Fairies of Desire

EPISODE 2

Queen Blossom bowed quickly, holding up the sides of her dress skirt slightly as she did so. Her lunar moth wings fluttered nervously, however.

"Greetings, King Roland and Queen Lohnni," She greeted as she bowed her head. "I was speaking with your daughter, Silver. I only wished to congratulate her on the engagement --

"Silver, why on earth are you wearing a dress like that?!" King Roland asked me, interrupting Queen Blossom. He flew towards me and grabbed my arm. I was yanked forward and away from the exit door.

I embarrassingly felt on display as King Roland spun me around in a circle, examining the length and structure of my dress. He finally spun me around to face him again. An annoyed look rested on his face.

"What happened to the long dress you were wearing earlier?" King Roland asked angrily. He was gritting his teeth and doing everything not to yell and scream at me again.

"I..... I had an accident with a wine glass. I got dandelion wine all over it, so I changed. It was all I had." I said, "Besides, I like this dress."

"Why didn't you just wear another long dress!?"

"Because I don't have any,” I said.

The royals around me went quiet. I could almost hear the steam coming out of my father's ears. He flapped his monarch wings angrily. His face went red with anger and a hint of embarrassment.

How dare I, the princess, admit that her own family doesn’t give her conservative and decent dresses?

King Roland looked over quickly at Queen Blossom, who seemed surprised by what I said. He looked back at me.

"And just why were you drinking to begin with?" King Roland asked, trying to turn the blame back on me.

I looked at him, confused. I realized it was time to tell the truth. "I was reading when Helena poured a glass of dandelion wine on me. I didn't do this to myself on purpose." I explained.

"She wouldn't do that! You're her sister!" My mother, Queen Lohnni, spoke.

My mother always protected my sister. She always turned a blind eye to Helena’s wrongdoings and never batted an eye in my direction. In her eyes, her eldest was always right and never could do wrong. She was also her sole supporter when it came to being heir to the throne.

"So, you're now saying Helena did this?" King Roland asked.

"Um, I think perhaps I should go find my husband." Queen Blossom said awkwardly.

King Roland turned and bowed.

"Greetings to my neighboring clans' Queen. I apologize for the behavior my daughter displayed, and it will be corrected, I assure you." He spoke. King Roland turned back to me and grabbed my arm.

"Outside. Now." He gritted his teeth.

Without much else for warning. My parents flew me outside the throne room and well away from the Great Tree.

The Great Tree was a tall, gigantic oak tree that had multiple small holes that gave homes to many of the fairies in Sun Clan. Especially us, the royals. At the base of the tree, multiple small homes and shops had been built.

While some fairies lived in logs, mushroom homes, the preferred housing in the Sun Clan was the Great Tree.

Right now, a majority of the Sun Clan were celebrating the ball in the throne room of the Great Tree. Far below, at the ground, a small festival was being held. For those who were wingless or didn't want to go to the ball but still wanted the celebrate the coming of spring.

Not much longer after we stopped flying, we were joined by Helena. She looked sorrowful and hid half her face behind her stupid hand fan. She acted bashful and pretended she couldn't even look at me.

However, I knew behind that fan she was smiling widely. She had plotted this whole thing so I could be in trouble once again.

"Seriously? Blaming your sister and walking around the ball looking like this?" My father asked angrily. "We need this ball to go smoothly."

I looked at him and opened my mouth to protest.

Would you rather have me stay in a wine-stained dress? Besides, these dresses are more what I like to wear. I don't understand why you had to pull me all the way outside to tell me that.

I wanted to say this, but I didn’t. I looked down at myself. I liked this dress. It was my favorite color. This was perhaps my favorite dress.

“I’m…. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.” I finally said.

“Helena and you are—I- I-mean, Helena is getting engaged officially tonight. It serves you right for having the wine poured on yourself instead of her. It was a cruel prank you tried to do to your sister. The spirit of the Light Fairy must have been looking out for her.”

I looked at him, confused, and then realization hit me. It was no wonder no one believed me when I had told them the truth.

So, she told them I tried to pour wine on her…. I see… I thought to myself.

Would it even matter if I spoke up for myself?

"You also looked like an improper young lady talking to the Queen of a different clan. Why did you wear such a short dress? Surely, you have something longer!” Queen Lohnni scolded.

I've seen Helena wear dresses almost the same as mine.

“I’ll go inside and look again,” I said in a low voice.

If I get inside the Great Tree, I could easily hole myself up in my room and not have to come back outside to the ball. It's not like my parents need me out in public anymore anyway.

“Ugh, never mind. This dress will have to do.” King Roland said, “If we have her change again, fairies will talk.”

Helena shook her head and closed her fan. A forced frown was upon her face. Her green eyes landed on me.

"Come now, dear sister, you are so shameful!" Helena said. "Your anger and jealousy toward me caused you to be clumsy. You reap what you sow, as the saying goes."

I looked at her, annoyed.

I have only the shame of having you as a sister.

"Silver!" Queen Lohnni said sternly. “I want you to apologize to your sister! Right now!”

I looked at her, shocked, and then back at Helena. Helena opened her fan again and hid her smile behind it. I finally spoke.

“Sorry.” I simply said. It was in the most unapologetic voice I ever spoke in.

My father went berserk at my level of sorrow.

"Why can't you just behave!? Why can't you just sit down in a corner somewhere and not do anything!?”

But I was! Helena did this to me!

The words almost escaped my lips, but they didn’t, as always.

King Roland continued. He got closer to me, almost directly in my face. His monarch wings flapping angrily.

“Helena is my heir! She is firstborn! She is smart, and she is loved by her people! She’s not like you! You need to get over it!” King Roland yelled at me.

I looked over at my mother for help. A few times in life, she had taken my side. But tonight, wouldn't be one of those times.

She looked away from me and looked down below her. My mother was passive and obeyed my father for whatever he chose.

Sometimes to a fault.

"Your whole little stunt is making the ball go wrong! This is the night your sister announces her engagement, and you want to try and ruin it for her?!" King Roland bellowed. "If you were any other fairy, I would be plucking the wings off of your back right now."

"Roland!" Queen Lohnni said sharply.

To have your wings plucked from your back was a great pain. It was also the greatest of shames. It meant you were an outcast, vulnerable, and weak. Many fairies who were dewinged were killed off by birds and other animals. Some even commit suicide....

"I just wish you didn't exist. At least not like this. You make things so hard for me." King Roland growled.

I looked at him, shocked that he had said that to me.

Queen Lohnni gasped and held a hand to her mouth. Even Helena stopped fanning and froze at the words. Her eyes went wide.

He finally said it…

I always knew King Roland never wanted me as a daughter, but to wish for me not to exist. It seemed harsher than normal. It hurt more than normal. It seemed... Cruel to say to your own child.

My pale white wings trembled in a mix of shock and heartbreak.

“It’s okay, Dad…. I wish I had never been born as your daughter anyhow.” I finally said aloud.

There. I said it too.

The words were as bitter in my mind as they came out. I meant it in that moment. Had I been born to a commoner family or even a rogue family, would they have loved me as their own, even though I was Moon-Cursed?

“How dare you?!” King Roland bellowed at me.

"Roland, that is enough!" Queen Lohnni yelled at him.

King Roland turned to her. "Silence!"

I seized this opportunity to fly down. I had been unnoticed for several seconds before I heard my name being yelled out by my father. I didn't look back.

As I flew down the mighty oak tree, the tears began to fall. They fell along my cheeks, and they began to blur my vision.

I ended up stopping and floating midair, crying my eyes out. I tried to wipe my eyes. The sobs came quickly after. My throat released them, and I found myself unable to stop.

Meanwhile, as my wings subconsciously flew me slowly down, my mind went wild.

Why? Why wasn't my birth just good enough for my parents? Why did I have to be born on a high moon? Why did I have to look the way I do? Was my entire existence that much of an inconvenience to others and my own family? What was so horrible about being Moon-Cursed? The only thing it did to me was give me a pale and white complexion.

However, it was horrible for other fairies. I disgusted everyone with the sight of me.

My body trembled, and I covered my face with my hands and arms. I didn't care how loud I cried. It didn't matter to me anymore.

A pair of arms wrapped around and caught me from landing on the cold ground. They held me tight. Their warmth made me stop crying and realize that someone was holding me in their arms.

The reek of dandelion wine filled my nose, and I realized who it was.

"Geez, did one of your favorite characters die again?"

I looked up from my crying and saw my best friend and clan drunk, Thorn.