Bíbor had a surprisingly easy time finding the witch.

She told her why she came and what she needed from her. Suprisingly the elderly woman had no extraordinary demands in exchange for the cloak. She did not ask for a fortune nor eternal youth. But she didn’t want to give the item to her for free either. So, in lack of a better idea, Bíbor decided to try to convince her with care. She helped her around the house. She tidied up, cut firewood, and made her a meal. The fairy was visibly desperate. 

As the day progressed, the witch’s attitude towards her slowly changed. At first, she only watched the fairy from the corner of her eye, but by the evening, she was already sitting beside her, telling her her life story. Bíbor soon realised that this old woman did not ask for anything because she already had everything. She lived a wondrous life filled with adventure. She did good and bad things and made mistakes and miracles. What could a person like that ask for? The answer was company. Two ears that listen to her when no one else does anymore. 

The next morning, Bíbor found a clean set of clothes on the straw bed she was sleeping on. They were a bit old but clean and comfortable. By the time she changed into them from her dirty and torn dress, the witch had already prepared her a bundle of food for the road. At the door, she put the desired cloak into the fairy’s hands. And very softly told her to be safe. Bíbor smiled at her, nodded, then enthusiastically continued her journey. 

After a day's walk, she had to face the fact that the mayor couldn’t be any more different than the witch. That sword was the apple of his eye. He was unwilling to give it away for anything the fairy could offer him. After a short conversation, he called for his mercenaries to kick Bíbor out of his property. The fairy had no time to find another solution. She had to steal the blade.

At night, she wore her new cloak and sneaked into the mayor’s house. She went through all the rooms and storages one by one but couldn’t find a single trace of the sword. She started to have second thoughts. Maybe she was in the wrong place? But to make sure, she had to look behind the last remaining door, which apparently led to the mayor’s bedroom.

The big, round man with the curled moustache contentedly snored in his bed. The fairy searched through every spot she could think of but couldn’t find the blade anywhere. She was about to leave when she noticed something under the mayor’s pillow. It was a sword handle! Her eyes lit up, and she rushed to grab the sword. But before she could pull it out, the man suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled the cloak off her. 

”How dare you?” – he shouted.

Bíbor was frightened but did not let the blade go. She tried to peel the man’s claw-like fingers off herself, but the mayor was surprisingly strong. She ground her teeth while staring into his eyes, which burned with fury. She expected him to shed his human skin and turn into a beast, but without a doubt, he was human. The fairy looked left and right, searching for anything to help her escape.

Then, at the door, she noticed a child’s head popping out behind the frame. The noise the mayor made had woken the whole household up, but only the mayor’s son was brave enough to investigate the situation. Seeing him, Bíbor let the sword go, snatched her hand from the man’s grip, and then grabbed the boy. The mayor was dumbfounded, and then his already red face nearly caught on fire.

”You let him go right now!”

”As you wish!” - she grinned.

She threw the child in his father’s direction. The boy flew through the room. If the man did not catch him, he may have also flown out of the window. The mayor needed both of his hands to prevent that. The sword he held onto so faithfully fell on the ground with a clattering sound. Bíbor immediately snatched it up and pulled out the blade. But she did not feel anything peculiar. Was it a fake? 

The mayor, seeing her expression, started to scream with laughter.

”See? You can’t even use it! This sword will only make you a hundred times stronger if you are meant to wield it! Everyone here! Catch the thief!”

The fairy did not wait for them to close in on her. She put on her cloak, jumped out of the window, ran through the yard, and climbed over the fence. Even though she could run away with the sword, she was disappointed. What is she supposed to do with a weapon that does not obey her? She sighed and then disappeared in the night.