This is a work of FICTION, made by and for adults 18+. The following chapter includes depictions of mourning, sexual assault, battery, cutting, severe trauma (dissociation), bludgeoning, murder in self-defense, assault, murder by immolation, and sensitive terminology (cunt, bitch, slut). Reader discretion is HIGHLY advised, and a summary of traumatic events is provided.

The light flurry faded as the dawn warmed the spring air. From behind the creaky door of a cottage, a young woman with fiery curls poked her head out.

‘The snow is finally slowing,’ Aileene observed, glancing at the nearby tree dropping its collection.

With a huff, she opened the doorway. Wading through the snowfall, she hardly felt the frost on her toes nor the chill breeze under her dress. ‘Was the forest always so,’ her nervous gaze darted about until a rattling in the branches caught her attention. Peering up into the thick canopy, Aileene spotted the packed cheeks of a red squirrel darting home. ‘I guess I’m not so alone.’

Before long, she reached her favorite clearing—the sunlight seemed to break through the clouds, inviting her in.

“Well,” Aileene gruffled and stepped up to the center. She didn’t move for some time, though, apart from lightly stretching. She sullenly glanced back, ‘What are you doing, Aileene?’ before putting her arms forward. “Come on.” 

Aileene flinched.

“It’s just— one foot in front of the other, and—” With a final flex, Aileene took a step and danced in the way her mother taught her. Though initially clumsy, Aileene soon found her feet and spun about the field in fluttery orbits. Only the dimming sun relayed how long she flowed across the snow. She stopped only once to discover the source of a twig breaking, passing it off as another squirrel before continuing.

As a flaming glow caressed the clouds, Aileene realized, ‘Is it already that late?’

Catching her breath, she peered down at the compacted snow. “Oh, my.” The wide, irregular rings seemed supernatural against the white landscape. ‘I didn’t realize I had danced so much,’ a faint smile briefly crossed her lips. ‘I suppose I haven’t let myself enjoy anything since…

“I should head home before it gets dark.” She turned to leave but snapped to a rustling in the thicket. ‘That didn’t sound like a squirrel. A— fox, maybe?’ She peered into the woods; nothing was there. ‘Come to think of it,’ she cautiously walked away, ‘I don’t recall if I’ve seen a fox when there’s this much snow.’

On her way, Aileene detoured to a small clearing by the cottage. She knelt before a weathered mound of wood and charcoal before clasping her hands together.

‘Oh, Brigit,’ she prayed, ‘is my mother well? Are you looking after her?’ Aileene paused as if expecting a response. 

None came.

‘I miss her so much. Not a day has passed that I haven’t wished she was still here beside me. It’s been… so lonely, here on my own, but,’ she wiped the tears before they could fall, ‘but I’m still here. Surviving.’ Aileene looked to the sky. “Please,” a few drops finally fell, “if you can hear me, I… I’m so tired of being alone… and scared.”

There was no response to her plea.

‘I don’t know what I expected.’ With a glum huff, Aileene stood, cleaned her face, and dejectedly returned home. ‘Maybe I’ll dance again tomorrow if the snow isn’t bad. That seemed to cheer me up… a little, at least.’

***

The following morning, Aileene peeked out to find, ‘Oh, wow, the sun is actually shining.’ With a hint of a smile, she stepped out to return to her clearing. ‘Maybe today I’ll try singing too. It’s been a while since I—’ Before she could reenter the ring, Aileene noticed a figure hiding behind a tree. As she stopped to worry, ‘What is—!’ a tall, older man with dark hair stepped out of the shadows.

Aileene quickly turned, but a smooth voice called out, “WAIT!” She halted, but her pounding heart and trembling legs wanted to do anything else. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he quietly apologized. “You’re the forest girl with fiery hair. I’ve seen you around the village, though, not as much since the snow began. I figured something happened to your mother—”

Her heartbeat quickened as every fiber in her being told Aileene, ‘Run!’

“—when she stopped coming, so I wanted to say I’m sorry. I’m Hagan. I— I happened to be passing yesterday when you started dancing and— W-well, it was just so beautiful that— I had to stay and watch—”

‘YOU were,’ she could hardly reflect on the strange noises and lack of animals in her shame, ‘WATCHING ME?!’

“—so— I came back, hoping you’d come back too, and… Well, I don’t have much to offer, but– you must be lonely so, if you’ll have me, I hope I could make you happy and less lonely.”

‘Make me—’ Her shivering abated as she turned. “I,” Hagan’s hopeful look turned confused. “I don’t even know you!”

Aileene spirited away.

—Extreme content warning. Reader discretion is HIGHLY advised— —A summary of major plot points will follow—

“WAIT!” His plea did not stop Aileene, nor did his less compassionate call, “I SAID STOP!!” It wasn’t until she reached the other clearing that she squealed when a blow brought her to the snowfall. “Why did You RUN?!” Hagan turned her over; she yelped as a harsh strike left her cheek throbbing before he held her wrists. Though her waist was straddled, Aileene couldn’t look as he shouted, “I Just Wanted to TALK, so WHY did You RUN!?”

‘Y-YOU’RE HURTING ME!!’ Her lips could only quiver as she flailed and whimpered.

“You know, I didn’t Want to believe them, but Maybe they were Right about You.” Aileene peeked but cringed at his glare. “The forest girl caressed by fire making Faery Rings Barefoot in the snow. His snicker felt the worst as he accused, “He was even right about your—” His grip slipped and Aileene pulled her hand free, instantly reaching for her foraging knife. “What are you—!”

Aileene’s arm swung.

She momentarily kept her lids clasped. Then, she found blood streaking down Hagan’s neck, dripping through his fingers as he held his throat.

The wet knife dropped. She backed away as Hagan fell away gagging. Her hand closed around something hard; she looked down to find herself holding a rock. At the next sound, her fist flew and struck as he turned to watch it squash his left eye.

Hagan first trembled into the frost while the stone made another flight. He then shivered and it came to strike him again; a few final twitches led to a splatter that ended Hagan.

Her gasps didn’t halt as Aileene stared at the mess that once was a not-hideous face. She peered at the rock and blinked before dropping it and watched the blood trickle down her clean palm.

Aileene began to shake her head and cry just when a coarse voice demanded, “YOU!!” Only a tear had dropped as she saw a group of men approaching with torches in their hands, scowls on their faces, and fire in their eyes.

‘Oh, no.’ Her gaze darted between them and the body. ‘This isn’t—’ She drew away, “I— I didn’t—!” Upon flipping around, Aileene found a ring of tall figures approaching. She slipped to the ground, breathless. “No— I—!” As she looked up, a bloody rock and a sharp sting left the world a senseless blur.

She vaguely noted raised voices and movement around her, but Aileene couldn’t move or tell what was happening—even the searing pain seemed dull and far away. Traces of red coated the haze after a moment; she blinked, but it only caused the shade to cover the right half of everything. ‘Wha—’

A strange jolt left Aileene feeling floaty as her arms were raised and crossed. More voices and taps to her cheek forced her to make a face and shudder aware.

“There’s the cunt,” she finally made out coarse words. “Had a nice dream, changeling? Get to kill anyone else?”

“What?” Bewildered, Aileene wondered, ‘Changeling?’ Her sight was still unclear; a throbbing ache, accompanied by a wince, were what brought her accuser into focus.

His curt features were almost as sharp as his words, “We caught you red-handed. You killed Hagan and you surely killed the rest of your family too.”

“W-what?!” A drop of blood fell onto her forehead. She peered up and saw her stained wrists were bound to a pole with rope.

“Did you lure him into the woods with your dancing, is that how you did it, changeling?” She could barely struggle as he insinuated, “Charming him like a slut so you could murder him in cold blood?”

“But I—!” Aileene looked down as a blow to her stomach knocked the wind from her. The rope dug in and she wheezed as her body limply hung.

“Don’t try and deny it! We passed your Faery Rings! WE CAUGHT YOU IN THE ACT!!”

“Bu—” She gulped as desperate tears started to fall, “But I-I’m not— a fae—!”

“THEN HOW,” he pulled her clean eyelid open, “do You explain your eyes?! HUH?! I knew both your mother and grandmother and NEITHER OF THEM had emerald eyes like yours!!”

“I—!” Aileene began sobbing before he let go. “I don’t know! My mother said— they must have been— a gift!”

“A gift?” He scoffed as an agonizing trail of frost seared down the left side Aileene’s face. She screamed and flailed as blood trickled down her cheek, but he quietly continued, “Some gift. To have your baby killed and replaced by the creature that did it.” The cold blade curved around, “What if I carved these gifts out right now?” She whimpered and shivered as her panic worsened. “Would it bring back the people you killed?”

Finally, the iron left her flesh and Aileene shuddered for any fleeting relief from the lasting anguish. “You know, I never got to meet your father. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

She couldn’t look or speak, only mewl and cower. After a few crunches of snow, a blunt blow to her chest shocked her lids open. Seeing stars with every biting breath, the accuser’s voice seemed so muffled as he announced, “From what I’ve been taught about fae, there’s only one way to kill a changeling!”

The darkness of smoke was the first clue that something was wrong. Only then did Aileene notice the growing heat. ‘Wait—!’ Her gaze dropped and she acknowledged the pile of wood beneath her toes. ‘Wait, you—!’ She tried to struggle, but every feeble movement forced pain to course throughout her.

Suddenly, fire tickled her ankle and the dread set in. Aileene looked down and realized, ‘Wait— This is—’ The tears streamed down her cheeks as she recalled her mother’s funeral pyre. “Please..!”

Aileene yelped as her skirt came aflame.

‘Not here! Please!’ Crying out, the burn traveled up her leg but she couldn’t get away.

‘I CAN’T! PLEASE!! NO!!’

The crackling encompassed her and suffocating clouds blocked her sight. “Please, no—!!!” She found her voice only to scream as her fiery curls came alight. Finally, the air itself seared with each breath.

Aileene took one last gasp.

“NO!!!!”

—Summary of events. Reader discretion is still advised—

Hagan pleaded for Aileene to wait, but she did not. Enraged that she didn’t respond to his second, less compassionate call, he chased her before tackling her to the ground. Too afraid to answer his questions, especially after being slapped in the cheek, Aileene struggled to break free as Hagan began making accusations.

When his grip slipped and released one of her wrists, Aileene reached for her foraging knife. She then blindly swung, cutting Hagan’s throat. After dropping the blade and backing away, Aileene’s fist was found to be holding a stone that was hidden in the snow. The slightest noise or movement was enough to force Aileene’s hand to fly until Hagan was no more and she was safe.

Or so Aileene thought. Before she could lament her actions, a group of men approached from all around carrying torches and scowls. With nowhere to run, Aileene could only panic as they closed in and the bloody rock came down on her forehead, shocking her into a pained daze.

Voices and movement around her continued, but Aileene could only blink when blood streaked across her right eye. In her confusion as half the world turned red, she was picked up and her arms tied above her head, only coming out of her daze with light taps to her cheeks and some directed words. Strange allegations of her being a changeling and killing her family only left her more confused, but she couldn’t defend herself as the torture began.

A blow to her stomach knocked the wind from her, halting her words and allowing her accuser to hurl more insults. As tears fell and her words escaped, she was inquired as to how her eyes looked so different from her families. Her admission that her mother called them “a gift” earned a mocking echo before searing pain, trickling blood, and the promise to cut out her emerald “gifts” left her terrified.

While that promise was left unfulfilled, a harsh blow from the rock hurling into her chest left her in agony with every breath. A final shout that there was only one way to kill a changeling began Aileene’s final torment. Fire closed in around her as she realized she was standing upon her mother’s funeral pyre, helpless to escape her fate as she begged for mercy.

—End of extreme content warning—

—Spoiler—

Goodnight, my sweet butterfly of sunshine, Never again to flutter in daylight.

Next chapter we’ll be meeting someone very important in my hierarchy of angels: Samael (he/him), Judge of Souls and Archangel of the Immortal Plane. Once she has been judged, Aileene will meet some more important members of my hierarchy: his son, Meranlynx (he/him), and granddaughter, Mera (she/her).

“Why would they hunt you, kitten?” “W— Well, I’m a witch. Ever since I was born, I’ve lived in hiding because witches are being… hunted.” “So it’s been since long before you were born, little kitten,” she grieved, catching Elva off guard.

—End Spoiler—