Chapter Text
Incomplete.
That was the first word he heard from the surrounding, hushed voices.
He looked around. Others rested on tree branches, flowers, and mushrooms.
“Poor thing—”
“—He won't survive—”
“—How will he fly?”
They were all looking at him. Were they talking about him?
They all had wings. He was like them; he must have wings, too. What was wrong with them?
He felt a shaking hand slowly along his back. Nothing. It was completely bare. Bare, except for the yellow robe he wore.
No, it looked yellow because of the golden waterfall nearby. It was white. A dandelion seed1, fashioned into clothing.
“Queen Clarion!” A voice nearby whispered.
He looked up to see swirling golden light coalesce into a shimmering being of light. Her dress and wings shimmered in a near blinding glow like the waterfall did.
Not water, he realized. It flowed too slowly, shimmered too brightly. It was magic2.
“Born of laughter, clothed in cheer,” the Queen recited, her gentle voice echoing through the hollow like a melody. Even her brown hair seemed to glow with magic. “Happiness has brought you here. Welcome to Pixie Hollow.”
Laughter. He remembered it, the laughter he was born from. A baby’s first laugh, pure and joyous—before it was cut off.
Incomplete.
“What troubles you, dear Lukas?” Queen Clarion asked. Her blue eyes wore concern.
“I don't have any wings,” Lukas said. “What can I do?”
In lieu of an immediate response, Queen Clarion waved her hand. From the ground surrounding Lukas, nearly a dozen mushrooms sprouted. Some of the others waiting in the nearby branches flew down, depositing various items onto the mushrooms. A hammer, a twisting breeze, a teapot. The meaning of the items eluded Lukas.
“Every fairy has a talent3,” Queen Clarion explained. “These objects will help you find yours.”
Lukas looked at each of the items again. “I want to help people.” If he could not fly like the others, he wanted to help them in some way that he could.
One of the nearby objects glowed, the teapot. It floated toward Lukas, landing gently in his hands.
Queen Clarion smiled. “Come forward, helper fairies, and welcome your newest member: Lukas.”
The rest of Lukas’ first evening in Pixie Hollow was a blur. He was awash with new names and faces as he was guided around the great tree; the home of the fairies.
Lukas was glad the helper fairies lived close to the arrival spot. His head was packed too full with new information to imagine a way to navigate its winding branches. Would he need to be carried everywhere? Could fairies even carry each other?
Dozens of fairies greeted him within the hollow, the same faces he recognized from his arrival. While they all excitedly asked questions, they never asked him about the absence of his wings. Some gazed at the space where his wings should be. Lukas in turn found himself looking at their wings.
They were translucent, coming in sets of two like a butterfly's. Each set of wings Lukas saw was entirely unique. Some had different shapes, though none were as broad as the queen’s. They contained swirling patterns, threatening to hypnotize Lukas. Some even had different, subtle hues like pink or blue—though they glowed gold when a fairy flew, shining with pixie dust. The magic seemed to permeate more than just the fairies themselves; it seeped through the entire tree.
“It's not often we get a new arrival,” one fairy said to Lukas. Moe, he thought her name was. She had led Lukas to his room, a space reserved for the arrival of a new helper-talent fairy. “Practically everyone will want to meet you.”
Do I count as a new arrival, Lukas wondered. If I'm incomplete?
The space was cozy. It had little more than a bed, a table, and some storage, yet it felt inviting. Small leaves and vines wrapped around the wooden space. It was enclosed and secure with a natural look. A window was set into the far wall; Lukas could see lights in the distant, dark sky.
“We can figure out the job you do best tomorrow,” the fairy continued. Mae, that was her name. “It'll be an exciting day, so try to get some rest if you can!”
“Thank you,” Lukas said. The door to his room closed. Finally alone, he exhaled deeply. He switched the light off and closed the leaf curtains of his window before flopping onto the bed on his stomach.
There was so much new information for him to take in, and he would need to do it all again tomorrow. Not that he could blame the other fairies for it—no, they were all very kind. They were excited to tell Lukas about the changing of the seasons that they brought to the mainland4, the Clumsies5—whose belief in fairies kept them alive, and the variety of helper jobs.
Lukas wondered if there was truly any limit to what a helper could do. He had heard of sub-talents from dusting to laundry to even table-setting.
Maybe he could be a problem-solving-talent. He could help solve any troubles which befell Pixie Hollow. Though, could Lukas help others in that way? Would he be able to fathom potential danger and find a solution, when even just finding a way down the Pixie Dust Tree seemed an insurmountable challenge?
How often did danger reach Pixie Hollow? One fairy talked about a time the great tree was completely destroyed. Would he be able to survive a disaster like that?
Maybe the wake-up-talent was more his thing. He could help make sure the other fairies were on time for important things.
But Lukas could not fly, and there must have been hundreds of fairies living just in the tree. Could he even make it to each of the fairies who needed to be awake in time?
Maybe he could try window-washing? Though, the view from his room looked out to a nearby forest. He would likely not even be able to clean his own window without risking falling out of the tree.
Lukas sighed and rolled onto his side. The other fairies were helper-talents, too. They would surely be able to find the right fit for him. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, tracing the patterns of the wings he saw that night in his mind’s eye.
A knock on the door pulled Lukas from his sleep. Sunlight filtered through the leaves covering the window. Bleary-eyed, Lukas pulled himself to a sitting position. He was not sure when he had managed to fall asleep. He hoped he was not keeping the other fairies waiting.
Wait—they were already waiting. Someone was knocking on his door!
“I'll be out in a minute!” Lukas called, springing to his feet.
The fairy outside the door giggled. “Don't worry, you're right on time!”
Lukas recognized her voice—one of the wake-up-talents. Of course! He was never at risk of oversleeping, only of being tired.
“You should have a change of clothes and some food in there to get you energized,” she added.
Lukas heard the fading shimmer of pixie dust as she flew away. Noticing his hunger at the mention of food, Lukas looked at the table. A stack of blackberry tarts waited on a plate. He ate them quickly; he found himself wishing they were sweeter, but he still licked the crumbs off his fingers when he finished.
Looking around the room, Lukas saw no clothes but did see a promising-looking storage closet. He opened it and saw a handful of outfits hanging; various leaf tunics and robes.
Lukas found his eyes drawn to the bright orange autumn leaves. He pulled the tunic and matching bottoms from the hangar and looked them over. The back came all the way up to the top of where his shoulders would be, with small slits for a pair of wings to fit through.
Lukas changed into the new outfit and added a dark-leaf jacket over the top of his tunic. He left the front open; he just needed his back covered.
Outside of his room, Mae spotted Lukas from nearby and flew over. The seafoam petals of her dress flapped as she flew through the air.
“I'm glad to see you found everything okay,” she said, offering Lukas a warm smile. “Ready to find your talent?”
“Absolutely.”
Lukas wished he could eat his words like the blackberry tarts when he still had not found a sub-talent that suited him for the entire day. Most seemed nearly impossible for him to be able to perform without the ability to fly. The rest did not give him a feeling of joy at the thought of doing them.
Still, Lukas had nearly settled for the table-setting-talent when Mae had chided him.
“Your talent's not something you can do, it’s something you want to do.”
Lukas crossed his arms. “Well, don't I need to pick something? Is there even anything left for me to try?”
A flash of something crossed Mae’s face that Lukas could not decipher. Was she worried? Upset? But all too soon it was gone, replaced by a small smile.
“Maybe there's one we can try. But…”
Her hesitation worried Lukas. “What is it?”
Mae took Lukas' hand and pulled him to follow. “I'll explain once we’re there.”
She led Lukas down more winding branches, her bun of long brown hair bouncing gently as she walked with him. The scent of the air near her was herbal, like a freshly-cut leaf stem. This surprised Lukas. He expected a floral scent, since her dress was minty-green petals and she wore a small flower in her hair.
Lukas noticed that when Mae did not fly, her wings bore a greenish tint. He wondered if it was related to the herbal scent.
The pair arrived in a large room further down the tree. It was well-lit, with many windows welcoming natural light. Mushroom and wooden chairs lined the space, with small tables near each. Many large basins and tables dotted the space as well. No other fairies were in the room; Lukas presumed they were having dinner.
Looking into one of the basins, Lukas saw it filled with water and shampoo. Rose petals rested on a small table near the basin alongside washcloths. The water and suds were tinted a soft pink and smelled faintly of roses. The scent of the room pleased Lukas.
“Is this where fairies bathe?” Lukas wondered aloud. He could see himself visiting the room often. He valued a clean appearance, and if he could not fly like the other fairies then bathing regularly would be a necessity.
“Yes,” Mae continued. “Though…” That hesitation and strange look from before was back. Her eyes flicked to the space behind Lukas’ back, a tell Lukas did not spot the first time.
His missing wings.
Something must have shown on Lukas’ face, because Mae continued, “Sorry! Queen Clarion asked everyone at your arrival not to mention it, but—”
“It's okay,” Lukas interrupted. “You're my friend. I trust you. Just… maybe don't mention it to anyone else?” Lukas would be eternally grateful for Mae's kindness and patience, guiding him slowly through the tree and helping to find his talent. She had no judgement, only concern for Lukas.
All of the fairies Lukas met were kind like her, in fact. He knew, in his mind, they would never treat him differently—at least not intentionally. But in his heart, he held fear. He was grateful to Queen Clarion and the small collection of fairies at his arrival that the knowledge of him being incomplete would only stay with them until Lukas was ready.
“I wouldn't dream of it!” Mae exclaimed. “Betraying a fellow fairy? That's more unspeakable than disobeying the Queen!”
Lukas chuckled. “She doesn't seem that scary.” Queen Clarion's eyes shone with kindness and care. Was it even possible for her to scowl? “What was it you wanted to tell me?”
Mae looked to be in thought again, though not with the concern she bore before. “Fairies can't wash their own wings,” she explained. “And when your wings are wet, you can't fly. They weigh you down. So usually, fairies come here to get them washed by one of the other wing-washing-talents.”
Fairies could not wash their own wings? Well… at least Lukas would never need to trouble another fairy to wash his. That explained why Mae was reluctant; she must have feared offending Lukas by bringing up a wing-related job.
Lukas picked up one of the washcloths on the table. It felt soft in his hands, softer than spider silk and twice as delicate. Lukas figured it would need to be; wings themselves looked so intricate yet delicate, as brittle as glass windows.
Holding the thistle-down cloth and looking over the basins, Lukas felt almost as though he were at peace. The thought of helping other fairies clean their wings, it felt right.
This was it! He could really help the other fairies and repay their kindness. He could barely contain the excitement in his heart; it escaped the clutches of his chest and brought a broad smile to his face.
“I think I found my talent.”
