The Fairy Diary Day 683 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The incident yesterday with the black bird has us all on edge. That and sightings of the black plants here in pixie territory today bring up bad memories. Dunfallon jumps down from the wagon and eradicates each such plant he sees.

I took out my scroll and wrote out a message that I hoped would reach Merlin. We all fear that like the struggle Tinadell had with his evil self before Noralei and the others defeated that manifestation, someone else is now the pawn of that evil. Perhaps the renegade queen herself.

And though the sun has risen here, the night has not departed from Gilgorgon’s mountain which can just be made out in the west as we entered the area of the rolling hills.

Time wore on with no answer, and just when I was about to use the talisman that the wizard had given me to summon him, a message came back from him. Tinadell indeed had relayed the message to Merlin, and the Fairy King was deeply concerned that what had happened to him before, was happening again – to someone else. 

Merlin was more hopeful – even had half expected something like this. He said it was all the more important that we get to Gilgorgon’s mountain as soon as possible. And he promised to meet us there.

As encouragement, the wizard added that the strength of the adversary would be severely limited by the fact that he – Merlin – had the renegade queen’s voice with him, locked in a box. Hence, why she could not speak to us.

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The Fairy Diary Day 669 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The dinner given by Tinadell was small and intimate – only we three fairies and Merlin. For a reason that only became clear later, I was seated in the place of honor. 

After the meal was served and eaten, instead of talking about the obvious thing – the impending trial, Tinadell questioned each of us in turn about our recent adventures. Our king was singularly focused on asking Rumble and Noralei and Merlin about my conduct. 

It was a little embarrassing. I interjected praise for my companions at each and every opportunity to deflect from the discomfort of being in the spotlight. 

This morning I was hopeful that it would all be forgotten. And with the return of Dunfallon and Gibley, I felt reasonably certain that my notoriety of the evening before would soon be overshadowed by their fresh accomplishments. 

It was not to be. 

I was present when Tinadell received them. Again, the king turned his questions around to their estimations concerning my actions. I do believe that Merlin took much satisfaction in my discomfort. 

Before the pixie and the goblin departed to their quarters, Dunfallon presented to Tinadell the scroll of the High Fairy by which he communicated with me. The fairy king had asked the pixie to retrieve it from Emminie on the way back to the capital. 

Once Tinadell was alone with Merlin and me, the fairy king asked me point blank if I would accept the post of High Fairy. 

I was flummoxed and at a loss for words. I could only stammer out a reply that I needed time to consider his kind offer. 

Tinadell understood and granted me until after the trial to give my answer. 

The Fairy Diary Day 631 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Captain Goff was unrelenting in his drive to save his ship. Before we could seriously examine our surroundings all hands were called to save her. 

Most manned the pumps to expel the water weighing her down. Gibley remained atop Conjil and together could do nothing other than pull on the ship to keep it on the surface. In sympathy Nora swam by their side. 

As we kept at the pumps, Merlin seemed curiously unconcerned for our plight. When I went to his cabin to check on him, he turned to me and said, “Carry on. I have total faith in your abilities.” Then he resumed his study of his seers stone. Curiously I noticed that he had my scroll and my diary open on the table beside the object of his study. 

As we gained momentum on the flood, Dunfallon asked to be relieved to check on his “army.” He was fearful some may have been lost overboard. The Captain released him from his station at the pump, and the pixie called a muster roll for his troops. 

After Gibley secured Conjil back aboard, Merlin returned my items to me with the request to check the latest message on the scroll. Emminie had written that the Frost Fairies were in retreat and the two dragons that had appeared in their support had flown away to the west. 

So, the wizard’s guess had proven right. 

And off in the distance was an island like I had seen in the seers stone. With a tower atop a mountain. 

The Fairy Diary Day 629 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

This day brought us a lot of confusion. I feel like we were being torn in multiple directions. 

With the islands now in view I took a short hop over to one to look around. It is a sandy waste land, not a rock in sight. And the nearby islands look similar.  But the most disturbing discovery was that the waterways between them seem too shallow to support our ship. 

Upon returning Dunfallon shared with me the urging from the voice in his ring that we turn towards the south for the promise of a navigable passage through the islands. We took this message to Merlin and before the pixie had finished repeating it, a note came in on my scroll from the Sprites. It was the warning we had feared. Frost Fairies had been sighted on the move through Aznastria – with, it is believed, the Faerie Kingdom as its target. 

I wanted to return immediately. And I thought so would my fellow fairies, Noralei and Rumble. 

Merlin, however, took the note from Emminie as a confirmation that we were closing in on our adversary. And he wanted to press on at all hazards, arguing that when we engage them the advance of the Frost Fairies will fall apart. 

Another wrinkle emerged when we asked Captain Goff to change course to the south. He stated that he would do so but requested that we not ask him to go to the western land as he was not yet prepared to immigrate with those elves that have gone on before. 

The wizard then rather cryptically said that we have yet another direction to consider. 

The Fairy Diary Day 625 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

It has been a good first day. Even though we did not make it out of harbor with the fishing fleet as Captain Goff had hoped. We held off for the return of Conjil carrying Gibley and Dunfallon. Thankfully we did not have to wait too long. 

However, it did take some time to settle the dragon into her position on the main deck amidships. (I think she would prefer to perch on the taffrail, but that would put us down by the stern).

We received our first message on my scroll from Emminie. The Sprites have expanded their exploration- so now besides connections with the pixies they have added contacts to the goblins in the great shaft and the trolls of the surrounding area. He is confident that if there is any activity from the Frost Fairies he will hear of it in short order. 

Noralei has inspected the harness apparatus and has pronounced it sound. We will hold off on using it until we can convince Captain Goff that it will be beneficial. 

Merlin monitors the seers stone and I back him up when I can. I am paired with Noralei for our watches, and Rumble with Dunfallon on theirs. We take turns introducing Gibley to the work of a sailor. And that work has introduced the goblin to the rigors of seasickness. 

The one surprise so far is the voice from Dunfallon’s ring complaining about being seasick too. Is it part of the Will’o’the Wisp that has been placed in the ring?

The Fairy Diary Day 605 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Our celebration with the Dromadil pixies last evening was very pleasurable. But it was also full of oddities. And none more so than when the Dromadil king suddenly changed the topic and asked after the Will’o’the Wisp. I filled him in on Willie’s current whereabouts and Dunfallon described his daily routines in his swamp. Then, that was it, the king moved on to a fresh topic. 

I did not learn of a connection until later. Merlin had left a message on the scroll for me. He requested that we hear out a request from the Dromadil king. (The wizard had made a promise to him in return for receiving the Sprites into his kingdom). 

It was a favor being asked of fairies – so, while Dunfallon and Gibley remained behind, Rumble, Noralei, and I went in for a special audience with the king. I feel that he had a general misunderstanding as to who had the closer relationship with Willie – for he asked us if we could persuade Willie to leave his bog and come here to help the Dromadil pixies with an ongoing problem. The king was reticent about details and would only say that Merlin was aware and would approve. 

None of us knew what to say in reply. Finally I just told the king that we needed to confer with one another before making a decision. He said he understood and dismissed us. 

I wrote out a note to Merlin and we gathered out where Conjil is stabled to talk through the request. 

The Fairy Diary Day 603 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

A reply from Merlin to me was waiting on the scroll when I opened it this morning. He and Navril had made it to Laguayil. Nililitil confirmed that the High Fairy had not stopped by recently, but he did add that there were rumors out of Corbelin that his excellency and two other fairies had taken a ship from there out into the west. And that is where the wizard and Navril intend to go next. 

There was one other thing that Merlin added which I relayed to the others. He told me to stay in contact and be prepared to come to him. If he needed our aid he would send a rainbow. 

Conjil was a little reluctant to be hitched up this morning so Gibley took her up to spread her wings for awhile. Once she was back and harnessed, we were on our way again. The goblin told us that from their view above he estimates we will sight Dromadil tomorrow. 

The Fairy Diary Day 602 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We were all relieved this morning when Noralei reported that the wound on Conjil’s foreleg was completely healed over. 

I wrote to Merlin on my scroll (knowing he has the High Fairy’s scroll) to let him know this news and to promise that we were leaving for Dromadil right away. 

And we did. 

Noralei assigned everyone a place – Gibley with her on Conjil, Dunfallon on the first wagon (to be close to his ’army’) – and Rumble and I on the second. 

Our road paralleled the creek as we headed north but once we came to a fork in the road she and Gibley conferred with Rumble as to which route was better for travel to Dromadil. He had already been perusing his maps and directed them to take the east bound one. He explained that thereby we would be avoiding the longer way around through the troll territory. 

We all judged it to be better therefore on those two counts. 

There were no villages or farms along the way, nor did we pass any other travelers. Which was just as well for we would have been a most strange sight to most. Perhaps even scary. 

The Fairy Diary Day 596 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

It would appear that mornings are the times of quaking. For such we experienced when Dunfallon and I went out early.  I wanted to show him where the creek goes underground. And while we watched the hole that was swallowing the creek, it grew larger – apparently the result of the ground shifting beneath it. 

The pixie looked down into the ever lengthening crevice, and said he saw a way down. I was about to suggest that we notify Merlin before any action on our part when the wizard appeared by our side. 

He took one look and agreed that we should go down to investigate – but only after the quaking had subsided. He thinks that sometime this afternoon would be best. 

In the meantime under his direction we met with the others. They led the dragon with the wagons down to the creek, the better to observe and be ready to aid us if necessary. Navril was selected to accompany the three of us, while Noralei, Gibley, and Rumble stayed topside. 

As the time drew near, as was my habit, I checked my scroll – and there at long last was a message from the High Fairy. 

“Do not descend,” was all that his excellency had written. 

I showed this to Merlin. And he had me write back, asking where he was and what he was doing. And why should we not descend. 

Then, we waited. 

The Fairy Diary Day 583 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I sent out another message on my scroll to the High Fairy- with an added question about the Frost Fairies. So far today –  no answer. To any of my questions. 

Rumble with help from Noralei dug into the books his excellency left out regarding the mysterious Frost Fairies. Navril heard about their task and invited himself along. (I think he is bored without Dunfallon around). 

While they saw to that business, I paid a call to the weavers guild and hunted up Tinadell. ( I had some fresh cobwebs for him to make some more scarves). He asked the latest news about the others, and perked up when I mentioned the Frost Fairies. 

He told me he had heard scary stories about them. So I invited him over to share them with us. 

He arrived at Noralei and her sister’s at the same time the trio returned from the High Fairy’s – and Dunfallon from Willie’s swamp and from his pixie burrow. The pixie had important news to share – he has been offered the leadership of a new burrow that is being established near the pond closest to the Wisp’s watery domain. 

And while Noralei’s sister served out their best nectar we listened to a variety of stories about the Frost Fairies.