Her First Friend

Waiting like this, unable to move or do anything to be heard or seen, was agonizing. The sound of the water slapping the bottom of the large sink echoed in her ears, knocked against her head like a gong. She could hardly focus on anything else. The premise of death loomed over her like the darkest cloud.

An eternity? She thought, Is the Queen right? Would I really be sinking forever?!

Her hammering heart was sometimes louder than the sound of the water gushing in her head. It pumped so hard it might have burst from her chest if she was in a cartoon. Except, this was reality, however strange it might be, and it made her feel like she was going to die.

I need to calm down... I need-- Ran! She called suddenly, reaching out to him as if her mind had arms and fingers. Ran, where are you?! Help me, please!!

She waited with bated breath, because that was the only thing she could do. Misa couldn't even bite her lips to stop the panic from overtaking her. She could only drop large tears from her eyes because, of course, a response never came.

That would have been too easy.

He can't hear me, I guess. Maybe he's too far away. She tried rationalizing her thoughts in this situation. Maybe he'll hear me once he's closer. Maybe I'll get out of here. Maybe... Maybe...

She had no more 'maybes' to spare. The sink was gradually getting full of water, and quickly. Soon, it would spill over and start creeping across the floor, just like the Queen described to her. It scared Misa senseless.

Her heart couldn't take it.

Suddenly, a sound so quiet it was almost imperceptible interrupted Misa's lamentations. There was a fly-like buzzing right beside her right ear. Misa was unable to turn her head to see it, but she screamed, Aw, come on... A damned fly!!? in her head. To her, it was one of the last annoyances someone wanted to meet while on death's door.

The buzzing moved to right in front of her, where she could see the source with her tear-filled eyes. If Misa's body could move, her jaw would have hit the floor. It was a beautiful little faerie! The size of her finger.

She had flowing purple hair and the cutest little white and purple wings which fluttered so quickly, Misa could only see their color. She didn't have to see them quickly for them to be cute. A tiny creature with miniature wings was cute no matter what. Period.

The faerie wore a thick purple coat with a hood that was decorated with white trim. Her adorable, teeny ballerina shoes drew Misa's attention for so long--they were the cutest damned things!--she missed the moment the little faerie transformed back into its original size.

Tana! Misa cried in her mind. She had suspected as much, but she didn't want to let herself down if the little faerie happened to be someone else.

Someone that couldn't help her. Or worse, who wouldn't help her. A foe rather than a friend.

Misa felt like the two (and-a-half, if counting Ryusei) enemies she currently had were more than traumatizing enough. Another one would have just been too much.

As Tana, the Fae princess with whom she seemed to have developed a friendship of sorts, knelt before her like a gallant knight to save her, Misa presumed, Misa suddenly began screaming in her head. Wait! Wait! How do I know this is really Tana?? She remembered Pera transforming out of Ryusei's likeness and back into her own. She pictured the same Fae pretending to be her own sister.

How did she even know where to find me?! This isn't Tana!

These thoughts sent Misa into a complete frenzy, and she felt her limbs flailing outward like a ghost while her actual body remained stock still. Then, Tana spoke, "I sense your fear, Lady Misa. Calm. I felt my sister's magic. I have been on the hunt for her since her escape. Better to be the predator than the prey, as I expect her to come for me soon to exact her revenge.

"I mean you no harm."

Tears shot from Misa's eyes like little rockets. She imagined them shooting pew-pew shots at Tana's face for a millisecond and wanted to slap herself for it. How is that silly thought appropriate in this second? She chastised herself. She was waiting to thank Tana with a crushing hug.

Gentle as a breeze through the Faes' forest, Tana placed her hand over Misa's eyes. Misa saw her world descend into darkness and forced herself to, for once, relax and not be consumed by fear. From Tana's palm glowed a bright blue light that enveloped Misa like a warm hug. It bled all over her body, from the roots of her hair down to the tips of her toes, and all the while, she listened to Tana murmuring what she assumed what a counter charm to eliminate the curse Pera had Misa under.

Patiently, as patiently as she could, Misa waited, until eventually, her body broke apart from its invisible prison as if she were a newborn chick hatching from an egg. Or a butterfly, freed from its cocoon. Momentarily, she felt as though she had no control over her body as it relaxed so drastically, her arms and legs seemed jellified, boneless.

"I have no strength in my arms and legs!" Misa cried in alarm, and then, "Huunh!!" She gasped, "I can speak!"

Tana nodded at her, "Give the spell time to work its course. My sister's curses have always been her most powerful magic. Being a victim to one of them, even being freed from one of them, is no easy task. You must rest. Relax your mind and your senses will come back to you."

Misa nodded, glad to at least be able to move her neck and facial features once more. She closed her eyes and tried to remove all thoughts from her mind, leave only blackness behind her eyelids.

Soon, she felt the most satisfying tingling sensation in her arms and legs. Hesitantly, she wiggled her fingers and toes. Beaming, she popped her eyes back open and jumped on Tana before the Fae could move from her kneeling position. "Thank you, Tana! Thank you so much!" She exclaimed.

Tana, probably never having had a hug--especially from a human--in her entire life, roughly pushed Misa away from her, pink dusting her cheeks. "Um, sure, Lady Misa."

"Just call me 'Misa.'"

Nodding, Tana dusted the front of her coat off, like Misa had left gross flakes of dry skin behind. Misa frowned. Meanwhile, Tana shook her head suddenly.

"Do not thank me just yet. As I said, Pera's curse is powerful. I broke only the outer shell of her magic, but her magic is the sort that seeps deep within. The easiest way to break Fae magic is with Fae magic, or the essence of a Fae. Therefore, you will have to ingest a bit of Fae blood to counteract it."

Misa's mouth dropped open. Her memory returned to a moment from seven days ago, in which Prince Von, the slain Fae prince, had relayed the Fae prophecy to her and Prince Ran. It mentioned 'a princess who, after accepting the sweet food and blood of the Fae...'

She swallowed, thinking about what all that truly entailed for her, health-wise. But Misa said nothing in rejection of Tana's words. She was done running away from these prophecies of the wise Oracle of Kkum. Instead, she nodded her head, steeling her resolve.

"Okay." She said, "Let's do it."

Wasting no time, Tana swiped a fingernail across the forefinger of her right hand. A shimmery golden droplet of blood pooled onto her finger and Misa's mouth dropped open yet again. "Your blood!" She exclaimed, having forgotten to file and store in her mind the sight of Prince Von's blood in the midst of Prince Ran draining him. It had been too chaotic.

Now, seeing it up close--it felt unreal. It felt like she was seeing a secret she shouldn't have known about. Something like a secret treasure. "It's... It's wow. I'm jealous." She whispered.

"Careful. You will end up either crazed or becoming a Fae yourself if you think of it that way, regardless of whether I intend for you to. Think of removing the curse from your body, and you will be left only with the essence, and you will be safe."

Nodding rapidly because, Oh my, God!, Misa muttered a serious, "Understood." She popped her mouth open when Tana positioned to drip her blood into Misa's mouth. Misa had to close her eyes to stop herself from moving at the last second because, well, blood in the mouth is blood in the mouth.

Tana dropped several drops inside and, when Tana told her she was done, Misa's eyes sprang open. She surprised the living hell out of herself by savoring the taste on her tongue. Not in a temp-vampiric sort of way, but because Tana's blood was enchantingly sweet, just like Pera's cake.

Dare I say, 'This is good,' or should I just stay quiet? She asked herself, looking guiltily at Tana who randomly presented her with a smile. Oh?!

Tana shook her head at Misa, "Lady Misa... Misa. You are much too trusting. I could have been tricking you just now, just like my sister did."

Misa almost spit that blood right the hell back out. "Tana?!" She cried.

"I could have also decided the moment my blood touched your tongue that I wanted to make you my slave! Have you ever heard of a Blood Bond?"

"Tana!" Misa screamed while the Fae laughed with a beautiful row of shiny white teeth. "You creatures of this world really need to start warning me about things BEFORE I commit to them. Not after!"

"Yes, yes. Not to worry." Tana looked at Misa now like she had known Misa all her life; very fondly. "I have accepted you as my friend. My first human friend."

Misa's cheeks hurt with how big she smiled at Tana, her first Fae friend.

The pair sat for a moment longer while Misa tried to feel the change in her body. "I'm not sure if anything worked." Misa said, a little apprehensive. "I really don't want that curse in my body!"

Just then, Misa's fingers felt cold, and she flinched hard, snatching her hand away from the floor. It was the sink water! Misa had forgotten the thing was still on. It had indeed crept up toward her like the Queen had anticipated. 

"I didn't sink!!" She cried at Tana, and the Fae smiled. "I mean, I don't feel any different, but it must have worked." Smiling happily, and more relaxed than she'd been since the second she woke up, Misa thought turning off the sink. 

She made a move to get up, but to her utter surprise, the water turned off on its own. She gasped and shot her attention to Tana. "It turned off by itself, after I thought it!"

Tana explained, "My Fae blood, giving you the essence of a Fae, and the vampire blood within you have doubled your magical abilities."

"That's freaking cool." Misa mumbled and felt her whole body react when a familiar voice suddenly echoed through the chapel.

"Misa. Stop hiding, human."

Misa snickered, feelings fluttering in her stomach. "I bet he has this look on his face." She stiffened her lips and narrowed her eyes. Tana laughed.

The women got up to meet the prince in the chapel's main room. Immediately, the look on Prince Ran's face gave away that he knew something that displeased him greatly.

"It was just a few drops to break a curse." Tana insisted instantly.

Prince Ran nodded slowly, like he was making up his mind to believe her. Then, turning to Misa, he said, "It's time."