The Fairy Diary Day 690 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Today will live long in my memory.

I set aside my armor and my pendants for the first time in an age. Clothed in a robe of gossamer and shod with golden sandals I was escorted before a throne at the entrance of the repository by my closest friends – Rumble, Dunfallon, and Noralei. Tinadell smiled down at me. Flanking him were Merlin and the prime minister on one side, and Gibley with the five dragons on the other. Everyone in my dream of yesterday was in attendance. So many faces, and all smiling for me.

The Fairy King addressed me, “Meribabell of Nonin-gal-dith you have found favor with me and our fairy folk. You are worthy to take up the mantle of the High Fairy.”

At this the prime minster stepped forward and spread the mantle over my robe.

Tinadell then continued, “And if you promise to faithfully serve me and the fairy folk…”

At this I replied, “ Yes, I promise.”

“ Then receive the sign for your office.” He turned to Merlin and handed him the chain of office – whose gems glistened like a rainbow in the sun.

The wizard stood before me, knelt, and placed the honor around my neck. Its weight settled there and then lightened by its own power, spreading its warmth over my whole being.

The cheers of all reflected off of the trees of the repository behind the throne, and seemed to center upon the spot where I stood. Gabhe at that instant added his bleats of praise and seemed to bound everywhere.

Navril and Herblas then ushered my friends and me from before the dias to the great common area of the repository.

I admit that my tears kept me blurry-eyed thereafter.

And the idea consumed my thoughts that tomorrow upon my return to Nonin-gal-dith, my work truly begins.

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The Fairy Diary Day 681 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Gibley left for the canyonlands on Conjil this morning. Rumble joined Dunfallon and I to bid him goodbye. The goblin had offered to accompany us on our trip, but I thanked him and released him from any obligation that he was feeling and assured him that the three of us should have no problem reaching the dwarves safely. 

Together we three had Cluyjil harnessed and prepared to go just before Merlin and Tinadell arrived. An escort of fairy troops delivered the cages with our two prisoners and tied them down into the wagon. 

The Fairy King echoed the wizard’s assurances of yesterday to me. He thinks all challenges will be laid to rest by the time of our return from Gilgorgon’s mountain. 

Merlin instructed us on how to care for and communicate with our prisoners. We are to talk with the Caretaker and not the former queen. Additional spells are weighing her down and restricting her activity and abilities. He is confident she will present no problems. 

After Dunfallon reviewed his soldier less weapons and arranged their marching order about the wagon, we set out, following behind our fairy troop escort.

We bypassed Nonin-gal-dith and took the southbound road in order to retrace the path we traveled last time. Dunfallon still believes it wise to keep the distance between the renegades and the Will’o’the Wisp. 

The Fairy Diary Day 676 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Before rising this morning I finished pondering my answer to the Fairy King. I will tell him when I appear before him later today that I will accept the position of the next High Fairy. 

I informed my friends of my decision over our morning cup of nectar. All joking aside my friends were happy for me and supportive. Dunfallon told me he would still entertain orders from me anytime. 

Next I met with Merlin and opened to him my choice and my thoughts behind it. He said right off that he was gladdened at my decision and looks forward to serving again with me. But he wanted me to be prepared for a strong opposition to my candidacy for High Fairy. He could not go into details – for he does not yet know them himself. He had been out in the fields around Nonin-gal-dith – well within the daisy ring defenses, and what he had sensed while there (not a vision exactly), gave him a grave concern for me.

He will take me with him to the capital and promised to support me whatever comes. 

We saw the others off. Dunfallon and Noralei flew off on Cluyjil to help Gibley back at the repository. They made me promise to send for them when the time comes for my investiture as the High Fairy. Rumble left on Conjil for the capital in advance of us and promised not to leak any news about my decision. 

While I wait on the wizard, his words weigh heavily on my mind. I fear I am beginning to second guess myself.

The Fairy Diary Day 675 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We had a shake up in our plans first thing this morning. Everyone desired to return to Nonin-gal-dith for the High Fairy’s memorial. Gibley, though desirous of attending the memorial, was more keen on showing the esteem with which he holds all of us, and volunteered to remain at the repository with the dragons – Rayjil and the two dragonlings. 

We gratefully accepted his offer. And prior to leaving, made sure that the fairy troops and Dunfallon’s “army” would obey the goblin’s orders. 

I did not accompany Dunfallon as originally planned. Merlin insisted that I travel with him. Noralei went with Dunfallon on Cluyjil instead. And though they departed before the wizard and me, we arrived at  Nonin-gal-dith well before they did. 

It was a day for somber reflection as we laid his excellency to rest. Tinadell himself had come to pay his respects and Merlin spoke a eulogy over his friend and colleague. 

We all met together afterwards in the High Fairy’s residence. It will be sealed up until the new High Fairy is appointed. 

Tinadell informed me that he will be passing sentence tomorrow at the capital. He ordered me to be on hand and to give him an answer as to whether or not I will accept the position as the new High Fairy. 

This decision is to be mine alone, no matter how much I desire to surrender it to my friends in seeking their counsel. I simply cannot burden them with it. 

It is going to be a lonely night. 

The Fairy Diary Day 674 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Gibley invited us out of the repository to the place just outside of the gates. There he planned the fitting of igniter stones in the young dragons. The goblin had examined the pair quite minutely the night before and pronounced them both ready – their teeth are all in, and the prequisite space is available for their installation.

Merlin had the red stone for Clemjil, and for Torjil, he brought forth an exquisite purple one. A minute’s observation confirmed that each gem chose their dragon.

Gibley’s work on Clemjil was a quick and easy matter. Afterwards he assigned him to Rayjil and together the two dragons cleared some brush from around the front area. Noralei and I kept ourselves available with skins of water, just in case the burning vegetation got near the trees of the repository.

Torjil was another matter. She had watched with interest as the goblin installed the red stone into Clemjil’s jaw, but when it came her turn, she chose that moment to disappear. Both Rayjil and Clemjil scurried about trying to pin her down, but she was too quick for them.

It was the timely arrival of Dunfallon on Cluyjil that rescued us from our predicament. The frisky dragon ran into Cluyjil when (we assume) she was fleeing from the others. She reappeared as he held her fast in the coils of his tail. Dunfallon scampered to her side and whispered into her ear.

In the following lull, Gibley performed the procedure on her. We may have to keep the young dragons out in the open air tonight.

When things were settled Dunfallon told us that they had had no problem finding the remains of the High Fairy. Rumble has returned them to Nonin-gal-dith where his excellency will be memorialized tomorrow.

I shall accompany the pixie there tomorrow. The others have yet to decide if they will be going too.

The Fairy Diary Day 667 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Even though Rumble went out early to collect the last of the evidence and returned in a short time, he insisted that it be put in boxes for safe keeping before we left. And that put us behind again while Noralei and Dunfallon constructed two large crates for the scrolls, and then placed them in the wagon. That last step did not prove too difficult as they took the place of a good deal of the supplies that we no longer need to carry. 

When Dunfallon finished with his part of that task, I sent him on to the capital on Cluyjil to confer with Merlin. In particular I wanted to know if Gibley had been sent for. And if not, did the wizard think it a good idea for Dunfallon to fly to the canyonlands to ask the goblin to come and help us with Clemjil. 

I did not have to ask the pixie twice and he was off before Noralei harnessed Rayjil to the wagon. 

With fairy troops before and after and Dunfallon’s army hemming us in, we set out too. I verily believe that everyone in Nonin-gal-dith turned out to gawk as we passed. 

There was audible grumbling in a couple instances, but no overt actions were launched against us. 

All was calm once we were out in the fields. And continued thus for the remainder of the day until we reached a place in the open where an advance contingent from our guard had prepared a camp for us. 

Here we will pass the night. Our prisoners are quiet – subdued actually. 

I will be glad to reach the capital tomorrow. 

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. 

The Fairy Diary Day 665 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Last night Dunfallon was later than any of us wanted him to be. Though we should have expected it. He tried to use the excuse that it was hard to locate us in the dark – I shook my head at that comment, for we had our beacon fire going well before sundown. 

Finally he admitted that time just got away from him. He had fully intended to leave earlier, but then Nailbiter and others brought out some rumors that had been circulating among pixies and the nearby fairies. Some fairies in Nonin-gal-dith wanted their queen back. And were boasting that they would take matters into their own hands. 

This brought about a debate among us – avoid Nonin-gal-dith and go straight on to the capital, or keep to our original plan. 

With the morning we decided on keeping to the plan.  Rumble said there were certain documents we needed to collect from the High Fairy’s residence and both Noralei and Dunfallon thought that if there were inimical factions they needed to be exposed and/or convinced that their support for the disgraced ruler is misplaced. 

So, we pressed onwards to Nonin-gal-dith. 

Our decision proved the proper one. 

There were many more troops manning the daisy ring defenses than formerly, but they sped us through. Merlin had convinced Tinadell to send a strong escort to remain by our side as long as necessary. 

Noralei’s sister was prepared to receive all of us – pixie, fairies, and dragons. 

The Fairy Diary Day 664 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I do believe that we are farther from Nonin-gal-dith than when first we entered these pixie woods and that holds true even though we have come out on the other side of the forests. The path Rumble plotted for us kept us not only far away from the swamp of Will’o’the Wisp – it also kept us at a great distance from the main pixie burrows. 

That is why I granted Dunfallon’s petition for him to pay a visit to Nailbiter’s burrow – with the proviso that he return to us this night. 

The road chosen by Rumble was very smooth and passed through picturesque forests and meadows. It is surprising therefore how few pixie burrows there were in that most perfect of settings. 

We crossed over the road the humans use between Aznastria to the north and their sister kingdoms to the south. It called to mind our friends King Nimrood and Caywyn, and made me wonder how they fared during the freeze and the Frost Fairy incursion. 

Rumble called a halt when we came to the fairy road that will take us to Nonin-gal-dith tomorrow. Here we will wait for Dunfallon to find us. 

I wonder if he will remember to show up. 

The Fairy Diary Day 663 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Dunfallon’s “army” clinked and clattered continually today, as we traversed wave upon wave of rolling hills. The ride in the wagon was smooth enough, at least the Caretaker was no longer complaining. Noralei was excited, she could almost smell Nonin-gal-dith and home through the intervening hills and forests. It also had an effect on Rayjil as there seemed to be an extra bounce in her step.

Merlin announced that he would go on ahead to the Faerie capital and there make arrangements for the trial of her former majesty and the Caretaker. To that end he asked Dunfallon to fly him there on Cluyjil. The pixie was more than ready for he wanted to stop in at the pixie burrows on his return.

After the wizard’s departure, Rugis and Strukul and the dwarf escort took their leave of us. They felt their services were no longer needed. So, there we were, Noralei, Rumble, and I, and the two dragons, Rayjil and Clemjil – now only days away from our destination.

By day’s end, with the forestlands in view, Dunfallon returned. He and Cluyjil had delivered Merlin safely to the capital. And though intending to stop by to pay his respects to Nailbiter and his pixies, he was called away by the voice from the ring to see the Will’o’the Wisp. Willie had a dire request to be relayed to us. He advised us to keep her former majesty as far as possible from him, as he was highly susceptible to her influence. 

I asked Rumble to come up with a more suitable route for tomorrow.