My Journey to Faerieland

     Fortunately, there was a set of travel brochures laying on the kitchen table that Marianne had left. Flipping through the brochures, I found out that the Faerie Castle Neolodge had a fancy café connected to it. It even advertised that patrons to the restaurant might get a glimpse of the Faerie Queen herself if they came at the right time. Realizing that this could be the opportunity to see Fyora, I jumped at the thought of going there. I threw on a dress shirt and tie just so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of the Faerie Queen. I then went outside. Fortunately, there was a Cloud Racer taxi nearby that I could flag down.

     The driver was another air faerie. The two of us didn’t converse much as the driver seemed like she wasn’t keen on much conversation other than getting me to my destination. She was cordial, but not talkative. She then dropped me off at the Neolodge.

     When I entered the café, I quickly noticed that none of the guests were wearing ties, so I quickly slipped mine off. An earth faerie hostess floated up to me.

     “Just a party of one for you, sir?”

     “Uh, yes, ma’am.”

     “Okie dokie, follow me this way,” she said. Most of the patrons in the restaurant appeared to be tourists from outside of Faerieland although there were a few faeries and faerie pets mingling among the crowd. The centre of the restaurant featured a tall circular counter. Several water faeries inside the circle were mixing various NeoColas and other Faerieland specialty drinks, like Fyora Day Fizz. Some of the tables were shaped like faerie wings while others were circular. In both cases, they were all topped with very fine pink marble.

     “Here we are, does this table work for you?” the hostess asked.

     “This will be just fine,” I replied.

     “Perfect, your server will be with you shortly. Also, please enjoy a Fyora Day Fizz on us today.” Another faerie floated over and placed a glass filled to the brim on the table while the hostess placed a menu next to it.

     Glancing over the menu was already overwhelming with so many options. After flipping through the various pages of main courses and appetizers, I settled on something light.

     “Ah, Faerie Dumplings sound quite nice.”

     I took a sip of the Fyora Day Fizz and felt a strange, but relaxing tingling sensation.

     “Hmm, I wonder what this is actually made of. Couldn’t be Fyora’s magic, could it?” I thought.

     I continued to sip the drink and observe the restaurant.

     Off to the far-left side of the room was a set of doors that appeared to be blocked off. The right side was an open door that led out to the Neolodge hotel at the Faerie Castle. A few pets and faeries streamed through the door.

     It became apparent that I was overdressed as most of the diners were dressed much more casually than I was. I thought about shedding the tie. Moments later though, my server walked by.

     “What would you like, sir?” she asked.

     “How about some Faerie Dumplings?”

     “Oh, good choice, how would you like those? Regular or potstickers?”

     “Ooo, umm… potstickers sound nice.”

     “Alrighty, will that be all for now?”

     “That’s it.”

     “Sounds good, I’ll go ahead and get that in for you right away. Also, here’s more Fyora Day Fizz.”

     She had a Fyora Day Fizz pitcher in her hand which she used to fill my cup to the brim again. As she stepped away, there appeared to be some commotion near the door that was sealed earlier. The doors slowly opened and out stepped a faerie, dressed in pink and lavender. At the top of her head was a teal crown with one precious pink stone in the middle. In her right hand, she carried a staff.

     She was the one and only Faerie Queen.

     Flanking her left and right were two individuals, a purple Gelert and a powerful looking faerie with a shield. Behind them was a Faerie Kougra and a Light Faerie who looked like guards.

     “The Gelert is her longtime friend, Celandra, and the faerie must be Aethia the Battle Faerie,” I recalled from the text “Being Faerie Queen.”

     Several diners waved at the Queen who smiled and waved back. Nobody really seemed to approach her directly though. It seemed like the patrons all gave her the space she needed. Although anyone escorted by the battle faerie will likely not be disturbed much.

     Queen Fyora took a seat at a private, secluded table along with her companions and the dinner service continued as usual. I stood up to try and get another look at Fyora.

     “Sir?” said a voice.

     I turned to see my server with a large plate of Faerie Dumplings.

     “I take it you’ve never seen Queen Fyora before?” she asked as she set the plate down.

     “No, ma’am.”

     “Ah, well, occasionally she will eat with random diners when she’s not busy. But it looks like she’s going to dine with her closest companions today. Maybe you’ll get lucky next time. Anyways, can I get you anything else, sir?”

     “No thanks, I’m good.”

     “Very well then, enjoy your meal.”

     I took a bite into a Faerie Dumpling. Suddenly, my taste buds lit up as I tasted the savoury perfection. The pork and mixed vegetable filling practically melted in my mouth. There was a slight amount of butter for flavour and an impeccable crunchiness.

     I took my time savouring these heavenly dumplings. I then looked up to see Queen Fyora greeting some of the guests, shaking their hands. It appeared that she had already finished her meal. Wanting to get a bit closer, I left Neopoints on the table to pay for the meal and move toward the front. Unfortunately, it seemed like by then, Queen Fyora disappeared through the doors after giving a final wave.

     I turned back around to see my server waving back at me. I walked back towards her.

     “Sorry, maybe next time you can try to sit closer to meet the Queen. Anyways, can I interest you in dessert?”

     “I’m good. Thanks.”

     “Alright, well, come back to see us, and maybe Fyora next time.”

     I was still determined to see Queen Fyora so I began to look around for a way into the castle. I then noticed some faeries and pets heading through a set of doors for what appeared to be a castle tour. Seeing an opportunity to enter the castle, I followed the group, which was led by a fire faerie and a dark faerie.

     “Good evening, folks. My name is Lyra and hers is Dorothea. Thank you for joining us on our tour of the castle. We will spend about two hours together. We hope you enjoy all the castle has to offer. Remember to stay with the group though. We wouldn’t want you to get lost,” the dark faerie said.

     The castle looked enormous on the inside with a large decorative pink gem-encrusted chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling in the entrance hall. The floor had a decorative pattern of unique pairs of faerie wings. The walls were lined with various paintings and drawings of Faerie related subjects.

     “These paintings are actually mostly fan art sent to the castle by Neopians around the world. Since we get so many of them, we’ve had to rotate them in and out periodically to show them all,” Lyra explained.

     I looked to see a beautiful picture of the Faerie Queen in her garden that was simply signed as Blossom. She was carrying her staff and pink wisps of magic surrounded her.

     After the group was done looking at the art, Dorothea motioned for the group to continue to the next room.

     “Let’s head over to the fountain room,” she said. There was an actual fountain in this room decorated with water faerie carvings. Suddenly, a water faerie surfaced from the fountain and jumped out. She waved and then then slid away on her tail without saying a word.

     I looked around the room and found a small door in the corner labelled “Maintenance Corridor to Offices”. It appeared to be open and unguarded. Perhaps this was a way to see Fyora. As the tour group began to move on, I snuck through the door.

     However, I bumped the door on the way, and it seemed to close on its own. I tried to open it again, but it seemed stuck.

     “Well, uh oh. I guess I don’t have a choice but to continue up these stairs up ahead,” I muttered.

     I moved up the wooden stairs that creaked with each step. After climbing for what seemed like an eternity, I reached the top and had to catch my breath.

     “Whew, I bet this corridor was meant for someone with wings,” I commented. At the top was another door. I reached for the handle and the door opened. Unfortunately, I ended up behind a set of guards. They turned around immediately, and I ended up facing a light faerie’s wand and a spear.

     “Stop! Who goes there!” growled a Faerie Kougra.

     “Sir, this is a restricted area. Unfortunately, I cannot let you continue on your own,” the light faerie said in a softer, but equally firm tone. “Now, I would appreciate it if you cooperated. Please put your paws behind your back.”

     I froze in fear.

     “Sir, I’m not going to ask again. Please put your paws behind your back.”

     “Let’s just make him do it!” snarled the Kougra. He was about to push the spear right into me when the light faerie shook her head.

     “No, Quinton, you may not poke him with your spear!” He withdrew his spear and appeared a bit disappointed. “Sorry sir, it’s his first week,” the light faerie said.

     I did as I was told this time as I had no idea what the guards would do if I didn’t. I felt light faerie snap on a pair of handcuffs. I turned to look at the bright pink set of bracelets.

     “There, let me know if they are painfully tight.”

     I shook my head.

     “Who are we poking with a spear?” said a soft, gentle voice. “What’s going on?”

     The air filled with a lavender scent and then a pink glow. Queen Fyora then stepped in front of me and gave me a stern look.

     “Who are you?”

     “I-I-I’m Geo… a N-neopian T-times Reporter,” I stammered. Then I suddenly recalled I was speaking to a queen. “Oh, uh- I mean- your majesty.”

     Queen Fyora held up her hand. “No need to be so formal, but I hope you realize your mistake of trespassing.”

     “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

     “I’ll take it from here, Relena.”

     “Are you sure? He could be dangerous.”

     “I’ll ask him a few questions. He doesn’t appear to be dangerous.” The guards shifted to each side of me.

     “I do not sense any powerful magic, or magic at all in him. You can follow behind,” Fyora said. She then turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

     “Alright Geo, I’m taking you to a room where I can question you. I hope you continue to be cooperative.”

     “Y-yes, Fyora.”

     By now I was sweating a ton. I was already in trouble and now I had potentially embarrassed myself in front of the faerie Queen. And now I’m wasting her time because she decided to take time to question me.

     Queen Fyora tugged on my arm a bit and I began to follow her. She led me to a small room tucked away in the corner. The room had two comfortable chairs and a table. Relena and Quinton stood at the door. Fyora led me to the chair. She motioned for the guards to shut the door.

     At that point, it was just me and the Faerie Queen.

     Fyora looked at my cuffed paws and shook her head.

     “I hope you understand that I can’t remove those cuffs until I get to know you better. I hope you will answer truthfully. If you don’t, there will be consequences.”

     Fyora slowly paced around the room. She then stopped and put her right hand on the chair I was sitting in. Her staff was in her left hand, and it was glowing. She turned to look at me with a piercing gaze.

     “So, where are you originally from?” she asked in a soft, gentle voice.

     “Neopia Central, your majesty.”

     “Again, you don’t need to be so formal. But ok, Neopia Central. So, you worked at the Neopian Times there?”

     No need to be formal? What? A royalty that doesn’t care about titles. That was a new one for me. I couldn’t spend much time dwelling on that though. I did not want to keep Fyora waiting.

     “Yes, I wrote mostly articles.”

     “Ok, so what brought you to Faerieland?”

     She resumed her pacing around the room.

     “I was assigned to focus on writing about Faerieland by the editor, Darcie.”

     “I see. Well, you’re not off to a great start here, are you? Trespassing isn’t exactly what a reporter normally does, especially in my castle. We can’t just easily tell if you are friend or foe. There’s a process for visiting the castle and you should have followed it. You didn’t and you were caught.”

     She paused for a bit and looked back at me. I looked down at the ground, avoiding her piercing glance.

     “I am the Faerie Queen and I do have a right to privacy. I have to deal with crowds wanting to see me daily, and I need time away from all that. If you want another chance, you’ll have to respect that.”

     I hung my head as Fyora scolded me for my mistake. Once she finally stopped, I spoke again. “I-yes, it was a poor lapse in judgment on my part. If you’re going to banish me from your land, do it now.”

     “Hmm… is that how you think I should punish you?” Fyora stopped pacing around and stood right over me.

     Suddenly, Fyora seemed a lot taller, and I seemed much smaller. I gulped and began to sweat again, fearing that I ruined my chances to be a Faerieland reporter. “I guess that’s what I deserve.”

     At that moment, Relena knocked on the door and came into the room. She whispered into Fyora’s ear. Fyora nodded and the light faerie left.

     “Well, I don’t think we’ll need to resort to that.” She reached over and helped me back to my feet. And then she took out a key and unlocked the cuffs. She then motioned for me to sit down again.

     “What you said checks out with the quick investigation Relena was able to do. You are not a threat and therefore, I’m going to let you go.”

     “How did she-“

     “That is a faerie secret,” Fyora said, smiling. “Now. I said I would let you go, but you will have to face some consequences.”

     “Yes, I’m fully aware now. Tell me what I’m going to have to do.”

     Fyora smiled again. “Well, I’m glad you’re being a good sport about this. I’ll tell you what, the first thing you’ll need to do is write a letter of apology to the castle staff for the trouble you’ve caused. I am going to need Darcie to sign it, so she acknowledges it. I’m going to make sure your job is safe though.”

     I nodded.

     “Second, I’m going to need you to work with the guards to look for other security issues in the castle. You can work with Relena. And third, you will owe me a 25,000 NP fine.”

     She gently put her soft right hand on my left shoulder and looked at me seriously.

     “Do you understand all of that?”

     “Yes, but I have a question?”

     “Sure, ask anything.”

     “Why are you doing this? I’ve heard that other rulers wouldn’t even bother hearing a trespasser out, let alone being lenient.”

     Fyora tightened her grip and lifted me up a bit. Her strength surprised me.

     “Well then, perhaps I should start acting like other rulers. Hmm?” Fyora said, glaring at me.

     My heart began racing. Why did I ask that dumb question? Now I’ve truly offended the Faerie Queen. Then I felt Fyora set me back down.

     “Relax, Geo. You know by now that I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m not like any other ruler. As you might have read, I believe that almost everyone deserves a second chance. And it’s easier to be merciful. Also, I do think having a dedicated Faerieland reporter for the Neopian Times would help with Neopet and Faerieland relations. So, I’m interested in this arrangement.”

     She then nodded at me and smiled a bit.

     “But you have to give me some personal time and space. Now, does everything about your punishment make sense?”

     I nodded. It still seemed a bit strange that the Faerie Queen was much kinder than most rulers, but it seemed to be working well for Faerieland.

     “And Geo, once you take care of all of that, perhaps I’ll let you interview me. I presume you didn’t want to go through the normal process because you thought I was too busy?”

     My jaw dropped a little. “How did you know all that?”

     “I have my ways,” she said with a wink. “Now here, I will take you back to the entrance.”

     She opened the door and motioned for the guards to get behind us. The two of us walked next to each other with the guards following close.

     “I take it you didn’t get to enjoy the full tour of the castle?” Fyora asked.

     “‘No, I last recall a water faerie popping out of a fountain.”

     Fyora laughed. “Oh, Mifa. She’s done that all the time for show. The water faeries usually just balance on their tails and slide around on them. Mifa prefers the castle plumbing instead.”

     “Do faeries live here?”

     “Oh yes, plenty do. Most of them are on my staff. There are a few that I house because they’ve hit a rough patch in their life, both faeries and pets.”

     “I would like to write about that some time.”

     “Sure thing.”

     Soon we were back at the entrance.

     “Geo, it has been a pleasure despite your little trespassing crime. Hopefully, I get to see you again. Stay out of trouble. And remember, you’ve got a fine to pay and some other things to do.” She held out her hand and I reached out with my right paw and shook it.

     “Thanks, Fyora for being… so kind.”

     “Anytime,” she replied. “I look forward to working with you.”

     The End.