Elizabeth smirked back and helped Farah up, draping her arm over her shoulders. “It's probably a bit of a walk anyway. I've been running for a while.” she admitted before she started walking back towards her home. Thank goodness I ran in a straight line.
Farah shook her head. “I swear I’ll be alright in another minute. My magic just needs to replenish.” Her eyes changed colors again before pointing to an open grove. “Let’s go there. I can feel a strong conduit to channel and replenish my magic faster."
Elizabeth raised her brow again but shrugged and followed Farah’s direction. “Alright.” she nodded. “So… Tinkerbell is actually real?” she asked, smirking a little as they walked.
Farah gave Elizabeth a side-eye look as they walked. “Why? Do you want to meet her?” she teased. As they neared the conduit, Farah was able to walk easier and lean less on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth gave a non-committal hum and shrugged again. “I don't know. Meeting one fairy today is probably enough. But I guess I am kinda curious.” she admitted. “I'm pretty sure every kid has grown up hearing about her, so she's kinda a fictional celebrity. Though if she's anything like you, she might be disappointed with how her name’s been used.” she chuckled.
Farah laughed dryly. “Well, she’s anything but fictional, let me tell you.” Then her expression twisted with confusion. “Wait. What do you mean by that?” she demanded, looking over at Elizabeth expectantly.
Elizabeth shrugged. “Nothing really. It's just some of the stories have her as a bit of a possessive short-tempered woman. Especially in that Peter Pan stories.” she explained. “And her figure might be a little exaggerated… Other versions have her as very smart and inventive so it kind of balances out. What’s she really like?”
“Well…” Farah hesitated for a moment before replying. “She is all of those things, to some degree. She has been one of many fairies to forge powerful relics and rediscover long-lost magic that has shaped our world.”
Finally, Farah reached the clearing and stepped into it, sighing with relief. She felt magic wash over her. This place was pure – a clear conduit to the magic of the land for Farah to replenish her magic after draining so much of it. She visibly looked better, her complexion glowing when she turned back to Elizabeth. “Much better. Now, where were we?”
“Huh.” Elizabeth hummed, a little surprised but deciding to drop the topic for now.
The former Marine couldn't help but stare as she saw Farah practically transform once they reached the clearing. “Right. Magic.” she said, shaking her head at the question. “I have a lot of questions.” she admitted. “First of all, how are you a fairy? And how long have you been able to use magic… How long has magic actually existed?”
Farah noted Elizabeth’s stare. She expected nothing less. It was most humans’ reactions to seeing magic for the first time. But at Elizabeth’s questions, she couldn’t help herself – she laughed.
“How am I a fairy?” she asked, a bit incredulously. “My parents were fairies, so I suppose that’s how. I’ve been able to use magic since I could walk, as most fairies are. And magic has existed since the creation of the world."
“But… How? How could magic exist for so long and so many people not acknowledge it?” Elizabeth asked, shaking her head. “I know people have argued over whether the sun revolves around the earth, or the earth circling the sun and whether or not the earth is flat or round but… Magic? Not to mention the existence of an entire spec… Uh, group of people.” she said, catching herself before she accidentally offends Farah. “And you mentioned something about different types of fairies?”
Farah pursed her lips slightly. “Magic has not always been… accepted by humans. So, fairies have had to hide more often than not. There were times in our history when nearly our entire population was – how can I say it kindly? – wiped out because of exposure to our way of life.”
She noted the correction and smiled knowingly. “Yes, there are different types. Each fairy is born with a type, but it’s possible to learn other types through practice and study. Our abilities are based on natural abilities. I’m a mind fairy, by birth, but I’ve dappled in other kinds of magic…”
She left her statement open, almost like an invitation. Her eyes almost seemed to sparkle in the light.
Elizabeth winced at the reminder and briefly wondered how many fairies were involved in those old “witch trials”… “Right. Sorry.” she nodded.
She smirked a little at the obvious bait and shrugged. “As long as you as stay out of my mind… What other kinds of magic have you learned?”
Farah waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t be,” she said. “It isn’t your job to apologize on behalf of your entire race’s misjudgments.”
The fairy’s expression turned solemn for a moment as she nodded. “Of course. I don’t breach people’s minds unless they are willing to it or it’s necessary. With that being said…”
Her smirk returned, and she lifted her palms up. Her eyes changed colors again, and she created a bubble of water above her palm and a small plume of fire above the other. She dispelled both – the water bubble popping and the fire extinguishing itself. She then continued to show off her abilities by bending the light and causing a wind to sweep through the grove. Finally, bundles of daisies sprouted around Farah and Elizabeth’s ankles. She lowered her hands and her eyes changed back to their normal color. The light returned to normal, and the wind died back down.
“Mind, water, fire, light, air, and earth,” Farah said as if it were the most simple thing in the world.
“Still, I should have remembered that bit of history.” Elizabeth pointed out.
She let out a sigh and nodded gratefully at the assurance. “Thank you. I just… I have my own problems to work out.” she admitted.
Her eyes widened as Farah displayed the different types of magic that she was able to use, even jumping a little at the show of fire and the flash of light. “Whoa!”
“Wow! Alright, Avatar,” she smirked a little, teasing. “Is that all the types of magic? Or just the ones you can use?” she wondered, raising a brow.
“That’s understandable,” Farah replied, addressing two of Elizabeth’s remarks at once.
The fairy couldn’t help but laugh at the new nickname she’d earned through her demonstration. “Yes, both,” she purred. “Those are all six kinds of magic, and I can use all of them, to some degree. I’m stronger with some more than others, which is the case for anything really. But yes, I can use them all.”
“Wow… How long did it take you to be able to use all of them?” Elizabeth asked, wondering if there was a school for this kind of thing or if fairies were just long-lived and Farah had that much time to practice.
Farah pursed her lips, genuinely in thought. “Since I was… sixteen? Yes, that’s when I started at Alfea. Seven years. So not long at all, really.”
She discreetly curled her fingers into fists at her side. Not long at all considering I had a zealot teacher pushing her lessons down my throat so that I would be ready when I graduated, she thought to herself.
“Al-fea-a?” she questioned, testing the strange name. Though she was almost sure she mispronounced it. “So… You have a school where you learn magic. That makes sense.” Elizabeth nodded. “And it takes seven years to graduate? Or is that just how long it's been since you were there?”
Farah kept from laughing and only smiled instead. The attempt was kind of adorable. “Alfea,” she repeated. “Yes, it’s a school. It takes four years to graduate, but I was selected to be the protégé of the headmistress, so I stayed for several extra years.”
“Ah! So, you're very talented then.” Elizabeth hummed. “Does that make you a fairy godmother or more like the Blue fairy?” she asks, unable to resist making another Disney joke.
Farah couldn’t help but blush slightly. “I wouldn’t say ‘very,’” she corrected, “but yes, I supposed you could say that.”
Her eyes widened and flashed with amusement. “Neither, thank you very much! Stop comparing me to your First World impressions of fairy life.” Her expression gave away that she was only joking and wasn’t really upset.
Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at Farah’s reaction to her tease. “Can't help it. When you grow up on that stuff, it stays with you.” she explained, still chuckling. “First World? Is that what you call this place?”
“Ah, yes,” Farah said, backtracking to explain. “This is the First World. Most fairies live in the Otherworld, accessible by gateways and gateway rings. It’s where Alfea is.”
She held up her right hand. On her thumb, a silver ring was noticeable. It had little markings on it and a diamond that caught the light and glowed wonderously. It even had a few plumes of light radiating from it, emphasizing its magical abilities.
(If you don’t already know… look up what a thumb ring means ;))
(https://somethingborrowedpdx.com/thumb-ring-meaning/ 1, 8, 9, and 12 apply to Farah, especially 9 🙃)