The Last Light Keeper

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

It was late Summer when Miss Madeline came. She came swiftly and with a pep in her step to pick up Aster and take her to the Keeper's Academy where she may be properly trained. Aster would unfortunately be starting in her second year. She was supposed to begin the year prior, but for reasons Miss Madeleine didn't know, Aster never showed up.

Miss Madeleine had decided that Aster's caretaker, Nelly, had just gotten lost. Nelly isn't a Keeper, after all. Nelly never even attended the Academy herself. So she waited. And waited. And waited.

After a month, it was clear Nelly had no intention of sending Aster to the Academy. Miss Madeleine personally went to the safe house that was agreed upon almost fifteen years ago, but it was empty. Miss Madeliene panicked at first. Were they found out, was Aster captured by Dark Keepers and Nelly murdered?

  Miss Madeliene calmed herself, and decided to investigate before jumping to conclusions. After talking to the surrounding Fae, she learned Nelly had packed up and taken Aster somewhere else four years prior. Miss Madeliene was furious.

She spent the next eleven months searching in vain for Aster. She was shocked that she was unable to find the child. On the other hand, she was so impressed and grateful by Nelly's ability to safekeep the child, knowing any enemy would have a much harder time. Eventually it was the Fae that snarked Nelly out, with only a day before classes started.

The Fae are known troublemakers. Always tricking and deceiving whatever mortals they can. Still, they do take a liking to certain Keepers. Miss Madeliene is one of them. Aster Grey is another. But, one young Fae couldn't ignore the fact Aster was out in their woods practicing Keeper Magic while not enrolled in Keeper's Academy.

Though most of the time Faeries opt not to spend their time with mortals, the ones who lived in the woods near Aster enjoyed watching her cast her Light Magic. Light Magic was a rare ability, so the Fae enjoyed watching Aster use her "light tricks" as they called it. Though one young Faery found himself rather annoyed by the attention Aster received.

The culprit who eventually ratted her out was a young Fae, named Beagan. They would never admit it, but they were a tad jealous of Aster's ability. The rest of the Fae thought it was so amazing, the way she could make such a beautiful glow emit from the palm of her hands, but not Beagan. It would be one thing if Aster had been some well known and respected Keeper. But she was a kid, like Beagan, and was in his woods illegally using her magic to impress his friends.

  It was quite easy for Beagan to do. Back in the Other Realm, there was some talk about Miss Madeleine, who was very popular among all of the Fae, searching for a young Light Keeper. Light Keepers were as good as extinct anymore, so it was especially obvious who she was looking for.

~~

Miss Madeleine's arrival was a surprise for Nelly and Aster. The day had started as an ordinary day for both of them. Aster had spent the morning doing her chores around the house. Nelly forbade her from entering the nearby woods, so she would pretend her chores took an hour or two longer than what they actually took, and spend her extra free time with the Fae or practicing her Light Magic. By the time she had gotten home it was close to dinner time. They were about halfway through their mushroom cream soup when they heard the knock.

"What in the galaxy?" Nelly wondered, setting her spoon down. She scurried over and nervously opened the door.

Miss Madeliene pursed her lips from the other side of the open doorway. "Oohhh. After all this time, this is how you greet an old friend?" Nelly opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted. "Also, I don't quite find it appropriate that you decided to pack up and move halfway across the land with young Aster without so much as a letter. I was really worried, you know."