His Dark Fairy

Chapter 2: Best Friends

Jasmine- 

I’m beaming from ear to ear as I look across the castle grounds and see Avilee walking towards me waiving. She’s not just my best friend, she’s also the kindest, and most interesting fairy in the entire kingdom. She arrived years ago when she was six from the Moonlight kingdom shortly after the King conquered it and burned it to the ground. I remember how traumatized she was, so sad sitting in the gardens crying while the other children pointed and laughed at her. It broke my heart to see something so beautiful filled with such sadness. One day I asked my mother for an extra  ginger snap cookie. She looked at me, raising her eyebrow, eyes searching my face intently. 

“It’s not for me,” I sang out, “It’s for the girl, the little purple haired girl, who sits and cries in the garden underneath the Magnolia tree.”  

My mother gently placed 4 cookies in a white handkerchief and tied it with a bit of string. She hugged me tight then pecked a kiss on my head and declared I was a perfectly kind and beautiful fairy inside and out before sending me on my way. That day when I offered her a cookie I could feel her sadness burning in my core. 

 I hugged her and said with a smile, “Chin up buttercup, we are going to be good friends.” 

She smiled and I could feel some of her sadness melting away as she choked back tears, “Good, I could really use a friend. I am so lonely and this kingdom is so strange.”   

It was at that moment I knew it was fate that brought us together. Later we would find ourselves as playmates. My mother, a handmaid by trade, would be assigned to her mother as a personal maiden. We would move into the castle so my mother could take the Duchess into her care. My father had recently passed away in the battle and the family my mother was serving at the time lost their son. They immediately decided to relocate to the Diamond Desert Kingdom south of our borders. We were running low on money, which I couldn’t comprehend at my age, and we were days away from being homeless. We spent hours exploring the castle, playing hide and seek, and sneaking into the kitchens to devour delicious sweets when no one was watching. The castle was our playground when our lessons were complete each day. When our mothers would shoo us outside to play we would take to the gardens and let our imaginations go wild. 

SMACK!

I was suddenly jerked out of my memory and back to reality as Avilee’s hand slapped my ass. I let out a squeal of surprise and pain.

“Are you ready to burn some calories?” she hollered excitedly. 

I gave her a high five as I rolled my eyes and declared, “You know I am always ready to burn some calories and your best times on the training course. I love when your dad is on the training rotation his bootcamps are the best!”

Avilee groaned, she’s always loved her dad’s camps but his training regime is the most intense and demanding out of all the other generals. I guess that’s why he’s the king’s first in command. We take off walking towards the training center, but when we arrive we realize despite being early we are actually late. All the other fairies are running laps on the indoor track. 

“Five laps ladies, let’s go!” The general barks at us both.

 We immediately jump into the warm up and start running. Laps are followed by kettlebell swings, squats, and box jumps. Finally, the general blows his whistle and announces a 15 minute break before we move on to the training course. He dismisses anyone who isn’t training on the course and instructs those of us who are to stretch our wings and divide into teams posted on the giant television screen outside of the course entrance. I grab my water and head to the training course to stretch my wings. Avilee is waiting for me in our spot. 

When she sees me she winks and hollers to me, “He’s still testing us!”

Her father has been testing us for weeks now pushing us harder and harder each time we run the course and assigning us to captain the teams against each other. I hate running against Avilee but I understand his strategy. 

“Well, let’s stretch together and then I will have to beat you again,” I tease. Avilee laughs and eyes me raising an eyebrow. 

“Getting cocky are we?” she retorts, “You may have me on best 2 out of 3, but I may surprise you.” 

“Oh, the student has become the master and you think you have a chance that’s cute,” I tease back. 

“Master, I’m honored by the title,” she barely squeaks out before we both erupt in uncontrollable laughter.  

“GIRLS! Stretching not laughing! Get your focus back on the course!” The General commands. 

We both stop laughing and try to give him a serious look as we turn to reply, “YES SIR!”

But it’s no use we both start giggling and now the General has cracked a grin and wrapped us both in a big bear hug. 

“I don’t know what I would do without you both,” he chuckles, squeezing us a little too tight, “focus though, I want you to both beat your best times today. I know you’ve been training hard.”

He gives us both a high five and we give him a goofy salute before bursting into giggles and turning to stretch. Avilee opens her wings. I see she’s tried to make them look normal but I love when she designs them like a milky way full of swirls. I sigh, I know why she does it but I love her just the way she is and it hurts me the way the rest of the kingdom treats their future Queen. I concentrate and bring my wings to the surface. They are lovely and a stunning bright pink with dark green hearts and vines woven throughout. They are sprinkled with silver sparkles and shimmer when the light hits them. We work through all our stretches to prevent injury and are just finishing up when the buzzer goes off signifying it’s time to enter the course. I give Avilee a big hug before I turn to enter the pitch dark course. My team takes their places on the launching pad. I give them a nod of approval before pivoting to take my place. The air horn sounds and we spring into action. It’s a close run but we finish and beat Avilee’s team by 3 seconds. This is the closest we have ever ran and every fairy walks away with a new best time.

As we exit Avilee comes jogging up and gives me a gentle shove, “ I almost had you b**ch,” she sings out playfully.

 I smile and respond, “But I still had you by 3 seconds.” We share a laugh. “Shall we swim a few laps and catch some rays?” I ask. 

“We shall!” she answers back, “race you there,” She shouts before she takes off running. 

Avilee-

Jasmine and I lay sprawled poolside on plastic loungers sipping coconut waters after our morning training session. I didn't beat her time today but then again she's near impossible to beat. We hit the pool to do a few laps then soak up some of the last few rays of sunshine before fall is in full swing and the temperatures plummet. Jasmine is wearing a cute dark green halter top with boy shorts the color makes her pink eyes pop. I have opted for something a bit more revealing and skimpy. A black crochet triangle top and a matching thong bottom. We basically have the pool to ourselves aside from a group of rowdy male fairies playing a boring game of pool basketball. They are our age. I remember a few from classes at the academy. Jasmine is practically drooling over one of the boys, Jackson. I must admit his muscular body is sun kissed in all the right places while tantalizing and tempting Jasmine has crushed on him for as long as I can remember. I wish she would stop staring and make a move. At least one of us should have some fun. I take another sip of water before turning to face Jasmine. 

“Hey, what if I never see you again after next week?” I blurt, “What if he forces me to stay in our quarters all day and I never get to do anything I love ever again?” 

I realize I am trying really hard to blink back my tears. She calmly sets her drink on the cocktail table between us before sliding her sunglasses down to stare deep into my eyes.

“That won’t happen. I won’t let him,” she declares firmly. “I promise, we will always be best friends. I will come to see you everyday if I have to. Besides, he would be silly to do that, then he would actually have to spend time with you." 

Jasmine stares me in the eyes long and hard as if trying to convince me there is no other possible outcome. 

“Ehhhem!” We both suddenly turn only to realize we hadn’t even noticed Jackson walk up to where we were lounging. Jasmine looks paralyzed and is beginning to turn bright red. I go ahead and respond for the both of us. 

“Oh hey there,” I purr seductively as Jasmine eyes me suspiciously. 

Jackson seems to be taken aback momentarily. It takes him a few seconds to respond, but when he finally does he stammers, “Hey me and the guys are going to grab some lunch would you two care to join us?”

“Lunch!” I shout, jumping up and grabbing my towel. “I have to go, I am so late. How could I forget,” I mumble as I hurriedly take off running towards the castle.

 I send Jasmine a mind link…”I am so sorry. I completely forgot we have a wedding luncheon with my mom and Sebastian’s grandmother. Please go have lunch with Jackson and then you can tell me all the dirty details later. Please have some fun, for me I plead.”