Parsifal and the Fairy

She had been following the young man for days. The people of the woods rarely left the safety of the trees, but this one… this one had the notion that he could wield a sword, fire an arrow from a bow. These items were foreign to the forest folk. It was almost foreign to her, but an injured wanderer had put the stories in the young man’s head.

Elvenia came from a group of benevolent forest fairies. They protected those who lived there as long as they respected the forest. Those that did not usually ended up lost, never to be seen again. Those that did lived long healthy lives. Sometimes, if one seemed a little lost in their way, a fairy would be assigned to the person to discreetly help them find their way again.

This is what happened to Elvenia. She had just been sitting on a branch watching over those who had tended to the injured wanderer. They were all acting a little off, but none more than the young man named Parsifal. Moonbeam had visited as she watched. He told her, she was assigned to Parsifal, that she was to help guide his path.

So there she was, watching Parsifal as he journeyed along the narrow dirt road. Elvenia had tried almost everything to get the young man to turn around, but to no avail. “Of course he has to be the most stubborn person I’ve ever dealt with,” she had grumbled. There was one more thing she could try, something that was all but forbidden. It was only used in last ditch efforts.

Using her magic she transformed her small ten inch frame into her favorite five foot two inch deceptively slender human form, with long red hair, green eyes that held a bluish tint, and a scattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. To most men, the form was irresistible. “Here it goes,” she whispered.

Elvenia walked up and tapped Parsifal on the shoulder with a slight giggle. After the initial shock that there was someone else on the road with him, Parsifal managed to stutter though a hello. “What’s a handsome man such as yourself doing on this road all by your lonesome?”

Parsifal gaped at her. His brain was shouting the answer I am off to be a knight, but his heart was in his throat. The creature before him was the most beautiful he’d ever seen. “Knight, I be want.” Elvenia couldn’t help but giggle at the words that came out. The boys were always so cute when they became tongue-tied.

“Do tell me all about it,” she replied as she used a finger to trace a little pattern on his cheek, which made Parsifal turn red. “He’s so cute.” The thought crossed her mind before she could stop it. “He’s just an assignment,” Elvenia told herself as she put her hand in his and start of down the dirt road back the way they had came.

“Oh, no… we need to go this way,” Parsifal said as turning his gaze to the dirt road had brought him out of his stupor. He gently pulled on the woman’s hand until they were headed back in the direction of the capitol city. Elvenia had opened her mouth to argue, but Parsifal started telling her all the stories of knights and glory he’d heard from the injured wanderer. He also told her about his dream to be one of these knights. To protect against the vile wrongdoers of the world.

“Do you know how to wield this thing you call a sword?” Elvenia asked. Parsifal stopped walking long enough to cock his head in consideration of her question, before shaking his head, no. “Isn’t that important?”

Parsifal shrugged. “I… I guess so… but…” He didn’t get any further as he watched the strange woman run off a little ways away, into some tall grass. She returned a few minutes later carrying some items he’d not seen before. There were parts that looked very sharp, and they gleamed in the sun. “What… what are those?”

“They are swords silly,” she replied as she tossed one to him. Parsifal tried to grab what the woman had called a sword, but instead the dull bit fell on his foot. He quickly covered his mouth so that the scream of pain he wanted to let out didn’t escape. Knights were supposed to be immune to pain. The woman giggled. “Well pick it up then.”

Parsifal did as he was told, picking up what had been called a sword by the dull bit as the other part looked a lot sharper than he initially thought. The woman then swung her sword at him. Not knowing what to do Parsifal crossed his arms in front of his face closing his eyes. A giggle had him opening his eyes and he watched her very lightly tap her sword against his.

“I thought you wanted to learn how to fight, silly,” her melodic voice rang out entrancing him, and it was followed by more giggles.

“Well, I did… i mean I do, but… who are you?”

“My name is Elvenia. I actually know a lot about sword fighting, my father taught me,” she lied. She actually knew nothing of sword fighting, but how hard was it to just swing the sword around. All she really had to do was scare Parsifal enough that it would rid him of the foolish knight notion.

“You must teach me everything,” Parsifal stated as he looked at Elvenia in awe.

“That’s not what i was expecting,” she thought as she gave him an uncomfortable smile. “Ok,” was all she said in response.

The next few weeks were spent sleeping in the tall grass, in the evening and swinging the swords at each other during the day. Sometimes when they would take a break, they’d sit on a rock overlooking a little stream they had found, and talk. The conversations started off innocently enough. Telling each other a little about themselves, laughing and giggling, until one day Elvenia found herself in a playful mood, making Parsifal chase her though the stream, giggling and splashing him with water.

Parsifal was laughing as he chased after Elvenia. He finally caught up with Elvenia, drawing her into his arms. They were both laughing and giggling. Parsifal wasn’t sure what came over him, but he held onto her and pressed his lips to hers. Elvenia was surprised but found herself kissing back. The one kiss led to another and before they knew it they had satisfied themselves in the tall grass along the banks of the stream. “Maybe being a knight was foolish,” Parsifal whispered as he lay there with Elvenia’s head on his chest. “Let’s stay here, just you and me.” Elvenia had agreed before they both had fallen asleep.

Before dawn broke an unnatural sound woke them both. It took a couple minutes before they eyes adjusted enough to see a very small person walking towards them. Elvenia gasped causing Parsifal to wrap his arms around her. “What is it?”

“It… it…” Elvenia started stuttering. If Moonbeam was there then she was in trouble. He never interfered with a Fairies job unless a line had been crossed.

“I am Moonbeam, in charge of the wood fairies that protect your people,” the figure stated looking directly at Parsifal, before his gaze shifted to Elvenia. “I’m so disappointed my daughter. You knew the rules.”

“But… but… I love him,” she replied wrapping her arms around Parsifal. She had only ever heard stories of what happened to fairies who slept with humans. None of them were good. There wouldn’t be a way out.

Parsifal looked down to Elvenia. She was trembling and even with his touch it could not calm her. “I don’t understand,” he whispered.

“Elvenia is a fairy, tasked with making sure you did not make it to the city to become a knight. You would not have survived the journey. While it seems she has accomplished her task, she went down a path no fairy is allowed to take. She seduced her assignment.”

Elvenia started to cry into Parsifal’s chest. He was too stunned to speak, until Moonbeam grabbed Elvenia and started to pull her away from him. “Wait,” he said pulling Elvenia back into him. “She didn’t seduce me. I seduced her. It’s my fault. Please…”

Moonbeam looked to Elvenia, who just nodded. She really wasn’t sure who seduced who, but if Parsifal taking the blame, then maybe she would be safe. “Then he will face the consequences,” Moonbeam said as he started moving his hands in a complicated motion and muttering in a language Parsifal didn’t recognize.

“No, wait,” Elvenia stated. “Please, don’t harm him. He didn’t know.” Moonbeam growled as Parsifal looked between the two of them. It finally dawned on him what was going on, and it frightened him. Getting on a fairy’s bad side always ended in a gruesome mess.

“Fine, then you two are banished from this continent. Leave my presence and never return.”Elvenia nodded.

Before Parsifal could respond he felt magic working around him before everything just disappeared. When his eyes opened again, he found himself standing in front of a small cottage with a line of tress behind it. He could hear the sounds of a stream nearby and when the gentle breeze blew he could hear the grass. He didn’t know how he got there, or what he had been doing before he arrived, but something told him to go through the cottage door. As he reached for the handle, the door opened and before him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Parsifal. My name is Elvenia. I’ve been waiting for you.” the woman said as he pulled Parsifal into the cottage.