A.N. So, I'm exhausted, but I decided to try and update, since everyone seems to like it ^.^ And thank you, naomi221b for reading :D
It had been about a month since I arrived in Forget-Me-Not Valley. I'd spent most of it in the Witch Princess's hut, outside Romana's mansion.
The hut was a lot different than the Witch in my world's house. When I first walked in, I noticed it was one large room. Books and various kinds of… Things, of various stickiness and color, littered the floor. Her bed was pressed up in one corner, and shelves lined the back wall. A lot of them were empty, too, since everything was on the floor. Lastly, there was a large cauldron in the center, taking up most of the rest of the floor.
My first task, or at least the first one I set for myself, was to clean it up. I started by getting some cleaning supplies delivered to the hut, and proceeded to clean up the floors, washing away any magical residue. Then, I alphabetized, or tried (some of the books were all made of weird symbols), all the books. Thank the goddess I had Faith with me to help; the Witch was a bit of a slob. Finally though, the whole house gleamed.
Witch set up two small beds in the other corner of the room for Faith and I, and then she started with my training.
She taught me a lot of stuff, but most importantly about never revealing your name to ANYONE. The reason why, she said, was because anyone, even a mortal (her word for those who didn't have magic, as I was pretty sure I wasn't able to live forever, but you never know), could use it against you. The most dangerous, though, were the other magic users.
Anyways, she dubbed me Apprentice, so that's the name everyone in the village knew me as. And I was a curiosity to them, too. Word had quickly spread about how I had flown out of the goddess's pond, and about the Harvest Sprite my father had made. Everyone assumed my powers rivaled even the Witch's. I just ignored the rumors.
The Witch taught me things like how to create fire, and how to put out even the largest of fires, just with my mind. Whereas in my world, the two spells I'd learned used words, here, the Witch taught me spells using my own mind. It was a lot harder, too. And that's not to say she didn't have spells that had vocalizations, but those were the harder spells. For now, she taught me how to summon, and use, each of the four elements. Then it was on to more simple, useful things, like making cleaning supplies use themselves (a spell she wasn't well versed on), and much more. I was fascinated, and she complimented me on my quick grasp of all the magic she shoved my way. My brain was like a sponge, soaking up every little bit of information she could throw at me. Now to my current task. Witch wanted me to go retrieve a package from Daryll, the local scientist. Everyone thought he was weird, so for some reason I decided I liked him. I had just made it to his front door, when I heard a noise.
Ever since I had started training with the Witch, my vision and hearing had become better. And I heard… Well, I wasn't sure, but it seemed to be coming from inside the house.
"Faith, do you hear that?" I asked, and she looked at me.
"Kind of. I'm not sure what it is, though." She said. It seemed that, the stronger I became, the stronger she became, as well. Witch had told me she was unlike any Harvest Sprite that she's ever seen before, and she told me she'd seen a lot of different kinds, before the worlds had been closed to everyone. She told me that Faith may someday show a special power, but she wouldn't say anything else on the subject.
I knocked on Daryll's door, and waited, but… Nothing. I tried the door, and it was unlocked, so I slowly opened it, calling out.
"Daryll? Are you there? It's… Apprentice! The Witch sent me to pick up something…?" I said, but nobody seemed to be home. Then I heard it again, louder this time. It seemed to be… Splashing? It sounded like it was coming from a trapdoor in the corner of the room, so I headed over, and descended the ladder beneath.
When I got down, I gasped. There, in a bathtub, was… a mermaid! She was beautiful, with creamy skin, short green hair with two shells clasped into it, and large, innocent purple eyes. Her tail was beautiful, too. It kinda had a weird effect, going from orange, then changing to a reddish color, then changing again into purple at the base.
"Hey, what are you doing down here!" She said, becoming fierce, and I shrunk back onto the ladder, and tried to scurry back up, but instead I slipped and fell, twisting my ankle in the process.
"I-I-I'm sorry! I was l-looking for Da-Daryll! Oh, my ankle!" I moaned. Instantly, her face went from angry to concerned.
"Oh my! I'm sorry! Wait a minute… Red hair, red eyes… And you're wearing purple and black!" Witch had insisted that I wear a simple purple shirt, with black pants, to symbolize that I was her apprentice. "You must be the new child in town that Daryll's been talking about! He seems to have really taken a shine to you, almost as much as Jack…" She said, going misty eyed. I recognized the look. It was the look mother always got whenever she talked about father… It was a look of love.
"Yes, my name is L- Apprentice." I said, catching myself. My thoughts of mother made me careless. I really missed her, and Emily too. I'd never been away from home this long. I shuddered to think about how worried they must be.
"Oh! I'm Leia!" She said, and I smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Leia!" I said, and Faith giggled.
"Oh, who's this?" Leia asked, motioning to Faith.
"Hello, Leia, I'm Faith! I'm a Harvest Sprite!" The little sprite beamed, waving at Leia. I giggled; Faith could be quite hyper at times.
"It's nice to meet you both!" She said, smiling at us. "So, Apprentice, is it true? Are you good at magic?" Leia asked, and I nodded.
"Yup! Witch says I'm the fastest learner she's ever seen. Why do you ask?" I said, and Leia paused.
"Well, I've become very good friends with the rancher and his sister who live on the farm at the edge of town… And I wanted to surprise Jack…" She said, and I nodded.
"What can I do for you?" I asked, and she paused, her face reddening.
"Well…"
