Chapter Text
Everything in Blitzen’s body hurt. His legs ached from his escape, his arms still burned where the flames had licked them, but the worst pain of all was in his mind. There was a rumor that Blitzen had fallen mad with grief, and never was it more true than in this moment.
Blitzen had been running for about an hour, but it felt like days. Months. Years. Time had been ever so stagnant since his father’s passing, and since the whole village turned against his family. Not that he had any left to speak of.
But something about the place he’d grown up in soaring away made all that time pass at once. Maybe time was sped up more literally, and he’d soon fall, frail and fragile, into the underbrush and rot with the autumn leaves. You never really knew with the forest.
No sort of magical spell stopped him, though. He only stopped upon running headlong into a tree.
Blitzen was left sprawled upon the forest floor, heaving with all the wind knocked out of his lungs. It took a while for him to regain his bearings. His eyes were left blurry, but whether that was the tears or the dizziness was anyone's guess.
The first thing Blitzen noticed upon coming back to his senses was how bright everything was. The tree in front of him stood tall and grand, with leaves of emerald green reaching out to touch the sky. The grass he had landed on was similarly vibrant. Wildflowers sprang up between the soft tufts and tickled at Blitzens skin. Quite odd for midautumn weather. Maybe his time spell idea wasn't too far off.
Yet, upon further consideration, it wasn't likely. Blitzen was throughly unwrinkled, though incredibly sore and probably forming a knot where his head struck the tree.
His body felt as if it were being weighed down by a mountain, and his eyes locked shut, but he knew he had to keep going. He still may have been getting trailed. Even if he wasn't, the unseasonably warm place around him was probably some form a magic, and being taken away to labor and toil for some fae creature was not on his bucket list.
Eventually, Blitzen unstuck himself from the ground and dragged himself farther into the wood. As he trudged on, it seemed that the treeline had become less and less dense. He could soon even see the sky, stormy yet tinged with the colors of sunset, poke its way through the canopy.
The treeline eventually gave way to a small, lush clearing. Within it stood the biggest mansion Blitzen had ever seen.
The aprons were twisting vines beneath grand windowsills that could fit three people without even needing to graze shoulders. Pillars reached sky high with similarly twisty patterns. Everything would've looked so alive, That is, if not for the fact that everything was coated in an uncomforable shade of bone white. It reminded Blitzen of wolves' teeth.
The only different shade was in the thick iron bars which were bolted over the tallest window. Unlike the rest, there was no flair, no extravagance.
Normally, the intricate design would have captured Blitzen's heart. Brutalism was for the uninspired company of his village after all, but something drew his eye to the lone window with the prisoner's bars. Last he checked, prisons were not often within the houses of nobles, let alone on the highest level. Maybe this was the home of a kind old noble woman that would give him food and board before sending him on his way. That, or it was a fae creature bent on taking him as a lifelong servant. Considering the chance at a nice warm bed and some proper sleep, Blitzen liked those odds.
Luckily for him, there were several large overhangs which jutted out of the side of the walls, presumably to separate floors. Blitzen tentively approached the wall. It seemed so much taller up close. and if he fell, he would doubtlessly hurt himself too much to continue running away. In spite of his anxieties, he took a running start and leaped. With much effort, he was able to heave himself onto the first platform.
The second would be much harder, as there was no roon to run, and he had to lean back to reach it. With a shuddering breath, he planted his hands and pushed himself up By the time he planted his feet, Blitzen was shocked that his weary muscles were able to take it. Adrenaline was a crazy thing. Now, he was face-to-face with the barred window, and carefully peered inside.
The room was barren, with stark white walls similar to the outside. It was a bedroom, but the only way he could tell was the carefully made cot in the corner of the room. Otherwise, the only item of note was a sprawling blue rug, probably some sort of animal pelt. Blitzen seriously needed to give the owner of the place a lesson in color theory, and possibly interior decorating too.
Though, as drab as it was, Blitzen would've given anything just to stand that room. It was certainly safer than the woods, and the idea a soft, clean bed felt like paradise, not to mention whatever food must have been served. This was a manor; they probably had feasts every day.
As he fantasized about what wonders lay beyond those walls, his legs wobbled and eventually gave up on him. Blitzen collapsed into himself. Resigning himself to his fate, he pulled himself onto his side and propped his head up with his arms, mimicking the plush pillows that were probably within those walls. He knew he'd fall. If he even woke up, his blood would be painting the stark walls and any hope of continuing on would be dashed to the winds.
Blitzen couldn't imagine caring, though. All he could dream of were decadent feasts, and lavish parties, and luxurious dresses. He hoped to meet the kindest strangers. Ones that would would care for his craft instead of mocking him like the company of his village. Maybe they'd even believe him when he told them what became of his father. Maybe. He hoped so.
~~~
The first thing Blitzen processed was color. Surrounding him, a sea of people danced and mingled. He seemed to be in a ballroom of gargantuan proportions. The walls were bedecked with fine art farther than Blitzen could see, and a blanket of stars met him when he looked up, illuminating the revelers in a cool blue light.
They wore a rainbow of outfits which seemed to glow as they spun. The colors ranged from striking ebony, to delicate lavender, and to bold amber. Their accessories were similarly vibrant, with glittering jewels and extravagant embroidery.
Blitzen was no exception. He was dressed in fine black fabrics, gold trim, and a wide brimmed hat with strings of topaz hanging like willow branches. He couldn't imagine how expensive it was. It certainly wasn't the kind of thing he could afford with the allowance his father gave him or anything he could scrape by through odd jobs. It was more like the sort of thing he'd dream up in his sketchbooks. The kind of finery that would fit a prince or a duke. Never him.
Ahead of him, a pale man dressed in a suit of emerald green caught his eye. He wasn’t anyone Blitzen would dare approach most of the time, but something about his stormy eyes caught his attention. Unlike all the others, who had bright smiles and an air of cheer, he seemed utterly terrified.
Blitzen sped over and tapped his dancing partner- he was closest to him at the moment- on the shoulder. He wanted to be more discreet, but he wanted to reach him before he lost the chance. Maybe he could say he needed the man’s help, pull him away, and figure out what was wrong.
Instead, he was met with the fangs of a wolf, teeth stained a deep crimson. Blitzen saw the man's eyes snap to look at him. There was blood seeping through his suit.