Visions of Green: 1 slave girl

Let me tell you a story. A story about a world right under your nose, a world you never knew existed; the world of the fae.1

This is not some tale about benevolent fairies, and cute little brownies, and mischeviously charming leprichauns. This story is about hatred, and prejudice. It is a story about perserverance.2

Of the fae races, the hierarchy is simple. The fairies are at the top, what they say goes, the other races listen to even the foolish of the fairy race, out of respect and fear of their powers. Beneath them are the brownies, pixies, and leprichauns, each being masters of craft in their own right. After them come the Merfolk, Kitchi, and the fabled Vicci, all respected for their ability to cope with the deep sea, the harsh mountains, and the dreaded city, respectively. After them come the Pikkies, hive minded turnips with legs, they guard the forests against destruction, leaving them with little to do most of the time. 3

Lastly come the Thumblas. The same race as Thumbelina. They were sentenced to a servant caste long ago when the lords of the fairies accused them of stealing magic. While fairies can use any of the natural elements, no one fairy can use all of them. The Thumblas can freely use all magic, and thus out of fear and jealousy, they were dealt with.4

One king tried to mend the rift by marrying Thumbelina, but his first wife, a Vicci queen, kept the divide in place. She sought after Thumbelina's power, and sought to bestow that power on her own kind.5

Her blood mixed with the fairy royalty, tainting it with her greed, and giving it an avarice that had boiled for centuries by the time Rose (our heroine) was born.6

Our story takes place in a time I do not know, as they are outside of our perception as we are outside of theirs. Rose, a descendant of Thumbelina herself, is servant to the royal family. She is the right of the king, to deliver news or the blade. She lives with her orphaned brother and sister, in a small home carved into the royal tree.7

She awoke one morning to a hard knock on her door. Gently she climbed out of her bed, being sure not to wake her little siblings on either side. She stepped softly across a cusion of air to the door, and swung open the top half.8

"And how can I help you, sir?" she asked with exagerated sweetness.9

"Check it," replied the king's other right hand, Griffin. "The king has an assignment for you. He wants you to investigate some strange goings on."10

"What sort of 'strange goings on' are we talking about?" she asked, mocking the king's pompus tone.11

"Animals attacking fae. Not just a hungry fox nipping at a pixie, but whole hordes of everything from mice to bears attacking cities, digging through feet of dirt and wood to reach them."12

"So I should go see the king right away then?"13

"No Rose, he won't be requiring your presence, go talk to the kings of the other races, see what they know."14

"Alright. I'm a little hut, but, I guess I'll be off if you don't have anything else for me."15

"There is one more thing Rose," Griffin said, trailing off a bit, "The Pikkies are also going a little crazy. And the Thorn bandits are attacking anyone they see."16

"Alright," she said, trying to be enthusiastic, "So everything under the sun will be attacking me, and the king won't see me. Probably trying to get me killed, I mean, what better way than to have no witnesses to my requests for extra fighting goodies. I can die without getting blood on his hands."17

"Rose! Stay your tongue, do you know what would happen to you or to..." he glanced at the two little Thumblas on the bed behind her, "Don't talk like that around me, if you want to get your own family hurt, that's on you, but don't get me in trouble too."18

"Oh I'm sorry Griff. You know. I would make it up to you. But, I don't think his majesty would approve. Maybe if I were a Vicci harlot he would."19

Griff blushed, revealing the white griffin tatoo on his cheek. "Whatever, good luck Rose." He turned, and fell off of the tree, powering through a tight loop with his strong wings.20

Rose pulled on her robe of infinity, and grabbed a good walking staff. She kissed her siblings softly and said, "Sleep well my darlings." She too turned and dropped off of the branch.21

She glided down to the forest floor, and landed with a soft crunch in a dry leaf. 22

As she walked, she drew energy into her aura, causing a little breeze to swirl around her. She noticed little sprouts in the ground all about her.23

Rose slowed down.