Change of Heart

Chapter 9

The army of humans were motionless watching as the scene unfolded before them. The fairy was lying unconscious on the ground, the young prince was protecting the forest and the king was fuming. Would he risk losing his only son by burning down the forest? Would his lust for revenge blind everything else? Nobody dared loose a breath as they waited for the king to make his decision. He seemed like a volcano about to explode. And suddenly he yelled in anger, raised his sword and brought it down in an arc. It was too late for Florian to change his mind, he had bet Astra's life on the fact that his father wouldn't kill him. Had he miscalculated? This was it.

Then soldiers gasped. The king's sword had stopped, a millimetre away from Prince Florian's face. Florian hadn't moved, hadn't flinched. But anyone who knew him could see that he was afraid. The fear was in his stance, his eyes. The king turned,

"Retreat!" he was seething as he stalked off with his men in tow. Florian's heart was pounding. The blood rushing in his ears, he couldn't hear anything. His father had been ready to kill him. He took a few deep breaths. He couldn't lose focus not now. He knew that his father and the army wouldn't go back to the castle, they'd just set up camp outside the forest. But for now that was enough. Once the army was a good distance away he ran toward Astra. Frantically pulling the iron net off her. Scarlet blood was running down Astra's arms. Staining Florian's sleeves. Her face pale, like the ghosts in Florian's stories. The life was leaving her, one drop of blood at a time. Gathering the fairy in his arms he carried her back into the forest. She weighed nothing. Listless and empty.

"Will she be alright?" It had been hours and Astra hadn't woken up. Everyone magical creature had come to see her. But the unicorn was the only one who truly understood the severity of her wounds.

"Will she be alright?" Florian asked again. The unicorn lifted his head and nodded. Florian breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to wake up, she was going to be okay.

"Florian?" his head snapped up,

"Astra?" the fairy's body was aching with pain and she could barely open her eyes but she managed a weak smile and a whisper,

"Water...please." hurriedly Florian dashed toward the stream and grabbed a wooden cup, filling it with water. He brought it over to her, and carefully slipped a hand behind her neck to lift her head. Astra finished the up of water.

"How long was I out?" Florian set down the cup,

"You were unconscious for three days Astra, we were so worried you wouldn't wake up." he took her hand,

"What happened out there?" Astra's smile faded. She looked down at the bright red burn marks all over her skin. Wincing, as she brought her right arm up to feel for burn marks on her face. There was one passing from her right eye to her chin.

"They made an iron net. They made it knowing it would burn me, weaken me, hurt me." Florian's face scrunched up in confusion,

"Iron?"

"Iron is toxic to fairies. No other material on earth hurts us more brutally, or permanently than iron. It's been like that since the beginning of time. I don't know why iron has that effect on fairies though."

"How did my father know to use iron?"

"It's common knowledge Florian, even amongst the humans."

"Oh." Astra smiled,

"Well, now you know."

"How long will it take you to heal?" Astra grimaced,

"Probably a week or two. And in that time the king could come and murder me and I'd be too weak to stop him." Florian's face tightened.

"That's not going to happen, he won't come back until much later." Astra nodded,

"Promise me, promise me that if he comes and I can't protect them you will. Promise me."

"I promise."

In the days that Astra recovered Florian did everything he could to make her comfortable. He brought her flowers that had started to bloom at the centre of the forest. He would entertain her with stories from the human kingdom. He made sure she had enough to eat and enough to drink. He tended to her wounds, with some help from the other magical creatures. Anyone could see that he was worried about her. But you could also see that he was distracted. And Astra wanted to know why. Florian was bringing her water when she said,

"Florian, what's bothering you?" He tensed for a fraction of a second then replied,

"Nothing, I'm just worried about you."

"We both know that isn't true, I know something is on your mind. What is it?" He sighed and played with his fingers. Hesitating,

"You were unconscious when this happened." Astra gestured for him to go on, "The king was going to burn down the forest. And I said that if he did I was going to run back in and never come out. It was either me or revenge." Florian looked down,

"He was so angry. I had embarrassed him in front of his soldiers. Openly defied the one men I had been taught to respect all my life. But I never though he would kill me." Astra frowned,

"He didn't kill you Florian, look you're standing right here."

"I know, but he was going to. He swung his sword and stopped it, this close to my face," Florian brought his fingers together to show the ring distance. A look of sadness and desperation clouded his features,

"He could have killed me Astra. He could have cleaved me in half. He's my father, and he almost killed me. What type of father is that? I just want a loving, caring family. He's my father and he almost killed me. Is it so bad to want a normal family? I deserve I family too. Instead I have an abusive father and a stupid mother. I deserve a family too." Florian was breathing hard. He ran a head through his hair as he caught his breath.

"Florian, of course you deserve a family. A good one that'll love you for you. That's what I am, that's what everyone here in the forest is. We're you're family now."

"Thank you. But you don't understand Astra. You never had parents. I do, and when you realise they don't love you or care for you it's like a knife to your heart." Longing filled Florian's eyes,

"I just want them to love me."

A few days later, Astra was able to walk. The day after she was able to run. Then she could fly. It was a long process, but by the end of the second week Astra was fully recovered. But her spirit was not. She had seen and felt firsthand what the humans were capable of. She'd never felt so much agony as she did when they threw the iron net over her. Like it was fire running through her veins instead of blood, and her bones were being reduced to ash. There were faint scars on her hands from where she had desperately tried to lift the net off her. Those were permanent. Astra held her hand out to the moonlight and examined these new, unwanted souvenirs. The sky was still dark. A nightmare had forced her out of bed. Astra shivered as she recalled the dream.

She was flying through the forest. Panting, as her lungs started to ache, slowing as her wings started to tire. She was running away from something. She could hear twigs and branches breaking under the feet of her pursuer. The forest was black against black, shadow against shadow. In the distance she could see the moon. A beacon of light in the endless darkness.

Just a few more feet.

Her pursuer was catching up. She could hear their footsteps getting louder and louder.

Almost there.

And as she stretched out her arm towards the moon, pain erupted from her chest. She stopped, looked down and saw an iron blade protruding from her stomach. Glinting harshly in the moonlight. Slowly she turned her head, the king, she thought. But when she faced her pursuer it wasn't the king's face that greeted her. Her eyes widened with disbelief and horror as Florian pulled out his sword and Astra tumbled to the ground. She watched as he smiled, a cold cruel smile, he was looking at her wound. Astra looked down. Blood had started to flow. It looked like a red flower, blooming on her white skin.