Chapter Two

   At the castle of the west. A princess was locked in her room for she's one of the most clever princesses the kingdom ever had. She always straggling off the kingdom just to wander.

     For her, being a princess affiliated with great responsibilities in a lonely kingdom is a nightmare. She's always in the castle doing things a princess does such as; changing fancy clothes out of Queen's choice every time, always looking clean and tidy, and most of the time being perfect at all. She just wished that she will be going to live a happy life and be free from all of the responsibilities given to her even just for one day.

     Meanwhile, at the main hall of the kingdom, a noble knight holding his metal helmet was standing in front of the throne where King Alfonso I and Queen Azalea were listening to him as he brings news to them.

     “Your Majesty, I have something to tell you, both good and bad news. According to my men. There are two witch kids gone astray in the southern village. My men also said that they use black magic to curse a fruit vendor and to escape from the villager's hands.”

     “Did the mages forget about the agreement?” The king asked while doing circles on his right temple using his hand.

     “Looks like the witches belittling you, my King. They even brought us only two witch kids just to get rid of the town,” Queen Azalea utter emphasizing the word “kids”. 

     The King clenched his fist and angrily smashed it to his golden chair as he thought that their enemies are insulting his capabilities.

     “Enough! Go, tell your men to find the witch kids and bring them here alive!” King Alfonso said. The knight bows down before leaving, he was about to vanish from the door but the King stopped him.

     “Wait! If that would be the bad news, you forget about the good news, what is it?” the King asked.

     “Your Majesty, we've located where their coven is,” he said while smirking.

     

     “Falla, I want to go back home. Mom was right about non-mage people, they're evil. Fal—.” Talon moved his head left and right in search of Falla waiting for her response for another argument to start.

     “Did we just split out?” he said while scratching his nape. His eyes immediately widen after hearing metals hitting the brick road where he was standing. Talon rushed and hide behind the bush while holding his mouth with both hands wishing he will not be caught up.

     “Have you heard about the news?” one of the two knights said.

     “About the two witch kids or the coven?” the other one said. 

     “There's a new witch intruder.” After hearing that, Talon accidentally stepped on a twig and it made a cracking sound that made the two knights alarmed by the caused noise. 

     “Who's there!”

     Talon holds his mouth wishing not to make noise again or else he'll be in trouble. One of the knights checked the bushes and there a black cat came out of it and made the two felt relieved. 

     “You kitty-kitty, you scared us.” After caressing the cat's head the knights walked away and the cat slowly turned into Talon. Talon's eyes enlarged after what he had heard. “What's with the coven? Have they located the mansion? Oh, no. I need to find Falla immediately and tell everyone about this.” 

     After assuring that there's no one in the area, he then runs back to the village at his highest speed, wishing that he will find his twin and warn their coven immediately.

     He hurriedly went to the village without looking in his way. He slips on the wet road causing him to fell with his butt hitting the ground first together with the dirty and smelly water splashed around him, now he looks like freshly picked pickles from a jar—wet and stinky.

     “Oh, c'mon! Did Falla transferred her curse to me?!” he said while cleaning himself up.

     “Get out of my way!”

     From afar he saw this girl with orange wavy hair in a long yellow dress. She was running away from three knights next to her.

     She's maybe a thief or someone vulnerable for a serious crime but no, she's not. Her looks and aura were the same as the Twins, mysterious and suspicious.

     “Maybe she's the other witch the knights mentioned earlier?” Talon whispered to himself.

     “Get out of my way!”

     Talon came back to his consciousness and his attention to the girl when she's running near him. He just froze at his position and didn't expect that she will abruptly bump into him. With the loud banging sound, they both hit the ground.

     “Ouch!” they both exclaimed out of pain. The girl was holding to her head which hits Talon's chest. Talon stood up while offering his hand to the girl.

     “We need to get out of here,” Talon said.

     He was about to pull off his wand to cast a teleportation spell but it was a bit long to chant and he can't recognize all possible words to say. Talon stood and immediately pull the girl out of the place. They both run away from the knights. 

     They both stop in front of the tall pine tree near the forest away from the village. They were up on the hill and from there they saw the entireties of the whole village together with the castle from a bit far. There the both of them sitting on the ground chasing their breaths as if there's no source of air around them.

     “Who are you? Why'd you help me?” the girl said.

     “Nothing, I just saw you running from knights which gives me a thought that you're a...” Talon cuts what he's going to say, his instinct is telling him not to utter that word for he will surely be in danger.

     “That I'm what? No, I'm not a thief or even vulnerable to a serious crime. Okay, forget about it. Thank you for saving me, I owe you everything.” 

     Awkwardness filled the atmosphere the moment they both saw their hands holding each other.   

     “You can let go of me now.”                    Talon immediately let go of her hand as he felt warmness from his cheeks, so as her face which is as red as tomatoes.

     “Why did you run from them?” Talon confronted the girl. “And what's your name?” 

     The girl looked at him as if she doesn't know what to say. She looked down. “I'm Lily, I'm a theft for an instant,” she said.

     “I took this apple from one of the vendors without paying, I walk away and I didn't expect that she will notice me taking her apple. I swear, if I'm not like a flower out of the water I wouldn't do such thing.” 

     Talon smiled at Lily, reminding him of his friend from the past. “I'm sure that you're going to pay her back, right?” 

     “I surely will,” Lily said while nodding.

     “Then you don't need to be sad and be ashamed of yourself. One mistake isn't a basis of who you truly are, we are both good and bad in our ways. It depends on you which one are you going to possess,” Talon said while caressing her shoulder.                

     “Thank you.” With her smile, she even looked more beautiful. Her perfectly aligned teeth, her hazel-colored eyes, her light brown complexion, and her orange wavy hair made Talon's heart beats rapidly.         

     “Hey? Your face turned red. Do you have a fever or what?” Talon came back to his senses after Lily snaps her finger right to his face.                             

     “Um, yeah? No! No, I don't have a fever or what. Hehe,” Talon said while scratching his nape. Lily moved closer to him putting her soft hand right to his forehead. From Talon's eye view he now finally believed that the girl he's facing is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen aside from Falla and their mother.

     Talon heard something nearby and it pulls him in its direction. Behind the tree, there's an injured crow who's in pain.

     “What horrible thing happened to a lovely animal like him?” Lily said while helping Talon to carry the bird with their palms supporting each other.

     “Hunters, it would be the hunters who always make their lives miserable. It would be either they serve as a food or an item of clothing or material used in sciences.”

     “It keeps on bleeding, how can we help it stop?” Lily said.

     “Let me do the work, stay away from me.”

     Talon puts the crow down to the ground as he gets his wand to cast a healing spell. He loves animals and he does have the ability to talk, feel, and connect with them. He didn't mind if what will be going to happen to him if Lily saw what he will be going to do.

     “Tui nati vulnerati sanandum,” Talon cast a spell.

     Greenlight comes out of his wand and it moves straight to the crow that made it float in the air. After a few seconds, the light slowly fades around the blackbird as it floats down.

     “You're now healed, go, fly now.” The crow stretched its wings as it gradually flaps it slowly. It flies around Talon to say thank you and goodbye. Talon looked up above the sky to wave his hand from the flying crow as it continues to live, thanks to him.

     Talon saw how Lily reacts to what he just did, with her eyes wide open he cannot tell whether she's amazed or scared.

     “I know you've been freaked out from what you've seen, I haven't introduced myself yet, so, I'm Talon and I'm a wa—”

     “You're a fairy! All this time I'm always dreamed about meeting one and look! There you are standing in front of me,” Lily can't believe that her dream came true and that would be to see an actual fairy. 

     “But, Lil—”

     “That's it! That's why you helped me escape from the knights because you're my fairy god...uh...my friend, my fairy friend,” Lily said.

     “It's not what you think I am, Lily.”