Copyright 1/30/2015
Iris plopped down on her white
cloud bed only to find it lumpy and hard.
She stood up and waved the clouds aside to reveal her sisters the brats,
uh, harpies, Aello, Celaeno, and Ocypete.
They tittered and laughed and flew up to the corner of the room out of her
reach.
Iris unfolded her wings and waved them
back and forth creating a breeze strong enough to blow the harpies out of her
room. Before Aello left the room she
shouted over her shoulder, “Father wants to see you now, Iris.”
Summoned by her father, Thaumas,
one of the sea gods, meant one of two things.
Either he had found her future husband or something was wrong in the
mortal world. It didn’t matter which it
was she was screwed. Her father and
mother, Electra patron of Gilly pond in Ireland, insisted the time had come for
Iris to marry. Her mother wanted
grandbabies and her father wanted her settled and living in her own
household. Father’s hands were full
trying to rein in the hyper-active triplets.
The mortal world should be in good
stead. Let’s see she had watered the
appropriate clouds for rain, she had placed the proper number of rainbows, and
had delivered all the messages left in her in box by the various gods. This time she had remembered to change to
mortal form when delivering the messages from the gods, so she was good there. Nope, she couldn’t think of any reason for
father to be upset with her.
The blue sea motif on the walls of
the hall way and the cool tile on her bare feet sent a chill through her as she
descended the length of the passage way.
One more level down and she would be at her father’s chambers.
***
“Cian Boyle is in charge of the
leprechauns at Gilly pond, and the leprechauns are having problems with the
fairies. This is upsetting the balance
of Harmony in the Fairland’s meadows and forests surrounding Gully pond. Oceanic Electra, what are you going to
do?” Thaumas boomed, striking his staff
on the floor for emphasis.
“I’m sending Iris with a message
for dear Cian to come for an audience with us.”
She moved to his side and stroked his arm, hoping to quiet his ill
temper. “I think you and I can kill two
birds with one leprechaun.”
“Speak plainly, wife. I’ve no patience for riddles.”
“Cian needs our help. And we need his. He is a close friend with Zephyrus, god of
the west wind. You remember at the
banquet last week, the young man who asked for our Iris’s hand in marriage?”
“The same young man that Iris said
she would give her wings up rather than marry?”
“The very same one.”
“Yes, yes, go on.” Thaumas entwined his hand with Electra’s,
pulling her closer; he kissed the back of her hand. “Pray tell wife, what devious plan are you
cooking up?”
***
Iris straightened her robes, tied
the gold cord belt around her waist into a pretty bow, and knocked on her
father’s door.
“Enter”, Thaumas bellowed.
“Good Eve, father.” Iris curtsied, still perplexed as to why she
was summoned.
“Iris we have an important errand
for you. We need to speak with Cian
Boyle. You must fetch him here. The leprechauns and fairies are at odds and
Fairland and, your mother’s Gilly Pond are in danger. The balance is off and something must be
done.” His tone left no room for
argument.
“Yes, father. I’ll leave immediately”. Iris would never disobey her father. Even if all she wanted to do was take a nap
on her cloud bed. As she turned to leave
her mother reached out and touched her sleeve.
“Leprechauns are tricksters. Be careful dear, and bring only Cian, and
bring him directly here.” Electra smiled
at her eldest daughter.
***
Iris led the short little man down
the long hallway.
“I’m not liking being here. The gods, egad, I cannot believe I’ve been
summoned. Tell me missy, where is the
goddess Electra? I know her, she is
kind. I’m not so sure about the rest of
them egotistical gods and goddesses.
They might just put me on a platter, serve me up!” Cian wrinkled his bulbous, red nose as much
as was possible. He stroked his gray
beard, took his hat off and then put his hat back on.
“Really Cian! No one is going truss you up and bake
you. Mother and father just want to talk
with you. They understand there are some
problems in Fairland.” Iris folded her
wings in and patted the little man on the head.
“I promise, no harm will come to you.”
She knocked on Thaumas chamber
door.
“Enter.”
“Cian! Dear friend!”
Electra took his small hand and led him over to Thaumas’s throne.
“That is all daughter, we’ll see to
Cian’s return to Fairland.”
Iris took her leave, closing the
door behind her.
***
The next morning Iris was awaken by
the harpies. Aello tickled a feather
across Iris’s nose causing her to sneeze which sent the small harpies
scattering across the room.
Celaeno and Ocypete buzzed back
over to where Iris lay and dove at her like oversized bees.
“Get out! Don’t you have some flowers to pollinate or
something?” Iris threw a pillow at
Ocypete as she made a dive knocking the small robust harpie across the room.
The mad laughter of the harpies
echoed down the hall as they made their escape.
Aello buzzed back, “Father wants to
see you, right now Iris!” She tittered.
What now? Iris wondered.
“And so there you have it,
daughter. You must settle the feud
between the fairies and the leprechauns, and while you are in mortal
form.” Thaumas stroked his long
beard.
Iris had never seen such a sparkle
in her father’s eyes before. Well, if it
was that important to him she would do her best to solve the feud.
Iris landed at the edge of Gilly
Pond and placed her clothes and wings behind a bush. In her mortal form she’d have no use for
them. She summoned her magic and covered
herself with mortal clothes.
“Cian?” She called.
“Cian?” Exasperation laced her voice.
“Ah-h, girly, I’m right here.” Cian stepped from behind a fallen oak tree,
leaves crunching under his black buckled boots.
“Do not be so loud least them treacherous fairies know ye are here.”
“So what’s the problem between the
leprechauns and the fairies?”
“They are claiming we stole the
gold from beneath the rainbow.”
“And did you, steal the gold?” Iris knew how much leprechauns valued gold,
and how they were known to steal or trick you out of your gold.
“It was given to us, by the head
fairy himself.” Cian brushed some dust
from his coat sleeve, not making eye contact.
“Given willingly, or did you trick
him?”
“I say he gave it eagerly, but if
you asked him he might say he was tricked.”
He scraped his boot over the leaves.
“We leprechauns just want to be taken seriously.”
“Then you must stop tricking the
fairies. I want to give the leprechauns
a very special job. You can’t use
trickery and you must guard it with your lives.
It is a very important job. I’ve
already talked with the fairies and they’ve agreed.” She smiled at the nervous little man.
“Is it really important, will we
garner some respect from it?”
“Yes. Whenever I place a rainbow at Gilly pond, the
fairies will place a pot of gold at the ends of the rainbow.” She poked him
gently in the chest, “And you and your fellow leprechauns will be the security
detail. You will guard the pot of gold
until the rightful owner follows the rainbow to the end and claims the pot of
gold. This is an important job that only
a trusted leprechaun can do. Are you all
willing to accept this mission?” She
spoke louder so that the leprechauns hiding in the forest would hear her words.
A chorus of 'Yes!' rang from the
forest.
“By Gilly, by golly I think you’ve
solved our problem.” He started to
waddle towards the forest. But stopped
and turned, “Iris, I have a bit of magic me self.” He waddled back and handed her a small round
stone. “The very next time you meet a
west wind, you must place this stone on the ground before you and face the
wind. Repeat three times, ‘There is good
fortune in the west wind, show me your true nature.’. Then give this stone to the first person you
encounter. I promise you will not regret
it.”
What an odd little man she thought,
and slipped the stone into her pocket.
She picked her way through the meadow towards Gilly pond. Rounding a huge boulder a gentle west wind
caressed her face and gently lifted her hair.
She fingered the stone. What the heck? It was growing warm. Pulling it out she lay it on the ground
before her and repeated what the Leprechaun had said.
The wind picked up speed and
twirled around forming a whirlwind. The
dust and leaves blew about and in the middle of the whirlwind appeared a
form.
Her heart beat faster and her
throat tightened. The figure emerged and
held out his hand.
Zephyrus! Iris picked up the stone and when she placed
it in his hand his fingers encircled her hand and the deal was sealed.
Iris belonged to the west wind, and
Zephyrus belonged to her.
Once her clothes and wings were back
on, she rose hand in hand with Zephyrus up to the heavens. Iris looked back once waving her free hand and
created a spectacular rainbow on Gilly pond.
(If you enjoyed my story please
check out my website: http://dianamccollum.weebly.com/
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