Milrale chapter five: Banished

Instructions

Lily flew aimlessly above the Banished Lands, lost in her own thoughts. She couldn’t believe she had been careless enough to banish herself. Replaying her last moments in the Nature Fairy Forest, she counted all the things she might’ve done differently. She could have flown instead of walked. She could have told all the insects to run away. She could’ve gone straight to Rose’s treehouse as soon as she’d gotten the news. She could have had the sense to look where she was going. Not to mention her day at the Fairy Palace was probably canceled because of this. Or was it? Vine and Princess Eden didn’t say it could be canceled. But, then again, neither of them expected her to banish herself in the next two days. Lily also really wished there were some trees to give shade. She wasn’t used to having the sun beating down constantly. Yet another way her life would be changed forever, along with no calm whispering of the wind in the trees, no soft leafy bed to flop into, never being able to see her family or friends. She didn’t realize she was holding back tears until they fell. Lily needed water. She needed shade. She needed another fairy to give comfort. She needed to stop flying, but the alternative was tall, yellow-green grasses that were too spiky to walk through. Seriously, how did the Desert Fairies call heat and sand home? Lily almost wished the grass was sand so she could sit and rest for a while. Wait. Was that a treehouse over there? Built in the Nature Fairy style? And possibly, but not likely, belonging to Leaf, Lily’s friend who was banished? Lily flew down to the treehouse as fast as her weary wings could carry her – which, admittedly, wasn’t very fast. Nature Fairy wings were agile, good for moving around trees, but they didn’t have the speed of Portal or Sky Fairies’ wings. When she arrived at the treehouse, Lily was disappointed to realize that it wasn’t in the Nature Fairy style after all. Treehouses in the Forest were more open, and instead of wood planks attached to the tree, they were made from influencing the tree’s growth to form a living space. But the one in front of her was rectangular and was obviously not a single tree. Most likely, it was the home of a Desert Fairy mimicking the treehouses of the human world. Human tree houses. A disgrace to trees everywhere. But Lily had better things to do than to mentally insult a treehouse. Now that she was reminded of Leaf, Lily realized that she was probably her best chance out here in the Banished Lands. Spurred on by a sudden burst of hope, Lily flew up into the air, high enough that she could see for miles, but low enough that her wings could still catch the wind. She scanned the desolate landscape for trees big enough for treehouses. Down there! Lily spotted a large Nature Fairy treehouse and flew down to it. She peeked through the branches but to her disappointment, it was occupied by a fairy that was definitely not Leaf. Lily flew upward again and saw another treehouse a little ways away next to a blueberry bush which was much bigger than it could’ve grown without Nature Fairy magic. Remembering how much Leaf liked blueberries, Lily fluttered over to the treehouse and touched the ground. A familiar face framed by auburn curls popped up from behind the blueberry bush. Lily nearly collapsed into the ground in relief, but managed to stay upright. “Leaf! Oh, thank goodness I found you!” Leaf’s face turned into one of concern. “Lily? What are you doing here?” Lily shifted her weight awkwardly, wishing she didn’t have to say. “I… I sort of… I-got-an-invitation-to-the-Fairy-Palace-and-I-was-so-excited-that-I-wasn’t-looking-where-I-was-going-and-I-accidentally-stepped-on-a-bug-and-banished-myself,” she was able to get out. Lily squeezed her eyes shut and braced for a lecture, but Leaf gasped. “You’re going to the Fairy Palace?” “Yeah. But —” “That’s wonderful! Maybe you can talk to somebody there and have your banishment lifted!” “Why would they do that? I killed an animal — that’s like, the opposite of everything the Nature Fairies stand for!” Leaf paused, like she hadn’t thought of that. “Well, then, maybe not. But that reminds me, banished fairies can apply to be a Fairy Companion for a Flower Fairy. You know, because they come from the human world and don’t know anything.” “And… why would I do that?” Lily frowned. “I hate teaching.” “Because they get a quality living space and free meals, which is way better than here.” Leaf glanced around them. “But if it’s better than here, why aren’t you a Fairy Companion?” Leaf shrugged. “I have a treehouse and a blueberry bush. I share a freshwater spring with a banished Water Fairy near here. I don’t really need anything else.” Personally, Lily disagreed with that. Fairies needed more than shelter, food, and water. But if Leaf was satisfied, she could do what she wanted.