Tales of Neo Studiona

The Twisted Wish

(The tale of Sharama and Flicker)

Chapter 3

Flicker the Fairy of Fate

It was a warm and sunny summer day in the year 450 that I met Flicker, a tiny Fairy of Fate. It was on one of the days that I had worn a loin cloth, which was weird for me since the summer meant no clothes at all, but that day I had crossed paths with some traveling merchants near the river where the road to the east crossed it. The merchants were a family of rabbits and cats that spent most of the week running back and forth between three cities buying, selling, and trading many different items. At the time I met them I had just finished collecting all of the small woodland game I had caught in all of the box traps I had set up.

The family was low on food and was willing to trade me many items that I need like flour for bread, blankets, pots and pans, medicinal herds and information about Riverton City for some of the fresh game and fruits that I gathered every day. I had no problem with helping them out since they had a lot of useful items that I really needed plus the flour and sugar they trade me would come handy when the fall come since bread did keep for a while.

I told the merchants that I would supply them with food and most of the pelts I collected from my hunting in return for them to trading me building supplies, certain food stuffs, cloths, and information about the cities they passed thru. The merchants agreed to the deal whole heartily and a great relationship between us was born. For the first few weeks all went well but at the beginning of the fourth week of our little deal I ran into Flicker.

I got up bright and earlier that morning to check all the traps I had reset the night before for all of the small animals that had wondered into them before looking for bigger game that day. I had 12 box traps all together placed at varies points thru out the woods around my cottage/den. all of them were built to catch feral rabbits and ground squirrels. As I went thru checking the first four traps that were the closest to my home and as I looked into each trap I found that they were all empty. I was getting rather frustrated with this since my box traps always did much better then I did lately at catching prey but I went on to check the next four traps and found them empty as well. This was very upsetting since I really didn't want to have to give the merchants large portion of my dried or smoked meats I had been saving up for the coming fall and winter. I went ahead and checked the last four traps before I had to decide how much of my reserve food I have to trade this week. The first three had some fat rabbits in them which made me pretty happy but the last had something strange in it. As I was walking over to the trap I heard a tiny female voice shouting to be let out. It had come from the box so I was caught off guard by this and just had to find out what was going on.

I place the other three traps down then picked up the forth one. I looked thru one of the eyes slots into the box and what I saw made me drop the trap. I saw a tiny little female with dragonfly wings, no fur, long brown hair, pointed ears, and a strange yellow glow when she moved. The moment I laid eyes on her she quickly flutter up to my eye and yelled for me to let her out. This was why I dropped the box to the ground. I stared at the box for a bit then went and picked it back up.

"Please don't drop the box again. That hurts Flicker when you do that." A tiny child like voice said to me as I held the box up to my face.

"Who… who is Flicker?" I asked softly to the box. I was a little freaked out by this since I was talking to the tiny winged creature in the box as if it had spoken the words I had heard earlier.

"Flicker is the Fairy of Fate in the box you hold. Flicker is in the box so pleased don't drop the box again. It hurts me when it hits the ground. If you let Flicker out she will give you a wish. Please let me out big wolfie and you can have anything you want. Flicker will give it to you, anything in the world." Flicker said as she walked over to the eye hole and smiled at me.

"This is very strange and uncomfortable for me, what are you and why are you in my box trap?" I asked to the tiny creature in the box who seemed to be eating some of the cheese and peanut spread I had left in the trap to attract a large ground squirrel. Flicker stopped eating when she noticed she was ignoring me.

"Sorry wolfie, I was very hungry. Flicker had not eaten in several days so when she saw this trap with food she crawled into it then the trap shut close on Flicker. Flicker told you what she was but if the big wolfie wants to hear it again Flicker will tell the big wolfie again. Flicker is a Fairy of Fate, as a Fairy of Fate she has the power to make things happen to people and things, good or bad. Flicker was told by the Mistress to go the mortal world and not come back until she has learned not to cause trouble with the other fairies. Flicker left and has learned her lesson but the Mistress said she's not allowed to go back home yet not until she can find someone in the mortal world and give them a wish. Once Flicker gives the mortal a wish she must bring them to the Mistress so they can say Flicker has learned not to cause trouble." Flicker said in a sad voice as she pulled at the door of the trap. She seemed to want to get out of the box now but didn't do anything other then pull at the tightly closed door. This action made me wonder if she was really a fairy and not some weird little talking chimera created by some alchemist in the city.

I was very confused by that fact that I had caught a fairy or so she said she was when I should have caught a fat squirrel or rabbit. I had heard stories of fairies and other magical creatures said to be in this world hidden from the eyes of foolish and greedy mortals but I had never thought they were real. While Flicker had all the features of a fairy, I had seen chimeras that looked like her before but never so small. Could I have really caught fairy or was she just a chimera running away from her cruel master? Could this little creature really be magical? Did other fairies and fey creatures of myth and legend really exist? As I was trying to sort out my wild thoughts about my discovery Flicker began to shout and whine that she wanted out of the box and she was thirsty.

"I'm not letting you if you have the power to cause bad things to happen to me and besides you have magic powers let yourself out." I told Flicker as I eyed her with a little fear since if she really was a fairy she could kill me if I wasn't careful.

"Flicker can't use her magicks to let herself out since you have caught me big wolfie. Flicker is bound by the Rules of Fate written by the Goddess of Fate and her three avatars. Flicker can never use her magicks for herself only to move the wheels of fate along their true paths be it good or bad." Flicker said as she sat down in the box and sighed softly.

"If I believe what you have just told me, not that I do believe you, how do I know your not lying to me right now so you can get out of this box so you can cast a spell on me?" I asked the sadden fairy thinking I had out smarted her by asking such a question.

"Flicker, like all fairies and pixies that serve the Gods and Goddesses, is not allowed to lie to anyone. If a fairy lies they lose their powers and become a slave to the person or people they lied to. Flicker has watched many fairies lose their powers and change to become whatever creature their new Master wants. Flicker watched her sister lie to a tiger and become a cat sex slave. Flicker knows well the price of lying." Flicker seemed rather sad when she told me that about herself and I bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Though what she said wasn't a lie the fairy she was talking about wasn't her real sister but her nursery sister. The majority of fairies and pixies are females with ratio of males to females for both races being 10 to 1. Since it's like that all of the young females born doing the mating season are raised together like sister making them all work together and not try to seek out favoritism from their birth mothers. To make sure that doesn't happen only half of the females are allowed to mate and the ones that don't raise the children. When the mating season comes back around the half that raised last seasons children are allowed to mate. Most of the mothers have been mothers for thousand of years since fairies and pixies live for hundred of thousands of years but many opt to trade places with a young daughter that wants to help keep their kind alive so the Mother can see the other worlds.

I was still a little worried about letting Flicker out but if she had lied to me she would become my slave so it would work out for me I hoped. I set the box down softly then opened it slowly before backing away a bit to give myself time to make a run for it if the tiny fey one decided to cast a spell on me or something.

Flicker waited until the box was all the way open before she walked out then took to the air again. She fluttered up in the air with a brighter glow then she had had when she was in the trap. She glided over to me and kissed me on the end of my nose and smiled softly at me. I looked at her and blinked in confusion at her open gesture of affection and thanks.

"Thank you big wolfie Flicker didn't like being in that stuffy old box any more. Flicker will grant the big wolfie any wish he wants since he freed her."

"Huh… First stop calling me 'big wolfie. My name is Shard, Shard Blacksword. Second you can't grant me a wish no more than I can call on the power of the Great Wolf Ancestors to aid me in getting back what I have lost with my prayers. Be gone away from me little chimera before you Master finds you and makes you suffer for running away." I said to Flicker as I waved her away and turned to leave. Before I made it a good five steps away Flicker was back hovering in front of my face with a hurt look on hers.

"Why don't you believe Flicker is a fairy with powerful magicks Shard? Doesn't Flicker look like a fairy? What would Flicker have to do to make Shard believe she is a Fairy of Fate?" Flicker asked with tears in her eyes. Again I brought her little display of hurt feelings hook, line, and sinker.

Please remember that fairies are good at playing the victim and will do everything they can short of lying, unless they are told they can lie to you, to get you to believe their stories and believe in them. I was ashamed of myself for hurting her feelings and calling her a little chimera. I looked up at Flicker with sad eyes and told her I was sorry for calling her a little run-away chimera but it was hard for me to believe any kind of magic or in the Gods since I had lost some much in my life. I then told Flicker my story that was my life and of all the heartache I felt over the lost of my mate and family. I left out the part about Saraha death. If Flicker knew about it at that time she never let on at all.

After I finished telling her about my life she told me all about hers. I found out that fairies love to talk and if you give them the chance they will go on forever telling you stories about everything. As Flicker talked I made sure to keep her on the subject of herself even though she mentioned several things that interested me like the Great Realm of Spirits, the Lake of Wolves, and the Hall of Warriors. I would have asked her to tell me more about those places in length but I got the feeling that Flicker would start to tell me about them then her mind would wonder and she would start to talk about something else. After she finished telling me about herself I found out I had lost several hours of day light.

"Damn it I've lost most of the day and the merchants will be coming past here soon and I don't have any wild game ready for them." I yelled as I took off running toward the large open field were most of the feral deer and elk grazed for most of the day before wandering back in to the heavy woods for cover all night. As I ran I noticed the flickering light of Flicker's soft yellow glow as she flew beside me.

"Shard, Flicker is sorry she took up most of your time. She will help you with her magicks and prove to you she was telling the true about needing your help." Flicker told me softly as she land on top of my head and held on my hair tightly as I made my way to the grazing field.

"How can someone so tiny help me?" I asked the tiny fairy as I quickly weaved between several trees at the edge of the grazing field and hid behind a large log down wind of the herd of deer.

"Just kill several of the deer and Flicker will take care of the rest for you Shard. Flicker will make it so that all of the meat and skins are ready for you to give to your merchant friends." Flicker told me then giggled a bit.

I didn't think this was going to work but if it didn't I would still have a lot of meat for tomorrow. I readied my knife and got into position to attack a nice section of the herd. Flicker let go of my hair and sat on the log waiting for me to finish my work. I waited till several of large young males were off together butting heads and practicing fighting for next years mating season under the watch full eye of the eldest male. I took that time to attack the group full force. In the hailstorm of my attack the herd was spooked and scattered to the winds except the group of males who were so surprised they didn't know what to do. I took out six of the total 15 before they realized they had to run or attack me. I was pretty happy with my kills since I wouldn't have to hunt for the merchants for a week or so now that is if I could get the meat and skins prepared in time.

After I drug the last kill over the log Flicker flew up to me then smiled as she set her magic to work. I now believed she was a fairy when I saw all of the dead young bucks glow then got lifted off the ground by unseen hands as invisible knives skinned the deer. The invisible blades sliced the deer into quarters then into the different cuts of meat. The whole time all the blood seemed to drain away in some other world as the ground under the deer was clear of any blood at all. While the meat was being cut up the skins where being tanned and readied to be used for boots and cloaks.

After a few minutes the deer were in pieces and ready to be salted or smoked. Flicker smiled at me as if she was reading my mind and knew that I was going to salt and smoke the deer meat. She waved her hand and huge smoking rack appeared along with a table for salting as well as large barrel of seasoned salt. Soon the invisible hands were at work salting and hanging meat on the smoking rack. Once half the meat was hung on the rack a smokehouse appeared around the rack and smoke started coming out the top of it. Meanwhile at the salting table several invisible hands were at work salt and rubbing down the other half of the meat. What would have taking me half the day to do took Flicker only two and half hours. Every last bit of the meat was ready and wrapped up sitting a cart for me. I looked at Flicker with dumbfounded look on my face before I told her thank you. After listen to Flicker laugh at my surprised look for few minutes I took the cart back to my den. The whole way there Flicker just laughed and giggled as she followed me.

After I dropped the cart off at my den I then went to gather fruits and nuts for my merchant friends. Flicker help in that task too so it only took an hour or so. After I got back I took the rest of the day to speak with Flicker. She told me a lot about the Land of the Fey Ones and her Mistress the Goddess of Fate as well as the other Gods and Goddesses. The whole time she spoke she seem to stay on task and she even answered all of my question even the rather stupid ones which any child could have answered after hearing any of the tales about the Gods. After our talk she asked me to come to the Land of the Fey Ones to see her Mistress and tell her about all the help she had been to me so she could finally go back home. I told Flicker after what she did for me even answering all of my questions even the really dumb ones, especially the really dumb ones, it was the least I could do for her. I agreed to go with her after I delivered my goods to the merchants and took my traded goods back to my den.

After I delivered the cart full of goods and taking what the merchants traded to me back to my home Flicker lead me to a large open field with a large stone archway with several strange fey runes carved in to it. Flicker had me stand in front of it while she sat on my shoulder and said a strange prayer in what I found out later was the fey tongue to the archway. The archway start glow a bright blue before a golden light appeared in the archway. Flicker told me to walk thru and the Gate of worlds would take me to the Palace of Fate where the Goddess of Fate was waiting for us. I was a bit afraid of what would happen when I walked in to the light but until then I hadn't believe in magic but I was proven wrong about that so I walked forward in to the light after a deep breath. As I passed to the light I felt lightheaded and dizzy but Flicker told me that was just me adjust to the difference in the air and the flow of life of the land of the Fey Ones which was much different from the mortal world.

I believed her but what I was really feeling was the difference in the flow of time. The flow of time in the Land of the Fey Ones was much slower then that of the mortal world. Every minute I spent in the Fey world was worth an hour in the mortal world. I thought I was just going to spend a few hours in Flickers world but I ended up spending five weeks, one day, twelve hours in Land of the Fey Ones which was equal to six years in the mortal world give or take a few hours. That was all the time Flicker and her Mistress need to set everything up in the mortal world so that I would become the ewe I am today.

It took a few minutes of walking thru the tunnel of light before I was in front of a large golden castle the size of a mountain range incrusted with large jewels. I was amazed by the number of towers, the large windows, and the banners that flapped in the soft breeze that blow across a large green field the lay in front of the castle. Flicker told me were to go after we crossed the field and we were standing in front of the large castle gate. The gate to the castle was an impressive drawbridge like gate with golden drop grate with spikes on it. There were two 20 foot tall bull guards in bronze and gold armor with large halberds in paw and swords at their sides on either side of it that seemed to really not mind me or Flicker walking with out saying anything to them. After we passed by guards and thru the gate we made our way to the throne room.

All of the hallways like the castle was sold gold with silver detail and jewels everywhere. The floors felt cool under my paws and to me that was odd since it was gold so it should be rather warm with all of the servants walking on it since none of them wore shoes or boots. I had to remind myself that this was a castle in a world filled with magic so many things wouldn't make sense to me. The floor was inlaid with silver and jewel in decorative patterns that made me wonder how long it took the people here to construct the palace. It didn't take us long to make it to the doors that lead to the throne room.

In front of us stood a huge set of dark blue double doors with gold runes and fairies on it and a set of large spiraled silver handle big enough for a feral dragon or a macro horse or bull to have trouble pulling open. Below each handle was an equally giant sized key hole. Next to the doors standing in a row on both side of the doors were several large white statues of macro sized horses, bulls, wolves, and tigers. The was two each macro species and each one of the statues face bore the look of all of the other servants I had seen so far, very happy. It was rather odd that the statues looked that happy, rather too happy for some odd reason. All of their large opaque eyes seemed to cry out their love for their Mistress as if they were alive. All of them had gold and silver bracelets on their wrists and ankles. Around their necks each one wore a gold collar with runes done in silver along the middle of the thick collar. At the front of the collar was a diamond shape lock made entirely out of sapphire or some other expensive precious blue stone. Each one of the statues wore black leather armor with silver studs and buckles. Each statue had a weapon, the horses had spears, the bulls had great axes, the wolves had swords, and the tigers had bows with a quiver of 50 or so arrows on their backs. All of their weapons sat at the sides of each warrior and it felt like they were waiting for the right moment leap in to action to defend their Mistress if the need ever arose.

Flicker stood up on my shoulder and announced us out loud to the statues as if they could hear her tiny little voice. I stood there confused and bewildered by the whole thing until the statues started to glow. Soon white marble turn to flesh, weapons where picked up and eight 30 foot warriors stood before me and Flicker with their dark blue eyes fixed on us.

"Greetings to you Flicker Moonfeather of Luna Forest servant to our Mistress Relava the Goddess of Fate and greetings to you Shard Blacksword son of the great Dashiel the Lightening Paw, grandson of the Wolf King Black Thunder. The Mistress is waiting for the both of you in the throne room." One of the wolves said before he bowed to us and the other did like wise. I was shocked at what I saw but kept it to myself for fear of doing some that was punishable by death. You never know what is unacceptable when it comes to the Gods.

The throne room guards moved quickly and opened the doors for us and followed us in to announce us to the Goddess Relava. We past thru a might doorway into the Throne room with the statue guards and I open my mouth and gasped. The room was 500 yards wide, 1500 yards tall, by 600 yards deep, and the walls of the throne room where the same way as all the others of the palace but the jewels were the size of battle shields. The middle part of the walls were lined with wide brass braziers that blazed with bright blue fire that made the painting on the ceiling, which was of the birth of the mortal world with all the Gods and Goddess watching it flourish, as well as the upper part of the room flash and shine with a bluish white light. The blue fire really made the detail in the art work stand out. I wonder who had painted it and how long it took them to finish such a fine work of art. The rest of the light in the room came from a few lit touches setting at average furry height level.

The strangest thing for me to see was yet to come. Once we made it a crossed the long throne room with a bit of help from the guards who picked me up and carried me since they were much large it would take them less time to get to the throne then it would take me. I was set down in front of a furry sized but still very large throne where a very beautiful but childlike elfin looking woman sat. She was dressed in all white robes with a white crown that look like was woven from polish tree branches. In the center of her crown sat a blue oval gem with a golden rune that was the symbol for fate. I recognized it from several books I had read when I was younger.

The Goddess Relava was just a few inches shorter then me but when she stood all eight macro guards kneeled. I followed suite for fear of angering her but found out I didn't have to bow when she spoke to me calling me by name. "Raise Shard Blacksword, grandson of the great Wolf King, you don't need to bow before me. I know of you and your nobility. Your grandfather speaks highly of you." Relava said with her sweet motherly voice.

I rose as she walked toward me use a long white walking stick. It was then I notice that she had elements for her three avatars and servants the Fates. She was young and childlike just like Birth the child, her voice and mannerisms were warm and motherly like Life the Maiden, and her movement along with her aura where like that of Death the wise old Croon.

"Forgive me if I was to formal Goddess Relava but I was only acting in the manner I was raised." I said softly still not looking full at her.

Relava smiled then turned to Flicker who was still sitting on my shoulder. She spoke with Flicker in what I was later told was one of the many the fey languages. In truth there are over 400,000 fey languages but really only a mere 200 are spoken commonly with one of those 200 being Fey Tongue the common and standard language. They spoke for a long time and from the Goddess tone for most of the conversation I could tell she was not very happy with Flicker. After her talk with Flicker Relava asked me to be a guest in her Palace for a few days and for me to come to a dinner she would throw in my honor so I could speak with my grandfather as well as many of my ancestors.

I told her it would be an honor for me to stay and enjoy her hospitality as long as Flicker could be my guide while I was here. She agreed that Flicker would have to be my guide but first there were several things she need to discuss with Flicker about her resent behavior and I should go take rest before I had a visit from the tailor to prepare my clothing for the dinner. At that point I realized I was still only wearing a loin cloth and nothing else. I was so embarrassed but Relava told me not to worry about it. Its not often I get to go to a dinner party thrown by a Goddess in my honor so a little mistake like this could be over looked just this once. I smiled as I blushed a bit which made both Flicker and Relava laugh before on of the wolf guards led me out of the throne to a maid station were he informed the maids at the little desk area of what their Mistress had said. The Head maid for that section of the castle quickly passed out orders to another maid who hurried off to inform the rest of the staff. She then led me to a large bedroom to rest. Once I was alone I feel on the large feather bed and fell fast asleep.

I thought I was tired from all the surprises and magic I had seen that day but I was really tired from breathing in all of the magic from the Lands of the Fey ones. It was changing me making me more open and accepting to magic this would make sure that all the magic used on me late would be permanent. As I slept and dreamed of the things I would say to my grandfather Flicker was being told what she had to do in order to fulfill the wish of the real person who had come to see Relava about letting Flicker finally come back home.

It was Saraha restless spirit that had met Flicker before me and it was the wish Saraha had made that was going to change my life. But not before I was to be tricked in to making a wish that would help Flicker out in fulfilling Saraha's wish. To be honest Saraha's wish was a punishment and her gift to me since she wanted both John and I to be happy again. Saraha had said she felt sorry for me since I was so lonely and she wished I could find happiness again. Well in her mind the only way to do that was to show me that I my old life was the reason why I was unhappy and my new would give a chance to start over. Before that could happen, and I got a second chance at a happy life, I need to be punished and prepare me for my new life with some old fashion hardships and heart ache. Hardships and heart ache are two things that Fairies of Fate were specialized in and often delivered to mortal people, without end at times, and soon I would learn that lesson well from Flicker.

To Be Continued…