Day and Night

Felix could do nothing but watch as seemingly endless hordes of Night Fairies flood into their village. He watched as they burnt down buildings, another orphanage gone up in flames. And yet here he was, cowering in his kitchen doing nothing to help the people he’s known all his life. Guilt gnawed at his soul, but fear kept his feet planted to the floor. Besides, even if he did go out there, what could he do to help? Nothing, he could do nothing. All he’d do is get in the way of the soldier fairies. So, Felix watched and waited till they were finally satisfied with their destruction and left, leaving behind even more orphaned children than before they got here. Relief washed over him, only to be chased out by more guilt. ‘You did nothing to help, what kind of a Day Fairy are you?’ a voice in the back of his mind said. ‘Then again, what could you have done? Stand there and get in the way? Useless.’ He shook his head, and went to his front door, swinging it open to look at the aftermath. The scene before him pained his heart, the destruction the Night Fairies had left behind wasn’t as bad as it normally is, which meant they were probably planning something huge. He spots a soldier fairy giving people order, so he joins the shrinking group in hopes of getting a task. The soldier looks at him and points to the castle. “Felix right? The Mother Fairy wants to see you.” fear and worry immediately fills his chest, his breathe catches but he recovers quickly. He nods to the Soldier, then stretches his wings out behind him and flies over to the castle. ‘What could the Mother Fairy possibly want with me?’ he thinks as he lands heavily onto the stairs leading to the front gate. No one stops him when he goes through, no one even looks at him, they’re all too busy with their work. He stops a handmaid on her way past him and asks for directions to the Mother Fairy. She leads him to her meeting room, he tries his best to hide the growing fear in his chest. He stands outside the door, waiting for the handmaid to direct him inside. Once she does let him in the fear only grows. The Mother Fairy sits at a table, it’s covered in maps and letters he is sure he shouldn’t be allowed to see. But she makes no move to hide them, nor does she tell him to keep his eyes to himself. She stands, and Felix feels tiny next to her, not just because she is almost two feet taller than him. “Felix...” she begins, but trails off, staring at him with a look one could most certainly call motherly. After a pause, she begins again. “Felix I must ask you something, and this may be a very large request but you are the

only

one who can do it.” She says, her voice serious. Her eyes bore into him, he feels far too exposed with the way she sees him. “Anything you ask of me ma’am I swear I will do everything in my power to do as you say,” he says without thinking, the moment a fairy has the ability to have coherent thoughts, they are told to do anything and everything the Mother Fairy asks of them. They are told to worship her as if she was a god. Which, to the average fairy, she

was

a god, or at least very close to one. Her beauty and power so divine and so... perfect, everything about Mother Fairy was perfect. She smiles it doesn’t reach her eyes though. “Felix, I need you...” she pauses again, an uncertainty Felix has never seen on her before clouds her perfect blue eyes. The two of them have the same eyes, along with the same curly mess of blonde hair. Although her hair is the farthest thing from messy, instead it looks like perfectly painted waves of gold. “I need you to become a Day Fairy spy.” the words jolt him back to the now, he looks at her in bewilderment. “A spy? B-But if a Day Fairy sets foot on Night Fairy land they

will

be sensed by the Night Mother!” he thinks allowed before he can stop himself. Immediately he bites his tongue, wincing as the pain shoots through to his brain. Mother Fairy nods, then motions for him to follow her. He does quietly, as she leads him through her castle and outside. She flutters effortlessly towards the border of Day and Night. She stands next to it, Felix could see the magic that would allow her to sense if a Night Fair entered Day Fairly territory. She motions for him to get closer, he does, apprehension filling his bones. “Felix, you possess a rare gift...” She starts, holding her hand out. He places his hand in hers, she pulls it to the border, he tenses. His hand glides smoothly through the magic, any second now they will have dozens on Night Fairies barring down on them. He waits, and waits, looking up at the sky. “Look at your hand, my dear.” Mother Fairy says softly, she’s still holding his hand through the border. He looks, and gasps in shock. His usually dark skin has turned pale and the freckles that normally littered his skin are gone. His heart pounded in his chest, confusion and awe filled him. "Wh-..." He started, but his voice trailed off as she pulled his hand back through the border. "You Felix, have a unique ability. You can move between Night and Day, undetected by the Night Mother." she explains, he stares at his hand, he's shaking. "You alone can cross the border without her realizing it." she continues, he tries his best to keep his knees from buckling from shock.