Chapter 4

Miele quietly sat as the three elderly people ate the small meal that they had been given. She looked around the prison before her eye sight landed on the one person lying in a bed with their back to her. "Is…Is she okay?" Miele asked as she looked at the person in the bed.

Ms. Faragonda looked at the same person that the young girl was looking at. "I truly do not know little one." She replied as she turned to look at Miele, "She was unconscious when she was brought in here."

The sound of a groan startled the young girl as she took a few steps toward the door way to the cell that the person was in. She watched as the person quickly opened her cerulean eyes causing her to drop the single try of food that she was still holding.

"Where am I?" The girl asked as she slowly sat up.

"You're in a living hell." Griffin commented before taking another bit of her food. The young woman closed her eyes and found it hard to breathe; her chest heaved raspy breaths as she closed her eyes and found herself slipping into the world of unconsciousness again. "Hey," Miele called, through the bars. "Wake up!" She didn't and the young girl turned back to Faragonda. "Is she…is she okay?" Tears swelled at the corner of her eyes.

"Let me check on her," Faragonda asked, making Miele shake her head.

"I'm not supposed to let anyone out."

"I promise that I won't try and escape, I just want to make sure that she's breathing okay."

Miele shook her head again and Faragonda knew that what she was asking would probably put the girl in danger, but she needed to check on the fairy. Finally she nodded her head and took the key in her hand and unlocked the cell door. Faragonda stepped out as the cell door closed behind her and Miele led her to the next cell. The door unlocked and Faragonda instantly ran to her side and felt for a pulse, it was weak but there none the less.

"What do you think you're doing!" Icy yelled.

"She's just trying to be helpful," Faragonda replied before Miele was pulled from inside forcefully by Icy's hand on her dress, the cell door slamming to keep the head fairy within.

"How dare you!" Icy yelled, pulling her hand across the young girls face and leaving a red hand print against her cheek. Miele's eyes welled with tears as Icy threw the girl to the floor where she landed in a heap. "And you!" She turned, pointing her palm Faragonda's way, causing the air around her to suddenly cool as shads of ice rose for the floor and from the ceiling to cage her in. Faragonda quickly glanced to see a few shards of ice forming on the edge of the bed in the same cell that the unconscious fairy was lying on.

"No!" Miele yelled as Faragonda placed her hands against the bars, only to pull them away hastily with burns on them. She yelled as the bars started to close in on her, Icy's smirk sickening her to the stomach. "No!" Miele yelled, getting to her feet and pulling at Icy's leg. "Stop it! Don't hurt her!" Her hand found its way to Icy's lower arm and the witch pushed her back to the floor and stopped her assault on the head fairy. "You're going to pay for distracting me!" Icy threatened, lifting her arm back and pulling it forwards, only to find herself unable too. "No you won't." a dark male voice replied, making Icy turn to see Riven with her wrist tightly held in his own.

"Let them go." His grip tightened and started to burn.

Icy glared at Riven before snapping her fingers causing the bars of ice to receded back into the floor and ceiling. "Happy?" the witch asked as she continued to glare at Riven.

"Now get out of here." Riven replied as he released the witches arm.

Icy rubbed her arm to relieve the pain before turning to look at the young fairy in the prison, "One of these days your luck will end and he will not be here to save you."

Exiting the school Ashe and the others could see a single large Red Fountain ship heading toward them. A small smile crossed her lips as the ship landed a short distance away from where they were standing.

The door opened revealing two young men in their specialist uniforms although they were different from the ones that Ashe had remembered from her time. Instead of being dark blue with a lighter one for the cape they were black with red capes. Ashe instantly noticed the differences in the guys, not just by appearance but also by personality the moment that Timmy walked towards them and said, "Who's this freeloader?"

"Her name's Ashe," Musa replied with anger in her voice as she walked onto the ship.

"Can she handle herself or will she slow us down?" Brandon asked as he glared at her.

She had never seen the type of anger that was in the young specialists eyes. The sight caused her to gulp a small amount. "I…I can handle myself." Ashe responded with a nervous voice.

"Good to know," Brandon replied as he turned around and entered back into the ship.

"Not what you were expecting was it?" Flora whispered as she stood next to Ashe.

"No," Ashe replied, "The specialists that I know never had that much hate and anger in there eyes. I was scared at what I was looking at."

Flora giggled a little, "Yeah they are a little intimidating."

Ashe stepped into the cockpit and her eyes widened considerably. Standing before her with their lips firmly locked were Helia and Musa, their eyes closed as soft moans escaped into the surrounding air. Musa's eyes opened and she looked over Helia's shoulder and they parted. Helia turned. "What are you staring at?" He snapped. Ashe didn't reply, she wasn't sure of the best way, and when she finally did open her mouth to speak Musa interrupted her.

"What haven't seen two people in love before?"

Ashe was still a little shocked at what she was watching.

"Who are you anyway?" Helia asked.

"This is Ashe," Flora replied, walking toward the shocked girl, "She'll be helping up to defeat the Dark Queen."

"Yeah right," Helia's eyes rolled, "Like we need another vigilante slowing up down."

"I won't slow anyone down."

"Ignore him, he's just in one of his grumpy moods," Flora replied before everyone was ordered to take their seats for lift-off. Ashe and Flora sat at the back of the cockpit.

After a few minutes of flying Timmy turned to look at the others. "We will be arriving on Domino at sunrise; you girls should get some rest in the rooms in the back."

"Flora you're going to have to have Ashe in your room." Brandon said.

"Can't she have her own room?" Flora asked.

"I'm sorry Flora," Brandon replied, "The only extra rooms that we have are for Saladin and the other heads of the schools."

"Fine," Flora said with a dejected voice.

The two girls made their way to the back of the ship. "So how did Helia and Musa get together?" Ashe asked as the two walked down one of the small hallways. Flora just continued down the hall without answering until she reached a door. She quickly walked into the room with out answering Ashe's question leaving the Dragon Flame fairy puzzled still at what she had seen in the cockpit.

Ashe entered the room to see Flora already lying on one of the beds. She was hoping that she did not upset her with the question that she had just asked as she walked over to the other bed.

"Good night Flora," Ashe said before she laying down and closing her eyes.

Ashe was woken up from the sound of someone sobbing. Turning over she saw Flora sitting on the bed with her legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. "I'm sorry Miele." She quietly said as tears slowly fell from her eyes.

"Flora is everything okay?" Ashe asked as she slowly sat up.

"Just go back to sleep," Flora snapped, pulling herself further away. "But Flora I'm worried about you," Ashe pointed out making the nature fairy release her legs from her chest. "Why should you care, you don't even know me?"

"I do know you." Ashe replied, "At least a different you."

Flora didn't reply and instead lay back down on the bed facing the wall away from her unwelcome roommate. "What was the dream about?"

"It's nothing, go back to sleep."

"I know it's not nothing," Ashe replied, sitting on the edge of her bed and placing a hand on Flora's forearm. To her surprise she didn't push her away.

"It was about my sister, okay? She was taken by the Dark Queen as you know and…and I couldn't stop her."

"That's not your fault," Ashe sighed. "Sometimes things are out of our control."

"No they aren't, I should have been able to help her, to stop her from being taken by that tyrant but…but I guess I'm just too weak to be of any use."

Ashe got up and walked to the other side of the bed, kneeling before the fairy whose eyes were now streaming with tears. "That's not true, you are one of the strongest fairies that I know, you shouldn't be blaming yourself."

"No," Flora replied. "I should be blaming the Queen, she's the one who did this after all, made all of out lives a living hell."

"Say it," Ashe replied, "say it out loud to yourself, for once instead of blaming yourself."

"It wasn't my fault."

A pink light began to glow on Flora's chest as a large looped pin with a single pink jewel formed. A few seconds later the pin faded from sight.

"What…what just happened?" Flora asked.

"You just earned your Charmix." Ashe replied with a smile on her face.

Miele sat in a chair near an open window in Riven's room, she loved being able to feel the breeze blowing against her skin. Looking down at the forest below reminded her of her happier times. A few tears started to form in her eyes as a person appeared in her mind.

"What you did back there was pretty dangerous," Riven explained, kneeling beside her. "You've got guts" he noticed the tears "missing home huh?" She nodded, "Me too."

"Ca…can you tell me about your home?" Miele asked.

"As you know my home it was not the best." Riven replied, "My mother abandoned me when I was born. I never knew my father and grew up in an orphanage, when I was about five I ran away and had been living on my own. I was found by Valtor when he and our Queen had come to my home planet. I don't know why but he decided to take me with him and began to train me how to use a sword."

"Did you have any friends as you grew up?" Miele asked.

"A few close friends and they are who I miss." He said as he stood up, "What about you? You keep asking about my home but have never told me anything about yours."

"I…I can't remember where I am from." Miele replied with a saddened voice, "Some times when I sit here and look down at that forest a few pictures appear in my mind of a person smiling at me and hugging me but I can't remember who she is."

"I'm not sure who that is in your memories but I am sure that it will come back to you." Riven said as he kneeled down next to Miele again, "but I can tell you that you are from Linphea and that would explain why you let the prisoner out of her cell. Everyone from that planet is naturally kind and I am sure that you are no different."

Miele turned to look at Riven with tears streaming down her face before wrapping the young man into a tight hug. "It's getting late," Riven said, "You should get back to your room."

"Okay," Miele replied as she slowly stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Riven watched as the young girl walked out of the room before walking to the window that Miele had been sitting by, looking down at the same forest that she had been looking at.

"Damn it," Riven thought as he punched the wall.

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