The small England village was in the beginnings of waking when a stone flew past an open window and landed on a sleeping girl's head. She cried out in surprise at the impact though it was more out of bewilderment than actual pain. She ran a dainty hand through her curly blonde tresses, trying to soothe the small pain now throbbing where the stone had hit. She tilted her head so she could catch a glimpse of what had propelled the rock through her open window. Her nose curled in disdain when her eyes fell upon the form of a boy looking up frantically at her window.

"It's not very romantic to be woken by a stone hitting you in the head. You do realize this don't you Dietrich?" she called down. The boy almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of her irritated and amused voice.

"Clarise, my god, I am so sorry," even from her height Clarise could see a deep red blush come over Dietrich's face. "I didn't know your window was open. I-I-I oh god."

"She reveled his discomfort. "Well you better hurry and go before the dorm mistress comes by, she doesn't take kindly to young men prowling around before sunrise."

Dietrich looked around as though twenty dorm mistresses were about to jump out of the bushes and beat him with their canes. It made Clarise want to laugh but she held it in so as not to make more noise than she already had. She wanted to play with the boy just a little bit longer.

"Uhh... I guess I should run then... but before I do p-please take this," with a quick flick of his wrist, Dietrich sent a small purple package flying over the small yard and through the window of Clarise's room. She made an attempt to grab at it but it slipped through her long slender fingers. Dietrich held his breath knowing he would never be able to give it to her once it hit the ground. Luckily, though, it got trapped in a small ivy vine that clung to the window ledge. Clarisse knelt over and scooped it up.

Dietrich looked up expectantly as she took her time unraveling the small black lace. He could feel a bead of sweat trickle past his cheek and wished that she would hurry just a little. Inside the large house, he could hear the stirrings of whom he feared was the old caretaker of the girls who lived there. If she found him now he would never be able to hear Clarise's reply. She had taken the wrappings off to reveal a small satin box. Slowly she lifted the lid and gave a small gasp of admiration. Staring back at her was a dazzling emerald necklace. True, it could have been a more expensive stone but no boy who had called on her had brought her jewels like these before.

She lifted the small flap to release the necklace from its box when a small piece of paper fell out. Inside, in small scratchy writing, was an invitation. She poked her head back out the window hoping that the boy had gone so she wouldn't have to go. Unfortunately he had stayed. Rolling her eyes to herself she called out an agreement, more for fear of having to return the necklace than because she actually wanted to have anything to do with Dietrich himself.

Dietrich, however, nearly fell over when she yelled a yes down from her room high above his head. In that second he could have lifted into the sky and flown. Instead he nodded his thanks and ran down the street, just barely missing the old dorm mistress' morning walk in the garden.

Dietrich's stomach growled in irritation as he waited in the grassy meadow where he had set up a small picnic. He nervously glanced around. Clarise had said yes after all. But where was she? Again the insatiable organ expressed its discontent with a large rumble. It had been more than half-an-hour since the time he had written on the card that fell out of the necklace box. In despair, Dietrich started packing up the small bottle of champagne and fresh apples. Only after the last one had been neatly tucked away did he look up to see the form of a girl picking her way through the brambles that covered the old game trail that led to the meadow.

"Clarise!" he exclaimed in happiness and surprise as he sprang up to help her.

Clarise looked up from the forest floor when she heard Dietrich's voice. She cursed herself for not taking longer to get there. If only she had said that she had gotten lost and had had to turn back. Well, she was here now and there was no way to get around. it. That was her last thought before something fast and white flew right into her.

Dietrich was only a few steps away when a flurry of white hair and red coat slammed into Clarise. It slowed in order to get a better hold of her revealing a disheveled looking man in a red overcoat and long khaki pants. From his side hung an over sized pocket watch that would not stop ringing. Dietrich's eyes lifted to his head where two floppy rabbit ears protruded precariously, though it could have been his wild hair.

Once Clarise was positioned over the man's right shoulder, he sped away through the forest. Dietrich didn't even think, instead he leapt past the trees and hurtled in the direction of the man who had taken Clarise. Tree branches whipped past his face leaving small scratches where they hit. They hurt but Dietrich's attention was focused solely in front of him where the man in the red coat was swiftly getting further away from him. A break in the trees appeared and the rabbit-eared man was temporarily obscured by a blinding light that spilled through the thinning trees. Dietrich increased his pace and jumped through.

Beneath his feet the ground collapsed into a large, black hole. Dietrich swung his arms in a vane attempt to grab onto something, anything. His hand caught a tuft of grass but his weight was too much and soon everything was black and he fell.

The hole itself had no bottom that Dietrich could see and he continued to fall. At some point he could see doors flashing by as he continued to plummet. A few were open and he caught glimpses of rooms. One looked like it was a throne room, filled with red and black curtains and hearts embroidered into every furnishing including two golden thrones. Another had a large table laden with all sorts of cups and tea kettles. Yet another opened to reveal a coastline where two figures seemed to be walking.

Then a large door that looked as though it were made from tree trunks opened right underneath him. Dietrich braced himself for impact but instead found himself in a soft tuft of moss. Slowly he regained his feet and took a look around. Songbirds flitted through a forest full of large trees. These were nothing like the ones he knew back behind the village. These trees were giants.

A screech rang through the woods and Dietrich found himself back on the ground, clutching his ears as his brain throbbed from the force of the noise. Above him the birds erupted into the air, frightened by the horrifying sound. That was when a large jet of flame erupted from just behind Dietrich's vision. He turned his head to look in the direction of where the flames had come. His eyes widened as he beheld a large dragon-like beast sliding its way toward him on four massive, brown scaly legs.