Once Upon a Time - 2. So the rightful ruler was placed on the throne once more.

Sitting by his deathbed, Neil held the hand of a dying man who had treated him like his own child and who Neil loved as his own father ever since he became the head of security for the man after retiring from the military. The once proud, strong person who Neil came to admire was now broken and fragile as he lied there on his bed with Neil right beside him and other individuals who had equal respect and admiration for the man seated in the same room. He chose to go back home instead of staying in the hospital because even though he was on the verge of transferring his soul to the heavens, he was still too damn prideful to die with machinery attached to every part of his body, and Neil admired the hell out of him for that as well.

“Neil…”

Leaning forward, Neil said, “Yes, sir?”

“This…This may sound cliché, but I have one final request that needs to be said…and I truly believe you’re the only one who can accomplish that.”

“Of course, I will. You can count on me as always,” Neil stated.

Motioning his hand, Neil stood up and leaned his head forward until the man’s light, ragged breath was felt on his ear.

“Find my son.”

Eyes widening, Neil faced the man, wondering if he heard him correctly. He simply motioned his pale hand again and Neil listened once more to the dying man’s last words.

“You will be sent my will after my death. There you will find everything you need to know. It won’t be easy, but I believe in you, Neil. Please, find him and bring him back home.”

Sitting back down, Neil was confused about what he was just told before straightening his back and nodding in confirmation to the man that he would find his son and return him home where he belonged. The man responded with a weak, but warming smile. That smile would be the last image of him that Neil remembered before he finally departed from this world a couple of hours later, in the comfort of his home and in peace that his final request before death would be fulfilled by Neil.

After his death, Neil sat quietly at his desk located in his study room with an envelope that had a wax seal that was given to him shortly afterwards. He looked at the piece of parchment, wondering what details it would tell him about the man’s supposedly missing son. Unable to contain himself any longer, he peeled off the seal and opened the envelope that revealed the will that was folded inside. Taking it out, Neil tossed the opened envelope onto the desk and gently opened the will to read something unprecedented.

Apparently, the man Neil swore to protect had a son, more than two decades, and would have been the next heir to his fortune that consisted of around five hundred million dollars, more money than even Neil thought the man possessed. However, his son mysteriously vanished one night from his crib which caused his wife to die of grief and caused him to use the remainder of his life to pursue who kidnapped his only child and return him home. After so many years, he believed he finally found the location of where his son is, but due to his deteriorating health, he could not do this himself. So, that was why he requested Neil for this task, to find his son and have him inherit the fortune he accumulated over his lifetime.

Below were coordinates to where his son was believed to be and after Neil recorded them in his phone, he read the final part of the will that stated if he were to discover that his son was either not there or deceased, Neil would inherit the fortune since he not only protected the man from paparazzi and even an assassination attempt, he also gifted the man a person who he could proudly call his own son.

After reading those last words, the top of the will suddenly caught on fire and Neil tossed it onto his desk where the will was completely covered in flame within a couple of seconds before incinerating completely. The only thing that was left was a speckle of ash that immediately blew up from a portable fan on the corner of his desk. Stunned by what just happened, Neil knew that was just magic that caused the will to be burned and must have been a hint to what he should be expecting once he arrived at the location the man, his father told him to go to. Regardless, this was not going to deter him from going through with this quest and it was going to take more than a self-incinerating piece of paper to stop him from finding the missing heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune.

A week passed after the death of his father and Neil finally drove to the location of the missing heir from the coordinates in the will. Before his hour-long drive, he prepared himself in every way possible for what could occur during his quest. Though the will did not state anything that could pose a danger to him as he sought to find his father’s other son, he believed it would not hurt to be safe and prepared which came in the form of some protection charms and countermeasures that would break a curse if one were to be set on him.

During the trek, Neil drove through areas that were becoming more and more rural until he had to stop his car on the side of a dirt road since the GPS on his phone indicated that he needed to walk the rest of the way through the woods. This was very different from the very urban areas of the city he lived all his life. No more was the noise of cars blaring their horns or the commotion of pedestrians who were walking to their office jobs. Walking through the woods, the only sounds he could hear were the chirping of birds and the gentle breeze that ruffled the leaves that caused a sense of peace and tranquility the further Neil went into the forest.

Checking his phone, Neil was confused when he saw that he was at the exact coordinates for where he was supposed to be. He looked around, but all he saw was trees, just trees and not the missing heir. It was very possible that Neil could just walk back to his car and drive away with the realization that he was going to acquire the millions of dollars instead. However, he was never a materialistic person, his life in the military reinforcing that quality and that money would just be in a random bank account until he too died with no heir or even family to transfer the money to. He wanted to find the actual beholder of this fortune since maybe he could use the money in a good way. It only seemed right.

The only problem was that he could not find any semblance of a place where the missing heir could be at. Neil continued to walk as he wondered if he typed in the coordinates correctly in the GPS when he felt his feet sink into the leaf-strewed ground. Trying to pull his feet out only caused him to sink further into the ground and he suspected the worst, that he was in some sort of quicksand as he tried his with all his strength to get out.

Suddenly the ground around him collapsed and everything went dark after Neil felt his body hit something hard before losing consciousness.

What happened next was the sounds of fluttering that prompted him to open his eyes and when he saw what looked like fairies flying above him, he immediately swatted them away with his hands. This action caused some of these little creatures to yelp, while others giggled like Neil was trying to be funny with not wanting creatures that were comparable to rats and cockroaches and transmitted diseases to be anywhere near his face.

“Well, it looks like our guest has finally awakened.”

Turning his head, Neil saw a lean figure standing at a distance who was being masked by a dark shadow. “Who are you?”

The figure, this man chuckled. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that question? You enter my home, unannounced and you’re asking who I am?”

Neil groaned from a slight ache as he sat up. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to break into anybody’s home. I’m just looking for somebody important and I’ve been told they might be here.”

“And who might that person be?” the man asked as he took a step forward with the shadow still masking most of his features.

Neil opened his mouth, but then realized he should not be telling a stranger this. This person could in fact be the kidnapper and Neil managed to find the place after all, whatever this place is. Looking around, it looked he was in a cave where there were small fires that glowed around him, lighting the area gently with the same hue as sunlight. What was even stranger was the fairies that were still flying around him, though at safe distance and not like the fairies back in the city who took every opportunity to fly at his face with only a hard swat with his hand and a stomp of his boot to finally stop their harassment.

“Where am I?” Neil asked as he faced the stranger again.

“Like I said. You’re in my home,” the man said.

“No, I mean what exactly is this place. I’m not joking around.”

“And I’ll say it again. This is my home and you’re very lucky that I had my friends take care of your wounds when you fell through one of the traps meant for hunters instead. I could have easily tossed you back to the surface and let fate decide what to do with you. Now if you don’t want to get forcefully removed from our home, you’ll answer my question…who are you?”

Sighing, Neil knew that he still needed to recover from that fall since his body was aching, but he could not do it with fairies flying around him.

“I’ll tell you. Just get those things away from me,” Neil asked.

The man scoffed, but said, “Fine. All of you please attend to the trap that our dear guest fell through.”

The fairies fluttered away and the only living beings within Neil’s view was himself and the mysterious man hidden by the shadow.

“I’m assuming you don’t like fairies,” the man with amusement in his voice.

“Of course, I don’t. They’re vermin from where I live, and they even have the capability of stealing children which could be the reason why…”

“Go on,” the man insisted.

Rolling his eyes, Neil said, “I was sent here as a final request by a man who died only a week ago. He wanted me to find the missing heir to his fortune who was kidnapped as a child and he gave me the location where I could probably find him in his will. I drove an hour to get to that location and I unexpectedly fell through one of your traps. And now here I am and I’m wondering if you have any involvement since the coordinates that directed me here is also where your home is. Do you have an answer for that?”

The man was silent for a moment as Neil waited for a response, knowing that he could be making a huge mistake by telling this person who could very well be the kidnapper.

“Kidnapped, huh?” the man said quietly.

“Yes, and I’m here to find him and bring him back home,” Neil stated.

The man chuckled lightly before finally stepping out of the shadow and into the light of the surrounding fires. Neil swallowed upon the sight of the man who had platinum, almost white hair that was parted at the side with flowers inserted into those shiny locks. And what surprised Neil even more was the man with his lean, muscular body was fully naked and in full display for him to see. He did not look ashamed by his nudity either as he walked towards Neil and crouched down with one knee on the ground as he looked at him with curiosity on his pretty face.

“What? Have you never seen a naked person before?” the man asked with slight smirk.

Realizing he was staring, Neil turned his face away and said, “Sorry. It’s just that people usually wear clothes back home.”

“Well, you’re far from home now…but I do believe you found who you’re looking for.”

With raised eyebrows, Neil stood up and said, “You? You’re the missing heir?”

Standing up so they were at face level, the man said, “I don’t see who else it could be.”

Neil scratched the back of his head. “You don’t look…like…”

“Oh, what about me that doesn’t say that I’m the heir to a great fortune?” the man said with crossed arms, looking offended.

“Aside from the obvious?” Neil said, trying his best not to look down at the man’s body.

The man then chuckled and said, “Yeah, I can see why you’d think that…but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have proof that said otherwise.”

“And what’s that proof?”

Looking to the side, the man said, “I shouldn’t be showing you this, let alone anyone else who accidentally stubbles into our home…but I have a feel that you’re actually what me and my people are seeking. So, I’ll show you.”

“Okay?”

“Follow me,” the man said, turning around and walking forward.

Neil could not help, but admire the fine asset of this man’s backside and unfortunately was caught looking when the man turned around back and said, “My name’s Finn by the way. And yours?”

“Uh, It’s-It’s Neil,” he said with a heated face.

Finn smirked before continuing his walk with Neil catching up to walk beside him since he could not trust himself to be behind the man, the man who was becoming more likely to be the missing heir and he did not want to insult the dying man’s last wish by ogling his only child.

It was about a five-minute walk to their destination that involved both men walking through different tunnels that led to different areas of the cave system. Numerous fairies flew past them, seemingly doing errands with the items they were carrying with someone using their combined strength to lift heavier and bigger objects. These fairies were not like the ones back home, just their very physical appearance was noticeably different with these fairies looking elegant and dare he say beautiful while the fairies back home looked mutated to some degree due to the areas they tended to nest at.

After turning a corner, Neil entered a huge area of the cave system that was like nothing he ever seen before. The ground was not hard rock, but fertile soil that was completely covered with grass that was being eaten by deer and there were trees of different sizes that were the home of smaller, furry creatures scurrying on the branches. And the area was lit by a natural light, but Neil could not pinpoint where the light was coming from. It was not from above since it was just rock, but Finn motioned his hand for Neil to keep following and they soon were at the center of the greenery where he saw something fantastic.

It was a fire burning on the ground, both big, bright and simply beautiful as it radiated natural light that gave the area its shine and must have allowed everything from the grass to the trees to grow at an otherwise dark, desolate place. He looked at Finn who took a thin twig from the ground and lit the very tip on fire before bringing it to Neil’s arm. Instinctively, he backed away, but by the look on Finn’s face, he was not going to hurt him. So, he hesitantly brought his arm that had a small scrape near the elbow to the fire. And that was when it healed the wounded skin instead of burning it like normal fire and not even a scar was left behind on the patch of skin that looked as it did before.

Neil looked at Finn with awe as the man threw the twig into the fire. “What was that?”

With a smile, Finn said, “It’s proof that you’re what we need. The fire, though magical, would have burned anyone else…but it healed you instead, like it did for me when I was brought here, badly injured and close to death.”

“Injured? Who injured you? And who took you from your—”

Finn shushed him. “Just look closely at the fire, Neil, and it’ll tell you all you need to know.”

Neil was not unconvinced that looking at a fire was going to answer all his questions, but he did so regardless and when he began to see images within the flames his eyes widened with everything going bright a second later.

Then like flashbacks, Neil saw a much younger version of Finn’s father holding a woman and her child who were both badly injured captive, something that he did not believe he was ever capable of. Another scene appeared where the woman offered her child to fairies that carried him away in a blanket through a window right before his father came, enraged, before shooting the woman in the head. Then a scene of the same cave where Neil first woke up was where the fairies have taken the child who was healed by the fire wielded by the fairies and upon removing the blanket, the child was revealed to have the same blond hair as Finn…

Neil returned to the present time with the revelation that Finn’s father, a man he considered his own father lied to him about everything. Finn was not even his child, but an innocent woman’s and for some reason he kidnapped them both.

Turning to Finn who was looking down with a solemn expression his face, Neil asked, “Why…Why would he do that?”

Walking to Neil’s side and looking at the fire, Finn said, “This was once my mother’s home, where she and the fairies who were untainted by the cities came to live with the fire that was lit by the single feather of a phoenix that continues to burn to this day. My real father was just a common man who my mother fell in love with and eventually had a child with. She raised me by herself since my father’s family did not approve of the relationship, but with the fairies help, we were happy… Then that man came to take my mother against her will along with me. He wanted to use the fire to heal his sudden ailment, but my mother refused and therefore we were both beaten until the fairies finally found us and carried me back home.”

Finn proceeded to sit down which prompted Neil to do the same before continuing by saying, “My mother, before she died by the hands of that man, erased all of his memories associated with the location of the cave to keep the fire, the fairies and most of all me safe. However, it appears that he found us again and sent you to do his bidding…but it seems like you were lied to under the false pretense that he wanted you to find his missing son who was stolen from him out of the blue, correct?”

Neil nodded, unable to speak due to him trying to reevaluate everything he once believed of the man he was once sworn to protect and serve. “I…I had no real family. Spent most of my life in foster care before becoming eighteen and enlisting into the military. Then after I retired, I didn’t know who would want a wounded veteran to work for them. Then he came to offer me a job, a home and someone I considered my father. I thought he was a good man, who did good work…but it seems I was wrong…so fucking wrong.”

Finn placed a hand on Neil’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Neil, but I’m afraid there’s more you need to know. The fire that gave you visions of the past also gave fragments of the future…and the future showed another man arriving at our home to find me. Though was he is misguided, kept in the dark to what is actually happening, and he will also see the light, so he can do the right thing for not only our home, but possibly for the future of everyone in this world. That man is you, Neil.”

“And how will I do that? I’m just a broken soldier who was led here by nothing but lies and ill intentions. I’m nobody,” Neil said, looking down.

Moving his sitting position to face Neil, Finn placed his hands on his shoulders and said, “That’s not true. You can still do the right thing by finally stopping that man who misguided you and save the fire that can offer so much to this world if given the chance.”

“What are you talking about? I already told you that he’s dead. He’s not coming—”

“He will,” Finn interrupted. “Yes, he’s dead. But the fire can bring him back. But it won’t work on him unless someone who can use the fire truly cares about him.”

“And that’s me,” Neil said as scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration.

“Yeah… I know you’re in a really tough spot right now and I understand if you need some time to think this all through…but I’d like to mention one more thing before I leave you alone.”

Neil faced Finn. “And what’s that?”

Scooting closer to Neil with no space between them anymore, Finn said, “The fire also showed the future with both of us…together.”

Despite everything that was happening, Neil could help but feel a glimmer of something like hope inside the darkness currently infesting his mind from that statement.

“Really?”

Finn nodded while biting his bottom lip. “And not only does the fire say so, my body has the same response as well.”

Finn looked down and Neil followed his sight which showed a very hard cock standing proud between the man’s crossed legs. His own cock hardened in response and despite wondering whether this was the most appropriate time to have these feelings, the look on Finn’s face made him lose all reasoning right then.

“I always wanted to know what it feels like to have a man release inside me,” Finn said as he leaned his face closer to Neil’s.

With his breath hitching up, Neil knew the rational thing to was to stop Finn’s advancements, but all that was lost when their lips came together and soon they were lying on the ground, kissing each other maddeningly and with such fiery passion that could rival even the fire next to them. Neil’s clothes were soon off and they both enjoyed the carnal desires of having another human being pleasure them in the most sensual areas and allowed the ecstasy of twin orgasms to take them both away from this world and into another where only they existed and mattered.

After the fiery exchange of passion a few hours ago, Neil lied on the grass by the fire with Finn snuggling close to him. He could not deny that this man he knew only for a short time had undoubtedly gave him a sense a peace that he did not have for a very long time if ever. This place too was so peaceful, and he wanted to make his new quest to be to protect this place, its inhabitants and most of all Finn who he felt he could truly be happy with.

A sudden tremor that was felt broke Neil from those thoughts and he looked at Finn who looked just as alarmed. The animals in the area were startled as well and several fairies began swarming around Finn, speaking a language too foreign for Neil to interpret.

“What are they saying?” Neil asked.

“They say…he’s back.”

Neil knew that could only mean one thing and he quickly put his jeans back on just as a few figures appeared in front of them. Standing up, Neil saw that there were two suited men standing at either side of another man in a wheelchair and he gasped upon seeing the dying man once again, alive and breathing, but just barely.

“S-Sir?”

Taking off his oxygen mask, the man smiled and said, “Neil. Good to see you again…and I’m so happy to see that you found my son. I’m really am proud of—”

“Quit the act!” Finn spat out as he stood up. “I’m not your son and you’re not here to take me back home. This is my home and you’re just here to use the fire to heal your illness and screw any consequences for that.”

“My, my. It looks you inherited your mother’s tongue. Neil, please don’t tell me you believe this person who has lived with fairies for most of his life,” the man said with a slight chuckle.

Looking up at the man, Neil said venomously, “Unfortunately for you I do. And the last thing I’m going to do is let you use me again for your own selfish reasons.”

The man sighed. “It seems you’ve been corrupted. What are you two doing anyways? A satanic ritual by the fire in the nude?” Shaking his head, he continued by saying, “Regardless, I have not traveled this far just to be denied the inevitable. Neil…you take that fire in your hand right now and finally cure him of this horrendous disease.”

“I’m not going to do that,” Neil replied.

Right after that refusal, one of the suited men pulled out a controller from his pocket and handed it to the man in the wheelchair.

“Don’t test me, Neil. Heal me now or I’ll push this button that will detonate several bombs right above us on the surface. It will cause the cave above us to collapse and everything in here will die because of that, including the fire.”

“You’re insane!” Finn exclaimed.

“If Neil’s not going to heal my affliction and let me die, I may as well take everyone else out with me. And don’t worry about these two men with me. They’re just wooden puppets who do all my bidding. So, Neil…are you going to heal the man who gave you hope, a home, a new arm…and someone you can call a father… Choose now, my son.”

Neil clenched his fist as he looked at the man he considered his father, and then to Finn who reluctantly nodded for him to do so. Swallowing a hard knot in his throat, Neil walked to the fire and cautiously extended his hand to it before capturing the fire. He only felt a warm sensation rather than pain as he walked back to the man who had a smile on his face, a smile that once gave him warmth and hope, but now sent chills down his spine as the man extended his hand to grab Neil’s.

After a moment of hesitation, Neil grabbed a hold of his hand and the fire soon transferred to the dying man’s arm and throughout his entire body. He glowed as the fire enveloped him and laughed with joy as the fire was having a positive effect on him…but then he started screaming like he was in severe pain before the fire around him brightened drastically and exploding, sending Neil off his feet.

Finn was immediately by Neil’s side as he recovered from the explosion. He looked at Finn who looked just as shocked and he then looked forward, seeing a white smoke where the man and his two puppets were at. Finn helped Neil back onto his feet and they warily walked to the smoke with a few fairies encircling them with curiosity as well. The smoke then dissipated and what was seen was two of the puppets on the ground, lifeless and a small tree between them.

“What…What happened?” Neil asked.

“It looks like the fire gave him new life…just not the way he expected it to be. And it seems that your arm was the reason for that,” Finn inferred, his hand brushing against the arm that supposedly did this.

“Yeah, I think so. I lost my arm when I was in the military during combat and I was given a new one that was made of wood, but felt and acted like a real one. It must have been made with something special to do something like that,” Neil said as he looked at his arm with renewed interest.

“Well, it just proves you’re exactly what we need,” Finn said as a fairy flew by him and dropped something in his hand.

“What’s that?” Neil asked, looking at the gold band.

“It’s a symbol of commitment, to me and to our home…a home that can be yours as well if you say yes.”

Neil thought for a moment and smiled at Finn. “You can count on me.”

Smiling back, Finn took Neil’s hand and slid the gold ring onto his ring finger that glowed in response and left a vine pattern on the piece of metal. Looking into each other’s eyes, they officiated the commitment with a kiss that was celebrated by fairies encircling them.

“Welcome home.”

So the rightful ruler was placed on the throne once more, a throne powered not by money or fame, but of trust and love that no amount of greed or envy could ever tarnish.