CHAPTER II
I hadn't gone far into the forest when disaster number one struck.
Out of absolutely nowhere — and without a single warning — my horse vanished. I kid you not. One second it was there, majestic and loyal… and the next, it used its magical powers and poof — disappeared into thin air like a diva who didn't sign up for drama.
I barely managed to stay upright thanks to my sharp fairy wings, which fluttered in panic and stopped me from eating dirt. I stumbled, arms flailing, heart pounding. What in the fairy heavens was happening?
Well, when a magical horse abandons you mid-journey, it only means one thing…
Danger. Big, magical, possibly cursed danger.
I froze. My breath hitched. Slowly — very, very slowly — I turned to look behind me, expecting something terrifying, like a wild shadow beast or worse… an angry fairy queen with frizzy hair.
But to my utter confusion?
There was no one there.
Just trees. Wind. Silence.
So spooky that even my goosebumps had goosebumps.
Still, my instincts were screaming louder than my thoughts. I spun around, letting my eyes scan the forest. Trees. Leaves. A few glowy mushrooms. And then…
A black parrot.
Perched calmly on a branch, staring directly at me like I owed it rent.
Uh-oh.
"Where there's a black parrot," I muttered to myself, "there's bound to be a black fairy… or worse, a mischievous black pixie."
And I couldn't even use my powers!
"Aaaaahhh!" I groaned aloud, clutching my head.
Panic. Instant. Overwhelming.
Time to run.
I bolted like my life depended on it — and honestly, it might have. Branches whipped at my face, my gown snagged on every twig in existence, and I was sprinting like I had never sprinted before…
Until — of course — disaster number two struck.
My foot caught on something — probably a root, or a tiny forest gremlin, who knows — and down I went, crashing into the ground with all the grace of a fairy pancake.
Flat. Muddy. Fabulous.
And then I saw him.
A monkey.
Wearing black clothes.
Looking like he had just stepped out of a ninja training academy.
He grinned at me. Like actually grinned. And then — as if this day couldn't get any weirder — he jumped onto my lap like we were long-lost besties.
"Seriously?" I muttered, too stunned to move.
And just when I thought it was over, that creepy black parrot from earlier? Yeah. It decided to land on my head.
My head.
I sat there — covered in leaves, a monkey in my lap, a bird on my scalp — and looked up at the sky with the most dramatic sigh I could manage.
"Where have I ended up?" I mumbled to myself. "I should've stayed home. At least there I only had to deal with suitors and makeup… not parrot-hat monkey attacks in the middle of an enchanted forest!"
And that, dear destiny, is how I began my "graceful" journey through danger.
With a flying horse, a vanishing act, and a monkey who thinks I'm a couch.
Just as I was mentally preparing myself for the absurdity of my current situation — a monkey in my lap and a parrot on my head — the parrot suddenly flapped its wings and leaned down, speaking in a voice that was far too smug for a bird.
"Where do you need to go, princess? Come, I'll take you."
Excuse me?
I blinked up at him in disbelief. "First," I said, glaring, "get off my head."
He let out a squawk that I think was meant to sound like a chuckle and finally flew off, perching on a nearby branch — though his beady eyes never left me.
Before I could stand up properly, the little monkey — the same one in full black attire who had made himself perfectly at home on my lap — reached out and began tugging at my hand, trying to help me up.
And that's when it happened.
I burst into laughter.
It wasn't graceful or ladylike. No. It was the kind of laugh that bubbles out when life has become so ridiculous you stop trying to understand it.
"You?" I giggled, looking at the tiny creature. "You're trying to lift the princess of White Fairyland? You're not even half my size!"
The monkey narrowed his eyes, clearly not amused.
Apparently, my laughter offended him.
Because the next thing I knew, he made a sharp little sound — like a whistle — and suddenly, a magical flying carpet appeared out of thin air. It unraveled with a dramatic flair, hovered over the ground for a heartbeat, and then — with absolutely no warning — wrapped itself around me like a burrito!
"HEY!" I shrieked, arms pinned to my sides. "What is happening?!"
And before I could wriggle free, the monkey jumped up and settled comfortably on my legs like this was all part of some regular daily routine, and the parrot — of course — swooped down and perched proudly on my shoulder like he owned me now.
I was officially kidnapped.
By a monkey and a parrot.
On a carpet.
It was, without a doubt, the most undignified moment of my royal life.
Wrapped up in the magical rug and now hovering above the forest floor, I felt myself rising higher and higher, the trees shrinking beneath us. The air grew colder, and the sky darker with each passing second.
I couldn't use my powers. That was the rule.
And worse, I had no idea where they were taking me.
A terrifying thought struck me.
What if they were taking me to Black Fairyland?
Panic crept in like a chill under the rug. I'd heard stories — some whispered, some screamed — of what Black Fairyland was like. What if they were agents of the Black Fairies? What if this was all a trap?
I tried to keep calm, tried to think like a queen would… but deep inside, all I could think was:
"Great. First my horse vanishes, then a monkey climbs onto me, and now I'm being carpet-napped by two lunatics. Why didn't I just stay home?!"
Somewhere far below, the forest wind whispered with laughter.
Because destiny, it seems… had only just begun to toy with me.
The magical carpet — or "Crept" as I would soon come to know it — glided smoothly above the forest, taking me further away from the wild trees and shadows into a place that seemed dipped in dreams.
We soared past glittering lakes and clouds made of rose-tinted mist, and before long, I saw it.
Pink Fairyland.
Or more formally — Blushing Beauty Land.
It was even more beautiful than the stories. The skies above were painted in soft shades of pink and lavender. The trees shimmered with blossoms of blush and coral. The very air sparkled like morning dew on roses. It was enchanting.
As we landed gently on a velvety path, Crept finally unwrapped me. I stumbled to my feet, slightly dizzy but amazed.
Before I could gather myself, a fairy dressed in the loveliest shade of petal pink appeared before me, floating just a few inches above the ground with wings that glowed like cherry blossoms.
"Are you Celeste?" she asked politely, a warm smile on her lips.
"Yes," I replied, puzzled. "But how do you know me?"
"My name is Olivia," she said, placing her hand over her heart. "I am the princess of Blushing Beauty Land. I saw you once during a royal ceremony. You stood out."
There was a moment of shared grace between us before she added, "Are you also heading to see the Mother Fairy?"
"Yes," I replied. "Are you going too, Olivia?"
She nodded. "Yes."
But then her eyes shifted toward my strange companions — the monkey in black, the black parrot, and the still-hovering Crept.
"Celeste," she asked curiously, "why are there black fairy companions with you? A parrot, a monkey… and that flying rug? These things are usually seen in the company of black fairies or pixies."
I sighed and rubbed my forehead, exhausted. "It's a very long story. Let's just say… I kind of met them by mistake, and now I'm stuck with them. They won't leave me, no matter how much I try."
Olivia giggled at my helplessness, then bent down gently to the little black monkey and offered him some candies. "And what's your name, little one?"
Before the monkey could even gesture, the parrot proudly puffed up his chest and spoke, "His name is Chiko, and I am Flash."
"Ohhh," Olivia said sweetly. "And whose pets are you, exactly?"
At her question, Crept — yes, the magical carpet — suddenly started dancing with joy. Spinning and twirling in the air like a ribbon in the wind, it seemed almost excited by her curiosity.
And then, to all of our surprise, it swooped down and drew the letter 'C' in the dirt with one of its corners.
"'C' for Celeste?" Olivia asked with a cheerful smile.
But before I could say anything, Flash the parrot interrupted, "**'C' for Celeste? No, no! 'C' is for Caelum. He is my friend. But he suddenly disappeared on the road, and we got stuck in that scary forest, waiting for him. That's where we found this white fairy," he said, nodding toward me.
He added, "We've always heard that white fairies are kind and noble, and when we saw her, we also realized we were near White Fairyland — or Frosthevan, as you call it. Which means… maybe Caelum is nearby, maybe even in Blushing Beauty Land."
Flash looked at both of us, eyes wide and hopeful.
"Will you help us find Cael?"
Before I could respond, I blurted, "Absolutely not!"
But Olivia, to my dismay, quickly said, "Of course, we will! Why not?"
I turned to her, surprised and annoyed. "Olivia, you don't understand. Black fairies are dangerous."
She shook her head calmly and said, "But Caelum is a pixie, not a fairy."
I scoffed. "Oh, well in that case — great!"
Then after a moment of thought, I added skeptically, "Wait… but aren't all black fairyland folk trouble, whether fairy or pixie?"
Olivia looked at me gently and said, "That may be what you believe… but in our land, we don't think that way."
Then her expression softened further as she added, "Did you know? Long ago, a very kind pixie came here from Black Fairyland. His name was Finnian. He was good — truly good — in heart and nature. But…"
She paused, suddenly guarded.
I leaned in. "But what? What was the problem?"
Olivia hesitated, eyes darting around. Then in a whisper, she said, "We're forbidden to speak about it. If it wasn't, I'd tell you everything."
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Finnian. That name. Why did it sound… familiar?
But before I could ask more, Crept nudged my foot softly, as if reminding me that answers would come only if I chose to step further into the unknown.
And somehow, I already knew…
This journey was about to reveal far more than I was ready for.
I didn't want to go.
Not truly.
Not for Cael.
And certainly not with those three — the ever-smiling pink fairy, the talking parrot, and the overfriendly monkey who acted like he owned me.
But sometimes, destiny doesn't ask for your permission. It simply takes your hand and pulls you forward.
So, despite every voice in my head warning me otherwise, I found myself sitting once again on Crept — the magical carpet who clearly had a mind of its own. Beside me sat Olivia, cheerful and excited, as though we were off to a picnic instead of chasing a possibly-dangerous black pixie through unfamiliar lands.
I let out a deep sigh as we rose into the air, the soft pink clouds of Blushing Beauty Land parting beneath us.
And then there were them — my uninvited companions.
The monkey — Chiko, with his black clothes and cheeky grin — had already climbed up into my lap again, making himself comfortable like I was his favorite pillow. The parrot — Flash — flew circles around me, giving occasional updates like some overly enthusiastic tour guide.
I couldn't help but mutter under my breath, "It honestly feels like I'm their owner now, not Cael. Wherever he is… I think he's been replaced."
They followed me so loyally, so confidently, that even Olivia laughed and said, "Celeste, are you sure you're not their real mistress?"
"I'm not sure of anything anymore," I mumbled, resting my head in my hands.
The journey stretched on. Beneath us, forests gave way to hills, and the bright pink skies slowly began to dim into twilight. The wind whispered through my hair, and as much as I hated to admit it… something about this strange mission was starting to stir something in me.
A quiet curiosity.
A hidden ache I couldn't explain.
Who was this Cael, really?
Why did his name make my heart feel strange — almost as if it echoed through a memory I couldn't reach?
I closed my eyes for a moment and let the wind carry my thoughts.
Whatever was waiting for us ahead, I had a feeling… it was bigger than any of us realized.
And maybe — just maybe — I wasn't meant to avoid it.
Maybe I was meant to face it.
To be continue.....