The Beast And The Fairy (ch8)

A small intermission chapter. This rewinds a bit and takes place on the night directly after Adam confronts Weiss.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

------------------

					Chapter 8. A Deceitful Agreement

Adam trekked through the woods, using his uncanny stealth to his advantage as he blended with the darkness.

He was flanked on all sides by several of his men, all of whom carried small daggers and wood-forged blades.

Past the holes in his mask, Adam could see that they'd crossed into the fairies' territory now, and were only wandering in deeper by the second.

He brought a hand to his shirt pocket, where he was keeping the four strands of the deceased Fairy Princess' hair. He'd wrapped them around a small twig so they wouldn't get tangled or torn. Satisfied in knowing they were still intact, he marched onward through the forest.

The twilight had fallen, and dark shadows dyed the undergrowth while the sky above was painted in an eerie violet. No stars were visible tonight, and clouds shrouded the light of the moon. It was an unnerving kind of night, and as they ventured deeper still, Adam could sense the disturbance in the air.

The forest seemed quiet at first, but now, he could tell something was amiss. And he knew exactly what it was.

There were sounds of flittering wings all around him now, rustling branches from far, far above, accompanied by frantic shrieks and shouts of warning.

The fairies had detected his presence long ago, but he didn't mind. He'd come here tonight to be discovered.

The first warning of harsh words came only seconds later from a loud rustling of leaves above his head.

"Halt!"

Obediently, Adam came to a pause, signaling for the other beasts to do the same. He peered up through the darkness, his vision easily able to discern the several fairy guards hovering there, bows at the ready and arrows aimed toward his legs.

"You're intruding on fairy grounds! Turn back or we shall be forced to take violent action!"

Adam grunted; it was the general warning the fairies always gave, one he knew all too well by now.

Slowly, he reached for his shirt pocket, not to draw a weapon, but something else entirely. The fairy guards tensed, preparing to unleash their rain of arrows upon him.

But Adam spoke firmly to them as he withdrew his only weapon, the stick with the four white hairs on it.

"Tell your king," he said loudly. "That his precious princess is now a prisoner of my clan."

Appalled gasps and shouts came from every fairy present. They all recognized those strands of shining silver hair, and knew they could belong to only one person.

"Foul beast!" One guard shouted. "What have you done to the Princess? We've been searching for her for hours on end! Hand her over unharmed or face the consequences!"

"I don't think you're in any position to be making demands," Adam growled. "I am the one withholding the King's daughter. I am the one making demands here."

He carelessly tossed the stick up into the air toward the nearest fairy guard. With a gasp, the fairy darted forward to catch the twig with the precious thin hairs coiled around it. Once it was in his possession, he glowered down at the beasts below.

"What are your demands?"

Adam smiled beneath his mask.

"Tell your king and your people that you have as many days as there are hairs on that stick. Collect all of your precious and magical gems. Every last one. Turn them over to me four sunsets from now, or else your princess will be permanently disposed of."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the outraged and horrified shouts the fairies cried out at his threat. What they didn't know was that the princess was already dead and that their trade of gems would be for nothing. Adam couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces in four days' time.

But for now, he kept his head clear and focused on the present allegations.

"Have we an agreement?" he asked.

The fairy guard carefully passed the stick with the hairs on to his nearest companion, who he then murmured something to. The apprentice took off at top speed through the trees and vanished.

Adam waited for an answer that would likely come with the boy's return.

It didn't take long for the flustered envoy to come pelting back down through the trees to speak to the guard. Adam noted the lack of the twig in his hands now, and could assume he'd given it to the Fairy King and told him the situation.

The envoy transferred the King's response to the guard, who then declared it to Adam in a taut voice.

"Beast," he said. "Our King has accepted your terms. But we will only hand over our gems if the princess is entirely unharmed. Give her a warm place to sleep. Give her food and water. Protect her with your best guards. Only then will we surrender our gems in four sunrises."

Adam smiled easily and even went through the trouble of giving a slight bow.

"Of course. Your princess' comfort and safety are top priority in all of this, after all. You have my word."

The fairy guard glared down at him a moment longer, a mixture of disdain and fear in his eyes.

"Then go," he ordered. "We shall collect our gems. You shall tend to our princess until the designated time."

Adam dipped his head in a false display of politeness.

"As you wish."

With that, he turned away and gestured to his men.

They slipped into the shadows of the forest within seconds, leaving nothing behind them but despair and lies.

------------------

A/N: Sorry it was a short chapter, but from here on out things chapters will be worth the wait. Remember this is the first night. As of chapter 7, two nights have now passed. In the following chapter 9, it's already the second day.