Sherwood, The Beginning: Missing Pixies!

Eloyn opens the Gate

"Edro..." Eloyn hushed intently, finishing the incantation.


Twigs and branches gathered and pulled from the surrounding forest underbrush.  Rising from where he had drawn glyphs in the dirt, Eloyn rubbed them out with the toe of his soft-leather boot.


The tall, Elven man was a champion archer of the Faerie Court and today, a ranger.  As the fallen limbs magically assembled themselves, a free-standing doorway presented itself in the middle of the wood.


"This is where we leave the Silver Path, Ladies." 


A gruff voice objected, "AND germs - do I look like I'm in a dress to you?" It belonged to a fierce-looking Redcap by the name of Furybash the Mad.  He then refocused his attention on making sure the kitten traveling on his shoulder was comfortable.


Eloyn rolled his eyes (just as well that Furybash didn't notice), as he glanced at the entourage of fae behind him.  For their part, they were just as curiously glancing over and around his shoulders, trying to glimpse what lie on the other side of the door.


"You're sure this is where the Sherwood Fantasy Faire is?"  Princess Lolly asked, unwrapping a piece of candied ginger and popping it in her mouth.


"My tracking skills have yet to fail me, Highness." bowed the Archer. "There have been many scuffles in this area of late."

Breezle the Pookah, scouting from above.

Princess Lolly eyed Lady Briarleaf - her friend and (usually quite mischievous) lady-in-waiting.  The chestnut-haired Lady twirled a lock and did her best to shrug innocently.


The maid was spared any sort of commentary when the trees above the group rustled and there was a low, nearly in-audible pop.  Up in the branches, Breezle, a green-and-purple striped Pooka appeared.  Her furry ears hung off her shoulder as she dangled from the tree.

"Trees and barks speak the same, scuffling is a-game and the pixies and fae are...away..."


The Princess quirked her the corner of her mouth with some perplexity.  Next to her, a cup in Lady Briarleaf's hands shook and rattled of its own accord.  The autumn-robed Lady turned the vessel upside-down and shook it thrice.  Out popped a Genie, who proceeded to dust herself off and look around!


"Without reiterating the shenanigans that led us to this predicament," Eloyn glanced askance at the unlikely pair of magic-bearing creatures.  Even he was dubious as to how Lady Briarleaf had managed to come into the possession of a Genie. "I suggest we get to finding out who has captured our fellow Fae."


The group agreed universally and, one-by-one, set foot through the bracken doorway and onto the grounds of the Sherwood Fantasy Faire.  Behind them, the wooden portal crumpled to the forest floor again, leaving no trace of Faerie passage...

...to be continued....

Princess Lolly & Her Fierce Racing Snail
Courtesy of Herb Leonhard Arts