A Month of Midnights

V

“Heigh ho, heigh ho.”

I blinked twice.

“Heigh ho, heigh ho.”

I felt grass and soil brush against my cheek. I had been dragged from the rivershore to the encampment Rudy and I had made last night. Only now, it was morning. Someone was whistling merrily.

“Heigh ho, heigh ho.”

My weak arms shakily pushed me up. I saw a tiny figure begin to place sticks on the small fire pit I had made hours earlier.

“It’s work from home we go-wait, that’s not right. Ah, pixies,” he cursed. He tried another verse but failed again. “We dig up rubies by the score, a thousand diamonds, sometimes-no, no, we dig up….humph!” the dwarf snapped the twig in his hands. He noticed I was awake and watching him. “Whatuh ya lookin’ at, huh? I saved your life, and the first thing you do is give me a dirty look? You should be on your knees thanking me after you and that Golde-forsaken horse left me in the dust!” he said with angry foam seeping at the corners of his mouth.

“Thank you?” I replied. I sat up and patted my head. I found the tender spot under a clump of damp hair.

“Your horse hit you pretty good. Out of his wits, he was,” commented the dwarf as he lit the fire. I looked around quickly, and a pulse began to throb behind my eyes.

“Where is he? Wh-where’s Rudy?” I sputtered.

“Off grazing somewhere. He hovered over you almost the entire time until I forced him to go feed himself,” answered the dwarf.

“Oh,” I said trying to peek between the bushes. I didn’t entirely believe the dwarf. “Thank you again, mister-”

“Call me Upright,” he grunted as he blew at the flames.

“Upright?”

“Yeah, sounds better than Grumpy, no?”

“But why Upright?”

The dwarf huffed and stood up. He pointed to the middle of his forehead.

“This is the maximum standard height for dwarves in Istoria,” Upright explained. He removed his stocking cap and placed his hand on the top of his balding hair. “This is my height. Clearly, I am too tall to technically be considered a dwarf, but the Queen seems to disagree.” He shoved his cap back on and returned to tending to the flames. “I figured until I’m an actual dwarf, I shouldn’t have to go by such an off putting name like Grumpy the Dwarf. So now I am Upright...the Very Small Man.” I struggled not to laugh at his preposterous name.

“So,” I said as I stifled my giggles, “what are you going to do when everyone in your Story calls you Grumpy?”

“Oh, that’ll just be my formal name. Everyone will learn to call me Upright though,” he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

“When did you decide to change your name?” I asked.

“About thirty minutes before you woke up,” Upright answered. I snorted through my nose. Upright looked at me suspiciously.

“What?” I feigned innocently. Upright tilted his head.

“Nothing,” he said. He looked at me again oddly, noticing something I hadn’t yet.

“What are you looking at?” I pressed.

“You just, uh, look really pale compared to yesterday,” he said strangely. I looked at my hands. I was already fair skinned to begin with, but my hands now looked white as snow. My blood veins had a sickly indigo hue to them that stood out against my ghostly skin color. I placed my hand to my cheek and ran to the river’s edge. Though the water reflection made for a poor mirror, I still could see that my face was just as pale as my hands and arms. There was no blush in my cheeks, and my pasty white skin stretched over my jaw bones and emphasized the sharpness in my facial structure. “Don’t worry about it,” called Upright from the fire. “Last night, my beard turned a little more grey. It’s just part of the transformation. Things move faster here than in Chorio, you know.” I sat by the river a little longer, panting heavily as I observed my new skin color with horror. A sudden whinny from behind me snapped me out of my trance. Rudy came trotting up to my side and sniffed my hair. His worried eyes quickly scanned my new skin. I quickly looked him over, but I didn’t find anything that looked immediately different.

I guided Rudy back to where Upright was slowly turning a hunk of flesh on a stick over the flames.“What are you doing?” I asked, watching the blood and fat drip down into the coals.

“Making breakfast. Hope you like squirrel,” he grunted. I curled my lip and held in my urge to vomit. Upright rolled his eyes and said, “We come from Chorio, this is normal!” Ignoring him, I walked over to a strange object that lay by Upright’s side.

“What is that?” I asked bending down to examine it.

“Do you always ask this many questions?” I blushed sheepishly.

“Sorry,” was all I could think to say. “Oh, it’s a saddle!”

“I told you I would get you one,” said Upright. “Even stole a bridle and reins for you while I was up there.” I picked everything up, trying to remember how to put these things on a horse. “I tried to put the saddle on your horse, but he wouldn’t allow it. Darn pixie he is,” muttered Upright. I scowled at Rudy in disappointment. I picked up the saddle and gently set it on his back. He stood patiently as I adjusted the straps and attached the reins and bridle.

“Thank you, Upright,” I said quietly, “you saved me from the river and brought all these things for Rudy. I’m sorry I was so rude yesterday. I’m just a little on edge,” I admitted.

“Oh, it’s alright. I of all people get what it’s like to be grumpy,” he said laughing at his own joke. I looked at Rudy who knew what I was about to do. His eyes narrowed, but I brushed off his anger.

“As I understand it, you’re looking for the Writer too,” I said turning to Upright. “Because you’ve been so helpful, you’re welcome to come along with us. We have to take a, um, more indirect route, but if you’d like-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll come, but I ain’t walking!” Upright declared. Rudy whined impatiently.

“Rudy would be,” I exchanged a warning glance with the horse, “happy to give us both a ride.”

“Excellent,” Upright grinned. The squirrel was soon cooked and served promptly. As I took my share of the tasteless meat, Upright glanced up at Rudy.

“Do horses eat squirrel?” he inquired.

“I don’t think so,” I chuckled, “but I have a feeling this one will.” Upright groaned and stood up. He offered him a piece which Rudy took carefully from his hand. After a few seconds of chewing, Rudy snarfed all the meat in Upright’s hand.

“Hey! Give that back!” Upright complained. Rudy neighed impishly. I managed to laugh before Upright turned around to see me.

“Here,” I offered Upright, “you can have some of mine.” Upright reluctantly took some of my food and glared at Rudy the whole time he ate.

“Where are we even going?” Upright asked, finally breaking his stare down with Rudy. I swallowed my last bit of meat with great difficulty and cleared my throat.

“We need to find a faery village,” I said getting up and walking to the river.

“Why do we need to go there?” Upright asked from behind me.

“We need a faery to protect us through the Forest of Temptations,” I answered. While rinsing my hands in the chilly waters, a distressing thought struck me.

“Forest of Temptations? What’s with Istoria and all these dramatic names?” Upright retorted. As Upright laughed at his own comment, I stood up quickly and tore off my cloak in search of the map. Finally, I pulled out the damp, partially dissolved paper from one of the pockets sewn on the inside of my cloak. The ink was runny and practically illegible. Why didn’t you just put it in the basket, Blyss? I thought bitterly. I turned back to Upright and Rudy who looked at me with awaiting eyes.

“Oops,” I said embarrassed.

“Don’t tell me that was our only map,” moaned Upright.

“Alright, I won’t,” I said. I looked at the ruined piece of paper and sighed.

“Do you remember anything that could at least be useful?” the dwarf asked.

“Only that it was a three days walk,” I grimaced.

“Well, then,” said Upright walking over to Rudy, “we’ll just keep walking this direction for a few days and see where we end up.” With no alternative plan, I consented and lifted Upright onto the saddle before swinging myself up. Already the saddle was soothing to the painful undertones my entire body had been feeling. Rudy trotted along pleasantly through the trees, keeping his direction consistent.

“Do you know what a faery village looks like?” Upright asked.

“No, do you?” I questioned back.

“Well, of course not! Do I look like the kind of person who knows what faery villages look like? People forget that I wasn’t always a dwarf. I lived in Chorio my whole life, but they think that I’m some magical creature who knows everything about Istoria!” Upright exploded bitterly. He continued to do this for the rest of journey. I began to keep track of time by what he complained about each day.

The first day: “And you know what? I said, ‘Well, thank you for saying you like my beard and calling it manly, but what if I don’t want to be manly?’ People think dwarves are busy and strong, mining all day for diamonds, but what if we didn't do that? I mean, would the world end?”

The second day: “But what really is annoying is that I’ll have to deal with this guy Sneezy. Why would the Writer even put this guy in? He’s a widespread disease waiting to happen! Always sneezing and coughing, blowing his nose in his hat! What if the germs spread? Has no one thought of this? Why can’t the Storytellers bestow some antibacterial magic in Sneezy and just make him, like, Cleany or something? Is that so hard to do?”

The third day: “But let me tell you, the adjustment to being short? Wow. I didn’t see it coming, I honestly didn’t. People don’t realize what us midgets and dwarves have to go through. We can’t reach anything, we can’t see anything, and people still expect us to! Ha, I’d like to see them be short for a day, and see how they like it!”

“Haven’t you only been a dwarf for a few days though?” I regretted asking. This only launched another rant that lasted the entire afternoon.

The fourth day approached, and we still found nothing that looked like or pointed to a village of faeries. After listening to Upright fulminate passionately for the second time that day on job discrimination for those with unusual body hair problems, I pulled Rudy’s reins and slid off.

“Maybe we should stop for a rest,” I meekly suggested. Upright agreed, and I helped him down.

“I gotta pee,” he announced bluntly and waddled off behind the thick brush. I walked around to Rudy’s face.

I whispered, “Could I see another one?” My curiosity had begun to fester almost uncontrollably about the visions Rudy showed me. I wanted more than anything to see another vision, another flash of anything. Rudy shook his head quickly, his frizzy mane flying into his face. “Please,” I persisted, “you can trust me.” Rudy stared at me blankly. What is he thinking? I wondered nervously. Rudy stepped forward and nudged his forehead against mine. As before, reality dimmed, only this time I was prepared.

I instantly felt tired. My heart was beating at an exhausting pace, and nausea threatened to wipe me out completely. The forest slowly opened up into my view, but it never focused in. It was constantly moving. Time was a pliable thing, and the light grew dark. I saw weak stars blink sadly over the trees, blurring gloomily much like tear filled eyes. The trees began to slow down, and I could see something glimmer beneath me. When I looked down, I saw white horse hooves standing on a golden road. I was seeing life from Rudy’s point of view. His hooves clattered along up the road, and he approached the front gate where the same golden clad guards stood. Rudy whinnied, but the guards gave no response. Rudy began to walk closer to the gate when the guards finally stepped in front of him.

“Nice try, horsie,” one of the guards taunted. Rudy whimpered and again tried to push through.

“Go home,” the other guard threatened. Rudy began to back up, and I could sense dread begin to flood his heart.

“Wait,” called a voice, low and calm. On the other side of the gate was Queen Golde, dressed in long, flowing robes that shimmered its golden threads. Two maids behind her held the ends of her nightgown like it was for a wedding ceremony.

“Your-your Highness!” gasped one of the guards.

“Please, let me pass,” she commanded firmly. The gate lifted, and the Queen practically floated through.

“Your Highness, it’s not safe at night,” the guard warned her. The Queen held up her hand to silence him.

“Sleep passed over me tonight, and I saw this creature come up my road. I believe he wishes to seek the Holder of the Histories just like the other characters,” she said. She signaled to her two maids who then dropped her robes. She stepped closer and stared deep into Rudy’s eyes.

“You have befallen a terrible mistake, haven’t you, my dear?” she asked sadly. She glanced past Rudy’s shoulder and out into the night. She smiled, and her eyes returned to meet Rudy’s.

“Go. Your rider is out there,” she said placing her hand on Rudy’s forehead. A sudden image flashed in place of Queen Golde’s face.

It was my own.

I saw myself lying on the forest floor, breathing quietly. My whole body trembled as I drew in each breath. It looked as if death was ready to take me away completely. The image of my freezing body disappeared, and Queen Golde’s face returned.

“She will help you...in more ways than one,” whispered the Queen so quiet that it was clear no one else could hear. Rudy nodded and turned back to the golden road. He tore down the mountain at the speed of freshly bestowed magic coursing through a person’s blood. Though Rudy ran swiftly, time continued to race on, and morning arrived. Rudy slowed his pace and searched through the bushes. An indescribable instinct was leading Rudy to me, I could tell. A sudden pause in Rudy’s search was followed by a slow movement towards a little clearing. I saw through Rudy’s eyes a young maiden curled up on the ground. Rudy’s heart began to beat more rapidly as he approached me. He sniffed my hair and my face, carefully memorizing my scent. He pressed his forehead to mine, showing me the first vision again. After a few minutes, the eyes of Blyss in the past blinked open and slowly met the eyes of Rudy. I could feel Rudy’s emotions; they were in awe as he beheld my face for the first time. Darkness obstructed the vision, and reality returned.

I stepped away from Rudy and smiled gratefully. “Thank you,” I said. I c****d my head to the side in a funny manner. “You knew where I was,” I thought aloud. “She sent you to me.” Rudy nodded. I laughed to myself and shook my head. “The Queen knew all along,” I looked up at him, “and so did you.”

“Hey, I’ve traveled Golde knows how many days with you two, and I only know the horse’s name,” shouted Upright loudly as he returned.

“Oh, I’m Blyss. Blyss Bannon,” I said offering my hand down to the dwarf. He scowled for a moment before shaking it. Why is his hand wet? I thought with a shudder. I wiped my own hand on the back of my cloak when I was sure he was not looking.

“That’s a strange name. So anyways, I don’t know how important this whole faery thing really is to you, Blyss, but in case you’re interested, I think I found your village,” said Upright carelessly as he began to dig through my basket. My mouth gaped open.

“You did? Why didn’t you say that first?” I almost shouted.

“Well,” said Upright withdrawing a large piece of bread with his grimy little hand, “it didn’t seem right that I didn’t even know your name.” He took a big bite out of the stolen bread.

“Come on, let’s get back on Rudy,” I ordered, swiping the bread from his bearded lips.

“Hey!” he cried.

“You can have it back when you show me where the village is. Now get over here,” I said tapping my foot. Upright grumbled and cursed, offending almost every type of enchanted flying creature. I scooped up the future Grumpy and placed him on the saddle. As soon as I was up, Upright gave curt directions to Rudy. The poor horse had to climb over boulders and traipse through brambles and ravines to follow the dwarf’s directions.

“How far did you go?” I asked after twenty minutes of travel.

“I got curious. Didn’t you notice how long I was gone?” Upright asked suspiciously. I turned red, though it likely didn’t show up on my pale skin. Rudy’s long, thick tail flicked up and brushed against my back. It’s our secret, I answered him back in my thoughts.

“Stop,” Upright suddenly whispered. He helped himself down off of Rudy, and I willingly followed. We had stopped in front of a tall, wide boulder saddled up against the bank of a tiny creek that was no wider than a footstep.

“The faeries live in the rock?” I asked.

“No, you pixie. Don’t you hear that?” snarked Upright. I listened but only heard insects buzz and birds chirp.

“It just sounds like forest animals,” I said doubtfully. Upright groaned.

“Aren’t we the skeptic today,” he griped as he stepped easily over the creek. He began to scale up the boulder when he turned his head around. “Come along, don’t be daft!” Rudy and I glanced at one another, both sharing the less than thrilled emotion. We stepped over the creek and began our climb as well. With three strong leaps, Rudy bounded to the top first. After a moment to look at what was on the other side, he turned back and neighed eagerly. Upright reached the top next and rolled his eyes when he saw me struggling to climb. “We don’t have all the time in the world, princess. Ever heard of something called the Month of Midnights? It’s kind of a big deal in Istoria,” he said impatiently. Rudy rammed his shoulder against Upright’s head. The dwarf and the horse glared at each other.

“Play nice, boys,” I warned, “and, Upright, I’d like to see you try climbing in a dress.”

Rudy snorted almost too loudly.

I reached the top soon enough and asked, “Alright, where’s the faery village?” Upright pointed at something I had dumbly not noticed before. Laying on the other side of the boulder was a vast cloverfield with colossal shrooms peeking out above the sprouts. Built on and under the fungi were little wooden shacks decorated with moss and dried blossoms. Faeries flitted about with acorn tea kettles and tools carved out of smooth stone. They were all dressed in leaves and petals, and they had the trademark faery freckles sprinkled on the bridges on their noses. Their translucent wings, as delicate as a dragonfly’s, flapped almost effortlessly as they carried their faery from place to place. The buzzing that I had assumed was mere insects was, in fact, the humming of the collective faery wings as they beat busily. The sounds of birds chirping were instead the faeries conversing with one another, their high pitched voices singing like melodious little bells.

“Is this it?” I asked in disbelief.

“Well, it’s a village full of faeries,” grunted Upright. “I’m guessing that’s it.” I scowled at Upright and noticed a movement behind him. Flashes of brown and green darted between cracks and divots in the large boulder. Upright turned around to see what had caught my attention. The movement suddenly stopped, and tension hung in the air like a cold shirt hung out to dry on an icy winter morning. A small head rose above part of the boulder. He set a long hollow stick in front of him and pressed his mouth to its end.

“Upright, move!” I cried, realizing what it was the faery had. It was too late. A hollow sound whooshed through the air and concluded with the sound of a thin dart piercing Upright’s neck. Suddenly, the darts were flying all around us. I felt little stabs of pain puncture my neck and cheek. Rudy neighed and bucked as darts penetrated his white coat. The world began to spin, and I found myself looking at the trees above me as they began to blur out of focus. The last thing I saw before the poison knocked me out was a bizarre faery hovering over me. The faery was undeniably pudgy and had little spectacles to fit his miniature head size. He flew close enough to me so that I could see a smug expression planted on his little face.

“Amateurs,” he snickered.