With a little cough an old man silently pulled a book out from the shelf of many, turning himself around and walking to a chair where a bunch of little kids sat down in waiting, the chair facing them as he opened the book, the glow of lantern light shined down to the pages of the book as the crescent moon shines from the closed window.
"Now grandchildren." His voice, aged but still soft in tone, spoke clearly to the young human's before him. "Here is a fairytale I don't think many of you have heard before. It's a story about love and hardship, of how the most unassuming of people can mean the most to someone of great power." He cleared his throat as he turned to the first page, the children listen intently but silently, many curious, a care few not so much but all waited for him to start as the old man began his tale:
Long ago and far away, there is a legend most wonderful and strange, during the time of lords and kings, a time where many lived by honour and creed, castle rained the land, watching over the poor by the rich. Where legends were commonplace and tales were the unjudged truth.
Many knights scattered these lands, they were the protectors and soldiers, the men who upheld the law and the ones who brought the guilty to be punished. But among the many knights, those with shining armor that glistened in the sunshine, and coats made from the richest fabrics, was a single man who stood out among them, or rather to some, didn't stand out at all.
He was young man, with little riches or fame to his name; 'Llwarth'.
He was very poor, even for being a knight; his mail was that of the cheapest rings, large and rusty, and not even riveted. His stout boots were his only form of protection for his legs, and his surcoat old and tattered, what was once white now grey and stained, full of holes. His sword was barely long enough to be labelled a blade, hacked and blunt from use with little repair in it's history. His dagger made from a butcher's knife and even his shield is basic, a simple wooden shield, round, and more than once was it the butt end of joke about being stolen from the top of a barrel. His steed was not that of a proud and large animal whose charge can trample over any foe unlucky to be in it's path, but a small Ponyta who always stayed by his side.
No, to the other knights he was not a true knight to them but a laughing stock; they openly derided him, making yolks of his form, of his rotten armor, his helmet, that makes him "Look like he's wearing a cooking pot.", or that he's just a peasant's son who got made a knight by mistake.
But despite all the chiding and badgering that befell this knight he took it all in stride, as he had something the others didn't: True honour.
Unlike the richer knights Llwarth never boasted of his deeds, as he was a humble man. He was a Knight Errant, traveling the land, helping out those in need, not for a reward or for the tales to be sung about him. He had expected nothing in return and would rather not gain anything either, he desired no spoils nor any debts for his actions.
His legend is said to begin one night, as he and his steed rested themselves upon a grassy meadow of flowers under the bright stars, the air cold but not chilling and the plain soft as the two closed their eyes as they let sleep take them.
But, to the knights surprise, he was awoken from his slumber by the sound of laughter, and the faintest sound of music; flutes he had never heard the like of, and harp and lyre music so sweet it could bring tears to the eyes. Llwarth sat up and stared in awe at a long line of Pokemon, glittering and glowing in the moonlight, and the knight knew all too well what they were, such myths he never knew they were true until now.
They were Trooping Faeries, Pokemon who would ride through the land, singing songs and sowing magic, and at the head of this long line of beautiful beings was creature known as a Gardevoir; who seemed to glow in a way he had never seen, and while all the Pokemon seemingly sang the same verse, it was the voice of the Gardevoir that enriched his attention the most, as she sang in the most gentle and flowing voice he had ever heard:
"From grass bright, and blacken light
Come, sweet companions, come
The moon full shines, the sun declines
We'll spend the night in fun;
With playful mirth, we'll trip the earth
To meadows green let's go.
We're full of joy, without alloy
That mortals may not know."
Only after the verse ended did the Gardevoir notice the human staring in awe at them, and more so, her particularly. Her ruby eyes settled on him, and she asked, in the most calming tone, asked the knight why he was there.
Llwarth, realizing he was being talked to, quickly bowed down to her, and the rest, and bade them a comfortable evening, stating he was merely resting, and apologized for disturbing the group. The Gardevoir tittered, a sound like tiny, tinkling bells of finest silver.
Unknown to the human, however, was that the Gardevoir by him could see into the human's core like one sees through glass, and she let a small smile appear on her face as she took a liking to the human's pure heart.
Without a second thought she walked up to him, as tall as he was, and offered her hand, and asked if he would walk with them, alongside herself. The other's in the Troop were shocked by her sudden welcoming of this stranger, but then they seemed pleased, singing new songs of delight at the invitation of the human.
Thus it is here that the human met the Queen of Anwyn; the leader of a realm spoken of in legend as the House of the Fair Folk, said to have been made by Arceus itself.
As they walked alongside, the knight's steed trawling behind, with the Queen, taking an interest in this human, asked the man of his deeds.
Llwarth humbly related a few, stating a few of his deeds, and though while he simply told of his adventures as nothing more than some tales of his work, unknown to him the Queen could see from his heart and mind the deeper truths: He carried water on a yoke for a poor widow, he cut wood for an old man to weak to do it himself, he protected a woman and her child from thieves.
She sees he rarely fights, and even then, only against the most cruel and vile of this world. The Queen was so sweet, wise and understanding, finding herself drawn to this human of a pure heart.
The knight was also drawn into the company of the Queen and her subjects. Her kin, while being Pokemon, were very different to the ones he normally sees; they were much taller and differently coloured than their mortal counterparts. He was shocked to see a Charizard that is slim, with a Swanna-like neck and scales almost pink, a Pikachu with white fur, red eyes and ears, and the Faeries ride upon Ponyta, Rapidash and Zebstrika, not with bridles or saddles but blankets for the comfort of their mounts, woven with threads of gold and silver, soft but lovely to the touch.
The instruments they played on were very ancient in design, but also beautiful to look at; lyres of unknown wood inlaid with gold, silver and platinum, harps they seem to play on their own, flutes and bagpipes that sing such sweet melodies they seem to charm nature itself.
But what he was most interest was the Gardevoir that walked alongside him; she towered over him quite easily, her body was noticeably thicker as well, more human even, her hair didn't stay in bundles but flowed down past her shoulders even past her horn, and her gown was not the usual white but a breath of light cream and yellow and ending in the most complex lace pattern he's ever seen, she walked across the plain with grace, each step she took made it look more like she was floating forward, and laced upon her head was a crown of flowers, of roses, orchids and tulips, and a single Gazania topped it all off hanging by the back. She was the image of pure beauty.
The Queen knew he was paying more attention to her than the way forward, but she didn't mind this at all. If anything, the Queen found it flattering that a human had taken an interest in her. Not seeing has as simply odd, or even something to gaunt around like a collector but it seemed the knight just liked to talk with the Gardevoir, and with smile embracing her lips she asked him for more tales of his adventures, of what stories the human could share to herself and her subjects.
And although to their dismay it was inevitable that the human had to part as the Queen and her companions had to return to Anwyn, and he too had to stay in his own world.
Despite this, neither argued against it, as both knew it would have to happen. However, the Queen had spoken up, and asked the knight if he ever wanted to, she would be more than glad to meet up with him again; she wanted to hear more of the man's feats, but moreso, she just wanted to have a man like him walking by her side.
With a huge smile Llwarth immediately accepts this, as he too wished to meet up with her and her kind again. All the Queen asked in return is for him to never speak of her, or her people, to other mortals, to protect her subjects. Without any hesitation did the knight agreed to her demands, even knowing it was no small thing to ask; as the idea of one not only meeting the Queen of a legendary realm, but happily becoming friends with one could lead to nothing short of fame and riches to those seeking answers.
But the knight cared not of these things, he only cared for the Queen and her people.
And saying one final word, did the Queen leave with a "Denda.", her kind trawling behind as they walked through a forest, and within a matter of seconds was the night air quiet and full of peace, leaving only his Ponyta by his side.
The man was now said they were alone, as true to his word he would meet her again, and never speak of his encounters to anyone, as the human kept to his oaths.
And true to his word he kept, as every night the human and his steed waited upon the meadow for the residents of Anwyn to appear, resting on the flowers until he could see them again, and true the Queen's own word did she come to him in the same meadow, her people singing songs of praise and love as they walked together.
And while the Queen loved to hear the tales of the knight, Llwarth had a number of questions for the Gardevoir herself, many about the lives of her and her people, of how they were able to create such beautiful instruments and music, or such illustrious and incredible clothing and fabric.
One such question, even though he himself felt he may have been crossing the line, was of the tales of her kind snatching up human children. The Queen did not feel insulted by such a question, and actually giggled, but not unkindly, as she said, to his surprise, that the tales were true.
Though she quickly told him the reason why: her people only take children whose parents are cruel to them, and the Changeling they leave gives them trouble as punishment. A Shift takes the place and wrecks havoc on the lives of those who see it fit to abuse or neglect their own flesh and blood. She told of him of one such particular tale of a boy who helped one of her people, and they rewarded him with gold coins, so long as he not tell where they come from. However, his parents though he stole the money, and to the Queen's own disgust they beat him until he told the secret. This angered her kid greatly. Since the boy was not at fault, her kind took him, and left a Shift who gave the parents awful trouble, and their farm and crops failed every year after.
Llwarth asked her why the Faeries would trouble themselves, and to his shock he watched the Gardevoir's expression turned somber as she replies by their nature, they have very few children, and as such they cherish children, all children, dearly. She tells him most of the children they bring to kind mortal parents elsewhere, often those who cannot have children, but a very few, who have a kind heart and a pure spirit, stay, and usually marry into the Faeries, adding new blood.
This was not the only question he had about the tales of the fair folk, and the Queen answered him in earnest, dispelling the lies about her kind, and with the two locked in firm conversation neither realized the many eyes of the other Faeries staring at them, not in dislike or distrust but rather the knowing of the two's ever-growing like for each other, as they could see just how close the two were becoming.
They did not have any disapproval of their relationship, if anything, they took delight in their Queen finding a love to want to be with. Many knew their Queen felt some loneliness being without a spouse for as old as she was, so they were more than joyous of the two as they danced and sing happily. Even the knights own steed could see how close the two were being.
But one night the Queen went to find her human alone in her meadow, but to her confusion it was not where he normally waited for her. The Queen looked around the meadow until she spotted her human, and his sleeping steed, by the edge of the grassland, she quickly runs up to greet him, calling out a delighted "Leydia." to the human.
But Llwarth did not give her a greeting in return, instead to her shock she found him weeping to himself. Without a second thought the Gardevoir quickly hugged him, to his shock, as she bids him into telling what troubles his heart.
He quickly tried to wipe away his tears, it is not right to cry right in front of a lady after all, but the Queen firmly grasped her hands to stop him, not caring for such trivial nonsense as that, rather she felt pain to see him in such a state.
Llwarth told her the story, of a mother's little boy who was very sick. He rode hard for the whole day trying to find a cure, but when he brought it he returned swiftly, only to find the boy died before his return. He buried the child, as he would not allow his mother to bear such a burden.
The Queen was greatly saddened by his heartbreak over this ordeal, she could not bear to think how she would feel if she was in the same case as the mother's, but even so, she let a knowing smile spread on her face, telling the human to meet with her in the meadow again the next night at full moon.
Llwarth did as she requested, coming back to the meadow at midnight the next day, where he spotted the Queen waiting for him there, but not alone, as to his surprise standing next to her is the mother of the boy who was recently lost.
Yet before Llwarth could ask, he suddenly hears the voice of a young boy cry out to his mother. He is shocked to see the boy, the same one who was lost only a day ago come running out of nowhere, almost as if appearing out of a thick fog. Just as the knight was wondering how this could be he hears a powerful male voice speak in a language he has never heard of before. The Queen smiles as she replies in a her tongue, the Fair language. Llwarth watched on as the mother picked up the boy, both glowing with joy, and light. They walked away, the world in front of them seemed to shift, and for just one instant, the man sees where they go:
It was a beautiful garden of glittering flowers and trees, glowing butterflies that seemed made of gems, clouds of soft colours of pinks, violets and oranges cluttered the sky, a forest made from Rowans and Oaks with golden leaves and silvery leaves, and a castle of silvery glass in the distance towering over everything. He saw the Faeries cheering in line greeting the mother and son, and just like that the misty portal was closed shut, as if it never was.
The knight stared at the Queen in awe, as she answered the question before he could even ask of her world is between the realm of Mortals, and that of Death. With Lord Yveltal's permission, those who have died with kindness in their hearts may pass through the Fair Realm, Anwyn. Thus the reason for the name, as Anwyn means 'No-World', for it is neither one thing or another.
She showed him so he knows they are safe and happy. "They are freed from mortal torments. Not hunger, nor disease, nor poverty shall they find. Only love. laughter and kindness. That is my realm."
The Queen let the knight hug her, as his soul now more at ease than he could ever say. He politely asked if there was ever a chance he could visit her realm with her, but the Queen sadly smiles, saying that Mortal and Immortal time are different, and if he ever sets foot within, and returned, there would be no way to tell how much time may have passed.
The Queen would give anything to have him stay in her lands, but she would not dare risk him, for she said she loves him to much to take him from his home.
The human loved her as well, as he says back he loved her too much to ever make him worry, the two only now realizing they both shared their hearts to one another, in complete truth.
Realizing what had been said the Queen asked the knight to follow him, into the woods nearby, filled with Hemlock, where she danced and sang for him, just him, and together they let the night take close to each other in their arms, as the two became one, and there love shown throughout the night. They stayed together like that until Dawn, when she must return home. With one final kiss goodbye, the Gardevoir left the confines of the human's arms as she left for her realm, and the knight left to stay in his.
Neither of them realizing they were being watched…
So it was to the Queen's shock to hear the voice of the Ponyta the next near-noon, the steed of the one she could call her human was screaming out in panic and shock in the meadow, not just to her, but to any of her people for help.
The Queen, alarmed and confused on why the steed was calling for help in the open plain, let her presence became known in the Mortal realm as she appeared before the Ponyta, and asked both why he was howling out for help, but also where his human was.
To her dread, the Pokemon explained it all: Llwarth had been arrested for "Crimes Against Nature", after he was caught showing affection to a Pokemon, the Queen herself. He said another knight, one who was spoiled and rich, had followed where Llwarth went, curious as to where he went every night. He said he found him kissing the Gardevoir before departing. This is what his enemies, the other knights who looked down to the 'Peasant Knight', had been waiting for.
The Ponyta stated that Llwarth had been convicted and sentenced to death this midday on the crossroads. Even the steed himself was captured and locked up for 'evidence', but thankfully he was able to escape and ran to the only person who could help, the Queen, and the only place he knew where to find her.
Without a second thought the Queen yelled and gathered up her finest knights and flee to find her human.
The Ponyta led them to the crossroads and to her horror, she found her human in an almost deathly state:
He had been beaten, stripped, dragged, and then nailed to a wooden post; his hands nailed together over his head, his feet pulled tight and nailed together. His once dark and curly hair now tattered and ripped, and his tanned skin fill of bruises and cuts. He was barely awake, his eyes half-lidded, and it seemed he couldn't even tell the Queen had come for him. He had been left here for an example to others.
He wasn't alone, though, a few miscreant boys throwing stones and fruit at the already damaged knight. However, the moment they noticed the group of Faeries and the near void face of their Queen, they fled in fear, the Gardevoir uttered out a "Shathey" to all those who hurt her human.
The Queen rushed up to the post and began to tie him loose, pulling out the nails with her bare hands, not caring about the blood getting on her as she cradled his head in her knees and wept.
It was said the the scream of anguish she let out that day could be heard for miles, as her voice almost split the skies, many Wild Pokemon who heard the sound ran as far away as they could, escaping into the forest and away from the wrath.
When the knights arrived, returned to finish the job, none of them could take a step forward once the Queen who looked up away from her human and to them; it was said they trembled at her anger as her eyes glowed the color of blood, and as a knight dared to unsheathe his sword the Queen reacted immediately and set him fire from the inside out, steam rises out from is armor as he was cooked alive, screaming, and within seconds laid limp on the floor, as all the others could was watch in terror.
By the crescent moon, the Queen declared her Curse:
"For what had been done, I curse this land, and all humans within, may it turn to sand. No plants shall grow, nor water shall flow. The suns shall burn, and the hills become ash, and may it forever turn. From this day, no human town shall ever prosper here, for this curse is proclaimed by this seer."
The other knights could nothing but tremble as the Queen picked up Llwarth in her arms, and with a signal, she and her knights left, along with all the Pokemon in the realm, the Queen letting out a "Bali" towards her human.
The Queen took him back to her realm, to Anwyn, where, it is said he was healed, and became her King, whom she loves to this day.
The mortal kingdom is said to still exist even today, but now it;s nothing but a wasteland, a desert, where it is said to be cursed, and not even the most hardy of Pokemon live there. The remains of the castle and towns can be seen among the shifting sand dunes, but no water flows, no plants of any kind grow, though a sparse amount of skeletal trees can still be seen, a reminder of what once was.
The End.
The grandfather closed his book as some of the children looked in awe, a few other looked ready to go to sleep.
"Is this story true?" One girl asked skeptically.
The old man chuckles as he replies. "It most certainly is, my dear. And I know, because I learned it from the King and Queen when I was a young boy. Not only that, if you're in the right place, at the right time, you could even see them, dancing in that meadow of flowers and grass."
He heathed himself off the chair, urging the children to get to bed now it's past their bedtime, many of the kids talking of how they'd want to go to the meadow, to meet the King and Queen.
The grandpa takes a good look outside the window, smiling as he placed the book back into its respective place on the shelf.
And over that meadow that detailed by that story, if one was there, they could see both Queen and Llwarth, dancing, laughing, smiling, twinkling in and out between worlds by the light of the moon. The book that old man read, old and dirty as it was, still bore the name of that tale:
Queen Of The Faeries
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