Chapter 8
The Festival of the Light.
I woke him up about an hour before dawn so we could get ready. He dressed, stuffed some breakfast in and dashed off to set up the ropes and harness for Princess Holly’s grand entrance. He said he felt good except for a bit of soreness on his shoulders. I rubbed some more Elf Gift in to them.
It was one of those perfect mornings. You could see from the sky that the day was going to be cloudless. Now, just before dawn, there were just a few wispy clouds high in the atmosphere. It was already light enough to see what was happening. The large hall was packed with Fairies. They had been arriving all the previous day and now they were standing in silence awaiting the dawn.
The big doors at the end of the room were wide open. As the first rays of the rising sun lit up the floor just inside, Princess Holly, The Queen of Light began her descent. The Gown was magnificent. She looked beautiful. As she began to descend, every body in the room stopped talking and kept perfectly still. If there was ever an occasion when one could hear a pin drop, this was it.
The descent was perfectly timed. As the Queen reached the floor, the suns rays reached the exact centre of the door. The light hit the Gown and Princess Holly disappeared into a ball of light.
There was a moments more silence, then from the centre of the ball of light Princess Holly’s clear voice could be heard to say “Dawn has broken. I declare the Festival of the Light open. For another second the silence continued, then the gathered people began to clap and cheer.
I won't even begin to try to tell you of the hugging, back slapping, crying, laughing which went on, as friends and relatives wished each and everyone else a happy Festival day.
Once the sun had risen over the top of the door, the Queen of Light left the room to change. Willowby came down from the roof where he had been removing the evidence of how Holly had managed to get down in such a costume.
“What happens to the Gown now?” I asked.
“Oh, it is hidden by the ladies somewhere safe and secret, until it is brought out again on Mid-Winters day. Even the Jackdaws will never be able to find it. Now, Father, let us enjoy the day. Holly will have to speak to everyone here, but she did promise to find time to be with us if she could. And, if not then we can always see her at the Ball.”
If you can imagine the best party you have ever been too combined with the best food you have ever eaten, with the people you most wish to spend time with, then that would be a poor second to the Festival of the Light. Just when you would think it could have got no better, it was time for the Ball.
If I could tell you what the Fairies wore I would, but my pen fails me. Even the plainest of them was more beautiful than you can believe, but Princess Holly was the most beautiful of all, or so Willowby told me. Personally I thought that Larkspur was just a touch better, but I didn't say so.
The only thing to spoil it for me was the way that he kept wriggling his shoulders as if he was in great pain. There was nothing I could do to help him. Every time I tried, he was whisked away by one of the Fairy maids to dance.
I did manage to beg one dance with Princess Holly, but only for a few steps before Willowby came and took her away from me.
“Sorry,Father, but this is the first chance I have had to speak to Holly all day.”
“Father?” I heard her say as he whisked her away.
The dancing went on until midnight when King Adonis, looking every inch a king, stood on the stage at the end of the Ball Room. The musicians stopped playing. He raised his arms. Without him having to say a word, everyone fell silent.
“Friends, it is the end of Festival of Light. The best I think we have ever had. Now it is time for the last dance of the night. Traditionally this is the Choosing Dance. Please will those Fairy maids who are here to select their Life Partner please go to the centre of the room. “
About a hundred Fairy women, led by Princess Holly went to centre of the room as requested. I was rather surprised to see Larkspur amongst them She had not danced with anyone person in particular.
One by one each Fairy Maid called out a name and to gentle clapping the Fairy boy crossed the room and stood with his love, until there were just two females left, Holly and Larkspur.
Larkspur spoke.
“Professor Shovelock Ellis Hewletts of Honeysuckle Nest I name you as my Life Partner, “she said.
You could have knocked me down with one of the Jackdaws feathers. Of all the things that had happened over the last few days, this was to me the most utterly astonishing.
The clapping grew to an ovation. My feet obeyed the summons and I found myself stood facing Larkspur in the centre of the room.
The other couples were too interested in each other to take much notice of us.
“You do not have to accept you know,” whispered Larkspur shyly.
I couldn't turn her down. I took her hand as I had seen the others do. “I accept the honour you do me.”
To this day I do not know what it was. All I can do is describe it as an invisible rope that bound us together and I knew that we would stay together until one of us died.
That left just Holly. As Queen of Light it was her privilege to be the last to choose.
In a steady voice she said. “Willowby Hewletts of Honeysuckle Nest, I name you as my Life Partner.”
The clapping stopped and everyone turned to look at the poor crippled boy who had been called. For a whole minute Willowby did not move. I thought that he was going to turn and run, for his face went white. He shut his eyes and gave a sudden gasp. Then joy of joys, he rose into the air and FLEW to land before Holly.
Well, the cheering went on for ages, before the musicians could make themselves heard and the last Dance began. I think that only Larkspur and I kept out feet on the ground.
When the Ball was over, me, Larkspur, King Adonis, Holly and Willowby stood on the Roof Terrace watching the dancing lights of the leaving crowds.
“That must be the shortest adoption on record, “laughed King Adonis.
“I am sorry, Father, “said Willowby, “But I didn't know that was going to happen. I thought the pain was because of the climbing.”
“Ah, well”, said I. “All’s well that ends well.”
P.S. From Colin Ellis Hewletts. Warden of the Hewlett Garden Trust.
This document was found on a slide in the microscope in my office one morning at the end of August, fourteen months after my Uncle, Professor Hewletts disappeared.. I have no idea how it got there.
I had taken my daughter, Holly, to look at a butterfly wing which had been placed on the slide the previous evening. She was so taken with the idea that there was a Fairy Princess sharing her name that she insisted on having the story written out for her.
It has taken me a little while to copy it all down and edit it into a, I hope, readable story. The Professor as a notable scientist added a large number of footnotes and explanations of Fairy beliefs and practices that did not add anything to the tale. I would like to think he would not mind. I will make them into a separate book.
If you visit the garden and you can persuade me that you really DO believe in Fairies then I may be persuaded to show you the original. It is kept in the safe.
The microscope is left with a slide in it in case the Professor decides to tell us some more stories of Fairy life.