Prince Aidan squeezed the rails of his horse. His eyes gawked at the king's stone-cold expression. He observed his face, hoping for a twitch, a blink, or a titter. Anything that would show his kind host was joking.
"You cannot be serious?" the young man stuttered.
"Serious about what?" the king declared, making his guest break out in sweat.
"Your request... Why would you want to? No, no. You must be joking. To end the life of such an outstanding woman? The mother of your children! That is simply ridiculous," he uttered with a nervous chuckle.
"You do not have to end her life. At least not quickly," the king stated calmly.
"Pardon?"
"You could torture her a little. Make her run into the woods barefoot and use her body for arrow practice. You could cut her as well, leaving her bloody remains spread across the grass," he spoke, with a calm but increasingly sinister tone.
Aidan laughed out loud, still hoping that it was all just an act. "Your majesty, you slay me. But I know your ways. Your wife familiarized me with your hilarious routine," he said, playfully. It did not work. The king was just as serious as before.
Grabbing the handle of his sword, he seeped through his teeth, "Does it look like I am joking to you!"
The prince gasped, ordering his horse to flee. The king's stallion followed, gaining on the frightened royal. "So, she told you about me? What exactly did she say? Speak! Or I will tear you apart, limb by limb!" the king yelled, staring at him with his mad eyes.
"This is bad!" the beautiful bird chirped. "This is so bad. Oh! If only Viniria was here."
The mad king took his small mace and flung it at the horse. The frightened creature neighed as the heavy object hit his leg. It jumped up, making his rider fly off and hit the hard ground.
The king stopped and got off his horse. He allowed the young man to stand up and get his sword before charging at him like a mad bull. Aidan was a skilled swordsman, but his opponent was twice his size and very limber for an older man.
"This is my land! And I can deal with adulterers any way I please!" he shouted.
The shocked visitor dodged and assailed as the metal blades clanged.
"You have it all wrong. I never even touched her. Where is this coming from?" Aidan tried to defend himself.
"All will perish. All! I will make sure you all drown in the fires of hell!" the mad king raged with zest.
The panicked bird chirped and flew over his friend's attacker. Sadly, the mad man swatted him away like a fly. His tiny body hit the nearest tree trunk and fell into a bush below.
"Chirp!" Aidan yelled, striking another blow. The king evaded his attack, making his opponent lose his weapon in the process. He stepped away, wanting to hit Valiant with his arrow. Sadly, that plan backfired, as the adrenalin-fueled madman grabbed his bow. Valiant pulled him close, choking him with one hand. Aidan pushed and fought for air. As his vision became blurry, he kicked the man, managing to loosen his grip.
He fell on the ground, coughing. Looking up, Aidan saw his attacked, on the ground with strange plants entangling him. The mad king yelled terrified, locked up in their dense stems.
"What on earth is that?" the prince gasped.
The trapped king fought hard to untangle himself. So she flung her tiny arms violently, making the grip even tighter and consequently making him go unconscious.
The prince slowly stood up, looking around. "Chirp? Where are you?"
The hit bird waved his small wing from a bush.
"I am alright," the bird chirped. "Just a little disoriented."
"Good, now let us get out of here. Even the grass is not safe here?" Aidan said.
As they went down the silver path, a small creature popped her head from a nearby tree. "You will thank me later for this," she whispered, hiding again. Aidan continued carefully, worried that he had been lied to. Luckily, it lead them exactly where they wanted to go.
Reaching the fairy gate, Aidan stopped to bathe in its splendor. It was constructed from twined silver stems, bedazzled with oval leaves and gems. With his trusted bird on his shoulder, he walked towards the shiny gate. Taking in a deep breath, he stood up straight and knocked. The grand gate opened, as if by its own record. The sights and smells hit the prince, ushering him to step into the green paradise-like place. He gawked with his mouth wide-open. Dew, shiny like diamonds, fell on luscious large leaves, wider than a grown man's hand. Sturdy brown trees stood tall with their long branches adorned with colorful pedals, mimicking the shape of tiny houses. Chirp's head twirled in all directions. Perched on his friend's shoulder, he could relax and enjoy the view. He noticed many birds flying around the branches, tiny and fluttery, with voices that touched the soul. One, a slick bluish female of his size, looked his way, making him shrug shy.
Dim colorful lights could be noticed, behind the leaves. At first, Aidan thought they were some sort of glowing insects. The creatures popped their beautiful heads, with maiden-like faces. He gasped in amazement. "What on earth," passed his lips intrigued by the human-like creatures. A few of them fluttered towards him, with tiny golden helmets and flexible long strains of grass that were connected to the ground. They all shared female features, resembling delicate dolls with butterfly wings. "Are you the fairies?" he asked the armed, tiny guards softly.
"We are," one of them said in a high-pitched but stern voice. "And who might you be?"
"Forgive me for the intrusion," the prince bowed. "I am a weary traveler in need of the golden apples growing in this place."
"And why should we give them to you?" the other guard asked.
Aidan let out a sigh, tired. "My wife, she is with a child. I was told by a magical orb that, if she does not eat them before giving birth, she would surely die."
"Oh, you poor thing!" a dozen of fairies emerged from their hiding, each one prettier than the last. They observed him with their doll-like eyes. Their necks and wrists were so delicate, Aidan feared they might break. "If you would allow. I would only take a few."
"You will need to ask the fairy queen first," said a fairy in a glowing green dress with long red hair falling well past her waist. She fluttered her large wings making shiny powder.
"Where can I find her?" he asked politely.
Immediately after the words left his lips, the fairies fluttered their glowing wings and pulled on his arms and clothes. The prince blinked, confused by their strength. They took him to a tree area covered in vine roses, giving it the appearance of an enchanted wall. He stepped onto the grass filled with tiny dandelions.
A large throne made of glossy green leaves appeared before him. Behind the ordained wall of thin trees was a tall, ancient-looking tree with its strong branches spreading wide. Aidan watched it, tilting his head intrigued.
The fairies flew over the throne, gently whispering something. A pile of leaves moved, with a small head appearing. The creature had emerald eyes and shiny brown hair. Stretching, she looked at the unexpected man and smiled flirtatiously. Letting her lime wings out, the largest among her kin, she flew around his head, intrigued. "My, my, my aren't you a handsome fellow. I apologize for my morning attire. I did not know we were having guests."
The tiny creature squinted and strained her back. Large rose buds pop from under her leaf dress and opened, making her appear like a floating bouquet. "That's better," she smiled pleasantly.
"Thank you, your Fairiness," he said and politely lowered his head. "I apologize. I am not acquainted with your title."
"Oh, please. Simply call me Flora," she giggled flirtatiously. "Now, I was told that you need one of our golden apples. Is that true?"
"Indeed, it is."
"In that case, help yourself," she said pointing at the tree behind her.
Aidan clasped his hands, grinning with glee. Finally, he had found what he came for. Walking towards it, he looked around the branches. His expression quickly changed.
While the prince was looking around, the fairy queen turned to her subordinates. "He seems nice. But go and check if he came alone," Flora whispered discretely.
The surrounding fairies obliged, scattering like glowing magic lights.
Gently pushing away the rose curtain, Aidan addressed the monarch. "Flora, may I ask?" Aidan uttered worried.
"Of course. What is it?"
Looking around, he said insecure, "Where are all the apples?"
"Oh, you could not find any?" Flora blinked with her long thin lashes.
The young king felt his heart beating faster. "No, I couldn't. There aren't any on the branches."
"Hmm, I suppose we did spend a lot of them building the magical barrier. They are a great source of pure magic, you know. And a must-have ingredient for any high-ranking spell."
"I was informed of their powers. Hence, the reason for coming here," he replied politely. "But are there any left?"
Flora hummed, "I'm sure a few are left on the top. Why don't you climb there and see for yourself."
Aidan nodded, slightly nervous by all the delays. He climbed the sturdiest branches while Chirp flew higher, to inspect the top.
The queen puffed, with not much else left to do. Not long after, a scuffle was heard near the gate. Flora turned her head only to be surprised by the sight. A feisty unknown fairy was trying to free herself from her guard's grasp. The tiny creatures had a difficult time dragging her as she bit, clawed and cursed them with vigor. Nevertheless, they managed to bring her to their leader.
"Let me go you bulge-eyed freaks!" the prisoner yelled, as they held her by her forearms and legs.