But if you are clever enough not to fall, right in front of you, in the middle of the sky, upon a heavy white cloud, you will see the fabled Fae City. The first thing you will see is a garden path leading up to the Royal Palace. It is a beauty of pure silver spires that plunge into the blue sky, magnificent stone turrets, and golden staircases. Behind the palace lies the famous Fae greenhouses where the King and Queen keep the most dangerous and valuable plants known on the earth, guarded by trained captains of the Fae Guard.
Behind the greenhouses and down a long, paved path lies the Fae city where the buildings, shops, and homes of the Fae are built in and around tall trees full of old magic.
On the crisp morning of September the 1st, also the first day of the Australian spring, every Fae of the Eastern Bushland kingdom was gathered on the neat green lawn in front of the palace, blinking at each other through the blue-grey light before the dawn arrived.
They swayed slowly, like sleepy bees, in time to the twinkling music of the flute and thump thud thump of tiny drums being played by Fae musicians. Each green eyed, brown face was turned toward the sky, their patient gazes upon the treetops of the Fae forest. They were waiting for the sun to rise above the trees, because for the Fae, the first dawn of spring was a sacred day.
The Fae are a colourful community, because even though they each have the same forest green eyes and skin the colour of rich bark, their wings and hair are of a colour unique to them. Rich blues, light greens, bright yellows, and glowing pinks; every colour imaginable was dotted throughout the crowd, making the group look very much like a collection of flowers swaying gently in a breeze.
Parents rocked on the spot with yawning children, babies were tightly wrapped in colourful blankets to protect delicate wings, but each Fae above the age of seven also held something equally precious in their hands.
The Fae are the guardians of the plants, and so each Fae is born linked to their own guardian species of plant, their companions for life. It is like having best friends who you can tell whenever they are sad or happy, hungry, or thirsty. And in return for the loving care, the plant gives the Fae special powers. Ghost berries made the Fae invisible to human eyes, Bilberries made them see in the dark like it was day, and Eucalyptus leaves had healing properties. The collection of herbs, flowers, and plants made the morning air smell like roses, eucalyptus, and rosemary, and the Fae breathed in that smell like it was life itself, for, to them, that’s exactly what their plants were.
At the front of the group there was a slight movement as King Farrion slipped unnoticed into the crowd next to his wife. As he stroked his deep blue beard, the pink-winged Queen Salote turned to him with a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank the earth you’re back, Farrion,” she whispered urgently, tugging on his arm. “I was so worried.”
Farrion smiled lovingly at his wife and placed the Eucalyptus branch he was holding into his jacket pocket. He leaned toward her with a finger outstretched and gently tugged on the blanket of the small bundle in her arms. The tiny newborn Princess Mahiya squirmed in her sleep, a tiny tuft of peach coloured hair peeking out. She strained in her blankets, and before the Queen could warn the King, a loud squelch came from her diaper, followed by a tiny spark of orange-red flame that flew out of her nose. Both the King and Queen twitched in surprise, casting each other a wary look. Since her birth three weeks ago, the newborn Princess had erupted sparks at random times, usually with a sneeze or a fart. The Fae were creatures of the earth, not fire, and the reason their new Princess was setting small fires was yet to be discovered.
And there is another thought Farrion, bemused. One more mystery to be solved.
“I am perfectly well, my queen,” he murmured. “But there will be much to talk about after the sun arrives.”
The Queen looked into the King’s weary face and nodded, a small crease forming between her pink brows. As the King’s wife, it was her job as Queen to rule over the Fae city and its people, while it was his job to rule over the Fae forest, the animals, and protect the surrounding realms. She had felt the waning of the Fae magic in her people, just as he had over the last few weeks, and she could tell he had learned something in his meeting with the Old Ones. She had ordered the Fae to stockpile fruits and vegetables and cultivate the land as best they could, but they needed to know more. King Farrion reached around her to ruffle the deep magenta hair of his eldest daughter, the heir to the throne, Princess Vidya.
Vidya turned her green eyes upward in surprise, and when she saw who it was, a bright smile spread across her face. Her pink and gold wings fluttered with excitement.
“Father!” she whispered, reaching to hug him.
“Hello, my love,” said the King as he put his arms around her.
“I’m glad you’re back!”
The Eucalyptus leaves sticking out from the front pocket of his jacket tickled her cheek, and she sneezed. She released him quickly as he patted her on the back. Vidya looked from her father’s eucalyptus branch
