Monday came and went without anything significant happening during the day. Livia and I grew much more comfortable around each other, which wasn’t surprising, considering the events of the night before. Dinner arrived at about six in the evening; there had still been no change to the ‘bread and water’ routine. Afterwards I asked Livia to sing me another fairy song and, though she started it, she never finished it. About halfway through I noticed something strange happening at the foot of my bed. A bright, round light had appeared in mid-air – not a ball of light, but what looked more like a hole. It grew larger and larger, and I motioned Livia’s attention towards it.
“A gateway!” she exclaimed, whether in fear or delight I couldn’t tell. “It’s what the trow used to send me here, what he came through himself.”
“But you said there was only one trow! Who could it be this time, then?”“I don’t know. I think…Oh, look!”
I looked, and saw a sight I had never seen before. In a blaze of white light, a small figure came flying through the glowing hole. It was clad in golden fabric, and on either side of its body were shimmering golden wings, beating to and fro at a great speed. Once it had landed on the bed, it was far enough from the gateway to make it out clearly. I gasped loudly, and so did Livia. The figure was another fairy.
Her golden tunic ended just above her knees; the rest of her legs downwards were covered by some kind of leather boots. In her one hand she carried a tiny sword, and in her other a glowing ball of light resided, shooting off little sparks in all directions. Her hair was as golden as her clothes, and, like Livia’s, it was long and flowing. Even her skin appeared yellowish in colour, though I didn’t know if this was just an illusion caused by all the light around her or not. When she landed on the bed, her wings seemed to vaporise. She came striding towards me, and extended her hand with the ball of light in my direction. I was still mesmerized by her appearance, staring open-mouthed at her, but Livia was running towards her, and her yelling shook me loose from my daze.
“Stop! Don’t do it!” Livia shouted frantically. “Don’t hurt her! She’s my friend! She wasn’t hurting me! Please!”
“Livia? Is that really you?” the fairy asked, lowering her hand. The ball of light in it disappeared, and she ran forward to embrace Livia. I watched with bated breath as the two fairies wrapped their arms around each other. The golden fairy had now sheathed her sword. I decided to remain silent and let Livia explain the situation to her.
“We thought you were lost!” the older fairy said, having momentarily forgotten about me. “We captured the trow, but he refused to tell us anything. Then, when he escaped, we feared he’d gone after you, to finish what he’d begun…”
“My friends!” Livia interjected. “Ellaren and Nina and Oriel…”
“All fine, my dear! They’ve all escaped unhurt, and they managed to warn us about the trow before anyone else was captured. But they’ve all been worried sick about you, your mother especially.”
“Oh no! Poor Mom! She told me to be careful, and I ignored her!”
“Oh, she’s not angry with you, child! She just wants to see you alive again, that’s all! And we’d better get back to her as soon as possible. Let me just erase this human girl’s memory, and we’ll be off.”
“No!” Livia screamed, placing herself before the other fairy’s hand, which once more carried a ball of light. “Zanthia, please don’t bewitch her! This is Lucy, my friend! She helped me survive, she gave me food and clothing…she even protected me from the trow, and kept me hidden from all the other humans! I’d be dead if it weren’t for her! Zanthia, listen to me, please!”
The fairy’s golden wings suddenly appeared on her back, unfolding from out of thin air. She flew up to my face, keeping her hand raised all the time. I meekly greeted her and told her my name.
“Is Livia’s story true?” she asked me. “If you’ve been holding her against her will…”
“For the last time,” Livia yelled, “Lucy is my friend! If you have to know, I’ve fallen in love with her, and I’d like her to come back to Faerie with me.”
“It’s true,” I added. “Livia and I love each other, but if you don’t like it, you’ll just have to put a spell on me, or whatever it is you’re planning to do. But at least let me say goodbye to Livia, and kiss her one last time.”
Livia ran over to my outstretched hand and climbed in. I lifted her to my breast and held her close to me. The golden fairy looked at us for a few moments with a bewildered expression. Then she flew over to my shoulder and sat down on it carefully. I didn’t move an inch, afraid of what was about to happen.
“You’d best explain,” Zanthia said. “Both of you. You needn’t worry: I’m not going to bewitch anyone. But I would like an explanation. And don’t take too long – the gateway only remains open for an hour.”
We hastily told her our respective tales, trying not to leave anything out. The older fairy when she heard what Livia and I had done last night, but my little lover quickly explained that it had been her wish, and that I hadn’t abused her or any such thing. When we were done, Livia quickly introduced Zanthia to me. She was a friend of Livia’s mother and, since Livia’s birth, had acted as her godmother. She remained silent after we had finished, and I braced myself for the expected condemnation of our relationship. But it didn’t come. When Zanthia spoke again, she told us that, although she’d heard of bonds of love between humans and fairies before, she’d never actually thought she’d see one.
“That doesn’t mean I disapprove,” she added. “On the contrary, I can see that you two truly wish to be together, and I, for my part, will do everything I can to see that it happens. But we need the approval of the queen, as you well know, Livia. Only she has the power to transform Lucy into one of us, and if she refuses, there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”
“She won’t refuse!” Livia insisted. “Queen Aldavien is a kind ruler, and it is her duty to preserve love, not to destroy it.”
“Then we’d better go and tell her! The hour is almost up!” She flew up in front of my face again and addressed me.
“Lucy, I am afraid you’ll have to remain behind, for now. Humans cannot leave the land of Faerie once they’ve entered, and if you come with us now, we cannot guarantee that the queen will acquiesce to your wishes.”
“I understand,” I said. “I wish you good luck, and please return as soon as you can.”
“We shall,” Livia said. “I’m not leaving you, Lucy. If we can’t be together in my world, we’ll be in yours. Even if it is for a short while only.”
I brought her to my lips and kissed her. A warning from Zanthia reminded me that the time was almost up, and I let her go. Zanthia picked her up and held her against her. Her great wings were beating powerfully now, and she flew of towards the glowing gateway.
“I’ll see you soon!” Livia called, looking back at me. She was crying, and the light from the gateway made her tears shine on her face.
“Goodbye!” I called, and, in the blink of an eye, they were gone. The gateway seemed to collapse inwards, and darkness fell in the room. I laid down and cried softly. For the first time since Mother’s death, I felt as if I’d lost someone irreplaceable, someone I couldn’t live life without. I hoped she was coming back with all my heart. Everything she’d told me had led me to believe that the fairy queen would allow me to live with her, but, deep inside me, a small speck of doubt remained. And as long as it remained, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about her, my true love.