Caleb shivered, watching his breath form clouds in front of his face. He struggled to chop even one more long, but his hands were numb and he fumbled the axe. Swearing under his breath he shoved his gloveless hands into his armpits, waiting a few minutes for them to warm. Looking at the dark clouds to the east he grimaced, he’d never seen snow like this down in the valley, they’d warned him when he left the orphanage but he hadn’t listened… and they hadn’t cared much. He was getting too old to be there, it was time to make his way in the world, and if that way included getting lost in the mountains… well, there were always more orphans.

He glanced at his shelter, a rickety mess of a cabin leaning against a rock wall. There wasn’t much of a fire, and there wouldn’t be any if he didn’t split these logs. He almost cried as the warmth of his body brought feeling, and pain, back to his fingers. He fought the urge to go back inside the cabin and snack on the few remaining supplies he had.

There was a flash of light somewhere near the treeline and he froze. Quickly he hefted the axe in front of him, that could be anything, the flash of a sword, the glint of a musket. He laughed grimly, any bandit hoping to kill him for spoils was going to be quite disappointed.

Maybe it was someone who could help him? He’d welcome a demon into his home at this point if she brought food and fire. He threw the axe down, watching as it stuck in the log. Huddling his hands under his armpits again he slowly trudged in the direction of the movement.

“Hello?” he called. What little light managed to creep through the iron-grey clouds was disappearing as he moved further into the woods. Luckily this made it easier to see what he was looking for, the slight spark of luminescence. It wasn’t another human, that was for certain, whatever it was seemed to have fallen to the snow, the soft glow shining through the rapidly accumulating snow.

He leaned down and began pawing at the loose powder, his hands quickly grew numb again and he grimaced. Still, he continued, until finally he felt his blocky fingers make contact with something. Scooping gently underneath it he drew it out.

He gasped as the creature’s light filled the clearing with a silvery blue glow. He’d heard tales of fairies, but he’d never believed they existed. This one had pale skin, and a light blond almost white hair that stretched down her back. He frowned at her clothing, a simple short green skirt that looked to be spun from some loose material, even more unsuitable for the weather than his own bundled rags.

“Fairy,” he whispered, “Are you…”

The fairy moaned, turning in his hand and shivering. He covered her, wondering how much good his icy hands would even do.

Stumbling through the increasing snow he made his way back to the cabin. He looked at the abandoned axe, and the small embers of the fire visible through the cabin window. Gritting his teeth against the cold he pushed his way through the door, struggling to shoulder it shut again. His feet were numb now, and he nearly fell as he set the flickering fairy on what passed for his table. He did his best to throw gathered sticks and kindling on the dying fire, and he almost cried with joy as the embers caught into a flame once more.

The storm was upon them now, and as the wind roared he feared the cabin would blow over. Gusts of snow blew down the chimney, and the flames danced, fighting against the inevitable.

“Hey!” a small high voice called, “H-Human!”

“Caleb,” He said, collapsing into a rickety chair. It was the nicest piece of furniture he owned.

“I’m Marielle,” she said, scooting closer to the edge of the table. She held her stomach a moment, and he heard just the faintest grumbling from her belly.

“Let me get you something,” he said quietly, reaching over to his satchel. His heart sank, there was only one small pouch of nuts left. Gingerly he reached for it, wincing at the pain in his fingers as they closed around it. The pain was worth it to see the fairy’s eyes light up as the peanuts and almonds spilled across the table.

“T-Thank you!” she squealed happily, grabbing one up and taking a bite.

“So uh…” he said softly, “I’ve never met a fairy… where did you come from?”

She regarded him a moment, chewing the food he’d given her.

“The forest,” she said in a noncommittal tone, “That’s all I’ll say to a human.”

He shrugged and reached for a scratchy wool blanket, “Fair enough.”

“What do you want from me?” the Fairy asked. “A human doesn’t help anyone unless he thinks he can get something out of it.”

“I don’t expect anything,” he replied, “It just seemed wrong to leave you out there…” he thought a minute, “If you could use your magic to get that fire to burn hotter though, that would be a good start,” Caleb said with a shiver. The blanket didn’t seem to be helping at all.

“I uhh…” The fairy looked at the dying fire. “I don’t think I can do that. Most of my magic is related to nature, and it’s not very strong at this time of year. Do you want me to try to tell your fortune or something?”

He snorted, “Forget it. What were you doing out in this weather?”

“I wanted to look at the frozen waterfall,” she said, “I’ve heard it’s beautiful, but the Queen doesn’t let us wander when it’s this cold…”

A gale of wind rocked the cabin, causing it to creak and moan. Caleb and Marielle both braced themselves, then breathed a sigh of relief when the wood held.

“Now you know why,” Caleb muttered, “Just stay here with me until the snow passes, I’ll do my best to take care of you.”

The fairy looked over the scrawny human. She frowned, he shouldn’t be out here either, he was too thin, too small… Were the nuts she’d eaten really the last of his food?

Their conversation was interrupted by another, stronger blast of wind, this time snowflaked were forced down the chimney, stinging Caleb’s cheeks. He gasped in horror as he saw his fire flicker out.

“NO!” he cried in anguish. He rushed to the fireplace, but the embers had already gone black. His heart sank.

There was a knock at the door. He froze, looking down the to fairy, who had a look of fear on her face. A second knock, the fairy wailed and covered her face. A third knock, the wind roared.

“Don’t let her in,” The fairy moaned.

The door blew open with the wind, revealing a woman with sickly pale hair and skin whiter than the snow itself. She wore black robes, and though they were loose, it seemed the cold did not touch her.

“Marielle,” the woman rasped.

“Who are you!?” Caleb shouted. He suddenly regretted leaving the axe outside, this woman radiated fear.

“You know who I am Caleb,” the robed woman said, “We’ve met.” The pale woman closed the door behind her, “It’s not often that one of the fey folk passes, I’ve come for this task in person.”

Caleb’s eyes went wide, and he shot a glance down to the tiny fairy, who was now sobbing.

“Get out of here,” he snarled, “now!”

“Your race can bring me wherever you want,” the pale woman said with a grin, “but you cannot order me away. I am here for the fairy, though I’ve more than enough strength to ferry two today.”

She sat simply on the floor, her black robes pooling at her feet. She watched the two of them, and Caleb wondered if it was his imagination or if her eyes were really beginning to shine red in the low light.

…

The cabin had cooled rapidly once the fire had gone out, and as the sun had died and the fury of the storm had come upon them in full the icy air quickly sapped their energies. Caleb held the tiny fair close to him, doing everything he could to keep her warm. His own strength was fading, and his toes and the tips of his fingers were numb and going black.

“T-Thank you,” Marielle said softly, her small wings beating against his palms as he hugged her to his chest. “Don’t feel bad,” she said as she closed her eyes, “you did everything you could…”

He gritted his teeth and looked at the black robed woman. She hadn’t said a word to them in the hours since she’d arrived, simply watching the two of them fight the encroaching cold.

“This is the end,” she said suddenly, pulling a small flute from her robe, “Do not fight it any longer.”

She began to play a soft, haunting melody. And as she continued Caleb felt his eyes grow heavy. His vision blurred as he struggled to keep his eyelids open, was the room becoming… bigger?

The pale woman smirked and kept playing, beginning to loom over him as his clothes grew loose. He hugged Marielle’s limp form to him, but she grew larger until soon he was holding her in his arms rather than his hands, and then he was forced to grip her as he struggled to keep her upright in his own pooled clothes.

“What did you do?” He shouted, looking up at the looming specter.

She stopped playing and sighed, “I did nothing. A fairy’s magic is much like a flame,” she said, glancing at the still fireplace.  “It will grow stronger, and burn brighter, the closer she is to leaving this mortal coil, but she cannot control it in that state” The pale woman gave him a smile that was almost understanding, “it seems she wanted to be closer to you, a stranger, at the end. A pity, at that size you’ll not last more than a minute in this cold…”

“Marielle,” he shouted, hugging her close, “you’ve got to wake up!”

A giant icy hand reached down for him, plucking the two of them up. The pale woman pushed her thumb under his chin, forcing him to look her in the eye.

“Admirable,” she said, “but it’s time for the three of us to go.”

She was about to put the fairy and the shrunken human in her pocket, when the wind outside suddenly stopped. The pale woman paused, looking down at Caleb. Her mouth became a thin line as birds began to sing outside, somehow it felt warmer.

The door to the cabin opened again, slowly this time, revealing a woman in a splendid silver dress of spun silk. She was tall, and beautiful, with a glittering crown atop her head that caught the rays of sunlight dancing through the swirling clouds of the winter storm. Caleb’s eyes went wide, where she’d walked bright green summer grass stood in her footprints, the snow refusing to touch it.

The pale woman scowled at her, holding an arm above her face to shield her face from the blinding light that seemed to radiate from the newcomer.

“You’re too late!” she snarled.

“I am not,” The gleaming woman said firmly.

“Not even one such as you can defy me,” the pale woman said. She gripped Marielle and Caleb tighter in her cold hands.

“I’m not defying you,” the bright woman replied, “you’ve no business here today, and you know it. Now go, and don’t darken this doorstep again.”

The pale woman screamed, and then piece by piece she became snowflakes, blown away on the northern wind. Her robe fell, and Caleb shouted as he fell to the floor, clutching Marielle close to him. The dark and tattered robes, the only remaining proof that the pale woman had ever been there, cushioned his fall.

He glanced up, seeing the massive sandaled feet of the goddess who had apparently come to save them. Gently her foot nudged the black cloth away, exposing him and the tiny Marielle.

“Oh my,” the woman said with a kind smile, “Is that… a human?”

“Y-Yes ma’am,” he stuttered, looking up at her in awe.

“You may address me as Mab, Queen of Fairies. I see you’ve met one of my daughters already.” She poked him with the tip of her toe, giggling softly, “Don’t humans typically wear clothing?”

His face burned red and he pulled some of the black cloth up to cover his nakedness.

“I uh, did have some,” he said, gesturing to the chair, “Until I got... smaller.”

“It suits you,” The Queen said, leaning over to pick them up. “Marielle dear, wake up.”

A light seemed to flow out of Mab’s fingers into Marielle’s still form. Her eyes fluttered, then shot open. She smiled excitedly and her wings buzzed as she flew out of the hand, hovering by the Fairy Queen’s face.

“You came!” she said excitedly, “Oh I’m so sorry I stayed out late, I’ll never do it again-“

“Settle down dear,” Mab said, “What was this human doing? Did he capture you?” She nudged him with her toe again, “It’s very naughty to capture fairies, human.”

“Oh, no!” Marielle said, “His name is Caleb, he took me in when my wings froze, then he tried to warm me up and even gave me the last of his food!”

“Really now?” Mab mused. She stooped to pick him up, and he shivered as she smiled down at him, “Oh no, you’re still freezing,” she said softly. She glanced out the door, the clouds seemed to be fighting against the single ray of sunshine that enveloped her.

Marielle shivered in midair, “Your majesty, can you make it a little warmer?“

“No,” she sighed, “I’ve pushed this storm back as much as I can for now, we must return home.”

“B-but what about him!?” Marielle protested, “you can’t just leave him here-“

“Marielle dear,” The queen said softly, stroking Caleb’s tiny form, “I’m taking him with us.”

Caleb gasped, “Y-Your majesty please, I’m sorry if I wasn’t supposed to take Marielle in, but she was freezing and-“

“Hush,” Mab said sternly, “What are you on about?”

“Don’t you… eat people that you take back to your kingdom?” Caleb asked uncertainly.

Marielle buzzed around Mab’s head and they briefly made eye contact. The two laughed loudly, the dignified fairy queen almost wheezing with exertion by the end of it.

“No little human,” she said finally, “that was a prank that got out of hand a few hundred years ago, but I promise that nobody is going to eat you.”

The wind blew again in spite of the fairy queen’s efforts, and Caleb shook, trying to push himself further into her warm palm. She seemed to notice his discomfort, and to his relief her other hand closed around him, shielding him from the wind and warming him as she pressed her hands together.

“He’s not in good shape at all,” The fairy queen said quietly, “Let’s be off, before the storm returns in full.”

Caleb felt movement, and then his world rocked as Mab tilted her hands. Her palms parted, and he gasped with shock as he was dumped through the frigid air. He looked down and his eyes went wide as he realized just where she was dropping him. He made contact with the pillowy flesh of her breasts, and he felt a giant finger on his back slowly push him further in. Soon he was between them, and the warmth radiated through his entire body.

“You’ll need to stay in contact with me for the magic to heal you,” She said with a smile, “try to relax and… enjoy it.” She pushed him down once more, the last thing he saw before disappearing into the valley of her cleavage was the pair of fey smiling down at him.  

Caleb felt the world shake as they moved, but he was held firmly in place. He didn’t have any trouble breathing, which surprised him, and a floral smell was beginning to fill his nostrils. The frostbite and cracked skin on his fingers and toes seemed to buzz slightly, and then there was a brief flash of pain as the numbness receded. It didn’t last long thankfully, and though he was trapped in the fairy queen’s bosom he managed to flex his digits without pain or stiffness.

The magic seemed to flow through his body, vibrating and warming everything it touched. He sighed with relief as his tired muscles were soothed, the dry cracks on his lips softened, then disappeared. Then the magic started drifting lower…

His eyes shot open, was the magic supposed to-

The warm buzzing seemed to envelop his manhood, and he groaned in pleasure. He bucked against the walls of flesh on either side of him, but if his captor noticed she gave no indication. When he was done it seemed the magic buzzed once more through his entire body, and then left him. Between the warmth and the softness of the breasts around him it didn’t take long for him to be lulled to sleep.

…

Caleb groaned and blinked, his vision was fuzzy from sleep, but he was inside a room with a low lamplight. This certainly wasn’t his bed, it was far too soft. His hand traced the side, was this… moss? He sat up, the blanket rolling off of him as the events of the previous day came back to him.

“Hi!” Marielle called, fluttering in from a small balcony. “Are you feeling better?”

“Y-Yeah,” he said, looking around. “Am I still…”

“Fairy size?” Marielle said apologetically, “Yeah… sorry about that, but you wouldn’t exactly fit in my bed at full size now would you?” She walked over to a small dresser that seemed to be grown out of the wall, opening it and rooting around a moment she tossed him a tunic of the same spun green material as her own.

He stood out of bed and put it on, it felt comfortable enough. He turned to thank Marielle and then gulped as he realized she stood over a head taller than him.

She grinned at his reaction, “It’s kind of fun looking down on a human…” She gave him a quick hug, surprising him and burying his face in her chest. “Thanks for saving me,” she whispered.

“It’s uh, no problem,” Caleb managed weakly.

“No, I don’t think you understand how big of a deal it is!” Marielle said excitedly, “We’re supposed to go see the queen about it as soon as you get up!”

Without giving Caleb a chance to reply Marielle hooked her arms under his armpits and easily lifted him off the ground. Her wings buzzed and the world blurred as he was carried out through the same balcony she’d come in.

Flying was an unusual experience, and he fought the urge to grip Marielle tighter. He gasped as he realized that her home was built into a massive tree, and from the other shining windows all over it she was hardly the only fairy that lived there, and it wasn’t the only tree like that. It was an entire grove, glittering and shining with activity as the shimmering fairies flitted back and forth. Winter didn’t touch this place, and though the grey clouds dampened the starlight above it was as warm as a pleasant late spring or summer evening.

In the center of it all sat Queen Mab, a throne that seemed grown of tree branches, with flowers blossoming at the corners. She regarded a series of fairies dancing and playing music around a fire before her, a slight smile on her face. She would have been tall as a human, but she towered over the assembled fairies and Caleb like a true giant.

As Marielle approached and landed before the giant throne Mab held up a hand, at her gesture the fairies ceased playing their instruments, and the dancing stopped. Silence slowly fell over the grove as fairies watched him and Marielle walk forward, from the windows around them he saw many peeking out.

“I’m glad to see you have recovered Caleb,” Mab said finally, “We’ve nursed you back to health as thanks, but now we must discuss your reward.”

“M-My reward?” he asked, looking up at the giant fairy.

“A wish is traditional,” Mab said, “Though if you’re not feeling particularly creative we can give you a pot of gold and send you on your way, once the storm clears of course.”

“I uhh…” he glanced at Marielle who was smiling excitedly. “I was wondering… could I simply stay here with you?”

A hush went over the crowd, Mab raised an eyebrow, leaning a cheek into her hand as she thought it over.

“If you are to stay here, your contact with the human world will be limited,” she said finally, “Is there no one there who cares for you? Whom you care for?”

“No,” he said softly. “There’s nothing back there I’ll miss.”

“Hmm…” Mab said, “You’ve certain demonstrated excellent character, bravery in the face of death herself…” she brightened, “You’d be an excellent addition to the fairy court, I can grant this.”

“You should stay with me,” Marielle whispered in his ear.

Mab seemed to understand the sentiment, and smirked, “You might try to return our new friend to his full height Marielle.”

“Oh,” she started, looking down at Caleb, “Uhh… I don’t know if I can.”

“If your magic was enough to shrink him by accident you should have no problem putting him back where he was.”

“I don’t really mind this actually,” Caleb piped up, “I mean… so long as I stay here in your village, the only thing that really seems bigger is well…” he looked up at the smiling fairy queen.

“Oh Caleb,” she sighed, “we take our rest in the winter, and our days are filled with wine and song, but when summer comes you’ll have to journey out in the world with us. Even a fey, or a human who lives with fey, must labor when the time comes.”

“Yeah!” Marielle said, “we protect the forest and stuff.”

“Ah,” Caleb muttered, “I guess it would be good to be bigger if I’m going to be… out there,”

“Okay here goes,” Marielle said. She waved her hand around him, and a silvery dust rained down. He closed his eyes, feeling the familiar buzz and tingle of fairy magic racing along his body.

“It’s working!” he said excitedly.

“Uhh…” Marielle began, “Caleb, open your eyes.”

He did so, and was face to face with an enormous toe. His eyes trailed up her foot, then her leg, then up into Marielle’s embarrassed face. With a start he glanced around and realized that the grove of trees and all the fluttering fairies had gotten bigger, all of them towered over by an amused Queen Mab.

“Oh my,” she chuckled, “Marielle, bring him up here!”

“Sorry,” Marielle muttered, reaching down to pick him up. She gripped him loosely, her wings fluttering as she lifted off the ground. “This is kind of neat though, right? You got to hold me, now I get to hold you!”

Mab lifted a single finger up, “Place him here Marielle.”

Gently he was placed on the giant fairy queen’s finger, a giant soft platform as her mountainous face gazed down at him.

“Oh Marielle,” she whispered softly, “Look what you’ve done to your little human.” She giggled, “do you still want to stay little Caleb? You’ll need to get used to this kind of thing if you’re to live with us.”

“I uhh…” he gulped, “Yeah, of course I still want to stay! I don’t care what size I am!”

Mab laughed, “That’s good to hear!” She gazed at Marielle, who was hovering nearby, embarrassed. “Everyone, you are not to regrow Caleb, Marielle needs to learn how to do this.”

She winked at the speck sized boy on her finger. His eyes went wide as his world rocked and she lowered him down once more to her chest, her cleavage now a true valley. The music and dancing began again as she amused herself by burying the miniscule human between her breasts again.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered with a smile, “I’m just having a bit of fun with Marielle, I’ll make sure you get back to a decent size… at some point.”

For his part Caleb didn’t mind, he was warm, there was music, and this close to her the warm buzz of the fairy queen’s ever-present magic was both pleasurable and comforting. So this was life with the fairies. he smiled and allowed himself to relax for the first time in… he wasn’t sure when. He laughed, looking forward to the future.