ONC 2024 ~ On Hold
Once upon a time there was a little golden dragon. He was the last of his kind and knew nothing of the ways of dragons. One day his hoard of gold was stolen by some men from the castle down the hill. This is the story of how the l...
Now, it just so happened that Princess Cadence took it upon herself to join the party of travelers in secret. She stowed away in a wagon, tucked behind a barrel of apples where no one found her. She managed to stay hidden until the party arrived at the fairy village. Then, when she heard the golden dragon telling everyone that they had made it to the fairy village, she couldn't help herself. She ventured out from her hiding place to take in the sights of the precious little village where the fairies lived.
Dusk had fallen, and fireflies came out and danced their way through the trees above like glowing stars. Their soft glow illuminated pathways of cobbled stone so tiny Cadence blinked hard to try and see better. The princess glimpsed tiny lanterns of various colors flickering in the twilit village. Precious hovels sat all about, where fairies had retreated upon the approach of the party. But in the next moment, the fairy village faded away from view, no doubt due to the fairies' magnificent magic. The entire area now resembled a rocky outcropping of small boulders about the same size as the fairy hovels.
"Princess Cadence!" Selene, the elf sorceress said. "What on earth are you doing here?"
The Princess looked down at her fancy slippers in shame. "I snuck into a wagon."
"You cannot come on this quest with us," Derrick said. "You must return home."
"Someone will have to take her home," Selene said. "She cannot be in the woods by herself."
"I can fly her back to the castle in no time," Golden Scale said.
"I'll ride with you to keep her safe," Felix said.
"No! You need me here," Princess Cadence objected. "Only I can understand the fairies."
"It's true," Selene said. "Even I cannot grasp the meaning of the fairies' tinkling words and I've been trying to communicate with Fawna since we left the castle."
"See? Please allow me to stay until we help the fairies overcome the great evil that is terrorizing their forest."
"I think we do need her help," said Felix.
"Then I'll allow her to remain here until the fairy village is free of the menace," Derrick said.
"This is the fairy village, but the village appears to have vanished," Yellow Feather said.
Fawna tinkled happily.
"She says the fairies keep their villages hidden with powerful enchantments," Princess Cadence said. "The enchantments ward off evil, but the menace that terrorizes their forest has left them imprisoned in their own homes for fear of venturing out into the woods."
"Can Fawna tell the fairies that we're friendly and here to help?" Selene the sorceress asked.
Fawna glowed brightly and flew down to the outcropping of small boulders. She tinkled as she flitted about, and slowly, fairies emerged from out of nowhere. The fairies filled the air with all their beautiful voices that sounded like bells. Eventually, the village reappeared. Fairies lit their lanterns once more, casting a warm glow upon the area.
Then a party began, for the fairies believed it was already time to celebrate. At the center of the village, an ancient oak tree grew. Its roots pushed up through the grass, creating ridges for the cobbled stone paths to wind between. Strings of lanterns adorned its branches. And at the center, a hollow in the tree made a perfect home for the fairy queen. She emerged from the oak tree palace and fluttered over.
Cadence first noticed the fairy queen's beautiful wings, which glowed with silvery moonlight and trailed with warm lights like fireflies. As the queen grew nearer, Cadence noticed her fine dress made of deep blue silk, like the sky shimmering with the stars at twilight. Her face was as delicate as a white rose petal with eyes a startling green color lighter than the lightest green moss. She smiled at them, and Cadence felt a sense of calm come over her. Now that the fairy queen was here, nothing bad would happen, she just knew it.
The fairy queen tinkled in her beautiful language, and Cadence understood what she said.
"She says thank you for coming to help us," Cadence translated. As the queen continued to tinkle like bells, Cadence translated. "She invites us to rest near her village and prepare for the depths of night when the danger lurks."
"What is the danger exactly?" asked Felix the wizard.
Cadence answered: "A witch who seeks to gain the fairies' power, but she hasn't been able to find the village yet because of the fairy enchantment. But she can sense the magic and it's only a matter of time until she stumbles across the village. Stepping into the village would cancel the magic that keeps it hidden."
"I will help," said Selene, the elf sorceress. "I know a thing or two about defeating witches."
"Me as well," Felix said. "Wizards are sworn enemies to witches."
"I will join the fight," added Derrick. "Together we can defeat this witch."
And that is how the party of nine companions on the queen's mission agreed to help the fairy queen protect her fairy village and all the fairies who lived there from the evil witch who sought to steal the fairy magic.
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