That night the villagers gathered in the village square of Aethelney. Rose, Enid's older sister, had been missing for two weeks now. With no sign of her returning of her own accord, the blame for her absence was placed on the Fae folk.
"We kept our end of the bargain, we stopped cutting down the forest and hunting the animals. We have starved and struggled ever since the Fae took control. And what do we get in return?" Henry the blacksmith moved in a circle, meeting each villager's gaze as he passed them by "-One of our own, one of our children, taken from us, right under our noses!"
Loud cheers of agreement resounded around the village square. Enid remained silent, clutching to her mother and burying her head in her gown, peeking out from behind the soft cotton to look at the crowd around her.
"I say we go to them, take Rose back with us and teach the Fae folk that we will not be trampled on!" More cheers echoed away up into the cool night air.
From beside Enid's mother, her father, John, stepped out of the crowd and into the circle. His eyes nervously glancing around at his fellow villagers, friends, and neighbours.
"If we provoke them they could easily hurt Rose. I want her back home, where she belongs, but if we go to them armed with weapons-making demands this could easily end badly. Is that what we want to happen?" When the cheers stopped and the villagers fell silent, he continued.
"They already think us weak! Why prove something to them that they already know?"
The Blacksmith shook his head, eyeing John in disapproval before turning to speak to the crowd once more.
"This is the perfect time to strike! They can't harm us if they have not held up their end of the bargain. They swore to us that none of our children would go missing if we did as they asked. We have done so and now Rose is missing. Do you want her to stay missing?" The cries began once again.
Henry turned to John, smugly raising his eyebrows and smiling back at the cheering crowd.
"Let's get Rosie back and show these Fae's who is in control!" Riled up and ready for a fight, no matter how short it might be, the villagers followed behind their new ringleader and picked up any weapons they could find. Some picked up their pitchforks, while others reached for their bows and arrows.
"Enid, come." Her mother gripped her small hand tightly so as not to lose her in the mass of people. Hesitantly, she allowed her mother to lead her back to their cottage. It was the closest to the forest, so much so that Enid could practically see the wooded entrance where the Fae ring lay.
Her three other siblings, James, Ethel, and Gyda, greeted them as soon as they had stepped through the front door's threshold.
"Where's papa?" Gyda was the first to speak.
"He's gone to find Rose and bring her home. They are going to ask the Fae's to give her back." Her mother replied quietly, ushering the children inside.
From beside the fire, sitting in her rocking chair, their grandmother scoffed.
"Ask the Faes-" She shook her head in disapproval, pursing her lips "-Are they going to dance with them among the toadstools as well?" Taking note that her grandchildren's attention was solely focused on her, she stood from her rocking chair and extended a long, crooked finger down at them.
"They aren't going to ask the Fae's to give our Rose back, they are going to demand it of them!" In unison with each other, the children gasped.
"Mother!" Their mother cried.
"Is papa going to kill the Fae that took Rose?" James asked his mother, looking up at her with wide eyes.
"Fae's are immortal, they cannot be killed by any mortal blade." His grandmother whispered darkly, her eyes flicking between him and the window to the fae ring beyond.
"Then why did they take weapons with them?" Enid spoke up, still holding her mother's hand.
"Bed, all of you. I will wake you if your father finds your sister." Dutifully, they did as their mother had asked. One by one, climbing the stairs to their shared bedroom.
It did not take long for them to fall asleep, all except Enid. Who lay awake, staring into the darkness, watching the flickering candlelight spill beneath the crack of the door and into the room.
Her mother had told her never to go near the Fae ring, yet she had done so and now a Fae had spoken to her and tried to trick her into going with him into the forest.
"Aneurin." She whispered his name into the room as though it were a dark secret never to be told. From behind her ear, she pulled the daisy free, twiddling it between her forefinger and thumb, watching it twirl and a single petal fall onto her bedsheets.
"What if they don't find her?" Her mother's muffled voice carried upstairs to Enid, who placed the daisy on her pillow and went to the door, opening it a crack to see downstairs where her mother and grandmother were sat side by side in front of the fire.
Her grandmother leaned closer to Enid's mother, the firelight casting an orange glow on her wrinkled skin.
"Then, we return to normal."
"I'm not sure I could, not knowing my little girl is still out there somewhere, afraid, alone, wondering why we didn't save her-"
"-Ygritte-" Enid's grandmother's tone was gruff, but her face was soft. Gently she took her daughter's hand into hers, patting it and giving her a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "-you will get through this, whatever the outcome."
Slowly, Enid crept down the stairs, avoiding the parts that let out groans and creaks.
With both her mother and grandmother distracted, she was able to slip outside unnoticed.
Her bare feet covered the ground quickly as she ran to the forest opening and past the Fae ring.
The night air went straight through the thin fabric of her nightgown, biting her skin and leaving a tingling sensation in its wake.
Reluctantly, she entered the darkness of the forest. It was strangely comforting for her as she followed the path deeper into the forest. In the distance, she heard the faint shouts and jeers of the angry mob of villagers.
Just able to make out their torches among the trees, she ran to them. Hiding behind the safety of a large Oak tree far away enough for them to not see her.
As they moved away from the path and into the dense forest, Enid followed behind. Moving from tree to tree to stay out of sight.
Suddenly, the shouting stopped and the villagers fell silent.
They froze, all looking at something that lay on the forest floor - just out of Enid's sight, concealed by the crowd.
Squinting, Enid leaned forward to try and get a look at what they were staring at.
No one spoke, their heads hung low.
A villager put his arm around her father's shoulders in comfort.
"I'm so sorry, John."
No, no, no.
Holding her breath, Enid ignored the bark digging into her hands. Her eyebrows furrowed.
She could not see what they were looking at but from the solemn expressions on their faces, they had found what they were looking for.
Another villager moved to comfort Enid's father, creating a gap in the large group of villagers huddled together.
A gap that revealed what Enid had feared they would find.
Rose, her sister, lay on the forest floor; face serene, eyes shut as though she were sleeping, her long copper hair splayed out around her.
It was the deathly paleness that spoke the truth.
She was dead.