FAERIE TALES

CHAPTER ONE

NIGHTMARES

On a high, thick branch of an old magnolia tree in an over grown field, there was a girl. She was fair, with pale skin and waist-length sheets of silver hair. Her violet eyes were fixed on the leaves swaying above her as she lay on the branch. She was humming something under her breath.

Her name was Sevada. Her mother had told her that it meant passion, and that was very true. Sev loved more than anyone She was not, however, naive. Sev had a heart of gold and a complex mind.

As she lay there, her slender fingers moved above her. Golden light that looked like dust clung to the leaves. They became greener, and flowers blossomed beneath them. Colourful ribbons wound themselves around the branches and hung down in forked ends. They twirled, reflecting the sunlight that streamed through the gaps in the leaves.

"Impressive."

The magic world shattered into pieces of golden dust as Sev flinched. She turned her head to see a boy about her age sitting on a nearby branch. "Thank you." she said in a lilting, accented voice. Her hair hung down from the branch like sheets of silk, swaying gently in the wind.

There was another boy climbing up. He was more muscular and blonde, whereas his brother was lean and hair as black as raven's feathers. Sev recognized them. They were princes.

The boy sitting across from her, Prince Loki, opened his mouth to say something, but there was a shout from below before he could speak.

"Sev!"

Sev sat up, leaning forwards to see between the branches. Her younger brother Jakob stood there. He looked nothing like Sev, but she didn't look like anyone. "Mum needs you back to help with dinner!"

A smile passed over Sev's lips. She landed on the branch below, like a bird out of flight. As she departed, Sev glanced upwards and called, " 'Til we meet again... my prince."

The ground was soft beneath Sev's feet. It was like walking on cotton. She was clothed in a black dress made of flowy, light-weight fabric, while everything around her was the brightest white.

Ahead, there was a long dining table. It was heaped with platters of food. There were confections, cheeses, meats, and fruits. One in particular had a silvery skin that reflected a great magnolia tree. The skin slid off beneath Sev's finger tips, revealing ruined brown meat. She examined it, then set it down. The same happened with the rest of the foods. Everything spoiled beneath her fingertips.

Panicking, Sev turned around. Water lapped gently at her feet as she watched suns rise and set, followed by Mistress Moon, in mere seconds. They sped up, bringing with them sunlight and grey clouds and rain and stars. She watched in awe.

After nearly a thousand days and nights, the moon froze and became still overhead. It shone down its pale light onto Sev, and only Sev. The stars were clustered around it like pinpricks of silver blood. Sev was so transfixed that she didn't notice the wave coming towards her.

It crashed over her and salt water began to fill her lungs. She gasped for breath and screamed, but the water was over her head. Her chest was tight, limbs becoming like lead. Then it all faded away. The water had washed away and left Sev's body on the shore.

Silver hair was pillowed around her head. She lay there in the wet sand, chest still, completely silent. Her violet eyes were fixed on the sky, where the horizon was painted with blood.

Sev awoke shrieking. Her screams echoed throughout the house with no response. She grasped the sheets tightly, eyes wide, a light sheen of sweat on her face. Her gaze wandered to the sky, where the moon seemed to grin cruelly down at her. Sev pulled the drapes closed and began to walk down the hall, the floorboards creaking beneath her pale, dainty feet.

The door to her mother's room was ajar. Sev looked inside. Her mother lay with all of the linens thrown aside. The rise and fall of her chest was subtle, but there.

"Sev,"

Sev gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth as she spun around. Jakob stood behind her, eyes wide with shock. "Sev, I heard a scream."

"I had a nightmare."

"No one screams like that after a nightmare."

Sev scanned her brother's face in the darkness. She could see the outline of his face, his eyes, his nose, his mouth. He was right. Her voice was still shaky and breaths still shallow.

"I'll be fine."

The contour of Jakob's lips made a frown. Sev walked past him, to the end of the hall were her bedroom door was. It was thrown wide open; she had been in such a rush to get out from under the eye of the moon that she hadn't bothered to close it.

Stepping inside and pulling it to, Sev turned and whispered, "Goodnight, Jakob."