Immortal: Part Three

I sighed heavily. "I miss her very much. She was the first friend I had. She was so beautiful and caring. I couldn’t take being in the castle anymore and left, even though Fyora asked me to stay." Fyran’s form slipping through the door was still in my mind.

"Oh Dan... I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have asked." Amber surprised me with her display of seriousness.

"It’s okay. It’s not like she’s really gone though. She’s still here in my memories." I wanted to leave that recollection behind. "Now, how about I answer that question for your assignment?"

The Baby Lupe nodded. "I wanted to know about why humans started to adopt Neopets."

*****

After I left the castle, I went to fight in the Elemental War. I knew that was where I could offer the most help. Fyora was still working out a way to stop the war. Hopefully it would be soon. I proved to be quite an asset in the battles since I could not be killed. But, I could still be hurt though. I learned that the hard way. A fierce battle with one of Neopia’s most powerful sorcerers left me on the battlefield, wounded and exhausted. I faded in and out of consciousness.

"Oh dear!" I heard a female voice exclaim. I wearily opened an eye to glance up. For a second I could of sworn that it was Fyran looking down at me. Fyran’s image blurred into a young girl with fiery red hair and bright green eyes. She stared down at me with concern. "Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I’m fine. Just leave me here." I mumbled quietly.

"No." she said sharply. "You need help. I’d better take you with me." She went to pick me up. I was too heavy for her, I could feel the struggle her muscles gave to keep me in place. She breathed deeply and tried again, this time heaving me up over her shoulders. "I need to get you to a healer." she panted as she trudged down the hill.

*****

"He’ll be okay now. He just needs to recover in a nice quiet place for a while." The healer said kindly.

The girl nodded. "That’s good. Thanks a lot." she said with gratitude as the healer left. She turned to me. "I’m sorry to ask this now, but I don’t know your name. You were out of it so much. The Water Faerie said you had caught fever. I’m Tanya."

I couldn’t remember much about the last few weeks. What the healer said about the fever must had been true. I had Tanya to thank for caring me for through it. "My name is Sir Daniel." I coughed harshly. My throat was parched.

Tanya held the cup of water to my lips as I greedily drank it down. It felt wonderful as the cool liquid slipped down. "Sir Daniel... I know I’ve heard that someplace before. Wait... Weren’t you the Queen’s advisor?" Her eyes were wide.

"Yes, I was. I chose to help fight in the war though after Fyora took the throne. I wasn’t needed in the Queen’s Court anymore. Fyora is wise enough." I blinked as I recalled something. "The Zenith Sword... My sword, where is it?"

Tanya chewed her lip. "You were holding onto it so hard when I found you that I had to bring it with me." She reached under the bed and pulled up a box. It was shorter than my sword... "It must have gotten broken when you were fighting."

She handed the box to me. My paws shook as I opened it. My heart almost stopped beating. The Zenith Sword was in it, but it was broken into pieces. The edges of the fragments glinted up at me evilly. My family’s sword... destroyed and ruined forever. I hastily placed the top back on the box. I didn’t want to see it again.

"I felt exactly the same way when my favourite doll got broken." Tanya said quietly.

I glared up at her. "This isn’t a doll we’re talking about! This is my family’s sword! Passed down from generation to generation from my ancestor Zenith, the greatest knight Neopia ever had! I’ve had this sword for over a thousand years! It can’t be compared to a doll!" I shouted angrily.

Tears sprang to the red haired girl’s eyes. "Well I’m sorry for trying to have some sympathy! So much for getting some thanks for looking after you!" She ran from the room and slammed the door shut.

I stared at the back of the door. I was Neopia’s biggest and most insensitive jerk. I fell back and my head hit the pillow. I was tired. Sleep found me soon enough. I didn’t see it because I was so worn-out, but my fur wasn’t gleaming with its usual brilliance. It had a dull look about it.

*****

I heard the door creak open slightly. I could smell it was Tanya. I sighed. "Tanya, I’m sorry, and thank you for looking after me during my illness."

"You’re welcome... and I’m sorry too. I should have gotten the rest of the sword so we could remake it."

I rolled over to meet her face. "It doesn’t matter. Its just a material thing, and even if it was remade, it wouldn’t feel like the same sword."

*****

I don’t know why I stayed with Tanya. Maybe it was just because I wanted company, or because Fyran had left and I still wished I could be with her. Whatever the reason, I became family to Tanya. Other people saw how much fun we had together and decided to adopt pets, just like she had adopted me in a way. Soon humans all over Neopia had a Neopet, or Neopets to call kin. Tanya adopted three other Neopets, and somehow we just worked. Tanya cared for us, and we cared for her. We were together for so long that I almost began to forget about Fyran. I started to think this was where I belonged. But every story must come to an end eventually. Time affects everyone but me unfortunately. I loved Tanya so much, so when she passed away it was too much of a shock for me. I just wanted it to be that I never had made that stupid wish. All it brings me is pain...

I was adopted into another family, but I never really got attached. I didn’t want the emotion again. I wanted to just... die... I’ve watched as endless amounts of people and pets have passed on. All of them finding something special to live for until the day they depart. I have nothing to live for, but I must still live. And as I lived and experienced everyone else have their last breath, my fur became blacker and blacker, a reflection of my body’s yearning for death...

*****

"Please Dan, stop..." Tears trickled down Amber’s face. "I don’t want you to want to die, not ever."

"You may not want me to, but you don’t know what it’s like. To live day after day with no hope for tomorrow." I held no expression on my face. I had been through this before, with many others like Amber.

Amber sniffed at her tears and dried them. She stared at the mattress, deep in thought. "Sorry... You’re right, I don’t know. Dan, you have your own decisions to make."

It was strange how Amber had a part of her this serious. I was taken aback by it. She showed more maturity than for someone ten times her age. "Amber, you’re going to grow up to be a grand Lupe one day." I said softly.

She gave me a smile of thanks. "Daniel, why can’t you just go to where the Faeries go when they pass on?" Without looking at me again she crawled out from under the covers and trotted to the door. She stopped suddenly. "Dan, I’ll always love you, even if you don’t ever want to love me back. I’ll understand." She walked out into the hall and went towards her bedroom.

I let my eyes wander over to the mirror. I stared back at myself, into my dark eyes which held only the slightest hint that they had once been a sparkling blue. What if Amber’s words were true? Could I see Fyran again...? I rose from the bed to stand in the middle of the room. Please let me see Fyran again... please let me see my first friend again... The door of light I had witnessed once before sparkled into existence. The brilliance from it shone onto my fur, turning it white and pure as it had been so long ago. A hand touched my shoulder. A Faerie with lavender hair and marvellous wings smiled down at me. "Fyran?"

"Sir Daniel. I said I might see you again one day." Her musical voice echoed melodiously in the room, and shivered throughout my body. She took my paw in her delicate hand.

"Wait..." I let go to approach my desk. I scribbled a note and came back. "Now I can..."

Fyran glanced over at the paper. "She’ll miss you. You do know that don’t you?"

"Yes, but maybe I’ll see her again too?" I stared into the eyes of my Queen and smiled.

Fyran returned the smile. "You never know Dan... You never know..."

Fyran guided me up to the light, away from the world I had lived in for nearly an eternity. As I left, the note on the desk unfolded from its creases.

I have lived a million lifetimes. And in nearly all I never found a true friend. But you Amber, you have proved to be one of them. One of my truest friends and little sister. One in a trillion. I’ll always love you, despite what I said. And thank you Amber. You have shown me the way, and given me happiness.

Love from Dan, forever your big brother at heart...

*****

If I had just one more wish, it’d be that I’d had been able to make that first wish, in spite of what followed... For just one person can make it all worthwhile...

THE END

Author’s note: Thank you all for reading this. If you have any comments or such about this series, I would love to receive them.