Chapter Six
Katie awoke, feeling surprisingly refreshed. She looked over at Chait, who was still asleep in his basket bed. He lay on his back with his front paws curled in front of him. Katie smiled and then got out of bed.
Suddenly, there was a light tapping at her door.
“Come in,” Katie called.
The door opened; a very tall and very handsome fairy stood at her door. He wore a large, long-sleeved top with a vest and knickers with boots. He had a belt around his waist, with a sword attached. On his back, he wore a bow and some arrows, placed in a leather quiver. His wings were a beautiful green.
He smiled at Katie, “Are you ready for your first lesson?”
“I’m ready as I’ll ever be.” Katie looked down at her garments she had been sleeping in. “Eh, maybe once I’m properly dressed, anyway. Well, do you get to train all the fairies?” Katie asked, brushing off her appearance as an afterthought.
“Yes, all the ones who are born to fight, anyway. You will be my first non-fairy and female for that matter, which I get to train.”
“Should I be worried?” Katie said with a grin.
“Oh no, I’m told I’m the best. Here, put this on and meet me outside, when you’re dressed.” He said, handing her a red dress and some black boots. He gave her a slight bow and then left the room, leaving Katie alone once more.
She put on the dress and boots and then admired herself in the mirror on the wall.
Red is a good color on me, thought Katie. She spun around to let her dress twirl. She laughed a little, as she walked out of her room and into the hall.
After getting a little turned around in the hallway, Katie finally made her way outside. She turned and looked back the way she had come from; it appeared that she came out of thin air. She stood staring at the ‘would be entrance’. She tried feeling it, but her hands only touched air.
“That was my reaction on my first trip to Amos, too.” said a voice behind her. She turned to find Prince Varek.
“Oh, you’re… highness…um…good morning.” Katie said a little caught off guard. She still felt weird talking to a Unicus.
“Good morning Katie. I’m sorry about my behavior yesterday. You have to understand though; with everything that happened …” Katie cut him off.
“Queen Adrianna talked to you, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, she did; she is very wise. I can see why she is Queen. Well, we should get started on your training. Normally, I would be in charge of your training, but as you can see, I am in no condition to teach you how to use a weapon.” Prince Varek said, shaking his mane to the other side.
“Well, I’m ready, so lead the way.” Katie said anxiously.
Prince Varek led Katie to a clearing in the forest, where many fairies were also practicing. She had seen movies where the knights were practicing using swords, lances and such. What she saw was similar, but the knights had wings, which gave them a slight advantage over their enemy. She spotted the fairy that had given her the dress, helping a smaller fairy use his sword. His name, she soon found out, was Chadwick. He looked over and saw her. He smiled and waved her over.
“This will be your new best friend,” said Chadwick, handing Katie a sword, once she approached him. “Now, all you need to know is how to use it properly.” He then put a belt around Katie’s waist with the sword’s sheath attached.
Katie looked down at the belt and the sheath. This is really happening, Katie thought. I’m really going to learn how to fight. She felt a little uneasy about the possibility of using the weapon in a real battle. She pushed the thought aside. She held the sword out, as it glistened in the sunlight. Katie lightly brushed her hand over the cool smooth metal.
Chadwick took out his sword and stood facing her. “Alright, are you ready for your first lesson?” He asked, holding up his sword.
Katie grinned and nodded.
“Alright, to start with, you need to have a ready position; watch me. I’m holding my sword with my right hand and my left hand is ready to block. Got it?”
“Right hand and left hand, ready to block. I got it.” Katie said, positioning her hands to what her teacher told her. Her right hand felt heavy. “Wouldn’t it be easier if I had both hands on my sword? It’s a little heavy.” Katie asked, twisting her wrist to relieve some of the pain in her arm.
“That’s another lesson. You will learn the main points today. There is so much you need to learn in such a short time. Most of my pupils take months, if not years, to learn what you get to, in a few short days. Please follow my lead. I won’t steer you wrong.” Chadwick said, handing Katie a slightly smaller sword. “Always be aware of what is going on around you. When you’re fighting an enemy in front of you, be aware of what is going on to either side of you and behind you.”
“Alright, be aware of your surroundings”
“Good; now let’s work on your blocks and your strikes.”
The lessons continued the entire day, with little breaks in between. Katie caught on very quickly. The sword was a little heavy at first, but as she got better, the sword seemed almost weightless in her hands.
“You are improving very fast, Katie. It will still take many years to be a master with this weapon, but I believe you will get there.” Chadwick said, patting Katie on her now very sore back. Katie winced, and then smiled a little at his comment.
When the sun slowly disappeared over the horizon, Katie joined Adrianna for dinner. After a light meal, Katie went back to her room and climbed into bed. She felt very tired and sore from the morning’s training. Chait ran in from a small door that had been added upon their arrival.
“And where have you been all morning, Chait?” Katie asked, snuggling into her soft bed.
“I was exploring this wonderful place. Did you know they have a fairy and all he does is cook for the entire palace? What wonderful food he made for me.” Chait said, licking his furry lips. Katie laughed.
“It is very common for a palace to have a cook, Chait. You should have seen me today, practicing with a sword. It is a lot harder than it looks, but Chadwick said I was really good. I am so sore because of it, but it was worth it. I have always wanting to take up sword fighting.” Katie said, turning over to sleep. Chait jumped into his basket bed, circled it once, and lay down. “I’m glad they’re not making me fight with a sword; I wouldn’t know what to do. Goodnight, Katie.” Chait said, putting his head down and slowing shutting his eyes. Katie closed her eyes for a second when there was a tapping at her door.
“Come in,” Katie called, and Adrianna walked in. Katie jumped out of bed and stood up.
“It’s okay, child,” she said, motioning for Katie to sit back down. “It’s time for you to know some of what I saw.” Katie’s heart started to beat faster as she prepared herself for what was about to be said.
“Starting at dusk tomorrow, you will be leaving us. Princess Simona, Prince Varek, my advisor, and your trainer, Chadwick, will be going on this journey with you. Queen Zendra is very powerful and must be stopped. In order to do that, you must make a Cane of Power to restore Princess Simona and Prince Varek to their true form.”
“Where do I get a Cane of Power?”
“You will have to build it yourself. Many have tried, but the items are in many different villages. That is why you are not going alone. You will need to get a flower from the top of Pixie Mountain, a raindrop from the village of rain, snow from the valley of ice, and lava from the castle of Dinesh. The cane is found in the forest of the wood nymphs, and the stone of Evandor, found beneath the sea, in the town of Derya. When all the items are collected, it will make the Cane of Power, when placed next to each other. When you point it at Prince Varek and Princess Simona, it will restore them to their true selves. It is only temporary though; they will not stay their true selves unless you destroy Queen Zendra and get the key back to Princess Simona. I know this is a lot to take in; that is why you will not leave until dusk tomorrow. I have written down the list of items you will need and given them to Chadwick.”
“I won’t let you down, Adrianna. Can I ask you something, though?” Katie asked as Adrianna nodded a yes.
“When I came to your realm, what happened in my own realm? Are people looking for me?” Katie asked a little concerned.
“When you left your realm, your world rearranged itself, as if you were never in it. When you return, it will go back to the way it was, as if you had never left.”
“But what of my husband James, is he married to someone else, now?” Katie said, a little sadly.
Adrianna sighed. “That was one thing I didn’t expect. Love is a very powerful thing. I never got to experience it myself; however I can see how powerful it is for your James. Though the world has forgotten you, somehow James never did. When you didn’t return, he became very worried. He asked around, but people started thinking he was crazy to make up a wife. He will stop at nothing to find you. I am a little concerned about this, but when and if you return to your world, all will be fixed and you will be back with him, again.”
“We have to do something. I can’t just let him go crazy, thinking I died or something. He really does love me more than I had ever thought he could. Isn’t there anything I can do?”
“Hurry on with your journey. That’s all I can say. When you destroy Queen Zendra, you can return. You can’t go back now. You are needed here, to help our people. Would you sacrifice thousands and thousands of innocent creatures, for one man? You will see him again. He is not in any immediate danger. It will be alright, now please try to rest; tomorrow, you start your journey.