The False Prince

05 | A Deathly Lulaby

After he had crossed the bridge, Oliver looked in wonder at the majestic piedmonts of mountains surrounding meadow. Strange, mellifluous music floated through the air. It sent waves of soothing thoughts into his mind and caused his entire body to feel extremely cumbersome and sleepy. Shortly, the young wizard was unconscious and sedentary. Oliver was in such a deep sleep that it seemed as if a bruin growling in his face wouldn't even be enough to rouse him from his peaceful slumber. It was almost like he had become one with the grass, and he never wanted to wake up.

Oliver, to his discomfort, was awoken by Echo's sharp claws digging into his arms. He groaned in pain and swatted at his cat.

"Hey, why'd you do that?" He barked.

"It had to be done. If I didn't take action, you'd be there until something else did. It wouldn't be pretty. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to watch, but I don't have that kind of time."

"Okay, then why did I just suddenly fall asleep like that?"

"Look." She pointed a black paw at a bunch of tiny, whimsical looking winged creatures that were clad in leaves and flower petals. "Those are pixies. Their music is very dangerous and has the power to put any human into an eternal sleep. Eat some of these magic daisies so that you won't pass out again."

Oliver quickly ate a handful of the flowers. This time, the song of the pixies wasn't so overwhelming. Their voices sounded like stringed instruments. The male creatures' vocals were like cellos, while the females' sounded like violins. He now knew how to get the next ingredient.

"Hello, pixie people! I love your music so much! Would you please play a sad song now?" questioned the witch's son. The winged creatures nodded and began to play a piece of music which was filled with deep melancholy. The song was so lamenting, a few of the pixies started to cry. Oliver took the opportunity and pulled a small flask out of his pocket to catch some of the tears for his potion.

Once the song was over, the man thanked the musical fairies. He would surely visit again, he would eat some daisies ahead of time to avoid any delay.