Knights and Maids by Victoria Fairy (early reader chapter books txt) 📕

They can come in the hills and have their freedom back. After all those centuries.’ Gemma wasn’t sure if that was what the fairies wanted to hear. But that was what she wanted for the town and everyone who lived in it.
‘As long as they won’t harm us it is okay. So what are we doing now?’ The fairy in the middle didn’t look like she really believed in what she said. But she flew nearer to the girl.
‘I would like to go back to Trajan and the Balish. So I could talk to them about the war and about the knights.’ the blonde girl answered.
‘We will bring you back now.’ The fairies looked at each other before the left one said that. They felt that the blonde human girl was right. They had to live with the Balish what they’ve ever done before they started the war. All three of them nodded again and everything was black.

Larine just sat down when the fairies appeared with Gemma. Trajan jumbed to the front and hugged the girl in relief. He was glad that she was back. Alone with the Balish he wouldn’t hold out for a long time anymore.
‘What happened? Are you hurt?’
‘No, I’m not. Calm down. Nothing happened.’ When he hugged her, she wasn’t sure how to react but she was able to answer his questions.
‘What did you do to her?’ Larine stood up. Her voice was a hissing scream.
‘They did nothing. We just talked and found a solution but before I talk about that I want to talk to Klara.’ Gemma placed herself between Larine and the fairies who didn’t have the chance to say anything.
‘Tell me first.’ Larine demanded.
‘No.’ The blonde girl was getting angry. She won’t talk to that young looking Balish. She wanted to talk to the queen.
‘No dispute!’ Out of nothing Klara appeared. ‘When the girl wants to talk to me, she has the right to do that.’ She looked at all Balish and not only at Larine. Then she addressed Gemma. ‘It’s about the fairies, isn’t it?’
The blonde girl nodded while she watched the Balish stepping back. ‘Do you know how old humans can get?’ she asked. The knight gave her a questioning look like he always did when he didn’t understand her.
‘Of cause. Humans are immortal like we are and like the fairies are. Living for all eternity. This is our curse in life.’ Klara’s voice became dreamy and high at the same time. Then Trajan understood the blonde girl’s question even though he didn’t know where it would lead them.
‘And that’s not true. At least for the humans. A human can get one century at best.’ Gemma started talking. ‘You set up a contract or promise – whatever – with a man who is dead for centuries now. For all those years the inhabitants of the town lived in the belief that here is a great danger like a monster. But all there is are two bored nations that didn’t know what to do with their lives.’
‘You can die?’ Larine couldn’t be quiet anymore. So she asked before Klara was even sure that the blonde girl had finished her speech.
‘Yes, we can die and so could every of the knights sent out before.’ Trajan answered. By that time he completely understood what the girl wanted to say.
‘What did the fairies say about the war? Did they tell you that they steal out sunlight?’ Again it was Larine who was speaking. Klara turned to her.
‘It is not your time to speak.’ she told her. Then she addressed Gemma again. ‘I would like to speak to you alone.’ With a little glance to Trajan she added: ‘And he can come with us.’
‘What about me?’ Larine couldn’t help but asking what was on her mind.
‘You are a good fighter on the battleground but you cannot fight with words. So this will be a conversation between the two humans and me.’ Klara turned away from the other Balish to face the fairies. ‘This may take a while. A life we lived for centuries stands in question. We will meet here again tomorrow at noon when the sun reached its top.’
The fairies nodded and with another look to Gemma they vanished in a flame of fire.
‘Take my hand! We will go to a place where we are alone.’ Gemma and Trajan, faced each other before they grabbed the hand of the Balish queen. It meant they had to make another journey through the light.

They became visible again on a great meadow. The two humans couldn’t say how far away they now were from the forest.
‘This is the wide plain of the hills. Here nobody comes to listen to us. Nobody ever comes here.’ Klara explained a little proudly and the two others had the feeling she read their minds.
‘Why isn’t anyone coming here?’ The girl couldn’t stop her curiosity.
‘I cannot say that. Here is much light and it is beautiful but everything looks the same here.’ That made Trajan look around more closely. She was right. Nothing but bright green grass. ‘But do not talk about this place anymore. We are here to talk about this war, right? Please tell me what the fairies told you about all that.’
So Gemma started talking. She told the other two what the fairies said about the war and the vanished knights. And she of cause she talked again of the mortality of humans what was a great point in that war, she thought. Trajan listened carefully. He wanted to understand what this was all about. What the danger in the hills was for all those centuries. Klara nodded from time to time. Some parts of the story weren’t new to her.
‘We are still interested in having the hills for ourselves.’ she announced after the blonde girl had finished.
‘But why? The hills are wide enough to not meet the fairies in them at all.’ Gemma couldn’t believe it. Why can’t the queen see that point?
‘But we will know that the fairies are there – somewhere.’ Klara didn’t understand the girl’s opinion. The Balish should be the only folk in the hills. They had the right to have their own territory.
‘What about the town? It will be there too. It always was there.’ Trajan found his words again. He listened to everything and understood that this was the only chance to bring peace to the hills.
‘The king of the town always helped the Balish what means the town is welcome to the hills.’
‘And what is with this plain? You just said that here a lot of light. So there won’t be just the hills but this meadow as well.’ the knight didn’t give up jet even though he didn’t have so many arguments any more.
‘But it is so boring here. In the hills you do not know what is behind the next hill. Here you can see everything.’ Klara knew the other two were right – in a way. But she wanted the best for her folk and a bored life wasn’t the right thing.
‘That is exactly what we were talking about all the time. When you stop the war you can meet people out of town here. And if you like a fairy as well. Watching the children play, exchanging the latest rumours of the town.’ Gemma could see everything in front of her eyes. She hoped that the Balish queen could see that too.
‘You mean the people of the town will come to the hills as well?’
‘Yes. Many of them would love to see the hills but with a danger like a war in them they are too afraid for it.’ Trajan looked at Gemma while he said that. ‘There is just one really brave who would go to the hills without knowing anything about the danger.’ He added with a little dreaming eyes and a smile on the face, facing the blonde girl. She didn’t fear the danger people always talked about. She was the bravest.

When the sun was standing on the highest level, the hills near the forest burst into flames for a second. The fairies arrived.
‘Welcome in the forest.’ Klara raised her voice. ‘Yesterday I came to the decision that our war must end after all this time. The hills are wide and empty and the plain is this empty too. I would like to see some life in them.’
‘You finally came to a good decision, Balish.’ the fairy in the middle answered. ‘The war was unnecessary – from the beginning on.’ She nodded at the queen, faced Gemma and smiled slightly at her. ‘Because of you three folks can live in freedom from now on. Thank you.’
‘I did what I could. And now I would like to ask a favour of you. Please free the knights. Their families need them.’
‘The knight-thing is already done.’ the fairy on the left said. ‘They’re back in the town.’
‘Oh.’ was all the knight and the girl could say to that.
‘Tell everyone in the town that they are welcome in the hills. Here are so many great places we would like to show them. And of cause we can also lead them through the forest. On the other side are some other towns.’ Klara said kindly.
‘And we don’t want to see knight anymore.’ added the fairy in the middle. That was good, Gemma decided and smiled brightly at the knight who was standing next to her. He smiled back and enjoyed the idea of being home again in any moment.
‘The fairies brought home the knights so I think it’s time for you to return too.’ Klara said to both of them but smiled at the three fairies who nodded and vanished.

On the marketplace was a huge crowd of people. Everyone wanted to see something. Around noon knights had appeared at exactly that place. The knights were the ones which the king had sent in the last years. Nobody knew what that meant. Nothing like that ever happened before. Even the king had arrived at the place to see what all the people in the town were talking about. He saw happy faces all over.
But at the edge of the marketplace was a sad family standing. Gemma’s family couldn’t believe that she ran away and couldn’t be happy about the return of the knights.
Suddenly a lot of light came up. And everyone stepped back from it. In most of the faces was fear. Out of the light a woman – dressed in green – came. Together with her a blonde girl and a young knight arrived. At the moment both of them touched the ground with their feet, Klara smiled at them and vanished again in the light.
‘Gemma!’ a red-haired girl called out and ran through the crowd to her sister.

The blonde girl and the knight smiled at each other. They did it. They brought the freedom to the town.
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