Illusen’s Request

     It was a picture-perfect day. The sun was shining, Petpets were frolicking in the fields, and everyone, if not everything, seemed to be smiling at the arrival of Spring. Such should it be after a long and harsh winter, but that was not how it was today. It may not have been snowing, but the rain was harsh and constant.

     “Cheer up, Kiera,” her dad’s response to her sad face peering out the window, “Just think of it as the rain washing away the snow.”

     “I’d rather the sun do that,” Kiera answered with the same pout on her face. It was Illusen Day and, to Kiera anyway, it marked the first day of Spring. She was supposed to spend the day outside, enjoying the fresh air and looking out for all of the markers that defined Spring: buds emerging from the soil, buds sprouting on the trees, and her Petpet buds coming out of hibernation. Now that would have to wait until tomorrow.

     Her dad scanned around the room to find something they could do together when it came to him.

     “Do you know what my dad used to do on rainy days when I was younger?” He started, “He used to tell me stories.” Kiera’s Usul eyes shifted over just enough to let her dad know she wasn’t interested. “One of the stories he told me was about Illusen. It was his favourite story to tell on the first rainy day of the year.” Kiera looked over again, less sarcastic, so he continued.

     “It’s not a mistake that Illusen, of all the Earth Faeries, has become an emblem for Spring. Before settling down in Meridell, and before her feud with Jhudora, she had a feud with Taelia. In fact, most faeries sided with Illusen. Back when half of Neopia was covered in snow.”

     “That doesn’t sound right. How old must she be then?!” Kiera bit, “and what’s wrong with Taelia?!” Kiera had now turned completely towards her dad.

     “It’s not polite to ask about a faerie’s age. She was quite a bit younger. Taelia had just been awarded the position of Snow Faerie and Illusen was just your average Earth Faerie.” He paused for a moment. She was captivated, so he continued on with the story.

     **********

     Illusen opened her eyes after resting in the tall grass. She turned her head to see a couple of her friends resting in the same manner. It was much nicer to rest in the grass in Neopia than up in Faerieland. The clouds were comfortable, but the breeze, scents and tranquillity never seemed to hit you the same way. If only there was more of Neopia to enjoy like this. Illusen sighed.

     “What’s the matter, Illusen?” Her friend Hyacinth asked, turning her head with an inquisitive look.

     “I have a meeting with Fyora today.” Illusen answered, nerves slightly tensed.

     “Ooo! What about?” Squealed Viola, her other friend. A meeting with the Faerie Queen was a huge honour.

     Illusen hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Wouldn’t it be nice if Neopia had more places like this, with tall grass and beautiful flowers to relax in?” The two faeries agreed.

     “Is that what your meeting is about?” Hyacinth asked.

     “Yes,” Illusen said. “Why does there have to be so much snow and ice covering Neopia? There are animals that love the snow, but there are also countless more that can’t survive there. Let alone vegetation. Shouldn’t there be more habitable land for plants too?” Illusen wanted to say more, but realized she was ranting a bit.

     The faeries nodded, deep in thought about whether they liked that idea. The world has always been this way and why the sudden change?

     “Wait,” said Viola. “Does this have anything to do with Taelia becoming Neopia’s Snow Faerie? A little bit of jealousy perhaps?” The two green faeries started giggling and teasing.

     “In a way,” admitted Illusen, “Not the jealousy part, though. I wouldn’t enjoy the cold. But it did get me thinking.”

     “What do you think Fyora can do?” asked Hyacinth.

     “What can’t she do?” Viola said, “but maybe you could just talk to Taelia. She’s nice. Maybe she will listen if you explain why it’s so important to you.”

     “I want to talk to Fyora first. It doesn’t hurt to ask what she thinks about the idea.” Illusen said. She looked up at the sun and noticed the morning had almost flown completely by. “Oh, I better get going.” Her friends wished her good luck as she nervously returned to Faerieland.

     Fyora stood magnificent and tall in front of Illusen, her long violet hair flowing like a current over her long pink gown. A bright aura emanated off of her rosy skin and her large wings were displayed with intimidating pride.

     “I’m sorry, Illusen, but there’s nothing I can do. Taelia has been granted caretaker of the snow world. It is completely up to her if she wants to give up some of her land.”

     “I don’t want her to give up anything,” insisted Illusen. “Can’t she still care for areas not covered by snow?”

     “I’m afraid not. It is part of an agreement established many years ago. She is Neopia’s Snow Faerie. Once the land loses its snow, she is no longer needed.”

     “I understand.” Illusen looked down; a bit ashamed and embarrassed about introducing the idea to Fyora. Fyora reached out and placed her right hand upon Illusen’s left shoulder.

     “I’m not saying it’s a terrible idea. I know you, Illusen, as one of the most caring of the faeries. I know your heart means well. Taelia may not see it that way.” Illusen looked up and made contact with the Faerie Queen’s kind eyes.

     “Should I talk with her?”

     “I’ll leave that to you. Hopefully, an arrangement can be made that will satisfy you both. I just want you to consider what you are asking for. Sometimes outcomes do not end up exactly as you intend them to be. That can be a good thing, but sometimes the result may create more burden than you intend.”

     Illusen thanked Fyora for her time, but was still uncertain about what she should do. She spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up her garden debating her next course of action. She could not see the harm in talking to Taelia. After all, she had not even asked Taelia what she thought. Her mind was set. She was going to the base of Terror Mountain in the morning to talk to Taelia.

     Taelia was sipping on a hot cup of Borovan organizing some books in her snow-covered hut. She wore a stylish white fur-lined robe with a hood in the event she needed to step outside. She had planned to spend the day inside.

     Her head tilted to a knock on her door. Illusen was standing outside wearing a thick green winter coat and earmuffs, and still looked uncomfortably cold.

     “Illusen!” Taelia smiled. She had been feeling a bit lonely since moving into her new home and was pleased to see one of her dearest friends. Lately, there hadn’t been an opportunity to visit each other. “What brings you here? Come in!”

     Illusen peered around the surprisingly large room Taelia had just been organizing, “Oh, I just thought I would pop by and see how things are coming along.” Illusen said, though she avoided looking directly at Taelia. It was clear to Taelia that something was bothering her friend.

     “What’s on your mind?” Taelia asked.

     “I was just thinking that it must be busy here by yourself. Especially now that you are responsible for half of the world.” Illusen said.

     “No, Fyora still has the final say of things here. I’m but a caretaker and it’s surprisingly not too busy. It’s overwhelming a bit, but in a different way. It’s not like there’s an abundance of life in the snow zone.”

     “No there’s not. Have you ever considered reducing the amount of snow covering Neopia so lifeforms from warmer regions could spread out their natural range?” Illusen said. She surprised herself by getting straight to the point. She did not like feeling uncomfortable and sometimes it was just best to rip the bandage off.

     “Are you asking for me to give up land?” Taelia asked, taken aback.

     “No, I don’t want you to give up anything. You said yourself that you are the caretaker of the snowy regions of Neopia. You wouldn’t have to worry about caring for as much land.” She may have brought up the topic a bit harshly, but now they were in the midst of the conversation and there was no turning around.

     “I’m organizing books. Does it look like I can’t handle taking care of the snowy regions? Is it not fair that the world is evenly divided?” Taelia said, deeply offended.

     “Yes, but we do have the sandy region of the Lost Desert, and the arid lands of Tyrannia. And mystery island is a large volcano constantly threatening the island. There is also the massive ocean that takes up-“ Illusen was cut short.

     “Enough!” Taelia lost her cool. Illusen had never heard Taelia speak in this tone before. “You are just trying to take away what I worked so long and hard for! I earned the right to be caretaker of this land!”

     “No, Taelia. That’s not what I meant-“

     “Yet you come as a friend. A true friend would never get jealous over her friends and treat them disrespectfully,” Taelia said, the natural paleness of her face now a deep pink.

     “No, a true friend wouldn’t judge and would take a moment to listen. I just wanted to talk.” Illusen could have said a number of things to try to remedy the situation, but she was offended by the accusation and opted instead to leave.

     When Illusen got back to Faerieland, she tried her best to hold back tears to avoid any concerned conversations from the other faeries. She sat down on a bench by her tree house and stared out into the field of clouds. A pair of faellies were chasing each other through the faerie wing plants, playing a game of hide and seek. A smile kissed the side of her face. ‘Life can be so simple’ she thought to herself, ‘Yet we still seem to complicate it.’

     “Illusen!” A pair of familiar voices yelled out to her, quickly approaching. Illusen looked over to see Hyacinth and Viola flying her way. “We thought you’d be here.” Viola said, beaming. “How’d your meeting with Fyora go?”

     “Hi friends. The meeting went well. She didn’t disagree with me at least.” Illusen said. “I also had a meeting with Taelia. That one didn’t go so well.” She summarized the details of the meeting.

     “Taelia was being unfair. You were just trying to talk to her! It’s so easy to be so stuck in the present that we won’t change the future.” Hyacinth remarked.

     “Don’t let her get to you, Illusen. We support you and so do a whole lot of other faeries!” Viola said with a giggle.

     “How did they hear about it?” Illusen asked, concerned.

     “We’ve discussed it lots with the other faeries and most of them are on board with it too. Some of them even said they had thought about it for years, but never said anything,” Hyacinth added.

     “Yeah, talking with them even helped us like the idea even more!” Viola said. The two faeries giggled some more. Illusen paused for a moment.

     “You know, you’re right. She was wrong to behave that way and it pleases me to see so much support.” She was starting to feel more confident about her plan again.

     As the days continued, more and more faeries were showing their support. Even some of the Dark Faeries were siding with Illusen, but they often did take the side that would create the best conflict, especially when there would be little attention on them.

     A couple of weeks had gone by when Illusen woke up early to some commotion at the base of her tree house. Viola was outside calling to her.

     “What’s wrong?” Illusen called down from a window.

     “You have to come with me! I just heard that the snow surrounding Neopia Central has receded to the base of Terror Mountain! We have to check it out and make sure no animals have been hurt or left stranded in the process!”

     “Oh wow! Yes, let’s go!” The two faeries travelled to the newly thawed-out area of land where a large number of faeries gathered. The terrain was muddy and deprived of any form of life.

     “This is going to be a lot of work,” said Viola. Hyacinth joined them from the crowd.

     “Can you believe this?!” Hyacinth cried. “This is so exciting! Taelia listened! The faeries are overjoyed!” Illusen smiled, but was still feeling troubled. She maybe should have gone back to see Taelia. She did not feel like she was being a good friend.

     “I’m going to look around. I’ll meet up with you girls later.” Illusen said. Her friends gave her a big squeeze and off she went.

     Illusen visited Taelia’s shack only to find it abandoned. She had expected as much, but wondered where she moved to. She looked around the large front room. All of the books Taelia had been perusing through were now missing. Not much of anything of value remained.

     A note caught her eye on the table. It was not addressed to anyone, but Illusen wondered if it was attended for her to read. It read that Taelia had a change of heart after she had learned that there was so much support for a world with less ice and snow and hopefully there will be more peace now that she had reduced this region to cover only a quarter of Neopia. She also mentioned not to worry about the wildlife. She made sure all of the Petpets were out of harm’s way before removing the snow.

     Someone behind her cleared their throat as she finished reading the note. She gave a quick jolt and looked up to see one of the Faerie Queen’s guards standing at the entrance.

     “Hi, Illusen. Fyora has requested to see you at her castle,” the guard said, nodding her head in respect.

     “Thanks, Gwendolyn. I’ll make sure to head there right away.” Illusen said, leaving the note on the table.

     Illusen was more nervous about this meeting with Fyora than her first meeting. Twice in under a month and this time it was not by choice.

     Fyora looked as elegant as ever. It is true that faeries have given themselves a blessing to always look good in no matter what they wore, but Fyora always exceeded that. That was a big part of her “wow” factor when you were in her presence and the reason why most Neopians found themselves speechless around her.

     “I see you are aware that Taelia has given up some of her boundaries,” Fyora said. Illusen nodded, uncertain what expression to show on her face, and opted to show none. “She came to me with a proposal and I authorized the new boundaries.”

     “Is she okay?” Illusen asked.

     “She will be fine. She moved herself to the peak of Terror Mountain. She said more Neopians have been trying their luck at seeking treasure from the snowager while it’s sleeping. She chose this location so she could be there to mend their wounds if the Snowager wakes up. Hopefully, she can deter Neopians from trying to sneak in there in the first place.” Fyora explained.

     “I hope she is well. Thanks.” Illusen said. Fyora smiled in approval.

     “There is a lot to do now that more land has opened up. You Earth Faeries are going to be busy. Just make sure to visit Taelia when you find a moment.”

     “Yes, my Queen. Thank you.” Illusen said with a bow. Fyora put her right hand on her left shoulder as she did during her previous visit. Illusen looked up at her.

     “The upcoming challenges will only make you and the others around you stronger. The world will be a nicer place once the dust settles as long as you continue to follow your heart,” Fyora said and bid her farewell. Illusen left feeling proud and relieved that the meeting went so well and that Taelia seemed to be doing well too.

     The rehabilitation of the newly-released land involved help from most of the faeries, including all the Earth Faeries and many Light and Fire Faeries. The Dark Faeries tittered and complained lots, but they got to dabble a bit in the restructuring of the Haunted Woods.

     A problem occurred now that so many faeries were working together away from their regular regions. While the newly developed region was improving, the rest of the unfrozen world was being neglected. Because of this, many of the faeries had to leave to patch up the areas left unmaintained for so long.

     And so the cycle continued until the Season of Giving when many of the faeries felt like they needed a break, and it did not appear to be an option for most faeries.

     “I can’t believe how busy life is now. When was the last time we were able to lay in the tall grass?!” Viola said out loud one day.

     “Are you kidding me?” said Hyacinth. “I wouldn’t even lay in the grass now. Have you noticed the number of Petpetpets lately? The locals who are used to snow conditions have been complaining about them lots.”

     “Maybe bringing the snow back will put them at bay a bit.” Viola teased. Illusen was not going to contribute to the conversation, but looked over at Viola after her comment.

     “Just teasing! I’m not really serious, but you know how they slow down in colder temperatures.” Viola explained.

     “I don’t know if that’s a good idea after everything that’s gone on to get us here.” Illusen said, slightly offended.

     “That’s why I said I was teasing,” Viola said as Hyacinth motioned for her to stop talking. Viola took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Illusen. I’m just a bit cranky and tired. It really is beautiful, everything we’ve done.”

     “Including the Petpetpets.” Hyacinth chimed in and looked at Viola. She smiled and nodded. Illusen rolled her eyes. She had noticed that she was feeling a bit more irritable lately too. It was nice when the other faeries helped out, but now that most of them had returned to their regular schedules, it was difficult keeping up with everyday events.

     Illusen spotted in the distance a Chia walking towards Terror Mountain with a large backpack. She excused herself from the conversation and approached the Neopian.

     “Hi, sir. On a hike?” asked Illusen.

     “Good evening,” the Chia nodded, tilting his hat. “Not quite. I have a destination. Happy Valley.”

     “I’ve never heard of that place.”

     “Newly established. It’s up on the top of Terror Mountain. Ironic the name is, but the Neopians living there are the happiest around. The name makes sense.”

     “I didn’t realize anyone was living up there other than Taelia,” Illusen said. “Are you moving there?”

     “Me? No. Just a visit. I love being in the snow this time of year. I’ll probably stay a couple of months. Lots of activities to enjoy in the cold climate like snowshoeing, skiing and skating. Not to say building the odd snowman isn’t enjoyable too.”

     “Sounds like fun. I hope you enjoy yourself!” Illusen said with a smile.

     “Will do. I just wish I didn’t have to travel so far to enjoy both worlds. Too bad it wasn’t possible to enjoy both worlds in one place.” He said giving her a nod and wishing her a good evening again.

     Illusen’s heart sank. Initially, it was hard knowing that so many Neopians and faeries were upset, though no one directly blamed her. Now she learned that a settlement was established in one of Neopia’s harshest environments and it had been dubbed “Happy Valley”. And what made things worse was that she herself had been so busy that she had completely forgotten to visit Taelia! And it was Fyora’s suggestion to do so. She never felt so small in all her life. She had no other choice than to meet with Taelia.

     Taelia was overjoyed upon the arrival of Illusen. She invited her in her igloo for a cup of hot Borovan as she had done the last time Illusen visited at her hut. Like the hut, the main room of the igloo was surprisingly large. Even more surprising were the large number of walls enclosing the other rooms.

     “This place is lovely,” Illusen said, taking in the sweet aroma of snowberries bubbling on the stove. Taelia was in the midst of making preserves.

     “Thanks, Illusen. I’m so pleased to see you.” Taelia’s smile was authentic. Even her eyes were smiling. “I tried visiting you in Faerieland a couple of times, but you weren’t home.” Illusen couldn’t remember the last time she has gone back home. It must be looking unkempt.

     “I’m sorry. It’s been busy.”

     “Same. When I came here I was feeling unhappy, but slowly Neopians started showing up and many never left. There’s a really strong community here and I couldn’t be happier.”

     “It relieves me to hear that, Taelia. I’m happy for you.”

     “I’m sorry for not listening to you, Illusen.” Taelia said. Illusen apologized for her behaviour as well.

     “I would say things are perfect on my end, but the truth is we are extremely busy and as much as we love being busy, we like to relax sometimes too.” Illusen’s eyes looked tired.

     “Come with me.” Taelia said. They left the igloo, walked through some deep snow, past some giant rocks and into a grove that took Illusen’s breath away.

     A beautiful field of flowers, shrubs and trees filled the grove. Birds danced from the holly bushes and into the snowy cherry blossom trees. Pockets of poinsettias popped in the white landscape and yooyu snow flowers stood out beautifully amongst the other colours of the flowers.

     “I’m speechless,” said Illusen.

     “Even in the harsh snowy landscape, there is beauty. You just need to know where to look.” Taelia said. They spent a moment taking everything in. “But I have to admit that things aren’t perfect for me either. As much as I am content with this community, I still miss the land I used to be caretaker for.”

     “I have an idea!” Illusen said. “What if we shared that land? Lots of Neopians miss the snow this time of the year and if we cover that land with snow for part of the year, it would give me and the other faeries some time to rest. We will spend some time before the snow falls to help the wildlife to either migrate for the season or help them hibernate under the snow, and then reverse that when the snow disappears.”

     “I think that’s a brilliant idea! So for the entire Season of Giving?” Taelia asked.

     “Or longer.”

     “Two months?”

     “Maybe three.. ish.” Illusen smirked. The two friends laughed as they spent the rest of the day planning the future of Neopia.

     **********

     “As the seasons switch from fall to winter or winter to spring, you’ll sometimes overhear Illusen and Taelia reminisce about the changing of the seasons over a hot cup of Borovan.” Kiera’s dad said. “In fact, that is where my dad first heard the story.”

     “Not true!” Kiera laughed.

     “Surer than a Snorkle’s snout!” her dad teased. Kiera looked out the window again. The rain was still coming down, but her mood had changed.

     “You know, I think I’m going to go out anyway. I’m not going to let a little wet weather dampen my spirits.” Kiera said. Her dad reached for a jacket hanging on the wall.

     “That’s not my jacket, dad.” Kiera said.

     “No, it’s mine. I want to enjoy Illusen Day with you.”

     The End.