I catch my little sister in her near-human form standing by the edge of the cliff, by the pretty little spring squill flowers one morning, doing exactly that, watching as they went about their day in the town below, oblivious to our existence not too far away.
“What are you doing Aislie?” I asked, coming to stand behind my sister on the cliff's edge.
The humans are fascinating, don’t you think?” she asked, unable to tear her eyes from them.
“Mmm… I suppose you could say that,” mused Aisling softly. She inhaled deeply, finally tearing her eyes away to meet my gaze. “But I don’t know that humans are that different from us."
I raised an eyebrow in question, turning to the humans below.
“But, I wouldn’t want to actually be one of them," said Aisling. "I mean, I love my wings too much to ever part with them.” She brushed her fingers loosely over her wings. I did the same, closing my eyes to revel in their soft, silken feel. Delicate as a flower petal.
I glanced back at Aisling, who had returned her attention back to the town below. “I do wish, sometimes, that I could be part of their world.”
“Don’t let Aoife hear you say that."
Aisling chuckled. "Who wouldn't want that kind of freedom, Orla?" she asked. "To not have to hide. Freedom to love, to play, to live a wonderful life." I could understand Aisling's longing. Our life as fairies did come with a lot of complaints. But, I was also familiar with the intensity of Aoife's hatred for humankind and the lengths she would got to to punish them if she suspected one had crossed a line.
"You can laugh Aisling," I said, searching her eyes for some hint of comprehension of the seriousness of what I was telling her. "But you wouldn't be laughing if Aoife actually did something. She has before, I wouldn't be surprised if she did it again." To put it lightly, our older sister was not a fan of humankind.
Below, a flash of colour caught my eye. Quickly, I scanned the crowd in search of it. When I found it again, I realised it’s one of us. But not just any one of us. I honed in on the butterfly blur to realise I recognised the shade of bright royal blue. Aoife!
“Ee..fa!!” Aisling growled through gritted teeth beside me. “What does she think she’s doing?”
“Aislie, I don’t think it’s a good idea to…” I threw an arm out to stop her, but it was already too late. I'd missed the vacuum zip sound and her swift spin that preceded a transformation into our more butterfly-like form. She now raced down toward the humans after Aoife. I sighed before spinning into my own butterfly fairy form and flying off after my sisters.
I caught up with Aisling among the crowd. She darted through the humans unnoticed, still in search of Aofie. “Aislie. Just let her be!” My pleading came out as a pathetic, high-pitched squeal. Any fairy’s voice would when in their butterfly fairy from. It had to be, so the humans wouldn’t hear us. It's too high-pitched for them to hear, though it's still audible to fae-kind.
“No! I can’t. She mustn’t hurt them!” Aisling cried.
“Aislie,” I said between puffs. “Would you just stop? For a minute? Please?”
Mercifully, she paused and I panted a thank you. “You know Aofie. She’s a trickster. All she’ll do will be prank them. Not unless they’ve done something to tick her off..” I searched her tiny, beady eyes for any hint to the affirmative.
“What is it Aisling?” I know my sister well enough to know there’s something going on.
“There might be someone among the humans…”
I gasped. “Aisling, you didn't... you haven't... You haven't actually done anything, have you?"
“Orla, he doesn’t know I exist!" She whined. "I like to watch him, is all. I… I might even like him.” Aisling's glow intensified as she said this, and she tried to shrink herself into invisibility from everyone, even me. It didn't work.
“Ohhoho.” I said. “If Aofie ever found out…”
“That’s the thing Orla,” Aisling cried, quivering. Even with her voice as a high pitched squeak, I could still hear the urgency in her tone. “What if she knows?”
I wanted to tell her that if she hadn’t done anything, it would be fine. But not with our sister. If she had even so much as a sneaking suspicion, there would be hell to pay. More for him. But poor Aisling would still get a fiery lecture from Aofie. If that was it, it would be best case scenario.
By then, Aisling had taken off again, and I followed at lightening speed, keeping my eyes peeled for any flashes of bright blue.
Finally, we located Aofie amongst a group of young human men playing ball on the beach and dragged her, just about kicking and screaming back to our clifftop, where we change back into our human-like forms in safety. I held her back by the arms as she screamed at Aisling.
“They’re no good Aisling! Don’t you remember what happened to our parents? Did no one ever tell you about the curse in our family?”
“Did no one ever fill you in on the historical peace treaty between humankind and us fae?” Aisling shouted back, angry tears falling from her eyes.
“What about the clause where we go to war if they hurt one of us?”
Letting go of Aoife, I rushed over to Aisling to whisper urgently in her ear. “Aislie. Think before you speak."
I stepped back, taking up the space between them as Aisling’s tears fell harder and faster than before.
“He didn’t hurt me though Aoife!” She yelled, her wings pulsing. “He doesn’t even know I exist!”
“Good!” Aoife snapped, turning on her heel and stalking off. I stood there a moment, frozen. Torn between my two sisters. Angry Aoife or poor, anguished Aisling, crying a river around us. If she’d stood right at the cliff’s edge, she could have made a waterfall, her tears pooling on the beach below.
I turned to Aisling, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. “All Aoife sees is what happened to our parents. She’s still mad at the humans for stealing them away from us.”
“What did the humans do?” Aisling asked, looking up at me through her long, dark lashes. “I don’t remember.”
“You wouldn’t. You were very small.” I gulped, trying to conjure the mental strength to tell the tale. “We don't like to talk about it. Our parents were tortured and killed at the hands of humankind.” I say, glancing over to the beach, the humans gathered there. I felt a burning sensation as I remembered. But it melted again when I looked at the soft innocence that was my sweet little sister.
“Really?” she asked, her voice a quiet whisper.
“Yes Aislie. Humankind feared us. They drowned our father in a lake. They forced him to the bottom with a stone tied to his leg. By the time he came free, he’d almost reached the surface when the lake froze over.”
Aisling gasped and a fresh round of tears began to fall from her eyes.
I cried a little too, breathing deep before I continued. “They tore off our mother’s wings and the witches stole her memories.” Once again, my gaze turned briefly to the humans below. “She may still be out there somewhere, but she wouldn’t remember us. After all this time, it's more likely that she died too.”
Aisling sniffed and wiped her eyes with her arm. “The humans can’t be all bad though. That was years ago.”
“It was,” I conceded. “But now, Aoife fears them. Though she'd rather fight than be defeated. Other than that, she steers clear. She doesn’t want us to suffer the same fate as our parents. She's afraid that should we get too close, we too will be tortured. Just like they were. If there's any sign that a human will cross the line, she wants to punish them.”
“I don’t know, Orla. Danny doesn’t seem the kind to do anything like that.”
“How would you know?” I pulled away to study her.
“I’ve seen him down at Luna Lake,” said Aisling. “Late at night. With Whisper. He’s so gentle with him, and patient.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You can never be too careful with humans.” I wasn’t as hell bent on revenge as Aoife, but I couldn’t bring myself to be as trusting as Aisling either...
Aisling crossed her arms. “Fine! I’ll prove it to you. What do I need to show you that will make you believe me?”
I opened and closed my mouth several times, not sure of an answer. I never got the chance before she transformed again and flew off.
-O0O-
Danny wasn't the most attractive looking man I had ever lied eyes on. His hair had not been groomed and hung down to his shoulders in an untangled mess. Nevertheless, I almost squealed at the sight of him by the lake, extending his hand out to Whisper, an old friend of our family. One could even say he's something of a guardian to my sisters and I. He looks out for us and is always there should we need assistance. He stood tall, his dark frame almost invisible in the shadows, though his pearl white horn shone brightly in the moonlight.
Whisper approached me the moment Danny moved on to fish in the water nearby. “What are you doing here, young filly?” he asked, nuzzling his horn against me. “Should you be out this late?”
I flew away, hovering invisibly around Danny, knowing Whisper’s gaze will follow me before I returned to him.
“You like him, don’t you?” Whisper asked.
I flapped my wings in confirmation.
Whisper shook his head and tutted. “Oh dear. Star crossed loves under a starry sky.”
“But what do you think Whisper? Is he good?”
“He’s not the kind like those your parents encountered,” he said.
Whisper, it suddenly dawned on me, had been the one who’d borne witness to our father’s demise all that time ago.
My mouth dropped open as realisation set in. “Whisper, is this the lake where…”
“Your father was frozen? I’m afraid so, young filly.” He glanced momentarily at the lake. “I’m sorry.”
“Whisper… Do you think. Do you think father is down there somewhere?”
“He may be. Down in the depths perhaps. I wouldn’t know. Although the lake is magical. They made your poor mother watch, and her tears began the waterfall, enchanting the waters here. Not that she would know it now.”
I returned my attention to Danny, approaching him unafraid, but knowing I am invisible to him like this. I watched as he interacted with Whisper. I witnessed his kindness, his patience, his generosity and his gentleness.
Whisper nodded his approval at me, as we hid behind a bush. “I will not go anywhere, young Filly,” he said softly. “I will protect you, should anything happen.”
I spin with glee, up into the air and down again. “Thank you.”
I hurried back behind the bush to change. I was about to step out, revealing myself, before I stopped. I reached back, feeling my delicate blue wings. I had no idea how to hide them. The last thing I wanted was to frighten him away. I breathed deeply. This would truly be a test. Of my courage, and his kindness.
Danny tore his gaze away from the water when the cracking of branches beneath my feet sounded behind him. “Hi there,” he said. His voice was soft, and silky smooth. Like my wings.
“What brings you out here?”
“It’s my favourite place,” I say. “My secret hideaway. I love the lake and the lotuses that float upon it. I come here to see my friend. Though he’s only here when the moon shines down upon us.”
Danny glanced toward Whisper. “You know him?”
I nodded. “Do you?”
“He seems scared of me,” Danny answered as Whisper retreated several paces.
“His kind often are,” I said. “Humans have ripped their horns from them, just as they’ve stolen our wings.” I spoke without thinking, the words past my lips before I realise what I had said. What I’d done.
“Wings?” Danny gasped. He appeared to be in a permanent state of awed shock, though I supposed you couldn’t expect much else from a human in his position.
I froze in place as he circled me, mouth agape.
“Are you an angel?” he asked. He blinked, briefly looking at Whisper again. “And he, is he your magical steed? Only… I’ve never seen you here before..”
“I appear when I choose to.”
“So why now?”
“I need help.”
“From me?” Struck dumb with disbelief, Danny pointed questioningly at himself. I nodded again.
“What is it?”
“My father, is trapped, frozen, at the bottom of the lake. Will you help me find him?” Without any words, Danny removed his clothing and dove into the lake.
I knelt at the lake's edge, staring into the clear blue water after him as if I could see through it. As if I could track Danny's explorations in the depth below. Just as my eyes seemed to glaze over, I felt the tip of Whisper's horn on my shoulder, pulling me back, and looked up to see his kind eyes gazing back at me as he stood beside.
"I can sense your apprehension, young filly. Have faith," he said. "I'm sure your Father will be down there somewhere." I smiled as Whisper stroked me with his horn, as gently and tenderly as he possibly could. I vaguely remembered my father stroking my hair in much the same way when I was a small girl and felt tears spring into my eyes at the memory.
Finally, Danny emerged, panting and gasping for breath. I gasped along with him as he swam toward Whisper and I on the lake's edge.
“I think he’s down there. I saw something like what you were describing. It looked like a statue.”
I felt my breath hitch in my throat.
“Could you get him for me?” As if under my spell, Danny obediently dove back beneath the water. He took longer beneath the surface this time before he finally returned, coughing and spluttering. Awkwardly, he heaved the statue of my father behind him. "Your Dad's really bloody heavy," he groaned as he trudged through the lake toward us. I hurried to meet him and help him back up onto the bank. "Well, he is kind of stone cold right now," I said, eliciting a chuckle from Danny.
Whisper was right behind us, somehow managing to help heave my father's statue up onto the lake's edge.
“Thank you,” I said. Before I realised what I was doing, I leapt into the air, hovering at his height and pressed my lips against his, closing my eyes to revel in the sweet taste of his kiss.
As we pulled apart, I heard an angry buzzing and turned to see two blue lights approaching us. My sisters had come to join us. I could almost imagine Aoife’s death glare, glad that she was too frightened of humans to transform and direct it at me. She buzzed around my head instead, a high pitched scream deafening my ears.
Orla, meanswhile, had noticed the statue of our father, lying on the ground beside a dumbstruck Danny, and hovered around it, closely inspecting it. She transformed, going to rest beside our frozen father and stroking his stony hair.
“It’s him,” she confirmed tearily. This seemed to calm Aoife somewhat, who disappeared behind the bush. She stalked far enough out to reach me, dragging me back behind her.
“What do you think you were doing?”
“Proving to you that not all humans are like the ones who tortured our parents.”
Aoife sighed heavily. She couldn’t disagree.
I watched, open mouthed as she stalked from her safe cover over to Danny, and hovering in mid air as she pulled him toward her by the shirt, so close their foggy breath mingled in the cold night air.
“You,” she said. “Had better not do anything to harm my sisters, or my family or I will kill you.” I shuddered, knowing she really would. “Understand?”
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