The Real Treasure in Life.

A legend, a childhood tale. A hero and his best friend. An incredible map and a distant secret location. A cyborg and aliens and robots gone insane. Flying ships and giant mushrooms. Friendship, pain, love, hate.

This story has it all, and best of all, it's being rewritten! Trust me, the original was horrible . I know I have a number of fans of this story, and I still occasionally get notices that someone has added it to their list of favorites. And every time I have to wonder…why? The writing was atrocious, the characters flat and almost mary-sue-ish…why on earth do people like it so much?

My best guess is that people liked the story enough to look past the horrendous writing. And then I feel guilty. Why should my most popular story also be one of my most poorly written?

So, I've decided to change all that. I am deleting everything on here and I am going to start rewriting the story entirely! For those of you who liked it before, I hope you do take the time to re-read this! It'll be well worth the time, trust me!

And for those of you who haven't read it yet…I hope to gain a few new fans

Here's to much better writing and a Spring story full of adventure, pirates, and a few good friends

Your Humble Authoress,

Whisperwings

Chapter 1

Alexandra hitched up her shawl over her hair, though the soaking fabric did little to block the rain. She didn't think she'd ever been so cold. At least at home she'd had a roof over her head…a gun pointed to it too, but it was warm there.

She shook such thoughts from her mind. She'd left, it was over now. She never had to deal with them again…she had worse problems to focus on right now. Finding shelter for instance.

Arriving in the small town on Montressor, she'd been directed to a winding path leading away from the village by a bunch of boys. Alex had trusted them without question when they said there was an Inn up here somewhere, but now she was starting to doubt it. She'd been walking for what felt like forever.

She huddled into her shawl and shivered, walking on. With her head low to keep the rain out of her eyes, she almost ran head-long into a pole. She looked up and squinted to see the sign that hung from it.

"Ben…bowie…no, bow…in. Benboe Inn!" she whispered to herself. She was going the right way! Hope renewed, she started walking again, faster now that she knew she was heading the right way. It was good to know the boys hadn't lied to her. She shielded her eyes from the downpour, and finally saw a light up ahead. She scrambled along even faster, trying not to slip on the puddle covered path. She slid right up to the door, grabbing the handle to keep from falling over. Once she'd gained her footing, she tugged on the handle, but the door refused to open. Locked, of course. Alexandra pounded on the door with her fists in desperation. She was used to sleeping outside by now, but not in the rain! She didn't want to get sick, how would she ever find work?

A soft voice called that someone was coming and Alexandra stepped back before the door opened. A woman in a nightdress clutched a shawl around her shoulders, lifting a lantern to better see her late night visitor.

A girl on the doorstep looked tiny in her soaked state. Her wet hair looked almost black, hanging in dripping strings to her shoulders. She wore a plain, ill-fitting blue dress and an overlarge knitted purple shawl. Pale blue eyes lifted to her face, a spark of hope there.

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but do you think I could stay the night here? I'll sleep in the kitchen or somewhere out of the way. And I don't have any money, but I'm willing to work off my debt." She said, desperate voice quick. The woman smiled down at her and stepped back, allowing the girl inside.

"Come in, and we'll get you settled." She said gently as the shivering girl inched her way inside. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. And don't worry about having to sleep on the floor, we have spare rooms."

"But…I don't want to be any trouble." Alexandra insisted, eyes wide.

The woman chuckled. "Trouble? My dear, this is an Inn, it's what we do! Now come on, we'll get you warmed up."

Alexandra looked around as the woman bustled off, finding herself in a large room full of tables and chairs. A bar was built on one end of the room, where items from the kitchen could be passed over to be served. At the other end of the room, the one closest to the door, was a small sitting area and a large fireplace. This was where the woman was, adding wood to the fire. Alex walked over, marveling at the large fireplace. She was sure she could stand straight inside it and not hit the mantle. As the flames sparked to life once more, Alexandra moved closer, standing as close as she could without catching on fire, trying to dry her clothes. The woman sat on one of the couches, watching.

"Now then, what's your name?" she asked.

"Alexandra Rose Valentine." The girl said, turning to dry her back. She felt the heat reach her bones and sighed happily.

"How old are you?"

"Ten and a half."

"Where are you parents?"

"I don't know. And I don't care." Alexandra said with feeling. "I left."

"I see…" the woman said softly. She wanted nothing more than to give the girl a hug, but knew better than to do so. She was glad to get away from her parents…she probably didn't trust many adults right now.

Alexandra looked up, nodding. "I'm willing to work to pay for my nights stay." She reminded the woman, who nodded.

"That'll work out fine. Would you care for something to eat before I show you your room? You look like you could use the meal."

Alexandra nodded slowly, hoping the woman hadn't heard her near-constant rumbling stomach. "A small something might be nice." The woman smiled knowingly and led her to a very messy kitchen, getting her two rolls and half a meat pasty on a plate, and handing her a glass of milk.

"Now bring that upstairs, and try not to spill, please." Alexandra followed her, concentrating on not spilling the nearly-full glass of milk or tripping over her own feet. She was led down the hall, to a room at the end of it. "This will do nicely I think." The woman said, opening the door and nodding.

Alex hid her reaction for the most part, but her eyes were round as coins. She'd never expected anything so pretty! There was a patterned blanket on the bed, and matching curtains. A teeny table and chair sat in the corner by the door, and she sat down her plate and glass. A small voice told her to hug the woman tightly, but she held back for now.

"Thank you, ma'am. I promise I'll work really hard!" she exclaimed instead, making the woman chuckle.

"My name is Sarah Hawkins, but please, call me Sarah. Now eat and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Alexandra." She said, shutting the door behind her as she left. The girl looked around the room with a smile. She'd never had her own room before…even if it was at an inn. Still, she had a real bed, a small stove to keep the room warm, and a large window. Though it was pitch black outside the glass, the water dripped down the panes with a comforting sound.

She hurried to the table and ate her food so quickly she hardly tasted it. She was already so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. But only once every drop and crumb was gone did she hang her shawl on the back of the chair and crawl into bed. She didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow.

Waking the next morning was an odd experience. Alexandra was comfortable, more so than she could ever remember being. She opened green eyes to a smooth wooden ceiling, and looked around her room. She smiled softly. It hadn't been a dream. But that also meant she had work to do. She slipped out of bed, tugging on too-worn boots and grabbing her shawl before leaving the room. It was barely dawn, most of the inn's inhabitants were still asleep.

Entering the large kitchen, Alexandra had to grimace. The place was a mess, how did anything get done in here? Dishes covered the counters, and dirty pots and pans were stacked beside and in the sink. The ten year old sighed and placed her shawl on a stool in the corner, pushing up her sleeves with determination. Time to get to work.

It was there Sarah found her a short time later, arms covered in soap suds as she scrubbed the last of the dishes. The rest were stacked neatly on clean counters, and the woman could see that the cupboards had been wiped clean for the washed dishes.

"Alexandra? Did…did you do all this?"

The girl blushed, unable to move from the sink. Instead she simply kept working. "Yes…I told you I'd work my way." She said firmly. Sarah beamed and swept over, hugging the girl tightly, not caring about the flying soap suds.

"You are an angel!" the woman said, and Alexandra couldn't help but giggle slightly. "You've more than paid off your night's stay!"

The disappointed look on the girl's face nearly broke her heart and Sarah smiled at the idea forming in her mind. "You wouldn't be looking for work by any chance, would you?"

She was rewarded when Alexandra's blue eyes shone like lanterns. "Yes ma'am. Would you by chance be hiring?"

Sarah chuckled. "I hadn't been looking for help, but I see now that a desperately need it. Now I think it'd be best if I don't pay you in money. But you'll have a room of your own, clothes that fit, and an allowance when I can afford it. You'll be helping in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning. And I could really use your help with the housekeeping in the guest rooms. It'll be a lot of work." She warned, but the girl was already nodding enthusiastically.

"Don't worry ma'am, I can handle it. You won't regret this!" She exclaimed, making Sarah laugh.

"Alright you're hired. But I'll have no more of this 'ma'am' business. Call me Sarah. Or Ms. Sarah if you must."

"Yes ma- Ms. Sarah." Alexandra said, grinning. Sarah patted her shoulder.

"When you finish up here, why don't you sweep out the main room. I need to get started on breakfast."

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Alright guys, I'm hoping to get some feedback here! There's nothing that makes a girl quite as happy as a few reviews in her inbox the day after posting a chapter :) Let me know what you think!

Your Humble Authoress,

Whisperwings