Enchanted [ON HOLD]

Chapter 6

     The fairy extended her face towards a visibly shocked Finnegan and closed her eyes. "Well?" she demanded, eyes still closed. Finnegan swallowed, cleared his throat, opened his mouth as if to protest, then pressed his lips together. Most determinedly, he took a step forward to where Penny suspended.

     A sick feeling formed within me. So fairies were like that! Like the girls in Harrodian who craved for affection. But Harrodian was lightyears away from me now.

     The other fairies whispered excitedly whilst Penny's smile widened further.

     "Penny!" Daystar admonished severely. The fairy opened her eyes, startled. Then addressing Finnegan who had frozen altogether, Daystar apologised for Penny's coquettishness.

     He was relieved when she spoke, "Consider the debt cancelled. No harm was done, Royal is fine."

     The by-standers, namely the other fairies, appeared slightly disappointed but nonetheless forgiving. Penny however was clearly miffed.

     "Thank you, Daystar, I am immensely relieved. Once again, we are very sorry." He bowed once to the regal fairy who was looking upon Finnegan kindly. He glanced at me sharply.

     I cleared my throat uneasily. "Well... Uh... We must be going now?"

     Finnegan frowned with an expression that told me I had to say something more substantive. Right, I was hoping I could get away with that. Resigning to the inescapable, I combed a hand through my knotty brown hair and said, "I guess I should say sorry. For your rocks and the snake."

     I darted my eyes to the circle of rocks contemptuously.

     A rustle of discontentment ran through the hoard of fairies. Penny harrumphed. "She didn't add 'Your Majesty'."

    "No matter, Penny, no matter," Daystar waved off my faux pas graciously. "We have kept them from their journey discourteously, they must be on their way now."

     Finnegan smiled gratefully at the fairy queen. "That's very kind of you. Indeed, I fare you pleasant creatures well in your travels, and may by fate we meet again."

     Sparing a last tender look at Finnegan and I, Daystar bowed. She hauled an unwilling Penny away, and left with the train of fairies tagging behind. Slowly the fairies disappeared into the banyan trees, weaving between the leaves as if they had never appeared at all.

     Both of us took extra care to step around the circle of rocks. It was a while later, when we were back on the green path, that I spoke up, having digested the earlier encounter. "Oh my goodness. Fairies," I breathed.

     "Yes, Forest Fairies."

     "Are they always like that? Irritatingly flirtatious?"

     "No..." he said slowly and tried to understand what I meant. "They're very friendly to wayfarers - sometimes too friendly - but in a good-naturedly manner. Naturally, they have every reason to be interested in a stranger, especially someone who trespassed their circle."

     I retorted, "Still, that doesn't excuse their behaviour to you. Like, ugh. Kissing you? Talk about being desperate." I added a roll of my eyes for added measure.

     "I admit, she's very wilful. I certainly did not expect that." I spotted chagrin in his expression.

     "Ooh, loser boy, wouldn't you have loved to do just that? Oh don't you look at me like that, I know you're a pedophile internally." I sidestepped him and giving him one of my cheeky smirks, I patted him on the chest.