Nemesis and the Fairy of Pure Heart

by Ashley Du Toit

  Kale grinned, lowered her to the ground again, and reached into his pocket for the pouch. He pulled out some more invisibility dust. Looking around to ensure that the others were busy, he sprinkled it on her head.

  “Go on, get out of here,” he whispered.

  Bella giggled and several of the Nuffins and other immortals turned towards Kale.

  “Where’s the fairy?” Sammy asked.

  Bella stopped just long enough to hear Kale saying calmly, “Now there will be none of that now. These Nuffins were naughty; they pinched something that didn’t belong to them. The fairy was just doing the right thing. So you leave well enough alone now.”

  Bella headed back to the entrance to the markets. Although she was still invisible, it appeared that the werewolves could sense her, sniffing the air, then nodding their heads in acknowledgement as she stepped through the invisible doorway. She inched her way away from them, hurrying to where she had left Teague.

  It wasn’t until she was well past them that she breathed easily again. She walked softly towards where Teague was waiting and stopped before him. She put her arm around him, and he all but shot out of his skin. Of course, she’d forgotten she was invisible!

  “Sorry,” she giggled at his reaction. “It’s alright Teague. It’s me, Bella.”

  DON’T DO THAT, BELLA, he shouted into her mind. Where are you? I can’t see you at all.

  Bella laughed out loud as she climbed on to his back. “Let’s get back to Nirb and I’ll fill you in on the way.”

  The sky was lightening as they left the Immortal Markets, and soon it would be day.

  When they reached the Hollow, Nirb was waiting for them, pacing up and down, tearing up the soft grass in his wake. Teague glided down and the now–visible Bella slipped off his back.

  Nirb sighed in relief, pulling her into his arms for a hug.

  “Are ye alright?” he asked, searching her face.

  Bella smiled.

  “I just realised that I’m made of stronger stuff than I’d thought.”

  Nirb laughed, “I’ve always known so.”

  “So, did the pot return home?”

  “Oh yes, Bella. Nurch is very happy with ye.”

  “So, are you going to go get my sliver then?”

  Nirb nodded his head as he brought his stick to the ground, “Be right back, love.”

  Bella and Teague sat beneath a mushroom to wait for Nirb, and exhausted by their latest adventure, fell asleep. They woke just as he was arriving.

  “Do you have the rainbow sliver for me?” Bella asked.

  “Indeed I do,” said Nirb. Putting his hand into his pocket, he withdrew a parcel tied up with brown leather cord.

  “Remember, a rainbow sliver will want to return to its kin, so do not open it until you give it to Nemesis,” he warned.

  Bella thanked him, and hugged him goodbye. Before he could say anything else, Teague was lifting her skyward, carrying her towards BlackMist Mountain, and an encounter with Nemesis.

  11

  BlackMist Mountain

  Bella knew that she and Teague must soon part ways. He could not continue this adventure beside her. The thought of facing the mountain without him was daunting.

  Bella’s thoughts became gloomier the closer she and Teague came to BlackMist Mountain. She knew of no other immortal to have crossed the forbidden realm, and so had no idea what Nemesis would do with him, but she realised that her mortal prince had seen more of the immortal realms than he was allowed to. Bella wondered what he thought about all that he’d seen so far.

  Teague landed at the foot of the mountain, and Bella climbed off his back. She kept her hand on his neck, “Teague, thank you for everything that you’ve done for me,” she whispered to her friend.

  Teague moved closer to Bella, who reached out her hand and stroked it down his back.

  Am I going to see you again? he telepathed.

  “I don’t know,” she sighed. “Thank you for being such a dear friend to me, and remember that I’ll always love you. Now I don’t want you to be sad. I want you to go back to the fairy haven and present yourself to the fairy queen. Tell her all that has happened and I know that she’ll take care of you.”

  A tear slipped down her face. Swiping it away with her hand, she gave him a watery smile. “I’m sure that I will see you again.”

  Teague nuzzled her hand one last time, and then fluttered his wings.

  Be safe Bella, he whispered into her mind before surging towards the sky. Bella watched until he was no more than a speck between the clouds. The she turned to face the bleak mountain before her.

  The Valley Mystic, home of Nemesis the Dragon, was encircled by a ring of sheer mountains. Only one path led into the valley; it wound its way across BlackMist Mountain, a peak both treacherous and mystifying. Bella stood at the base of the accessible side of the mountain and looked up towards the summit. Thick black clouds of smoke were suspended over it, a giant black tablecloth hiding things unseen. The air reeked of burning sulphur, and wisps of steam lifted from the rocky surface.

  Bella felt rumbling beneath her feet as the mountain gave a shuddering groan. She wished desperately that she had her wings still. She could feel her heart beating faster and fear tried to lodge itself inside her.

  I’m not afraid. I can do this, she told herself, her face set in determination. Then to the mountain, she said aloud: “My prince needs me. I’m brave, I’m courageous, and I can do this.”

  It was night by the time she had begun to climb, and she could barely see her own hand in front of her eyes—the moon was not sharing its light tonight, and the stars were also in hiding.

  Bella reached into the bag around her neck, pulled out her light crystal and held it up, allowing its luminescence to drive some of the darkness away. Specks of ash rained down from the peak; the ground was covered in them and they turned her hair to grey as they landed in it. There were huge boulders and rocks along the rough path, and the uneven ground caused her to stumble every now and then. She was tired and dirty, but she couldn’t sleep until she reached the other side.

  When she was a little more than halfway up the mountain, she sat to rest for a short while, but the ground gave a heaving groan of protest and started to crack open. Great bursts of steam billowed out from crevices small and large, and a huge mushroom-shaped cloud filled with heavy smoke appeared at the top of the mountain. It bulged, burst and began to seep down towards her.

  Shocked, Bella stood paralysed with horror as it began to creep towards her. The stench of sulphur was suffocating and the heavy smoke was making her eyes water.

  Move, Bella! came the urgent thought, and her graceful feet obeyed without any interference from her mind. She scrambled upwards around the ooze, into the cloud and smoke and stench, and kept moving until she almost stumbled into a giant hole. Posed on the brink, she stared down into it in terror. Boiling hot lava bubbled and boiled and hissed at her, and the ground beneath her groaned in agony again. Billows of steam heaved and swelled around her, making the air even thicker and more unbreathable.

  Bella scrambled back from the edge and then slowly shuffled her way around the narrow mouth of the hole. Ahead she saw a rickety old wooden bridge suspended from two ropes.

  I have to cross the volcano on this ridiculous little wooden bridge? Now that is a bit daunting, she thought.

  She grabbed hold of one rope, put her left foot on the first wooden slat and gently eased her weight onto it to test its worth. It groaned and creaked, but held. Bella sucked in her breath, held the rope tightly, and put her right foot in front of the left. The hot lava below her hissed and spat upwards. Slowly, cautiously moving one foot at a time, testing each slat, Bella crossed to the other side, glad to be away from that hell mouth of burning, spitting anger. The tension of the crossing draini
ng away, she breathed deeply, but the air was still fermented with sulphur, and it burnt her throat.

  Without the glow from the lava, she was again in darkness, so raising her crystal a little higher, she wearily started walking down the other side of the mountain.

  12

  Nemesis the Dragon

  Bella made it to the foot of the mountain just as the night was lifting. A scene so beautiful greeted her that she sank down, overwhelmed, into the carpet of soft grass and vibrant flowers beneath her feet.

  In front of her was a lush valley, and through its centre stretched a vast lake. The still surface of the lake was a canvas for the reflection of the azure sky, the majestic ring of mountains that enclosed the vale, and the spectacular waterfall that graced the opposite end of the lake.

  Just perfect, thought Bella.

  A movement disturbed the scene. Taking a moment to identify that it was coming from the sky above and not the surface of the lake, Bella lifted her head to see Nemesis swoop down to land on a large swathe of grass beside the waterfall. So awesome was the dragon in flight that Bella could not move, nor even breathe, and in the time that she sat, spellbound, Nemesis had looked around, stepped into the lake and walked straight into the waterfall.

  That must be the entrance, thought Bella, smiling in triumph.

  Gathering her courage, Bella slipped through the carpet of flowers until she came to the edge of the lake. She lowered herself into the water. The water covered her body, washing away the ash from the mountain and cleaning her soft skin, making her glow. Already she was feeling better.

  She swam across the lake and under the waterfall, and pulled herself up onto a ledge and looking around her. She was in the entrance of a cave. The odour of what she assumed to be dragon—a mixture of ash, sulphur, and something that smelled like snake—clung strongly to the cave, and parts of the walls showed scorch marks, she presumed from the dragon’s hot breath.

  The light was dim, but even in the half-light, and with the dragon’s back to her, she could see that Nemesis was magnificent. As her eyes adjusted, she saw that one of his forearms was raised as if to strike. Her eyes leaving his massive beauty reluctantly, she looked beyond him to see that Arthur was standing directly in the path of the blow, his sword raised before him.

  “NOOOO!” screamed Bella at the top of her voice. Both the prince and Nemesis turned to stare at her.

  “Don’t kill my Arthur, Nemesis, I beg you, for if you do, my dreams die with him.”

  The mighty dragon slowly lowered his arm, and turned with unexpected grace to face her. Arthur took advantage of the dragon’s distraction to rush to Bella and place his powerful body between her and the dragon.

  “You’ve found me, my brave Bella,” he breathed out, “but you must go; you are in great danger here.”

  Nemesis roared his anger at the sight of the two of them together.

  “Arthur, you must trust this to me. Stay here, I beg of you.” Bella pleaded.

  Arthur half-turned to look at her. He seemed ready to argue, but stopped at the look of determination on her face, and reluctantly nodded his head.

  Bella walked around Arthur and toward Nemesis. She bowed her head before him, the traditional sign that she sought an audience. She felt his hot heavy dragon’s breath move over her, once, twice, three times, and still she waited, unmoving.

  Finally, Nemesis demanded in a deep, rumbling voice, “Why do you seek audience with me, Bella, Fairy of Pure Heart?”

  Bella raised her head and stood up before him “Nemesis, Dragon of the Valley Mystic, Ruler of the Magical Realms, I have come to beg a wish from you.

  “And why should I do this, Fairy?” he challenged.

  “I have completed the Great Dragon’s Hunt, O Mighty Nemesis, and I bring you the five tokens. Yarg, King of the Trolls told me that for these you would grant me one wish. That wish is for you to set my prince free.”

  Silence filled the cave for a great length of time, until finally Nemesis said, “Show me your tokens, Fairy.”

  Bella took the silken charm bag from around her neck, and laid it on the ground. Opening it, she pulled the tokens out one by one, naming them as she laid them at the dragon’s mighty feet.

  Nemesis stared at each gift in turn. “Tell me how you retrieved these tokens.”

  Bella began:

  “Laughter’s gift, shared freely with me by the pixies;

  A rescued kiss, a gift given as thanks for saving a witch’s life;

  Life’s wind, a blessing from the elfins for help freely given;

  Fire’s Heart, snatched from deep within the Cave of Forgetfulness;

  A Rainbows sliver.”

  The dragon’s bright yellow eyes glowed brighter and keener with each word that Bella spoke. When she had accounted for each gift, she lowered her head again, awaiting his response.

  It came. “Why do you care so much about what happens to a mortal? Why would you have me spare his puny life?” Nemesis challenged her.

  Bella sighed deeply, raising soft lavender eyes lifted to meet his fierce yellow ones.

  “Nemesis, I knew that mortals were forbidden to immortals. Arthur did not. It was I who chose to defy that law, not the prince. You are a fair and just ruler, and I am trusting that you would not punish him for my disobedience. I beg you, free him, and return him to his mortal realm. You alone have the power to do this.”

  By the time Bella had finished talking, her face was white and she felt faint waiting for his response. For a long while it did not come, silence stretching for what seemed an eternity. And then, “Yarg did not tell you the whole, Bella,” Nemesis boomed at her after a time. “There is one thing that I require of any who come seeking my favour: a gift that is theirs and theirs alone to give.”

  Turning to look at Arthur for the first time since Bella had arrived, Nemesis asked, “Do you have anything such that you can give, mortal?”

  Arthur walked forward to stand beside Bella. He held his sword across his two hands and lifted it up to Nemesis.

  “I have this sword, which is mine and mine alone. With my own hands I cut the metal, moulded it from fire. I fashioned it, hilt and blade. It has never touched another’s hand but mine.”

  Arthur lowered the sword and placed it beside the other gifts.

  Nemesis turned his searing gaze to Bella.

  “And what of your gift, Fairy? What do you offer that is yours and yours alone to give?”

  Bella lowered her head to hide the single tear that had slipped past her lashes.

  She whispered, “All I have that is mine and mine alone is my immortality. I give it freely to you for you to grant my one wish: that you would return my prince safely to his realm.”

  Nemesis hissed, lifting and smashing his tail down onto the floor of the cave with displeasure at the gift she had named.

  Bella glanced quickly at Arthur. Tears ran freely down his face as he turned to face Nemesis. “No,” he said brokenly, “Bella must not pay such a price for my freedom. I shall stay here and serve you.”

  As if the prince had not spoken, Nemesis thundered, “I accept your gifts.”

  “NOOOO,” screamed Arthur, standing up suddenly, reaching for his sword. But before he could do anything more than blink, Nemesis had unfurled his massive wings and was chanting something in a strange tongue.

  A blinding light flashed through the cave, and the air swirled in a vortex, trapping him, making him powerless to move. He screamed in frustration, and then suddenly he was gone.

  Bella’s was shaking with fright as she stumbled to her feet. “What happened?” she panted.

  Nemesis moved closer to her, “Do not worry about the mortal. He is safe. I have sent him back,” he said as his massive body reached her.

  Bella sank to the ground, laid her head ag
ainst one of his powerful feet and sobbed. Feeling the storm of grief that raged inside her, Nemesis realised that Bella had not only given up her immortality for this prince, she had given her heart to him as well.

  “Bella, you have shown great courage and loyalty throughout your quest. You have proven that you truly are the Fairy of Pure Heart.”

  Bella raised tear-drenched eyes to look at him, and Nemesis continued.

  “Now that you have given up your immortality, you cannot remain in the magic realms. It is forbidden, as you know.”

  Again Nemesis paused. He looked deep into her eyes. “And so I have decided that I shall send you to your prince.”

  Bella again began to sob, exhaustion and relief taking their toll.

  “Be safe Fairy,” he whispered.

  Then Bella felt herself moving, as if she was travelling in a rainbow, but without the swirling colours. She stopped moving and opened her eyes. Looking down at herself, she realised that she was in human form, and that she was standing beside Arthur.

  He sat on the sawn-off tree stump where they had so often talked, his head cradled in his hands. Careful not to startle him, she placed her hand upon his shoulder. He didn’t move. Bella jostled his shoulder harder until finally he looked up. He stared at her for a long moment.

  “How is this possible?” he asked.

  Bella giggled. “Now where have I heard that before?”

  13

  Circle’s End

  Some months later, on a particularly hot day, Bella was tending tulips. Their light sweet fragrances permeated the air, and their colours paraded proudly before her. Suddenly she had the feeling that someone was watching her. She slowly turned around, but no one was in sight. A dramatic “Pssst” came from behind a nearby tree, and a smile sprang to her lips as she spotted Nirb.