A Modern Fairytale

The traveler

You really are something special, I think, to still be alive even now—no, to still be alive and free even now. Just between you and me, you do know how rare that combination is, don't you? For that reason, you have my respect, and...

☆☆☆

Long, long ago, there was a group of young fairies playing in a meadow. The children jumped and flew, danced and sang—and they were having the time of their lives. Most of them had no idea what they would do when they grew up, and the older fairies rarely did ask that question. You can be whatever you want to be, they would say, it doesn't really matter.

But sitting just outside of that group was a pink-haired girl. She sat under the shade of a tree, hugging her knees to her chest. She watched the others dance, expressionless. It almost looked as if she were daydreaming, looking but not seeing—if one were a stranger. Sitting next to her was a brown-haired boy who wore the exact same expression; he leaned against the tree, visibly more relaxed than she.

"You want to join them?" he asked.

"...no," she mumbled.

He glanced at her. "Heh. Let's join them then."

She glared but did not object.

"Reginvalt!" came the voice of an adult from afar.

The boy rose. "When I get back, Valerie." he said.

The girl nodded.

Then, he left.

A few minutes later, a slightly older boy emerged from the group. Unlike most others, his wings were invisible. It made him look more human than most—and fairies already did look quite human. This trait was one shared by the one who had just walked away. The older boy's hair was an identical shade of brown as Reginvalt's, and his eyes the same dark brown. He glanced in the direction where Reginvalt had gone, and then he glanced at Valerie.

"Hi," he said, somewhat awkward.

Valerie looked up but said nothing.

Seeing her blank expression, he blinked, and then added, "I'm Einar Boneflare—Reginvalt's brother?"

Still, Valerie only stared.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"Um...no, but thanks."

And that was the first time they met.

☆☆☆

From then on, young Valerie began to wonder why it was that she never noticed Reginvalt had an older brother. When she asked, her friend said with a grin, "Oh, about that—you'll find out in due course. It's not fun if I tell you."

Keeping that in mind, the girl simply continued living her life the way she always had: reading, avoiding the other kids, watching Reginvalt experiment with tools, trying out new spells.

One day, while seated on the grass with her nose in a book, she caught a glimpse of Einar's silhouette from the corner of her eye. When she looked up, however, she saw no one.

Another time, she took a nap in the same spot, a book serving as her pillow. When she woke up an hour or so later, there was a blanket draped over her. Later on, Reginvalt confirmed that it had come from Einar.

Finally, a few years later at a royal ball, she found out what exactly Einar's deal was.

That evening, the fairy princess stood on top of the steps apart from the rest of the attendees. It was the celebration of a new year, and everything seemed just right, but few knew of the bloodshed that had recently taken place in the depths of the castle. Valerie's dress was the color of a faint blush—the sort of blush that had never been seen on her own cheeks. From where she stood, she folded her hands in front of herself, watching the crowd down below. Occasionally, she waved; sometimes, she twirled a golden ring on her finger; often, she shook her head in refusal. All the while, she wore a practiced smile on her lips. At some point, she found another pair of eyes among those down below. It was only then that she showed a genuine beam—however briefly.

She was watching, waiting, anticipating.

Then, it came—an unnatural breeze quite a few feet behind her. She turned, fully prepared to shoot out a hidden pin from her sleeve. However, the cloaked figure was stopped at an unnatural angle long before he reached the end of the corridor. Sure, he would never step out of the shadow to where Valerie stood, but surely, he would have gotten closer...six steps closer, to be exact. With this unexpected turn of events, she held back. Instead, she watched the now-confused assassin become subdued, restrained, and then hauled away.

This time, for sure, I will catch you, she thought.

With that in mind, she walked into the corridor herself, closing her eyes. A few steps later, she came to a halt and opened her eyes again. Turning to her left, she decided to throw a punch in that direction...

...only for it to hit nothing. Next to that space, though, Einar's frame appeared seemingly out of nowhere. From the looks of it, he'd just barely dodged Valerie's attack.

"Whoa, whoa...okay, I'm sorry, don't kill me," he pleaded half-jokingly, one hand up in case he would have to shield himself from a second punch.

Valerie breathed a chuckle. "Finally, I get to see you," she said with a smirk.

"...yeah, finally."

"Why didn't..." she had begun to ask, but then glanced outside. "...never mind. Come to the courtyard after this event—properly visible."

"Alright," Einar agreed.

Only after the princess had turned and strode back to the top of the stairs did he let out a chuckle and fade from view again.

☆☆☆

"Why didn't you actually come to talk to me all this time?" Valerie asked later that night, seated on a bench.

"Uh, well..." Einar looked away, shifting his gaze to the moon awkwardly. "How do I put this without sounding creepy?"

She laughed. "So you do realize you're weird and creepy. I thought you'd never. Though I wonder which is worse: acting creepy and not knowing it, or knowing it and still behaving that way?"

"I'm just a lost cause at this point." He sighed, although a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I'll just not say anything—everything I say can be turned against me here."

"It can, and it will," she confirmed, tilting her head. If one thing was for certain, it was only that Valerie did not require any answers to any of the questions she had just raised.

"Mm...I was only thinking that you are very unique and equally strange. I would have loved to talk to you, of course, but I feel safer from a distance."

"Coward much?"

"Well, I'm here now."

"True."

"Ah...wait...what do you mean, 'coward'?" he asked, as if that had just occurred to him.

"Did you think you're the only one watching people from the dark? Did you think you were observing me? I know you stay invisible most of the time because your face is like an open book; I know you've been curious, I know you think a lot about my role and how that might affect Reginvalt's in the future, and...I know that despite your always being around somewhere, you've never been to my room."

"Hey, I'm not an actual creep."

"Is that confirming the rest of what I said?"

"Didn't you just say you know?"

Rather than answering, Valerie stood up and stretched. A minute later, she leaned forward and whispered, "If I ask you to do something, will you do it without questioning why?"

Einar sighed again. "Your Highness, I have no choice."

"How about just as a regular person?"

"...what is it?"

☆☆☆

One night darker than any other, Valerie left Reginvalt's workshop with a smile on her face. She returned to her room first. Once she was inside, she bolted the door. In one arm she held a crystal globe; with her free one, she waved over her windows, causing dark curtains to drape over them. The room, too, was now the darkest it had been. The fairy princess, however, had no trouble navigating the pitch-black room. She made her way to one of her walls.

"Pst," she hissed.

"I'm here," came Einar's voice just in front of her.

Without a word, she handed the globe to him. "Turn your back to me."

That he did.

"Take it out of Mecrisdale," she whispered, tapping the center of his back with a finger—that should be where his wings grew from, if they were ever seen at all. For a moment, golden sparks lit up the space between the two, forming the shape of a four-leafed clover, which then became engrained—but hidden—in Einar's skin. "Take it to a hopeless place."

"...and where would that be?"

"You'll find it."

She removed her hand from his back. Now, she pushed a shelf to the side. On the wall, she drew the shape of a square, sparks tracing its outline. A door barely the size of a hand appeared. Valerie opened it, then put something inside. After that, she closed the door and retraced its shape, concealing it. She pushed the shelf back into place.

"You didn't tell him?" Einar asked.

"He knows most things."

Again, Einar sighed.

☆☆☆

Decades later in Rectitia, King Alasdair leaned back in his chair.

"And that...is how you made your friend a nomad," he concluded.

"Yes," Valerie answered, standing next to him.

"Well...Valerie, what inspired you to tell me this?" Alasdair asked, "Could it be because you had a walk outside this morning?"

"...the weather is nice today, Sire."

"It is indeed. A good day to reunite with an old friend, don't you think?"

Valerie smiled.

☆☆☆

...my welcome. Now that you have completed your mission, if you so decide, you can settle in Rectitia anytime.