The Alyta Trilogy: Handmaids, Heroes, and Hierarchy.

Alyta grabs her wrist before she can reach it and smiles.  �No, I don�t think you�ll be needing that,� she says as little white figures emerge from the foliage.  Elena flies out first, followed by a steady stream of fairies.  Alyta laughs as Kirya blinks expressively three times. 

�No, you�re not hallucinating, Sis.  And saying �I believe in fairies� won�t change anything,� she steps forward, confidant that Kirya won�t faint if she hasn�t yet.  She�s wrong.  �Kirya!  Sheesh!�  Alyta says as she puts a hand to Kirya�s forehead, and water pours out to wake her up. 

Kirya feels cool liquid and realises that she�s lying on the ground.  She sees Alyta crouching above her.  �MAN, Alyta� I just had this really freaky dream--� she stops short as she notices a little creature on Alyta�s shoulder.  Her eyes bulge out.

Alyta inwardly chuckles.  �Shhh� Kir� it�s okay.  The world is still in one piece.  Fish still swim, birds still fly.  It�s just that all the birds flying around here aren�t really birds at all.  Elena, I�d like you to meet my� sister, Kirya.�

The creature flies down and lands on Kirya�s shoulder.  �It is a pleasure to meet you.  Any sister of Alyta�s is a friend of mine.  Welcome to our forest.�

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Huge bonfires blaze.  Okay, so they�re huge for fairies.  For Alyta and Kirya, large-ish campfires blaze.  The fairies have prepared a feast of berries for the visitors.  Kyria is still looking around in a basic daze.  Elena comes up to her with another fairy.  �Um� pardon me, Miss Kirya, but�� she whispers in her ear.  Kirya looks even more taken aback, but a curl comes slowly to her lips.  �Yes, I think so.  I would be delighted to have this dance, Yotr.�  The male fairy blushes slightly, and says something quietly to Elena.  �Ah, right, yes, of course.  Where�s my mind today?  All the guests must partake in the fist dance.  Alyta, will you please choose someone to dance with?�  Alyta�s heart jumps as it says to itself, �Jason!� but, through her etiquette training, she knows that she must feel honoured and choose one of the fairies.  She acknowledges one with a nod.

A streak of invisible light appears, bringing with it that strange pink lady.  Okay, so we all know that that�s Aphrodite.  �Hmm� this just ain�t happening.  I shouldn�t just zap Jason here, that would bring too many complications.  But if I could just get a little luuuuv happening with some others� maybe I can cut things down to size.�  And with that, she is gone.  Her aftermath happens in pink light sparkles.

Alyta and Kirya are disoriented.  They look at the ground, but all they see is one big leaf.  Oh, no.  They look at each other, and then at Elena.  She is their size.  Or maybe they are her size.  Either way, everything�s so huge.  Man, that is one huge bonfire.  Two fairies swoop down, and the girls recognise them as the ones that they have promised the dance to.  Kirya looks over at Alyta and smiles.  �THIS should be interesting,� she says as she walks up to one, curtsies and starts dancing to the music of the fairies� flutes.  Alyta feels slightly abandoned, but makes the best of the situation.  A fairy, looking about her age asks her the simple question, �May I have this dance?�  Alyta sighs and tries to smile.  He introduces himself as Rialign.  She gets ready to start the waltz, but she notices that the shoulder her hand is on is twitching.  Startled, she looks over and sees that she�s almost touching his wing.  She moves her hand back.  �Sheesh.  I�m not going to bite,� he says lamely.  That was just what she needed to here.  She lets herself relax and talk to this guy.  So he wasn�t Jason.  That doesn�t mean that she can�t at least have a good time dancing with him.  At the end of the second dance, he explains, �The next one is called the Flittee.  You sure you want to dance it?�  She raises and eyebrow, confused, and nods warily.  He smiles smugly.   �Okay, but don�t say I didn�t warn ya,� he says as he lifts her up.  When Alyta feels her feet off the ground, she looks down.  She sees the ground get farther away, and realises that Rialign is actually flying.  �Now I can see why you warned me,� Alyta says dryly.

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