OC Spotlight: Elena // a lil bit nsfw

If you've read the Vaska spotlight, you may remember the lonely tower where Amato was once locked away. Amato was born to an italian lord and lady who had long prayed for a child, but it wasn't any god that fulfilled their wish--it was a faerie queen. The child she gave them had skin as pale as marble, eyes blacker than the night, and something about his quiet presence made them all feel ... uneasy. The lordly pair had sworn to the fae that he would not come to harm, but they could not stand his unnerving presence in their house, so they locked him away in a hidden tower and erased every trace of his existence.

Elena's story begins in that very same tower.

The lord had entrusted his secret to a loyal nun, sister Francesca, who in turn hired guards to keep the tower safe and housekeeping staff to keep the gilt cage running. They were tasked with veiling the elven princeling in blessed ignorance of the world outside, and to send any snooping outsiders away, with any means necessary. As the years went by, rumour started to spread. Why were soldiers guarding an isolated tower in the woods? Surely something very valuable must be hidden away inside--or something very dangerous.

Amato grew up into a young man with silken curls and rosy lips, more beautiful than any human. Too beautiful, in fact--the kind of gorgeous that sends a shiver up your spine, because somehow it is terrifying. Sister Francesca repeatedly warned the maids of lowering their guards around him, even if he seemed so gentle, kind, and curious. The housekeeping staff had long since taken to covering every inch of skin with veils and gloves, as a way to protect themselves from Amato's eerie influence. Never look him in the eyes, they said, or the faerie prince will bewitch you. Don't talk to him unless you absolutely can't avoid it. When you bring him a meal, or fetch his laundry, or deliver more books for him to read, never spend a second longer than necessary in his presence. It seemed strange to fear someone so soft and pretty, and yet they all did.

The only person who couldn't help themselves was Elena.

Now, allow me to semi-pause and rewind the narrative for a moment, to discuss something that Elena himself doesn't have the vocabulary to describe. See, this story begins in renaissance Italy, when modern terms like nonbinary, genderqueer, and genderfluid didn't yet exist. After all we've only recently started taking apart the cishet gender binary, so as you can imagine it was even more firmly entrenched back then.

Elena was assigned male at birth, but even as a kid he never felt like a boy, or like other boys, or like everyone said boys "should" be. He loved dressing in his mother's skirts, and asked her to help him do his hair like the fancy ladies in town, or teach him how to rouge his cheeks and lips. His mother (whose name was Antonia) was poor, but did everything she could for her child, hand-sewing dresses for him to wear and trading her last family heirlooms for some make-up. Elena was really excited when people started assuming he was her daughter rather than her son--deep down he knew neither of those two options were quite right, but at least it felt better than being treated as a boy.

Antonia never told him exactly why they had to leave their home town, and he never asked, because it seemed to make her so sad. He was still little when one night they arrived at a well-guarded tower in the depth of the woods--a woman asking for work and a safe place to raise her child. They had decided together to introduce him as her daughter, and that's when he chose the name Elena for himself. If nothing else, it would protect him from being drafted into the army of the local lord, who regularly fought his neighbours for dominance.

At first, he loved it when people thought he was a girl and addressed him as such. He had been worried about what would happen when he reached puberty, but strangely enough, nothing much seemed to change. His voice didn't crack and deepen, his chin and chest didn't sprout any hair, and his shoulders didn't widen. Instead his limbs grew slender and graceful, his skin peachy soft, and he spoke with a pleasant, smooth tone. It was only years later that Elena learns that he probably has Amato's unknowing influence to thank for the androgynous way his body developed during his teens. Not that Amato consciously applied any fae magic to him, but somehow he could sense Elena's deepest wishes and as a reward for his kindness towards the elf, they ended up coming true.

That really was it. The other maids would heed sister Francesca's warnings, pretend not to hear it if Amato said anything to them, and flee from him chambers as soon as they had carried out their chores. Elena, on the other hand,  was kind. He lingered. Yes, he was wary of the otherwordly young man, with his unnervingly perfect beauty and his pitch dark eyes... yet drawn to him in ways he couldn't explain. After his mother peacefully passed away in a strange sickness, Elena finds himself even more intrigued by the faerie prince. The “maid” would stay in his rooms to chat a little, curiously ask Amato questions, and study his pretty face despite how he'd always been told to never look him in the eye. As the years went on, they formed a strange and secret friendship. 

It's when they're both almost twenty that Amato reveals to Elena that he's started having a nighttime visitor that makes him ... feel things. In return Elena gives him a confession about a fling he's recently had with a hunter that passed by, who not only made him feel things, but with whom he did things. Neither of them have anyone else to talk to about such matters, and Elena is especially grateful to have a friend he can confide in.

What's more, he discovers that he can talk to Amato about gender identity and gender expression in a way that’s centuries ahead of the prevailing renaissance sentiments. Because after growing up in the tower while passing himself off as his mother's daughter, Elena knew for sure that even if he never felt like a boy, he also never felt like a girl. He loved the name Elena, but 'she/her' didn't sit quite right; he loved his body just as it was, but much preferred dressing in skirts and dresses than in what the men of the time were expected to wear. He admits to Amato that he doesn't feel like either a man or a woman, and Amato simply asks “Why do you have to choose?”

It's an eye-opening moment for Elena, who realises with startling clarity how right Amato is: he doesn't have to fit himself into one of two binary moulds. Instead he can make a new mould, entirely his own, that fits him perfectly. It would still be a little while before he can live openly as himself, because in the conservative atmosphere of the tower it would hardly be safe to come out, in any way. But Elena would be forever grateful to Amato for asking that simple question, that in one fell swoop made everything fall into place.

If Elena had had modern terms at hand, he would have described himself as non-binary, using he/him or they/them pronouns, and strongly preferring a feminine or androgynous gender expression. His story is an important example of how exploring gender isn't necessarily a linear matter, that gender identity and gender expression is not the same thing, and that both can be a journey rather than a destination.

In any case, while Amato continues to get visited by Vaska night after night, Elena slinks into the forest to take care of his own pleasure--it feels safer than risk being caught in his room. Little does he know that the faerie queen has sent one of her people to watch over Amato, and one night this man stumbles upon a pretty copper-headed human who’s touching himself in the middle of a clearing, moaning softly into the grass.

For obvious reasons Elena is startled upon seeing him--especially since Cian is a massive werewolf. But then the stranger shifts into his (very handsome) human form, apologises for the intrusion, and promises to leave at once if that's what Elena wants. But he also offers to ... help him out.

A little voice in the back of Elena's head says that it would be absolutely insane to tumble into the hay with an unknown man that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the forest and in the middle of the night. It would be reckless, and dangerous, and downright stupid. But his blood sings of adventure and romance and excitement and passion, and so he falls into Cian's arms.

Elena has nothing to worry about. Cian is a faoladh, an irish werewolf more predisposed towards helping humans than hurting them. The worst thing Elena will ever suffer at his hands (and other parts of him) is so much pleasure it leaves him numb. He’s keen to explore his own carnal needs, and soon ends up sneaking out of the tower every other evening, into the forest where Cian waits for him.

Elena's previous encounter with the hunter he told Amato about (who may or may not have been another supernatural figure in disguise) had culminated in a blowjob and a fingering session that had, in turn, blown Elena's mind. He's very eager to try that again, and then some. Sex ed wasn't exactly a thing at this time, but Elena has heard the maids and stablehands whisper about many a lovely thing (quietly, so sister Francesca wouldn't heard them talk of such sins). Cian has far more experience and is all too happy to answer all of Elena's questions, usually with practical demonstrations. If Elena was ever a little shy, his curiosity and thirst soon takes over, rendering him quite shameless in seeking pleasure from his mysterious lover.

A few weeks later, Elena wakes up to discover that his tailbone has grown a few inches, and that his nails have sharpened a bit during the night. The next morning his little 'tail' is even longer, and has started sprouting some orange fuzz (the same colour as his hair). The day after, his eyes are itching and when looks in a mirror he sees that they've turned an amber colour.

Next time he meets up with Cian in the woods he's very flustered and confused, throwing off his clothes to show off a poofy fox tail and a pair of big ears that have by then replaced his human ones. He has been able to hide it all from the other people in the tower, thanks to the veil and gloves and conservative dress that Sister Francesca makes them all wear, but what on earth is happening to him?!

To be fair, Cian is as surprised as Elena--but his confusion soon changes into delight. Before long the faoladh is petting his fluffy tail, playing with his ears, marvelling at the colour of his eyes, and musing at the little fangs in his mouth. It's a great look, and the same Elena that decided to risk loving a stranger is admittedly excited about how one 'impossible' thing after another keeps happening to him. Of course it's confusing, and a bit scary, but ... it's like a fairytale, something from an old myth, or like a dream, and that's ... strangely thrilling.

They'll never quite know if his transformation was due to sleeping with a werewolf, or Amato's fae influence, or perhaps something else entirely (after all, Elena has no idea who his father was). But the faerie queen herself eventually says that it probably wouldn't have happened if Elena hadn't already carried a seed of magic within himself--if he hadn't already had a fox's heart.

Elena's and Amato's stories both take a temporary turn for the worse when Amato's lordly 'father' decides to break his promise to the faerie queen by trying to kill the elven princeling. Naturally, Vaska won't let that happen, and hunts down the aristocratic family to free Amato, once and for all.

But as for Elena, Amato being suddenly taken away from the tower means he finds himself relocated to another of the lord's estates, completely uprooted and with no way of telling Cian. He managed to convince his new employee to let him keep the veil and gloves on, claiming illness as a reason, but the clock was ticking towards his secrets being revealed. If anyone saw the way his features had changed into something clearly inhuman, they would probably execute him like they would a witch, or try to exorcise him like they would a demon. To make matters worse, the keeper of said estate kept making untoward advances towards Elena, pushing him to become his wife in incredibly creepy ways.

Elena was just a heartbeat away from risking it all and trying to run into the woods on his own, when Cian catches up with his trail. The werewolf had been following the tracks ever since he realised Elena was missing, and the fox once again falls into his arms, sobbing with relief.

Cian decides that it’s about time to take Elena back to faerie. It's not like he's human anymore, anyway, and Elena wants nothing more than leave his old life behind.

They head into the woods, along winding paths, between curious tree trunks dressed in ivy, under a canopy of leafy branches that have woven themselves together like an arched ceiling. Before long they've left the parts of the forest that humans can wander, slipping through the veil where it's thin, into a world where the sun shines brighter and the water is clear like precious crystals.

The faeries that come to greet them treat Cian like royalty. As if Elena wasn't already nervous to meet the in-laws, he now learns that his werewolf lover is the adopted son of the queen, Flora, and her consort, the wolf god Calu. The fox has been a lowly servant all his life, and has no idea how to behave himself in this context. It doesn't help that while some of the faerie nobility welcome him kindly, others sneer and scoff, saying he still stinks like a human even if he doesn’t look the part.

As far as Flora is concerned, however, it doesn't matter how Elena was born. Now he is fae, and that means he's one of them. It takes him a while to start feeling at home, but Cian's encouraging love and Flora's warm welcome does wonders. Little by little, Elena's own magic starts to bloom.

It's now, in faerie, that he can finally shrug off the confining norms of human society. Here, nobody asks him to choose between being a man or a woman, as if those were the only options--he is free to simply be Elena. Here, he doesn't have to hide his tail and ears and little claws under a stifling veil, tight gloves, and thick skirts; he can let his hair out, wrap himself in silky soft dresses and shawls, with all the flowers of spring in a wreath around his brow. Here, he doesn't have to sneak away in the middle of the night to see Cian, because they share a dwelling and everybody knows they're lovers. He doesn't have to fear judgement, or hate, or intolerance, or short-mindedness. Here in faerie, he's free.

Shortly after entering this realm, a soft layer of peachy red and black fuzz covers his arms and legs. His nails turn all the way into little claws, and his feet into hind paws. But his transformation goes deeper than merely his appearance. He finds himself more agile and fleet-footed, too, not to mention the awakening of some deeply rooted hunting instincts that sometimes makes him pounce on rodent-sized things that scurry by (whether on the ground or under the snow). For that same reason raw meat suddenly smells delicious to his now much more keen sense of smell. After some initial hesitation he tries a bite of a deer Cian hunted down, and finds it oddly delicious. The first time he actually catches a mouse on his own, he’s so proud you might think he had conquered a nation.

Nooks and crannies suddenly seem irresistible to him, and he regularly burrows into small spaces to take naps or tuck himself away for a moment. Cian often finds him curled up into a ball, looking extremely comfortable despite the contortion of his limbs, tailtip somehow covering his nose. If that wasn't adorable enough, you'll often hear him chitter and chirp when he's happy--foxes make a range of cute sounds, and Elena starts speaking that language without even realising it.

Now, Elena is a fox faerie, not a werefox, but him and his lover eventually come to wonder if he might learn to shift forms. Cian remembers how his father Calu had taught him to master a wide range of shapes back when he was a pup, and now he teaches an eager Elena the same tricks. Elena doesn't at all miss looking like a regular human, but it's convenient to be able to disguise himself as such when he accompanies Cian on various adventures into the mortal realm. On the other hand he's actively delighted to eventually figure out how to shapeshift into a full fox form, and soon becomes very adept at smoothly slipping in and out of his various forms at will.

Amato eventually comes to visit, leading to a happy reunion between the two. The prince is glad to see Elena so confident and joyful, no longer confined by all the fetters of the tower they had both grown up in. His road to happiness may have been a bit bumpy, but Elena was lucky to have a string of supportive people at his side along the way; his mother, supporting her gender non-conforming child in any way she could; Amato, who was a trusted friend when he needed it most; Cian, who showed him how worthy he is of love; and Flora and Calu, who welcomed him into the family with open arms. Free of human worries, Elena's fox heart is playful, cheeky, and sometimes mischievous; he likes playing pranks on the few snooty aristocrats that still scoff at him, and funny enough that’s what makes most of them accept that he is one of them, after all. 

In either case, Elena no longer worries so much about their approval, and the realm of faerie has become the home he never had. Cian isn't the only one of its denizens that has a thing or two to teach him about magic, and the fox soon grows bold enough to convince various other characters to share their knowledge with him. Some of them can’t resist his easygoing charm, while others give him various challenges to “prove his worth” before they agree to teach him anything. Solving their riddles and completing their tasks only further boosts his confidence, and he usually gets what he wants, learning more about what interests him the most--illusion and trickery. He’s a fox, after all. That said, he rarely use his newfound skills for ill (... unless someone really deserves it).

Becoming fae stops him from aging the same way a human would, so the ever-young Elena and the equally timeless Cian has plenty of adventures ahead of them over the next few centuries. Their paths regularly cross that of other characters, such as when they ask Charlie to let them use a portal in their forest to fast-travel to the other side of the world, or when they bump into a pair of much less benevolent shapeshifters, and when they help a cursed werewolf find his way. It's dangerous at times, but Elena has come to trust his own wits and resourcefulness as much as he trusts loyal Cian by his side. That voice in his head that once whispered of fear and worry has gone quiet, and he's excited about facing the adventure of life head on.

---

i feel like the last few months i've regularly mentioned crying while typing up the OC spotlights, what with them often having such tragic elements (even though they always have a happy ending because i just can't handle it otherwise lol). but this month i didn't cry once! elena's story is about triumphant self-discovery and generally has such a good vibe to it. he ends up living his best goddamn life in the faerie realm, outwitting snooty nobles by day and getting railed by his werewolf bf by night. #goals, tbh.

also, it was fun to dig up some of my oldest spotlights for the links scattered throughout this text. they used to be so short, hah...

if you have any questions about elena and his story, just comment below, i'll happily keep rambling. <3

// art + elena + vaska + calu © me; cian + amato + flora © kubi.