A Touch Of Fae Ch 01

This is something I've been working on in my spare time on my work notebook...(soooooo glad my Boss didn't go looking in it!)...and decided to post the bits I've been working on between patients when I get a chance to type them up.

Hope that you like it, bear in mind its just something that came to me at work and it was a way to pass the time if we had a cancellation LOL

Thea Part 6b will be out within the next two weeks, the first part of the following story to Corine will be out at the start of April. Most of that first chapter is written, but I have to re-read it to be able to get into it again lol.

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April 10, 1742.

Milanowas, Realm of the Fae.

The moment they have long been waiting for has at last come to pass. I have had my vision - the visage of their precious prize -- and can now see nothing but her face. Glorious eyes of vibrant green are still burnt into my mind, hair softer than the lightest feather down and the colour of the richest of mahogany flows gently about her face, wet from the rain that falls around her. I can still hear her voice, soft, timid even as she curses the rain in her quiet lilt. She speaks like none other I have ever heard and can only assume that their precious prize is not part of this time. Only the great powers that be know when she will become part of this world and I shall have to be ready to mark her when she does.

And so finally the ancient game begins again. A barbaric hunt if I am true to its nature. And I live in hope that my vision of their prize does not come to pass, for I pity the creature coveted by the Kings of the Fae.

~~~

The rain was horrendous. Buffered by a chilled wind, it fell in sheets as Ashlynn Kenzie dodged another car splash and mounted the pavement, the blare of the frustrated driver still ringing in her ears.

"Bite me, we all have places to go, people to see." Ashlynn mumbled under her breath as she pulled the collar of her coat up around her ears and braced herself for the age old game of 'Pedestrian Chess' with the other remaining stragglers escaping from the town centre in the downpour. As one too many people side-stepped in the same direction as her, Ashlynn gave up with a frustrated groan and string of curses her Navy Uncle Jonathon would have been proud of -- Lord rest the bruit -- and ducked beneath the nearest shop awning.

It was nearly six, shops were closing their doors and pulling their shutters as last minute consumers begged to be let in to buy those last minute birthday gifts and post-Christmas special deals that would no longer be there on Monday. It was rather amusing to watch. The excuse the man at the awning next to her was almost priceless. Originally it was meant to be flowers for his mother and it had somehow transformed into a sick grandmother who's day would be "totally made" by a £1.99 bouquet of half dying carnations.

Ashlynn's bus pulled up a mere few feet away and she sighed in dismay at the sheer number of people on board and the fact there seemed to be double that and more queuing to get on. The lights inside lit up blurry images of weary parents with prams and shopping bags through the misty fog of a hundred breaths, the predictable band of teenagers occupying the elderly seats while an older man was left to support his frail wife in the aisle. Ashlynn watched as the driver crammed every passenger in the queue on before moving off and exposing her to a gust of icy air that chilled her down to her bones. With the last bus gone and the taxi rank two streets away, Ashlynn muttered a curse to the heavens and pulled her collar closer around her neck in preparation to make a run for it, only to be stopped by glorious warmth behind her.

Turning towards the blissful kiss of the heat, Ashlynn felt it in wave after wave as the frigid wind made the door sway open and closed. When a lorry tore passed and soaked her heels, she dodged inside and was rewarded with the heavenly scent of hot coffee and warmth that made her fingers and toes tingle as a little bell went off above her head.

"We're open, feel free to have a browse. I'll be out in a minute!"

Ashlynn murmured her thanks before shutting out the dismal weather behind her. Glancing at her surroundings, Ashlynn was awed. The walls were lined with black velvet; photography graced the upper part of the walls and stood out beautifully. The Tait had nothing on this. The work was simple, real people and their expressions, the simple detail of a hand or the way the light caught on a woman's face. To the right there were dozens of laminated screens hung against the wall, a blue lit display case beneath. Moving closer to inspect its contents, Ashlynn stared in wonder at the various piercings, silverwork, Celtic knots and ornate daggers.

She smiled her first genuine smile in days as she quietly took in the myriad of items around her. Moving the first of the screens she revealed sketch after sketch of intricate designs, creations that called to her and littered every available space. Colour of every variant filled some while others stayed with the basic black yet seemed to have all the more impact for it. The counter in the corner held notebooks, pages she could never imagine wanting to write on and mar such beautiful objects.

"Good lord!" Ashlynn whispered as she touched the one on the top of the glass and turned it over, the silver stamp shocking her. These were made of real silver -- none of the 'plated' rubbish -- but the real deal...and she could imagine the price being very much the 'real deal' to match!

Ashlynn moved away from the counter and the door behind it and was drawn back to the screens. Parting them idly, Ashlynn paused at one that sent chills to run rampant beneath her skin -- but for why she could not fathom.

"Seen anything you like?" The deep voice asked causing Ashlynn to squeak with shock.

"Thanks Attie, I'll settle the bill at the end of the week."

Ashlynn watched quietly out the corner of her eye as the petite blonde girl came out from the door behind the counter and the owner helped her into her coat. As she turned her back to her, Ashlynn was transfixed by the artwork at her lower back, the colours almost vibrating with life as the soft candles and blue lighting reflected off the protective clear dressing. The work was exquisite and Ashlynn had to force her gaze back to the silverwork in the display counter before they noticed her staring.

"No problem Matilda, we will call it a wedding present." The man called 'Attie' said, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"You're a sweetheart. Right, had better be off, Chris will be waiting for me." With a handbag placed gently on her shoulder, Ashlynn returned the girl's smile as she went out into the increasingly blustery night and shivered at the reminder of the iciness before the door shut behind her.

"So, what can I do for you?"

Ashlynn turned fully to the man and nervously tucked her wet hair behind her ears and out of her face. How on earth was she going to tell him she had only stepped in to escape the cold and not look a total fool?

"I—Um...God are you alright?" Ashlynn watched as the man significantly paled, her voice seeming to both calm and perplex the young man as he collapsed less than gracefully into his seat behind the counter. Moving forward tentatively, Ashlynn felt a shiver race through her and a very sudden need to retreat -- to run -- to hide away until the feeling had passed. As though he sensed her panic, his colour slowly seeped back into his cheeks and his hand raised in one of those 'calm' motions people seemed to use in dire situations that required control.

"No, no, nothing is wrong child. I just think the coffee is making me jittery."

His voice swept over her like a warm hug, soothing her, as though he used it only because he knew it would put her at ease. She almost felt able to laugh mentally at the fact a man who was most likely ages with her had just called her 'child'. Ashlynn was definitely putting her new moisturiser at the top of her buy-again list.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm certain. Now, is there anything I can help you with? A piercing, or..." he glanced at the laminated sheet she was still holding open and his mind laughed painfully at the irony that her subconscious would have lingered on that one. "...a tattoo perhaps?

"Me? Oh no, not me. I have a pretty big aversion to needles." Ashlynn actually blushed as she remembered the last time her doctor tried to take blood from her. Vomiting over his expensive shoes before passing out completely had been mortifying, and an experience she would rather not have again with the man in front of her. "Although, I have always wanted something this beautiful; does it have a meaning?"

More than you know, Attie thought as he pressed a little more on her will with the limited powers they had afforded him, silently persuading her to the image.

"This one in particular is quite special actually." Attie moved towards her and almost managed to fight against his task and tell her to run...but the compulsion rested strong within his veins, honed for over two centuries it had been the centre of his nightmares every night since he had seen her in his vision. "I think it would look beautiful between your shoulder blades, besides it is a totally different experience from needles you will have encountered in a clinic, and for the especially squeamish, I have a new cream that helps with any sensation during."

"It is gorgeous. It just leapt out at me as though every line was calling out to me to join with it." Ashlynn blushed wondering who on earth just gave her mind direct access straight to her mouth rather than waiting in line for editing. "Well -- um -- what I mean is..."

"It's ok, I know what you mean. I felt it when I drew it." Attie agreed as he came close enough to see just how detailed his vision had been. When he had dreamt of her he had been this close to her sweet scent, like a fresh vanilla pod mixed with the fresh rain. He had seen every single speck of gold in her green eyes and the hint of curl in her mahogany hair. He knew her soul, her small sins, her worries and joys, ands he hated what he was about to do to her. He had designed the image himself in his first incarnation over two and a half thousand years ago when the first Fae King, the Fae God, he had served created the 'Hunt'.

It was more than just a mere picture -- it was alive -- it called to the female destined to wear it and once it was complete on the prize's flesh, their hunt would begin and his life would once again be over. He had dreaded this day but not for the coming of his own end...but the coming of hers.

"Go for it." Ashlynn positively beamed as she touched the image and turned to Attie. "Do I have to make an appointment?"

"No..." Attie cleared his throat from the rapidly forming lump and replaced it with the determination and steadiness he was about to need. "I can do it now if you are free."

"Absolutely." Ashlynn felt the adrenaline course through her body as Attie reached for her hand and led her behind the counter and into a room that screamed 'comfort' as opposed to 'pain'. A sumptuous leather adjustable bed lay in the centre, his workstation to the right with everything neat as a pin. The walls were a rich chocolate, soft lighting all around with a working lamp he could pull over the bed to any area he was working on. She loved it.

"Ok, if you want to take of your coat and well, your top and lie down, we can get started."

Ashlynn watched the tiniest hint of red tinge his cheeks and a soft smile curved her lips. For a man who worked with the human body in rather intimate ways by the account of some of the available piercings on display, asking her to take her top off should be the least of all the things to bring a blush to his cheeks.

"I'll just shut up the front while I'm working though; this design takes a wee while."

"Ok."

Attie wiped his hands nervously on his trousers as the prize unzipped her coat, and walked out into the front to lock the door.

"You don't have to do this you know."

"Of course I do."

"Atticus..."

"Andrea, I have to. You know I do." Of all the people, she should know the compulsion; she was there the second time he was sent to do this... and the object of the first. "Please, don't do this to me Andrea. I am haunted enough."

As though to prove his point, the apparition of the last girl he had sent to the Fae appeared before the lock and glared at him.

"Haunted enough? Never." Lucia whispered her lip curling in anger.

"Atticus..." Andrea waited until the Seer turned away from Lucia's furious eyes to look at her before she continued. "...did you do what I asked?"

"Yes. But I could only mark one other. She was the vilest creature I've ever had the misfortune to know, but she was the only one to consent to the mark. The other backed away from it as though the image itself was venomous."

"Then all might be well. Marcus will hopefully find the other since she will not know to run." Andrea sat her petite form in the leather chair as Lucia ran her fingers over the counters admiring their contents.

Attie ran his fingers through his short blonde hair before settling beside Andrea's legs on the floor before his former Queen halted time with a wave of her hand.

"This is getting out of hand Atticus." Andrea laughed when she caught Lucia's scowl before she rolled her eyes and perused the jewellery. "Alexis is refusing to rescind the Hunt despite what happened to Lucia. I'm at my wits end."

"I cannot soothe you Andrea or ease your worries. Marcus is determined to win, no matter the cost." Attie ignored Lucia's rather unladylike snort and continued. "But I am hoping that Melody will confuse him. They will all sense the mark on her first, my spells are weak but they will still cover Ashlynn at least for a while."

"And then you will go back to the shadows Atticus..."

"My work will be complete..." Attie murmured as remorse settled in his bones. This would be his last day alive for god knows how long. It had been nearly two thousand years since he had been called for this task by their King, Alexis and his two brothers to find Andrea. Four hundred years since he had been cursed with the vision of Lucia, asleep in her bed, he had only had to wait two days in the rat infested streets of Paris before he saw her and bestowed his mark. Two days later...she was dead by Marcus' hand rather than risk the chance of his brother Phoenix getting her.

"Shut up Atticus." Lucia choked out as she turned to glare at the Fae Queen and her servant. "I can hear your damn memories as though you are shouting them at me."

"Forgive me Lucia." Attie cringed when the pale girl whispered her 'Never' and turned from him.

"Alexis will not relinquish his throne to Marcus or Tobias. He wants Phoenix to fight for it, wants him to stop fighting who he is and fight for the realm instead. It will all be for nothing if either of the other two were to win her." Andrea said quietly, her fears speaking volumes even behind her delicate whisper.

"My task, my purpose is complete and I am to go back to the shadows as I always do. There is naught left for me to do but mark the girl and do as Alexis has commanded of me." Attie nearly growled, chastising himself before he rose and saw his Queen's raised eyebrow.

"Go to your task Atticus mine, and do it well. I will not have that girl murdered for spite nor power." Andrea stood and motioned gently to Lucia, who gave him a vicious scowl before taking his Queen's hand and disappearing from view. The silence ended abruptly, suddenly filled with the ticking of the dragon clock above him, the downpour outside and the sound of Ashlynn climbing up onto the disposable paper on the leather bed.

"I'm ready." Ashlynn called out quietly from the back room and shocked him into motion. Entering the room, Attie cursed beneath his breath at the gorgeous creature that currently lay on her front before him.

Long dark hair trailed over one side of her shoulder and off the edge of the bed, pale skin led from a slender neck down over the curve of her spine to a light flare of her hips clad in rain soaked jeans. The only break in the vision was the fine strap of crimson that lay across her back. Attie laughed quietly, most girls he had tattooed and pierced had tried to take off every scrap of clothing possible. He cherished her modesty, and loved her soul all the more for it.

"Right, let's get started." Attie washed his hands and pulled his gloves on before readying his equipment and smiling at the tense sigh that escaped her. Rubbing on some alcohol to clean between her shoulder blades, he smiled and told her it was an anaesthetic before uttering his spell beneath his breath. "You will barely feel a thing."

"You never did tell me what it means."

"The tattoo?"

"Yes." Ashlynn laughed as she remembered the news story about a recent court case in America. "You're not tattooing some kind of Chinese buffet menu are you?"

He had to laugh at her thought process. "No child, I'm not tattooing you with a menu of any kind."

"So..." She prompted and Atticus paused, ready to start on her skin.

"So...tonight I am going to tell you a story; one that encompasses everything that is this design and more." Attie put his needle to her flesh and began his work. "Once upon a time, there was a great warrior race that roamed the Earth. Mighty and honourable, they were granted a realm by the Gods in which to live in peace away from the cruelty of man kind in repayment for their service. The God that created them could not create females for his race, and so took a human wife. With her, there were three Fae Kings born to their realm. The first's name was Ayx, who was given the title of Fae King of Life. The second's name was Pyro, who was given the title of Fae King of Death. And then there was the third, Alexis who was given the title of Fae King of Dreams."

Ashlynn closed her eyes and listened to the sound of Attie's voice as he weaved his tale and marked her flesh. She felt the words paint pictures for her, of this Fae realm and the triplets born to its creator.

"Their creator lost his beautiful human wife Fae, in their birth and named their realm in her honour. But as these great males grew and joined their people in battle, their father saw the taint the human world had had on his offspring and watched as their hearts gave in to greed and the desire for overall power."

"What did he do?" Ashlynn murmured, turning her head to press her mouth against her hand to stifle a sigh when she felt the heat of Attie's arm, the rasp of his hair move along her spine as he worked.

"He decided that only one should be granted a human wife, the only means of becoming the overall King of the Fae. So he decided on a great contest, a hunt of sorts. Now, their father had been lucky. Fae had been a sacrifice to him, begging his warrior's protection in return for her. He took her, but did not kill her. He kept her for himself, his fascination with her was never assuaged, never petered out or waned the entire time she was his."

Attie poured the special ink out of the vile and began on the colouring the centre of the mark.

"And so, I -- a... Seer was released from the shadow world, a realm they were condemned to for their talent, their powers bound by fearful gods unless they desired something."

Ashlynn could have sworn she heard pure venom in his words before he carefully controlled himself and his voice settled back down into the deep and soothing drawl she couldn't really place.

"The Seer waited years in the realm for his vision, which was finally granted to him in a dream where he saw the beautiful face of a young woman. She was Hungarian -- a country that hadn't even been invented yet - and her beauty surpassed even that of Fae herself. Her name was Andrea. As the image burned in the Seer's mind, he made his vow to the God that he would be true in his services and mark the girl with the Fae image the moment he recognised her."