The Journey Into the Unknown: Part 1

YAY SOME OF MY OWN STORY!!!!!!!
This is some of the short story I had to write for school.  I'll just post it in sections (it's 17 pages long), just so you know.  :)
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                                                                      PART 1

            Lilly flew through the forest, giggling quietly.  She was playing hide-and-seek with her friends.  She dodged trees, darted under roots, and finally came to rest behind a large tree.  Lilly sank down to her knees, exhausted after flying so far.

            “They’ll never find me here,” she whispered to herself.  Lilly was only three years old, but that was nearly mature for a forest fairy.  Her tiny dress was made out of enchanted lilies.  She had freckles, platinum blond hair, and electric blue eyes.  She was only 4 inches tall, but she would grow a few more inches before she reached her final height. 

            Lilly lived in the Fairy Kingdom, which was inside the Enchanted Forest, located in the Europe province of Fantasia.  Fantasia is a land in a universe accessible from Earth where all magical creatures of all countries live, though some choose to make their abode on Earth, in disguise.  Lilly, however, was not one of those.

            She smoothed her dress and laughed.  “Wait ‘till Mya and Blossom hear how far I went!  I bet neither of them have been this far out of the Fairy Kingdom.”  She examined her surroundings.

            Lilly was in a ring of giant trees.  Moss grew in between the trees and formed a soft carpet under her feet.  A breeze created ripples on a small pond full of lilies.  She held her breath.  She could almost taste the magic.

            Look, she thought to herself, there’s so much magic here, even that giant orange flower appears to be breathing.  And.......smoking?  Wait a second!  She flew over to the giant orange “flower” to investigate.  Another puff of smoke went up from the strange plant.  Startled, Lilly quickly flew behind a tree.

            No noise came from the flower.  She peeked out from behind the tree.  Wait!  That’s not a flower!  That’s a......dragon!!   Lilly was slightly frightened.  She was braver than most fairies, but a dragon?  In the forest?  She took another look.

            The sleeping dragon was smaller than she’d expected a dragon to be.  She figured it must be a baby.  It was bright orange, but as its side rose and fell, red tints appeared and disappeared along its scales.  A large orange gemstone was set in its forehead, and smaller jewels decorated its scales at regular intervals.  A leathery brownish-orange wing rested on its side.  Lilly guessed that the other one was beneath it.  The dragon stirred in its sleep.  Lilly jumped.  Maybe I should go tell Queen Titiana about it, she thought.  After all, if I was queen, I’d want to know if there was a dragon in my forest.   Her decision made, she flew off back toward the Fairy Kingdom.

*****************

            “You say you found a dragon?” Queen Titiana asked.  Lilly nodded.  “It’s in the forest, in a little ring of trees.  I saw it!” 

            Titiana sat back in her throne.  “Well!  It’s about time.  I was wondering when he’d show up.  Oak!  Roan!”  Two fairy guards stepped toward the throne.  “Go find the ring of trees and bring the dragon back to the palace.”  The two soldiers left the throne room.

            The queen looked at Lilly.  “Now what were you doing so far from home, little lady?” 

            Lilly hung her head.  “I was playing hide-and-seek.” 

            “Lilly.”  Queen Titiana leaned forward.  “You know you’re not supposed to be so far out in the forest.  My brother and his wife would never forgive me if you got lost!  You’re niece to the queen.  I would expect behavior more fitting of one with noble blood.”  Lilly’s eyes filled with tears.

            “Come here, dear,” Titiana said as she opened her arms.  Lilly ran to her aunt and jumped in her lap.  Titiana hugged her.  “It’s all right.  All is forgiven.  However, I look forward to seeing you play hide-and-seek nearer to the palace next time.”  Lilly nodded.  “I promise I’ll stay close.”

            “Would you like to know a secret?” the queen whispered.  Lilly wiped her eyes and nodded again.  “You have made a very special and important discovery, my dear niece.  We’ve been expecting this baby dragon for a while now.  In fact, I think you deserve a cookie for your find.  Go ask Cook for one of your favorite ones.  I believe she’s baking some right now.” 

            Lilly smiled and kissed her aunt.  “Thank you,” she said, and ran off to the kitchen.

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Well, there you go!  Part 1 down.  Please comment what you think, I NEED FEEDBACK!!!!!!!  Please.  :)  I really want to be an author when I grow up.  And I need to know how good I am.  Please tell all your fantasy-luvin' friends about my blog/story.  More to come!!!

~~Zoë Wingfeather

The Journey Into the Unknown: Part 2

The second part of my story--hope you like it!
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                                                                        PART 2

TEN YEARS LATER........

            Firespark dashed through the castle.  He was playing his favorite game, hide-and-seek, with his best friend Lilly.

            Firespark was the dragon Lilly had found in the forest ten years before.  He lived in the castle with her and her family.  He was bigger now, around 5 feet long.  Dragons grow extremely fast when they are young.  His scales were now an even brighter orange, like the rising sun.  He rarely used his wings, being too big to fly in the castle.  Fairies are small, around 8 inches, but the palace was large enough to fit Firespark.

            It was set in a clearing in the middle of a forest.  The palace was very big—the fairies who built it liked to feel as if they were out in the open, as do the fairies of today.  The shortest ceiling was 6 feet, so Firespark could just barely fit.

            He almost crashed into a fairy coming around a corner.  “Oops!  Sorry!  Coming through!”  He ran through a doorway into a corridor.  Firespark stopped.  He had never seen this hallway before.  Tiptoeing down toward the end, he tried not to knock anything over.  Expensive looking vases and paintings lined the corridor, giving it the appearance of an extremely fancy museum. 

            Firespark paused by a door on the left side of the hall.  It was decorated with vines all around the doorframe, and mysterious symbols were carved into the door.  Firespark’s curiosity was aroused.  Now this, he thought, will be an adventure worthy of telling Lilly.  She always boasts that she had an adventure and found me.  Maybe I’ll find something important, too.

            He put his hand on the doorknob and tested it.  Yes!  It was unlocked!  Firespark inched the door open. 

            Woah.  Inside was an expensive looking mirror.  The mirror showed everything in exquisite detail, from the trim around the room to Firespark’s light orange eyes.  He entered the room.  Stepping softly, he went toward the mirror.  He stood in front of it and closed his eyes.  When he opened them, he saw—

            “AAAAHHHHH!!!!!”  Firespark leapt up, scared out of his wits.  Lilly collapsed in the doorway laughing.  “Hahahaha!!!!  I got you so good!!!  Auntie will be pretty mad when she finds out you’ve been in here.  I’m not even allowed in here.  Come on, let’s get out before she finds both of us.”  Lilly flew in the room and sat on his head.  “Let’s go!  We’re wasting time!”

            Firespark leaned against the wall.  “Hang on!  You just scared me out of my scales!  I need a minute to recuperate.”

            “Okay, okay.  But hurry up!”  Lilly bounced up and down. 

            “All right, I’m ready.  Let’s get out of here.”  Firespark lumbered over to the door, exited the room, and closed the door. 

            “Go faster,” Lilly urged him.  “If anyone finds us, we’re toast.”  Firespark sighed and moved faster.  Unfortunately, running made him clumsy, and before he knew it his tail got out of control and—

            CRASH!!!!!  A statue fell off of its pedestal and broke into shards of porcelain on the stone floor.  Firespark and Lilly winced.  “Oh no.  Now you’ve done it.”  Lilly flew off his head and investigated the ruins.  “I’ll never be able to fix that with my little magic.  This looks expensive.”

            “You were the one making me go faster!” Firespark exclaimed.  “It was your fault!”

            “No, it was your fault,” Lilly countered, no longer interested in the broken statue.  “You’re the one with the tail that did it!”

            “It’s not my fault!” he shouted.

            “SILENCE!”

            Firespark and Lilly turned around to look at who had shouted.  Rina, the cranky maid, scowled at them from the end of the hall.  “You two are coming with me.  I think that Queen Titiana will have some things to say about you playing in the sacred artifacts hall.”

*****************

            “When will you two ever learn?”

            Firespark and Lilly sat in a private room off of the throne room.  They had nicknamed it their “lecture room,” because it was where Titiana always went to reprove them.

            “I’ve told you that Firespark is too big to play hide-and-seek in the palace, Lilly.  You really shouldn’t bribe him with chipotle cookies so he’ll play with you.  That’s disobeying the queen’s orders, you know.”  Titiana sat on a chair in front of Firespark and Lilly.  She rubbed her temples.  “I’m too old for this.”

            “How old are you?” asked Firespark, trying to take some of the attention off of him and Lilly.

            “A few centuries, I think,” answered Titiana.  “Four?  Or maybe three and a half.  But that’s not the point.  You,” she pointed at both of them, “are in trouble, and there’s only one way to fix it.  I’ve been putting this off far too long.”

            Lilly looked at Firespark.  They swallowed.

            “Firespark, your parents left you here ten years ago.  They did not leave you here because they didn’t want you, but I can't tell you the real reason.”  Titiana leaned back in her chair.  “That is up to them.  But you will have to go find them first.”

            “What?!”  Firespark leapt up.  “What do you mean?  You’re just going to send me away to find the parents I’ve never even seen?  And how am I supposed to find them?  I don’t even know where to look!  I mean, I’ve only been outside of the Kingdom once or twice!”

            “Firespark, you’re smoking.”  Lilly pointed to his nostrils, where thin tendrils of smoke were trickling out. 

            “I’m sorry!” yelled Firespark.  “I’m just so confused and......and......oh dear.”

            “What is it?” asked Lilly.

            “I think I’m going to sneeze,” replied Firespark.  “Oh no,” said Titiana.  “Hold your breath.  That always works for me.  The last thing we need is the carpet going up in flames.”

            Firespark held his breath.  So did Titiana and Lilly.  After a minute, Firespark exhaled.  “Whew.  Okay.  Back to being confused.  So why are you sending me away?”

            “I’m sending you away because your parents asked me to.  They said to wait until I was sure you could make the journey and I’m sure.  You’re too big for the palace, you’ve broken more than a few random items, and your best friend is Lilly.  That’s why she’s going with you.”

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Haha sort of a cliffy.  I like making you wait!!  :P

~~Zoë Wingfeather

The Journey into the Unknown: Part 3

Part threeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!  Yaaaayyy!!!!!
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                                                                      PART 3

            Lilly could hardly contain herself.  She and Firespark were going on a real adventure!  For the past two days, time had crawled.

            Queen Titiana decided that their departure from the Fairy Kingdom would not be made into a grand affair.  They were to leave around midnight, so no one would ask where they were going.  She had the cook prepare special food for their adventure, food that wouldn’t be crushed or ruined easily. 

            Firespark and Lilly, having grown up in the Fairy Kingdom, were well versed in the art of finding non-poisonous berries, roots, leaves, and nuts, should they ever lose their packs.  Lilly would carry a small, fairy-sized pack, and Firespark would carry a bigger one.  If they needed shelter, Lilly had enough magic in her to find a dry spot, or even create one if needed.  Titiana felt that they were well prepared.

            Lilly bounced up and down in her seat.  Firespark, on the other hand, was biting his claws.  “I don’t know,” he said, looking around nervously.  “Couldn’t this be some kind of trick or something?”

            “Come on!” Lilly chided him.  “You know Auntie would never send us away unless she had a good reason.  We’re going to have some real fun now!”

            They sat in the gatehouse.  The Fairy Kingdom was encompassed by a wall, high enough to keep away both predators and wish-seekers.  It was also enforced by a great deal of magic, making it unenterable from above and nearly impenetrable.

            Currently, it was about 11:00 pm.  Soon, Queen Titiana would let them out of the kingdom and into the unknown. 

            As if on cue, Titiana walked in to the gatehouse.  “Alright.  Ready for an adventure?”

            “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” exclaimed Lilly.  “Let’s go!”

            “Um, Titiana?” said Firespark.  “Are you sure we should do this?”

            “Dear, I’m positive,” answered the queen.  “It’s what your parents want.  Do you both have your packs?”  Firespark hefted his.  Lilly nodded.  “Okay.  Remember, those packs are bigger than they look.  I had them crafted especially for adventures.  I packed a tent just in case it rains and Lilly’s too tired to whip one up for you guys.  Just take out the bag it’s in and say ‘pitch.’  Well, that’s about it.  Come here and hug me.”

            Firespark carefully hugged Titiana.  After he finished, Lilly flew forward and squeezed her aunt.  “Always stay with Firespark, no matter what,” Titiana whispered into Lilly’s ear.  “He’ll keep you safe.”  She released Lilly.  “Now go!  Before I start crying.  Oh, and Firespark,” she added, “if you ever don’t know where to go, just follow your feet.  They’ll show you the way.”

            Firespark shot a confused look at Lilly, but thanked Queen Titiana for the advice.  Without any ceremony, he opened the door and stepped outside.  Lilly followed.  Titiana waved.  “Remember, follow your feet!”

*****************

            “I’m tired,” Lilly complained.  “When can we stop?”  They had been walking for several hours.  The sky was tinted with the pink and orange hues of what promised to be a spectacular sunrise.

            “Lilly, I thought you wanted to go on an adventure,” Firespark said.  “We’ve only been walking for a little while.  The real journey will take days.”

            A large sigh came from Lilly’s direction.  “But when will we rest?”

            “You can rest on my head if you must,” said Firespark.  Lilly had been complaining for the last 15 minutes, and he was quite tired of listening to her. 

            “Oh yes.  I forgot about that,” said Lilly, flying over to sit on his head.  She swung her legs and was silent for twenty seconds.  “When will we get there?”

            Firespark stopped.  “Okay Lilly.  We’ll rest.  But only to eat.  I want to finish this journey soon so I won't have to listen to you anymore.”

            “Shush,” muttered Lilly, digging in her pack.  She pulled out a package.  “I think this is a sandwich.  Wonder what kind it is?”  After she unraveled the paper, she took a bite.  “Mmm!  This one is ham and cheese.  And pickles!”  She took another bite.  “Wow, this is really good.”

            While Lilly ate her sandwich, Firespark opened his pack and investigated the contents.  He also pulled out a package shaped like a sandwich.  He opened it and took a bite.  “Yum!  I got ham and Dijon mustard and chipotles.”  Strangely, after taking a few more bites, he felt full.  Firespark glanced over to where Lilly sat.

            “You feel it too?” she asked, with a hand on her stomach.  “Maybe I ate too much.”  She looked at the sandwich in her hand.  There was only a few bites out of it.  “I guess Cook made them so they’d last for a long time.”

            “I guess so!” answered Firespark.  “Ready for desert?”  He dug out a paper-wrapped package that smelled like chipotle cookies, his favorite.  Lilly groaned.  “No thanks.”  Firespark shrugged and munched on a cookie.  “Your loss.”

            After he finished his cookie, Firespark laid back against a tree.  “Let’s just rest for.....a.......little............while.........”

*****************

            Lilly woke up with a start.  How long have I been sleeping? she thought.  The sun was low in the sky.  Wow, I’ve been asleep since yesterday morning!  With all the excitement, I must have been exhausted.  She heard a snore.  Firespark was still sleeping.  The magnificent orange dragon rolled over to face Lilly.  She snickered.  He was drooling.

            “Firespark!  Wake up!” she called.  Firespark made no response.  “Firespark!  Come on, we need to get moving!”  He grunted. 

            A mischievous grin spread across Lilly’s face.  She had an idea.  Mustering up her magic, she created thousands of tiny ants.  Trying not to laugh, she directed them to crawl all over Firespark.  He hated being tickled.

            As the multitude of insects began their journey over Firespark, he grunted.  And grunted again.  And again.  Then he began to giggle.  “Mff!  Lilly, stop it!  Heehee!  That tickles, stop, stop!  Haha!!”  He curled up in a big ball.  “Leave me alone!”

            By this time, Lilly was laughing outright.  She called off the ants.  “I knew that would get you awake!”  With a little concentration, she made the ants disappear into sparkles that blew away with the wind. 

            “Let’s eat!  I’m starving,” Firespark exclaimed.  He pulled a bag of granola out of his pack.  “We can eat on the go.  I want to find my parents soon.”

            Lilly jumped up and flew in a loop-de-loop.  “Okay, but I’m to excited to eat right now.  I can have breakfast later.”  Firespark nodded in agreement, and hopped to his feet.

            They began walking.  Having nothing much to do, Lilly looked around.

            They were in the forest still, but she could see a clearing up ahead.  “Look!”  She pointed it out to Firespark.  He began to walk faster, and Lilly flew in front of him.  Soon, they reached the clearing.

            “Wow.”  Firespark and Lilly had never been outside of the forest.  Before them was a beautiful green meadow, which seemed to stretch on forever.  Lilly looked at Firespark.  “Let’s see you fly!  There’s plenty of room.”  He glanced behind him at his wings.  “I don’t know.....”

            Lilly flew behind him and tugged on his wings.  “Come on!  Just give it a try.” 

            “Okay, but if I kill myself......”  Flapping his wings up and down, Firespark prepared to jump.  “One....”  The wing flaps became harder.  “Two....”  He swallowed.  Lilly gave him a thumbs up.  “Three!”  He jumped off the ground and hovered.  “Yahooo!!” yelled Lilly.  “Now just pump harder!”  He did, and flew about ten feet above the ground.  “Woah!  Better turn it down a little.”  With poofs of dust, he settled down on the ground again. 

            “Yay for Firespark!!”  Lilly did a somersault in midair.  “Now, just lean to the left or right to steer.”  Firespark flew up again, and then right, and then left.  He yelled.  “Wheeeeeee!!!!  This is sooooo fuuuunnnn!!!!”  He tried a loop-de-loop and almost fell, but caught himself at the last second.  “Let’s go!” 

            Lilly followed him up into the air, and they continued their course, but this time in the air.  “Hey, so Firespark,” said Lilly.  “How do you know which way to go?”

            Firespark stopped flying forward and hovered.  “I....I don’t know.  I'm just.....following my feet!  Just like Queen Titiana said!  Haha!”  He pointed.  “This way!”  Lilly flew in the direction his finger pointed.  “Let’s get moving!”

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Writing is so fun!!!!!!

LOVE IT!!!!!

~~Zoë Wingfeather