The Dreaming

Messed up fairy tale

They discovered the first one in the cupboard. A cupboard in a wizard’s basement, hidden behind bottles of dragon scales and fairy dust. While I waited outside to watch for anyone suspicious who might try to stop our retrieval.

What we were retrieving, you might ask. The two things that kept everything living. Love and Laughter. The two Bottles of Life.

I watched a man stop by a fruit stand and pick up an apple. He didn’t look up at me, but I knew he was watching me. I could tell that he had an ancient power because it was one of my talents to be able to detect it. The only problem was that I didn’t know which one; I was still new at the power business.

I heard either Meyer or Nach give the signal, and I slowly slipped around the side of the house. I was instantly met by two men in dark cloaks with their hoods up, causing their heads to hide in shadows . They blocked my pathway into the forest where Nach and Meyer waited for me.

I started to back away, but bumped into someone right behind me; when I turned around, there was the man from the market place. He looked down at me with an evil smile.

I backed away from him until I was right between him and the other guys. I turned my back to the wall of the house so that I could see all of them. Then, I flipped back the hood of my brown cloak, for them to be able to see me, and slipped my hands out from under it.

At the same time, the three men lifted their hands. I clenched mine into fists as Nach had taught me, my eyes shutting instinctively. I heard gasps and opened my eyes.

The three men were throwing lightning at me with their hands, and my force field held it back. I was as surprised as them that I could hold it up. I’d never been able to before. I look at each of them and smiled.

Then, I closed my eyes again and concentrated hard. I lifted my hands and spread my fingers. I felt the heat start from my heart and spread outwards down both arms. Then, my fingers started tingling and I lost control. Red bolts of lightning were shooting out of my fingertips at the bad guys. They landed on their backs on the ground. I was sure they would’ve been dead if they could die that easily.

I suddenly collapsed on the ground. This always happened when I practiced my powers, but I never felt this exhausted.

Nach and Meyer were suddenly by my side, helping me stand. I could hear them talking to each other and me as they led me into the forest, but my head was throbbing and it felt like they were so far away.

~     •     ~

Before Nach and Meyer had found me, I was just like anyone else; I didn’t believe in magic and magical creatures. Parents always told bedtime stories to their children about fairies, dragons, and wizards, but they believed them to be just that: Stories.

I was stuck in prison and sentenced to death by burning because I used magic unknowingly and the people of my town thought I was a witch. That's where they found me, lying on the dirty, cellar floor just waiting for my death to come.

They quickly took me out of the prison, and we met their horses just outside. They took me into the forest and told me of my powers. They told me that their leader, Narine, had told them to find me and help me find the two Bottles of Life. At first I wouldn’t believe them, but soon I came to understand that we were the only chance the world had.

~     •     ~

I woke up just before daybreak with a massive headache. I shivered and pulled my only blanket tighter to my body. I heard movement near me and stiffened.

I heard Meyer’s voice only a few feet away. “You finally awake?” he asked.

I moaned.

“Good.”

I sat up slowly as to not make my headache worse and looked around. Meyer was putting out the fire, and Nach was placing his saddle bag on his horse. He caught me looking at him and walked over to me. He squatted down next to me, took my blanket, and handed me my cloak.

I put it on with his help. Then I stood and gathered my things, putting them in my own saddle bag. Nach took it and put it on my horse.

“Where are we supposed to go next?” I hoarsely asked.          

“Well,” answered Meyer, “the Love bottle was behind dragon scales and fairy dust. I think we need to go to the Fairy Kingdom.”

“And how do we get there?” Nach handed me a cup of coffee, and I took a sip from it.

Meyer and Nach looked at each other and smiled. “Dragons,” they said in union.

My eyes widened. “They’re real?” asked with amazement.

“Yep, and you have to ride them to get to the Fairy Kingdom.”

There was a sudden pound of hoofs against the ground from the direction we’d come, and we all looked towards the sound.

“We got to go,” said Nach as he mounted his horse.

I pushed to my feet and swung my leg over my horse. We took off into the forest with the sounds of hoof beats close behind us. The forest started to thicken and it made it harder to maneuver through.

“Hurry, Nova!”

I glanced behind me just as an arrow came whizzing by my head. I kicked my horse into a canter, trying to keep up with Meyer and Nach. They took a sharp turn, and my horse barely kept his footing as I tried to follow.

The instant I was behind the boulders, Meyer helped me off my horse, and Nach lead him away. I tried to ask Meyer something, but he lifted a finger to his mouth, and I kept quiet. We leaned against the boulder and waited.

They passed us slowly, looking for us.

Nach tugged on my arm to signal me to move farther away from the opening. I did, trying to be as quiet as I could, but I tripped over a root and fell, bringing Nach down with me. I bit my lip to keep quiet.

The sound of hoof beats stopped, and I held my breath. A call came from far away, and I knew they were way past us. I blew out a sigh and tried to relax.

“Um, can you get off me?” asked Nach from under me.  

I blushed and quickly got up. I walked over to my horse and led him from behind the big boulder. Meyer and Nach followed behind me.

I mounted my horse again and turned in my saddle to ask them, “So, where’s this Fairy Kingdom?”

~     •     ~

When we came to a meadow that was hidden behind a meadow, there were three dragons in the field. Nach slowly walked up to one, whispering softly. The dragon huffed smoke, but wouldn’t turn towards him. When the smoke intensified, he slowly backed away to where we were waiting behind a boulder.

“I can’t do it,” said Nach in a tone that proved he was shocked.

“Can I try?” I asked, looking between him and Meyer.

They gave each other a look, but Meyer eventually said yes.

I did as Nach had done and slowly kept up to the dragon. He looked over at me without turning his head. His eyes were green, and they shined powerfully.

“Hey, big guy,” I said quietly. I tried not to look afraid, but inside I was truly terrified. A few days ago, I’d never imagined I’d be speaking to a real dragon.

“Look,” I tried again, “we’re going to need a ride from you, so…”

The dragon turned away from me, his tail swinging behind him. I dropped to the ground just before the tail came whipping over my head. I stood slowly and back away slightly.

Looking behind me, I could see both Nach and Meyer standing stiffly by the boulder with worried expressions. I wasn’t going to give up. I couldn’t let them down. Not after how far we’ve come.

I reached out to the dragon with my mind, comforting him and assuring him that we wouldn’t harm him, and after a few minutes, he finally turned back towards me and laid down. He spread his wing out to the ground as if he wanted us to get on his back that way.

Suddenly, Meyer and Nach were behind me. Meyer patted my back and followed Nach up the dragon’s wing, helping me up. I noticed that Nach’s face was firm and he wouldn’t look at me. I felt guilty for the whole thing.

When the dragon took off, my head spun. He was flying so fast and only getting higher by the second. We broke through the clouds at a record speed, faster than any horse could run.

Just above the clouds was a city. It was just like any other city except it was made out of gold and was slightly smaller. We flew to the center of the city and landed in the town square.

Once we dismounted, we were suddenly surrounded by people who were the size of children. Most of them stared up at us with amazement, like they’d never seen a human before.

“Where are the fairies?” I whispered to Meyer.

“We are the fairies,” said a voice from behind us.

We all turned to see an older woman that was the same size as the others. She was floating towards us on a cloud, and all the other fairies made a path for her and bowed.

“And you must be the Calistines,” she continued. “We have been waiting for you.”

“How-“ I began to ask, but she interrupted me.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re running out of time. Follow me.”

She led us to a small hut just off the town square. In the middle of the room was a glass bottle that glowed gold. It floated just above the stone post and the purple pillow that sat on it.

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked quietly.

“Pick it up. You three are the only ones that can touch it,” the lead fairy told me.

I did as I was told, and just as I touched it, a bright light shined from outside and, the wind began to blow harshly. We quickly left the hut and went to the center of the town.

I looked to the sky to see a woman descend from the higher clouds. The light was shining from behind her like she was an angel. If they were real, which I was easily beginning to think was possible.  

“Narine,” Nach said breathlessly. He and Meyer bowed and I followed their lead.

“Nova, stand,” said Narine and I did as I was told. “Take the two Bottles of life, and pour them into this caldron.”

Nach handed me the first bottle, and I took it warily. I stepped forward slowly, watching Narine.

She smiled almost wickedly and said, “You are no longer needed.”

She raised her hand with her fingers spread wide. Bolts of golden lightning flashed from her hand and hit Nach in the shoulder. He flew backwards, flipping over a few times, and landed about ten feet away, holding his hurt shoulder.

Before Narine could even lift her hand again, I dropped the bottles and ran towards Nach.

“Stop or I will be sure to kill him this time,” Narine called to me.

I instantly stopped in my tracks and looked at Nach with tears in my eyes. I turned back to Narine and narrowed my eyes at her.

She smiled at me again. “Finally,” she said and lifted her hand again.

Instead of hitting Nach and killing him, it hit Meyer who had stepped in front of him to save him. He flew backwards to, but did not get up.

Tears began to pour out of my eyes. I ran towards Nach and knelt down beside him and shielded him from Narine.

“You will have to kill me to get to him!” I screamed at her.

“Nova, don’t be reticules. I would never kill him,” she said gently as if trying to comfort me.

“But you killed Meyer!”

“Only because he got in the way, my dear. Now back away from him and I promise not to hurt you. Do as I ask and I might even let both of you live.”

I looked down at Nach, whose eyes were closed out of pain. He slowly nodded his head as if he knew I was going to ask him if I should do what she said.

I slowly got up and walked back to the bottles I had dropped. I picked them up and brought them over to the caldron. When I looked up at Narine, she smiled at me again as if everything was okay in the world. I smile back at her.

Then, I lifted the bottles in my hands and threw them against the ground. They shattered and their contents spilled from them and spread across the golden ground.

“Why you-“ she began.

I lifted my hands like she had before and said, “I challenge you to a fight. Until the death.”

She looked straight into my eyes and did not smile. “Fine,” she said instead. “We fight.

We both backed away twenty paces. Then, at the same time we both lifted our hands. The city went up in lights. The color of her gold bolts was overpowering mine, but I concentrated like the time I did before. I thought of my parents, now dead because of people who raided my town when I was younger. I though of Meyer, a person I had began to call my friend, now dead because he wanted to save me and Nach.

The bolts that came out of my own hands suddenly increased. They were consuming Narine’s easily, and just before I gave all my power, I saw her face. She looked almost like she was scared. Then there was nothing, like it had never happened.

I ran over to Nach and knelt by him again. “I’m so sorry,” I cried to him. 

~     •     ~

Months have passed, and things began to get better, but I never forgot about my time with Meyer and Nach. Nach had left once his arm was good enough for him to ride a horse. I never really expected him to leave so soon, but I knew he would eventually.

Whenever I try to think about my time with them, things become foggy and I get a headache. By each passing day, I remember less and less. Until, it’s almost like it was all a dream.