A fairy ran along the shore. So fast that the others only noticed a red flash passing by. But before anyone could guess where she was rushing to, she had stopped. In her hand, she held a twirling little snake. She looked around to check if the eagle was still around. When she saw that it had already flown far away, she was ready to release the creature. But before she could do so, a golden-haired fairy snatched it from her fingers.
"Oh, you poor thing! You must have been terrified! You are so lucky that Bíbor saved you," she said, gently petting the snake.
"Hajnal, let it go! You will scare it to death!"- said the fairy with the scarlet red hair.
But the one with the golden hair refused. And instead insisted on accompanying the creature home. Of course, she was not allowed to do it alone, so Bíbor had to go as well. But unlike Hajnal, she was not happy to wander so far away from their friends in the human realm.
Hajnal was walking up front and was joyfully singing a song in the bright, sunlit forest. It took a while before she finally stopped by an ancient tree. She exchanged whispers with the snake, then gently put it down and let it slither away.
"Can we go now?"- said Scarlet impatiently. She was ready to head back, but then their eyes met each other. That mischievous gaze meant nothing good. Before Bíbor could register it, Hajnal was already in front of her, touched her shoulder, and then ran away. While doing so, she yelled:
"You're it!"
The fairy sighed in annoyance and then ran after her. Hajnal had always been frivolous, but this time, they were in a foreign land, and it wasn't too prudent to cheerfully yell and play around. But as she was chasing through the woods, she slowly forgot about that. Soon, she was already laughing with Hajnal. Finally, with a well-timed jump, she knocked her down to the ground. They started wrestling in the grass, heavily panting, trying to overcome each other. Their hair tangled, and from the outside, they looked like a red and blonde clew. In the end, Hajnal unwillingly groaned and admitted defeat. Scarlet laughed while she rolled off of her onto the grass. She caught her breath and then started to tidy themselves up. Hajnal was lying on her back admiring the sky while Bíbor swiped her blonde hair out of her face.
"What if we stayed here?"– asked Hajnal suddenly.
"Why?"- Bíbor pulled her hands back – "You don't have to run away just because your mother is angry at you!"
"Not forever."– she laughed – "Just until things settle down. We could travel, explore this realm, and walk amongst humans!"
Bíbor's face went dark upon hearing the last word. She brushed off the grass and fallen leaves from her dress, then replied deliberately.
"Humans are not as wonderful as you imagine them to be."
However, Hajnal acted like she didn't hear a thing and started to go on and on about the things she would like to see here. Cities, art, beautiful monuments, they all awaited her. Once Hajnal made up her mind, there was no swaying her. Bíbor knew this well, so she just nodded and waited until Hajnal got bored of talking. But something was wrong. A moment ago, the forest was loud from all the birds singing, but suddenly everything went quiet. It was a barren, empty, and bleak quiet.
"We have to go back!"– Bíbor jumped up and pulled Hajnal on her feet too.
"Wait, what's wrong?"
Scarlet didn't have to explain; in the next moment, horrifying screams and the sounds of weapons shattered the peace of nature. Their blood froze in their veins, and in the next second, they began to run. As the sounds of the battle got closer and closer, Bíbor guided Hajnal in a different direction. This path was longer but hopefully much safer. Their legs were scratched by thorns, and their clothes were ripped by branches, but they had to get to the lake. If they managed to do so, they would be safe after that. However, Bíbor suddenly stopped. Hajnal didn't dare to ask why. Instead, she looked around and soon noticed it too: men armed from head to toe, standing not too far ahead of them. Thanks to the dense brushwood, the soldiers did not notice the fairies yet, so they had time to hide. They held their breath until the men passed by them. Then suddenly, one of them strayed away from the group and walked straight in their direction. Bíbor leaned to Hajnal and whispered into her ear.
"I will distract them. You run!"– then she stood up and looked back for the last time – "I will meet you at home!"
Hajnal wanted to stop her, but Bíbor had already stepped out from behind the tree, pulled out her dagger then started to run in the opposite direction of the lake. The soldier shouted then ran after her, followed by his comrades. Their steps slowly melted into the babel of the ongoing fights. When Hajnal couldn't see them anymore, she pulled herself together and got on her feet. Bíbor is strong. She will come home. Everything is going to be alright. She decidedly ran towards the lake. But when she finally reached the edge of the forest, she had to face the fact that she had nowhere to run anymore. Hajnal looked around uncomprehendingly and asked herself in a shaky voice:
"Where did the water go?"
Only a few hours could have passed since they left this place. But the lake, which was their way home, was nowhere to be found. It had completely dried out! Hajnal walked to the shore in despair. She looked around but couldn't see any trace of her friends. She shouted, but no one responded. How could they have left without her? She was just about to go back to look for Bíbor but was knocked off her feet. Before she could realise, she was already being dragged on the ground by her arm.
"Let me go!"– she shouted at the man.
He kicked her as a response. The fairy bounded up and hissed, but that kick was not enough for her to go quiet.
"How dare you treat the daughter of Ilona like this? You will be dead the moment she finds out!"
The soldier broke out in laughter and was ready to kick her again when he heard shouting from a distance.
"Captain! What are you doing? Let her go right now!"
His voice was so sharp that despite the ongoing battle, they could hear him clearly. He was a beautiful young man in a much more distinguished uniform. The captain was terrified and let the fairy go while the other man rushed to the shore. When he reached them, he kicked the captain on the leg so hard that he collapsed in pain.
"Didn't I tell you not to harm innocent women?"
"My prince! I can explain!"
"Get out of my sight!"
"Wait!"– shouted Hajnal before the captain had time to obey the command.
Now, she was sure. She had already seen this man. He was the one who nearly discovered them in the forest!
"Where is Bíbor? What happened to her?"The captain, in his confusion, couldn't respond to her.
"The fairy with the red hair! You are the one who chased after her! Where is she now? What did you do to her?"
Hajnal was filled with despair when the man's expression changed. He looked at the prince, who nodded signalling him to respond to the question. But before he could utter a single word, the fairy already understood everything.
"No! Tell me that I'm wrong! That can't be!"– she stood up and started to stumble back to the forest, but the prince stood in her way and did not let her pass.
"Please calm down! It would be too dangerous to go there!"
"I don't care! Bíbor is in danger! I shouldn't have listened to her! I should have stayed with her! This is all my fault!"
The prince grabbed her shoulders and firmly looked into her eyes.
"Your friend is dead. You can't do anything to change that. But if you go back, her sacrifice will be lost. Is this what you want?"
At this moment, Hajnal collapsed. She felt as if her heart was torn out of her chest. The world ceased to exist around her, so she barely heard the prince asking her to accompany him. She obediently let him help her up on a horse, and through her tears she watched that beautiful forest burn to dust. Her thoughts muddled. Not long ago, everything was perfectly fine. Not long ago, Bíbor was beside her. She couldn't believe that she was gone.
Comments (6)
See all