(( Hello and welcome to the sequel to my other story, A Fairy Tale's Princess! If you haven't read it, don't worry, you don't need to. I hope you enjoy and as always please feel free to leave me comments either here or by sending me a message. I'm happy to answer any questions and take any constructive feedback.

Happy reading! -- Bunni ))

1.

The clang of steel on steel rang through the still night air, followed by the sharp grunt of someone hitting the ground. The calm meadow seemed an unlikely place for a battle to be raging, but the brunette who'd hit the ground hardly noticed. She was more concerned with the sword that was already swinging at her again.

Just in time, she brought her own sword up to block, kicking out at the dark-haired young man on the other end of the long blade. Her kick connected and he stumbled back, giving her ample time to roll to her feet, dashing forward and swiping at the base of his weapon. Another loud clang rang out as her blade met his, making his snap back and out of the way. She lunged forward, shoving her shoulder into his chest and knocking him back. Her intention to knock him to the ground, however, failed her when instead he simply twisted, sending her off balance and onto the ground again.

She sprawled in the long grass and stared up at him with emerald green eyes as he raised his sword over her. Then he paused.

"Gotcha again."

Toby folded her arms over her chest, eyeing Dominic as he grinned down at her with those sky blue eyes of his. "Only because you cheated."

He laughed and sheathed his sword, then offered a hand to help her up. She accepted, hauled back onto her feet by him. Brushing the grass off of her clothes, she grabbed her own sword, a long, perfectly balanced silver affair. Walking over to a nearby tree, she picked up her own sheath and housed the blade in it.

Then she picked up the other sword resting next to the previously empty sheath. This sword was larger, its hilt shaped like the body of a dragon with its wings outspread, rubies glittering in the head wrapped around the base of the sword.

Holding the other sword in her hand, she turned back to Dominic.

"I didn't cheat at all," he said, defensively.

"You did too. It's not fair that you weigh like four times what I do." Dominic looped his arm around Toby's shoulders as the two of them turned and walked back towards the small house nestled at the base of the sloping hill they were on. It was a normal looking house... except for the fact, every so often, its window shutters would open and close of their own accord, like a cat blinking its eyes lazily.

"You're getting really good, though. I bet Georgette would be pleased."

Toby's mind flashed to the golden-haired, blue-eyed Knight, picturing her in her shining silver armor and her impossibly large sword. It'd been nearly two months since she'd last seen Georgette or her fairy horse, a Pooka named Valiance who never seemed to be without a sparkle of mischief in his deep brown eyes. She smiled.

"I hope so. I don't want to be useless if I go back." She reached up, rubbing a finger over the silver band that sat across her brow, an empty space where there once had been a clear crystal set in the tiara's grasp. It'd been shattered by the Queen of the Fairies when she was trying to kill Toby.

Toby's head still hurt to think about how she'd died, then apparently been brought back by the magic of True Love's Kiss. So much for a nice, simple life.

"Don't you mean 'when' you go back?" Dominic regarded her with an arched eyebrow, strands of his ebony hair falling over one of his cerulean eyes.

"I guess..."

"I know it's been a while since we've heard anything from them, but don't give up. They'll come back for us." Dominic gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and she leaned lightly into him. At least he hadn't changed a bit, still the supportive, loyal friend he'd always been. Except now he was her supportive, loyal boyfriend... or something.

"I hope so," Toby said as she pushed open the screen door, stepping into the kitchen, delicious smells filling the air. Linda, Toby's mother, a tall, lanky brunette like her daughter, was just in the middle of taking supper out of the oven, setting it on the burners while she closed the door and flicked the oven off.

"How was practice, Tobydoby?"

Toby set the smaller sword -- Skysyr -- on the counter, followed by Dominic's sword. She didn't take the other sword off. It'd just become comfortable to always have Kjavaeos, the dragon sword, with her.

"Okay. He beat me again."

"Only by a little," Dominic said, sliding into a seat next to the brunette. "She's getting really good."

"I knew you had it in you, Toby," Linda said, smiling warmly at her daughter as she dished some food out for her. "I finally got the rest of your gifts sorted out. I put them each in a baggie and labeled what they are, as well as what they're for -- if I could find it, that is. Some, like the rowan charms, are pretty easy to figure out, but some, like those little acorns... Well, I have no idea."

Toby's mother had taken care of the trunk full of objects ranging from feathers to stones to necklaces to books and everything in between that Toby had come home with after leaving Avalon, the Fairies' capital city. Every Fairy still loyal to the Princess and not to the Fairy Queen Rosepink had approached Toby that night with a gift, most of which Toby had no idea what to do with. "Thanks, Mom. I'm sure it'll come in handy if I ever go back to Believe."

"When," Dominic corrected with an arched eyebrow. Toby didn't say anything but just shoved some more food in her mouth, chewing with a quietly morose air. It was unfair. She'd just started to really get used to that 'Princess' stuff, and now she was back in her normal life. At least one good thing had come out of the whole mess, however -- the kids in school no longer tormented her. In fact, they seemed to avoid her like the plague.

Fine enough with Toby.

Still, she wasn't so lost in thought that she missed the telltale glance that Dominic and her mother shared. She really hated when people looked at each other like that. It was like they expected her not to notice, even though she was sitting right there.

"Toby--" Linda started, but was cut off by a knock on the door.

Instantly, Dominic's hand was reaching for his sword. Toby rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, stop it. They're not going to be so stupid as to attack me in my own home with my Knight next to me. Besides, House wouldn't let them in if they were bad, right House?" She patted the wall next to her, grinning at the answering creak as the house shifted in agreement.

"I'll get it," Linda said and slid to her feet. "You two keep eating." Then she swept out of the room to answer the door.

Despite Toby's nonchalance, she couldn't help but listen a little bit more closely ... just in case. Rosepink was cunning and if she thought she could get to Toby, Toby didn't doubt that she'd take advantage of it.

Her mother appeared back in the doorway a minute later, a furrow creasing her forehead. "I.. think it's for you, Toby," she said, glancing over her shoulder again. Toby stared for a moment, but then pushed her chair out, heading towards the door to see for herself.

There, standing perfectly framed in the doorway was a tree. Not just any tree, it was a slim, silver birch tree, roughly a foot taller than Toby herself with a tuft of scrawny, leaf-less branches reaching another couple of feet above that.

Just to complete the odd picture of a oddly-shaped birch tree now sitting on their front porch, in its branches was a woven basket with a red blanket draped over its top. Oddly enough, the blanket was rising and falling steadily, as if covering a slumbering.. something.

"Yeah," Toby said. "It's for me."