Yarrow

Creation

Yarrow was created by writer John Ney Rieber and artist Peter Gross in The Books of Magic issue 28 in 1996.

Major Story Arcs

The Books of Magic

Yarrow is a flitling, a small fairy creature. She attends to the desires of Queen Titania along with other flitlings.

She starts off as shallow as all the others, but one day Molly, a mortal, shows up in Faerie and causes some havoc. She begins building a treehouse, and the flitlings go to castigate her.

However, after seeing Molly's spirit, and her interest in making something new, Yarrow and the others join in and help her. Titania is not amused.

The others eventually get distracted, but Yarrow is entranced by Molly's humanity. She tries to make her own real garden as Molly does. It doesn't work, but she sees Titania sow faerie seeds in Molly's garden at night. When Molly eats the fruit that grows from the seeds, she is trapped in Faerie, and is cursed. She begins to burn Faerie down.

Yarrow is angered when other fairies blame Molly for this, since Yarrow knows it is Titania's fault.

Amadan overhears her mention this. He, too, has been blamed for Molly's destruction since he first brought her there. He wants Yarrow's help avoiding the blame. She tricks him into turning himself into a statue.

When a mob gathers asking for revenge on Amadan, Yarrow flies out with his stone head to show them he is no more.

However, even bigger events take place. A group of Hell-lords come to Faerie asking for an ancient tribute. However, Titania tells them the Leveler is coming, and they flee. Also, Molly has been hanging out with Titania's son, Taik, believing he is a friend, but he turns out to be possessed by a demon.

Yarrow, seeing their confrontation, flies to Molly and helps her see Taik, who she is now blind to. Yarrow almost helps Molly catch and defeat him, but Taik catches Yarrow and begins to crush her.

Luckily, Auberon intervenes and saves Yarrow. Then, the process called the Leveling begins. All of Faerie turns to mist, and most are separated from everyone else.

Everyone is challenged by their fears, but Yarrow sees that instead of hiding, she must make something of her life and world, as Molly did.

Due to her solitary will to live and create, Faerie is recreated itself. Yarrow is now revealed to (unknowingly) be the Leveler, the being to recreate the realms as they should be.

Everything is restored. Yarrow explains to the gathered fairies how she was inspired by Molly, and hopes they act with renewed goodwill and spirit.

The Books of Faerie: Molly's Story

Yarrow and Auberon continue to be concerned with Molly’s curse. Yarrow investigates, and learns of the existence of a gem called Twilight. It has the power to partially define Faerie. It would have the capacity to remove the curse. She and Auberon look for the gem, but are waylaid by the revolt of the other Flitlings, who are tired of being seen as frivolous second-class citizens of Faerie. The Flitlings take Yarrow and Auberon prisoner.

The demon Barbatos is behind the Flitling revolt. He is using Twilight’s power through its wearer, Ibbit. He turns many of the fairies into toy dolls and sells them on Earth, where they become a fad. Yarrow is one of these.

Molly finds Yarrow in a store and recognizes her. She turns her back to her normal self using her Gran’s cold iron key. Yarrow explains about Twilight and persuades Molly to come to Faerie to help Auberon and get the gem.

When they arrive in Faerie, they meet Briar Rose. They don’t trust her, but they accept her offer of guiding them to Auberon and Titania. They run into Bongsquall, the Yes of No, a dwarf who can force you into saying Yes to anything he says, thus enslaving you. Yarrow is caught, but Briar and Molly escape.

The Yes of No is working Yarrow to death. Molly comes to save her, knowing his weakness: Bongsquall can make you always say Yes to him, but he also has to say Yes to you, so you need to know how to trick him into saying Yes to what you want. Molly gets him to agree to drink some magic water, and shrinks him down so her cat Filthy can eat him. They discover that Bondsquall got his powers from Barbatos, who Molly now knows is currently in Faerie.

Yarrow and Molly then search for Titania, and find her in a prison, captured by Briar Rose, who has hated her for millennia.

Molly and Yarrow look for Auberon. They use Granny’s key to get him out of his cell.

They find Ibbit and find him sad and sympathetic. Molly shoots the Twilight gem off Ibbit’s neck, then throws some magic water on him, turning him back into the normal frog that Granny said he was in her note. In the process, Briar and Barbatos are defeated.

Molly becomes the new wearer of Twilight, which removes the curse (and small size and wings, which she picked up in Faerie). Yarrow is again a hero for helping save the King and Queen.