BEFORE THE STORY BEGINS: AN AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey guys! So, sorry for the late update, I've been busy... The only reason I'm writing this note is for a favor. I really want to be a writer when I get older, and I really do need fair, honest, blind critique on my story. So if you have the time to write a review discussing what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, I would really appreciate it.

Anyway that's it! Thank you all so much for reading Fantalia! (Ack, that sounds so much like it's ending soon... It's not, I promise.)

Once Upon A Time…

"So, Tony," Our young hero began his sentence carefully, knowing that his friend was easy to anger "Have you ever heard of anybody named Richard Small?"

The hero-and-sidekick duo merrily strolled out of the collection of boulders and creepiness that was the shady forest, grins adorned from their excellent luck. Alfred was sporting a fantastic coat of armor, which was the brightest shades of silver and white, paired with the deepest and most regal of reds. It was a white tunic embellished with the image of a majestic eagle covering a rusted chest plate, having metallic shoulder pads and a belt. Our young hero sported metal boots as well as a brand-new sword, which might not have been the longest of blades, but made up for that in thickness. He brandished it with pride, ready to proceed on his quest. Tony was sporting… Well; Tony was sporting his newfound relief that there might be a slight chance that he wouldn't die.

Okay, okay, the armor was a good decision. Onto the story. Please.

"1 kN0W tHat H3 f0Und3d SMA11T0wN." Tony replied.

"Well, I know that, but apparently he was on a mission to rescue this princess who was locked in this tower in the Kingdom of Mist. Huh, they never taught us that in school!"

"w3 N3V3r w3NT t0 sCH00l." Tony pointed out.

"You didn't, but I would sneak in and watch from the windows." Alfred retorted. He frowned, remembering how he couldn't go to the kingdom school because of his parents' death. Arthur found him on the side of the road and took him in, but forgot to register him for kindergarten. He reassured our young hero that he would teach Alfred all the magic there is to know, as well as the subjects all the other kids were learning. And while he did for science, math, and literature, he never told Alfred much about world history. Honestly, Alfred wasn't sure that Arthur knew about stuff like the Kingdom of Mist and a princess locked in a tower. He had said that he had always lived a life of solitude, and wasn't caught up on current events. When Alfred asked why the sorcerer would never go out and socialize for too long, Arthur simply stated that he was brought up that way.

Still, even with a somewhat solid education, a ten year old Alfred craved something that Arthur could never provide: to meet children his age, to play and learn with them. Alfred was very lonely, you see, and was often bored out of his skull around the shady house on top of the hill (as soon as he turned eighteen, he moved out to a small apartment closer to the town square). Arthur was often busy with important sorcerer work, so he rarely had a chance to play with the rambunctious boy who roamed the halls, fake wooden sword in hand. Instead, he told an impatient Alfred to "play with his magical friends", something that our young hero didn't quite grasp in his immaturity. What friends? What magic? The boy surely didn't see any of the fairies or winged rabbits that Arthur had often told tales of. So he pretended that he saw his own, thinking it as a little game that people would play. Arthur, along with his "friends", would furrow their eyebrows as they watched Alfred scamper along, grasping at thin air.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Flying Mint Bunny always asked.

"I think he's just confused." Arthur would reply.

Anyway, the point is that while Alfred did get an okay education, he was never informed about places like the Kingdom of the Mist, or a princess who was locked in a tower. However, this unknown knowledge would not bring our valiant, persistent hero down. Alfred would not let the fear of ignorance belittle him. He would continue on his quest, eventually saving the prince. And then maybe he would learn what the Kingdom of Mist was.

"y0U KN0w, 1 th0UGhT ThAt tH1$ qU3St W0UlDn'T taK3 $0 mUCh wALk1Ng." Tony whined.

"Yeah."

After a couple more hours of dehydration, despair, and desperation, our hero and his sidekick were wandering in yet another forest. However, this one wasn't as dark or eerie as the one that Ludwig lived in: it gave off no vibe of decay, only light. The trees stood above our duo, like giants, their trunks thick with age and their branches strong with the weight of many seasons. They did not seem to shut out the light, but summon it. Colorful flowers grew in small patches around certain trunks, like the riches to a king. Grass covered the spongy dirt floor. An old wooden sign tacked onto a tree with rusty nails proclaimed the place as THE FOREST OF MELODY.

"Well, this looks a lot prettier than that other stupid forest." Alfred blatantly stated. Tony gave a magical-sea-serpent-inside-an-even-more-magical-silver-bubble equivalent of a nod.

"iT w0ULd B3 a L0T M0r3 pR3tT13r iF 1 wA$N't $0 DamN hUNgR3y." He added.

"Well, we still have this." Alfred waved the small sack of bread and sausages that Ludwig also gave the traveling duo, knowing that they might run low on food later in their quest. "I'm really glad that he gave us some food. If we didn't have it, then I would have to resort to what my book says and steal." Alfred frowned. "And I don't really think that that's right."

"wHAT D0 y0U m3aN?"

Alfred shrugged. "I don't think it should be something that heroes do."

"BuT tH3 b00K T0lD y0U t0 D0 iT."

"Well, I think that the book might be a bit wrong with that statement."

Is he saying that the book that Vladmir gave him is filled with false information? Well, obviously. I bet that the book that stupid vampire gave him was meant only for weird vampire-y propaganda. I wouldn't be surprised if it leaped out and bit him!

"y0U TH1nK tHat'$ p0$$iB13?"

"I think it could be. Whatever, I'm just glad we don't have to steal."

For the next ten minutes, our hero and his friend ate in silence. While the crusty bread was stale and left a lingering bleh taste in their mouths, it was to their surprise that the sausages were impeccable. The meat was perfectly cooked, and seasoned by the gods. Alfred was positive that they were the best thing he had ever eaten. Like, ever.

However, they were wonderfully salty, which led to Alfred and Tony being plagued with possibly the worst thirst ever known to man, or magical-sea-serpent-inside-an-even-more-magical-silver-bubble. It was not just a simple thought you have at the back of your head that says "oh golly gee, you should get a drink!" It tore at their hopes and dreams, threatening to pulverize them. It manifested itself to be the only thing our duo could think of. And this showed itself, inside and out. You see, our hero and his pal hadn't drunk a droplet of anything in the past twenty four hours, and, due to the enormous amount of walking, they had accumulated quite a need for water. They were more hungry than thirsty before, so it was a bit easy to ignore. But now, their stomachs were full, so it was hard to ignore just how parched their bodies were. Also, those sausages were pretty salty. Didn't we mention that before?

"We should find some water." Alfred panted.

"aGR33d." Tony then proceeded to float away into the trees behind him. Alfred shrugged. He supposed that Tony was in a more everyone-fends-for-themselves kind of mood, which was a mood that Alfred had grown accustomed to. He picked himself up off of the grassy forest floor and just decided to aimlessly wander through the forest in search of a stream or a brook or something.

"Well, this sucks." Alfred said to no one in particular. He felt lost and alone, as he randomly wandered these vast woodlands. Tony ditched him, and he had no idea where to find water from. Oh, if only he had a little voice inside his head guiding him to where he needed to go…

Ughhhhhhh. This is so BORING. There is legitimately a stream only like fifty feet away from where Alfred is standing. He just doesn't know that because all of the stupid trees are in his way!

Wait. Alfred looked up to the sky. Was he insane, or… was there a little voice inside his head?

Yes, Alfred, there is. Your own fucking arrogance has kept you from hearing me on this entire quest.

Alfred looked around, puzzled. He could hear a faint whisper in his mind, but he didn't know where it had come from. Was it dangerous?

No, I'm not dangerous! Ugh! Alfred, take a turn to your left and walk until you reach water! Believe me, there WILL be water.

Alfred shrugged. Must just be his subconscious. He had thought that his thoughts would sound more like him, but oh well. He decided to follow this strange voice.

…These are the imbeciles I have to put up with for a good story.

Sure enough, after about five minutes, Alfred did hear the distinct trickle of water. Excited, he mustered up the rest of his energy and sprinted to the source of the noise.

There stood a small stream of pure, fresh water. It was probably one of the most beautiful sights Alfred's eyes had ever seen. The clear liquid danced over shimmering rocks, in such a way that seemed like a mirage. Sunlight hit it, sending sparkles and reflections across the barren dirt. However, at the base of it all was the most curious thing: a fallen statue of an angel, its wings broken in half with a soul-shattering crack. The angel's eyes stared blankly at our hero, not sentient, but with an attitude that appeared a little more than completely dead.

Our hero ignored the bronze statue, however, his own thirst overcoming any odd sights that could ever exist. He rushed over and engulfed his entire head into the stream, gulping down the fresh liquid. It brought life to his throat, to his muscles, to his skin. He felt like a hero again. In victory, Alfred pumped his fist in the air and hollered.

Too bad that Alfred hasn't noticed that he isn't alone.

Alas, what our narrator had said is true. A man, in fact, another hero, and his small fairy companion were standing across from the brook, giving our hero strange looks.

Finally, when Alfred had drunk as much water as he possibly could, he finally glanced up to see a short young human with short, silky blond hair and emerald eyes staring at him. The man wore a long green cape, and some weird white blobby thing atop of his head. He carried a longbow made of oak, and a quiver full of lethal arrows.

The longbow, in particular, stood out to Alfred especially because it was fully loaded with multiple arrows and pointed straight at him.

"What the hell!" Our hero screeched, and leaped back. The man furrowed his eyebrows. Only when the young fairy girl who was with him whispered something in his ear did he lower his weapon.

"Why, hello." The fairy greeted. She was small, extremely small, but Alfred didn't know if this was because of her height or simply an illusion because of how delicate-looking she was. Her blond hair bore stunning resemblance to the man, as it was the same length and style. However, she wore a deep blue ribbon. Her eyes were also green, but vaguely tinted blue. She wore a long, striped red dress. Her wings were as thin as paper, and a light gold.

"Um… hello?" Alfred brushed himself up, still shaking from his unwanted encounter with the sharp tip of an arrow.

"What are you doing here?" The man screamed. However, the fairy raised her hand in his direction to silence him.

"My name is Lili, and this is my brother, Vash."

"Don't tell him our names!" Vash protested.

"Why not? He doesn't look like he will do any harm to us."

"He's a stranger! Of course he could do harm!"

"He doesn't look like a bad person."

"Just wait until he shows his true colors!"

"Hey, I'm right here!" Alfred was getting frustrated at the hero and fairy's inclination to talk about him when he was right freaking there. Vash and Lili turned around and stared at him apprehensively. Suddenly, Alfred felt an odd feeling in his stomach. He totally wasn't doing what the book told him to. He felt a rush of adrenaline, commanding him to take up a competition, to prove his dominance. He smirked at Vash.

"Bet you think that you're such a hot-shot hero, huh?"

"What?"

"So, how many princesses have you saved?"

"…None." Vash looked down at his feet, obviously uncomfortable.

"That doesn't matter." Lili frowned at Alfred. "Vash saved me. Of course he's a hero."

"Yet you've never even been on any quests." Alfred scorned.

"What do you want?" Vash sighed.

Alfred didn't know if he wanted to dive straight into a competition. In fact, he didn't really know what to do next. While insulting Vash had felt… A little reassuring, honestly, but did nothing to loosen the knot in his stomach. He felt confused, and kind of terrible. Those little whispers in his subconscious that told him that he could never be a hero did not cease. In fact, they only grew stronger.

"You're a cow!" Alfred blurted out.

"What?"

"Don't say that!" Lili scolded. "Vash has done so much for me, for everyone! What have you done!"

Alfred paused. Those little voices in the back on his mind seeped through the walls he had put up, coming to life right in front of his eyes.

He had climbed into a hole he couldn't get out of. He was trapped, helpless in those stupid insults he had decided to share. Who cared about who was the better hero? Alfred's breath sped up. He didn't know what to do. What could he do?

All he could do was continue the terror he had brought upon himself. It was hypnotic, uncontrollable. He scrambled up the nearest tree, frantically remembering what the wise Richard Small had told him. "Hey, I'm in a tree and you're not! Because you're a loser!"

Lili gasped. "I don't know who you are, but you're very mean, sir!"

Vash glared at Alfred. "Whatever. C'mon, Lili, let's go. Other heroes are idiots." He started to stamp in the other direction, Lili timidly flying behind.

Alfred sat up in the tree; paralyzed, watching the hero and the fairy walk away, whispering concerns into each other's ears. He watched them walk away together. A family.

A FAMILY?! God, why does Alfred care about that junk? They're losers! I bet that Vash isn't even a real hero! Does our hero WANT to be like these imbeciles?

Who does Alfred even want to be? A hero? Well, he isn't acting like one!

He felt himself longing to be there with them right now, no matter how many dragons they were going to slay.

Perhaps Richard Small was wrong in his advice.