Skysong: Where the Ocean and Heavens Meet

"Sounds like a plan." Alfred nodded and helped Arthur set up for the night. He was especially happy at the idea of spending a night by the ocean, singing to Arthur just before they went to sleep.

"It probably sounds weird, but the songs siren sing to sailors and other humans are considered to be the worst sounds we can make. It's ironic because humans think it's such a beautiful sound, so it's like we're mocking them, in a way." Alfred flopped down in the sweet smelling grass and folded his arms behind his head, looking up at the stars. "But when we really sing? It's the most beautiful sound in our world. Or so I'm told, I just think it sounds like music to me."

He waited until he heard Arthur getting comfortable a little ways away before fanning his ears out and closing his eyes, allowing soft words and notes pass his lips and float into the night's sky.

"Humans aren't the only ones," Arthur mumbled as he lay down. The patch of grass was thick and and spongy, no hard lumps of earth or rocks poking into his back. It was surprisingly comfortable. There was even a thicker patch underneath his head that acted as the perfect pillow.

Arthur frowned as something occurred to him and rolled over to look at the ground. I could have sworn that there was only a little grass on this outcropping before.... Sure enough, he could see the green carpet spreading out from the original small circle around the intertwined roses, growing up underneath and around he and Alfred. He smiled to himself. Perhaps this whole magic lark isn't as bad as I thought.

And then Alfred started to sing, and all other thoughts were forgotten.

There were no words to describe what it felt like to listen to Alfred sing, truly sing. It was flying in the wind and floating in the ocean, lying in a field of flowers and feeling the sunlight bathing his skin. It was vibrant colour and light, comforting darkness, gentle heat, soothing coolness. It was all of those and yet none and more at once, and yet all was wrapped up in the deceptively simple package of a few musical notes.

Eventually, Arthur was accustomed enough to the sheer bliss that was Alfred's singing to pay attention to the words, and his heart skipped a beat. It was a love song, a sweet lullaby proclaiming the singer's utter devotion and infatuation with their 'Chosen'. Slowly, near-imperceptibly, Arthur moved his hand forward until it was touching Alfred's and squeezed gently. Thank you. He hoped the siren understood.

And with the soft sounds of Alfred's crooning floating in the night air, Arthur soon fell fast asleep, feeling more at peace than ever before.


((Clearly my sappy side is showing OTL Ignore me, I'm a hopeless romantic.))

It seemed right to sing that song. Traditionally in siren culture, this song was sung after confessions of love, by both siren while they embraced in the water.

Alfred felt Arthur's hand slip into his and knew he preferred things this way. He gave the changeling's hand a gentle squeeze and shifted in the grass. And was it just his imagination, or was the grass shifting to make a softer bedding for the two of them?

The siren finished his song and wasn't surprised that Arthur had fallen asleep, still holding his hand. "Love ya, Artie. Goodnight." He turned over and found instant comfort in the grass, drifting off to sleep.

Over the course of the next few days, Alfred tried his best to answer all of Arthur's seemingly unending string of questions. They trekked nearly all the way back, skirting Anya's lake, and headed north.

Finally, on the third day of travel, the siren stopped dead in what seemed like an ordinary field of grass stretching broadly before a large forest, thick with trees as far as the eye can see.

"Just beyond this field is our world." Alfred raised a hand and held it against the ancient, magically concealed barrier. "This barrier was put into place to deter humans from invading the Capitol. Don't worry, it won't hurt either of us."

Alfred drew in a tentative breath and turned, locking eyes with Arthur. "This is the last chance for you to change your mind, Arthur. Once we cross the barrier, we'll be in the core of the Northern Fae Lord's territory. By law, I'll have to take you to him as soon as we enter the Capitol." He swallowed, trying to will his nerves down. "I've got a plan to make sure nothing happens to you. But... if this life isn't what you want for yourself, you have to tell me now."

((I'll leave seeing the Capitol to your wonderful inner Author, Chacha~ ♥ I love how you describe things for Artie in this world anyway. So cute and curious!))

((Well, um.... I made it before two months had passed? ^_^;;; So sorry for the wait, waifu! OTL))

Arthur swallowed. Alfred's words were nothing short of ominous, and it was true — once he stepped across this invisible barrier, there was no chance whatsoever of returning to his former life.

Such a simple movement, he mused. A single step. And yet that single step was a step firmly away from the life he had known and straight into the heart of the world that was to become his new life. Passing through the barrier would be like letting go of the last shreds of illusion that he was a human, and fully accepting his status as a changeling.

A part of him — a large part, he was embarrassed to admit — wanted to run far away and never return. But Arthur Kirkland was no coward, and Alfred standing beside him gave him all the strength he needed to take the plunge. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then stepped forward.

Arthur let out an involuntary gasp as he crossed; while the enchantment was invisible, he could feel something all around him, something that felt ancient and powerful and resonated somewhere deep within him. For a moment, he met resistance, and feared the barrier had rejected him; but in a blink, it melted away, leaving him standing safely on the other side. The experience had lasted only a few seconds, but it had felt like hours to Arthur.

Alfred stepped through after him, and Arthur was about to make a comment on what had just occurred when he caught a glimpse of what lay before them and the words died in his throat. It appeared that the barrier did not only prevent humans from crossing, but also concealed what lay within with a clever illusion; for before Arthur's eyes was not a field and a forest, but a sprawling city unlike anything the changeling had ever seen in his life.

The first thing he noticed was the sheer size. Arthur's town had been sizable, and he remembered being taken to the King's castle and surrounding village on occasion, which were impressively large. But those paled in comparison to the Capitol; it stretched on for miles and miles in the distance, so far that Arthur could not see the end in any direction, despite their high vantage point (the barrier came out atop a hill overlooking the valley which housed the Capitol).

The Capitol also appeared to be divided, as far as he could see, into three separate sections. Wooden huts — well, 'huts' were not the right word; at second glance, they looked more complex and luxurious than some noble manors, yet somehow simpler in their design — dotted the grassy fields of one area, while another had scarcely any land at all, being comprised of many smaller lakes, rivers, and ponds surrounding one gargantuan lake. The third Arthur had initially mistaken for a simple forest, but something about the shapes of the branches seemed odd. He exhaled sharply in shock when he realized the truth — nestled between the artfully curled branches of each tree was a house.

Arthur recalled Alfred's words about the different types of fae not tending to mix much with one another. I suppose, then, the place with the lakes and ponds is for water fae like Alfred, the grassy area for land-dwellers... and the tree houses for... fae like me? The last thought was still so odd. He wondered if he would run across any of his own species soon.

As they came closer, Arthur could see dirt paths and canals of sparkling water winding every which way around the city for transportation. There were no cobblestone walkways, unlike in human cities; despite its impressive size, the Capitol's design was very nature-based. The three residential areas surrounded a more integrated centre, which held what appeared to be public buildings much like the ones found in human villages and towns. But where is the dwelling of the Northern Fae Lord? Arthur wondered. Surely someone of such great prowess and importance would have a luxurious home; or perhaps the area they were wandering through was equivalent to the peasants' dwellings in his former village?

"It's — it's amazing, Alfred," he finally managed to say, staring about in awe. "This is your home?!"

((About as sorry about me letting another month pass. Sheesh, what happened with the time all of the sudden?! XD;))

Alfred watched carefully as Arthur's eyes widened with disbelief, wonder, and curiosity, and found it hard to suppress a chuckle. He nodded over to the lake, his expression softening as he pointed out a large tree deeply rooted among a swath of reeds and rivers. There was no hiding how large his home and territory was in comparison to those around him, a realization that made the siren a bit uneasy.

"The tree's hollowed out on the inside is where I live. It's a lot bigger than it looks on the outside, but even if it wasn't, I'd still make room for you." He smiled brightly as Arthur turned to him, eyes wide. "Yeah, that's right, you'll be living with me. Figured that'd be better than you going to live with the other changelings... at least for now."

He took a slow, deep breath, his smile fading slightly. "But that's going to have to wait for a while. It's law that outsiders are brought to see the Northern Lord when they arrive in the Capitol. You're with me, so we shouldn't be bothered by any of his guards, but stick close, just in case."

Alfred took Arthur's hand in his own, holding it gently, and started leading them through the dirt path that was laid out between the three sections at a steady pace. "Right, so... water for the water fae, land for the land fae, and forest for the forest fae. Until I show you around a bit and get you to meet some of the residents, you need to stick with me. It's not that we don't get along, we really don't have that many fights, it's just..." He paused and continued on carefully, trying not to bruise Arthur's pride. "You kinda... smell weird. Like a human. It might scare the older fae and make the younger ones curious, and believe me, the last thing we need is an older fae having a heart attack or a kid wandering over the border."

The siren answered any question that Arthur asked to the best of his ability, pointing out landmarks and points of interests along the way. Once or twice he stopped to talk to passersby, slightly amused when Arthur shifted shyly behind him, and stepped out only when he was introduced.

They climbed up another hill and Alfred stopped the changeling at the peak, looking down on the district that belonged to the Northern Fae Lord alone, and nodded. "Here we are, Arthur. This whole section of territory belongs to the Northern Lord- Yao Wang, the Dragon of the North."