The Book of Fairies

“So, What's the catch”? Arrietty asked in a shaky voice as she stared at her friend and master seemingly lifeless body.

The man smiled as he walked towards her, his feet making no sound as he moved them on and off the floor. As if he was walking on air. “Catch”? He says as if the concept was utterly foreign to him. “No. No. Don’t think of it like that,” he said, “Think of it more-so like…like a gift”.

“A gift”? Arrietty asked herself, her eyes following the man. His right hand ever so slightly grazes down her lower left arm before lifting up her hand and placing a ring on her index finger. Taken back by this sudden progression Arrietty looks up at the man and is met with the same deep raven eyes from the marketplace. Eyes that pierce deep into your soul. Eyes of nothingness.

The sun sat high in the sky as the marketplace stalls filled the area with various aromas and chatter. Arrietty fumbled with the basket in her hand, picking at the thin wood strands sticking out. “Arrietty,” a man spoke in a calm voice; however, before he finished his thought, Arrietty spoke up, “ Is this really alright”? Her voice was full of uncertainty. The man looked at her with a plain face. “Is what alright”? He asked, “ This...I mean for me to be out with you like this…ya’know”. Said Arrietty. The man who once held a plain face quickly became annoyed “Huh”?! He said rather ungracefully, “Why wouldn't it be? After all, am I not the one who brought you out here”? “Yes! I know.. but…but I,” Arrietty said, clumsy trying to intervene. “NO! No buts!...the man let out a sigh “You worry far too much for a girl your age,” the man let out a small laugh “If you keep up, you’ll be as wrinkled as a raisin” “HUH?!” Arrietty said as if it was her turn to be ungraceful “What's that's supposed da mean master! I'm only two years younger than you ya’know”! Arrietty’s face was now a deep red which only entertained her master more “Which is why I'm right. Now then show me this stall we’re supposed to be going to” he said taking Arrietty’s hand.

Arrietty led her master to a meat and herb stand run by a dark skin man with a beard. “Out for a stroll, today are we young master Finnian? Oh! and you too little Arrietty” asked the stall owner. Finnian gave the stall owner a warm smile “No, I'm afraid not. I'm actually here to do some shopping”. He said, entertaining the stall owner with small talk.

Finnian, whose full name is Finnian Branton Huŏchái Blaswiste was the oldest child and heir of the Blaswiste family. Despite his high status, he is best known for his long fiery red hair and naturally displeased-looking face that contrasts his caring personality.

“Arrietty.” Said Finnian. “You were given a list by the head cook, weren't you? “Give it to the stall owner”. Arrietty took the list from out of her basket and handed it to the man “Here you go”. “Father’s having some guest over so the cooks are going all out,” said Finnian trying to talk over the evergrowing crowd when he hears a familiar voice. “WAIT! YOUNG MASTER!” the voice was that of a male servant around the same age as Finnian “Wha?!- Lucas! What are you doing here?” he asked the man. “Im- Im sorry,” said Lucas. “I'm here to deliver some last-minute ingredients, my lord.” While handing Finnian the list, Lucas couldn’t help be notice Arrietty. “Hm? So this is where you ran off to Chestnut”.

Arrietty couldn't help but blush at the fact that her childhood nickname was being used in front of her master “Lucas!’ she pouted “I asked you not to call me that anymore”. Lucascouldn'tt help but laugh at his friend's embarrassment “Oh? I think that name suits you just fine” he teased. Although Arrietty claimed to dislike the name it being used by her childhood friend gave her a warm feeling and she would often entertain the older boy. That being said, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable with this happening around their master. Little did she know she wasn't the only one who found discomfort in the situation. “Excuse me,” Finninan said with a firm voice “Weren't you supposed to be giving me some ingredients”? “That's right,” Lucas said turning his attention from Arrietty to his master “I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s what you’ll need”.

Arrietty decided it was best to set herself aside while the two men spoke to the shopkeeper. Seeing as she was a gardener, she went to look at the flower shop that was across from the meat and herb stall. Unfortunately, Arrietty was soon carried away by the sea of shoppers. “H-hey,” Arrietty said, squeezing through the crowd. “Let me through.” After pushing through several people, Arrietty found herself at an old fish stall. “Huh”? She looked for her master and Lucas, but they were nowhere in sight. “Did I really travel that far”? Arrietty asked herself as a worried expression formed on her face. And then, as if her day couldn't get any worse, Arrietty felt a cold hand touch her shoulder from behind. “My~ has someone gotten themselves lost,” the voice said in a smooth yet condescending tone. Arrietty, already startled, gave a slight jolt when a cold hand touched her cheek, bringing her face towards theirs. “Oh, you poor thing~.” The person speaking was a man with jet-black hair and pale skin. But the deep dark orbs he called eyes stood out the most. Arrietty couldn't help but be stopped by sight before her. It was captivating, cold, and dark, and at that moment, Arrietty felt that time had stopped. As she examined the eyes of the man standing before her, she felt as if the self she’s always known was being torn away and replaced with someone entirely different. Her body screamed for her to turn away, but the more it did, the more inclined she felt to stay. That being said, she couldn't allow herself just to stand there. She had to do something.

With a shaky voice, Arrietty spoke to the man, “Wh-who are you…”? She asked but received no response. Instead, Arrietty was met with a grin so wide that if gotten any bigger, it would tear. “Your d-different, right” Arrietty takes a deep breath to calm herself. “You're a foreigner, right,” she asked. The man met her question with laughter “A foreigner, huh”? “I guess you can say that. I mean you’re not exactly wrong”~ Arrietty, annoyed by this man's weird teasing, sucked her teeth. “Now, no need to get so angry,” said the man. “Everything I'm doing is for you, my dear Eve” At this moment, Arrietty’s heart stopped. The man that was just in front of her was now behind her. Staring. With those eyes. Eyes that contained neither happiness nor sadness. Neither anger nor joy. Eyes that showed no signs of desire. Eyes that held nothing and a smile full of ill intent. Arrietty tries to call for help, but it was all in vain when she realizes the truth of the situation. The people who once swarmed the marketplace had not moved an inch since she started this conversation with this mysterious man.

Tears formed in Arrietty’s eyes as she realized she had become trapped by this mysterious man. Wh-who are you? She asked, “Who am I” replied the man wiping away Arrietty’s tears. “I’m Saul” “Well, Saul, I hope you have the proper credentials.” Said a long-haired man as he wrapped his arm around Saul's shoulders. “It's against the law for foreign mages to practice magic without one.” Saul glared at the man before removing himself from him, and Arrietty *Sigh* “Looks like I've been caught.” Saul said, throwing his hands in the air and releasing his magic. “I’ll be going now.”

“Are you alright”? The man asked Arrietty as Saul disappeared into the crowd. “Am I alright”? This question took Arrietty entirely by surprise. She wasn't precisely thrown off by the question but by the fact that she was struggling to answer it. The more she thought about the question, the more she sank into consciousness. Finally, the sound from the motionless shoppers begins to become faint, and all the colors seem to strip away from her. Then everything fades to black.

“...!” “...!” Arrietty felt herself being engulfed by warmth kin to the sun peaking out of the clouds on a snowy day. Someone is calling me, she thought. “Arrietty! Can you hear me”?! Arrietty slowly opened her eyes “Finny”? Finnian looked at Arrietty; his eyebrows were crossed, and his eyes glossy. “What’s with that face,” she asked. Finninan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before turning his attention away from Arrietty, who was resting in his arms. “Thank you for saving her, Bennett,” Finnian said, trying to stop his voice from fluctuating. “I apologize for any trouble this may have caused” He then turned his attention to Lucas. “We’ll be taking our leave now.” Bennett snicked as he watched the group leave the market. “Glad to see you’re as emotional as ever.”

“We're getting close to the manor.” Said Lucas trying the break the silence that followed them. Unfortunately, this may not have been the best course of action as his master met him was an expression that matched his fiery red hair. “You don't think I know that”! He spat. “Forgive me. It's just that with your father being home,”. This caused Finnian to stop in his tracks. He began to tremble as he looked at a now sleeping Arrietty. “Your right… I’m sorry,” he said softly. And with that, Lucas took Arrietty, and the trio silently continued their walk.

Finnian lay in his bed, his limbs tangled in the thick blanket. He looked out at the night sky through his window, the breeze bringing in the smell of salt and sand. “Today was exhausting.” He thought as he looked out at the unlit lighthouse, “Wait…unlit”? Finnian pulled his way through the sheets and up to his window. He focused on the lighthouse, unsure what to make of the situation. “Spose, I’ll ask father,” he mumbled, turning away from the window, his untied hair dancing. “Leaving so soon~.” An unfamiliar voice came from behind. Finnian turned around, his hair seeming to glow as he faced the man before him. “Black hair and raven eyes,” he thought to himself. “I take it you’re the man who attacked Arrietty,” Finnian said, raising his voice. “Attack is such a strong word,” Saul said, moving his legs out the window and into the room. “This is an attack.” Finnian, who once stood tall, begins to trip over his feet, and just like in the market, time begins to stop before everything fades to black.

A/N This is my first time writing a full story using just words. I’m more in the habit of making comics or short backstories for my OC’s.