the lilac fairy by evalyn harper
At first glance, I assume the woman is human A customer, perhaps, come into the shop looking for a new gown Certainly could use one. The frock she’s got on might be well tailored, but it’s thedullest gray I’veever seen, nottomentionseveralyearsoutoffashion.It’s really too bad I’ll have to turn her away Just yesterday I had a commission come in from the royal family Enough money to feed my family,andmysister’sfamily,forawholeyear. Can’ttakeanythingelseonatthemoment I’m about to tell her as much, when I spy something shimmering through a hole in the weaveofherblueshawl
Wings.
She’s got them tucked primly beneath that shawl of hers, but now that I’ve spotted them I can’t unsee their outline Several other small details begin to jump out at me. The rouge on her cheeks, shade clearly chosen to minimize the slight green tinge of her skin. The almost spindly quality of her long, slender fingers The tips of her ears, just barely poking out from beneath dark curls, which come to a rather sharp point Clearly, she’s a fairy Except she’s trying, I realize, to minimize her inhumanity I’m certain I haven’t got a clue what the devil a fairy is doing in my shop, but I’ve enough sense not to turn her out onto the street. Couldn’t risk getting myself cursed.
Beading is fiddly enough work without trying todoitwhilespittinguptoadsandsnakes.
“I am not here to purchase a dress,” she reassures me, as if she can read my mind. Maybe she can Before I can come up with a polite way to ask why she is here, she continues “You recently received a commission for a most interesting gown, did younot?”
“Yesma’am,Idid.”Agownthecolorofthesun. It's intended, I understand, as a gift for the youngprincess.
“I do not think,” the fairy says, slowly, as if choosingherwordscarefully,“thatyoushould finishthisgown”
“What?” I bark out in surprise, before quickly clapping a hand over my mouth. This is very odd indeed Is this a warning? I’ve heard fairiescanbequiteclever,andthatyoushould always heed their warnings I’ve also heard they like to cause mischief. Nobody ever bothered to tell me how to tell the difference betweenawarningandatrick.“Ican’t Imean it’sfortheking Imustfinishit”
“Very well,” The fairy turns, as if about to leave, but then seems to reconsider “May I tell you a story?” she asks, turning back to stare at me She doesn’t look much older than me, except for her eyes You can practically seethe years lurking behind them, although I’ve no ideahowmany
“CanIworkwhileyoutellit?”Iaskwarily She nods, and so I lead her back into the workroom,wherethecutpiecesofthedress
are laid out on my worktable like patches of sunlight She sits straight backed on the stool opposite mine, waiting patiently as I thread my needle When I am finally ready for the firststitch,shebegins
“Once upon a time, a human princess paid a visit to Fairyland It was her first time in the magical land. Last time her mother and father had paid a visit to one of the fairy monarchs, she had been too young to travel with them. Perhapsshewasstilltooyoungthen,ormaybe just too curious, because while her parents were busy negotiating with the Queen of the Spring Court, she slipped past her minders, straight out of the palace, and right into my backgarden.
“I had heard rumors that there were humans on Spring lands, some of my peers had gone out of their way to hover about the palace, hoping to catch even a glimpse of their delegation, but I had stayed home. It was not that I was disinterested in humans I was simply wary of them. We all learn, even before our wings are strong enough for flight, about how dangerous they are. Magic and emotion do not mix well, and there is no creature on this earth more emotionally volatile than a human Nooffense,ofcourse”
“Nonetaken,”Imutter.
“I was tending to my garden when I spotted her,frolickingthroughthefieldsallbyherself I have never been good at surmising human ages,butitwasclearthatshewastooyoungto be alone. She was very small, with pudgy pink cheeksandblueeyesthattookupquitealotof her face. When she strayed too close to the riverbank, a notoriously crumbly section at that, I could not simply watch her fall in and drown Human mistrust of Fae is nearly as deep as ours of them. A human child dying on Spring lands would have put a halt to whateverdiplomaticrelationswereinmotion.
Those were all the ways in which I justified revealing myself to her, placing myself in her pathsoshecouldnotcontinue
“You may not know much about the grand hierarchy of Fairyland, and I have neither the time nor the patience to try to explain it all to you, but you ought to know that a flower fairy like me is not all that impressive. The way the girl stared at me; you would have thought I was the Queen of the Spring Court. I expected shewouldaskmetocastheraspell Afterall,I had been told that no human could resist the temptation of magic And yet, the only thing she asked for was my name. A name is, of course, a very powerful thing, and should not be given or taken lightly. Of course, you humans find it impolite not to ask, and so I decided to overlook the faux pau, introducing myself simply as the Lilac Fairy. It was not untilthegirlremovedashininggoldringfrom her finger, offering it as a token of her thanks, that it occurred to me I had just saved the young princess. I accepted the gift, slipping the ring onto my own finger It fit surprisingly well, her small hands not yet having outgrown mine She curtsied once, and then took her leave of me. I never thought I would see her again Infact,yearslater,whenIsubmittedmy name for consideration as the emissary to her kingdom,Ididnoteventhinkofourencounter forasecond
“The human kingdoms that border Spring lands have a habit of sending invitations for every banquet, festival, and christening to our queen Yourroyalfamilydoesthesameforthe Autumn court, and I imagine it is the same for Winter and Summer Although she would be terriblyoffendediftheinvitationsstopped,my queen is utterly disinterestedin human ritual, and therefore always sends someone in her stead On my first visit to the palace, the princesswastheonetogreetme.
She had grown up in the years since we first met,andIwouldnothaveknownherhadInot seen the recognition in her own wide smile Not to mention those bright blue eyes She became my regular companion on these visits, guiding me through the complexities of the human court I assumed she was simply playing her role, as I had mine. Still, I enjoyed her company much more than that of any other human. Then, one day she remarked howwonderfulitwastohaveafriendwhowas always honest with her. A friend. I admit it worried me Emissaries had to be replaced often, for fear of them being corrupted by mere proximity to humans Friendship with one was certainly crossing a line. But the princesshadyettoaskmeforanything,andso Ithoughtwewouldbesafe”
“Danger came from another kingdom. A king, looking for a queen that shone brighter than anyofthejewelsinhiscrown Hestruckadeal with the princess’s father Her hand in marriage in exchange for some sort of power, I was not privy to the details. She did not seem to mind the transactional nature of this courtship,asshewassimplyexcitedtobecome a wife I was invited to the wedding, by way of an invitation to my queen, of course. Even among Fae it is customary to bring a gift for the newlyweds. I had been authorized to use magic, just this once, and so I offered up a singlewish.
“Unlimited wealth The words were out of the king’s mouth before the princess, now his queen, could even utter a thank you I regretted my choice instantly The glint of greed in the man ’ s eye made me uneasy. He already had more wealth than any one human wouldneedinalifetime.Unabletorescindthe offer,Isearchedinsteadforaloophole Hehad not set any parameters about the way he was to receive his wealth, and so I asked to be led to the stables. I passed by all the fine stallions, stopping in front of the mangiest donkey I could, and enchanted it to defecate solid gold. I thought it sent a fitting message,” her mouth quirksupatonecorner.“Anassforanass.”
I let out a startled laugh, and then a hiss of painasIaccidentallystabmyselfinthethumb with my needle I quickly stick the pad of my thumb in my mouth, sucking away the blood before it can stain the sunshine fabric of the dress “That’s quite a gift,” I mumble around thedigit.
She pauses, jaw tightening, and I can tell even before she speaks again that, whatever happens next, recalling it must bepainfulforher.
“It was honest, but not honest enough The king, I came to discover, was the worst kind of human, controlled by his darkest emotions: greed, jealousy, and anger. I feared he would pull his queen under faster than the strongest current,andyetthistimeIfailedtowarnher.
Ishouldhavespokenmyfearsaloud,buteven after years of proximity to humans, I did not know how to navigate a situation so tangled with their delicate emotions The queen seemed genuinely happy to be married, especially after she discovered she was with child
“Wedidnotseeeachotherofteninthosedays. Ihadretiredfrommypositionasemissary,but even if I had not, this kingdom is quite far fromSpringlands Shemadethatlongjourney just to tell me the news in person. In all the years of our friendship, she must have studied my people as much as I had hers, because she brought all her own food and drink As we sipped tea together, she revealed the real reason for her visit She wanted me to be the child’sgodmother Itriedtoexplainthat,since I do not believe in her human deity, I did not fit the basic criteria for the position, but she insisted.Shecouldhaveaskedforanynumber of magical blessings for the child, but this was heronlyrequest.HowcouldIsayno?
“That afternoon in my cottage was the last time we spoke. The queen died from complications during the birth of her daughter.
Apparently, theking hadharboredsometrue love for my friend, because he fell into a deep despair He was not at the little princess’s christening, for he could not stand to look at her Ithoughtthatthismadehersafe,butonce again I was wrong. As the little princess grew into a young maid, she came to resemble her mother, the same spun gold curls, the same sapphire eyes, the same kind and caring disposition. When the king’s gaze finally did fall upon her, it was not with the love of a father,butwithsamegreedwithwhichhehad oncelookedathermother”
Thefairyfallssilent,andonlythendoIrealize my hands have fallen still “Then what happened?”Iask,voicecatchinginthebackof mythroat
“He asked for her hand in marriage Demanded it, really, because how could she say no? He had always been a very powerful man, but with the unlimited wealth I had giftedhim,hehadbecomeratherunstoppable And yet, the little princess could not bring herself to say yes He was still her father, even ifhehadbeendistantherwholelife.Tomarry him would be unthinkable She knew she needed help, and would find none within the human court, so she sought me out in Fairyland.
“I had, of course, already heard the rumors By thetimeshereachedme,Ihadbeguntodevise a plan It is not uncommon for the bride to requestagiftbeforeacceptingamarriagesuit It simply needed to be the right gift. A dress theverycolorofthesky Ofcourse,theskyisa fickle thing and can never quite decide on what color it wants to be I believed such a garment would be impossible to make. The king, in all his wealth, produced within a fortnight a gown so cleverly draped and dyed that a single twirl of the skirt could shift it fromdawntodaylighttodusk.”
Myheartdropsintomystomach.Ihaveheard of such a gown I was jealous out of my mind when one of my closest competitors received the commission for it Though I hate to admit it when someone is better than I, Madame Celine does work wonders with dye. I have no doubtthedresswasperfectineveryway
“Upon my instruction, the little princess requested a second gown, this one the color of the moon. I thought the visage of the moon, with all her shimmering secrets, would be even more difficult to capture upon fabric. It took nearly a month, but the king finally presented her the second gown. It shimmered as If the dressmaker had woven moonlight intotheveryfabric.”
Mistress Claire was the one to receive the king’s second commission I doubt she got her hands on actual moonlight, but she is the deftest weaver I know She’d bragged and braggedabouthowperfectthedresshadbeen, but she hadn’t been offered the third commission. My stomach churns. I can’t see myownface,butIimagineI'mturningashade of green to rival my guest. I need her to stop before it’s too late, but I have no words, and so shecontinues.
“You may be wondering why I did not simply wave my hand and set everything to rights with magic I would have, if only I could peer intothefutureandknowthatitwouldhaveno negative consequence It was my own enchantment, after all, that had placed us in this predicament. Impossible tasks are not so impossible when you have unlimited funds to throw at them. I fear that, no matter how cleverIam,thekingwillalwaysbericher And yet, cleverness is the only tool at my disposal, and so I told the little princess to ask for one lastgown ”
“The color of the sun,” I finish for her, my wordsbarelyawhisper.
She hears anyway, nodding solemnly in response Her face is eerily calm, despite the horrifyingtruthshehasjustrevealed Itmakes me furious “Did you visit the others?” I snap “Or am I the only one you ’ ve tortured with the truth?”
“I visited them both” She admits “They finishedthegownsanyway.”
I can nearly picture it This awful woman staring pensively into a vat of dye in Celine’s workshop, her damnably calm voice ringing out over the sound of Claire’s shuttle. Neither of them bothered to warn me Granted, it was odd when Claire was offered the second commission, after Celine had created such a masterpiece. I’d been so jealous the king hadn’t offered either commission to me, then so overjoyed when he finally did, that I hadn’t considered for a second that either of them might have turned him down I am, after all, knownformyembroideryandembellishment. If anyone can capture sunlight in a dress, it’s me.
Except, as I stare down at the half-finished garment in my hands, the truth begins to creep in, turning the gown’s sunny luster into thedullestgray.