The Pearl of Avalon

It has been well over a year since I first set foot on Avalon. I know this because each day I would make a mark on the wall in my private little room. I did miss a few days though, and when I got to the three hundred and sixty mark, I just gave up. I don’t even know why I was keeping track! I love it here, and if I never set foot off this island again, it wouldn’t bother me.

I have learned how to use a spinning wheel and loom. That’s why I have this little room. I have everything I need to make my own gowns. The Sisters thought me how. I even learned how to do my own embroidered designs. I was shown where the best berry bushes were, and those berries were used to make the dye for the fabrics. They also had a very pleasant taste. No bitterness at all. The cotton plants grow steadily behind the castle, so there was never a shortage of fabric.

Arthur and I were married about a week after the pearl had been restored. I admit, it was quite sudden for such a thing, but it felt right. It was a handfasting ceremony. Very beautiful. We can’t have any children, due to the fact that time does not exist for human aging. And that’s fine. Kiera, my new best friend, along with all the other pixies and elves are like children anyway. Always full of fun and mischief.

Morgana and I spend a lot of time together as well. She was really surprised when I told her the stories I knew of her. She couldn’t really grasp the idea of how some stories made her out to be so evil. And the story of her son being Arthur’s, well, that blew her away entirely.

Modred’s head and body remained on opposite ends of the island. Merlin was slightly concerned about it, not that he thought anyone on Avalon would try and piece them back together. He was just cautious. And he has every right to be cautious, really. Because of Avalon’s magic, if Modred’s head and body united, he just might wake up.

And that would not be good!

Of course, he would probably need the Grail for that as well, and Nimue has that hidden.

There is no need to eat much here. One apple a day provides all that we need to stay satisfied. It was only after I ate my first apple that I understood how Merlin had wished for one on the day I had met him. And the apples never depleted in supply. As soon as an apple is picked, another grows back the next day. The berries and cotton plants are the same.

Avalon has all four seasons, but all the plants and trees stay in full bloom. The snow cover only adds to the beauty of the island. I would have loved to have my camera. Snow topped roses look absolutely beautiful, especially in the sunshine. Not that I could print any pictures of course, but Avalon was certainly a place a photographer would love to see.

There are no birthdays celebrated here. No humans age and the elves and pixies have strange lifespans that can not be counted by years or months. Not earth years or months, anyway. Avalon had it’s own space and time. Every once and a while we all just get together for a celebration. I would sing some modern songs and they would all enjoy it. I also learned Avalon’s music. Mostly chants, but it is beautiful.

I don’t usually think of home. If it does come to mind, it’s usually when I’m teaching the elves some modern sports and activities, or telling stories about how things have advanced. I do sometimes miss my old friend, Rochelle. I sometimes wonder if she still works at the paper. Mark might have passed through my mind, but never deeply. I’d also wonder if those guys that kidnapped me ever got caught. In a small way, I would almost like to see them again. And thank them. I might never have come to Avalon if things had turned out different.

I also wonder about the chain of events that lead me here. The travel agent finding something that soon was still hard to believe. Maybe I really was meant to be here. Nimue said Avalon chooses who sees it, and I guess it chose me and helped me get here.

Someday, maybe, I will make a trip home. Maybe a few of the Sisters would like to see how much has changed. But, I will only make that trip if someone other than myself mentions it. I see no reason for me to leave. I love it here. I love Arthur. Every day is a pleasure to be alive.