My Wandering Lady – A Faerie Tale

      A lone Whoot winged his way over Meridell. The countryside below was dark. In scholarly Brightvale it was not uncommon for oil lamps to burn late into the night. But Meridellians had no time for such frivolities. They lived off the land, and rose before the break of dawn. So in these hours of darkness, they slept.

      But tonight was different. At just one point – in a clearing not far from Illusen's glade – a light glowed. The gypsy camp, predictably. Gypsies tended to upset the natural order of things wherever they went.

      A large fire burned in the gypsy camp tonight. Around it sat a ring of Neopets. Not gypsies, these. No, they were Meridell locals who had come from all the lands 'round about. For tonight was a special night. Tonight, the Teller of Tales would tell the story of the Wandering Lady.

      A couple of 'pets shivered in the cold night air. The Teller of Tales, an ancient Pteri, pulled her ragged shawl more tightly about her. Its dull brown blended in to the dull purple of her feathers.

      Apart from the warm crackling of the fire, the night was silent. The motley circle of Neopets around the fire didn't speak a word. Sometimes they gazed mesmerised into the ever-changing flames. At other times, they stared at the peculiar Pteri at the head of the circle. In spite of her old age and her ragged clothes, she hadn't lost any of the beauty of her younger days.

      Everyone silently awaited the moment when the Teller of Tales would begin her story. But she was in no rush. For a long while, the warm silence stretched.

      At length, she opened her mouth and croaked “Let me tell you a story of long, long ago.”

      Every eye in the circle turned to her, rapt.

      Then, her voice gathering strength as she spoke, she began her narration.

      Long, long ago, in the golden age of Meridell, the land was happy and prosperous. A wise and benevolent King ruled from Meridell castle with his beautiful Queen.

      In this golden age, the King and Queen seemed to have anything they could ever wish for. Their power, wealth and influence were unsurpassed by any other ruler in all Neopia.

      Yet the King and Queen were terribly unhappy. Although they lacked but one thing, it was that which they longed for above all others. For, in spite of all their prosperity, they had no children of their own.

      Eventually, after many years of longing, their dearest wish came true. The King and Queen became the mother and father of a young girl – Princess Edriel. The entire kingdom rejoiced with them.

      When the time of Edriel's first birthday drew near, the King and Queen planned a grand celebration. The most important courtiers and nobles from every land in Neopia were to be in attendance. No expense was to be spared. The King and Queen had also invited some of the foremost faeries of Neopia to the celebration. For it was not uncommon in those days for parents to seek faerie blessings for their children.

      When the evening of the festivities arrived, the time came for the faeries to bestow their blessings on the little girl. Five faeries – Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Light, had been chosen to attend. For no parent but a fool would allow a Dark faerie near their beloved child.

      Siyana the Light faerie, was the first to rise and step forward. She took the sleeping form of Edriel in her arms and pronounced her blessing in the ancient tongue of the faeries. When she had done so, she turned to the King and Queen and translated:

      “May learning increase and grow to knowledge. May knowledge blossom and become wisdom. And may wisdom guide her steps in all things.”

      Psellia the Air faerie, then took the baby in her arms and blessed her in these words:

      “Great beauty shall be yours throughout your days,”

      Marina the Water faerie, in her turn, bestowed a blessing of good health and long life, saying:

      “Sickness and disease shall ever be far off. But great health and prolonged days shall at all times abide.”

      Illusen, the local Earth faerie of the glade took the babe next. Holding the child aloft for all to see, she proclaimed:

      “She will neither faint nor fear in times of adversity. Strong courage will bear up her chin that she may face each challenge willingly.”

      One faerie only had yet to bestow her blessing upon the young Princess. A young Fire faerie. Her fame was as naught in comparison to that of her distinguished sisters, yet the King and Queen had invited her so as to have a full compliment of faerie favours. For without the fifth faerie, the blessing would be incomplete.

      Yet even as the young Fire faerie stepped forwards to pronounce a blessing, Jhudora, the Dark faerie cast the doors of the hall asunder and entered. Jhudora was known to be a vengeful faerie and was irate at not having been invited by the King and Queen.

      The Dark Faerie snatched the baby away and addressed the King and Queen in this manner:

      “It would seem that by an unhappy misfortune I received no invitation to bestow my blessing upon your daughter. Nonetheless no harm has been done. For I have come hither to add my blessing to those of my sisters. My blessing for the young girl is this: Although she will have wisdom, health, beauty and courage beyond measure, yet will she find no satisfaction in these. She shall evermore be a wanderer, and she shall find no place of rest.”

      This wicked deed done, the Dark faerie returned the sleeping child to her parents. Then she fled the castle, leaving nothing but a cloud of purple smoke in her wake.

      Although the King and Queen were speechless with grief, there remained a glimmer of hope. For the young Fire faerie now drew near and spake thus:

      “Your majesties, though I cannot negate Jhudora's curse, I can nonetheless alleviate it in some small measure.”

      And, taking the babe in her arms she said, “Though you shall wander for as long as you live, yet will you find rest for your soul when you discover that which brings true pleasure and fulfillment.”

      Though the King and Queen thanked the Fire faerie kindly, her words offered them little comfort. It seemed that the curse Jhudora had placed would inevitably tear their beloved daughter from them as she wandered, seeking that satisfaction which she could never attain.

      Years passed in Meridell castle. Each of the faeries' blessings did indeed come to pass.

      The young Edriel soon gained a reputation throughout the land as the most beautiful, wise, healthy and courageous princess ever to have graced Meridell castle.

      And yet, Jhudora's words also held true. For the princess could find no contentment in any of her endeavors. Soon, she began to wander throughout the length and breadth of Neopia. And though she beheld many wondrous thing, she was never satisfied.

      In the libraries of Brightvale, Edriel pored over ancient tomes on many and varied topics. Each held her interest, but in none of them did she find a true and fulfilling passion. Although she was hailed as the most learnèd scholar in Brightvale, she found no satisfaction therein.

      Under the shadows of the Haunted Woods, where most fear to tread, Edriel won a name for herself as a fearless adventurer of great prowess. She was called upon to oust many evil fiends, each of which challenged her courage and ingenuity, yet none of these challenges brought her any true sense of accomplishment.

      Amongst the clouds of Shenkuu, where many items of great beauty are made and appreciated, Edriel found many beautiful trinkets to fascinate her. With the great wealth that her parents had amassed, she purchased many of these, and yet none gave her true and lasting pleasure.

      The King and Queen began to despair as they watched the Dark faerie's curse destroy their beloved daughter and take her away from them. For they saw very little of her, as she was always embarking upon reckless quests, sometimes returning to the castle for mere hours before setting out on her next adventure.

      For her part, Edriel began to despair of ever finding the “rest for her soul” that the Fire faerie had spoken of. For though she sought “true pleasure and fulfilment” in wisdom, courageous deeds, and things of great beauty, she found it in none. And the rest the Fire faerie had spoken of still eluded her.

      The Teller of Tales paused. She scanned the faces of the Neopets seated around the fire. Every eye was on her.

      “No-one knows if the Princess ever found that rest,” she told them, “Some say she never found it, but that she took her own life out of despair. Others say that she wanders still, driven to insanity by the impossible task. And still others believe that she somehow did find it. But it is unlikely that we will ever know for sure.”

      And with that, the ancient Pteri fell into a brooding silence.

      It took the 'pets around the fire a while to register that the story had ended. The Teller of Tales didn't say another word. She just sat there quietly, staring into the fire. 'Pets began to leave around her and she still took no notice of any of them.

      Eventually, just one 'pet remained – a young Red Scorchio. He looked over at the Teller of Tales curiously.

      “Excuse me Miss,” he asked politely, “Do you think that Edriel ever found her rest?”

      The Pteri turned patient eyes on him.

      “Oh yes,” she replied slowly, “I think she found it – quite by accident, perhaps, but I think she found it all the same.”

      She pondered for a moment, then elaborated, “I think that Edriel's mistake was seeking pleasure and fulfilment only for herself. But true pleasure and fulfilment only comes from seeking to share it with others. And I think she discovered that. Eventually,” she smiled.

      The Scorchio said nothing. He was confused. Why would she think that, of all things, was the ending to the story of the Wandering Lady? Did the Teller of Tales know something about Princess Edriel's fate that no-one else did?

      “Oh, well thanks for telling us the story, Miss,” he said at length, deciding it probably wasn't worth worrying over.

      “I'm glad you enjoyed it,” smiled the ancient Pteri “Nothing gives me greater pleasure and fulfilment than seeing others enjoy my stories.”

      The young Schorchio eyed her uncertainly. There was something unsettling about this wise old gypsy. He couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye. He shrugged mentally. Then he bade the old woman farewell and headed off down the forest path towards his home.

      Behind him, the old Pteri watched him leave, satisfied with her evening's work. She felt a restlessness begin to stir in her bones. The gypsies had been here long enough, she thought. Tomorrow, it would be time to move on. She had always been a wanderer.

      The End.

      Special thanks to alienspacefairy who almost single-handedly gave me the motivation I needed to write this story