The Phaeri and the Halfblood Prince.

PART ONE.

1-An escape in the Past.

Thea watched through the corridor window, her fiance and daughter were curled up against one another fast asleep. She was having second thoughts, but she pushed them aside, she couldn't stay. She took one last look at them both before walking away. The older man was waiting for her at the canopy tree, it was late at night, and there was no one else around, the older man was wearing a cloak as dark as night. "I hope you are ready, my dear?" the old man asked her. "Yes I am," she said but not feeling sure. "Take hold of my hand"the old man instructed and Thea obeyed. But just as Thea glanced down at her stomach, she and the older man vanished.

2-Halfblood in the Present.

Arion couldn't stop pacing up around his room. He couldn't wait to see his Uncle. It had been a long time since he had last seen Uncle Alan, he was his favourite of all his relatives. He always told Arion stories of his adventures, the places he visits always sounded too beautiful to be true. Still, the main reason why he was so close to his Uncle was that he was the only one that ever told him about his mother, his father rarely spoke of her, and when he did, it was just she was a great woman, she was a beautiful woman, nothing that mattered to him. After what felt like an hour of pacing, he heard a knock on the door, and he went to answer it. Just as he opened the door, he got tackled to the ground. His attacker had him pinned to the floor for just a second before he twisted his attacker's arm and flipped him over. "I yield, I yield" screamed his attacker. "When are you going to learn you can't beat me Uncle Alan"Arion mocked Uncle Alan scowled "one day I'll have you," he said Arion released his twisted arm and pulled him up to his feet, and they took a seat opposite one another on the chairs in his bedroom veranda. "How was your trip, "Arion asked "It was long and boring," replied his Uncle. Arion laughed, but his uncle's face stayed straight. "I know I just got here, but there's something we have to talk about," said uncle alan "Hmm, I would have asked if it can't wait, but I'm curious, so what is it?" said Arion "It is about your mother, and it's important. I am very sorry to be the one to tell you this Rio," said Uncle Alan solemnly Arion wondered what in the world he was about to say, it sounded terrible, but Arion still wanted to hear it. Jokingly Arion said"Okay, spit it out while I'm still young and handsome Uncle, "though he was growing more worried by the minute. His Uncle seemed to turn a shade darker before he spoke next "King Corinth, my brother, is not, is not"... "is not your biological father Rio." Arion turned pale; he was quiet for a long time before he said "you have to be joking " He was on his feet now pacing once again in the Varanda "tell me your joking Uncle Alan!" he said, raising his voice more than he intended. His Uncle went even darker, "I am sorry my boy, but I'm afraid this is the truth, Corinth is and always will be your father, but you do not share his blood." "Does my father know, I mean King Corinth does he know?" "He does"replied his Uncle. "Whose, my real father?" "This may sound like a joke, but I promise you Arion, I am 100 per cent, not joking, your real father was a Naryian, and your mother was too." Arion stopped pacing and sat down, then he started to laugh, "You can't be serious uncle Alan, Naryians..., do you hear yourself?, Nayr is a myth, a joke, a bedtime story our nannies tell us so we can go to sleep happily." "Listen to me Arion, this is no joke, Nayr is real and whether you like it or not you are a Nayrian. I need you to believe me, I was going to stay awhile, but I'm sorry I have to leave today, I only came to tell you this." Alan searched his nephew's eyes, hoping to find a hint of belief within them, but he did not. "I'm not sure I believe you, but I'm willing to listen to everything you came to say, but after you can leave, I wouldn't want to delay you." Alan sighed "I am sure you have heard of the map of Nayr, it is not a myth, it is real, and I have been searching for it and have a lead to it. You need to find it, Rio, it is your destiny. Head to new moon valley, there is a man there named Mr Shey, I believe he has the map." "I hope you choose to go and dear nephew, remember I will always have your best interest at heart. You are family no matter what, and oh, you must not tell anyone about this," Alan stood up to leave, "Goodbye, dear nephew, I hope you cease your destiny". Arion looked at the man walking away; he wasn't sure who he was any more "Have a good trip" was the only reply he gave. Arion could not have known that was the last time he was going to see his Uncle. The door to King Corinth's study swung open, "come in son" he chirped to Arion. "sit down, sit down," he said. Arion took a seat in front of him. "What's the matter Rio, you seem pale?"King Corinth asked worriedly "There is something I want to talk to you about"Arion replied "What is it, son?" "That is the problem, I'm not your son, well not biologically." The king sighed "Alan told you, I suppose it is about time you found out, I always wanted to tell you I just never knew how." Arion's heart fell because his Uncle had been telling the truth. "Would you be okay with me trying to find my birth father?" "Arion listen and listen to me carefully, you have and always will be my son, you are finding your birth father does not change that, it will also not change the fact that I loved your mother and will till my last breath." Arion wasn't sure if he wanted to find his birth father, he was still trying to come to terms with everything. He, however, wanted to know if Nayr existed, his nanny had told him hundreds of stories about Nayr, she had said it was full of magic, and beautiful fruits and trees and people who could do unbelievable things. He was starting to think maybe finding the map wasn't such a bad idea. "I, I thanks dad, "Arion said King Corinth smiled "I might need to go away for a few days, clear my head," said Arion "That's okay, just don't be away too long, you still have duties as the prince and my heir." It was Arion’s turn to smile.

3-The Phaeri of Nayr

Arion's horse gave a low whiny as he came to a stop outside the small house. A gentle Zephyr made the hood of his cloak bristle, and he closed his eyes. It was his chance to find the map if it wasn't here? No, he stopped himself from thinking of the negative outcome, it had to be here, but if the map was not he had a backup plan, he didn't like to take chances. He opened his eyes and scanned the horizon, the sun had set, and he couldn't make out much, but from what he could see there was nothing but grass and trees going on for miles. The only building in sight was the little house he stood in front. He gave a gentle knock on the door of the house. After a few seconds, he knocked again, but still, no answer came. He waited a few seconds more and knocked louder, and longer this time before pausing once again, he was about to repeat the process when he heard the door locks unlocking. Swoop!swoop!swoop! Three bolts opened then the door was slightly ajar, Arion moved closer to it and looked through the open space. "Can I help you ?" Came a voice from the open space, Arion followed the sound, and It was a girl, she was of moderate height though shorter than him and about his age or slightly older. He sees half her face, but the door concealed the other half. Arion cleared his throat "Hello, I'm here to see a man named Mr Shey is this his house? "Yes, it is, and who are you?" the girl responded. "My name is Arion, and I'm a collector, well not really, but I'm here today as one anyway." "Okay, give me a minute Arion." The girl said and shut the door in Arion's face. I'll be right here, he said to himself. A minute later he heard the sound of bolts unlocking once again but this time the door was opened fully, and Arion came face to face with the girl, and his first thought was fire! The girl had the most striking Orange hair he had ever seen, with brown eyes like his and brown maple skin that is much lighter than his. Arion couldn't stop staring at her hair, he hoped she wouldn't notice he was staring, he just couldn't help himself. It looked like her head had caught on fire, and it was flowing to her waist. Slowly he tried to pull his eyes away from her, the girl was backing him now, but he was pretty sure if he kept on staring she would notice. She was leading him down a timid corridor, it was dark and so the candle the girl carried and to be truthful her hair as well-illuminated the way. Arion's black hair blended into the darkness as much as hers brightened it. "What's your name?" Arion asked She didn't turn back to respond but kept on walking until they got to a brown door that most likely led to a room. The girl took out a key from her jean pocket and unlocked the door, she stepped into the room and gestured for Arion to do the same. The room wasn't too large, it's walls were painted bright blue, and there was just a couch in it and nothing else. The girl took a seat on the sofa and patted the seat beside her signalling to him to sit, and he did. The girl turned, so she was facing him " My name is Adina, Adina the Phaeri of Nayr." Arion gasped, a Nayrian, actual flesh, and blood Nayrian were sitting beside him, he couldn't believe it, this couldn't be real, how was it possible. "I assure you Arion, I am real, "Adina said, and her orange hair blazed, Arion stared at the girl beside him, her hair didn't just look like fire, it was fire, it shone with orange light and warmed him. How is this possible he thought to himself "Where is Mr Shey? Is he a Naryian too?" he asked. Adina giggled like she was sharing a private joke," Mr shey is a facade, a dead end, a goose chase, something to throw off nosy Erdeans searching for the map of Nayr." Arion was confused "how did I find you then?" "You didn't. I found you"Adina replied "Your uncle was telling the truth, you are Naryian, I don't know how exactly but I can sense the power of Nayr in you." Arion's mind was spinning, up until this moment he hadn't truly believed he was a Nayrian, here was confirmation, he indeed was one. Adina produced a black pearl from where Arion didn't see. "I know you came here looking for the map, but there is no map, the map, unlike Nayr, is a myth, however when you are ready to come to Nayr smash this pearl, I will come and take you" she placed the pearl in his hands, he examined the pearl it was smooth and black as night, "okay, I will, thank you." "Your welcome, I hope will meet again soon and please don't stare at my hair as much," Adina said, and in the blink of an eye, he was back on his horse wondering how in the world in the world had that happened and where Adina went.

4-The Phaeri Councillor

Adina stood beside the door waiting for her friend and fellow council member Tessie, councillor of Rinyr to be dressed. She was wearing her red and yellow ceremonial Phaeri dress, it was an off-shoulder mermaid dress, and it fit her perfectly, alongside that she also wore the ceremonial phaeri cape, it was bright red. It bore the crest of Nayr with embellished stones. Tessie came running towards the door, finally dressed "okay I'm ready. Let's go". Adina and Tessie arrived at the Nayrinth shortly after, the Nayrinth was the official building for the council of Nayr. The council contains a councillor from each of the seven tribes of Nayr including the Phaeri of Nayr, the head of the council was High councillor Sybil of the Ennyr tribe who was also Adinas father. Councilor Sybil greeted "Welcome respectful members of the council of Nayr." "We have a lot on today's agenda, so we are going right down to business." As you all know earlier this month, the council got notified about the illegal breaches. For those who need their memory refreshed, breaching is the process of moving between the two worlds Nayr and Erdea through the bridge. The bridge is the barrier between Erdea and Nayr and no one in Nayr besides the Phaeri can pass through the bridge to get to Erdea. The phaeri is the only nayrian with this ability of breaching, and she can as well breach people, but it is against the laws of Nayr for the phaeri to breach anyone besides herself. People of the bridge, however, can cross to both Nayr and Erdea and transport people from Nayr to Erdea but not vice versa. Luckily we have had the No transport treaty with the bridge, and this has stopped them from transporting Nayrians to Erdea for centuries until now. On phaeri Adinas recent trip to the bridge, her bridge contact notified her that someone in the bridge might have breached Nayrians to Erdea, she took it open herself to find out if this information was accurate. Unfortunately, she has reported back that it is, she discovered three nayrians living in erdea and a boy who is a half-blood, Naryain but born and raised in Erdea. These breaches are a severe problem, and we need to figure out who is behind them and get all these Naryians back to Nayr. Once councillor Sybil finished with his speech, the council descended into planning and brainstorming. Among the things that got decided was that Adina had to go to the bridge and track down whoever was responsible for the breaches and then she had to breach all the Naryains in Erdea back to Nayr.

5-Into the Bridge

Adina was packing for her journey to the bridge, she and Tessie sat cross legged on the floor in her room, folding and throwing stuff into a duffel bag. "I can't wait to see Karla, I've missed him," said Adina. Karla was her oldest friend in the bridge, he was the same age as her but looked two or three years older, most bridge people looked that way, they also all had bright golden eyes, but Karla's was not as glowing as some bridge people she had met. She was going to stay with him and his mom while she was in the bridge. Tessie laughed at her friend "well now you're going to be missing me, not him." "I'll be back before you know it Tess, please make sure you check in on my dad for me okay?"Adina said "You know I will,"replied Tessie. Adina trusted no other person but Tessie to look after her dad. He loved her like his own daughter, Tessie’s mom had died during childbirth and was raised by her dad just like Adina it had been what brought them together, two young council members raised without moms. . It had been about a year since Adina went into the bridge, she hadn't had a reason to go. The last time she visited it was to pay a short visit to Karla, and he had told her about the illegal breaches...But now she had a reason to cross, and it wasn't a good one, the unlawful breaches were making her extremely worried, it meant someone from the bridge was breaking the treaty and taking people from Nayr to Erdea, but she was going to find out whoever was doing this and stop them. Slinging her bag across her shoulder, Adina straightened and scanned her surroundings. She was in her bedroom. She was going to miss her bedroom while she was away. She took one final look at herself in the mirror, her hair packed up in a gigantic orange messy bun, and she was wearing some black leggings, an ash-coloured T-shirt, black boots and a silver knee-length coat. Whenever she went into the bridge, she was usually cold for a while before her body adjusted to her environment. It was nighttime, and her father had already gone to bed after wishing her good luck and a safe trip. He hadn't hugged her. Sometimes he forgot he was also her father and not only high councillor. But enough delaying she thought, it was time to move. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and concentrated, she thought about the bright white sky of the bridge, Karla's bright smile welcoming her and she vanished. "Dinaaa!" came a deep male voice , Adina knew that voice, she lifted her hands to eyes shielding them as they adjusted to her surroundings, she traced the source of the voice, and Karla was sitting cross-legged in front of her. He had his vast golden smile on his face, which brightened his golden eyes, he stood up from the chair and walked towards her and hugged her, she hugged him back. Karla let go and combed his hands through his light brown hair, "let me help you with your bag" he slung her bag across his back like it weighed nothing, he was also taller than her and next to him Adina looked like a toddler. "Ready to go to your room?"Karla asked. "definitely " Adina threw herself on the bed in her room and Karla dropped her bag beside the bed, "Just as you left it, didn't move a thing"Karla beamed "Thanks, Karla, I'm too drained to move, could you say hi to your mom for me?" "Of course, you should get some rest; I know how much breaching to the bridge wears you out. I’ll bring some food up later." "Urgh, thank you"Adina groaned. "Anytime Dina," said Karla but she didn't hear him because she was already fast asleep. A knock on the door kicked Adina awake, and she rubbed at her eyes for a moment. She lost her bearings but then remembered she was at Karla's house in the bridge and someone had just knocked on the room door. "Come in," she groaned, still a bit tired. Karla scurried in balancing a tray of food. He placed it in front of her on the bed as she sat up. "Thank you, Karla, this looks great," she said, smiling. It was a plate of water peach soup, water peach was a fruit grown in the bridge, and it was delicious, Karla had plucked one for her out a tree the first day they met, and ever since then, he made sure she always had it when she was in the bridge. Karla took a seat on the bed beside her "I didn't expect you to be back in a while." "I didn't expect to be back so soon either, but something came up." "Wha, Karla was just about to respond when something caught he and Adinas attention. A black fog thick and heavy appeared in front of them. It reminded Adina of the orange haze she was told occurred whenever she breached. The black fog subsided after a few moments and in its place was a boy standing, he had hair as black as the fog and was wearing clothes that showed he was royalty, Adina couldn't believe her eyes. The boy in front of her was Arion.