* * *
“It is time, princess. We have come to make you look even prettier.”
A fluttering little creature is hovering in front of me. It is Lorelei, the eldest of the fairies. I give a little curtsey in honour of her tribe. They are floating behind her, all six of them. They are attuned to my chakras. Lorelei guides and protects my sixth chakra, the inner eye. I’ve known her my entire life. She was there when I was born and she’ll probably be there the day I die.
With a flick of her wrist, she transforms to equal my height and reaches for my hand.
“Come and see what we’ve made for you.” I can hear the excitement in her voice. She is obviously pleased with the end result. As I know I’ll be. When it comes to clothing, I completely trust Lorelei’s judgement.
The tribe transform as well and they are holding two pieces of green fabric. It has a soft glow. One is a long skirt, which is wrapped around my waist several times, creating layers. It has three little holes for my tail to go through. One for each layer. Then there’s a smaller piece. It turns out to be some sort of bodice, heart-shaped in the front, a glittering crystal in the middle, leaving my back almost bare. Just when I start to feel a little naked, I can feel Lorelei making complicated movements on my back and something soft brushing my skin.
“What’s on my back, Lorelei?” I ask while trying to turn around enough so I can see for myself, looking for a mirror. She smiles at me.
“Be patient, princess. We are almost done,” I sigh but decide to humour her. Patiently, I stand still while the fairies work on my hair and face.
“There. I think we are done. You look — perfect.” Lorelei’s golden eyes look misty. I’ve never seen her so emotional. She takes my hand and guides me to a corner. Two mirrors are facing me and when I look up, I can see both my front and backside. My breath hitches. Is that me? It doesn’t look like me. I blink. The woman in the mirror blinks as well. I stick out my tongue. The mirror image does too but somehow manages to still look pretty. Not convinced, I reach out to the mirror until my fingers are touching the glass. The mirror image gives me a hesitant smile. Definitely me then.
“What have you done?” I whisper.
“Miss not like what we made?” Lorelei’s voice sounds hurt. I wheel around to face her.
“No, Lorelei. You misunderstand me. I’m in awe. I just don’t understand how you did this. I don’t even recognise myself. I look — like an adult.” Even as the words leave my mouth, I realise the truth of them. I do look like an adult. The child is gone.
Lorelei looks happy again. “We have done nothing than bring out you energy, princess. You are pleased?”
I nod at her and softly smile towards the others.
“Very much so. I can’t thank you all enough. You’ve really outdone yourselves this time.” And I mean every word. As I softly turn from side to side, my skirt makes little rustling sounds. My back is held together by a pattern of moss and dark soft hair, resembling the banner of our tribe, the bear. It is stunning.
“Beka provided the hair. We have weaved it together with enchanted moss. We thought Miss would like to have her friend close by tonight.” My throat tightens up again.
“Beka willingly gave up his hair for me?” Lorelei nodded fervently.
“Yes, Miss. He was most pleased to be of service. He saved up every day since princess told the king of her upcoming ritual.”
I try very hard not to cry and mess up my eyes, but it’s a close call. My eyes almost match Lorelei’s tonight. Must be the golden shades around my eyes, making them look golden instead of yellow. I take a deep breath and slowly sink onto one knee.
“Thank you all so much. I’m deeply humbled by your friendship.” Lorelei and her tribe look utterly embarrassed.
“Please, Miss. It is nothing. We are always happy to serve you. Now don’t you ruin your pretty dress and get up.” She’s nervously wringing her hands. I rise and walk over to give her a hug, probably embarrassing her even more, but I don’t care. I mean it.
“Miss has great capacity for friendship. Even beyond her tribe. We will always be there for Miss.”
I look into her eyes, a bit startled by that blunt statement. She knows. Lorelei smiles at me though and through our connection I can feel her emotions. Love, understanding, and protection. No judgement. None. I feel a deep gratitude towards my fairy tribe. I was right. They would never judge me.
“No, princess. We would never. You promise to come back though.”
“Lorelei, I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to worry.” She just looks at me.
“Miss will soon understand. I am not leaving without a promise.” She looks stubborn. A look she usually reserves for me not wanting to do my homework or apologise to Father or Grandfather. She hasn’t given me that look for months now.
“I’ll always come back, Lorelei.” And I mean it. My thoughts drift to Talib, but even though I would love to go and explore the world with him, I know I could never leave my family. Not forever. So my words sound sincere. She seems satisfied with my answer.
“Then it is time.” She looks at me, her eyes misty again. “Time to spread your wings.” Before I can answer, she curtseys, waves her wrist and transforms into a fluttering, little ball of light. As the others follow her out of the door, I can hear the sound of the drums. The ceremony has begun.