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Once upon a time there was a princess who liked to sneak away from her castle, her father, and her big sister, to meet a her friend who was a commoner and an elf, not a fairy like herself. The pair of them would go near the edge of her father’s realm, where their Fair Fields met the goblins’ Dark Forest, because few people went there, and they could play without anyone bothering them.
Their favourite game was throwing a yellow ball back and forth between them. Each time they would try to increase the distance, the fairy princess flying high into the air before throwing to make the ball fly farther.
One day when they were laughing and playfully taunting each other, the elf missed a catch and the ball bounced and rolled over the border into the Dark Forest.
They were scared. No-one ever went into the Dark Forest, but if the princess’s toy just disappeared, she her father would ask where it got to, and there would be Trouble.
So the elf said, “Wait here, I’ll fetch it. It can’t have gone that far,” and ran off even though the princess tried to call him back.
But his luck that day was very bad. The young King of Goblins was inspecting the border with a patrol of his subjects.
Being outnumbered, the elf was caught.
The Goblin King went right up to the border to see if anybody else was around.
The Fairy Princess took to the air when she saw his fearsome mien, but did not flee, worried for her friend.
He said, “If you’re waiting for that short elf, you can go home.”
“Oh no! What did you do to him?”
“We captured him, and we will punish him for the crime of violating the border.”
“Please let him go. He meant no harm. He just wanted to fetch a ball we lost.”
The Goblin King considered, and finally said, “Under one condition. If you promise your family will welcome me and mine as guests, I will let him go.”
The Fairy Princess, who was not wise to the way of promises yet, thought, the goblins can’t leave the shadows of the forest now, in the light of day, and they don’t know who I am so they can’t find my home. So she agreed.
When her friend came out of the Forest, she took his hand, and they fled as fast as he could run.
The Goblin King now had long been curious about Fairies, and knew the one he had spoken to was their King’s daughter. Later that day he led a handful of his people to the Fairies’ castle.
When the guards stopped them, he said, “We are invited. There was a promise. Just ask the younger princess.” And because he was a King, and a King deserved some respect even if he was a goblin, one of the guards went inside to ask.
The royal family was eating dinner when the guard reported the situation. The King asked the younger princess, “Did you really give a goblin a promise?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
“He wanted to be welcomed as a guest.”
The King looked stern. “If you promised, we have to honour that promise. We will talk about this later.”
So he ordered more place settings and food, and the goblins to be let in. Their king addressed the fairy king by name, and shortly after sitting down the whole crew started loudly insulting the fairy palace. They grabbed food from the bowls with their claws, and were all around rude.
The Fairy King stayed calm, and the younger princess did not dare complain, but when the Goblin King started mocking her for failing to trick him, her sister spoke up. “If you’re guests, you’re supposed to be polite!”
“Oh. And if we aren’t, you’ll do what?” He laughed when the elder princess fled the hall.
However, she soon returned, swinging a wooden practice sword at him with a battle cry.
The Goblin King nearly fell over evading that first blow, but found his feet, and held his long sceptre in front of him to defend himself.
The Fairy King called for them to stop, but the Goblin King said, “Oh, you can’t deny your guests the entertainment of a spar.”
With the other goblins getting in the way, and the princess not listening, either, the Fairy King could just watch the two fight, chasing each other up and down the great hall, taunting each other, and after a short while, both laughing.
“You fight well, for a little girl.” The Goblin King had the Princess cornered. “But you should spend some more years with your teachers.”
“I taught myself!”
“Wait, what?” The Goblin King was so surprised he did not block her next attack, a fierce blow to his stomach, and fell on his backside.
She pointed her practice weapon at his neck. “I win, and you either leave or behave!”
“You did what?! You have no teacher?”
The Fairy King said, “Fighting is not proper for a young lady.” He started to apologise to the Goblin King, but was interrupted.
“What’s improper is not teaching her well,” the Goblin King snarled, then addressed the elder princess. “If you like, you can train with me. I can teach you some, and introduce you to my teachers, and we can learn together.”
The Fairy Princess considered, and finally said, "Under one condition. When you visit here, you behave. Maybe my sister can teach you manners, if you need help.”
With a grin, the Goblin King said, “Agreed”.
They shook hands, sealing the pact, and the Fairy King could do nothing against it.