Sleeping Fairy

Chapter II

Over the Ridlian border:

Perched in a tree, like a bird, Rose rests. Suddenly, a man dressed like a Ridlian noble sneaks into the clearing, pixie wings shining. Wary of his suspicious looks around the clearing, Rose perches higher up in the tree. Slowly, after satisfying himself that no one is there, the noble stops, stands, and closes his eyes. Before Rose's eyes, his wings begin to grow bigger and change. Feathers sprout from them, and small, curved claws break from the tops. Shocked, Rose loses her hold on the tree and plunges toward the ground! As Rose screeches in surprise, the man looks up. As he catches her, he is rewarded with a wing-slapped face. "Unhand me, you ruffian!" Rose screeches as she jumps out of his arms, flaring her wings and baring her teeth. Menacingly, the man flares his wings too and steps towards her. Rolling her eyes, Rose takes to the air on a gust of wind that seemingly appears out of nowhere. Before the noble can give chase, a huge wave comes hurtling towards him! Before it can break over him, Rose swoops down and snatches him up by his collar. "Who are you, and how can you disguise your wings to look like pixie ones?!" Rose snarls. "And don't give me any of that 'I don't have to tell you because I'm a noble.' stuff either." The noble says nothing. Frustrated, Rose throws him up into the air, and lets him plunge, shoving him down with her winds. A strong gale wraps around his wings like vines, constricting him. Screaming, he cries out,

"All right, I'll tell you! Catch me!" Seconds before he hits the ground, a calm breeze catches him and gently sets him down. Starting to run, the noble finds that he cannot move his legs. Looking down, he sees vines twisted and entwined around his ankles, holding him down.

"I knew you were going to try that." Rose says, smiling devilishly, "And if you keep moving, they can grow thorns. Yes, I can tell them to do that." Seeing his look of surprise, Rose lies, "I am an elemental fairy, though a commoner. No one knows, except you, so if you go around telling people, they won't believe you. Now, answer the question. Who in Faerie are you? And don't say commoner, noble. Your clothes give it all away. No commoner could afford Faylinnian silk, especially not a whole outfit."

"Fine." the noble grumbles. Drawing himself up, or as much as he can, being tied to the ground, he begins, "I am Derek, Duke of Alirt, and I demand to be treated as such!"

"Demand? I think I am the one, if either of us, to be in a position for demanding. I am Rose." Rose responds, mocking him. "Anyway, Derek, Duke of Alirt, I will let you go free-"

"Finally." Derek grumbles

"Hush!" Rose snaps, "I am not finished!" Taking a deep breath, Rose continues. "As I was saying, I will let you go free, on one condition. You teach me your disguise spell and everything about it."

"No. I will give you anything, but not the spell." " Then you will be imprisoned in this clearing until you do, and I will make sure you don't like it."

"Fine!" he screeches, "I will! Now shut up and listen!" Enraged, Rose brings her wing forward, hitting him with all her force.

"NO ONE TALKS TO ME LIKE THAT, DO YOU HEAR, NO ONE!!" Rose screams. "I. COULD. HAVE. YOUR. HEAD!"

"I thought you were a commoner." Derek smirks, "but I don't think a commoner could have a noble's head for speaking rudely to them."

"So you admit it was rude!" Rose says, tightening the vines around his ankles. Seeing his wince of pain as some of the vines dig into his skin, she smiles wickedly, saying, "And those haven't even started to grow thorns. Now, teach me the spell."

" Okay," the noble starts, "First you go find...."

By the end of the day, Rose has a pot of something

boiling and bubbling above a hot fire. Derek is freed from the vines, but has been imprisoned inside a gigantic bubble of wind that only Rose can get in and out of. Finally, Derek pronounces the potion ready. "Now you drink it."

"Not until you do." Rose hisses, "I still don't trust you." Rolling his eyes Derek swallows a dose of the potion.

"See? Nothing to worry about."

"You're not changing." Rose said, "Do it, and don't you dare threaten me, fairy or not." Flaring her wings, she steps toward him, ordering again, "Tell me what the incantation is."

"All right, all right." Derek mumbles. Starting to speak the spell, Derek's feathered wings slowly change to pixie ones. With Rose off guard in amazement, Derek abruptly switches shapes into a great, feathered winged monster. Shocked at this thing that's seven feet tall, clawed and feathered, and aggressively coming towards her, Rose stumbles it dives at her, shoving her out of the wind bubble. Not expecting her to slide through, the thing ends up hitting his head on the bubble and being dazed enough to have to change back to his original shape. Suddenly, Rose swoops inside and upends the cauldron of potion! "Idiot girl! Now we have to go back out and get everything again!"

"No, we don't, and I don't need you anymore." Rose says, bored.

"Of course you need me, idiot, if you expect to be able to ever make the potion!"

"One, NEVER CALL ME AN IDIOT! Two, did I not mention the fact that I have photographic memory for anything I hear or see?"

"WHAT!!! YOU MEMORIZED EVERYTHING I TOLD YOU!?! STUPID, STUPID GIRL!!! THAT INFORMATION IS TOO MUCH FOR ANY MORTAL FAIRY MIND TO HOLD! PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE THEY TRIED TO MEMORIZE HALF OF THIS INFORMATION!" Derek screams. "Idiot, IDIOT girl!" Having had enough of Derek's ranting, Rose brings her right wing forward again and slaps his face, scratching his face with a claw. Bringing his hand to his stinging cheek, Derek sees blood. Appalled, he turns to face her, flaring his own smaller, brown wings; an obvious challenge. Rolling her eyes, Rose rises into the air with a single flap of her wings. Copying her, Derek lunges at Rose, but she swiftly flits out of the way. Letting him turn around, Rose sends a whirlpool spiraling towards him. Caught in it, Derek is quickly spun to the ground, wings drenched.

"Your wings and mine are different in that mine cannot be affected by the elements, so I can always fly." Smiling devilishly, Rose exits the bubble, her opponent soundly beaten.