The Wrath of Oberon

A TWISTED CHRISTMAS HISTORY In the fourth century, magic was prevalent throughout the world and a bishop lived alone near the Swedish village of Skara. He was a quiet man. Born Nicholas, he was known as Nicko to his neighbours. He made toys for local children. Then, one day, a hundred elves arrived at his home and his life changed forever. He knew they were magic even though they looked like ordinary children. They left no tracks in the snow and spoke with unnatural wisdom. They told him they had watched him make toys and could see he had a powerful destiny. Most creatures, they told him, powered their magic with darkness, but they thrived amidst human joy. They wanted his help and, in return, promised to prolong Nicko’s life and help him spread good will to more children. Normally, he would have refused because magic was feared in his community, but the elves seemed desperate. It wasn’t until later that he learned why: they were refugees, on the run from the Faerie King, Oberon. He was a master illusionist who believed that mankind should worship, not hunt, creatures that wielded magic. A being of murky origin, Oberon had gathered an army in the east unlike anything the world had ever seen. It was said that he could singlehandedly change the course of a battle by turning the woods into a maze of nightmares. Also, that he carried a weapon that could rip his enemies from reality, which he used to start what the elves referred to as the Faerie War. Refusing to join his cause, the elves had fled his soldiers and abandoned their friends to Oberon’s forces. Those Oberon didn’t kill became slaves, for he had the peculiar ability to make puppets of the elves using something he called his Divine Voice. He could literally control their muscles and force them to slaughter their friends. Now, only a hundred of their community remained, with maybe a thousand or so on the run worldwide. Learning all this, Nicko felt he had no choice but to help them. But he had no idea how close he was to danger. When a stranger approached his home, Nicko ordered all one hundred elves to hide in his cellar, stuffed together like rats, as he greeted the figure. The elves had warned him about the dusty-coated Hans Trapp, a child-eater who could change his face on a whim. He was one of Oberon’s generals and a keen recruiter for the King. The elves told Nicko that, given his bright aura, Oberon’s army would try to recruit him. And if he declined their offer, they would kill him. Knowing this, Nicko played dumb. He lived too far from Skara to seek help so he pretended to know nothing of the elves. Welcoming Hans Trapp, he accepted an invitation to dine with him and his mysterious leader who was ‘searching for friends’. Nicko followed Trapp to a military campsite were a company of Oberon’s soldiers resided, alongside the King himself. There, he was greeted with a fanfare and displays of magic. He was introduced to shapeshifters and learned that those who mastered the art called themselves changelings, no matter their race. Daunted though he was, he pressed forward into the monster’s throat, sensing the teeth clamped shut behind him. They had prisoners at the camp – friends of the elves – who the King himself was torturing with magic. That was the first time Nicko saw Oberon. The first time he saw how he drove his enemies in circles, running from terrors that didn’t exist. Oberon had a silver tongue. He greeted Nicko in a tent, charming him with words and plying him with wine. Oberon told Nicko about auras and changed the forest around him to show off his power of illusion. All the while, Nicko played the fool, letting the King believe he was a clueless bishop. A boastful showman, Oberon revealed his most feared weapon; the Time Globe. Nicko sat uneasily while the King explained how the device could strip anything from reality by sending it back in time a few minutes to meet its previous self. Unable to exist in the same space, both disappear to a place outside reality called the Paradox. To demonstrate, Oberon opened a portal through which he would throw a prisoner. That was when Nicko pounced. He shoved the King into the portal and he became a flash of dazzling confetti, disappearing into the Paradox for what many believed would be forever. Little did he know that the elves had been watching. No longer afraid of Oberon’s Divine Voice, they raced to save Nicko from Oberon’s forces. There were casualties on both sides. Nicko wanted to tell the elves about their friends Oberon held prisoner, but they were outnumbered. He knew they would die if they stayed to fight for them. So, he decided never to reveal his secret to the elves. That way, they could escape with their lives. After that, the tables turned in the Faerie War. It didn’t end quickly, but the loss of Oberon marked the demise of his changeling army. While some of his slaves slunk into obscurity, many continued to fight. Together, they caused a blight on the world of men that lasted nearly a thousand years. Humans later called it the Dark Ages. Celebrated as a saviour, Nicko left his parish and led the elves, ridding the world of evil, all the while delivering presents on Christmas Eve. He established a travelling circus to help the elves move among humanity unnoticed. And so, The Winter Freak Show was born. It wasn’t easy at first – humans were suspicious and many of Oberon’s generals shared their King’s talent for illusions. The elves’ aggressors managed to fill the forest with nightmares when chased, but were rounded up and magically imprisoned in devices called Void Bottles. After that, The Winter Freak Show travelled, spreading joy in every country, and Nicko used the Time Globe to visit every house on Christmas Eve, living his secret life as Father Christmas. The elves still had occasional run-ins with Oberon’s uncaptured generals. Sometimes they also chased the thirteen dwarf-like Yule Lads that Oberon once used as assassins. But their adventures were generally peaceful. Engrossed in the hidden world of magic, Nicko met as many members of the magical community as he could, and delighted in learning their customs. He met more elves. Not all wanted to join his travelling show but some visited until they grew bored of human society. He met other changelings too – some that were not under Oberon’s control. Natural tricksters, the various creatures that had mastered shapeshifting were fantastic performers but they caused too much mischief to stay with the show. More frightening were the trolls; mountainous brutes that were part mammal, part plant, rock and earth. Most were ten feet tall but the towering bull trolls could grow to over twelve and tear a bear in half if cornered. After one particularly hairy run-in, Nicko vowed to steer clear of them forever. He preferred the company of warlocks and witches. These occult figures looked like humans but had a penchant for darkness. Spending most of their time amongst their runes and potions, they were secretive and enjoyed the seclusion of the deep woods of Europe. But they would never refuse a visitor in a storm. Ghosts, too, could have soft hearts, even those brutally murdered. Most preferred a quiet existence, alone in the dark, but those Nicko befriended were fiercely loyal especially to those they left behind. The various demons and monsters of the world were less thoughtful. Broken by circumstance, and some altogether mad, they had a dangerous lust for misery. But Nicko met them nonetheless. He was fascinated by every part of their secret world and revelled in his adventures with the elves for fifteen hundred years. During that time, rumours spread that the spirit of Oberon continued to haunt the world, despite being locked in the Paradox. Nobody knew how he could possibly be alive but the insane heard his voice and swore he was real. They called him the Prisoner-King, ruling even from the abyss. If he did exist, his powers had dwindled. His Divine Voice had disappeared forever. At least, that’s what Nicko thought. But destiny had other ideas.