It is now time to return to John, Benjamin the Mouse, the princess Kolet, and her lady Aurora.
Kolet and Aurora had lots of questions about the rabbits, and even though John had thought he had told Kolet everything there was to know about himself, he still found himself spending half the night answering questions about Klangor and Starrof and the journey they had had together.
They spent the night in the Brownie village. The Brownies gave them lodging for the night, and fed them a simple breakfast in the morning. And in the morning, they started their journey again, accompanied by a small troop of Brownie soldiers, as well as Klangor and Starrof, who were led through by ropes that the Brownies had fastened around their necks.
Benjamin the Mouse and John did not talk much to Klangor and Staroff as they travelled. Partly because there was little to say. And partly because they were not overly happy with the way the dragon-rabbits had conducted themselves.
The rabbits, however, had plenty to say, and spent the whole journey complaining about the indignities, and promising to eat everyone once they were returned to their proper forms. After listening to this for several hours, John finally snapped, and yelled at them. “Don’t you see that you’re only making things worse for yourselves? Nobody is going to let you loose now after you’ve promised to eat them! Do you think the fairies are going to return you to your proper forms? I’m certainly not going to advise them to turn you back into dragons. And I doubt the Brownies will either. If you would just shut up, and be nice to people, and stop threatening to eat everyone, you wouldn’t have any of these problems.”
Starroff and Klangor seemed surprised by this outburst. After a moment of shocked silence, Klangor spoke, “But we are dragons,” he said.
“What would you have us do?” said Starrof. “Dragons act this way.”
“They’ve got a point,” said Benjamin the Mouse. “Have you ever interacted with dragons before? They are, as a group, entirely unreasonable. You can’t try and civilize them.”
“Have you ever interacted with dragons?” asked John. “You’re a mouse.”
“My father’s old enough to remember the last time the dragons stomped up the forest,” said Benjamin. “Even we mice had to seek shelter back then.”
They kept walking until they got to a stream.
Now, if John had been his normal size, he wouldn’t have thought it was a particularly large stream. But when you have been shrunk down to the size of a mouse, it looked gigantic.
“How are we going to cross it?” asked John.
“We could make some rafts,” Benjamin suggested. “Cut down some of the reeds, tie them together with some of the grass.”
“Don’t even think about it,” said one of the Brownies. “That would be murder. The reeds and the grass can talk in this section of the forest.”
“The closer we get to the land of the fairies,” another one said, “the more things are alive.”
“But if everything’s alive,” said John, “then how does anything manage to get done over here? How do you eat?”
“Well, that’s another part of the magic,” said a Brownie. “You don’t need to eat when you live in this part of the forest. Don’t ask me how it works. It’s just part of the magic.”
“As for getting things done,” said another one, “Well, luckily most living things here are pretty helpful. If we just ask nicely, we should be able to cross easily enough.”
Some of the Brownies stayed behind to guard the rabbits, but some of the Brownies started fanning out through the forest, talking to the various things that they met along the ground. Eventually, they rounded up enough bigger animals willing to help them across the stream. There were racoons and woodchucks, badgers and foxes. The Brownies sat on the backs of these animals as they crossed the stream. The rabbits were taken by two bears, who guarded them very closely until they got to the other side and the Brownies could grab hold of their ropes again.
{Note to self: If you can think of a way for ordinary objects of the forest--e.g. twigs, leaves, etc, to come together and make a raft, that might be preferable. Or just cut the stream crossing altogether?}
They continued walking down the forest, until they came to a wall of rocks. Now again, the wall wasn’t that high. It was maybe three feet high. John could easily have stepped over it if he was back in his full human form. But because John was not in his full form, it was a formidable obstacle.
The rocks in the wall were all very friendly. “Hello” “Hello” they all sang out in greeting.
“Top of the morning to you,” said one rock. “Nice to see you enjoying the forest on this fine day. Where are you headed?”
“We’re trying to get to the land of the fairies,” said John.
“Well, you’re getting really close now,” said another one of the rocks. “As you can probably tell by the fact that you’re talking to a group of rocks.”
“Yes,” said Benjamin the Mouse. “But you’re blocking our way.”
“Well there’s no need to be rude about it,” said another one of the rocks indignantly.
“I wasn’t trying to be rude,” said Benjamin the Mouse. “I was only pointing it out.”
“What do you mean ‘only pointing it out’?” said another rock. “It’s rude is what it is. Now, if you had begun by first greeting us, and then inquiring about the weather, and then introducing yourself and asking for our names, then, possibly, you could have politely pointed out that we were blocking your way. But to just blurt it out like that is rude.”
“You’re right,” said Benjamin. “I apologize. We’re a bit upset because we’ve been trying to get to the Land of the Fairies for days now, and we keep running into obstacles. My name is Benjamin the mouse. My friend John is a human who has been shrunk down to a small size. We’re trying to get to the Land of the Fairies in hopes of getting the spell reversed. ”
“Well, okay. Let’s start over again, shall we?” said yet another rock. “Now that we’ve made your acquaintance, what is it that you want?”
John spoke up. “We like to get passed. If we may.”
“We certainly wish you the best of luck,” said another rock.
“I think I see what’s going on here,” said a different rock. “You blame us for blocking your way, don’t you?”
“No, no,” John said quickly. “We simply wonder if you would be so good as to let us pass.”
“We would love for you to pass,” said yet another rock. “But you do understand that we’re rocks. We’ve been given the gift of sentience by the fairies. And we can talk. But we cannot move. We’re very sorry if our existence represents an impediment to your journey. But you must understand that we did not move ourselves into this wall formation. We cannot move ourselves. Someone else picked us up and placed us like this. We didn’t do it ourselves. We couldn’t have done it ourselves. Just as we can not move aside to let you pass.”
“I understand,” said Benjamin. “I’m sorry for my comments earlier, which must have taken on an unnecessarily accusatory tone. I suppose we’ll have to go around you in that case. Could you give us any information about how long you are?”
“You mean the wall? We don’t know,” answered yet another rock. “We only know that we are here. We cannot travel to see other parts of the wall.”
“I’ve heard rumors that we are several miles long,” said another rock.
“Do you know who put you here?” asked John. “Or why?”
“It was so long ago, it’s hard to remember,” said one rock.
“It was a whole group of them. Although I guess there would have to be to build a wall this long.”
“They were animals, but they looked like humans.”
“Yes, there was a rabbit, but he was wearing trousers, and a waistcoat just like a human.”
“Ah, yes,” said John. “I’ve met him. The animals in the Land of the Fairies look a lot like humans.”
“But there was one human with them,” said another one of the rocks. “What was his name?”
“Midor. They called him Midor.”
“Of course,” said Benjamin the Mouse. “Midor pops up absolutely everywhere, doesn’t he?”
“Did they say why they put you like this?” asked one of the Brownies.
“No, they didn’t tell us anything,” said another rock. “I’m not sure why.”
“I wonder if it’s to keep people out,” said Kolet.
“Possibly,” said John. “But the wall’s only three feet tall. It’s too small to keep people out. It might keep small animals out, but it can’t keep people out. It almost seems more like it’s designed to mark a boundary.”
“Aye,” said one of the Brownies. “That is indeed what it seems like it’s doing. It’s supposed to mark off where the Land of the Fairies begins.”
“So we’ve made it then,” said John. “We’ve finally made it!” John exclaimed very happily, but then he noticed how sad Kolet was. “Oh, darling,” he said. “Don’t be sad. Whatever happens next, I’ll always love you.”
“They’re going to change you back,” said Kolet. “Back to your true size. That’s why you came here, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” admitted John. “That was why we came here.”
“I thought we had more time,” Kolet wailed.
“We still have to find a way to get over it,” said Benjamin.
“It’s strange,” said one of the Brownies, “that the fairies would put up something like this which would keep small creatures out.”
“I suspect there is a way around it,” said one of the rocks. “There are rumors of little stairways for the smaller animals. But that is probably further down the wall.”
“We’ll check it out,” said John. “Thank you very much for your help.”
So, with that, John and Benjamin the Mouse and the Brownies and everyone else travelled down the path.
“How come you don’t remember this wall,” asked Benjamin the Mouse. “You’ve been to the land of the fairies once before.”
“I think I must have been coming from a different direction,” John said. “It’s difficult to say, because Robert was the one guiding us, and I’m really bad with directions. But I think we must have come in and left from a different direction.”
Eventually, they all came to a spot in the wall where there was a little staircase built into the rocks. And they travelled over it.
“So here we finally are,” said John. “In the land of the fairies at last.”
“You’ve been here once before,” Benjamin the Mouse reminded him. “Do you recognize anything?”
“Yes,” said John. “I recognize the green meadows.” And indeed, as soon as they got over the wall, they could see the green grasslands and the rivers extending out before them.
They still had to travel down the hill to get to the land, but they were definitely in the right place.
“There’s still a question, though,” said John, “about whether we’ll be welcome here. The last time I came, I travelled with Robert, who the fairies all knew. But I’m not sure how the fairies will react to us coming here without a guide.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” said Benjamin the Mouse.
So, they travelled down the hill.
Once they got to the green grasslands, John noticed that the grass seemed to be a lot taller than the last time he had been here. “I’d forgotten how difficult it is to travel when you’re so small,” he remarked. “I can’t even see where the rivers are now.”
“You’ve got so much to learn about being little,” said Benjamin. “There’s always a path through the grass. And you can listen for the sound of the rivers.”
The grass in the Land of the Fairies was not alive. Evidently, the rules were different in the borderlands than it was in the actual Land of the Fairies itself. Which was good, because Starrof and Klangor promptly started eating the grass. They hadn’t had a good meal since the Brownies had captured them, and they chowed down on the grass with enthusiasm.
They were able to eat while they hopped, and the Brownies pulled them along by the ropes on their necks, while they all followed Benjamin the Mouse who wove in and out through the grass.
Eventually, they came to the banks of one of the many streams that dissected the Land of the Fairies. And there, on that bank, they saw some familiar faces. There were two frogs that Benjamin and John recognized as King Carlyle and Jacob. And travelling with them were six pixies, a hedgehog, another troop of Brownies, and a Water Sprite who appeared to be frozen solid.
John and Benjamin the Mouse ran over to greet King Carlyle and Jacob. King Carlyle was so happy to see them that he wanted to hug them, but as he realized, hugging was somewhat difficult in an animal’s body. They all began to talk at once. “Where have you been?” “Where were you?” “I thought…”
The Brownies also regarded each other. They were, as it turned out, from different villages. “What are you doing over here?” asked one of them to the other group.
“What are you lot doing over here is the question!” came the reply, and they quickly began squabbling among themselves.
It was quite chaotic and confusing for several minutes, but eventually King Carlyle (who naturally liked to take the leadership role in times like this), got everyone to quiet down. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” he said. “And believe me, I have quite the story to tell.” King Carlyle looked at Kolet and Aurora. “And it looks like you’ve managed to pick up a few friends as well.”
“I have,” said John.
“Well then, I’m sure we have a lot of catching up to do,” said King Carlyle. “I’ll go first.”
“Who are you,” asked one of the Brownies from John’s group.
“You wouldn’t know it to see me now,” said King Carlyle, “But I am actually the king of Castle Tauna. Perhaps I should start with my story first. And I can start at the very beginning to catch up all of our new friends here. You see, it all began several years ago when my sister Catherine…” King Carlyle stopped and looked around. “It’s quite a story,” he said, “if I do say so myself. You may want to sit down and get comfortable. Does anyone have anything to eat? I think the plants here in Fairy Land are good to eat. There’s some nice roots over here. Is everyone comfortable? Okay, so it all began several years ago…”
***********************************************************
It’s a good thing that King Carlyle was such a gifted storyteller, because his story lasted so long that certainly if it had been in the hands of anyone else, they would not have paid attention to it. King Carlyle talked for over an hour. But he kept his audience with him the whole time. They paid attention to him the whole time he was talking, and when he was done, the whole audience broke out into applause.
“That’s one of the best stories I ever heard,” said Aiden. “I had no idea you’d been through so much.”
Conn took off his hat and bowed low. “I pledge myself to your service, my King,” he said. “For we six pixies would be glad to permanently enter your service.”
“But there’s one thing that we don’t know,” said Arlene. “What happened to John and Benjamin and the rabbits after you got separated?”
“I suppose I can tell the story from here,” said John.
“Oh, no you don’t,” said Benjamin. “I’m going to make sure my point of view gets inserted into this story as well.” So John and Benjamin told their story. Kolet, who figured prominently in this story, blushed several times as John recalled how he fell in love with her. Benjamin interjected several times to criticize John’s decision making in the Mushroom Kingdom, but he spoke of Kolet respectfully.
By the time it was done, everyone in the group was impressed by the story.
Everyone, that is, except for the two rabbits, who had not much been interested in either story, and who had been sitting and chewing grass the whole time.
“So what now?” asked one of the Brownies.
“Well, that’s the question,” said John. “I’ve actually been here once before, when Robert, son of Midor brought us here.”
“Son of Midor!” said King Caryle angrily. “Who is Midor? He’s not even royalty. You should say ‘grandson of King Carlyle’ if you want to really respect the boy.”
There was a brief awkward silence, and then John continued. “The fairies let us in because they knew Robert and they were very fond of Robert and Midor. But now that they aren’t here, I’m not sure the fairies will even talk to us.”
King Carlyle sputtered angrily. “Why does everyone always talk about Midor?” he said. “As if Midor were the only human who was known to the Fairies. They know me. I’m the King of Castle Tauna. And it just so happens that I’ve been here before, and been received here by the fairies, several times. Why, I was drinking spiced wine with the fairies before Midor ever set foot in this forest!”
“You never mentioned that,” said John, astonished.
“Boy, you’ve only known me a few weeks,” King Carlyle responded.
“But all that time we were travelling together…”
King Carlyle waved his frog hands in annoyance. “The point is, I’m willing to bet I know these fairies just as well as Midor. I’m sure they remember me.”
“Well, great,” said Arlene. “So can you get the fairies to appear to us?”
“Yes, let me see…,” King Carlyle said. “I think I remember the song. I hope I can still get all the notes right with this frog voice of mine.” King Carlyle hummed briefly to get his voice warmed up. And then he started singing in a strange language. In the distance, little dots of light began to appear. John thought they were fireflies at first, but then he remembered that it was still daytime, and too early for fireflies to appear.
As the lights started to come closer, John noticed that they weren’t just yellow light, but all colors--red, blue, pink, purple, green. There seemed to be a swarm of them.
And as they flew in close, it was possible to see little tiny fairy bodies attached to tiny fairy wings that came flying in.
“Who is that frog who is calling to us?” asked one fairy to another, once they had come in close.
“I think I recognize that voice,” said another fairy.
King Carlyle stopped singing, and tried to take a bow (as much as his frog body would allow him to--which was not very much.) “Dearest Fairfolk,” he said, “you will not recognize me in this form, but it is King Carlyle of Castle Tauna.”
“Ah, I see. I thought I recognized that voice. Changed into a frog by some wicked magic I presume.” Fairies are very familiar with this type of thing, so very little extra explanation is needed.
“My sister Catherine has done this to me,” King Carlyle explained.
“I see. You don’t happen to know what kind of a spell she used?” asked one of the fairies.
“She didn’t tell me,” King Carlyle said. “Is it possible to reverse it?”
The fairies chattered with each other. Then one of them said, “We need to know the composition of the original spell was in order to reverse it.”
“It’s a spell that turns people into frogs,” said King Carlyle.
“Yes, but there’s about ten different spells that can do that,” said another fairy. “Although only four of them are really in common use these days.”
“I suspect Catherine used one of the common spells,” said King Carlyle. “She intended to eat me on the spot, so she definitely wasn’t thinking that I’d survive to try to get the spell reversed. She had no need to be tricky. Assuming she even knew the less common spells, which she may not have. So I’m going to call that a one in four chance. Now, what happens if you try to reverse it, but it’s the wrong spell?”
The fairies shuddered. “It could turn you into a monstrous beast--half frog, half man.”
King Carlyle thought. “I don’t remember the words she used,” he said. “They were in that strange runic language. But she did definitely point at me. And it wasn’t long. Two syllables. Maybe three.”
“Okay, that narrows it down to two of the commonly used spells,” said the fairy. “And one of the less commonly used spells, but…”
“I’m going to count it as a one in two chance,” said King Carlyle. “Not counting the less commonly used spell once again. I’m willing to take that chance.”
“It would be much better if we could talk to Catherine,” said another fairy.
“Ha!” King Carlyle scoffed. “She’s not going to give you the spell. She wants me to stay a frog forever. Well, what she wants is me dead, but…”
“I believe there is still good in her,” said another fairy.
King Carlyle thought for a moment, and then replied. “Possibly,” he said. “She could be convinced to act nobly, if the situation called for it. She might be persuaded to protect the Castle or protect the forest against a greater evil. There might be good in her in a general sense. But there’s no way that she would ever forgive me. I’m the one who betrayed her.”
“I think you underestimate her. You are her only brother. There is still a strong bond between the two of you. She will forgive you, if you ask her.”
“I don’t want to argue with you,” said King Carlyle. “I know you possess all kinds of knowledge and wisdom that I lack. But in this case, you’re dead wrong. There’s no way that she would forgive me. I’m willing to take my chances on the spell reversal. A one in two chance is good odds, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yes,” said the fairy slowly, “Yes, you might be willing to take that chance. But we can’t. You know our code. We can use our magic only for good. We can’t take the chance of casting a spell that would do you great harm.”
“You must,” said another fairy, “get Catherine to undo her spell. Or at least to tell you what the spell is, so that we can undo it. Further than that, we cannot help you. Possibly, you might find some other practitioners of magic--a sorcerer or one of the witches--who might be persuaded to take the chance. But we can not.”
“So there’s nothing you can do?” said King Carlyle crestfallen.
“No, that’s not true,” said another fairy. “We can help you. We can’t undo Catherine’s spell, but we can cast a new spell if you like.”
“What do you mean?” asked King Carlyle.
“For the moment, you are stuck as a frog. But we have many spells that can transform frogs. For example, we can change you from a frog into a fox. You would be able to travel through the forest much quicker as a fox.”
“I don’t understand,” said King Carlyle. “If you can transform me into something else, without having to undo the spell, then why not just transform me back into a human.”
“Not without reversing the spell. You see, you are already enchanted with a spell that turns humans into frogs. The moment we changed you into a human again, you’d automatically go back to being a frog. We need to reverse the spell.”
“I see,” said King Carlyle. “Or I think I see. The truth is I’ve never understood this magic stuff at all. But I understand your general point. You can transform me into another animal. If I was a fox or a wolf, I’d be able to run through the forest much quicker.”
“A fox is better at slipping through small spaces,” suggested a fairy. “You’d be able to run through the forest thickets quicker.”
“Yes,” said King Carlyle slowly as he thought, “but what about a bird? I’d be able to fly even quicker than I could run. What about a hawk? No--wait! I want to be something stronger. I want to be a winged lion.”
“A winged lion!” said one of the Brownies. “Whoever heard of that!”
“No, I’ve read about them in books,” said John. “They aren’t usually in this part of the world, but they are near the desert areas.”
“We have the power to change you into a winged lion,” said a fairy. “But I’m slightly worried about why you would like to be such a fearsome beast. Your purpose, after all, is to convince Catherine to forgive you and give you the spell. You are not to use violence for this purpose.”
“The forest has become very dangerous lately,” said King Carlyle. “There are monsters everywhere.”
“Very well,” said the fairy. “We will change you into a winged lion. But you know our rules. We fairies are not allowed to use our magic to harm anyone. And so we cannot have you harming anyone in your new form if it is given to you by us. And so we will put a special provision into the spell. You are only allowed to use your new form in self-defense. And you are not allowed to kill anyone or anything. If you attack someone unprovoked, the spell will wear off, and you will automatically revert back to being a frog. And if you are in a fight, whether it is self-defense or not, and you are about to kill anyone, the spell will automatically wear off the moment before you are able to deliver the death blow, and you will also revert back to being a frog.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said King Carlyle. “I promise to return to you as a winged lion to show you that I have kept your provisions.”
“Very well,” said the fairy, and she chanted the spell, and King Carlyle was transformed from a frog into a fearsome, but regal looking, winged lion.
“Now listen carefully, Carlyle, this is very important. For the purposes of this spell, you are not a human who has been turned into a frog. You are a frog who has been turned into a winged lion. So do not attempt to transform directly from a winged lion into a human, or the results will be catastrophic. You must first transform from a winged lion back into a frog. Then, and only then, can you reverse the spell and change you back into a human. Catherine should know this, but I’m telling you now just in case you encounter some other magic users.”
“I understand,” said King Carlyle. “First, back to a frog. Then back to a human.”
“And if anyone needs to know what the spell was that we used to make you a lion, just say it was the standard fairy spell. Any practitioner of magic should know what that is.”
“I understand,” King Carlyle said.
“Very well. Is that everything then?”
“Oh, not by a long shot,” King Carlyle replied. “We have a long list of issues to bring before you today. Do you know my companion, John?”
“Hello?” said John, somewhat meekly. (He was a little afraid of the fairies and the power they wielded.)
“Ah, yes, John!” said one of the fairies. “You came here several months ago with Robert!”
“That’s right,” said John. “I didn’t think you would remember me.”
“Fairies never forget,” she said. “Which is why I also remember that you were much taller the last time we met. Let me guess: a shrinking spell?”
“Yes, that’s right,” said John. “You see--”
“Wait, let me guess again. Catherine?”
“Yes, right again,” said John. “I don’t know the type of spell that she used. Which means I’m in the same position as King Carlyle, aren’t I? You can’t reverse the spell.”
“No, we cannot,” said another fairy. “We could try to change you into another animal, if you like. But as long as you’re under the enchantment, you’d just shrink again. So we could change you into a winged lion, but then you’d just shrink down to a small winged lion.”
John thought about it for a minute. “I think I’m fine in my current form. If I need to fly, I can always hitch a ride with King Carlyle.” John turned to King Carlyle. “That is, if you’re willing.”
“Yes, yes, my boy. We’re all in this together.”
“Very well,” said the fairy. “What other requests do you have today?”
“We’ve brought with us two dragons who have been turned into rabbits by Talon,” said King Carlyle. “And they desire to return to their dragon form. I must tell you that Talon did this without seeking my permission, although it did alleviate a crisis at the time that the dragons were causing. Although I’ve had several dealings with these dragons in the past, when they were still in their dragon form, and I think I had gotten fairly good at managing them. So I believe I could still negotiate with them if they were returned to dragon form. And I must confess that I have promised them I would do everything I can to get them returned to their natural form.”
“Your majesty, if I may,” John interrupted, and then he turned to address the fairies. “Gracious fairies, I need to add some information to this. In my opinion, and I believe the opinion of some others here, the rabbits Klangor and Starrof are not ready to be returned to their dragon form. They have made several threats to eat me and others if they were to return to their dragon form. I believe there is still hope for them to reform their character, but I don’t believe they have reformed themselves yet, and so I believe it would be a mistake to return them to their dragon form.”
“In addition to that,” said Benjamin the Mouse, “I should add that during the course of our journey, the rabbit dragons terrorized many of the talking plants that live in the borderlands, and ate some of the talking flowers. Furthermore I should tell you that the Brownies who have accompanied us here--well, that is to say, half of the Brownies who are here now--have come here because they wish to punish the rabbit dragons, and were persuaded to defer to your judgment instead.”
“This is most troubling news,” said one of the Fairies. “We do not look lightly on the death of any of the creatures we created in the borderlands.”
“But we’re dragons!” protested Starrof, who suddenly cried out after having been silent this whole time.
“We are meant to cause death and destruction,” said Klangor.
“Yes, that is what dragons do,” the fairy said, but then added after a pause, “...in other parts of the world. But you are in our forest now. And you have been warned before not to come back. King Carlyle, is that not true?”
“Yes,” said King Carlyle. “A few years back, I made an agreement with them. They were not supposed to re-enter the forest.”
“Very well,” said the fairy. “Starrof, Klangor, this is not your first time here, is it?”
“We have been here once before,” Klangor admitted.
“We did not realize what this land was,” said Starrof.
“And what was the result of that meeting?” asked the fairy.
“We were forbidden from returning to here ever again,” said Klangor sullenly.
“So why have you come back?”
“We came on this journey not for ourselves, but to protect our young human,” said Starrof.
“Catherine’s magic had made him small, and he did not know how to protect himself in the forest,” said Klangor. “We were worried for his safety, and so we insisted on accompanying him here.”
“Ask the human yourself,” said Starrof. “We journeyed with him of our own free will. We were only bound by the Brownies the last few days.”
“Yes, it’s true,” said John. “They have only recently become tied up by the Brownies. Until then they were travelling with me of their own free will. And I must confess there were at least a couple times on the journey when their presence was useful. But aside from those one or two times, the overwhelming majority of the time--.”
John was cut off by Starrof crying out again. “Everyone else who came here has asked you for something. But please note that we have asked for nothing. We have only come here to protect our friends. For in spite of all we have done, we have noble hearts.”
“So you do not wish to be returned to your dragon form?” asked one of the fairies.
“Of course we want to be returned to our dragon form,” Klangor said. “But we did not come on this journey for selfish gain. We only came on this journey to help our friend.”
“You must know, after what I’ve said to your friends, that it is impossible for us to return you to your dragon form,” said one of the fairies. “We don’t know what spell Talon used on you. And we are forbidden from risking your lives by taking a chance. But take heart, for there are many practitioners of magic in the forest who are not bound by these oaths. You may yet find the help you seek, but not from us. Perhaps Catherine could turn you back into your dragon forms.”
“Catherine has refused!” Starrof shouted.
“Well, perhaps not then,” said the fairy. “But either way, the fairies cannot help you. However there is still the matter of your offenses in the borderlands. How many flowers did they eat?” the fairy asked.
“Three, between the both of them,” answered a Brownie.
“They were only flowers,” said Klangor.
“They were living sentient flowers,” said the fairy. “They lived in the borderland under our protection, and the Brownies are our agents for protecting all the living things in the borderland. The fairy turned to the Brownies. “And what would you have us do?” she asked them.
“The penalty for killing a living sentient thing in the borderland is death!” declared one of the Brownies.
“Yes, and so it would have been,” said the fairy, “if you had executed the sentence yourself. But you brought them to us for judgment. And as you know, fairies can only use their magic for good. We cannot kill someone, or even order someone to be killed. Because you have placed their fate in our hands, we must be benevolent.”
The fairy turned back to the rabbits. “But, if we let you go, you must never again harm a living thing,” she said.
“We promise,” said Klangor and Starrof together.
“I’m afraid that I must seek greater surety than your promise,” said the fairy. “And so, I am laying you under an enchantment. The moment your mind contemplates violence against anyone, whether that someone is a sentient flower, or a human, or another dragon, you will be filled with love for that someone, and wish to do them nothing but good.”
“It is too much,” cried Klangor. “We are dragons. Loving things is not in our nature.”
“If you laid this spell on us, we would be constantly doing good to all manner of creatures throughout the forest.”
The fairy smiled. “Your only hope, then, is to try not to contemplate violence against anyone. It will be difficult at first, but with training you can make your mind do it. One’s nature is not immutable. Even a dragon’s nature.” And with that, the fairy spoke the magic words, and the spell was released from the wand.
“How dare you!” shouted Starrof. “We will destroy you! We...” But then, he stopped abruptly. “We… What is happening to me?”
“You are feeling something new,” said the fairy. “A feeling that you have not felt before.”
“Is this love?” asked Starrof.
“It is,” said the fairy. “Not the silly romantic love of humans, but love in its pure form. You are feeling now deep affection for me, and a desire to increase my happiness.”
“Yes,” said Klangor. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m feeling. The thought of increasing someone else’s happiness at the expense of my own should make me feel wretched. And yet, I find that I feel… pleasant. And peaceful.”
“You will have this feeling many more times in the future,” said the fairy. “Until you finally learn to control your anger. Then, the feeling will subside, unless you wish to feel it naturally.” The fairy turned to the Brownies. “I have now rendered my judgment and given them their justice. They are now to be forgiven for all crimes they have committed in the borderlands. Any future crimes they commit, you can punish them as you see fit. But I doubt they will cause you any problems in the future.”
The Brownies bowed as acknowledgment of the fairy’s wisdom.
“Is there anything else?” another fairy said.
“Yes,” said King Carlyle. “And this last point is the most important point of all. We have with us the Queen of the Water Sprites. She is alive, but under an enchantment and as if in a deep sleep. Her limbs are frozen solid by magic. She was put into this enchantment by a witch, who lives in the realm of the monsters.”
“Why did the witch put her in this enchantment?”
“That, I do not know. She somehow stumbled upon the land of the monsters.”
“You better tell them the whole story,” said Arlina the Pixie. “I don’t think these fairies will understand otherwise.”
“I suppose I’d better,” said King Carlyle. He turned back to the fairies. “Are you aware that the monsters have returned to the forest?”
“That news has not yet reached us,” said a fairy.
“Ha!” scoffed Brenna. “Some fairies you are!”
The fairy smiled. “We fairies have never claimed to be omnipotent,” she said. “We are very good at remembering things, but we can only remember what we see with our own eyes or hear with our own ears. News of the monsters back in the forest has not yet reached our land.” The fairy turned back to King Carlyle. “And you, oh King, remember the ancient rule. We fairies can never leave this land.”
“I remember,” King Carlyle said.
“In the earliest times, of course, it was different,” said the fairy. “And much of the early magic that was spread all about this forest is a result of fairies. But ever since the ancient rule that bound us, we have been restricted to this land. That is why we are dependent on our servants, such as the Brownies, to protect all the creatures in the borderlands that had been created by fairy magic.”
“I understand,” said King Carlyle.
“So tell us, King Carlyle, what is happening in the forest now?”
“Well,” said King Carlyle, “to begin with, the ancient monsters are back.”
“Back? But how?”
“It turns out,” said King Carlyle, “that they were never really dead to begin with. They had only been banished to another dimension--a sort of magical dimension. You didn’t know anything about this?”
“How could we?” answered the fairy. “You know our history. We were imprisoned in this land long before the ancient monsters were extinguished. We got the same reports that everyone else got--that the ancient monsters had been vanquished by Castle Tauna, and were now no more.”
“So you don’t know anything about this magical dimension where the ancient monsters live?” asked King Carlyle.
“This is the first we are hearing about it.”
“Well then,” said King Carlyle. “Where to start. I guess I should begin by telling you that about a year ago, Midor went missing from the forest.”
“Yes,” said one of the fairies. “We heard about that. Many animals reported it to us.”
“Ah, yes, yes,” said King Carlyle bitterly. “I suppose everyone is always talking about Midor. Well, have you heard how he was found again?”
“That we haven’t heard,” said one of the fairies.
“Well, I suppose I better start there,” said King Carlyle. “It all began when my grandson Robert arrived at Castle Tauna bringing his three friends with him…”
“We know about the three friends,” said a fairy. “Robert took them through our land on his way through the forest.”
“Okay, well, shortly after Robert arrived, his friends began to hear a strange moaning at night. At first they thought it was the sound of the ghosts…”
“I love this part of the story,” said Aiden as he settled himself down on the grass.
“I didn’t think we would get to hear this story twice in one day,” said Adair, who also sat himself down. And pretty soon everyone else was taking a seat as well, so they could hear King Carlyle’s story again.
When King Carlyle finally finished the story, he said, “So that’s what happened.”
The fairies paused, and then looked at each other.
“Obviously we need to revive the Water Sprite Queen,” said one fairy.
“Yes, but we don’t know which spell was used,” said another fairy. “We are forbidden to do harm by our magic. So we can’t take the risk.”
“But others can,” said a third fairy. “Other practitioners of magic are not bound by the same rules that we are, and they could try to reverse the spell.”
“Like Catherine,” said another fairy.
“Would she do it?” asked another.
King Carlyle groaned. “Catherine again? Why does it always come back to Catherine? Well, she won’t do it if I ask. That much at least I’m certain of. Possibly she might do it if someone else were to ask.”
“We Pixies are at your service,” Aiden shouted. “After hearing all about your story, we will do everything we can to help you.”
“Hold on,” said another fairy. “Let’s try a few spells first. There are some relatively harmless spells we could do that wouldn’t necessarily risk anything. Like a simple wake up spell.”
“But she’s not just sleeping. Her limbs are frozen solid.”
“But that could be a condition which is dependent upon her being asleep. If we could wake her up, we could possibly get rid of both.”
The top fairies all looked at each other, and then one of them shrugged. “It’s got to be worth a try,” she said. “A wake up spell is harmless.”
So the fairies chanted their spells, and waved their wands, and then, suddenly, the Queen of the Water Sprites opened her eyes. The eyes opened wide, and the pupils moved up and down and from side to side. But the rest of her head did not move. It appeared that she could not move.
“Queen of the Water Sprites, can you hear us?” asked one of the Fairies.
The eyes darted around, but the queen made no reply.
“Queen of the Water Sprites. If you can hear us, blink your eyes twice.” The Queen blinked her eyes twice.
“Well, there we go,” said the first Fairy. “She’s awake.”
“Yes, but to what benefit?” asked another one. “If she cannot move, what an agonizing existence to have. It would have been better to let her sleep.”
“Don’t panic. We can easily put her back to sleep again with a simple sleeping spell if we need to.” Then the fairy addressed the Queen. “Queen of the Water Sprites, if you cannot move your body, blink twice.” The Queen blinked twice. “Do you know the name of the enchantment that you have been put under?” asked the fairy again. The Queen did not move.
“Blink once for no, twice for yes,” another fairy suggested.
The Queen blinked once.
“Well, what to do next?”
“I suggest another simple spell. A movement spell.”
“Will that help?”
“It can’t hurt.”
“Fine. Try it.”
The fairy chanted her chant again, and commanded the Queen of the Water Sprites to lift her hands up. And the hands lifted up. But then, once the hands had been raised up, the Queen continued to move them.
“It’s working. We just need to command the different parts of her body.”
One by one, the fairies cast different spells to get different parts of the Water Sprite Queen’s body working. At the very last, everything was working.
The last thing to arise was her voice.
“Where am I?” the Water Sprite Queen said. “What happened? Why am I not in my river?”
As it happened, they were all sitting on the bank of a stream, so the fairies invited the Water Sprite Queen to jump into the river. She dove in, and swam around eagerly.
When she came to the surface again, and asked where she was, and what had happened to her, everyone turned to King Carlyle. Who told his story for the third time that afternoon. This time it was an abbreviated version that only focused on his adventures in the river.
The Water Sprite Queen listened attentively while he talked, and when he finally finished, she took a deep inward breath. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I remember now how I came into the Witch’s power.”
“Tell us what happened,” commanded the fairies.
And so, the Water Sprite Queen began her story….
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