The Last Fairy Tale (19 page)

 “Thank you so much!” Olivia said. She bent down to give Miss Isabelle a hug.

 “Oh, you’re very welcome, my dear,” Miss Isabelle exclaimed. “There is one more thing.” She reached into the package and brought out a woven pouch, similar to the one Locke carried, and held it up to Olivia. “This should be handy on a journey. It’s a sack made from pure spindelum web, woven together by us rolipols.”

 Olivia thanked her and beamed, looking over at Locke and holding the sack up to show him.

 “You’re welcome, dearie,” said Miss Isabelle, smiling.

 “Ah, that reminds me, Olivia,” said Bren from beside her. “I also brought you a little somethin’ from the forge. Made it meself before I left the Camicara Mountains…” He pulled a chainmail shirt and leggings from his beard. “I think ye’ll be able to wear ‘em under your pretty new dress.”

 She cheerfully thanked him as Bren laid the chainmail on top of the pile of gifts in her arms. She was beginning to have trouble carrying all of them.

 “I also have a bandolier for you,” said Bren, rummaging through his beard again and holding up a strip of leather with slots cut into it. “They’re very useful when you run out of space in your beard!” He laughed, waving his beard around. Olivia giggled as he draped the bandolier over her shoulder. “My, my! Looks like you’ve got quite a stack o’ gifts there. Maybe it’s time to head back to the tavern and–”

 “Wait, wait, Bren!” cried Rufus. “We have a gift for Miss Wickworth ourselves.” He scuttled over to Olivia and raised three small glass bottles in the air. Olivia knelt down and took them. “These are some potion and herb bottles that we think will be useful on the journey. We would be happy to teach you how to use them, if you would like.”

 “I would like that very much,” Olivia said, tucking the bottles carefully under her arm. “Thank you!”

“Thank
you
, Olivia,” said Holli, pointing a tiny finger in her direction. “We are ever so grateful!”

 “Aye, we are!” shouted Bren. “Come, Olivia. I’ll help you into the tavern so you can sort out your gifts. We’ll be stayin’ in some rooms on the second floor tonight, so you’ll have a chance to change into your new clothes.”

 They started toward the tavern, but a child-like shout coming from behind stopped them. Olivia spun around and saw a tiny rolipol child trying its best to catch up with her. She ran back to meet the child. The rolipol child held up a small doll and squeaked, “Doll!” Olivia knelt down, took the doll, and the child ran back into the crowd before Olivia could thank her.

 “Haha! The little one wanted to give you a gift, too!” Bren laughed.

 Olivia looked at the doll made of soft cloth. It had blue button eyes and hair made of white yarn. The doll wore a purple dress and had little brown boots on its feet.

 Olivia was baffled by the sheer generosity of the people of Aeldyn. She wondered if she could help them. She felt sad thinking that someone or something was hurting them. Staring down at the doll made some of her doubts fade away. She would do everything she could to save Aeldyn.

 “Are you comin’?” Bren asked.

 “Oh, yes, sorry,” said Olivia, tearing her gaze from the doll.  In the tavern, Bren led her up some back stairs to a second-floor hall with bedrooms where travelers could sleep. Bren opened the door to one, and she laid the stack of gifts on the bed.

 “They’ll be wantin’ to say good-bye and wish you good luck, so we had better get back down there,” Bren said from the doorway.

 Back in front of the tavern, Olivia could see that the crowd had thinned out considerably and people were starting to go home. Many of them came up to her and said their farewells and wished her luck. After most of the crowd had left, Olivia tiredly searched for Locke. The celebration and good food had worn her out, and she was barely able to stand.

 “You look extra tired,” Locke said when she walked up to him. He had been sitting on the edge of the fountain, staring up at the moon. Olivia sat next to him and stared up at it, too. It was bright and beautiful.

 “I am,” Olivia said wearily.

 “Well, let’s get you to your nice comfy bed,” Locke said, standing up and holding a hand out to Olivia to help her stand. He led her to the tavern and up the stairs. Some of the creatures that were staying the night there spoke to her along the way, but she was too sleepy to understand them. After Locke helped her move the gifts from her bed, she climbed into it and fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Chapter Eleven

The Journey Begins

 “We’ll be leaving in a few minutes, Olivia,” Locke said from the other side of Olivia’s door. “I’ll wait for you out here. Don’t forget your gifts.”

 Olivia yawned, crawled out of the bed, and shuffled over to the stack of gifts she had received the previous night. She took the dress and chainmail from the top of the pile and laid them on the bed. She took off her old, stained orphanage uniform and put on the chainmail shirt and leggings. They were padded on the inside with some sort of soft cloth, which made them comfortable. She then slipped the dress on over the chainmail. It fit perfectly. It was sleeveless and fitted around her torso, but flared out at the bottom. She took a few steps and twirled a couple of times around the room, the skirt billowing around her. It felt good on her.

 Olivia returned to the gifts and grabbed the boots. She pulled on the thick, warm socks and then slipped the boots on and buckled them. She walked around again. The boots fit nicely. They felt sturdy, but weren’t as heavy as she had expected them to be.

 Lastly, Olivia grabbed the bandolier and fastened it across her chest. The bottles Holli and Rufus had given her fit perfectly into the small slots that were cut into the bandolier.

 Before leaving the room, Olivia looked around, making sure she hadn’t left anything. She picked up her father’s journal and the little doll and placed them into the sack that Miss Isabelle had given her. She closed the flap on the bag and slung the strap over her head, so that the bag rested comfortably at her hip. Grabbing Locke’s cloak and her staff, she opened the door and stepped out.

 “Woah!” Locke exclaimed, his eyes widening. “You look awesome.”

 Olivia giggled and thanked him. “I really like it. The rolipols did such a great job.”

 “Indeed they did,” he said, looking at her dress and clearing his throat. “Ahem…well, we’d better get downstairs. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

 Olivia and Locke hurried down the stairs into the tavern and joined Holli, Rufus, Kili, and Bren who were sitting at the counter eating toast and chatting with George.

 “My, my! Your new things fit you well!” Bren exclaimed through a mouthful of toast.

 Olivia thanked him, blushing as everyone else turned to look at her.

 “Would you like some toast?” Bren asked, holding up a piece of his own.

 “Sure,” said Olivia and Locke together. They sat on two of the empty stools and waited for George to fix their toast. Olivia looked around but didn’t see the others that had said they would be coming on the journey.

 “Where is everyone else?” she asked, turning to Rufus.

 “They’re outside,” Rufus replied. “You’ll come to find that some of the people of Aeldyn prefer to stay outdoors. It’s just their way of life. We gnomes, for instance, really prefer to stay underground.”

 Olivia nodded to show that she understood.

 George brought them their toast, and they scarfed it down. When everyone had finished eating, Bren announced that they would be leaving shortly. Olivia began to feel the same nervousness she had felt back at the Great Fairy’s Hollow. Then she remembered the celebration the night before and how wonderful everyone had been. The nervousness soon faded.

 Outside the tavern, Olivia looked around at the town plaza that had been so crowded the night before. Now early in the morning the main road was covered in fog. Dew covered the brightly colored lanterns that were hung for the celebration. Seeing the town so empty almost made Olivia sad, but she reassured herself that in a few hours it would be bustling again.

 “Are you ready, Miss Wickworth?” a deep voice from her right said. It was Jin, the ungulhak. He was approaching the group, carrying a large scythe.

 Olivia nodded, glancing at the scythe.

 “I thought I would bring along a tool with which I’m handy,” he said, noticing her gaze. “Ink said the journey may be dangerous, and although we Aeldynians know nothing of fighting, we know when it’s time to protect ourselves.”

 “Aye!” Bren shouted. “I, too, have brought a familiar tool.” He reached into his beard and pulled out an enormous hammer. “I’ll bet it can do some damage if I were to face any real danger.”

 “Well, let’s hope that we don’t face any real dangers,” Holli said.

 “Indeed,” Rufus agreed. “Let’s go and do what must be done and get back to living our lives peacefully. Hopefully with our poor son, Ronald…” He looked down at the ground, shaking his head.

 “We’ll do just that, and we’ll find your son,” Olivia said.

 “That’s the right attitude!” Jin shouted, raising his fist in the air. “Is everyone here? If so, let’s get going.”

Olivia looked at the group around her, but didn’t see the kettu or the two spindelum. The group started toward the edge of town, following Jin’s directions.
Maybe they decided against coming
, she thought.
I can’t really blame them
.

 “I say as soon as we get out o’ town, we head north toward the Nocturnal Archives,” Bren said to Jin.

 “Yes, the Nocturnal Archives would be an ideal place to stop and rest, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s near the halfway point between here and the Lich King’s domain,” Jin replied. Bren nodded in agreement, and they headed toward the town gate to the west.

 When they made it to the gate, Olivia stopped and turned around. She had heard something moving behind them. Suddenly, a barrel tipped over, hitting the walkway loudly. The rest of the group jumped in surprise and turned to see what had made the noise. Kai-Tu, the kettu from the night before, had been crouched on the ground behind the barrel.

 “Are you planning on coming, my boy?” Rufus asked. “If so, I suggest you keep up with us.”

 Kai-Tu stood up, crossed his arms, and huffed loudly. He slowly and disinterestedly walked up to the group.

 “It’s okay. You can stay here if you’d like,” Olivia said quietly as he approached her.

 “I’m not scared or anything!” Kai-Tu said loudly. He rolled his eyes. “It’s just that I didn’t really sign up for this. My dad brought me here. He’s chief of our village, so he figured that his son ought to be the one sent to help you guys.”

 “Oh, no,” Olivia said worriedly, “You should stay, really. I don’t want to put you in any danger–”

 “I’m going,” said Kai-Tu flatly. “I’d rather be out here than stuck in that village anyway. I’m not cut out to be a real kettu, and nobody seems to understand that.”

 “If you’re sure it’s what you want, then you’re more than welcome to come with us,” Olivia said, quietly. “I’m sorry to hear that no one seems to understand. Maybe you can explain it to me and I’ll understand…”

 Kai-Tu gave a short, sarcastic laugh and turned away from Olivia. He stood still for a few moments, waiting for the rest of the group to move a few paces ahead of him. He then began to follow, staying a few feet behind everyone, muttering under his breath and kicking rocks to the side every now and then.

 “I hope I didn’t offend him,” Olivia whispered to Locke.

 “Nah,” Locke replied. “He’s just upset. I’d probably be upset too if my father pushed me into doing something I didn’t want to do. I think he really does want to come with us.”

 Olivia looked back at Kai-Tu, hoping that Locke was right. The last thing she wanted was for someone to come along unwillingly and end up getting hurt.

 After the group was outside of Handel’s Sanctuary, Olivia saw another dirt road lined with willow trees. To the south she eyed the Great Fairy Tree and to the north another set of mountains. She stared at the immense landscape ahead of her and took a deep breath. To her surprise, everyone else in the group did the same. Then, without any further hesitation, they started on the road toward the Nocturnal Archives.

* * * * *

 After a short while, conversations began to arise within the group. Soon everyone became interested in each other’s backgrounds, and everyone took turns telling the group about where they were from.

 “I’m from a farm east of Handel’s Sanctuary,” Jin said. “I enjoy cultivating wheat and the hard work that goes into it.”

 “Aye, there’s nothin’ like a day’s worth of hard work to set you feelin’ right about yourself, eh?” Bren said. “I think most everybody knows where I’m from. Those mountains to the north there.” He pointed to the mountains Olivia had seen before they left Handel’s Sanctuary. “Those are the Camicara Mountains. I work in the forge mostly, but sometimes I like to meddle in the rauhaut business with me wife.”

 “What is rauhaut?” Olivia asked, intrigued.

 “It’s a dwarven invention,” Bren said over his shoulder. “That bandolier you’re wearing is made of it…and me boots…and me bandana…and me belt…and me apron…”