An: So, I was looking randomly at those prompt journals and sketchbooks and saw one that said write about the seasons. I wanted to think of a fairy story, and thought of one while looking at some large pine trees. So, here's the result, enjoy.
Birth of the Evergreen
Once upon a time, at the early age of the faire folk, the world was divided among the different seasons. In the time when the earth was in spring and summer, the fairies would bring out a time of plenty and happiness. Opposing to them were the faire folk that brought the winter, and caused the trees, flowers, and animals to rest until spring was able to come again. The fairies that worked in the spring did not like all their hard work becoming brown, dry, and dead, and that they had to start all over again. They ended up calling the fairies that made the winter Spriggans, or hideous fairy. These spriggans hated how their work was not appreciated, and how their work was what gave nature a chance to rest. Therefore, for a great number of years, the fairies and the spriggans were at odds with one another.
Each side tried to best one another with their skills. The fairies tried each year to make their flowers and trees more and more beautiful. They made sure that all their flowers had the sweetest fragrances, to lure the bees, and make the finest honey. They made sure that their trees were full and bountiful for the best fruits and nuts. Many of the animals were content to have such providable forests. The birds were happy to build their nests in the green leaved branches, and many other animals lived around the blooms and high grass.
Then when it became time for the spriggans to begin their work, it was quite a change for every living thing in the forests. While the magic of the spriggans left time for the final harvests, the days became shorter and colder. All the creatures had to consume whatever food they could salvage, some stored it away. All the birds flew away to warmer areas to survive. Each day grew colder and colder, and the spriggans changed the colors of the leaves on all the trees. Each of the green leaves faded into reds and yellows until the cold caused them to turn brown and fall from the branches. The spriggans caused great gusts of wind to shake the leaves down and blanket the forest floor that no longer bore grass or flowers. Some of the spriggans caused a spell that made most of the animals to sleep throughout the cold, their magic even caused the plants to sleep so they could be ready to bloom for the fairies.
Then finally the spriggans began their best work. They spread the cold further and further until the rivers and streams were frozen. The rain slowed down to create snowflakes and caused a great cover of white over the forests. Ice and snow spread from far and wide, creating a forest that was still and quiet. Each spriggan made the snowflakes by hand, making each one different, and would often have fun playing among the ice. Yet despite all the beauty they created, they could never gain the admiration of the fairies. The two faire folks became at such great odds until they became different kingdoms, both with their own king and queen. Even some of the animals had chosen a side between the two.
The king of the fairies was strong and wise and would work each year to make the season of spring greater than the last. One of his proudest accomplishments was the seasonal wine made by his faire folk. Many of the fairies worked with the bees and other creatures to gather honey and grapes to make the sweetest wines and mead. Only the best was brought to the king to serve. The fairy that brought the prize-winning wine was granted the special position of first rising of the spring. That fairy would be responsible for the magic that awoken all the creatures and plant life in the forest. While this was a great honor every year, the fairies could not accept when the season would end past the summer and into the fall, forcing all their work to begin again. The King of the Fairies understood the unhappiness of his people, wishing that their joy would continue forever. However, he respected the task of the Spriggan Queen's people and granted her the half of the year for them to work their craft.
The Spriggan Queen was much similar to the king. The difference with her people was that while the fairies helped the flowers bloom and created hearty fruits, The spriggans worked to preserve the seeds under the snow. When the snow melted, seeds were nourished and ready for spring. As for the animals, the spriggans would help them sleep through the winter until there was plenty of food in the forest again. The queen would assign a spriggan that created the best dreams to spread their magic over the land to give the creatures plenty of rest. That same spriggan would also be granted the honor of spreading the first frost of the winter, spreading the beauty of the ice and snowflakes.
Despite the ugly view of their creativity, the spriggans saw beauty in the work of the fairies, and often expressed their own. Sometimes anger had spread to both sides, making some of the seasons harsher than they could have been. The fairies brought heavy spring rains that turned to floods, and many animals wouldn't have enough food in time for the winter. Then the spriggans would create heavy blizzards that the fairies could not protect themselves in. Often the king and queen had to intervene between their people if not argue amongst themselves and repeat the cycle to the next year.
One year the fairies were making the final preparation of the last wine of the season. The fairy that won the king's favor was a green fairy named Oren, and he made a fine mead from the honey of his own bees. Oren was all too eager to present his fine work to the King.
"Young Oren, you have brought the very taste of the forest with this brew." the King praised.
Oren puffed out his little chest in pride. "Thank you, my lord. I made certain that the bees gathered nectar from the sweetest flowers to make the best honey for the mead."
"We shall have a fine celebration before the coming winter. And then when spring comes again, you shall spread the magic of life."
"It is a great honor, sire." Oren bowed and stepped away to join the rest of the fairies.
"Rejoice my people and enjoy the end of this season." the king addressed his subjects.
"Why must the season end at all?" one of the fairies called out. "Those awful spriggans have to ruin everything we worked so hard to create."
The Fairy King spoke out, "We all perform our part of the forests, now the spriggans and their queen must do theirs."
"But all they do is destroy!" some of the fairies began to shout angry words until the king call out above everyone.
"ENOUGH!" his voice thundered through the land. "There is still work to be done before the first frost. Once our feast is concluded we must make sure all the plants and animals are ready for the long winter's sleep."
The fairies obeyed their king and continued to prepare for the feast. The only one that was reluctant for the grand celebration was Oren. With the mead brewed and ready to serve, his work was done for the time being. Now he wanted to go out into the forest, to see what remained of the fairies work before it would all be gone.
Flying over the flower fields, and through the great oaks, he followed the river to his own private spot by a peach tree. There he enjoyed spending time with the small creatures like frogs and lizards. Because of his wings, frogs would mistake him for an insect, and try to catch him. But it was easy for him to evade them. Then he would rest on one of the lily pads, watching the birds flying over him heading south.
Much like the other fairies, Oren never saw much joy in the coming of winter. Though he had never before seen a spriggan, he imagined they weren't very pleasing creatures. How could anything so cold and lifeless be considered beautiful? He wondered this for a while, and nearly dosed into a gentle sleep under the sun, until he heard something across the stream.
Looking ahead he saw another fairy, but this was unlike any fairy he had seen before. While most fairies had bright colors, to match the trees and flowers, this one was different in more ways than color. She had long dark hair and wore a dress that was the color of thunder clouds and sparkled like lightning ran through it. Then her wings did not have the iridescent shine like his but was clear like a dew drop. She was a very beautiful fairy, and Oren wondered why she was not at the feast with the others. He watched her for a moment and saw that she was taking something off the ground. Some kind of pebble perhaps. Whatever it was, she spread some of her magic on it, placed it into the ground, and then searched around for another strange pebble. Curiosity got the better of him, and he flew over to greet the strange fairy.
"Hello, there." he greeted politely.
The lady fairy was so startled by the sudden voice, that she dropped what she was carrying, and quickly turned around to face Oren. She was even more lovely up close, despite having no bright colors. However, she did not reply to him, and flew up and away into the peach tree.
"Wait, don't be afraid." Oren called out and flew up to he slowly. "I mean you no harm. I'm sorry, I did not mean to scare you."
"Keep away from me, fairy!" she shouted back.
Oren dared not risk frightening her away further, so he looked down to what she dropped on the ground. His first assumption had been incorrect, the item was not a pebble. It looked more like a strange piece of wood, like the centers of certain fruits that he and other fairies just discarded, seeing no use for them. He wondered what sort of use the lovely girl had for it. When he went to pick it up, he heard her cry out.
"Keep away from that!"
"What do you need this useless fruit remains for?" he asked.
Forgetting about her fear, she dropped herself down to face him, and pulled the object from his hands, "This seed isn't useless! It's a new life!" she glared at him.
"A seed?" Oren was not familiar with the word.
"Yes, I have to plant the seeds so they will grow into more trees." she explained, caressing the precious item in her hands.
"I've never heard of such a task given to a fairy." he said.
"I am not a fairy! I'm a spriggan!" she shouted as if insulted.
"A spriggan!" Oren was so shocked; he flew back in disbelief.
In all his days, he never expected a spriggan, the hated enemy of the fairies, to be so lovely, or for it have a giving nature for plants. All other fairies described them as creatures that destroyed what was created. But taking care of something called a seed seemed like the opposite. He wanted to know more. He did not want her to leave just yet.
"Wait, I never knew that a seed made new plants." he commented.
"Of course, did you think that the flowers you grew from the earth came from nothing?" she replied. Honestly, he did think that.
"But if you are a spriggan and you create something so wonderous, why must you destroy it when winter comes?" he countered.
"We do not destroy it. All things must sleep, so we give them rest." she answered. "And unlike our kind, nothing is forever. Life must come to an end to begin anew."
This was far beyond all he had known. "Please, tell me more, as well as your name."
"My name is Pinja, and if you truly wish to understand the spriggans, fairy, you will tell me yours."
"I am Oren."
The fairy and the spriggan talked well into the night. Oren shared his duties of collecting nectar from the flowers, and about caring for his beloved bees. Pinja was very interested in the trees and flowers because many of the fairies discouraged the spriggans from coming near their precious meadows.
"I've always wanted to see the first days of spring, but when all the creatures are awoken, we are told to return to the mountains until our queen tells us it's time for fall." Pinja sighed.
"It truly is magnificent, and everyone gets to enjoy a bountiful feast. We also bring out the result of our hard work to the king." Oren replied. "I was actually the one chosen to bring back spring when the next season comes."
"That is quite an honor. When I finish my task planting the seeds, all the spriggans must gather to create their snowflakes, and release them all over the land."
"I would like to see that, but the king orders all fairies to rest through the winter." said Oren.
"You have never seen a winter?" Pinja asked.
"None of the fairies wish to see the flowers and trees die away after working so hard on them." he answered.
"Perhaps I can show you what the winter is truly like." she suggested.
Oren was all too glad to agree. "That would be grand, and I could show you what spring is like. We can hide away while the fairies and spriggans finish their appointed tasks, and then rest for the turning season."
So, it was agreed, the spriggan and the fairy met in secret after their jobs were completed. They chose an old dead tree to hide in so neither would be spotted outside of their season. When the fairies gathered the last of the food and nectar and made sure the animals were safe in their caves and burrows, they settled in their own homes nestled underground or in the trees. Oren slipped away at dusk to meet Pinja.
He found her holding a bag of strange shining dust, and slowly spreading it around the earth. She dusted some of the areas that Oren knew she placed seeds at. Then when she was done, she went up to meet him with a big smile.
"Hello, Oren." she greeted.
"Hello, Pinja."
"Winter will begin soon, and the lost leaves will cover the earth. Then the remaining creatures will be asleep."
"What will you do then?" he asked.
"I will keep granting dreams to the creatures." Pinja answered.
The thought of dreams being given by the spriggans made the young fairy wonder. "Tell me, what do you dream about?"
"I would like to see what it is like to grow things the way you fairies do." she replied.
It seemed like such a simple dream, one that Oren could not imagine, yet he knew such a thing was beyond the reach of the spriggan. He instantly wanted to grant her that wish.
"Come next spring, I can reveal to you such a dream." Oren promised.
Once Pinja was finished spreading the magic dust, she led Oren to the dead tree where they could hide and witness the start of winter. All the spriggans gathered together to create a strong wind that would blow away any remaining heat from the earth. Pinja noticed how Oren was shivering from the wind and tried to cover himself up with some of the fallen leaves. With gratitude, he was able to continue watching the spriggans.
Using their magic, the spriggans touched upon every surface of the forest, creating a crystal frost that looked more beautiful than the earliest morning dew. However, nothing was more lovely to Oren than the snowflakes. They were like clear falling flowers, each one a work of art. Pinja explained how every fairy makes their own unique snowflake every time so no two would ever be alike. Such beauty made Oren forget about the cold, as well as any cruel word that was said against the spriggans by the fairies.
When it was time for him to leave, he vowed to return before the first bloom for Pinja to witness it. They made their promise by the same dead tree. Oren placed some of his magic to make a few leaves grow from the branches, and Pinja added her own magic to make the bark harder and more resilient to the cold so the leaves would last longer. This caused the leaves to shrink and turn into strange needle like growths. The fairy and spriggan were confused by the outcome, but it gave a unique marking for them to remember their meeting place.
Oren returned to the fairies and enjoyed his time with his people much like every other winter. However, his mind couldn't help but return to the beauty of the snowflakes, and of Pinja. So, when it was time for the fairies to sleep and wait for spring, Oren dreamed of going back out into the ice and snow, to feel the same things as the spriggans. Sometimes he would let himself wake up to look outside his hole in the earth to see the snow fall.
Then when the eve of spring finally arrived, Oren flew toward the dead tree before the other fairies could awaken. He was pleased to see Pinja waiting for him, but he was also surprised to see how the dead tree had grown taller, and more of the needle like leaves had grown upon it.
"Pinja, what has happened with the tree?" he asked her.
"It was not my doing. I suppose it was the life you gave back to it that helped it grow more." she suggested.
"You had a part in it as well, these strange leaves still grow on it." he commented.
"Perhaps."
"Well, come along then. I did promise that you would see the start of spring, after all." he took her hand, and they both started to fly away.
He led her through the forest and hid her at the base a rock in the middle of a meadow. Then Oren waited for the Fairy King to arrive and grant him the task of starting spring. Oren was all too eager to begin, because Pinja would be watching as well.
Pinja witnessed Oren lead the fairies into clearing the remaining winter clouds to free the sun. The warmth spread all over the meadow, melting the small patches of snow, and giving the earth the small amount of water it needed. Then Oren spread some more magic into the deep soil. There Pinja started to see small green specs emerge from the earth. They grew taller and taller, some oven dubbed end that bloomed into many beautiful flowers of every color. Pinja then looked up to the trees to watch the naked branches full of leaves with all different shapes, some even grew some blossoms. The sweetest fragrances came from the flowers, welcoming the bees and other animals. None of her dreams would have come close to the majesty of what she had witnessed.
When it was over, Oren met up with Pinja again, and led her back to their tree. "Well, spriggan, what did you think of spring?" he asked.
"Oh, it was lovely. I never imagined so many different colors and smells the flowers created. And all the animals rising from their deep slumber. It was a wonder to behold." she answered, her wings fluttering with happiness.
"None of it would be possible without the beauty of your winter. I can see that now."
"If only other fairies would." she hopelessly wished.
"Yes, if only." it was then that Oren noticed something on their tree. "What's that?"
Pinja looked up as well. "I don't know."
It was a strange growth coming off one of the branches. It didn't seem like a flower, though it had what looked like petals in every direction. The feel of the petals was rough and hard, like tree bark. It wasn't a fruit with edible flesh either. Pinja looked closer by taking one of the petals and opening it. Inside was an object that she was more than familiar with, causing her to smile.
"What is it, Pinja?" Oren asked.
"This, my dear fairy, is a seed." she answered. "A seed made by the magic of both the fairy and spriggan."
"Oh, how wonderful. We should plant it and grow more of these trees." he suggested.
"Yes, we shall create a forest of trees that lives through all the seasons, together." They joined hands with their sacred promise to the earth and to each other.
Year after year they would plant more of their tree seeds, and care for the saplings so that the trees would grow tall and strong. The trees withstood the harshest winter from the spriggans, and the most brutal heat from the fairies. Oren and Pinja kept to their duties to the earth, and then returned to their own forest to enjoy each other season. Then after some time it was decided that they would remain in their evergreen forest throughout the year. Only their children knew of the combined magic a spriggan and fairy brought forth.
Their absence, however, did not go unnoticed by the Fairy King and the Spriggan Queen. They each sent out their own scouts to search for their missing subjects. Each search party returned speaking of a strange new forest that emerged between the two kingdoms. So, the King and Queen joined their people to see this strange occurrence. Naturally, one was surprised to see the other.
The King spoke first, "What brings you to this part of the forest, Spriggan Queen?"
"No doubt the same thing as yourself, King of the Fairies. Is this a new creation of your people?" she gestured to the trees.
"Not one I am aware of; they are rather strange though."
Some of the fairies started shouting that maybe the spriggans had done something to harm the trees. Then the spriggans spoke out in anger at such accusations. The fairies started to get violent, giving the spriggans a chance to counter. The King and Queen tried to calm their people, but they wouldn't listen. Both were hurting each other and didn't stop until another voice was heard coming from the trees.
"Please Stop This!" All turned to see the missing fairy and spriggan flying above all of them.
"Oren, you have returned." The King spoke.
"Pinja, where have you been?" the Queen asked.
"I have been here my Queen, building this forest and this life with this fairy." she held Oren's hand.
"As have I, my King." Oren spoke up. "Pinja and I created this forest of evergreen trees so that we may remain here throughout the year to witness each season."
The fairies shouted in defiance how such a thing could not be possible, and the spriggans felt like to be a betrayal to their ways. The yelling continued until the King stepped in again.
"Silence!" he cried out.
Then Pinja spoke up to her Queen. "Majesty, I have seen the beauty of the fairies work, and understand why they hold such value."
"And I have learned that none of it would be possible without the magic of the spriggans. Their dreams help shape our lives. I have shared my life with this spriggan, and know nothing but happiness. We would be more than happy to share their gift with both the kingdoms if they are willing to accept." Oren finished.
The Fairy King and Spriggan Queen were so touched by the love of their subject that they agreed if any of their people wish to be a part of the Evergreen Forest, then so they shall. Some of the fairies and spriggans eagerly wanted to be a part of the joint seasons, while others wished to remain in the divided spring and winter. Each saw the beauty of the seasons by remaining in the trees that withstood the year-round struggle.
The trees were given the name Pine for the creators, who were later given the title King Oren and Queen Pinja of all the faire folk. They ruled together throughout all four seasons granting beauty with each turning and life continued in an ever-growing cycle.
*~*~*Fin*~*~*
