The Lady of Light
Come the next storytime me grandkids were very excited to learn of Beannaithe's fate in the Land of Faerie...
'Finally one of the revelers noticed the stranger in their midst. They motioned to the guards to approach the Halfling lass dressed in strange armour.
"Greetings, little one. Who are you and how came you into the realm of Dreamflower?" one of the guards asked in the Common Tongue.
"Is this the land of Faerie?" Beannaithe asked in her thoughts.
Sensing that the guards were unable to read her thoughts Beannaithe gestured in an effort to convey her story to them. Still they could not understand, so they decided to take the lass to their lord and lady.
The guard gently guided Beannaithe through the gates of the City of the Trees, then to the court of the Lord and Lady who ruled the land. Beannaithe curtsied to them as she had been taught by Fikta.
"Greetings, little one from a distant land. What has brought you to this realm?' asked the Lady.
"Is this the land of Faerie?" Beannaithe asked again in her thoughts.
The Lady smiled and said aloud, "This is the land of the Dreamflower. It is but a glimpse of Eldamar, the home of the Eldar in the Blessed Realm."
"Are ye not the Fairy Queen?" asks Beannaithe.
"I am the Lady of Light, and my lord is called the Silver Tree. Although we rule this land, we are no King and Queen. We are, for awhile, the stewards of this land and its people."
"Then he is not the Faery King?" asks Beannaithe.
"No, child," the Lady lightly laughed, "he is not."
"But you are fairies, are ye not?" Beannaithe asked in thought.
"Our people are called many things. Some refer to us as the Fair Folk. Perhaps that is origin of the term 'fairy'?" It is not a name we use for ourselves. In our Ancient Tongue are called Quendi meaning 'Those that speak with voices'."
"I'm certainly no Quendi," the mute Beannatihe sadly thought.
"We are also called 'Eldar'," the Lady continued. "It means 'People of the Stars', for we came into being before the creation of the Sun and the Moon when only stars lit the sky."
Beannaithe found it difficult to imagine the world without the sun and the moon.
"In the Common Tongue we are called 'Elves', perhaps mistakenly so, but this a name to which we have grown accustomed," the Lady explained.
"Do you know my father, and does he dwell in this land?" Beannaithe asked in thought.
"No, little one, your father in unknown to us," answered the Lady. "It is almost certain that he does not live with us here in Dreamflower."
"Then I came here for no reason at all?" asked Beannaithe.
The Lady were surprised by this question.
"It may not be immediately apparent, but surely there was a reason for your visit," the Lady said with a smile. "To make certain of this..."
Two tall Elves clad in white armour walked into the presence of the Lord and Lady, bowed, and placed in the Lord's hands a long slender object wrapped in cloth.
"...we have a gift for thee."
"Beannaithe of the Little People," said Lord Silvertree, "please accept this gift. May it aid and preserve you in the days ahead."
He stretched out his arms to place the object into Beannaithe's trembling hands.
"What is it?" Beannaithe asked.
"Open it and see!" said the Lady.
Beannaithe removed the wrappings to reveal a scabbard. It were a perfect fit for Claíomh Solais! The lass gasped at the sight of it, for its beauty took away her breath. The throat and chape of the scabbard were made of hardened steel. The leather body of the scabbard were embossed with flowers of silver and gold.
Beannaithe's eyes welled up with tears. "Thank you," she said in thought.'
'How wonderful!' Darowva remarked.
'It were a kindly gift,' added Dooli.
Me daughters Ériu, Banba, and Fódla motioned to their children who, for a change, obeyed without complaint.
'Good night, me wee darlin's!' I said.
'Good night,' they mumbled in return.
Had I given me grandkids too much to consider, or were they merely knackered from their daily chores? Perhaps I'll discover the answer to these questions tomorrow.
