The Dark Fairy

Chapter Two

The time for mourning the loss of the west side was forced to come to a swift end.

All the fairies of the land had a mission now. Through the directions and guidance of their mother, they were charged with regrowing and rebuilding that area of the Enchanted Forest. They were set to make a brand new home for creatures and to insert good magic amongst that land once again.

So many fairies darted and whizzed through the air, busy with their individual duties.

The spring fairies encouraged the new saplings to grow. They also dotted many daisies, bluebells and countless other wildflowers across the forest floor - making a carpet of vibrant, fresh colour.

The aqua fairies helped guide the new waters to follow the most idyllic path. It formed a river that would support life throughout the new west side.

They decided to be creative, those clever aqua fairies, they made a waterfall with the help of the ochre fairies. The ochre fairies moulded the terrain to aid them. They also created natural bridges over the river and carved out beautiful little houses within the larger trees that rapidly grew with the help of their mother's magic.

The sun fairies lit up all the surfaces that needed to be given their attention and helped guide rays through the gaps between the leaves of the many varieties of trees.

Alina watched from a safe distance. She sat on top of her willow tree home. Her emerald eyes sparkled with awe, as she watched her brothers and sisters' magic dance. She longed to be there with them, but she had no place amongst the other fairies. She was made to stay away, under the watchful eye of her Mama.

She hugged her delicate legs to her chest and lay her face upon her knees. She sighed a deep sigh and a small black tear sketched a dark line down her cheek.

"Alina? Alina!" Theia called.

The young fairy wiped her face in a rush and hopped down from her seat. Her mighty, black feathered wings caught the soft breeze as she neared the ground. She landed gracefully on her bare toes and turned slowly to face her front door - where Theia stood.

"There you are!" Theia said with a bright smile. The black smear on her child's cheek grabbed her attention immediately, causing her heart to miss a beat.

"Oh, my light," she said gently, whilst stroking Alina's face. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Alina shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine."

Theia looked deeply into the young fairy's sad, emerald eyes, searching for answers. She knew that, indeed, something was troubling her. Her gaze then went up to the top of the willow tree, where she knew Alina was sitting all this time.

"Oh, Alina..." Theia drew the timid fairy into a warm embrace. "Alina, my light, you mustn't do this to yourself."

"D-do what?" Alina sobbed into her Mama's shoulder.

"Watching the others always upsets you."

"What else can I do, Mama?" Alina sniffed. "I can't learn magic and fly amongst the trees and flowers like them."

"Oh, my light..."

"It's not fair!" Alina interrupted and escaped her guardian's tight hug.

"You are right," Theia said plainly, taking Alina by surprise. She never usually agreed, normally she made excuses for her older sister. But this time Theia spoke with a determined look in her eyes. "It is not fair! You deserve to fly, to explore, to learn!" Theia began to pace as she started to think about how to move forward with her current thoughts.