The Misdeed of Trixie the Pixie

“A pixie?” 

A low voice awoken Trixie from her slumber. Two eyes —as green as the forest— bore into hers curiously, startling her.

“What? Who are you?” she yelled and flew away from the guy. 

“My apology, I’m new here… just wandering around to make myself familiar,” he said with a sweet smile.

Trixie wished to retort, but she just realized the oddity of it all. No passersby had ever come close to her, even if they did, they wouldn’t spare another glance at her for they didn’t believe her existence. And yet, this guy… 

“How do you even…” she blattered. 

“Hm?” he lowered himself to the ground and fumbled with a goldenseal.

Finally finding her words, Trixie said, “Aren’t you the least bit shocked?”

“Why would I be when I’ve always believed in pixie's existence?” he said while harvesting the goldenseal.

“Huh?”

“The stories are believable, you see?” As if that explained everything, he ended it with another smile.

What an odd guy, Trixie thought while she scanned him. Ginger hair, freckles dotting his face, and lips humming a song. For some reason, Trixie welcomed this strangeness. She didn’t know who this guy was, nor did she know where he came from —and yet, his presence was so calming that she didn’t mind one bit.

*****

“Is there any other pixie beside you?” 

Trixie sighed. “Obviously, it’s just that they’re not around here usually. This spot is mine.”

He chuckled. “Is there such a thing? Naming your place?”

She nodded. “We have our own, each one of us. We agreed to not trespass without announcement.”

“Did you name it?”

“There’s no need for that. We never ask and have never been asked.”

“Might as well name it just for fun,” he said, rising from the ground, tattered in dirt.

Sitting on a low tree branch, Trixie stared at him devoutly. It’d been days since they kept meeting each other in the same spot with the same routine. Trixie had never made any inquiry on what he’d been doing, had never even thought of that either. However, that day the guy simply piqued her interest even more than usual.

“What’s your name?” Trixie began.

“Good question, we’ve gone through days without that, eh?” he answered.

Trixie rolled her eyes, he always evaded her with questions. “Ugh, can’t you just answer me?”

He sighed and wiped the bead of sweat on his forehead when he replied, “It’s Ralph.”

Ralph, Trixie repeated it silently. 

“What about you? Don’t pixies have names?”

“Of course we do.” she folded her arms. “I’m Trixie.”

“Rhyming with pixie, eh? How about the others? Do they rhyme too?” he laughed heartily while putting the harvested goldenseal into his basket.

Trixie huffed. “Aren’t you rude laughing at my name? And no, not all of us rhyme with pixie.” She smirked. “Just the best one.”

His laugh stayed and Trixie was content with it. She was content with anything as long as the guy —no, Ralph— was here. It might be exaggerating to say so, but that was truly how Trixie felt. She wanted to know more about him, for from the moment they first met, he’d been strange —a good kind of strange. 

“Why do you always trespass my territory day by day?” Trixie said. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

He began to walk away, his time was up, and so Trixie followed him. 

“If I may say, this is no one’s territory, Miss,” he bestowed a smirk. “There’s no sign showing I may not pass.”

Trixie grunted. “You always evade the question. Telling the truth can’t be so hard.”

Laughing, he said, “Well… I’m the King’s worker. More specifically, I’m helping a physician in the palace.”

Trixie was stunned, that wasn’t what she expected. As far as she knew, the palace workers had always been uptight. The royalty? Even worse, they’re snobbish. Yet, not with Ralph he wasn’t. He’s pleasant to be with.

She flew after him. “So you’ll keep coming back?” Trixie’s heart thumped as she said so. She couldn’t believe she’d uttered those words herself. What does it matter? 

“I will.”

*****

And, so he did. Ralph came back day after day to the forest, and would always find Trixie waiting for him at the very same spot. Trixie even followed him hither and thither to collect his herbs. She even went as far as showing him some beautiful spots in the forest, unleashing an ecstatic smile on Ralph’s face, which she thought was a wonder.

It’d always been like that, a burst of euphoria every now and then, until one day it wasn’t. It was the usual noon, under the usual tree that Trixie waited for his arrival. She heard his chatter from afar, noticing his familiar laughter. Trixie perked up, about to approach him, when a thought befell her, Who is he talking to? 

A cloud of storm veiled her mind and heart, especially when she could hear a light honeyed voice following Ralph’s chatter. 

“Do you always go here everyday?” asked the honeyed voice.

“Yes, Princess. The forest and I have been good friends for a long time now,” replied Ralph.

“It’s so beautiful…” she said.

“If you want to come here again, I shall be a willing escort,” Ralph said, a beaming smile erupted from his lips.

Over it all, Trixie was a witness. The honeyed voice belonged to an ebony-haired girl with fair disposition. Ralph walked with her, helped her pass over a shrub in her wishy-washy gown, held her hand like a gentleman —everything Trixie dreamed of but never achieved. 

“Thank you. I shall be very grateful then,” the girl said, smiling back.

How dare she lure him with that nauseating smile? Trixie thought. She must be a royalty! The snobs’ descendant! I shall not let her taint Ralph! 

Trixie flew higher than normal, following in their footsteps. Each step brought her heart to a more and more fiery den. Go away, you hag! She demanded internally.

I must do something. She knew she must, or else the snob would put a firmer claw on Ralph. Trixie looked around her and flew away, while noting the position where she last saw those two. Anything, anything at all!

The fire in her heart was untameable. It motivated her to keep moving and moving, until she spotted a pig minding its own business. Its existence brought her an idea. 

“Come, piggie!” she yelled. 

When the pig didn’t move, she flew closer and bugged it within its sight. “Come!” she screamed as she threw some fallen berry onto it. After she managed to catch its attention, she yelled again and decided to slam her foot onto its eyes.

It successfully reeled it. The pig whined for a while, but decided to chase after her. Trixie flew, faster and faster, toward the place where she last saw the two. It didn’t really take long for Trixie to find them because those two walked really slowly. 

The pig that’s rushing after her encouraged a gasp and scream from the girl. Trixie could see vaguely that Ralph was puzzled too. 

“This way, Princess!” he said, holding her hand.

The girl wasn’t exactly helpful for the escape since she stumbled upon the tree roots a couple of times. Seeing how Ralph was so patient in guiding her, it added the fuel to her fire.

They kept running, Trixie kept flying, and the pig kept chasing. Trixie continued in their footsteps everywhere they went. Their breaths were frantic, and so were their steps. It was a scream from the girl that eventually broke it.

“Princess!” yelled Ralph when he saw the princess slipped and fell into a ravine.

Seeing that, Trixie stopped on her track and turned right, which resulted in the pig slamming into a tree and stopping its chase. 

“Princess, you okay?” Ralph shouted, and when there was no response, he shouted once more, “Princess!”

His voice worried Trixie. Have I done a terrible thing? She wondered. But, I just wish that she wouldn’t come here anymore! Especially not with Ralph! 

And yet, the ceaseless yells from Ralph truly concerned her. She decided to see what’s happening more closely. She saw that Ralph had leaped into the ravine too, maybe to take a look at the girl. Envy still put a veil over Trixie, but at that point, her worry for Ralph was stronger.

“Ralph?” Trixie dared to sound her concern.

“Princess!” Ralph screamed. 

Trixie gasped, the princess’s forehead was bleeding —she might have hit her head on a rock. Not only her forehead, her leg seemed to be in a bad shape too —she probably sprained it.

“Ralph…” Trixie said, remorse filling her heart. She never meant for the girl to be wounded. The princess, she thought, Ralph would get in trouble…

Ralph seemed to hear her. “Trixie? Trixie!” he yelled. His usual bright manner was gone, replaced with panic. “Please… help us! Lead… lead the way out of this forest…” 

And so, she did. Trixie did not have the bravery to admit what she did. So, she stayed silent as Ralph carried the princess out of the forest. She didn’t want Ralph to hate her, and she was scared that Ralph might get into trouble with the snobs.

Once they’re out of the forest, Ralph thanked her and bade her goodbye. “I don’t even deserve his gratitude…” Trixie put her head in her hands. “Oh! How direly I messed up!”

*****

Trixie waited the next and next day, yet Ralph never came. The princess would be okay, Trixie believed, but what about Ralph? He was a commoner who worked in the palace, he wouldn’t easily win the good grace of the snobs. 

It worried her enough that she decided to leave the comfort of her forest and went to the palace. It had a high ceiling, she believed, and she wouldn’t be easily spotted, and so she went.

However, the moment she found Ralph, it was too late. A proceeding was happening in the King’s hall, overlooked by several snobs with Ralph in the middle. Trixie’s heart fell when she looked at his trembling and wounded state. A sign that the guards had roughen him up. Oh, Ralph! 

“Your Highness, your order?” 

The whispers of some spectators filled the hall, the sharp gaze of the King pierced the trembling figure kneeling in front of him. One word and his world might change. 

Trixie watched over the procedure with a heavy heart. She flew from beam to beam, overseeing the situation. She never meant for everything to be like this. 

She knew she’s so wrong for doing that, she shouldn’t be overridden by her jealousy, she knew. However, the devil’s whisper got her. Her thought was selfish. As long as the girl didn’t lay her hand on him, as long as Ralph became hers and hers only. Yet, she never thought what it would mean to Ralph.

“Banish him,” the King stated. 

The guards nodded and came to Ralph’s sides. Ralph cried, “Your Highness, please! This… apprenticeship with Sir Rudolph is important to me! Please! Anything but this!” 

The guard slammed a fist to silence him. Trixie felt a burst of anger at that. She really wanted to save him from this agony. Hearing his cry shattered Trixie’s heart. She’s the reason for his sorrow, she’s the reason he lost what’s important, and she’s the reason why she might not see Ralph anymore!

She chased him and the guards. Hoping, oh hoping, that she could offer some sort of comfort to him. However, did she have the right? Could the same thing that broke him be the thing that could comfort him? But, he never needs to know, a whisper coaxed her. He never needs to know what leads that pig there, he can blame it on his luck, fate, anything! But not me! 

That way, Trixie could drive his pain away and be by his side at the same time. It felt wrong to her, her conscience fought her, but she reasoned that this was for the greater good. 

When Ralph was disposed of outside the palace, Trixie flew to him. Ralph stayed quiet for a moment, as if trying to make sense of what just happened, before he began to sob. It ached Trixie’s heart.

“Ralph…” came her gentle voice.

He calmed for a moment and looked at the source of her voice. “Trixie?”

“What—what happened?” Trixie inquired.

“Trixie… I—” he wiped his tears. “It’s… you remember when the Princess fell into the ravine days ago?”

Trixie gulped and nodded.

“The King had entrusted me with her safety, the Princess had assured him too because she really wanted to go to the forest…” He sobbed. “But… a pig chased us. I didn’t know where it came from, especially because I’ve never seen it before! Then, the Princess fell… and— I’m banished.”

“I’m… sorry for what happened…” Trixie said. “What—what will you do now?”

“I don’t know… I have no one else, I came here with the physician, but now that the physician won’t take me, there’s nothing I could do.”

“I’ll be your companion, then.” Trixie put a hand on his shoulder. “Live with me.”

A chuckle came out of him, one of disbelief. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not a pixie. I can’t live in the forest wildly.” He stood and winced. 

“Not wildly like a pixie,” Trixie offered. “There’s a small village on the other side of the forest. You can go there and make a living.”

He sighed and looked back at the palace. “So I shall, I guess. Nothing else I can do,” he said and walked away limping, accompanied by Trixie. 

*****

Despite the underlying guilt, life was surprisingly happier than Trixie thought it’d be. Just like what Trixie said, Ralph tried to make a living in the village. The villagers were welcoming, much better than the snobs —in Trixie’s words. The most regretful thing was, Ralph didn’t smile as much as before, it’s like his light had dimmed, and Trixie felt anxious knowing she was the cause of it.

Ralph worked as a helper of a blacksmith which resulted in him never coming to the forest —but Trixie assumed that there might be more to it, like his trauma. He just came to the edge of the forest to see Trixie sometimes, and so she tended to come to him instead. 

At times, Trixie brought Ralph some wildflowers and decorated his windowsill with that. She hoped that she could secretly reconcile his love to the forest as well, even if Trixie knew that it’s a difficult task. Trixie could see from afar that sometimes Ralph shoved them away before he went to sleep. 

Trixie also noticed that there were moments when Ralph looked at the forest in a look of longing and fear. 

Whenever she asked him about it, he would answer, “No, I don’t want to go in.”

“Okay, it’s an unlucky place anyway,” Trixie would reply.

*****

The lies and the coverage of truths grew each day, with Trixie’s careful nurture. Everything seemed to be going well until it didn’t.

Trixie was accompanied with her pixie pal that afternoon. They were chattering and gossiping when suddenly Jess asked, “How’s it going with your human boy, Trix?”

It’s actually quite a normal topic, Trixie had told everything to her pixie friends when everything had gone down badly, she had wanted to share her burden. “He’s well these days, but he’s still avoiding the forest.”

Jess sighed. “He has a good sense, that boy… After all, it’s true that the forest is the source of his terrible luck. We’re part of the forest, you’re part of the forest.”

Trixie frowned. “Don’t say that anymore. I just hope he’ll never find out. You know I didn’t mean that to happen when I brought the pig.”

“You shouldn’t have done that in the first place. You know he’s a palace worker, you should think further.”

“Ugh, you don’t need to keep reminding me. It’s me and my stupid jealousy! But really, I just can’t stand that Princess.”

“It’s you whom he shouldn’t be able to stand,” Jess said. “Though, I remind you to be careful, Trix. A small lie may result in a huge disaster.”

The conversation went on for a few minutes more when Trixie stood and flapped her wings, declaring, “I’m going to the village.” With that, Jess bade her goodbye.

However, on the way there. A rustle behind the bushes caught her attention. She thought it might be a wild animal —a boar or pig perhaps— but when she looked at it, she noticed that it was a familiar figure with ginger hair. 

Trixie gasped. “Ralph?”

She had wanted Ralph to come to the forest again, but not like this —not unannounced. Ralph’s face was gloomy as he said, “Might be true that my terrible fate was tied to this forest.”

Trixie paled, he heard.

“I thought…” he began and smiled miserably. “Today… I thought I finally made peace with it, maybe… the forest isn’t tied to it. After all, it hadn’t been unkind to me before all that.” He looked at her, disappointment and anger written clearly in his eyes. “I was right.”

“What?” Trixie said, confused with how the event turned out.

“The forest wasn’t unkind, you are.” Venom was thick in his usually bright voice. This is a disaster… 

“Ralph… Forgive me. I tried to make amend—”

“If you want to make amends, then why lie?” Stern was his voice, reprimanding.

“Ralph…”

“Leave me alone.” 

With that, he walked away. Trixie hated this, she didn’t want to lose him! She wanted to run after him, yell her apology on top of her lungs, but she stayed still. The forest was forgiven in the span of months, and it wasn’t even really its fault. How long would it take for Trixie to be forgiven? Forever?