It Started With a Feather

It had started with a feather. 

A small, russet colored feather that Helix had found on his neck one morning. Which was strange, it had been almost three weeks since the last hunting excursion his father had dragged him out to. So no felled birds could have left a feather on him. He gripped it between two fingers and discarded it. He thought nothing more of it, and climbed back into the arms of his lovely fiancé, not knowing several more russet colored feathers sprouted from his hairline as he whispered that he loved her. 

—

The next few days were like this. He’d wake up and find more russet colored feathers on his neck and shoulders. Though it took a moment for the realization to sink in that these weren’t stray feathers. They were actually growing from him. He felt the slight pinch and sting with each one he plucked, and the cold fear that filled his entire being as they became more and more numerous. Plucking the feathers had gone from a quick morning routine to an hour or more in the bathroom. 

“Helix, are you alright in there?” Florence asked. Her voice was soft as it came though the door. He loved that about her; her kindness. 

He looked back in the mirror and saw three more feathers. “Wha? I just plucked those!” He frowned, gripping them and pulling them out. This couldn’t mean… “Yes hun! I’m fine, just a stubborn headache!” 

“Alright, but once you’re out let me make you something!” She replied. 

“Thank you, I love you!” He called though the door.

“I love you too, Helix!” And with the warmth that spread through him at the words, his suspicions were confirmed. He loved Florence with all his being, and the feeling of that, his love for her, made more feathers grow from his neck. “What’s happening…?” 

Unsure of what else to do, he plucked the feather and then he pulled his linen shirt closed and buttoned it. 

“How’s your head?” Florence asked walking up to him and clasping his hand in hers. 

His face flushed a little, and internally he worried if that caused more feathers to sprout. 

“Oh, I’m fine. It’s better now sweetling.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. She returned his kiss and smiled. 

—

The next instance he he truly realized he was in deep trouble was when he spent the day with his mother. He often spent a day out with her whenever he could, as they were both quite busy as of late. And with the more and more worrisome…occurrences, he was more than happy to see her. 

“How is the engagement with miss Florence?” His mother questioned as the two walked though the main square of the kingdom. 

“Oh, it’s been wonderful.” Helix replied, unable to hide the flush that crept up his cheeks. Something tickled the back of his neck, right below his hairline. “She’s so pretty, and sweet, and smart!” 

His mother smiled and patted his hand. “I’m so happy for you dear, with your father springing the engagement on you so suddenly, I was worried. But it seems you two are getting along well.” 

Helix grinned and nodded; ignoring the sensation of something soft brushing against the hem of his pants. “Mhm! Truthfully I was as well, but I have no issues now. I love her mother, I love Florence a lot. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her.”

“Oh hun, I’m so happy to hear that!” His mother smiled and kissed his forehead. He smiled, all the worries he had about the feathers seemed to vanish, at least until scratched at the back of his neck and felt feathers that weren’t there moments before. 

No! No, no, no, no…!

“Excuse me for a moment mother, I need to use the restroom. I’ll be back in a moment!!” Helix blurted out suddenly. He turned and bolted to the nearest restroom. His mother barely had a moment to reply, but she did notice a green feather sticking out of the back of his pants. She furrowed her eyebrows confused. 

Once he was safe in the bathroom, and he was sure no one else was there, he locked the door behind him and unbuttoned his shirt. There were even more feathers than there were that morning. And as his heart thundered in his chest he examined more of his trembling form only to find more and more feathers. He gripped handfulls of the russety things and yanked them out, his eyes stung but once he was done he sighed relieved. The skin where he had ripped the feathers from was red and irritated, but he could explain that away. He then turned his attention to what was wrong with his pants. They had been bothering him most of the day, and when he pulled them down he saw why. Growing out from directly over his tailbone, were several large, deep emerald green feathers. Very reminiscent of the tail feathers roosters had. 

Dumbfounded Helix stood and stared at them for a moment before he gripped the feathers and yanked. He yelped in pain; the tail feathers were deeply rooted. 

“Ok…” he breathed, bracing himself against the bathroom wall. “On three…” he inhaled deeply and yanked with all his might. He cried out in pain, tears rolling down his cheeks, but at least the feathers were gone. 

“What’s happening to me?” He breathed, grounding himself and wiping the tears from his eyes. Once he had composed himself he exited the bathroom, leaving the feathers (what else was supposed to do with them?) lying on the floor and headed back to his mother. 

“Oh hun, have you been crying?” His mother asked concerned, cupping his face in her palms. “Your eyes are red!” 

“It’s ok mother, I’m fine! I washed my face and got soap in my eyes.” He lied. He wasn’t fine at all, he now knew that any feeling of love he had made the curse, it had to be a curse, progress more and get worse. 

What am I going to do…?

—

Several days later, Helix was shaken awake by Florence. “Sweetheart, why are there feathers in the bed?” she questioned. 

Helix’s heart rate sped up and he sat up in bed, looking at the russet feathers scattered around the sheets. He also noticed dark brown and red feathers too. Those were new. He tried to discreetly feel his neck for any feathers that had grown overnight, but surprisingly felt nothing but smooth skin. He gave himself a quick once over in the dimly lit room, and noticed a large and fluffy patch of feathers that had grown out of his chest during the night that sat directly over his sternum. He scrambled out of bed, mumbling something about having to pee and ran to his bathroom. He made sure to lock to the door behind him and flipped the lights on. 

Sure enough there was a patch of longer and thicker russet colored feathers growing from his chest. Panicked, he gripped a handful and yanked, biting his tongue to stifle the cry of pain he felt when he pulled. These feathers weren’t like the others he had been disposing of so far. They were rooted deeper, and it hurt something awful when he tried to yank them out. 

“Please tell me it’s not like this everywhere…” he breathed checking himself over. He did find other patches of feathers on his back, thighs, and right over his tailbone. It seemed the tail feathers had come back and were bigger this time, but the most concerning issue though, were his feet. 

The skin had turned a light grey and deepened to a darker grey as it reached his toes. His toenails were black and looked more like claws, and the skin of his feet reminded him of the hawks his uncle had kept in the aviary. His ears had even begun to change a little as well, and now had a slight point to them with a dusting of small, green feathers. 

“It’s getting worse…!” He whispered, his face pale. He couldn’t keep it a secret anymore, he had to tell his parents. They would know what to do, they would help!

After he had concealed the feathers the best he could under his clothes, as pulling them out was no longer an option, he kissed Florence and headed to his parents chambers. He knew that they would still be there this early in the morning. 

“Mother? Father?” He asked as he knocked on the elaborately carved oak door. 

“Come in!” His father called. Helix swallowed, and walked into their chambers. 

“Good morning Helix.” His father said. 

“Good morning sweetie,” his mother said as well, but stopped when she noticed how pale he looked. “Helix, is everything ok?” 

He closed the door, and with that the tears he had been holding back since he looked in the mirror, welled up in his eyes and spilled over, rolling down his cheeks. “N-no! Somethings wrong mama, I don’t know what’s happening to me!” He unbuttoned his shirt to show his parents the patch of feathers that had grown out of his chest and up his neck just in the time it took to walk to his parents’ room. He then kicked his boots off to show them his feet. 

“What in the gods name?!” His father exclaimed rushing over to his son.

“Oh Helix…! Is this why you went to the bathroom in such a hurry that day?” His mother asked. Helix hiccuped and nodded. 

“I don’t know what’s going on! T-this just started happening about a month ago, and it’s getting worse! Every time I feel any sort of love for anyone it gets worse!” He sobbed. “I don’t know what to do!” 

 His mother wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck. He felt his ears itch and knew they had changed more, which only made him cry harder. 

His father gripped his arm and pulled him away from the Queen and glared at him. “What did you do boy? How did you get yourself cursed?!”

“I don’t know!!” Helix sobbed, his now much larger and more animal like ears lowering in his distress. 

“You must know!” He snapped, gripping Helix’s arms and shaking him.

“Arnold, stop it!” His mother snapped. “Helix said he doesn’t know! You know how fickle these dames curses are! It could have been anything or anyone!” 

“Do you think that princess had anything to do with it?” His father questioned, narrowing his eyes. “He says this started about the same time she arrived.”  

“No!” Helix snapped. “No, Florence wouldn’t do this to me! She wouldn’t ever try to hurt me, I know it.” His father looked skeptical but didn’t press it. 

“Father what should I do? It’s getting worse, I can’t pluck the feathers anymore, it hurts too much!” Helix continued as he wiped at his eyes. 

“We can’t risk anyone seeing you.” His father said, ignoring what Helix had asked. “The people knowing you’re cursed will only invite misfortune…”

“We could contact a sorcerer? They might know how to reverse this?” the Queen offered. 

“Perhaps. But we can’t let anyone see him like this!” His father snapped gesturing to Helix. Helix began to fiddle with one of his tail feathers nervously. 

“What about Miss Florence?” she questioned. 

“Well he obviously can’t she her again until we get this under control!” 

“Wait, she won’t tell anyone I promise-“ Helix piped up but stopped when his father glared at him. 

“No, you are forbidden to see her until this is taken care of. Write her letters if you have to.” the King snapped. 

“We could keep Helix in his chambers for the time being?”the Queen offered. 

“That’s a good idea. Helix you are hereby to be locked in your chambers until a cure can be found for your condition.” 

“What?! You can’t lock me in my chambers! I have my duties as a prince I’ve to-“ Helix yelped in pain as his father slapped him. 

“Do not talk back to me! And that doesn’t matter, you can’t be seen out in public like this, you’ll disgrace us!” his father roared. 

Helix held a trembling hand to where he had been slapped. “Mother-“ 

“Your father’s right,” she said. “For your own safety you have to stay in your chambers for the time being.” 

“But the kingdom will wonder what happened to me if I suddenly vanish!” 

“We’ll just inform them that you have fallen sick. Which isn’t entirely untrue.” she replied. 

—

That had been three months ago, and there had been no luck or any progress in finding a way to break his curse or even stall it. Helix was now nothing more that a recluse; confined to his chambers and only allowed to roam under special and strict circumstances. He curled himself into a ball on his mess of a bed; some areas were clawed to pieces, curtesy of the talons on his toes. 

His curse had progressed to the point he no longer looked human, but instead looked more like a harpy. One of the more rarer monsters out there, and one of the most feared next to nagas. 

The only areas of human skin left were his face and his chest and torso, everything else was covered in feathers. His legs had since become bird like in appearance, with four toes and each tipped with sharp talons. The tail feathers had grown exponentially to the point they were longer than he was tall. 

His arms had become wings over the span of an agonizing month, and the only remnants of his fingers were the thumb like claws on each wing. 

He had grown fangs and razor sharp teeth, horns, and a longer neck covered in a thick collar of russet colored feathers. His eyes had even changed. The whites were now green and his once brown eyes had turned red. 

He pulled his avian like legs up to his chest and laid his wing arms over his head. 

He was miserable.

Lonely, terrified, and starving for any human interaction. He missed being outside and he missed seeing people. Missed his fiancé’s soft voice, his moms hugs…he just missed it all. 

Sure his parents still visited him, but it was different. His father wouldn’t look at him, and when he did his eyes were filled with so much contempt that Helix shrank back. His mother would still smile at him and hug him, but it was different. It felt more…distant? Like she was afraid Helix would become like the monster he looked like. 

As he was loosing his arms, he had desperately tried to stop feeling love, he truly did. It was easier said than done as he just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t in him.

Writing letters to Florence had helped with the loneliness a lot at first. But as he began to loose his hands it got harder and harder to write, until he eventually couldn’t at all. 

“I just want this to be over…” he sighed. They still had no idea who cursed him or how. He couldn’t think of anyone he’d made angry enough to warrant this, and if he had, he knew better to know apologizing wouldn’t help. 

He winced in pain as his head throbbed. The horns were starting to grow again, and he always got migraines from it. The only thing good that came out of this was the quite that came with being forced into isolation. It eased the pain he felt from his headaches. 

Hot tears slid down his cheeks as he thought of Florence and a pang of loneliness hit him hard. He missed her so, so much. 

Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn’t hear the large door to his chambers creak open. He looked up, wondering if it was his mother or father stopping by for a visit but the light from the hallway made him squint. “Mother? Father? Is that you? Who’s there?” 

“Helix? Is that you?” A soft voice called back. Helix shot up in bed, his eyes wide and his heart racing. Florence, it was Florence! He smiled and chirped happily, but quickly covered his mouth with his wings embarrassed. 

“Helix? What was that? Are you in here?” She asked walking around slowly. “Goodness it’s so dark in here, I can’t see anything!” 

Helix opened his mouth to reply but stopped. The predicament he suddenly found himself in dawned on him. No one, besides himself and his parents, knew he was cursed. Florence certainly didn’t know. 

I can’t let her see me like this!! He thought frantically.

He was stuck though with no where to run or hide. 

“Helix? If you’re in here turn a light on or something…” she had turned toward the front of his room again feeing for the light switch. Seeing her turned around, he crept off the bed and headed towards his closet, that would work in a pinch he hoped. 

“I know you’ve been sick, and no one’s supposed to visit you, but when you stopped writing I got so worried! I had to see how you were doing.” Florence started before she snapped her fingers pleased. She had found the light and flipped it on. She turned around and froze, her wide eyes locking with Helix’s. 

In the light his room looked even worse. The bed was torn and tattered and they’re were a few shredded tops discarded on the floor from failed attempts at trying to wear them when he still somewhat had arms. 

“Oh….oh my gods.” She breathed, fear etched across her face. 

“Wait, wait, Florence it’s me. It’s Helix-“ 

“GUARDS!” She screamed so loud Helix flinched. “THERE’S A MONSTER IN HERE! IT ATE THE PRINCE! IT ATE MY FIANCÉ!” 

“No! No, Florence please! No, please listen, it’s me! I’m the prince, Florence-“ Helix begged. She screamed and threw the first thing she grabbed at him. Helix trilled startled and ducked. 

It wasn’t long after until the guards arrived, and Helix was terrified. If the guards didn’t kill him he’d be captured and handed over to a Monster Hunter. 

“How the hell did a harpy get in here?!” A guard yelled. 

“KILL IT!”

“CAPTURE IT!” 

“Please, no! It’s me, it’s Helix! I’m the prince! Please!!” He begged, but no one listened.

“What’s this racket about?!” A booming voice yelled. Helix’s ears perked as he recognized his fathers voice. He would help him! 

“We’ve cornered a harpy in the prince’s chambers. But…I’m sad to say this beast has killed your son.” A guard said frowning.

The king looked Helix directly in the eyes and said, “Kill it.” 

Helix whined in disbelief, his father condemned him to death. He had never been that close with his father but he had never realized it was this bad. 

Soon his thoughts swiveled to the four guards pointing swords at him, and terrified something flipped a switch in his mind. He needed to get away, and fast. His life depending on it. Before anyone, included himself knew what was going on, Helix had sprinted towards the closest window and threw himself through the glass and out of it. 

He screeched, a sound shrill and inhuman as glass shards tore painfully at his bare chest, face, and back. And soon he began to plummet through the inky blackness of the night sky, 100 feet down. 

He could hear the guards screaming and his father barking orders, and he spread his wings and took flight. He hadn’t the slightest of what he was doing, but he wasn’t falling to his death anymore, so that was something. 

He beat his wings as hard as he could. blindly heading towards the forest, his heart and mind racing. Soon though he began to feel his thoughts fade, his wings gave out and as he lost altitude he whited out. 

“Mmng…” Helix whimpered as he tried to move. His mind felt like someone had scrambled it. Slowly he began remember the events of the evening, and then falling. He moved to sit up and yelped, his left leg hurt and felt like it was broken. “Ow!!” 

He looked over himself and took note of all the bleeding cuts and bits of glass that glinted in some. He couldn’t walk, he hurt a wing falling through the trees, and worst yet, he couldn’t see out of his left eye. All he could smell was blood. 

He tried to stand again and fell the second he put weight on his left foot. “Agh!” 

He laid still on the forest floor for a moment, unsure what to do. He was too injured to move, everything hurt, he was sure his father would send the guards after him, and worst yet his consciousness was fading again. 

“Gods above!” A voice exclaimed making Helix blearily look up. Approaching him was a naga. Helix had heard numerous stories about nagas and how they were ruthless creatures ever since he was small. 

Terrified, Helix hissed weakly and tried to get up but the naga quickly leaned down, placing both of his scaled hands on Helix’s shoulders. 

“It’s ok,” the naga reassured him. His voice was cold but there was no malice behind it. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re pretty banged up though, so I’m going to take you back to my home to set your leg and clean your wounds properly. It’s not safe out here in the open, especially not with that human kingdom nearby.” 

Helix sighed, unable to muster the strength to fight back. He was sore and he was tired and he didn’t protest or fight when the naga maneuvered him up into his back, gently gripping Helix’s wing arms. 

When Helix came to he was lying on his stomach on a sea of blankets and pillows in front of a small fire. He was in a modest home, furnished with things to accommodate a naga’s tail and absolutely bursting at the seams with plants, gemstones and other pretty things. 

“Hello,” the naga said noticing Helix was awake. Helix attempted to move but hissed in pain. “Don’t try to move, you’re still very injured.” 

Helix chirped in response. “Can you not talk?” The naga questioned. “Harpies are so rare, and I’ve never been close enough to one to really know…” 

“I can talk.” Helix replied hoarsely. “Just hurts.” 

The naga nodded in understanding. “Alright, I won’t ask too many questions.” He peeled a bandage back from a fairly deep wound on Helix’s wing and dabbed antiseptic on it. Helix hissed in pain. 

“You’re lucky I found you. It’s rare to see harpies, let alone injured ones. Humans tend to kill them for their feathers, and occasionally meat. Barbaric creatures.” 

“I’m not a-“ Helix started but stopped. He wasn’t human anymore that was for certain, he really had become a monster. “Never mind.” 

“‘Not a’ what?” The naga repeated as he replaced the bandage. 

“Harpy, but I guess I am. I was human, the prince of the nearest kingdom, in fact. But I was cursed and now I’m just…this.” Helix replied frowning. Helix expected the naga to throw him out or kill him after hearing that. He had heard through the grape vine that cursed humans whose curses had progressed to his stage or worse, tended to be ostracized even amongst other monsters. 

“Oh…” the naga said after a few more moments of silence. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard. Do you know who cursed you? Or why?” 

Helix shook his head. “No. My parents were never able to find a way to break the curse and cure me, so until they did they locked me in my chambers. But now that I think about it I’m sure they just did it to get me out of the way. I know my father wants nothing to do with me, and I’m sure my mothers the same.” Tears pricked his eyes. 

The naga said nothing in response but he looked a little sad.

“You’re not going to hurt me? Now that you know I was…” Helix paused, the word felt odd on his tongue. “Human?” 

“No. I’ve heard about you, actually. You’re the only prince that godforsaken kingdom has had that actively refuses to harm the likes of me and others.” The naga replied as he continued to tend to Helix’s wounds, picking glass out of them occasionally. 

“What’s you name?” Helix questioned. “I’m Helix.” 

“My name is Lyam.” The naga replied. 

“Thank you for saving me Lyam.” Helix replied. His eyelids felt heavy, and soon he had fallen asleep.