The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry

“Winter Procession” by David Delemare

Transporting the “faerie way” has a tendency to make me slightly dizzy, I think it has something to do with molecules rearranging…

We always arrive in the realm outside the palace, appearing  just at the bottom of the broad stairs that lead up to the ornate double doors of the royal home. Because this was a special occasion, and because Arial wanted to make her first visit to the newly arrived queen spectacular, she made sure that our whole entourage appeared right in the center of the Grand Hall. Personally, I thought it was because she was showing off for her mother, but she insists it was…”just for effect, in honor of Yule”.

The winter palace, as you would suspect, is made entirely of ice and snow. Every wall glistens. The floors are solid white and the color of choice is blue, every shade you can imagine. It sounds like a cold and foreboding place but I can assure you, it is just the opposite. Faerie magic is a wonderfully subtle thing, you can never trust your senses. What looks cold; is warm, and things that appear at a distance are actually closer than you suspect.  Now, standing in the middle of the winter palace, I was comfortably warm.

The pale ice blue walls were draped with long runs of spruce garland that were decorated with pine cones, holly berries, and snowdrop flowers.Fireflies added their own particular type of twinkle.  Two large oak trees stood sentinel at both sides of the dais, where, instead of one chair, four chairs sat. I had to ask. “Arial, what’s with the four chairs?” I pointed at the ornate stools, each carved with symbols depicting winter, spring, summer, and fall. Arial was busy greeting a steady flow of her faerie family. She looked very proud of her kind as she  turned to explained.”The Festival of Oak and Holly is the only time the four sitting queens are together. The Yule ball is the time for all four seasons of the Fae to come together and celebrate the coming year.”

I nodded and looked around me. The grand hall was quickly filling up with faeries of all types and sizes. Other magical beings where in attendance as well. Elendain and the elves from the elven-wood were here. The centaurs were represented by Serg. There were dwarfs and pixies, mermaids and dyads (the mermaids accommodated by the placement of large fountains down each side of the hall). The dyads pretty much stayed in the oak trees, only coming out to greet the occasional well wisher.  This party reminded me of the one I attended at Midsummer, only more lavish.

While marveling at my surroundings, I was surprised by a sudden flurry of faerie wings. Flashes of blue, yellow, red, and green obscured my sight. Four faeries whipped about my head in an excited frenzy. They were all talking in high tinkling voices at the same time, which made it hard to tell what was being said, it just sounded like a cacophony of jingle bells. Then it dawned on me, these were the first four faeries I ever saw! I held out my arms. Sunny, Bella, Pip, and Ferne all came to rest, two on each arm, wings fluttering wildly in their excitement . “Oh! my dear sweet friends! I am so glad you’re back! Pip, I do believe you’ve grown, and Sunny, are you still a relentless teaser?” Ferne, the plant lover of the bunch, glided up to tuck a sprig of holly behind my ear and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

While we got caught up on the latest happenings, the lights dimmed and the huge crystal doors at the back of the hall swung open slowly. A path to the throne was made as the guests parted to make way for the procession of queens. As it turned out, I was on the front line after the throng of beings drew back to allow the queens passage. I could see them as they came down the aisle, stopping every once in a while to hug someone or share a few words. I noticed, as they made their way to where I was standing, that the people they stopped to speak with didn’t look at all magical.  I watched as Litha hugged a small woman just a few feet away. She looked up to see me gazing in their direction and offered a huge smile, then practically danced over to where I stood and wrapped her arms around my shoulders in a tight bear hug. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Glancing over I saw the small woman beaming approval and nodding. “Litha?, who is that woman, the one just over there.” I indicated with my head so that the petite little lady with thick wavy brown hair wouldn’t know I was asking about her. Litha turned and bent over as if to remove a speck of lint off of her gown, looking up briefly to see who I was talking about. “You will meet her. In the realm she is known as Sparkle, faerie blood flows in her veins too. She is very popular with the spring faeries, she loves bright colors.”

Before I could ask another question, Orlaith swept over to me with an air of “this one is mine” and took over the conversation. “Kind One, you look absolutely enchanting! This is your first Yule with us I think?” There was an undercurrent of tension between the queen of summer and the queen of winter, I thought, now I see why spring and fall have to separate the two, they are both very powerful in their own way. I hugged her. “Thank you, I can’t take credit, it was all Arial’s doing, you should be proud.” Orlaith took my face between both hands and kissed my forehead then stared at me intently, her blue eyes reaching deep into my soul. “I am proud of both my daughters.”

Did I just hear the queen of the frost faeries call me her daughter? Oh-my-gosh! I was stunned into silence. Orlaith moved down the path as people on either side bowed and curtsied. I started to make my way closer to Sparkle but was stopped by a dainty hand on my shoulder. It was Alina. She was standing, arm in arm, with another faerie I hadn’t met before. “Don’t go running off just yet! There is plenty of time to mingle. You need to meet Mab, the Queen of Autumn.”

The fall had been very short, or time just got away from me, and I realized that I hadn’t been to the palace when Mab reigned. “Your Highness.” I bowed my head and waited. Mab’s laugh was a lot like Orlaith’s, high and tinkly, but her manner was softer, more easy going. I guess that personality trait is a plus if you have to be the go between for Litha and Orlaith. Her hair was streaked gold and rust. She wore it shorter than the other queens and it had a unkempt wind blown look. The Autumn queen’s crown was a circular cornucopia. She was very steam-punk faerieish.

Mab lifted my chin with a finger. “I have a gift for you. If you don’t mind, would you honor me by gathering with the others at the entrance to the palace at midnight?” I promised that I would and as she moved away to take her place by the other three queens I wondered, what others?

The evening flew by (no pun intended). It was a blur of dancing and music, laughter and wonderful faerie food. Midnight bore down on me like a shooting star and as the time drew nearer I found myself filled with excitement. Who were “the others”? What was Mab’s gift? At five minutes to midnight I made my way to the arching crystal doors of the palace. I wasn’t the only one who was excited. When I arrived there were four others standing in a loose circle. Sparkle was there, she was speaking to a man with a pleasant face and easy going manner. The two other women were talking and laughing like they were old friends, one with thick shinning black hair, and the other with curly golden locks. They all turned to greet me, but before anyone could say anything, Mab appeared in a swirling bronze mist.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009.

Unlike the faeries of Winter and Summer, the more subtle faeries of Spring and Fall choose a quiet, unassuming nature when it comes to the changing of the seasons. Bulbs are coaxed silently from the ground in the spring. New buds form on branch and bow. When summer gives way to winter, it is the autumn faeries that instigate the slow but steady bronzing of the leaves as the plants prepare for hibernation.

Upon our return, Arial and I were greeted by a shower of golden yellow leaves falling from the Hawthorne trees. The fall faeries have been very busy in my backyard as well as in the forests around the Realm. I reached into my pocket to make sure that I still had the summer queens gift. How appropriate that the fire faeries gift would be lightening. The little box issued an uninterrupted vibration.

There was a sudden rustle of leaves in the branches above us and I looked up to see several faeries jumping up and down in the tree causing a basket full of fresh leaves to cascade down on our heads. “Hey! go easy.” I brushed the fallen leaves out of my hair then turned to see Warren and Odette shuffle up each with a tiny rake in their hands.

Odette was first to reach me. “You sure are a sight for sore eyes Missus, been gone a while now.” She brushed a leaf off of my shoe and smiled up at me. “Not that the Mister would notice. Warren and I have been helpin’ with the cleanup. The toad is in hibernation already, goin’ to be an early winter I think.”  Odette always gives me the update on what has been happening around the house as soon as the sparkles dissipate.

My Chihuahua’s had been nosing around the ivy, investigating the strange smells and nosies that only they can detect, but as soon as I reappeared, they immediately surrounded me, tails whipping, whining impatiently to be picked up. Hearing all the commotion, Bill stuck his head out of the back door. “Hey, there you are. I have been looking all over for you. Have you been to the store?”

I’ve said it before, but it never ceases to fascinate me how time is so divergent between this world and the realm of the Fae, and  Bill’s naivete’ when it comes to my fairy friends is very charming.

Giving Arial a “what am I supposed to say” look,  I walked over to him and circled his neck with my arms. “You are so intuitive! That’s exactly where I’ve been, why don’t you go in and I’ll run out to the car and get the bags.”

His smile got even brighter. “Great, but don’t you need help?” I motioned to Arial to meet me around the corner as I walked him to the door. “No hun, they are small, I’ll get them.”

As soon as the door closed, I darted around the corner of the house and nearly collided with Lilly, my neighbor from down the street. ” Oh! Hi, I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to be standing there!” Arial was hovering a little above and behind her with one finger over her lips. “I was.. ah…just going to the car…to get some… groceries, yeah, that’s it, groceries.”

Lilly’s eyes twinkled. “Yes dear, I know.” She patted me on the shoulder and handed me a bag. “I have been cooking all day and I made so much more than I could possibly eat and I thought, I’ll bet that nice couple up the street would love some fresh, hot pot roast.” She peeked in the bag. “There’s potatoes and carrots in there too. I think you’ll find that they are done just the way Bill likes.”

I looked from Lilly, to the bag, and back. “Why…thank you… I guess. How did you know that I… At this point I was totally confused. From the first time I had met Lilly I had the feeling that she was somehow different. Charming, but different.

I continued. “Lilly, I can’t take this, it’s to much.” I tried to hand the bag back but she would have nothing of it. “Nonsense dear, like I said, I was cooking anyway.” She gave me a wink, then gently turned me around by the shoulders and gave me a slight nudge. “Go on then, Bill’s waiting for his dinner.”

I took a step or two then turned to thank her once more thinking, he might be expecting his his dinner, but fully cooked from the bag? but when I looked, she had disappeared, leaving a slight scent of roses lingering on the breeze.

You know, I am going to get to the point that nothing will surprise me anymore. Looking up I noticed Arial with a sheepish grin on her face, swaying a little and wringing  her hands. I had to ask,”what was that all about?”. Before she could answer, Bill stuck his head around the corner. “You coming?”

Startled, I jumped, then made my way quickly up the steps. “Yes, yes, here I am. I hope you’re hungry!”  I was hoping that I sounded nonchalant. He took the bag and took a deep breath. “Smells great, lets eat!” To my astonishment, he didn’t find it at all odd that I had brought home a fully cooked roast dinner.

Warren and Odette shuffled quickly along behind us, smacking their lips. “Can we come to dinner?” I noded, and wondered as we all went in to dinner just how Lilly knew Bill’s name.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009.

With thoughts of the mysterious monk I encountered on the path to Willowmeer swirling through my mind I hurried around the curve in the path and was instantly transported back in time, just ahead of me stood the shops and cottages of  Willowmeer, looking exactly like the photo’s in the brochure.

******

It was just a few months ago that I had decided to take a vacation to the UK. I wanted to see the grand old castles and visit Stonehenge, making the side trip into Ireland was a decision that I made when I got here. I reasoned, I’m so close why not visit the country of my ancestors. I picked up a few brochures in the lobby of my hotel and instantly fell in love with the photo of a small town that was only a day trip away. I decided that I would  leave in the morning.

The drive through the beautiful rolling green hills of Ireland was serene and I almost missed the small weathered sign stating “Willowmeer-1km” pointing down the path on the right side. I pulled off the road into a small dirt parking area and got out of the car. The sun was still fairly high in the sky and I thought that it would only take and hour or so to visit the town, so I started off down the path. A kilometer turned out to be farther than I had planned on.

******

I pulled myself back from my reminiscing and focused on the  winding street in front of me. Holding the lantern out I made my way into the center of the town. Willowmeer was a quaint village  consisting of  stuccoed shops with paned windows and thatched roofs, some place right out of the seventeenth century. The street was cobblestone and was bordered on both sides with tall iron street lamps that were now glowing with a soft yellow light.

A few women were closing up their shops for the evening and started walking together in twos and threes up the sidewalk, making their way to hearth and home. A couple of stout little women in long skirts and aprons smiled and waved to me, then drifted off into the twilight, talking softly between themselves.

I stopped in front of a wooden door with a plaque above it proudly proclaiming it to be… “The Lucky Horseshoe Inn and Tavern, D. O’Brien-proprietor”. A large tree stump sat off to the side with a pile of firewood stacked beside it. There were two axes leaning next to the stump and another with its blade buried in the middle of the large, nicked surface.

It was way to dark to go back now, I would have to see if I could get a room here for the night. I placed the lantern on the stump and pushed hard on the door. To my surprise, it swung in easily, with me stumbling in behind it.

A tall, rugged looking man with a red beard and shaggy hair was standing behind the bar, wiping glasses and setting them on a high wooden shelf behind him. He gave a short laugh when I made my embarrassing entrance and said, “Well lass, come on in then and set a spell, looks like you could use it.” I smiled sheepishly at him then straightened up and nonchalantly smoothed my hair back. He waved his towel at the door. “Don’t be forgettin’ the door now, it’s lettin’ the cold in.”

Cringing a little I said, “Oh, I’m sorry!” I started to close the heavy door and remembered the lantern. Pulling the door open again, I stepped out to retrieve it. I had set the lantern down on the tree stump, I know I did, but now it was nowhere to be found. Where it had been was a circle of fine gray ash. I was staring at the stump when a chilling wind swirled around me and blew the ash out into the darkness. At that same moment, a hand landed heavily on my shoulder. I jumped and turned around as the bar keeper, towel thrown over his shoulder,  stepped out into the night.

He looked up and down the street, now empty of all life, and said in a low voice, “ghost wind’s blowin’ tonight, better come in now.” He took one more look around and lead me inside, closing the big door with a solid bang. Shutting out the spirits that roam the night.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009.