Redeemer of Knowledge

He walked throughout the forest, a small frown playing on his face.

Why he was frowning, he didn't know.

Most people would be honored with the position of the Redeemer of Knowledge.

Just like the few with the honor of being the Father of Time...

But he didn't want to know everything.

He didn't want to council everyone.

He didn't want to be noticed...

He just wanted to be a normal elf...

Why couldn't his father understand that?

Syquin was just an Elven boy...

Nothing special...

So why did his uncle choose him as next Redeemer of Knowledge?

Why had his father accepted without telling him?

He didn't know...

He faintly heard water dripping in the distance, and knew that a waterfall was just over a mile away.

He hated knowing everything...

Why couldn't one of the other races have been chosen to represent?

Mortals have been chosen.

Fay a lot.

The odd Pixie or two.

And back in the olden days, Dragons were always the Redeemers...

But all the Dragons died in one last mighty battle...

Even still, it was never an Elf...

Stopping, he sighed.

He searched around him, only to find that no one was there.

Reaching into his darkly coloured shimmering silk Elven shirt, he pulled out a beautiful pendant.

It marked him as the Redeemer...

Oh Calus, did he ever want to just through it away...

He couldn't even show the beautiful item to anyone!!

Sighing again, he lowered himself against a tree, and closed his eyes to listen to nature...

And for people coming...

His father didn't know of him sneaking out, and didn't approve of it, since many tried to steal the sacred pendant that he held clenched in his hand...

Many wanted the knowledge for themselves...

Many would kill him, a mere Elf, for the pendant...

"A pendant that I don't even want..." he whispered to himself, relieving in the short amount of peace he got...

Until he heard it...

A faint laughing, like the sound of bells...

His eyes snapped open, and he search his mind for whom it could be.

His answer fell on one of two races.

Pixies and Fays.

He stood up, pushing the pendant back into his shirt, feeling the dull sting of the leather thong hitting his chest.

Searching with his eyes and ears, he still couldn't find whom the laughter belonged to...

"Looking for me?" a smooth voice whispered behind him. His mind instantly found the answer to who it was; a Pixie.

He didn't even bother to turn.

"What would you like Pixie?" he hissed, drawing out each word just a little.

"Hmm... the rumors must be true then," he could almost see the smirk on the Pixie's face.

"What rumors?" he asked curiously.

He waited impatiently for an answer.

"That a mere Elven boy was chosen to be the Redeemer," the voice wasn't coming from where it was before, but laughing again; it confused him. Was it a Pixie?

It had to be a Pixie.

"What do you know?" the voice asked. "I could be a Fay."

How had he known?

Turning slowly to look at the voice, he only saw a twinkling light; it had to be a Fay.

Only the Fay could be something so pure.

"So you're a Fay?" he said, leaning back against the tree again; this time watching the light shining brightly.

"You could say that," the voice was small, tinkling like before. "But maybe not."

"Only Fays can do that," he rolled his eyes, stunned by the Fey's stupidity. "So you must be a Fay."

A bright light blinded him, and he was forced to close his eyes.

When he opened him, the little light was gone, and in its place was a girl...

She had shoulder length black hair, with maroon streaks, and shimmering maroon wings...

Everything she was wearing was based on the colour maroon.

Her maroon shirt fitting up her neck to her chin, and flared a little at the elbows, causing them to flow lightly at the wrists; it also cut off a couple inches below her breasts, showing her belly button.

Her shimmering black pants were tinted many colours, mostly reds and purples, and were very baggy on the girl; they also had the customary triangle of colour trimmed on the bottom; her colour was, of course, maroon.

But what caught him most was the pendant around her neck; it showed that she was a...

"Thief," he murmured, looking wide eyed at her.

"That's right," she smiled. "Didn't think that no Fay could be a thief now, did ya?"

"No," he didn't realize when he stood up and started walking toward her; she didn't even flinch when he touched her wings.

They felt...

Silky.

Not like a Fay's wings are exposed to.

A Fay's wings are light, like clouds.

"Having fun?" he heard her ask. He looked up into her eyes, only to see that they clashed perfectly with the little colour scheme; crystal blue with blood red and almond gold flecks gracing the center.

"What do you mean?" his gaze searched her face, only to land on her lips; he resisted the temptation to see if they were as silky as her wings.

"Exactly what I said," she sounded amused, and he tore his eyes off her lips and raised them to her eyes again. "Are you having fun?"

He removed his hand from her wing, and turned sharply.

"No," he said, closing his eyes and relying on his knowledge of the forest to guild him. "I'm no-" he tripped over a rock; or what he thought was a rock.

He pushed himself off the ground and looked behind him.

There was a log in front of a tiny clearing in the trees...

Where he had taken himself to...

But the Fay wasn't there.

And how did that log get there?

He should have known it was there.

He had tripped over it many times before he had the pendant.

Shouldn't the pendant have helped him remember to walk around it?

Sighing again, he closed his eyes, summoning the knowledge to come to him, like he had in the past day to either figure something out, or just to learn...

But it didn't come.

It wasn't even there...

He snapped his eyes open, and fished in his shirt for the necklace, but couldn't find it.

The light leather thong that it was on was even gone.

Why hadn't he noticed?

He grasped his neck, searching frantically; he refused to believe that he lost it...

"Looking for this?" he looked up, only to see the Fay. "Cause you ain't gonna get it, Elven Boy." He saw her smile, and regretted ever wanting to kiss her.

He tried to stand to take it back, but an unseen force was stopping him.

"Give it back," he glared at her.

She just smiled sweetly, and kneeled in front of him.

"No," she whispered, leaning forward so that their noses almost touched. "I won't..." she closed the small gap between them and pressed their lips gently together.

Syquin forgot his hatred for the Fay.

Her lips were just as her wings...

Silky.

The invisible restraints broke, and he wound his left hand behind the girl's neck, bringing her closer.

She tasted like strawberries...

Or was it raspberries?

Whatever it was, it was addictive...

He felt her hands push against his chest lightly, and got enough ability to think to realize that he was crushing her...

He pulled back a little, and kissed her again more gently.

Her hands stopped pushing.

He lost any capability he had had to think when he felt her tongue moving against his lower lip...

He opened his mouth, wanting it badly...

And she was gone.

He sat there, his eyes closed from the mystical kiss, slowly regaining his senses.

Blinking lightly, he opened his eyes and looked around, only to see that no one was there...

In a split second, the weight of everything that had just happened fell on him, and he blushed.

He had kissed a thief...

And he wanted to do it again.

He wanted to kiss the thief that stole the most precious object in the known words...

His father, his uncle, and the half of the kingdom that agreed with his father and uncle were all going to kill him.

Repeatedly.

And all he wanted to do was find the thief and kiss her...

He was losing his mind.

Standing up carefully, he plotted the best course home that no one would see him on.

Simple.

The secret trap door that lead to his room.

And coincidentally, only he knows about it...

"Father is going to kill me," he murmured, starting on the path home. "How could I have let some Fay steal the pendant?"

He saw another break in the trees, and slowed down to look before he crossed it.

Sometimes kids would play in there, and he didn't want them to tell their parents about seeing the Redeemer in the forest, because sooner or later, that news would reach his father.

Looking out, he saw one of his friends...

A Fay.

He didn't really want to see any Fays right now.

"Hey Syquin!!" he heard his friend say; her voice tinkled and laughed as well. "Wait up!!"

He didn't even notice that he had started walking away...

"What do you want Upanok?" he asked, not even turning to meet his friends gaze.

A light zipped in front of his eyes, and looking closely, he could see the outline his best friend.

"I want to know where you're going," the light dimmed, and he could see her more clearly.

"Back to my room," he turned again and started through the clearing; he felt Upanok land on his shoulder.

"Why did you start walking away?" Upanok asked in his ear. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, no," he sighed; how was he going to explain this? "I just saw another Fay today, and I don't really like her."

"Oh really?" Upanok chirped. "Tell me what she looked like, I can find her for you!!"

He froze; she could find the thief.

Smiling, thoughts of what he was going to do to her when he found her played across his vision...

Most of them involving a closet or room of some kind...

"Maroon," he said, shaking his head. "Everything about her is based on maroon," he turned his head as he felt Upanok jump off his shoulder. "Maroon wings, black and maroon hair, maroon shirt, black baggy paint that shimmered red and purple, with the proper trims in maroon, and crystal blue eyes."

He looked at his friend expectedly.

"Did you say crystal blue eyes?" she asked, biting her small lip.

"Yes," Syquin blinked; what was taking her so long?

"Oh dear..." Upanok looked around the clearing frantically, as if someone was there. "She wasn't wearing a thief's pendant, was she?"

It was as if she was afraid he would say yes.

"Yes," he replied slowly. "Why?"

"Because," he could tell she was looking for the right words. "Because... she's not a fairy... "