PHI'S POV
The spell worked. I saw my father through his eyes, his memories, although everything I saw was covered in a dreamy mist. It was the most peculiar dream. I could hear my father's thoughts resonate in my mind when he fled the kingdom shortly after Wotan's vesselâa ghost ship wandering in the Ardor Bayâlowered its anchor, I could see what he had seen through his eyes.
The king knew what Wotan had been seeking, and he thought he had no choice but to run until he found a way to come back and save us all. I felt his disarray, his concern. His constant mantra: I have to protect my people. I have to protect my daughter.
His daughter. He thought of me as his daughter. Yes! I couldn't help myself. My heart filled with love. He cared for me! It was as if a life thirst of mine was being satiated, finally.
Now that I knew my father cared, the Evil King would find it harder to use my anger against my father to flip me to his side. Thinking of it, my father (Hah! My fatherâthe words were still foreign to me) had always had a special interest in me, even in the alley.
He often looked at me with compassion, especially when I spoke to him about coming of age. He had caught my eye within crowds. He had saved me from the evil fairy cat when I had followed him out of the alley to the port in the Old World.
Of course! He had always loved me.
I continued witnessing my father's life and thoughts as he ran into exileâand he had to run, not out of cowardice, but because he knew that, sooner or later, the Evil King would find me and attempt to marry me.
He knew he had to find a solution soon, before it was too late. I felt his thoughts. If Wotan marries her, nobody will be safe. He will bring everyone under his spell.
Escaping through the woods, in unknown territory, he searched for Geh-Ah, the great bear master. After all, Geh-Ah and Yu-a-geh were the only local creatures they had met, and the bear master seemed welcoming enough when he appeared at the aging ceremony.
If I ask him, he might agree to offer me his help.
Searching for Geh-Ah proved to be difficult a task, as if the latter did not want to be found. Finally, some animals he asked about the spirit's whereabouts told him Geh-Ah, the great bear master, spent most of his time on the island of Llo Esukwak.
The fairy king arrived at the lair the great bear master shared with the bear spirit. The entrance was guarded by other bears, less imposing in size than Yu-a-geh, but who could still do some serious damage when confronted.
My father sent a bear to inform Geh-Ah of his arrival, supposing he would be welcomed.
"Geh-Ah has no particular business with you," was the answer the bear brought back.
"Tell him that he may call and see me when he pleases," my father replied, refusing to consider himself defeated, "but that I will not move until he sees me. It is for both our people's sake that I want to speak to him."
The bear master let him wait for days, forcing the king to find refuge in a tree alongside furry squirrels that let him stay there for warmth. The latter could not bring himself to start a fire, and kept his small form so as not to alert any spies the Evil King might have of his presence.
At last, seeing his tenacity, Yah-Oh agreed to receive him. His lair was cozy and warm. Everywhere where Siegfried laid eyes were laid thick furs, beautifully hand-crafted pipes, amulets, and other ornaments. Geh-Ah was also dressed with richly decorated buckskin loincloths, leggings and moccasins, contrasting with the fairy king's torn clothes.
The king approached and warmed his hand by the enchanting flames whose smoke escaped through a hole in the roof. He respectfully waited until the bear master invited him to tell his story.
"Evil has come ashore," Siegfried said after the Yah-Oh gave him a nod. "An old enemy has taken hold of the settlement my people and I have established. I was hoping that with your and Yu-a-geh's influence we could impede him from doing more wrong."
"And what kind of wrong has he done or is looking to do?" Geh-Ah asked.
"What can corrupt even the most corrupt man?" the king replied. "Power."
"You said he is an old enemy," Yah-Oh asked. "You two have a history?"
"Indeed, a long time ago, I crossed paths with him. I learned that wherever he goes, he only goes there to gather more powerâeven if this means destroying everything that stands in his way."
The great bear master began pacing his lair. "Although a compelling story, I fail to see how this is my problem; there is nothing that tells me that you are the friend here and that he is the foe. It's more, I fail to find glory in a king who instead of sending a messenger for help, runs away all by himself."
"You don't understandâ"
"I only have one piece of advice," Geh-Ah said. "And it is to go back to your people and face your problems."
*
The fairy king was greatly abashed at this rebuff and decided to spend one more night on the island before doing like Geh-Ah had said, returning to his people.
I have no choice but to face him and hope my powers are great enough, he thought. If they are not, then I will have to surrender and hope no harm will be done to Phi and my people.
He hoped but he knew it was impossible.
He fell asleep again in the tree, among the sleeping bodies of the squirrels, and that night spirits visited his dreams. The spirits, ethereal apparitions of ghostly white deers, led him to another island and through the woods where strange creatures stood in circle around a fire.
The king recognized the pogih, the nature-spirits similar to his kind, fairies, but with blue skin and wings like those of dragon-flies, that had appeared during my aging ceremony, as well as other creatures he had never seen before.
"Fear not, Siegfried," said a man-sized spider. "We are the First Creatures, the mythical creatures of this land, and have heard of your situation and wish to help you. I am Yasik and these are my friends."
"I am Agamet," said a bird-like man. "And this is Feyn," he added pointing at what seemed like a younger version of himself. "We and our people are thunder spirits, great warriors that cause winds and thunders with our wings."
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of Feyn. It was him. The boy I had met in the woods with Halia. I had been day dreaming of him since my capture. I imagined different scenarios where I had followed him instead of coming back to the settlement the day the Evil King made me his prisoner.
"I am Aplua," said a creature whose face was hidden behind a leather mask. "I can scare people to death."
"He is so ugly he can even scare himself to death if he looked at his own reflection!" added a pogih, but he was quickly silenced by other pogih who told him to be quiet.
"I am Guugaanh, a mamagbadoe," said a hairy-faced creature similar to a dwarf. "My people and I are not fighters but we live close to rivers. We could help and make an ambush."
"My name is Anosh," said a voice. A human looking man appeared in a free space in the circle. "I am an immortal spirit that can appear and disappear at will."
As the creatures were introducing themselves, the king felt greatly thankful but was unsure whether or not their help was going to be sufficient.
Yasik seemed to guess what Siegfried was thinking and declared, "We also have various other friends who are not here at present that are willing to help you get rid of the Evil King, but only on one condition."
"Which is?" the fairy king asked.
"Give up your crown and yield it to us," replied Agamet.
The fairy king cringed.
"Understand that we are creatures of the light and will take your people's well-being at heart," said the spider, seemingly understanding my father's hesitation.
"I thank you for your offer but I have no way of knowing if your words are true," my father said prudently. "Why it is you want my crown? Isn't the promise of our people living in peace and harmony enough?"
"I am afraid not," replied Feyn. "Some of our people see your arrival as a threat to our culture. With you here, we have to share our resources, share our land. Some fear they will be forced to change their identity to suit yours, and they do not want to change the way they have been living for thousands of years."
"Still we understand that you came here to have a better life, and it would be selfish of us to ask you to leave," continued Anosh.
"We want to be your friends," said the more childish pogih in chorus.
"In short, it seems the best way to ensure that both sides are satisfied is to yield your crown to us. This way, our other friends will trust that you do not wish to take possession of our lands and resources and we can better assess what can be done for the sake of the people of both the New and Old World," finished Yasik.
"I understand," the fairy king replied, although still unsure. Such a pact was risky but what other choice did he have? He either had to die, have his daughter married to a monster, or this. "My crown will be yours, but only once my people are freed from the Evil King. Not before."
"We were not expecting it any other way," said the spider. His tone was warm and one could have thought he was even smiling if his mouth were capable of such movement.
Siegfried's dream continued through the night. They shared the information they had on the Evil King's army and discussed strategy. When morning came and the king arose, courage had won him over. He knew it was not a dream. The future looked promising.
I also awoke after witnessing my father's thoughts and dream. I sat up in my bed, my hair falling in my eyes, tangled. Halia and Domovoy ran towards the bed, their eyes aglow.
"My father is coming today to confront the Evil King," I said, panting, remembering the rest of the dream. "He's asked for the First Creatures' help."