Fairy Born

Chapter 6

They were jagged like her mothers, they were dark like her mother's… she must be a shadow fairy, wait, no. They weren't black but a midnight blue, there were glittery spirals all over her wings and stars danced across them, they looked as if she were wearing pieces of the sky on her back. She was a lunar fairy. 

“What does this mean father?”

“You are a lunar fairy.”

“Yes, but what does it mean for me?”

      “You are a lunar fairy, what do you want it to mean?” he did not sound annoyed, but he did sound exasperated as if he were not sure what to say. Was she being unreasonable? What was she asking exactly? What did she want it to mean? Did it have to mean anything?

“I do not know any lunar magick. I can not cast spells. I can not predict the future.”

“You, like ALL fairy fledglings, will train and master your craft being taught by the mentors.”

“You mean fairy born are not magick users?”

“No. in fact fairy children get their wings by the age of six if they get wings. Some fairies never get wings.”

“Ivy.”

“Yes. she is flightless.”

“Why?”

“No one knows dear. It's just the way we are.”

“Could winged parents give birth to a flightless child?”

“It is not often, but yes, it does happen. Now, did you want to visit your mother or not?”

“Oh, yes, i have a few gifts packed here.” She motioned to the things she set aside and he nodded. 

“Get dressed then and have Ivy do your hair and put some shimmer on, I wish to see you glow with the sun.” He said and turned tail and get out of her room as fast as he could. Why did he say that? Shine in the sun. Why did he say that? Did he hope the sunlight would chase away the shadow? The dress for the day was a deep blue, as she suspected most of her dresses from now on would be due to her wing color, and it billowed out around her. I seemed to move with the slightest breeze and as she looked closer she could see little silvery stars sewn into the fabric. It was beautiful. She left her chambers with her gifts for her family and met her father near the great hall. 

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, father.” They left together and outside found horses were already made ready for their journey. They packed her gifts in the saddlebags and left quickly wanting to make it back soon.

They reached her uncle’s home shortly before noon and it was dark inside. Her Uncle was nowhere to be seen,  but her mother was on the porch. 

“Mother!” At the sound of her daughter's voice, the woman looked up. Maille and her father approached and Maille slowly dismounted but her father stayed behind by the horses. She was sure that he did not want to be recognized but also did not want her to make this trip alone. 

“Molly, you have gotten taller.”

“That is not my name and you know it.” There was a certain harshness to Maille’s voice, one that she was not particularly fond of but could not control.

“Maille, yes, I know. I wanted to wipe that away, never wanting to feel my heartbreak day after day. I truly did love your father.”

“You chose a harsh way to show it, Raven.” Maille’s father finally joined them. 

“ Morfael! I loved you, you must believe me. I never meant to hurt you. I tried so hard to make things right. I went to you, I bore your child. I thought he would let me go, I swear it!” Her mother had tears streaming down her face now and Maille could see the pain she felt but was on her father’s side. 

“I brought gifts, where is Kelly? Where is my brother?”

“He left. He left to find his own father.” 

“Father?” Maille asked, sadly. Her brother was gone, lost from her now for good. She could not venture where he was now and he could never survive visiting her, right? Did they ever commingle? Do they ever visit? Surely they would never allow their prince to venture into the enemy's camp.

“Do not worry so, he visits me often, though why you waited so long I will never know.”

“There was much to adjust to, mother. I still have much to learn.”

“Yes, I am sure you do, predicting the future does not come easy.” Maille looked to her father, how did she know?

“Who provided you with glamour? Was it your son?” Michael's eyes narrowed. 

“It does not matter who provided me with what. It only matters that she too will turn to darkness. She has shadow wings. They may be decorated with stars, but they are shadow wings.”

“She is a lunar fairy. She will become our queen when I step down.”

“She is a shadow. She is born of darkness.”

“She is who she chooses to be. Let us go Maille.” Maille followed her father back to their horses and they left soon after. Her mother called something after them, though Maille could not understand what it was she had said. She looked to her father and saw a grim face, maybe the message was for him. Maille did not want to pry so she remained silent. He never did speak during the ride home, and Maille felt as if she missed something, or missed out on something. 

When they returned home she retired to the library to start her research on her magick and her father went his own way, alone. She thought about that while she walked up the tower steps to the library. Her father was always alone. Did he have friends? Do they still not accept him as one of their own? Would no one speak to her father? He seemed to rule from afar, never intermingling with his people. Is that how you ruled? Did royalty never talk to their subjects? The door to the library was open and when Maille entered she heard a rustling of papers. 

“Hello?” She called out. She was met with silence. The papers fell still. Maille made her way through the shelves of books but found no one until she made her final turn to come out where she had entered and she saw a hunched figure in a cloak. “Hey.” The figure slipped out the door before Maille could catch them and when Maille followed them into the hallway she found that there was no one there. No way of telling which way they went, so she went back inside. Books and papers were stacked everywhere so she had no idea how to find what they were looking for. She made a point to talk to her father about it later. 

“Now, to find my own magick.” She whispered as she approached the bookshelf with a moon carved into it. 

“Divining and all that goes with it” 

“Using the moon to tell time”

“Lunar Magick and its History” She grabbed the first three books she came to and sat at the large table to read. She opened Lunar Magick and its History first.