The Light Meets the Dark (On Hold)

Chapter 1

It was the Day of Initiation. This was a tradition in the kingdom of Cimmeria. All seventeen year old Dark Faeries gathered in front of the Queen's Palace, a looming structure made of stone the color of charcoal, for the Initiation Ceremony. Jadynne stood at the edge of the crowd, trying not to be seen. A gust of wind blew suddenly, swirling red, yellow, and brown leaves through the air, and she pulled her black cloak more tightly around her.

Queen Mordesse strode across the balcony, followed closely by Princess Tivani, her daughter. They surveyed the crowd of young Faeries, their long black hair fluttering in the wind.

"Greetings, Initiates!" the Queen addressed the crowd. "Today is a proud day for all of you, for today you shall officially become Dark Faeries!" The crowd cheered in excitement. "Starting tomorrow, you shall all begin your daily training to become fighters. And who knows? Some of you may one day be skilled enough to join the Dark Warriors!" This was met with wild applause. "Now, all of you shall meet at the Training Grounds at sunrise for three hours of training. Then, at sunset you shall train again for three more hours. After all, all the Dark Warriors got to where they are today by rigorous daily training."

Tivani locked eyes with Jadynne, then leaned in towards her mother, murmuring something into her ear. Jadynne felt herself tense. Tivani hated her with a passion and could be planning nothing good.

"My apologies," Mordesse spoke again. "I was mistaken. Not all of you will be participating in Training. For the good of all of the Faeries, Princess Tivani and I have decided that physically handicapped Faeries will not be permitted to participate in training with everybody else. This includes those lacking certain limbs, such as wings." She heavily emphasized the last word.

Many Faeries snickered and turned to sneer at Jadynne. Her face grew warm. There could be no doubt that this new rule was intended for her, as her lack of wings made her the only physically handicapped Faerie. She was in danger of crying, but she forced herself not to show it. Her tears would only give the others something else to mock her for.

Tivani met Jadynne's eyes and smiled sweetly, though her smile was very false. She likely knew what was running through Jadynne's mind and found great pleasure in it.

As was tradition in the Initiation Ceremony, all the Faeries stepped forward one by one and pledged their allegiance to the Dark Faeries, receiving a black rose-shaped crystal (the emblem of the Dark Faeries) to signify their new status as Dark Faeries. All of the Faeries except for Jadynne.

Jadynne attempted to mask her hurt with a facade of apathy, but she knew she was failing miserably. She wanted nothing more than for the Ceremony to end so she could escape the hateful looks coming from her fellow Faeries. Finally, the last Faerie stepped forward.

"I hereby vow to remain forever loyal to the Dark Faeries, and to never cease to persecute our enemies, the Light Faeries." Jadynne let out a deep sigh. She had often imagined saying those words, and to know that she never would made something break inside of her.

"Now remember to show up at training bright and early tomorrow morning! Those of you who are eligible, that is," Mordesse reminded the Faeries with a tinkling laugh. "You are all dismissed."

Jadynne turned and fled. That is, she strode away briskly, trying not to draw attention to herself. When she reached the woods that surrounded Cimmeria and she was sure that no one could see her, she broke into a run. She stumbled blindly through the forest, not caring where she was going. Finally she sank down against a tree. Dead leaves crunched underneath her, but she didn't care. She buried her face in her hands and let the tears fall.

Suddenly, the soft sound of wings startled her. The sound clearly belonged to Faerie wings as opposed to dragon wings, so presumably it was one of the Initiates who had followed her in order to mock her. She was tempted to look up and see who it was, but she knew better than to let her follower see her tear-streaked face.