Faerie Tales, The Faerie Council

      

The final chapter of Primrose is below. Enjoy.

The Faerie Council

Anvil waited for the members of the faerie council to sit. Both male and female had their own favorite mushroom and Anvil stood in the center of the circle.

            “You have called a meeting, Anvil?” Noble Soil asked. He was one of the oldest faeries and had passed along the care of the earth to his son.

            “I have. Primrose is missing and I fear for her safety.”

            A chittering noise that resembled crickets arose from the faeries outside the circle.

            Noble Soil lifted a hand and silence settled among them. “How do you know this?”

            “I have been to her house every day for five days and there is no answer.”

            “Perhaps you went when she was gone.” Lady Wisp O’ Willow fluttered her golden wings.

            “I went at different times. I fear for Primrose. Her flowers are wilting.”

            “Wilting…wilting.” The crowd whispered again and again. “Wilting.”

            “That is serious,” Noble Soil said. “Where could she have gone?”

            Anvil peered at the grass. What would happen? He’d done everything he could think of to find her. But, all to no avail. 

            “She often flew to the human world.” He omitted that she stole jewelry boxes and the precious jewelry too from the humans.

            A loud gasp followed his disclosure.

            “I warned her many times not to do that and now---."

            “This is alarming!” Lady Wisp O’ Willow interrupted and flew straight up from her mushroom along with most of the council.

            Noble Soil hovered above his cushioned seat. “She breaks the law. How often does she go?”

            “Daily.”

Anvil waited while the crowd repeated his word. Noble Soil held up a hand. Wisp O’ Willow along with the other members of council sat once more.

“This is a serious crime.” Noble Soil settled back down on his mushroom. His dirt skin flaked away from his face.

“I ask that we send a search and rescue team.” Anvil held his breath. Such a crime as Primrose had committed could lead to banishment. If the council voted to exile her, there would be no rescue and Anvil would lose the faerie he loved.

“You are a member of the steel crafters.” Noble Soil didn’t really ask, it was more of a pronouncement.

“I am.”

“Bring the other members at once.”

For faeries, time was eternal. Anvil had never troubled counting the minutes until today. Now, it seemed as if he would die from it. Even though he knew that to be impossible.

Click, click, at last they arrived, and the scent of their labor caused the enhancement team in the crowd to fly over all of them in the circle and sprinkle the essence of magnolias on each member of the union. The moon began to glow, and the faerie council brought forth their fireflies. Soon, the creatures were lighting up the circle.

Noble Soil brought the steel faeries up to speed on their discussion.  “I will select two of you to go with Anvil to the human world, find Primrose and bring her back.”

* * *

Wisp O’ Willow handed Anvil her crystal charm. “This is a magic tracker. You will be able to find Primrose with it.”

            “Thank you, my Lady.” Anvil put the chain around his neck and held the charm at its end in his hand. Then he flew with his chosen companions toward the faerie portal. Once at the gateway, the three of them stood on the flat rock and Anvil lifted the crystal once more.

            “One so sweet it will make you weep. Find Primrose, who last traveled here.”

            The rock beneath their feet began to rotate. Air swirled, lifting Anvils black hair, and tossing it in his face. Poof! The three faeries found themselves hovering over a vast lake. Each lifted their wands and tapped to bring light in the darkness. Just in time, Anvil saw the fish and the three jumped up high as the creature leapt from the water to eat them. Is this what happened to Primrose? His fear was lifted when the crystal charm began to hum and spilled a beam of light toward shore and a covered bird cage. Anvil charged forward, his wings flapping madly with his companions close behind.

            They almost ran into the human child who sat on the beach. Changing course, they hid behind a nearby tree.  

            “Make the fish jump out of the water,” the child said.

            Surprised, Anvil thought the little girl had seen them until she took the cover off of the cage and put it down next to her. Within, Primrose folded her arms and sat cross legged, shaking her head “no.”

            “Come on,” the girl pleaded. “Make the fish jump.”

            An idea hit Anvil like a buzzing fly. He soared high and out from the tree, he flicked his wand and thirty fish flew out of the lake and hit the girl. She jumped up screeching and ran away into the forest, leaving the cage behind. One fish got tangled in her hair and flapped as she left.

He dashed forward along with his friends and used their magic to part the bars of the cage, away from the iron latch.  

            Primrose ran from the enclosure. “Anvil.”

            “I am here, come. We must return immediately.”

            “My wing is torn.”

            Her wing? Anvil caught her and examined the tear. Lifting her, he flew toward the center of the lake where they had arrived.

* * *

Anvil stood beside Primrose in the center of the mushroom council.

            “Primrose,” Noble Soil said. “What have you to say for yourself?”

            “I was enticed to visit the human world. I thought I was clever enough to be safe.”

            “You were wrong!” Noble Soil lifted from his mushroom while the faeries gathered repeated the word, ‘wrong.’

            “Your wings will be clipped. You must return to your hut and no faerie may see you except for one.”

            Wisp O’ Willow flew toward Primrose and Anvil then. “Anvil rescued you, he has asked to marry you. What say you Primrose? Remain an outcast or marry Anvil and be welcomed home.”

            Primrose turned to Anvil, studying his chiseled face. He had done so much for her. She hadn’t realized that she loved him until now. “I will marry Anvil.”

            He smiled, lifted her and together they twirled in their own faerie bubbles of giddy joy.  

The End

Word Count: 1062

This is the end of the tale of Primrose. If you missed any of the four stories, they can be found at the top in the page titled, ‘Faerie Tales.’

I hope you enjoyed their story. If you would like to let me know, you can leave a comment below. Thank you for coming by, Nancy