enough to give us this food on the house, it's nothing but bread and cheese but it is warm." Looking back at her he smiled, she was so different and yet the same. She was far more beautiful, beyond any woman he had ever had the pleasure of meeting.
 
"I... Well..." She held up her old dress, holes in it in places there shouldn't be. "It tore when I took it off." She looked a bit ashamed of herself as she held up the rags. She looked down, nervous. "I-I'm sorry..." She whispered. She felt a bit nervous. When she ruined a dress punishment followed. It didn't help that it had already been tearing the last few months. She didn't have enough thread to repair the dress, or any thread at all. She kept the towel close to her body, making she sure didn't let it fall.
 
Watching her hold up the dress it he soon realized just why she was not wearing a dress. Much like his own shirt her dress was little more than rags with some semblance of an actual article of clothing. However the way she apologized and the look on her face was a bit confusing. And then it dawned on him that she would likely have been beaten or worse for letting her clothes get destroyed like that. Nodding he smiled and left without a word. Returning to the room he held a simple dress. "The inn keeper wants you to have this."

Taking it over to her he placed it lightly on the bed next to her, then he sat down. "Hey... everything is alright, there is no need to fear anything anymore." Reaching out he stopped himself, this was far too bold for him. Standing back up he went and got the bread. Breaking it in half he kept his back turned so that she would have some privacy to change. "So are you considered a royal or a pure fae?"
 
"I'll have to give them my thanks." Ella said, smiling at the dress. In her eyes, it was beautiful, perfect for a fae like her. "I am neither. I don't belong to the royals nor the pure." She slipped the dress on and folded the towel, putting it away. "You may look." She seemed to like the simple blue fabric. It was the same blue as most of the townspeople's dresses. Her wings seemed to fade through the dress, requiring no holes for them to squeeze through.
 
Turning when she said that it was alright he found himself smiling once more, she looked wonderful. Her brown hair fell like jewelry around her shoulders, she was vibrant now and smiling. That was all that Darian really needed, just to see her smile. Once again he caught himself staring at the beautiful creature before him and he looked away. "I'm sorry, I really don't mean to stare like that." He laughed and took some of the bread and cheese over to her, "The dress looks like a good fit, you look amazing." He told her truthfully before holding the half loaf of bread out to her. Once she took it he began to cut some of the cheese into slices and gave those to her.

Sitting down on the bed next to where she was he looked at her, her wings were beautiful to him, so ethereal and strange. They seemed to fade through the fabric of the dress. "Your wings... how are they doing that?" That was when he realized she would need to continue to hide them from the townspeople. It seemed a shame that they would not be able to see her wings. "Unfortunately they will still need to be hid, not while we're alone..." he quickly added. "Humans tend to reject things that the don't believe are natural."
 
"I understand. Let me try something..." Ella closed her eyes as she focused. Her wings started to disappear until they were invisible. Ella opened her eyes, which were now slightly bloodshot. "Can you see them?" She turned around like a model showing off a new dress. She ate while she was doing this, enjoying the bread and cheese. It was extremely delicious and she absolutely loved it.
 
Darian looked, watching her every movement as she twirled around in the dress, she seemed carefree... it was nice. She seemed to be enjoying the bread too which helped him to smile even more. It was almost sad for him to see the wings go away, he actually really liked them. They seemed to complete what she was. "Not at all... how did you do that?"

Watching her eyes they were beautiful but something was wrong. "Ella, is something wrong? Your eyes are completely bloodshot... I don't want you hurting yourself if I can help it." Taking another few bites of his bread he watched her. "Enjoying your meal?"
 
"Magic can do almost anything." She said, letting the spell go, thus her wings appearing again. She finished her food quickly. "I'm fine. It's just a side effect, nothing to worry about." She waved his concerns off. "Where will we go from here?" She asked, tilting her head. She was curious as to what the human settlements would be like beside this one. It was so much more... lively with the humans.
 
Watching her she seemed to be able to make her wings appear and disappear at will, yet it seemed to have some sort of effect upon her. She didn’t seem concerned and to be honest Darian had no reason not to believe that nothing was wrong. She seemed happy with the bread and cheese, which he’d given her. He handed her his last piece of cheese and then finished the bread he had in his hand.

“Well, first thing tomorrow morning we’ll need to return to my town of Riversong, I have my own house there.” He smiled, “You’ll love it, and there is a small garden area to the back of the home.” He then realized she might not know what that was. “It’s a place to grow flowers and herbs… I’m not sure if you have a green thumb or not, but I don’t.” He stopped himself once again and smiled, “A green thumb is an expression to say whether you’re good at growing plants or not.” Looking up at her, “I don’t want to force you anywhere where you do not wish to be but you can stay with me as long as you like.”
 
"I know human terms. You don't have to act like I don't." Rose murmured. She didn't want to say out loud that she felt undermined that led to punishment. Her teeth sunk into her lip, keeping her from talking more. Impudence bred bad behavior which was punished. She brushed through her hair, trying to do something with her hands. Hopefully he hadn't heard her disrespectful murmuring.
 
"Well sorry," he told her truthfully. Getting up from where he was at he looked around the room. "I just don't know what you do know and what you don't." She'd said it softly which meant she likely didn't want him to hear. "We should get some sleep," he told her as he continued to look around the room trying to find something he could use for a blanket. He didn't want to be so bold as to sleep next to her. It wasn't proper. And yet he continued to see her and see just how unusual and strangely pleasant this had been for him. "You can take the bed, I'll find something..."

It was then that he let his mind comprehend the gravity of what had happened to him. He'd lost practically everything in that carriage, not everything just the profit that he expected to make. It was a big loss and he would need to find some other way to cover expenses. There would be a lot of work to do when he got back to town. Sitting down next to the bed he sighed deeply. At least he had his life and the woman he had to thank for that.
 
Ella looked over at the man. "You seem troubled." She stated. "Why?" She didn't understand this human. He wasn't cruel, wasn't harsh, and wanted her to understand. Who was he? Why was he so intrigued by her? She was a mere slave in the majesty of the fae. What was so interesting about her that he decided to risk his life to help her after she had saved it. A sound of trumpets and flutes sounded off again, sounding to humans like a deranged beast. This made Ella worry. The battle had begun.
 
Looking up at her on the bed he shook his head, "It's nothing really... I just have a lot of work to do once we get to my home." She didn't need to share his problems, she had enough to worry about. Rubbing his temples lightly he heard the sound of the trumpets and flutes. "Why is it that I can hear the flutes but the others can't? Was it because I have experienced magic?"

Leaning his head back against the bed he felt tired, propped up against the bed he felt like he could sleep. "Will the other fae come for you?"
 
"Yes." Ella said simply, answering both of his questions at once. She laid down, curling up near him. "The night is coming. We should sleep." She stayed close, but never touched him. "Good night." She said, closing her eyes and letting her wings fall motionless. The trumpets and flutes started to fade as the faerie fell asleep. Instead, the chirping of crickets took its place.