theultimatesparrow-blog

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

human-helianthemum:

“No,” Sun Rose whispered. “If I did, I wouldn’t be alive.” Sun Rose kept backing away, listening for any other call of a banshee, in hope of pinpointing where it was. “Trust me.”

Banshees. Sun Rose had heard them before, first from a distance, shortly before Sun Rose had been informed of their father’s death, and then from a distance again, shortly before Violet Moon had exhausted her power and dropped dead. Sun Rose had never seen one in person. They never wanted to. They had no desire to find out what a banshee looked like, and they had no desire to ever hear the cry of one again.

Sun Rose was prepared to run back to the Shark clan lands, or to another direction, whichever path led them away from the banshee and, by extension, possible danger.

“Then they’re shrieking for your death,” Sun Rose whispered. “All you can do is run and hope they’re shrieking for someone else, but somebody’s gonna die.” Sun Rose was always surprised that, for all of the years that a faerie lived, they had somehow not accumulated the knowledge that humans had within their shorter lives. How had this faerie not known anything about a banshee, especially when the 100 year war led to an abundance of banshee cries? 

Much of Sparrow’s knowledge about the other creatures inhabiting the forests were told through fairytales and legends. She prided herself on not believing most of them as a lot of it sounded incredibly foolish. Even knowing that banshees were actually real, she couldn’t help but wonder how anyone knew so much about them. Where had the stories come from? How in the world did people know what happened if you saw one? She did not appreciate being stared at like that, especially by someone she didn’t particularly like in the first place. “How do you know? How does anyone know? Where do they get this information?”

She needed to know everything she could, so she herself sounded smarter. Besides, it was always fun messing with someone, to the point of them getting incredibly frustrated with her. How else was she supposed to have fun? Crossing her arms over her chest, she huffed and grumbled under her breath. How come no one took her seriously when she asked questions? Lately, everyone looked at her as if she was some dumb faerie when sometimes, she actually was. But that was besides the point. 

Turning to face Sun Rose, Sparrow sighed, listening carefully to any noises that seemed unfamiliar in any way. From what she knew, the shrieking was fairly loud and fairly irritating. “Does the distance have anything to do with it?” she whispered, now actually genuinely curious. Perhaps she really didn’t know enough or didn’t care to, but now, knowing there was something that could really hurt her in the area, if it was for her, she was worried, really very worried actually. Quickly, her head snapped around the area, looking for the closest escape route, wondering if possibly she could get out of this situation quick enough if she needed.

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

shymelody:

Probably it really was Edmund’s luck this person had just woken up because if she would have started to toy around with the fact of what kind of person Edmund was she definitely would have managed to make Edmund be scared of her and then avoid her like the plague. She definitely wouldn’t be the first person who would’ve made that happen.

“I.. I.. I thought you.. um.. were hurt or.. or..” It was obvious what the ‘or’ would follow, because Edmund’s voice got even quieter from the quiet tone it had been. “But you.. uh.. you are fine.. so.. I.. I leave you be to.. continue what you were doing..” At the same time Edmund felt relieved that the girl was okay, but at the same time he felt bed for disturbing her in the first place. He really just hoped she wasn’t angry at him for just making sure she was okay. But people could get angry for the weirdest reasons so Edmund would make sure to make a quick escape if the situation would lead to her getting angry at him.

As she listened to the man in front of her speak, she sighed, feeling slightly bad that he was stuttering. There was no anger in her small body at the moment and had no reason to be mad at him, aside from waking her up. But she knew she should’ve woken up at some point anyway. Besides, someone could have killed her in her sleep, especially because she had no idea where she’d ended up. Rubbing her eyes, she shook her head. “No, not hurt or dead. Although, you wouldn’t see it with all of the mud,” Sparrow stated, laughing lightly.

Somehow, she pushed her hair behind her ears and tucked some of it under other patches of hair. At this point, she was fairly certain she had matts in her hair. Perhaps it was time to chop her hair off. It’d make life a whole lot easier. “Are you scared I’m going to eat you?” Sparrow asked, chuckling. She’d never been the type of person to be shy about anything at all. So, it confused her, greatly. “Where are you headed? I fell asleep ‘cause I was bored. Maybe you can entertain me.”

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

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hardened-halfling:

Carmela’s hands fell away from her necklace and clasped themselves behind her back. “Well, that’s hardly fate.” What the girl had described was natural action and consequence, which was something entirely different from fate. Fate, as far as Carmela knew, meant that some outcome was meant to happen, no matter what one did to avoid it. There was an old story about death that Carmela had once heard, though she couldn’t remember where. A man had seen the personification of Death in the marketplace and assumed that Death had come for him there. So, he confided in his friend and told him he would make way for a distant city to avoid such a fate. The friend, quite confused about the story, approached Death himself and asked why he would give the man such a scare. I was just confused and surprised, said Death, as I saw him here in a marketplace, and I was supposed to meet him the distant city. 

“Fate means your path has been chosen and you can’t do anything about it,” Carmela said. “And I could hardly stand the thought of that.” Fate. If Carmela accepted fate, she would stay a lowly person, hardly valued by those around her. This girl’s description of fate, however false, was only a tad bit more reassuring.

The fate of her actions? A strange thought. If she had held onto her previous interpretation of fate, then she would have thought herself worthy of a life of drudgery. But… a fate of actions. Her trip to the library coincided with Thayne’s, and that set off a chain reaction of sorts, and such a process repeated with thousands of people. What Carmela could not grasp, however, was the thought of things happening for a reason? If things did happen that way, Carmela would want them to be good, but so many things, terrible things happened, seemingly without explanation.

The world itself was either anarchic, or it was controlled, but it could not be both.

“Come along.” Carmela nodded her way one way and took one slow step after the other. “Let’s walk.”

It wasn’t every day that Carmela had been subjected to a thief, and even the rarer occurrence that such an issue would be resolved by befriending the stranger. But, everyone in Midsummer has the occasional odd day. If Carmela’s odd day consisted of talking philosophy with a dirt caked remorseful thief, so be it. She could face far worse things than this.

“Who was your father, if I may ask?” Carmela asked. “What sort of things did he believe?”

Pursing her lips, Sparrow looked up at the woman, more confused than she was in the beginning. If she didn’t really understand what she was talking about then who really was she? Ever since she left her father, all she wanted was to live her own life and believe what she wanted without thinking about the consequences or having to explain herself to anyone. Was what she believed in something that wasn’t even real? Did any of it have to do with the fact that she lived in the forest and had no idea how life was actually supposed to go? Sparrow was more than confused about what fate was and how exactly it had to do with her life.

As she listened to the words and the meaning of fate. Everything happened for a reason and while she was grateful that she got away from her father, why was it fate that she had to deal with him for as long as she needed to? She hated fate and hated every inch of it and what it seemed to represent. While she knew there were different interpretations of what the word meant, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was a reason she bumped into whom she did. Was was going to come of all of this? This wasn’t the type of interaction that she was intending to get out of this, but what was she trying to get?

“I don’t want fate to take over my life, then. I don’t like the sound of that,” Sparrow explained, shaking her head. If this was how life was, all she wanted was for something good to happen, for her to maybe not have to struggle to find food every single day. Upon hearing they should walk together, she stopped for a moment. Why would this girl want her to walk with her? Didn’t she know that Sparrow was quite the ruffian? “Are you sure? I’m not exactly a clean person to walk next to.”

But nonetheless, the brunette stood up, tried her best to smooth out her clothes and push off any of the dust and smooth out her hair somewhat. She really did look like a ruffian. Beginning to walk, she gave her a small smile. “Thanks, for teaching me a bit about fate. I suppose I’ve got a lot to learn.” As they walked, she felt herself calming, her body feeling a little less worried about everything that may happened. This wasn’t like any normal day, but why was she to question it?

Would it be alright for her to say anything? Pursing her lips, she fiddled with her braid, which really needed to be cut now, it was getting far too long. “He was a swordsmith, thought he was the best thing since well, anything. Violent drunk and just not someone I could be around.” Looking down at her feet, she said two more words, “Unseelie, actually.” She didn’t know how the other would respond and could only hope it wasn’t badly.

The Irony of Protective Charms

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gifteddoc:

“I’m terribly sorry for waking you, my lady,” Preston rushed out. He was fairly certain from her more casual attire that she wasn’t a Lady of the Court, persay, but he found it polite to address her as such anyway, at least until he had a different name or title to attribute to her. He nodded quickly at her words and shuffled a couple of steps back. “Sorry, sorry again,” he muttered.

When she looked around herself, something close to confusion on her features, Preston smiled probably more than was acceptable. If she were lost, then perhaps his mishap of waking er wasn’t in vain. After all, better to be woken by a stranger and have a chance at finding her way with a companion rather than to be remain lost and asleep in the woods alone. Right? “Of course, our little secret,” he said, probably a bit too happily for being lost in the woods. “I’m—well, I’m actually trying to find my way back into Wisteria,” he said, his hopes of finding the plants he needed for the day dwindling as the day wore on. He would come out another day, perhaps with Sindri, and have better luck. For now he only wanted to comfort of familiar streets and the white noise of idle chatter amongst shoppers and passersby.

“My assistant, you see, he’s at my clinic and I’m afraid he’ll be rather worried for me if I don’t return soon. And particularly cross with me for staying gone so long once I arrive,” he admitted. It really was a no-win situation for him. Not that Sindri’s fears were unfounded. Preston had mused more than once about how interesting his day may be if he wandered too far into the Wildlands and stumbled across an Unseelie fae traveling from Belladonna. No, Sindri’s lack of confidence in Present was entirely justified. “Ah, but of course I must help you find your way as well. Where is it you must get to?”

As the words left his mouth, Sparrow immediately scrunched up her nose and shook her head, wildly. How dare they call her a lady? She was nothing but. However, from the way his words sounded, he really didn’t mean it as an insult. Pursing her lips, she looked him up and down, wondering where the hell he’d come from. Why had he thought she was worthy of that kind of title? Not that there was anything wrong with it, but all it did was make her feel even worse. If she had done what her father wanted her to, her life probably would’ve been a whole lot different. “It’s fine and I’m not a lady. Don’t ever call me a lady.”

The man standing before her was somewhat accommodating and Sparrow wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do with it or the situation in front of her. Why was he still talking to her? She looked as if she rolled out of the mud and didn’t care about the rest of her appearance. Generally when this happened, most fae or humans left, ran in the other direction. They could immediately sense that she was a solitary fae, one of the ones that roamed the woods, seemingly on a rampage, ready to attack if necessary. That was the thing, she could and sometimes, she wanted to, but looking at him, wondering how in the world he wasn’t afraid, Sparrow’s curiosity was peaked. “Wisteria. I can help you, but I may need your help in return,” the mud caked girl explained. “You can’t be seen with me without being attacked, so I may need you to hep me look a little more presentable. Either a cloak or something to clean some of this mud off my face.”

She would help, but only if it worked out in her favor. Quite honestly, she wanted to see more of the area and wanted to know more about the kinds of people she could take objects from. There had to be more out there and she really did want to experience more of life. Perhaps he could really and truly help her. Nodding, she brushed more of her hair out of her face, as much as she could before standing up. She smoothed out her clothes, trying to adjust anything that my have gotten stuck somewhere funny. “Ugh, clinics are no friend to me. I accidentally got brought there once, hated every second of it.” Lifting her hand up, she waved him off and shrugged her shoulders, reaching down to pick a pebble out of her shoe. “I’ll hear them while we’re on our way. No worries. I’d much rather get you to your destination. I’ll probably spot their camp on our way.” 

Sparrow could be smooth when she wanted to be. By manipulating anyone around her that she could, she knew she could get more money, achieve greater things and feed her stomach in ways that she could only dream of. She could bring back so much good food to The Flock, food that would make her incredibly loved and cherished. As she stood there, she wondered if she should tell him her name, if that would change his opinion of wanting to help her out. But she wouldn’t, not if he asked. “Do you have enough food and water for the journey? Or need anything?” she asked, feeling odd, asking if he was ready for a journey that could very well kill him if something bad happened or they ran into the wrong person.

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

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littleliar-hawk:

Hawk couldn’t imagine anything more comforting than walking alongside her friend. It was something so simple, so easy, to spend time with Sparrow, and for that she was truly grateful. Whenever she was with the fae, she needn’t fret about the lies she’d used to entrap herself. She could simply…be, and indulge in a bit of harmless fun. Well, harmless to them, anyway.

As if to answer Sparrow’s words, Hawk heard her stomach begin to grumble at the mention of food. “Any meat sounds good to me right now,” she said with a pout. “I don’t think I’ve eaten a thing all day. I was so busy whining at Nihm to let me go with you all that I completely forgot.”

Or, rather, she’d been too upset to eat. When the final judgment that her health was too poor had come down, she’d spent the rest of the day fretting over her place among her Flock. She felt better now that she was beside Sparrow, more assured that they wouldn’t abandon her. And with that relief came a wave of hunger she could scarcely ignore. But until they came across a target, she’d have to.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take long for someone to cross their path as they drew nearer to the city. While most of the folks in town knew better than to travel to the densest parts of the forest, they felt safe enough on the outskirts of their little towns. It was there that Hawk and Sparrow would come across a respectable looking fellow. While certainly not among the upper echelon of Sidhe, he was certainly rich enough to have fine silks draped over his person.

Well, most of his person, anyway. For as Hawk drew nearer, she noted that the male appeared to be taking a piss. She snickered behind her hand, tossing a knowing smirk at Sparrow. Now this was a quick and easy target. They’d be stuffing themselves with food in no time. Leveling the fae with a mischievous look, she mouthed silently, “Shall we?”

A day with Hawk was a day well spent. There wasn’t much that could ruin her days, at all. How could they when you spent it with your best friend? She wanted her to get better as fast as her little body possibly could because going anywhere with The Flock that didn’t include Hawk was awful. After figuring out where she was and why they’d left her, Sparrow left. She knew she could take care of herself without them. 

The mention of food only make her stomach worse. It was grumbling quite a lot. But it had been quite a while since she’d had a really good meal. There was meat around somewhere and if anyone was going to find it, it was the two of them. Lately, all her food had been something she could cook and quite honestly, she’d messed it up a few times and something tasted really off, really really off. So, a good meal was definitely in order.

“Then let’s eat! Besides, with the two of us, we’ll find something better than Nihm could find. We’re sneakier, although, don’t tell him that,” Sparrow stated, chuckling. She knew if she said anything, she’d get quite a talking to, even though they were friends. There were only a few humans and fae in the world that she trusted and respected. Hawk and Nihm were among them.

With their footsteps soft and gentle, they crept upon a man outside, taking a piss in the woods. They were incredibly disrespectful. At least Sparrow would find somewhere no one was looking or not do it up against a tree. She respected the trees. They kept her safe. As they approached him, Sparrow saw the smirk on her friend’s face, that smirk that both of them used, the one they adored and loved so much. 

Nodding, she took one more glance at his face, knowing he wasn’t paying any attention. “And...go!” The fae mouthed. As she moved forward, grabbing one of his silks, she knew Hawk would grab the other one. Tag teaming. It worked every single time. No one suspected it. Running, she hid behind a few large trees, knowing the man couldn’t see them from there. She waited for Hawk, trying her best not to laugh. All they had to do was have him disappear and stay away from them so they could sell his goods. 

Her eyes wandered down to the silks in her hands, stroking them. “Woah, they’re soft. What the fae does he do to get such soft silk? We’ll get a lot for these!”

Starlight || Hawk & Sparrow

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

human-helianthemum:

Sun Rose could have sworn that they heard another banshee cry, this time a little fainter, and not identical in the slightest. They were there, somewhere, but Sun Rose couldn’t identify where at all, only that there was more than one, and that even one was a terrible sight. No matter how often one heard it, no matter how much one knew about them, how to locate them, any other trivia, no one could get used to them. 

Hell, Sun Rose had heard plenty of times that not even hardened knights could get quite used to the banshee cry, and they had seen their fair share of blood, and dealt plenty of deaths. But, Sun Rose was not a hardened warrior, they were not even a trained fighter. They were just an escapee who had heard a few banshee cries here and there, heartbeat quickening with each cry.

Sun Rose nodded, waving at the woman to get up, for they’d have to make a run for it. The only thing that could possibly bring comfort was either the cries growing faint, or the sight of the bodies that triggered the banshee call in the first place.

“Shh,” they hushed quietly, slowly taking some steps backward. “Slow evasion. Just….” Sun Rose looked behind them, knowing that if they continued that direction, they would run into the Shark clan, where they could surely find safety.

“Go where you know is safe,” Sun Rose whispered. “Doesn’t matter where. Don’t stop until you know longer hear anything, or until you see a dead body. Got it?”

Standing there, Sparrow could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She had no idea what to do in this situation and quite honestly was glad that she never had. From stories, banshees were something to be feared more than almost anything else. She’d never encountered one and was thankful that she’d never had. Turning her head around, she heard a sound, but couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. But see, this was the problem. She was curious and she wanted to know what happened, but she knew that wasn’t a good idea in the slightest. The creatures were terrifying, very very terrifying.

“Have you ever seen one?” she asked, her voice soft and gentle as she slowly stood up. The brunette had so many questions and she wanted all of them answered, but that wasn’t going to happen, at least not now. Once she finally stood up, she tightened the rope on her messy ponytail braid combination, knowing she’d need to be able to run as fast as she could, without her hair tormenting her. 

Nodding, she took a few steps back, trying to listen to where the sound was coming from. There were a few directions she could go, mostly running back to The Flock. All she wanted was a nap and now, here she was, trapped in this hot mess of a situation. From their previous encounter, Sparrow didn’t care for them, but she couldn’t help but want them to be safe. Even just for a moment, because no one deserved anything horrible to happen when all you were doing was minding your own business. Sure, she had a disregard for the rules and justice, but it still bugged her. 

“What’ll happen if I don’t get safe?” she asked, fearing the worst. It was always safe to assume the worst so that you could be prepared for it. 

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

robinfelldown:

The Sidhe stood his ground, leaning back against the tree trunk with a foot propped against it and arms folded tightly across his chest. She moved closer to him with narrowed eyes and he bared his teeth a bit, his own eyes narrowing. He drew the line at hissing at her but he made it clear that if she were to move any closer he’d be thoroughly displeased. 

All Robin had wanted was a romp out in the trees but now he had to deal with a little twit who thought she wasn’t fun anymore, all because he’d gone away. “Yes, well, I’ll tell that to my captors next time I see them. ‘Some faerie girl thought I left because she wasn’t fun any longer. Set her straight, would you.’” He scoffed a bit and dropped the drolling, stuffy accent. He raised a brow at her tone, and then the other quickly met it in his hairline. “I’ll take your word for it. I don’t need a demonstration. And as for where I’d been off to, well,” he flicked a finger up to his face, tapped the scars that sliced a thin line next to the curve of his mouth. His most noticeable. “Try I went off to a war, like a good little faerie. And then a much darker place after.”

He created some distance between them, didn’t like the way she was staring at him, into his face. The blond felt his lips twist into a sardonic little grin, almost loathsome. “I’m a bird with clipped wings, I’m afraid. Still learning how to get around again.”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Sparrow didn’t have a lot of friends and now, seeing one of them, one that she may have actually ruined herself, she hated it. This was everything she’d wished she’d never feel. He was tense and everything every other person was always like around her. Letting her head fall, her hair fallen from her braid, it completely covered her face. What in the world was she supposed to say? How could she change everything? Would they ever really become friends again? The brunette fae didn’t know and it made her rather irritated. “Captors...” she stated, her voice soft and gentle. What had she missed? When he’d disappeared, Sparrow thought he’d left her like everyone else and thought he finally decided she wasn’t good enough.

“I didn’t... I’m sorry, Robin, I didn’t know,” she said. This wasn’t something she ever said and would never speak like this around someone she was trying to impress or someone that could potentially hate her. Hopefully he would never hate her, or maybe that’s what this was. Oh goodness, she really hoped not. “I’m just glad you’re okay and that’s something I’ve only ever said one other time, so you know I mean it,” Sparrow explained, feeling the words coming out of her mouth. They didn’t feel normal, not like anything she’d ever felt before. 

She wanted to help him out, but seeing the distance he’d created between them, Sparrow felt hopeless and useless. It was just like everyone else. They didn’t want her. Why did she care so much? How had she let herself care? Why had she? This wasn’t who she was. But maybe for once she hoped she could be normal, at least a little bit. “I’d help you if you’d let me, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I didn’t mean to get so mad or anything... never mind, forget about it,” Sparrow stated, turning away from him, playing with her hair, unraveling in from the braid. She only really ever did this when she was nervous or upset.

A Weird Reconciliation // Robin & Sparrow

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hardened-halfling:

Carmela looked down and fidgeted with her charm. The charm itself was not iron, and therefore couldn’t do anything, but the chain had already burned two faeries’ hands. First Finn Crow’s, and now this woman’s. The first case had been one of self-defense, when Finn followed her out of a restaurant with a steak knife. In this case, the woman had stolen an iron object unwittingly.

What drove this woman to do such a thing, Carmela didn’t know, but something about her did not strike Carmela as the typical pickpocket.

“It’s simply something one needs in a world like this,” Carmela said with a sigh. She didn’t want to elaborate on such things with a total stranger. She had already been careful with her word choice – Unseelie instead of malicious. In truth, Carmela would use it against anyone that tried to raise a hand against her. 

Fate and destiny. At some point, Carmela was sure she had heard those words, but she didn’t uphold them in a positive light. At some point in the past, she had asked her mother what those were. Bullshit, her mother had spat once. Something people like to talk about when they tell you what you can and can’t be. Even with the things her mother faced, she had been ardently against a certain type of fatalism. As for Carmela, she couldn’t be so sure. She believed in free will, just as her mother did, but she couldn’t deny that other things shaped your path, things outside of your control.

What was stronger than? Free will or fate? Carmela didn’t really know, but she liked to believe the former. She wanted to ascend in status, and she made deliberate choices to do just that. She didn’t want to believe that she was fated to be seen as lesser forever.

“What do you mean by fate?” Carmela asked, fiddling with her necklace. “I don’t entirely know what to believe, as of late. I…” How strange it was to have this conversation with a total stranger. Who would do such a thing? What place would it be normal for a girl like Carmela - dressed up in the frilliest of things, hands covered in lace gloves, arms hidden in sleeves so as not to reveal what others called impurities in what they otherwise saw as beautiful – to discuss what some might consider philosophy with a petty thief caked in mud? “I suppose most believe what their parents and teachers do without question. It’s how certain ‘traditions’ last. But… I… I suppose I don’t know how I found out. Beliefs seem to discover me.”

Words like this were ones that Sparrow never thought she’d use. Each one had to be chosen carefully, but that was the problem. She didn’t know how to choose them as carefully as someone else might’ve. Once she left the court, everything was different. It didn’t matter what she said because everyone thought of her as a filthy girl with no future. If she had listened to her father or somehow, been anything like what she imagined her mother would be, life would’ve been different. But this was not the time to think about it. She’d become what she’d become and it was part of her now, part of her entire world. It was better this way. She could do whatever she desired, whenever she wanted. 

“Oh. To protect yourself, I get it.” Knowing that someone needed something to protect themselves from someone else was horrifying. Yes, Sparrow knew there were horrible fae and people that did horrible things, but she couldn’t say that she’d ever encountered anyone doing anything like that. Or if she did, she didn’t remember or maybe she had pushed it out of her mind. Or perhaps it was that she deemed herself a good enough fighter that she could defend herself from anyone that may try and threaten her. If it didn’t work, she’d always run because she liked to think that she knew the forest better than anyone else.

Standing there, Sparrow needed a minute. Never would she have thought that someone would ask her about her beliefs, let alone ask her to explain anything further. It was refreshing to know that someone cared, even if it was only for a second. She could say anything she wanted to and it wouldn’t matter because they wouldn’t see her again, or if they did, it would be the truth and a fresh start of some kind. “Everything happens for a reason, doesn’t it? You make your decisions in life and certain things happen because of it. You know that you were meant to do that because it was going to make you better. I am who I am because of the fate of my actions,” Sparrow explained.

How come she didn’t believe the same things as everyone else? Was it because she lives in the woods with fae that had beliefs no one else wanted to hear about? Sighing, she pushed her messy, dirty hair out of her face. Now, at least her face was easily seen, something she didn’t like to do very often, but it seemed fit with this conversation. “I don’t want to believe anything my father did. He wasn’t very nice, at all. I just don’t want to upset anyone or get sent away from those I consider family because I decided I didn’t believe what they wanted me to.”

The Irony of Protective Charms

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shymelody:

Edmund was completely lost in his own thoughts as he was walking in the forest. He didn’t really have any specific destination, he just wanted to walk around a bit. Until he almost stumbled on something – or actually someone. First he got startled by the person, but when he noticed her eyes weren’t open Edmund relaxed a bit. But then he started to worry. Was this person alright? Was she … alive?

The fae leaned a bit closer to see was she breathing, but then she opened her eyes and spoke, which caused Edmund to jump back and accidentally turn invisible for few seconds. He turned back to visible and took a step back, hiding his hands behind his back and lowering his head down. “I-.. I’m sorry, I just, uh, you.. I.. umm..” 

Waking up from a deep sleep was always a struggle, especially when you shifted during your sleep and the position wasn’t entirely comfortable anymore. She pushed as much of her hair out of her face as she possibly could, hoping it would somehow wake her up a little more. But it wasn’t doing the best job. The problem with falling asleep in random places was that she could very easily upset the wrong person if she fell asleep in their territory. While she knew how to take care of herself, there was a possibility that she’d fail.

However, when she looked at the person standing in front of her, she knew she’d be fine. Whomever they were, they looked incredibly nervous and worried about interrupting her. If she really wanted to and was awake enough for it, Sparrow could’ve had so much fun with him and terrified him beyond belief. But she was still slightly groggy. “I looked what? You thought it’d be cool to just poke someone? What if I was an angry fire breathing dragon and I burnt your face off, huh? Then what?”

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

theheadsparrow:

Sybil had spied the girl from a mile off, figuratively speaking. She fancied the trees whispered a little differently wherever strangers dwelt, providing an aura of either eerie serenity or patient protectiveness. The first was something in which even the Sparrow Clan members would generally turn away, as such places were often considered tainted, even if only out of respect for superstition. The second was apparently more likely here, elsewise the girl certainly wouldn’t be resting.

She chuckled as the girl protested, rocking back on heels hidden beneath a thin patchwork skirt. “It looks as though you’ve made some friends, dear,” she told her, jerking her head to the side and an audience of small forest critters, birds and squirrel-like things. Harmless, on their own. Dangerous if angered in a group. “Tell me, do you enjoy cleaning animal leavings from your pretty hair? Because that is where their affections lead.”

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. Her ratty curls looked even worse than they did yesterday. But this wasn’t an issue because she didn’t mind. In fact, she never did. Most of the time, it was tied up anyway and it wasn’t like she lived in a fancy castle or anything. So why would she need to shower? If she was dirty, no one took as much notice of her. She didn’t need to look pretty all the time. Everything was so much better that way. The girl wasn’t confined to anything and didn’t have to deal with the pressure anyone else tried to put on her. Quite honestly, the thought of it would be horrifying. It brought back terrible memories.

Her head turned to face the woman standing in front of her. Honestly, Sparrow could’ve sworn that she’d seen her before or at least heard of her. Just as she’d said, animals had corralled themselves around her. “Well duh, that’s Martin and Morgan and this one here, well he’s Little Flower.” Sparrow was completely joking, but was quite honestly very amused about the possibility of how the conversation would continue from here. Lifting up a chunk of her hair, she pursed her lips and picked one of the small brown pieces out of it. “No, not really, but I wash it sometimes, just not every day. It’s too much of a pain in the ass. I don’t want to spend the extra effort, okay?”

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

human-helianthemum:

Sun Rose was not far from the Shark lands, a place they intended to hang out for a while, if given permission from Chief Titus. No doubt would he be okay with them there. He had been perfectly fine with letting them stick around last time they came, and they were sure that other Shark clans members, like Skunk and Bongo, would ensure a warm welcome. 

But Sun Rose would not linger in the Shark lands until they had a plan. What would they do there? Sun Rose came here with the explicit purpose of waiting things out, or perhaps, if Sunny was willing to admit something to themselves, running away from certain misdeeds and memories. Pushing them down for now, Sun Rose ventured in a relatively safe part of the Wildlands, one where they were sure not to encounter Centaurs or Banshees or the like. Sun Rose remembered the wailing of banshees that had plagued Wisteria right around the time the Magpies Nest popped up. Had Sun Rose known they would have been the cause of one of those deaths, they would have done everything to prevent it.

It was too late now. It seemed that no matter where they went, banshees were to follow.

They passed by a sleeping figure that they only vaguely recognized when they heard a distant banshee called, and their blood went cold as Sun Rose looked around for the source of the call. However, they didn’t find anything, and the distant banshee calls were interrupted by the irritated voice coming from some spot just to Sun Rose’s side. The sleepy figure, whom Sun Rose now recognized as the muddy petty thief they had encountered somewhere between Olia and Artisan’s Quarter, seemed to not have heard the call.

As much as Sun Rose had detested her actions, they did not wish death upon them. Without looking directly at the woman, Sun Rose waved their hand, as if urging them to be quiet, and they heard the banshee again, this time sounding much louder, and much closer.

Sparrow tilted her head to the side, looking up at the figure in front of them. She immediately recognized them. They got mad at her when she stole a fruit. To this day, this still frustrated her. Her stomach had been rumbling. What did it matter? That moment was over, so they weren’t going to talk about it again, right? But even if, they did, Sparrow wasn’t worried about it. She knew that what she did was important for her wellbeing. No one else could tell her otherwise, besides, she really didn’t care. She’d get as sassy as she needed to with them.

When she got shushed, she scrunched up her nose and sat up. Rubbing her eyes, she pushed her hair out of her face, trying to wake up a little more so that she could figure out what else was going on. There was something happening that they were experiencing. At the tone of her shush, Sparrow was fairly certain that something bad was happening. She knew that now was not the time to piss them off, so instead, she whispered. “What is it?” Her head snapped, looking up around the area. “Was that... Is that what I think it is?” she asked, her voice still soft.

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

littleliar-hawk:

Hawk was growing all the more excited at the prospect of having a little fun with Sparrow. As much as she loathed being left behind by the rest of the Flock, she had to admit the idea of fooling around with her friend was much more appealing. So once she was close enough, Hawk hooked her arm with the fae, content with the idea that they could stay this close forever.

“Well, dear Sparrow, never fear, for I am here to tell you that we will never be like that. We’ll never be those pathetic saps who waste their days working miserable jobs to clothe and feed families they hate.

"Maybe we woulda been,” Hawk said, shuddering at just the idea of such a life. “Maybe if we hadn’t met each other we coulda pretended that kind of life is fine. But we got each other now. We got our whole damn Flock. And none of them are gonna let us live a boring life. I’m not gonna let either of us live of a boring life, ya got that?”

She was grinning again, fully convinced of her words. Her Flock was family, held together by a bond stronger than blood, and she refused to imagine a life without them or the lifestyle she’d become so accustomed to.

“So, shall we?” Hawk gestured to the path before them. “Nobody’s pockets are getting any lighter with us just standing around here, right?”

There was something almost magical about having a friend like Hawk. When you could find such joy in merely messing with someone’s life or taking their belongings or even just climbing trees with someone, you knew you had a good friend. That was something Sparrow never took advantage of. She didn’t understand how anyone could. How could they? As she stood there, for that short moment, she realized how incredibly lucky she was to have her best friend in her life. Not many people really understood her, except for Hawk. How could she just leave her behind like that? It didn’t matter that she was injured. In fact, that was all the more reason for Sparrow to stay with her. She needed to know she was okay.

A bright smile formed upon the disheveled faerie’s face, something that only Hawk ever saw. “Good, because I’d rather die that ever be like them. We gotta be happy with our lives and I could never be happy with something so miserable and foolish,” she explained. It was true and she knew she was right. If she’d decided to stay at home and take care of life, she’d regret every second of it. And Sparrow didn’t like to live with regret.

She looked at her friend, taking a moment to actually think about it. If she hadn’t left, her life would’ve been different. She wouldn’t be happy, at all. Hearing Hawk talk about The Flock made her happy. She wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. They were her family now and that was all that mattered. “Good. I’ll do the same for you. A boring life isn’t a fulfilled life. I’m so glad I don’t have to wear those stuffy dresses. I’d rather die.”

Nodding, Sparrow headed along the path, toward the nearest city with her best friend right next to her. Nothing else could be any better. This was what life was all about. “I want to find something shiny, so we can maybe sell it for some good food. Some warm food. Ooh, like some of that meat everyone eats!” Her stomach was always growling, it was a problem. “What is it?”

Starlight || Hawk & Sparrow

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

xgifteddoc:

Preston was lost. This wasn’t really uncommon for him, by any means. No doubt Sindri would be questioning where he’d gotten lost today when he returned to the clinic. But it was getting late in the day, almost dusk, and Preston was beginning to panic. If he couldn’t find his way back through the Wildlands in the daylight, surely he couldn’t in the dark. The more terrifying thought though, was if he too aa wrong turn in the dark and ended up closer to Belladonna than Wisteria. No, that would spell horrible things for the human. Or so he’d been told.

Hoisting the bag of plants he’d collected up on his shoulder, Preston made his way towards where he hoped was an actual path. Perhaps he would’ve even found a path eventually, if he hadn’t first found an unconscious girl. Alone, in the Wildlands. That didn’t seem terribly safe. She didn’t move as he approached, and he watched her carefully, partially wanting to check for a pulse, but also knowing that if she was just sleeping, he would give her quite a scare if he were that close.

“Hello?” He whispered, leaning forward while he was still several feet away from her. Not nearly close enough or loud enough that he’d expect her to wake, if she really was just sleeping. “Are you alright?” He whispered a little louder, not even sure what he hoped to accomplish. He hoped she was only sleeping of course, but the only way to find that out was to wake her, and he didn’t really want to wake her if she was peacefully sleeping. But she did wake, and Preston stumbled back a step in surprise.

“Sorry, terribly sorry,” he muttered quickly. “I just— Was walking, and saw you. Didn’t seem, terribly safe you know, out here alone, asleep. So I wanted to make sure you were alright.” A thought occurred to him and e brightened up a bit. “Are you lost as well? Perhaps we can help each other then.”

Her brown hair blew in the wind as she unravelled it from the braid it normally stayed in. Some of the curls were tangled and some of them free flowing, just waiting to tangle themselves into each other. But that was everything she’d wanted, everything she’d wanted. Climbing a tree, she made her way to the top of it, pushing away the leaves, giving herself a clear view of the world out there. It was beyond beautiful, something she’d never seen. The wind up there was majestic and from that moment on, she knew that nothing could ever take her away from this. It could never take her from the beauty of the wind, the trees, the forest and the great outdoors. Birds flew from the trees, flying around together, entangled in their love for the world. 

Sparrow’s eyes fluttered open to respond, wondering why the creature before her decided it was okay to wake her up in the middle of the night. But when her eyes adjusted, she noticed the bright light flooding in, practically blinding her for a second. Scrunching up her nose, she wiped her eyes, trying to wake herself up properly. There was no need for her to be woken up like this. She knew how to take care of herself. Why did other people think they needed to interrupt her life like this? She had no idea whom was standing in front of her or what they were. The problem was that she didn’t know much and didn’t think she would learn all that much very soon. Because quite honestly, she didn’t care as much as she probably should’ve.

“I’m fine. There’s no need to worry. I know what I’m doing,” she stated, probably a little more rude than necessary. Sitting up, she pulled her now messy hair into a bun at the top of her head before looking at the creature standing before her. “Lost? I... well...” Sparrow looked around, really not having any idea where she was. Quite honestly, it was true. She had no idea where she was and could very well have gotten eaten by something very ferocious. “Where are you trying to go? I couldn’t find my way in the dark... Maybe we can? If you promise not to tell anyone, okay?”

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

Sleepy Nowhere // Open

Lifting her head, Sparrow opened her eyes and looked up at the person in front of her. She’d finally found a comfortable place to lay down and take a nap. Most of her night was spent foraging for something to eat that had a little bit of a bite to it. Sometimes, flavor wasn’t always in her favor. When she’d somehow managed to stuff her face with something that tasted remotely good, she found herself exhausted. Dragging her feet along, she tried her best to keep her eyes open as she tried to find somewhere to rest her head. At this point, she didn’t want to walk all the way back to camp. It was too far. 

When she was woken up, she had no idea what time it was or where she even was. Rubbing her eyes, she scrunched up her nose. “What do you want? I was sleeping and enjoying it!”

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

hardened-halfling:

A bit of Carmela’s anger toward the woman unexpectedly dissipated, and she thought that perhaps she should entertain the stranger’s curiosity. It was rare for a faerie to show any sort of sympathy upon finding out that something of Carmela’s belonged to a world outside Midsummer. Some treated it like an oddity to be inspected, and others thought it a sign that Carmela was somehow lesser. Only a few would take any real interest in that part of Carmela’s ancestry. It seemed that this woman was one of them.

“Oh, this,” she said, fiddling with the charm. “The chain is for protection.” Carmela paused, thinking that simply calling it protection against malicious fae would give the woman the wrong impression, as malicious was too fluid a word. “Against Unseelie fae, to be specific. The charm itself isn’t iron, just engraved metal of some sort. I think it’s exclusive to the Otherworlds.” Running her fingers along the engravings, Carmela thought of how little of the language she actually knew. Her mother, Lilah, taught her two languages: the Holy Tongue, and the Mame Loshn, which translated to “mother tongue.” Carmela knew more of the latter than the former, but both paled in comparison to her knowledge of the Common Tongue and High Fae.

“Those in the Otherworlds have their own religions,” Carmela said. “The one my mother was a part of was not like the religions of Midsummer. It was not a worship of nature, not really.” In truth, Carmela felt she knew little about her mother’s faith. At times, she had dabbled in whatever she found the Sidhe fae dabbling in, if only to fit in, but it didn’t feel quite right. “This charm says ‘God is mine, I will not fear.’ There was just one god in her religion. Not that I know much of it.” Carmela forgot her own anger regarding this woman’s attempted theft. It wasn’t like she could hold onto it for long anyway. What use did it serve her, really? 

“What do they worship, where you live?” Carmela asked. “You don’t like a woman of either court.”

Sitting there, on the ground, Sparrow wondered how in the world she’d stayed there for so long. It not only made her feel foolish, but it made her seem less than someone else. That was never meant to be the case, but as she sat there, looking up at the girl before her, she wondered if what she was saying was going to make much of a difference or upset the solitary fae in any way. For years, she’d believed that everything she’d chosen to do was perfect and that there was never any reason to doubt her decision. But hearing what she heard, hearing that it was protection against Unseelie, she found herself quiet. Her decision had never been anything different. Her father was worthless and she was beyond glad that she’d done what she did. It was the best decision, but sometimes, hearing the stories, part of her wished she had something a little more. But that feeling didn’t last very long. It disappeared almost instantly. What Sparrow had done was the right decision. She was a wild child and no one was going to take that away from her, not now, not ever. She was a member of The Flock. 

With a slight nod, she pursed her lips and fiddled with the hair at the end of her braid. How in the world was she supposed to talk about anything regarding her life without somehow telling someone? She’d been so good at it, but no one had ever asked, so she pushed away all of the memories. Nothing before her initiation into The Flock mattered and it shouldn’t. Her life with them was perfect. “Why do you... need protection? Have they hurt you?” she asked, wondering. Being where she was in her life, many of the other fae judged her kind and she knew it. She was wild, far more wild than she should be, but that was who she’d become. 

Her ears were paying far more attention than she probably should’ve but the weirdest part was that she was actually getting the attention. Not many people paid her any attention. She looked like she’d rolled in mud all day and never smiled, so why would they? Sparrow was a dirty, filthy, disgusting looking girl. Sure, she was pretty, but you had to find that, under the mud and that never happened. Was she though? She hadn’t even ever looked in a mirror and didn’t have any desire to. “Oh, that’s very... inspiring.” What was she supposed to say? Standing up, she shrugged her shoulders and leaned up against the closest wall. “I don’t have much of one. I believe in fate and destiny, but that’s about it. I guess... well, I haven’t really thought about it. No one’s ever asked... it’s not something we... well, it’s not something we ever talk about.” How was Sparrow supposed to explain it? She had no idea. They spent their entire life out in the world, pick pocketing, doing what they were told and she’d never had time to sit down and think about it. “How do you find out what you believe in? And I...” she started, laughing, perhaps a little too loudly. “Court, yeah, that’s funny. Can’t remember the last time I was there,” she stated, her voice softening a little bit.

The Irony of Protective Charms

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

littleliar-hawk:

Hawk was glad to see the bright smile on her friend’s face. She’d looked so worried when she happened upon her, it was a relief to see her relax. At least Hawk could ease the tensions of her dear friend, though her human body limited her from doing much else. But mischief making was blessedly not beyond her, and Hawk brightened at the words Sparrow spoke.

“Oh, I know just the face you’re talking about,” Hawk giggled. “The one where you frown and it looks like you’ve got about twenty extra chins? Who told them that work always has to be so serious? Sure, there’s a time and place for all that but…work shouldn’t be a bore. Unless you wanna end up hating your work, of course.”

Finally climbing down from her perch, Hawk’s bare feet came into contact with the ground for the first time in hours. Pins and needles running up her legs, she shivered with each cautious step she took.

“Why, Sparrow,” Hawk chided. “You know it’s absolutely rude to laugh at the misfortune of others… And that’s why we absolutely should find some lost travellers and ruin their day. Who knows, they might even have something worth pilfering if we’re lucky.”

Casting one last glance back up at the starry sky, Hawk turned her full attention back to her friend and their night of mischief making ahead.

One of her favorite things about Hawk was that she agreed with much of what Sparrow believed in. They had similar thoughts about what their lives should consist of and for that, the brunette was more than thankful. For years, she was worried that she would never find someone that she didn’t hate, or someone that she could cause mischief with without feeling bad about being a terrible influence on. She liked to think that Hawk made her a better faerie. But with her arrogance, Sparrow wasn’t ever going to tell her that or anyone for that matter. No one was supposed to know that she cared about anyone, especially a human.

“That’s exactly the face! I hate seeing it. No face should be scrunched up like that. It makes you look unapproachable and if you’re unapproachable, I can’t distract you enough to steal from you,” Sparrow explained, giggling. She attributed most of her stealing success to being the sneaky bugger she was. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth as she shook her head, thinking about the thought of working being like that. “That’s what I was always afraid of, you know, hating what I do. I don’t want to be like that.”

As she watched her friend jump down from the trees, she couldn’t help but feel proud for how incredibly smooth it was. The two of them spent many days in the woods and one of Sparrow’s favorite things was to spend her time perfecting her cat like reflexes. Giggling, she flashed her friend a grand smile. “I’m so glad you agree with me! We should find some with them fancy dresses. They’ve always got some of the most beautiful jewelry. I may look like a rat’s nest, but I appreciate pretty things, sometimes,” she explained.

Skipping around the town and causing mayhem would only make her day even better and she was beyond excited for it. After all, how could she not be?

Starlight || Hawk & Sparrow

[theultimatesparrow-blog]

robinfelldown:

 Her laugh was nice. 

He remembered that much. But her name, where she’d been from? He couldn’t tell you. It had slipped through the cracks of his mind. 

An unfortunate side effect of torture, or so he’d been told. 

…perhaps they had been friends?

The blond faerie huffed as the brunette flipped to the ground. He wished he could do that more often. Most times he just fell and hoped not to hit anything on the way down. He followed her after a moment, shook out his hair as it fell into his eyes. He mirrored her body language and arched a brow as he leaned against the tree trunk. “I can’t what? I’m fairly certain I can, no matter what you think I have or haven’t done. And, quite frankly, I’ve no clue who you are.” He tapped his temple with a finger, a wry little smile twisting his lips into a mockery of Puck’s smile, as he basically repeated what he’d just said. Clearly she wasn’ getting it. “Slipped my mind. Surviving was much more important than remembering a silly little girl I got in a tiff with about a tree or two.”

Standing there, she crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. They’d gotten along before, but it hadn’t always been wonderful. Sparrow knew that, but as they stood there, she questioned everything, wondered if they could be friends again. Walking toward him, she pursed her lips, looking him up and down. They were good friends at some point, they had to be. Quite honestly, she missed him, missed having a friend around. “You can play all you want, but I’m a very lovable person and I’m tons of fun to hang out with, so whether or not you actually remember me, you should have fun with me,” she stated.

Sparrow missed having friends. When there were other people to hang out with, she found she preferred it. But that was the problem. The brunette was so picky about who she spent her time with or gave her attention to that she wound up not really having a lot of friends at all. Besides, they probably thought she was dirty and irresponsible anyway. It didn’t help that she really didn’t care much about it anyway. Moving closer to him, she stared into his eyes and asked, “Where did you disappear to, Robin? Am I not fun enough?” Sparrow knew that saying his name in public wasn’t always a good idea, but she really didn’t care. There was no one around to see it anyway. And what was the harm in it? She was sneaky, perhaps she learned it from someone.

A Weird Reconciliation // Robin & Sparrow