Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Switching sides

Knock knock....  Meira knocks on the already open door. I assume this place is where the Elven Elders reside and do their Elder thing.

"Please...enter." One authoritative sounding female voice commands. 

Meira walks inside and lets us hop onto a round, wooden table in the middle of the room. It's not a tall table, no, it's almost at ground level. The Elders, mostly true to their title, old looking Elves, are sitting in a circle around us. I feel like we have to stand trial for some reason.

Everyone is staring at us, some with a curious expression, others with concern.

This hut appears to be made out of clay and wood, the roof reminds me of banana leaves...all green. The temperature is nice and warm here, just right. I see a fireplace in the corner, where wood is slowly burning and the smoke is rising through a chimney. Well, most of it, as some smoke enters the room, but it has a nice scent. It reminds me of incense...a truly mysterious atmosphere, that's how it feels.

I stand up straight and bow to the Elders before me, because I believe they are waiting for me to begin. At this point I don't know who their leader is....the Elder of Elders....no idea what they call him. Most of the Elders are males, but a quick glance confirms that there are at least three women here, not including us or Meira.

"Respected Elders, thank you for seeing us."  I say loudly and then pause. Let's see what happens next. As a Princess I feel that I should be the one to talk to them and somehow get us out of this mess, but I know Rose will back me up when I need help.

"Little ones. Welcome. I am the Matriarch of this village, Meriel. Please...would you introduce yourselves?" One of the Elders, a woman, seems to be the leader of the Elders, so I turn left to face her. Meriel is wearing a dark blue dress, pretty similar to Meira's. Now that I think of it, Meriel could easily be her mother, there are a few similarities.

From the corner of my eyes, I see Meira stepping back, she's obviously showing that she's not involved with Rose or myself.

"Of course, Matriarch. This is my best friend, Rose and my name is Daisy. We are far, far from our home and ended up in your village by mistake. We apologize for intruding and are very grateful for healing our injuries. Oh and we also apologize for appearing before the Elders in our pajamas."

"Ha ha ha, so respectful. Don't worry about that. You are welcome, little one. Please do tell us. How did you end up here?"

"We were attacked in the Palace by a....Rose, what was that thing called again?"

"An Ashling."

"Yeah, that's right. We were attacked by an Ashling. It wounded me, and apparently Rose here used a spell to transport us away. But for some reason we ended up a bit further away than she had intended."

"I see. Meira told us you are a Princess and your home is in the Northern Asari region?"

"That is correct. Rose and I were hoping you might know of a way home for us."

"One thing at a time, little one. One thing at a time."

"Of course, I meant no disrespect. Just wanted to tell you our true intentions."

"I understand. Very good." The Matriarch said, then whispered something to another Elder. 

I guess they like formality here. The Elders are now talking among themselves and seem to be discussing our future. Rose and I can only wait patiently for them to make up their minds.

After a few minutes, the Matriarch says "we have reached a consensus. You may have dinner with us, but then you shall leave our village peacefully."

"I see....."   Is the only thing I can say while only now realizing that I'm barefoot. That explains my cold feet. Maybe I really am dense.

But Meira pulled me out of my depressing thoughts. "Honored Elders..may I speak?"
Meira approaches the table and bows to their leader.

"You may speak." The Matriarch said.

"While I personally don't like demonic fairies, these two are different. They are alone, helpless and have no place to go. We Elves have never turned our backs on someone in need. These two are not cruel...I will be a witness to that."

"Meira, your opinion is valued in this circle, but we fear that they will attract demons. We have lived here in peace for decades. Are you absolutely certain of their intentions?"

"I am. I trust them." Meira glances our way, then waits for the Matriarch to reply.

"Very well. Please step aside, Meira." 

Meira quickly moves away, but she still sees me bowing to her, to show her my thanks for intervening. 

"Little ones. It appears you have found a friend among the Elves. A rare occurrence indeed.
But before we allow you into our homes, may we ask a few.....difficult questions?"

"Of course, Matriarch and respected Elders. We have nothing to hide."

"Hide? That is an interesting choice of words. You are hiding something right now." The Matriarch points at me.

"I am? Please tell me?" I must have a very confused expression now. 

Rose whispers that I should show my necklace. Oh? But they already know I'm a Princess, right?
I show my necklace to the Elders, but then I notice Rose shaking her head.

She whispers "you really are dense sometimes, you know that? Take the stone firmly in your hand."

I look at the Matriarch again. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand. Rose explained it to me. Is this helpful?"

"Yes, very. Thank you for sharing."

"Sharing? What?" I don't get it. I'm just holding a stone in my hand. What's so special about that?
I mean okay, it hides my name, but why make such a fuss about that?

"You...you really don't know?" The Matriarch asks with a genuinely surprised expression on her face. Judging by a facepalming fairy next to me, I really don't get it.

"No, I don't. What did I do wrong this time?" I made sure not to sound disrespectful.

"Nothing at all, little one. That stone is enchanted. It hides certain....aspects of your being. Aspects that people don't want to share. But you have shared, and that is all that matters. When you share, you trust your secrets to another. And all have witnessed. You are a Princess indeed. Not a typical demonic fairy either. Cruelty would show, but you are devoid of that. Truly odd. 
But it might be because you are a Princess that you do not know. You simply may not be aware of how cruel your people can be."

"Eh....honestly. I'm afraid I just arrived in the Palace yesterday." I'm not lying, honestly!

"Really? That is quite unbelievable. Where were you before yesterday then? Did you serve the demons? Or the Demon Lord himself perhaps?"

Rose answered before I could. "Whaaaaa? No way! She never even left our country!"

I raise my hand and ask her to wait. "Rose, please, this is just a misunderstanding. They have every right to ask these kinds of questions. They have a right to know."

She nods and replies with an "okay...."

"What should we know, little one?"

Can't they stop calling us little ones? We are beings too! But I can't say that to them, of course.
"Respected Elders, may I tell you a secret? Something I beg you not to hold against me or my friend Rose?"

"A secret? I will make no such promise. But speak, and we promise to judge fairly."

I then explained what happened to me. That I have memory issues and don't even fully understand what a demon is. And they now understand that I don't even like being called a demonic fairy.

But before the Elder could reply, Rose did. "Huh? Daisy! ..How can you even say that?"

"Say what? I just told them the truth! Something's not right with this demonic title. I just don't know what yet."

"Little one, .....  whether your dream was real or not, none of us will ever know. But you have gained our trust. Now let me tell you a little story, then decide whether you will stay here or not."
The Matriarch waits until she sees me nod carefully, then continues. 
"Demonic fairies follow the commands of the Demon Lord. You could say he is the king of all demons. About two-thirds of this world is covered in darkness. Not literal darkness, but demonic control.

He and his demons demand absolute obedience or absolute isolation. We Elves have chosen for the latter. We rarely leave the sanctity of our village. But we will help whoever enters it, as we have with you.

Fairies are one of the Demon Lord's means to oppress other races. While we enjoy at least some rain or sunshine, most other nations don't.

Fairies are magical beings who look after nature, to put it simply. And the Demon Lord prevents your people from assisting nature in most areas. It almost never rains in those places. People often die from hunger, thirst or even lightning strikes. Nature is beyond wild there. Only a matter of time for life to cease at all."

 

At this point I drop to my knees and start crying, my hands before my eyes.

"Rose.....is that true?" I look up at a confused looking Rose.

"I....I honestly don't know. We learn that we need to follow the Demon Lord, but nothing else. Really!"

"Matriarch, <sniff>, if you are speaking the truth..then...please help me. Forgive me. For god's sake, release me of this demonic burden. I don't even want to be a demonic fairy."

"Calling on the gods won't help you, little one."

"Daisy! Daisy! How can you say that? You don't even know if she speaks the truth? I don't.....I don't know you anymore.....!"

And just like that Rose takes off and flies into the woods. 

I stand up and want to follow her, but Meira says "stay here. I'll find her." Then she runs away. 

The Matriarch stands up from her place in the circle and sits down right in front of me.
"You are either well versed in deception techniques, or you speak the truth. The Elves are one of the last races who choose to embrace light instead of darkness. Are you following light or darkness?"

"Light! I swear! Tell me what to do! Please! I speak the truth. From the bottom of my heart. Isn't there a way for me to prove that?"

"Mmm. There might be a way. According to your stats, you are an inexperienced snow fairy. Would you perhaps let it snow around our village? Our trees are begging for water and honestly...so are we."

"I....I'm a snow fairy?" I look at her, while wiping tears from my eyes.

"Yes, you didn't know that? Well, your skill is grayed out at the moment, so it might be that you have never used it before. You are still a level 1."  

"Eh....Matriarch. Please forgive me, but I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I'm a snow fairy? I thought we were demonic fairies?"

"You are, yes. Both. Let me explain. Your race is a demonic fairy. But you have certain....abilities. One of those is to make it snow. According to our records, a fairy can simply will it to happen and it will rain or snow. Snow in your case."

"I will gladly try! But...it may take time. It's the first time I have heard about this."

"Very well. You and your friend may stay here. Go find her. She needs you."

"Yes, Matriarch!"

I start hovering and try to fly but I immediately crash. Some fairy I am! No matter how many times I try, I keep crashing and bumping into furniture.  

But just before an Elder wants to assist me, Meira and Rose return. She lets me hop onto her hand, and once more we are on the table.

Rose is pissed, not even looking at me. So I address Meira first.

 

"Meira, thank you for taking care of Rose. And thank you for speaking kindly of us." I bow to her.

"I only told the truth. It was the least I could do." She said, smiling, then leaving us alone.

Rose taps on my shoulder to get my attention. "Daisy. Demonic fairies serve the Demon Lord, and in turn he lets our people live in peace. This is the way we have lived for a century. And never did we experience famine or war. This is something we are taught as soon as we learn to speak. What you said...is considered blasphemy! How can we even be friends?"

I look at her, then start crying again. "And what about the other races? They are suffering while we live in luxury? Think about it, Rose. Why do you think we are called demonic? Even the word is insulting." 

Now it's my turn to head for the woods, but after realizing that I actually flew this time, I decided to land on the very first branch I could find. I don't even have the strength to fly any further.

After about fifteen minutes, Meira finds me. She hardly had to search for me, I was here...in plain sight. 

"Daisy. Rose is in my bedroom. She won't speak. The Elders will eat without us for now. 
For what it's worth, they trust you, but are worried about Rose's attitude."

"Yeah...I know what you mean. She's my best friend..but..what do I do?" I look at Meira while drying my tears.

She extends her hand and I get it....hop on. And I really do hop on. 

Meira takes me back to her bedroom where I see Rose sitting on Meira's bed. Rose seems pissed alright. 

You are reading story ???? Daisy’s fairly fabulous fairy tale adventure at novel35.com

But before we can speak, Meira asks for a few moments of silence. She explains that she prays every night for a few minutes followed by giving thanks to their goddess. Both Rose and I nod.

It's the polite thing to do, so even though we have an argument, we still remain silent. 

For some reason I close my eyelids as well and start praying, without speaking.
"Dear god.....goddess....deity....whatever your name might be. I am at a loss. My friend is pissed and we are very far away from home. Home...where even is my home? Is this real or yet another dream?
If anyone hears me....please help me...help us....and the people of this world. I don't want to be associated with anything demonic. So please...someone....anyone......tell me how to get rid of that."

Suddenly I feel myself getting lighter...and lighter, almost feeling dizzy.  FLASH.

I open my eyes and see that I'm no longer in the bedroom. I'm in a garden, next to a fountain.
There is neatly trimmed grass directly around me, and golden fields of crops further away..as far as the eye can see. A few fluffy clouds slowly move in the summer breeze, unfazed by the warm sun, high in the blue sky. I hear crickets chirping, emphasizing that summer holiday feeling.
This is paradise! A path leads away from the fountain, all the way into the fields in the distance.

But it seems that I won't be traveling that path. FLASH. 

"Welcome to my little sanctuary, Daisy."

"Ah!" I turn around and see a person smiling at me.

"Finally, you are here. I'm sorry for startling you, little one. Or do you still prefer Noah?"

I tilt my head. Noah? She knows.....?

A woman, only a bit taller than I am, is wearing a blue summer dress, complete with a straw hat. 
Freckles on her nose give her that girl-next-door feeling.

"Really? Is that how you perceive me? Interesting, but not bad. I'm a goddess. You called for me?"

"Eh.....I don't know what to say..." I bow to her out of respect....looks like a genuine goddess to me!

"Now, now, don't be shy......Daisy. We only have a few minutes before you wake up. You see... as a demonic fairy you are not allowed to request assistance from Light. But hearing you wish to...let's say...switch sides....I'm all ears."

"Switch sides....ah!  If you meant getting rid of anything demonic....then yes. That is exactly what I would ask. Can you please help?"

"Of course, dear. You came to me, now I can help you. I know what you went through, but I was not allowed to interfere. Those are the rules, you see? You were aligned with....the other side. But now....I'm allowed to step in."

"My god.....is this really happening?"

"Goddess...actually. But yes. This is quite real. And yes, this life is your real life. Your life on Earth was a dream. But we don't have time for that. As we speak, your friend is worried. She's trying to wake you up. We shall meet again. And for now....know that I will help you and.....give you my blessing. Bye....Daisy."

"My goddess....Dai..sy..wake up you dense Daisy!" 

I open my eyes after blinking and see a crying Rose trying to shake me awake.

"Wha wha wha....a...are...you....do...doing?" She just kept shaking me.

"Oh...sorry, you're finally awake? What happened to you? You were all glowing and lights were dancing around you." Rose seems very worried.

"Yes, I saw it too. What happened?" Meira asked.

"You won't believe it....but I just visited...or did she visit me?"

"Who? C'mon..tell me!" Rose asked, no she demanded, sounding quite annoyed.

"A goddess! She was so pretty! So nice and polite." I'm still in that summer holiday feeling.

"You....you met our goddess?" Meira asks.

"I don't know her name. Sorry, forgot to ask. But she knew me very well. She asked me whether I wanted to stop being demonic, and I agreed with my whole heart. Then....she blessed me!"

"No.......Daisy..." Rose is lost for words.

"Rose, listen to yourself. You always say oh my goddess but you still feel that you need to serve the Demon Lord. How does that even make any sense?"

"Eh........I can't explain that part. But still.....you....you are going to risk his wrath! He will kill us!"

"No, Rose. The time of darkness for our people will end. Of that I'm absolutely sure now. A goddess has smiled upon us. She was so kind, and I absolutely believe her!" I feel brimming with energy! I feel I can do anything now! I have a purpose in life!

Rose is still not convinced. "Do you really think she will help us?"

"Of course!" 

"I'm sorry, Daisy.  I...I'm not ready to let my faith go just like that." Rose sits down on the bed with a gloomy expression.

"I understand. Just...just....let's stay friends. I don't want to lose you. I need you."

"Agreed. You need someone to look after you."

"Huh. Yes, but that's not what I meant. I meant that I don't want to lose a friend."

"I know, dummy, just teasing you."

"So.....we're cool?"

"Cool? No, it's rather warm here? You make no sense, Daisy."

"Huh? Nevermind."

"Daisy, you sure are strange."

"I'm not the only one, though."

"Huh? Ah hahaha.  That's a typical Daisy reply. See? You are slowly returning to normal!"

"I hope so, Rose. I really do."

Then she hugs me, no she squeezes me. And I return the hug with all the love in my heart. She really is a good friend. It just took me a while to realize it.

"Mmm....do that necklace thing again. I want to check." Rose seems excited for some reason.

"Check what?"

"Your stats! Dense Daisy! What else could I mean?"

"Hey, easy you two. No need to be so mean to each other." Meira is worried that Rose and I will fight.

"Don't worry, Meira. Rose...is no longer upset with me."

"Of course not, we are best friends, you dummy. Now let me see those stats already!"

I hold the stone in my hand again and both Rose and Meira are taking a deep breath.

"It's true! You are blessed" Meira said. "By our goddess!"

Rose loses all color in her face, she seems about to faint.

"Rose...?  ROSE!" 

"Huh? What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Y....yeah....you really are blessed by a goddess. You're amazing, Daisy."

"That sounds better than Dense Daisy. Amazing Daisy....yeah, much better."

"AH! You are impossible." 

A few minutes later we rejoined the Elders, both of us standing on the table again. 
They confirmed my blessing and gave us permission to stay in their village as long as we like.
There is no doubt anymore....even the nay-sayers are convinced. 

The Elves are practically in a party mood, serving us food and drinks. But our tiny tummies only need so much. The Matriarch commented that in the old days, fairies didn't need to eat at all, they would simply retrieve mana from the air or mana veins in forests.

After finishing our dinner, the Matriarch promised to help us find a way home. The blessing I received is proof enough, they now know that their goddess is watching over them and us. They said it is now their duty to help us....help me.

After bathing in a little box in Meira's bedroom, we were surprised to find some clothing prepared for us. It seems that someone had taken pity on us and handcrafted Elven clothes for us. 
Having said that....it's just something you would put on a doll......something we really resemble. 
But don't bite in the hand that feeds you, I was taught, so we're happy with them.

 

Our beds are basically small wooden storage boxes, filled with copious amounts of cotton-like material. Quite soft!

While Meira was brushing her hair, and both Rose and I were enjoying our new beds, I asked "Rose.....those stats you mentioned. How does that work?"

"Huh? No way. No....way...Daisy. You don't even know you can see your own stats?"

"Eh...no. So how then?"

"Simple. Just think, or say out loud, status or menu or life record. It all works the same."

"Are you kidding me? That actually works in this world?"

"Of course!" She shakes her head out of disbelief. "Go ahead, try it."

"Okay.. STATUS." I say out loud.  "AHHH!!  I see it. I see it!"

"Good girl..." a totally uninterested Rose said. 

I read my stats. MY stats! For the very first time.

---