Fairy Born

Chapter 4

Maille woke to the sound of someone knocking on her door.

“yes?” Her voice was scratchy from snoring during the night. She rose and threw on a robe before opening the door. It was Ivy.

“Hello, your grace. I bring you your dress for the day.” Ivy set down an armful of fabric that she unfolded to be a dress similar to the one she wore last night. It was the color of the sky this time. Maille twirled in it and watched the skirt flare up around her knees.

“Thank you, Ivy. I appreciate it.” Maille 

“It is nothing, your grace. Your tutor will be here shortly. Please come quickly.”

“Yes, thank you.” Maille followed Ivy downstairs and through corridors until coming to a library. Maille sat at the lone desk facing a podium and she waited until an old man entered. He looked human but she could not tell. 

“Hello, your grace.” He greeted as he stood before her. “I am human, as you might have guessed and I am here to teach you of our customs and ways. etiquette and such. I will start though with the different races here. I have provided you with several books here.” He pointed to a stack of books on the podium for her. She nodded and he began his lesson. She took notes on her parchment and used the quill she was given. He critiqued her penmanship and her spelling but she enjoyed the lesson. She was to read the first chapter in the first book before descending for lunch. 

The chapter started with different creatures like brownies. There was a picture of the creature and Maille knew she had seen some the day before. She heard a sneeze and glanced around and saw a small creature moving books around and she recognized it as a Brownie. He was dusting and rearranging the books. His skin was grey and leathery and he was meticulous about cleaning the shelves and arranging the books. Hr wore what looked like a burlap sack with holes cut in it. He may have looked coarse and mean, but he was humming as he worked.  Maille knew Ivy would get her to take her to eat so she decided to read on to the next fey...

She then read about the Demi fey, they were fairies who had wings. They could be the size of hr thumb but grow to be the sizer of a grown man. There were different types but what seemed to scare her the most was that a picture of her father stared at her from the page. This book was hundreds of years old, the pages were falling apart, and yet his picture was in the book.  How old was he? What was going on? This was all ridiculous, or would be, if she had not been staring at a grumbling creature just moments before. She rose to leave and saw Ivy walking in.

“Ivy, I was just going to look for you.”

“Yes, I am here to take you to the great hall to eat. Your father requests that you hurry.”

“Yes, I have a few questions though. May I ask them as we walk?”

“Of course your grace.” Ivy led her out of the library and to the great hall, Maille was still lost when it came to navigating the palace.

“How old is my father?”

“Your father is an elder, the oldest one here. He was born before your time. He was borne when the earth was young. He has seen much. He flew with dragons. He saw the birth of humans. He is thousands of years old.” 

“No, he could not possibly be that old…How is any of this possible?” Maille motioned around herself. This was too much. 

“Just like he could not be a demi fey?”

“Yes..wait, well…”

“Your father did not start here in the Unseelie court. He was born in the blessed one’s palace. He is the prince there...or would be if he had not left to rule here.” 

“Why did he leave? He is so beautiful.”

“Yes well beautiful or not he is not cruel. He fought for justice, for love, for emotions, for truth. The Seelie do not hold to that, The unblessed ones are kinder or at least more upfront.”

“Why is there a picture of my mother in my room? Why does she have wings?” Ivy stopped, 

“I do not believe that is my story to tell, you will have to learn of it from your father or your mother. Unless it is written here.” Ivy said as she motioned back towards the library. Maille stored that information and continued on with her new friend. 

They arrived as the food was being served and her father was standing before his people. 

“You Unseelie court, unblessed ones, forsaken by the blessed, I bear news. You have accepted my daughter as your next ruler, made her your princess. She shall be crowned as such during a coronation ceremony.” The cheers went up again and Maille turned to her father.

“May we speak after lunch?”

“What would you like to speak of?”

“My mother.” He sucked in air but let it out slowly.

“Yes, I am sure you'd like to hear that story. Very well. I will tell you, but you must promise, not to change any feelings you have for her.” An odd request but one she did not mind acknowledging. They ate and were merry among his people but something was at the back of her mind, some ominous feeling of dread. 

When her father stood after he was finished she followed suit and when he walked away she ran to catch up. They arrived in another bed-chamber, this one was his. It was almost barren. The walls bare, there were no rugs on the floor, no window covering. There was just a bed, an armoire, and a desk. 

“Please father. Why did she go mad when she found that I met you?”

“What?” confusion showed on his face.

“After I met you in the woods I went home. Mother said she knew I had met you and she went crazy. Why did she act as she did?”

“I should start from the beginning. She was born here, in the unblessed court. She was a demi fey as I am... She caught my heart and I knew I would be hers. I was born in the Seelie court. I was a blessed one. I made the move when her father tried to marry her off to my elder brother. She did not want that. I moved in and left my home. I left everything for her. Little did I know that the marriage had been held in secret and that she was with child. I had already moved here though and I killed her father, your grandfather. I became king when I killed him so I was trapped here when she was over there. I thought she had loved me and wanted to get away so I arranged for her to come to me. I was going to rescue her. She left your brother, knowing my own would not rest until his heir was found, and she came here. It was not long until She was with child again and as you grew inside her I stood guard, knowing my brother would soon come for you and your mother. When you were born I named you Maille. Molly in the human tongue, it means perfect one. She left the night you were borne. I was devastated. She thought her deed would be rewarded, seducing me and bearing my child, one they could control. Unfortunately, having an affair with me meant she hurt his honor. Honor above all. that's the way it is there. Her wings were forcibly taken. They were ripped off.”

“No! Oh, that must have hurt.”

“It is the second most painful thing a fairy can happen to her.”

“What is first?”

“They took her glamour.”

“What?”

“We fairies have the use of glamour, our magic. It was taken from her. She would feel empty, cold, like losing an arm or a leg. It is a huge part of our beings and it's what separates us. She could have her glamour restored but never would she know the joys of flight.”

“So if you are both demi fey...Why do I not have wings?”

“...Well, you did.” Her father looked away from her. He stared out the window and tried not to catch her eye. 

“Did they tear out my wings as well?” Horror filled her mind. how could they do that to a child?

“No...You still have them..when a fairy is born with the power of flight they are unfolded, they are grown, they are nurtured. If they are not properly taken care of with glamour and magick then the wings shrivel. They fall off. Wings are like a plant, if not properly taken care of they die.”

“Oh!” Tears fell down Maille’s cheeks. How could her mother do that? Oh yeah, she had her glamour stolen. 

“There is hope. I may be able to awaken your glamour and magic, it will take a lot to do it but since your mother’s glamour was stolen she did not help you or give you needed magicks. I may be able to help. We have fairy dust here, it helps us cast spells, fly, glow, shrink. If I can get enough I think I might be able to help.” Her father’s voice was almost as desperate as she felt. She did not want magick to just fly, it was part of her.

“Father?”

“Yes?”

“Will I ever get to see my mother again?”

“Yes.” Joy filled Maille, and fear laced that joy. What would her mother do? Would she still be angry?