Archive of Our Own

Once upon a time, on a cold, dark night in the Central Court of Arcane, the annual winter masked ball was held. Faeries danced majestically all over the place, for the song being played by a charming group of faeries was enchanted (more literally than not) and the folk wouldn't miss the opportunity to celebrate the solstice. The winter flowers were blooming inside the castle with all the magic bursting from the Land and from the folk, and snow was falling outside the transparent plasma-gloss walls. And, last but not least, two princes and a guard were about to meet among all those partying people.

The three of them were still young compared to the longevity of the folk, and they were going to the winter ball for the first time. It was the first year that they would finally be adults enough to participate, so of course, they were excited, even if some more than others.

The thing was that that was about to become something else. Something more than what they could ever imagine to become, even if they found a few mishaps along the way.

Something that became a step more real when two of those faeries ran into each other sometime during the night.

“I beg your pardon,” the golden-haired one bowed slightly and his pointed ears twitched when he smiled at the emerald-eyed man in front of him, “My name is Jeremy. I am from the Mellifluus Court.”

“Mister Jeremy,” the other faerie returned the bow, “Kevin from the Umbra Court.”

Faeries from all Courts used to be recognized and distinguished by their surnames, but on ball nights everyone left that aside and presented themselves only with their humdrum names, in order to keep their identities a secret. That was why the ball was masked, after all. Anonymity was the best way to ensure that everyone could mix and, most importantly, have fun as equals that night.

Jeremy looked the man up and down. Dark hair, black formal knitwear with design patterns that stretched across the fabric which covered his torso — but not his entire torso, there was a neckline that exposed part of his chest —, high collar and sleeves that were long enough to cover his hand in a type of fingerless glove. From his belt, a small feather amulet dangled as he moved, and matched the long cloak draped over his shoulders, enchanted with something exactly like feathers that made him look like the most beautiful bird Jeremy has ever witnessed. His pointed ears were adorned with delicate emerald earrings that matched his eyes without standing out more than those. His carved bronze mask helped to enunciate said eyes even more as well.

Jeremy thought that maybe he should have recognized that he was from the Court Umbra, because it really wasn't like it wasn't evident, judging by his clothing.

Knox, on the other hand, was wearing a short leather jumpsuit with a corset belt, both in bone-white tones that stood out against his dark skin, a long strip of red silk that wrapped around his neck like the collar of a blouse and floated delicately in the air behind his body. He had thorny branches spiraling down his arm and flower petals adorning his convoluted horns. His mask was carved from gold and imitated snakes meandering around his eyes and covering part of his face, and his thin, fuzzy tail flicked from time to time, free of any garments that would keep it hidden since that event was quite the battle — tails can be very sensitive.

"Gentlemen," a third voice joined them, "Is everything alright here?"

The two of them looked at the man at the same time, who was dressed in the practical formal attire of a few of the Central Court staff. It was a dark silver tight-fitting vestment — the right silver, the only one that doesn't hurt the faeries; the silver extracted from the Innistrie River — that didn’t cover his arms or the center of his chest. He was wearing a long-sleeved sheer blouse with delicate lace to complement the practical formal attire and holding two long thick strings that were obviously magical — probably his weaponry.

All they could say from that analysis was that that man certainly worked as a protector of the Central Court, but it was impossible to say his position within the protectors. Again, anonymity.

The Innistrie silver of the mask he was wearing was dark enough to highlight the intensely gray eyes of that man, and that pair of eyes seemed to shine fiercely their way into both Jeremy and Kevin.

"We’re great, sir, thank you very much for asking," Kevin replied, overly polite, as Jeremy watched the third man with bright eyes.

“No need to call me sir. My name is Jean,” the guard finally said, with a small, short bow.

The three of them were in the exact middle of the room, under the open center of the plasma-glass dome, where both the light of the moon and the sun came in thanks to the rare event where both occupied the sky at the same time. Small particles of dust and magic sparkled in the air around and above them. Everyone was surrounded by the most beautiful things, but at that moment, a new folklore was being born. And that was the most special and beautiful thing of all.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jean!" Jeremy said excitedly, wagging his tail. Jean's ear poked at the mention of his name. They were wolf-like, matching his fangs. “My name is Jeremy, and this is Kevin. We just met.”

"This is very good for both of you," Jean nodded graciously. “You can try to dance like the other faeries, it looks good, judging by their reactions. The guards are here to enjoy the event as much as any other faerie, but we can not neglect our role of helping out whenever we can, so feel free to ask if you need anything.”

Jean didn’t lose the composed and serious pose as he spoke, and the way he towered over both Kevin and Jeremy was supposed to be intimidating, but the other two men were fascinated.

"Are you going to dance with us?" Kevin asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

Jeremy opened his eyes wide, looked at him, and then grinned when he looked back at Jean.

"Is this an invitation?" The thoughtful expression was still on the guard's face.

"Of course," Jeremy grinned and giggled when Jean looked at him and a gentle wind blew his golden hair. "It would be an immense honor if I had the opportunity to dance with two gentlemen like you."

Jean nodded. “It looks ok—”

Someone appeared beside the guard and began to speak to his ear in an intense torrent of some primitive faerie language. They spoke for a few minutes until Jean managed to reassure them, all with those unknown ancient sounds. Whatever it was about, it definitely felt urgent and he was already getting ready to go about it.

“Gentlemen, you may enjoy your night. I'll find my way to you two when the time is right,” Jean bowed to Kevin and Jeremy and gave them a reassuring look, making sure to ensure he meant what he just said.

And just like that, he disappeared among the people. Jeremy stared in shock at where he had been and then turned to look at Kevin, but he was squinting in the direction where Jean had disappeared.

"One would say he's a bit of a peculiar man," Kevin commented, absently.

"But he's not wrong," Jeremy grinned, and it won the other man's attention for him. "We should dance if you grant me that honor."

After a few moments of exchanged looks, Kevin nodded and held out his hand to Jeremy. They walked together until they were a little more lost among the other people dancing and then they allowed the music to penetrate them.

Kevin was… awkward to say the least. While other faeries let themselves go completely and followed the waves of the music, jumping, rolling, and swaying, he just shifted his body weight from side to side and called it a dance. Jeremy laughed and approached him.

“Here, if you don't know how to dance, let me guide you. May I?” He asked.

Kevin stopped and studied the other man carefully as if judging what was more rational to do at that moment. But it didn't last long, however. He accepted it easily.

"Yes, that’s ok."

He allowed himself to be wrapped around Jeremy's arms and handled in a series of movements that should be easy if he could keep up in time.

"You just need to keep up with a rhythm that doesn't look like you're seeing your own death in front of your eyes, and it'll be a dance," Jeremy grinned.

"But what if I'm seeing my death in front of my eyes?"

"So you probably shouldn't be dancing."

Kevin looked at him deadly serious for a while and snorted. "I suppose you're right."

Jeremy chuckled. “I sure think I am. I don't want to be dancing in the face of my death, thank you.”

They danced majestically to the best of their ability, which wasn't much considering Kevin had a little bit of trouble with being able to keep up, but it was something. They swayed together, turned, moved slowly, went back and forth. Jeremy's tail was long enough to sometimes slide slowly over the side of Kevin's body when they were close.

The music was sweet to them and the snow fell slowly through the opening in the center of the roof dome, under which the three men had collided earlier in the center of the ballroom. The leisure of the ice in its path downward made everything seem even more magical and surreal in its contrast with the bodies mingling on the floor right beneath it. Everyone was running around with drinks, food, instruments, and incessant conversation, and the combination of the liveliness of the party with the lazy contentment of nature smiling upon the folk was a thrum that made both of the men dancing smile in the midst of their dance.

Kevin and Jeremy began talking softly while they danced, and the mix of their voices was the perfect combo of velvety and heavy, making them both sway even further in the impossibility of such an evening. Kevin was a little economical in his answers at first, but as he listened to Jeremy speak about everything and everyone, he followed and soon found himself smiling absently at something that was said by the blond, replying in earnest.

They talked about what they liked most about their Courts, about the other Courts and the people at the ball. It was an easy exchange of words and with time always being uncertain for the faeries, they didn’t know if minutes, hours, days, or weeks had passed while they talked, but they felt more and more compelled to continue in each other’s presence, learning more about every piece of themselves that they gave each other. That knowledge was treated gently, like the utmost precious things that they had landed their hands on.

Kevin found out that the thorns surrounding Jeremy's arms were soft and that the man himself was almost as delicate as a rose petal. But, like a rose, he could also be tough and dangerous, given the right circumstances. In contrast, Jeremy discovered that Kevin was as fluid and delicate as the feathers on his cloak. He adapted to everything too easily, could keep up with Jeremy in almost any conversation, and was all soft behind the pointed edges.

And in the haze of the impossibilities the solstice was offering, they didn’t stop dancing. They danced slowly and quickly. Carefully and sloppily. In the rhythm of the song or in their own rhythm. It was amazing, and they didn’t want to stop.

Involuntarily, however, they both had their eyes wandering around the room, searching for the third part of what would make their night even more… Whole. They kept looking for dark silver and stormy gray eyes. They kept looking for the firm demeanor that had managed to capture the attention of both men with so little. They kept longing for something that they didn’t even realize, but that their minds provided for them even if unconsciously.

Jeremy was looking at the snowflakes that sparkled and fell as he held Kevin in an embrace and swang slowly, and that's when he saw Jean standing in that very spot, looking right at them.

His eyes looked as cold as the snow surrounding the huge ballroom, gray and stormy where they were surrounded by dark silver, although they conveyed nothing but gentle warmth to the two faeries he was looking at. His hair was elegantly tossed back and messed up just the right way so as not to be less appealing, as if he had done it with his own fingers after their first meeting.

Kevin and Jeremy were among so many people that it must have been difficult to find them, but Jean had had no problem with that. They were a sparkle of gold and bronze in the middle of all the other faded faeries.

"The cute man is looking at us," Jeremy whispered, pulling away just enough to look into Kevin's emerald eyes.

"Do you mean Jean?" he tilted his head slightly to the side, and the jewels on his pointed ears reflected the light from the room.

"You think he's cute, too, then?"

Kevin raised his eyebrows. "I mean, cute is not the word I would use," he slid his hands from where they had been on the small of Jeremy’s back to his waist, "but attractive, yeah."

"Definitely. I like how sharp he is, did you see the angle of his jaw?”

“Yes, I did. But his facial build is also remarkable. Eyes, lips... And the blue strands in his hair, did you see those?”

"Yeah!" Jeremy's honey-colored eyes lit up. "Guards get a blue strand of hair for every person they save, don't they?"

"Exactly," Kevin nodded, looking rather pleased. “He’s delightful.”

"So are you though," Jeremy smiled and they gave their dance a little spin. "Oh, if I haven't been blessed with the chance to know two men like you... I'm loving this annual winter masked ball."

The cloak feathers swayed with their movements, a dramatic but beautiful effect, when Kevin's eyes widened and he blushed just a tiny bit — Jeremy is sure he saw it.

"Your praising is a little..." the green-eyed faerie started to speak.

"Shameful?"

"No. More like disarming or saccharine."

Jeremy hummed, his eyes lit up with amusement. "Good enough to seduce you?"

"Um, yes, definitely," Kevin cleared his throat. "Which is good, because my abilities, on the other hand, are completely ignominious."

When Jeremy was about to laugh and keep talking, a figure beside them caught their attention immediately.

"You two do realize that words are powerful and, consequently, talking about someone is more than just talking, right?" It was Jean who was speaking, gravely and with something else that no one could quite understand, but made you pay attention to every word that went out of his mouth.

Apparently, he had just materialized there, polite and well-groomed as always, and seemed very indifferent to the fact. And so were Jeremy and Kevin.

“Is it?” Jeremy asked, pretending innocence and batting his eyelashes. He didn't actually know the magical property that words carried in some situations, but he wasn't about to admit it in front of Jean.

“I would say yes, since I was across the room when I felt almost brutally compelled to come here,” Jean lifted his eyebrows.

“Is that your way of saying that you were dying to come to us?” Kevin had a smirk on his face.

Jean stretched his neck as he considered that sentence attentively with narrowed eyes, and then looked at Kevin in a way that made him swallow and take a deep breath.

"As much as this is not exactly a lie and I did intend to come to you, gentlemen, eventually throughout the ball, it is still true that your words are what brought me here now."

Jeremy and Kevin took a few seconds of appreciation and then exchanged a somewhat mischievous look, plotting without exactly using the words.

"Ah, well, I guess we can't waste this opportunity, then, can we?" Jeremy nodded and his tail flicked once to reflect his smile. "It’s an honor to have you with us again, Jean. I hope the night will allow us more time to enjoy each other's company in more profound and appropriate ways."

"I can say the same," Kevin nodded, giving Jean a once over and then settling in a charming smile and a small bow.

The two men stood still while the guard watched them until the said guard resolutely sighed and nodded.

"I suppose you are correct," Jean gave a smile that exposed his fangs. “So let me offer you to take a tour around this extensive castle. The Central Court is my area and I am used to the corridors of this place. There are some interesting rooms where we can have a little more privacy if it’s in your interest, and certainly enjoy each other's company in more profound and appropriate ways.”

Jean had, they noticed, a certain accent attached to his voice, and was it possible that everything about that man just added to his polished aura? For the love of the goddess.

"I think it's a great idea if you agree," Jeremy was the first to answer.

And, because things were going too well, once again they were interrupted by an approaching person. A person with auburn hair and fox-like features, wearing a short sparkling silk gown that dressed them like a waterfall covering rocky mountains. They were shorter than Kevin and were barefoot, walking lightly enough that no one had any idea that they were approaching until they were already there.

"Hi, I'm Neil," they said, "and I'm gonna have to steal Kevin for a few moments. I know you won't care, right?"

The person immediately pulled on the sleeve of the faerie in question and started to walk away.

"Wait, does it need to be right now?" Kevin kind of whispered.

"Yea."

"Cannot wait? Not even a little?"

"No. Now."

Jeremy contained a chuckle when Kevin slowly turned to them, his expression unfulfilled, and sighed deeply and dramatically.

“You can continue with your tour. I'm gonna see why he needs me and hopefully, I can find my way to you later," and, muttering, Kevin added, "Or keep talking about me, and with even more luck I can magically get rid of whatever the reason is for which Neil needs me.”

He walked away, being pulled by Neil and complaining unintelligibly. When he was already considerably distant, Jeremy looked away only to find that Jean was already looking at him.

"I believe it's just the two of us for now, then?"

“Ah, yes. I hope it's not a problem?” Jeremy said nervously.

"Definitely not," Jean gave a small smile but enough to rummage Jeremy’s insides completely. He reached out to him and said, "Shall we?"

And with their arms linked and bodies close, they walked through the crowd of people towards the back of the hall, where Jean guided them both through a narrow, almost invisible door that Jeremy thought would come out of the ballroom to the outdoors, but it actually came out in a long corridor filled with doors and paintings on the walls.

The golden-haired faerie looked around with pure fascination plastered on his face. He wanted to touch everything, absorb every detail of the beautiful building around him, and learn what he could about that place.

He didn't want to bother Jean with questions though, so he gathered as much information as he could with just observation and that was it. It wasn’t nearly an amount that would satisfy his curiosity, but it was still something.

The buildings of the Central Court were the largest of all the other courts, and also the oldest. The rest of the faerie civilizations had begun to expand and develop around this court after the Farrelton revolution. It was no accident that it was called Central, after all. It was also no accident that the main events that brought together all groups of faeries were held there.

At that very moment, Jeremy was seeing with his own eyes a part of the core of the faeries' existence. The moldings on the walls, plaster sculptures fortified with gold nuggets, and burnt wood furniture suggested a rather rustic and classic aesthetic for the place, but no less impeccable. For a moment, Jeremy forgot that he wasn’t alone and ran his fingers ever so gently over all the surfaces he could reach, but he was afraid of damaging anything so he moved his fingers away faster than he had approached them.

"I assume you like the local architecture?" Jean asked, leaning against one of the pillars and watching Jeremy carefully.

The latter took a few seconds to realize that the words were directed at him and then shook his head to focus only on Jean and on the present.

"Ah, yes," Jeremy smiled sheepishly and played with the thorns on his arm. "In my court it’s quite different, maybe that's why."

“Really? Want to tell me more about it? If you feel comfortable, of course,” Jean offered a gentle smile. He walked over to stand beside Jeremy and put himself in a courteous pose, with his arms behind his body and his spine straight, his neck tilted just enough for him to direct his gaze to the golden-haired faerie.

“Uh, of course. I would love to,” he looked in another direction beyond Jean's face. “I'm from Mellifluus Court, and I would say that things there are much more naturalistic, perhaps? Lots of open places, lots of plants, streams, wells, and the like. So we don't have that many architectural models because it's not really something that we really need.”

"Are you the type of people who prefer to be out in the open, then?"

“I guess so. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that we represent the universal fauna and, consequently, have very primitive and animalistic natures.”

Jeremy's tail wagged slowly and gracefully behind him as he started walking in the direction of the corridor opposite to where they had originally come from.

"This is very interesting," Jean commented, following him. "I, unfortunately, know far less about the other courts than I would like."

"Were you born at Central Court?" Jeremy asked, turning his face to look directly at the guard. When Jean was too silent for a few seconds, he hurried to add, "We definitely don't need to talk about it if it's delicate for you or anything."

"It’s alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I've come to terms with this story a long time ago, I'm just thinking of the best way to tell it.”

"Take your time."

They came to a part of the corridor where it was divided into two different sides, and Jeremy looked doubtfully between the two paths until Jean reached out to him and he accepted. With their arms entwined tightly, the guard guided them both along the left path, and Jeremy found himself in yet another elegantly planned corridor, with more paintings, statues, pillars, and stone walls interspersed with glass.

He was running his fingers over a rough gold frame when Jean said, “I wasn’t born in this court, but I was abandoned here very early. I don't remember ever meeting my parents, and I don't even know my court of birth, since, consequently, I also went through the ritual of transferring fae properties too early to join the Central Court once and for all.”

"Oh," Jeremy was looking at him with big eyes and Jean recognized that look.

“Don't be sorry for me or feel pity, please. I'm fine now, things happen as they must and that includes non-pleasant things either.”

Jeremy bit his lower lip and nodded, “Okay. I'm sorry."

"No problem," Jean also nodded politely, and shortly afterwards his expression softened and he smiled. "Now let me say how much I like the way the moon reflects in your golden curls, making them shine even more than the golden frames on the wall or any gold you can find in this place."

Naturally, Jeremy blushed and smiled immediately. He ducked his head to avoid Jean's intense gaze and crossed his arms behind his body instead, shifting his weight from side to side a few times.

“Uh, thank you very much. This is very kind,” Jeremy said softly. "You will find out that I also think you are quite charming, for what it is worth."

"Do you?" Jean moved a little closer to him, watching with those intense gray eyes. Jeremy fluttered his eyelashes and nodded. "I appreciate the feeling, then, sweet angel."

They were clearly courting each other and Jeremy was incessantly cursing himself for not being able to formulate a single word — which, wow, was something really shocking because he was rarely speechless — and Jean for being so... all that.

By 'all that' he meant so fabulously majestic that he almost sparkled in Jeremy's eyes or being so overly sweet and polite and a thousand other things he couldn't even name.

Jean made him want to get closer and not move away anytime soon, just curl up next to him and stay as close to the guard as possible.

And if that wasn’t something too hasty to think about someone he had just met. Still, it didn't seem wrong.

They walked aimlessly through the long corridors of the place, and Jean gradually began to realize how really interested in every little detail Jeremy was and, so, at some point, he started saying everything he knew about the statues, paintings, structures construction, and any and all other historical details. Jeremy listened to everything with fascination, a small flush on his cheeks and flicks of his tail when Jean also took the opportunity to make some other comment — ie, praise — about the golden-haired faerie.

They kept flirting back and forth. Jeremy's flirtation attempts were generally more disastrous than Jean's, but still as valid, and, on the bright side, at least it yielded a few jokes between the two of them.

Jean waxed poetic about how Jeremy's eyes were as intense as emmesil petals, the rare blue plant that only bloomed in the most fertile and magical soils, and his hair shone like a gold string spell. The guard traced his fingers through the thorns in Jeremy's arms and the fact that the thorns didn't try to attack him — since its job was to protect Jeremy — and remained soft to the touch rather than sharp and dangerous said a lot about how safe the other faerie felt around Jean.

When there was nothing left of the architecture or history of the place for them to explore, Jeremy and Jean settled beside one of the large glass windows and watched the snowfall outside, sparkling and slow. The sky now had shades of green, blue, and turquoise everywhere, surrounding all the faerie courts with an ethereal and vibrant glow. Jean's eyes almost sparkled as he watched it, and Jeremy thought that all that admiration fitted just right the guard’s heavy, stormy eyes.

"Do you wanna know something I find interesting about humans?" Jean asked.

"What is it?" Jeremy turned until he was facing him completely.

“I didn't have many opportunities to visit their sphere and learn a lot about humans, but I know that many of them are fascinated by nature. There are a lot of artistic and literary movements with so many different ways of representing nature, like expressionism, impressionism, realism, arcade... And the best thing about it is that, even with time, people haven’t let many of these things fade away,” Jean spoke while staring at the sky as if he were seeing all of that written there. “The last time I visited them, I saw one modern poetry about the sky written by a person named Clairel Estevez that cannot leave my mind. I remember everything word by word,” he then began to recite, “I look at you and wonder, are you looking back at me? Every morning when I wake up, your blue color is what I seek. When the sun goes down to sleep and you wear your long black gown, my empty eyes you fill with wonders as the moon dances through the clouds. Has my destiny been written in your endless shining stars? Or am I a transient story, fading from the book of life? Oh sky, I look at you and your colors amaze my heart. And I wonder if this is how you let me know, you are looking back.”

Jeremy was smiling without even realizing it thanks to Jean's melodious yet hoarse voice as he said each of those words.

"That is really beautiful..."

"It is. I like the sky. It’s intriguing to imagine that someone else from miles away may be looking at the same sky as you and still see something entirely different. ”

Jeremy chuckled. “You would do well at the Caligo court. They represent the universal flora and certainly share many of the same thoughts as you.”

"Caligo is a beautiful place with such a pleasant smell."

"It really is. My court usually meets with them and it’s always an amiable encounter.”

Without them noticing, the two men had intertwined their pinkies and were walking slowly like that. Jeremy felt his cheeks spread in a smile when he finally realized that, and Jean just remained oblivious to the fact as he guided them somewhere that Jeremy didn't know.

They were passing through a hall that was colder than the rest of the place when they heard slow steps approaching. Jeremy looked around but, of course, Jean's senses were even better than his — because of the whole thing of being a guard and having to be overly attentive — and he directed Jeremy's gaze exactly in the direction the noise was coming from.

Kevin appeared walking on the opposite side of the hall, looking like he was looking for something until his gaze landed on Jeremy and Jean. He nodded politely and took a well-mannered position while waiting for the other two to approach him.

"I didn't know you knew how to walk through the castle's hallways," Jean tilted his head to Kevin.

"Well, I don’t," the other faerie frowned as if he himself was confused about it. "I just started walking and following directions that I didn't even know where I knew from, and the next thing I know, here I am."

"Mm, this is curious."

"It's nice," Jeremy shrugged with a small smile. "Hello again, Kevin."

"Hey," Kevin gave a small smile of his own. "I'm free now."

"This is great, so we can all go to the garden," Jean announced, gesturing in a specific direction through one of the hall doors. “The castle garden, in fact, is a tricky place to reach, and it only lets itself be found by people it considers not dangerous, so I hope we can go there. Give me a minute.”

Jean walked over to the window that offered a view from the outside, and it took him a bit away from Kevin and Jeremy, enough for Jeremy to whisper, "He's so cute!"

Kevin raised an eyebrow, watching Jean's back. "Really?"

“Yes. We were courting and he was always so sweet, it was very nice.”

"This is surprising..."

"Not much. You shouldn’t be there judging him before you actually met him and that's why you're surprised now."

Kevin squinted at Jeremy and the latter just shrugged and raised his hands as if to say ‘what can I do?’

Jean joined them again, his eyes shining with some kind of excitement. "I managed to see the garden through the window, we just need to keep going right and we should get there in no time."

"Shall we, then, gentlemen?" Jeremy extended his two arms and wrapped them around the shoulders of the two other faeries. They were considerably taller than he was, however, especially Jean, and that put him on tiptoe, which was a little impractical for walking, so he pulled his arms back again and was about to offer that three of them to intertwine arms when a pink firefly circled Jeremy's head to get his attention and started signaling the faerie to accompany it.

"Oh, no, what is it now," Jeremy whimpered.

"What?" Kevin asked.

“A pink firefly. It usually means some urgent matter in my court, so I need to follow it and find out what it is for,” he whimpered some more, wagging his own tail in disappointment. "This is starting to get really annoying and a little uncomfortable."

Jean snorted. “I guess. But it’s not a problem. We’ll wait for you there. And to find the garden you just need to think about it and, if he wants you to find it, the path there will be natural to you.”

"Is that how I found you?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow. "But I don't even know what this place is, and I definitely wasn't thinking about it when I came here."

“What were you thinking about, then? Navigation around the castle basically works like that, it is enchanted for this,” Jean gestured around. “Once you have knowledge of all the different rooms that exist here, just think about it and you’ll be guided to where you want to be. Well, except for secret or private rooms, you really have to know where they are and also have a code to access.”

"I was... mm... just thinking about you," Kevin cleared his throat.

Jeremy smiled and tilted his head. The firefly was blinking furiously now to get his attention, but he really wasn't attracted to the idea of leaving.

"Oh," Jean looked up and down at the green-eyed faerie hidden behind the bronze mask. "That’s curious."

Kevin's pointed ears twitched and he said nothing, just looked away.

“As much as I love it here, I really need to go now. See you later?" Jeremy smiled.

The other two men replied at the same time, "Sure," and watched as the golden-haired faerie disappeared down the hall, following the pink firefly that flew in front of him. The moment he disappeared from view, Kevin still didn't turn to look at Jean. At that moment he felt almost sheepish.

"It's a pleasure to have more time alone with you, dear," Jean was looking down at him, keeping his tone steady and husky.

Kevin is not very proud of how long it took him to respond, but there wasn’t much he could do. The feathers in his cloak were slowly blowing and he just wanted them to settle down, but that really seemed a little difficult now. He thought it might have something to do with the little butterflies growing in his stomach, but he couldn't be completely sure.

"Ah, yes. I can say the same,” he tried to smile charmingly rather than shamefully or scarily.

"Can you?" Jean's wolf ears twitched and sharpened a little, just before the corners of his lips curved up slightly and he said, "Your heart is pounding against your chest though, is there anything bothering you?"

"No, no. I'm completely fine.”

"If you say I must believe it, then," he nodded and made a turn to start moving forward down the hall. "You know, Mr. Kevin, you are a very difficult person to look away from."

Kevin followed beside him and swallowed. "Is that so?"

"Yes, definitely."

"Can I ask you why?" Kevin turned his face to the side and faced Jean's profile.

"Of course," he took a deep breath and also turned to look back. “I have no problem talking about how attractive you are. I've been paying attention to that.”

Kevin is usually a person with answers ready for everything or not easily impressionable at all, but at that moment he found himself without a word or even a thought to express to Jean. It was even difficult to maintain eye contact and he thought this nervous reaction was ridiculous. This didn’t happen very often and now wasn’t the most convenient moment either. He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Jean of all people.

"Oh," chills went down Kevin's arms. “I'm glad you think that. It's an honor."

Only one corner of Jean's mouth curled up this time, and his eyes were half-lidded. "Are you sure there’s nothing bothering you?"

"One hundred percent sure," Kevin nodded, probably excessively. "Uh, anyway, do you live here in the castle?"

“Only when I'm in direct service with the castle. If that is not the case, soldiers tend to have houses everywhere on the outskirts of Arcane.”

"Really? So can someone be part of the Central Court and still live in the domain of other courts?” Kevin was genuinely curious.

“Soldiers can do that, yes. Since the end of the Slifal War, soldiers have been allowed to live outside the realms of the court of which they belong, as long as it is still within Arcane and for the purpose of guarding the surroundings of our sphere in case of an attack by different spheres. Non-soldiers can only change their domain with a ritual of transferring fae properties.”

“Yea… Neil, the man who dragged me away from you earlier, did that ritual when he and Andrew got together. He used to be from Mellifluus Court. I don't think the ritual was very easy, as far as I could see,” Kevin looked around, chatting absently.

"It really isn't, but it's bearable," Jean was still watching Kevin.

"I honestly find the whole fae story fascinating."

"You seem to know a lot about it, am I right?"

“A little,” he shook his head as he let his silvery voice echo across the walls of the place, and then suddenly looked at Jean as if he had just remembered something, “But don't encourage me, because when I start talking I hardly recognize the time to stop.”

"No, please do the honors and say as much as you like," Jean raised that damn eyebrow that was about to start getting Kevin's knees wobbly. "This is just one more thing that I can enjoy your dazzling lips doing."

Needless to say, Kevin was stunned out of words for a few seconds. He recovered quickly though because, well, that was a chance to talk about something he really enjoyed and he wasn't about to waste it.

"Alright, choose a topic."

"The Prith Revolution," Jean replied without missing a beat.

Kevin hissed. "Decided to start difficult, huh?" He took a deep breath. The tips of his ears moved in obvious interest. “This revolution was primarily responsible for dividing the courts as we know it today. Before that, everything was a mess and I have no idea how the old societies survived that way. No wonder we have so many wars in our history, really. The Prith Revolution was fueled by faeries who disagreed with all of Arcane's power being handed over to a single person who wasn’t even able to understand the different groups of existing faes, so, consequently, he was unable to lead everyone. The leading fae was named was Echo Calitruh and nowadays he would be a part of Umbra Court, I think, but at that time he didn't believe in separating faeries into different groups because of the different characteristics of each one,” he paused to face Jean and make sure he was paying attention as Kevin added, “Now, look, I know that as members of the Arcane sphere society, it would be ideal for us to stick together enough rather than divided, but the courts—”

“They don't work as a method of separation or distinction, but as an organization. I have an idea about that,” Jean agreed.

"Exactly. We are not separated in courts to be divided from each other, but rather to perform our duties better in a suitable environment,” Kevin was speaking compulsively, and he didn’t even notice Jean's fascinated gaze on him. “To make this easier, I can use Mellifluus and Caligo as examples. If two members of the Caligo and Mellifluus courts grow up and live together rather than with a member of their respective courts, it’s almost as if all the fae properties of both of them are cut in half. It was admittedly detrimental to the faeries and the natural balance. This is why the fae property transfer ritual was created a few years after the Prith Revolution, by the way. It was truly the best thing for us to establish roots together with our equals, but without abandoning Arcane as the larger common society. That’s why Arcane remains the main sphere that involves all of this instead of being divided into different spheres for each court, are you following me?”

"I am," Jean nodded.

“Well, I'm going to cut this story short and say that the Prith Revolution is called a revolution because to get to this aftermath of how we know society today, there were some popular revolts and it was a long process. Like, really long,” Kevin gave Jean a pointedly look and raised his eyebrows to make his point clear. His shoulders dropped a few seconds later, but it was such a minimal gesture that Jean couldn't be sure if he had imagined it or not. And the fact that Kevin's face was covered by the mask also didn't help much to identify what he might be feeling. “Also, apparently, the change of courts is not really something royals are entitled to. The court of birth of a royal member is also their court of death.”

"Even if they marry a member of some other court?"

“Yeah… If two royalty from different courts get married, they need to be separated except for occasional visits, and if a royal gets married to a standard member of a different court, then that said standard member needs to join the royal member's court,” Kevin bit his lower lip and gave a small smile without showing his teeth. "Not much fun, huh?"

"It mustn't be easy," Jean agreed, watching Kevin and tilting his head to the side while his wolf ears flicked.

After a few moments of silence, the green-eyed man said, “Ah, anyway, I got a little carried away... I think it kind of messed up the mood between us. We should change the subject.”

"I don't know what mood you think is messed up, but your voice and your enthusiasm while speaking didn't make me feel less attracted, much for the contrary," Jean replied without missing a beat.

Kevin hissed. "Damn, you really are a smooth man..."

“Am I? My fellow guards often say that I do things very hard or rough.”

If there was anything in Kevin's mouth, he would have choked at that moment. It's a miracle that he didn't actually choke on his own saliva.

“You are doing this on purpose, right? Please tell me it was on purpose,” he said.

Jean just smiled out of the corner of his mouth and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Kevin, but other than that he didn't answer.

They continued walking and at some point, it seemed like the castle was infinite, with corridors too long and identical, even while they didn’t look similar at all.

Kevin was still talking about wars, revolutions, and any other historical events he remembered, and Jean was listening and slipping through eventual courtships that required a lot of effort from the other man to keep from flushing — and that wasn’t something that happened to Kevin with any frequency at all. He generally had better self-control than that, much better.

They were in such a point of courting that Kevin's cloak feathers were getting goosebumps and there was probably not a part of each other's bodies that they hadn't praised yet. They talked with low voices and a piercing look in the best possible way, in addition to small casual touches enough to make both faeries get used to the electrical currents that it caused their bodies.

For Kevin, it was honestly disappointing that Jean wasn’t as responsive as he was because it was possible to tell by the reaction of Kevin's feathers what he was thinking or feeling, but the only trait that could possibly do the same for Jean was the wolf ears of him, but even those remained under surgical control.

At the end of that corridor was a small tunnel built with gold vines poisonous, and when Jean went to instruct Kevin to move away from the walls, the guard placed his hand on his lower back. Kevin felt goosebumps travel from where Jean's hand made contact with his body to all the other parts of his body. A growing and too electric sensation that intensified all the other sensations in his body. The casual touches so far had been too small, not so long-lasting to have such an effect on any of them. And if Jean's quick little flick of ears meant anything, his body was also reacting in some way.

Outside it was snowing so much that everything was covered by ice and it was pretty steep, but even when they finally came out of the corridors and the tunnel to the open part of the castle, neither of them could feel the low-temperature thanks to all the sensations that were causing each other's bodies to heat up.

No one mentioned, when they were already far from the tunnel and the poisonous spines, that Jean's hand was still on Kevin's lower back even though it was no longer needed. Neither of them was willing to break the contact, so they kept it that way.

They were passing through the garden then, which was large enough for them to still have some time before they reached the center. There were several species of plants and some mutations of hybrid plants, the garden of the central court really being something to brag about with all the exotic and exquisite variety displayed there. And snow — or any other weather phenomenon, for all the matters — wasn’t something that affected any of the forms of life in the garden. The species adapted to cold or heat and were not really affected by it.

They were silently passing through a living wall, high enough that neither of them could see what was on the other side, from which several colorful flowers and teeming of juicy nectar bloomed. Rilis birds, small silvery creatures, were flying around the plants and spreading their aroma and magical properties around the garden with ease while crooning the addictive song of abundance.

Kevin was watching everything with delighted eyes but trying to pretend he wasn't. He didn't want to lose his cool — even more of it, that is — just as he was trying to impress Jean, but that place was wholesomeness at its finest.

"If I'm not being intrusive, can I give you something?" Jean asked, his voice low and hoarse. Kevin swallowed and nodded curiously as he turned to look at him. One of the two long thick strings that seemed attached to Jean's hands, since they never left his hold regardless of the movement he made, moved and stretched in a northeasterly direction until its tip was close enough to a flower bush to wrap itself around the handle of a blossom and bring it close to them. Kevin could recognize it as a nihinist, a kind of blood-red flowers that bloom in the face of violence. It made sense for it to flourish there in the castle, after all, since that was where most guards trained and protected Arcane's surroundings from invasions. Jean held the flower out to Kevin. "May I?"

"Yes."

They don't know exactly who made the move to get closer first, but soon they were just one breath away from each other. Jean looked down at Kevin's clothing and moved his hands until he was adjusting the flower firmly over an area of Kevin's cloak. It was kind of surprising how gentle and almost sweet Jean's touch was. Definitely unexpected, but not at all unpleasant.

Kevin took advantage of the moment when the guard was focused on the flower to look up and watch his face carefully. Up close he was much more charming and somewhat lucid than it seemed before, perhaps because it was possible to see him better that way. His skin looked too silky and glossy to be real, accentuated by the vibrant colors of the sky slowly fading around them. Kevin reveled in the vision as much as he could until Jean looked up at him with stormy gray eyes and Kevin saw so much more.

Jean was also prurient, luring, and remarkable in a form that no one could ever approach to be in the same intensity. It was purely him. What made him unique in Kevin’s eyes.

"I think the nihinist suits you," Jean said, just before holding Kevin's hand and lifting it to leave a small kiss on the back of it. Without moving his lips away, he added, gray eyes fixed on green eyes staring at him intently, “Because red is quite a lustful color, don't you think? Intriguing and enticing, as well. Just like your lips," he blinked slowly before looking through his lashes at Kevin, "or any other part of you, really."

Only then did Jean let Kevin's hand fall back beside his body, but don't let go of it. He punctuated his last line by putting a small distance between them, just enough that he could look the other faerie blatantly up and down.

“Uh, thank you, Mister. I mean, Guard. I mean—,” Kevin rolled his eyes. “Jean. Thank you, Jean.”

Jean snorted and nodded, putting a little more space between the two of them.

“We'd better keep walking, don't you think? Perhaps it is better that we are already there when Jeremy arrives, so he will not be lost,” he suggested.

"Of course, you're right."

Faes have keen senses — some more than others depending on their nature —, but that was not something that accompanied them all the time, only if they purposely decide to use it or if they are overwhelmed. In the latter case, the senses are activated as a defense impulse, to find and try to solve what is causing the fae in question to become overwhelmed, the only exception to that being those of the Mellifluus Court, as they represent the fauna, so for them, it’s something like an animal instinct always present in their mind and body.

That said, both Jean and Kevin were silently overwhelmed then, and their bodies responded to that in earnest. The tension between them as they walked to the center of the garden was undeniable and almost unbearable as Jean listened to the other man's rapid heartbeat and Kevin smelled his woody and fruity scent. Neither commented on this, but they were seeing all the signals emanating from each other, and it was a little embarrassing. Not that it was happening, but that they weren't doing anything about it.

Kevin stepped on some dry leaves that were on the snow-covered ground as they walked, and the only sound, apart from their breaths, was the occasional small crackling of the plants being broken under his feet.

Sparkling nanees were flying around them and sometimes stopping to annoy them, as was the nature of that kind, who were smaller than a finger and more mischievous than an entire army of people. A nanee that glistened yellow pulled Kevin's hair and another tried to use his earring as a toy before Jean pushed it away. Soon afterwards a group of approximately three nanees decided that it would be hilarious to use Jean's wolf ears as a trampoline, and it was an unnecessary difficulty to keep these away.

"This is insane, why do these creatures keep coming to us?" Kevin grunted while making a face.

"It's probably your smell," Jean shrugged and replied nonchalantly.

"What about my smell?"

"How can I say that," the guard narrowed his eyes. “It is tasty and quite tempting, like something melting over everyone around you and involving them with… all that.”

"All that, huh," Kevin smirked in an attempt at flirting that he hoped would be successful.

But it was obviously not when Jean replied with, “Yes, indeed. That's precisely why I want you and Jeremy,” and Kevin almost tripped over his own feet.

It's not like he didn't know how to get the clues and he didn’t have an idea about what was going on between the three of them, but still, hearing Jean saying the exact words he wanted to hear was completely shocking and surreal.

Luckily enough the time it took Kevin to process the words was the same time it took them to get to the center of the garden, and because chaotic energy was all they had had all night, the two men bumped into Jeremy, who they hadn't even realized was also approaching.

When the three recovered from the surprise, they looked at each other and Jeremy was the first to smile broadly and say, “Ah! It worked."

"What?" Kevin tilted his head.

“I found you. Lucky me, huh?” Jeremy's smile was showing two dimples in his cheeks. He then stopped and sniffed the air, that's when his expression changed and became something else entirely. Something that Jean and Kevin thought was good but made them immensely nervous. “Why are you two smelling like a lot of obscene things and jitters? And a little nihinist?”

"Uh," Kevin started, because Jean had an amused face and there was no way Kevin would let him speak first because whatever was going to come out of his mouth would certainly make the green-eyed faerie lose his posture and embarrass himself again that night, and he couldn't do it anymore. "Jean gave me a nihinist while we were walking through the garden."

"Oh," Jeremy made a funny face and bent forward until he was at eye level with the flower attached to Kevin's cloak. “Hey, little flower, have you been out there talking about some obscenities? Or feeling a little restless for something, maybe even related to it? The obscenities, that is.”

He was clearly mocking. It was obvious that he was. Kevin scowled and crossed his arms, and it just made Jeremy laugh even more.

“We were courting, Jeremy. And I say that because I've been doing the same thing to you over the course of the night, which was just as good. Both of you are amazing. It’s no wonder that both of you attracted my interest,” Jean spoke cordially.

Kevin immediately undid the scowl and replaced it with a dumbfounded expression. Jeremy, on the other hand, just grew a smirk on his face, pure mischief running through every part of him.

“Huh, how interesting. I could have sworn that you and lord nihinist here also attracted me more than I would like,” the latter said, his eyes wandering between the two men before him.

"I am not lord nihinist," Kevin rolled his eyes.

"But you know what’s the rule," Jeremy continued as if nobody hadn't said anything. "Kisses only after the solstice ceremony, when we can all reveal our identities."

He was smiling from side to side, and maybe it was just a misunderstanding, but for a second, Jeremy and Jean could have sworn they saw Kevin fidget. This wasn’t repeated so they didn’t pay much attention to what it could mean.

"Well, that won't be a problem, because with a kiss or not I would just like you gentlemen to do me the honor of accompanying me for the rest of the ball. Maybe even for a dance," Jean shrugged.

And this time it was Kevin who answered. He took a step forward, with both hands extended with palms up, and said, "It would be my honor to accompany you two," and when he was holding a hand from each of the other two faeries carefully, he left a chaste peck in each of their palms, before intertwining his fingers with theirs and starting to guide them to a place a little away. "Fortunately, I have two hands to hold the two people I chose as a companion for this event."

They sat on the grass in a small circle and talked and talked and talked until time stretched out before them as if it was nonexistent, or as if nothing affected them. They did not know how much of it had passed when they saw the solstice star crossing the sky above them. 

The three were lying on their backs on the grass, Kevin in the middle and Jeremy and Jean with their heads resting on his chest and belly. They laughed when Jeremy raised a hand and said he would get the star for them.

This was the moment they had been waiting for. Some more than others, as the blond fae demonstrated by jumping into a sitting position, his tail flickering as much as his ears.

“I am Prince Knox of Mellifluus Court! It is a pleasure to meet you,” he smiled, still without removing his mask. This was not allowed while they were still at the Central Court of Arcane.

"A prince... Beginner’s luck to me, I guess?" Jean had his secret smile pulling at the corner of his lips, and he bowed a little before saying, "I am the Leading Guard Moreau."

Kevin blinked and widened his eyes, in awe. Later, the other two men would discover that the green-eyed fae had known Jean for much longer than they had imagined, and that guard — once a clumsy little boy the first time Kevin saw him — had been the first person to cause a flutter in Kevin's chest and stomach.

But not at that moment. At that moment all he did was clear his throat and say, “Two princes. I am Prince Day of Umbra Court.”

Jeremy laughed and threw his head back. “Would you look at that. You have two princes wrapped around your finger, Mr. Moreau.”

They laughed.

And Kevin was concerned. Concerned about royals who can never leave their courts until the day they die. Worried about the distance it would put between him and the two men he had just met.

But no one else seemed concerned but him, and he thought that maybe that meant that they would manage after all. With that in mind, he breathed and laughed some more. His laughter mixed with Jean’s and Jeremy's and the snowflakes were falling as lazy as they had been when they all met, going everywhere and covering them with a white sheet of ice that melted with the force of their smiles.

It was from that day that a small folklore started to run through the arcane faeries.

If you are in the exact middle of the ballroom at the Central Court of Arcane, under the open center of the plasma-glass dome, where both the light of the moon and the sun come in thanks to the rare event where both occupy the sky at the same time, you can find someone, or multiple someones, and form an unbreakable connection. No matter how many times you split up, in the end you will always find your way back to each other.

Or so everyone said.

Because after that ball, Prince Knox, Prince Day, and the Leading Guard Moreau were a single inseparable unit.

Well, they were physically apart most of the time, but they knew that when they wanted to, they only needed to wish hard enough and they would be together again.

Jean had a house in a forest lost in the great expanse of Arcane. It was small and smelled of dry leaves, saltwater, and wind, and it was the refuge of the three men whenever they wanted to be in each other's presence. Close enough to that connection too strong. Far enough from everything else.

And they lived happily ever after.