The Wooden Heart Editing

Chapter 11

A/N: Hey my beloved readers! I'm back with chapter ten! I hope you like the action in this one. I rewrote the fight to put more action into it because it was a bit plain (and after a review, I wanted to better it). Again, I'm not very good at writing action scenes and fight scenes, so please go easy on me, pretty please?

Thank you to my fellow writer and most faithful reviewer, Bob story builder! You rock so much, dude, thank you so much for your help in rewriting the battle scene! I hope it's better now

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

-.-.,-,-.-

Ten:

…..Before the Strom

-.-.,-,-.

The boys sat at a table the corner by the door, waiting for the girls to arrive with the feeling of excitement. It was one of the last nights of fun and they were going to enjoy it without worry

Truthfully, Michael was the most excited in the duo. Michael was practically bouncing in his chair with a mixture of excitement and eagerness to see what the girls did to Maria, and knowing them, she would look even more amazing than usual. The young man smiled softly as thoughts of the beautiful blonde and the weeks leading up to this night filled his mind, filling his body with the feeling of pride.

Despite learning of her fate, the blonde didn't let it get her down, she lived her life to the fullest. Maria had grown into the woman the prince always knew she was born to be:

She was surer of herself, and it shows in the way she carries herself. She was a true leader and Maria finally was coming into that role with such confidence, something she thought was impossible for her, however, she slowly realized that her past was in the past.

He couldn't be any prouder of her, sure she still denies how truly beautiful she is but he'll show her for the rest of their lives if Michael had to.

"Dude…." Michael's soul brother breathed, jerking him from the thoughts as his eyes slowly traveled to the big door, meeting the sight that drew the word from his mouth. Michael's jaw dropped and his heart nearly stopped, oh the goddess …

The sight was of three goddesses:

Alicia was dressed in a bright red gown that hugged to her body and the skirt flowed beautifully with every movement, the young man doesn't know what to say about this fact seeing that she's like his older sister, but god she looked like the goddess she was. Her now long brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a red ribbon, and there was no makeup on her face but some eyeshadow and blood red lipstick, letting her natural beauty shine through. Her mask was simple; it matched the dress but with a little sparkle to it and it covered half of her face.

She was truly stunning and he felt bad for Jazz, he wouldn't be able to stop touching her all night.

Locia was wearing a simple green baby doll dress with a sweetheart necklace, he could see the cross he had given her hanging from her neck, it fit her perfectly:

It made her look like the angel she was now known to be but a sneaky fairy as well, he smiled for a moment before continuing to take the scene in. Her hair acted like a wavy waterfall down her back, a green hair band sat on the top of her head, standing out in the midst of ginger waves. Although there was little makeup on her cheeks and lips, she created her own mask with every shade of green eye makeup she had, hence, the fairy looks. The teenage girl looked so beautiful, Michael highly doubted that she was going to not be alone for long.

And in the middle was his love dressed in a pale silky green gown that hugged to her body. She looked…. there're no words to try to describe how amazing she looked.

The colors sat with her pale skin perfectly and the work the girls did to her face just brighten it up to a whole new level that no one would be able to deny she was otherworldly beautiful. Her tight reddish blonde bun sat on the top of her head, little ringlets framed her face like gold. Wow….

They saw the boys and, like their reaction, their jaws for a moment before smiling at each other and made their way to their table. Michael turned to grin at the other boy before standing and meeting her half way. Jasper must've snapped out of his gaze, for he appeared at his best friend's side, mirroring his motion of bowing and holding out a hand to the girl they came with.

"Milady." The young men said in unison as the song 'A Thousand and One Nights' from the show Smash filled the room with upbeat tunes. The girls giggled and took their hands, letting the male fairies lead them out on the dance floor. To make it for her, Michael lifted Maria onto his feet and they began to dance.

After minutes of laughing and dancing around, the song turned slow

and the mood turned from upbeat to a 'for-the-two-of-us' song.

Michael looked around, smiling as the ravenette saw their friends get lost in each other as a brunette male approached a blushing Locia, feeling thankful for this night. They needed one night of fun before the war began, but he didn't know what was going to happen only moments later.

So, thinking they were safe; Michael looked down at his girl, nodding towards the door, and was rewarded with a big smile. The young man smiled back and set her back in her chair, knowing what that smile meant and they left the crowded room to walk to their place:

-.-.-.-.-.-

Awa Wao, a playground/park, was next to the building the dance was being held so they didn't have to walk very far. Michael remembered coming there with her and her mom all time when the teens were younger.

He smiled at the memories as we entered the park, which led them to the swings section by the polls imprinted with names of countless now-teenagers, including theirs. The teenager watched as Maria smiled softly as she brushed her fingers along the polls tenderly.

"Been a while since we've been here." She commented quietly as the wind swept through the empty park. Michael smiled and grabbed her free hand in his own.

"Yeah, we have a lot of memories here, don't we?"

"Yep, when I was sad or was having an off day, you would always bring me and swing me until I would smile that silly grin and beg you to let me off." Maria giggled cutely at the memory, causing him to chuckle, wrapping her in his loving embrace.

"I would've, will always, do anything to see that smile or even just see you happy. When you are in pain, sad, or just upset, I die a little inside. You mean…god, I can't even put it into words how much you mean to me or how much I love you, Maria. You're my everything…." His voice cracked, he wanted to tell this beautiful woman everything in his heart, however, words failed the black-haired teen.

"I know what you are trying to say, mi caballero*, and I feel the same. You're my whole world, my love." Maria professed lovingly as she smiled her sweet smile, moving to stand on the feet of the chair and lean against Michael's body, before molding their lips together.

"Well. Isn't that just the sweetest thing?" A voice, cold as ice, made the teens jumped and spun around just as a handsome wolf stepped out of the shadows with a devilish grin, wearing a polo shirt and faded jeans vans high-tops on his feet.

Michael pinned Maria against his back, he probably looked as if he was about to ready to jump on the rogue wolf and tear him apart, he wanted to show Adam that he will never just back down. However, the sound of whimpers reminded him he had to hold back until the lovely blonde was safe out of sight:

"Who are you and what do you want?" Michael growled through clenched teeth, shooting sharp daggers towards where the wolf stood looking casual as he started to walk towards the teens, like a wolf on the hunt.

Somehow, though, the prince knew what the evil-looking wolf was here for. He was Adam's new kidnapper, sending him to get the prize of their dark little game. But, he didn't know how much the 'prize' means to them.

With every step he took Maria's whimpers got louder in his ears, the ravenette squeezed her hand in encouragement and comfort, oh god why now?

"I am Zack Saest and I came for our queen, we have things to do. Step aside son, and I won't hurt you. I just need Maria to go with me now." Zack said, stopping a few feet from the young couple, reaching for the love of his life and Michael snapped.

The teen scowled deeply and shook his head feverishly, making his braided black hair fly:

"Over my dead body, you can hurt me all you want but you are not touching her. You, people, have hurt her enough, I'll never let you villains have her!" The fairy spat as he pulled out his snow white and red wings, blocking Maria from Zack's view, and that action caused Zack to sigh.

"Kid, you don't know what you got yourself into." He voiced, changing into the demon the young man always knew he was from the moment he laid his eyes on him.

Michael stared at the creature in front of him as he whispered quickly to Maria:

"Go get the others, I'll try to keep him busy, hurry."

In the corner of his eye, he saw her bite her bottom lip for a moment, afraid to leave her mate in harm's way, but the blonde nodded once and quickly moved to her chair. Moments later, she was off, heading fast to the dance.

The young fairy smiled proudly at her back and then turned to the beast, which was smirking at me, fierce and ready to strike.

"You are going down, fairy, we're stronger." The monster roared getting ready to leap on the young fairy. He chuckled, getting into an attack position, oh how the young man waited for this moment?

"Nope, you're the one that is going down, old wolf. I'm younger and faster." Michael stated, ready to jump into the air before Zack could catch him. Flying was an easy skill for the fairy and it added to his fighting skill, to move smoothly as a bird.

Beast Zack bore his fangs at the grinning teenager and finally charged, his grin grew as he flipped over him and flew close to the night's sky, careful to not to hit the wolf just yet as he laughed loudly at the scowl on the beast's face:

"What's wrong, Zack? Can't catch one little fairy? I'm surprised, wolf." Michael yelled down in a teasing tone.

But the beast seemed unfazed by his teasing tone, Zack just grinned at the young prince as he was still in the dim night. The fairy didn't know what he started, the thought rang through the walls of his darkest mind as his eyes stayed train on the fairy's wings, his twitching claw snatched against the cement ground while an idea came to him.

"I'm just getting started, kid." He taunted back, slowly moving his paw, not wanting the young prince to see the movement, just waiting for a great time to hit him off guard. That grin will disappear really quick, he gleefully thought:

When a moment passed with this intense circle dance, Michael's left wing heated up with sudden pain, bringing him to the ground as the burning grew down his spine and then he hit the grassy ground while a growl escaped Zack's throat:

The sound seemed like glee to have an upper hand over the young warrior, growing in power as he crouched down to leap on him, rearing up to tear the young prince apart to teach the annoying fairies that the rats are the best race.

But Michael was never going to give the beast the satisfaction of that, he was too strong and stubborn for that. And he had to protect his angel, no matter at any cause.

Michael would not let the ugly king get his dirty, greedy hands on her, he was the only one to touch the beautiful blonde.

The thoughts fueled his anger and power, and his strength swiftly returned to his body. So when the beast was near upon him, the fairy gritted his teeth to hold a pained scream back from escaping as he swung a large handful of dirt towards the beast, causing the dark-haired beast to yelp loud as he leapt off the wounded fairy, shaking as his paws clawed at his eyes:

Michael did not let this chance pass, even though the pain was deadly burning against his back, so the young fairy leapt back into the dark sky with a scowl placed to his lips.

"You might have gotten a good hit in, wolf, but it won't happen again!" He growled over the angry wind, getting to attack mode once more. The beast just chuckled after cleaning his eyes from the sand, looking smugly up at the winged knight:

"My boy, how long do you think you can fly with an injured wing? You might want just to give up now and just let her go. She is his now." He taunted as he prepared to pounce on the young fairy. The boy would not be taken out easily:

And with a battle scream, he swept down as the pain shot up throughout his back and shoulders, but Michael ignored it. He just wanted to fight to the end and then he hacked his leg across his appendant's face, causing his eye tear with blood while it muddled his fur.

The beast growled out, cutting his eyes at the flying fairy as tried to slice his paw against the prince's chest, however, he missed as the fairy chomped the paw down to the ground.

"Nice try, beast, but I'm not going down without a fight." Michael seethed as he bashed another punch against the beast's body.

Zack just smirked while he judged his movements, dodging every hit the teen dished out and the beast once more sliced his claws against the clean wing, marring it with another bloody wound. It made it even harder to fly, but the ravenette didn't back down, however, and he just swooshed to the side with a scowl twisting his face as he listened to the beast's teasing response:

"You can't keep this up, young prince, and I'll be there to get you." Zack teased, crouching into a pounce once more:

"I don't think, bastard. I will not let you rule me." He, despite the growing pain in his wings, swirled around his head as he threw punch after punch at the growling beast.

Michael smirked in satisfaction, no matter how much pain he was in. He was going to show them that fairies are stronger than the rats think, that they were not weak:

The fairy flew a little closer to the ground a couple times to get some kicks and punches, but if the beast's claw tried to wipe the young fairy out of the sky; he would scoop up again, much to the beast's frustration.

When he tried the move once more, Michael swiped his leg towards the swiping paw, earning a pained howl from the beast before he growled deeply as he moved again into a low position to jump at the young fairy. Michael gave a giddy giggle at that, getting ready for another round of attacks and fighting.

This was fun, and he was getting everything back that the rats had done to his princess. Soon, he reared up to power up Zawal Ice, calling it to his dasa as it obeyed his demand of the sword to come to his waiting hand.

When it appeared, the ravenette snaked his fingers around its leather grip, letting it bite against the skin of his left hand as a menacing smile danced across his usual cool and calm expression, and then the young man let a low rumbling growl from his chest out while he flew swiftly down as he rapidly lifted his glowing weapon and moved it towards the growling beast, the Zawal shooting its icy ray closer and closer to Zack's body.

But the beast cracked with a laugh, rolling around the shoots as he avoided them with ease. That made a growl ring out as Michael flew to the sky again, the sword swinging fast while his hand danced with swift and sharp movements as the beast's movements came closer to the young fairy, ready to attack him once again. However, the fairy prince would not go down without a fight. Michael would die first before he let them tear him and his mate apart earlier than sooner:

They continued this dangerous dance until a piercing scream caught his attention.

"Michael! Help me!"

And then Maria's scream stopped as well did his heart; no. He lowered himself to the ground, dropping the sword with a twing sound, and started to go to her, forgetting the beast behind him.

But Zack might've changed back because Michael felt someone come up behind the fairy, hitting him on the head. Slowly the blackness came over him, one name passed his lips as he lost thought:

"Maria…."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Maria pushed like crazy, the image of the man changing into that…that monster still burning inside her head. She knew the rest of the rats were horrible monsters in their hearts but she realized that they were truly creatures of the night, and it is her job to pervert their king from hurting any more people. The blonde took a breath and pushed faster.

She finally reached it with no breath in her small body. Once she got her breath back, Maria reached for the door but someone grabbed her from behind and pinned her against the back of her chair, putting a rag over her mouth. She managed to wiggle away from the attacker's hold to scream as loud as the blonde could:

"Michael! Help me!"

But it was no use, her attacker pinned her back again and put the rag back in her mouth as soon as the scream rang out. No matter how much the female fairy fought against their hold; they only would tighten up their grip on her wiggling form, digging their nails—or claws rather—into her arms drawing blood.

Maria's mind flashed back to the nightmares, realizing that this was one of them, a prologue to what would happen to her. A growl soundlessly fell from her mouth as she fought with every ounce of strength she had left, not willing to let the rat win, but Maria also was fighting back the blackness from taking over her but it had won finally after countless minutes of battling.

As the blonde unwillingly entered the unending darkness, voices mixed together.

The blonde teen guessed some of them belonged to her friends but they were too far away to hear, only two voices came through her darkening world:

"Man, that kid knows how to pack a punch." Zack's voice sounded rough and slightly angry, a girly chuckle replied.

"Sorry about that, sweetie, I didn't realize that he was that strong, if I did, I'd come to help after I was done here. The new queen here is quite a fighter, I had to hurt her. Poor thing is still no match for us. Too bad they didn't tell her how to use her power. She should've used them. Maybe we can teach her when she accepts her fate as our queen."

The unknown female told her seemingly friend as her fingers ran along the wounds on her arm tenderly. The male chuckled before he replied:

"Yeah and maybe some of the Rats' magic too, the king would be happy to have her knowledgeable of her new people."

While listening to this sick conversation, she felt sick and Maria tried to pull back from the fast coming dark to find a way to escape their grip, but no use; it finally fully pulls her into its comforting embrace. As she fell deeper into the dark, the last thing the blonde heard was her kidnappers' hearty laughter.

Maria hoped the guys can do without her for a while. She was going to spend time with the enemy, either or not she wanted to…

-.-.-.-.-.-

Mi caballero*-My knight in Spanish. Each kingdom has their own human language that they were raised to speak.