daretosee | For fractalsfrozen

For fractalsfrozen | Ice Fae Sigma AU

There's a part of him who knew it'd end up this way. Cast out of the town he'd lived in his entire life, where everyone knew each other like family. In the end it hasn't mattered.

He was a warlock, a friend trying to poison their town with witchcraft and dark magic. Or that's what everyone thought. Change was frightening and right now it wasn't something they were ready for, Harold had feared it, but it hadn't been an excuse to not try to better the lives of the towns people.

Medicine and the advancements in it were not to be trusted, so he'd been cast out, forced out into the harshness of winter and the wilds to fend for himself. Harold packed as much as they allowed him, bundled up in as many layers as he could wear without inhibiting his movement.

The first few days aren't so bad, cold, but thankfully not windy. He's got enough food for maybe a week if he rations it out. Making a fire is dangerous, it draws attention and he's on his own, his only weapon a knife he uses to eat with.

In the end it's not monsters or animals or even ruffians that get him, it's the storm that hits three days in. The wind bites through his clothes and there's no way he could make a fire like this.

So he fights through blinding snow drifts to find a cave or anything he could take shelter in, but his body gives out before he has any luck. The cold is just too much and he collapses, still clutching a blanket tight around himself to try and fight off the wind and snow.

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The shivering catches Siebren's attention. It has been getting progressively worse. If he wants to suss out the reason for the man's exile, he will have to warm him up.

"Those wet clothes of yours will have to come off if you wish to stay. And by that I mean alive."

The fae moved ove to the small hot spring and knelt beside it, dipping a clawed hand into it, showing it was not, in fact, acid or otherwise harmful. It was simply hot water.

"The water here is warmed by the blood of the Earth. It should do you some good. Please. I should be disappointed if you made it all the way to my doorstep only to die in my guest room."

He nodded towards the pool.

Oh good, he hadn't wanted to be rude and just start... undressing or interrupt the fae's questioning. He did owe him after all. Thankfully it seems his predicament and Harold mutters a 'thank you' as he starts to tug off a few more layers of wet clithing.

While he appreciates the help, he feels awkward undressing in front of the fae. He's not embarrassed, just... well, did the fae not know of modesty? Still he won't demand he leave, this is his home after all.

"Th-Thank you, it looks. Warm." Which he's looking forward to. Harold decides to keep his shirt on, tugging it down to hide his modesty as he carefully gets into the hot spring.

As he sinks down he thinks that if the fae secretly planned to boil him alive in here at least he'd die not shivering to death. He has the after thought to take his glasses off, setting them aside before duking down under the water and popping back up with a gasp.

"Oh that's hot, oh that's nice." The relief in his voice is grateful.

Siebren does his best to avert his eyes. He knows these creatures are modest, but a fae would never put its own health at risk to avoid a human getting an eyeful...at least an ice or winter one. Siebren collected the discarded clothes, pretending to find them very interesting, hopefully giving his visitor the privacy he needed...not sure if he succeeded or not. No matter. Momentary discomfort was a small price to pay for staying alive.

"I'll hang these up for you. I'm sure I have something you can borrow, should you need it before your own clothes are properly cleaned and dried."

He left the human for a few moments, hanging the clothes up on his own laundry line over a steam vent in the floor to get them warmed and cleaned. Then , he moved on to his own chamber, pulling a shirt and robe free. The giant spiders of the mountain had woven them for him in return for watching their egg sacs while they slept for the winter. They were large enough to capture a deer or a man in their webs, but they never trespassed without his knowledge. His house guest had nothing to fear from them. He returned then and laid the items on the small bed.

"You may call me Sigma if you must call me anything. The creatures of the mountain do, so it is appropriate for a human as well."

He eased down and placed clawed feet in the spring.

"And who might you be, stranger on the mountain?"

"Oh, thank you." The fae is being so kind and he's... shocked? It's not that he thought it was going to eat him or toss him back in the snow, but as he'd trespassed in his domain it would serve him right.

Left alone for a moment, Harold sinks back down in the spring, gaze unfocused, feeling so numb even as his body warms easing the trembles of the cold that had seeped into him. What in the world was he supposed to do now that he was in this predicament. Was it even one? The fae had done nothing but be kind to him so far, but who knew how long that good will would last. Honestly Harold had no plans of his own, he had assumed he'd be dead by now, for as much as he had tried not to just lay in the snow and give up. He didn't want to die and now here he was, in the home of a fae, a being mostly seen as a cautionary tale.

Harold blinks back into focus at the fae's voice, eyes following him as he moves to sit at the edge of the hot spring to place his feet in there with him. Closer like this he really looks at him, taking in everything as he nods at being told his name. Or a name. For a second he doesn't realized he's been asked his own as he's staring at the pale skin and blue sharp horns on his head, the glowing eyes... oh!

"Harold. Harold Winston." Harold draws his knees up to his chest, hugging them and resting his chin a top them. "You've been more than kind to me when I've trespassed on your land, I owe you my life, Sigma." Truly he did. If he'd been left out there it wouldn't have been much longer that he'd have died. Or been eaten, not that he'd known of that near fate.

"I don't know how I can repay you." He looks over at the fae again, at those blue glowing eyes. How does one show appreciation to such a being? Well. Staying off their mountain for one he's sure.

Siebren was many things...but a poor host is not one of them. He's kept pets before...and while none of them had ever been human, it felt similar...at least in principle. Make sure they are comfortable...have their needs met. The human would die if he forced him out...and he had just allowed him in...no...brought him in. It would serve no purpose for him to deny him shelter now...and he did not want to. Perhaps he just wanted company. The other fae, save for that spunky little ice drake that popped in in the winter would most likely not be seen until spring.

He nodded at Harold Winston acknowledging his grace. He was the king of the mountain, not some wild beast. His wrath was terrible when he wanted it to be....but he felt no such inclination at the moment.

"You said yourself that it was an accident. I found you in the snow and you yet lived. It would be...against alignment for me to have left you to die."

Yes, that was it. He was a creature of nature but contrary to his appearance, he would not leave a creature to die in the snow. He'd rescued elk...birds...a bear once...all manner of nature's beings...and surely a human counted as one of those.

He can feel the human's eyes on him, thus he allows himself to also look the human over. They seem to have granted each other silent permission to take each other in.

"Presently, I am in need of nothing."

The human had nothing he needed...or at this point even wanted.

"Don't die. How about that? It would be a waste of both our times."

He arches an eybrow and half smiles, hoping it conveys a bit of humor.

To a being like Sigma he must seem so small and boring. Plain compared to a fae. He was just a middle aged human with no special abilities or gifts.

Unless knowledge counted. Even then what knowledge he had was an amalgamation of literature he'd gleamed from bigger and more advanced cities. Harold had merely tried to bring it to his town, to the people he cared for.

"Don't-? Aha-haha." He's not sure why it's so funny to him, but it does genuinely get a good laugh out of him. So close to perishing, Harold finds the request amusing, a smile warming his face.

"If that's what you're asking of me, I won't." Speaking of, he's certainly been soaking in the spring long enough to melt the grip the cold had had on him. Standing he's quick to shake off and go grab the shirt Sigma had left for him to change into. Only a shirt.

It's HUGE so really it's better than nothing. Harold won't complain. He does however turn away from the fae as he tugs his own wet shirt off, then pulls the other one over his head. O-Oh its. So soft. So warm. He's never felt anything like it. Being so big on his it easily covers his modesty and more, but does fall off one shoulder looking more like an oversized nightgown.

"Thank you, this is very nice."

Siebren beamed at that laugh. Ah, yes, good, human humor was something he could convey.

"All for now. Though if I think of something, I will let you know."

The fae averted his eyes as the human pulled on his shirt...and it was made to fit an elemental, not a man and it showed. It hung off of him, as it was easily 4 sizes larger than what he normally wore.

"You are welcome. The spiders make them for me. Their webbing is stronger than any other weaving in the world...and much, much softer as I am sure you noticed."

He paused.

"You seem very kind and gracious, Harold Winston. Why would a man such as you be cast out from your village?"

Going to grab his glasses he then rings his shirt out in the hot spring before laying it out to dry. He looks at Sigma with an arched brow at the mention of spiders.

"Spiders?" That's... amazing, but also strange. Spiders weave wonderfully soft shirts for the fae?

He'll take a seat on the bed then, legs crossed, hands pitter pattering at his feet.

"Ah... the abridged reasoning would be my town thinks me some sort of warlock... that I'm trying to harm them with black magicks." His mouth sets in a thin line with a sigh.

"It's nothing like that of course. I just wanted to better heal them, help them with their ails. With medicine! Praying to gods and sacrificing beasts to hope people don't die doesn't need to happen anymore, but they wouldn't listen!" He swallows then, remembering the 'trial' he was put on by the towns folk, unfairly mind you, and sentenced to death by hanging or to be banished into the wilds. Pretty much the same thing this time of year.

"... I just wanted to help." Spoken softly, sad.

Siebren nodded.

"Yes...well, not all of them. The Grandmother Spiders...bear sized creatures. They knit for us in exchange for favors. Do not be troubled. They are sleeping now, because of the cold. You won't see them until after the frost has left the ground."

Siebren at last got up as the human began to tell his story. He rose to his feet, then floated in the air and crossed his legs, hovering while listening closely. So that's why the man had been out in the snow. His sadness was genuine. It weighed in his heart in a way that the fae could practically smell.

"You are a healer."

It was a statement.

"You may stay here...if you wish...until the storm passes...or until spring when the pass is...well...passable."

A healer would be a good safety measure to have. He was immortal, not invulnerable. He could become ill...one of his subjects could be hurt...and a healer would be beneficial to have in that case. Room and board for a single human was well worth the small effort of keeping him alive.

"Oh well, that's... good to know." The mild panic that shows in his eyes dissipates hearing that he wouldn't see any giant spiders till the spring. Probably mid spring. He wouldn't be here that long anyway. No doubt he'll be sent on his way soon enough.

"Sigma that's- thank you. You're certain I won't be an inconvenience? The others won't mind?" Others as in other fae. Harold just assumes there are more here, certainly Sigma didn't live up on this mountain all on his own without any of his kind here with him.

Right?

"One human, provided they are mindful, is no inconvenience to me."

The mountain had opened for them to return. If it had objected to Harold being there in the first place, it would have made it clear.

"I am the king of the mountain, the oldest of my kind here. I do what I wish...within reason and if my decision is to have a house guest for the season, they will respect that."

Well...he was the only true one of his kind here. The countless others were different species and types, but Siebren was an elemental born of the mountain itself...proof it was healthy enough to spawn its own fae. If he died, it would create another. It would be different in the way that no two children are the same.

"Besides, the caverns of the mountain are my domain. The others may sometimes come over through the passages that connect them. Most are harmless but there are some I...disagree with. We keep to ourselves, mostly. Hopefully they will not make an appearance. There is...a trouble making ice drake that seems to pop in now and again. She isn't malicious, but she does enjoy teasing humans she finds."

It was a fair warning. The Banshee and the Wraith tended to keep to the lowlands of the mountain range, but even they came up to speak to him.

There's a while lot he's being told, but what he mostly is getting from it is that the fae is here. Alone. That must be very lonely on this mountain, a mountain none are supposed to come on.

His brows knit thinking of it, before his nose crinkles he sneezes. Oh boy. That hot spring had surely helped, but it seemed he still may come down with a cold. Harold tugs the blanket up around his shoulders, wrapping himself up with a little shiver.

"So you live here on your own?" Probably none of his business, but he'd find out soon enough if he was going to be sticking around.

"... is it the way of your people then, keeping watch over the world silently? I mean... there's no villages or towns where you all live together?" This is as good a time as any to learn about the fae.

"Gezondheid."

The human would need food....and extra clothes. Neither would be a problem.
He smiled at Harold's concern-So like a healer to be worries about the well being of others. He softly shook his head.

"No, Harold Winston. I am not alone. I have the mountain...stronger and older than all of us...I have the pixies, the sprites, the brownies...the Grandmother Spiders, the little ice drake...outside I have the rivers...the trees...and...and the stars. All the earth and sky is alive if you listen and look."

He paused.

"I'm told that there are some places where some do. I've never left my mountain. I would not leave it unprotected. The smaller beings...they have small settlements in the trees all down the mountain. IS that not a village?"

"Thank you." Or he's pretty sure he just excused his sneeze. It still amazed him just how kind the fae was. Growing up the stories of them had been used to scare chidren into listening to their parents. Don't misbehave or your father will give you to the faeries!

Sure no doubt there were evil cruel ones out there, but Sigma had been nothing but a gentleman and saved his life. There was evil in all things, as well as good. This fae who ruled ruled the mountain with his jagged horns and claws with pale skin looked like a monster at first glance, but the more Harold's eyes took him in, the more he saw kindness and a softness to him.

"It seems our way of seeing the world is so very different, but I believe you're right." And that's when he realizes- "Oh, just call me Harold, please. Winston is my last name." Did the fae have last names? Would he know what that meant?

"You know you speak wonderfully, I can't imagine human tongue is common to your people?" Or perhaps it was. Who knew how old Sigma was, common tongue could have been passed down through the ages.

"I have listened to human speech for many years. I rarely have anyone to practice it with...and that is how I like to keep it...mostly...but, thank you, Harold. I...I had a friend...long ago. He was an old man who lived alone in a shanty he built on the edge of the forest. I was very young...I hadn't grown into my horns yet...he...taught me human words for things, though I never quite learned to say things back in his lifetime. That was several centuries ago...but I still remember him."

He paused and canted his head.

"Last name....I...I do not know of that concept. We simply have one name. Could you explain it to me?"

Now that it seemed he had a human friend again...for the moment...he could ask when something presented itself that he did not understand.

Centuries. Harold's head would spin if it could. He can't imagine living so long, a human life is nothing compared to that. Winter is but a blink of the eye to Sigma he's sure.

"You've certainly grown into them now." He smiles with a little sniffle. Definitely coming down with a cold.

"I don't blame you for keeping your distance from us, humans don't handle things um... delicately, especially things they don't understand." Most don't, some can. His town being one example.

"Oh well- Harold is my name, the one you call me. Winston is... erm... it's the name for my family, it's how humans keep track of them. Who belongs to which family." That makes sense right? "We all have different first names, well except for me haha, my father was Harold too." A common thing with men pasing down their first names to their sons. He won't get into that. One step at a time.

He could not help but smile a little at that compliment.

"Thank you."

A clawed hand smoothed his hair so that it fell more evenly between his clear, icy horns as he continued to listen.

"So multiple humans in the same family can have the same first name and last name but the last name is always the same but the first name is usually different but can be the same? I think I understand."

He leaned forward at the sniffle.

"It seems you've caught a chill from the mountain. Perhaps we can make you a remedy to shorten its duration, yes?"

He wasn't sure if fae medicine would work on Harold, but it was certainly worth a shot.

Is... is the fae preening at that? Harold would chuckle if he wasn't too busy sniffling again, his nose is going to run away on him.

"I think you've got it in a nutshell. Honestly I think us humans make things needlessly complicated on purpose." And then he's shaking his head a little, tugging the blanket tighter around himself.

"No I think it's just-" A harsh sneeze interrupts him, and he'll look sheepish as he excuses himself, "I've already been a nuisance today, I suppose I should just relent and be a good patient." Harold tries to laugh a little, but it devolves into a bit of coughing.

"Oof, I have to say it's no fun having the tables turned on me like this." Being the patient instead of the healer. He'll be good though, no fussing.

He was. It was silly, especially for a fae of his age. He was still quite proud of his horns. He kept them looking as good as he could. He'd broken one of them when he was younger and since then had been careful to keep them in better condition. To his relief, it had grown back after a few seasons.

He nodded to his right.

"Come this way. We shall see if my medicine works on you."

The two of them made their way through the mountain cavern, passing many glowing crystals in several different colors. They illuminated the space, revealing it to not be a tight cave, but a large open cavern. Hot springs steamed and occasionally geysers would spray. They passed pools with glowing fish and aquatic lizards. They seemed to pay the fae and his guest no mind.

They finally reached a side cavern with a square of ice on the wall. With a wave of his hand, Siebren caused the ice to move away. Beneath its surface were shelves filled with bottles, vials and bowls made from ice. Each contained a different herb or flower.

They were impressive horns and there's no age on beauty or appreciating it. Harold wonders of they're made of ice some how, they're truly fascinating.

Nodding he follows the fae, careful as he walks, he's barefoot now, still wrapped up in the blanket as he trails behind Sigma. It's hard to not gape, to stare, it's magnificent in here. Expansive and some how dark yet filled with light and life.

Harold most definitely stumbles a few times caught up in it all, at least until they arrive where Sigma meant to bring him. When he shows him his expansive collection of herbs and flowers... it's like what he did before he was exiled. Had this sort of practice of mixing herbs and things from the earth come from the fae? He had to wonder.

"This is amazing, Sigma... this is what I did back home, before-" Another coughing fit interrupts him, once it passes he fixes his glasses clearing his throat.

"It seems I could learn a thing or two from you." Or more. Paddding over to the display he carefully reaches out, before thinking again and stops, looking to the fae.

"May I?" He'd just like to peek at your ingredients. He has so much he's never seen before. So much that he didn't know what it could be used for.

Siebren put a clawed hand on Harold's back to offer him a bit of support in the coughing fit. Yes, they would need thyme for that...and honey. He had that in the pantry. They would have to made some herbal tea.. He smiled a little at Harold's enthusiasm. He nodded and gestured towards his collection.

"Of course. Be my guest."

He can gather what he needs when the human is done.

"Thank you." He's careful as he looks at things, gingerly holding bowls and containers to have a peek. Sniffing lightly to try and guess what some of the dried ingredients are. Many are dried to prolong their use, he knows that much.

He'll happily look around while Sigma does what he needs to, trying to stay out of the way. Mostly just low-key jealous of the fae's supplies. Not like it mattered right now, no one wanted his healing services or help.

"You have a great amount of knowledge and healing here, I know only a drop of it." A lamentful statement, he could only dream of knowing so much.

Watching Harold look through his collection of medicinal herbs. It was like watching a proverbial kid in a candy store.Sigma flexed his fingers, freezing some of the moisture in the air into a bowl. He fished around the cabinet and retrieved the herbs he needed, placing them in the bowl for later use.

"If you see anything you want, help yourself, just tell me if it is the last of anything so that I can replenish it in the Spring."

He smiled.

"It was not gathered overnight...it was over many years and collected from others. If you have questions, I would be happy to tell you. I have scrolls and some books detailing recipes. As a healer, I think you would find them useful."

Harold only notices Sigma making a bowl seemingly out of thin air by chance. A flicker at the corner of his eye. His gaze turns to try and see more, but by then it's all done.

"Oh no I wouldn't- I couldn't take from you." This wasn't for him to take, this was hard work for years and years. He'll perk a little at the mention of scrolls and books though.

"I would love to read anything you'd allow, I'd be lucky to learn an ounce of what you know." He's lucky to even be alive on the presence of the fae.

Sigma finished his gathering-putting all the bits of herbs that he needed into his ice bowl. He put everything back carefully.

"My offer stands. If you need anything, let me know. Now come, we shall brew you some honey tea and get you to bed to rest."

With a wave of his hand, the ice froze over the cabinet, effectively closing it. He motioned with his head.

"We need to get honey and a mug from the pantry. The hot water would surely melt my ice before you could finish your tea."

They made their way a little further down to another enclave with a boiling spring and a much larger ice cabinet. Sigma waved his hand over it and the layer of ice melted away revealing ice containers of food and wooden mugs and plates. He picked up a mug and dumped the contents of his bowl into a mug and in a swift motion, scooped the mug through the boiling water, filling it. Satisfied, he reached back into the food cabinet for the honey which he poured into the mug. He offered the concoction to Harold.

"Here. Drink it once it is cool enough. It will help with your cough."

Sigma nodded toward the food cupboard.

"Do you need anything to eat?"

Sigma reached into a jar and retrieved a preserved fish from an ice jar and ate it in a single go.

There were other...non fish related foods-dried meat jerky, nuts and dried fruit.

For fractalsfrozen | Ice Fae Sigma AU

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