Lily Nicholson

She thought. She had already wandered onto the paths, so the village would banish her if she returned, thinking that the faeries had found her and made her something Other. She had nothing to lose and everything to gain. “Yes,” she answered, “I will serve you.”

o mark the sealing of their deal, he gave her a new name—Lilith—and made her sleep. He took her to a barrow outfitted as nature’s palace and left her. She awoke alone to find herself changed. The mirror showed a girl similar to whom she had been before, just with improvements that she had always wanted. Her figure was fuller, her hair longer and shinier, and her skin clear. Her eyes seemed to twinkle with the vitality of youth, and she glowed with the gifts of immortality.

Those first few days were bliss. She had become sidhe, and she lived in luxury. The barrow had magic that cared for her every need, and she was free to do as she pleased. The woods no longer seemed foreboding. Instead, they welcomed her. She spent her time walking among verdant trees, swimming in sapphire lakes, and adding her harmonies to the song of the forest. She danced along the path back to her barrow every night and went to sleep counting her blessings. s time passed, however, she found her beauty diminishing. Every day, her glow was a little less bright, her eyes a little more cloudy. Eventually, her skin wrinkled, and she began to age at a pace much faster than that of a mortal. The day she realized this, the Erlking returned. He

regarded her horror and simply stated, “This is the price of my gifts, and how you will serve me.” He then turned and left, indicating that she follow. e led her back to the path he had found her on, where a young prince waited, and left her. She somehow new what the Erlking wanted, so she approached the prince. She danced for him, and laughed at his terrible humor. She led him to a glade where her magic provided a picnic for them under the boughs of a willow tree. She had him professing his love for her within a few hours, and she promised that she returned it. The prince thought himself lucky to capture the heart of one of the Everyoung. When he tired, she took him to her barrow where they shared another meal before the prince fell into a deep slumber. s he slept, she examined her appearance in the mirror. She looked as young and lovely as on the first day but very different. This prince loved fair ladies, so that is what she had become. Her hair had turned so blonde it almost looked white, and her skin resembled porcelain while her eyes had taken on a soft grey, nearly silver hue. She watched in fascination as he slept and withered while she grew ever more perfect. When the prince’s body turned to dust, his spirit remained. Now awake, the disembodied youth was aghast at the fate that befell him and found himself trapped in the barrow. The Erlking came to her shortly after, thanked her, and took the ghost of the prince away. She never saw him again. With her beauty restored, she went on in her immortal existence until it began to diminish once