Things to know before reading:
-Any human can learn alchemy and make a potion.
-Not all humans can use magic, but the ones that can usually have an aptitude towards one of the five divisions (Summoming, Illusion, Mending, Enchantment and Transmutation) and can hone their skills through the use of school or a mentor.
-Humans generally believe that fae are only capable of mimicking human emotion, not feeling it themselves.
-The language barrier between Fae and Human breaks when they know/speak each other's names
-There are Luna and Solas faeries. Luna fae are more active in the night, and get their energy from the moon. The Solas fae are the same, but with the day/sun. A Luna faerie's wings are larger and like that of a moth's, while a Solas faerie's wings are long, thin and clear (think 'traditional fairy' wings).
-A fae's wings will heal themselves/grow back over time, a process sped up by Dust, but they will never fully replenish themselves if torn out
-Finn is 6 inches tall, and a Luna fae.
alsovim very new to this app and i cant seem to figure out how to put italics in.... :( so some parts may seem confusing or written weirdly. if you want the proper experience, try reading this story on ao3 or wattpad please ♡
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"Now don't you try and escape.. I hate being on pest cleanup."
The voice was soft, but had a deep warning to it. Finn couldn't tell what they were saying, but it didn't sound too good.
"Let me out!" He vehemently protested as he tried to pry the metal gate open, but he knew his words fell on deaf ears. Immediately he regretted his actions as he was rewarded with a flick against the cage, rattling the silver bars and sending him flying backwards in a panic. All of his bravery drained from him at the grin that settled on his captor's face. Terror filled him, which seemed to be what they wanted.
He stood still on the smooth metal floor as the human brought him down a narrow hall and into a much bigger room, hoping that this place would at least be better than the last, but what he saw made his stomach twist into a solid knot. The walls were lined with everything from captive rats and mice, to small insects, to flourishing plants and dried herbs. His eyes went wide as he took in the sight before him. Everything from the various creatures and materials to the jars and bottles only screamed one thing: He was in an Alchemist's shop.
Involuntarily he began to shake, as the reality of everything set in. He was going to sit here and rot on a shelf, just to be sold like he was just some mindless animal or an ingredient to be picked apart and harvested for whatever his buyer wanted. He felt sick to his guts, and could barely hear the thunderous voice above him as his captor spoke. Presumably, to the shopkeeper in the room. Finn didn't look. He couldn't move.
"Where d'you want this one, boss? "
"That's a special one, there. Put it near the front display, it's bound to sell quicker that way."
The faerie jolted back as they were on the move again, and only once his cage met solid ground did a little bit of the tension leave him. He let out a shuddered breath, trying to get a grasp of his new surroundings. He was on a large wooden table, placed in between the display of bright crystals and geodes and the stack of velvet-wrapped books that towered above his enclosure. It was a little relieving to not have been placed within sight of the other captive animals, unable to meet their same, hopeless stare as they could only try not to think about the grim fate they were all bound to endure.
But something came to Finn's attention; He hadn't noticed a single other faerie yet, and the realization made him freeze.
He was the only one here.
And that was when the tears hit. Nobody was looking at him anymore and he crumpled to his knees, silently begging to any God that would listen that his next 'owner' wouldn't be so cruel. He knew that the rest of the fae that had been brought here must have sold quickly, and Finn quivered at the thoughts of their demise. Of his eventual demise. But he was a fighter, and although he was trapped he didn't intend to go down so easily.
One of the humans, the thin taller one that he deduced was the shopkeeper, slowly started to approach his cage and brought the faerie back to reality. He wiped his tears, backing away from the gate as much as possible. However the human didn't seem to notice, and passed right by the table. He stopped a few feet away at the front entrance, turning a key in the lock and pushing it open. Suddenly Finn was hit with a burst of different smells and sounds, making him desperately long for freedom even more. He longed to go back to the life he had, or to have at least any life at all now beyond these terrifying walls.
But humans just saw his kind as insects. Annoyances that can be done away with for fun. It was sickening-- Finn never truly believed that every human could be so bad, but his hope was starting to drain as he was faced with the reality of none of them helping him out in this gruesome situation. He'd heard the tales growing up, and he knew why his kind remained hidden at all costs, but it hurt to witness it first hand.
Before too long a light bell rang as another large figure entered the room from outside, taking up a considerable portion of Finn's vision as they passed by. The fae froze, but relaxed a tiny bit when they paid him no mind and went towards the shelves. Maybe he could be lucky enough to survive the day if he remained as unnoticeable as possible? But what would that achieve, other than simply prolonging the inevitable? He didn't know how to feel about his situation, but it certainly wasn't good.
A considerable amount of time had passed before more humans started walking into the store. Most passed right by him, but the ones that did notice his cage sure gave him a lot of attention. And he hated it. Their round eyes were always wide and they pointed at him like an object on display, saying things he'd probably disagree with if he could understand. But all he could do was stare back through the bars, back into the corner, and hope that they would pick something else. Thankfully most of them seemingly left him alone for the most part, not intending to buy him.
Finn shivered, and wondered if it was because of the price he was set at. He knew humans were beings of greed, and he could all but wonder at the cost that they had set for him. The cost of his life, just a few measly human coins. The thoughts made him sick again and he tried to think about something else. Anything else.
But the only thing his frantic mind could do was imagine the worst. No human would buy a faerie (and an expensive one at that) just to become friends with them, so he already knew that he was just going to die. But what would they want him for, to torture him for fun? Keep him as a pet? Brutally tear off his wings for one of their dastardly concoctions? Maybe they'd rip out his antennae, or drain his blood, or take his eyes or--
His vile racing thoughts were cut short as another pair of heavy footfalls rattled the bars of his cage, making him peer up. Another human stood towering above him with shockingly bright blue eyes, wide like usual. But as Finn met their gaze, he found not wonder and greed and curiosity like the rest of them had gawked at him with, but sympathy.
Finn stared back, shocked at this expression, but the human didn't keep eye contact for long. Instead his gaze drifted down to the weird markings on the table, and he grimaced deeply. When he looked back up at the fae once more, his eyes had filled with sorrow. Slowly, as if regretfully, the human walked away from the table, leaving Finn alone at the front of the store once more.
Again, his chest tightened with emotion. That human, the one who had looked at him differently, the one who could have been his not so cruel ticket out of here, had turned away and left him to rot. Finn curled his fingers into fists. He wasn't usually bad at reading people's expressions, but he guessed that he'd been wrong this time. Humans really were just full of deceit and lies. After all, it was how he'd ended up here in the first place.
Traps. What a horrible invention. Using them to hunt for survival was acceptable, but simply making them to lure creatures to their demise was a cruel, improper use of the materials. And Finn had been one to fall for their trickery.
He knew upon first glance that the wooden box in the forest with vines all around it was human-made, simply by the shape and design of it, but it had been sitting there for quite a while. It was easy to tell that it was built for faeries, but they weren't a very trusting species and it had obviously never been used. However, Finn had heard of humans making these places for them to simply live in and enjoy, and he saw no harm in that. He figured that this had probably been one of them, abandoned and ignored by his people.
The small cap of honey inside was a very tempting (and much needed) pick me up and, despite knowing the potential dangers of interacting with foreign objects, it had been the final straw to break what was holding him back. But once he entered the door had shut behind him, and he found himself stuck inside. A human had come near a few hours later to rescue him, and Finn had brightened with hope that he'd finally be set free, but they were quick to prove him wrong. His hope deflated as the house-prison rumbled and he was whisked away, landing him where he was now.
Caged, alone, and afraid.
A short while later another human entered the store, this one's attention falling onto Finn almost immediately. He was big, as far as humans went, with long, thick dark hair and a beard to match. Despite his gruff exterior his clothes seemed to be made of fine cloth, neatly sculpted against his body. His eyes were creased at the corners from age, and it looked like he hadn't smiled in weeks. In total, he was terrifying. More than any other human that had walked up to his cell so far.
The ground shook as the tall gruff man approached the small silver cage, making Finn instinctively back up in fear until his bright green wings hit the bars. His dark gaze was intense, and the faerie's skin crawled at the deep voice that rumbled out of his massive figure, tossing inquiries to the shopkeeper who excitedly ran over.
It didn't take long for Finn to realize that this was the human who was interested in buying him. This would be the human that he lost his life to. He stared up in terror, pressed as far away from the two monsters above him as he could get. They seemed to talk about him for a considerable amount of time, occasionally glancing back at him with devilish smirks. It only made him feel more anxious by the minute, his mind desperately wondering just what was going to become of him.
He stayed on his knees as the cage was picked up once more. The violent swaying was enough to make him sick, and he'd fly to avoid it if that wouldn't just get him slammed into the sides of his enclosure whenever the human turned. The shopkeeper at least had the decency to be gentle not to rock him as he handed the cage over when the transaction was finished, but it seemed his new 'owner' didn't harbour much concern for his safety. His movements were quick and assertive, and had resulted in giving Finn more than a couple unpleasant bruises as he was tossed around.
The direct sunlight practically blinded him as they stepped out of the store, and he could only see properly for a few seconds before the world went dark as a thick black material was draped over the outside of the cage, blocking any and all light from entering. Finn could only stare back into the nothingness. He desperately hoped for the best, but secretly knew that his chances of survival were slim.
The cage began to move again, with the faerie being carelessly jostled with every step. The darkness remained as he was carried once more into an unknown fate; he tried to reach out through the bars to grab the cloth and move it for a better view of where he was, but it wouldn't budge. A small part of him was grateful that it didn't, though. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know.
Eventually after what felt like an eternity of walking he was set down on another hard surface, rather unceremoniously. Light suddenly flooded his vision as the dark material was ripped away, making Finn step back and blink furiously once more. After a few seconds his eyes focused, landing on the huge gruff human in front of him. He towered high above, looming over the small creature in the cage on the desk below. This didn't provide an adequate view however, so he bent down to eye-level with him, narrowing his eyes to take in every fine detail.
.
"My, they weren't kidding," The deep voice was too soft for his scrutinizing gaze, eyeing Finn up like he was some prize that just got won. "You really are a special one. Such a shame to get rid of such pretty wings, but I bet they have excellent potency."
Finn stared up at his captor, but he soon realized that the other wasn't making eye contact as they spoke in their strange language. Instead their gaze was fixated just beyond his head, on his wings. Finn paled as he realized what the giant was talking about. He was going to take his wings first.
The faerie gulped, flattening them behind him as if he could hide their existence and deter the human from mutilating his body. It didn't work though, only earning him a wicked grin as the giant stood back up, presumably to make preparations.
Panic began to settle in Finn's body as he was left alone in the strange room, and it only grew as he took in his surroundings. He was on a desk, one so much bigger than he'd ever seen in his life, surrounded by various alchemy and medical equipment. There was a wall of glass bottles behind him, most empty but some full of unknown liquids, and to his left lay a microscope lens on a poseable metal arm. To his right was a string of metal tools, each as long as Finn's entire body, and their sharp ends sent shivers up his spine.
His fear increased tenfold as thunderous footprints grew louder in his ears, signaling his captor's approach and his gorey demise. He cringed with every step that shook the cage as the human came near, reluctantly opening his eyes when the other was in front of him once again. The sight of a giant hand reaching towards him was terrifying, and he wouldn't soon forget the experience. He tried to back away in protest, but he was pushed as hard against the back bars of the cage as he could. Trapped again.
Finn squeaked in protest as the calloused digits pulled aside the gate and wrapped around his lower half, slowly beginning to lift. He struggled, thrashing violently and trying to claw his way out of the iron grip, but his efforts were only rewarded with the hand tightening. He immediately ceased his fighting, afraid that any further pressure would simply snap his bones in half like they were nothing, with little care from the human above. It was already hurting to be touched where he had whacked against the metal bars earlier, so he opted for succumbing to his fear and just going limp as he boldly stared down the giant before him.
The gruff man seemed to be happy with his begrudging compliance, his sickening grin growing deeper as he moved his hand through the air to reposition the little fae near his face. He spun the creature around to admire the wings, humming lightly as he tried to decipher the best method of their removal. Slowly, he lowered it to the table, careful to not let go. He'd learnt the hard way before that just ripping the appendages off turned out to be a rather bloody mess, so if he wanted to harvest them correctly he'd need a little more precision.
Which wasn't easy to achieve when the damn thing wouldn't stop squirming. He sighed, reaching with his free hand to grab the container of sewing pins. He didn't really care about the condition of the wings, so long as he got the base of both of them in the end.
Finn snapped out of his fear as he was repositioned against the hard desk beneath him, once again fighting the grip that surrounded him. The annoyed expression the human wore sent shivers down his spine, and for a split second he had the bright idea that maybe he should not piss off the person who had his life in their hands. But all sense of intelligence immediately left him as his eyes landed on the box of sharp metal pins, and he began to thrash violently once more.
His struggling proved futile, unable to nudge the human's hand on top of him even an inch. After about thirty seconds he gave up, panting heavily. It was useless. He was going to lose his wings. He was going to die. Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched the human sadistically smile at him and lower the pin towards his body. But it didn't pierce his skin like he had thought it would. Instead, to his horror, it stuck right through his wing, pinning it to the surface below.
Finn's jaw dropped open, his stomach twisting at the sight. He tried to move it, to yank it free, but it didn't budge. Instead it just tugged in place, sending weird sensations up his wing and through his shoulders. While it wasn't technically painful the restriction felt incredibly awful, and he knew that it would take time to heal the puncture wounds. The human didn't seem to care though, and simply held him in place as he mercilessly shoved another spike through the opposite wing.
Finn cried out, begging the other to stop, but he knew they couldn't understand him. Even if they could, he doubted that they'd listen. His tears ran sideways off his face as he lay pinned on his back, completely helpless and out of ideas.
It was then that he closed his eyes, giving up on his fight. It seemed that the human was just going to do with him what he liked, whether Finn wanted it or not, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He sat there and sobbed, simply waiting for the torture to end. A part of him wished that the human would just rip them out already and get it over with, but he was glad they hadn't. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle seeing his own severed wings from his body.
The human leaned forward once more, eager to continue the process, when suddenly a loud crashing sound stopped him in his tracks. Both of their heads swiveled towards the entrance of the room, the human's eyebrows furrowing in concern.
He lived alone with no pets so anything making noise in his place had to be investigated, no questions asked. There were things in here he couldn't have another soul lay eyes on, lest he get arrested, so it was worth it to pause what he was doing and make sure the cost was clear. He huffed, looking down at the pinned fae on the table before getting out of the chair and striding towards the door. The thing had no chance of escape like that, giving him time to go check out the noise and pick up where they left off later.
Finn sighed in relief as he was left alone once more. It was a miracle that he was still alive, and although he felt hopeless he was determined to get out of here in one piece.