• Prince of the Fae


    Deep in the forests live the non-humans. There were many great families. But as the years passed, the families died. Now, only three main families live. The Moons, the Woods, and the Clan. Werewolves, fairies, and vampires. They rule the land near a small town. Most humans stayed out and away from the forest. For both the humans and the non-humans know the penalty if they crossed to the other’s domain.
    · First offense: Warning
    · Second offense: Outcast
    · Third offense: Death
    Everyone abided by the rules. Everyone except Prince Haku followed the rules. Prince Haku was one of the older children of Queen Isabella. Haku was ignorant on almost everything. And one day, he took the moon god’s oldest son out to play.
    “C’mon, Lune, are you really afraid of heights?” Haku teased. “Honestly, you’re next in line to be the moon god. You need to get use to heights.”
    “Easy for you to say,” Lune said back as he attempted to climb. “I’m not the one who’s always sitting above the tree line.”
    Haku shook his head. “You need to learn to not fear anything.”
    Haku reached the top of the trees. He let the wind brush past his face. He looked down and put his hand out to help Lune. He pulled him up and they both sat there and let the wind blow past their faces.
    “I think I now know what I missed out all this time,” Lune said.
    Haku laughed. “Hey,” he said, “want to see some humans?”
    Lune stared at Haku as if he were crazy.
    “Don’t worry, I know a human,” he said, “and he’s safe.”
    Haku jumped down and pulled Lune down with him. Normally, they probably would’ve gotten hurt. But Haku eased the fall by flapping a set of clear blue fairy wings.
    “Come on!” Haku said as he pulled Lune behind him. “It’s not that far.”
    Haku and Lune reached the edge of the forest. As long as they didn’t leave it, they were safe. But, thanks to Haku’s ignorance, they stepped out of the forest. Haku began to look around. He was looking for the human he was talking about earlier.
    Lune tapped on his shoulder.
    “Hey, Haku,” Lune began to ask, “what’s that?”
    Haku looked up in alarm. “A hunter?” he whispered.
    Haku slid in front of Lune. He kept very still and grabbed Lune’s hand.
    “Just keep still and quiet,” he whispered, “and when I let go, you make a break for it and run as fast as you can into the forest. Don’t stop running until you reach the lake.”
    Haku kept his grip on Lune’s hand. He also kept his eyes on the hunter. Haku loosened his grip then let go. Lune started to run. Then there was a shot.
    Haku was standing in front of three looming stones. He had vines wrapped around his wrists. He was restrained. He stared up at the stones. And on each stone, was the head of each family. His mother stood on the stone to the right. A werewolf stood on the one to the left. And a vampire stood on the one in the middle. Haku looked down in shame. His mother was standing before him, and not at his mother. She stood there to help decide his fate.
    He didn’t know what would happen. This was the first time that he has ever been caught being in the humans’ domain. His mother never knew of it…until now. And everyone now knew. Everything turned upside-down for Haku. But since Haku’s been in the humans’ domain before, he wouldn’t get a warning. His punishment might be more severe.
    “Prince Haku, do you understand what you have done?” the werewolf asked.
    Haku kept quiet.
    “You nearly got the High Wolf Lunar’s eldest son, Lune, killed. The punishment for such a crime is death,” The werewolf continued.
    Haku looked up. “What?” he shouted.
    “Counselor Ian, please calm yourself,” the vampire said. “Haku, normally, that would be the punishment. But seeing as how you are still only a child, you will have a different punishment. We will consult over the new punishment.”
    Haku was left where he stood. All was quiet. He stood in the same spot for nearly three hours. He let out a huge yawn…then there came footsteps. He looked up to see the vampire, Counselor Ian, and his mother return.
    “Haku,” his mother said, “Head Mistress Rosalie, Counselor Ian, and I have consulted on your punishment. And we’ve decided,”
    “Got on with it, woman!” Counselor Ian snapped.
    “Shut up, you fool,” Head Mistress Rosalie hissed.
    “You will be stripped of your wings. You cannot claim your rightful place as a prince,” His mother, said.
    “I’m sorry Haku, but you will no longer live with your family,” Head Mistress Rosalie said.
    Haku looked down in despair. A tear fell down his face and Haku, who was always tough and brave, started to cry. He was sniffling. He would no longer have a family. He couldn’t call upon his mother if he was afraid. He couldn’t treat his siblings the same anymore. And worse, he was an outcast.
    That night, everything was silent. The news has gotten out. No one said a word that evening. Even the humans got the word.
    With the silence, things seemed eerie. But the silence was broken. There was a loud shrill cry of pain. Even the humans heard it. Everyone knew what had happened. Haku was stripped of his wings.
    For nearly two centuries, the story still floated around. Haku lived on the edge of the forest away from the rest. His appearance had changed over time. He went from being very light and colorful to being dark and mysterious. He didn’t socialize with many of the others. He now and then talked to a demon, but other than that, he was isolated.
    Even though the rules no longer apply to him, he still wasn’t aloud to leave the forest. Queen Isabella, Counselor Ian, and Head Mistress Rosalie made it that way. They were afraid he would bring a human to the forest and then all would be hell.
    Haku glanced out into the meadow that split the humans from the non-humans. It was empty and the wind blew the grass around. Haku got up and went into the meadow. He walked down the hill that led to a lake. He approached it. He looked down in the water to see his once green eyes now a bright blue. His hair, which was once short and green, was now long, straggly, and blue. His once pale skin was now dark and tanned. Somehow, he had also gotten strange markings around his eyes. He looked nothing like he use to.
    Haku looked up in alarm when he heard shout. Haku dashed up the hill. He saw some guys dressed in all black ride past the forest on back stallions. There, he also saw a girl dressed in regal clothing. Reluctantly, Haku chased after them. He knew he shouldn’t have done so, but something in his heart told him to.
    He ran up ahead of the guys in black. Haku stopped in front of them and they stopped only inches from hitting him. Haku pulled out a switchblade and jumped at the one in the lead. He was the one holding the regal girl. When Haku pulled the man down, the girl fell to the ground.
    “I suggest that you should pick up your things and leave. It’d be a shame if you died for kidnapping,” Haku threatened. Haku put the switchblade to the guy’s neck. “And if I see you in this part of the lands again, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
    The guy gulped and nodded. Haku let him go and the guy scurried back to his horse. He put up his hand and then he and the others rode off. Haku walked to the regal girl and held out his hand.
    In that instant, a bunch of swords were at Haku’s neck. He dropped his hand and then stood still. He looked at the guy to his left. He was wearing armor. Haku’s best guess would be that these men were the regal girl’s guards.
    “Princess Janine, shall we slit his throat or would you rather us take him to court and have your parents decide his fate?” asked the guard Haku was looking at.
    More justification? Haku thought to himself. What more could go wrong? I’m not three hundred yet and I’m already going through hell.
    Haku just stood still. He could feel the swords getting closer to his skin. The princess stood up and pushed on the guard that spoke. He barely budged, but he moved out of the way.
    “Don’t kill him,” the princess said a small voice, “he saved my life.”
    The guards put their swords down. Haku slumped foreword. He let out a pleased sigh. He was glad to see that he would live…for now.
    “Please, bring him to the castle,” the princess said, “I want Mommy and Daddy to meet him.”
    Princess Janine grabbed Haku’s hand and took him to a blond colored stallion. She climbed onto it and looked at Haku. Haku got the idea that Princess Janine wanted him to ride with her. Haku got on and then Princess Janine handed him the reigns.
    Haku didn’t know where to go to but luckily the guards led them. Haku felt uneasy about all that is going on. It took almost all day for them to get to the castle. When they got to it, Princess Janine jumped off. She stood there and waited for Haku to get off. When he did, she grabbed his hand.
    “I’m going to get my hero into some fitting clothes then take him to see Mommy and Daddy,” Princess Janine said.
    She dragged him off to the castle. They went up a couple of staircases. After that, two chambermaids greeted them. They stared at Haku, both with awe and fear. Princess Janine pulled Haku down the hall and into a room.
    “This is my brother’s room,” she said, “he’s on leave for a bit. I don’t think he’ll mind if we borrow them.”
    Princess Janine tossed some clothing to Haku. Haku went behind something he didn’t recognize to dress.
    “I’m Princess Janine,” she stated, “and you are?”
    “I’m Haku,” Haku said.
    After getting dressed, Haku stepped out. He looked so regal in a prince’s clothing. Princess Janine ran over to a dresser. She pulled out some jewelry and motioned for Haku kneel down. Haku did so. She put a silver choker around Haku’s neck and a moon crest headband around his neck.
    “For my hero,” she said. She as well gave him a kiss on the cheek.
    Haku and Princess Janine went down a floor and into a grand room. Haku looked foreword and saw a man and a woman. He knew they had to be the king and the queen. Princess Janine was talking with them, and Haku kept silent. He stood up straight and had his hands behind his back. He wanted to look as regal as possible.
    After a bit, they all went into the dining hall. Haku sat next to the king and in front of the queen.
    “So, Haku,” the king stated, “you’re an elf, right?”
    “No,” Haku said, “I’m a stripped fairy.
    “Oh my,” the queen gasped, “that must’ve been horrible?”
    “Not really,” Haku said.
    “But didn’t it hurt?” the queen sounded worried.
    Haku looked up. “No.”
    Haku didn’t want to talk about how much it hurt. He remembered just sitting down on a bare piece of land. The moon shone there. He was stripped of his clothes and he had strange marking drawn on him. An elf had performed a type of magic that Haku didn’t recognize. As the magic was performed, Haku felt so much pain. He was crying and screaming so much. He was a child and he was suffering.
    The queen looked at Haku’s face. “It must’ve hurt,” she said, “at least in the mind.”
    “The mind?” Haku asked.
    “Yes,” she said, “you’ve lost something important.”
    “If I remember right,” the king stated, “don’t stripped fairies also become outcasts?”
    “Darling!” the queen said sternly.
    “No, Your Majesty,” Haku said, “It’s true that we become outcasts. But we learn to live with it.”
    After dinner, the king and queen stepped outside. They were on a balcony with grape vine winding the posts.
    “I see Janine gave you her moon charm,” the queen said, “That means she wants you to love her.”
    “Love her?” Haku asked alarmingly.
    “Yes,” the queen said.
    “But she’s a child,” Haku said, “and I’m over two hundred years old.”
    “Honestly,” the queen said as she put her hand on Haku’s shoulder, “it doesn’t matter between humans and non-humans. She’ll be eighteen in eight years, then you can marry her.”
    “Then I’ll return in eight years,” Haku said.
    Haku bid the king and queen good-bye. When he walked through the castle, Princess Janine ran up to him. She gave Haku a hug and he hugged her back.
    Haku walked through the town. He left the area and walked down a dirt road. He continued down until he made it to a river. He walked to it and looked in the water. He noticed that he looked so regal.
    “Wow,” he said, “I really look like a prince.”
    Haku was now saddened. He missed his mother and his brothers and sisters. He missed them so much. Haku continued to look at himself in the river.
    “Hello,” came a voice, “brother.”
    Haku looked up to see and elf with long green hair. He had black eyes and a weird scythe. Haku just stood still.
    “Not going to say ‘hello’ to a brother?” the elf asked.
    “What do you mean?” Haku inquired.
    “Yeash,” he said, “you don’t hang around many elves, do you?”
    “Oh!” Hake exclaimed. “You think I’m an elf. No, I’m not, I’m a fairy.”
    “Fairy?” he asked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve never seen a fairy with that much dark and gloom that you have. Besides, you don’t have wings.”
    Haku sighed.
    “Oh,” The elf lowered his gaze, “I get it now. You’re a stripped fairy, aren’t you?”
    Haku nodded.
    “Honestly,” the elf started to say, “you looked like a sand desert elf.”
    “Then you must be a snow desert elf, right?” Haku asked.
    “You got it!” the elf cheered. “By the way, I’m Kyle. And you are?”
    “I’m Haku,” he answered.
    “Well, Haku,” Kyle said, “it’s nice to meet you.”
    “And it’s nice to meet you,” Haku said.
    “By the way,” Kyle crossed his arms, “where are you headed anyway?”
    “I’m not sure,” Haku said.
    “Hey,” Kyle leaned foreword, “you should come with me. I’m going to a haven where outcasts like you and me go to live in peace.”
    “Okay,” Haku said.
    And with that, Haku and Kyle quickly became friends. They left the castle’s grounds and were traveling to the haven. They were walking for a few days. They then, soon enough, came up to a forest. It wasn’t the forest where Haku was from; it was an entirely different area. Haku looked at Kyle with a questioning look.
    “Come on,” Kyle said, “if we don’t go through, we won’t get to our destination sooner.”
    Haku sighed and followed Kyle into the forest. Haku looked at the trees in awe. The trees from his forest were different.
    “Wow, these trees are…” Haku couldn’t think of the word.
    “Marvelous, right?” came a girl’s voice.
    Haku and Kyle turned around in unison to see a small girl. She had wings, but Haku noticed they weren’t like that wings of a pixie of a fairy. He realized she was a forest sprite. But he knew something was odd. She was showing her true form. Sprites rarely show their true form.
    “Who are you?” Kyle asked.
    “Me?” the girl pointed to herself, “I’m Lunria!”
    “That’s a moon name, isn’t it?” Haku asked.
    “Yeah,” Lunria said. “How did you know?”
    “Well,” Haku said, “the moon god resided in my home forest. That was the name of his youngest daughter.”
    “I never knew a sand desert elf to live in a forest,” Lunria said.
    “That’s because he isn’t,” Kyle said.
    “Not a sand desert elf?” Lunria tilted her head, “Then what are you?”
    “I’m a strip elf,” Haku said.
    Lunria crossed her arms and sighed. “Another outcast. It’s good to see that you’re surviving in the world.”
    “What did you mean by ‘another’?” Kyle asked.
    “Well, as you can see,” Lunria said, “I’m also an outcast. I was stripped of my powers of the forest. I haven’t anyplace else to go. No one talks to me now. You two are the first two I’ve talked to in decades.”
    “Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Haku said cheerfully, “you should come with us.”
    “Yeah,” Kyle agreed, “we’re going to a haven and you can find others just like us: outcasts.”
    “Really?” Lunria said, “Yay!”
    Lunria was so happy. She jumped up with glee. And with that, the group of two became a group of three. They made their way through the forest. On the other side, there were vast mountains. Haku looked up at them. He had never seen mountains.
    “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Lunria asked as she fluttered over Haku’s head.
    Haku slowly nodded. He was in too much awe to really speak. Kyle pointed to the top.
    “There it is!” he shouted.
    Haku smiled. Kyle started to run up the mountain and soon, Lunria and Haku followed. But after a bit, Haku stopped abruptly. Lunria and Kyle stopped as well. They saw what Haku saw: smoke.
    There was smoke off in the distance. And not only that, Haku could hear screams of pain. At first he thought it was himself from the past with all of that pain. He remembered hearing his own cries for mercy. He remembered crying for forgiveness.
    Haku snapped out of his thoughts and ran toward the screams and smoke. Kyle and Lunria followed behind. When they reached that area, the group of three saw a bunch of humans terrorizing a…fallen angel?
    Haku knew a fallen angel when he saw one. He could tell. Fallen angels had feathery wings. And Haku saw that on the young angel. Haku jumped down and punched one of the guys. He stood in front and guarded the angel like he guarded Lune.
    Lune was shot in the back. Haku had used magic to throw the man back. He then carried Lune away and into the forest. But they were found, luckily. Then, shortly after that, Haku had to face justification.
    The angel looked up at Haku. He then stood up.
    “Thank you, friend,” the angel said.
    Haku nodded. He was about to hit another one of the angel’s terrorizes, but time seemed to have been frozen. Haku had fallen to the ground. Haku’s vision kept blurring…then he couldn’t see. He closed his eyes and his breathing slowed. He clenched his fist and a tear went down his face.
    When Haku opened his eyes, he was Lunria, Kyle, and the angel.
    “Hey, we made it,” Kyle said, “We made it to the haven.”
    Haku smiled.
    “Haku,” the angel said, “you were and you are the prince of the fae.”
    “Thank you~” Haku’s voice drifted.
    And with that, Haku closed his eyes and he stopped. Haku, Prince of the Fae, died in battle. A battle to save a fallen angel.

    The End