A Message for Queen Lovely Lilly - James Gerard (best books to read for teens TXT) 📗

said, ‘You will rest here and protect the fairies.’ Weird, but for some reason I had this strong feeling to obey so I stayed here.”

All of a sudden, tears filled Solange’s eyes.  Ache filled her heart.  Now she knew for sure that the creature and its darkness came back to the kingdom because everyone had forgotten about the newborn fairies.

“They must have felt all alone and so very, very scared,” Solange sobbed.  “They must have felt so abandoned.”

The young human rose up from the rock.  His smile vanished.  The sparkle left his eyes.

“They indeed were.  Just like you Solange, they suffered so very, very much.”

“Did they all come to you?”

“I think so.  The voice did not say anything to me after the fairies came to me.  Besides, I really don’t know anything about fairies.”

“Oh we behaved so badly.”

The young human walked past Solange.  He stared at the mighty forests surrounding the mellow meadows.

“Strange, really.  All I ever knew of fairies came from what little knowledge some elder knew about them. Then, after the voice commanded me to stay, I knew all about them in a matter of seconds.  Sort of weird how that could happen, but it did.”

“Why would Father keep bringing fairies into the world if there was no one, no Queen Lovely Lilly, to meet and introduce them to life?”

“I don’t know.  All I know is they started to take care of the things around them.  I really do not understand how they knew to do it, but each decided on their own to become a sky, winter, summer, tinker, fall, spring, fire, air, wind, light, water, animal, thunder, lightning, and all sorts of other fairies.  Curious enough, they all were able to fly without pixie dust.”

“Oh how horrible for them to have lived in darkness for so many seasons.”

“Darkness,” the young human laughed.  “Do not feel bad.  You see, and I hope you do also, that they might have lived with darkness in the kingdom for a short time, but they lived with light and love in their hearts.  Anyway, as I have told you, once I was told to stay, all the darkness went away.”

“But I saw…other fairies and humans reported the darkness to Foster.”

“Ah.  I understand now.  Solange, you and all the others were in the darkness because you left the place that is in the light."

“You mean the place where Creator lives?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Solange smiled brightly while looking up at the crystal blue sky.  The tiny piece of icy doubt that remained in her heart melted away.

“Is it over?  Is the darkness, the creature gone?”

“Not exactly.”

“But the newborn fairies are safe now.  They will come and join the kingdom.”

“Solange, before the darkness and the creature go away forever and ever, there is something you must tell Queen Lovely Lilly.”

“What is it?”

“It is a very important message.  You must deliver it to her.  Once she hears it and obeys, then the darkness and the creature will go away.”

The young human came up and whispered in her ear.

“Yes, of course.  I understand.  I will tell the queen.”

“Good.  Now return to the queen and do so in a hurry.”

With many fairies following, Solange flew fast over the mellow meadows and toward the village.  Just as she came to the spot where the barrier once stood, she came to a quick stop and hovered in the air.

“Who are you?” she asked a fairy who suddenly appeared.

“Who I am is not important.  Come closer, I have something to tell you.”

“Really,” whispered Solange as the fairy whispered in her ear.

“Now Solange, deliver this message to Queen Lovely Lilly.”

Immediately Solange took off toward the village with the newborn fairies following close behind. 

Leena Loses Love

Leena sobbed the whole way back to Queen Lovely Lilly’s chamber.  She always believed that Foster did not have a mean bone in his body, but he had her fooled: For he agreed to poison the queen just to get rid of the creature.

Through teary eyes, she watched Foster as he flew ahead of her and Loxie.  Aine was at his side.  She hoped and prayed that he would change his mind and spare the life of Queen Lovely Lilly. 

Leena then looked at Aine.  The tears started streaming out of her eyes.   Just how horrible it must have been.  Having been alone herself for thousands of seasons, she understood very well such loneliness and suffering Aine must have gone through.

Leena was well aware that Loxie too knew misery.  Although he had a purpose, something to keep his mind off the loneliness, he suffered nonetheless.  Rebuilding the home of the fairies kept him busy, but he told her that at times his heart ached so much from loneliness.

Nearing the village, the tears just poured out of her eyes.  Thinking of Solange, Leena knew that Solange suffered even more.  Her innocence simply could not take the thousands of seasons of suffering.  With a steady supply of sadness feeding the suffering, she perished.  If not for the mercy of the creator, Solange may have slept forever.  Then a bad thought came to mind.

“No,” cried Leena.

For just a moment, she had considered what Foster was about to do was the right thing to do.  After all, she thought, the creature had made Aine suffer for much longer and even blocked Foster from rescuing her. Her way to rid the creature almost made sense.

Could there be another way? Leena considered as they approached the house of Queen Lovely Lilly.  Maybe if the humans and fairies come together and yell at the creature to leave, it will leave.

“No,” she cried.  “It is useless.”

Without a word, Foster stopped.

Leena wiped away her tears then asked, “What is wrong?  Why did you stop?”

“Yes Foster, tell us what is wrong?” said Loxie.

For a second a sliver of hope entered her thoughts.  She wondered if Creator had answered her prayers.  Maybe Foster had changed his mind.

“Foster wants a moment to be alone,” answered Aine.  “He wants to say goodbye to Lovely Lilly.”

“Oh my dear friend and queen,” Loxie cried out, “we will miss you so.”

Aine inched her way to him and took hold of his hands.  Tears started dripping from her eyes.

“I did not know her Loxie, but I will miss her too.”

Leena hovered helplessly above Foster knowing there was nothing she could do.  She looked down at him as he knelt on the grimy ground then began to cry.

Her attention turned quickly to Aine as she guided Loxie into the queen’s house and into the chamber.  After taking one last look at Foster, she entered the house.

Thinking about what was about to happen, the sadness overpowered Leena.  The tears stopped.  Her mind became numb to the horrible, horrible thing that was about to happen.  All she could do was to glide over to the spot where Loxie was hovering.  It was the spot where she, Loxie, Solange and Cambria had hovered since the day Queen Lovely Lilly became ill, the day the darkness fell upon the kingdom.

“We have found a way to end the darkness,” said Foster as he entered the chamber.

 Sounds of joy erupted in the queen’s chamber.

Leena hovered silently with her eyes looking down at the cold, grimy ground.

Aine hovered just above the lips of Lovely Lilly.  Foster flew over to her.

Leena looked down on the two.  Still numb with sadness, she knew even if she wanted  to drop down and knock the bottle of poison out of Foster’s hand, she just couldn’t.  At the same time, she felt the need to be there for Queen Lovely Lilly’s last moment of life.  She wanted to let her know just how horrible it was for her to die because everyone, fairies and humans, had lost the love in their hearts.

Leena slowly dropped down to one of the queen’s ears.

“Go ahead Foster,” she heard Aine say.

Foster slowly dropped down onto Queen Lovely Lilly’s chin.

Without a tear in his eye or a shake in his hands, she watched as Foster opened the bottle of poison.  He stepped up to Lilly’s lower lip.

“Oh my dear and precious friend, my lovely little Lilly, Aine wants you to know that this is the only way.  She knows that even you would do this to yourself just to make the creature go away forever and ever.”

Leena watched Foster as he poured the poison on her lower lip.

“I love you my queen and my friend,” Leena whispered in her ear.  She then looked up and said, “Please forgive us creator.”

While looking up she saw Loxie sobbing loudly.

Aine landed next to Foster.

“Now,” she said, “I know this is a very, very sad day, but it is something that had to be done.”

It appeared to Leena as if Foster was numb with sadness.  He just stood over the lower lip of Lovely Lilly with the empty bottle still in his hand.

“Listen Foster, I have lived such a horrible, horrible life, yet I still have a heart full of love.  I, more than anyone else, knows the trickery of the creature and can promise you I will never allow it to come back and destroy this kingdom.  I ask that you allow me to be your next queen.”

Foster did not respond.

“And as your new queen I will make changes.  First, playtime ends.  It has too.  Just know that is how and why the creature took over Lilly.  Each of us have jobs and each of us must do those jobs.  All fairies must work very, very hard.  Second, the humans must go away forever and ever.”

Leena gasped.  Foster’s head popped up and locked eyes with Aine.

“Remember, isn’t it obvious that through them the creature comes into the world.  The first time it came as a human king and this second time as Lovely Lilly.  They no longer can be trusted.”

“But they will suffer without us,” responded Foster.  “We too will suffer without them.   For the work they do is very hard for us.”

“Please Foster, I told you I know the trickery of the creature.   You just have to listen to me and go along with it.  If you do, then I promise you the creature will never, ever come back.

Leena felt the numbness of sadness start to go away.  Her heart and mind began to tingle with such strong feelings.

“Okay,” Foster finally answered.  “I will not object to you becoming queen.”

“Queen?” Leena stated loudly.  She glided slowly over to Aine and Foster.  “You want to be queen?”

“I…do,” answered Aine while taking a step back.

“There is no love left.  Do you see that?  I would think the first thing you would want to do is restore the love to this kingdom.  All you offer us is a promise that the creature will never return.”

“Please,” pleaded Foster, “you are being very mean to Aine.”

“And you Foster.  You just put to sleep your most precious and dearest friend.  Shouldn’t you have fought for her, fought the creature with love?”

“I….”

“That’s enough,” Loxie said while looking down on the three.  “Please Leena; Aine did the only thing she could to get rid of the creature.”

“Oh what have I done?” Foster suddenly cried.

“Yes, what have you done?” responded Leena.  “If the creature is gone, then why is the darkness still here Foster?  Why hasn’t the love returned?”

“Please Leena; do not be mad at me.  I know the