L. Frank Baum (2 page)

"That is strange," declared Berna. "You seem very young to be already
discontented with your lot."

Now at this the fairy burst into laughter again, and presently asked:

"How old do you think me?"

"About our own age," said Berna, after a glance at her and a moment's
reflection.

"Nonsense!" retorted the fairy, sharply. "These trees are hundreds of
years old, yet I remember when they were mere twigs. And I remember
when mortals first came to live upon this island, yes—and when this
island was first created and rose from the sea after a great
earthquake. I remember for many, many centuries, my dears. I have
grown tired of remembering—and of being a fairy continually, without
any change to brighten my life."

"To be sure!" said Seseley, with sympathy. "I never thought of fairy
life in that way before. It must get to be quite tiresome."

"And think of the centuries I must yet live!" exclaimed the fairy in a
dismal voice. "Isn't it an awful thing to look forward to?"

"It is, indeed," agreed Seseley.

"I'd be glad to exchange lives with you," said Helda, looking at the
fairy with intense admiration.

"But you can't do that," answered the little creature quickly.
"Mortals can't become fairies, you know—although I believe there was
once a mortal who was made immortal."

"But fairies can become anything they desire!" cried Berna.

"Oh, no, they can't. You are mistaken if you believe that," was the
reply. "I could change YOU into a fly, or a crocodile, or a bobolink,
if I wanted to; but fairies can't change themselves into anything else."

"How strange!" murmured Seseley, much impressed.

"But YOU can," cried the fairy, jumping up and coming toward them.
"You are mortals, and, by the laws that govern us, a mortal can change
a fairy into anything she pleases."

"Oh!" said Seseley, filled with amazement at the idea.

The fairy fell on her knees before the baron's daughter.
"Please—please, dear Seseley," she pleaded, "change me into a mortal!"

It is easy to imagine the astonishment of the three girls at hearing
this strange request. They gazed in a bewildered fashion upon the
kneeling fairy, and were at first unable to answer one word. Then
Seseley said—sadly, for she grieved to disappoint the pretty creature:

"We are but mortal children, and have no powers of enchantment at all."

"Ah, that is true, so far as concerns yourselves," replied the fairy,
eagerly; "yet mortals may easily transform fairies into anything they
wish."

"If that is so, why have we never heard of this power before?" asked
Seseley.

"Because fairies, as a rule, are content with their lot, and do not
wish to appear in any form but their own. And, knowing that evil or
mischievous mortals can transform them at will, the fairies take great
care to remain invisible, so they can not be interfered with. Have you
ever," she asked, suddenly, "seen a fairy before?"

"Never," replied Seseley.

"Nor would you have seen me to-day, had I not known you were kind and
pure-hearted, or had I not resolved to ask you to exercise your powers
upon me."

"I must say," remarked Helda, boldly, "that you are foolish to wish to
become anything different from what you are."

"For you are very beautiful NOW," added Berna, admiringly.

"Beautiful!" retorted the fairy, with a little frown; "what does beauty
amount to, if one is to remain invisible?"

"Not much, that is true," agreed Berna, smoothing her own dark locks.

"And as for being foolish," continued the fairy, "I ought to be allowed
to act foolishly if I want to. For centuries past I have not had a
chance to do a single foolish thing."

"Poor dear!" said Helda, softly.

Seseley had listened silently to this conversation. Now she inquired:

"What do you wish to become?"

"A mortal!" answered the fairy, promptly.

"A girl, like ourselves?" questioned the baron's daughter.

"Perhaps," said the fairy, as if undecided.

"Then you would be likely to endure many privations," said Seseley,
gently. "For you would have neither father nor mother to befriend you,
nor any house to live in."

"And if you hired your services to some baron, you would be obliged to
wash dishes all day, or mend clothing, or herd cattle," said Berna.

"But I should travel all over the island," said the fairy, brightly,
"and that is what I long to do. I do not care to work."

"I fear a girl would not be allowed to travel alone," Seseley remarked,
after some further thought. "At least," she added, "I have never heard
of such a thing."

"No," said the fairy, rather bitterly, "your men are the ones that roam
abroad and have adventures of all kinds. Your women are poor, weak
creatures, I remember."

There was no denying this, so the three girls sat silent until Seseley
asked:

"Why do you wish to become a mortal?"

"To gain exciting experiences," answered the fairy. "I'm tired of
being a humdrum fairy year in and year out. Of course, I do not wish
to become a mortal for all time, for that would get monotonous, too;
but to live a short while as the earth people do would amuse me very
much."

"If you want variety, you should become a boy," said Helda, with a
laugh, "The life of a boy is one round of excitement."

"Then make me a boy!" exclaimed the fairy eagerly.

"A boy!" they all cried in consternation. And Seseley added:

"Why—you're a GIRL fairy, aren't you?"

"Well—yes; I suppose I am," answered the beautiful creature, smiling;
"but as you are going to change me anyway, I may as well become a boy
as a girl."

"Better!" declared Helda, clapping her hands; "for then you can do as
you please."

"But would it be right?" asked Seseley, with hesitation.

"Why not?" retorted the fairy. "I can see nothing wrong in being a
boy. Make me a tall, slender youth, with waving brown hair and dark
eyes. Then I shall be as unlike my own self as possible, and the
adventure will be all the more interesting. Yes; I like the idea of
being a boy very much indeed."

"But I don't know how to transform you; some one will have to show me
the way to do it," protested Seseley, who was getting worried over the
task set her.

"Oh, that will be easy enough," returned the little immortal. "Have
you a wand?"

"No."

"Then I'll loan you mine, for I shall not need it. And you must wave
it over my head three times and say: 'By my mortal powers I transform
you into a boy for the space of one year'."

"One year! Isn't that too long?"

"It's a very short time to one who has lived thousands of years as a
fairy."

"That is true," answered the baron's daughter.

"Now, I'll begin by doing a little transforming myself," said the
fairy, getting upon her feet again, "and you can watch and see how I do
it." She brushed a bit of moss from her gauzy skirts and continued:
"If I'm to become a boy I shall need a horse, you know. A handsome,
prancing steed, very fleet of foot."

A moment she stood motionless, as if listening. Then she uttered a low
but shrill whistle.

The three girls, filled with eager interest, watched her intently.

Presently a trampling of footsteps was heard through the brushwood, and
a beautiful deer burst from the forest and fearlessly ran to the fairy.
Without hesitation she waved her wand above the deer's head and
exclaimed:

"By all my fairy powers I command you to become a war-horse for the
period of one year."

Instantly the deer disappeared, and in its place was a handsome
charger, milk-white in color, with flowing mane and tail. Upon its
back was a saddle sparkling with brilliant gems sewn upon fine dressed
leather.

The girls uttered cries of astonishment and delight, and the fairy said:

"You see, these transformations are not at all difficult. I must now
have a sword."

She plucked a twig from a near-by tree and cast it upon the ground at
her feet. Again she waved her wand—and the twig turned to a gleaming
sword, richly engraved, that seemed to the silent watchers to tremble
slightly in its sheath, as if its heart of steel throbbed with hopes of
battles to come.

"And now I must have shield and armor," said the fairy, gaily. "This
will make a shield,"—and she stripped a sheet of loose bark from a
tree-trunk,—"but for armor I must have something better. Will you
give me your cloak?"

This appeal was made to Seseley, and the baron's daughter drew her
white velvet cloak from her shoulders and handed it to the fairy. A
moment later it was transformed into a suit of glittering armor that
seemed fashioned of pure silver inlaid with gold, while the sheet of
bark at the same time became a handsome shield, with the figures of
three girls graven upon it. Seseley recognized the features as those
of herself and her comrades, and noted also that they appeared sitting
at the edge of a forest, the great trees showing plainly in the
background.

"I shall be your champion, you see," laughed the fairy, gleefully, "and
maybe I shall be able to repay you for the loss of your cloak."

"I do not mind the cloak," returned the child, who had been greatly
interested in these strange transformations. "But it seems impossible
that a dainty little girl like you can ride this horse and carry these
heavy arms."

"I'll not be a girl much longer," said the little creature. "Here,
take my wand, and transform me into a noble youth!"

Again the pretty fairy kneeled before Seseley, her dainty, rounded
limbs of white and rose showing plainly through her gauzy attire. And
the baron's daughter was suddenly inspired to be brave, not wishing to
disappoint the venturous immortal. So she rose and took the magic wand
in her hand, waving it three times above the head of the fairy.

"By my powers as a mortal," she said, marveling even then at the
strange speech, "I command you to become a brave and gallant
youth—handsome, strong, fearless! And such shall you remain for the
space of one year."

As she ceased speaking the fairy was gone, and a slender youth,
dark-eyed and laughing, was holding her hand in his and kissing it
gratefully.

"I thank you, most lovely maiden," he said, in a pleasant voice, "for
giving me a place in the world of mortals. I shall ride at once in
search of adventure, but my good sword is ever at your service."

With this he gracefully arose and began to buckle on his magnificent
armor and to fasten the sword to his belt.

Seseley drew a long, sighing breath of amazement at her own powers, and
turning to Berna and Helda she asked:

"Do I see aright? Is the little fairy really transformed to this
youth?"

"It certainly seems so," returned Helda, who, being unabashed by the
marvels she had beheld, turned to gaze boldly upon the young knight.

"Do you still remember that a moment ago you were a fairy?" she
inquired.

"Yes, indeed," said he, smiling; "and I am really a fairy now, being
but changed in outward form. But no one must know this save
yourselves, until the year has expired and I resume my true station.
Will you promise to guard my secret?"

"Oh, yes!" they exclaimed, in chorus. For they were delighted, as any
children might well be, at having so remarkable a secret to keep and
talk over among themselves.

"I must ask one more favor," continued the youth: "that you give me a
name; for in this island I believe all men bear names of some sort, to
distinguish them one from another."

"True," said Seseley, thoughtfully. "What were you called as a fairy?"

"That does not matter in the least," he answered, hastily. "I must
have an entirely new name."

"Suppose we call him the Silver Knight," suggested Berna, as she eyed
his glistening armor.

"Oh, no!—that is no name at all!" declared Helda. "We might better
call him Baron Strongarm."

"I do not like that, either," said the Lady Seseley, "for we do not
know whether his arm is strong or not. But he has been transformed in
a most astonishing and bewildering manner before our very eyes, and I
think the name of Prince Marvel would suit him very well."

"Excellent!" cried the youth, picking up his richly graven shield.
"The name seems fitting in every way. And for a year I shall be known
to all this island as Prince Marvel!"

Old Marshelm, the captain of the guard, was much surprised when he saw
the baron's daughter and her playmates approach her father's castle
escorted by a knight in glittering armor.

To be sure it was a rather small knight, but the horse he led by the
bridle was so stately and magnificent in appearance that old Marshelm,
who was an excellent judge of horses, at once decided the stranger must
be a personage of unusual importance.

As they came nearer the captain of the guard also observed the beauty
of the little knight's armor, and caught the glint of jewels set in the
handle of his sword; so he called his men about him and prepared to
receive the knight with the honors doubtless due his high rank.

But to the captain's disappointment the stranger showed no intention of
entering the castle. On the contrary, he kissed the little Lady
Seseley's hand respectfully, waved an adieu to the others, and then
mounted his charger and galloped away over the plains.

The drawbridge was let down to permit the three children to enter, and
the great Baron Merd came himself to question his daughter.

"Who was the little knight?" he asked.

"His name is Prince Marvel," answered Seseley, demurely.

"Prince Marvel?" exclaimed the Baron. "I have never heard of him.
Does he come from the Kingdom of Dawna, or that of Auriel, or Plenta?"