Prelude
This book was passed down to me through two of my pets, my Aisha and Shoyru.
This book, written in Ancient Neopian by the most ancient of Aishas, chronicles
the history of many of the legends surrounding the Aishas. The very first tome
relates the divide of the Aishas. This tome tells of important events within
each division's histories. I am the first human to translate this book, and
now I want to share its mysteries. As the original Book's short foreword says
"My pen is my sword and I wield the truth."
A Strange Meeting
The Aisha stuck her head out of the temporary
shelter. The rain fizzed as it touched on the golden band of light encircling
her earstalks but continuing, unrelenting, everywhere else. The Aisha ducked
her head back into the shelter.
"Still raining," she remarked. The Aisha slumped
opposite her made no sound. He was tall with his four earstalks dangling just
above the ground and his coat colour a light sky blue. She noticed the star
mark, encircled by a golden ring, on his forehead and a engraved ring on the
base of one earstalk. Obviously, a mark of some status within his ranks... he
must be an Alien Aisha, she deduced. The extra set of ears marked him out as
one.
Outside the rain continued. Aisha Angels could
not fly with wet wings. She shivered, wrapped her feathery wings tightly around
her body and kept her head bowed.
***
The Alien Aisha looked up. The other Aisha was huddled opposite him. She was
different to any, he'd seen. White fur, with a tint of gold, and long angel
wings, also slightly golden. A small band of light ringed her ears and an earring
swung roguishly from one earstalk. A ring, a lot like his own, was at the bottom
of her ear.
He smiled to himself and let his ears flop forward
again. How close their ears were! So nearly, but not quite touching. Still,
the Council were notoriously hidebound in these matters. No mixing with any
other than Alien Aisha blood - a lot of prejudice surrounded the children of
the other matches.
***
They both looked up at the same time. His dark green eyes, the colour of mossy
earth, met the live green fire in her eyes. They sat there for eternity, lost
in each other eyes.
Both reached up to one ear and took off their
rings, handing them to each other and smiling as their paws touched. Without
knowing it, they had started a new time - a time of freedom. Two spirits joined
to become one.
The sound of the rain outside petering out to
a stop didn't filter through to their ears.
***
The Aisha Angel walked out of one end of the shelter and unfolded her wings.
Imbued with a richer hue in the golden sunlight, they were truly the wings of
an angel. She whirred off into the dawn.
At the other end of the shelter, the Alien Aisha
exited. The star on his forehead glowed in the morning rays and he was more
majestic than ever. He bounded off into the morning.
***
As Maenia landed, her second-in-command, Trifalla, came rushing up to her.
The two nodded - they were old comrades.
"Fyora called," said Trifalla.
"What did she say?"
"Only that is was urgent."
"It's always urgent," sighed Maenia. "I'll go.
We are bound to serve our Queen."
With a final nod to each other, Maenia opened
up her wings and flew towards the sky.
***
Daellian stopped in front of the Vending Machine. Guay appeared by his side.
"The Council wants to hold another conference."
Daellian sighed. "Being the heir has a lot to
answer for. Can't they hold the stupid conference without me for a change?"
He sighed but began to trudge towards the Conference Hall anyway. A small figure
detached itself from the shadows and began to follow him.
***
Fyora looked down at the small but upright Angel Aisha before her.
"It's Balthazar, I'm afraid. He's gone too far.
He's captured the Tooth Faerie in one of his infernal bottles."
Maenia bit her lips and nodded curtly. Calling
Trifalla, she spread her wings and flew off the cloud, searching for Balthazar.
Trifalla followed.
She soon found Balthazar heading back to his
hideout in the Haunted Woods - her least favourite of all places. Dismissing
Trifalla (this was her duty alone) Maenia landed and closed her wings. Her bright
halo shone even brighter against the gloom of her surroundings. Flitting from
tree to tree, she silently tracked Balthazar.
Watching warily as he entered his cottage, she
crept up to the window and took stock of the inside. The front room was mostly
empty with a table, a dusty sheaf of bottle prototypes, a can of Neocola, a
belt of tools and a Faerie bottle. Balthazar had gone into the next room.
Maenia renewed her prayer for the Faeries' blessing
and pulled open the door. Immediately, a powerful stench made her eyes water
and her nose itch. Controlling the urge to sneeze, Maenia crept towards the
door leading to the next room. She winced as she placed her paw in something
squishy. Grimacing, she looked down and had to fight the impulse to be sick.
She had trodden in a half-eaten Babaa.
So slowly, she inched her way over to the door
and, standing to one side, extended her earstalk to the crack. She could hear
Balthazar taunting a captured Faerie and the clicking of his claws on the floorboards.
He was coming her way and there was nowhere to hide!
Summoning her Faerie magic, she began to change
colour to match the wall behind her. Flattening herself as best she could, she
held her breath and tried not to think of what had happened to that Babaa.
Balthazar flung open the door, walked straight
past her and paused at the entrance. Maenia struggled desperately to use her
Faerie magic to hold onto her colour. Balthazar sniffed the air, frowned slightly
and stalked out. As the front door clicked shut, Maenia gasped for breath. Too
close!
Hurrying into the Faerie storage room, she quickly
located the Tooth Faerie in an oddly shaped jar. The Faerie became agitated,
banging on the glass and shouting something. The jar was obviously soundproof.
Maenia began to unscrew one of the regular bottles containing a Light Faerie
- she needed a little more magic to bust the Tooth Faerie out of her jar and
any of the captured Faeries in here would top up her magic with a blessing if
she freed them.
Just as the top was mostly unscrewed, she heard
a creak. The back door was opening! Balthazar must have come back to sell the
Tooth Faerie! With no time for more magic, she hurriedly shoved the Faerie back
in its place and took a Hammerfish from the bench. She brought it crashing down
on the Tooth Faerie's jar and felt an odd swirling sensation.
She looked at the Hammerfish in her paw - it
was still there. She looked around - she seemed to be in a odd place with glass
walls, which distorted the view beyond them... she was in the bottle! She turned
around to see the Tooth Faerie, sitting despondently behind her.
"The bottle has a spell on it. Anyone seeking
entrance from outside will be shrunk to fit the bottle and be trapped in here!
I tried to tell you, but I guess the bottle is soundproof..." The Tooth Faerie
tried to smile. "I guess whoever buys me might let me free to see if I bless
their pet in some extra special way. I'm afraid all my powers are good for is
ensuring a gleaming smile. I suppose I'll be locked up in some gallery..."
Maenia scowled. She drummed her fists against
the glass in frustration while outside Balthazar smirked.
"You won't get out, either of you! I'll just
go and check to see if my buyer will put the price up. After all, the Tooth
Faerie and the Aisha Angels leader! What a deal!" Balthazar gloated and left
again.
***
Daellian was bored out of his mind. Hardly surprising - Council meetings were
always dull. He could be anywhere but here... he fingered the ring on his ear,
sighing.
In the shadows of a nearby pillar, there was
a muffled chink. A slight Shadowed Aisha began to assemble his instruments.
***
Maenia paced angrily around the bottle, occasionally spreading her wings and
banging herself against the glass. The Tooth Faerie just sat down, subdued.
Then Maenia spotted some hope - a tiny bit of movement from one of the shelves.
The Light Faerie she was trying to free earlier had managed to wriggle its top
free from its bottle and was now flitting from jar to jar, freeing more Faeries.
Maenia renewed her efforts to thump the glass to attract the Faeries' attentions.
A line of Faeries began to fly up to the bottle.
The first Faerie tried to break off the top and she was sucked into the bottle.
Before Maenia could explain about the spell, more and more Faeries began flooding
in, filling up the bottle. A Fire Faerie winked at her.
"What's happening?" asked Maenia.
"Well, if we can't open the bottle from the
outside, our magic might be of use inside. Right everyone, let's try!"
Every Faerie inside the bottle placed their hands
on the glass. There was a moment of silence then the glass exploded, blowing
bits everywhere and demolishing half the furnishings. Maenia felt herself returning
to normal size and rushed to open the back door. A flood of faeries flew out
as an astonished Trifalla stood at the back door. Maenia smiled at the look
on her face.
"C'mon, let's go..." she started but was interrupted.
Balthazar bowled her over as he sprung from the undergrowth.
"You!" he spat. "You released my precious collection
and now you'll pay!" Balthazar raised one massive claw as Maenia froze, transfixed.
***
The Aisha released his dart, which flew through the air towards Daellian.
Daellian's ear filled with a throbbing pain - the Aisha Angel ring was burning.
***
As Balthazar brought down his claw, Maenia's ear was filled with a throbbing
pain - the Alien Aisha ring was burning.
***
Suddenly, the hideous figure of Balthazar was knocked aside as Trifalla pounced
on him. Calling upon her magic, Maenia swung her paw and hit Balthazar squarely
on the jaw. As he thumped the ground, a small white molar rolled out of his
mouth. The Tooth Faerie smiled, leaned over and took the tooth, leaving one
Neopoint carefully by Balthazar's prone form. Maenia too smiled and spread her
wings.
She and Trifalla travelled to report back to
the Faerie Queen.
***
Guay leapt on Daellian, throwing them both onto the floor. Above his head,
the dart flew and embedded itself harmlessly in the woodwork. In the ensuing
pandemonium, the small shadow slipped out of the room.
Daellian smiled at Guay - for now, he was alive.
To be continued...
As I have mentioned, this is the only the first of many important stories
in the Aisha Legends. Later, when I have transcribed the Aisha Chronicles, expect
to find out the origin of the Aishas and where they all subdivided. | 
