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Prelude

A woman with long, golden-brown hair walked leisurely through an extremely fertile forest, an air of wisdom following her closely. She enjoyed the calm solitude that she rarely experienced, the birds twittering around her and the wind rustling the trees around her. Oh how she loved being alone in the forest without a group of people following her around, making sure she was comfortable and letting her do nothing more than sit an a pillow and wait for her leg or butt fall asleep. You'd never imagine how annoying it can be (not to mention how uncomfortable it can be) when there's a group of people making sure you're comfortable.

'Truly, they should all be fired,' she thought, laughing softly to herself, stopping when a sound unlike birds or trees came from the ground.

Looking down, she found a small, fragile looking baby with blue hair so light that it looked nearly white and intense blue eyes. She was extremely startled, never before had she seen such a child in Trelista. She had seen dwarves, elves, nymphs, merpeople, and, she had thought, every other race in the kingdom since most parents request the royal family to be at the naming of their child.

Not knowing what else to do, the princess cradled the baby in her arms and carefully carried the baby to her mother, Queen Chailen of the fairies.

"Trista. How was your walk, daughter?" the Queen, a young looking but worn fairy with traditional golden-brown hair and green eyes freckled with brown, said, smiling from her seat and welcoming the princess.

"Good, Mother, but... I found a child on my path," Trista replied, holding out the mysterious child for her mother to take.

Gently, her mother took the child from Trista's hands and brushed the hair from the baby's forehead, reveling an awkward symbol.

"This child is not a child of Trelista. There is a symbol on her forehead and she has characteristics that I cannot match with any species known to me..." Queen Chailen said uneasily.

"Aye, but, Mother, this child must be taken care of. She is not of the outside world, human's do not hold characteristics like hers, and I sense a power in her. I believe she may have a destiny here," the princess insisted, knowing in her heart that she had stumbled over this child for a reason.

"You have grown fond of her already... but her power is from outside of our kingdom and she may be one of our enemies'," the queen said, worried slightly about her daughter's sudden attachment to this child.

"She is but a child, Mother. Even if she is an enemies' child... they sent her here and she has not been taught their ways yet. She may be helpful. It may be destiny," Trista said so forcefully that her mother looked at the child with a new view.

"Do you really have such a strong feeling about this child? One that is for good and not a biased feeling?" Queen Chailen asked and Trista nodded seriously. "Then we will trust it. My own power has grown weak and the judgment falls on me no longer. This child will be yours and only yours to raise. You must have no help from servants or, if you marry, your husband. She will be your complete responsibility and her future will be your burden. A mistake from you can turn it ill as will a mistake from another. Flee from outside help no matter what," Queen Chailen replied, handing the baby back to Trista. " She will grow up wearing the blue robes of a fairy but will eventually seek her own. Let her go but only with someone you can trust completely. It will be best for her." The Queen smiled softly and took a deep breathe. "I will not be able to see the future of this child or of your life." With that, Trista watched as her mother closed her eyes and, taking one last breath, drifted into death.

Respectfully, the princess bowed her head and turned to leave, her mother had lived a long, full life and Trista had been expecting her death for a long time. It didn't dim the sorrow but... death was something to be rejoiced, not mourned over, for fairies.

As two fairies went to remove the queen's body, Trista left room and went outside where the baby began cooing once again.

"You shall be called Elita, little one," Queen Trista said, kissing the baby gently on the forehead.

Continue...