Spring's Secret

Azalea ran as fast as she could, whipping past trees, leaping over rocks, never daring to pause to take a breath. She knew that if she did, she could miss out on quite possibly the most wonderful thing she would ever have a chance to experience. Sneaking into Fairy Court hadn’t been easy, but with both people and fairies alike being set aflutter with the first day of spring, they hardly paid her any attention when she slipped through the main gate separating humans and fairies. It’s not as though the two races were on bad terms, not in the slightest. Their cultures and needs were just too different to properly coexist in the same communities. One of the problems being that fairies were mostly nocturnal, so trying to make a healthy community together just hadn’t worked out. In the end, the two races separated their communities but would still socialize from time to time. Azalea herself actually had quite a few of her own fairy friends, but she only ever got to see them a few times a year. They were actually the ones who had passed her the secret knowledge that only select humans knew of regarding the object of interest. While fairies were friendly, they were also private creatures. Her friend Dahlia was the exception, as she was the biggest gossip she’d ever known. Azalea was near breathless at the thought of being let in on one of their many secrets. Or maybe she was just winded from all of the running. Just keep going, you should be close, she told herself. Dahlia had given her a pretty detailed explanation of where this event would be, and Azalea silently thanked her for the thousandth time as she made it to the specified clearing. Just as she had suspected, it was indeed the most incredible thing she had ever laid her eyes on. In front of her were more flowers and colors than she had known to exist. There were some she recognized, like daisies and tulips, but most of them looked so vibrant and exotic that she could only guess their origins. To add to the beauty, the trees sung in the breeze, the willows whistling as the light wind carried its lovely hanging branches over the crystal-like pond. She could tell that the pond itself was already striking in its own right, but now it was filled with lilies and floating bouquets. On top of a mossy cobblestone bridge, two fairies giggled and threw what appeared to be some kind of food at the ducks swimming in the pond beneath. The scenery was awe inspiring in itself, but the fairies… never before had Azalea seen a fairy in the daytime, and only a handful of humans ever had. There were tales of what they looked like, that the fairy’s appearance is somehow altered by the sunlight. Some said that they turned a hideous shade of red, while others claimed they increased in size tenfold. Which would be quite terrifying, considering fairies were already equal in size to petite humans. She could see that the rumors weren’t completely false, though. In sunlight, the fairy’s wings sparkled like a thousand rays of sunlight, and their skin glittered in a way that put diamonds to shame. They were so bright it almost hurt to look, but they were so beautiful she dared not take her eyes off them. “Hello,” A voice trilled from behind her. Azalea nearly jumped from her hiding spot crouched behind a log in surprise. She whirled around to come face to face with another girl that looked to be around her own age. The girl was a bit on the shorter size for being a twelve year old (if she was truly the same age as her) and wore a long white cloak that covered her from head to toe, dwarfing her tiny face even more. “H-hi,” Azalea replied shakily. “Were you hoping to sneak a peek at the fairies festival, too?” she added. The girl cocked her head at her, considering. “You could say that,” she answered. Azalea gave her a toothy grin. “I heard that the fairies perform some sort of spring festival, and I wanted to see. It’s more beautiful…” She let the next words die out when music began to play from behind her. She turned back to face the park and saw fairies sitting in an ivy-covered pavilion, playing instruments she didn’t recognize. Some appeared to be wooden with strings they plucked in various sizes, while others were silver and dainty and played whistling noises when they were brought to the fairy’s lips. Azalea had only ever heard the drums played in the town square of her hometown during village festivals, and bells on the occasion of someone being wed. These instruments were of a new concept that fascinated her to say the least. The girl behind her giggled. “It is quite beautiful, isn’t it?” She sat next to Azalea. “What’s your name?” She asked. Azalea told her and asked for hers. “Me? My name is Peony.” Her voice was light as air, and it felt as entrancing as a lullaby. Azalea sighed, still distracted with the view and said, “I wonder what this is for…” Peony leaned in closer to hear her over the music. The pond made the tune carry all over the rest of the park, covering it in its uplifting melody. “It’s the blessing of first spring,” Peony said. Azalea looked at her again, intrigued. “Really?” She asked, excitement obvious in her tone. “Oh yes. The fairies celebrate in a festival and bless the season of spring every year. The blessing is performed at noon when the sun is at its most high, and surrounding that time is food and drink and dancing! It’s quite the event!” Azalea’s mouth dropped. “You mean we’ll get to see a fairy blessing? I thought those were only legends!” Peony nodded. “Oh no, they’re no legend. They’re quite real.”

“So what are they exactly?” Like fairies in sunlight, fairy blessings were cloaked in layer upon layer of mystery and legend. These stories were never told to her, but she heard some whisperings and knew that whatever it was, it must be quite powerful. “Hmm,” Peony said softly, tapping a finger against her chin. “You know, I think I’ll let you see for yourself.” Peony stood up then, reaching out a hand to her. “W-wait, where are we—?” Azalea cut herself off when Peony untied her cloak and cast it aside. Behind her were wings made of rainbow and starlight. Almost transparent, but so bright and colorful that they stood out like a ray of sun in a storm. “You’re—” Peony threw her head back, giggling. “Yes, of course I’m a fairy. Why, I think you’re the first human whose dared attempted eavesdropping this event in,” She tilted her head, deliberating. “Oh, say forty years? Mm, probably more like fifty. Who can say?” Shame heated Azalea’s cheeks. Peony was right, how dare she have the gall to sully such an important event with her eavesdropping? She wasn’t one of them, and she didn’t wish to intrude. Tears welled in her eyes as she got to her feet, bowing her head. “I’m sorry!” She exclaimed and turned to leave. Peony gently but firmly grabbed her by the arm. “Now listen, just because you’re not a fairy doesn’t mean you can’t be my partner.” Azalea froze. “Partner?” She asked. “What does that mean?” “During the blessing a partner for each fairy is required to participate. I haven’t chosen anyone yet, so how would you feel about being mine?” Azalea considered this. “Are you sure? I don’t have magic, so what good would I be?” Peony giggled at this, too. “Oh, you don’t need magic as a participant, only the fairy queen needs it for the blessing. We use something far more powerful that both humans and fairies possess.” Azalea was all ears now. “Really?” She asked, almost jumping with excitement. “What is it?” Peony slipped her fingers into hers and led her into the clearing. “You’ll have to see!” She called back, skipping as she pulled her forward. They had only just started dining on pastries most delicious when bells began to ring. “Whoops,” Peony said. “I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. Never mind, time to begin!” The fairies clustered in front of the pavilion, where the musicians had slowed but not ceased their playing. A figure stood before them and Azalea couldn’t help but gasp. A lady stood before them in a brilliantly white dress, with sleeves open on the tops of her arms and draped to her wrists. She wore a belt of golden cord and her feet were barefoot but covered in golden chains. Her hair had a crown with white flowers laced in more gold, and her auburn hair flowed to her waist. Her wings were bigger than any Azalea had ever seen, taking up nearly the entire front of the pavilion. If Peony’s were pretty, then this fairy’s were out of this world. They were pure sunlight, more dazzling than every sunset of Azalea’s life. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was indeed the fairy queen. The queen opened her arms and gleeful shouts and whispers and giggles rolled in waves among all of the fairies present. Suddenly, Peony had her arms around Azalea, and they were off the ground, floating higher and higher. Azalea glanced wildly around but stopped once she realized they weren’t the only ones who took flight. Every other fairy around them were either holding hands or embracing one another, some even dancing and spinning as they weaved through the airborne crowd. She gasped when the flowers began to float, too. Petals came loose and flowed in the breeze around them. The music began to play faster as both the flowers and fairies swirled around. Were their wings getting brighter? Peony leaned in and whispered, “You ready for the secret we all contribute?” Azalea nodded, eyes as wide as saucers. Peony left a butterfly kiss on her cheek and exclaimed, “It’s love!” When her gaze met Peony’s, most likely filled with confusion, she went on to explain. “Love for anything and everything. Family, friends, nature, life, you name it, anything goes. Just picture what you love the most and let your heart be filled with love. Then, when she’s ready, the fairy queen will manifest everyone’s love into a blessing for spring and scatter it all over the land!” She looked to the queen then, pausing. “Quick, it’s about to happen!” Azalea looked around, and she knew what the best thing would be to think about to let love fill her heart. After a moment the blessing reached its climax, the music played faster than ever, and now all of the fairies were swirling and dancing in the gusts of wind. The queen let out a melody so pure and sweet that tears of joy sprung fourth from Azalea’s eyes. Everything burst then. All of the flowers and petals that had been twirling around them exploded outward, sending petals and flowers scattered further than the eye could see, showering the land with them all over. The fairies lowered and rejoiced in the shower of falling flowers. The sky was stained in a mural of vibrant hues. Azalea laughed and skipped and danced with Peony and the other fairies. So, this was what spring truly meant. Peony leaned in and shouted over the music, “So, what was your minds image of love?” Azalea blushed, then smiled and replied, “My love was of this world, that such beauty resides in it. Thank you, for showing me what potential it holds.” Peony squealed and pulled her into an embrace. Then they celebrated the rest of the day away, dancing among the flowers and fairies.