Amaryllis pulled her tattered shawl tighter around her shoulders as a cold, steady rain began to fall. She kept her head down, trying to go unnoticed as she slowly made her way down the crowded London streets, in search of her next meal. She reached a promising looking garbage can and began to rummage through it. "Disgusting street urchin." a woman said, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she passed by. "Hurry up, dear." her husband said, looking down on Amy with disdain. Amy hastily shoved a half eaten apple in her pocket and continued to dig. Not long after the haughty couple had left, a large cloaked figure stopped in front of Amy. "Curious." he mumbled as he watched her. She glanced up and glimpsed a speck of white beneath the hood. She hastily straightened up and with a quick, "Pardon me, sir." she hurried down the street. The man, however, didn't give up so easily. Unknown to Amy, he followed her throughout the afternoon. As evening fell, the temperature dropped and the rain turned to snow. As Amy walked down the snowy street, she caught snatches of singing from pubs and shops. "Must be Christmas Eve." she thought as the clock struck midnight. Suddenly, she heard a loud screech and a scream. She spun around and saw a horrific sight. A car had lost control on a patch of ice and pinned a pedestrian beneath a front wheel. The woman lay screaming as the driver slowly got out and fell to the ground in shock. Amy raced over and knelt down next to the woman. "It'll be alright." Amy said soothingly as she took the woman's hand and held it in her own. Almost immediately, the woman stopped screaming and whimpered instead. By that time, a large crowd had gathered around them. "What's your name?" Amy asked as she heard sirens in the distance. "R-R-Ruth." the woman choked out. "My name's Amy. Don't worry, Ruth. You'll be alright; the paramedics will be here soon. Are you in any pain?" "I was, but it sort of dulled. Now it just feels cool." "Are you cold?" "No, not cold. It's a pleasant cooling sensation." "Move aside! Make room!" a strong male voice shouted. The crowd parted to let the paramedics through. "Get outta the way, vagabond!" the paramedic said and ripped Amy away from Ruth. Instantly, Ruth's screams of pain resumed as the crowd pushed and shunted Amy to the back and out of the crowd. She slowly walked down the street toward her shelter in a nearby alley. Halfway home, she suddenly collapsed. Before she hit the ground, a pair of strong hands caught her. She caught a glimpse of the man's face beneath the hood before her world turned black.
When Amy awoke, she found herself lying in a comfortable bed with sunlight pouring through the windows. A warm summer breeze blew in through the open window and ruffled the lace curtains. She sat up quickly and saw that she had been bathed and wearing a clean pair of pajamas. Suddenly, the door opened and a young woman entered the room. Upon seeing Amy awake, she quickly left the room and returned a few minutes later with a tall young man. "Hello, my name is Elias Ainsworth. I'm so glad you're feeling better. You had us quite worried." the handsome man said. "You bathed me?" was the first thing that came out of Amy's mouth. "No, no. That wasn't me. That was the Silver Lady." he said, putting a hand on Silky's head. "Silver Lady?" "Yes, please call her Silky. She's the caretaker of the house." "Where am I?" Amy asked looking around the room. "The last thing i remember it was snowing. Now there's a summer breeze blowing in?" "I'm sure you have many questions." Elias said with a laugh. "But i also imagine you're quite hungry. Join me for breakfast and I'll tell you everything you want to know." A few minutes later. Amy sat across the table from Elias in the dining room. The table was laden with platters of bacon and eggs, buttered toast and pastries, steaming bowls of oatmeal, pots of fresh coffee and pitchers of ice cold orange juice. Amy loaded her plate and began to eat. "How is it?" Elias asked as he sipped his tea and watched Amy shove huge bites of eggs into her mouth. She nodded her head and continued eating. After breakfast, they adjourned to the parlor. "So, you have questions?" Elias asked, taking a seat in an armchair while Amy sat on the couch. "Who are you?" she blurted out. "As i said before, my name is Elias Ainsworth. I'm also known as 'The Thorn Mage.'" "Thorn Mage?" "Yes, don't be scared." he said and extended his hand, palm upward. Seconds later, vines comprised of black thorns shot out of his palm and intertwined with each other. A single red rose appeared in the thorns, which he presented to Amy. He closed his hand and the vines disappeared instantly. "What was that?" she asked, looking at the rose. "Magic." he responded.
Before he could explain any further, a small creature fluttered in through the open window. "Oooh what do we have here?" the creature said, fluttering over to Amy and hovering right in front of her face. "You're a Sleigh Beggy, aren't you honey?" the creature said, taking notice of Amy's bright red hair and bared her minuscule teeth in a malicious smile. "I'm a what?" Amy asked, startled and leaned back in her seat, trying to put a little distance between her and the creature. "A Sleigh Beggy of course--" "Now now." Elias said, interrupting. The creature spun around at the sound of his voice. "Oh, Thorn, I didn't see you there." the creature said, smiling sweetly and fluttering her eyelashes. "Who and what are you?" Amy blurted out, getting over her initial shock. "Forgive me for not introducing myself." the creature said, now sitting on Elias' shoulder. "My name is Midna." "She's a Fae. A faerie to be more precise." "I prefer to be called 'friend' or 'neighbor.'" Midna said, scowling at Elias. "This can't be real. I have to be dreaming." Amy said, pinching herself. "Oh it's real, honey." Midna said. "Where am I?" Amy asked. "You are in the realm of the Fae known as Arcadia. More specifically, you're in the town of Oxenfurt. If you wish to return to the Human realm, I shall escort you back tomorrow morning." "And what is a Sleigh Beggy?" "Sleigh Beggies are a very rare type of Mage that have a fragile body, but powerful magic. When they use their powers, they almost always become weak and slip into a coma." "How long do they sleep?" "Days, sometimes weeks depending on how much magic was used. Remember the woman you helped? Ruth? You were starting to heal her wounds when the paramedics arrived. That's why you slept for two days. If you choose to stay, I can teach you how to control your powers and become a very powerful healer. However, if you stay, you can no longer live among the humans in the Human realm." "Can I have some time to think it over?" "Of course." Elias said, rising to his feet and walking toward the window.
He gently scooped Midna from his shoulder, deposited her outside and shut the window. "Hmph!" Midna huffed angrily and flew off. "I must ask you to remain in your room today while you mull things over. If you need anything, Silky will be happy to serve you. I shall be in my study if you have any further questions." Elias said, turning to face Amy. "Silky?" he called. The Grey Lady opened the door a fraction and stuck her head in the room. "Please bring...I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." he said to Amy. "Oh, my name is Amaryllis Bloom. Everyone calls me Amy." she said quickly. "Please bring Miss Bloom a cup of strong chamomile tea. She has much to think about." Silky nodded quietly and shut the door. "Now Miss Bloom, if you would please follow me upstairs to your room." he said and strode to the door. "I must ask you to make your decision by 10 o'clock tonight." he said as they climbed the stairs. "A quill and parchment are on your desk if you need to write your thoughts down. If you need anything, please ask Silky. I shall be in my office if you need me." he said as he opened her door and she took a seat at her desk. "I shall check on you later this afternoon. And if you encounter Midna or any other "neighbors", please let me know at once." he said and shut the door. "I thought he'd never leave." said a voice. Amy spun around and saw Midna sitting on the windowsill. "Eli---" "Oh be quiet, sweetie." Midna said with a yawn and snapped her fingers. Instantly, Amy's mouth snapped shut and she was unable to open it. "MMMM!!" she screamed though her lips were pressed tight. "Relax sweetie, I won't be here long. I just wanted to invite you out tonight. Meet me in the field behind the house at midnight. If you know what's best for you, you'll be there. I can do a lot more than just seal your lips, you know." Amy nodded. "You'll be there?" Amy nodded again. "Wonderful, sweetie. Oh and one more thing. Don't tell Elias about our date tonight. He doesn't need to know." Midna said with a wink and snapped her fingers again. Amy's mouth sprang open as Midna flew away.
