by Anna Tan
“Hmph. And you, O Titania?”
“This old crone speaks of the end of our days, and we would seek to find the truth of it.”
“Do you not have any complaints as the elves have?”
The Queen shrugged. “Not at this moment. They have apparently acquitted themselves of my charges.”
The dragon smirked, then fixed a liquid gold eye on Baba Yaga. “Our days will always come to an end, and yet we are reborn with each new telling. Which end do you refer to, Mother Rus?”
“The end of all ends, O Dragon. When they tell our stories no more.”
The dragon laughed. “My story has been retold for thousands of years. I was the serpent who deceived Eve. Now I am the great Smaug who hoards the gold as the King under the Mountain. Why would I worry about my end?” He grinned at the King. “Ask our dear elves who have taken on a whole new life in this generation.”
“But when our stories end, O Dragon, where will you reside? Even if your story is told to perpetuity, without us, you are nothing.”
The dragon inspected a talon casually, yet there was a twitch in his eye as he spoke. “Pah, it is none of my business. Why do I care?”
“You did ask,” Baba Yaga said scathingly. “It will end one day, dragon, whether you make it your business or not. I would suggest you do.”
“And what do you propose? I see you are full of ideas, old one.”
“Give these children, of elven and faerie blood, the freedom of these lands. Give them the right of entrance, the right to be entranced at every step of the way. Let their imaginations run wild. Let them learn of us—all of us—and tell of us to their friends. Let them speak of us at every opportunity, write of us in every story, until our stories are told all around the world again.”
“And what will you do when they come with fire and sword and iron?” the King asked. “If you give one passage, they will all demand passage and where would we be then?”
“If they do, I will eat them. I will bring fire to their lands and raze them to the ground.” Smoke poured out of the dragon’s nostrils as he glared at Rowan. “Then they will come to believe in us again. And fear us.”
“Do the children not have a choice in the matter?” Ivy spoke up, her hands held protectively around the shoulders of her two daughters. “They are people of their own, with lives and dreams and futures.”
“Speak your thoughts, firstborn.”
Ivy nudged Jane. She began hesitantly, “My friends say that when we tell fairy tales we tell lies of ourselves. That we make ourselves—at least, our human selves—small and weak, as if we must always look to something magical to save us. They say that we can save ourselves without the need of magic, as we have. The real world is all that we need.”
“That’s my kind of girl,” Rowan said, a grin starting to spread on his face. “No treaties. The world is ours for the taking.”
Jane shook her head, continuing on, “I think that stories help us remember the important things, Mr Rowan. Maybe we don’t need magical beings to save us, but hearing what they’ve done may stir up courage in us to act like them and be our own magic.” She looked long and hard at Rowan. “You do believe in dragons, don’t you? You’ve always believed in them. You just didn’t think they were real.”
“Well, I... My grandfather used to...” Rowan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what I believe. I will not agree to any covenant or treaty or whatever you wish to call it that would take away revenue from my village.”
Darrick sighed. “We are not taking revenue away from the village, Rowan. We are saying that our village must not plunder this forest, this side of the forest, but leave it alone as we always have—as I have always insisted. You do not lose anything out of it, except the chance to commit more atrocities.”
“I will agree only to the children entering our kingdoms,” the Queen said.
“Any more and the peace of our lands will be at risk,” the King concurred.
Baba Yaga nodded. “That is wise,” she said, with a worried look at Rowan and Darrick, who were glaring at each other.
Everyone looked to the dragon now.
“What is your verdict, O Great One?” Alexei finally asked.
“These children?” the dragon said with a wide smile. “I would open the world to all children. May the light of our wonder brighten their eyes and change the world. That is my decision. All the children.” He stretched wide his wings. “But be careful, little mortal head of the council. Hurt what is ours and I will eat you with pleasure.”
“Why should I agree under duress—”
“You used to believe in me, did you not?” Rowan cowered as the dragon’s grin grew wider. “Believe in me again. After all, you have finally seen me.”
The Great Wrym flew away in a rush of wind, leaving them looking up to the sky in shock. Gradually, the crowd dwindled as the fairy creatures started to leave, pondering what would happen to their land.
“Well. Now that’s all settled, I think we should be getting home,” Ivy said. “If you have no objections, Mother?”
“Even if I had any, would you listen to me, Iliana?” the Fairy Queen said wearily. “Go on then, do as you wish.”
“Come on, Darrick. It’s been a long day and the children need rest.”
They took their leave of the council. Alexei bowed low to Ivy, nodding gravely at Darrick and the children. As the centaurs cantered away, Charon caught Mary’s eye. With a smile, he waved at her. She waved back. The centauress beside him frowned and pulled at his arm.
“That’s his wife,” Euthalia said. She’d come up beside them without them realising it. “I did warn him.”
She introduced herself to Ivy, who thanked her profusely for looking out for her family. Euthalia seemed to turn a peculiar shade of pinkish green. “It was the least I could do for Darrick Oak-knower. After all, he saved my life.”
“I did? When?” Darrick replied in surprise.
“Years ago, when you protected my oak grove from the wood-cutters. I was the tree they almost felled. Why did you do it? I’ve always wanted to ask.”
Darrick’s fingers curled around his wife’s. “That was the grove where I first met Ivy. I felt it was sacred to me.”
“Ah.” Euthalia smiled. “Then it worked out well for both of us.”
They started to make their way out of the forest.
“Wait! What about me?” Rowan cried, looking around desperately. The Elves had long gone, and the imps were nowhere in sight. The Queen’s Court was almost deserted.
Darrick and Ivy exchanged glances. “We can’t very well leave him behind, can we?” he said, arching his eyebrow. Darrick waved Rowan over, waiting for him to join their party before continuing on their journey.
It was Ataneq’s turn to come up to them as they journeyed, listening as Ivy pointed out the different flora and fauna to her children. He walked companionably with them for a while before finally speaking.
“I talked to Baba Yaga,” he said to Jane.
“Is she going to turn you back into a man?” Jane asked.
Ataneq hesitated. “She said she could if I wanted.”
“Why, what’s the matter?”
“I’m not sure if I want to anymore. I’ve been an adlet for a long time now. Longer than I ever was a man.”
“But don’t you want to go home?” Mary piped up.
Ataneq sighed. “I do. And yet, I won’t really be going home. There’s nothing left for me there.”
“There will always be a place for you in our home,” Ivy offered. “If you make that choice.”
“I will think about it,” Ataneq replied. “Thank you.”
Ataneq broke off from the party as they passed by his cottage. “Come visit soon!” he called to them, waving as they left.
Rowan was silent all the way home.
Chapter 23: The Shape of the Future
1954
Jane sat on the rocking chair under the shade of their porch. She could hardly believe that
it had only been a day since she’d made her way into the Old Fairy Kingdom and met so many memorable fairy creatures. She was a little afraid that when she went to sleep that night, she might wake up and have no memory of Ataneq, Euthalia or the beautiful Fairy Queen.
My grandmother, she thought with some astonishment. She had always believed that both her parents were orphans—true enough on Darrick’s side. I have a great grandfather too! It was hard to wrap her head around them. Opening her journal in her lap, she started to write, trying to remember every detail of the day before it faded away.
Hearing a sound beside her, she looked up to find a beautiful girl sitting next to her watching her write.
“Who are you?” she asked, more surprised at her lack of astonishment than at seeing the stranger. It felt as if somehow, since last night, nothing could astonish or frighten her anymore.
The girl laughed, a cheery tinkling sound. “I am Diana, one of the Zâna. I bestow gifts of beauty and fortune to those who deserve them. I’ve always been with you in this place.”
“Have you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“You’ve only just had your eyes opened,” Diana replied.
“That’s true. But how do I know you are who you say you are?”
“I suppose you have to take me on trust.”
“Can my mother see you?”
“Of course she can. Do you think I come here just to watch you write?” she laughed again. “Though it is fun. You do make up such interesting things.”
Jane blushed. “I’ve never shown this to anyone.”
“Oh, I’m not quite anyone. And don’t worry. I haven’t told your mother about any of your writings.”
“Promise?”
The Zâna held out her little finger. “Pinkie promise. That’s what you say, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to go play? We could go to the stream and meet the Ghillie Dhu. He’s real fun—when he’s not trying to sleep. And when he’s not worried. Ataneq is sure to want to go along.”
“Ataneq? So he hasn’t gone home?”
“He thought over it and decided there’s nothing for him to go back to. His children are probably dead by now.”
“Oh.” Jane pursed her lips as she thought. “You know what; I’m going to talk to my mother about you. Just in case.”
Diana smiled. “Go ahead, Jane. I’ll be right here when you come back.”
Closing her journal, Jane tucked the book under her arm as she walked into the kitchen.
“Mother?”
“Yes, Jane?” Ivy looked up from where she was mashing potatoes to make cottage pie.
“There’s this girl on the porch who says she’s a Zâna,” Jane said, craning her neck to see if the girl was still there. The Zâna waved and smiled.
“Diana? Don’t worry about her. She’s been around for a long time. In fact, she used to help me take care of you. I wondered when you’d notice her.”
“May I...”
“Go off and play? Just remember to come home in time for dinner.”
Ivy smiled indulgently as Jane ran back out the door. She had been dreading the day Jane would turn eighteen—thinking of Jane suddenly coming into her power in full view of all the humans made her break out in cold sweat—and was greatly relieved that that tragedy, at least, had been averted. She would have her work cut out for her still—they would have to work out how much fairy power the girls had inherited and how they could conceal it—but at least her secret was finally out in the open. Her thoughts halted in their uncontrollable march. Darrick? Half-elven? Her lips curled in an involuntary smile. So it wasn’t entirely my magical charm after all.
Darrick looked up from the woodcarving he was working on. “You sure about this?” he asked, cocking his head to one side.
Ivy looked perplexed. “Sure about what?”
“Jane running off with this fairy person.”
“Oh, she’ll be safe. Diana’s looked after her many times before.”
“She has? When?”
“When you were off to the war,” Ivy replied somewhat guiltily, “there was no one around. I needed help.”
“But—”
“No one saw,” she assured him. “Diana would watch over Jane while she played. She would call me if anything happened. Nothing usually did.”
“That was here in the house, though. What if someone tries to harm her while in the Old Fairy Kingdom?”
Ivy’s eyes flashed in anger. “She has important family in all three lands. Who would dare harm her?”
Darrick still looked out the window worriedly. Jane had already disappeared down the path.
“You worry for nothing, Darrick. Besides, don’t you remember her coming into her own power yesterday?”
Darrick found himself nodding as he turned back to his carving. He turned the little block of wood over and over in his hands. It was Jane he had been carving, he thought at first. Jane with that glow on her face and power in her outstretched arm. But the more he looked at it, the more he realised it was Ivy he wanted to carve. Not Ivy as he had known her all these years, but this Iliana, who had strange powers he had yet to understand.
How much had she really given up for him? Maybe he would never really know.
“What are you thinking about?” Ivy asked.
“Us,” he replied with a smile.
Thank you for reading Coexist! If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Smashwords or Goodreads.
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About the Author
Anna Tan grew up in Malaysia, the country that is not Singapore. In 2015, she traded in a life of annoying other bean counters for one of annoying the online world with questions about life and death and everything in between. The answer is sometimes 42.
When she is not writing or nitpicking over other writers’ copy, she can be found reading a book or attempting to organise her room.
Connect online
Website: http://www.annatsp.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/natzers
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Email: [email protected]
Other books
Anthologies edited by Anna:
Love in Penang (Fixi Novo; 2013)
Short stories:
“Codes,” published in Cyberpunk: Malaysia (Fixi Novo; 2015)
“When Winds Blow Cold” (2015)
“The Flame of the North” (2017)
Go north, little human.
Go north until the winds blow cold and you walk on water.
Go north, and there you will find her.
With the Dragon's prophecy ringing in his ears, Danis travels from town to town, seeking a wife. But at every stop, he is turned away, until he enters the City of Winter itself...
When Winds Blow Cold is an old school fairy tale designed to open your eyes to wonder.
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