The Last Fairy Tale (31 page)

 “I lived on as I watched generation after generation of magical creatures die. The last of the other fairies had long since perished, and with no humans left, no new fairies were born. Meanwhile, my human came out of hiding and began to build his fortress. Not until I became an indescribable curiosity did Ink find me.” The Great Fairy tried to chuckle, but his chest had become so stiff that he couldn’t. He gasped for breath. “Together…we devised a plan…” He paused, taking in air. “One that involved… an intelligent young girl…with a strong will and…a pure heart.” He closed his eyes, unable to take in any more air. He slowly toppled off the grass stool and hit the ground.

 “Great Fairy!” Olivia cried, reaching out toward him. She forced herself up and crawled over to him. He lay like a lifeless root on the grass, his eyes closed, unmoving. She collapsed onto the grass next to him and sobbed. Everyone moved in closer to the Great Fairy’s body, kneeling on the grass and bowing their heads in mourning.

 “He has been waiting for this moment for nearly six thousand years, child,” Ink said. He floated over to her and sat, as a rabbit, next to her. “My curiosity still remains, however, as to why the human never broke his bond.” He paused and placed a paw gently on Olivia’s shoulder. “I believe that he still cared for the Great Fairy, deep down in that dark fortress he called a heart. Humans are very curious, indeed. Curious enough even for my brother and I to stop by this plane quite often. For even though humans become lost in their ways, they never really truly forget what it is they care for. They just have to know how to dig it back out of their minds. But, I suppose living for six thousand years can twist anyone, don’t you think?” He chuckled.

 Olivia closed her eyes and bowed her head. It was odd to think that the Lich King cared for anything at one point in his life. She let the thought soak in for a moment.

 Suddenly, Olivia felt something very strange. She couldn’t explain it, but it felt as though something was trying to force itself into her consciousness. She shook her head, but the feeling was still there, pounding to get inside. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, although Olivia felt different somehow. She was flooded with emotions she had never felt and sensed a strong, intricately woven connection with the world and the creatures around her. She looked over at Ink, confusion plastered across her face.

 “What?” Ink asked. “Have I said something wrong?”

 “I-I feel…different,” Olivia stammered.

 “Different how? Wait, do you mean…no, he couldn’t have…” Ink murmured, hopping over to get a better look at the Great Fairy’s body. “He did!” He was eyeing something in the Great Fairy’s hand.

 Olivia peered closely at the Fairy’s hand. Dangling from it was a tiny root-like creature that was squirming about and trying to break free from the hand. Olivia quickly helped the creature loose, sat it in her palm, and raised it up to her face. She stared at it with wide eyes.

 “Oh my…” Ink said, jumping into the air and hovering around Olivia’s head to look at the creature. “This is curious indeed! You see, Olivia, while you were on your journey, the Great Fairy and I discussed the possibilities of opening the Door one last time and of somehow giving you your own fairy to help guide the other children.”

 Olivia watched the little fairy as it stumbled around on her palm. It had delicate wings that resembled leaves, although the fairy couldn’t use them at the moment.

 “He sent me to make sure the Door could be opened. While I was gone, he must have figured out a way to give life to the seedling. You know… he has been holding onto to that for centuries. It’s brilliant, although I wish I knew how he had done it. No matter!” Ink turned to face the other creatures, Dust, and the kami. “Everyone, I present to you Olivia Wickworth and her fairy!”

 Everyone stood for a moment, shocked, staring at the creature in Olivia’s hand. After a while, they looked around at each other and smiled in amazement. They moved closer to Olivia to look at the tiny fairy in her palm. She glanced over at the Great Fairy and closed her eyes, thanking him silently for what he had done not only for her, but also for the children of her world and for all of Aeldyn.

* * * * *

 Olivia lay on the pile of blankets in the Great Fairy’s Hollow, watching her fairy explore its surroundings. Her fairy was quite a fast learner and went from timidly flapping its wings to flying around Olivia’s head in no time. Olivia watched, fascinated, as the tiny fairy took in its surroundings, learning more and more with each new thing it encountered. Olivia felt the fairy learning; the more of the world it observed, the more Olivia understood. She felt a long forgotten pit of emptiness inside her being filled.

 Soon the fairy grew tired and lay next to Olivia on the blanket. Olivia propped her head up on her arm and smiled down at it. The fairy wasn’t yet able to speak, but Olivia figured it would learn how to soon enough. After watching the sleeping fairy for a while, she realized that she couldn’t remember what had happened at the Lich King’s fortress. The last thing she recalled was Locke’s death. She was about to seek out Ink to ask if he could tell her what happened when he appeared next to her. He turned his gaze in the direction of the hollow’s entrance. Celestim, joined by some of the other hjorthovin from the Nocturnal Archives, was walking up to where Olivia lay. Celestim bowed as he approached.

 “Olivia Wickworth,” Celestim said, looking down at her with his almond-shaped eyes. “We traveled here today to give you our most profound thanks. We have heard of your deeds, and we hold them in our highest regard.”

 “Thank you, Celestim,” Olivia replied, sitting up slowly and bowing her head slightly in return.

 “Now, I have some information for you that you will likely be interested in hearing,” Celestim said. “After careful study of the events that have transpired, we have reason to believe that you, Olivia Wickworth, have summoned the power of the Draka-Cor.”

 “The what?” Olivia asked.

 “Forgive me, for we do not know the true name of this phenomenon in order to properly explain. It has been but an abstract concept in hjorthovin philosophy until now,” Celestim explained.

 Olivia stared at Celestim, as usual not understanding what he was trying to say.

 “You see, Olivia Wickworth, you are not an ordinary human. It is exceptionally rare that a being such as yourself is born into this world. You possess the ability to perform magic, just as all other humans do. But, in order to wield the power that you have, one must be pure of heart and strong of spirit. The Draka-Cor theory is one that the hjorthovin have pondered for many, many ages. Some began to think the theory would never be possible in reality. I, on the other hand, saw strange powers within you the moment I saw you. I strongly believed when you left the Nocturnal Archives that you would be able to prove our theory true.”

 Olivia was confused and wondered what Celestim meant. She still didn’t recall what had happened. She had been told that the Lich King had been defeated, but she didn’t know if she was even the one responsible. She remembered nothing.

 “I posit that, when your brave imp friend was killed, you became enraged,” Celestim said. “However, you focused that emotion only on the one who had caused your friend so much pain and who threatened the other creatures of Aeldyn. Correct?”

 “Y-yes, I guess so.” She closed her eyes, trying to remember.

 “I was correct in my assumption, then,” Celestim said, nodding. “Only a human pure of heart with noble aims may summon the Draka-Cor. You may have been overtaken by emotion, but it was your singular and selfless desire to save Aeldyn no matter the cost to you that made your transformation possible in that moment.” He paused and looked at Olivia.

 Olivia stared at him, her eyes growing wide. At that moment, she slowly began to remember what had happened, like someone had opened a door to her memories. She recalled being surrounded in blinding light and feeling strength she had never before felt. She remembered lashing out at the Lich King with what she had thought was the very last of her life. But not only was there anguish and rage; there was also emapthy and pity.

“We would like to thank you once again. Due to your actions, the Fabric has become clear to us once more, though it is unraveled and torn in some places. But I digress. I shall leave you now and allow you to rest,” Celestim said quietly. He stared at her unblinkingly.
I see that you now understand
, his voice said inside Olivia’s mind. “Olivia Wickworth…” He bowed deeply, the other hjorthovin following suit, and walked down the mound to the hollow’s entrance.

 Olivia stared at the twisting roots near the entrance for a while, pondering everything Celestim had just revealed to her. It occurred to Olivia that she would like to record what had happened along her journey. She wanted to think back over the last several days and relive the details of her adventure. She leaned over to her tattered sack, pulled out her father’s journal, and opened it. She flipped to the page that held her father’s drawing of Ink and ran her finger over the drawing’s lines.

 “I think they would both be quite proud of you,” Ink said quietly from behind Olivia, causing her to jump. She hadn’t realized that he was still there. She turned to look at him and saw that he had taken the form of a black cat and was purring gently. “Your parents, I mean.” He patted her head softly with one paw, then leapt into the air and disappeared in a cloud of fog. Olivia looked back down at the journal, turned to a fresh page, and began to write.

Chapter Nineteen

The Beginning

 “Olivia…Olivia?” a tiny, high-pitched voice said.

 Olivia felt something tap her nose, so she slowly opened her eyes to see the fairy, which startled her at first. As she awoke from her nap, she was overcome with joy.

 “You can speak now,” she said happily. “You know my name!”

“Yes, Olivia, I know your name,” the fairy said. “But do you know
mine
?”

 “No, I don’t suppose I do.”

 “It’s Lily,” the fairy said proudly. “Is that a good name?”

 “Oh, yes, I think it’s a lovely name,” Olivia said, sitting up. Lily flew and landed on her shoulder.

 “I’m so glad you like it!” Lily said, hopping up and down.

Olivia giggled, but stopped as something suddenly occurred to her.
The other children
… she thought, struggling to get to her feet.
What was I thinking
…
Wasting valuable time
.

 “Where are we going?” Lily asked.

 “I need to ask Ink a question,” Olivia said. She knew Lily had heard her thoughts, so she was about to explain further, but then she realized that there was no need because she already knew that Lily understood. She stood shakily and slipped her boots on. She was wearing a new dress almost identical to the one that was now a tattered mess. She made a mental note to thank Miss Isabelle next time she saw her. She looked up and gazed around the hollow, but no one was there. “Do you know where everyone went?”

 “They have gone to prepare for the funeral of Locke and the Great Fairy,” Lily said. “The somnivate called Ink said he would return for you when they were ready because you needed to rest.”

Olivia sat back down on the blankets. She had suddenly been reminded of Locke’s and the Great Fairy’s deaths all over again. Images of their last moments flashed across her mind, causing her to feel a strange emptiness. She also thought about Nachton and the other children.
I hope Ink has found a way to help them
, she thought.

So do I
. Lily’s voice was clear in Olivia’s mind. It was almost as if they were one mind, one spirit. Olivia smiled at her. She was about to continue her search for Ink when he suddenly appeared.

 “You surprised me,” Olivia said, glancing over at him.

 “Oh, I am terribly sorry,” Ink said, frowning. “I just came to inform you that the service will begin shortly. Jin says that if you need assistance walking, he will help you.”

 “I think I can manage,” Olivia said, getting to her feet. She slowly walked around a few paces, her legs wobbly but able to support her. “I’ll be okay. Where will the service be held?”

 “Out in the orchard,” said Ink. “People from all over Aeldyn are making the trip to pay their respects to Locke and the Great Fairy.”

 “Alright then,” said Olivia, taking a deep breath. “Would you like to come, Lily?”

“I would,” Lily said, flying up to Olivia’s shoulder.
Did you even have to ask
? She smiled.

 Olivia slowly hobbled out of the cavern and onto the stone slab that led to the glen. Many creatures—some familiar to Olivia, some not—filled the orchard. As she walked down the bridge toward the orchard, the creatures turned to watch her. They bowed their heads and moved aside silently, making a path to the center of the orchard where Olivia’s companions stood.

 When Olivia reached her companions, she looked around at them with tears forming in her eyes. Jin and Bren stood beside Thunc and Kili behind the two small stone tombs that had been constructed for Locke and the Great Fairy. Grimwitch and Gauntlet stood beside Locke’s tomb, their arms around each other’s shoulders. Rufus, Holli, and the other gnome stood next to them. Holli waved for Olivia to join them.