The Wooden Heart Editing

Chapter 14

A/N: Hey my cool friends! I'm back with chapter thirteen! I'm posting fast because I think the original chapter was alright and wanted to see if you thought so too. I'm sorry that it's a bit short, but I think the next one will be a lot longer. Now I did add some stuff, but you're an edited version reader, not the original, it won't matter.

And again, another warning, I'm not very good at writing action scenes and fight scenes, so please go easy on me, pretty please?

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

-.-.-.-.-

Thirteen:

Goodbye Hurts

-.-.-.-.-

As the words fell from her lips, Maria landed next to Michael, brushing him tenderly as she flowed closer to her kidnapper. Now is her turn to fight and she was going to be the only one he will be able to hit, because her love fought hard enough. She needed to stand up to this monster:

I'm sorry Mikey, but I need to do this alone, she thought as she stared at the monster in front of her. He let a growl of laughter, getting ready to jump on the blonde when the chance came.

"How cute, the little princess came to save her prince. I see that you have your powers now, you gonna need 'em."

She growled as he teased her darkly, pulling the string tighter to her body.

"No, Adam, I'm here for payback, for everyone your kind hurt. And I am going to enjoy giving it to you." With that, the fairy released the arrow and it flew straight into his other eye, making her grin. He howled in pain, baring his teeth at the archer.

"You b***h! You are going to pay for that! You are going to be broken when I'm done with you!"

"Then don't wait, you rat, I'm right here. Come get me if you want me!" Maria screamed as she rose a few feet higher, taunting him with a smug smirk playing on her lips and her weapon ready to attack again.

The monster growled as he ran towards her with his sword in hand. She steadied her aim ready to shoot but something came in front of her, blocking Adam's access to her and protecting her like the scoldier he was.

But this time, the girl wanted to be his protector. She gasped and tried to push Michael away, but he didn't even twitch, his eyes were fixed on the rat racing towards the flying pair, not even paying Maria any attention.

"Mikey, don't! You're hurt! I can do this on my own, don't worry I'll be fine." Maria reasoned soothingly, trying again to get him away from the fight but he only raised his sword and smiled sadly:

"I'm hurt, Maria, I'll give you that. But you don't seem to realize that you mean so much more than my wing. I'm not losing you, nor am I letting you handle him again alone, you've done that too many times in the past, now I'm going to do my job and protect you like I should've. If I can't beat him, you have to say the spell. I won't have you being his obedient bride." The male whispered the last part to her so the rat wouldn't hear.

Maria nodded solemnly as she let a tear fall, her heart hurting because she knew she couldn't stop him or stop their fate from coming true, and she dropped her hands from his back. Maria knew this was their final goodbye, they are starting their new lives soon.

And it was an end that she didn't wish for once but the girl had to live it. For her family, she lamented to herself as the tears fell freely from her green eyes.

She watched the prince lower himself back down to the ground and the fight was on once more:

Maria backed up and she gripped her bow tightly as she watched them fight, getting prepared to help the man she loves if needed.

-.-.-.-.-

He swung his sword to the right, blocking the monster's blaze again, panting fast as he moved his feet once more to kick Adam in the stomach, stopping him for a moment but only enraged the creature more and the next attack would be even fiercer from the last. Michael couldn't stop fighting, though; he couldn't give up because he could not fail her.

He could not fail Maria, he already failed her so many times before, and she got hurt, now Michael will protect her like he promised weeks before. Even if his life is lost in the progress.

He smiled, jumping over the monster's head, dodging the hits he was throwing at the young fairy.

But Michael was too fast for the old rat and he gave punch and kick to the back, causing the creature to scream out in pain as he fell to the ground with a loud thud!

Adam struggled to get up, but couldn't, and Michael used this to his own, he jumped onto the wounded Rat and threw punch after punch, kick after kick, sadly Adam's blaze caught his wing again, drawing blood.

The teen gritted his teeth, feeling the pain coming on like a fire, and that was when the rat took the power over the teen. He used his claws now, wanting to cause pain.

Michael tried to lift Adam off his body, but the rat was too strong for him and he was slowly losing the battle to keep himself awake and keep on fighting the rat, because he kept the rat from hunting to his mate. Then, his eyes rolled behind his head and his attempts of fighting back soon stilled. But he could still hear and feel what was going on around him:

"What are you going to now, dear bride? No one is here to save you." Adam sneered, sounding smug.

But a few minutes later, another scream filled the air and then an angry growl followed suit. Maria spoke after the scream died down, so sure and calm:

"I'm going to do what I am supposed to."

And with that and the spell spoken in Sazan, a familiar eerily warm wind crept across his skin, warning him to what would happen next. Soon the wind became faster and faster, mixing the howls of the wind and the Rat king's screams, he knew what the wind was for.

The screams made Michael grin, knowing the world would be rid of the bad rats and will be safe from them finally. Maybe in their new lives, they will be able to live a life free from wars or abuse.

"No, Maria, I wanted you to love me. Don't do this!" Adam screamed as the warm wind crept and crept faster around the fairy prince's body, revealing his true wants. And it almost made the young fairy feel bad for the evil king. Almost.

But soon, his screams faded into quiet. Everything went quiet, eerie quiet.

Michael would have figured that he would have stopped feeling since he was now back as a nutcracker toy, but he still felt the grass under his fingertips and the wind on his cheeks. Why did he feel everything if he was now an object, unable to feel?

No one answered his inaudible question, however, someone lifted him off the ground and then, he felt as if he was being carried into the air as he finally fell into the darkness of sleep completely.

-.-.-.-.-

His eyes screamed in protest as he opened them, meeting the bright light. What? He thought groggily as he became more awake to the world around him. Where he was and what was going on?

Michael groaned, trying to sit up to look around and to find out where he was, but a pair of small hands gently pushed him down against the soft bed.

"Whoa there, sweetie, take it easy. Lay down for a while, the meds might make you feel dizzy if you move too much." Locia told him tenderly, almost sadly.

He shaded his eyes with his hand and turned his head, she wore pjs bottoms and a sweatshirt, her mouth stretched into a sad smile. Michael smiled slightly back before yesterday's events flooded back into his mind. He shot up so fast it made his head spin, but the ravenette didn't care, he needed to ask the burning question.

He swung his legs over the edge of the large bed, staring hard into his sister's beautiful eyes.

"Where is she? Where's Maria, my Maria? Is she ok?" He asked, panicking.

Locia sighed quietly as she reached up to stroke his hair as she pushed him down back to the waiting pillow:

"I'm so sorry, Michael, she's gone. She was the only one to suffer the aftermath of the spell. We don't know how or why, but you were spared the fate of being a nutcracker again. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

As soon as the prince heard this, he screamed loudly as he thrashed on the bed violently. The dark-haired young man cried so hard that his throat became so raw, it hurt him to swallow, but he did not care about the pain. All the prince cared about was the thought of being without his beautiful mate for another eighteen miserable long years or even more.

Why him? Why did she choose to spare him and not herself?! Why does he have to wait?! Why did Maria choose this fate for him?!

"No! Please, no!" Michael screamed once more as Locia tried to hold him still, her own silent cries mixing with his:

"I'm sorry, Mikey, she had to. It was the only way. I know you thought you both were going to be reborn, but she must've found a way to keep you here with us because you are needed here. Please stop moving, you will hurt yourself!" She yelled loudly, worried as she pinned her friend's body to the bed.

"But I need her! Why did she do this to me? Maria is all I need and now she is gone. How am I supposed to live without her knowing she is out there alive and waiting for me, somehow?"

His whispered statement broke her heart, wanting to ease his pain somehow, but she knew that Michael was in too much pain for the red head to ease. So Locia just held him to her and sang into his ear until the prince was calm enough to listen to her reasoning:

"I know this will be hard for you, it will be for all of us. But Mike, you need to believe that she will find her way back to us, to you, someday soon. She is a strong woman with a strong will to be where she belongs. Maria won't give up on you, you know that."

"I know that, Locia, but it is so hard. To think of her living a whole life without me or her family and friends again is making me so sick. I want to go find right now and bring her home. But she isn't even born yet. We have to wait and that is not fair! This is the Fates' fault! Why did they have to choose us for this fate?!" He yelled angrily, rolling on his side as more tears escaped his amber eyes.

Locia watched as her friend fell into the world of sleep with a heavy heart. He is right, this is the Fates' fault and they should fix this somehow. And she was going to be the one to make them fix it. Locia might be small and not strong, but she would do anything for her family and her friends.

With the fire starting in her gut, the ginger slowly stood from the bed and walked to the door. However, a secret whisper made her turn and her heartbreak as the tears fell:

"Night, my beautiful girl. I love you and I will find you, someday and somehow. I will find you…"