The Purple Night

The Purple Night happens the same time every year and it’s said to be the most beautiful of occurrences-so alluring that you would lose all your senses. That you would walk right into the fae realm.

Most families had a space underground and spent the night there until morning. Strange occurrences happen during The Purple Night. People go missing, never to be seen again. The ones that eventually return have no recollection of anything at all. Not who they are or where they’ve been, nothing except The Purple Night.

I was only ten when I decided to sneak a look while father was asleep. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. I stayed and watched the sky for hours. I can’t say why I never went missing or why I still have my memories. That was nineteen years ago. I haven’t seen it since. I’ve been tempted but father always seemed suspicious after that night. He woke just as I got back underground. I told him I was restless-that I was just walking about the room. He was so angry and questioned me for hours but I never admitted what I saw.

I don’t feel an ounce of guilt when I pack up a few things and leave while father’s gone. I doubt he’ll even notice. He barely speaks to me anymore. He’s always hated me and I no longer care why. He gave up trying to control me a long time ago. I’m going to see The Purple Night. It’s all I’ve thought about since first witnessing it. It’s the only time I’ve ever felt happy. I’m going to the highest peak of the human lands so I can see it clearly.

It’s a terrible day for a hike. It’s very difficult to walk uphill during a downpour. It’s wet, cold, and muddy. I’m shaking uncontrollably. It would be my luck that the weather is awful today of all days. That won’t stop me. I can come back next year and the years that continue if I choose. I smile despite how cold I am because I’m finally doing it and I’m finally free.

I throw my bag down and I fall flat on my stomach, gasping for air. I made it, with time to spare. The rain stopped and the sun hasn't set yet. When I’m fully recuperated, I stand up and enjoy the scenery. There are trees for miles and miles. There’s a sort of arch formed from two very large trees that are intertwined. Vines wrap around them. White daisies sprout from the vines. It’s exquisite. I’m suddenly sad that I’ve never come up here before. Nobody does. It’s said that this peak is the border between us and the fae.

I run my hands along the tree and pluck a daisy. I bring it to my nose and inhale the sweet aroma. There are more daisies on the other side of the arch. A field of them. I walk through and everything goes black. My insides feel like they’re being sucked out of my stomach. I hit the ground and immediately vomit. Everything starts spinning and I vomit again. I lay on my back and place my palms over my eyes. What is this?

“It’ll pass. Give it a few minutes.”

I look up but everything is still spinning. I wobble as I stand and lean against a nearby tree.

“I wouldn’t, you’ll just vomit again.”

I steady myself, inhale, and ignore my uneasy stomach. When I finally open my eyes, everything clears. There’s a man standing before me. But he’s not a man at all. His pointy ears poke out of his wavy, brown hair. He’s-he’s gorgeous. His golden eyes lock onto mine-assessing me.

We’re both quiet for some time, looking at one another.

“I’m impressed. You’re doing much better than the others.” He starts walking towards me. Every step he takes, I take one back. He lifts his arms up like he would a scared animal. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ezerea.”

He knows my name? How? Despite what he might think-I’m not scared. Not at all. I’m fascinating and a little confused but not scared. He said he’s not going to hurt me. I would be stupid to take him at his word. “Who are you?”

“I’m Lennux.”

“What..what happened? How did I get here?”

He points behind me, “through the portal.”

“The…,” I turn around and face the archway. I-I have to go back. I shouldn’t be here.”

“Hmm, what’s so special back there?”

“What?”

“A man waiting for you? A child….both?”

“No.”

He smiles at that. “Well then, you can come with me.” He reaches out his hand.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I need to go back.”

“You just said there’s nobody waiting for you. What’s the rush?”

“I-I don’t want to miss The Purple Night.”

He throws that stunning smile at me again. “I can assure you, you will not miss it. Not only that, but it will be much better to see it here.”

“You have The Purple Night here?”

“We call it Mauve Lune.”

I look back at the archway and then back at him, Lennux. “I can go back anytime I want?”

“I will bring you back here when you’re ready, if that’s still what you choose.”

What does that mean? “Why should I trust you?”

“I mean you no harm. Believe me or don’t. Your choice.” At that he walks past me, around the archway-not through it.

There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Right now, I’m not sure which one best describes what I am. To not have gone back the second I realized where I was. To be following a fae to wherever it is we’re going. “Where are you taking me?”

“The Village. They’ve been at it since morning. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Been at what? Lennux nods at another fae passing us. We pass fewer and fewer trees and then none at all, just a vast field filled with wildflowers. I hear music and chatter in the distance. It gets louder as we walk. We reach the edge of the field and down a cobblestone path in between two buildings. When we get to the end of the path I see people everywhere. And not just fae. Humans. They’re dancing and laughing.

I look at Lennux and he smiles at me.

“I don’t understand.”

“Come, let’s go to a quiet place.” He walks ahead of me and I follow. He brings us to a large garden. There’s a stone walkway that leads up to a bench that sits right in the middle of the flowers. I think if I lived here, I would spend all my time right here. There are tulips, daffodils, sunflowers, lilacs, and other flowers I’ve never seen before. It’s beautiful.

Lennux sits on the bench and faces me. “Ask what you would like to know.”

I run my hands along a stem before sitting next to him, “how are humans here?”

“The portal. Just like you.”

The missing people. They end up here. “Are they forced to stay here?”

“They can leave if they want but only during Mauve Lune. The portal only opens for humans, once a year.”

“But they’ll lose their memories?

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you stop us from coming?”

“They are welcome, if they want to be here.”

“But they don’t know any better. They’re brought here by the magic and then stripped of their memories if they choose to return.”

He shrugs, “that’s out of our control. There are others, like myself who feel bad about the circumstances but what would you have us do?”

“I-I don’t know, something.”

“Some humans would say this land is better than their own.”

This is just too much to think about. Too much to wrap my head around. “Wait, The Purple Night isn’t happening yet. How was I able to enter the portal?”

“You have fae blood in you.”

I startle at his words. That’s impossible.

“I can smell it on you.”

“No….no I don’t.”

“Only fae can travel in and out of the portal anytime they want. You may not like it but you are part fae.”

“How could I be? My parents were human.”

He shakes his head, “not both of them.”

“But…neither of them had,” I point at his ears. My mom died when I was very young, I barely remember her but I would remember if she had those ears.

“It’s happened before. There are others like you here. Fae have bed humans who come here. Your mom must have came here during Mauve Lune and a fae must have been with her. When she went back, she would have lost her memories…and had you.”

I have to stand up. I feel dizzy. This can’t be true. If this is true then my father was not my real father. Did he know? Is that why he treated me so badly? And who is my real father? Is he here? Does he know about me?

“If fae can travel through when they want…Why don’t they ever come to our lands?”

“It’s forbidden and we have no need to. We don’t wish to harm any of you. We live our lives and you live yours.”

Lennux stands and places his hand on my back. “I’m sorry. I know this is not an easy thing to hear.” I’m surprised at the sincerity in his gaze.

My stomach rumbles and Lennux chuckles, “come. Let’s get you something to eat.” I was too excited to eat this morning. I brought food but my bag is back in the human lands.

Lennux walks me to a stand and the smell of bread wafts my senses. He greets the man and they dive into conversation. I can’t hide my shocked expression..I recognize this man. Archer. He went missing a few years ago.

He hands two large pieces of bread in wrapping to Lennux. The man looks at me and I see recognition in his gaze. He remembers me too. I used to visit his shop in town. He gives me a pleasant smile before Lennux directs me to a table.

I look at the bread he’s handed to me but don’t eat it.

“It’s not poison. Look around, everyone is eating, even the humans. They’re fine.”

I hesitantly take a bite and hum as it melts right in my mouth. It’s a sweet bread, sprinkled with some sort of sugar. Lennux finishes his in three bites. “I’m going to grab some drinks.”

I look around and find myself smiling. Everyone looks so happy. Like they don’t have a worry in the world.

“Ezerea…,”

I glance up and I can’t believe what I’m seeing, who I’m seeing. “Galen!” I jump up and wrap my arms around him. He spins me around laughing into my neck. He puts me down and places both hands on my shoulders, taking a good look at me. I do the same.

He’s looks so different. His blonde hair is longer. He has it wrapped up in a band. His brown eyes shine in delight. “Are you well?”

“Me? I should be asking you that.”

He smiles, “I am well, very well. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

He shakes his head, “your here! I can’t believe it. You will stay won’t you?”

Stay? The thought never crossed my mind. I can’t stay. “I-I don’t know.”

“It’s nothing like everyone thought. Not at all. The fae treat us well.”

Lennux comes up behind Galen. Galen turns, following my gaze. I freeze when Lennux stands next to me, placing his hand on my back. “Hi, Galen.”

Galen nods, “Lennux.”

“Do you two know each other?”

“Galen was-is a good friend of mine.”

Lennux nods. “It’s going to be getting dark soon. I wanted to bring you somewhere, to get a better view. If you’d like.”

I look at Galen and he smiles at me, reassuringly. “Go ahead. We’ll talk later. If you don’t decide to stay, come see me before you go. Lennux knows where to find me.” I watch him walk away and join a pretty woman.

Lennux puts our drinks in a basket, along with some other treats he must have gotten. The sun is going down and there’s a slight purple glow to the sky. I stop and look at it. Lennux grabs my hand and pulls me along. I try to ignore the way my heart beats faster.

He brings me to a large gate where two guards are standing. They open the gate for us and we stand before a castle. We enter through two wooden doors. The floors are filled with intricate designs. Candles line the area. We walk up a winding staircase and out onto a roof. We are so high up. I can see the whole area. Houses made of white stone, red roofs, and that purple glow in the sky. It’s not even started yet but already it’s breathtaking. There’s a rug, a large couch, and a small table. “Is it okay that we’re up here?”

“Nobody will come up here. It’s my own personal area.” He brings us to the table and puts the basket down, taking out the food and drinks.

“What were you doing in the forest?”

“We are assigned to stand watch every year to make sure humans don’t wander when they get here. The forest is not exactly the safest place, especially at night. We rotate in shifts but I’ve been going there everyday, waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

He doesn’t answer right away, like he’s thinking over his answer. “You.”

What?? Why me?

“I have the gift of dreaming of future occurrences.” He sighs, then sits on the couch, his head in his hands. “This is going to sound really strange but even though we’ve only just met, I feel like I know you. The feelings that I felt in my visions, dreams, whatever you like to call them, they remain with me. It felt real. I-I have very strong feelings for you.”

Words completely escape me and all I can do is stare at him. I don’t know how to respond to this. He looks up at me and I look away from his gaze. It’s intense the way he stares at me. I just realized that it’s now dark around us. The moon shines bright. It looks so close. Like I could reach out and touch it.

I keep my gaze on the sky while speaking. “So…we are..what to each other..in these dreams?”

“Friends at first then it turns into something more.”

“And your dreams are always correct?”

“Not always. They can change. I don’t choose what I get and I only get bits and pieces. You stay here but I don’t know exactly how long.”

“Am I happy?”

“From what I’ve seen. Yes. Very happy.”

“Where do I stay?”

“Here.”

“Is this-are you-,” I’m not really sure what I’m asking. Is he a king here?

“My father rules here.”

So a prince. I’m in the fae realm with a prince…. A prince who has feelings for me. And I apparently stay here with him. I never expected that this would be the outcome of today’s events. I thought I would watch The Purple Night and then go back home.

The sky darkens and the white moon is replaced by a purple glow. I gasp and place my hand over my mouth. I sit so I don’t collapse from excitement. It’s just as beautiful as I remember if not more. So much more. I hear loud cheers from below. The stars shine bright and race across the sky leaving streaks in their wake. It’s magnificent. The most spectacular thing I’ve ever witnessed. I feel bad for anyone who will never get to witness this. I watch it for so long and almost forget I’m not alone.

I look over at Lennux to find that he’s staring at me with so much fondness in his gaze. It's alarming but also soothing in a way. It’s strange how comfortable I feel. How calm I am even after everything I’ve just learned. But I think why me? I have dark eyes and even darker hair. I don’t stand out but the way he looks at me, makes me feel so beautiful.

He slowly kneels down in front of me and takes my hands in his. Even kneeling, he reaches my eye level. “I hope I haven’t altered anything by telling you all of this. I thought about not telling you but I figured you should know. So you can decide. I hope you do decide to stay. I know you don’t know me but you can stay and get to know me.”

Can I stay here? Be happy here. I don’t know anything about this place. I smile down at Lennux and he brings my hands to his mouth, pressing kisses along my knuckles. I pull him up next to me and he hesitantly wraps his arm around me. I snuggle into him and direct my attention back to the sky.

“What happens tomorrow?”

“Well, that depends on you. If you want to go back then I’ll take you. If you decide to stay, then I’ll show you around. If you think this is great,” he nods at the moon, “there's so much more I want to show you.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see it.”

He snaps his head to me, his eyes shining. “You’re going to stay?”

I nod and he laughs, wrapping both arms around me. The foreign feeling of happiness envelopes me. I feel at ease, at peace with the decision I just made. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this-the beauty that surrounds me. I hope I don’t. I hope to be amazed everyday and for some reason, I feel I will be.