The Wooden Heart Editing

Chapter 16

A/N: FINALLY! Fifteen is done! I was going to keep the original plan to just add these scenes to the original epilogue, but then I had the idea to add two more chapters and use the original epilogue as one. I thought it would be great to create an epilogue that links this novel to the next one. I'm hoping that you will like it, but I feel like I'm putting on the cheese. Please go easy on me.

Disclaimer:

I do not claim the original fairy tale, but WH's plot and characters belong to me. Any famous songs, TV show/movies/books and manga names, and brands that are mentioned in this work belong to their rightful owners

Willa Field

-.-.-.-.-

Fifteen:

Meeting Fate

-.-.-.-.-

Years passed as the two babies were born and became cute toddlers, smart and a handful for their parents and older siblings as they reached schooling age. Now sweet little Madison Isabella Sawyers and rough Russel Shaun Griffiner was having their first day of kindergarten, not knowing what was coming for them.

The little girl was carried into the busy classroom by her handsome father, Leon Sawyers, as her mother followed with her bright pink chair while muddy brown eyes trained on the movements, curious about the pretty blonde.

Noticing the pretty girl in the tall man's arms, the boy's chest swelled with an unknown warm feeling as Leon started to try to ease his daughter's shyness by cooing to her:

"Oh look Maddie, baby, lots of new faces to get to know." He turned his green eyes on her, smiling as he placed her in her small chair. But due to fear, she held on to his neck, too shy to venture far from her parents.

"Baby girl don't worry, you will be fine, I promise I'll be here at noon to pick you up, ok?" He kissed the top of her head, then stood.

"Promise, daddy?" The little girl asked in a tiny voice, feeling, even more, shyer as she took the room.

"I promise, but I want you to promise me that you'll make a friend to tell me and momma about over some ice cream, okay?"

She smiled boldly up the 18-year-old and nodded eagerly; the young man smiled and squeezed the small girl's hand before walking out with the worried young woman, mutedly comforting her as they left their dear daughter to hopefully get over the shyness enough to make one friend.

Young Maddie sighed sadly through her nose, trying to soothe the rising fear. Then to hide from the laughing kids, Maddie wheeled to a far corner and reached over the back of the chair where her Barbie bag hung, pulling out a book.

Some things never changed, even if it is a new life, the girl was a book lover still and uncomfortable in social situations. Only her books and family brought the little girl some level of comfort. However, that was about to change:

The change came when it was almost eleven o'clock when a cute brown-haired boy made his way over to the shy little girl, finally challenging her comfort zone.

"Hey there, I'm Russel, what's your name?" The boy asked cheerfully, holding out his hand, Maddie shyly met the cute boy's outstretched hand and shook it as she stuttered out:

"I'm Maddie or Madison. It's very nice to meet you, Russel." She smiled shyly, but wasn't afraid to talk to this odd and energetic boy.

No, in fact, the pretty girl felt a strong connection with him, without really knowing the boy. The blonde just felt safe with Russel, she wasn't sure why, but Maddie knew that he wouldn't hurt or cruelly tease her like other children in the past. She could talk to the cute reddish-brunette with ease.

"Madison, huh? Pretty name." Russel said, putting a chair next to the unsure girl, smiling broadly. He also felt this odd connection to this beautiful girl and he just wanted to protect her. In response, she giggled before replying:

"Thanks, I like yours too. It sounds strong."

"Thanks, so was that your daddy?" Chase asked c*****g his head to the side, smiling when a beautiful grin spread across her lips

"Yup, he calls me his little heart. I love him so much." The boy smiled happily at that, glad to hear that his new friend has someone to lean on.

"I'm glad, he looked like he really loves you, Maddie. But if he hurts you, I'll teach him a lesson, ok?" Russel exclaimed firmly, not really knowing why he felt that strongly whenever the thought comes to his mind

As a fiery blush crept across her cheeks, the blonde smiled sweetly at the boy and nodded, saying:

"You'll protect me."

After that simple statement fell from her lips, two things happened in that moment: the first thing was the little children formed a bond very strongly and the second was the boy's heart blasted with true love even if he was too young to realize it. He just wanted to protect the girl and be there in her life.

The clock restarted on their love story and the old feelings begun to raise to the surface. And after a moment of silence, Russel locked eyes with the blonde and did something that surprised them both; he took her hand in his without any hesitation within him.

"Maddie?" His boyish voice shook with nervousness, the girl slowly nodded, giving him the okay to go on.

"I promise to be there for you always if you promise me something." He stated and Maddie c****d her head in confusion

"Don't say goodbye, just stay with me forever no matter what, just stay." He whispered, sounding much older than a five-year-old as a blush crossing over his small face. Madison blinked a couple of minutes before smiling like an i***t.

"Ok, I'll promise you, Russel." She whispered, reaching up to caress his face, and much to her delight, he cuddled closer in the palm of her hand.

The teacher saw this and frowned for a minute, but then she smiled at the scene thinking about her husband who ironically she met in this very classroom, and turned from the two; knowing that they wouldn't do anything more than touching, at that age kissing was gross. Even if they were just happy to be with each other.

But that didn't exactly apply to the two sitting talking and laughing in the corner.

They are born to meet and when they did, there was no hiding the passion whenever they were together, with a fire sitting in their eyes…

Later, the kids couldn't stop gushing about their new friend as they licked the sticky sweets from their lips, earning a smile from their parents. They hoped that the kids finally are coming together. Starting their story again, so they wouldn't be alone ever again.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Two years later—Age: Six—

-.-.-.-.-.-

As the next two years passed, the charming toddlers turned into well-behaved and charming children, much to their parents' relieve.

The only problem that risen with the children was they were inseparable and it was nearly impossible to get Russel to leave his flower for even a moment. The years birthed an unbreakable bond, one that will be stronger time itself. Both sets of parents and Russel's brother with his girlfriend and friends started to wonder if this time was much stronger than the other two.

However, was that even possible?

Sadly, as the years passed, Lesley and Leon noticed that their beautiful baby wasn't still developing as her best friend was, and wasn't as active as the other children. Only sitting on the sidelines in her chair. So they took her to the local doctor, as something to ease their worries. But, sadly, it only increased them, however, it also increased their love for her:

The kindly doctor believed she had Cerebral Palsy, the cousin condition to Schizencephaly. Like its cousin, it affects the infant's muscles and sometimes the vocal cords. It can be hard to live with, however, they wouldn't give up on their dreams. And because of that, the new versions of Lesley and Tuan knew to make sure that the blooming flower would always feel normal, no matter how hard it will get for her. And despite being bound to a chair, the princess still smiled widely like nothing was wrong with her, she was normal as everyone else was.

And soon, Maddie had turned six-years-old without any further worries on her parents' parts, knowing she would be alright. Wanting the birthday to be unforgettable for the little girl, her parents put no limits on the party, desiring to see the bright shine in her eyes and that smile everyone loved so much.

When she entered the brightly colored room, beautiful Maddie screamed her thanks as she threw her arms around the loving parents before going to search for the one person she wanted to see. The only one that mattered in the end.

Oh yes, she was happy to see her friends here to have fun and celebrate with her, but it wasn't anything without Russel besides her. Madison smiled at the children that wished her a joyous birthday, thanking them as her blueish violet eyes searched the room for him, with no avail.

She moved to a spot by a wide window while people buzzed around her, sighing as she started to fix her bright pink kimono, smoothing it down a little, because the strawberry blonde knew he would be there any moment and she wanted to look her very best for him.

Even at such a young, the blonde felt something within her heart for the boy she was raised with, she just could not understand what the feelings were just quite yet. But she knew that they would be always together, no matter what would happen in the future:

When a hand brushed her cheek, she was awakened from her thoughts, then she looked up and met the shining brown eyes she was waiting for with a bright smile shining upon her lips as Russel smiled his boyish grin. The grin grew while he bent down to get closer to her ear:

"Hey, princess, can I give you my present first?" Six-year-old Russel whispered excitedly into her ear, voicing the nickname he gave her when they first. She grinned widely and nodded eagerly, making her golden hair swirl around her head. He grinned back, gripping the handlebars tightly in his hands, and pushed her out to the porch.

Locia and Aaron smiled as their two friends giggled at the disappearing children, shaking their heads:

"The mating bond sure is fast." Alicia stated with a smile, twisting her hand with her mate's.

"We all should know that, darling. I mean we were just five too when our bond started." Jasper replied lovingly, kissing her cheek as his big wolfish friend pulled his own mate into his arms.

"I was only two when I knew I had someone out in the world for me. Time means nothing to the bond, Ali. I just hope that this time will go smoothly for them. I don't want my baby brother go through that and then there is sweet Mays. I want her to be happy too."

That statement earned three sighs and nods, letting the words lingered in the air as they went to help the adults with handling the other kids while the pair had private time.

Once they were free in the hot sun, the young boy moved to a chair sitting under a tree and parked Maddie next to it, taking the seat. The blonde watched with a smile as the boy fished in his pocket for something excitedly. When a couple minutes passed, he finally took something out of it, laying it down in her lap with a grin placed onto his face:

"I picked this out all on my own. When I saw it, I knew you had to have it, so I raised money. Ah, but don't worry if you don't like it, Mays." Russel voiced nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

She looked at the box for a moment before looking at her best friend, the boy smiled and nodded, urging her to open it. She smiled as she reached up to brush her soft fingers along his jawline before her hands opened the little black box, revealing the most beautiful locket she had ever seen nuzzled in the linings, and the strawberry-blonde gasped while she let her fingers run over the necklace lightly.

"Oh, Russel…it's beautiful, thank you…."

"Turn it over." His whisper matched hers, leaning closer towards her. She did, carefully so, and saw these words imprinted into the back of the heart:

I'm always with you, I promise. —Russel

Maddie smiled, turning her eyes back to his face with a loving stare.

"Thank you. Help me put it on?" She requested sweetly, lifting the locket up. He smiled as he took it from his princess, moving her hair out of the way so the necklace could go on easy.

With that, the two slipped inside and started to play again, this time, though, the necklace was around Maddie's neck, smiles spread across each children's faces.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Three years later—Age: Nine—

-.-.-.-.-.-

Years passed in Crescent City, California as the children continued to mature into teens. But as they were still children, they were still so very nave at the time to their fate and everything still made sense. Maddie thought that they would always be best friends and Russel thought that he was going to marry Madison one day. Only one was right, but that isn't the point, not at this moment anyway.

Their teacher was inside having his break when Madison wheeled to Russel, who was in the field playing kickball with his other friends, teary-eyed. She stopped a few feet away, not wanting to disturb their game, and watched the boys kick the ball back and forth while they laughed at each other. She smiled sadly as she watched the charming boy having fun:

At last, they were finished and Chase was running towards her with a boyish grin, but by the time Avery came into view, his face fell, fearing that the little girl was hurt in some way.

"What's wrong, Mays? Shh, don't cry. What happened?" He whispered smoothly into her ear, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, her big blue eyes looked up and more tears fell onto her rosy cheeks.

"They said that no boy would want to kiss me. I won't get m-m-my f-f-first kis-s." She stammered; another sob shook them. Russel's brows furrowed,

"Who are 'they'?" The sweet boy asked, trying not to let his anger show as he knew that she was already on the edge without his protective anger.

Madison pointed at two girls at the swings, one was Faith Swew the ice queen, he shot them a death glare and then looked back at the sobbing girl in his arms with a softer look in his brown eyes.

"Sweetie, don't listen to their lies, ok? There's a boy out there that loves you and I promise he'll be the one to give you the special first kiss that you're dreaming of." His tone sounded so grow up and sure, but being self-conscious, she looked at him with doubtful eyes.

"Who is it then, Russel?" she challenged coldly, because she knew better. Because really, who would a handicap as their first kiss? As if the young wolf could read her mind, he frowned sadly as he pulled her closer to his side.

"It's—"

The boy growled at the sound of the bell cutting him off short, blocking him from soothing the girl's worries. Sighing sadly, Maddie wiped the tears from her eyes and started wheeling back inside of the school as her head hung low as she moved:

Russel pursed his lips annoyingly as he stood there as the other children filed inside, his eyes trained on his friend. Why didn't she see the way he felt about her, he mused dryly while he pointed his muddy gaze up to the cloudy sky.

Yes, he was still young and nave to the world but still he knew that one day, he and Avery would be more than just friends. Russel knew he would always be there to protect her, and he knew that this feeling he had for her wouldn't be going away anytime soon. Even if he was a little boy at the time, his heart knew that he loved her from the moment he first saw her in that small classroom where their friendship had started.

The boy smiled sadly as he ran into the classroom, those thoughts still housed in his mind while he continued his lessons of the day. Soon, Maddie had forgotten the cruel teasing and went back to her usual cheerful self, easing the boy's worries for the moment.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Five years later—Age: Fourteen—

-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but we have to move. Daddy needs to go and we can't just stay here without him. Japan will be fun, I promise you. We don't want to take you away from Russy, but we need the money." Lesley lamented soothingly, aching to hold her daughter when she saw the tears rolling down her cheeks, although trying to be brave for her parents:

They just got news that Leon was offered a higher paying job as an English teacher to Japanese teens in Osaka. Even though it broke their hearts to take her away from the only friend she ever had, they knew that they were no longer the Faen king and queen they were in Da Fae, they were just humans in this world, and they needed the money to keep Maddie's meds coming.

"I know mommy, it's just…. it's going to be so hard to tell him that I need to move. But I'm sure he will understand…"

They bit their lip, rushing to hug the young teen tightly as they soothed her while the young teenage girl's shoulders shook harshly, wrapping her arms around them, clinging to them tightly.

She thought if she clung to her parents, they wouldn't disappear too. She was going to lose her best friend; Maddie didn't want to lose them as well. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours before they moved onto the preparations for the move.

The next day, Maddie pushed into her 3rd period with a heavy heart. Avoiding everyone's eyes, she just worked, careful to not to cry. But as soon as the period ended, she couldn't avoid the tears anymore, they burned white hot pain behind her eyes and she had begun to have a raging headache because of it:

Maddie wheeled quickly out of the double doors leading to the little garden area, parked herself next to a wooden bench and bowed her head down with her small hands covering her face. The tears were running down her cheeks when she felt someone sit down next to her and wrapped a strong arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Shh, I'm here, Mays. What did they do this time? I swear, they'll never stop." Russel's deep soft voice shot through her, making the sobs came faster, his hands ran over her back as she felt him stiffen.

"What did they do?" He whispered into her ear, sounding worried. He thought she had gotten teased again; but it was much, much worse than some mere teasing and the thoughts made the girl shiver with fear of his reaction to the news. She pushed back from him, and wheeled halfway to the doors on the other side, she didn't turn around as she spoke the words that broke two hearts:

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry, but we're moving to Japan. I don't want to go, but I need to. I just can't stay here without them. They are my parents. Please don't freak, I will come to visit you every summer vacation. I promise, please don't freak out on me." But, sadly, a growl escaped from his throat as he swiftly stood up from his position, kicking at the dirt underneath his feet.

"Don't freak out? Don't freak out? Are you kidding me, Maddie? I have to wait all year to see you and you don't want to freak about it?"

"Um, yes….?" Madison squeaked out, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to seal herself from the cruel future she would've to face on her own.

That thought gave her nervous shudders across her spine, fear sent a cold hand inside her chest. She will have to start over in a strange town, a freak in an unknown place. She idly wondered how she would be able to fit into somewhere that being disabled was a sin and an oddity, and she wouldn't have anyone to talk besides her parents. She loved them dearly, but Maddie needed someone her own age to relate to and the only ones she ever had was Russel and Danny:

She thought about her older brother for a moment, wishing Danial was still in high school. She knew the young man would stay close to her, but he moved back to Ashley for college. She would be all alone again and that thought made her shiver deeply in fear once more before Russel's voice awaken her from her thoughts.

"Maybe you can stay with my family, Maddie. We could talk to your and my parents and you can stay. Besides, we're best friends, they just can't rip you away from me. I—"

She shook her making her blond locks swirl around, "I'm sorry Russel, but I have to go. I promise I'll be here in the summer, but I need to. Whenever you hear Nintendo on, think of me okay? This won't be so bad, right? I'm sorry, Russy." Then she wheeled to him, hugging the teen tightly, crying all the way along with him as he clung to her.

The next month went way too far for the young teens with the packing and preparations, but the young wolf stayed close to the blonde beauty as much as he could although the rushing.

He couldn't believe that this was happening to him, not having his mate with him at all times. His parents and brother always told the young wolf that the mating bond was always strong for wolves, but his and Maddie's bond was the strongest they ever have seen. That was what scared Russel the most; knowing that it is the hardest thing for mated wolves to be apart from their loved one. And he still doesn't know about their past, so when he does, the feelings would grow tenfold.

As the days passed, the best friends grew more and more anxious about the moving day, which was approaching faster than they would have like, and they couldn't find any more time to be together like they wanted before they would be separated for a year. Before they knew it, the day had come:

"You are going to be okay, right?" Madison whispered to the boy as they watched the movers buzzed around her childhood home, clinching her t-shirt nervously. Russel let out a cruel laugh, crossing his arms across his chest:

"The girl I love is moving all the way across the freaking world, how am I going to be okay with it?" Russel snapped sharply, then he sighed softly before he turned to her to see the tears running down her cheeks and Russel realized with a start what he had said.

"Mays, I—I…"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Russel? I have to go, you know that, but this made it so much. I love you so much, but I can't stay, I just can't. Why now?"

The reddish brunette winced visibly at that, still shocked at her blindness to his feelings for her when he held nothing back through the years, and boldly turned his muddy eyes to her purplish blues, taking her hands into his large ones.

"Haven't you notice the signs, princess? I always showed you how deeply I felt about you, my princess." Russel whispered lovingly, letting one of her hands to tuck a wild strand of golden red back behind her ear, "I'm not telling you this to hurt you, honey. I know that you can't stay with me, I hate that, but I know it. You just need to know I'm waiting for you when you're ready…"

They stared at each other, just clinging onto the other's body, for what seemed like forever before a yell broke the spell. The teens blushed as red as a rose while they turned to Lesley, her face wearing a deep frown and a sad glance in her blue eyes:

"I'm sorry, you guys, but we need to go now. We'll be late for our plane." She lamented out to them, wrapping her arms around herself as the mother watched them cling to each other before Maddie pulled back, wiping her eyes with a sad smile laced on her lips.

"Try and behave for me, okay? I love you.""

"Maddie…."

He started to say something more, but the blonde rushed off to her dad, begging him to put her in as Russy continued to yell out to her. Leon tried to coax his daughter to say more to the poor boy as he was worried the boy would fall apart even more without a proper goodbye, but Maddie just begged him to be put into the car and the green and black-haired man couldn't refuse as he watched the tears fall from her face.

Once the door was closed, the poor teen couldn't hold back anymore. She broke into violent sobs that rocked and shook her body as she listened through the closed door to Russel's pained whisper:

"No…no...Maddie, please don't leave me. I don't want this if you aren't with me, Maddie. I….." His voice trailed off, he was on his knees now, his fists raised to his eyes to hide his tears.

She covered her mouth as her parents pulled from the curb, tears dried on her rosy cheeks. Her heart broke into pieces, and she knew that it couldn't be easy to repair, but she knew that she couldn't stay. Her mother was pregnant and she would need help with the baby.

She could only hope that Russel would wait for her….