The Chronicles of a Young Fyora: The Beginning

     All was well until one day during finals week.

     “Fyora, may I speak to you?” Professor Beltane asked, catching up with the omnipotent faerie after the last Mastering Elemental Powers 101 lecture.

     “Yes, professor?” Fyora replied.

     “Let’s go to my office,” she said, ushering her down the hall.

     “Go ahead, I’ll catch up with you later,” Fyora said to Taelia before following close behind Professor Beltane.

     “What is this about?” Fyora asked as soon as the large, wooden door of the office swung close.

     “I wanted to talk to you about your next… assignment,” Professor Beltane said, fiddling with a pen she had tucked behind her pointed ear a second ago.

     “Assignment? I don’t understand,” Fyora said, shaking her head. “The semester is about to end. I thought we would all have a break from school assignments.”

     “That’s not what I meant by ‘assignment’, Fyora…” the Light Faerie said, trailing off nervously. “The second semester of every year at the academy is a practicum of sorts... Faeries are sent to apply the skills they learned - the spells, their growing powers, their burgeoning knowledge.”

     “Wow, how exciting!” Fyora said, ignoring her professor’s nerves. “Where am I going?”

     “You’re.. going to the castle,” Professor Beltane admitted, looking to Fyora for her response.

     “Which castle? You can’t mean… the castle. Can you?” Fyora asked, looking for the truth in Beltane’s eyes. “Professor Beltane… I’m not ready for that.”

     “You are and… I’m sorry to say, but it’s time. Faerieland hasn’t had a queen in decades, which has left us vulnerable. Fyora, Faerieland needs you.”

     Fyora could barely comprehend what her professor was saying. It had only been six months at the academy. Six. Months. Sure, it was an in-depth, face-paced crash course, but she was nowhere near ready to rule an entire nation.

     “Fyora, I’ve gotten special permission to take a sabbatical and help you learn the ropes. I will be going to Faerie City with you. We have a plan in place to teach you how to rule and—”

     “What about Taelia?” Fyora interrupted, even though she already knew the answer.

     “Taelia.. will have to go to Terror Mountain, Fyora,” the professor admitted. The silence in the small office quarters felt deafening.

     Fyora knew it was best for Taelia to start her own assignment, to begin her own journey as the only Snow Faerie of Neopia, but the Queen-in-training didn’t know if she was ready to face that fact. Her stomach sank.

     “Right…” Fyora said. “You’re right. That’s what’s… best.”

     “Fyora, I will do whatever I can to make this as seamless a transition as it can be. I promise,” Professor Beltane assured her in sincerity.

     “I know. Thank you, Professor Beltane,” Fyora said, turning toward the door to hide the singular tear that fell from her eyes.

     “We’ll be leaving tomorrow evening. Say your goodbyes and pack your things, but remember,” Beltane began. “This is only temporary. We will be back to the academy next fall for your second year of education. This is only a ‘see you later’.”

     Fyora nodded before making her way down to the courtyard for lunchtime.

     “Fyora!” Taelia called out, waving her sherpa-covered arms. “We’re over here!”

     Taelia sat on a picnic blanket eating her Snow Faerie Cupcake as Baelia poked at a Grey Faerie Mushroom next to her.

     “Hi, friends,” Fyora said, trying her best to muster up a smile.

     “What’s wrong?” Taelia asked through a crumbly mouthful.

     “Yeah, you don’t seem your usual… chipper self,” Baelia added, ironically in a monotone.

     “Professor Beltane just told me my assignment for next semester…” Fyora began, trailing off, not knowing what to say.

     “What?! We aren’t supposed to find out until after finals!” Taelia whispered excitedly, leaning in to talk in hushed tones.

     “That’s what we call ‘Queen privilege’,” Baelia said with an uncharacteristic giggle.

     “Oh, shush!” Fyora chided. “After lecture today, Professor Beltane pulled me into her office to break the news.”

     “You make it sound like a bad thing!” Taelia quipped.

     “It is a bad thing, Taelia! They’re trying to send me to the castle!” Fyora said, flopping over into the grass dramatically.

     “That’s your destiny, Fyora!” Taelia said, leaning over her friend. “You’re ready.”

     “Am I?” the young Queen asked with a sigh. She looked up into the clear blue skies overhead, pondering her friends’ confidence in her. Fyora watched as two Carmarillers darted through the air, playfully weaving back and forth. After a moment of silence, she rose to her elbows.

     “You’re right, Taelia. Thanks for always grounding me,” the young Fyora said to her friend with a sincere smile. “Both of you better promise to keep in touch when I’m ruling over Faerieland! Or practicing doing so, anyways…”

     The three friends shared a laugh and finished the rest of their lunch before studying diligently for their finals.

     ***

     After the exams had concluded, all of the faeries met in a large crowd in the courtyard to hear their assignments. Announcements went in alphabetical order and, generally, correlated elemental types to placements.

     Air Faeries were sent to cloud dwellings above Faerieland and other places in the skies above Neopia. Earth Faeries were sent to the meadows and glades surrounding Bightvale and Meridell. Water Faeries were sent to the waters surrounding Maraqua, Mystery Island, or Krawk Island. Dark Faeries were sent to Darigan Citadel or the Haunted Woods for their mysterious and occult energies. Light Faeries were sent to the Lost Desert to harness the power of the sun and sand. Fire Faeries were sent to Moltara and even Altador to learn the origins and history of their flames.

     But then, they got to Baelia, the only Grey Faerie that the academy had seen in decades. A hush fell over the crowd as Professor Beltane announced her assignment.

     “Baelia, our resident Grey Faerie, you are assigned to… Faerie City’s watchtowers. Your assignment is to observe the boundaries of our lands and ensure no danger befalls our soon-to-be Queen’s castle,” the Light Faerie said in a booming voice. Murmurs trickled through the throngs as eyes darted toward Baelia who seemed oddly pleased with the announcement.

     Later on in the assignments, Taelia was placed in Terror Mountain as Fyora knew she had been. The Snow Faerie lit up with excitement when her fate was read. The Faerie Queen didn’t know if her friend was more happy about the climate or the isolation, but regardless, she was happy for Taelia. Fyora knew she would make an incredible protector of those icy cliffs.

     At the end of the announcements, the trio shared a few teary-eyed hugs before parting ways to pack their bags and start their new adventures.

     Just as Fyora was finishing up in her dorm room for the semester, she heard a light knock at the door.

     “Coming!” she called, zippering up her aubergine, leather suitcase.

     “Oh, Taelia. Are you forgetting something?” Fyora asked, opening the door to see her friend. She looked around her barren room, not seeing any of Taelia’s belongings she could have left behind.

     “Yes, actually,” the Snow Faerie said with a coy smile. “I forgot to give you this.”

     The ivory-skinned Taelia held out an icy hand. What was nestled in the center of her palm made Fyora gasp.

     “It’s… it’s beautiful!” the pink and purple faerie cried, a dainty hand covering her mouth.

     “May I put it on you?” Taelia asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

     Fyora nodded and Taelia placed a small, brightly cyan tiara on her head. At the tip of its central point was a plum-coloured jewel that matched the Queen’s eyes almost exactly.

     “I imbued it with my magic and,” Taelia began, a tear running down her cheek. “…if you ever need me, it will summon me. Touch it and say my name and I’ll be there. I promise.”

     The two shared a long embrace as they both cried.

     “I’ll wear it always, Taelia. Always,” Fyora said as she pulled away and wiped her tears. “Thank you for being my friend.”

     Those were the last words they shared before embarking on their separate journeys.

     ***

     “Welcome to your castle, Queen Fyora,” Professor Beltane said, opening the door of their ornate carriage.

     While the pair could have used magic to transport themselves inside the castle walls, Beltane insisted on taking a carriage as a way to introduce Faerieland to their new Queen. Fyora was regretting agreeing to this as her face ached from smiling and her arm grew tired from waving.

     Gathering her bags, Fyora exited the pale pink carriage pulled by a Royal Girl Uni and gave her last greeting to the crowd. As she turned to thank the Neopet who helped transport them, Fyora stopped in her tracks.

     The site of the castle took her breath away. She had read about it and seen it in paintings that lined the academy’s walls, but she had never seen it in person before.

     The bricks were shades of deep purples - violets, lilacs, and lavenders, so rich in color that it was hard to believe it to be real. The turrets and towers reached stories and stories above her, making her feel small. Fyora was in awe of both the grandiosity of the castle as a whole and the intricacies of the details in its masonry. The dichotomy of these two points of marvel left her utterly overwhelmed

     “Wow,” was all she could muster to say, the air leaving her lungs.

     “It never gets old. I promise,” Professor Beltane said, giving her a one-armed hugged. “Let me take you to your rooms.”

     With that, the pair bid adieu to the crowd and Fyora stepped foot in the castle for the very first time as Queen of Faerieland.

     The End.