Away with the Fairies

*°•○Part Two○•°*

It had stopped raining in the meantime, and the sun struggled for dominance over the clouds, in the same way a smile struggled to overrule Louise's typically serious expression.

"Look!" Louise called, pointing at a huge rainbow forming a shimmering, iridescent arch above the lake.

She glanced back at Hans, and when he saw the joy and excitement lurking in her eyes, he decided to forget about all the possible perils of this unusual adventure. He would do whatever Louise wanted, hoping for the best.

Louise took his hand in hers, making him understand that she knew that he was only doing this to please her. Then they walked towards the water's edge in silence.

"You said that you can see our future. What else can you do?" the girl asked the fairy as they reached the lake's shore, the fragment of glass hovering above their heads like the evening star.

Louise wasn't quite sure what would happen now, and she was finally starting to feel a little uneasy about the whole reckless idea. The lake, from this close, looked cold. And deep. Very deep. She needed a few moments to collect her scattered courage.

"I can read your thoughts," Rosalind giggled, looking at Hans, who was so lost in observing Louise that he did not notice their exchange. He hadn't seen her cheeks so flushed and full of health in a long time...

"What was that?" he asked, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose when even Louise looked at him, as if the girls were waiting for his answer.

"I can read your thoughts," the fairy repeated, an annoyingly knowing smile playing on her tiny, rosy lips.
Suddenly, she turned to Louise. "Shall I tell your friend what you meant to ask of him when I interrupted you in that shed? I'm sure he'll never guess unless we tell him." She giggled again.

"No! Rosalind, please don't, not now!" Louise begged, her cheeks flushing even more.

"Maybe later?" the fairy proposed, the corners of her mouth sinking with disappointment.

"Yes, maybe later," Louise agreed, glancing shyly at Hans.

What are they talking about? Hans mused as Rosalind called, observing him, "Look, he's clueless!"

As she laughed, the tiny wand shook in her fist, threatening to make the piece of glass fall to the ground.

"Maybe I do not know what is so funny but I know that if you will not tell us what to do quickly, I will take Louise home," Hans said, frowning, feeling annoyed with the fairy again.

"Fine, fine, I'll behave," Rosalind promised. "So, we will dive to the bottom, and once we get out on the other side, we will be in Terra Sonalis. My home."

"But how can we breathe under the water? It's deep," Hans observed, and Louise nodded, wanting to know that too.

"No worries. As long as you are with me, there's no danger for you. You'll breathe... just like me. Come on," she urged, flying above the surface of the lake.

"Oh, there's no need to do that," she said as Hans walked into the shallows and started to unbutton his shirt. "You can come dressed as you are."

The boy looked at her uncertainly, then turned to his friend. "Louise?" he asked. "Are you sure about this?"

The girl, still standing on the bank, nodded silently. She lifted her dress a little and stepped into the water, shivering. Clutching Hans' arms with her shaking hands, she spoke to Rosalind, "What do we do now?"

"Watch me," the fairy said, pointing her wand at the piece of glass suspended in the air. She murmured another incomprehensible word, and the shard disappeared under the water's surface in a blur. "Follow me!" she called, vanishing underwater as fast as the glass, her long dress, and nearly equally long black hair, trailing behind her like a tail of a falling star.