Chapter Three- The Aid
Jerry was worried that the aid wasn't coming. It had been a week and people were dying of starvation. Jerry's wife was fast asleep beside him, she was pregnant with their first child. Jerry couldn't sleep that night, he couldn't stop thinking about the future. Was there a bright future for his child here? Would they even stand a chance if they went back to their home? As the night went on, he starred at the light seeping through the door of his tent. The conversation he had with Heather the Violet fairy haunted him as he had tried to sleep. Surely that wasn't the general consensus amongst fairies?
The history of how Jack Frost had attained power was complicated. Corruption was rampant in the parliament of the Goblin Kingdom. The history of his reign was tangled in various economic and social movements. It was hard to decipher whose fault it was for Frost's reign, but Jerry knew one thing. No one had asked or voted for Jack Frost's rule. No one had asked for famine. No one asked for war.
He continued to ask questions to himself about the future as he watched the moonlight melt into the light of the dawning sun.
Just as the birds began to chirp a shadow appeared in front of his tent.
"Excuse me Jerry," It was one of the elders of the community. "Are you awake?"
"Yes," He whispered.
"Aid has just arrived." The elder said in a low voice. "I think you better see what they've given us before everyone else wakes up."
"Okay," Jerry mumbled. He got up slowly so he didn't wake his wife.
He followed the elder to the edge of the camp. There he found three carts loaded with crates. The carts pulled by rainbow unicorns driven by Ruby the Red fairy, Crystal the Snow fairy and Jasmine the Present fairy. The three fairies dismounted their steeds and approached Jerry.
"Are you Jerry?" asked Jasmine.
"This is it!" He said shrilly, trying to swallow his anger. "These three carts for thousands of people."
"It's what the King wanted," the Red Fairy said.
"Is there more?" He asked.
"Nope." Ruby frowned. "And by the sounds of it, not for another month."
Jerry fell to his knees. This wasn't aid. His child was due in weeks. This food was not even going to last an hour. It took a while to collect himself.
"Thank you," He said to the Red Fairy. "Please tell the King and Queen that we are thankful but will need more food and medicine very soon."
"Sure I guess," Ruby shrugged and all the fairies returned to disconnect the carts from their horses.
"Know this Goblin," Crystal the snow fairy called mounting her horse. "You are not welcomed here."
"Crystal!" Ruby the Red fairy hissed. "Be diplomatic!"
"Diplomatic my ass." snapped Crystal, she shrugged and rode off. Ruby mounted her horse and began slowly making her way out of the camp, muttering under her breath. Jasmine started to fiddle with her horse saddle, she hissed for Jerry to come closer.
Jerry came to the horse and began stroking its neck.
"I didn't tell you this alright," Jasmine the Present fairy whispered. "But there are wild berries that grow in the enchanted forest west from here. They are pink and grow on a bush with heart shaped leaf, the leaves boiled are a cure for ammonia, there is also good mushrooms and fungi around this time of year. No one has harvest them in years, you could probably fill a couple of carts worth of food."
"Why?" murmured Jerry.
"The Prince owns that land." Jasmine muttered, watching Ruby to check if she had noticed Jasmine stalling. "One step on his land is a death sentence. But if you're desperate…"
Jasmine mounted her horse. Jerry stepped back.
"Thank you," He said.
"You heard nothing from me," Jasmine said, then galloped hastily ahead to catch up with her fellow fairies.
Jerry with this new-found knowledge was neither particularly happy or relieved, dread still stirred in his chest. He was short of options, the most promising thing he could do for his people was get as much food as possible but to stand on the prince's land was to stand on the line between survival and a war between the Goblins and Fairies.
