The next morning we woke up early; our train was leaving at ten, so we had a bit of free time. I offered Challe the shower and bathroom first, but he told me to use it. Right as I was finishing up in there, a phone call from the front desk phoned to inform me that breakfast was on its way. With a few minutes to spare, I headed over to the door while glancing back at Challe.
"You can have a shower now. I left some clean towels in there for you." His eyebrow perked up at me contemplatively. "Where're you going?" "Just going to stretch my legs a bit. I'll be back in ten minutes or so," Challe didn't say anything so I took this as my leave to go. Grabbing my freshly charged phone, I headed out and down the hall. It really was a beautiful lodge- the kind of place I always dreamed of staying in when I was a kid. The hallways were endless and it was obvious that this place was ancient. Old painted portraits of men and women dressed in old-fashioned clothes lined the halls. The staircases were either grey stone or solid dark wood. While I made my way to nowhere, just wandering, I checked my phone screen. Imagine my cringe when I saw a missed- no, several missed- calls from Jonas. Holding my breath, I unlocked my phone and opened the call app to press on his name. It rang like two or three times before he hurriedly picked up.
"Hi, Anne?" "Morning, Jonas." He huffed dramatically on his end of the line. "Finally! Do you know how long I've been trying to get a hold of you?" "I'm sorry; I didn't check my phone until this morning. It's been….. a busy journey so far," I continued walking as we spoke. The hallway I was in led to this open, double-story sort of ballroom. At the end were a bunch of fancy people in what looked to be a breakfast buffet. They were standing around in fine clothes, drinking hot beverages and nibbling on oeuvres; I didn't see any fairies inside.
"I just wanted to see how you're doing with that… that fairy you've bought," he didn't even try to hide the disgust in his tone. I rolled my eyes exasperated. "We're doing fine," was my tart, short answer. He huffed again unamused. "Hmph, I don't see how you could be "fine" with that "thing" constantly trailing behind you like a ball and chain. Have you contacted a lawyer yet?" "I just left yesterday! Look, this is gonna take time. I'll get Challe's freedom, but it likely won't happen until after the contest." "Pfft, I don't see how that freak is going to help you win that contest. You should just send him home to wait for you." "I can't do that." "Why not?" "Because if he steals his wing back and commits a crime while I'm gone, then I'll be held legally responsible for it. I want to become a Silver Sugar Master, and that won't happen if I have a criminal record." "So you care more about becoming a Silver Sugar Master than setting your fairy free, is that it?" Jonas asked with attitude and I squeezed the phone in my hand angrily. "If I set Challe free now without getting the clause in the will amended, then it'll spell trouble for both of us. That's not true freedom, Jonas," he'd be on the run for the rest of his life, however long that may be.
Jonas gave another dismissive huff, electing to change the subject. "Whatever. How many more days until you get to Lewiston?" "I don't know. A few, I think." "Well this is what you get for taking the train. Shoulda' just flown to Lewiston like me." "But I love taking the train…. Or I used to anyway. I didn't know it would be….. be like this," that's true; I had no idea what I was in for when I planned out this journey. Finally Jonas tried to act friendly, placating me a little. "Maybe the journey home won't be as bad…" "I hope not."
"Well, no use in worrying about it now anyway. I'll see you in Lewiston soon." "See you in Lewiston. Have a safe flight, Jonas." "Thanks. You have a safe train ride too, Anne. Don't let that creep get under your skin too much," he spat and my hand gripped my phone again. I was getting pretty tired of this anti-fairy rhetoric. "Goodbye, Jonas," click.
Sighing heavily to myself, I let my arm drop down to my side. Everyone is so mean and heartless towards fairies…. I don't get it. I think they're absolutely beautiful; I'd never seen a human man as gorgeous as Challe. I doubt any could compare to him. And yes, he may act cold and distant to me, but I still don't blame him. He has his guard up around me and every other human…. I'm sure I'd be the same, if I was a fairy.
Just then I heard some slight noise over at the corner of the room- the opposite side of where the door to the breakfast buffet was. Curious, I approached where the noise came from, only to find- to my shock and delight- two little fairies standing by the windowsill. There was a male fairy with light purple and blue hair and a female fairy with red hair; both had a wing missing, like all the other fairies I'd seen, which weren't many all things considered. They were chatting amongst themselves, only stopped once they realized I was nearby, watching them with a smile. The girl fairy seemed surprised while the boy fairy hopped to his feet, pointing his tiny finger in my direction. They were both so small, you could hold them in one hand.
"What're you lookin' at, human?!" "Heh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," I giggled; they're so cute! "Are you here for the breakfast gathering? It's right behind you," the girl fairy noted, earning a tisk and sharp glare from the boy fairy. "Course she's not! She's not dressed fancy enough to attend breakfast. She must be a maid here or something," he planted his small hands on his hips. My head cocked slightly. "I'm actually a guest here. Are your mast-…. Uh human companions inside?" I motioned toward the door and they both nodded. "You mean our masters? Yeah, they're in there eating." "I see. And have you two eaten yet?"
An awkward pause ensued as the two fairies exchanged nervous glances. "Well, no. Fairies always eat after their masters do." "We're not allowed to eat in the same room," the girl fairy explained. "Or the same table," the boy fairy clarified. I frowned, straightening my back slightly. "But you must be hungry," I stated and they shrugged. "Eh, we're used to eating later." "That's just how things are," the girl fairy said and my frown deepened. These sweet creatures….. I can't believe they're being taken advantage of and abused like that. "Wait here," my hands waved, indicating that they should stay put. Then I tried to find my way back to my room, with zero luck. I was wandering down the corridors when who else should turn the corner but another familiar fairy I knew.
"Challe?" My feet paused as he appeared from around the bend; he seemed to have been looking for me. Finding me, he gave a small, exasperated sigh. "There you are. I thought you weren't going to wander off far." "I-I got lost," my lips stammered as he stepped closer to me, locking eyes with me. His expression was stone and stoic like always, though he did get near to where I was standing without reservation this time. "Come on, your breakfast is here." "It is?! Oh good! That's just what I was coming back for," I proclaimed and his suspicious eyebrow rose up. Challe then showed me the way back to my room where I grabbed the tray of steaming hot food. "What are you doing?" He asked me as I carried it outside my room and back into the hall. "Can you please take me back to the hall we were just at? I can't remember the way," I told him and he obliged, still confused as to what I was doing, or that was until he saw the two little fairies still waiting patiently for me. I hid the food tray from out of view of the still open buffet door, and politely asked Challe to watch the food as I went to collect the two fairies. They were hesitant to go with me at first, but couldn't help the temptation of food. Challe's eyebrow rose unamused as I brought them over to the untouched breakfast tray. Their eyes glistened hungrily as I prepared everything. I cut the fruit and eggs and sausage into small pieces for them, handing them each a bite of food.
"Here you are," I smiled and they froze, glancing up at me with wide, unsure eyes. "But…. that's your breakfast." "We're not allowed to eat until you're finished." "And we're not supposed to eat in front of humans." Dear lord, I cringed to myself. Think Anne, think…. "I'm…. I'm not hungry. Let's not let this food go to waste. A-And don't worry about eating in front of me. I want you to eat! So please, go ahead," I lied through my teeth about not being starving, trying to appear genuine. In truth, I hadn't eaten anything yesterday- not in the morning in my flat and not on the train. Only Challe knew this fact, and he was NOT pleased by my lie. But thankfully he waited until they were already eating before he chastised me. "Well….. If you say so….." The little fairies didn't need much coaxing after that. They took the food and absorbed it through their hands, grabbing more and more once that was finished. They must have been hungrier than I thought. Satisfied with that, I picked up the buttered croissant and held it out for Challe to take.
"Here. Eat this." "You haven't eaten a thing yet," Challe deliberately contradicted what I'd just told the fairies, but they were too busy eating to pay attention to him. He folded his arms and I thought for a minute, trying to conjure a way to get him to take the food. "Uh… I'm not… I'm not hungry." "Scarecrows are bad lairs. You starving to death won't do me any good… if you care about my freedom, as you say." "I'm not going to starve. People my size fast for days and are perfectly fine. But you really should eat something….." I pressed and Challe's eyebrow raised again, like he too was thinking. "You first." "No, you." "Then command me to eat," he finally stated triumphantly and I sighed, lowering my shoulders a tad. He's stubborn, I'll give him that; heh, too bad so am I. Still holding the pastry out for him to take, I looked him straight in the eye, firming my expression a tad.
"I'm not going to command you to eat." "Heh, then I don't eat," Challe sneered until I played my trump card, lowering my chin slightly. "That's fine. Just know that I'm not going to eat anything until you eat first," I said; heh, boy, did that wipe the smirk off his face fast. Nothing happened for a second until he gingerly snatched the croissant from my hand. I watched him curiously as he proceeded to break it in half, holding one end out for me to take. I did so without a sound, but still waited for him to absorb the food first. Once he did so, I took a bite of mine; it tasted SO good after not eating anything for a whole day. He then picked up a banana and broke that in half, silently giving me one half. I always waited until he absorbed his half before eating anything- something which Challe noticed but the small fairies did not. They had eaten their fill and were lounging about restfully, letting their limbs sprawl out around them.
"Ahhhhhhhh, I'm full." "Who knew humans could be so nice?" They breathed tiny sighs of relief and I gazed down at them, smiling tenderly. The girl fairy peered over to Challe with a curious look on her face. "Are you her fairy?" "Boy! You're lucky to have such a nice master! I wish my master was like you….." Challe didn't say anything and I blinked in surprise, perking up slightly. "Oh no! Challe's not my fairy! Or well…. I-I guess he is. I'm just not his master…. Uh, i-it's hard to explain." "You mean you don't own him?" The girl fairy stood up to place both hands on my kneecap, steadying herself. "Well, legally yes…. But I don't think of Challe as my property." "You don't?" "Then why bother owning a fairy? We're expensive," they chimed making me both cringe and grin with amusement. They were like children; sweet, innocent children who didn't realize how corrupt and evil the world was just yet….
"It's complicated, but I don't believe in owning fairies." "You don't?" Both their eyes widened, their heads perking up and I nodded firmly. "You deserve your freedom as much as I do." There was a brief silence following this, with both the fairies looking at one another, then at Challe. "Huh, you're weird. I thought all humans wanted fairy servants." "What's wrong with you? Are you broken?" The two suddenly bombarded me with comments and questions, making me chuckle. Challe too gave the slightest hint of a smirk, dropping his chin a tad. "She's broken, alright. Her head's emptier than a scarecrow's…" "At least she doesn't have evil thoughts, then," the girl fairy responded positively, and I smiled down at her charmed. Challe too, opened his eyes a tad at this, peering in my direction…
It was about this point that a booming voice interrupted our conversation. "Hey!" All our heads turned and the boy fairy looked visibly worried as this big, hulking brute stomped over to us. Challe got to his feet defensively, but the angry man paid no attention to him, instead addressing me- and only me. The small fairies huddled around me for protection while Challe stood close to my side.
"What do you think you're doing with MY fairy?!" "I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean any harm!" "I told him to wait out here for me! Not entertain stupid little girls like yourself!" He thundered and the boy fairy climbed up onto my knee, balling his hands into desperate fists as he pleaded with the man. "Please don't be mad at the lady. She didn't do anything wrong." "Shut up! I'll deal with you later! And as for you, you have no business chatting with another man's fairy. You should keep your mouth shut and mind your own business. Do I make myself clear?!" My protective gene immediately kicked into gear as I worried for the boy fairy's safety. "No! Don't punish him! It was my fault! All my fault! Please don't hurt him!" "I'll do whatever I want to MY property, you insolent bitch. Don't you dare tell me what to do with what's mine, you hear?!" "But I was only…!" I began until he put his hands on me.
Both the small fairies audibly gasped and even Challe's eyes widened as the brute reached over to grab the collar of my shirt, hoisting me up a sliver. I winced in sudden pain, lifting both my arms to hold the one currently clenching me. "Now you listen to me, or I'll teach YOU a lesson you won't forget," he growled right in my face. The small fairies were pleading with him to put me down, but to everyone's shock, it was actually Challe who physically intervened. He didn't hesitate to shove the creep away from me, catching me in his free arm before I fell off my seat. Once I was steady, he shot the man a super vicious glare- it was the most emotional I'd ever seen Challe before….
"Keep your hands off of her!" "What?! Who do you think you're talking to, warrior fairy?!" The bastard stammered after a stunned moment, and Challe sharpened his glare, protectively stepping in between me and the other two fairies. "Challe!" My hand nervously stretched out toward him, but he ignored me, keeping his glare cemented onto the brute. "You'd best get out of here…. before I show you how dangerous my kind can be." The man took a few anxious steps back at this threat, finally turning on his heels to take off while shouting threats of how he was calling the police and how he'd get us kicked out of here. Nobody made a peep for a second until Challe turned back to face me; his expression softer now. "Challe….?" I began but the girl fairy touched my arm to grab my attention. She looked up to me worriedly. "Are you alright, miss?"
"I-I'm fine….. I-I'm just sorry to have gotten you all in trouble," that wasn't my intention; not at all. "He shouldn't have yelled at you like that," the boy fairy declared and I gazed down his way. This poor fairy has him for a master….. I wish there was something I could do for him. While I was staring down at him, Challe was looking at me momentarily before sighing and shutting his eyes. His shoulders only then relaxed a little.
"Come, we should go," I knew what he meant; that jerk would most definitely make good on his threat so our window of escape was closing. Setting down both fairies, I tried to appear calm in front of them, brushing each of their hairs as gently as possible. "If you ever need anything, you can always call me," and then I told them my number quietly; apparently fairies had such good memories that they didn't need to write down such things. After telling them this, they nodded in understanding and I stood up beside Challe. He looked at me, and I looked at him….
"Ok, let's go."