A/N:

Hi, everyone! Answers/comments for you wonderful readers:

1. The paragraph in the end of the last chapter is the Our Father in Latin. Yes, I'm taking Latin. And no, it's not connected to this story whatsoever. I just felt like putting it in.

2. Tania hearing the voices near Emerlin Forest (in FB)…it's very important. Don't forget that incident!

3. Yes, Darrin's coming back, and yes, they are going to quarrel less.

4. Is she getting her powers back? Yes, though I should have kept this answer a secret. Oh well…

5. Viper did not exist before. The only Viper existing is Tania. But there is Ryder…he's a very well-known warrior all through out the continent, and also wears a disguise very similar to Tania's. Haha, guess Tania's a copier. Ah, I shouldn't have made those two names so similar. It wasn't actually supposed to be Viper…I forgot to change it before uploading the chapter. But oh well, I'll just stick to Viper.

6. The mysterious guy staring at Tania is…secret! I won't say. (does evil laugh, then stops abruptly when she sees readers ready to murder her)

7. Lucas and Tania – yes, brother/sister love, according to their childish fights

8. I don't mind questions at all. Don't be afraid to ask them!

9. Also, I've done some changes with my profile. If you want to know when the next chapter is coming up of any of my stories, just look under "My Stories." And I put in my favourite quotes, but that's not important…

Thanks to:

CRAZAYLADY Since I kept on forgetting you, I put you up first on the list, in BIG letters, with an underline (hope it shows up)! I'm so sorry! I know I'm supposed to be doing this over at A Happy Ending?, but that's not going to be updated soon. (dodges random objects from angry readers)

Jaioublie Your name means I forgot!!! Hahaha, I know French! Well, actually, just a bit of it. And I'm supposed to be doing homework right now too.

Blue-hello-kitty

NellyNell Thank you so much!!!

Snoopyviz

Dragonfirechick

Bubbles

Pixiedust121

Tayk

Danna Thanks! And I'm going to let you in a little secret. It's only between you, me, and whoever happens to read this. Anyway, guess what? I used to be the worst writer ever. If you ever read these early stories of mine over at ficpress, you would have been like, "Why on earth does this author bother to post?" Those stories were called "Hiding an Identity" and "Fame Isn't Everything." And no, don't bother looking them up because I thankfully deleted them. But seriously, those two were absolutely horrible. Fame Isn't Everything had poor description and use of dialogue. It was the same with Hiding an Identity.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that anybody can write. It just depends on how much effort you put in and how much you believe in yourself. Oh, wow…is this really me talking? I really do hope I don't sound conceited or anything. Like Little Miss High and Mighty. That's not my intent. I'm just trying to, um, convey a message?

Aaaanyway, here's me, ending this speech…

Wait! One last thing! If any of you did read any of those two stories, please put it all behind. But if you're curious as to what I was planning with them, email me and I'll let you know (though there really isn't much to tell). Bye!

Eclectus

Lady gwen

Morwen The prince? Ah, well, he's her son…

C. Noelle

Sealednector

Stubble96

Caronee

Beatrix B.

Sassafras Yeah! I want to read Gone with the Wind! I've seen the movie.

Littlelambug My Latin book is called…um…um…damn it, I can't remember! I will tell you next time I remember.

Awaiting impatient person I have no money too. Maybe we can bet with imaginary money? Except I have the complete advantage, since I already know who it is (does evil laugh). Ah…I really have to get a job.

Last note: I LOVE you guys to death! Seriously, you all make my day…aw…tear…okay, happy moment now…read!

Warrior Blood

What happened so far:

Tania, along with Farvon (her master) and Lucas (her partner), are on a journey towards Frell, because Farvon was summoned by the King to be one of the judges for the Autumn Fest Tournament, a very popular tournament that receives competitors from all over the continent. Tania is forming a big fear: the possibility of Darrin, Ethan or any other guys from Geldrin going to Frell for the tournament.

When she was in Endon for a quick stop, this one person catches her attention. A hooded figure that has the stare of an eagle. Tania doesn't know who he/she is, but she does wonder about this mysterious person.

Chapter 3: In Frell and Slightly Before That

The forest was very dark, gloomy, and eerie.

"We're almost there," Farvon announced quietly as they rode on. They had just passed through the town of Meril, which meant that Frell was very, very near.

Tania frowned as she silently observed her surroundings. Is it just me or does this forest look too dark and creepy to be a normal forest?

She was right. It was midday, but the thick canopies of the tall ancient trees blocked out the sunlight. Not a single ray of light touched the damp and murky ground. Wild vines entangled themselves in the thick branches, and the air had a bit of a rotten scent.

Not pleasant at all.

"Farvon," Tania said softly, "do you know where we are?"

Farvon pulled out a piece of old parchment. "Sure," he replied lightly (though it sounded quite fake). "According to this map,"—he squinted in order to see—"we are in the…the…Elves' Forest…"

Lucas smacked his forehead and groaned. "Farvon," he said exasperatedly," we thought you knew exactly where we were going! We didn't know you were relying on a damn map!"

Farvon shot Lucas a dirty look. "So? Is there a difference?"

"You were never really good with maps, Farvon. No offense," Tania spoke up. "And I don't know about you, but this place isn't exactly screaming 'Elves' Forest'."

Lucas snatched the map from Farvon and examined it. "This map is ten years old," he mumbled afterward.

"All right," Farvon said roughly. "So I'm not good with maps. Every warrior has a weakness. Just be thankful that mine isn't a weak heel or…or…women," he said, eyeing Lucas.

"Hey!" Lucas piped up. "Why are you looking at me?" He paused, then sighed. "Fine. It's true. Happy?"

Farvon shrugged, while Tania groaned and said, "Can we please just try to find our way out of here? I'm hungry." Even her horse seemed to agree because right after she said this, it neighed, as if to say, "Yes. Please."

Why leave now? Stay. This is a beautiful place…

Tania paused, then felt herself relax. Yes. Of course. This was a nice place. What was she thinking before?

You don't want to leave. You want to stay. You will have a wonderful feast soon.

She smiled dreamily. Yes…wonderful feast…hey, look! Ogres! Do they have the feast? Because I am S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G. Yesssssss. I want to stay…

"OW!!!"

Tania blinked once. Then twice. When she finally came back to reality, she found herself staring at a pretty interesting sight: Farvon and Lucas, battling fiercely with five ogres, with her in between the two for protection.

"A little help would be nice!" Lucas hollered, his dark brown hair damp with sweat. He shoved beeswax at her. "Put those on!"

Tania did as she was told. When they were securely on, and all the ogres' roars were muffled, she drew her sword quickly. An ogre lunged for her, and she sidestepped nimbly. He clenched his teeth in and anger and tried to slash her with his claw-like hand, but she dodged it easily.

As Tania fought with her disgusting opponent (saliva was dripping down his chin), her brain kept on repeating this one really ANNOYING message: If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers.

It was enough to drive her insane. Of course her powers would be of tremendous help right about now. But did her own brain have to rub it in? She was the one who removed all her magic from her body. Period. End of story. It was all in the past now.

She managed one swift kick at the ogre's head, then an attack in the arm with the sharp point of her sword. The ogre howled in pain and anger, and before he had a chance to attack, she pulled out a dagger from her boot and pierced him on the throat with a vertical motion. All this she did quicker than lightning.

The ogre made a sound that was somewhere in between a growl and a gurgle. Tania pushed her dagger up some more, and there was this sickening crunch as the blade drove all the way up to his nose.

The noise died out, and the ogre collapsed to the ground.

"Tania!"

Tania whirled around, and when she did, her vision was met with a large claw heading for her. She dodged instantly…had she hesitated a millisecond later, she would have received a deep shredding at her chest…instead, she took the hit at the arm. She groaned as the pain burned through her skin.

"Tania!" Lucas cried out as he battled his own ogre, "I'm coming!"

It was a burden to hold her sword. She switched to her left arm, her weaker arm. Her attacks weren't all that strong now, and to her dismay, the ogre was gaining advantage.

When Lucas finally came, Tania was barely able to wield her sword. One arm was bleeding severely, while the other arm was badly bruised (she had suffered a fierce punch with it).

"Find cover!" Lucas shouted.

Tania, putting pressure on her deep wound, took one step…then froze.

What am I doing?! she thought in disbelief. The crystal! I have the healing crystal!

She reached for her neck and pulled out the necklace hiding underneath her black shirt. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about it. She gazed dazedly at it. It looked to be glowing, as if begging to be used. She took it off and held the crystal above her wound.

After a brief moment of concentration, the crystal began to give off golden light. Tania felt a nice cooling sensation as the bright rays bathed her deep cut. A few seconds later, the light was gone…along with the wound.

She could fight again. She grasped her sword, turned, and ran towards a worn-out Lucas.

The ogre wasn't expecting her. When his eyes swept over her healed figure, he stared in shock, giving Tania the swift opportunity to finish him off.

Lucas stared at her. "What—"

"Shut up!" Tania yelled at him as she dashed over to Farvon, who was fighting two ogres…well, one and a half, actually. One was already half-dead. The other one, however, still looked incredibly strong and fierce. He was definitely the leader of the pack…he looked to be the dirtiest and ugliest, he smelled the foulest, he had the most rotten teeth, he had the loudest roars.

Lucas and Tania quickly finished off the half-dead one. The remaining one glared at all three of them and took a fighting stance. Lucas, Tania, and Farvon surrounded him, swords in hand.

Suddenly, Farvon did something really strange: he stepped back. Lucas and Tania stared at him in disbelief. He just smiled, almost mysteriously.

"What are you doing?!" Lucas screamed at him.

"Relax!" Farvon shouted (they still had their beeswax on, after all). "I just want to see how much you two have learned. Don't worry. You can take him. If problems arise, I'll help."

"He's mental," Tania muttered to Lucas, though he didn't hear her.

"You think this is a damn training session?! You're crazy!" Lucas bellowed.

Farovn rolled his eyes. "I'll have you know that my old master did the same thing to me."

The ogre chose this moment to attack. His claws were sharp and dangerous; Tania and Lucas were at their most alert state, dodging and sidestepping here and there.

Then there was a moment when Lucas lost his concentration briefly. But it was enough for the ogre-leader to manage to scratch him on the chest. His shirt ripped, and blood seeped out of the multiple cuts. Lucas groaned and stepped back, which Tania interpreted as "It's all up to you now, Tania."

"Oh, thank you," she muttered sarcastically. She ducked as the ogre swiped at her—then sidestepped—then dodged—then jumped…her sword flung away from her hand and fell to the ground far from her. Groaning in frustration, she pulled out two knives that she kept on either side of her waist.

"Stupid me…removing my powers," she mumbled to herself as she took the proper fighting stance. "Gone now."

The ogre lunged. She ducked and swiped his arm, then his other arm. But the cuts weren't deep though. The ogre just looked furious instead of hurt. He swiped for her neck, Tania dodged it, but the ogre managed to grab hold of her cloak.

STUIPD CLOAK! she thought furiously as she struggled to set herself free. The ogre held on. His hand found its way to her neck and he squeezed. Instead of gasping for air, Tania rolled her eyes. The ogre was one stupid, stupid creature…strong, but really stupid. He had completely forgotten that she was still holding her knives.

She plunged both knives to his chest. The ogre's eyes widened, then just lost expression as he collapsed to the ground, bringing Tania with him.

"Ow!" she cried angrily as she fell not so gracefully. Scowling, she reached for the ogre's hand and pried it off her neck. She got up clumsily and gave the already dead ogre one angry kick.

She felt someone grab her by the wrist and pull her. She turned and saw that it was Farvon, practically dragging her towards the horses. She saw that Lucas was already on his.

"We have to get out of here before more ogres come," Farvon explained gruffly.

Tania removed the beeswax off her ears. "You're crazy, Farvon!" she yelled as she ran to her horse. "I can't believe you considered that a training!"

"Oh, come on," Farvon said as he mounted his black stallion, "that was a fairly easy opponent. The real danger is someone who is an expert with swords."

They galloped off. Tania noticed that they were retracing their steps.

"All right. Explain," Lucas said breathlessly as he rode alongside Tania. Farvon was in front, leading the way.

Tania gave him a look. "What?"

"You were wounded. I saw you. Explain how you got better all of a sudden."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tania said stiffly, hoping that she could convince Lucas that that part was a dream or something.

Lucas scowled. "Don't try that on me, Nalyan. I—"

"Quiet," Farvon hissed. "We don't want to attract attention."

Tania felt gratitude towards Farvon when he said this. Thank you, thank you, thank you…

"But Tania…"

Tania paused. "Yes?" she said to her master.

"You will explain later, no matter what."

Grrrreeeaat.


They slowed to a trot when they were out of danger.

"All right," Farvon said, turning to Tania, "explain."

Tania stared at her two companions, back and forth, back and forth. She gulped. "I-I…I…" She trailed off.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "We're waiting."

She shot him a dirty glare. Then she sighed and took off her necklace with the two pendants in it. "The crystal one has healing powers," she said dully. "It was given to me." She placed the crystal over Lucas chest and began to heal him. He just sat still and stared at the light in shock. When he was healed, he placed a tentative hand over his chest, as if testing to see if he really was healed. He then looked at Tania, who stared back defiantly.

No more questions. No more questions. No more questions, she pleaded silently.

They didn't hear her pleas.

"By who?" Farvon asked, breaking the silence. "That is extremely rare. The only thing that possessed healing powers was the Saeryl. Which was destroyed, if I'm not mistaken," he said pensively. "I'm not good with fairy history."

Tania nodded. "This crystal contains power from the Saeryl. I guess it was blessed by it or something," she said, shrugging.

"Who gave it to you?" Farvon asked suspiciously. "I wouldn't have parted with such a valuable thing."

"It…it was a fairy," Tania said weakly. "She…um…gave it to me."

"Why would she give it to you?" he interrogated further. "You're a human. Fairies don't usually reveal themselves to humans."

Tania resisted the urge to yell at him. He was being so persistent! "I…well, we were close," she said with a shrug. "Because…I…am…"

"A what?" Lucas asked warily.

"A Friend of the Fairies," Tania finished, a confident tone in her voice. "The fairy who gave this to me was my…fairy godmother. It was a present for my sixteenth birthday." She mentally applauded herself for coming up with such a great lie.

Farvon looked at her shrewdly. "You're a Friend of the Fairies?" He pointedly looked down at her feet. "You do have small feet…"

"Exactly," Tania finished with a weak grin.

"You must be lucky to have a fairy godmother," Lucas said. "I think fairies are very fascinating. I've always wanted to meet one…never have, of course."

How ironic. He was currently looking at a fairy.

Tania shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes, very fascinating," she said dryly. She turned to Farvon, who was staring at her thoughtfully. "Shall we go?"

Farvon nodded. "All right," he said gruffly.

Tania breathed a sigh of relief as her two companions fell into silence. No more questions.

Please.


The endless road no longer seemed endless. Up ahead, Tania saw the first sign of civilization: a small and simple inn, for the weary travelers. She knew that beyond that would be the very heart of Frell.

"There's the palace," Farvon announced, pointing up ahead. Tania looked and saw it easily, for it was very large in size. It had many towers, with the Kyrrian flag at the top of each one. It looked so…regal. Mighty. Powerful.

Lucas turned to Tania. "How about a race?" he suggested, his blue-green eyes twinkling with mischief.

Tania smirked. "Can you handle losing?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're all talk, Nalyan. I'm a better rider than you."

She snorted at that. "No, you're not."

"All right…at the count of three," he said with a smirk. "One…"

He took off. Tania stared in shock as she watched him ride away.

"He just cheated," she whispered.

Farovn chuckled. "Yes, but you were planning to as well, Tania. Don't deny it."

Tania sighed. "Yeah…well…"

"Aren't you going to race after him?"

She grinned at her master. "No."


A tall, well-built man with dark hair, and eyes which many maidens called "alluring," waited impatiently in front of the Blue Feather Inn. He had a brown stallion standing obediently beside him. Girls passing by would take one look at him and giggle shamelessly. Some were bold enough to wink. He responded by flashing them his charming smile. The girls would then respond by blushing and giggling some more. It was one of those scenes that made elderly people either roll their eyes or sigh at such "romance."

Finally, the people he was waiting for came within sight. One was riding an impressive black stallion. He had the face of a warrior: alert eyes and a sharp jaw. His back was straight and rigid, as if it was his job to look superior. The other one was clothed all in black. A black hood concealed their hair, while their black mask concealed their face. All that could be seen was their big brown eyes, which currently had a mischievous twinkle in them.

The man glared in extreme annoyance at the black rider. "Nice race, Nalyan," he said sarcastically. "Really."

Tania grinned at him. "Oh, yes. I know," she responded.

"People thought I was mental," he mumbled. "I was snickering to myself and riding as if a whole army was after me. Had you been there, it would have been explained everything, but noooo….you weren't."

"You cheated," she said simply.

"You were going to as well," he replied. "And don't you deny it." He turned to Farvon. "Where to now?"

Farvon gave his apprentice a look. "We're staying at the palace," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "After all, I am one of the judges, and the king is a good friend of mine."

"The palace? Great!" Lucas said excitedly. "Let's go."

They rode through the busy streets, with people watching the three of them curiously, especially Tania. She was, after all, wearing quite the disguise. She would have stared too if she saw someone wearing black clothes and a black mask looking like some…assassin.

Finally, they reached the palace. It looked much more intimidating up close. It was even bigger than the royal palace of Geldrin. The towers looked like they could reach the clouds.

"Good afternoon," Farvon greeted formally at the guards at the gate. The guards took one look at Farvon, then their eyes widened in surprise.

"Sir Farvon!" one of them cried out. "Welcome! Welcome back! So good to see you!"

Farvon smiled and nodded. "It's good to be back."

"Are they with you?" one of them asked, gesturing towards Lucas and Tania. A couple of them were shooting Tania suspicious looks. She didn't blame them for doing so.

Farvon nodded. "Yes. They're with me. Let us in."

The guards nodded vigorously, and the gates opened for them.

"Enter, enter!" a guard said, his voice filled with unprofessional enthusiasm. "We've been waiting for you!"

Farvon nodded. "We'll have a chat later, Henry."

The guard looked as if he was going to pass out from delight. The glowing expression on his face was obvious: "He remembers me! I can't believe he remembers me!"

They rode on the cobblestone path, the horses' hooves making the loudest, most attention-catching sounds. Guards here and there turned, and upon seeing Farvon, made the most deafening greetings ever. It was like a parade, really.

"I didn't know Farvon was this loved," Tania whispered to Lucas.

Lucas miraculously heard her (the cheers were that loud). "Oh, yes," he said. "He's pretty much a hero. He trained more than half of the guards here, you know. He lived here before moving to Devlin. Almost all the guards look up to him."

Tania felt herself swell with pride. Here she was, riding alongside one of the greatest warriors ever. And she was his apprentice. Unbelievable.

They finally reached the entrance of the palace. And there, standing on the front steps, was no other than the King himself. Standing right next to him, Tania saw, was a beautiful woman with raven-black hair and porcelain skin. She was, without a doubt, Queen Ella of Kyrria.

They dismounted, and the stable lads took the horses. Farvon boldly walked up the steps, followed by Lucas and Tania.

King Charmont enveloped him in a hug. "Good to see you, Bill," he said, patting his long-term friend on the back.

Farvon rolled his eyes. "Thank you." He turned to the Queen. "Ella, Ella, Ella," he said with a grin, "good to see you."

Ella smiled. "Welcome back, Farvon." She looked at Lucas and Tania. "And these are your apprentices?"

Farvon nodded. "Yes. They're going to be great warriors someday."

Tania saw Lucas glow with pride. She also did, but her mask hid it.

Ella shook hands with Lucas. But when she turned to Tania, she did something different: she hugged her. Tania was really surprised at that.

"I think it's wonderful to have a female warrior," the Queen whispered in her ear. She stepped away and smiled fondly at her. "Farvon told me," she said, upon seeing the confusion in Tania's eyes, "don't worry…your secret is safe."

King Charmont smiled at Tania. "I can't wait to see what you are capable of. It's about time women got bigger roles. You'll demonstrate for us later on, of course? We have a lot of guards for you to duel with."

Tania flushed at all the attention. "Um…all right. We'll see."

King Charmont turned to Lucas. "And you too," he said lightly. "Anyone under Farvon's wing is surely a great warrior. You will demonstrate for us?"

Lucas reddened a bit. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, none of that," the King said, waving his hand. "Char, if you please."

"Um…all right…" Lucas said uncertainly.

"Well," Queen Ella said, "you must be tired. I'll get Nancy to show you to your rooms. You'll join us for dinner, of course?"

Farvon nodded. "Of course. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Nancy came up to them and curtsied. She was a tall woman, though mildly stooped with age. Her brown eyes had a motherly gleam in them, and her skin had laugh lines. "Come with me," she said kindly.

As Tania, along with Farvon and Lucas, followed Nancy to the palace, something caught her eye. Beside the palace was a large courtyard, where two young men were currently dueling, surrounded by a small audience. She saw, even from afar, that they were both good. Agile and very focused.

Then one of the fighters turned, revealing his face to Tania. Tania felt her heart stop. Now, she wasn't sure, for he was quite far away, but it looked to be…could be…maybe…

Ethan?

Reference (for those who have not read Fairy Blood):

1. Tania removed her powers four months ago, just after she ran away from Geldrin. She removed them because she didn't want to be a fairy. She hated being one, actually.

2. The crystal necklace was given by Caelan, a fairy she met back in Déoras (a city in the kingdom of Geldrin). The necklace she wears has two pendants: the healing crystal (of course), and a rare dark blue stone given by Kylee, her best friend.

3. The Saeryl was a jewel that had two abilities: the power to heal and the power to destruct. Simple as that. It was destroyed many years ago for unknown reasons. It used to be an heirloom of the royal family of the fairies.

4. Ethan was a guy she met in Déoras. He taught her a few things with the sword…and maybe the bow, but Tania never improved on that.

A/N:

I wasn't really happy with this chapter. Oh, well…any thoughts? Questions?