“All right, deal,” Damselfly decided.
After Beatrix had been sworn to secrecy, Damselfly relived her story from the very beginning when her mother had announced the birthday celebrations. Beatrix’s whole demeanour changed when she realised that the princess was standing before her and sharing such intimate parts of her life. Beatrix, whose own mother had been taken when she was only six, sympathised with Damselfly’s situation and by the end tears stained her cheeks. After such startling revelations, Beatrix was only too happy to relate their own meagre tale of woe.
“When the Fairy King stopped time, it was at the worst possible moment for us, during a long, hard winter, and as no sign of change appeared, many departed. So it was a surprise when a strange man arrived in the town seeking assistance. He claimed to be a sorcerer with the power to stop it snowing all the time. The townspeople were ignorant of such things though they were all desperate, and one spokesman convinced them to allow the sorcerer to try. Not long after, the first Sprites began appearing at the edges of our territory. They quickly allied themselves with the local wolves and became a constant threat. The sorcerer explained that his magic was working, and these creatures had been sent by some evil force to try and stop him. Unwilling to accept they might have made a mistake, the townspeople continued to support the sorcerer in his mission, although no sign of success or improvement could be found. In truth, our circumstances only grew worse with a rogue Peritwinkle making the woods impassable for even the sorcerer. Soon after that the sorcerer disappeared without a trace, and the townspeople choose not to speak about what had happened, even with each other.”
“It is a tragic tale,” Damselfly sympathised.
“I wish he had never come here,” Beatrix added angrily.
“Did you ever see the sorcerer perform magic?” Damselfly questioned.
“No,” Beatrix answered. “He carried this silver vial around his neck and spoke strange words none of us understood. In truth, he gave me the creeps.”
“Thank you for telling me all this.”
“I cannot believe the Princess of Thronegarden is thanking me,” Beatrix giggled.
“Remember, it is our secret,” Damselfly reminded.
“Of course,” Beatrix agreed.
The innkeeper’s daughter meekly gave Damselfly a hug before scampering away, leaving the princess feeling surprised and happy by the acquaintance.
After Beatrix departed, Damselfly lay down although she could not sleep in her excitement over the story. Then she noticed a shape in the darkness and realised that Morris was watching them.
“The sorcerer was Blakast, wasn’t it?” the princess asked.
“He promised to make things right,” Morris replied.
“You convinced the others to help him,” Damselfly stated.
“I didn’t know what he was going to do,” Morris cried.
“Everyone was desperate; they needed hope that things might improve and I thought this was our chance.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Damselfly declared.
“It was,” Morris confessed. “I heard Blakast talking before he betrayed us. I just did not want to believe it had all been for nothing.”
“What did he say?” Damselfly enquired.
Morris took a deep breath to compose himself and wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Blakast was using the instrument to hold moonlight; he believed it could pierce the barrier between gardens and even free the Fairy King from his exile in the Evergarden.”
“Did it work?” Damselfly questioned.
“He did not free the Fairy King, though soon after I overheard his conversation, Sprites began to turn up in Wintergarden and how else could they have escaped the Evergarden?”
Moonlight, could that really be the secret of reaching the Evergarden, and if so, how was Damselfly going to get hold of it?
“I thought with you being the princess perhaps you could help us,” Morris enquired. “The king would be able to resolve all our problems.”
“I’m not sure. He is very busy,” Damselfly stalled.
“I heard you tell Beatrix that it was the Magicgarden you were trying to reach in order to save the queen. Well, I happen to have the only token for the gate in Wintergarden and I will give it to you in exchange for dealing with the Peritwinkle.”
The innkeeper held a small, battered token in his hand idly. Damselfly knew it was their only chance of continuing the mission and saving her mother.
“I will do it,” Damselfly replied with false confidence. “I will face the Peritwinkle.”
Chapter 7 The Scariest of Times
It was strange to Damselfly waking up in what felt like the middle of the night, with moon and stars still glistening in an unfamiliar dark sky. A gusting wind assailed the Woodcutters Inn, which groaned under the assault. Damselfly remained determined to fulfil her deal with Morris, although the thought of returning to the wood and facing the Peritwinkle terrified her. After a meagre meal of watery stew, Damselfly prepared to depart. Beatrix attempted to hold back tears while Morris at least had the decency to look demure. Buttontail was surprisingly quiet although Damselfly was too wrapped up in her own fears to truly notice. Morris had apparently spread the news of Damselfly’s mission so that the whole village had turned out to see them off. The princess felt rather unworthy of the attention although she did appreciate the people’s kind words and gifts. One young couple presented her with a wolf skin fleece which she gratefully put on over her fairy wings to keep her warm and avoid them catching on any more branches. An elderly man presented her with a rough map, which included many of the stars. Damselfly found the cartography exceptionally detailed and wanted to ask how it had been made but there was not time. Finally, the
