5: Darken Star

6: Robin

the birds singing around us is what awoke me. wait...birds? i sat up and looked around. the animals had returned to the forest, still no fairies other than Robin, but at least it wasn't so quiet anymore.

i smelt the air, food? i sat up slowly and saw Robin cooking at the fire. 

"good, you are awake." he smiled, not that i could see him better, i could see how handsome he was. "i hope you do not mind that i used some of your supplies. i also borrowed your bow and got a couple of rabbits."

"are you the type of fairy that i should not accept food from?" i asked as i rolled my bedroll back up and tied it to my bag.

"i am not." he answered. "taking food from me will in no way bind you to me nor will if make you owe me a favor." he handed me a plate full of food as i sat next to him. "and it is not poisoned either."

"thank you." i looked at my plate, it was nothing overly special. a couple pieces of rabbit, and some cooked potato wedges.

"why do you carry bear fat with you?" he asked.

"my mother." i answered laughing a bit. "my human friend grabbed some things from her room when we left, that must have been one of them. she never goes anywhere without it."

"smart woman." he said as he took a bite of his own food.

"she is." i smiled a bit. "she aways knows what to do or say. she can always just warm anyone's hearts when she talks. i miss her."

"i can understand that." he looked down at his plate. 

"sorry." i muttered. 

"no, its okay." he smiled up at me. "keep talking about her, she seems like a wonderful lady, i would like to meet her one day."

i smiled at him. "maybe one day." i paused for a moment. "what fairy king for you serve?" 

"im sorry, but how do you know about that?" he sounded a bit annoyed.

"my father knows a lot." i answered. "he told me to always ask if a fairy serves Celeste or Oberon."

"i serve neither." he answered. "and i am surprised you did not know, Celeste died in a war with the dragons. did you not just come from the fairy realm? would you not have known that as the king turned your human friend into a fairy?"

"i...." i paused, i cant give too much away. "sorry, i know its a king, i just dont know his name. i assumed that Celeste was more of a title."

"it is a name." he said. "the new fairy kings name is James Heartfire, a former human." the sound of contempt in his voice when he said my fathers name was clear.

"so you do not serve either of them?" i changed the subject. "how is that possible."

"because those born to two fairy parents are not bound to another fairy." he answered. "some choose to serve either of them, but some do not."

"i see." i finished the food on my plate and quickly put my plate away. "we need to get going."

i tripped over the frying pan on the ground. the pain in my foot was intense as the pan was still hot from cooking on it and of course i had taken off my boots before sleeping and never put them back on yet. "damn it." i sat on the ground.

Robin dropped the bag he had picked up while i was packing and walked over. i sat beside me, "why were you not wearing your boots?"

"as a kid i would always go barefoot in the woods." i started. "i sort of forgot that i wasnt wearing them right now." i winced in pain.

"let me see." i didnt wait for me to answer, he took my foot into his hands. the burn was red and blistering, it hurt as the wind hit it. he sighed. "you are lucky that all fairies can heal others."

he put his hand over the wound, his palm glowed with a red light. the pain in my foot started to disappear. 

he removed his hand and let me take my foot back, i looked and it was completely healed, but in its place was the etching of a gold rose. "a fairies blessing." i muttered, having seen this before on my mother, her body being covered in leaves etched into her skin.

"now how would you know about that?" he looked at me wide eyed. 

"i... my mother was healed before by fairies." i half told the truth. 

"fairies do not always leave a blessing when they heal." he pushed me to the ground, his hands on either side of my head, his voice sounding more like a growl. 

"i... she... like i said before. she's friends with the fairies." i tried to crawl out from under him, but his wings were blocking me. 

"i see." he got off of on top of me. "a fairies blessing is not something to take lightly."

"then why bless me?" i asked looking at my foot once again.

"because...." he paused. "i honestly do not know why i did that."

"you dont know why you gave a blessing to someone you just met?" i raised an eyebrow at him and sighed. "it is very pretty." i said as i looked at it. "do different types of fairies leave different blessings?"

"they do." he answered as he picked up the hot pan with his bare hands. "mine and my sisters are a rose. only born fairies can leave flowers. there are the small flower fairies that were made from flowers, they can leave vines and leaves."

"that's what my mother has." i admitted. "leaves."

"now you have a more special blessing then even she." he smirked again. 

i giggled a bit. "thank you again for healing it. i do admit, i am a bit clumsy."

"than i will make sure to heal you again if needed." he picked up my hand and kissed it. it tingled a bit. i looked at the back of my hand, another rose etched into my skin. 

"what was that one for?" i asked as i looked at it.

"for being a friend to the fairies." he smiled at me and then handed me one of the bags, picking up the other, heavier one. "lets get going miss Star."