Across the mountains,
Over the seas,
And through the mists of many veils,
There exists another world.
It is rather a lot like our world.
But even though it's there,
And even though it's full of many animals and plants and trees and other beautiful things,
It is completely invisible to the human eye.
This secret place,
Which can only be found by travelling east as the sun rises,
Has gone by many names throughout the years.
Some call it the Other Side,
Some call it the Time That Was or the Time That Never Was,
And others still call it the Elder Realm.
But here in this story,
We use simply the Other World.
And it is the Other World that this tale tells of.
One day,
It was a fine,
Bright morning in the Other World,
When birds were singing and bees were humming,
And all of the inhabitants were going about their usual business.
I should probably pause here to let you know that the inhabitants of this world aren't quite the same as ours.
For in this world exist all of the creatures of magic,
Myth,
Folktale and legend,
Such as the unicorns,
The griffins,
The dragons and the kelpies.
This world,
So close to ours,
Is also home to the feyfolk and the giants and the trolls,
The goblins,
To the mermaids and the centaurs.
Any magical or mythical being you or anyone else has ever thought of or told of,
Even if it was only a passing mention in our world,
Can be found going about its daily business in the Other World.
For this is a very extraordinary world indeed.
And it was on this bright,
Sunny day in the Other World that the forest elves emerged from their groves and their glens deep in the woodlands and ventured into the nearby town.
Now trust me when I say that this was highly unexpected,
For nobody had seen hide nor hair of the forest elves for several centuries,
And for the most part everyone was very happy to leave them to their own devices.
For although the Other World is a sociable sort of place,
Nevertheless everybody knows that the forest elves are a very private lot.
They prefer to keep themselves to themselves,
And that's that.
So you can imagine the surprise when a small band of forest elves came marching purposely through the town,
With grim looks on their faces,
Polished boots on their feet,
And their best travelling cloaks around their shoulders.
And at the head of their company matched their tall,
Noble leader.
But did he pause to speak with anyone on his way?
He did not.
"'I wonder what's going on here?
' muttered a unicorn to a passing selkie,
Who was on her way for a morning dip at the swimming pool.
The selkie eyed the straight-backed forest elves with some suspicion.
"'Looks like they're headed for the town hall,
' she muttered back to the unicorn.
As it happened,
She was right.
For the forest elves marched right up the hill towards the grand town hall at the top,
Where the local townsfolk held all of their meetings,
And on their way they didn't make eye contact with a single magical being,
Despite the curious crowds of onlookers now gathering in their wake to follow.
One thing seemed clear.
Something serious was afoot.
It was the mayor of the town who greeted the elves as they arrived.
He was a wise and ancient centaur,
And as well as being the mayor,
He was also a keen alchemist,
Chair of the local history society,
And editor of the town's newsletter.
His reputation was well-known and well-respected amongst the elf tribes of the forest.
"'Good morning,
' said the leader of the forest elves,
Stepping forwards and raising his voice so everyone could hear him,
For half the town had climbed the hill behind them.
"'My name is Emerald,
And I am of the forest elves' clan.
I am here today because I have been elected to speak on behalf of my kin.
' "'Welcome,
Emerald of the forest elves' clan,
' said the mayor,
Dancing his hooves together in a friendly greeting.
"'It has been a long time since we saw the elder folk amongst us.
' "'And I wish it were in better times,
' said Emerald,
For I bring grave news.
An elf-seer from the forest has dreamed of a prophecy,
And it concerns the human realm.
Unfortunately,
There is great peril before us.
' Muffled whispers of surprise made their way through the onlookers and the onlisteners.
"'Please go on,
' said the mayor urgently,
For we would hear what it is the forest-seer has seen.
' And so Emerald told the story,
And the gathered crowds and the mayor all hushed to listen,
For such a story like this one required a hefty silence to take it all in.
Indeed it was that the human realm was in grave peril.
The last wave of magic and the last flurry of mystery had disappeared from their world,
And the mankind were at war with each other again.
They had completely lost their way,
And every day it was getting worse.
Slowly but surely they were tearing their world apart,
And each other,
And all of the animals and the trees that they shared their world with,
Too.
Quite soon there would be no mankind left,
And no world either.
All was going to be lost.
' The forest elves had come out of their woods to raise the alarm.
They and the other elf tribes had already agreed to join forces and return to the human realm.
There they would try and avert the coming disaster.
They would try to help the humans even though they seemed past the helping,
And Emerald pointed out that they were not even sure if the humans would accept their help,
For the elf seer had seen something else,
Too.
It seems that with the going of magic from their world,
Said Emerald sadly,
The humans have lost their ability to see and feel magic at all.
The townsfolk gasped in amazement.
The mayor blinked furiously in shock.
Even if the elves return to help the mankind,
And even if you agree to come with us,
There is the possibility of their world being beyond our reach now,
Beyond our magic,
And therefore beyond our saving,
Emerald explained carefully.
This was very worrying news,
And in response the mayor declared an emergency meeting.
It would be held in the town hall that very day.
The council of many creatures is hereby summoned,
Announced the mayor,
And all magical beings and mystical creatures are asked to send a delegate to speak for their kind,
And at the end of the council a vote will be taken.
This vote will decide if the other world returns with the elder folk to the aid of the human realm.
The meeting soon began,
And magical beings from far and wide began piling into the town hall.
It wasn't long before there wasn't even room to move,
Either on the ground,
Or in the rafters where the flying creatures perched,
Or in the walls where the gowls and ghosts assembled.
Emerald the forest elf quickly retold his story and the debate got under way.
There were many voices in favour of returning to assist the humans in their plight,
And many voices against the idea,
And many who were not yet swayed either way.
We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf,
Spoke a dragon.
She was so large and taken up so much space in the hall that some of the tiles had to be removed from the roof.
She peered down at everyone from her great majestic height.
The mankind have needed our help lots of times,
What makes this time any different?
Hear,
Hear,
Cried a gargoyle,
Whose face was fixed into a grin,
Even when he was speaking on a serious subject like this.
I remember their request for help five hundred years ago,
Which came to naught,
And then again another hundred years later,
And then again later.
What makes this time any different?
I agree,
Said a genie,
Pulling his head and torso out of his golden lamp to join them,
And folding his broad arms across his chest.
They get by just fine without us.
It always looks much worse than it is.
The mankind find a way to muddle through in the end,
One way or another,
Without our interference.
It's a waste of our time and magic,
Said a unicorn,
Rearing onto his hind legs in protest.
The mankind almost wiped out the unicorns forever.
Our numbers are still recovering.
Nay,
Nay,
Nay,
We cannot return to them.
We cannot.
It is not safe.
Representatives from the dragons,
The trolls,
The giants,
And the gorgons all nodded their heads and snakes in agreement.
They too had suffered in the human realm.
And look at the ways that the mankind have treated our wolf brothers,
Said a leprechaun,
Perching on the shoulders of a giant,
And waving his hat emphatically in the air.
And how about our kinfolk,
The witches and the wizards?
The leprechaun went on.
In the human realm it isn't safe to be a wolf,
Or to be a witch,
Or to be a small creature like me.
They want our secrets.
They want our skins.
They want our gold.
They just won't leave us alone.
We want to be left alone,
A chorus of magical voices echoed up and down the town hall.
We want to be left alone.
As the exclamations continued,
With no one coming forward to the defence of the humans,
Emerald faced the crowd and spoke up in a loud,
Clear voice.
What if we could guarantee your safety?
What if the elves promise to protect you and bring you home safely when our work there is done?
The hall fell to a low hum of murmurs as the townsfolk paused to consider his words.
Everybody knew of the mysterious magic of the elderfolk,
And that not even the human realm could trifle with it.
The mayor asked tentatively,
But Emerald,
Will your strength still have power in the human world,
If it is true what you say,
And all the magic has left it?
It was at this crucial moment that a bugle sounded.
Everyone looked around to see who the latecomers were,
As they had thought everybody arrived and accounted for.
And it was quite a shock to all present,
Including the mayor,
To see the fairy king himself,
Complete with entourage of fairfolk and bodyguard of fair knights,
Making his way towards them with his favourite black hounds at his heels.
Quite a shock indeed,
For they were a rather antisocial lot,
Not unlike the elves,
And they hadn't been seen for many moons and many summers.
At the sudden and unexpected coming of the fairy king,
Emerald and the forest elves dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in unison,
For this was king of all the elderfolk,
All the worlds over.
The fairy king glided his way through the crowds to stand beside Emerald and the mayor.
He came to a stop with his entourage behind him and the town hall fell to silence.
For everyone knew that it was a very good idea to remain very still and very quiet when the fairfolk came to town,
And especially if they had wisdom to share.
The mayor danced his hooves again in the way of his usual friendly greeting.
Your majesty,
He neighed,
Have you come to join the great council of many creatures?
I have,
Replied the fairy king in a slow,
Regal voice.
The fairfolk have come to offer their support to the elf tribes.
I come in person to lead our return from the other world.
At this news there was much commotion all throughout the hall,
And excited whispers carried to the waiting crowds outside.
The king continued.
We will travel with the elves as ambassadors to the human realm.
You all know that it is we alone,
The elderfolk,
Who can lift and banish the dark veil of amnesia on the hearts and minds of the mankind.
He then turned to address the crowd directly.
It is time,
My neighbours and my friends.
This is the day we have doubted would ever arrive.
This is the day our grandmothers and grandfathers told us to keep watch for.
For one day it would come.
The other world reaches back into the dark to the aid of the human realm.
We will bring the light that still burns fiercely within us to the dying embers of a desperate land.
Now hear this.
Let all who wish to go come with me and my kin under our protection.
Let all who fear to go remain behind and keep the spirit of the other world safe for our return.
And so it was,
With the magic of the fearful and the elf kind assured,
That consensus in the town hall began to change that day.
One by one,
Creatures of myth and magic and legend stepped forwards to pledge their services to the mankind again.
You may have my wings,
Said the unicorn,
Bowing gracefully to the fairy king and the mayor.
For once I was the swiftest and the strongest of my kind ever to grace the skies of the human realm.
You may have my fire,
Said the representative of the dragons,
For it is long since I have seen the beacons of the human lands aglow in the dusk.
A witch and a wizard stepped forwards with linked arms to face the king.
And you may have our cunning,
They said,
For we are the keepers of the sacred heart.
We are no longer content to practice our arts in the safety of our exile,
Where once we walked arm in arm with our human kindred.
A fierce valkyrie fluttered down to join them and placed her hands staunchly on her hips.
The human realm may have our tears again and the keening of our ancient grief song.
Perhaps with this remembrance they will turn from their warring ways for good and never again forget the valour and glory to be found in kindness to all things.
The pledging process went on for a long time that day,
Until finally all the creatures who would fly or ride or swim or gallop at the heels of the Fairy King were gathered in their herds and ranks ready to set off.
The Fair Folk and their elf tribes would sail together in the same boats,
And Emerald of the Forest Elves was named captain of the fleet.
Just as the Fairy King was boarding his ship to embark on the long journey,
With the proud mayor on one side of him and faithful Emerald to the other,
He turned to address the creatures that bravely travelled with him.
Friends,
He said in his regal fairy voice,
The moment has arrived for our return from the other world.
Our journey is long,
The outcome uncertain.
All we know is that the mankind have forgotten us and forgotten the great mystery.
Now we,
The magical beings,
Must return to him in his hour of need,
Because we have not forgotten him and his once great magic.
For the human realm and ours were not so different once,
And at every corner there was magic to be found and mystery to be stumbled upon.
And we will show this to him again,
All of this and more,
Yes,
If he is willing to learn it.
And with that there was a chorus of cheers and hurrahs from those who marched with the king and those who would stay behind to keep vigil.
The elder folk boarded their ships,
Lifted anchor and aware they sailed,
Dragons,
Unicorns and the flying ones overhead,
Kelpie,
Mermaid and the swimming ones below,
And the running,
Walking and crawling ones overland.
It was surely an extraordinary sight to behold,
Part of an extraordinary world in extraordinary times.
Across the mountains,
Over the seas and through the mists of many veils,
There exists another world,
Which is rather a lot like our world.
But even though it's there,
And even though it's full of many animals and plants and trees and other beautiful things,
It is completely invisible to the human eye,
Or should I say,
Until now.
