The Last Fairy

Chapter 2

Our eyes locked and for a while, we just stared at each other. After our staredown ended, I flew to meet him. When I reached the ground, I returned to my full size. When flying around, I was about the size of a grasshopper. Standing next to Prince Xander, though, I was just a little shorter than he was. He introduced himself as Xander. "You realize I know you're the Crown Prince right?" He seemed shocked by my question. "How could you possibly know that?" I chuckled; did the humans really think that just because they wanted to annihilate faeries we wouldn't still watch over them? "Well, I never stopped watching you lot, so I would say I know all about you." Again, he looked at me with a shocked expression. "How do you observe us without getting caught?" I smiled at his question. "Faeries are masters of stealth. Where did you humans think you learned stealth? You certainly didn't teach yourselves. No, you gained stealth from watching us, but you still can't achieve it to the perfection we do." I realized my mistake immediately. "I'm afraid I must apologize. I'm the last fairy in existence, but I'm still getting used to saying I and me instead of us and we. It all seems new to me." I heard a gasp. "You were there during the war? That would make you over 100 years old!" I smiled sadly. "Yes, it would. It was devastating; to this day I'm not sure how I survived." He beamed at me and replied, "Well I'm glad you did and I think I know why. You and I are supposed to reunite faeries and humans. There are other faeries out there we just can't find them I know it." I sighed. "Those faeries don't exist. They were just myths I planted to give hope to those who needed it most. I am the only faery left in existence."

"Why would you plant false hope about faeries...about magic?"

"Some need to believe magic still exists, that it can change their circumstances, because for some that is the only hope they have left. The hope that wishes can still come true is the only thing that keeps some people alive. It is better to have a false hope than no hope at all, if it saves lives."

"I do not agree with your reasoning, but you were doing what you thought was best. Faeries are nothing like we were taught. I don't understand how we could slaughter such a beautiful race."

"That is a question that may never be resolved. I would love to stay and talk all day but I must be going. Goodbye, Prince Xander."

"Please call me Xander."

"Goodbye, Your Majesty."

"Please, just Xander."

"Goodbye, Xander."

"Goodbye, Anabella."

After I left Xander, I went to Dust Hollow. Dust Hollow is the place I picked to store faery dust. If just one more person would believe, I could have more faeries. The old myth humans created about a child's first laugh becoming a faery is true. I have so many of those first laughs stored here until the faery dust is powerful enough to turn them into faeries. I need one more child to believe and when he does, the world of faeries will be restored. I thought to myself, looking at the faery dust fountain in the middle of the tree and the bottled laughs around it. I sighed; the only person in the kingdom I needed to believe was Xander's nephew, but I couldn't show up and get him to believe or convince him to believe as I had done with the other children; he had to do it on his own. Suddenly a surge of light ran through the faery dust and then all the bottles started floating towards the faery dust. Xander's nephew finally believed! I had a feeling it had much to do with Xander. I watched the laughs beginning to turn into faeries.