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A few months after they had claimed the old cottage as their home Blue had made a friend in the nearby town. Violet would often glamour him for small shopping trips they would go on for supplies. Their funds mainly just glamoured coins of the fae currency or small veg they managed to grow. Violet refused to use anything less and no one seemed to complain.
Blue had wandered off on one of the supply runs finding a group of children around his age playing tag. Without a thought he joined in as soon as he was invited by a scrawny boy.
The boy was thin and had dark bags under his eyes but he ran faster than everyone else, even keeping up with Blue. Which shocked him after months of running laps around the decayed farm they now inhabited. It didn’t really matter though as they ran about the empty hill until adults slowly started calling in children.
Violet was one of those adults having found him early on but choosing to let him play never straying too far. Only calling him over once the majority had left only Blue and the boy left out on the field. Despite being one of the last to leave, Blue complained, whining a quiet, “But Boss.”
His whines were ignored with a small shake of the head, “Maybe next time but it’s late, let's head back,” she spoke gently, glancing over to the other boy, “I trust you can get home yourself?”
Once they had his affirmation Blue relented and followed her back taking his share of the weight. Which he was glad wasn’t that much of it, he wasn’t exactly the strongest even with the generals training.
It was only a few days later when they had returned to the town to drop off payment, Blue immediately sneaking off to try to find his new friends.Only one was outside the scrawny boy he had watched head home.
“Hey do you want to play?” He called over to the scrawny boy that was standing back turned to him looking at the ground of a dark alleyway.
The boy spun around to look at him with a smile that didn’t quite reach the eyes, “Sure! There’s an old building over near the bakery. Want to check it out with me?”
That had Blues' attention and he was agreeing before he could even consider the consequences. They would be quick, Violet wouldn’t even need to find out. So he followed through the alleys of the town toward the edge of the woods. The only sign anything was over there was the plumes of smoke that drifted steadily from the chimney.
Behind the bakery that exuded warmth and was manned by a scarred woman was in fact a decaying building. Windows were boarded with wood that bore holes of weathered beatings. Heavy door hanging off the loose hinges groaning loudly with each breath of the wind. Once tried to be preserved but now fell slowly into ruin while the town watched.
The boys headed inside Blue looking around quietly for any danger, or his guardian. Both of which wouldn’t be great for his current expedition. Yet with no sign of either he stepped inside.
It was much like the farmhouse had been when they first made their way there, broken and desolate. Cupboards hung open at odd angles, wood clearly damaged by mites. Any curtains or carpet either taken or destroyed, only patches of loose and worn fabric left.
Upstairs was worse, floorboards broke in random spots making every step a risk. The boys jumped between them and attempted to avoid the holes. Each room had new items that were decrepit and decaying while life passed on.
One of the bedrooms had wallpaper that curled as it peeled itself from the wall, still sticky to the touch just not enough to stay up. Blue had climbed over the creaky bed frame to get there helping his new friend across while they both laughed.
Hours passed playing in the aged building avoiding holes or dragging eachother out of the ones they fell in. Clothes and hands dirtied by a thick layer of dust that settled on every surface. Drawings painted into those same layers with small fingers and hard laughs.
Orange hues invaded the windows when they found the ladder for the loft, Blue had already seen the state of the roof but with one joke from the other boy he was up there in moments. Tiles littered what little floor space remained up here where the roof had collapsed in the corner. A corner which you could see the entire town from if you leaned out enough.
“Hey come look at this!” Blue called over to the boy who was just making his way up the ladder.
A moment of careful footsteps later the boy stopped beside him, “Woah,” he gasped leaning out to look.
Too captivated by the view neither noticed the woman standing below them with an aura that had animals skittering away. Barely concealed purple eyes watching them like a hawk with arms crossed over her chest. Deep breaths left her for a moment while she just observed silently.
Clearing her throat she spoke loud enough for them to hear without yelling, “Get down this instant,” She called, Blue freezing immediately.
His eyes met hers and in seconds he was doused with the reality that he had made a mistake. Like ice cold water it permeated his mind as he quickly climbed down helping the other boy down with him. He hadn’t angered her before but she was definitely angry. Months with the woman made it painfully obvious.
As soon as he reached the doorway he got a full view of the situation. His guardian stood waiting with her magic openly invading the space, an action the humans wouldn’t notice but he did. The feeling both comforting and suffocating.
“And who’s idea was this little expedition?” She asked, her words tinged with bitterness. Blue just quietly pointed at the boy unable to lie even if he wanted to take the blame. Violet shook her head and sighed quietly, “Go home, don’t let your parents worry,” she ordered the other boy.
Blue glanced up as soon as the other was gone meeting eyes with the woman before him. She just turned and started walking toward the farm waiting until they were well and truly out of earshot to speak.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was,” She spoke lowly slowing her pace so he was almost beside her, “I thought someone had found you, you can’t just run off like that!”
Her voice slowly got louder throughout the lecture but she didn’t once yell or curse, just laying out the facts to him. By the time they were at the farm she was done and simply took him up to his room, “You are staying with me next time and I’m doubling your chores for the week.”
Blue just stared at her, he expected worse she was the iron witch, toppler of nations, Hammer of the fae kingdom. Yet here she stood before him laying out punishments that barely meant anything in the grand scheme of things. He was too scared to argue despite his distaste anyway but his fear was swept away in a tight hug.
He could tell she was shaking when she pulled him into her hold a shuddering breath leaving her, “Never run off like that again,”
“I won’t I promise,” He murmured his response into her hold.