Kale

prologue

Enchantra gazed longingly at the minute fairy on the daffodil. Its delicate, lacy wings fluttered effortlessly in the slight breeze. She reached out one of her fingers to stroke its fragile wings. The fairy opened and closed its winds in a sort of warning. Enchantra hesitated then ran her finger along the edge of the fairy’s wing. She retracted her hand and rubbed the fairy dust between her fingers, it caused her finger tips to sparkle silver and gold. She looked back at the fairy. It had climbed out of its hiding place at the base of the daffodil’s petals and now sat on top, its wings fully spread. The swirling reds and purples melding with the blue and green that joined it. Enchantra placed her hand beside it and much to her surprise the fairy actually climbed on. She pulled her hand into herself and examined the small being. It couldn’t be any more than an inch tall and outsized by its wings that were easily half the size of her face. If she hadn’t approached to get a better look she might have just taken it to be a butterfly. The fairy’s clothes looked a great deal like petals sown together into a tight dress.
Around its waist it had a silver band, with a design so intricate Enchantra had no hope of ever understanding it. Suddenly the fairy was out of her hand and hovering before her eye. She could have sworn it was looking for something. After a couple of seconds it took the band from around its waist and slipped it onto Enchantra’s small finger. It bowed and flew away.

It had been months since Enchantra’s encounter with the fairy and she had since given birth to a child. The baby girl was small, smaller than any child she had ever seen before, yet she seemed to carry intelligence beyond her years. Her ears were long and pointed and her eyes were large and deep. It was not long after Kale’s birth when soldiers from the Sultan showed up at her door.
“We are here to collect your possessions.” Enchantra let them in. She didn’t need the reason. In order to purchase the house and most of her other things, she had had to take on a large debt; one that she was having more than a little trouble paying off. But for all the things she had, her one concern was for Kale.
“Don’t take my daughter, take everything else if you must but spare me my daughter.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the captain responded edging closer to her, “you have an awfully large debt if I may say so.” Enchantra watched them appraise her furniture and write down amounts on a piece of parchment. As they wrote these down they carted them out of the door to a waiting wagon. One moved to pick up Kale’s basket Enchantra moved quickly to intercept it. As was Kale’s way she didn’t start crying but she woke up to stare questionably at her mother. Enchantra put her down in an area they had already cleared. “I take it that’s your child.”
“Yes, she’s the world to me.”
“Understandable, all mothers consider their children the most important thing in the world.” A soldier approached them.
“Sir, there won’t be enough.” The captain rubbed his chin and looked at Enchantra.
“What if she was sold?”
“No need,” another soldier, a lieutenant, called, “we found a baby.” Enchantra’s eyes shot open and she took a step forward. The captain put up his hand.
“No, a baby can’t work, can’t be sold as anything worthwhile.”
“Sir, if I may, there is no other way. So it had better learn; the price of one won’t cover the other anyway. We’ll have to sell them both.”
“I’ll buy her,” the captain pointed to Enchantra, “for the price of both.”
The soldiers looked at one another in shook, was the captain going crazy? “You can’t be serious.” Nevertheless they agreed and after the rented house and land had been settled the debt was paid.
“You can be my house keeper if you want and have full run of my estate,” the captain said to Enchantra as the rest of the soldiers took the loaded cart back to the castle, “I’ll take you there now.”
“Alright,” Enchantra cooed, thanks pouring from her eyes, “I’ll get Kale.” Enchantra walked toward the door where she had left her. She turned sharply back to the captain, “She’s gone!”