The glade was more brilliant than ever tonight, but that came as no surprise to Rulena. Siadari, the Queen herself, was descending from the Great Tree to announce some news of great importance. Many faerie thought that a new baby was to be named, and that the presence of faerie was required on the naming day. The flare pixies were busy in their work of lighting up the clearing, taking extra care to make their globes of light burn brighter. The chatter of the faerie in the glade was louder  than usual, too.

    Rulena, wandering through the clearing, smiled to herself as she observed a pixie struggling with a stubborn flower, pleading with it to open its buds. The flower looked like it was pursing its lips, with its petals tightly curled to inward. The pixie was getting impatient and had abandoned her sweet approaches to the flower, and was now scolding it. Rulena’s grin grew broader. She was glad she wasn’t a pixie.

    A fairy had her duties, too, and as she remembered what she was supposed to be doing before the distraction of seeing the pixie, Rulena quickened her pace. She was supposed to be helping the other faerie of the glade in preparing the pavilion for the Queen. Her hair brightened from a brown to a rose pink as she thought of the Queen herself visiting them, and her being chosen as one of those who would attend to the Queen once she arrived.

    She hummed happily as she called on the wind to drape the gossamer cloths all around the pavilion.The Queen was coming, the Queen was coming... Rulena had never experienced a Dance with the Queen present, and she was looking forward to it. The fairy next to her, Willa, was wrapping the throne with vines that she were coaxing to open their buds, and she turned to Rulena with a smile as she finished opening the last bud.

    “This is your first time seeing the Queen, isn’t it, Rulena?”

    Rulena smiled back at the fairy. “Yes, it is. I can’t wait to dance with her looking on!”

    Willa giggled. “I’m so excited that I think I’m going to burst!” Rulena laughed with her. Willa was somewhat a serious fairy, as with most earth faerie, but even she would get excited about something like the Queen coming to the glade.

After a few more tweaks to her side of the pavilion, Rulena stepped back to enjoy the view of what she’d created. She was someone who reveled in the art of arranging things to her pleasure, and she was delighted at the result of her work. The gossamer strands around the pavilion would glimmer and catch the light of the faerie-lamps enchantingly. She smiled to herself, enjoying what she had created. The knowledge that the queen was going to see the work of her hands at the Dance later made her even more happy.

“What a beautiful arrangement, my dear!” It was Grylla, an older faery. Grylla was

one of those few faerie who had chosen not to appear as eternally youthful as most faerie. Grylla didn’t look old, but she gave off the impression of being old, with her dark blue hair piled up on her head and her form clad in more modest clothing than was the fashion with most faerie.

    Rulena blushed. Grylla was known to be a stern water faery, and getting a compliment from her was, as others said, as hard as holding water in a non-water faery’s hands. “Thank you, Grylla,” Rulena said, ducking her head a little. Her hair betrayed her emotions, though, sparking a brighter pink. Grylla looked amused at the faery’s intense pleasure.

    “This is your first time seeing the Queen, isn’t it?” Rulena raised her head to look at the face in front of hers. It wasn’t as fierce as others said it was. It was beautiful in a way that was different from the beauty of the other faery’s.

    “Yes, and I’m so excited!” Rulena replied.

    “Are you expecting something good to happen to you tonight?” Grylla asked her, raising an eyebrow at the glowing faery in front of her.

    Rulena was surprised at the question. “Isn’t the Queen’s coming here something good already?”

    Grylla smiled at the childish response, then frowned. Rulena wondered what the frown was about, but she dismissed it. Grylla took her leave, and Rulena went back to draping some more gossamer about the pavilion.

    The Queen would be coming soon!

    The glade was brilliant with light and, if sound could be perceived as light is, it would be shining with sound. Rulena thought this as she floated slightly above the ground, in a daze. All the faerie were assembled outside the pavilion, waiting for the Queen to make her entry into it. Rulena could feel the anticipation in the air, as tangible as the pavilion in front of them.

    And then she appeared!

    She was slightly in front of a retinue of gorgeous faerie, floating on the air on wings that looked like they were made of spun gold, wings that matched her flaxen hair. Siadari!

    Every faery in the vicinity knelt, their knees to the ground as a sign of homage to the Queen and to the Earth, their mother. No wings beat. Rulena felt her heart drumming in her chest at the sight of the Queen. She was radiant, outshining even the stars and the faerie-lights. Even with just a glimpse at her, Rulena felt that she would be blinded by the Queen’s beauty. She dropped her eyes to the ground.

    The Queen took her seat at the throne in the pavilion. One of her retinue, a dark-haired faery dressed in a peacock-blue creation of gossamer and leaves, signalled the faerie outside to enter the pavilion. This they did, in an almost-silent flutter of wings.

    “My people, how I have missed being with you.” The Queen had a voice that was as lovely as she was. Rulena thrilled to the sound of it. She wished she could get closer to the Queen...

    “Before the dull business of news comes--” The faerie uttered a collective murmur of dissent, and the Queen laughed at the eager faces before her. “--we must dance! Strike up the lyres, musicians! Sound your best trumpets, for tonight we dance!”

    The faerie cheered, the disappointment at not having the news first dispelled at the Queen’s merry  Rulena found herself dancing a lively jig with a handsome faery from the Queen’s retinue. She enjoyed it immensely, for her partner was so skilled with the dance that Rulena almost forgot about the Queen’s news. The night wore on, the laughter and music accompanying it. The Queen, every time Rulena looked towards her, looked serene in her throne, smiling at the happy faerie dancing before her.

    Finally, when the enthusiastic musicians showed signs of flagging, the Queen stood up from her throne. Every faery stood still. The revelry of the night was forgotten. There was only the Queen to listen to, only her to look at.

    Rulena saw that Grylla was standing next to her. Grylla looked magnificent tonight, Rulena mused. Her dark elegance was a contrast to the Queen’s golden radiance. She and Grylla exchanged a brief nod before once more directing their attention towards the Queen.

    “My people, I deeply regret that my time to stay with you here will be brief.” A collective groan arose from the faeriekin, and Rulena’s voice was one of those that

    “However, I have a wonderful piece of news for you. This kingdom is welcoming the arrival of a new princess, the Princess Aurora.”

    Complete silence reigned over the pavilion as every faery absorbed the Queen’s words.

    “The King and the Queen of Euphon have invited seven faerie from here to be the child’s godparents.”

    An excited babble broke out at this, but every tongue stilled as a page from the Queen’s retinue held up a hand.

    “We are drawing the seven faerie now,” the Queen said. Another page stepped up with a wooden bowl in his hand. Rulena felt the tension in the air. Everything was still and quiet.

    The Queen reached out with an elegant hand towards the bowl.

    “Berrodin.” The faerie applauded as Berrodin, an earth faery, flew up to the Queen’s side at her beckoning. He looked stunned and pleased at the same time. Rulena clapped for him, but in her heart nestled a secret hope that--no, she mustn’t hope that. She firmly told herself not to be silly and tried to listen to the next name to be called.

    “Hylla.” The Queen smiled brilliantly at the wide-eyed water faery as she took her place next to Berrodin.

    “Lukka.” The golden-haired light faery lightly deposited himself next to the others. Rulena felt like she couldn’t breathe.

    “Tara.”

    “Marvet.”

    “Grylla.” At Grylla’s name, Rulena was startled from her fantasy. Grylla flew up to the others, smiling a slight smile. Rulena thought enviously to herself, “She must be used to this already...”

    Oh, to be picked! Rulena admitted to herself that she did dare to hope for being a godparent to a baby. To a Princess, no less!

    The final name was yet to be drawn, and the faerie in the pavilion were getting restless. Everyone else wanted to be drawn...

    “Rulena.”

    At the sound of her name, Rulena was shocked out of her musings. It was only her dance partner from before who whispered in her ear, “That’s you!”. She flew up to the Queen in a daze. The Queen smiled at her, the brilliance of the smile nearly blinding Rulena. Her heart pounding crazily in her chest, she managed to curtsy to the Queen. She was trembling all over, not with fear, but with the sheer awe of just being near the Queen.

    “My people, these are the godparents for the Princess. I will now bestow my blessing upon them, that they may be led by the Mother to give gifts that will be worthy of the Princess.” The Queen laid her hands on the seven faerie grouped in front of her in turn, while the faerie around them chanted the runes for strengthening their magic. Rulena felt pure energy coursing through her veins as the Queen touched her. Was the Queen imbuing her with the Mother’s magic? Rulena felt as if the Mother’s magic was going to burst out of her skin, to radiate at the tips of her hair…

    And then it was all over. The Queen floated up out of the pavilion and into the sky, where she would go back to the Great Tree. Everyone congratulated Rulena, who still couldn’t believe what had just happened. It was such a blur to her, and, her head whirling in confusion and excitement, and also with the magic the Queen had left her with, she left the glade to retire to her own tree.

    She was going to be a faery godmother!

    They arrived at the palace well before dawn. Rulena wondered why they had travelled under the cover of night like they did on the way to the palace. It was something she wanted to ask Grylla, who was by her side all through the flight to the palace, but she forgot about it as soon as she saw the huge stone structure. Moonlight struck the stones and lent a glow to them. Rulena was struck dumb at her first sight of the palace, and at the sight of the town, too.

    “Humans dwell in such ugly buildings, don’t they?” she whispered to herself. Nobody heard her--everyone was intent on reaching the palace. Grylla, since she was the eldest faery of all of them, was slightly in front of the group, with Rulena beside her. They were flying so high above the ground before they came to the town that it was literally the first sight of humans that she’d seen in her entire life. In all honesty, though, she felt a little let down at it all. The town below and the palace didn’t seem as magical as she had thought they’d be. She shrugged. “Maybe it’ll look better in the daylight,” she said to herself philosophically. Grylla cocked her head at her, her eyes clearly wanting to ask Rulena what had prompted her to make that remark. Rulena just shrugged at the other faery, promising herself that she won’t ever tell anyone her disappointment at seeing her first human town and palace.  

    Grylla signalled with a hand pointing downward that they were landing in a few wingbeats, and in a few moments were standing in the palace’s vast courtyard. The faerie were greeted by the King, a figure in a thick red cloak behind whom a company of soldiers stood at attendace. Rulena thought that the soldiers were staring a little too obviously at her and her fellow faerie. Have they never seen a faery before? she wondered.

    “Lady Grylla,” the King said, bowing deeply to Grylla. Grylla curtsied back to him. Every faery bowed or curtsied to the King.

    “I am greatly honored by your presence,” the King said. Rulena saw that his face looked like a pleasant one, with a smile curving through it. Rulena noticed with a shock that the King was old, older even than Grylla’s appearance. There were lines in the corners of his eyes, and they weren’t caused just by smiling, either. The King didn’t look bothered by the lateness of the hour at all, unlike some of his men, who were, Rulena thought, rather rude with all their yawning, not to mention their staring. They should try flying all the way here, Rulena thought crossly as she surveyed the soldiers in full armor in front of them.

    “Let my soldiers escort you to your quarters for the night,”

Rulena was slightly uncomfortable in the courtyard, feeling stifled by the walls around it, but this feeling was quickly overwhelmed by the feeling of tiredness that spread over her limbs and even in her wings. The King, after a few hushed words with Grylla, went off into a different part of the palace with half of the soldiers. The faerie were escorted by the remaining guard to a wing of the palace where each of them had a room. Rulena marvelled at the size of the palace, but was dismayed at her room. It was all of stone. It was a jarring difference from her usual tree. She felt a sudden stab of homesickness as she lay on the soft thing in the center of the room. It was a bed, she supposed, with feathers of actual birds in it. She shuddered a little and wished she was nestled in branches of her tree.

The naming ceremony took place early in the morning. Rulena had thought that since the ceremony started early, it would end early. It seemed that it was not to be. Every dignitary that was invited to the event was introduced to the monarchs of Euphon with fanfare from the orchestra.

One thing Rulena loved about the palace, though, was not the lavish extravagance of it. What she loved about it was the music. It was beautiful. It was unlike the music from the reeds that the faerie had on dancing nights. There were strings and brass, producing a much wider range of sound that the reeds can, even reeds wielded by a master player. She wanted to dance so badly, but the faerie were supposed to just sit at a table reserved specially for them. Rulena was seated next to Lukka, the golden light faery. She glanced over at him, and saw that he looked as bored as she was, toying with the heavy gold cutlery.  Faerie didn’t care much for human food, but the King had managed to serve food that even a faery could eat.

Lukka  caught her glancing at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Pretty dull here, huh?” Lukka muttered while applauding for yet another monarch from yet another country. Rulena nodded.

“I wish we could dance. The music’s beautiful,” Rulena said, glancing wistfully at Lukka.

He smiled mischievously at him. “We might be allowed to, later. Will you save me a dance?”

She smiled back at him. She liked the way his eyes sparkled at her and his playful attitude. Then again, light faerie were the most sociable beings she knew. She knew that every human was looking at their table, and fidgeted uncomfortably.

The orchestra stopped playing the murmur of music they had been making all throughout the fanfare as the foreign dignitaries were introduced. Rulena felt bereft as she felt the music fade out and sighed as she looked at the dais near them, where the princess was encushioned in a golden cradle. Her proud parents were sitting on thrones at either side of the cradle, beaming at the company. The King stood up to speak.

“It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you.” He smiled, sweeping the room with the brilliance of it. Rulena thought that the King’s wrinkles weren’t just caused by age--they must also be caused by smiling.

The King took hold of a salver of water which he held over the baby. “I name you Aurora the First, Princess of Euphon!” The baby let out a tiny mewl of dissent as wet drops of water fell on its face, then fell silent. The room erupted in applause, and the faerie politely clapped along.

The naming ceremony (the most essential part of it, that is), was over in a few minutes. Rulena blinked at the suddenness of it all. The King clapped his hands, and the orchestra struck up a lively tune. Every human in the throne room stood up, with men in one line and women in another. It was clearly a form of dance, different from the dances the faerie had in the moonlight, but at least there was dancing in this ceremony. She’d begun to think that there wouldn’t be any dancing. Rulena’s hair turned red in her excitement while her eyes glowed green. Finally, some excitement! She glanced at Grylla, who nodded at the other faerie, signalling her consent for them to dance. Rulena felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Lukka.

“May I have this dance?” The light faery smiled at her, and Rulena had to squint a little at the faery’s glow, a light that was brighter than usual. She guessed he was excited at dancing, too, and stood up eagerly.

They danced for three full songs, lightly stepping through the vast room, inventing their own steps to the dance. When Rulena managed to glance around from a particularly lively song, she noticed that where there were faerie, there was a scarcity of humans. It was as if they were avoiding the faerie. She felt confused about this and was just about to make the observation to Lukka, when the music suddenly stopped.

“My honored guests, I am delighted to announce that my daughter, the Princess Aurora--” here the King paused, anticipating more applause, which both humans and faerie alike gave (the latter at a signal from Grylla), “will be having seven faerie godparents.”

The room fell in a hush. Again, Rulena felt as if all eyes were on her.

“I humbly thank the Faerie Queen for granting us the honor of having these seven esteemed guests be my daughter’s godparents.” The King bowed as Grylla made her way to the very front of the room, gesturing at the other faerie to follow her. Rulena and Lukka stepped up next to her and stood facing the crowd of humans.

“It is our honor, my King, to perform this service for you.” Grylla sank into a deep curtsy before the King, and turned to the Queen to curtsy, too. “Now for the granting of the gifts.”

The hall was still. Rulena almost felt the humans’ collective intake of breath as Grylla recited a rune. The runes glowed around her as she picked them out of the air, drawing gasps of wonder from the crowd.

“I give this child, Aurora, the mastery of each and every musical instrument.” Grylla released the runes and they flowed in a golden stream towards the baby. She nodded at Berrodin. They were to be giving gifts in order of seniority, meaning Rulena was to be the last to give her gift. The guests didn’t seem to be impressed with Grylla’s gift, but she looked as regal and composed as ever even at the weak sound of applause the humans gave.

“I give this child, Aurora, the gift of intelligence above the average human’s.” This elicited a more enthusiastic round of applause, and the King and Queen beamed at Berrodin.

Marvet, a male earth faery, was next. “I give this child, Aurora, the gift of song.” He released the runes, and the guests ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ as the baby gave a decidedly musical wail.

“I give this child, Aurora, the gift of beauty.” The room erupted in thunderous applause and Hylla smiled a brilliant smile. Beauty was clearly something that the humans valued, Rulena mused. She glanced at her fellow faerie. None of them looked alike, not in the least, but she thought that they looked just fine. It was the humans, in their stifling clothes and hair done up in the same style that confused her. Where was the beauty in similarity? She preferred how the faerie looked different from each other.

“I give this child, Aurora, the gift of grace.”

“I give this child, Aurora, the gift of artistic ability.” It was Lukka who had given the gift. Rulena felt excited about giving her gift. It was her turn next! Grylla nodded at her, and she lightly stepped up to the cradle.

“I give this child, Aurora--”

    The great oak doors of the throne room burst open with a great bang. Everyone gasped, human and faerie alike, as a cold wave of fear swirled around the room. Every candle’s flame flickered frenziedly, and then died.  

    Rulena didn’t know how to describe it, but it was something she had never felt before. She felt like she was doused in cold water, and skeletal fingers were creeping their way down her spine. She felt the strange feeling increase as a slow laugh echoed through the room.

    “Who--who’s there?” The King spoke, his voice a whisper of sound trying to claw its way up his throat. Rulena realized that there was powerful magic at work--magic powerful enough to seal everyone’s lips except the king’s. She tried murmuring something, anything, but even she was under the spell.

    The candles flickered back to life, and Rulena’s eyes widened at the sight of the faery in front of the cradle, close enough for her to touch.

    It was a faery, she was sure of it, but unlike any other faery she had seen before. This faery was almost as beautiful as Siadari. No.

    She was as beautiful as the Queen.

    “Maleficent.” Everyone in the room turned at the sound of the voice. It was Grylla, clearly struggling under the influence of the spell.

    The faery laughed delightedly. Rulena marveled at the faery’s perfect features--the wide blue eyes, the dark hair.

    “My, Grylla. I can remember a time when you trumped me even at the simplest of spells. Ah, what times! I trust Siadari is well?” Maleficent tossed her hair. The King stepped forward, but she froze him with a binding rune. Then she picked more runes out of the air and immobilized every other person in the room, human and faery alike.

    “Now, where is the precious little baby?” Maleficent picked the princess up. The Queen, Rulena saw, was crying, tears running silently down her cheeks. It was a disturbing sight, as the Queen’s face was frozen in a look of horror, her eyes wide open and her mouth formed into an ‘O’.

    “Don’t...hurt her.” Grylla spoke. Maleficent laughed her tinkling laugh again.

    “What a nice little ceremony you have here, Basilin,” she remarked, running a finger down the baby’s forehead.

    “Such a pity you forgot to invite me.” The laughing tone was still there, but Rulena felt such malevolence in the words that she could hardly breathe.

    “You forgot to invite me, and instead requested Siadari for these seven ragamuffins. What a waste of a name-day! You even gave these faerie gold for cutlery! And I, Maleficent, your benefactress, your ancestor’s protector, the lady of these lands, was given nothing.” She laughed again. “Your soldiers tried to stop me as I flew in. I got a few halberds thrust at me as my welcome. What a charming host you are, Basilin.”

    Lukka flew at Maleficent, somehow overcoming her spell, but before he could even reach her, she had chosen a rune and threw a spell towards him. He crumpled to the floor as the spell hit him.

    Rulena wanted to scream, but she couldn’t overcome the spell. She felt useless and wished she could cry as humans did, as the Queen was doing. Lukka!

    Maleficent tsked. “What naughty faerie we have here!” She tickled the baby’s chin. The baby wasn’t under a spell as everyone was, and it gurgled happily at the faery.

    “Aren’t you precious?” she crooned. “Now, I’m going to give a special little gift, all my own.” She laid the baby down in the cradle.

    Rulena felt as if time had stood still. I can overcome her spell, I can speak--

    She tried picking a rune from the air, but there was nothing. She was nothing. She was completely under Maleficent’s enchantment.

    “I give this child, Aurora, the gift of pricking her finger on a needle, and dying. This shall come to pass, on the runes of binding and the darkness.”

    “I give this child, Aurora, the gift of sleep, and not death at the prick of a needle!” Rulena was surprised at the sound of her own voice, but hurried to complete the spell, picking the strongest rune of binding and sending it towards the princess. She wasn’t prepared, however, for the acute sense of pain that the spell had cost her. She felt the loss of the Mother’s energy within her at the utterance of the spell.

With a howl of rage, Maleficent disappeared.  

I did it. I counteracted her spell. Mother, thank you...

Rulena fainted to the sound of chaos breaking out among everyone in the throne room as Maleficent’s binding was broken.

Rulena awoke to the sound of voices. They weren’t just the wind’s, though. Why did her head ache so much? The winds hammered at her  

    The naming ceremony. The princess. And then... what happened...?

    Realization came to her in a jolt, and she sat up, gasping. She was in a bed--not

the one in her room, though. She saw that she was in the solar, the sun streaming in and bathing her face in warmness. Oddly enough, the sun reminded her of last night--Lukka, Maleficent, the curse. She felt a chill go through her as she remembered how she had made an attempt to counteract the curse Maleficent had put upon the princess. Her head pounded so much...

    Someone came into the room, bathing the already-sunlit walls with light. Rulena gasped, forgetting the pain in her head.

    It was Siadari, in all her glory. Rulena knew that she was gaping, but she couldn’t seem to hide her surprise that the Queen--yes, the Queen herself!--was in the same room as her Behind the Queen came the other faerie, and the King and the Queen brought up the rear. It was an odd position, and Rulena wondered whether she was dreaming. The open door brought more winds to Rulena, although they were still winds stale from being inside the palace too much. They whispered, that, Yes, the Queen is indeed real, and not someone from a dream.

    “Faithful faery!” The Queen exclaimed, her voice exactly as Rulena remembered it. She was looking at Rulena as she said it. She was smiling.

    The other faerie and the human monarchs weren’t, though. Both the King and the Queen’s eyes were swollen from weeping, and the faerie looked grave. Lukka looked pale, but managed a weak smile at Rulena.

    “My Queen.” Rulena struggled to get up, but Grylla was by her side in a flash.

    “I’m sure the Queen wouldn’t mind if you didn’t get up now, Rulena,” Grylla murmured in her ear, and eased her back onto the bed.

    “Dear subject, how I was pleased to hear the news!” The Queen beamed at Rulena, and she smiled back. How could she resist the Queen’s charm? How could Grylla and the others look so glum with the Queen right in front of them?

    “That you had counteracted Maleficent’s spell! Why, how marvelous of you!” The Queen bent down to Rulena and kissed her forehead. Rulena glowed with pleasure. She could almost feel her energy returning.

    “Honored Queen,” the King began. Siadari slowly turned in the direction of the King. Rulena noticed the human Queen’s overflowing eyes, her trembling chin. She looked ready to burst into tears.

    “Queen Siadari, what will become of our child? The curse--”

    “--Is something that our valiant faery here counteracted with a gift of her own. The child will not die, King Basilen.” Siadari aimed another brilliant smile at the King.

    “My Queen! The faery did not say when our Aurora will be pricked with a needle! And how will we wake her if she were to sleep? Would it not seem like death if we can’t wake her?” Everyone stared at Queen Kristoffa as she made this unlady-like outburst. Yet she stood unblushingly amidst the faerie, holding her ground. Rulena couldn’t meet her eyes, but she didn’t know why that was so.

    The room was so silent that Rulena thought a pin dropping on the marble floor would be heard. Or a needle... Rulena felt a little bit offended. The rune for sleep was the only one that had come into her mind then.

Siadari stepped a little closer to the human queen. The latter did not back down, but she lowered her eyes from Siadari’s, as if only realizing just now that her outburst could have offended the Faerie Queen.

“That is why, my Queen,” Siadari said, her tone still light and lilting, “We are proposing a solution to the problem.”

The human monarch clasped her hands, fell to the floor on her knees in front of                                           

Siadari. She was weeping tears of joy. The faerie looked on at this display of emotion, their expressions ranging from puzzled to slightly amused, in Grylla’s case.

    “Oh, sweet, sweet Queen Siadari, you can reverse our Aurora’s spell, can you not?”

     Rulena winced. She had never known of a faery who can reverse a rune--hence her picking the rune of sleep and ‘covering’ the rune of death with it. She was still feeling drained from the spellcasting of the night before.

    “My dear queen, we have done the best we could when Rulena granted the gift of sleep and not death at the prick of a needle to your daughter.” There was a hint of reproof in Siadari’s voice, and at this, the humans shrank back a little from her. It would do no good to incur the wrath of a faery upon them, least of all the Queen.

    “Yes, and we are thankful beyond words for what the faery has done.” The King nodded at Rulena,then bowed at Siadari. “We would be honored to hear your, ah, solution, dear Queen.” He laid a hand on Queen Kristoffa’s arm, as if to warn her not to speak anymore. Kristoffa gulped her tears down and dropped a quick, elegant curtsy to Siadari.

    Siadari extended a hand towards Rulena, urging her to step forward and join her. Rulena did so, once again noting the other faerie’s faces. Grylla looked positively livid, and Rulena wondered what Grylla could be so angry about. Could she hate that the Queen’s attention was focused on Rulena for now? She basked in the glow of the Queen’s presence, beaming.

    “The solution is this. The faery Rulena has cast the spell of sleep for your daughter, which will remain dormant until she becomes pricked by a needle.” Siadari held up her hand, forestalling Queen Kristoffa’s question. “Unfortunately, yes, the princess will be pricked by a needle. Rulena has not counteracted the spell but merely altered it.

    “However, the casting of such a spell was not easy, and maintaining it even at a short distance would cause its effect to flag.” The Queen gasped, and the King gripped his wife harder. “Faery magic is complicated to explain to humans but a rune like the one Rulena used depends on the proximity of the caster to the castee.This could mean that the princess can die at the prick of a needle after some time of sleep.”

    Rulena was stunned. She hadn’t even considered that when she picked the rune for sleep. She looked around at the other faerie. Some looked scared. Grylla was looking with slitted eyes at the Queen. And Rulena was seized with a sudden suspicion…

    “What...what can we do to keep our daughter alive, Queen Siadari?” Queen Kristoffa’s voice was a low, broken murmur now. She was struggling not to cry again, the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

    “However, this can be easily solved.” Siadari once again smiled her brilliant smile at all of them. The King leaned forward, eager to hear what it was.

    “The faery Rulena shall come live with you and your daughter, as a sort of safeguard until the Princess Aurora is pricked and recovers from the spell Maleficent put on her.”

    Rulena gasped, but her voice was drowned in Grylla’s outburst. “My Queen, what are you thinking? To let a faery live among humans? Alone?” Grylla strode up to Siadari and faced the Faerie Queen.

“Of course, it is the greatest service any faery can hope to give,” Siadari said smoothly, and a feeling of pride washed over Rulena. Serving the Queen was the thing she wanted to do most, wasn’t it? Siadari’s eyes looked into Rulena’s and she felt amazingly, astoundingly happy that she could serve her Queen. What nonsense was Grylla spouting? There was nothing more she wanted other than to obey the Queen. “Rulena agrees, don’t you, dear?”

Rulena nodded happily. Grylla was looking at Siadari in horror, along with the other faerie, but Rulena surmised that they were just jealous because she, Rulena, was in the Queen’s favor. They weren’t.

Siadari turned to the monarchs. The Queen’s lip was trembling, but she had managed to swallow her tears.

“Will--what does the faery require to live comfortably in the palace?” The Queen was looking Rulena up and down. Her voice trembled. “She would, of course, need to be as close to our Aurora as possible…” She looked to the King for supplication.

“She would, of course, need to be disguised?” The King and the Queen were both addressing their questions to Siadari. Rulena was feeling a little irritated. Weren’t they going to ask her opinion about this? But one smile from Siadari lessened her irk at the humans.

“I could perform a spell that would turn the faery Rulena to a child of three years. She could be a ward of yours, and be Princess Aurora’s companion, could she not?” Now all the people in the room, with the exception of Siadari and Rulena, were looking horrified. Rulena couldn’t understand them. Whatever the Queen’s plan was, she was sure it would all work out fine…

“What about her--her memories?” The King ventured, glancing nervously at Rulena.

Siadari shrugged, her perfect hair cascading in ringlets over her white shoulders. “Of course, her memories will contain nothing of the faery world, if that’s what you’re worried about. When she gets older, of course, she will be oriented into the faery world once again. I will see to it.”

    Basilen and Kristoffa looked at each other, and came to a mutual agreement in total silence. “We agree to it, Queen Siadari,” the Queen said, albeit a little stiffly. What was the matter with her? Rulena nodded. She glanced over at Grylla. At least she wasn’t behaving like Grylla. The senior faery looked like she would like to give vent to another outburst.

    “Thank you, Queen Siadari,” the King hastened to say.

    Without another word, Siadari moved to perform the spell on Rulena. Sudden doubts began clouding Rulena’s mind. Would she fit in the human world? Could she survive on her own?

    Before she could voice these concerns out, though, Siadari had finished picking out the runes, which arranged themselves in a complicated web around Rulena. She could actually feel herself shrinking. The pain was too much to bear…

    And then it was over.

    And then all she could think about was how she wanted to sleep. Why were there cranky faces all around her? Only one creature was smiling.

    “Now, sleep, little Rulena,” it murmured.

    And she slept…