Author Notes: Well, here's the second chapter. Thanks to everyone who left reviews. Make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

Chapter Two: Premonition

When she awoke, she felt better than she had in a while. She was warm, and comfortable, the smell of freshly baked cookies filling her nostrils. She smiled faintly, snuggling deeper into the warmth that she was laying up, pulling whatever it was that was covering her up to her face. It smelled clean, like soap and fresh spring water. She sighed softly, and continued to lay there for a moment before she heard a soft clink as if someone was setting a glass down. Curious, she opened her eyes after a few minutes slowly, with surprisingly little difficulty.

Her gaze was met by a small pile of cookies on a small table, a glass of milk sitting close by. Blinking, she sat up slowly, still staring at the cookies before observing her surroundings. She was not in her home, that was for sure. The house that she was in was smaller and cozier, with a distinct feeling of homeliness. It was neither hot, nor cold, but just the right temperature and smelled of cookies and cinnamon. She smiled, and looked back down at the cookies, reaching out for one before stopping, her fingertips lingering over one.

Wait, she thought, frowning. I don't even know where I am! I'm not just going to eat one of these things! They might be poisoned or something or bewitched--

Bewitched…

The witch!

She looked around wildly for a moment before her gaze snapped down to her leg, which was covered by the blanket. She snatched it away, only then realizing that she was naked, save the soft, blue robe that she was wearing. She blushed, before focusing on her leg, shocked to see that her foot had been twisted back around somehow, and that there was a clean, fresh bandage upon her ankle. She reached out and touched it, expecting a sudden surge of pain. There was none, just a faint pinch-like feeling, and she relaxed, looking around again.

Had the witch brought her here? But why? She remembered, though vaguely, the witch with glowing eyes, about to cast a spell on her. Should she not be dead, or cursed instead of in a warm house with fresh cookies and milk in front of her, her wound well-tended to?

She looked up as she heard a door open, and a girl, who looked to be a bit older than her, floated in. It was not the witch, but another girl. She was a pretty girl, with long, red hair that flowed down her bag angelically. Her eyes were a shining green, and she was dressed in expensive looking garments, a serene smile upon her face. When the girl saw that Tara was awake, she gasped and dropped what looked like napkins, her smile becoming a grin.

"You have awakened!" She exclaimed, flying over and seating herself upon the bed. Tara stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful, attempting to move away. The girl smiled. "There is no need to be frightened; I will bring you no harm! I am so fond of children!"

She lunged forward and grabbed Tara, yanking the smaller girl to her and hugging her. The blonde gasped, but did not move and allowed the red head to hug her and stoke her hair affectionately. Finally, the woman pulled away, a wide smile playing at her lips.

"I am Koriand'r," She said, nodding happily. "The loyal assistant and best friend of the great sorceress, Metrion!" She appeared to be quite proud of this and tenderly touched Tara's face, her eyes gentle. "And what is your name, child?"

"T--Tara," she stuttered. "It's… uh… a pleasure to meet you…"

"As it is for me, Tara!" Koriand'r cried, hugging the smaller girl once again. She then pulled and looked down at the girl's ankle, worry forming upon her face. "Your injury… it is feeling better, I hope?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah," Tara said, laughing weakly. "It's fine… thanks for fixing it. And thanks for saving me too, I really appreciate it."

Koriand'r blinked at her. "But, Tara, I did not heal your injury. Nor did I save you."

Tara frowned. "You… didn't? Then who did?"

"Metrion, of course! You fell and twisted your ankle, and then you passed out, so friend Metrion healed your wound and brought you here!"

"Metrion…? You mean… the… the witch?!"

"Sorceress," Koriand'r corrected, her smile still in place. "Yes, friend Metrion saved you. Had she left you, for sure, something bad may have happened." She lowered her eyes at the thought before brightening up again, waving a hand towards the milk and cookies. "However, while I could not save you, I have attempted to aid you in your possible hunger."

As if on cue, Tara's stomach growled, causing her to blush. Koriand'r smile widened.

"So my assumption was correct! Please, help yourself to the milk and cookies. I hope that they are to your liking, as I am not familiar with feeding children."

Tara paused, hesitant, but then turned to the cookies and reached out, picking one up. She held it to her lips and slowly opened her mouth, taking a bite. She chewed slowly, her tongue searching for any odd taste, anything that could be poison, but there was nothing. There was only the taste of a warm, soft cookie and she smiled, taking another bite, savoring the rich taste. Koriand'r's eyes lit up.

"They are satisfactory?" She asked, sounding hopeful.

"Mmhmm!" hummed Tara as she finished the cookie, reaching for another. Koriand'r squealed in delight.

"Joyous!" Koriand'r cried. "I shall go prepare more!"

With that, the girl floated off of the bed and out of the room to make more cookies and Tara watched her go with a smile. She seems really nice, she thought, picking up another cookie and eating it greedily before seizing the milk and gulping some down. Licking her lips, she sighed and went back to laying down on the bed, on her side this time, casually chewing on the cookies. How ironic, she thought as she took another sip of her milk. I go into the forest everyone warns me about, see the very thing everyone's so afraid up and end up in a nice house with milk and cookies… huh… weird.

Sighing, she rested her head on the soft pillow and closed her eyes. The warmth of the room was extremely soothing, and she could faintly hear Koriand'r singing in another part of the house. It was a soothing song, and seemed to be in another language. She smiled faintly, a sudden sleepiness pulling at her eyelids. Snuggling deeper into the bed, she fell asleep.

XXX

'Azarath…'

Everything was so dark…

She looked around, confused and frightened, without a single clue of where she was. Everything was black, and dark… as it was in the dreams she had of her mother's death, and her father's angry fist. She ran towards nothing, feeling around for something to guide her. Her hands met nothing but thin air, and the fear gripping at her increased. She attempted to call out for help, but her voice would not come out, and she stopped in her tracks, horrified.

She could hear a heartbeat… but it was not her own. She looked around, trying to distinguish where the sound was coming from, but it seemed to be coming at her from all directions. Trembling, she hugged herself, taking a few steps back.

'Metrion…'

She sunk to her knees, images flashing before her eyes. Her mother's smile, her father's rage, Estab waving, Robin running, Victor laughing… It all flickered before her eyes so quickly that she barely noticed, and yet, it was completely obvious to her.

She could hear footsteps, and looked around to see where they were coming from, but only saw darkness. It was becoming colder now and she tried, in vain, to heat herself by rubbing her arms. It did no good. In fact, it only seemed to make her colder.

She lay on the ground, closing her eyes and shivering in the cold. The footsteps stopped abruptly, somewhere near her, and she felt someone touch her face.

Their fingers were freezing.

'Xinthos…!'

XXX

She jerked awake, panting, sweat dripping down her forehead. Her eyes immediately landed on the form which stood next to the bed; a midnight blue robed form, with forlorn eyes and an apathetic expression. Gasping out, she scurried away, her back pressing up against the head-board of the bed. The witch narrowed her eyes, looking almost bored.

"You…!" Tara rasped, strands of her blonde hair falling into her face, half-way obscuring her vision. "Witch!"

Something flickered in the witch's dark eyes and her lips formed a slight frown. Before Tara could think, the witch uttered an incantation and she found herself laying on the bed, unable to move. The witch stood over her menacingly, eyes narrowed. Had her expression not been so blank, Tara would have had an easier time discovering that the witch was peeved.

"Watch your tongue," the witch hissed. "You shall address me with proper respect. Les enfants devraient rester dans la place d'un enfant."

"Huh?" Tara said dumbly, blinking at the witch's use of what she figured was French, and that was assumed loosely. She'd only known one French man, and meeting him had been pure luck.

"You shall address me as Lady Raven," the witch said, ignoring the girl's confusion. "Only those worthy may use my real name. No one may call me 'witch'."

The word 'witch' was spat out with more disgust than Tara had though possible, and the blonde frowned, once again confused.

"Bu… but, aren't you a witch…?"

'Raven' laughed; a cold, dry laugh that made the hairs on the ends of her neck stand on end. "I am a sorceress," she hissed, her laugh stopping abruptly. "I do magic -- clean, pure magic, unless there is too much against me. The people of your village, however, are too ignorant to understand this. So they call me a witch, degrade me and my name, because they lack the intelligence to understand."

Suddenly angry, Tara huffed, "Clean and pure?! What about all the people you've taken?!"

The children, the adults… my mother!

"I've taken no one," said 'Raven', voice cold. "What use have I for your worthless villagers? I am not a violent person. The opposite, actually; I detest violence. The disappearances and the death of your mother are not my doing."

Tara gasped.

"How… how did you--"

"Friend Metrion," called a cheerful voice, and Koriand'r entered the room, smiling widely. In her hands was a transparent vial which contained an indigo colored concoction. "I have prepared the potion as you have instructed!"

Metrion, Tara thought, watching as 'Raven' took the vial and thanked Koriand'r. That's right… that's her actual name…

"Be still," said Metrion as she carefully un-did the bandages on Tara's leg. Once she was done, she poured the concoction upon the blonde's ankle, murmuring another incantation, and Tara was surprised to find that not only did she not feel it upon her ankle… it also did not leave a stain on the bed.

The dark circle on her ankle disappeared and Metrion took the bandages, balling them up and , with a few simple words, caused them to burst into flame and dissapear. She turned away then and floated off, glancing over her shoulder before she started into another room.

"You can leave now," she said. "…and know this… This forest is dangerous… and I am certainly not all peaches and cream myself. While my magic is pure, and I would never kill a child, I am not one to test. You are not welcome here… not my me… or by them…" She did not explain who 'them' were and before Tara could ask, she went on. "So I suggest you take this to heart… turn your head, run, and never look back."

Without another word, she turned away and floated into another room, the door closing behind her. Tara watched her go and, after saying her goodbyes and thank yous to Koriand'r, left just as silently as Metrion had.

XXX

Poopy Penguin : 'Estab' is simply 'beast' with the letters switched around. I was too lazy to think of something better. XP