Secrets of the Fae

13

Laughter suddenly filled the small clearing, it was an interestingly musical sound of rocks splashing in water and wind whistling through crackling fires. An ancient Fae walked out of the trees in front of us. “You are both right,” said the new comer, “Mother is everywhere yet nowhere. She doesn’t interfere, much, prefering to let her children fight for themselves and learn from their mistakes.” I was suddenly concerned that my ward had failed, no one could just walk into my clearing that wasn’t a friend I knew; and I did not recognize this woman. “Don’t look so concerned Liam, your shield allows for anyone seeking your help to find you. Though you may have thought that to mean only injured animals, a need for your help is all you specified.” She smiled kindly at me before she continued, “I mean neither of you any harm, and I truly seek your help,” she pulled a potted seedling from her robes, “This is the last of the Royal Fae flowers. It will take dedicated care from an experienced Fae such as you Liam, to bring this single seed to fruition. If you do your job well, the seed will mature in 10 years and give birth to another Royal Fae. In these 10 years, you two must stay hidden in the shield you have created, and keep this flower secret,” She turned to face Sadie, “Sadie, once the flower bears fruit, it will be your job to nuture the child, you will be it’s mother as no Fae has been a mother before. Your idea to start your own Fae Kingdom in your little forest clearing is a wondrous one. I am giving this seedling to you both, to let you start such a kingdom. When your 1st child is grown, you may approach the old Fae kingdom and make an alliance with them. Keeping the Fae magik alive and perhaps changing the Fae way for the better,” with those last words and our astonished silence the ancient Fae woman disappeared back into the trees.

“Did you see that?” I asked Sadie.

“Did you believe that?” she countered.

I shook my head, “I’m not sure yet,” I told her honestly. That was by far the strangest moment of my life. I stared at the fragile plant between my hands, I could see the tell-tale purple veins running through the stem and single leaf. “I think we should get this into the greenhouse, the leaves will be changing color soon and this poor plant needs to stay warm through the winter.” I walked toward my tiny greenhouse which currently stood empty of plants, I only stored the most fragile or foreign plants during the winter months. The beds stood empty now and I set the small pot on an empty sill as I decided where to transfer it to. 10 years for the plant to reach full maturity, though it would only need to be in the green house for a year to reach its full hardiness and survive a winter. I chose a large planter, deep and narrow, perfect for a new seedling to stretch its roots deep instead of spreading them out. Deep roots stayed warmer in the winter, and with proper mulching and a good frost on the leaves and top soils, could retain a healthy brown through even the harshest winters.

I looked up at Sadie, she was studying the little leaves, likely marveling at the purple veins that matched her wings. I called her over and together we prepared the planter, filling it with damp earth and layers of compost, when it was ready we transferred the seedling, filling in the last inches of the planter with earth and compost, then misting the small plant with water. We put the planter in the center of the greenhouse, where it would get plenty of warmth and sunlight without getting to warm in the flexible weather before fall.

We left the greenhouse then, and eating our evening meal in silence we reveled in this new task. I wondered at the Ancient Fae who visited us, mulling over her instructions, I wondered how we could managed to stay in this small space without going stir crazy in the next 10 years, and then another 25 after that if the flower bloomed and bore the fruit of another Royal Fae. It was a lot of speculation to begin with, followed by careful tending and patience should the words be more prophecy than hopes. I knew Sadie was in great spirits now, and as I watched her smile toward the greenhouse, I gave up speculation and worry. This sudden solution to our worries of her lack of magik and inability to continue the Royal Fae line was a pretty bow on an otherwise ugly situation. We could worry about the Dark Lord and the Fae kingdom later, in approximately 35 years at the soonest, in the meantime we would enjoy each other. Bask in our little peace of nature and tethered souls, raise a child as the other races did, and start a new breed of Fae.