Innocent

Chapter One

Present Time

~Pixie

ANOTHER ordinary day of peace. The sun is finally peaking through the clouds after a morning shower and a variety of colorful birds began singing their melodies across the open field. Most of the trees were welcomed with another day of sunshine to grow. Then there were others who were simply waiting till they no longer could feel the light breeze blowing past them or hear a hummingbird hum ever again.

Yes, it was another ordinary day once again in the Rose Circle. No disruptions, no fighting, no--

"Good morning, mommy." I tore my gaze away from the window and looked at my son, Liam, while he was going down the stairs, trying to rub sleep away from his eyes. He was in his silky green pajamas, outlined by a golden fabric on the edges. His hair was tousled and his eyes were droopy, showing that he had just woken up.

I smiled warmly at him and chirped, "Good morning, Liam. Happy birthday." Liam gave me a small smile and walked towards me. He wrapped his little arms around me and closed his eyes. "I'm eight already. Can you take me to pick strawberries now?"

I bit my lip at my son's request as I have promised him on his eighth birthday. After a few seconds of contemplating whether to take him to the Eastern Kingdom, I finally nodded. "We'll go to the nearest strawberry farm." Liam's eyes widened in pure excitement and began racing to his room to get ready. I took that opportunity to also head upstairs to my room which was the one right next to Liam's to change.

Changing outfits wasn't really a problem especially when there is no occasion. Once I was done adding the final touch which was a straw hat, I opened my drawer and started removing my undergarments on bended knees. At the far left corner of the drawer were two small glowing rocks; the only way for Liam and I to travel to the Eastern Kingdom quickly.

I gathered the rocks in my hand and inspected them each. Both were glowing blue. Blue is enough to make two trips, I sighed. I grabbed a small coin purse to put the rocks in and a basket for the strawberries we will be picking. Just to be safe, I also placed a small but sharp dagger in the basket. It was a family heirloom given to me by my own dead father. I shook that thought aside and gathered all of the things I needed before heading back downstairs.

"Liam! Let's go," I called out to my son. Liam rushed down the stairs in a brown shirt, khaki shorts, and a hat of his own.

"I'm ready!" He grinned. I smiled at his excitement and began to take out the two rocks from the coin purse. "Blue?" Liam looked at the two rocks with confusion.

I kneeled down to match his eye level, gently opening my palms to give him a closer look at the blue rocks. "Each rock determines how many times you can travel based on their colors. Remember when we had more of these in different colors?"

Liam nodded.

"Tell me, my Liam. How many travels can you make with blue?"

"Two," he replied. I nodded my head in agreement. "Correct." Liam is indeed a smart boy. It meant that I am an excellent teacher and a very caring mother. I've been raising him well the past eight years, teaching him all about where I came from.

I ruffled Liam's black hair which he inherited from me with a goofy grin on my face. "Come on now. We need to be back before lunch." Giving Liam one of the stones, we began to rub it repeatedly until a glitter of light began surrounding us. In the blink of an eye, the light vanished, revealing the emerald-green grass of the Eastern Kingdom.

I led Liam on a stone path that would lead us to the agricultural marketplace. Every turn we took, Liam's brilliant blue eyes always widened in awe at the beauty of the Eastern Kingdom. It was polished, vibrant, colorful, and clean. The palace could be seen in the distance, standing very radiant above the rest of the kingdom. It's tall towers reached as high as the clouds, mounted with gold and gems.