Aria's Quest: Section 1: Part 5: Traveling

Section 1
The Beginning
Part 5
Traveling

Aria woke the next morning with Eiowinn’s words still ringing in her head, but she soon forgot them as she realized that it was time for her to leave!  Trembling with excitement she washed her face, combed her hair, and grabbed her pack. Her older brother Daffyd had helped her prioritize and maximize the space in her pack earlier that week.  It was a little heavy, but in her excitement she really didn’t care!

Breakfast was a teary-eyed, but simple, affair. The whole family had gathered back at the house, even the older one’s who had their own homes and families now, and everyone wanted to give Aria one last hug. It would have been easy for breakfast to drag on all morning, but they all knew that she had a long enough journey ahead of her and no one wanted to delay her.

Even though Aria was a fast flyer, the trip into the city would take her around three days.  She’d been there once before, on a trip when she was still a student, but this was her first time going there on her own! It was comforting that she had some idea what to expect, but it was also a little overwhelming.

She remembered the city being big, and strange. There were trees, but they were small and spaced out and surrounded by concrete. Some of the buildings were taller than any tree in the forest.  She couldn’t really understand why humans wanted to live in those cold, impersonal, buildings, but they were everywhere.

As she flew Aria’s mind soon turned to thinking through her quest. She needed to find a human in the city and somehow help them improve their life. It sounded easy enough, but she had heard enough stories to know that it could be much more challenging than it sounded. Human’s are stubborn creatures, set in their ways, and slow to change. Many times they’d rather continue doing something that was bad for them than go through the effort to change.

There were really no rules about how you went about your quest. Some fairies chose to work secretly, never revealing themselves to the person they were helping, while others made friends with “their” humans.  The fairies who chose to work in secret would say that it was easier than finding a person who needed help and was wiling to accept the existence of fairies, but Aria couldn’t imagine operating that way.  She figured that you were handicapping yourself if you never interacted with the human you were helping. The power of persuasion is strong, and if you can’t talk to them, how can you use it?

That meant she’d have to locate a true believer, someone who would acknowledge her existence, and for that she figured she’d look for an Irish pub. She knew there were a few in the city, and after all, the Irish were known for believing in the wee folk! Hopefully that part of her quest wouldn’t be that hard, although with Eiowinn’s warning that her quest would be harder than normal, who knew?

The Beginning - Saying Goodbye

Section 1

The Beginning

Part 4

Saying Goodbye

Smoothing her hair into place one last time, Aria took a deep breathe, and walked out into the clearing.  For a moment all she could do was stare.  This wasn’t the first leave-taking party she’d attended, but this was the first time the party had ever been for her! Normally she loved the atmosphere, the crowd of fairies flying around, and all the beautiful decorations. Today it made her feel a little sick.

This was the moment she’d been waiting for, seeking for, and yet the reality of it was overwhelming.  She knew these parties had two purposes. Everyone said it was to wish the quest-taker good luck, but they also all knew this could be the last time they saw her. She might never come back.

With a shake of her head Aria banished the dreary and frightening thoughts from her head. This was her party and she was going to enjoy it!

The rest of the party passed in a blur. Since completing your quest was a requirement to being accepted as an adult in the woodland fairy community, many of the fairies were reminiscing about their quests, and of course they just had to tell her their stories! Fortunately Aria loved listening to tales, but after awhile they all started to blend together. Of course that also could have been a result of the honeyed wine that was flowing freely.  All this attention was a heady feeling, and Aria wisely switched to drinking a fruit punch. She was used to being well liked and having friends, but popular was never a word that would have been applied to her.

The sky drew dark as night approached, but the party was no where near over! All fairies love a chance to celebrate, and Aria’s woodland tribe was no different.  As the sky darkened they turned on brightly colored lights, and the musicians brought out their instruments. If Aria had been feeling a little light-headed before from the honeyed wine, she now was even more so from been twirled about! As the quest-taker she was the center of attention, and every fairy wanted a chance to dance with her.

Finally, as the hour truly grew late, the fairies began to take their leave. Each one came by to briefly embrace Aria, or give her a kiss on the cheek, or even both. More than once Aria’s eyes overflowed with tears as her closest friends said their good-byes. It would be months, maybe even years, before she saw them again!

Aria had just finished drying her eyes yet again when she saw Eiowinn approaching her. She stood up a little straighter and greeted Eiowinn with a smile and a slight bow.

“None of that child, soon we shall be equals, adults both of us.” Eiowinn said with a gentle smile.

“I may soon be counted as an adult Eiowinn, but I have years to go before I can be said to even approach your learning and wisdom.” Aria responded, in awe that the great Eiowinn would use the word “equals” when talking to her!

“Thank you my dear.  You show great promise Aria. Never doubt yourself, or your ability to think. The task ahead of you will be hard, I think harder for you than for most, but don’t give up. You’re being tested for a reason, and the rewards will be great.”

“Tested? What do you mean?” Aria looked at Eiowinn with searching eyes. “I don’t understand.”

“That’s all I can say m’dear. As you know, I can only see into the future dimly. I know that your quest will be challenging, and I know you have great potential. Do not give up, and I look forward to your return.” With this Eiowinn gave Aria a kiss on the cheek and departed.

Aria talked to many more fairies before the night was over, but it was Eiowinn’s words that stuck in her head as she fell asleep that night. Tested? What was she facing?