CH.1: Legends of the Valley

There weren't always dragons in the valley. They'd only appeared there the year I turned five, but the fairy folk had been living in the groves for as long as time itself.

Long ago, humans and fairies used to live harmoniously, solving the world's problems together-but somewhere along the way, that had changed. And since the dragons appeared, it had only gotten worse.

Thirteen years ago today, the Fairy War had begun. The fairies of the grove were said to be filled with light and goodness, but their enemies from the mountain regions' caves had come to take over their lands. They were sick of the harsh conditions of humid darkness they lived in, and wanted to enjoy the fruits and flowers of the valley-but they did not come peacefully.

They came by the dark of night, camouflaged in their ashen clothing, fearsomely beautiful. The dark creatures had glowing white skin with flowing silver hair, and purple eyes that could pierce your soul. Some of the older dark fairies were also said to have sharp features, growing shards of crystals from various facets of their skin. They'd lived so long in the caves, they were becoming one with the stalagmites. When they arrived in the grove, they immediately wreaked havoc on the light fairies.

They tore through the meadows, pulling light fairies from their beds and ransacking their houses. They even attacked parts of our village. The city gates were struck first, leaving a giant hole in the brick wall. Several dark fairies chased our men through the streets, and even kidnapped a few of the women and children as they flew by.

The humans were not part of the Fairy War, but they were collateral damage. Several humans died that day, but it was nothing next to the fairy death count. Our town elders were too afraid to venture into the forest, but they suspected that close to half the light fairies were dead. The forest didn't glow through the leaves half as bright as it used to.

Most wars can last anywhere from weeks to years, but the fairies were swift. The light fairies had been surprised awake and into battle, causing them to lose many comrades, but as the sun rose, they seemed to grow power from it. By late afternoon, they'd taken down the majority of the dark fairies. Several had fled back to their caves when the sun had risen, and their numbers dwindled quickly.

To all of the villagers who were brave enough to watch, they were in awe of how the light fairies had come together. They grabbed hands and circled the last of the ancient cave fairies-who seemed to be brewing something out of nothing. He was stirring the wind around him in a purple cloud. The light fairies worked in synchronized motions to keep his powers at bay, but the dark fairy wanted nothing more than to rule all fairydom.

He curled into a ball, then unfurled so quickly, you could see the magic fling off of him as it went flying out to each light fairy. At the time, they seemed unaffected by his spell, but it did use up the last of his energy. It was the light fairies’ best chance, so they spun in a unified circle around him, their rays of power wrapping around his figure. The cave fairy started shrinking into his skin as if the life force was being sucked out of him, until he no longer existed. The light fairies were victorious, and floated down to their grove, where they nursed the wounded and buried the dead.

So the Fairy War was more of a battle than a war, as it only raged for less than twenty four hours. However, the villagers were not convinced the war had ended, and wondered if another fairy attack would come in the black of night when the light fairies were at their weakest. So the villagers were not surprised to hear the agonizing screams and whimpers coming from the forest at nightfall.

A few courageous humans grabbed their pitchforks and hatchets, ready for any dark fairies that might attack the village. But suddenly, dragons were emerging from the trees-a creature far more terrifying than cave fairies. The villagers waited with baited breath for the light fairies to come to the rescue, but they did not come out to fight the dragons. At first, they thought the fairies were too afraid, until they made sense of what had happened.

The last cave fairy's spell had worked. He had cursed the light fairies with his darkness for all of eternity. That when the night fell, their beautiful existence would transform into a horrifying monster.

Although the dragons had never attacked humans, our village was wary of fairy magic before, so knowing that they were shapeshifting into the enemy after dark, ruined any hope of befriending their species. We were warned to beware the valley and the creatures that lurk in the forest. After the Fairy War, the line drawn between the forest and the village grew ever deeper.

I'd spent my whole life imagining the creatures of the grove. They were so nearby, but still unreachable. The town elders refused to open the gates on the roads leading into the valley. The only way to get there was to sneak through a large hole that had been blown through the brick during the Fairy War. Since that day on my fifth birthday, I'd never been outside the village walls. Until today.

A blackberry bush had been placed in front of the hole, but no brick mason was brave enough to work there with so much exposure to the fairy world. There was a secret tradition amongst my peers that the town elders knew nothing about: every child who turned eighteen was dared to crawl through the hole, sprint to the groves, and touch a dragon at nightfall.

The mission was silly and often fruitless, as most people didn't even make it all the way to the tree line. So far this year, every girl in my class had sprinted back to safety as soon as they heard the smallest noise. The village boys liked to wait until the challenger was in the middle of the meadow, and then they would loudly rustle the leaves of the blackberry bush to send them flailing back inside the village walls.

I was fearful for my own trip into the grove, but the magic within it felt like it was calling my name. I'd been standing on the sidelines for years watching everyone else come of age with this ritual, and it was finally my turn to test my courage.

When I reached the blackberry bush, a few of my classmates were already there waiting.

"What took you so long?" Gregory called over to me.

"Dinner with my parents. It is my birthday after all..." I rolled my eyes at him.

"So did you get anything good?" Leopold asked.

I shrugged, "Just the usual stuff, I guess. Mom bought me a new dress and dad made one of his cakes."

"Well, that sounds nice!" Margot spoke up, "Happy birthday, Faye!"

"Thank you." I gave her a quick hug. She’d been my best friend for as long as I could remember.

"So are you doing this or what? It's going to get dark soon." Gregory checked his watch impatiently, peeking up at the darkening clouds.

Margot looked nervous as she glanced up as well, shivering slightly as the breeze grabbed at her hair and made the blackberry bush tremble. She was easily frightened, and only made it a few feet into the field before coming back to the bush during her turn a few weeks ago. I knew the only reason she showed up to another one of our rituals was to support me. Otherwise, she had vowed to avoid the blackberry bush forever after.

"Hurry it up, Faye." Greg complained, "Joanie and Alfie already had to leave to make it home before curfew, and if you're not quick about it, we'll have to head out too."

There had been a curfew in place ever since the night of the Fairy War. It ensured that all doors in town were locked right before sundown when the dragons transformed. It wasn’t much of a defense, but keeping everyone safely indoors was the only tool for protection that we had against the powerful creatures.

"How far will you go?" Margot asked, sounding a lot more nervous than interested.

I looked out to the forest line where the sun was beginning to slowly set, casting the tree limbs’ shadows closer to us, beckoning me closer to them. "I'd like to at least touch a tree. It would be cool to tell everyone at school that couldn't come!"

"Yeah right..." Greg rolled his eyes.

"No way you get that far.” Leopold spoke up, “Ezra Fielding didn't even touch trunk."

"My bet's she gets a little over halfway and runs back..." Greg folded his arms smugly.

"Yeah, I'll take that bet too.”

The two boys shook on it, but my competitive side kicked in and I wanted to prove them wrong.

"Be careful." Margot said with big eyes as she squeezed my hand.

"Okay." I took a deep breath and lined up in front of the gate's hole. "Now or never." I whispered under my breath, then took the first step.

As my body moved through the hole from my village and into the pasture, I instantly felt the breeze on my body. It blew in a different way there, unobscured by the town’s fence. It was thrilling as the wind picked up my hair and made it dance around me. The feeling of freedom.

I gave my friends a smile and wave, then took several more steps towards the valley. I walked slowly, cautiously, as I approached the forest. The sunset kept shifting downward, causing the tree shadows to grow ever closer to me, egging me on. The closer the shadow was to me, the closer I was to the tree line. And I had to win the bet.

As I entered the shaded area, I felt a shiver up my spine knowing that not only darkness, but the transformation period was upon us. I knew I needed to be back before nightfall, so the darkness of the shade gave me eerie feelings of wrongdoing-but I knew I was close. Too close to turn back, regardless of the rules in our village.

I heard leaves rattling, and looked over my shoulder to see Greg and Leo shaking the blackberry bush and laughing. It was meant to scare me, but it only reinforced my wanting to prove them wrong.

As I followed the shadow of the tree, my heart quickened as the base of the shadow turned into real bark and the sprawling roots rose up into a physical cylinder. I looked back at my friends again and gave a quick wave before placing my fingertips on the tree’s trunk. The rough surface was weirdly nostalgic, something my muscle memory may have recalled from before I turned five.

It was hard to hear them over the breeze rushing through the forest’s branches, but I could tell my friends were cheering for me in my accomplishment, and I couldn’t help but smile. I’d done it. I’d made it all the way to the forest!

I started to turn back, ready to celebrate with friends on the walk home, but something caught my eye. A small flutter of light bounced amongst the tops of the trees and disappeared into the thick of it. After a few seconds, when it didn’t reappear, I wondered if I had imagined it in all of my excitement.

I looked back at the village and could see Margot desperately beckoning me back through the hole in the gate. I chuckled at the fear on her face. She was more afraid than I was, and I was on the edge of the forest! I was clearly fine. The hard part was over. All that was left was me returning to the village. I took one step away from the tree line, but the glimmer of light caught my eye again. I spun around to get a better look, but it was gone again.

This time I knew what I’d seen. A light fairy. I stared into the trees, hoping to catch another glimpse.

“Faye!” I heard Margot calling me in a terrified voice.

I knew I should go, but–there it was again! I couldn’t take my eyes off of it this time, so I dove through the trees after it as it bobbed and weaved through the branches. I didn’t have time to process what I was doing, I just kept propelling forward after the little ball of light.

I'd been fascinated by tales of the fearsome magical creatures of the valley, and how they supposedly hated humans. They were said to kidnap young women and enslave them in the groves-Margot’s biggest fear. Men who entered their forest were often never heard from again, allegedly murdered by the beasts. But their hidden mysteries were alluring to me enough, so I had to say yes when I was challenged to enter their meadow.

It was a right of passage to see if you were too timid to enter into adulthood. Most people I knew had accepted the challenge, but only a couple had actually seen one of the fairies. Benedict claimed to have watched from a bush as two walked by, and one of the older boys got up the courage to mutter, "Hey" when he saw one in the clearing. Although, he was so panicked that he turned and sprinted free of the forest before the fairy could react. He insisted the fairy had transformed into a dragon and was chasing him through the trees, but we knew he was making it up since the sun hadn't yet set that night.

As I slipped through the trees, I heard the calls from my friends grow louder and more panicked, but they were quickly drowned out by the wind as I stepped further into the grove. I looked around for the ball of light again, and found it flying past, almost as if it were riding the breeze. I chased after it, not knowing what I planned on doing if I caught it, but the idea was enchanting regardless of the outcome.

The light flew upwards and through a thick section of leaves and out of sight. The tree was surrounded by berry bushes on either side, so I had to push some branches out of the way to make it through. However, I stopped midway when I saw a tall, bright figure in the middle of the small clearing on the other side of the bush.

I’d never seen anything like them. They had glowing golden hair and iridescent flowing clothes that floated gently around their body. I stared in awe of the man’s beauty. Or woman. It was hard to tell, but as I continued to survey the person before me, I realized they weren’t a person at all, but some kind of fairy.

I had assumed the ball of light I had been chasing was a fairy, but the tall, slender figure before me changed my mind. The fairy’s skin glowed with a radiant highlight across their cheekbone. Their hair was cropped short and the rest of their body lacked any hair. They seemed free of age and gender, but they were certainly not free of beauty. They sparkled in a way that enticed me to come closer, but that intoxication is what scared me the most about them. They were like a siren calling to me, so I almost couldn't help myself. I leaned in for a closer look, and immediately regretted my decision.

A twig snapped off the tree I was leaning against and the bush rustled as I fell against it. The fairy's head quickly turned in my direction. I froze in place, wondering if they could see me behind the shade of leaves. My curiosity almost made me want to jump out of the bush to meet them, but a chill ran down my spine as the sun finally set.

The clouds shifted and the moon shone a light across their face, and I realized I had lingered too long. The fairy was transforming.

I was mostly terrified, but also anxious to see it happen. I watched as their fingers lengthened into talons and their gossamer wings stiffened and dropped under the weight of a thousand scales. I imagined their heavy wings were a burden to drag through the forest, so I thought it odd that I hadn’t seen more dragons on the horizon in the past. However, as I stared at their scales, I realized that each one was transitioning through the colors of the forest, and that’s how they blended in with the sky. I wondered if I’d actually seen dozens of dragons throughout the years, just not realizing that they were camouflaged, making them difficult to spot against the shifting colors of sunset.

It was eerily beautiful, but I knew I was in a dangerous position.

I turned to leave, but again, something stopped me: the look on the fairy’s face. Their un-wrinkled skin was scrunched up in pain, but the fairy somehow made no noise. Their back was arched, and it looked as though their rib cage was expanding, threatening to tear through their skin.

I'd never thought much about the transformation. I knew it was something that happened, but in my head, it was instantaneous. I never would have known how long the creature spends in agony before it is finished. And to have to unwillingly transform every day... I couldn't imagine. I felt pity for the beautiful fairy. Part of me wanted to offer help, but I wouldn't even know how.

I watched in awe as the large dragon forming before me shook out its tail and seemed to shimmy into the added weight of its scales. It turned towards me, and even though I knew I was hidden, I felt like it was staring straight into my eyes. I was transfixed by the sorrow that was hidden in theirs, and my fear kept me paralized there.

After a few lingering moments, the dragon tried to spread its wings. However, there wasn’t enough room in the small clearing. It grabbed hold of a large oak tree and hoisted itself up-with an astonishing amount of grace for its size-as it climbed to the tree top. A few branches split and fell to the forest floor, but the higher it climbed, the more room it had to stretch out its wings. With a grumbling roar, the dragon took off and I watched in awe as it did so.

But it wasn't until I heard the echoing roars from other dragons that I suddenly realized: the entire grove full of fairies had transformed into monsters, and I was right at the center of it...