1 The Portal

"Hey, Mal! It is not that bad. We know how you feel, but please talk to us." Freda said after three hours since we left the place I called home.

 Nick is still driving, and I am surprised I am no longer crying. Having my two close friends with me is the only thing that keeps me sane.

 Twenty-four hours ago, they informed me I was adopted, and now we are on the road going to a place where they keep on telling me where I belong.

 "Thank you, Freda and Nick, but I hope you understand that this is not so easy for me. Knowing that I am not human at all is far beyond my imagination. How could I believe that? I still can't." I said while I sighed. 

 Did I leave my adoptive parents in a quest to fulfill my destiny? Crap! How could my mother and father lie to me throughout these years? They waited until I was eighteen to tell me the greatest secret of all time. I think I am going crazy.

"Yes! Mal, we understand, but if you have some questions, you can ask us. Don't hesitate, and besides, we desire to talk about our plans before traveling to the academy. Accept the fact that you are a fairy, the most precious one." Nick said.

"Where are we going? Why can't we go directly to the Fairyland? I think you two were warriors or soldiers. Why are we on the road for hours?" I asked irritably.

  "We need to go to the portal your real father made for you to be used for this occasion only. We can't use any means of magic because we need to protect you. He made this portal so that we can bring you back safely to Erthesia." Nick said while glancing at me with a look of sympathy in his eyes.

  He's been so good to me so far, for the months that I've known him. Being my protector, as he calls himself, I know it was not easy for him to leave his world to protect me. He is the second prince of his kingdom and the leader of their own army.

  I never knew that I was that important to them until yesterday; they asked me to go with them to rescue my birth father and mother, whom the king himself had imprisoned in his realm for many years, and to defeat the Dark King because of my hidden power that I don't even know if I have it. They said I was the only one who could save Fairyland.

 I only heard and read stories about fairies in books and movies. Who could have thought they existed?

 "So, if we passed through this portal, where exactly does it lead us?" I asked them.

 "I think it is safer if we go to the Aeras Kingdom since our King prepared a place just for your arrival, including someone who can help to bring forth your hidden power."

  "You only need basic skills to summon your own powers, for it is needed before you can set foot in the academy. We don't need your full power to be revealed because we can't trust anybody from the academy. We don't know exactly who our allies and foes are." Freda said.

  It is more complicated than I thought. I don't have any ideas about their world. How can I learn it in months? They want me to be in the academy as soon as possible because the spell my father cast upon me will lose its power soon because of my coming of age; he set that spell for me to be hidden from the fairy world, to be away from his mortal enemy.

 "Rest assured, Mal, that we will be here for you every step of the way; that is the oath we take before meeting you," Freda said with confidence.

 "Do you ever consider me as your friend? Or just one of your missions?" I asked them in a hurt tone.

 "Of course, Malia, but our main duty is to protect you and keep you safe, and I want you to remember that whatever happens, we will always be your friend. Everything we have done together is not fake; in fact, I don't have someone like you in fairyland. I never thought that the assignment given to me by our King made me have a best friend; you are like a sister to me, Malia." Freda said sincerely.

 "Do you know that the two of you are the only people I considered close to me in my entire life, aside from my parents? But you all lied to me." I told them sadly.

They are both silent, and I know I hit them in the gut. They were both accomplices of my parents' secret. I know they have reasons for hiding it from me, but it still hurts knowing that I relied on them so much. No matter how I tried to understand everything happening in my life at that very moment, it was still the same. I felt like I was in a long dream I was trying to wake up from, but I just couldn't.

At last, we stopped in front of the well-known Zitca rainforest. We all climbed out of the car. I didn't bring anything since they told me it would be useless in the fairyland, plus it would make me homesick.

We get inside the jungle, and since my social activities are so limited, I feel so scared of the big trees surrounding us. I am afraid that there will be wild animals that might attack us at any moment.

Nick was walking ahead of us, and he halted in front of the most enormous tree I had ever seen called Giant Seq. "It is time for us to go, Malia. Are you ready?" Nick asked me.

"Yes, Nick," I answered in a low voice.

 Nick asked me to stand beside him while holding my left hand, and Freda sat at my right side, holding my right hand.

 "Just close your eyes, Mal; it may irritate your eyes since you are new to this." I followed Nick's instructions, and I heard him say words I didn't understand. I can feel the wind beneath my feet, and then, in a swift moment, we are in a vortex.

I screamed like a lunatic because I thought I was going to die because of the dizziness I felt. I felt Nick's arms around me. He hugged me the entire time until it suddenly stopped, and I felt like I was going to vomit all the food I ate during my last meal, but I never told them the reason I wanted to look brave in their eyes, even the whole world is spinning, and I have to get hold of my footings.

Nick put his arms on my shoulders to steady me and whispered. "Welcome home to Erthesia Land, Princess Malia, and you can now open your eyes."

I make sure I am standing in the proper position for what I have experienced; it feels like hell going into this world, but when I open my eyes, I am speechless by the beauty that lies before my eyes.

We are in a meadow filled with different beautiful, colorful flowers, and there are so many butterflies everywhere.

I can't help but feel like a child again. I chased the butterflies, laughing and turning around. It makes me think I am finally home.

I never had a chance to have this kind of carefree feeling, for my parents never allowed me to go even to a nearby park. I love plants, that is why we have a beautiful garden at home.

When I finally stopped, I found Freda and Nick laughing at me, and I smiled at them genuinely, my first smile after I learned the truth about myself.

I looked around, and I could see a forest not far from where we were, and in the distance, I saw a beautiful castle.

We have a time difference because it is almost twilight in this new place.

"We better hurry to arrive at dinner time in our kingdom, and I will just ask a bird to deliver a message of our arrival."

Freda summoned a bird by just whistling; that beautiful creature appeared, listened while Freda whispered in her ear, and took off toward the castle.

"Wow! That is so cool. Communication is not so hard here. All you have to do is find a bird. It seems no need for cellphones in here." I speak, and I am still astounded by their abilities.

"It is the classic way, Malia, for the normal fairies, you can do more than that since you are royalty." Says Freda, smiling at me.

Again, this is another metaphor I need to understand in the future. I hope I will enjoy the power they are talking about. I hope I can really save Erthesia Land instead of bringing it to its downfall.