Plucking some wild blueberries and wild strawberries from the bushes, I gave it a taste in my mouth, with its sweet juice quenching the thirst in my throat. I tossed the wild berries inside my handmade basket, which was made out of sticks and twigs I found lying around the forest floor.565Please respect copyright.PENANAvNKDP4QVA1
With the bright, tangerine sun shining in the lemon-coloured sky, the silver leaves on the trees began to shine like priceless jewellery. Butterflies fluttered around the flowers as the small, fuzzy bumblebees began to collect nectar, with wildflowers dancing in the breeze. I took a deep breath of the clean, crisp air around me and smiled.565Please respect copyright.PENANAp1kAuHhlIU
It's been a while since I found peace around me. No war, no enemy soldiers wandering around the forest, no bombings or shootings. Just quietness in the faerie realm. Ferdinand and Naomi would have loved this place. Especially Naomi. She would be running around the forest right now, while Ferdinand would be relaxing beside me, smiling at me.565Please respect copyright.PENANAsNmVgra0gf
My smile soon turned into a frown as I sat on a log and drank some water I've collected with a pail from the river. It's pretty quiet here. And lonely. I mean, Em isn't really here to bug me and Aunt Inara can't nag at me now. I chuckled as I continued to munch on my berries, listening to the crickets playing in the background and the birds chirping on the tree branches.565Please respect copyright.PENANAbf5OJuy7bP
I sighed as I rested my hands on my face. If only I could return home to see my family and friends again. It's been too long since I've been separated from them. I hope they're alright. I don't want to lost them like how I lose Mom, Jessie and Dad.565Please respect copyright.PENANAZH3ukMsAoN
My head hung low as I stared at the flowers on the forest floor, my lips curved into a frown. I don't hate Aunt Inara. I didn't mean it. She's like a mother figure to me. I loved her so much. I just wished she was here.565Please respect copyright.PENANAkz8E37ZbZy
As tears streamed down my cheeks, I heard the leaves rustling against each other, making me rush towards the bushes and hid, tightening my lips. Taking a peek, a bunch of masked men rode towards my campsite, searching around. One of them threw a pail of water on the ground as the other emptied my basket full of berries. I clenched my fist as I felt my blood boiling inside me. How dare they take away my source of food and water? Do you know how long it took me to find those?565Please respect copyright.PENANAE3DnL1ANp9
"This place reeks of human," the leader spoke, wearing a black cape. "She must be close."565Please respect copyright.PENANApO3JjKDeCd
I lifted my arms and took a whiff of my armpits, making my nose crinkle. Dear me, I should get other clothes for myself. I've been wearing it for God knows when.565Please respect copyright.PENANAkjY4tQpcAU
"We must find this human girl," the leader continued to speak to his men. "We don't want to disappoint the Crown Prince."565Please respect copyright.PENANAHzDVzHDDOF
As they left my campsite, I popped out of the bushes and sighed in relief, wiping my forehead. Oh dear me, I felt my heart palpitated. Looks like Nick figured out I'm here. I have to find my way out of here before they find me.565Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3xxCl7h6h
Before I could run off, I bumped into one of the masked men. "There you are," he spoke, grabbing my hand. "You're coming with us."565Please respect copyright.PENANAjXUOlod4WK
"Let me go," I demanded, as I kicked his shin, making him screamed and released me from his grasps. Catching the attention of his men, I ran away from the campsite as fast as I could, without looking back. The masked men began to tail me from behind, holding their swords.565Please respect copyright.PENANAqLlrj7SBOt
As I ran, I saw a young man riding a white horse across me, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. With dark skin and curly hair, he was clad with a light blue waistcoat and black tight pants. He got down from his house and glanced at me with his warm, brown eyes.565Please respect copyright.PENANAqvAkQUGuoL
"You're a human girl," he pointed out, giving me his hands. "What are you doing here in our realm?"565Please respect copyright.PENANAURvAVkl2CK
Before I could answer him, a group of masked men managed to keep up with me, surrounding both of us in circles with their swords pointing at me. Prince Thadeus raised his hands in mid-air, chuckling to himself.565Please respect copyright.PENANASl1LqyhW7l
"Hey Torkal," Thadeus winked. "How are you doing?"565Please respect copyright.PENANAyaTULVAwoV
"We don't have to chat, Your Highness," Torkal snapped. "The Crown Prince wants us to bring this human girl to him."565Please respect copyright.PENANATEc9gJpaYx
"I see Nick found himself another human girl he could breed with," he laughed, making me uneasy. "Well, I'm not letting that happen under my watch."565Please respect copyright.PENANA6IhzEexnpr
"You are currently in Arendia, Your Highness. You have no jurisdiction in this kingdom."565Please respect copyright.PENANACBaYiGV56F
"Don't worry, I have a permit," Thadeus said, handing him a piece of paper to Torkel.565Please respect copyright.PENANAX3dkyb3gWF
Reading it, he lifted his head upwards and faced Thadeus. "This just says I can do whatever I want," he reads.565Please respect copyright.PENANA0rSXYtB5u6
Thadeus shrugged as he climbed on top of his horse, gesturing me to sit behind him. Clinging on his waist, he waved at Torkal, sticking out his tongue. "It's a nice talk with you. I should get back to my kingdom before the Queen gets angry. You don't want to make her angry."565Please respect copyright.PENANAnQdkhCIZ9b
Torkal's fist trembled as he barked at his men to ride after us with their black horses. Plunging downhill at a gallop, I held my grip on his waistcoat tighter as I felt my hair bouncing up-and-down.565Please respect copyright.PENANAe2nN19tMyV
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Torkal and his men gaining the upper hand over the of us. Pulling a pistol from his holster, he fired a couple of shots towards the enemy. I lowered my head and closed my eyes, avoiding his gunshots. With one hand on the lead rope, he drove zigzagged around the silver trees, avoiding shots from the masked men.565Please respect copyright.PENANACSXLSRWomW
The masked men knocked themselves on the branches of the trees, leaving Torkal alone to deal with me. He slowly stood up on his horse and reached out his hands towards me with his pistol, pointing at my face. "Give me the girl, or she'll die," he threatened.565Please respect copyright.PENANAbdSDCRVPqL
"Nick would be really upset if you kill his beloved trophy," Thadeus scoffed, driving even faster. "He'll have your head, you know."565Please respect copyright.PENANAY3K7eqJNxi
As Torkal was about to jump on him, he was flung from his horse with a tree branch above him, making him land on his back. Thadeus burst into laughter as we both rode into the meadow, surrounded by dandelions. I glanced backwards and found nothing but more dandelions tossing in the wind.565Please respect copyright.PENANA4WX0mQpVXj
He slowed his horse to a long trot, fast enough to keep moving down the hill briskly, but a lot easier to stay with. "So," he spoke. "What's your name?"565Please respect copyright.PENANAErr0f7HLV5
"My mom calls me Bugsy," I gave my name. "Since I like rabbits so much."565Please respect copyright.PENANAwbWNWNCgdi
"I think that's a cute name for a cute girl," Thadeus smiled. "Of course, you already know who I am."565Please respect copyright.PENANAeKCSs1QnjH
I nodded. "I didn't know they are two princes in the faerie realm. I only met Nick and his mother."565Please respect copyright.PENANAhI8IsWvCl5
"The Mother of Demons?" he exclaimed. "You're a lucky girl for surviving your encounter with her. Not many humans survived her wrath, you know."565Please respect copyright.PENANAhad6oWt9x0
My eyes widened. "Who is the Mother of Demons, anyways? I heard it from Nick when the medium banished him back to the faerie realm."565Please respect copyright.PENANApW15yDMill
"I'll tell you later once we've arrived at my castle."565Please respect copyright.PENANAcikDUvCV0R
I gave a nod as I gazed at the sky above me, whose yellowish sky was slowly transforming into a darker pink tint. The sun began to sit in the east as the moon rose from the west end of the hills, with its luminous blue light shining above us among the star-encrusted skies. The blooming dandelions shrunk as the wind blows the seeds in the air, glowing in the night.565Please respect copyright.PENANAHMhfP7chP4
Fireflies hovered above us as it brightened up the pitch-black field, paving the way to the castle. Reaching out my right hand, I held a small firefly in my palms and watched it fly away, making my lips curve into a smile. "It's beautiful here," I praised.565Please respect copyright.PENANAnmKrLu6kNi
"Not really," Thadeus lifted his shoulders. "It's always like this every night."565Please respect copyright.PENANA6qf80G0lOx
From a distance, I hear a familiar howling from afar, making my spine shudder. "Looks like the Unseelie Court is back," he groaned in frustration.565Please respect copyright.PENANAa8kqcU1yCR
"You know them?" I raised one of my eyebrows. "I always hear them every night in my realm."565Please respect copyright.PENANAie4zRrtOXg
"My mother banished them to your realm," he explained. "Something must've driven them back here."565Please respect copyright.PENANA7p0xlmnzqg
Then, we reached the castle ground sometime later. As Thadeus helped me down from his horse, my eyes glimmered at the sight of his home. The castle was like the size of a baseball stadium, with its cone-shaped roof and oval windows, resembling the ones I've read about in fairy tales.565Please respect copyright.PENANARQHuxzXKFQ
I held his hand as he escorted me inside, with the guards bowing to the both of us. They were dressed in red uniforms and wore long, fuzzy hats on their heads, holding spears. We entered the throne room, with the floors made out of ruby tiles and a large chandelier made out of glimmering crystals, hanging from the ceiling as high as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.565Please respect copyright.PENANAEesKgbCus7
A dark-skinned woman with honey eyes and luscious lips sat on a throne made out of vines and daisies, facing both me and Thadeus. "My son," she spoke, with a deep and husky voice. "I see you have returned with a human girl."565Please respect copyright.PENANAUzwLWG3CYm
Thadeus kneels on the floor with one knee, prompting me to do the same. "Indeed, mother," he answered, placing his hand on his chest. "I found Bugsy wandering in the woods, being chased by Prince Nicholas's men."565Please respect copyright.PENANApJvmOrJIUy
The whole room let out a huge gasp, whispering among each other. The Queen raised her hand and stood up from the throne, sashaying towards us. "Is this the girl that Prince Nicholas wanted to breed with?"565Please respect copyright.PENANAaEeoVUXZ2G
"Yes, mother," Thadeus nodded. "This is the girl."565Please respect copyright.PENANA0p66E1STbb
"You both may rise now," she gestured. Thadeus and I stood up straight and faced the Queen of Angelis, her lavender gown sweeping the floor. "You look awfully young to be the Crown Prince of Arendia's bride. How old are you?"565Please respect copyright.PENANALLtBprhq9B
"I just turned 16, Your Majesty," I answered.565Please respect copyright.PENANAlesknpnl4e
The nobles in the court gasped again, and the Queen raise her hand again to silence them. "What brings you here to the Faerie Kingdom? Your kind is forbidden to enter this realm."565Please respect copyright.PENANAewo6pmbGcd
"My home has been destroyed," I explained, my hands clasped against each other. "I was shot in the shoulders by an enemy soldier. If I hadn't dipped myself in a lagoon at the cave, I would have died of starvation and blood loss. I don't even know whether my family or friends survived the bombing from the sky."565Please respect copyright.PENANANPpHM21LaQ
The Queen covered her mouth as her eyes stared at me with horror, her hands trembling. "The human realm is destroyed?"565Please respect copyright.PENANAAnoPok3H9E
"Yes," I answered, bobbing my head. "There is a civil war between Blanca and the Bowans. People like me are somehow caught in between the chaos."565Please respect copyright.PENANAKih8LxxIAx
"The last time there was a war in your realm, creatures like the Unseelie Court and the crypt spiders roamed around the Kingdom," her eyelids moved upwards, as she stroked her chin. "And now, it's happening again."565Please respect copyright.PENANA2bdTpUeq9o
She looked at her advisor, who whispered in her ears. The Queen gave a slight nod and glanced at me. "As Queen of Angelis, you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you like," she proclaimed, her voice booming. "But with one condition, you must obey our laws and perform the tasks that will be given to you. Am I clear, Bugsy?"565Please respect copyright.PENANAW7KViBXZBz
I lifted my skirt slightly and courtesy to the Queen. "Yes, Your Majesty."565Please respect copyright.PENANA3WfS2QcbVp