The Fairy Diary Day 666 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Noralei and her sister’s shop and home is surrounded nonstop by an elite corps of fairy troops from the capital. And there is an inner ring of Dunfallon’s army whose only focus is the bell and our prisoners. 

I feel safe and secure. We all do. Yet I want to be off to the capital and get the trial behind us. But for now we must wait. 

Rumble with an escort assigned by the captain of the elite guard left early for the former High Fairy’s residence to collect documents for the trial. Upon his return this evening he informed me that he will need the morning tomorrow to complete his task. 

While we were waiting today everyone was talking about their plans for the future. Noralei is looking forward to settling back into the business with her sister – which she plans to do after the trial and after settling Clemjil into his role as the protector of the Crack of Doom at the repository. 

Dunfallon has a decision to make. Nailbiter reminded him that there is a new burrow that desires to have him for their leader. He asked me for my opinion in the matter. I hemmed and hawed at first, but then told him straight that I could not envision him as a pixie settling down in one spot. 

He then turned the tables and asked me if I had any plans. I confess that at first nothing occurred to me other than taking up my life again here in Nonin-gal-dith, but even in the act of thinking it I knew that something more would be asked of me. 

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The Fairy Diary Day 366 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The High Fairy broke the spell that bound Dunfallon’s memory. It was as the image in the crystal portrayed it. The black bird had precipitated the pixie’s fall from the eagle, and chased his mount from the sky. It later appeared in Willie’s lair daily while he languished in the cage. 

Dunfallon awoke many times becoming aware that the two were discussing him. Their voices so low that he never could understand their meaning. Save for one time when he saw an image projected above the crystal. 

In the shimmering light he clearly made out exact representations of the dragon eggs he had seen with his own eyes. 

Then a strange thing happened – the Will’o’the Wisp reached for the eggs – and the crystal burst into flame. The black bird was quite upset with Willie and left. 

I knew immediately what I had to do. I stepped out of the burrow, grasped my pendant and summoned Merlin. 

A gust of wind forced my eyes closed and when I reopened them – the wizard stood before me. The others joined us and together we explained the latest.

The Fairy Diary Day 365 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Nailbiter gave over to us his private audience chamber so we fairies (including the High Fairy) could question Dunfallon about his captivity. There are so many details that he could not recall. It was our hope that we could jog his memory. Especially as to what Willie had done – and what the Wisp was planning next. 

It had been disappointing to find the crystal cover to the chalice charred and cracked. I held its pieces and examined them throughout the questioning. 

What Dunfallon recalls was being knocked off his eagle and somehow being caught by Willie. It was a pleasant encounter at the first – Willie was friendly, even apologetic for his recent behavior. 

Noralei pointed to his silver whistle and asked why he had not used it to summon his eagle. By the pixie’s blank stare we all knew that there was a spell of forgetfulness at work. 

Rumble, Noralei and I left him in the care of his excellency to deal with the enchantment. 

We gathered outside the burrow to examine further the broken crystal. In the afternoon sunshine a facet to one of the crystal pieces flashed. Looking closer we could see a repeated image of our pixie being pushed off his eagle by the black bird.

The Fairy Diary Day 364 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Sometimes decisions don’t prove their true worth until a good deal of time has passed. Other times the reason one made the choice to begin with has a completely other unlooked for – and better outcome than one may have planned. 

Such was our decision to bring Dunfallon’s mountain goat with us. 

Though this was not apparent when our day began. The dew was still on the trumpet lilies when Rumble rushed up to me with the news that the mountain goat was missing. Nailbiter launched a full search of the burrow and the immediate vicinity – favoring the direction towards Willie’s swamp. 

Noralei made up the party towards that side. Just short of the pond there, the mountain goat came prancing from behind an immense shrub to nuzzle her. Then he led her back behind the bush. 

There she found an unhappy Dunfallon sitting in an improvised cage staked out on the ground. Answering their call, Rumble and I helped break him out. We had to exercise extreme caution for Dunfallon informed us that Willie had booby trapped it. 

When free, our pixie raced off to the Wisp’s lair. There we joined him in front of the burned out crystal. And no Will’o’the Wisp. 

Dunfallon had one consolation, being reunited with his mountain goat. 

We asked the High Fairy to report to Merlin that our trail is again cold.

The Fairy Diary Day 363 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I had a dream about our pixie last night. He was playing a game of hide and seek with us in this his favorite hollow. The image of his smiling face persisted even upon waking. 

Each of us had a similar dream, though Noralei’s had a distinctive difference. She was observing Rumble and me – observing Dunfallon. But she saw what neither of us did – watching everyone was the flitting apparition of the Will’o’the Wisp. 

This formed our topic of discussion as we continued on our way to Nailbiter’s burrow. 

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Bird song echoed from among the branches of the trees and shrubs. Small animals scurried away at our advance. 

We encountered two pixies also traveling the path to Nailbiter’s burrow. We were the only ‘news’ to them for these parts. 

Arriving at the burrow we were given a royal reception. There beside Nailbiter, the High Fairy was also waiting for us. 

His excellency told us that he found no signs of Dunfallon between here and Nonin-gal-dith. 

Nailbiter, however informed us that strange lights have been sighted in the sky above Willie’s swamp.

The Fairy Diary Day 299 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The goblin king and the leaders of the Dromadil pixies are content with the groundwork that Dunfallon laid in talks with them. The goblins will stay where they are. The pixies were never intent on moving back to their ancestral home, but will maintain a small presence on the level with their great burrow. They are more interested in the area on the surface around the shaft (Rumble helped in that regard and took some steps to bring back the plant life).

I was relieved for that released us to continue as planned. 

As Noralei had ventured the furthest into the main passage, we gladly gave over the lead to her. And Dunfallon was happy to be by her side, holding Willie in his cage to help light the way. 

(Hawk was turned over to the pixies – he’ll be safer with them rather than with the goblins).

The Fairy Diary Day 293 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

A major problem arose before we had released all of the goblins. The Dromadil pixies were pushing below the level of their great burrow and had discovered the barracks offshoot with all the goblin graffiti. And panicked. 

Fortunately the potential problem of goblin/pixie conflict had occurred to Dunfallon and he was on the way to confer with the Dromadilians when he happened upon their advance scouts – the exact moment of their discovery. 

Our pixie accompanied them back to the surface to confer with the Dromadil leaders. He was able to diffuse the explosive situation and got them to agree to set aside the question of ownership in order to face the greater danger posed by the feared return of the dark elves. 

While Noralei and Rumble kept about the business of freeing the goblins, I followed the lead of the goblin king as he went in search of their jailers. For he is certain at least four dark elves tended to them in their captivity. 

That made sense of those mysterious footfalls we had heard avoiding us.

The Fairy Diary Day 284 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The great burrow of the Dromadil pixies of yore is magnificent- even though abandoned for eons. Dunfallon explored everywhere with our two Dromadil guides long past the time he should have been resting.  

We shall be leaving behind these guides as we press deeper into the earth. They will report back to their king about its suitability for habitation again. 

I find I can admire the workmanship of these structures, but confess the depression that comes with a life in the shadows and at times outright darkness. 

We had little to light our way besides my pendants until a surprise gift through Noralei from Merlin  – the cage that lights up because it contains our “old friend” the Will’o’the Wisp. 

He shines brighter than I remember in this place and is more sullen. 

He has said nary a word.

The Fairy Diary Day 206 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The burrow that Dunfallon built turned out to be very comfortable. We would have all drifted off to sleep as soon as we settled in, if not for the stories with which the pixie insisted on regaling us. Not that we didn’t want to listen. On the contrary they were just so interesting that we did not wish to miss any part of them. 

However, there were consequences. 

All of us slept soundly when we did sleep. So soundly that the new day was half spent before we rose. 

There was a message waiting on my scroll from the High Fairy. He and Merlin report flights of black birds spotted over Nonin-gal-dith and Merlin’s castle. Given that information we are reasonably certain that we have successfully escaped the notice of these agents of our enemy.

The Fairy Diary Day 205 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Before we set out again this morning, I read a warning message on my scroll from the High Fairy. Actually, in origin, it was from Merlin. His excellency was passing it on to us with some sage advice. 

Merlin had been in a session with his seer stone when he was surprised by a vision of flocks of birds emanating from the crystalline structure. So not knowing if any particular flock was headed our way, they are recommending we halt for a day and find somewhere to shield ourselves from view from above. 

Dunfallon took this advice to heart and set out to build a burrow big enough for all of us. And invited us in with great ceremony.