The Amazing Land Of Fae Book 1 The Three Quests Introduction: Welcome to a land of Fantasy, Magic and Adventure. It is a simple time with no electricity or gasoline. Everyone rides horses or walks with exception to the pixies, fairies and sprites. Fae Land is a large country about 415,600 square miles. It is in the temperate zone north of the equator so no snow and usually has very nice weather. It also resides in a different dimension or reality on earth. Over a a century ago, Fae Land became a very magical place with large forests, open grassy areas, small lakes and rivers but most important in the center of Fae Land was an area that later got named Eden that was the source of all the magic. No one knows where the magic came from and it is suspected it is from something deep underground but it oviously was white magic that turned Eden into the most beautiful place in Fae Land with trees, bushes and flowers everywhere and plants all grew at an excerated rate. First to arrive were the pixies seeing they are attacted to magic like a moth to light. Pixies live in the woods and forests but come out at night and fly around stretching their wings. The wings of a pixie are covered in magical pixie dust that allows them to shrink down very small and fly faster than any other creature on the planet. As they fly around at night, some pixie dust would fall off their wings landing on the ground which over time made all of Fae Land beautiful and magical plus increased the magical energy in Eden. Next came the sprites that also were attracted by the magic. Sprites originally were just floating balls of energy in the forests but as they collided with each other, joining together as one, they slowly evolved into three types of sprites. Highbreed sprites with beautiful large wings, standard sprites with smaller wings and forest sprites that had green hair, eyes and nails. Forest sprites took care of the trees and plants and could somehow communicate with them plus just their presence in a forest would make all the plant life grow healthy and strong. Soon elves found out about this amazing magical land and they started to move in, some building shelters in the forest and others in the open areas near trees and flower beds. All was very peaceful for many years in Fae Land but things changed when greedy kings from neighbouring lands found out about this magical land full of resources and wonders. Intro pic 1 here Small wars broke out at first but elves are amazing archers and were able to stop all attacks at first. They got to be known as unbeatable so the attacks stopped for a while. Unfortunately many of the male elf army got killed during these battles so the elf population were mostly female that had to be trained as archers in case of future attacks. The old queen of Fae Land died after all the wars from old age with no heirs to the throne so Fae Land went with no queen for some time. Eventually news got out there was no queen to lead the defense so soon larger and more organized attacks began again but Fae Land's army was much smaller and not as strong when the males were all alive. The archers did their best to keep the attacks back but the enemy was strong and ruthless. It looked like Fae Land was about to fall if it wasn't for a small pixie named Pippa that knew of an amazing winged army of Sprites led by a highbreed named Alieta just north of Fae Land called Cumberland. Alieta led her army of Sprites along with her captain Jazmen to Fae Land and split the army of over two hundred into three groups and surrounded the attackers from the air with enchanted arrows that would peirce any armor. Out of ranged from the attacking ground troops and because of the speed at which Sprites can fly Alieta's winged army was able to defeat every attack saving Fae Land and all that lived there. Soon the attacks stopped again and there was peace once again. Intro pic 2 here Now during these counter attacks, a special elf named Ginger befriended Alieta and made sure her army was well cared for with water and food. She was loved and head of the elf comunity and organized a bunch of elves and humans to clean and recondition the old palace. Once the palace was ready to be lived in again. Ginger went to Jazmin the captain of the army and told her the plan she had for Alieta and asked her to tell Alieta that she was needed at the palace and to come with her. Ginger had sent out messengers for all of Fae Land to come to the palace grounds for a important anouncement. When Alieta and Jazmen got to the palace there was over a thousand people there standing, looking at the three of then standing on the steps. Ginger spoke in a loud voice. "Because of this brave Sprite and the amazing winged army she brought with her to defend Fae Land, we are all safe again. I asked you all here to to see this wonder woman and to see if she will stay and rule all of Fae Land. Alieta looked at Ginger with surprise. All those in favour of making Alieta the new queen of Fae Land raise your hands. Every person on the gounds raised their hands and yelled Alieta over and over again. Ginger looked at Alieta. What do you say Alieta, will you be our Queen? asked Ginger. All of Fae Land wants and loves you. Alieta looked down at Ginger that had this big smile on her face. Tears ran down Alieta's face. You sneaky little girl, yes I will be queen, said Alieta. Well don't just tell me, tell them, said Ginger. Alieta put up her arm and the crown went silent. I Alieta Leader of the winged army accept the honour of becoming the queen od Fae Land. The crown all went nuts cheering. Ginger singnaled to and elf to bring out the crown and handed it to Jazmen. She placed it on Alieta's head and yelled out "Long Live The Queen"! Intro pic 3 here Alieta's first command as queen was to have the biggest party that Fae Land had ever seen. The palace cooks began preparing food for everyone, minstrels began to play music then the people rejoiced and danced. Alieta became a very kind and fair queen that earned everyones love and made Fae Land the safest best place to live. More people moved to Fae Land and Alieta with Ginger by her side was able to open up trade routes with other towns and Land. In a short amount of time, Fae Land became an extremely wealthy country. Eventually the attacks began again but not by human armies but by armies of orcs and other creatures that wanted to reap the land of all it's resources and riches. These armies were very difficult for Fae Land's vast army to deal with because of the huge size of the enemy that numbered in the thousands. The winged army along with the archers and ground troups were able to hold off the attacks for some time but these creatures were relentless and kept attacking every day. Alieta called upon the Blue Fae to help them that lived deep under ground of Fae Land. They were very strong plus fast when on the surface because of the lower pull of gravity on the surface. The queen of the Blue Fae was Safire and she hated orcs with a passion so she assembled her army to fight. Together they soon were able to kill all the orcs and creatures even those that tried to run away bringing peace back to Fae Land. At least for a while. Intro pic 4 here Some of the humans remained in Fae Land and interbreeding occured between them and the elves creating unique highbreed humans that were much stronger and faster than a normal human. The Blue Fae were back underground but a bond was created between Alieta and Safire and the Blue Fae's domain underground became part of Fae Land seeing it was mostly under Fae Land. This created a trade between the two that of them where the Blue Fae could exchange their vass amount of minerals, gems and oar for food and other supplies. This friendship was everlasting. Now it is the present time and all is still peaceful. One day a magical fae chest was stolen from Alieta that she kept in her den, not thinking anyone would want to steal it. She went to a person that was a look out for Fae Land on a high ridge over looking the west borders. Her name was Alexa, a petite highbreed human girl that was a master with the sword plus very strong and fast on her feet. Alieta asked Alexa if she saw anyone leaving Fae Land with the chest but Alexa saw no one leaving or coming into Fae land from the west. Alieta asked for her help to retrieve it and Alexa agreed to help out her queen. Alieta introduced Alexa to Titus a strong man with excellent sword skills, two centaurs Taiyo and Oaklyn that were very strong and extremely fast runners and Tempressa, also known as The Ice Queen that could turn anything into ice by just pointing at it. Thus the begining of the team of heros began on their first adventure. Intro pic 5 here Chapter 1 The Fae Chest Alexa was one of these stronger human females and even though she knew that all the orcs were dead she still stood watch on a high cliff with the old ruins over looking the lands. One day Alieta approached her and asked for her help to retrieve an important item that was stolen from her by a mean strong and odd looking human that heard what the chest could do and wanted it for himself. You see the Fae chest is magical and is able to give the person that opens it the thing that they needed the most, said Alieta. The chest will only open to those that are true of heart and is indestructable so this chest is useless to this odd looking human. Alexa was glad to help and went back to town with Alieta and got her friends Tempressa and Titus join her on the quest. On their way to the palace to get what ever enchanted weapons they might need on this guest, Alieta introduced them to Taiyo and Oaklyn, two centaurs that wanted to help and join the team. When they arrived Alieta gave Oaklyn and Taiyo special body armor for extra protection, but Alexa was happy with her leathers, that had better freedom of movement. Taiyo and Oaklyn were glad to get some armor and their choice of swords that had special properties. Again Alex preferred her light weight sword that was given to her by a Fae friend that said it will never need to be sharpened and will never break. First they all got together in the big dinning room where they all enjoyed a feast before their long journey. After a bit of a rest, they were ready to start but before they left Alieta gave Alexa a special item to take with her seeing she didn't want anything else. Alieta told her it was a Sun Crystal that when squeezed at the base, it would emit a very bright light that would brighten her way and temporarily blind any opponent plus the crystal will never run dim. Now Alexa was happy to take that item! Oaklyn and Taiyo got Alexa and Tempressa to hop on their backs while poor Titus had to walk at first. Alieta told them to head towards the Black Forest and a winged sprite will follow you from above but once inside they were on their own. That said they waved good bye and started on their way. Illustration 06 Goes Here After about four hours, they were getting close to the Black Forest when they came across an elf sitting by the fire cooking a campfire dinner. She jumped up and pulled out her sword. Let me talk to her, said Alexa. She walked up to the elf some. We want no troubled we just saw your fire and came to check it out, said Alexa. Smells good what ever you are cooking. It's a stuffed turkey, said the elf. Stuffed with what? asked Alexa. Stuffing of course, a good cook never gives away her secrets, said the elf. Can we join you? We have some rations we can share, said Alexa. She agreed and they all sat together and had dinner. They found out that her name was Ktara, a bad lands roamer plus was familiar with the Black Forest. Once she heard about the quest they were on she asked if she could join them. They all agreed and to their luck they now had a guide and now there is six. Ktara told them there was an old odd looking man living on the edge of the clearing and to the best of her knowledge he would be a little threat to them but it would be best to offer him a gift of some sort and he would be happy to welcome them. Now they had some valuable information. After they finished eating and had some idle conversations so they all could get familiar with each other they got up and started on their way. After about two hours they reach the boundaries of the Black Forest and Ktara told them they should sleep here before entering the forest seeing it was getting dark so they all laid down and grabbed a some sleep. In the morning Ktara gave each of them a piece of special loaf that had properties that would give them extra energy for their journey. Illustration 07 Goes Here As soon as they entered the forest they all felt a strange dark heavy feeling about this place and now they understood why it was called the Black Forest. Even though a lot of the trees were dead it was still very dark inside the forest. Ktara pointed in the direction to the middle of the forest. We have to go follow this path though the middle of the forest, said Ktara. It is the only way to the clearing where this man lives. They all started along the path and as they got deeper into the forest the strange dark heavy feeling got stronger. Ktara assured them they would get use to it and not to worry so they kept moving forward. All of a sudden a giant spider dropped down from the trees and looked very angry and hungry. The six of them pulled out their swords and prepared for battle but the spider climbed back up to the tree tops. Man I hate spiders, said Tempressa. Me too, especially when they are bigger than me, said Ktara. This concerned Alexa so she rode backwards on Taiyo's back so she could keep a watch on their backside. Okay lets keep going, the clearing is not that much farther away, said Ktara. Soon they reached the clearing and saw a house to one side of it, hidden mostly by trees. As they got close to the building an old looking male elf jumped out and started to yell at them and told them they must leave the forest now. He had no weapon so was no threat to them at this time so Alexa on Taiyo approached him and explained why they were there and needed to continue their quest for Alieta. Once he heard that the quest was for Queen Alieta he calmed down and said that if it is for my queen then you may continue. Alieta put me in charge of guarding the forest many years ago and has probably forgot about me but I am loyal to her, said the old elf. Illustration 08 Goes Here After about an hour they reached the edge of the clearing and and saw a cabin in bad condition but their was smoke coming out of the chimney so they figured he was inside. As they approached the cabin an odd man jumped out of the front door and yelled to them to leave his land now. This is private property! he yelled. I got this, said Ktara then approached the man. She was out of ear shot from the rest of the team but they could see that she handed him something. It seemed to calm him down right away. She then waved the rest of the team to come closer. We are on a quest to retrieve the Fae Chest and bring it back to Alieta, said Alexa. Without a word he turned around and when inside the the cabin and after a few minutes he came out with the chest and handed it to Alexa. Take it is useless to me, the darn thing doesn't work anyways and won't even open. It's light so nothing is in it any ways. He hanned it to Ktara then turned around and went back into the cabin without saying another word. Ktara brought the Fae Chest back to the team. Well that was a lot easier than I figured it would be, said Alexa. Ya I didn't even get a chance to freeze his butt, said Tempressa. So what was it you gave him that calmed him down? asked Alexa. It was a button off the side of my top, said Ktara. It was just there for looks anyways. He is a horder and wanted to add it to his button collection. That guy has all kinds of unusal stuff all over the place in his house. Alexa was shocked to hear that a little button ended the quest for the Fae Chest but then started to laugh. Illustration 09 Goes Here The team started back to return the chest to Alieta but soon after they were about half way out, that large spider dropped down again from the trees with several smaller spiders. This time they knew there was going to be a battle. Alexa looked behind her and saw their was several spiders heading towards them fast also. They all pulled out their swords and the battle started. Oaklyn and Taiyo where big and heavy so they crushed a few with their hooves then stabbed them in the head to make sure they were dead. Alexa was fighting two at once aiming for their legs, cutting them off one by one as the others continued to battle with the large spiders. Tempressa was frezzing them then the two centaurs would smash them with their hoves but the spiders just kept coming. They managed to kill off one front of the spiders but Alexa was tiring and so was eveyone else. There must be a nest close by thought Alexa. Alexa remembered what Alieta gave her so she told the others to get behind her and to cover their eyes. She took out the Sun Crystal then squeezed the bottom of it. Immediately it emitted a very bright and intense light that lite up the entire forest around her which blinded the spiders and stopped them in their tracks. Lets get the heck out of here, yelled Alexa. They doubled up on Taiyo and Oaklynn then took off as fast as they could and didn't stop until they were out of the Black Forest then started back to see Alieta. Illustration 10 Goes Here Once back Alexa asked an elf to get Alieta for them. Alieta came out right away and when she saw that they had her Fae Chest she was so happy she gave Alexa a big hug then offered them a reward. She told Alexa to open the chest first and when she did so she pulled out a brand new pair of leather boots and a new leather armor suit that looked similar to her's but was even lighter then the one she had on. Alieta told her it was stronger than heavy metal armor and she should wear it instead of what she had on seeing it was enchanted also to stop swords from penetrating it. It was Titus's turn and when he opened the chest he pulled out what looked to be a gold compass. He asked Alieta what it was for and she explained it was a special compass that when opened, it would point him in the direction to his true love. He smiled and knew he had been looking for a mate for a long time. Next it was Tempressa turn to open the chest and when opened she pulled out a brand new outfit that was very beautiful and a silver tiera that when worn, it would help her make good decisions. Now it was Oaklyn's turn and when she opened the chest she pulled out a gold ring with a large diamond. Oaklyn was a bit confused but said nothing and let Taiyo take his turn. When he opened the chest he pulled out the same thing as Oaklyn got, just a bit bigger. He turned to Alieta and asked what is this for. Alieta explained that the two rings where engagement rings and when put on, the two wearing them will be united for life and live a happy together for as long as they live. This put a big smile on both of their faces seeing they were both secretly in love with each other but never said anything encase either of them got turned down. Ktara turned and started to walk away because she knew she was not part of the original team but Alieta yelled at her and said, Where do you think you are going girl", it is now your turn to open the chest. She was surprised but went to the chest and opened it. She pulled out what looked like a leash that would be used to lead a horse. She asked Aileta what is this for. You Ktara, my new friend will have the choice of any horse in my stalls excepted for mine which is the large white horse. This made Ktara so happy she began to cry. I have never owned a horse before, said Ktara. Alieta then told the six of them that she has an old friend to the south west that heard that Alieta had a team of heroes threw the pixie grape vine and asked her if he could borrow the team when she was finished with them. The team gathered together and collectively agreed to help Alieta's friend. With that Alieta told them it was time to rest and sent them all to their own quarters, except for Oaklyn and Tayio, seeing they had already put on the rings on and needed some quality time together. Illustration 11 Goes Here Chapter 2 The Sword Of Life Once morning arrived and everyone was well rested, they had some breakfast then got ready to head out together. Alieta told them her friend's name is Archie and is a kind man with a big heart and very easy to like. Alieta sent out a winged messenger to tell Archie to keep a watch out for them. With that, the team headed out south west on their second journey expecting no trouble on the way. The trip was about a seven hour hike seeing that Titus was still on foot so they just took their time. Half way there two trolls jumped out in front of them and ordered the team to stop. They were smaller than them and seemed to be no threat to anyone so they stopped to listen to the two trolls. The male troll told them they had to pay a toll to pass or they would have to turn back. This time Tempressa, while wearing her her new tiara, approached the two trolls and announced to them that she was the Ice Queen and if they did not let them pass she would turn them to ice and let them melt under the hot summer sun. She pointed her finger at the ground in front of them and turned a small section of it to ice. The two trolls got very scared and their eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. They turned and ran away as fast as they could so they were not turned into puddles. The group started to laugh and Alexa said, "Nice gift you have there". Yes I was born with it like my sister, said Tempressa. The team then went back on their way to Archie's place. Once they got close to Archie's they saw what looked like a mansion in the near distance. As they headed toward the building a beautiful girl greeted them and said they were expecting them and asked if there was any trouble on the way here. Alexa told her about the two trolls and what Tempressa told them. She just laughed and said those two are harmless but can be a bit of an annoyance. She lead them to the mansion and when there, a tall, very well dressed handsome man greeted them and said he was Archie. Alexa almost fell to her knees when she heard is very soft voice but contained herself as best as possible. Ktara snickered a bit and knew what Alexa was feeling. Archie invited them into he mansion where they found a very beautiful and well furnished home that seemed to house many people that kept the place looking great. Illustration 12 Goes Here He introduced some of the staff to them and told them that they will be taking care of them for the night. He invited them to shower which was not a problem seeing their was several washrooms in the place. He even had a special large gym shower room where Oaklyn and Taiyo could fit and shower. Once cleaned up they all sat down to a huge feast that none of them have ever seen before. They ate all they could then Archie had his staff show them to their rooms and told them to have a good sleep and he will see them in the morning and that is when he would tell them about the quest. The morning arrived and they all got dressed and went down for breakfast. After they all finished, Archie got down to business. He told them that a wicked witch had stolen his Sword Of Life. Alexa looked confused and and asked Archie, "How can a sword have anything to do with life? A sword is used to defend ones self or kill. Archie laughed. This was a magic Fae sword that when someone has recently died you just place the sword along the length of the body and it glows a beautiful blue then red. When the light goes out, the once dead person comes back to life, said Archie. Some are so happy to be alive again they offer their services to me or give me money. So are all these servants servants people that were dead and you brought them back to life? asked Ktara. Well yes but they are not my servants, they are my helpers and they are free to go at anytime, said Archie. Alexa thought to herself, who would ever wanted to leave here but kept that thought to herself. Archie told them that the witch lived to the south in the rocky hills where she has made her home in a large cave. But be careful, this witch can be dangerous. She has some weak magic but deals mostly in potions that can do a variety of things to a person if drank or inhaled. He gave each of them a special mask that would cover their nose and mouth encase she releases a deadly vapor. It will take two days to travel there by horse but seeing Titus does not have a horse yet, he can have any horse in my stalls with exception to my horse, the big black stallion, said Archie. This put a huge smile in Titus's face seeing he has never owned a horse before, just like Ktara. A maid put the pouches with all their supplies over Taiyo and Oaklyn's back then walked back to where Archie was standing The team started on their second quest as Archie and the maid waved and said good luck to them.. Illustration 13 Goes Here They figured they better keep an eye out for any trouble after dealing with the trolls. After about three hours, Alexa noticed dust rising in the distance. The rest of the team could not see anything yet but Alexa has very keen vision as being a look out guard for many years plus she was a highbreed. Soon the rest could see the cloud of dust as it got closer fast. The team had no idea what was going to happen. It could just be a bunch of large animals running our way, said Titus. When the dust started to clear they could see it was several men on horses headed right at them. Soon they arrived and stopped about thirty feet away. They at first said nothing, just chatted among each other. Then a man moved a bit forward and announced that they were the deserts marauders and told them they have to hand over all their valuables or die and then we will just take them. We have no valubles and are on a quest so leave us be or we will kill all of you, said Alieta. You talk big words for a pint size girl, said the man. Everyone has valuables, what is in those bags the centaurs have on them? Food and supplies, said Alexa, now move out of our way or we will move you! The seven men just laughed. The heck with this, said Alexa and pulled out her sword and and so did the rest of the team. The marauders then dashed towards them with swords swinging. One tried to decapitate Alexa but she ducked and as he passed she cut the strap on the horse's saddle. The man's foot got stuck in one of the stirups and was dragged away by his horse. Another man eyed the tiara on Tempressa's head and tried to grab it as he rode by. Tempressa thought to herself that there was no way she was letting this scum bag steal her crown so when the man turned around and charge back at her she, she told Oaklyn to look out and pointed her finger at him freezing both him and his horse, stopping the horse in it's tracks. Taiyo and Alexa were sword fighting on the ground now but when one of the marauders saw what Tempressa did he screamed out, "She is a witch, lets get out of here"! With that they turned, got back on their horses and fled leaving the man and horse to melt under the desert sun. Tempressa just shrugged her shoulders and said, well maybe when he melts some flowers might start to grow there. The others smiled and didn't realize Tempressa had a funny side. Illustration 14 Goes Here The night came so they made camp and took turns on watch out just encase the marauders decide to sneak back. About half way through the night Alexa was on watch and saw three large wolves sneaking up on the team. Alexa woke up Titus and Tempressa and they prepared to defend themselves. Oaklyn and Taiyo were still sleeping but the commotion woke them and they quickly got onto their feet. When the three wolves saw these two large centaurs they got scared then turned tail and ran away. Alexa giggled and said, "Look at that, you didn't even have to do anything, just wake up and standup. Now that I call power!" It was going to be light in an hour so they decided to break camp and eat something then start heading south again. Hours went by and the air was getting cooler it felt like it might rain soon but as they continued south. They spotted the rocky hills in the distance so they knew they were getting close. Alexa told them we need some type of plan that will throw the evil witch off guard. Oaklyn figured that her and Taiyo can distract the witch and lure her out away from the cave. Alexa volunteered to go into the cave and find the sword while the team kept the witch distracted. They arrived to a cave that was very big and must of been her home. Taiyo yelled out, "Come out evil witch we need to talk". In a moment this very ugly fat woman appeared holding a flask in one hand and a staff in the other. Everyone went to put on their masks but they didn't fit right so they just moved the horses to a safe distance. Taiyo and Oaklyn started to taunt the witch making her mad and as she moved closer they kept moving back slowly. When she was far enough away from the cave the others on foot got a bit closer which made they hag even madder. Alexa knew it was now or never so she quickly but quietly slipped into the large cave and it was not too hard to find the sword seeing she had it mounted on the wall above the witches bed. Alexa grabbed it and ran out and saw that the witch was about to smash the flask on the ground in front of Taiyo. Alexa put down the sword then ran at the witch from behind and drop kicked the witch in the back pushing her forward onto her own potion. The went to get up but the flask broke open and she immediately started to choke and in a few moments she laid dead on the ground. Alexa grabbed the Sword Of Life then they all got back on their horses and started back to Archie's mansion. Illustration 15 Goes Here It started to get dark and it also started to rain a bit also so the team decided to take cover under some trees. Once again they took turns taking watch but when Ktara was on watch she noticed that the ground seemed to be moving in the distance and it was slowly moving towards her. When the moving ground got closer she noticed that it was not moving ground, instead it was a bunch of big poisonous snakes heading their way. Ktara hates snakes and yelled out loud, "SNAKES!" This woke everyone up and they quickly jumped up and grabbed their swords. Horses are afraid of snakes and took off but they did not effect Oaklyn or Taiyo so they joined in running fast and jumping out of the way of the snakes as they reached down cutting snakes in half. Titus grabbed one of the snakes by the tail threw it as far as he could then continued to kill snakes. Tempressa was doing the same killing snakes as fast as she could but suddenly she felt a sting on the back of her calf and knew she got bit. Soon the snakes were all dead and they gathered all their horses and saw Tempressa laying on the ground in pain. One of those snakes got me, said Tempressa. Titus grabbed Tempressa and tied her to his horse seeing she has now passing out and then he mounted the horse. They had no time to waste and they bee lined it back to the mansion as fast as they could and when they arrived at the mansion they all yelled out help! Two helpers and Archie quickly ran out but they were to late, Tempressa had died. Illustration 16 Goes Here Archie noticed that they had retrieved the Sword of Life and quickly grabbed it and had them place Tempressa face up on the ground. Okay step back everyone, said Archie. He placed the sword along Tempressa's body and sword immediately started to glow blue then turned to a light red then slowly went dim and then turned off. Alexa was almost in tears and asked if it worked. Well let us see, said Archie. He sat Tempressa up and slapped her hard on the face. Tempressa began to cough and looked at Archie and said, "You didn't have to slap me that hard you know. If it was anyone else I would slapped you back". Everyone laughed and cheered. Archie told them that she will have to spend a day here in bed so she can get her strength back and make sure all the poislon was out of her system. Alexa thought to herself, now another full day in the mansion would be great, maybe one of the girls will give me a pedicure and manicure. They got Tempressa into a nice bed and put a girl by her side to keep an eye on her. The others took another shower and were too tired to eat so they all went directly to bed. Illustration 17 Goes Here When morning came they all got up and went down stairs and Archie was sitting at the table waiting for them and had the girls prepare a fabulous breakfast. After they were done and could not eat another bite, Archie asked them if they could do him a favor. I have a very good friend in the east that that has been having a bit of problem and she lives not that far as the crow flies, said Archie. She could use your expert help and would like to know if they all could help her out. I will let her give you the details but is very important to her and me. The group immediately agreed seeing he just saved Tempressa's life. Thankyou,now you will have to stay another night and leave in the morning so we can continue to make sure Tempressa is all good to go, said Archie. As a reward though, it is time for you all to get pampered. Can I get a pedicure please, asked Alexa. Yes of course and how about a manicure and a massage too, said Archie with a smile. They all went up to check on Tempressa to see how she was doing. How are you feeling? asked Alexa.I am feeling much better and wanted to get back to join the team again, said Tempressa. So are you up for another quest? asked Titus. Always, not a problem so when do we leave? asked Tempressa. In the morning and then set out east to a friend of Archie's, said Alexa. Once they saw that Tempressa was going to be okay they went back down stairs to start the pampering. Alexa had two girls giving her medi and a pedi then went to the massage room and got an amazing massage. Every one else got the same treatment except for Tayio and Oaklyn. They got their coats washed, brushed and hooves polished. After another nice meal and a good nights sleep they got ready for their next quest. Archie gave them directions as how to get there and it will take just a few hours to reach her place. He told them that there should be no problems on the journey but you never know in this part of the land so just keep your eyes open. He thanked them all again, gave them all a hung and even gave Alexa a kiss on the cheek that made her knees feel weak. Okay another quest, said Alexa, I am begining to like this. Yep sure beats wandering around in the Bad Lands all day, said Ktara. Okay, lets head out due east to see what Archie's friend needed us to do, said Alexa. Illustration 18 Goes Here Chapter 3 The Red Dragon They were making good time seeing they all had horses and were well rested. Again they saw dust rising in the air ahead of them and Alexa thought this could not be the same men coming back for more. They all prepared for another battle but Alexa noticed that the dust was approaching them much faster than any horse would be running. The dust got very wide making it impossible for them to get out of the way. Soon they could see it was not men on horse back but wild buffalos that were in a very big hurry. They were headed west straight at them and there was nowhere to go. They all thought they would be crushed to death in a minute or two but then Alexa noticed that as they got closer they seemed to be fanning out and in moments they were on them but completely by passed them barelt touching the horses plus Taiyo and Oaklyn. There was so much dust that they all started to choke some but in a few moments all of the buffalo had past them, leaving everyone unharmed, just a bit rattled. My god that was close and weird, said Tempressa and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Right away they saw not far away, a wing creature heading their way that seemed to chasing the buffalo so they quickly took cover under some trees. As the big flying creature got closer they could see it as a big red dragon that was looking for a good meal. The dragon was moving fast and flew right past them. If that dragon decides to give up the case and turn back, it was a good thing that Alexa and I were dragon slayers back in the day, said Titus. Ya but just green dragons we killed said Alexa. Red dragons are bigger and have stronger Dragon Breath. We will figure it out, plus we have Tempressa to help us, said Titus. They stayed under the trees until the dragon headed back but this time it had a buffalo in each back foot tightly grabbed by it's talons. Once the dragon was far enough out of range they started back on their journey and high tailed it to Archie's friend's place and made it there soon. They dismounted and Alexa knocked on the door of this humble but chard house and was greeted by a very pretty girl that invited them all in. She sat them all down around the table and introduced her self as Cinthia then served them a very tasty beef stew that had a ton veggies in it. This is the best beef stew I have ever had, said Alexa. Thankyou but that it was not beef meat but instead it was buffalo meat that I get from one of the hunters that lived near by, said Cinthia. Regardless of what type of meat it was, it tastes great! said Titus. Cinthia told them they should rest and relax after they finish eating and in the morning she would fill them in on what she wanted them to do for her. Alexa already had a good idea of what she need them to do for her. Illustration 19 Goes Here In the morning Cinthia had prepared a nice breakfast for them and when done Cinthia cleared the table sat back down and got to the business at hand. I have been tormented by a nasty red dragon that keeps burning all my crops just before it was harvest time, said Cinthia. I can't understand why it is bothering me and burning all my crops. It comes out to feed every few days especially just before the winter season and I have been told it attacks other farmers crops too. Dragons need no reason to destroy anything with their fire, said Alexa. They are evil creatures that love to torment destroy things that people have made. Red dragons are the worst of all and will hunt and eat anything alive including people. Why in heavens name were they ever created anyways? asked Cinthia. They are not created by God, said Alexa. Those are Demon creations. We saw one chasing a herd of buffalo on our way here but we couldn't see where it came from. The stories say that the dragon attacked and killed all the dwarves that lived in the Red Mountain due south from here and sleeps inside at the base of the mountain. People have gone there to kill the dragon but they never returned. That is why I will understand why you all may not choose to go and try to kill this beast but Archie told me you were heros from Fae Land so I am hoping you are able to stop these attacks, once and for all. Do you think you can handle this quest? Alexa and Titus looked at each other and figured they could defeat it. It might be harder than what they were used to because they only slayed green dragons in the past, said Titus. Then they asked the others if they want to join them. Oaklyn said that they were a team and will stick together. Thankyou, now once you arrived there, there is supposed to be an entrance at the bottom that the dwarves made years ago full of armor and weapons that they made plus gold and gems they mined from the mountain. If you are quite, a couple of you should sneak in and steal a couple of large shields that will help you defend yourselves. How big is this dragon? Alexa asked. We only saw it flying up high in the sky. I am not sure because I hid in the basement when it came by, said Cynthia. But years ago people said that there was a green dragon that would fly by and burn everything in it's path. My guess is that the red dragon arrived and killed then ate the green dragon. Yes red dragons have been know to do that when they are hungry enough, said Alexa. So where exactly is this red mountain? Just travel south of here for almost ten hours and you will see it towering over everything, said Cynithia. With that said Cinthia gave them some food and water supplies to cover them for the journey. Then the six of them said their goodbyes and headed out south to find the mountain. Illustration 20 Goes Here As they headed out and rode due south like Cinthia told them, there was no sight of the dragon and in about half a day they could see the mountain. Out of nowhere a big female tiger jumped out and started to roar at them. Tempressa was about to draw her sword when Alexa told her to stop. She pointed over to a patch of grass under a tree and saw two little baby tigers playing together. That this tiger had babies and was just protecting them, said Alexa. Alexa instructed everyone to slowly back up showing the tiger that they were no threat then took a wide path around the the tiger. The mother tiger then just turned and went back to her cubs. Protecting her cubs was all she wanted to do so you can not blame her for jumping out, trying to scare us away, said Alexa. Illustration 21 Goes Here They soon made it to the base of the mountain and circled around it until they found the entrance as Cinthia described. All of a sudden they heard a big bang and guessed the Dragon was not satisfied yet and was going out hunting again. They all hid inside the tunnel until the dragon was gone then went into the cave and found a mountain of gems and gold along with various forms of fae and dwarf armor and weapons. They all grabbed a shield each then waited in the tunnel until the dragon returned that was not too long. The red dragon returned without any prey so no luck for second helpings, said Titus. When the dragon began to enter the moutain from the top they got out of the tunnel. Now we need him out here again, said Alexa. You four stay in the tunnel for now and Titus will be the bait. Thanks a lot said Titus. Why am I always the bait when it comes to killing a dragon? asked Titus. Because you are so big and strong and makes for a bigger meal to a dragon, said Alexa. Your right as usual but that doesn't make me feel much better, said Titus. Titus started to yell at the dragon to get it's attention and in no time the dragon crawled out of the top of the mountain and was air born again. The dragon saw Titus and was getting ready to attack. The dragon began to scooped down at Titus but Alexa crouched down off to the side some with her sword ready. The dragon was coming straight for Titus and began to blow out fire at him but he was able to block it with the shield as it made it's first pass but Alexa had jumped out and took a swing at the dragon but missed. The shield worked great and must of had some fae magic added to them, said Titus. Okay here it comes again, said Alexa. Let me try stabbing it again as it does its second pass. This time Alexa took a swing at the dragon as it passed but just took off two scales that fell to the ground. Alexa picked one up noticed that red dye rubbed off onto her fingers. A closer look at the scale she noticed something unusual with it. She rubbed the scale and saw that it was really green underneath. Look Titus, this is no red dragon, it is green, said Alexa. This must be the original green dragon that took over the mountain. Illustration 22 Goes Here The red mountain's dust and dirt must of worn off on the dragon, said Alexa. Now we know exactly how to kill this creature. Titus got Taiyo ready to swing him up when the dragon passes to attack Alexa again. Tempressa, try and freeze one of the dragons wings when it passes you, said Alexa. I will be the bait this time. As the dragon came swooping down for another attack Tempressa was able to freeze some of the dragon's wing as it passed her that made it loose control. Taiyo swung Titus as hard as he could and he landed right on the dragons back. He moved up near its neck and shoved his sword all the way into it's neck. The dragon let out a load yelp and as it passed just above Alexa as she shoved her sword deep into it's lower chest. The dragon crash landed and Titus jumped off as Alexa stabbed the creature again to make sure it was dead. The dragon's eyes closed and stopped breathing. Tempressa walked up to the dragons head and froze it solid then Oaklyn stomped on it, smashing it into pieces. They all cheered as Alexa said,"Now that is what I call a great team effort". Alexa grab a small bag from her pack and went back into the tunnel and filled it with gems but put two big diamonds in her pockets then came back out' This is for Cinthia so she can rebuild her home and get her gardens going again, said Alexa. They quickly returned to Cinthia's place making sure they did not disturb the tigers this time and when they arrived they told her the good news. She was over joyed and kissed them all on the cheek. Here take these gems to get your place back to normal. Wow, This will make my place better than it was before, said Cinthia. Would you all like to have something to eat? No just some water for the trip will be good enough, said Alexa. We want to get back to Fae Land and tell Alieta our stories. After Cinthia filled up all their water containers the team headed back home. Illustration 23 Goes Here Chapter 4 The Home Coming When they got back Alexa asked one of the elves get Alieta. Wow, your back! What took so long? asked the elf. Well after we killed the evil witch and brought Archie back the Sword Of Life, sent us to a friend of his that needed a dragon killed, so this took a bit more time, that's all, said Alexa. That's all!, That is amazing, said the elf then ran into the palace. Alieta came out all excited with Ginger. So Penny just told me that you six had quite the adventure, killing a witch then even a dragon. You make me proud all of you, said Alieta. Now word will get out soon that Fae Land has a team of heroes that can do what nobody else can do. I hope that you won't mind being called upon again in the future. Now I am guessing that Tenpressa led the team, seeing she is a queen. Nope not me, said Tempressa. We all did what ever Alexa asked us to do. She made the plans for each quest and boy she can really swing a sword. Yep and she is really smart too, said Titus. Ktara chuckled. An what do you find so amusing? asked Alieta. Well she really liked Archie and when he gave her a kiss on the forehead I thought she was going to faint, said Ktara. Yes he is very charming, isn't he, said Alieta. But he is in love with Cinthia that leaves not far from him and she loves him too. Oh, well it was Cinthia that we killed the dragon for. She is very pretty, said Alexa. Don't forget a good cook too, said Ktara. Almost as good as me. Yes Ktara, the Bad Lands roamer, there will be no more roaming for you my new friend, said Alieta. Because of what your courage and how you helped the team I am having a house built for you in Eden where you can make many more friends. You jst ell the builders what you like in a home and they will make it for you. Really! Well a big kitchen for one, I love to cook, said Ktara. Well you will have to cook for me then while you stay in the palace until the house is built, said Alieta. Now have any of you meet Ginger yet? Everyone shook their heads. Well Ginger here is my very best friend and is responsible for have me to become queen here, said Alieta. She is in charge of everything that goes on in the palace and else where in Fae Land. She is very intelegent so don't let her very cute looks and sexy way of dressing make you think otherwise. They all smiled as Ginger began to blush. Illustration 24 Goes Here They all were about to say their good byes and go to their homes but Oaklyn and Taiyo wanted to get married and invited them all to their wedding and hoped they would all come. Well of coarse we will all come and wish you the best, said Alieta. I am the Queen of Fae Land and it is in my power to wed anyone living here. Is tommoro too soon? Really, tomorrow is good for me, said Oaklyn what about you Tayio? Perfect, the sooner the better, said Taiyo. Good then you will all stay here at the palace tonight and get cleaned up and have some dinner then Then get a good nights rest for tomorrow we all have a wedding to witness, said Alieta. They all headed into the palace but Alieta stopped Tempressa. So are you okay taking orders from Alexa? asked Alieta. You are not one to take orders from anyone. Well if you were with us and saw how she handled every situation we ran into on these quests and there were many of them, then you would understand. She is very smart and extreemly strong as such a small girl, said Tempressa. She is fearless and a natural leader yet she really doesn't just give orders to everyone. She makes a plan and it always makes the perfect sense and we always agree to what she came up with and she does it on the spot. She is special Alieta and I would trust her with my life. Well then, Alexa will be the leader of the team of heros, said Alieta. So how strong is she? Lets just say even Titus has nothing on her, said Tempressa with a smile then she walked into the palace. Okay Ginger you know what to do, right? asked Alieta. Yep one wedding party comming up, said Ginger. You know lots of people are going to want to come seeing there hasn't been a wedding in Fae Land for a very long time. Alieta smiled. So lets make it a good one then, said Alieta. Illustration 25 Goes Here In the morning they all got dressed up in very nice clothing that they found outside of the bedroom doors. They never looked so pretty and handson and felt like a million bucks. They all went down stairs and were instructed to go to the grand hall. An elf showed them the way and when they all entered they were shocked to see a beautiful large hall decorated with flowers and the walls were lined with gold trim. There must of been fifty people there also. They were told to go to the front where a table was reserved for them. In about ten minuites the wedding song started and Alieta appeared and stood at the front facing the crowd. She was glad in a beautiful gown that made her look even prettier. Then Tayio came out first and turned to see Oaklyn clad in a beautiful white gown, fit special for a centaur. Lovey girls were tossing rose peddals behide her as she headed towards the front. Oaklyn turned towards Tayio and took off her veil and saw the biggest smile on her husband to be's face that she had never seen before. All she could do was blush. Alieta then started the ceromony speach. I have known these two all of their lives and watched them play together and grow up together. Their freindship turned to love over time and now destiny has brought them before all of us to share their love with each other. Illustration 26 Goes Here Alieta turned to Tayio and asked "Do you take this woman to be your wife, to love for as long as you live"? and he replied yes I do. Then she turned to Oaklyn and asked her, "Do you take this woman to be your wife, to love for as long as you live"? She replied yes I do also. Alieta then called for the two ring bearers that had rings on two red velvet heart shaped pillows. These rings were beautiful. They were pure gold encircled with small diamonds. Alieta instructed Tayio the take the ring and place it on Oaklyn's finger then she turned to Oaklyn and instructed her to place the other ring on Tayio's finger. Then Alieta raised her arms high in the air and anounced, "By the power and the laws of Fae Land I now pronounce you husband and wife". She turned to Tayio and said, "You may kiss the bride". They gave each other a nice long kiss then everyone in the hall stood up and cheered while tossing flowers high into the air. Alieta walked off to join the other heros at the front table. At that moment Alexa stood up and approched the two of them and took out a small satin pouch she had been keeping hidded. She handed it to Tayio and said to both of them, "There are two large diamonds in this sack to make sure you two never fall on hard times". The two of them both bent down and gave Alexa a big hug. Alieta then told them that she had a gift for them also. Their is a big property in Eden that is having a big house built on in with special designs for a centaurs. But while my people work on that you must have your honeymoon so you may pick anywhere in The Land OF Fae that you would like to go and all expensives will be paid by the crown. Once again every one stood and cheered then Tayio and Oaklyn took there place at the front table and next came the seven course meal. All was well in the land that day! The End Illustration 27 Goes Here