Once upon a time, in a forest far away, there was a kingdom of fairies. No taller than a man’s hand, these fairies were responsible for all of the beautiful things in every season. They made flowers bloom, created pleasant breezes, turned leaves magnificent colors, and designed the snowflakes that fell on the forest. Each fairy was given a task. And each fairy completed the task to the best of their impressive ability. Most paid attention only to the beauty of their creations. They cared not for fine clothing, smart shoes, or well groomed hair. In fact, fairies only cared for their wings so they could continue flying and creating beauty in their forest.
One day, a five young fairies were flitting from meadow to meadow. Flowers blossomed with every stop they made. They were a single clearing from being finished for the day when they came across a still pond. With thoughts of water lilies racing through their minds, they rushed toward the water. The lilies bloomed in white, purple, and pink. The eldest of the group suggested they spend a moment relaxing by the lilies before flying home. After all, this was the only pond they had seen all day. The five fairies sat on the lily pads and floated on the water. Now, everyone knows fairies can be mischievous when they wish. The youngest fairy, Aoife, thought it’d be a marvellous idea to splash her companions. She moved to the edge of the lily pad and began to reach toward the water. While doing this, she caught sight of her reflection.
How terrible the moment was for her! Dirt was smudged across her face, her hair was hanging in wild tangles, and her clothes were torn and stained. The fairy didn’t understand how she could look that way when everything she created was so beautiful. The water lilies seemed to be mocking her with their effortless grace. Without warning, she reared back from the edge and toppled her companions into the pond. Naturally this upset her friends. They couldn’t fly home with soaking wings! She got them stuck in a strange meadow for the night while their wings dried. “What happened to make you react poorly?” They asked.
“I thought I saw a fish coming for us.” She lied without thinking. Then, she turned away from her friends in guilt. It wasn’t a very pleasant evening; fairies are so small they only feel one emotion at a time. Come morning, the fairies had dry wings and wanted desperately to go home. The youngest returned to the edge of the pond before they left. Her curiosity was too great to stay away. Unfortunately, spending the night sleeping on the ground hadn’t done her any favors. Her face was even dirtier, her hair more tangled, and her dress had new tears.
When they arrived home, they discovered everyone had been looking for them. The worry that had paralyzed the kingdom morphed into a joyous relief. The king declared they would celebrate! He ordered that they would rest for a day and spend the night feasting. The five fairies who had returned were to be honored for making it back safely. They would dine at the same table as the king! When she heard this the youngest fairy was dismayed. She was too ugly to sit near the queen! The royals were all so beautiful that she’d stand out like a rotten peach. She couldn’t protest. The king had already made his declaration. Aoife was determined that she would be beautiful enough to sit near the royal family.
She spent the entire day preparing while the others rested. She flew to a slow-moving stream to bathe and used her fingers to untangle her hair. Her dress couldn’t be saved. But Aoife was resourceful, and she made a new dress from a perfectly green leaf. The feast started and the young fairy was certain she looked beautiful enough to be around royalty. She proudly flew to the banquet hall in the grand oak tree. Her friends were already there, well rested and excited. Aoife waited for them to say something about her appearance. After all, she was filled with pride over her improvement. The night continued. No one said a word to Aoife about her hair or dress. They complemented the cooks and praised the king for his glorious idea numerous times. But not once did anyone complement Aoife.
Fairy celebrations are lengthy affairs, and the feast turned into a dance. Food and drink were still being served but most of the kingdom was twirling about in the middle of the hall. Aoife was disappointed and tired. She’d spent the entire day cleaning up and no one had noticed. The fairy sat at the table and refused to dance. She wasn’t going to risk getting her dress dirty. Her friends asked her to join them several times, and each time Aoife refused. The celebration was boring her. She was almost afraid she’d fall asleep. Her eyelids were drooping when the worst possible thing happened. The queen joined the dancing, and as was their custom, the musicians played an uptempo song. Each dancing fairy spun rapidly to keep up with the melody. By the time the song ended, the dancers were disoriented and dizzy. The queen laughed as she stumbled to the table. On her way to her seat, the queen almost fell. Her hand jerked out and pushed against the table. Thankfully, she caught herself and her high spirit wasn’t damaged.
Aoife’s night, on the other hand, was ruined. She’d been watching the remaining dancers when the queen tripped. Food from plates and amber liquid from cups fell into Aoife’s lap. She stood quickly and brushed it away. Horror filled her as the stain soaked into the leaf. The queen laughed in good humor and began to pick bits of food from Aoife’s hair. Too upset to stop herself, the young fairy swatted the helping hand away. “Don’t touch me!” She yelled. Tears filled her eyes as she looked upon her dress. “I spent all day preparing this!”
“Why on Earth would you do that?” The queen asked. She was no longer smiling, and the banquet hall had gone silent. Aoife didn’t notice.
“Why?!” She raved. “Because I wasn’t going to look hideous! Because I hate everything that looks dirty and messy!” In vain, Aoife tried to swipe the blotches from her dress.
“So, child, you hate all of us?” The queen asked gently. Aoife looked up quickly to argue, but stopped with her mouth halfway open. Dirt and pollen were smudged across the queen’s skin and clothes. Her hair was knotted. Aoife scanned the room to find the same could be said for everyone. No one there had clean clothes or untangled hair. They were all disheveled from a night spent celebrating, but they didn’t care. They did seem to care that Aoife wasn’t answering. The longer the silence lasted, the more upset they appeared. “Child,” The queen began, drawing the attention back to her, “Why do we help flowers bloom?”
“Because they’re beautiful.” Aoife answered automatically.
“Are they not messy?” A smile had returned to the queen’s face. “Does helping a flower bloom not make us as messy as the flower?” Aoife was quiet. “Yet the flowers are beautiful. The seeds they sprout from and the dirt they grow in may be ugly, but the flower inside the seed and dirt is beautiful.” The queen took Aoife’s hand in her own. “Beauty comes from within. You can paint thistle seeds until they outshine stars, but they will still grow into weeds.”
Then the queen ordered the musicians to play and the fairies to continue celebrating. Aoife was to accompany her majesty on a short flight. The two fairies flew around the perimeter of the kingdom, and the queen pointed out all of the beautiful flowers. Finally, they stopped and landed amid the grass at the edge of the meadow. The queen pressed Aoife’s hand against the ground. Aoife could sense the seed buried in the dirt. Without saying a word, the queen stepped back and flew away. The young fairy lifted her hand and stared at the dirt between her fingers. Absentmindedly, she wiped the dirt on her dress. In a few seconds, an orange tulip burst from the ground in front of her. Dirt rained on her head, but she ignored it as she flew to the tops of the petals. Pollen stuck to her feet. Aoife didn’t notice; she was looking at the beautiful flower.