Wings

Chapter III

I awoke to the distant rasp of pan pipes. The enchanting music drifted along the breeze and I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips. Opening my eyes I frowned to find my hand rested on a pattern of Autumn leaves. Closing my eyes I didn't let it bother me until I registered who those Autumn leaves belonged to. My eyes shot open. 

Looking up I found myself comfortably curled into Cornelius' side. In sleep, I had been drawn to his warmth and in my defence, he had only encouraged it by draping his arm around my waist.  The soft music drifted closer, a slow, lilting rhythm that roused my curiosity. I watched Cornelius sleep, charmingly boyish when oblivious to the world around him. His amber wings twitched and his lips parted with a sigh. The music drew nearer and I tensed as I realised it was coming from above. Sitting up I lifted my chin to see a spritely boy of no more than twelve perched in the branches. He paused in his music-making and shot me a cheeky smile.

His messy blonde hair made him look wild and unruly. He was clothed in nothing but green breeches cut at the knee. He began playing again and winked. I blinked. Realising that Cornelius' arm was now draped around my upright hips I wriggled slowly out of his embrace, careful not to wake him. I froze as I caught Bumble's blank stare. It was very unnerving but Bumble didn't move to wake Cornelius. Looking up again the boy had jumped to another branch, the music kicking up a joyous tune as the morning light drifted through the branches. His small green wings flitted with ease as he leapt to another tree branch. I stared as he grabbed the panpipe with his teeth and cartwheeled across the wooden limb as if it were nothing.

He paused to observe my reaction and seemed satisfied when I beamed in utter delight. I tip-toed around Cornelius and followed the boy, giggling as he tried to impress me further by performing handstands. He twisted his nimble body and moved from branch to branch with ease. He stopped directly above me and wordlessly motioned for me to join him. I was about to shake my head when he started up that teasing melody and my reservations were soon abandoned. Laughing, I began to climb up the tree trunk. The boy's bright evergreen eyes shone as he banged his feet to the contagious tune.

Glued to the trunk I watched him motion to me to follow him. I eventually hauled myself onto the branch. Cornelius lay sprawled on the grass beneath me, his lashes fluttering prettily as his dreams kept him occupied. I slowly found my feet and held my arms out either side. I tried to balance as I stepped across the branch towards the youthful fairy. As I got closer he leaped onto another branch higher up, his eyes bright with mockery as he dared me to follow. I shook my head in exasperation. He pressed his lips to the panpipes once more. The heady tune quelled my reluctance and I launched myself into the air.

I grunted as my arms wrapped around the branch, the rough bark digging into my hands. The boy watched in amusement as I struggled to lift my leg. Eventually, I managed to straddle the branch. I tried to hide my ragged breath as I found my feet. The boy held his pipes in his mouth as he clapped enthusiastically. I splayed my hands out and issued an exaggerated bow. He struck up a sweet tune and back-flipped into the air. I gasped as he nimbly landed on the branch of another tree. Caught in the game I tried to follow. Without thinking I jumped across the air, my arms splayed out in front of me to grab the branch that was metres above me. My fingertips skimmed the bark and I fell.

My unintelligible scream pierced the air. I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared for the impact of the hard and unforgiving ground. My descent was halted as warm arms caught me. My eyes flashed open to stare directly at Cornelius. He glanced at me only for a second before he directed his attention to the treetops.

"Begone Spring Sprite! Your games are not welcome here!" He hissed with barely concealed fury. The young lad, who was, in fact, a Sprite laughed maniacally before simply disappearing into the mass of foliage, taking his hypnotic music with him. I avoided Cornelius' gaze as a tense silence fell between us.

"I'm sorry." I finally managed to croak. He deposited me onto the ground before him. I dared to meet his stern gaze.

"It's not your fault. I should have warned you about the Fairies. I also should have told you to never, leave, my, side." His features softened when he caught the glint of tears at the corner of my eyes. I looked down.

"I was stupid." His large hand found my shoulder and for a moment I wondered whether he remembered wrapping his arm around me last night.

"No. You couldn't have known. The Fairies here never mean any harm but they inevitably cause it. You just need to be careful." His fingers touched my chin so I looked him in the eye.

"Promise me you'll be careful?"

"Promise." He nodded.

"Good. Now, shall we find you some breakfast?" I followed him through the sun-dappled ferns, laughing as Bumble nudged Cornelius' shoulder. He pushed his rambunctious steed away with a flat hand. Cornelius ignored the oversized bee as his antennas drooped.

"Aw, don't worry Bumble. I'll be your friend." I cooed. The fuzzy critter abandoned his master and flew beside me. I ran my fingers through his fur, scratching him lovingly.

Bzzzz. Cornelius threw his hands in the air, sighing in agitation.

"You shouldn't encourage him." He bent to gather a handful of mint leaves. I knelt beside him and grabbed a leaf, savouring the fresh taste in my mouth.

"I'm sure he means no harm." I reasoned. Cornelius grunted.

"If he could talk he could get me in a lot of trouble with the Summer Royals." I knelt beside a strawberry bush and began plucking the heart-shaped fruit. I threw one to Cornelius as he looked up to check my safety. He caught it and bit into it.

"Oh, how so?" I returned to his side and dropped the bundle of strawberries on his platter of mint leaves. Settling down I looked up to catch him squirm.

"Is it about the pollen?" I guessed.

Bzzzz.

"I'll take that as a yes." Cornelius picked up a strawberry and inspected it carefully.

"As you know pollen is meant for those who are engaged or wedded. The important point is that those who are engaged and wedded are always from the same season. If you had been presented to the Summer Royals, covered in my pollen...things would have become especially difficult." He explained. I lowered my strawberry as it was midway to my mouth.

"You mean. They would have thought that we were, were, were..." I trailed off, not confident enough to say it.

Bzzzz. Cornelius rolled his eyes.

"Yes, they would have thought that we had relations. The sharing of pollen is a sacred thing. That is why you never touch another fairies wings." He looked at me pointedly. I held my face in my hands.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I wouldn't have touched you if I had known!" He held his hands up to stop my protests. We ate the rest of the strawberries and mint in silence.

"We best be off my Lady. The Royals are expecting you." I wriggled uncomfortably.

"Could you stop calling me that?" He blinked those gold speckled eyes.

"Stop calling you what my Lady?" I motioned to him emphatically.

"That! Stop calling me 'Lady'. Just call me Sila." He rose an eyebrow in surprise, accentuating his handsomeness dramatically.

Bzzzz. He nodded to Bumble.

"Yes, yes I suppose it is a strange request. Very well my - I mean, Sila. As you wish." He conceded. I nodded thankfully. As we climbed onto Bumble's back and Cornelius instinctively wrapped an arm around my waist he paused to whisper in my ear.

"Then you must call me Cornelius. I don't like to be reminded I'm a Prince anyway." I grinned.

"Very well Cornelius."

"So be it Sila."

                                                                                   ❋ ❋ 

In daylight, it was obvious that I was in Fairyland. No place on earth could be so beautiful, so vast and so utterly flawless. Lush forests blanketed the land and jagged mountains peered from a distance, brimming with a mystical fog. The bright hues flew past as Cornelius led Bumble to the Fairy Palace. A clear watered stream broke the foliage and I laughed excitedly as we began to follow it, lowering so close that I could see my reflection in the water. We drove higher as we narrowly missed a waterfall. I laughed as its white droplets barely brushed my cheeks. Trailing the river once more I dared to lean down and trail my hand across the water. Cornelius gripped my waist as I rotated on Bumble's back. As soon as my fingers brushed the mirror-like surface, ripples trailed our path. I was pulled back into Cornelius as we left the water once more. Leaning into his chest, I let the wind stream up my neck and flush through my hair.

"Don't get too comfortable." Cornelius warned ruefully. I had just enough time to grip his arm as Bumble drove down wildly. Screaming at the top of my lungs I heard Cornelius' song like laughter beside my ear as we headed straight for the trees.

"We're going to crash!" I shrieked just as Bumble reared up, so close that I felt the leaves brush my ankles. Cornelius howled with laughter as the ecstasy consumed us both. Soon we were diving into the forest and skirting dangerously between the trees. When we connected with the river again, we twirled above the trees. Bumble returned to his steady flight pattern and Cornelius let me soak in the view of the palace.

The river gave way to a large lake that seemed as big as an ocean. Various rivers connected to the central hub in the centre of which was a giant golden castle that acted as a city rather than a single dwelling. I gasped as it seemed to grow directly from the water, tall and slim as it climbed toward the sky with glistening spirals and turrets. The palace was teeming with life as small boats and rafts floated into large golden caverns designed to greet guests. Butterflies, dragonflies, moths and bees littered the sky along with single fairies as people moved to and from the castle.

As we drew closer I recognised vast breezeways, flourishing castle gardens, fountains, pools and even a grand open-air arena which was being used for races between chariots pulled by mighty butterflies. Although I didn't want to admit it, I cried a little. Cornelius must have felt the wet droplets against his cheek because he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"You can stay as long as you like." I nodded silently, lost for words as we drove towards one of the vast golden balcony's rimmed with blossoming flowers. Other riders came and went, each courteous to the other by stepping aside to let others land. Bumble ignored the orderly display and landed haphazardly in the centre of the balcony. I glanced around self consciously as Cornelius, gallant as ever, slid off and beckoned me to follow. The flurry of wings and chatter seemed to quieten as he led me through an archway. Even the guards stared at me curiously, their deep blue eyes glistening from beneath their feathered helmets.

Cornelius grabbed my hand and led me into a wide breezeway which was bustling with joyful fairies, laughing pixies and dancing sprites. I moved closer to Cornelius' side as wherever we went fairies stopped to stare in wonder at my wingless back, clearly fascinated. I had never felt like such an outsider. One Spring Fairy, with emerald eyes and mossy brown hair stepped out to prod me experimentally. I couldn't help the surprised gasp that escaped my lips as I shrunk deeper into Cornelius. He shot the fairy girl a disapproving look before circling his arm around my shoulders. 

At the clear sign that he was my guard, many of the fairies stepped back and none ventured to touch me again even though it didn't stop the blazing stares. Bright sunlight poured in through the large windows. Flowers boasting magenta, violet and amber hues cascaded down the walls like waterfalls. It was glorious.  I stared at the vivid paintings of forest groves and secret lagoons that spanned across the ceiling. I almost stopped in my tracks as I recognised one of the many paintings to belong to my book. My thoughts flew to Rosette and I couldn't help the pang of guilt that wracked my heart. 

"Sila." Cornelius whispered my name gently. He motioned towards an archway which led further into the castle. I stared in dismay at the massive flight of stairs which climbed as far as the eye could see. To my chagrin, fairies merely flew up the stairs with ease. I noticed Cornelius' outstretched hand.

"You didn't believe that I would make you walk them all did you?" He stepped in and enveloped me. I didn't wrap my legs around his waist this time, I had some dignity left. As we lifted off the ground I linked my arms around his neck and squeezed my eyes shut. Either we didn't have to fly that far or Cornelius was very, very fast because after a minute he was setting me back onto the ground. I opened my eyes to gaze down at the spiralling staircase, then thought better of it as I felt my stomach twist.

Cornelius laid a steadying hand on my back as he led me down a hallway. I marvelled at the gold pillars embossed with sapphires and the marble fountains filled with shimmering fish that seemed to look at you, intelligence brewing in their dark eyes. I stopped to bend over and taste the flowing water once, but Cornelius quickly drew me away.

"Everything here is not as it seems. You cannot eat or drink anything without first seeing me or else you might find yourself unwittingly enchanted." He explained. Occasionally he nodded in familiarity to passing fairies. They would always pause to perform a regal bow before their eyes found me and lit up with excitement. Then they would continue on, sometimes looking back to glimpse me once more before I disappeared down the hallway. I didn't like my new celebrity status.

"Cornelius, where are we going?" I inquired, completely lost in the maze of golden halls littered with doorways guarded by statues of flower picking maidens, roaring lions or armoured knights. He paused to ponder this for a moment. He did know where he was going right?

"I find myself at a loss, whether to take you directly to the Summer Royals or show you your living quarters." I opened my mouth but before I could utter a word to reply we were interrupted by a lanky summer fairy, his azure wings twitching in annoyance as he seemed to tiptoe down the hallway.

"Prince Cornelius! Oh, thank the stars! The Royals are ever so impatient! They have had bad news all morning and are ready to feed someone to the beast if they utter one more word of news that is unfortunate!" He cried, his wiry voice reaching unbelievable pitches as he threw his arms in the air to praise the said 'stars'. He looked quite feminine in his persona. His long blonde hair was tied in a bun atop his head with loose tendrils framing his pale, make-up ridden face. Cornelius rolled his eyes and turned to face the flamboyant fairy.

"Perhaps then, Royal Advisor Caldwick, now is not the best time to introduce Lady Sila to the Summer Royals." He attempted to reason.

"Oh no! Now is the ONLY time! We must present her quickly! Prince Caspian has already stormed out of the court and his parents are practically FURIOUS!" I shrunk behind Cornelius, feeding him the silent signal that I didn't want to meet the Summer Royals in such a state. He read it loud and clear.

"I am afraid Sila is feeling unwell. Perhaps tomorrow." He attempted to placate Caldwick's ever-growing hysteria. But he would have none of it. Grabbing my arm, he yanked me after him, surprisingly strong for such a thin man. Cornelius didn't stay behind long. As we reached a pair of massive golden door embedded with a sea of sapphires and guarded by two grim-faced Summer fairies he made a point of blocking our entrance, holding his arms across the door to create a physical barrier.

"Caldwick. I must advise that you cease from this course of action immediately." He stated firmly as I pulled my arm from his grip. Too late. The grand doors opened and without warning, we were exposed to the entire Summer court.

"Ah, Prince Cornelius. You have returned, and thankfully, not alone."