>>ONE YEAR LATER<<
Regan looked up from his breakfast as his father came storming into the room. “Regan William Forsyth!” He huffed, throwing down that day’s paper on his plate.
“Hey!” protested Regan as the Idealia Post landed in his scrambled eggs.
“Read!” ordered his father.
Grudgingly, Regan picked up the paper and looked at the front page. On it there was a picture of a pretty girl with green eyes and black locks of soft hair. She was smiling, her straight white teeth visible, but when Regan gazed in those eyes he saw malice behind them. He moved on from the picture and read the heading. ‘Blair Chamberlain: The Child Chaser!’ it proclaimed. Regan then moved onto the article.

Last month Blair Ingrid Chamberlain was taken to The Circle after a series of events, all unfortunate. The girl of just sixteen had been seen loitering outside the prestigious ‘Van Allen Magic School for Girls’. No one thought anything of it until a young girl of just eight reported to the headmistress, Miss Flanagan, that a girl had been harassing her and her friends. The young girl, Jacinta Waite, told Miss Flanagan that the girl had made threats such as ‘you and your friends better watch out.’ and ‘sleep with one eye open, trust me, you should.’ No one knew if these allegations were true or not until just one month ago when Mr Fredrick Griffiths witnessed Miss Chamberlain using her mind magic to make Jacinta attack one of her friends. When asked how he knew Jacinta was under the influence of mind control, Mr Griffiths said that: ‘her eyes were glazed over and you could Miss Chamberlain muttering incantations’. Miss Chamberlain was taken into custody and put before The Circle. Her fate has yet to be decided but it seems as if it never will. The next door neighbour of Lady and Lord Chamberlain, Miss Lytton, reported hearing a fight erupt between Lord Alden Chamberlain and Miss Chamberlain, while Lady Eldora Chamberlain wept downstairs. The next morning Lady Chamberlain found Miss Chamberlain’s bed to be empty and asked her husband if he had seen her. He reassured her that Miss Chamberlain had most likely run away and would be back that evening. The evening came and went and no one of Idealia has seen Miss Chamberlain. Leader of The Circle, Andreas Montage, refused to comment and Lord Chamberlain has been on watch for suspicions of harming his only daughter. There are still many other leads that have yet to be investigated, but-

Regan sighed and put the paper down next to his plate. He looked at his father.
“Father this paper is dated from last year, why are you showing me this?”
“Because son, this is what following the wrong path can lead to!” exclaimed his father, Professor Phillip Forsyth.
“What is that supposed to mean?” questioned Regan, a hard edge to his voice.
“It means that you need to really think about your decisions before you jump into anything.”
“You’re having second thoughts about The Academy aren’t you?”
Winchester’s Academy for Swordsmen, or The Academy for short, was a prestigious school for boys aged sixteen, leaving at twenty-one. They taught weaponry skills for males wanting to be swordsmen. The Academy was well known for producing well-known names such as Sir Harry King, a skilled knight, first in command and fighting for The Circle’s expert army. Harry was in fact Regan’s hero and idol.
“No it’s not that, it’s just that I want you to really make sure this is what you want.”
“Father, I’ve know ever since I was ten years old that I wanted to be just like Harry King. He’s so skilful and he’s a hero!”
“But Regan you can’t just say you want to go to The Academy because you want to be famous like Harry King!”
“It’s not that I want to be famous; I want to be a hero! I want to be responsible for helping people in need and knowing that I’m the thing that keeps them safe and out of harm’s way.”
Professor Forsyth sighed and sat across from Regan at the breakfast table.
“Father this is my second year at The Academy, and I know my grades aren’t the best at the moment but if you take me out now how will I ever learn?”
Professor Forsyth sighed again and put his head in his hands.
"I'm taking you out of The Academy. No arguments!"

The sound of metal clanging against the Ripper's talons rang through out the forest. Blair fought viciously against the creature, wielding her sword with expert lightness. Quickly she rolled in the dirt, just dodging the creature as it swung at her.
The Ripper was a vile monstrosity. It was around six feet tall and covered head to toe in glistening scales. It's arms were long, so long that the knuckles dragged along the ground. It's hands were nothing more than long fingers brandishing pointed talons which shone a deep black. The Ripper had no facial features just two slits for nostrils which flared constantly, seeking out it's next prey's scent.
Blair jabbed out with her sword slashing across the Ripper's stomach causing a greenish liquid to pour out and stain the forest floor. It let out a deafening roar and swung at her, just scraping her shoulder as she spun away. She let out a yelp of pain as she felt hot blood well up and spill down her arm, staining her clothes.
Now she was pissed.
With a yell she dove at the Ripper, plunging the sword deep into it's stomach. She felt victorious as she saw it slice through and pierce out the back. With a final twist she removed the sword. The creature rocked then fell backwards, crashing to the ground and causing leaves to flutter into the air. She stepped over the body and loomed over it's head. With a flourish the sword came whistling down, cutting the Ripper's head clean off. It rolled a little bit away but stopped when it hit the base of a tree. Suddenly Blair heard a rustling noise behind her, on her left. She tensed but tried not to show she had heard it. She acted natural until she heard it again. She spun and crept towards the source of the sound. All of a sudden a boy appeared. She shoved him against a tree, holding him there with her arm. Slowly she lifted the sword to his throat, relishing the fear that dawned in his crystal blue eyes. She studied him then. He looked around her age and had golden blonde hair which fell somewhat in his eyes. His face was angular...a bit like her father's. She pushed the sword harder into his throat at this thought and heard him draw in breath.
"What's your name?" she hissed.
"Regan." he answered without stuttering.
"Why are you here?"
"I ran away."
She let out a bitter laugh and loosened her grip on him...slightly.
"From Idelia?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"My father."
"Ah. I see we are here by the same reason."
"No. I know why you are here Blair."
Shock flashed on her face but she quickly masked it with a cool demeanor.
"Oh so you've heard of me?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, are you scared?"
"Yes, but intrigued also."
"Intrigued?"
"Yes, by your capability with your sword."
"Oh this is not my sword. I stole it from a traveling knight after I cut his throat with it."
She felt him gulp and laughed darkly.
"Could you show me how to do that?"
"What do you have that I could possibly want?" she scoffed, letting him go.
He rubbed his throat which had the thinnest of scratches on it.
"This." he replied.
Quick as a flash his hand shot out and a nearby tree imploded.
"I have magic Blair and I know that you mustn't because otherwise you wouldn't be using a sword."
Before Regan could say another word he was pinned to the ground, Blair kneeling on his chest. She leaned in close to his face so that there was only a whisper of space between them.
"So you're saying that in exchange for me teaching you how to be an excellent swordsman you will help me, the darkest witch of time, regain her power?" she asked, her breath cool on his face.
He nodded. Laughing her tinkling laugh she helped him up.
"So we have a deal?" she purred.
"Yes."
With that Blair strode off into the woods and Regan hurriedly followed. Now Idealia better prepare, she thought, I am back.

Regan quickly trotted after Blair, begining to regret his decision. He knew though that it was too late to take it back. She would probably kill him. No, she would definetly kill him. He unconciously put his hand to his throat and thought about home. Maybe running away and teaming up with a powerful witch wasn't the greatest idea he'd ever had, but he'd rather learn to be a swordsman by Blair than not at all.
"Hurry up!" she called over her shoulder.
He quicked his pace and fell into step beside her. Even though she was at least a head shorter than him he still had to make quite an effort to keep up.
"Where are we going?" he asked, out of breath.
"Theres a settlement on the otherside of this forest-"
"You mean the 'Happy Valley'?"
"Yes. We will be safer there."
"Why don't we just cut around here and take the quicker way, over Lake Dezeraie?"
She stopped and looked at him, amusment playing at the corners of her full mouth.
"You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"The entire lake was cursed a few months back. Hades decided to have a little fun." she told him, her voice bitter, it seemed to always be bitter.
"What did he do to it?"
"I'm not sure," she replied, frowning, "but I did try that way, because I'm not stupid and the whole thing was a rich black. It was like sludge...as if evil itself had settled in the very core of the lake."
Regan shivered, "why would he do that?"
"He's Hades...why wouldn't he? He's evil to his very soul and when you get like that there's nothing you can do to reverse it. Trust me, I know."
He shivered again, assuming he was talking about herself, not knowing who her father really was.
"How do you know it was Hades?"
"After I saw Lake Dezeraie and headed back into the forest, I came across a group of travellers. They were talking about it and what The Circle was going to do about it."
"What are The Circle going to do about it?"
"Nothing, thats the thing. After outcasting me, they did nothing else did they! They left me here knowing the capabilty I had and now I've run into you. You, Regan, who is going to help me gain my magic back! The Circle has become lazy in all its thousands of years, and in the worst time too."
"But why wouldn't The Circle want to do everything possible to stop this?"
"The Circle is not all it's cracked up to be. The only reason those crack pots are still in power is because people fear them. Why, I have no idea, they can't even get rid of common trouble makers."
"Why did you do that stuff to those children?" he asked suddenly.
She was quiet for a while as if deep in thought. The she spoke.
"I know things that The Circle couldn't even begin to imagine. I've seen things...done things..."
Regan shivered, for the third time and changed the subject.
"When are we going to start the lessons?"
She looked at him, a sly smile creeping across her lips.
"Never trust me, lesson number one."

Blair tried desperately to keep ahead of Regan but he insistently kept up with her stride. She turned in frustration, her black hair whipping around with her. He looked taken aback by her ferocity and slowed his pace. She sighed and kept walking.
Suddenly mischievous laughter filled her ears and she stopped, hand on the hilt of her sword. Regan stopped a few steps behind her, taking in her defensive stance. The laughter jingled again and this time a flicker of movement caught her eye.
“Faeries.” She whispered, more to herself than to Regan.
“What?” questioned Regan.
“Shh.” She hissed, keeping still.
Suddenly a tall woman stepped out of the trees. Her hair was a halo of golden, cascading down her shoulders in loose, spiralling curls. Her facial features were pointed; her nose, her ears, her chin. But she was still beautiful. Her eyes were wide and blinking, the violet irises framed by thick curls of black lashes. She was wearing a dress of flowing material, although it seemed it wasn’t material at as, but as if she was wearing a garment made of pure magic. It shimmered and rippled as she glided towards them, her wings glistening, the same colour as her eyes.
Regan gasped and Blair snorted. She found it overrated for the queen of the faeries to be a shining beauty. But deep inside Blair felt fear. When battling the Ripper she felt no fear, just basic instinct for survival, but when she looked into the cold depths of the faerie queen’s eyes she felt a chill seep into the very depth of her soul.
The faerie queen swept her hand in a dramatic fashion and two small girls flew to be by her side. They were smaller that the faerie queen, a lot smaller. They were around twenty centimetres in height and just as beautiful. The one hovering by her left shoulder had caramel coloured hair which fell down her back in straight, silky curtains. Her eyes were a daffodil yellow but as she smiled she revealed small pointed teeth. The other, on the right, had short chocolate brown hair which jutted out in what would’ve seemed to be cute spikes but when her hand brushed her arm Blair swore she saw a bone drop to the ground and bounce into the bushes. Her eyes were just black with no shades or any other tone. Blair looked into those eyes and felt the chill again. She glanced over at Regan, even though she didn’t really want to take her eyes of the malevolent faeries. Regan’s face was awed, his mouth hanging open and eyes wide. He hadn’t seemed to notice the eerie signs of danger; he was too caught up in the faerie queen’s ravishing beauty.
Just then the queen spoke, opening her perfect mouth.
“I am Tanyah, Queen of the faeries. Who are you?” she purred her voice sweet and slightly sensual.
“We are two...travellers from...a shanty town. We are looking for Happy Valley; do you know a quicker way to get there?” stuttered Regan.
She slinked forward, her dress rustling around her. She stopped so her face was only a few centimetres away from his.
“Well,” she breathed, ”why don’t you travel with us?”
Blair watched in disgust as he nodded enthusiastically. She cleared her throat, causing Tanyah to look her way.
“I think we’re fine on the path we have chosen.” Said Blair, lightly placing her pale hand on the hilt of her sword; a discreet warning.
Tanyah laughed and it rang throughout the forest.
“Your friend here doesn’t seem to agree.”
She looked a Regan who was getting fussed over by the other two faeries. They looked at her and smiled evilly, their jagged teeth showing. They slowly flew over to her and introduced themselves.
“I’m Elfrida,” Said the one with the caramel hair and yellow eyes.
“And I’m Necia,” Hissed the one with the spiked black hair.
“Blair.” She introduced herself.
Elfrida gracefully flew to Blair’s side and began to braid her hair. Blair pulled away roughly, snatching the hair away from the faeries long, pointed fingers.
Tanyah laughed again.
“Why so touchy young Blair?” she asked, brushing her fingers along Blair’s cheekbone.
With a hissing noise Tanyah pulled away, clutching her hand.
“You have magic...powerful magic.” She cried pointing an accusing finger right in Blair’s face.
“Not anymore.” Regan commented, as if he were doing nothing more than commenting on the races or the weather.
Blair almost killed him there but instead turned to the now grinning Tanyah.
“Well then, that’s a different story.” She giggled.
Suddenly swarms of other faeries flew out of the scrub. They gathered behind the queen, glowing magic at their fingertips.
“Good one!” yelled Blair as she unsheathed her sword and dove into the mass of writhing faeries.
She swung her sword every which way sometimes feeling contact and other times hitting nothing but air. She grinned; satisfied when she heard the tiny screams from the wicked, winged beasts.
Just then Tanyah knocked her back and loomed over her. Blair reached for her sword but the queen deftly kicked it out of reach.
“Now,” she seethed, “a feast!”
She raised her arms and Blair saw the magic that brewed there. Sparks were beginning to jump from her fingertips and her tall body was surrounded by a pulsing glow.
But she was suddenly thrown from where she was standing over Blair and slammed into a nearby tree. Tanyah slumped against the trunk and groaned. Blair looked up to see Regan standing in front of her, hand extended. She took it and he hauled her to her feet. Quickly he bound the queen with a strong binding spell. Blair strode over to Tanyah, ignoring her attempt of escape. Silently Blair raised her sword and the struck downwards, embedding it into Tanyah’s chest. Blood flowed around the sword and dripped onto her dress in a crimson mess. Her head drooped and her body went still. With a ghastly sucking noise, Blair pulled the sword from where it was nestled in the faerie queen’s heart. They looked up to see her faerie subjects bowing for them. Elfrida drifted forward, her head hung in remorse.
“You are now the new king and queen of the faeries.” She whispered.
Regan gasped but Blair kept her face blank.
“We killed your queen and now you need a new leader, but I suggest you find someone else. I will kill all of you, that’s a promise.”
Then she walked away letting Regan run to catch up with her. And as they disappeared into the trees they could hear the faeries banter over who was next for leader.

When they had reached a good distance away from the faeries, Regan requested a rest. Blair complied, sitting at the base of a tree. They were in a small circle of trees, covered by the thick leaves. The trunks were closely knit together and the only space was the way Blair and Regan had came in.
“I think we should rest here.” Suggested Blair.
Regan nodded in agreement. Partly because he knew he didn’t really have a choice and partly because he had noticed the darkening sky. He sat down next to Blair who was rummaging through a pack she had been carrying. She pulled out some food and water and also a small blanket which she laid on the ground. Carefully she placed the stale pieces of bread on the blanket along with some rabbit meat and cheese.
Regan looked at the small meal licking his lips, his hunger winning out over his preference of fresh bread. He watched as Blair’s long pale fingers tore the bread in half and the split the meat and cheese evenly. She pushed his portion towards him and took her own, taking small bites of the chewy meat.
Regan followed her lead and took small bites though it took every ounce of his self control to do so. Suddenly he notice Blair was looking at him. She dropped her gaze when he looked at her. He shrugged and went back to eating when suddenly he heard her voice.
“Thank you...for back there. I’d be dead if you hadn’t been for you.”
He looked at her, shocked. She looked back up at him, her long black hair falling away from her face. He noticed her cheeks were glistening and her bright green eyes seemed to have dulled. She was crying.
Against better instinct he shuffled to her side, food forgotten, and held her. She stiffed but relaxed at he wrapped his arms around her. Then she began to sob. He could feel the shudders run through her as she let out all her pent up emotion. He held her tighter and she let her head rest against his chest.
After an hour her crying had subsided and she had fallen to sleep. He could hear her breathe in and out and could feel the beating of her heart. She’s not all bad, he thought to himself. She has emotion she is able to feel. He stroked her hair and realised just how small she actually was. He could feel her slight frame against him and thought that it must be due to the lack of food. He respected her now and her amazing ability to overcome her fears and emotions just so she could survive out here. He felt her stir against him and he went back to stroking her hair.
Another hour later Regan woke. It was still dark out and Blair was still curled into him. He looked around and saw something in the tree across from them.
It was a flower and it was only just blooming. He gently shook Blair.
“Blair, wake up. You have to see this.” He whispered.
She groaned and opened her eyes.
“What?”
“Look.” Replied Regan, pointing in the darkness.
Blair looked to where he was indicating and gasped.
The flower seemed to be glowing a rich blue, the light pulsating from the petals. The centre was a luminous yellow so far and as the petals fully unfurled Regan and Blair both uttered little cries of amazement.
Beautiful light filled the small circle of trees, radiating every colour. There were greens, reds purples, pinks, every single colour of the spectrum shone in their tiny haven.
Suddenly Blair began to sniff. Regan looked at her questioningly and she told him to do the same. He shrugged and inhaled deeply through his nose. The sweet scent of fairy floss filled his nostrils. He looked at Blair and ginned. She smiled back and when he saw this smile he saw the true girl under the tough act. He saw her beauty, her heartache and her triumphs. She felt blood rush to his face as he saw her eyes light up when she looked at him staring at her. He brushed her hair off her face and she looked away and he knew that she was blushing.
Just then the light died and the flower wilted. Regan knew what they had seen her was something amazing.
He knew that this was a once in a lifetime blooming, but when that flower died a connection between himself and Blair was born.