The tales of Faylinn Forest

Chapter one

Once upon a time, there was a tiny little fairy. She was ever so small, with wings as soft as feathers and a dress of woven petals and silks. She wore tiny flowers in her golden hair, and a tiny tiara rested upon her head. She was Marigold, queen of Faylinn Forest and the tiny fairies who lived within.

One day, Queen Marigold awoke in her home to find the day had already begun. She rose from her silk bed, her dainty wings fluttering softly behind her. She lived in a large tree, with smooth golden branches and rose petal leaves. She dressed herself in her finest silks and wore her favourite tiara, crafted from the thinnest branch of the largest holy bush in Faylinn Forest. Her dainty toes hovered just above the ground as her wings lifted her up, holding her in the air as she flew silently up, weaving her way through the maze of branches till she reached the highest one. Out of the tree she flew through a tiny red door, landing gently upon the end of the highest branch of her golden tree.

She looked out upon her kingdom; from the tallest trees to the tiniest flowers, from the rivers to the dewdrops, every fairy, every elf, every insect and every bird was hers. She adored it all. She was devoted to rule and protect the forest, prepared to give anything for it. She walked on her toes to the very tip of the branch, taking a deep breath and hopping off. Her wings glided her down to the forest below.

Everything about her kingdom was perfect to her. The fairies were beautiful, kind and brave, the elves were handsome, gentle and thoughtful. Every flower, no matter what stage of its life, was always bright and stunning. The air was filled with song, music and laughter.

She wondered through the magical forest, along paths of petals, pebbles and soft green moss. Everywhere she went her subjects would bow to her, weave flowers into her hair and wish her long life and she would bless them in return.

As she wondered, she came across a certain little fairy child. The child was named Ellette, with ruby curls and big, emerald eyes. She was perched on the edge of a fallen branch and crying. Queen Marigold felt her heart breaking at the sight of such a wonderful little girl being so unhappy. She sat down beside her, placing a hand on Ellette's shoulder.

"There, now, sweet child. Why do you sit and cry all alone?" She asked the little girl, brushing her curls from her face.

Ellette sniffed, lifting her head up to look at her Queen, "Oh, please, my queen, I am not worthy of your time…"

The queen simply smiled, wiped Ellette's eyes and said, "As long as you need me, you are worthy of every second of my time. Now, tell me, what has made you cry so?"

Ellette sniffed again and said, in a timid voice, "I am not pretty enough to play with the other girls. The other girls have the prettiest dresses and the softest hair and their wings are growing faster then mine. They say I cannot collect berries with them because I'm not pretty enough… are they right?"

The queen's heart broke again for the little girl. She reached into her dress and brought out a pearl comb; she allowed Ellette to rest her head upon her shoulder and ran it through the girl's curls, singing softly:

"Oh, little tree, why don't you grow?

When will your pretty leaves show?

The other trees are oh so tall.

Little tree, you're still so small.

But one day soon the day will come.

You'll grow and grow and reach the sun.

The prettiest tree the woods shall know

The tree that took so long to grow."

The queen looked down at the child, whose hair now glowed from the comb. She took a white flower from her own hair and wove it into Ellette's. It looked beautiful.

The little girl looked up at Queen Marigold, her eyes clear of all her tears, "… So… I'm not pretty… yet?"

"No, little one. You are beautiful just the way you are. You are a flower who is still growing; tiny and lovely, but you still have much growing ahead of you. Do not be jealous of the other girls because they flowered earlier then you; you cannot rush nature. You let it take it's time, so one day, your petals will open and your beauty will be striking." The queen smiled, kissing the child's forehead, "do you feel better now, dear one?"

Ellette gave the queen a smile, her eyes shinning with joy once again, "I'm beautiful?"

The queen stroked her hair, "Just the way you are."

The little girl hopped up from the branch, running along the forest path, singing the queen's song as loud as she could.

The queen watched her and smiled, rising gently to her feet. She knew in her heart that once Ellette's wings came through, she would be the loveliest fairy in all of Faylinn Forest. But what made Ellette so beautiful wasn't how she looked, but who she was. Her bright, happy and joyful personality always shone through, lighting up the world around her.

Ellette had true beauty.

The queen took this lesson to the other girls, who hung their heads in shame of how they had behaved towards Ellette.

The next day, Queen Marigold spotted Ellette with the girls. She was wearing white flowers in her hair and picking berries with them. She was wearing a beautiful dress the girls had woven for her from pink leaves as an apology, but Ellette didn't mind because she could see that they had changed. They saw the person within her, which is one of the kindest and most wonderful things anyone can do.