Page 16 of Enchanted By a Pirate
"Then there must be an incredible number of fairies."
Margerite's shoulders sagged. "There were once a lot of fairies, but now there aren't even twenty of us."
Why so few? "So you are threatened with extinction!"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Why…" Wait… why hadn't she seen a single bloom since she'd arrived in the Kingdom of Flowers? "Why isn't anything blooming?"
"Because one thoughtless act threw everything out of whack."
Now they were getting down to the nitty-gritty. Iris's accusations echoed in Anna's mind again. It made sense to find out what the fairies and Anton believed happened back then. Anna stopped and looked at Margerite. "Let me guess. I was the one who acted rashly, right?"
Margerite nodded, lowering her head as if she were ashamed.
"So, what is it that I supposedly did?"
When the fairy continued, her voice was merely a whisper. "You gave our fairy dust to the pirates."
"What? Why would I have done that?" The idea that she was a fairy was unimaginable, but the notion that she should have betrayed the other fairies and given something as precious as this dust to the pirates was simply outrageous.
"Because you…"
"Stop!" Anton interrupted. "Don't tell her! I'm glad she has forgotten that scoundrel."
Uncertain, Margerite peered up at the giant, who was again looking down at them from between the treetops. Anna, however, placed her hands on her hips.
"Out with it already! I don't know what I did, but if it's true, I need to know to make things right." And she meant it.
"You fell in love." Margerite held up her hand as if she could stop the giant, who sighed loudly and ran his left hand through his bristly hair.
What? This just kept getting better and better. "Which one of those stinking pirates did I supposedly fall in love with?"
Margerite glanced around and when she began to speak, her voice was so quiet that she could hardly be heard. Nevertheless, Anna understood every word, almost as if she already knew the answer.
"With Christopher O'Brien, the captain of Fortuna, and the most feared pirate on the seas."
Anna didn't know who the fairy was talking about, but an image immediately popped into her head. A coat dusky like a shadow, the dark eyes of a predator, and a look that made the hairs on her forearms stand up.
"You must stay away from him at all costs," Anton immediately implored, thus confirming she had the right captain in mind. The giant leaned down so close to them that the tops of the oaks and spruces leaned to the sides. He stared at her urgently with his mossy-green eyes, which were as big as Anna's head. "Promise me, Anemone, stay away from him."
Her heart beat faster as if it knew — unlike her head, which was still filled with doubts — the truth of their words. Anna nervously smoothed her strawberry-blonde hair. At least she could try to fix it. "Why should I run into his arms? After all, part of his crew abducted me."
Margerite winced. "They abducted you? How? You're lucky you managed to escape. It's unimaginable what could have happened had they gotten their hands on you."
Anna waved her hand dismissively. They could talk about the incident another time. She wanted to hear the truth. The entire truth. "So, I supposedly fell in love with this captain and gave him the fairy dust? What was so bad about that?"
"What was so bad about that?" Iris shouted, suddenly appearing behind them. The fairy clenched her tiny fists at her side and a vein pulsed furiously on her forehead once more. "It caused our world to become unbalanced. The pirates normally only have sovereignty at sea. Our dust, however, allowed them to fly. They have come into conflict with the giants, the Lords of the Skies."
"Wait, I thought the giants lived in the Kingdom of Rocks."
"Yes, but their breath controls the wind," Margerite said softly.
"Exactly!" Iris's little face turned dark red as she glared at Anna. "Due to the chaos in the air, the wind doesn't blow as it normally does, which means fewer fairies are born — but apart from that, the magic of the fairy dust is ours. There is not an infinite quantity. We lack the pirates' share and as a result, we are unable to get many flowers to bloom, which means even fewer fairies are born. Your lovesick actions nearly wiped us fairies out!"
Anna remained silent. Part of her was reluctant to acknowledge that the fairies and the giant were speaking the truth and that she was truly the sole cause of this chaos. Shehad no memory of it whatsoever — so how could she feel responsible? Yet a small voice hidden deep within her whispered that they were speaking the truth.
She put her hand on her sweater, exactly where the sun-shaped pendant was hidden, and took a deep breath. She had made a decision. "It's hard for me to apologize for a mistake I don't remember making, but if I'm the one responsible, I'll make sure I make it right."
