Chapter One

Fai sat up, eyes still closed. He didn't want to see his father's dying, pale body on the bed next to him or the old, faded pictures of his golden haired mother who had passed away three years ago.

Finally, his vibrant blue eyes opened, flickering back and forth, taking in his surroundings. The dirty, poverty stricken hut was less warm at this time of the year, but it was home none the less.

"Father?" he squeaked. There was no response. Chills ran through his body as he tried again to no avail. Tears filled up his eyes and blurred his vision as he stumbled toward his father's bed. Feeling the cold, stiff hands, he fell to his knees, despair rising from the pit of his stomach to take away his breath. At only age nine he had lost both parents and was on the verge of depression.

Fai's hands closed around a small roll and he twisted to avoid the grip of the merchant. With inhuman speed, he ran away, his prize held tightly in his arms. He turned and sat down in a shadowy alley, munching eagerly on his warm roll.

He yelped as he was yanked off the ground by a growling hulk of a man. Fai felt a tingling in his hands as he pushed the merchant away. The man screamed in utter pain and astonishment as his flesh burned where the urchin's dirty hands had touched him.

Fai's sky blue eyes went wide, than he shut them tightly in fear. A falling sensation rose all around him and he found his mouth going dry. He wanted to leave his whole life behind. He wanted to be somewhere else.

Snow flew all around him and he tried to remember what had happened. Memories of being held in his mother's arms and laughing with his father filled his consciousness. He remembered crying at both their small funerals and trying to smile again afterwards. His numb fingers tried hard to regain circulation and he struggled to see through blinding torrents of wind and snow.

Tears welled in his eyes. Where was he? Exhaustion wrenched his mind from thought as he feebly trudged through the three or four foot deep snow. His fragile body, unaccustomed to the freezing weather, shut down after less than a half an hour of this intense, physical strain. His feet fell from under him and his body hit the hard-packed snow.

Faintly, voices met his ears as he lay still, covering his face with his dirty scraps of clothing. Warm arms enveloped him and he whimpered pitifully, trying valiantly to keep the tears in restraint.

"He has golden hair; must not be from around here. Hmm," He heard one of his rescuers comment.

Before he fell unconscious, he thought he heard another whisper, "It will be all right. We'll take you to the castle and get things sorted out."

The castle! He smiled; how exciting. His heavy eyelids slipped down and inviting dreams welcomed him into their wild and lovely fantasies.

Author's Note: I do not own Fai. I don't even own this fanfic. I am just typing this up for a friend of mine. She's the one who wrote this and she also shares this account with me. If you re lucky, I might grace you with the honor of reading one of my own works (just kidding. I am not half as talented as my friend).

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment. I'm new here and some help would be mucho appreciated. Thanks!