Lessoc Fountain - a fairy-creature tale

Ch. 42 Redemption

The six moss folk rattled softly as the great fairies nodded in farewell and strode from the village for the fields. A door creaked open and a woman called to her chickens to come eat.

Cocot rubbed the edge of the basin where she had last seen her mother standing.

Seventy years ago, her mother had drained almost all of her magic in the fountain, using it first to seal the evil in its world, then to wish to be human. She would have appeared out of thin air for the humans. Jean-Baptist caught her as she fell in weakness, and in turn he fell in love with her.

Cocot turned to leave. The moss folk bowed low again, heads nearly touching the cobblestones, and they crawled backwards from the village to the forest. Cocot tread slowly after them. Instead of going home to the chalet, she walked through the woods to where she had left Hector.

Deep in her heart, she hoped the tincture had healed his wounds and given him back his life. That with the rising sun, he would wake up and be new again. She couldn't help but hope.

A large pile of river stones greeted her at the bottom of the hill instead of Hector. Soufflé stood next to the funeral mound with three red-capped Bounet Rodzos behind him.

"The Bounet Rodzos asked if I would stay and tell you they buried your horse. They—" His voice broke. "They say they forgive him for killing the little one by the fountain all those years ago."

"Thank you," she whispered. The little girl Bounet Rodzo had been the first in an unending line of unfortunate creatures. After all the years Hector had spent in the service of a Huntsman, she would have understood if the fairy creatures couldn't forgive him. "That night, I think he wanted to help her by swallowing the evil up. That is all he ever wanted, to protect others. An ordinary farm horse who pulled carts and plows and yet he dreamed of great deeds."

One of the red-capped fairy creatures nodded and began to speak. His words were tumbling rocks and blowing leaves to Cocot.

"He says that Hector died a true hero, he gave his life saving someone he loved," Soufflé explained. He lifted his doll's cup towards Cocot. "You should take this back."

That chasm of sorrow she saw on his face the night before opened up again, and this time she fell right in.

Tears filled her eyes. "Hector was my hero, you're right. And no I won't take your cup back, you're wrong to give it to me. It's yours and you're going to need it when you come for tea every afternoon."

"I can't pretend to be your friend anymore, child," he said. "Not after what I've done. I won't come to your home to see you."

His harsh words stung Cocot to the quick. "I'm not mad at you."

"You should be. I spied on you. I tricked you for information. I left you alone in that chalet for days on end, so you would be unhappy. I never told you all what I knew. I was her servant, and her spells made sure I stayed that way," he said. "But I let her put the spells on me and that cannot be forgiven."

"You came when Jean-Baptist tried to break through the door."

"The witch trapped him in that room when he died, and after she provoked him, she sent me to see how you were doing."

"You warned me about Hector," Cocot insisted. "You helped me get away from him the first time he chased me in the lane."

"It was her evil whisperings that stirred the hunt in his blood, but yes, I tried to warn you."

"You told me to leave the chalet."

He sighed. "That might have solved all my problems, for a while. But not yours. I didn't want her to hurt you, but she would have followed sooner or later out of spite, and I would still be serving her."