Nameless Grey

     "Wait, don’t go!"

     The little Shoyru looked up at the slender figure before him, sad blue eyes meeting equally sad, grey ones. A sympathetic flutter of wings stirred the figure to smile flatly, an obvious front to her gloomy features.

      "Don’t worry little one, don’t worry."

     The woman was dainty and rugged, but in her own way charming. Her eyes were adorned with shadow, somehow emphasizing just how grey they were. She knelt down and offered a hand to the Shoyru, at which he smiled and removed a pendant from it.

      "Take care of this, Emmett. It will bring you courage when I am gone."

     Emmett the blue Shoyru nodded and clasped the pendant charm to his collar, burying it beneath his crimson stealthy shirt. "Thank you miss Gray. I hope you find your new name someday." Again he smiled, but this time it was filled with mourning and fear, and as he looked up to the faerie before him, she was already gone.

     ---

     Our tale begins along the coast of Krawk Island, where a desolate shore can be located by the most curious of wanderers. Surrounded by minions, a dark faerie, known as Quella, glides along the sands in search of a lost item. One might say, it was forgotten.

     "Blast it, I must find the trophy! It’s the missing piece!" Quella looked on as her enslaved minions clawed clumsily around in the sand, desperate to please their mistress and be rewarded. "Don’t just stand there, get searching!" She snapped at a nearby Usul, whom quickly obeyed and also buried its miserable face in the sand.

     "Madam, the relic for which you are searching appears to be gone. Scavenged in fact."

     At this, Quella’s face scrunched up, giving her the appearance of having a rather nasty toothache. She looked around at the shore, her minions trying to shy away from her gaze as to not draw attention to themselves.

      "Who dares take my treasure?"

     "I found this - with my own hands."

     Quella turned to face the voice now, meeting the outstretched paw of a Lupe, dressed in delicate blacks and purples. She quickly snatched the grey rags from his palm, bringing them into the light. "She… how did she find this without her powers? Without her wings?"

     A chattering could be heard throughout the shore, different voices and excited murmurs. Quella’s face reddening with each whisper. "Silence!" She bellowed, raising her dark quarterstaff above her head and focusing all of her energy into the crystal-like sphere sitting atop it. Tendrils of darkness escaped from the ball, some evaporating into the air - but some reaching around the minions and shaking them to their very core. "I no longer need any of you." She continued, but this time her voice was just barely audible over the waves beating against the shore. Some of the many neopets gathered before her fell backwards over their own feet, tripping and forming a domino effect, terror rippling between them. From Kacheek to Draik, Uni to Ixi, Korbat to Usul.

     One by one they fell silent: evaporating into the air alongside the wisps that carried them there. Hastily, Quella put away the quarterstaff, a twitch of satisfaction daring to match her dark but incredibly beautiful features. "There is work to be done." She uttered, allowing the smile to become etched on her face. "With me, Sylex."

     The tall Darigan Lupe bowed to his mistress and followed closely, waiting patiently to be whisked away.

     ---

     "Oi, watch where you’re going!" The angry red Skeith exclaimed, running to pick up the now upside down basket, potatoes sprawled across the cobbled floor. "If any of these are bruised, you’ll have to pay for them you know!" He tutted at the figure before him, eyeing her ragged attire from head to toe. "Get out of here, before I make you buy them."

     The figure offered a grateful nod before turning on her heels and hastily exiting the store. As she wandered into the street, a gust of wind blew down her hood, revealing shadowed, heavy-lidded grey eyes and lengthy grey hair. The grey faerie was named Amaya -- or at least she had been until it had been stolen away by a dark faerie. Now she felt like a mere fragment of what she once was: wingless, powerless and nameless. The Grey. Miss Grey to be precise. At least that is what she told everyone to call her, but deep down, she could not forget the name she had been birthed under.

     So here Amaya was now, wandering aimlessly in hope to discover a new name, to best the rival who took it from her. In order to do that though, she needed help. And help had just arrived in the form of a beautiful faerie Uni, spotless from head to toe. Perfectly groomed pearly hair, and carefully decorated by the finest of dresses and a quaint little hat.

     "Miss Grey." The Uni looked content, clearly expecting the young faerie. "I am here to take you to Fyora, she awaits your arrival." The Uni then offered a wing, extending it towards Amaya for her to take. "I will be your wings, child." She spoke softly, allowing a warm smile to reach her kind blue eyes.

     Amaya, overcome by a surge of respect for the Uni, reached out for the wing and held it gently, allowing the Uni magic to flow through her skin. She noted that the wing felt strangely of clouds, or of candy floss, but regardless of that fact it was an extremely pleasant feeling against her fingertips. "Oh thank you, thank you so much!" She could not contain her relief and joy, and although she knew that she wasn’t safe yet, Amaya could not help but relax in the Uni’s presence.

     It was in that moment that all happiness was forgotten, and Amaya’s heart felt as though it was being shot into the pit of her stomach. As the Uni lurched forward, Amaya did not. A yelp of pain caused her to look down, and the sight that met her chilled her to the core. A gaze filled with hatred, accompanied by sharp fangs clenched around her leg, stopping her from going anywhere. "No…" Amaya whined, pleading for her leg to break free of the Lupe’s grasp.

     "What do we have here?"

     A shiver ran through Amaya’s entire body, as she turned to meet the blazing eyes of her nemesis. She helplessly tugged at her leg, the Lupe’s teeth like a vice - no longer painful but still locked in place. Quella let out a bloodcurdling laugh, to which Amaya released the Uni. "Go, dear Uni, do not stay here, I do not want you to get hurt."

     The Uni however, stood her ground. A beautiful face suddenly twisting into anger as she leapt onto the Lupe, knocking him aside, the shock causing him to release Amaya’s leg as he fell to the ground. In that moment Amaya called out to the Uni, begging for her to run, but her cries fell on deaf ears.

     Quella watched the scene unfold with an amused expression, before diverting her attention back to Amaya. "You have something that belongs to me, and you are going to give it back or there will be dire consequences." Drawing her quarterstaff once more, Quella let dark flames engulf the sphere, the tendrils even larger than before.

     Before she had time to act, the Uni sprang to her feet and sprinted to Amaya, shielding her and taking the spell at full force, letting out a small whimper before fainting at Amaya’s feet.

     There was a large flash of light, pink flame-like rays darting straight towards Quella, barely giving her time to react. From the light emerged Fyora, the anger in her eyes enough to melt even the toughest of resolves.

     "Drat! Sylex!" Quella panicked, the Lupe dashing to her side as she whisked them away, desperate to avoid a direct confrontation with the Queen of faeries herself. Amaya may have escaped this time, but next time, they would be ready.

     ---

     Fyora furrowed her brow as the two left, choosing not to pursue them. She hastily span around to face Amaya, a soft smile forming on her face. "Worry not over Mei, the healing faeries will see she is nursed fully back to health."

     In all of the fuss, Amaya had rushed to the aid of Mei, tears rolling down each cheek. She had searched for a pulse, for an exhale, anything to signal that the brave and selfless Uni was alive. At these words however, she relaxed a little and stood, watching as Fyora wordlessly stabilized the Uni.

          "Dear child, you have been searching for something that has been with you the entire time." Noticing the confused expression on Amaya’s face, she continued. "You have proven more worth in having a name than any dark faerie such as Quella can." Fyora paused and took Amaya’s palm in her own. "Child, you are Amaya. Amaya the Grey, Amaya the compassionate, Amaya the unyielding."

     The tears Amaya had tried to hold back once more decorated her cheeks, each sob heavier than the last. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a chain, letting it rest across Fyora’s outstretched hands. "I gave it to someone capable. Capable of protecting Neopia from those like Quella."

     Fyora grinned, draping the chain around Amaya’s wrist and closing her hands around it. "It is because of him, that I am here. His fear for you led me here. He told me, ‘Amaya has gone’ and so I came." She let the words linger in the silence before continuing, "Is that not proof enough, of your name?"

     As those words left Fyora’s lips, there was a gasp from behind Amaya. Wheeling around, the sight she was left with caused Amaya to drop to her knees with relief. "Mei! You’re alright!"

     "Yes miss Grey, and I am glad you are unscathed."

     Amaya smiled, and finally understood - "My name is Amaya." She corrected the Uni, tears of joy streaming down her face.

---

     The End.