GO REVIEWERS! And readers. Thank you people who read, even if you don't review. --happy smiles to all--

--hands out fortune cookies to reviewers-- Oh, italics are what your fortunes say.

Dandylions: Fluff is suffocating... Are you expecting mail?

FaylinnNorse: Oh, you want Carvin and Sarah, eh? Hm. Interesting thought... I'll have to talk to Swatter about that. Go somewhere unusual.

Emma A. Piper: End? HA! Not for a while, anyway... I'm not sure I'm half way done yet. --thinks-- okay, maybe halfway. Yes, fictional boys rock. --thumbs up-- Your happiness will make someone's life brighter.

Scoutcraft Piratess: Ooo, another person joining the Nre/Carvin club. --grin-- Try to solve a puzzle today, you never know where it may lead.

Sera dy Relandrant: Thanks! That's really nice of you! Don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry.

Clar-the-pirate: Thank you! Ooo, nice guess! Someone special will come to you soon.

Swatter: Ah ha! Someone finally asks about the bolt of energy! --gives award for observant reviewer-- Well, you noticed, good job, but I can't tell you what it is. --innocent smile-- Glad you like your debut scene. It gets better next chapter... Next time you go for a walk, really look at what's around you.

Lobuck Ashbreeze: Thank you! Well, Karl's not here. I can't say much more about him without giving away large portions of plot. Which would be bad. Well, I'm sure YOU wouldn't mind,but... Pride comes before the fall; humility will raise you to greater heights.

Queen Tabitha Tall: Yay! A firstie! Thanks for reading my story! Nice guess, too! Laughter is tonic for the soul, and death for the lungs.

Sunbitten: Carvin is pretty cool. --smile-- Nice guess! I like your imagination! Look out for others today.

Miaseaofbitterness: Yes, the triangle confuses ME! Thanks for reviewing! Absence makes the heart grow fonder, ideally.

Just to let you know, those fortunes were randomly thought of and scrambled. So, I'm really not reading your soul or anything creepy like that. If it actually comes true... well... that's cool.

"Look! There it is!" Nre said.

The sun was beginning to set and they both saw a small town drawing nearer.

"Remember, Nre; talk as little as possible, and try to sound deep when you do. Your voice is decidedly feminine, but if you attempt to sound deep, they will assume you're a boy that is embarrassed by his voice."

"Okay."

"And keep your ears open for any hoofbeats. New arrivals in town could give us trouble, if Karl was right, or if Karl decides to come back."

"Right."

"Stay close to me as much as you can. You can't carry a weapon to defend yourself with if someone attacks."

"Okay."

"And--"

"Cam! I'll be fine! You're sounding like Lois," she said in exasperation.

"Sorry."

The sun had just set when they reached the town; everything was still and peaceful. Then, a shriek rent the air.

Carvin rode cautiously along the deer path, his head snapping back and forth at every noise. There were legends and myths revolving around the wood, and though half of them were either completely false, or else exaggerations of true stories, he wanted to take no risks.

He comes...

The leaves' rustling seemed to form that phrase. He shook the thought out of his head and kept listening. The trees whispered again, but they didn't say anything. See, Carvin? Just the breeze. His horse snorted and skittered backward, startling Carvin. He leaned forward and looked down to see what scared him and his eyes widened. A woman's dead body was lying in front of his horse.

Hastily, he dismounted and walked toward the body. It immediately disappeared and the horse started to bolt, but Carvin grasped the reigns just in time.

"What want you with me, fairy?" he yelled, quickly climbing back onto his horse.

"Why are you here?"

The voice, feminine, rang in his right ear.

"I am on a search," he said, trying to buy some time as he silently slipped his dagger from its sheath under his tunic.

"You're not the only one. You looking for that Nre girl –princess-- and Cameron?"

"And Cameron?" Carvin said, aghast.

The girl laughed.

"Yes! No other human knows. It wouldn't have been long until they fit the pieces together, though. Your telling them will only speed up the situation."

"What? No, wait. Why did they--"

He suddenly realized the answer. Nre and Cameron were running away from Berensia, and her marriage to him. The thought made his heart sink more than he thought it would.

Now the decision was his; to pursue them in the name of duty and the law, or let them go and continue a life together... wherever they were. It seemed an easy choice. He should go back and tell no one what he had learned, and they would all be happy. But...

"They didn't run away," the voice said quietly, almost thoughtfully.

"They didn't?"

Now Carvin was thoroughly confused.

"No. A... friend sent them away to the East Wood. He said he was protecting them."

Carvin remembered that he had worked the dagger out of its sheath and whipped it out, plunging the hilt furiously in the direction of the voice. There was a muffled cry of pain and something hit the ground beside him. Carvin carefully dismounted, keeping a tight hold of the reigns and scanning the ground for the fairy.

He spotted it crawling away and dropped the reigns, lunging for it. Miraculously, he felt his fingers close around the struggling body as his horse ran wildly into the woods. He muttered something angrily amd stood up, brushing his pants off.

The glowing, black fairy glared at him and poked her head out in between his fingers, attempting to squeeze through. He wrapped his index finger and thumb around her waist tightly until she gasped for breath and stopped moving, still glowering.

"What do you wish of me, prince? You've caught me, so now I suppose I must subject myself to the menial task of wish granting."

"I'm not a prince," he said.

She examined him for a moment.

"You have the blood of Shayna in you. The power of it is the only thing that is keeping me from escaping, you know."

"I –what? Who is Shayna?"

Her bitter laugh echoed against the trees.

"This will work well for me. Answer me four riddles and I shall send you to the East Wood and your love."

"She's not--"

"Don't interrupt me! Your power grows weaker even now. I shall stay, however, to give you the riddles. Your mind intrigues me."

"What if I don't solve the riddles?"

"Then I will disappear, and fly away, and you'll have to find your own way there, or out of here."

"I don't seem to have much of a choice, do I?" he said.

"Not really. Now please, let go of me. I will change into human form; that would be more comfortable to you, I think."

She grasped Carvin's finger with her tiny hand for balance and changed in the blink of an eye to a stunning woman. Long brown curls fell around her pale shoulders while deep green eyes watched his reaction to the transformation: shock and awe. Her blood red lips curled into a smile and she stepped forward, her pine green dress slipping effortlessly behind her.

"Are you ready, my prince?"

"I–yes. I am," he replied, shaking his thoughts from the picturesque person in front of him.

Fairy, not person, he reminded himself.

She smiled again and began.

"Her figure brings envy from ladies around,

Young handsome suitors with presents abound,

She looks in the mirror, her thoughts bittersweet,

She's the line where appearance and character meet.

What is she?"

I feel evil. This is a short chapter with two cliffhangers. --tries to keep readers from falling off--

I'll be very happy if you'll review anyway... and guess the answer to the riddles. If you guess correctly, I have a special surprise for you at the end of the fic... A hint for this one: yes, it's as simple as it looks. Guess the first thing that comes to your mind.

Reviewers get rice crispy treats!