Actually, that's a lie. The Fire's Heart is, in essence, a spin-off of a story I planned to write for my class but quit. Eventually, I retook the characters and rewrote the entire thing, but it changed so much I couldn't count it as the same story. Digging around my laptop files, I found it and thought, "Eh, why not." I warn you, the quality is dubious, as I wrote it when I was still new to writing, and it had a more humorous tone to it than everything else. I think it failed epicly, but I'm posting it anyway. And yes, it is enormously long.



In a magical land far, far away, hidden behind a enchanted waterfall,
deep in a hidden cavern, where faeries' magic sparkles and little
pixies are as common as birds, trees could sing, fun was never far
away, where sprites and imps played, where the Fairy Queen Isabella
Maria Ruby Lewis the Thirteenth (not her real full name) ruled, where
sorcery was a school subject, where many a magical creature made
their home, where an everlasting rainbow and the sun always shone,
where leprechauns hid their gold at the end of the rainbow and it was
actually possible to get there, where midgets stood in portals
(and there was a song about it), time-travel was not possible but no
one cared, a prince named Prince Frolic-a-lot frolicked in fields of
fire, {*gasp* sorry, but that really is a long sentence for a
narrator to say, and I was going for only one breath. Anyway...}
there lived a magic unicorn named Donald Osmond Evan Michael Susan
the One-Hundredth Seventy-Six (Donny Osmond or Donny for short).
This
land was commonly called Children's Imagination-err, I mean, the Land
That Always Shines; Shiny Land for short, and if you REALLY wanted to
abbreviate, there was Shiny. Every unicorn worth knowing lived there
(they couldn't really live anywhere else, could they?), but there
were a few downsides. First of all, there was that pesky troll named
Cameron who was always short on cash, no matter how many poor,
unfortunate people he robbed. His best buds were Brick and Brock, who
he just met one day and doesn't even know anything about them but
their names; of course, this is just a minor nuisance.
The big problem came every December, and it was NOT Shiny's High
School December Dance (even though that really is a problem). It was
Queen Bella's birthday bash.
This
birthday bash happened to start quite a few adventures.
One
particular December day, Donny was taking a pleasant stroll around
the neighborhood, enjoying the sunshine, eating some popcorn he
happened to buy from a movie but didn't bother eating until after he
left the theater, and just thinking one thought; life was good.
At
least, it was, until he bumped into Meagan, the Valkyrie. In case you
didn't know, a Valkyrie is a female warrior of courageous stuff and
are full of bravery in Norse mythology, so they fit Meagan's
description completely.
Meagan's
wings were badly ruffled from the bump, and she seemed a bit cross
about it, but she tried to be polite. "Hello, Donny," she
said through gritted teeth. Ruffled wings are the worse thing that
could ever
happen to a Valkyrie.
"Hi,
Meagan," said Donny. "You looked like you were in a rush.
Is anything important happening soon?"
"HOW
COULD YOU FORGET?" Meagan screamed, forgetting to be polite.
This was absurd. Everyone knew what important event was happening
soon. "QUEEN BELLA'S BIRTHDAY BASH IS TOMORROW AND I DON'T HAVE
A PRESENT FOR HER!"
"OMGosh!"
Donny shouted. "I completely forgot! What does she really want?"
"Check
your mail," Meagan said. "Ayana the Chief Wizard of the
Circle of Sorcery thought ahead of time and sent everyone some cards-
secretly, Queen Bella would get sooo mad if she found out- about
ideas and what she'd like for her birthday. Queen Bella thinks
citizens should know her, but really, we can't know what she'd like
for her birthday. Ayana updates the Shiny Land e-lists every five
minutes, so you know what people bought for her- you know how she
HATES people buying her the same thing."
"Sorry,
Meagan," said Donny. "I'll be on my way. Bye!"
"Bye,"
grumbled Meagan, checking her Sword of Fallen Heroes for any
scratches it might have received in the collision. "See you
there."
"See
you!"
Donny
raced home to find his Leprechaun, Nicky, who he paid to bring him
the mail every day. Donny had to pay Nicky in gold because Nicky was
only interested in making his pile of gold at the end of the rainbow
get bigger. That, and landing a position in the NBLA- National
Basketball Leprechaun Association.
Donny
burst through the front door and nearly bowled over Noah, the Mummy.
Actually, Noah was a MIDGET mummy. A midget is an extremely small
person whose exact origins are unknown. Noah owned the house, along
with his brother Umuma (also a midget mummy). They needed extra cash
so they were willing to rent out a few rooms in the house to magical
creatures.
"Gosh,
Donny!" Noah exclaimed. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I...
forgot... to... buy... Queen... Bella... a... birthday... present,"
Donny gasped, exhausted from his wild gallop. "Nicky...
where's... my... mail?"
Nicky
fetched the mail while Donny sat down and tried to catch his breath.
When Nicky returned, Donny tossed aside the bills (many of which were
last notice warnings), Unicorn Club's monthly newsletter, some
warning about the troll Cam acting up again, and at last found the
card from Ayana the Wizard.
Dear
Donny,
It
comes to my attention that Queen Bella's birthday bash is soon. As
honorable citizens, we are all compelled to attend and to buy her a
present. I know that it is hard to know what a fairy queen would like
the most, so I compiled a list for you. Pick an idea and from there
use your own imagination!
A gift card
Anything that humans enjoy (she's fascinated with humans)
Queen Bella Action Figures (yes, they exist!!!)
I
hope this card has been a help to you, Donny. Please do not
tell Queen Bella I sent this card.
Sincerely,
Ayana,
Chief Wizard of the Circle of Sorcery
Donny
looked over the meager list. Queen Bella action figures? Who would
buy those? He remembered seeing some things for sale in Queen Bella's
likeness, but action figures? She wanted them? He wasn't sure what to
think of that.
Donny
sighed. He supposed that the smartest thing to do now was to go
shopping. "Hey, Noah, Umuma," he called, "did you guys
buy Queen Bella a present yet?"
"Of
course!" Nicky answered for them. "Who waits for the last
minute for something so important?"
Nicky
could tell by all three's blank stares that only Nicky had actually
bought a present.
The
lines for the checkout were phenomenal; in fact, Noah, Donny, and
Umuma got home at around one in the morning. They wrapped the
presents and quickly fell asleep.
The
next night, at the birthday bash, Donny tried finding Meagan again.
He wanted to apologize properly for ruffling her wings the day
before.
As
chance had it, he never quite got to apologize to Meagan.
The
lanterns that hung in the trees gave a soft glow. Slow waltzes filled
the air. In the lawn of green grass, high school students and
romantics danced. It was very peaceful.
Yet
something was missing-the "trouble" part of the equation.
"Cam
wasn't invited?" Donny asked Ayana.
"Well,
yes, he was," Ayana said, "but he hates this sort of thing.
There weren't any other pesky trolls in the area either, so I suppose
you'll have to do without a little trouble.” Donny told her he
didn't mind at all.
Queen
Bella watched her happy subjects from her throne (which was quite
high, making up for her being fun-sized). She smiled.
The
lights turned off. Someone screamed.
Logan
the Werewolf and the only changeling (a human servant which was
spirited away from its home as a baby and replaced with a magical
creature) in the proximity, Sarah Anderson, quickly re-lit the
lights, looking desperately for their beloved queen. Deep down,
everyone at the party knew the truth: Queen Bella had been kidnapped.
"We
have got to do something!" Ayana said. "But what? Only the
best warriors could possibly find Queen Bella... Meagan!"
"Yes,
ma'am!" Meagan replied.
"I
want you to find the elves and ask for their noblest warrior. We'll
need their help for the upcoming rescue party."
A
young sprite raised his hand. "Excuse me, Miss Ramberg, but why
aren't the elves already here? Weren't they invited?"
"The
elves are a separate nation," Ayana explained patiently. "Queen
Bella's authority doesn't spread over them. They have their own
queen, Queen What's-her-name..."
"Queen
Arya?" Donny suggested.
"Yes.
Her. Queen Arya rules over the elves, just like how King Teeeeny
rules the dwarves."
"King
Teeny?" Meagan said.
"No!
King Teeeeny. He gets terribly upset when people make that mistake,"
Ayana replied. "Now! Meagan! I hope luck smiles on your
journey."
"Thank
you, Miss Ramberg. I shall set out immediately." Meagan began to
flap her wings, meaning she meant what she said literally- Valkyries
can go anywhere at any time since all they need to survive are
moonbeams- but was stopped by a sudden cry.
"Wait!"
Donny cried. "Take me!"
"No,"
Meagan said all to quickly.
"Why
not?"
"Because
unicorns cannot fly." Meagan prepared to set off again, but was
halted, this time by Ayana.
"I
am coming," Ayana declared. "And I am bringing Noah the
Mummy as well."
Noah, as well as Meagan, seemed surprised at
this piece of information.
"Why
am I coming?" he whined. "I can't go! I'm a mummy, not a
tomb raider! Adventures are not my thing!”
This
comment was rather ignored.
"You
can't possibly go alone,” Ayana pointed out, “and I can be quite
a help. I can get us there in just a few seconds," Ayana stated.
"A Transportation Spell will instantly take us there.
Now, everyone, link elbows. Ready? Skadoosh!" They were
off.
"I
wanted to go!" Donny whined, upset.
"Don't
worry," Sarah Anderson said. "Everything has a time. It's
just not time for you to go adventuring yet."
Buffy,
who at the moment was dancing with her boyfriend, unaware that he was
a vampire, decided that was not true. It would never be time
for Donny to go adventuring. She hummed a waltz as she danced,
thinking that, for sure, somehow she would be needed in the coming
days. Whoever took Queen Bella was sure to come back.
Meagan,
Ayana, and Noah poofed! They were in front of a large forest.
Birds flitted from branch to branch, and as they sang in their
honey-rich voices, the air shimmered. Meagan, squinting, thought she
could see strands of thin, gossamer silk around the forest.
"What
in the world?" Meagan asked.
"The
Singing Birds," Ayana replied. "They create a barrier that
no magic can pass through. That's why this is as far my spell could
bring us."
"Are
the elves inside the magic barrier?" Noah asked.
"Precisely.
Unfortunately, I cannot enter," Ayana answered.
"Why
not?"
"As
a wizard, I am made of magic. I will wait here while you fetch
the elf warrior. Or maybe I'll go home- I seem to remember that I
have duties to attend to. Like my hot bath. Maybe I will go home..."
"Uh,
okay." Meagan replied. "Let's go, I guess."
Proudly
leading the way, Noah stepped into the forest- and was immediately
thrown back. "Noah!" Ayana growled. "Do you have a
charm on you?"
"Well,
yeah," he said apolitically. "I didn't know we couldn't
bring them."
"No
magic. I said no magic, correct? NO MAGIC can pass the barrier.
NONE!!"
Wincing,
Meagan put a hand to her ear- Ayana was known to yell loudly when the
mood struck her. "Okay... okay... settle down. Noah, take off
your charm."
Pouting,
Noah removed the charm and placed it on the ground, by Ayana's feet.
"That was my protection charm. It helps me see midget
snap traps. They really hurt." Instinctively, Noah rubbed his
ankle. Last year, he had accidentally walked into a midget snap trap
that the sheriff, Carmen, had laid out, and wounded his foot. Carmen
was known for being very strict when it came to justice, and though
no one knew why she hated midgets in particular, they didn't
complain- after all, Carmen kept the kingdom safe.
"Whatever.
Just go in." Ayana waved her hand, as if to dismiss them.
Meagan
waved goodbye, but Noah- rather cross- stomped off on his own,
resulting in Meagan having to jog rather briskly to catch up. They
could hear Ayana poof back to the remains of Queen Bella's
party when Meagan stopped short. "Noah."
"What?"
"We
forgot to ask Ayana what direction the Elf Capital is!"
"We
have to be somewhere by now!" Noah yelled. "It's just
trees, trees, trees in this stupid forest! Everything looks exactly
the same."
"That's
because it is the same," Meagan replied. "Look, that
little pond is the same one we passed an hour ago."
"Perfect.
We're going in circles, and we're lost. Not to mention I ran
into three midget snap traps!"
"We'll
find the capital," Meagan said optimistically, even though she
didn't sound all that hopeful. In fact, she was wondering if they'd
find any civilization or city, elven or not. She was beginning
to get rather tired and wanted a bit of a rest, but Noah just wanted
to get to the city. "Maybe someone will come along and they'll
give us directions,” Meagan suggested.
"How?"
Noah asked. He was kicking a bush angrily. "What are they going
to say? 'Go forward three trees until you see the really big oak,
then turn right until you come to an elm.' That'll help us for sure!"
"Stop
being such a sour-puss!" Meagan yelled. She was lying down on a
rock by the pond, absorbing moonbeams. It was dark and they'd been in
the forest for quite a while.
Noah
froze. "Did you hear that?"
Meagan
opened one eye. "No."
"It
was like a snapping twig. Maybe some dangerous, hungry animal is
coming to eat us, or maybe someone's laying out more snap traps!"
"We
are not going to be eaten!" Megan's voice was quivering, and she
didn't sound very convincing.
"Maybe...
but you forgot that it might also be someone with snap traps."
Meagan didn't see how the traps would be too big a threat. In her
opinion, they were probably just minor inconveniences- but then
again, she had never actually gotten stuck in one.
The
moon illuminated a slim figure of rather medium height walking
towards the pool. As it came closer, Meagan heaved a sigh of relief.
"It's an elf! Thank goodness!"
The
elf saw them and with inhuman speed was suddenly next to them. Meagan
blinked. How had he gotten there so fast?
"Ah,
a Valkyrie," the elf stated. His voice sounded strange and
musical, like a wooden flute. "I am Vesper. Pleased to meet
you." He bowed, smiling.
"What
about me?" Noah grumbled. He didn't like being ignored.
Vesper
turned to him. "My apologies, midget. I didn't see you. A
pleasure to meet you, sir. I've never seen an actual midget,
mummified or not." He bowed again.
"Are
all elves this polite?" Meagan asked.
Vesper
laughed. "No. Dear, no! 'Tis just that I am five hundred years
old and have learned how to treat a lady- and midget- in a fashion
that will not harbor any animosity."
"Oh,
he's five hundred. No wonder he's so... weird," Noah said.
"Noah,
be polite!" Meagan reprimanded him. "Vesper, I'm Meagan and
this is Noah. We're on official business, sent by Ayana, Chief Wizard
of the Circle of Sorcery. Our queen, Bella, has been kidnapped and we
need to ask your queen if she will lend us her noblest warrior
towards this grand cause."
Vesper
smiled. "I will be your paradigm and retinue you safely to our
capital, the imperial city of Tykehaven."
Meagan
smiled and nodded. "Sure. Whatever you say."
"He'll
be our guide and will escort us to Tykehaven," Noah whispered.
"I studied Elvesspeech instead of Mortalstongue this year in
school." Seventh-graders in Shiny were required to study a
language, and since Elvesspeech seemed more practical than
Mortalstongue, most of the students took that. However, those of the
fey with a taste for the peculiar took Mortalstongue.
"Right
this way!" exclaimed Vesper. "I'm amazed you haven't found
the city already. It's only a ten minute's walk to the east."
Meagan
felt like melting. Noah had suggested they go east, but she had
stubbornly insisted they went west (then south and north so they
ended up at the pool for the fifth time that day).
They
plodded along in silence. Vesper had a bow that he kept nocked in
case any forest imps decided to give them any trouble. The forest was
eerily quiet, only their footsteps resounding throughout the empty
woods. "It's the suitable time for the brake's inhabitants to be
asleep," Vesper whispered.
"Why
are you awake then?" Noah asked. He had just run into another
snap trap and was rather cross about it.
"Sleep
abdicated me and left me to aberate around my domain until I was
perforated and went for a midnight excursion.
Translation:
I couldn't sleep and wandered around my house until I got bored, then
I went for a midnight walk.
After
about ten minutes' walking, Vesper announced, "Well, here we
are!"
"Where
is Tykehaven?" Megan asked. "I don't see anything but
trees."
"Look
up. The city is above."
Megan
and Noah gazed upwards and were surprised to see bridges, walkways,
platforms, and homes built into the trees' up-most branches. "There
is safety above," Vesper informed them. "The vermin of the
brake do not infiltrate the higher demesne."
Translation:
The stuff that will eat us can't climb.
Meagan
was glad Vesper was with them- without him she could have gone right
past the city and never even realized it. Perhaps she had already
done so to other various cities.
"Do
you mind explaining to me how we get up there?" Noah asked. His
bad mood had evaporated once he saw the splendor of Tykehaven- it was
beautiful. The entire thing was made out of white marble, shining in
the silver moonlight. Sapphires and topazes glittered on the bridges,
and amethysts studded the paths. The elves seemed very wealthy, and
now that he thought about it, it made sense: they were one of the few
nations who traded with the cantankerous dwarves, and they had kept
to themselves for thousands of years- no doubt accumulating large
piles of gold. If only Nicky could have seen this... he was sure that
Nicky's pot of gold wasn't worth a piece of gravel in Tykehaven.
Come
to think of it, if Nicky was there, Nicky probably would have stuffed
his pockets with gravel to add to his pot of gold.
Vesper
didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a
slender wooden flute. He put it to his lips, puffed it a few times to
test it out, then played a haunting, sad melody. His fingers danced
along the holes as he piped, and suddenly a rope ladder was flung
down from a tree and landed right in front of him.
Vesper
stopped playing and motioned to the ladder. "Rise you now!"
he said cheerfully. Meagan grabbed hold of the ladder, tested its
weight with one foot, then groaned.
"My
wings are too heavy for it," she explained. "I'll break
through it. I think I'll just fly on up."
"Very
well. Let me pipe a warning," Vesper replied. He again piped a
short cacophony of notes. There was a responding jumbled melody, and
he nodded. "Go ahead, Valkyrie."
Meagan
flew upwards while Noah began to climb the ladder. It was a long way
up, and he was a short midget; he told himself not to look down, but
all that did was make him want to look down all the more. He yelped
when he saw the ground so far below. Caught by a small dose of
vertigo, he shut his eyes to expel the dizziness then continued
upwards. When he finally was on the marble of Tykehaven, he was
breathing hard and laboriously. "I'll never do that again,"
he muttered. "I'll get down and then that's it for elven cities.
If you can't build pretty cities on the ground, then just don't build
pretty cities!"
Noah
glanced around nervously to see if Vesper had heard, but he was only
half-way up the later. He blinked, and suddenly Vesper was right next
to him. I wish he wouldn't do that, Noah thought. It makes
me uneasy, but why...?
"The
Council Chamber is this way," Vesper announced. Meagan was
sitting down with her eyes closed, frowning, but when Vesper’s
voice had resounded through the air, she leaped up- with the help of
her wings- and smiled.
Vesper
led them down twisting paths and beautiful walkways. The city looked
even better within. There were flowers, bushes, trees, all sorts of
vegetation growing along the paths and providing stark contrast to
the the gleaming white of the marble.
The
Council Chamber was a large, circular, dome-like building much like
the Circle of Sorcery's Meeting House. Its columns resembled that of
the ancient Greeks, but it seemed more elegant and refined. Around
them, elves mingled and went about their daily business. "Why is
everyone awake?" Noah asked. “I thought you said people sleep
at night.”
"Elves
are creatures of the night," Vesper replied, "while you
midgets belong to the sun."
"What
about Valkyries?" Noah said.
"Ah,
I see. You think Valkyries also belong to the day. No. They have
changed over the years, but they still belong to the night. Isn't
that right, Meagan? After all, you live off moonbeams."
"I
can't vouch for my ancestors," Meagan said curtly, "but I
live in the day. I get my moonbeams because my bed is by my window."
"Yet
you are not tired now."
It
was true; she wasn't anymore.
She
let the statement linger in the air and listened to the elves. They
spoke in a language she did not know, but their voices were also
musical and haunting. They sounded like flowers, or trees, or maybe
tree blossoms. Their laughs sounded like the tinkling of bells,
exotic and foreign. She wondered for the first time just how little
she knew of the world outside Queen Bella's kingdom. Her land was,
after all, a small nation-state.
Vesper
took them into the Council Chamber. The inside was lined with
paintings and soft music played throughout it, echoing and vibrating.
The elves obviously had a thing for art.
Inside,
there were two rows of chairs: one faced the front and was intended
for the audience, and the second faced the audience and was meant for
the Elven Council. There was a throne behind the Council. All the
spaces were occupied by elves, young and old. In the throne was a
seemingly young woman with blonde hair pulled into a bun. She had
blue eyes and high cheekbones- a characteristic of the elves. She
had thin, slanted eyebrows and long eyelashes.
Vesper
dropped onto his knees, seeming puzzled. "Milady," he
croaked, his voice suddenly gone. "These are ambassadors of
Queen Bella's. They have a request."