Sleeping Fairy

Chapter IV

In the cave:

"Aunt Extie, please, why are you keeping me here? What has my family done? Whatever it was, I promise to make it right." Rose pleads.

"Stupid girl, you can't! Your family hasn't invited me to give gifts to their babies since three generations before you were born." Extia replies.

"But why? Why do you hold a three-generation-old grudge? And why does my family not invite you to christenings? They wouldn't do that unless they thought..." Rose trails off.

"Thought what?" Extia questions, obviously curious.

"It is best left unsaid." Rose says, second-guessing her reply.

"No, it isn't Rose. Tell me what you think, and I might let you go."

"Truly?" Rose asks, hopeful. "What I was saying was, I don't think they would have not invited you unless there was good reason. Had you done anything that might have caused my family to be angry at you?"

"OF COURSE I DIDN'T, STUPID GIRL! I CAME AND GAVE THE BABIES GIFTS ANYWAY!!"

Shielding herself from Extia's violent screams, Rose flutters away to a corner of the cave, dragging her chains with her. Extia flies, incensed, out of the cave so fast Rose's hair is lifted by its wind. After being sure that Extia is gone, Rose lights a small fire and warms herself up. Conjuring a mirror, the fairy Rose sees staring back is gaunt and weak, unfed and dehydrated. Sobs suddenly rack her weak frame, forcing Rose to throw up what little she had eaten. The tears stop after a while, but Rose is so weakened by the effort of crying that she faints yet again.

Late at night:

Rose. Rose! It's me, Derek. I can only hold this spell for so long, so just answer this, where are you and how did Extia get ahold of you?

"I'm in a cave." Rose says, awakened by the call and putting out the fire. "And judging by what the wind says, I'm over the Grenrilian border. Somewhere southwest of the official border. I haven't felt this wind in a long time. And who do you mean, Extia I 'm being held by my Aunt... Oh." Ok Rose. I'm coming. Stay away from her. Don't worry and I lo-

"ROSALIANNA FAYLINN, JUST WHO WERE YOU SPEAKING TO JUST THEN????" Extia screeched as she entered the cave.

"No one, Aunt Extie." Rose whispers, startled.

"No one. Phaw. I heard you talking to yourself. Who was it? I want an answer now, not tomorrow, Rose."

" I told you Aunt Extie, no one but myself."

" Keep away from my Rose, witch," A deep, fierce voice sounds from the mouth of the cave, "or I will run you through with this sword." Extia turns and sees Derek.

"Ah, so this is the person you were communicating with before I came back. Isn't he, Rose?"

"I told you, Aunt Extie, I was speaking to myself!"

"That witch isn't your aunt, she isn't related to you in any way!" Derek hisses, "She is the one who cursed you and me!" Baring his teeth, Derek advances on Extia. She brings up her arms as though to ward off an attack from the left. An avid swordsman, Derek senses this and abruptly switches directions, managing a slice into Extia's right side.

"Aaaaaugh!" Extia cries, starting to wither into ash.

"Did I not say that this sword is made of pure foret?" Derek says, smirking. Extia's mouth struggles to form a spell as she doubles over in pain and vanishes in a cloud of ash. Using what little of the wind, earth, water, and fire she can control, Rose fashions a vase. Carefully, she blows Extia's ashes into it. Melting it shut, she says, "Now she is trapped." Turning around, she sees Derek looking at her oddly. "Why do you say you are from Ridil, when you have a Faylinnian accent?"

"What Faylinnian accent?" Rose asks, not able to hide it. "And why do you say you are from Ridil when you speak with a Waterfis accent?"

"I-" they both begin. "Oh, you go first." Rose says, lighting a fire as Derek turns away.

"All right. I lied about my status. I am really..... The prince of Waterfis. Now, who are you?" Derek says

"I-I-I... hmm. How do I say this? I'mtheprincessofFaylinnandIranaway becauseIcouldn'tsavemyfather."

" Let's try that again, slower." Derek coaxes.

"Fine. I am the princess of Faylinn and I ran away because I couldn't save my father, but I managed to save my mother."

" That's a pretty good reason to run away." Turning back to her, he startles Rose, and Derek sees her before she can put out the fire. "Rose! Light that fire again. I was wondering why you always put it out before I turned around, you're so thin! Come on, I'll get you out of here." Helping her up, Derek swiftly cuts her chains with one stroke of his sword. As he leads her into sunlight, he can feel her wincing against the light. "Come on, just a little further. You'll see the outside world soon." Soon, they are at the mouth of the cave. Supporting her, he sees her for the first time since she sent a whirlpool spiraling at

him. This fairy is the opposite of her. Looking at Rose, you'd think she had always lived in darkness. There was no trace of the tanned, slim girl that he had met when she fell from a tree. This weak, gaunt, emaciated fairy, with wings that drag on the ground is nothing like the fierce, fire-eyed girl that attacked him with the elements just a week before. Slowly, she spreads her wings, wincing at the exercise. Derek held a green engraved bottle to her lips and told her, "Drink it in one swallow. It will help with the pain." Drinking down the vile-tasting liquid, Rose instantly feels a slight difference in her strength. She tries again to raise her now snow-white wings. This time she does not wince. Now she realizes that Derek was staring at something just past her shoulders. Bringing a lock of hair forward, Rose sees a lock of hair that is straight, black as night, and shoulder length, not her wavy, chestnut-brown, waist-length hair. "Your hair," he whispers, "your wings. Being in that cave must have done it."

"It's because I'm an elemental." Rose whispers, her voice barely audible, "If I spend too much time away from the elements, I start to wither away. They're a part of me as much as I am a part of them. We all are." Carefully and with pain greeting her every move, Rose flutters into the air, letting Derek guide her. Suddenly, Derek looks at the tips of her hair and wings. Their color is coming back! He watches in amazement as the color keeps going. But, suddenly, it stops at the point where her hair passes her shoulders and the middle of her wings. The color keeps going in some places, but the black remains from her head to her shoulders. Deciding to test herself, Rose lights a small fire, douses it, lights it, fans it with wind, smothers it with water plants, and douses it again. Proud of herself, she silently raises vines to Derek's wings. Before he can turn around, she grabs his wings with the vines and pulls him to the ground. Laughing softly, Rose is suddenly wracked by coughs and loses her hold on the vines. Derek catches Rose on her way down to the ground, toppling them both over. Smiling, he carefully helps her up. With what little strength she has left, Rose calls up a meal for them both. However, before Rose can start walking towards the table for two, Derek sweeps his arms under her knees and around her shoulders and proceeds to carry her over to the table. Exhausted, she rests her head on his chest, but before Derek can put her into her chair, Rose falls fast asleep. Noticing this, Derek carefully lays Rose onto a bed of moss he found in a sturdy, homey oak tree. Laying down beside her, Derek listens to Rose's breath, perfectly even, until he too falls fast asleep.