A Fairy's Tale

Viii

Entering back into my room I searched for a dress, I chose a short white floaty one and picked up my cloak before leaving the room. Nate exit the spare room and wore a set of new clothes.
"Where are we heading?"
I stopped at the top of the stairs. Turning my head to face him. "I was going to the stream, to wash!"
"Oh, I guess that's private then. But take Filtiarn, because of yesterday!"
I nodded as I started down the stairs.
"Filtiarn!" I glanced around looking for him, he pranced over, leaving the kitchen. "Would you be able to protect me as I go to the stream?" He stood by my side and glanced up at me. "I hope that means yes!"
We left Ayla and made our way cautiously to the stream. It was deserted so I crossed to the other side, where that being stood. I stepped further into the trees but Filtiarn whined so I did not go any further.
"What is it?" He whined again. "Do you not want me to go in there?" He huffed. "Why?" This time he growled so I retreated from the trees. "Okay, fine!" I crossed back to the other side of the stream and sat on a tree stump, dipping my feet in. I watched Filtiarn as he drank next to me. I reached down and rinsed my face to freshen myself up. As I began to raise back up I saw a reflection in the water. I slowly looked up to see a figure approaching the stream. It was a Pixie, I was sure of it because their scent was of earth. The Pixie wore brown cotton pants, no top, revealing their chest and there was a leather strap across it going over his right shoulder. It was a sheath containing lots of arrows that only just appeared over the top of his broad shoulders. He held a bow in his left hand and it was made purely of oak.
He had just approached the edge of the stream as he looked to his right where the stream flowed from the waterfall lake and he stepped into the water not noticing me. I remained quiet, he had just entered the same gap in the trees that Filtiarn had warned me not to go through. Did the Pixie know about the monstrous being? Was he investigating it?
He cupped his hands and lowered them to gather a handful of water and as he brought them back up over his head he saw me, the water seeped through his fingers and onto his head making his black hair wet, along with his face.
I pulled my cloak further around the front of my shoulders, making sure my broken but healing wing was covered.
"Excuse me, do you happen to know if any strange happenings occurred here?"
My heart began to beat faster and my hands clutched my cloak tighter.
"Do not be scared!"
I rose slowly off the trunk, stepping back carefully, so I did not lose my balance.
"Please do not go!" I held my cloak at both sides making my arms cross. "You do not need to hide from me!"
I needed to go, if he found out about my wing he would know I would have been attacked. As Fairies are not naturally clumsy!
"My name is Griffith, can I know yours?"
I stepped backwards and Filtiarn stood in front of me protectively.
"This wolf your ally?"
I stepped back bumping into a tree, I winced as it pressed against my wing. I hope he did not notice!
"Are you hurt?" He had noticed!
I turned attempting to get back to my tree, climbing up the slope as fast as my balance would let me! Griffith ran in front of me making me stop. Filtiarn growled making Griffith hold his hands up surrendering.
"Can you please answer at least one thing?" I looked away, if I had not met Nate I would be talking but I have to be more cautious with others of my kind that want to talk to me. "I am just wondering because I have never seen you before. And you have caught my attention, you seem different!"
I still remained quiet hoping he would give up but he just carried on!
"It is not common seeing a Fairy with a wolf!"
I sighed under my breath. I had to answer something, so he would leave me alone. "Celia."
"Nice to meet you Celia, it is truly a beautiful name! As you already know, I am Griffith!"
"I have got to go!"
"Can I escort you?"
I shook my head, I really did not want him coming to my tree, after all Nate is in there. A human!
"Are you going to fly?"
I shook my head again.
"Oh right, you would rather be with the wolf!"
"I like to walk." I upturned the corners of my mouth trying to smile for him. It did not turn out as well as I hoped!
"You are more different than I thought!"
I looked down to the floor and began my journey back. I looked over my shoulder to see the Pixie stand at the edge of the lake, waving his empty hand to me.
"Good bye Griffith!" I nodded over my shoulder and disappeared into the trees, Filtiarn at my heels.
I got back to Ayla and checked to see if it was clear to enter. I walked through the trunk and Nate came up behind me, twirling me around.
"How was the stream, safe?"
"I bumped into the first Pixie I have seen in years!"
"Pixie?"
"Yes, they are male the version of Fairies!"
"Oh. First time in years?"
"Yes, I do not go outside much. I think it is because I am different!"
"Different can be a good thing! To me you're perfect!"
"It is true, I walk, never fly. Other Fairies have a Pixie, or spend time with other Fairies, I do not as I am lonely!" Filtiarn did a grunt. "I know I have you Filtiarn, but if you recall it is still rare that a Fairy has a wolf with them, instead of someone else that is my kind!" I could feel my eyes sting, I was about to cry. Nate realised and immediately reacted.
"Hey, you have me too!"
"You are a human, if I get caught with you my entire life will change, and I will be banished!" Filtiarn brushed his head along my leg then licked my knee, as a kiss. He cared too.
"So what! You can live with me!"
Filtiarn whined.
"I don't think my mum would be so happy to have a wolf in the house!" Filtiarn breathed out heavily for a sigh, sulking.
"You know, I am the last one of my family. There is a reason we are scared of humans!"
"It was because of your family?"
I nodded, just as tears began to fall. Nate wiped his thumb under my eyes then pressed his warm soft lips against my forehead. My eyes closed at his touch. How could a human make me feel so safe?
"Do you mind telling me what happened?"
"Can you not guess?" He was silent, I sighed. "The humans killed my parents!"
Nate stepped back so he could look at me straight into my eyes. "Celia, God I'm so sorry!" His eyes were sad and his smile was nowhere to be seen. "Whenever you said something about your parents I always assumed that they had left to somewhere else, gone and left you behind!"
I shook my head. "This is why it is so difficult for me right now! If the Orick find out I will be told I am a shame to my family!"
"You will never be a shame, you will show how humans can be trusted!"
"You think so?"
"Absolutely!"
I jumped into his arms and wrapped my own around him, burying my head into his chest. His arms softly folded around the lower part of my back, so he did not hurt my wings.
I looked up to him with a true smile and tears in the corners of my eyes. "Thank you!"
One of his arms vanished from around my waist and he wiped away a tear that had escaped.
"You are truly magnificently beautiful!"
He rested his forehead against mine and my eyes closed, his glasses pressing against my brow. Next his nose was slightly pressing against mine and I could feel his breath against my lips. They were really close to mine now! I tilted my head up and our bottoms lips brushed briefly, making my breath catch in my throat.
Filtiarn had a low growl in his throat.
My eyes shot open and down at him to see he was looking at the exit archway, then I heard a knock. I lowered my head and sighed under my breath. I looked up at Nate and I could tell he was now annoyed!
"I am sorry!"
"No don't be! I'll go upstairs and hide, just like you told me!" He headed for the stairs as he rubbed the back of his head in frustration.
"Wait!"
Nate stopped at the bottom step of the stairs, I ran over to him and joined him on the step, I tiptoed and made our lips meet. My stomach turned into swirls and everything around us dissolved out of my mind. He pulled me closer with one hand and the other held the back of my head. I smiled against him as he lifted me up, both of my hands caressed the back of his neck to help hold myself up, I found where he had just messed up his hair so I stroked it back down to tame, neither of us wanted to let go but someone knocked again.
We separated and I blushed.
"Now that was something beautiful!" He placed me back down onto the step and my hand rested on the side of his face.
I bit my bottom lip to stop my smile from growing any wider. "Quick upstairs!"
"I know!" He began to skip up the stairs and I pushed his arm to make him move faster.
I ran towards the archway but stopped midway, I ran to a blanket on the floor, folded it and placed it neatly to the side, then got my broom to sweep up the dirt at the archway.
Then I picked up a flower that was on the shelf and ran around thanking it for its scent. I put it back down and ran to the entrance.
"Show me outside."
The wall disappeared and revealed the Pixie from earlier. I bit my bottom lip again but nervously and I hesitated.
"Just answer it Celia, it will be fine!"
"Nate be quiet!" I looked up to see Nate leaning over the banister then jump back to be hidden.
I held my hand on the wall and where my hand touched it, it turned back to opaque, "you may enter."
The Pixie's hand on the other side placed over mine.
"Wall return." The entire wall of Ayla returned back to normal as the Pixie entered with his hand still pressed against mine. I immediately lowered my hand from his and stepped away.
"How did you find me?"
"I was worried you may run into humans because you chose not to fly!"
"Well I was being protected by Filtiarn!" I gestured my hand down to my side where he sat staring sharply up at Griffith.
"Yes but I thought it would be best to be sure you got back safely."
"As you can see, I am unharmed!"
"So have you not encountered anything strange, seen anything around the stream?"
I tried to remain calm as I narrowed my eyes, folding my arms across my chest. "Why?"
"If you have not then I will not alarm you!"
"But that would be keeping danger away from our knowledge and we deserve to hear the truth!"
"But I have not lied, I have only kept it from you!"
"It is just as bad, because the Fairies that do not know will be in danger. Can you not understand!"
"So you do know!"
"I never said anything of the sort!"
I spun on my heel as I moved away.
He remained in the same spot as I had made him question himself.
"Why do you still wear the cloak?"
I stopped and looked over my shoulder. "Does that matter? I do not like the fact that you have followed me here to bombard me with questions!"
"Well you never answered many earlier!"
I turned back around to face him. "That is true!"
"May I ask why you took quite a while to answer to my knocks?"
My heart rate quickened "another thing that does not matter!"
He looked down ashamed. "I am sorry for all the questions, it is what I do!"
I sighed to myself. "I was deciding whether I should let you in or not!"
"And as you let me in I should apologise again but this time for making this meeting unpleasant!" He bowed before me and turned towards the entrance, to leave.
"By any chance are you the Celia born from the Rose family?"
"Yes I am!"
"Then I am even more sorry, you must think me very unpleasant indeed!" He was about to leave but my curiosity made him stop.
"What family are you born?"
"Tulip."
My heart dropped with horror, down to my stomach! I bowed to him, how did I not see this, "I am so sorry your highness, I had no idea, I-I did not know you..."
"Celia, I am not the true royalty here! You are!"
"Do not shame yourself, please!"
"I am only the Prince because my parents took over the place-"
"Please, stop!"
"-of your deceased parents!" Filtiarn growled and moved towards him, he had sensed my emotion.
That horrific word sent a shiver down my spine, it is the worst word I could hear from anyone, deceased! "Go!" He nodded and walked through the wall. "Ayla, show me outside!"
I watched as he looked back at the tree. He pulled out a tiny dagger from the leather strap and sliced a cut across the palm of his hand.
"What is he doing?" Nate had joined me watching Griffith.
"Oh no!"
"What?"
Griffith pressed his palm against the tree then left.
"He has just left his mark!"
"What?"
"He is telling other Pixie's to leave me alone!"
"I still don't understand!"
I looked to the side where my cloak was loose and saw it had a glow coming from it, Griffith had seen this!
I lifted the cloak a little to see it now fading. Why?
"He saw the glow from under my cloak!"
"What does that mean?"
"He is the one and only Pixie I can ever be with!"
"You two are destined to be together?"
"That is what the books say, when a Fairy's wing glows to a Pixie it means they are to spend the rest of their life together!"
"But what about before? With you and me?"
"I have never felt anything like I have with you Nate! I think I am going to prove the books wrong!"
"So you have feelings for me too?"
"You are the only one I have feelings for, I do not even know what to think of that Pixie!"
"So you don't want to go kiss him or anything?"
"No, only you!"
"Really!"
I pulled him closer to me and wrapped my arms loosely around his neck.
"Yes!"
He leant down and pressed his lips to mine. They looked rough but they were smooth and gentle, my whole body felt weak and him holding me was the only reason I could still stand. I could feel my breath being taken away but I did not care, I only cared about this new sensation that took my emotions to a new height.
"Your lips are so sweet!" His breath tickled my lips as he whispered. His eyes widened as he saw something. "Your wings!"
I looked to the side and saw the glow, "that is impossible!"
"It's glowing!"
"Like I said, I was going to prove the books wrong!"
He kissed my temple and hugged me. "That is great news! Should I leave a mark on the tree now?"
"No, they will know it is human!"
"I was joking!"
"Oh!" I looked blankly at him but blinked it away. "Can you get me some water from the bucket you brought."
"Yeah sure!"
When he came back I was holding a rag.
"What now?"
I took the wooden cup from him and went outside. I soaked the rag and started rubbing the bark where Griffith had left his mark.
I threw the rag back into the cup and went back inside.
"The mark is gone but the scent will stay forever!"
"There's a scent!"
"Yes, only my kind can smell it, this is rather annoying!"
"What's going to happen then?"
"I really do not know!"
"You've only just met him too!"
"What are you trying to say? All other Fairy's wings glow at first sight!"
"What if the glow he saw was from us before he came in?"
"You could be right!" I ran through the room to a shelf and took the stone knife off it.
"What are you planning to do with that?"
"Something a Fairy has never tried before!"
"Don't chase him down and kill him!"
"I am not going to!"
I went outside and started wiggling the edge of the knife under a crack in the bark, pieces broke off revealing the paler brown trunk underneath, but not enough bark had come off. Eventually a big piece broke off and it contained the rest of the washed off scented mark. "Sorry Ayla!" I knew it would hurt her slightly. I collected all of the pieces and walked away, spreading the parts out so it was away from her.
I returned to Ayla and took in a deep breath through my nose. The smell had gone! It worked.
"What were you doing?"
"I removed the bark where the mark was so now Ayla does not smell of his scent!"
"I never thought of that!"
"I am glad I had thought of it!"
"So I heard that you are the true royalty of the realm!"
"I was the Princess!"
"I don't understand why that other family took over! You should have the kingdom under your control!"
"Let me explain!" I held his hand and pulled him in front of the fire where we sat on the fur rug. Then I began. "My parents trusted the humans and we somewhat got on together. We never purposely went out of our way to see them but we agreed to not harm them. However when one murdered my family I was still only a Fae so a temporary spirit family had to take their place!"
"Did you have a castle kind of place?"
"We owned the great tree, the oldest and biggest tree of our realm and now the other rulers have it!"
"How did you get this place?"
I fiddled with the knife in my hands then stood up and put it down on the shelf above the fire. "This place was considered a safe tree, a back up place just in case intruders were in the Great tree."
"Where is this Great tree?"
"It is at the centre of the realm!"
"How do you get there though?"
"That is a secret but there are other places I can tell you about!"
I grabbed his hand and took him to the kitchen area and walked both of us through the wall in the corner of the room. This room was only small, "the wall to the left takes you to Orinick were the Orick elders are, they decide the consequences for actions and laws, and the Pixie academy is there to be trained to be a Warrior, and also the Fairy guild on the other side far from Pixies where a Fairy learns many studies and taught important things, similar to what you call school except I can go whenever I would like. The one in front takes you to the market, where you can get exotic food from throughout the realm and wonderful fabrics as well as a lot of other wonderful things, also a place where Fairies and Pixies meet, both are in the centre of the realm!"
"What about the wall on the right?"
I had not anticipated he would ask, I forget how smart he is. "I can not say!"
"But you know you can trust me!"
"You are allowing me to tell him?" Ayla had actually given me permission, to tell a human a huge secret! "It is a secret way to get into the Great tree!"
"Wow! That's really cool! But I don't understand how the walls take you to the market or shops, do you just suddenly appear in the middle of it?"
I laughed and shook my head, "There are trees around it, only a few where the market or stalls end, so just walk into any and it will bring you back to where you came from, or the other way around! If you understand?"
"So if I walked through this wall I would walk out of one of the trees in the other location!"
"You really are clever for a human!"
"Hey! Humans are actually smart!"
"For some things!"
Nate gave me a cautious look which just made me giggle.
"So do you want to go to the centre of the realm?"
"But I'm a human?"
"With a little bit of flower scent, dirt and an outfit change nobody will suspect a thing!"
"This is very risky!"
"Well like you have stated before, we cannot stay here all day!"
I rushed Nate back out of the room and upstairs, I left him in my room whilst I went into one of the spare bedrooms and found some pants on a shelf, it was for my father if he ever needed to live here so we had emergency clothes supplied!
I returned to the room and held out the pants to him, "and a top?"
"You do not have an issue at night! Also like you saw earlier Pixie's do not wear one!"
"That's just great!"
I left the room for him to change and he came out once he was ready. I rubbed my hand through his hair to make it wild, took his glasses off his face then brought him back downstairs. I placed them down on a shelf then gathered flowers from around the different rooms, "make him smell nice!"
"I can hear you!" I put the flower on his forehead then stroked it down his nose, under his chin and down his neck. I then walked around him so all of his neck was covered in the scent. I trailed other flowers along his arms and over his chest so his human scent no longer existed.
"You still have your feet coverings on!"
"I can't wear shoes! What torture is this!"
"It will not be! Just trust me like I trusted you!"
He kicked off his 'shoes' looking sad to say goodbye to them.
"We need some soil on the pants and your feet!"
"This isn't going to be fun!"
We went outside since it was now clear and we walked around in silence for a while then we sat down just outside Ayla. I got a handful of soil and rubbed it on Nate's arms then grinned as I then rubbed my hands in his hair again, putting a bit of soil in it.
"Hey cheeky! What do you think you're doing?"
"A Pixie is always full of dirt or soil, because they are always outside patrolling the area for humans!"
"Oh alright!"
"What are you going to say if anybody asks your name?"
"Nate!"
"And your last name? It has to be a plant or flower!"
"Clover!"
"That is great! But I will not be able to answer the question because I can not lie!"
"Of course! So I'm a Pixie, Nate Clover, your wings glowed for me so we were destined, I am the only one of my family, my dad died whilst he was doing his duty, my mum left me because she couldn't cope! How does that sound?"
"A mother never abandons her child!"
"Erm she stays at home afraid to leave the tree?"
"Yeah that is very good!"
"My sister left to live with her Pixie so really there is only me and my 'mother'!"
This sounded very much like what his life is like now! He never speaks of his father, his sister left home as she got older and is living somewhere else, and there is only him and his mother!
"But obviously I am living with my Fairy, Celia, because she is the Fairy for me!"
I hugged him, "I am sorry about your father! Can I ask what happened to him?"
"He died whilst he was doing his duty! He was a soldier!"
"I think I learnt about that!"
"Should we head to the centre of the realm?"
"Do you know what a Pixie does?"
"I patrol the area, you said earlier when you rubbed dirt into my hair!"
"I am just glad you remember!"
We entered my home and I giggled. "Ayla says that you are unrecognisable! She forgot you were a human for a moment! If she did not know who you were she would have been fooled!"
"Thanks Ayla!"
"She says you are welcome!"
We were now in the room with the three walls that take us to three different destinations!
"Let us go to the shops!"
We walked through the wall directly in front of us and we stepped onto soft springy grass.
Fairies and Pixies were everywhere. Nate held my hand and kept me close to him as we reached the first stall.
"My dear Celia! It has been so long since I last saw you! Why do you never come by the market?"
"Myrette Snowdrop! I have missed you dearly! I have been terrified, I was told something has intruded our land, going around doing bad things!"
"There are no worries anymore Celia! The human moved on, but a Pixie was hurt trying to make it leave!"
"I heard it held a knife that had Fairy blood on it!" I glanced at Nate, had he overheard me talking to Ayla?
"That can not be! No one else has been told such a thing!"
"Maybe they are hiding it from us!"
Myrette frowned and nodded, she never liked the Orick refraining us from knowing the entire truth. "What is your name my new acquaintance?"
"Nate Clover!"
"You surely do know a lot about the event!"
"It was lovely talking to you again Myrette!" I wanted to move on away from her so Nate could not make a mistake.
"I see you are wearing the cloak I gave you!"
"Yes, I love it!"
"But why hide your magnificent wings?"
"I wonder that too, but she is just so attached to it!"
"So is Nate your soul sharer?"
"He is indeed!"
"Aw my little Celia is growing up to be one magnificent Rose!"
A Fairy approached the stall so we said goodbye to Myrette.
"Myrette used to work in the great tree when my mother and father ruled the realm, but once the Tulip family took their place she left. She does not like any other ruler as my family has been the only one to rule the realm, so she disagrees with a completely different ruler, not blood related!"
"I don't agree either!"
A Fairy walked up to us looking at Nate in admiration and it was none other than Ploetta Bluebell! If she only knew he was a human she would be running for the hills!
"Well well! It is not a nice surprise to see you here Celia!"
"That is not very nice! I would appreciate it if you kept foul comments to yourself!" Nate stepped slightly in front of me, clearly remembering who this Fairy is.
"Who may you be?"
"Nate, and I do not wish to know you!" Nate tried to move around her but she stepped in our way.
"Is she your soul sharer? I do not see how that is possible! Celia have a Pixie before me! You know just because her wings glowed it does not mean you cannot leave her for me!"
"Get out of our way!" Nate pushed her slightly out of the way. "The reason she has a Pixie is because she is a better Fairy than you!"
"You lie!"
"Isn't that impossible?" She looked close to crying so we walked away rapidly.
"That was very mean!"
"I was only doing what she does to others!"
"Yes I know but she does not know who I really am!"
He just shrugged as we walked down the lane of grass between the stalls and he took my hand to lace his fingers with mine.
"I noticed you tried changing how you speak, you made a little mistake at the end d there but I am impressed!"
"I had noticed how you all speak so I tried to replicate it but I guess old habits win." Nate stroked my hand with his thumb, I blushed as a smile appeared on my face. I focused on the grass we walked on as I recalled what I needed to do.
"Nate, I need to go to Orinick!"
"What! Why?"
"I remembered what I needed to do."
"What was it?"
"To find out what that being was!"
He nodded as we headed towards the trees. The Orick are keeping too many secrets and I need to at least figure out one.