[Fairleaf]

One of the Fair Folk and one of the Halflings came chattering toward where she stood. Like little birds, they were. Their voices piping over the grass, hands fluttering like wings. Behind them trailed a reluctant little pony, drafted it seemed into drawing a cart which held their supplies. They stopped at the end of the line of trees in which Fairleaf now stood. She had moved slowly closer to the Inn in hopes of seeing what was going on.

She watched as the Halfling tied the pony to a small log, one of many that were grouped about the great grassy place that grew in front of the Inn. The two young women struggled with some sort of long apparatus, maneuvering it rather clumsily out of the back of the wagon. Fairleaf watched as they extended its length then leaned it against the lower branches of a far beech. The Halfling held the apparatus steady while the other girl climbed it, several pretty, shiny, large, hollow baubles in her hands. Fairleaf smiled at this thinking how nice it was for the trees to be adorned.

Slowly, they worked their way toward her, chatting still. One, the Halfling she now knew was Ginger, made her hand sweep the area in front of Fairleaf. Apparently, this was to be where the dancing would take place, while under the trees to her right and left would be the tables where the food and drink would be. Gwenneth, the Fair Folk one, helped Ginger to place the ladder against Fairleaf (she had learned the word as they discussed it). And now Ginger began handing up lanterns (another new word).

How pretty they look, swinging on my branches. Like jewels; their glass is so pretty with all its shiny colors.

Fairleaf swayed her branches just a little, watching how the glass caught the sun. The motion stopped abruptly as further conversation caught her attention. ‘They’ll look so pretty when we light the candles!’ said Gwenneth with a delighted laugh.

By bark and root! They mean to put fire in the trees!