Thistle

WEEK4-How To Overcome Writers Block-StaryWritingCamp-Thistle

        Living in the small village of Finnley made up of aging fairies, Cyra raises Thistle to learn magic seldom seen and long forgotten. Thistleʻs life as a child was a little hard on her. She grew up in a village of elders. No young children to play with, something she yearned for but was still happy to be loved by all the elders. 

        As Thistle grows older she respects the elders for the knowledge of their years but sometimes wonders if they are teaching her correctly or just something they pull from the wisps of their memories. It was hard to tell with them so she kept a book with her at all times. She writes what she feels is pertinent information to her learning as well as some things that pique her interest that could come in helpful later, she hoped. 

        Cyra had taken Thistle on many occasions to the nearby fairy town of Alvareen Township (Alvareen for short) for supplies. Alvareenʻs Main Street is lined with 1 and 2 story Hobbit-like homes where businesses are run on the first floor while the owners either lived upstairs on the second floor or downstairs in the basement. The cobblestone streets are made of smooth gray river stones that shine on days when gentle rains fall. Oil lanterns hung outside each doorway and at dusk were lit to ensure the streets were not darkened by the night. The outskirts of the township are where fairy homes, schools, and parks are located. Further out toward the surrounding forest are the work areas, farms, mills, fisheries, etc. Keeping in tune with the hobbit feel of Main Street, it is a quaint and quiet town that matches Cyraʻs calm demeanor. It also offers Thistle the camaraderie of youngsters like herself that Finnley cannot provide. Thistle had asked to attend school here and though schooling is a choice and not mandatory, Cyra homeschooled Thistle instead. Cyra is cautious, Thistle was not like ordinary fairies. She was royalty and not just any royal. But the descendent of the notorious Loring line of infamous mighty fairy magic. Unfortunately for Thistle, when her parents' magic was stripped away, so was Thistles. Basic magic was what she was born with, so the elders of Finnley helped to develop those powers even though none of them knew the innate magic she possessed.

        As Thistle got older, she was allowed to travel outside of Finnley. It wasnʻt unusual to find young fairies out on their own, some as young as 10. As long as they stayed within the Winslow Township municipality borders that consisted of 8 townships, they were safe. Thistle befriended a few fairies from neighboring Alabaster Township she met in Alvareen when they were traveling there with their parents for supplies.  Unlike Alvareen, Alabaster was a more modern fairy town. Itʻs homesʻ architecture was the same hobbit style but the material used was built from white alabaster stone, thus the name Alabaster Township. This town also had electricity harvested from a nearby watermill that used the river to generate it and it also had inside plumbing. Something Alvareen and Finnley did not yet have. Thistle loved that she didnʻt need to go to an outhouse to do her personal business and found it fascinating to have an indoor bathroom and shower in the same room. For Thistle, Finnley would always be stuck in the old ways in that elders never seem to want change. They were comfortable in their ways and she was okay with that, just sometimes she wished outside of the box.  

        At around the age of 13 to 14, a fairy kid's bodyʻs go through changes. Hair, eye color, and even elemental type all come forward. This is the time when children start becoming adults and taking on more responsibilities of the townships they come from. Work isnʻt mandatory till 18-19 but young fairies at 15 should already be helping in their fairy-type field to acclimate them to the work they would be doing in their lives. 

        Thistle was still 11 so she had a couple more years to go before her body would go thru any changes. She often wondered what type of elemental she would be. Normally your name kinda hinted as to what type your family came from and for Thistle, she just assumed she was a forest/earth fairy. Cyra claimed not to know who Thistle's parents were and told Thistle she was found tucked under a fallen log in the forest, brought her home, and raised her like her own. Thistle looked at herself in the mirror while she readied herself to go and meet her friends in nearby Alabaster. She loved green and wore a dark green to light lime hombre sundress that brought out the colors of her eyes. She pulled her blond hair back in a high ponytail and twirled around as she giggled. She went to the living area where Cyra was having tea with a few of her friends. 

        “Granny Cy, May I go to Alabaster to play with Starling?” Thistle asked Cyra

        “Are all of your chores done?” Cyra asked

        “Yes, Granny Cy and all the vegetableʻs you need for dinner are picked, cleaned and washed in the kitchen” Thistle stated

        “Very well Thistle. Make sure you come home before the oil lamps are lit, understand?” Cyra said

        “Yes, Granny Cy. Thank you” Thistle smiled as she hugged her Granny Cy “I love you Granny Cy” she called out as she skipped away 

        “I love you more” Cyra called out to her and went back to her tea and friends

        ”She is growing into a beautiful little fairy,” says Mallory, a water fairy with iridescent blue hair and dark eyes

        “Yes, she is, and sheʻs very inquisitive. Always wanting to know why this, and why that. She drives me crazy sometimes, ugh that child” Cyra says

        “You have no idea where she comes from?” Rosefinch says, her air fairy friend with soft pink hair and blue eyes

        “When I found her she was tucked under a fallen log in the forest. Assuming her mother left her there for her protection” Cyra lied. She had found Thistle on a ledge 50 feet down on the side of a cliff near the ocean. She used her fairy wings to fly down to retrieve Thistle and brought her home. 

        “Well, maybe when her body changes, you will be able to tell more or less where she came from,” Columbine said, Cyraʻs forest/earth friend whoʻs hair is deep blue (almost violet) with white streaks. Her eyes matched the color of her hair. 

        Cyra cringed at the thought of when the time came for Thistle's body to change. There will be an obvious tell-tale sign of her royal lineage, but as long as Thistle kept her back covered, she could go unnoticed. But Cyra needed to speak to Thistle soon. Thistle needed to know the truth and make her own informed decision about the fate she will face in her future.