It was known throughout many of the seventeen kingdoms that the fairy Lumbia lived somewhere in Alton Woods in the part where no sun shone through the trees. After all, her important station as a patron fairy of sleep and dreams made it so many people took care to keep track of her.

But Prince Owen still had a problem. He knew where the Alton Woods were, and he knew Lumbia lived somewhere in them, but the place "where no sun shone through the trees" was very vague. He had assumed that it was near the center, where the trees grew the thickest, but he had been riding for hours and had had no luck.

A crow cawed loudly and burst from a tree in a storm of feathers, making Owen's horse pace uneasily. He patted its neck. "It's all right," he said quietly. "We'll find the fairy and be out of here in no time."

He rode on for a while, urging his horse in the direction that he thought the trees grew thickest. But the sun still peeped through, even if just barely spotting the forest floor with specks of light.

A noise reached Owen's ears from behind a group of trees. Something had disturbed the underbrush. He took little note of it, deciding that it had just been a small animal.

A few minutes later, another sound came from bushes to his left. This time, however, he caught a glimpse of something blue flash and then fade into the greenery. He slowed his horse and stared at where the thing had disappeared into the bushes. "Is someone there?" he asked loudly, his voice sounding strange in the still woods. "Are you following me?"

There was movement in the leaves, and a tiny man jumped out. He was only about a foot tall, with a three foot gray beard that trailed on the ground behind him. This he lifted and began swinging around in his hand as he looked up at the prince with a mischievous grin. "Yes, I was following you. Now close your mouth, or I'll pull your tongue out."

Owen clamped his mouth shut immediately. He hadn't realized he had been gaping, though he knew he was surprised. "You're an elf, aren't you?" he stammered.

The elf bared his teeth, a strange collection of dirty white and solid gold. "Here's a clever one. And a royal, by the looks of it. Tell me, princey, what are you doing in these woods?"

Owen had never spoken to an elf before, or any magical creature, really. He had no idea how to deal with them. In the end, he settled on an honest approach. "I wish to find the fairy Lumbia. "

The elf sniggered. "Not the way you're going. You have no clue where she is, do you?"

Owen shook his head.

The elf dropped his beard and walked forward, leaves catching in the gnarled hair, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "I see you need my help," he said.

Owen eyed him suspiciously. The elf had threatened to pull out his tongue earlier. He didn't trust the grinning little man. "I'll be fine on my own," Owen said, taking a firmer hold on his horse's reins.

The elf frowned, his face turning red and wrinkling grotesquely. "No one can find the fairy without a magical creature's help," he stated.

"I think I can manage--"

"NOBODY!" The elf screamed, tearing strands out of his beard. "Stupid prince! If you go on by yourself in this forest, you will never find any fairy! None! And when night falls and the dark creatures come out, they'll tear you limb from limb and devour your spoiled gizzards! You need my help!"

Owen blinked a few times and brushed the graphic image from his mind. "Maybe I do need your help," he allowed. "But what do you want in return?" He had a feeling the elf's adamance was not just caused by a concern for his well-being.

The elf rubbed his hands together again. "Those lovely gray eyes of yours would do nicely."

The aforementioned eyes widened in revulsion. "No!" Owen exclaimed.

The elf huffed. "Boring human. Have it your way. Instead, how about your teeth?"

Owen's hand flew over his mouth. "Not them either! Is there something you want that isn't a part of me?"

"Your firstborn child?"

"What?!"

The elf held up his hands defensively. "Just a possibility." He was silent for a moment, thinking, and then he nodded. "Here's a deal you can't refuse. Your horse in exchange for directions. That's all I ask. Take it or leave it, princey."

Owen was about to protest again, but he thought better of it. He needed to find the fairy, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he wasn't likely doing that without magical assistance. All the elf asked for was his horse. That was a small sacrifice compared to the importance of his quest. Besides, he had to agree to something before the elf started demanding his limbs or his head.

Owen dismounted and gave his horse a final pat. "He's all yours. But you have to tell me the way to Lumbia first."

The elf clapped his hands, his eyes twinkling. "Fine by me! The darkest corner of the woods is that way." He pointed. "That's where you'll find her."

Owen looked in the direction the elf was indicating. "But I just came from there! I didn't see any..." He trailed off when he turned back around and saw that the elf was gone. His horse had disappeared as well, and he was surrounded by shadowy trees that had not been there a moment before.

It was dark, as if the day had suddenly sunk into night. Owen turned in a circle, filled with a new fear of the shrouding blackness and the twisted forms of the trees. The elf had done something--transported him to another part of the forest.

"Why, hello," a soft voice said. Owen turned and found himself looking at a tall woman with silvery hair and shimmering robes. But she was not a normal woman. Her skin glowed with pale blue light, and a set of enormous wings fluttered behind her. She was a fairy. Lumbia.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw a large animal, a white wolf, sitting on its haunches behind the fairy. Its fur glowed like the moon, and a little star of black fur grew on its forehead. Its intense gaze was locked on him.

"Don't worry about White Wolf," the fairy hastened to say. "He is a very good pet. He will only attack if I ask."

Owen opened his mouth to speak but was stopped when Lumbia raised a hand. "Before you say what you came for, let me guess." She yawned deeply, her glow expanding as she breathed in and shrinking back with the exhalation. "It will be amusing. Now, let me see...You are lost?"

Owen shook his head impatiently. His was an important quest, and he didn't want to delay it any longer. "It was no accident. I was searching for you because I need--"

"Shush!" Lumbia stopped him. "You'll ruin the game. Oh, I know. You want three wishes?"

"What? No." The irritation in his voice was unmistakable. He should have been more polite to such a powerful being, especially with that giant wolf standing by, but...a guessing game?

Lumbia tapped her chin with a slender finger. "I can't grant three wishes anyway. Let me see, something else. Ah, this is it! You want me to help you get rid of a bad dream. That's what most people come for."

"It's not why I'm here!" Owen objected. "I came because I need you to--"

"Lift a curse from your beloved?" Lumbia suggested with a wry smile. Behind her, White Wolf howled. Maybe he was laughing.

Owen stared at her in surprise and anger. She chuckled softly. "You're amazed that I know? I knew the whole time. I keep very careful track of my beneficiaries, and I've had a particularly interested eye on our Princess Claire. I know about you as well, Prince Owen. I knew something like this would happen."

Most of what she said completely went over his head. His mind was still occupied with an earlier matter. "If you knew, why did you play that pointless guessing game?"

Lumbia's laugh echoed around them. "It wasn't the guessing that was amusing. It was the look on your face. Priceless!"

"What?!" Owen exclaimed, probably for the fifth time that day. He didn't understand magical creatures.

"Yes, that one! That face!" Lumbia said, wagging a finger at him. "But enough fun. What do you want from me?"

"I thought you already knew that," Owen muttered.

"I knew that you would want me to do something, not any specifics. Now do tell."

Owen took a few deep breaths. "I want you to take back your curse," he said as calmly as possible.

Lumbia flew a foot off the ground, her glow turning a dark blue. "My curse? My curse?"

White Wolf was on his feet, ready to destroy whatever was upsetting his mistress.

"The sleeping spell," Owen prompted, eyeing the animal warily.

The fairy pursed her lips stubbornly. "That is not my curse. It's my blessing. The poor girl would have died without me."

"Well, whatever you call it, you need to take it back. Replace it with something else."

"Why should I?"

"You know why!" Owen almost yelled. "I love her, but I can't be with her if she's sleeping while my life wastes away!"

"Ah." Lumbia stared off into the trees thoughtfully. Her tone was more serious. "So you want me to replace the century sleep with something milder."

Owen was relieved. "Yes, please."

"I can't."