Chapter 10

"The Spring Fairy Festival"

Arianna slowly moved to a small dimly lit spot behind another white tent where she could see all that was going on in the festival and where no one could notice her at the same time. As she watched the people moving closer and closer to the gigantic rainbow tent, she suddenly felt the strange nervous sensations growing in the pit of her stomach and she fidgeted fretfully with her bow. The moment she had been dreaming, wishing and preparing for was just an arm's length away from her but she was starting have second thoughts about it all. Hollin's words finally dawned on her and she berated herself for not listening to him closely, yet somehow, she found confidence in her own words. She was in too far to back out now. If all turns out terribly, the only option she could think of was to run away, bid farewell to her grandfather and live the rest of her life as an outcast. The thought of fleeing and living a life of a criminal no longer excited Arianna and she was feeling the weight of her actions bear down on her heart. But she had no other choice, this was the path she chose and she would have to take it, no matter what could happen.

The chimes tinkled again, the musicians stopped playing and the large gathering hushed their voices into murmurs and whispers and then silence. A large man dressed so comically in what looked to be a jester's costume stepped unto the large long wooden platform before the even larger tent, and Arianna recognized him as the town's head.

"My dear fellow Vasdenians! We are greatly blessed this clear spring night! For it is on this night, that our noble, magnificent, royal lords and ladies from the magical East celebrates with us here in Vasdenin!"

The crowd cheered and applauded wildly.

"Now, I have with me, a few significant reminders just before the festival commences and here there are…" the town head unrolls a long scroll, which he had taken from the insides of his costume and began to read.

"First of all, no one is permitted to spend the night here on the festival grounds, it does not matter how utterly drunk you are, you must contain yourself and head home directly. Secondly, all meals and other food portions are to be taken in the dining tent, which as you can see is that large red one to the left where a large number of benches and blankets are set up and–"

The audience, it seemed, were not amused with all the ranting their town head was making. Some groaned, others frowned, while many grumbled and shouted curses. As the crowd grew more restless and irritated, the town head started sweating nervously but continued his rule reading.

He cleared his throat and continued shakily, "No one is allowed in the forests during or after the festival. We will also not tolerate any form of cheating during the competitions. There will be no fighting or brawl making on the course of this festival and—"

The large assembly grew even the more frustrated and began hurling objects at the town head, who was shaking like a mad dog, tried to proceed.

Then suddenly, from inside the tent, they all heard a gentle amusing laugh that sounded as soft as bells but loud enough to be heard by everyone. The crowd became silent as they stared in awe at the small bright glowing lights, similar to large fireflies that emerged from the tent and spiraled rapidly through the crowd and around the tent. Then, the glowing balls started to multiply as more came into view from the insides of the colorful marquee.

Arianna gasped as a few of the lights whisked past by her and she was sure that she heard many small giggles as they did. Their bright glow nearly gave her away and she lowered herself to the ground to hide herself. But then, a small glow suddenly rested at the top of her knee and Arianna froze when it did. She squinted carefully at the glow and realized it was not just any ball of light or firefly. It was a small being with bright wings and Arianna's vision changed, she looked around and no longer saw the lights but she saw the creatures themselves flitting about here and there. Before her eyes, the little one that sat on her knee flew to the level of her eyes and it giggled shyly. Arianna looked curiously at it and to her surprise and amazement, it bowed to her and kissed the tip of her nose before it dashed away. Arianna blinked and slowly raised her self up to see what was going on.

A group of the lights settled above the stage and everyone turned their eyes back towards the stage. In a bright flash of white light, the glowing lights disappeared and standing in their place were tall lords and ladies who shone as brilliant as the day. They were all clothed similarly, in light pastel colored silk that seemed to be woven from fine petals and aromatic leaves that glittered with crystal dew. Embedded within the long blonde locks of the ladies were a variety of blooming flora and the lords wore a thin silver circlet on their white blonde heads. Their long silver wings fell slowly to their backside and were hidden from view. The Vasdenians stared, entranced at not only their mystical clothing and features but also at their magnificent incomparable beauty.

The king and queen fairies were by far the most beautiful of them all and they were easily distinguished from their sons and daughters as well as their servants by the way they held their heads and looked around with a commanding aura. Their clothes differed as well, since it emitted a far brighter glow and a cape draped over their backs to cover their wings. The king wore a golden crown adorned with emeralds, rubies and other precious gems and the queen had her own diamond crown embellished with crystals and pearls.

The sweet laughter the townsfolk heard earlier belonged to the queen, who had laughed yet again, "By the mystical river Gordian, you mortals certainly are a funny folk! I've never heard such a preposterous notion of having such rules at a festival! Oh, my lord, you were most certainly just in convincing me to celebrate our festival here with the mortals."

The king smiled amusingly at his queen and said softly, "Did I not say so, my queen?"

It took a moment for Arianna to realize that the fairies were slightly hovering above the platform as they talked and giggled enthusiastically.

"My lord! My lady!" the town head stuttered as he knelt on the ground. The crowd quickly followed suit and soon the entire assembly were bowing their heads low to the ground.

This time, it was a younger female fairy whose long golden hair was adorned with lavender and pink petals, who laughed with a soft twinkling voice, "Mother! Is this how mortals show how pleased they are to see us! How queer, bowing like toads!"

"Now, now Ariel. You must not judge them that way; mortals are not as knowledgeable as we are and most certainly not as reputable. But once you get to know them quite better, they are truly surprisingly talented creatures." The king answered.

The princess, then set a foot on the platform and stepped down to the ground. Suddenly, the earth beneath her feet vibrated with life and from her feet bright green grass and long vines bearing silver buds grew and spread all around.

The nearest villagers to her gasped with shock and backed away.

Ariel laughed, "Fear not, fellow mortals. The breath of life you see is a gift all fairies are possessed with and we bring life to everything that needs life such as this party!"

With a clear laugh that rang as loud and as sweet as chime bells, she took from the insides of her floral gown a handful of glittering powder and tossed it into the air. Soon a strange silvery mist enveloped the town and as Arianna breathed in the mist, she felt a sudden relief of comfort and happiness. When the mist had evaporated, everyone was feeling a slight more cheerful and jollier than before and no longer feared their strange mystical guests. In a few moments everyone was laughing gaily and chattering with excitement. The fairies were beside themselves with laughter as well and the tiny glows were zooming here and there at lightning speed even the town head was smiling, though rather crookedly, his jingling hat askew.

"Oh Ariel. Your gift of joy has indeed surpassed far beyond our expectations. We thank you, daughter. Now, my good man, may we all proceed with the merrymaking straight away? I believe you have a few surprises in store for us tonight?" the king of the fairies said rather amusingly to the town head.

"Oh… Yes! Yes! Indeed! Of course! Let the festival BEGIN!" the town head announced and the crowd cheered as the band of musicians started to play a light yet playful song.

As the festival began, Arianna went off and bought some food, which consisted of a tiny slice from a mutton leg, a small portion of wheat bread and a small cup filled with ale from a food tent nearby. She felt the weight of her moneybag lighten and she reminded herself not to rashly spend all the gold at once. She brought her food back into her hiding place where she hurriedly gobbled down as she warily watched the people pass by, wondering when the archery tournament would begin. Well, I believe I won't have to wait too long; it might begin after their feast.

And sure enough, when the occupants of the long table had wiped clean their platters and were only requesting more wine for the guests, a man who Arianna recognized as Lord Freso's assistant stepped up before the platform and requested for silence.

"Honorable guests, enchanted lords and ladies from the east, and our highly respectable officials from the Northern Lands. We, the humble town folk of Vasdenin, would like to graciously present a small token of our gratitude for your esteemed presence here tonight at our Spring Fairy Festival. So, without much ado… Great Hunters, bring forth the present before our noble lords and ladies."

Four burly men came out from behind the great tent, bearing laboriously a large square object concealed underneath a bulky purple sheet. Arianna eyed it curiously; somehow she seemed to know what was underneath that large sheet. The men carefully set their load on the ground and panted heavily as they finally relieved themselves from their burden.

The hunter, Bracker, stepped forward and cleared his throat, "Your Immortal Majesties, it is a great honor to not only stand before your esteemed presence but to also present to you this token of gratitude, which I might add, I handpicked myself."

With a smug smile on his lips, he gestured to the large men to uncover the mysterious present.

There were loud gasps and sighs of awe as the coverlet was pulled down revealing an enormous golden bird that gleamed brilliantly in the night. It's small ruby eyes flashing as it ruffled its wings quite inelegantly sending sparks of gold flying through the air, it was obviously in a rather foul mood after being snatched rather nastily from a tree it had been resting on and shoved into a cold steel cage. But when it seemed to realize that it was once again the center of attention and its audience was more than just the average mortals, it settled down quietly, opened its small beak and began to sing a slow mournful song. Nearly every creature within a short distance from the Festival grounds were moved by the bird's song and once it had finished its song, Bracker cleared his throat again, and said rather shakily,

"My lords and ladies, I present to you the enchanted, mythical Golden Phoenix of the Northern Lands!"

Silence followed after this since the crowd was still reeling with the aftermath of the phoenix's song and were not quite sure whether to applaud or weep.

Arianna seemed to notice that the fairies were hardly pleased at all. The king frowned and gazed at the creature with severity while the queen's face was emotionless and strangely blank.

Just then, the silence was broken by a tinkling laugh rose above the hush of the festival.

"Oh you mortals! You truly are the gods most fascinating creations!" The fairy princess Ariel tittered.

"Ariel, be silent." the king commanded softly but sternly.

But his daughter chose to ignore him as she continued, "Clearly, you mortals know nothing of the ancient magical beasts of lore. Surely, any creature, whether a mortal or mystical being, who is clever and knowledgeable in that certain field would instantly distinguish by ear or by the sight, the descriptive features of an all powerful golden phoenix and a silly songbird, the golden nightingale."

Hushed whispers and murmurs resounded from the audience.

"The princess is right, that indeed is no phoenix." A crackly old voice declared from the crowd. Everyone turned to see who had spoken and found it was no other than Miki, the old town storyteller.

The bent old man stepped forward, leaning heavily on his short wooden cane. Bowing respectfully in front of the fairies and the other noblemen, he started to explain, "The Golden Phoenix is the most highly respectable, most powerful as well as the world's most magical creature of all time. A bird that never dies but bursts into red fiery flames and resurrects every century. Most widely known for its ability to heal, an extraordinary valuable ally in battle and a symbol of good luck and fortune. It is said that those who are found favorable by this marvelous creature will be given such wealth and glory beyond imagination... It is said—"

"Oh, in the gods' glorious name! We all know about the legend of the Golden Phoenix! What we all impatiently want to know is how and why this bloody bird is NOT the Golden Phoenix!" Bracken burst out furiously, his face a bright shade of red. It was obvious that the incident has shaken him up more than everyone else present.

Miki looked flustered after being so rudely interrupted by the young hunter but he cleared his throat and continued rather irritably, "Well, then, if you all are as uncivilized as this man then I might as well get straight to my point. This bird is NOT a Golden Phoenix because golden creatures, bird or beast no longer exist in this world anymore. But I have no inkling why and how this bird happens to be here. It's a nightingale as you can see because phoenixes have not only gold feathers but also silver and red ones and this bird is only plain gold. Also this bird's beak is elongated and long while phoenixes beaks are short and slightly curved. And lastly, phoenix songs are deadly to anyone who hears them. It only sings when it feels threatened or is incredibly angry. Since nightingales songs only lull people to sleep, and this bird has obviously been singing all day, I feel obliged to ask if anyone HAD died recently!"

The crowd was stunned since it was the first time they heard the storyteller speaking in such a harsh manner

Miki grumbled angrily to himself as he walked away, leaving a still very speechless and even more bewildered audience. What a queer, unusual night they were having on such a joyous occasion!

"Now would you kindly send the bird away and carry on with the festival." The king announced gravely though it was evident he was far from wanting to return to a festive mood.

Wiping his brow shakily with a small white cloth, the town head muttered nervously, "R-Right… A-archery contest…. M-men… get to it, get to it. By gods! By the gods! This will s-surely be the death of me!"

He signaled to the men standing close by. The townsfolk dispersed once more, most of them calling for more pints of ale. Vasdenians were known for being people who are easily surprised but they immediately found ways in easing their distress in such a smooth manner that before long they would act as if nothing startling had happened at all and that was how the town folk were behaving. As they should be after hearing that horrendous phoenix-nightingale confusion, which was obviously very disturbing.

Arianna came out of her hiding place, and watched as the men set up the archery ground. But then a small-unobserved scene was happening at the fairy's side of the table. The king signaled to his queen as well as his children. After a brief exchange of words, Arianna saw now that nearly all the fairies bore a grim and worried look on their faces. Arianna wondered what was happening; she then glanced at the nightingale's cage. Two men were trying to pry the cage open, apparently wanting to set the bird free. But they were unaware of a few golden lights circling it and the nightingale was emitting shrieks of horror. The lights flitted rapidly to the table and gathered around the fairy king. He nodded as if confirming something and then he shook his head sadly, when he looked up, he was staring directly into Arianna's eyes and Arianna knew that he knew who she really was and Arianna felt that something terrible was about to happen.