Berganashio - Chapter 12

After Queen Finyellë woke up from her nightmare, she got out of bed. She wiped the sweat from her neck and forehead. She hated nightmare sweat as it smelled disgusting to her sensitive nose. After taking a quick shower, she summoned one of her army commanders to come to her.

"How is the state of things?" The queen asked sharply.

The army commander stiffened. "Not good."

"Figured."

"Several bridges have been completely burned up now. Many fairies have been injured. The shell shields just are not enough to keep us safe."

Queen Finyellë nodded. "We will leave at dawn."

"Leave?" The commander cleared his throat. "And go where?"

"To the caverns of Mem. The fiery arrows cannot reach us there! Pass the word on for the fairies to start packing their things. They must only bring the basics of what they need to survive."

The fairies in the vine village became more sullen than ever. Each fairy packed what they could carry on their backs. Many of the fairies glared at the totters as they started their journey to the caverns. They blamed the totters for the rushed exile. Several fairies could not even fly any longer due to their wings being burned badly. They could only walk or ride in small wagons. The fairies that could fly would tie small ropes to their shoulders and pull the weaker fairies in wagons.

The silence was eerie. There was a group of young fairies who saw the totters trudging toward the back the the line of travelers. One of them spat out under her breath, "It's all your fault that we have to leave. The queen should have never let you stay in the first place!"

"They even smell gross... like fish! They probably haven't showered in weeks," another fairy taunted them.

Jovie glared at the young fairies with distaste. Her cheeks grew hot. "Leave them alone!"

Sister totter began to cry again. "They're right... it's all my fault we have to leave the beautiful fairy vine village."

Jovie continued comforting sister totter by holding her hand and gently holding her face. "There, there - don't cry - everything will really be alright with time... after we make it to the caverns of Mem. There must be some reason for all of this even if we don't quite understand it now."

Brother totter sniffed his armpits. "I don't smell like fish!" He muttered under his breath, while looking ahead at the rude fairy children who had passed them to get further ahead in the traveling procession.

Papa totter also put his arms around his children calmly. He looked at Jovie with appreciation for her consistent kindness. "Have you been to the caverns before, Jovie?"

"I have not been there as they are not close, but I have heard stories from other fairies who have traveled there before."

Brother totter kicked at a pebble on the ground. "Are there any monsters that will eat us in the caves?"

Jovie shuttered. "I think not. The queen would not lead us into to harm of that sort. After all, she does strive to protect us."

"How long do you expect it to take to get there?" Papa totter asked.

Jovie paused. "Some say it could take a week or more to get to the caves."

The four of them looked toward the front of the travelers and saw the three hummingbirds leading the way. The hummingbirds were like scouts for the fairies. They flew ahead, just in front of Queen Finyellë who was riding in a wagon. The wagon had extra shells attached to it for protection. Two rather muscular male fairies pulled the wagon slowly along. Some of the fairies would fly for awhile and then they would fly back down to the ground and walk. The baby fairies were wrapped tightly to their mother's backs.

The totter siblings grew tired of walking after several hours. Their father pulled them in a wagon. Jovie also rode with them. She told them stories of when she was growing up as a young fairy. The stories helped pass the time and kept them entertained. Papa totter also enjoyed the stories as well. The totters had really grown close to Jovie. She had come over every evening since they had come to the fairy vine village. His heart had fluttered like Jovie's wings did whenever she knocked at their door back at the vine village. He was amazed by her lightheartedness. Her joy felt contagious in the best of ways. There was just something about her that made him smile no matter what. It was in moments like these, that he realized how he had not been happy in a very long time.

Back in the vine village house, the totter children enjoyed playing hide and seek, first thing, before she came through the front door. Jovie had grown used to the challenge of finding the children every evening.

The totter children peeked out of the wagon occasionally and asked their father if they had arrived to the caverns yet. Of course, they knew what the answer was going to be. However, they still felt the pressing need to ask, but it was mostly just because they wanted to hear their father's voice. He was subdued. Lost in his thoughts, he was becoming more and more amazed at how large and diverse the world truly had become to him. Most of his life had been lived by a river with little adventure at all.

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