King Oberon's daughter Aikara was forever breaking rules. Being his favorite daughter, the rules rarely applied to her. There was one rule in the kingdom that had been passed down since the dawn of time and the punishment was to be banished to the world of man forever. Never to return to the underworld. That of course was to share the secret of eternal life with a human. Normally when the fair folk visited our world they traveled in groups for safety. Aikara failed to heed this wisdom and was trapped by a woodsman. She exchanged her freedom for the secret. Oberon had no choice but to banish her to the mortal realm, stripped of her fairy wisdom and power. But, he trapped her within a painting before he did so, to make sure she would forever retain her beauty. This painting he sent with his most trusted adviser to give to Lady Hornsmithe, the only human he ever trusted.

Now after many hundreds of years this portrait has fallen into my hands. Aikara still is as vibrant as ever, her wings fluttering, but trapped on the magical canvas her father created.