Review please, read it too. That would be nice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Shut up! You really, really need to SHUT UP!

(Damara)

I snarled, I hated these people, and they couldn’t tilt the scales of a war, unless they were some sort of mass sacrifice, and I don’t think I’d mind if they where wiped out. I am one ‘lucky’ person, I’m on extended duty watching them, I feel like I’m babysitting my sister all over again, and that was my older sister.

I walked through the street, grumbling to myself, hood up and stooped over. I scrambled out of the way of an oncoming cart and heard someone shout, “Get out of the road you old hag!” I snarled, hags were very useful, if you were nice to one they would bestow upon you wonderful gifts. Only a few feet ahead of me the cart flipped for no apparent reason, I smiled evilly. Finally these humans where taught a lesson. Stupid creatures, among my people they where live stock. No, we didn’t eat them, but they got what they deserved, the bare minimum.

A young boy ran up to me and tugged at my cloak.

“What?” I asked, all anger gone from me, I liked children of all kinds, even human ones.

“I was wondering . . . Are you really a hag, because my gran told me stories about how they’re really pretty, when they show you their real forms and if you’re nice to them the give you presents. Do I get a present?” I smiled.

“No, I’m not a hag, but I do have a present.” I searched in my cloak and pulled out a windup crystal frog, “this is for you.” The little boy smiled gleefully and ran off. I smiled as he showed all the other children what I had just given him. Laughing and whooping.

A young man shoved past me, I growled and grabbed his wrist, holding it tightly. He tried to pull from my grip, and a look of surprise skimmed his face as he realized that no matter how feeble I looked, I was not.

“Didn’t your mam teach you any manners?” I asked in a snarl.

“Y-yes ma’am, I’m s-sorry I bothered you.” I let him go and he rushed away. I walked on, a hint of sour still on my face.

I reached my inn and headed around to the stables, even if the horses couldn’t talk they were better company than the humans.

As I reached the stables I noticed that no one else was there, usually the Innkeepers son was there, but today he was not, I smiled no one to ask me questions constantly. I moved towards the ladder that went up to the hay loft, I’d set a chair behind it, and set it outside one of the stalls. I found a small bag of oats I’d stashed away, I pulled the drawstring and some of them fell into my palm. I smiled tenderly as I walked over to Travern, a young Mare I’d taken a liking to. I pulled my chair over to her stall and held up my palm to her. I smiled as her tongue tickled my hand, I sat down and pulled a well used book from my cloak.

I sat and read in the stables, waiting until something worth watching happened, it never did.

I looked up as the sun began to set and jumped from my chair, dropping the book to the straw strewn dirt as I dashed towards the sun, panic dashed through me, I’d almost missed it, I’d almost missed it. I was stupid, so, so stupid! I didn’t need it tonight, but it I didn’t do it tonight I would need to tomorrow, I’d rather just do both.

I trampled out of the stables, pulling my hood from my head as I watched the beauty of the stars. I watched as a million tiny lights bloomed in the sky and barely even noticed when the necklace I wore around my neck constantly reached for the sky, lifting itself of my head. It was a power crystal. All Tijen get them when they come of age, so that instead of taking magic from their element, since each Tijen picks one, fire, water, wild-life, air, earth, stars, and then those like me which have picked all, they can store magic in their crystal, most still went to the ritual Rejuvenation every night.

As I gasped at the stars my hoofs, yes Tijen have hoofs but only two, lifted from the ground, I was being reeled in by the magic and the people that I loved with all my heart, but I could not stay, and the ritual was over far to soon.

The necklace wrapped itself neatly around my neck and I landed crouched still staring at the sky.

I twirled around donning my human form as I heard a noise behind me, but it was only the innkeepers son, turning up more than a little late for ‘work’. I turned my head back to the sky and pulled my hood up to shadow my face.

“Nice night, in’it?” The boy asked.

“Fine.” I said and turned, replacing myself in the chair picking up my book and plucking a few straws from the pages.

“What’cha readin’ today?” He asked. I turned to the cover, not remembering the title.

“Wise Men Fall.” I replied and went back to the book.

“What’s’it about?” he asked, pulling curry combs from a high shelf.

“The Mages war.” I replied quietly, already getting fed up by his questions.

“Would ya read me some o’ it?” I knew the boy, Alwyn, at the age of 15, couldn’t read.

“No.” I said simply, he’d never wanted me to explain before, I didn’t feel I should today.

“Then . . . Would ya tell me a story about the Warrior Fairies?” He always asked about some kind of ‘mythical’ creature, yesterday it had been Vampires.

“Only if you promise to say nothing to me afterwards.” I looked over to see him nodding vigorously. I took a deep breath. “Long before the humans were born” It was an old legend I’d heard many times, but reciting it made it sound so much like truth, “There where many fewer kinds of Folk than there are now. Only four, the Demon, Shadow, Angelic and Fairy. But people were unhappy with their own groups.” My voice rang with power and Alwyn had stopped working on the horses, “The people they were with often times had completely opposing views, civil wars and riots broke out. There was true turmoil not the kind known now about things like: ‘ that man stole my pig’ or ‘You’re causing a row in my bar’ it was true war, you didn’t go out on the street without armor and at least a knife. Until an all out war was declared. Every species for itself, each of them killing whichever species was standing in the way of their power. Until the clear folk, tired of the killing wrote a treaty . . . “

“Why didn’t the Tijen write the treaty, aren’t they the peacekeepers.” My heart wrenched.

“They didn’t exist at that time, and if you want the end of the story then you need to: Shut up! YOU REALLY NEED TO SHUT UP!” Alwyn didn’t even jump at my outburst, he was used to them by now, but his mouth remained clamped tightly shut.

“to continue, the Clear Folk wrote up a treaty which grouped those of common beliefs together. All agreed . . . Except the Warrior Fairies, they had been and always would be the Fairy Folk, it would not change! Or so they believed. A new war was declared, the war between the people of the treaty and those who were against, and there was only one people against. Before open war was declared all others ridiculed the Fairies for their foolishness, saying that they would loose the first day of battle, a barely trained army of Elvin Fairies, as they used to be called. But when war broke loose and they only had 100 battalions compared to the 100,000 those of the treaty, they won, every skirmish, every battle, these people were bred for battle, and so their name was changed. Down to the very last one, but pride was to be their downfall, or at least part of it.

At the very last battle every man stood, brave and afraid, staring at the warrior ahead of them, and their opponents far north. All knew they would fail, all knew to fight their best, every race was there, the second half of their defeat.

Those of the treaty had one final hope, and all believed it would fail. A coven of magic users, one from each race, stood in the middle of fully fledged knights, eyes closed and hands clasped, a ring, that came to be known as the Ring of War. Each calling to their Gods for strength, all asking for a victory for their people so peace could reign, for strength for their men and enough power to keep their men safe. The Warrior Fairies merely smirked, overridden with confidence, utterly sure they would win, but when the fighting began, the last standing where those of the treaty, they took the Warrior Queen, and forced her to sign, they were made the Grey Folk, and have ever been unhappy about it.” I concluded, leaving other parts of that story for Alwyn to fill in himself.

“Wouldn’t have been easier if they could have had the Tijen there? To draw the power from the Warrior Fairies?” I felt irritated, but I would answer the question, more for myself than him, it was the answer I had deprived myself of for years, but we both needed to hear it.

“No.” I stated, and when he started to protest I put up a hand and continued, “The Tijen have the same problem the Warrior Fairies did, they are over confident, they think that because they can draw power from anything they can win any fight they get into, but there are ways to prevent power being drawn from you, and if anyone can figure out what it is, it’s a Warrior Fairy. Now, be quiet and finish your work.” I raised my book back to my face, anticipating another question, but it never came, of this I was glad.