¤ Making Peace

We were walking along the corridors of the Academy, discussing what I had saw in Verchiel’s rooms, when I saw something around a corner that made me stop in surprise…

‘Hush.’ Salmer twisted around and gestured forcefully for Aurora to keep quiet, then pointed around the corner. Aurora peered around Salmer, and what she saw in the adjacent corridor made her blink.

Wing was sprawled on his back on the hard stone floor, his translucent purple wings crushed awkwardly beneath him. Sitting up quickly, he backed away from the two fairies standing over him, hatred in his eyes as he glared at them.

Ferra stepped forward, forcing Wing closer to the wall. ‘What were you doing with that filthy mortal?’ He sneered, leaning into Wing’s space. ‘I swore you were helping Daedalus. And you say you are on my side?’ Behind him, Zereff growled in agreement, smacking a meaty fist into his open palm.

‘I was only answering some of his questions about flight spells.’ Wing stuck out his chin in defiance, baring his teeth. ‘You know Mistress Spiruna assigned me to help that mortal. I cannot-‘

Ferra interrupted him. ‘Tch. What does a mortal want to know about flight? That’s a fairy privilege! You will betray your race just because some teacher tells you to help a mortal?’

‘So if flying is only for fairies, will you tell King Kranz that he should take back his orders to allow mortals to build that Station in Orbis now? Go on, tell him that these mortals should be executed because they want to build and run a flying ship!’

Running out of reasons now, Ferra’s only response was to backhand Wing heavily across the face with his right hand. Wing’s head snapped to the side with an audible crack. His right cheek stung badly; Wing raised a hand to touch his cheek, and his fingertips came away stained with blood.

‘Urgh.’ Ferra looked down in disgust at the bloody gem on the ring on his index finger. ‘Tainted by traitor’s blood.’ Zereff chortled, right on cue.

‘You are so unreasona-‘ Wing started to rise, but was immediately set upon by Zereff. A short scuffle later, the beefy fairy warrior had Wing’s arms twisted behind his back. With a soft grunt, Zereff pulled Wing up to his feet. Wing resisted every inch of the way, making it harder for Zereff by hanging onto his arm like a deadweight.

‘Have you forgotten who I am, Wing?’ Ferra reached out and wiped his bloodied ring on the sleeve of Wing’s tunic, smearing the blood onto the cloth with a vicious rubbing motion that bruised Wing’s arm beneath it. ‘You wouldn’t even have these clothes you wear if my father hadn’t adopted you from the streets back then. I remember you, when you were nothing but a pile of grubby rags with those flimsy wings.’ He extended his own golden, feathery wings for emphasis.

‘What would Father think if he discovered how you have been mistreating his only, trueborn heir?’ Ferra grabbed Wing by the front of his tunic now.

‘Advisor Sorra is a fair person. He would not side you.’ Wing growled, but his voice shook a little, as if he doubted what he said.

‘Even you don’t believe that, do you?’ Ferra threw back his head and laughed. He raised his hand to hit Wing again.

But suddenly, Ferra felt someone grab him by his collar. It turned out to be Salmer, the tall youth having yanked him off-balance, his long limbs making it easy to pick up the flailing fairy. Aurora came up to grin savagely into Ferra’s face, ‘Who cares if you are Advisor Sorra’s son? You are still scum, Ferra. You can’t even leave your foster brother alone, can you?’

‘Keep your filthy hands off me, mortal!’ Ferra yelled, choking a little. He stumbled as he lost his footing again. ‘As you wish,’ Salmer shrugged and let go obediently. Without Salmer’s hold on him, Ferra then proceeded to fall over backwards, and landed ungracefully on his backside.

Zereff, seeing his leader being attacked, tried to go over to his side, and stupidly released Wing. Once he felt his hands free, Wing immediately spun around and socked him in the jaw with a resounding crack. As Zereff stood there, stunned, Wing conjured up a blue energy bolt for good measure and shocked him into unconsciousness.

Outnumbered now, it was Ferra’s turn to back away from Wing, Aurora and Salmer. ‘You associate yourself with mortals and now you will accept the help of these mortals. You’re pathetic, Wing.’ Ferra said loudly, desperately trying to taunt Wing.

‘No, Ferra.’ Wing shook his head, his fists clenched at his side. ‘I could use their help to beat you senseless now, but that is only what scum like you do. I’m sick of you telling me what to do, I’m sick of your spoiled ways, and I’m sick of your narrow-minded bigotry.’ Wing’s voice shook as he snarled. ‘Get your arse out of here, you’re the filthy one fouling up the air.’

‘Wait till I tell Father about this!’ Ferra yelled out childishly, then scrambled to go.

There was silence for the next few moments, as the three of them watched Ferra leave, dragging the unconscious Zereff after him with difficulty. Then, Wing turned to Aurora and Salmer. ‘Thank you for your help,’ he said awkwardly, bowing formally.

‘No problem.’ Salmer smiled warmly. ‘We could not have stood aside and watched you being bullied like that.’

‘Ferra sounds like a horrible person to work with.’ Aurora said cautiously, trying to find it in her to sympathise with the beaten up Wing. After all, this was the fairy that had tormented her together with Ferra for so many months. Even though he said clearly just now that he no longer wanted anything to do with Ferra, who knew? Wing might still have his own prejudices against mortals.

‘I don’t deserve your help.’ Wing said. ‘After all the times I helped that… idiot mess with you. It’s retribution, no doubt.’ He tried to grin, but grimaced as the cut on his cheek started to sting like crazy.

Just then, the gong for dinnertime rang out, calling out to those who had not yet reached the dining hall. ‘I guess I’ll be going then.’ Wing muttered, and pushed past Aurora and Salmer to get to the other end of the corridor.

‘Hey, the dining hall is the other way!’ Salmer called out, stopping Wing in his tracks. ‘Are you not coming to dinner with us?’

‘What-?!’ Aurora started to say, but her words were quickly muffled by the hand Salmer clapped over her mouth.

‘I, um.’ Wing hesitated, then gestured his dishevelled state. ‘I can’t possibly walk to dinner like this, can I?’

‘Alright. Come quickly then. We will save a space for you.’ Salmer replied cheerily, then dragged a protesting Aurora out with him.

‘What did you do that for!’ Aurora hissed once Wing was out of earshot. ‘Helping him against that brat was one thing, but inviting him for dinner?!”

‘Are you going to be as bad a bigot as Ferra and discriminate back against him?’ Salmer explained calmly, nudging Aurora along the way to the mess hall. ‘Come on. Maybe some food in your stomach will make you think more sensibly.’

So, in that peculiar turn of events, we became friends with Wing. Aurora quickly put away her grudge against Wing in the months we spend together afterwards, especially after he requested for Daedalus to join us too, to protect him from Ferra should the fairy wish to further his vengeance on Wing. When I asked her, she told me (in the fierce defensive way of hers, of course) that she could not hate someone who wanted to protect the person that had gotten him into Ferra’s bad books in the first place.

In fact, to everyone’s surprise, Aurora did more than forge a simple friendship with Wing…

¤ Bad Footing All Around

‘Well well, if that isn’t Wing and Aurora.’

It started with yet another face-off with Ferra. This time, Ferra had approached Aurora and Wing alone, the orange haired fairy as cocky and smug as always. There was a vindictive glint in his eyes as he went up to them.

‘Your grudge is with me alone. Leave him.’ Aurora stepped in front of Wing, a small fierce figure with furious blue eyes.

‘Not true, rat,’ Ferra sneered. ‘Everyone knows what shameless creatures mortal females are. I’ve only come to reprimand my dear brother about his weakness that made him fall for your brazen seduction.’

Fall for? Aurora was confused.

Wing’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Why, I’m sorry, dear brother. I couldn’t help overhearing your conversations with that good Daedalus of yours. ”What should I tell Aurora, Daedalus? What should I do?” ’ Ferra’s sneer widened nastily. ‘Frankly, you really have no clue on how to get the ladies, do you? No wonder you’d settle for a filthy mortal like her.’

‘Just shut up, Ferra.’ Wing said hoarsely, his face white.

‘Has he not told you then?’ Laughing in wicked delight, Ferra noticed the confusion in Aurora’s face and the chagrin in Wing’s. ‘Has my dear foster brother not told you that he is in love with you? Heavens know what spell you have put on him, that pathetic sod!’

‘I told you to shut up!’ Wing roared and pushed past Aurora to pounce on Ferra. Aurora could not help but notice how flushed he had become now. The two fairies tussled, while Aurora, usually raring to join in the fight, just stood there, still in disbelief over what Ferra said. ’Has my dear foster brother not told you that he is in love with you?’

Suddenly, Ferra managed to break free of Wing, and raised a hand in a spell-gesture, a blue energy bolt gathering there.

‘No magic in the corridors, Ferra!’ Mistress Spiruna’s sharp voice echoed in the passageway. She came into view, Salmer following closely behind. He signalled to Aurora behind Spiruna’s back, telling her that he had brought the teacher here. Aurora could only smile weakly back at him.

‘Explain.’ Spiruna now turned to Aurora.

‘Ferra fell, and Wing was helping him up.’ Aurora recited, her stunned brain automatically supplying the time-honoured excuse.

‘These youngsters seem to have very bad footing around you.’ Spiruna commented dryly. ‘Come to my office, Ferra, Wing.’ She commanded now, beckoning sharply at the two fairies.

‘Yes, ma’am.’ Ferra muttered, smoothing his ruffled orange hair back into place. As he turned to follow Spiruna, he shot a poisonous glare at both Wing and Aurora. ‘Just you wait, brother. You’ll get what’s yours soon.’

Watching Ferra move off, Aurora muttered under her breath. ‘Brainless turkey. He has never once succeed after all the times he said that.’ Wing barely managed to suppress a chuckle. ‘Wish me luck.’ He grimaced, then turned to follow the teacher too.

However, as Wing walked off, Aurora and Salmer noticed how his steps faltered. He gasped, clutching his arm. Worried, the two rushed up to him. There was a strange, far-off look in his brown eyes that made Aurora scared immediately. ‘What’s happening?’ She pried away his hand and was shocked to find a deep, bloody cut there, the wide slit stretching across the inside of his forearm.

But even a wound like that shouldn’t make Wing turn pale so rapidly… Suddenly, Wing topped forward onto Aurora, Salmer barely catching him in time by the shoulders to prevent him from crushing the short girl.

‘Poison.’ The fairy managed to whisper into Aurora’s ears, before the walls of the corridor fell away from him to reveal the vast darkness of unconsciousness…

’Wing! Wake up!’

What for? Wing thought lazily. The darkness was comfortable. But sounds from the world outside still reached him, muffled by their fight against the nothingness around him.

’What, mortal, have you fed him the wrong love potion this time?’
’Shut up, Ferra, all of us know you are stupid already. Wasn’t the latrine duty that Mistress Spiruna gave you enough?’
’No big deal. My father will make sure I wouldn’t even have to do the stupid duty.’
’Whatever. What if he heard that you used such despicable methods to harm your own brother?’
’Ha, he deserves it, that traitor.’
’Why you-!’
’Hey, girl, no fighting in the medic’s hall!’

’Will he be alright, Edel?’
’I guess so, but I’m only a novice here. I cannot say if my antidote will definitely work…’
’Look, his eyes are shifting…!’

Wing opened his eyes, and groaned, shutting them immediately against the glaring light that poured profusely through the tower’s window.

‘Hey.’ A soft voice next to him said. Wing risked a peek, and recognised the stark silhouette that was sitting next to his bed. ‘Hey yourself, Aurora.’

‘Welcome back to earth, Wing.’ Wing could practically hear the smile in her voice. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Alright, I guess. Could you just draw the curtains?’ A rattle of curtain rings on their rail, and the painful light behind his lids disappeared. ‘Thanks. What happened?’

He opened his eyes, to see Aurora looking down at him, bemused. ‘You remember the fight? Apparently Ferra cast a poison spell on you after cutting you with a hidden dagger. But Mistress Spiruna couldn’t prove it to the Headmaster. So all Verchiel gave him was a punishment for using magic in the corridors.’ Aurora’s face darkened. ‘That’s just not enough, I’d say. What if you were really hurt? If only I could give that Headmaster a piece of my mind…’

As Aurora ranted, Wing recalled what happened now, and groaned again, silently this time. Please don’t let her remember what Ferra said-

Aurora stopped ranting suddenly, as if reminded of something. ‘Say, what was Ferra talking about you…erm… being in love?’ she ventured tentatively, her hands fidgeting before her now.

Wing thought wildly for a moment, wondering if he could pretend to not have heard that. But he gave up in the end and managed, ‘I… ah. Um. Nonsense. Yeah.’ He groaned to himself for the second time in a row. Famous last words, Wing. Well done.

‘Oh.’ Aurora said, looking down, her face slightly flushed now. ‘Okay then. I guess I’ll be going.’ She turned to leave his bedside.

‘No, wait!’ Wing called out, struggling upright now. At the expectant face that the girl turned to him, he felt words he didn’t knew that he could string together tumble out of his mouth. ‘I meant, he was talking nonsense about the spell part. You don’t need any help to make anyone like you.’

Aurora clapped her hands to her mouth, but her dark blue eyes above her hands were crinkled with delight. That’s it. She’s gonna laugh at you now. Why in Ossyria did I say that for… Wing hardly dared to look at Aurora.

‘For heavens sake, you two are snails at this!’ Both of them startled at the sudden exclamation that Salmer gave as he popped his head into the room, Daedalus’ head appearing beneath his. Both of them wore equally amused expressions.

‘Come on, Wing, ask her.’ Daedalus grinned and gave Wing a thumbs-up. ‘Then maybe you wouldn’t get so distracted the next time you guide me on my flying spells research. I’m kinda sick pretending to be Aurora for all your rehearsals.’

‘And you, Aurora. Just say yes. You know you want to, after all the hours that you spend at his side after lessons.’ Salmer teased the girl. ‘Come on, make this short and sweet. It will be painless for us too.’

‘Daedalus!’ ‘Brother Salmer!’ The two exclaimed at the same time, then exchanged a shocked glance before looking away, thoroughly mortified now. Turning on her heel, Aurora pushed past Salmer and Daedalus, hiding an embarrassed smile behind a hand as she dashed out of the room.

‘Yup, she says yes.’ Salmer called out to Wing as he watched Aurora hurry off down the corridor. ‘Accept my congratulations, future brother-in-law.’

‘Oh my…gah!!’ The room rang with Salmer and Daedalus’ hoots of laughter at Wing as he buried his head under his blankets in exasperation, unable to find a suitable word.

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Holy Schmoly. It’s Chapter Forty already?! Where did all the numbers go? ^^

I’ve just come from two papers of my Major Exams. And I’m so fried. Steamed too. Hmm. I like steamed fish.

Anyway, back to the topic. Yeah. Major Exams has finally arrived, trumpets blaring and banners flapping, and I’m really sorry to say that I need to take a break from updating. Not only it is necessary for my future (what future?), it is also necessary to prevent Paternal Forces from nagging my ears off. You wouldn’t want me to lose my ears, right?

(Besides, it’s a nice number to stop at. Forty.)

Two weeks! Just two weeks. I have one more chapter in reserve, but until I write some more, I cannot ensure that what’s in there will be in line with how the rest of the plot unfolds. ><

Have a strawberry jam cookie, dear reader, and please, stay with me until I come back, alright?

And if you were bored by my story, GO READ INDESCANE’S! link Her sexeh story turns my brain into MUSH, and I bet it will mush yours too. Don’t worry, it’s a nice feeling. XD