The Outcast

Though Tanith wasn’t in any of their classes, she took to descending on them during breaks and evenings. Between Dia, Tanith, Finn, and Rainer; the seasons turned from cool and damp to frozen without much acknowledgement from Lily. She barely thought of the reason she was sent here, of the messages she absently sent home that she hadn’t found anything still, and of the draconian female who had only given Lily more confusing thoughts to think of.

The only thought that really plagued her, was a growing wish that everything she had ever known was wrong. They were all such good friends to her, and never had a single one of them uttered a word of dislike towards any other race.

Maybe they could understand why she was here. Maybe they would accept her.

“Come on! We’ll be late meeting everyone if you don’t get dressed now!” Dia smacked Lily’s shoulder, jogging her out of her thoughts.

Dia was standing already wrapped up in the thickest piece of clothing that Lily had ever seen. It seemed to be lined with some kind of fluff, or fur and was padded in such a way that Dia looked puffy on her torso while her legs were wrapped in soft, thick linen and her feet stuffed into warm, water-proof boots. She had made them for Lily as well, but Lily had managed to convince her that she didn’t need the layers to be as thick. Lily had told her it was because she was used to the outdoor lifestyle, so she had acclimated to the colder weather of winter.

However, the layers were still too much. With her lineage being of ice fairies, Lily could have laid in the snow bare to the skin without feeling cold. And after living her life wearing thin layers and no shoes, so many layers felt even more claustrophobic than when she had first put on a pair of shoes.

Still, she got up and pulled on the layers, knowing if she protested too much she would get that suspicious eyebrow raise that Tanith had displayed the first day it had snowed, and Lily hadn’t put the coat on.

“So, we’re going by carriage?” Lily asked absently, zipping up the coat and shoving her feet into the thick boots.

“Yup! None of us has mastered flying for that long yet, plus it’s freezing out there. I wouldn’t want to be in the ice wind flying around, would you?” Dia chuckled, checking her three rats were safely in their cages before opening the door.

Lily had to bite back a comment that she would give anything to be able to fly through the snow and hale. It would be her strongest element surrounding her and she would be doing what she had always dreamed of. It was just a shame that her only chance would be with the help of some enchanted item. Instead, she shrugged lightly and nodded. “Point taken. Let’s go, I’ll just leave the window ajar for the cats.”

Outside the front of the school, there were carriages upon carriages waiting in line to pick up students. The Mediheim Festival was something that apparently witches still celebrated over the winter solstice period. It was an ancient celebration from before magic existed in the world; and one which had died out in fairy lore. Fairies didn’t allow their kingdom to go through the seasons like the outside world, so they never dealt with the ancient seasonal celebrations. The witches used the festival now to celebrate the memory of those they had lost over the years in the Great Ongoing War.

The way her friends spoke of it though, it sounded amazing. Tanith had joined them outside the dormitory building, and they met Finn and Rainer at the carriages themselves. None of them seemed to bat an eye to the fact the carriages were just floating balls with steps rolling out of them like a tongue. Were they enchanted to float? Or was there something weird holding them up? Lily couldn’t ask, or at least, she didn’t feel like she could.

“You alright there?” She was pulled out of her thoughts by Finn who stood beside her with his head tilted. He looked a little like an intrigued kitten, and she couldn’t help but smile a little at that thought.

“Yeah, sorry. I’ve never really seen these before.”

“They are more of a between town transport, you don’t get them in the further afield areas.” Finn smiled with a patient understanding before stepping up into the carriage and holding out his hand to help Lily up. “It’s a very smooth ride, the Avesibil keeps the ride steady so it should be comfortable.”

Lily smiled in thanks, encouraging the idea he seemed to have that she was nervous about the travel plans, not just confused over how it worked. She would have to look up Avesibils later as well. Honestly, trying to keep up with all the things in the witches’ world was painfully difficult. All she could be thankful for was that her quiet demeanour let her get away with a lot, including the shy flush that dusted her cheeks as she felt the warmth of his hand close around her and the strength of his arm pull her into the carriage.

The interior of the carriage was cosy, filled with soft cushioned seats and more legroom than Lily would have expected even with five people sitting down. She was grateful as it turned out the journey was further than Lily had expected, and the carriage only had tiny windows for her to watch the world from. So instead, her entertainment for a couple of hours was the conversation of her four friends, most of which went completely over her head.

They continued to speak of the Mediheim Festival mostly, which at least allowed Lily to stay quiet and just listen. Nothing they said, not one single description, could have prepared Lily for what she saw in front of her when the carriage came to a halt and the five of them clambered out.

Snow fluttered to the ground and settled into mounds at the side of walkways. Where it sat on the ground it glittered like a white fairy’s skin under the lights that floated in the air all around. They were tiny little lights, much smaller than the lights Lily was used to hanging in the main trunk of the city hall at home, and they shone with different hues of colour with seemingly no pattern. Hanging suspended from nothing just above head height, they held the promise of illumination when the sun would set later in the day.

Beneath them could be seen pop up wooden stalls with items of material, food and drink origin being sold to members of the thin crowd which milled through the walkways. The stalls had enough space between them for the crowd to continue moving even when people stopped to peruse the wares, and by the look of it, many people did stop even if they didn’t buy anything. Lily immediately felt curiosity and excitement spread through her chest like a warm pressure that threatened to bring a giggle past her lips. She didn’t have any of those weird little metal things she had come to understand worked for trading in the witches’ land, but she still really wanted to look at everything.

“Come on, we’ll show you the best stuff.” Tanith grinned, waving a hand in front of Lily’s apparently stunned face.

“The mulled wine is the best here,” Rainer chimed in, gaining a smirk from Tanith.

“I was thinking the honey brewed mead.” She countered.

“Or we could maybe not go for drinks that might make her memory of her first festival fuzzy?” Dia interjected sternly, though the small smile on her lips suggested she wasn’t going to stop Lily if she decided to go with those ideas.

“How about we just go for Spiced Mint Fusions?” Finn suggested finally.

Rainer shot him a suspicious glare before sighing and nodding in acceptance and letting a smile pull on his lips “Alright, I suppose that’s a decent enough welcome. These are the best ones around.”

Lily blinked from one friend to the next, wondering what Spiced Mint Fusions were; though as she had never heard of mulled wine or mead either, she wasn’t sure what ballpark she should be trying to imagine. It did occur to her in the next moment that maybe that didn’t matter.

“I… I don’t have any payment for them though.” She commented quietly, feeling oddly inadequate.

“We know,” Finn smiled, “Dia told us, so I bought extra.”

A moment of silence fell as Lily’s eyes looked to Finn as though he had said something in a completely new language she didn’t understand. “Wha…? No, it’s ok. I can’t ask you to pay for me.” Lily protested with a much too vicious shake of her head. “I’m happy just to look around.”

Finn’s smile became a little wicked “I wasn’t offering. I’m going to buy stuff and either you have them or they are going to waste.”

“But…”

“No buts” Dia nudged her with a weirdly shy smile and a blush creeping onto her cheeks “Just accept it. Rainer’s making me accept the same from him.”

“Well, can’t come here and not enjoy the produce!” Rainer claimed as Tanith nodded enthusiastically.

“I’d offer, but these guys have more than I do.” She chortled, sounding as though she got the best deal out of everyone present.

Lily still looked like she wanted to protest but with a mockingly frustrated sigh, Finn simply took hold of her hand for the second time that day and began walking in the direction of the crowd. “Don’t argue, none of us are going to listen. Just smile and try everything we stuff in your hands.”

The pout couldn’t be stopped, but at least it covered up the intense feeling of gratitude and guilt that spun a tight web in her stomach. How could she accept such friendships when she was living a lie right in front of their eyes?

The answer to that was easy; when she let all of them take the pace of the day, Lily forgot that she was living a lie. She forgot that her brown hair was supposed to be as white as the snow they walked on and her green eyes were supposed to be an icy blue. She forgot that the freckles all over her skin weren’t real. She forgot that she was a wingless abomination of her own kind and that she was actually here to fetch information that would help fairies end a war quicker than usual. When she was laughing at the antics of these four that had adopted her into a friendship, she forgot everything else.

It was a bliss she had never known before. A bliss she couldn’t face beginning to let go now.

Finn let go of her hand as she fell into a non-protesting step just behind him, leading her and the others through the crowd to a specific stall which was covered in cups and mugs with the initials M.T. written across the sides in swirling font. The banner across the top of the stall read ‘MEDIHEIM THIRST’ in bright orange lettering that had fire dancing behind the glass fronts.

“Two Spiced Mint Fusions please!” Finn called up to the lady behind the counter.

“Size?” She asked with a very soothing voice.

“Largest you have.”

“But… what if I don’t like it?” Lily attempted to interject, finding herself faced with Finn’s hand as he waved over her shoulder.

“No one has ever not liked these” He dismissed, counting out some shining silver pieces into his hand. “Besides, if you somehow don’t like it, that means there’s more for me to drink. I love these drinks, but the rest of the year you can only find poor imitations.”

Lily frowned slightly but resigned herself to not arguing back. Instead, she could do little but sigh in defeat and take the drink that was handed to her. It was green, a soft pale green with steam billowing up from its heat. There were specks of brown littered through it like some kind of powder had been mixed in but had yet to fully dissolve; perhaps it had been sprinkled on top and was sinking through the liquid.

Other than milk, water and fresh fruit juices, Lily had never had many types of drinks, but this one looked the strangest yet out of the ones she had discovered in the witches’ world.

“It’s mint, cinnamon and energy granting herbs that I can’t remember the name of.” Finn chortled at the look of suspicion on Lily’s face.

“Why would you need energy from herbs?” Lily mused while sniffing the drink.

“To… give you more energy?” Finn deadpanned, a small smirk pulling on the corner of his lips at the disapproving pout that spread over Lily’s face.

“Obviously...” she shook her head finally lifting the drink and taking a sip. It was unusual, being a hot drink, it warmed her from the inside, but the mint left her tongue feeling cool with each breath that followed. The cinnamon and herbs heated her cheeks while the heated milk settled in her stomach in a soothing way that reminded her of being bundled up in a fur blanket on an ice-cold night. “Wow!” Lily breathed finally.

“Good, isn’t it?” Finn sounded borderline smug.

“It is. I don’t know how, but it all just works.” She conceded, taking another sip. She would have loved to have gulped it down, but she couldn’t deal with heat like she could the cold. There was the great temptation to use her magic to cool the drink, but with Finn looking at her and the others moving to join them with their own steaming mugs Lily didn’t think she would get away with it.

So, instead, she blew breath over the surface of the Spiced Mint Fusion while they set off to look at the other stalls.

The stalls were covered in so many different things, it was mind-blowing for Lily. There were: clothing designed for the winter months, jewellery that glittered in the light of day, round glass balls that had snow swirling inside with little figurines being covered in that snow, and food of so many different smells and flavours.

Lily couldn’t help but look at each stall with wide-eyed curiosity, though quickly moving away from them when Finn asked if something had caught her eye.

“Dia makes clothes awesome enough for me.” She had replied after the fourth clothing stall.

“Charmer!” Dia had called back over her shoulder.

The day was jovial and relaxing. Lily caved on purchases when it came to food, partially because of hunger, but primarily out of interest for what these outlandish mixtures of sweet, spiced and savoury would taste like. Her favourite by far was the Spiked Chocolate Strawberries. They were exactly what they were called, strawberries dipped in chocolate, which was dyed blue to fit the winter theme, and spiked with a choice of liquids. Lily had tucked into a whole selection, Dia and Finn recommended sugar syrup spikes while Tanith and Rainer recommended things that gave Lily a very warm feeling that spread through her quickly and made her wobbly as she walked. When asked, neither would confirm what they had chosen for her.

Lily’s arm was hooked with Finn’s for stability by the time the sun was lowering, and they stood by the lake waiting patiently for what her friends described as the greatest show she would ever see.

“So, what is the show?” She asked.

“You’ll see.” Tanith grinned, sipping on a tankard of honey brewed mead.

“You’ll love it. By the sound of your house, it’s not been close enough to see anything like this before.” Dia smiled eagerly, bouncing on her heels as she glanced out to the lake where little fluttering of glass wings skittered over the centre where the water remained unfrozen.

“It is honestly beautiful,” Finn added “The guys who created it are genius’! They are always brought into any big event and this is their yearly bonanza!”

“It’s always epic!” Rainer nodded over his mulled wine.

Lily smiled at the growing excitement in her stomach, or maybe it was the warm giddiness that the sweets she had eaten had given her.

That feeling vanished in an instant, replaced with a shocked fear as Lily felt her body thrown forward.

“Lil!”

“Oh, Crick!”

“What the…?!”

“Lily!”

The voices of her friends overlapped one another before being muffled completely as her body tipped over the edge of the ice she had skidded to and sunk under the surface of the water.

Everything was quiet under the water, but Lily could practically hear her mind screaming in the panic she felt while being pulled down further from the light above the water. Instinctively, Lily held onto whatever breath was left in her chest while she moved her arms and legs desperately trying to reach the surface again. Swimming wasn’t her greatest strength, and with the weight of the sodden clothes fighting against her, she was not going to win with her physical efforts alone.

She was torn between two thoughts of fear. If she didn’t use her magic over water, she was going to drown. If she did use her water, she would probably be found out and she would likely be jailed or killed. Either way… either way, she failed her parents. Either way, she lost her friends.

Her tears joined the water around her as her lungs and limbs began to burn with a frantic need for oxygen. There was a mist of spots beginning to descend over her vision. She felt faint in the pain. Her lungs couldn’t hold out any longer and urgently, automatically, unwillingly, she parted her lips to try and take in the oxygen she craved. Nothing but water filled her lungs.

If she had thought the pain from a lack of oxygen had been bad, it was nothing compared to the suffocating choking that came with breathing water into her lungs directly. She couldn’t cough it back out, because more water rushed in to replace it. The water around her began to move, her instincts replacing any and all fear in her mind and created a current under her to push her up towards the surface.

As her face reached the surface, the movement of water she felt wasn’t beneath her but within her. The water in her lungs moved up through the trachea past her larynx causing her to gag and retch.

A hand sealed itself around the collar of her coat and wrenched her up onto the ice allowing her body to convulse in its confused attempt to both throw up the water inside and breath in the oxygen her whole body screamed for. There was no strength in her limbs now, she could barely see anything let alone register what was happening around her, but strong arms held her head up away from the ice so that the water could fall away from her lips.

“Lily? Lily, can you hear me?”

The voice seemed so far away, drowned out by the sound of her rattling lungs and thunderous heartbeat. The moments ticked by with her body calming itself while remaining limp against whoever was holding her steady. She could have slept for days, but the voices around her kept talking. Lily couldn’t tell what they were saying, but they kept her conscious while the magic moved the last little drops of water causing discomfort from her lungs to her mouth.

“Come on, we got you.”

“That’s it. Just breathe.”

“I’m going to kill that liche next time I see her!”

Lily groaned a little, finally taking the weight of her own neck and turning to look around at the concerned faces of her friends. It turned out; the warmth that held her steady was Finn. He had her torso elevated a little against his lap and kept her neck and shoulders supported with his arms. The others knelt around her with fear and worry etched into their expressions, though Tanith looked angry as well.

“Lil! Oh, thank Nocto! You ok?” Dia cried, tears spilling onto her rounded cheeks.

She tried to speak, but all Lily could do was nod. Thankfully, that seemed to be enough as Dia choked back a relieved sob as she launched herself forward to hug her friend despite the awkward angle. Lily reached up an arm to return the embrace, the world slowly becoming clearer.

“What happened?” Lily croaked.

“Kelsie Fulton” Tanith growled darkly.

“She hit you from behind with a spell that propelled you forward” Rainer expanded. “I don’t think she intended to drown you, she looked a bit shocked when you didn’t come back up so her and her friends scarpered.”

“I wish I could have got a good jinx in on her” Tanith snarled.

“She better watch out when we get to the advanced lessons,” Finn nodded, helping Lily up to a sitting position. “She’s on her way to becoming a test dummy.”

“Guys, it’s fine. I’m ok.” Lily spoke weakly, not wanting to cause more trouble. This wasn’t the first time a bully’s antics had become a close call, but she didn’t like the idea of facing off against Kelsie any more than she had with River.

“You could have drowned!” Dia scolded.

“But I didn’t.”

Exasperated sighs surrounded her, but no one questioned how she hadn’t drowned. Lily was quietly grateful for that.

“We should dry you off,” Finn diverted the subject, noticing the tremor in Lily’s hands, assuming she was cold. “Did anyone manage the Siccalidum charm without setting fire to their objects?”

He looked to all the girls, suggesting that when he and Rainer had learned the Drying Charm with Master Ova neither had managed to do it successfully.

“Lily, obviously.” Dia chortled, knowing that Lily spent every evening practising the spells they had been taught until they worked how they were meant to. Despite how many weeks had gone by, Lily had not lost that enthusiasm to complete the tasks.

“Can you do it for yourself?” Rainer asked.

“I assume so?” Tanith shrugged watching Lily search for the wand she had grown so used to in the interior pockets of her sodden coat. “Though, you sure you want to try while shaking Lil?”

Lily pulled the piece of wood from her pocket and nodded slowly, trying to calm the adrenaline shakes in her hand long enough to turn it and point it at herself. Thankfully there was no hand movement involved with the incantation, so with a soft muttering of ’Siccali’, the area in front of the wand tip shot hot air across her torso.

“Better?” Dia asked once Lily had guided the charm over her whole body.

Lily nodded with a small smile “Yeah, I’m very tired now though.”

“More S.M.F’s?” Tanith asked, “It’ll warm you up more and maybe give you enough energy to see the show.” She wasn’t really asking. Before Lily could so much as think about the option, she had grabbed Rainer and Dia and started pulling them off back to the stalls calling over her shoulder. “We’ll grab them, you and Finn go get a good spot to watch from.”

Finn, who still had an arm hovering behind Lily in case she needed support, blinked after them. “Well, I suppose sitting on ice probably isn’t a good idea. Here,” he pushed himself to his feet and immediately took Lily’s hand to help her up. They didn’t walk far but settled against a couple of trees at the side of the lake. Finn never let go of Lily’s hand while they walked and kept hold when they came to a halt. It was as though he wanted to make sure Lily didn’t get cast back into the water.

“Um…” Lily started, flushing as she looked down at the hand that felt so warm in hers.

Finn quickly dropped her hand with a timid smile “Sorry.”

“It’s ok” she replied quickly though they both fell into an awkward silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, it just made Lily feel like she should be more interesting than she was, that she should have great things to say to keep the male beside her happy. Every now and then she caught him glancing at her as though he was trying to work something out, but he always looked away in the direction of the little market quick enough that he could have just been thinking in general.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Mhmm.” Lily nodded more confidently than before, leaning against the tree subconsciously to keep her back covered. “I’ve had similar problems in the past so…” Why was she saying that? It just enhanced the fact she had always been the odd girl that got picked on.

“Someone almost killed you before?” There was a wave of quiet anger behind his eyes as Finn looked back at Lily.

“Not intentionally.” Lily paused with a frown “I think?”

“Why?”

Lily couldn’t answer that. She knew why River and everyone back home had such an attitude against her, but she didn’t know why Kelsie seemed to have the same problem. She shrugged lightly “They just don’t like me I suppose.”

Finn huffed out an annoyed laugh “Well, they must be blind or stupid then.”

The blush on her cheeks felt one hundred times warmer than the Siccalidum charm had done. “Maybe” she mumbled, unable to fight a smile again.

“You know you’re pretty amazing right? Quiet maybe, but I’m glad I helped you with those books” Finnigan Byrne really did ridiculous things to her heart and stomach. That sweet smile looked so genuine it made his handsome features even more charming.

“Oh, so now you try and flirt with her” Rainer’s voice made them both jump, Finn’s cheeks rising in colour to match Lily’s already pink ones.

“Dude!” Finn whined, snatching his Spiced Mint Fusion from his friend while Tanith handed Lily hers. Dia was shooting Lily a look that translated roughly as ‘I told you so’ which Lily promptly shook her head at and thanked them for the drink.

“Oh look! They’re setting up!” Dia exclaimed, pointing out to the other side of the great lake where a few tiny figures were moving back and forth, carrying stuff and placing it down in a specific order.

“How are we meant to see it from here?” Lily’s question was met with giggles at her ignorance.

“You’ll see. Just trust us ok?” Dia grinned excitedly.

Trusting them was completely worth it.

The first burst of colour was all it took for Lily’s face to light up in childish glee. A shattering of lime green lights broke out and swirled in different directions, bright against the darkening sky.

“Oh my god! That’s so beautiful!” Lily yelped.

“It gets better,” Dia snickered.

Colours of all hues exploded in the sky and formed shapes that danced across the sky like stars coming alive. First, red and pink roses bloomed above them glittering, while small blue hummingbirds flitted around them. Second, came orange cats pouncing on one another, then flames danced all yellow and red, trees bloomed, and leaves fell and sprinkled down onto water and ice of the lake. The images the light show created was a spectacle to behold.

The light show changed its tune, from pretty images to vast expanses of people with their wands held up into the air, the end of the shimmering wands glowing brightly. They glowed brighter still until the light shot further above the array of glittering witches. In a beautiful icy blue, which reminded Lily of her father’s eye colour, a shining phrase came into view ’Never Forgotten. Forever Honoured’. Cheers and hoots erupted from the crowd of on-lookers that had gathered.

It was heartachingly nice to witness. The fairies never did anything like this; individual families would remember their ancestors within their own homes, but, as a whole society, they never celebrated their memories in such a communal fashion.

“That was gorgeous” Lily whispered as the cheers and applause dissipated and the lights flickered out of existence on the sky.

“Hmm. My family are all represented up there. Well, not my parents obviously, but they vanished not long ago when they knew the war was coming closer again.” Finn muttered softly as their hands bumped together. Lily didn’t even think before she linked them together, squeezing his hand in a way she hoped was comforting. The way he looked down at her with a soft smile suggested he had got the message, closing his hand tighter around her fingers.

“They left you?” Lily frowned, her eyes meeting a sad smile and a shrug.

“I could have gone with them, but I always wanted to go to school properly. I want to build my own house one day when I’m older, so I need the Elixirs and Maceration lessons.”

“Building your own home; that sounds like a wonderful thing” Lily smiled, a warmth tightening her heart gently in her chest.

“Hopefully.”

There was a peaceful quiet between them where their hands lingered for a moment before breaking apart as Tanith turned to them. “We all done and ready to head back? It’s still a long ride home.”

Lily nodded, knowing she would be grateful for sleep after everything that had happened, and pushed herself away from the tree trunk she still leant against to follow her friends back towards the carriages.