A Land of Flowers and Fae

Festival

Elina was dawdling under a leaf. Her puffball, Bibble was napping in her lap. Leaves and other tall things were the best camouflage she had found for avoiding prying eyes. If all those eyes had wings and were flying above the leaves, then under was the way to go.

Unfortunately, Dandelion had known Elina for a very long time and knew her tricks.

"Got you!" A pair of topaz eyes and almost fiery orange hair cut through the gloom the leaf provided. Dandelion's bright smile dimmed for a moment. "Do you really not want to go to the festival? I promise it'll be fun!"

Elina bit her lip for a moment, forcing a half smile. "Ive just never been so far away from Peony. We're going be gone most of the night right?"

Dandelion waved a dismissive hand, the buzzing of her wings cutting out as she landed and plopped down next to her friend in the shade. "We'll be back before too late. My mom will catch us if I don't make it back by morning"

Elina's eyes widened "Your mom doesn't know we're going?" Her voice turned down in suspicion.

Dandelion pouted "I'm more than old enough to go on my own. We're adults now! My mom just worries. Even if I find a partner she's probably going to insist we live close enough in the Meadow for her to see our house" she rolled her eyes theatrically.

Elina smiled "Its nice that your mom cares so much. Even if she is a bit on the...overbearing side"

Dandelion straightened, a flash of guilt crossing her face. She tended to forget sometimes what Elina lacked. Its what made them such good friends. Most fairies couldn't look at Elina without seeing what she was missing. In this case, she had no family, no bloodline, no connections. She was a child of the flowers, an orphan. Then it was either pity, or in the nastier cases they mocked her. But Dandelion treated Elina like she was whole and complete. Elina had never seen an ounce of pity in the other girl's eyes. And she loved her for it.

"I didn't mean to trash-talk my mom. I know she cares and that's great of her. But it gets kinda...."

"Suffocating?" Elina supplied.

"Yeah" Dandelion's wings tilted down with the admission.

"You scared she wont approve of you going to the Summer Moon festival in an entirely different region to find a partner?" Elina asked, nudging her friend with an elbow. Her movement jostled Bibble, who trilled in his sleep.

Dandelion pouted again "Yeah! Because I haven't found anyone in the Magic Meadow! Nothing! Nada! Zip! And neither have you. We need to widen our net if we don't want to spend the rest of our lives as lone fairies"

"Hey! I'm not alone!" Elina patted her puffball "I've got Bibble"

Dandelion laughed "Well if you want to be an old lady that keeps puffballs then be my guest. I'm gonna find me someone to spend moon haze with"

Elina took a deep breath to steady herself "Then we better get going to that festival. If we don't leave for Fairytown soon, we'll miss the opening ceremony"

Dandelion bounced off the ground, her wings raising a cloud of dust and pollen in her wake. "Lets go then!" She crowed. Elina nudged Bibble. His enormous eyes opened and he yawned.

"Come on, Dandelion is going to find the man of her dreams, and she needs our help" Elina told her little friend.

Bibble trilled his assent and zoomed after Dandelion. Elina jumped up and followed after her friend at a steady jog. The road to Fairytown would take most of the day. And as a fairy with no wings, she had a lot of walking to do to get there.