Enchanted Folk A Sidhe Fairytale (standard:fairy tales, 1383 words)
Author: Otilia Tena	Added: Nov 05 2009	Views/Reads: 3716/2513	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The unhappy love story between a woman and a faeryman.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


“My lord, I would follow you everywhere and even to the otherworld, but
you have a wife and I am engaged.” 

They all burst into laughter. 

“She wants to follow you! Uuh! Uuh! Uuh!” 

“You tell us the story, young lady, or else you go with us!” I was
surrounded. 

“Then I will tell you about Oisin and his beautiful Niamh.” 

I saw how tears filled their eyes. 

“We know the story but we do want to hear it again”. 

We sat down in circle and each time I ended the story they asked me to
tell it again and again until dawn. They let me go in the end and I 
went to my fiance's house. They were all worried.  My grandpa was there 
too. 

“Where have you been, Ilana?” 

I didn't dare look at him. 

“Did you meet the enchanted folk?” my fiancé asked. 

“Who?” 

“They beg and steal and rape and they lead us astray”. 

“Don't talk like that about them, young man”,  grandpa said. “They hear
everything. We must tame them, not make them run wild.” He turned to 
me. “Do you remember what I told you when you were little?” 

“You told me the woods can be dangerous too.” 

“You met the fairy folk, didn't you, Ilana? You are changed.” He took me
by the hand and whispered in my ear: “You must stay here with your 
fiancé. The young faeryman wants to take you away.” 

“I know that he is married. I remember he took grandma as midwife to
help him. He's got a wife!” 

“I didn't say anything about his wife. I said he wants to take you away.
Take care of yourself!” 

I heard his flute at midnight and got out of bed. I opened the window
and he took me in his arms. His lips were like nothing I had ever 
known. 

“Come with me, my lady! I've been longing for you for so long!” 

“Come with you where?” 

“To the land of Niamh and Oisin. Where all are beautiful and nobody
dies”. 

“Oisin returned an old man. I do love you but I don't know who you are
and I don't live by your rules.” 

Then I heard their strange laughter again. “Rules? She said rules?” He
put me down and they surrounded me again and danced and laughed. “Ripe 
rape ripe rape she is ripe and good for rape! Uuh! Uuh! Ripe rape ripe 
rape she is ripe and good for rape!” 

“No! Leave her alone!” That was grandma's voice. She was there, all of
them were there or so I felt but I couldn't see them. 

“Young man, I beg you leave her alone! I helped your wife a long time
ago. Why are you doing this to us? Please, go back from where you came 
and never return!” 

I didn't see anything; he put me on his horse and carried me off with
the merry convoy. 

We hid and we made love and danced the days away. He killed our children
and sent me to steal buttermilk and babies and treated me badly. 

“You promised to take me to the enchanted land”. 

“And you believed!” 

“Uuh! Uuh! She believed you! Uuh! Uuh!” 

I covered my ears not to hear their mocking laughter again. 

“You said I am one of your kin”. I felt like weeping, I hid my face in
both hands but tears wouldn't come. All that time- Was it days? Was it 
years?- I had been trying to weep my sorrow away but tears wouldn't 
come. I remembered the things I said when I was little; I would say I 
was more beautiful than them and one day I would be with them. Grandma 
always told me to mind my words because they heard everything. 

One day I found a wounded deer there, in the woods. They danced and sang
and laughed around it. I dragged it alone and tried to cure it with my 
herbs but it was in vain. At last it spoke: “Thank you, Ilana, you 
tried to save me but I'll die anyway.” 

“Who are you?” 

“I'm his wife.” 

“You are the faeryman's wife!” 

“Yes, I am but don't be afraid! Tonight your fiancé will send his horse
after you. Jump on its back and run away! Do it before they see the 
horse and kill it!” 

“But I love your husband. He promised to take me to the enchanted land.”


“I've seen how he mocks you and you call it love! Love is what he felt
for me”. She said that and died. 

The sheer shadows of evening fell on the woods and suddenly I caught a
glimpse of the horse drawing closer and closer. I felt sorry about it, 
thinking how they might kill it, then I remembered my love and thought 
of the land of Niamh and Oisin. I said: “There's no hope here, I'll go 
now!” I ran to the horse but couldn't make it in time; I hesitated only 
a bit too long. I saw how his arrow pierced its very heart, just the 
way his beauty had pierced mine. 

“I only wanted to stroke the horse”. 

I finally felt the tears filling my eyes. At last I could weep. 


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