Eleven

The early morning dew stuck to the golden flowers that lined the path from the tree houses as Dean made his way towards the training grounds of the fairies. The sun was just beginning to rise above the trees and his thoughts wandered to the Basket Woman's attack the night before. He'd heard the children's screams and if only he'd gotten out there sooner he might've been able to slay the bitch. The fairy King Oberon had made a valid point though, Dean had more safety in numbers and if he could somehow get the mischievous son of the King on his side he'd be golden. Dean knew that wasn't going to be easy, but the least he could do was try starting that day. He'd already proven to everyone else that he wasn't there to fight by putting Puck in his rightful place at the sword fighting arena, but Puck still seemed to be on his high horse. Dean was hoping today that he could knock the fairy off of it.

Horses quickly became the topic at hand when Dean approached the stables and was greeted by Sindri and a few other fairy warriors that would be joining in on the excursion. Puck pulled on his riding boots nearby and grimaced when Dean came into his view. He tightened the strap on his bow and arrow sheath and turned to see his sister by his side and smirking.

"Feeling a bit defeated there brother?" Lily asked in a playful voice.

"You know damn well how I feel," Puck replied harshly. "You expect me to learn anything from that bumbling idiot of a human?"

"He has a name you know..." Lily was a bit offended at her brother's words. She'd really grown to like Dean during his stay in her father's kingdom. More than she'd ever admit to anyone who asked.

"As if I care," Puck pulled on his fingerless riding gloves. "Anyway princess I'm surprised you aren't over there pep talking your boyfriend and conspiring against me?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Lily protested, but kept her voice low for her face had flushed red at the mention of Dean being anything more than a simple acquaintance to her and she didn't want said person to hear his name in their conversation.

"But you wish him to be," Puck grabbed his saddle and thrust it onto the back of a white horse with sparkling blue eyes. The horse whinnied and kicked up his front right hoof in recognition of his master. "I warn you sister dear. Humans are nothing but trouble. Trust in me that he will only break your heart in the end."

"I suppose that you also think you know everything do you not," Lily grabbed a saddle as well and threw it up onto the back of her brown horse named Nutty. She mounted him and grabbed the reins. "I also wish you to know that I am coming with you."

"Lily this is a highly dangerous time," Puck warned her. "You do not wish for me to tell father do you?"

"You won't," Lily smirked playfully at her brother and commanded for her horse to walk over towards the others. Puck rolled his eyes and mounted his horse named Moonbeam and caught up to his sister to address his warriors.

"We're going to the pass," Puck instructed. "I will not tolerate anyone who falls behind or slacks. Mount your horses gentlemen we're off."

"Dean does not have a horse." Sindri spoke up.

"Give him Argo," Puck instructed. "I'm sure he's the most fitting steed for the human."

Dean was suddenly handed the reins of a brown and white speckled horse that seemed to be a constant state of being ready to have a temper tantrum. The horse blew air out of its nose and stomped its front hoof. Dean gulped as the other warriors started off behind Puck. Lily waited for Dean though, smiling through his whole attempt to mount the horse and when he finally got on the look on his face.

"You've never ridden before have you?" she chuckled.

"No," Dean admitted. "I never thought I ever would."

"Just follow me," Lily instructed and gave her horse the command to walk. Nutty started to follow the other warriors and after a few moments of trying everything and then finally the same command Dean's horse started to move too and as he followed close behind Lily and they went into the woods.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean was sure he'd seen every beautiful piece to Somewhere until the group had gotten out of the woods and had started on a new path. This was another part of the woods that was less dense and was lined with shorter trees. Most of which were weeping willows. Small streams cut through the land and water poured over tiny stones everywhere it dipped creating mini waterfalls. Tiny fish with long flowing tails swam through the water of a rather large stream that was underneath a bridge the group crossed over. Dean and Lily paused a moment to look at them and Dean could spy his own reflection in the water almost like he was swimming down there with them. He smiled in response and Lily smiled at his reaction. Puck looked back from the front of the group and gave a look of disdain. He snapped his fingers, discreetly hidden by his waist, and one of the bigger fish responded to his command and jumped out of the water, hitting Dean in the face. Lily gasped and Dean sputtered and looked at the fish as it jumped past him and into the other side of the water. Dean rubbed his cheek where the fish had smacked him and Lily burst into laughter moments later causing Dean to as well. Puck rolled his eyes and kept going.

They went through another patch of trees that were different from the rest. These trees had faces and they could talk. They waved to Lily and Dean as the two went by on their horses and Puck muttered something under his breath from the front of the line. Dean was suddenly lifted off of Argo and was hanging by his ankle from a tree branch that resembled a hand almost. Dean struggled to get free and Lily simply laughed it off again. She motioned for the tree to pick her up too and the tree smiled and grabbed Lily by the waist, lifting her off of Nutty and swinging her through the air. Dean stared up at her and she gave a bright wide smile to him from above. Eventually the tree started to move both Dean and her back towards their horses and it set them down gently back on their saddles. Dean was just thankful to be upright again. Lily was still giggling and smiling at him and Puck was angry that his incantation had worn off so soon. He kept wordlessly leading the group towards their destination though.

The rest of the journey was like a far off dream. Dean saw mountains far beyond the valley they were walking their horses through. Will o' the wisps floated lazily around Dean and Lily's heads and Dean looked up into the clouds when a giant shadow passed over them. He gasped when he realized it was an enormous red dragon. It was beyond him how something that big hadn't taken out the Basket Woman already, but then again maybe that was why he was there. He didn't know about taking over a throne or anything, but maybe he'd been chosen for something big after all.

Puck dismounted in an empty grassy area near a large river that was fast moving and traveling in the direction of the mountains. There was one larger oak tree near the water and at its bank was a large area of rocky terrain. Puck's warriors dismounted as well as Lily and Dean followed suit. Puck's arrows clacked together in the sheath he kept them in as he walked over to the water's edge and unsheathed his sword with the snake head hilt and dipped it into the water. He muttered a few words in a language Dean didn't understand under his breath and then turned to face the group again.

"We train first," Puck commanded. "Then the human explains his way of killing this beast."

"Aye Puck!" his warriors said in unison. Dean swallowed hard when his eyes locked with Puck's icy cold stare. The fairy looked ready to spill blood at a moment's notice and Dean felt his stomach drop to his feet when he motioned for him to step forward towards him. Puck held up his sword and motioned for Dean to unsheathe his. The hunter did and immediately Puck began to fight him. Dean's blows were precise, but Puck's were well orchestrated. The two of them were a pretty even match. Two of Puck's other warriors were training as well near their fearless leader and Dean. Lily sat with Sindri under the oak tree. Sindri smoked a pipe, releasing the sweet smelling smoke into the air. Lily had grown up with the smell. It had always lingered on her older brother's clothes when he'd hugged her after training every day when she was a small child.

"Dean is impressive fighter," Sindri pointed out. "He's an even match for your brother."

"If only Puck would see it that way," Lily sighed and Sindri took another drag from the pipe. He blew the smoke out and manipulated the shape with his fairy magic to make it look like a running stallion. He blew on it and the stallion ran away up into the sky away from their sight. "He sees Dean only as a threat."

"Puck has always been protective and driven," Sindri explained. "He doesn't like threats to his place in your family's hierarchy."

"Dean is not a threat though," Lily defended her human friend. "He is going to help us, those children too."

"Puck doesn't see it that way." Sindri sighed. Lily could tell that he agreed with her in some regards, but he was going to stay loyal to his superior. Honestly she couldn't blame him, but at the same time she had hoped he was willing to give Dean a chance.

Dean was channeling his inner hunter in order to stay on his toes against Puck, mainly because he was slightly suspicious that the fairy was actually going to impale him. He had only fallen once and scraped up his hand. It was bleeding slightly, but Dean's adrenaline overpowered the stinging. Puck paused only a moment to catch his breath, but it wasn't a moment too soon.

The Basket Woman's fearful cry echoed through the valley and immediately Puck's warriors turned and gasped as she showed her ugly face and roared fiercely. Puck shot one last glare at Dean before sheathing his sword and quickly turning to his bow and arrows. Sindri hopped up and slid his sword into his hand. The other two warriors charged at her and Dean stood in place contemplating his move. He had less than a moment's notice to do so when a scream pierced the air and Lily was being lifted into the Basket Woman's iron grip. Puck, wide eyed and fearful, shot an arrow at the Basket Woman's cheek and it stuck in it causing her to shriek and turn to face him. He glared at her and screamed something in fairy language that Dean could decipher as some sort of profanity. He started off towards her and Dean ran after him. The Basket Woman was walking off towards the north side of the river with Lily crying out for help in her hand. Puck ran swiftly and Dean was about to follow even further when he was suddenly knocked in the face by an unknown force and he plummeted into the rushing water.

Dean felt the rushing torrents of river water drowning him, but he refused to go down like that. Dean fought the current and managed to get up once for air before he was dragged down again. He swam down first hoping to escape the majority of the river's torrent of water. His sword was dragging him down and it was heavy on his hip, but still he persevered. He finally broke free of the watery hand and sputtered and coughed as he crawled onto the bank. He coughed up a ton of water first before looking around. He saw Puck on his side on the ground, an arrow in his shoulder and he was shaking. The other two warriors lay dead nearby. Sindri was unconscious and all Dean saw to the left of him was the backside of the Basket Woman lumbering off towards her cave wherever it was. Lily was still in her hand. Dean laid his head down and his eyes closed. The water lapped at his ankles and it wasn't until a short time later he felt that he was being moved from where he lay.

Reviews are appreciated!

So, Lily was taken! Will Puck change his ways and work with Dean to get her back?

Will they get her back?

More to come soon!