A Water Faerie and A Promise

Nereid swam on the shores of Neopia. She was a pretty faerie, with long golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were always the exact color of the sea. Around her neck was a shell. It was the last gift her mother had ever given her, and her favorite item. Now her mother served as a maid in the Dark Court, or Jhudora’s Cloud, never able to see her daughter again.

      She was somewhere in the ocean, far away from Maraqua, but closer to Faerieland. She was swimming towards her home, an underwater village right under Faerieland’s cloud. Only water faeries lived there, because many of them couldn’t live in Faerieland. Water faeries couldn’t fly up there.

      She dove under, swimming past colorful groups of coral, and entered her town. It didn’t have a name, and no one knew why.

      The Queen of the Water faeries, Queen Oceania, was her aunt, and her guardian. She was often called a Lady, or a Princess, though she didn’t like either of those terms. She simply liked to be called Nereid.

      Making sure no one saw her, she swam to her cave, where she lived. Naturally, she had been offered to stay at the palace, but she had turned it down. She lived her cave, because it was hers.

      Once inside, she closed the door she had made, and swam up to her desk. She pulled out a journal from her hidden hiding place, and began to write.

      Dear Diary,

      Every day I think of my mother. I remember how she laughed, how she cried, and how she used to tuck me in every night. I remember how she gave me her necklace, and the next day that she was taken by Jhudora.

      I remember coming here, and living here. I miss her so much. When I think of her, I touch my necklace, and then I don’t feel so lonely. But it just isn’t the same. I want to help her, but my aunt keeps her guards watching me so I don’t try. I can’t even get up to Faerieland. It’s like Queen Fyora banished all water faeries by taking away their wings and giving them tales. Only one water faerie is up there now, and that’s the Fountain Faerie.

      We’re social outcasts, us water faeries. Why can’t we go up to the land of Faeries? If only I knew why...

     Until Another Day,

     Nereid

      Filled with mixed feelings, Nereid decided to visit her aunt. She swam out of her cave, and slipped into the Coral Castle. That’s where her aunt lived. As she slipped in, ten water faeries that served as maids swarmed upon her. When they finally let her go, she now wore lovely blue eye shadow and lipstick. Her hair had been pinned up by a shell hair clip, and gems of all kinds hung from her neck, wrists, and fingers.

      “Darn it,” she muttered. They had managed to catch her before she could get to her aunt. She swam to the throne room, where her aunt was.

      Queen Oceania was reading a book, and she raised her eyebrows as Nereid walked in. “So they caught you?” she asked with a smile.

      “Yes,” Nereid muttered. “But that’s not important. I need to speak to Queen Fyora.”

      “Wait, why?” Aunt Oceania asked, putting her book down.

      “I want to know why we have tails instead of wings,” she said. “And why there is only one of us in Faerieland.”

      “I don’t have that kind of power,” the queen said, shaking her head.

      “You’re a queen,” Nereid exclaimed, pacing. She let her bracelets and rings fall to the ground in anger.

      “But she is a bigger queen,” Oceania said sternly. “She is the queen over us too.”

      “Couldn’t you at least ask?” Nereid begged. She missed her mother so much.

      The Queen thought for a moment, and then agreed. She left the room, and came back a couple of minutes later. “She’s agreed to you for some reason.” The queen shrugged.

      Nereid smiled. “Tell her to come to my cave,” she ordered.

      “But it’s much nicer here,” Queen Oceania argued.

      “I know,” Nereid said, and swam out. She swam back to her cave, her home. After tidying it up, she went to her bathroom. She removed all the dark blue makeup, and replaced it with light blue makeup. She took her necklace her mother gave her off, as well as all the other necklaces the maids had showered her with. She took the shell off the chain, and then put the shell in her hair. As she was putting the final touches on her hair, there was a knock on her door. After glancing at herself one last time in the mirror, she went to get the door.

      Queen Fyora magnificently entered; she could breathe underwater. Next, came Queen Oceania, looking the best she could look. They both nodded at her, and then sat.

      “You wanted to talk to me?” Fyora asked.

      “I wanted to know why water faeries aren’t allowed in Faerieland.” Nereid got right to the point. “I want to know why we have tails instead of wings, and I want to know why you let Jhudora take my mother.” Nereid paced back and forth. “I just don’t understand!”

      Fyora sighed, and gestured for Nereid to sit down. “It’s a long story.”

      “I didn’t always rule Faerieland; my mother did before me. Her name was Nyra, and she was the most beautiful thing in the world, much prettier than me. But she had one flaw, and that was she had a temper. Your mother was a young water faerie at the time, wandering the world in search of a purpose.

      “She decided to experiment with different types of glasses and stones, trying to make beautiful jewelry. She traveled all around the world, and she could, because water faeries had wings at the time.

      “As she experimented, she found that if you combined certain stones together, they could be immune to magic. She found out how to capture faeries. Well, later, it had to happen; Balthazar stole her formula. As soon as faeries started disappearing, and reappearing in bottles, my mother knew what your mother had done. You see, your mother had been quite famous then; she had made all my mother’s jewelry, and the jewelry I’m wearing now.”

      Nereid suddenly wanted to take all of Fyora’s jewelry.

      “Anyway,” Fyora continued. “My mother was so angry she cursed all water faeries by taking away their wings and giving them tails. Then, she gave your mother to Jhudora, and Jhudora tore her wings so she couldn’t fly, and made your mother a maid. My mother, being the temperamental faerie she was, cursed the water faeries again, allowing them never to return to Faerieland. She was smart in some ways, allowing water faeries to be in Faerieland if they were either a prisoner or worked there. That’s why The Fountain Faerie lives there. I’ve tried every way to break the curse, but there is no cure. And I have tried to reason with Jhudora, but she refuses to let your mother go, because now your mother is forced to make all Jhudora’s poisons and dark jewelry. Even I can’t set her free.”

      “So there’s nothing you can do?” Nereid said sadly.

      Fyora sighed. “Nothing,” she said. “Your mother is forever trapped unless Jhudora willingly lets her go.”

      “I can’t even be close to her,” Nereid murmured sadly.

      “There is a way,” Fyora said thoughtfully.

      “There is!” Nereid jumped up happily.

      “You would have to leave home,” Fyora said.

      Nereid glanced at her aunt, who nodded. “I don’t care,” Nereid said firmly.

      “We need someone to help heal neopets,” Fyora said. “Neopets lately have been extremely sick and too poor to buy a cure. We need someone to heal them. Maybe you could, somewhere in Faerieland.”

      “Agreed,” Nereid said immediately.

      “I’ll have your healing cloud ready by tomorrow,” Fyora agreed. “I can pick you up tomorrow.”

      Nereid nodded, and Fyora vanished.

      “You’re leaving,” Oceania said softly. “I’ll miss you.”

      “Me too,” Nereid said hugging her aunt. “But I need to do this.”

      “I know,” the Queen said. “I’ll be too busy to say goodbye tomorrow, so I’ll say it now.” She paused. “Goodbye.”

      Nereid hugged her tightly. Looking happy and sad at the same time, the Queen smiled sadly, and left. Nereid watched her go, and then turned around to pack her things.

      That night was sleepless, and she would occasionally reach her hand out to see if the water was still there. She had never lived out of water before, and she was scared to not be able to go wherever she pleased by just shaking her tail.

      The next day, Queen Fyora came, and helped her on to a purple cloud. The cloud took her up to Faerieland. She wanted to see it all, the castle, the stores, and the games. She knew she had work to do, though. Queen Fyora took her to her new home, thanked her, and then left.

      After the queen had dropped her off at her cloud, she looked around. There were waterfalls and pools of mystical water everywhere. The water seemed to sing as it danced off the clouds. Nereid perched herself on a cloud rock, and gazed into the distance.

      There, not too far away, was Jhudora’s home. That was where her mother was.

      “I promise I’ll save you,” Nereid whispered to herself. “I don’t know how, but at least you’re not that far away. Some how, some way, someday you’re going to be free. I promise.”

      “Excuse me,” a young Acara said, walking up to Nereid. “I feel sick. Could you help me?”

      Slowly, Nereid turned away from the dark spot in the sky. “Of course,” she said softly. “I am always here to help.”

The End