She was standing on the bridge with a deep anger filling her to the brim. There were people laughing behind her, daring her to do this. Jumping off a bridge when you were deathly afraid of heights... What a thing to do to be accepted, such a crazy thing. Her curly hair whipped around her face, tendrils going in every direction as she took a deep breath before closing her sapphire eyes.

Meredith Forester let herself fall off the edge. A loud scream filled the air, chilling in it's ferocity. Fear and anger mixed together in an great tangle as silence reigned above. Rushing water filled the eighteen year old's ears, even if she was still plummeting towards the currents below.

Hayden rolled his eyes at the festivities. He was jaded, and unwilling to participate when he knew what it meant. Finding a love, true and everlasting, that was what awaited him in the great big world. He was setting off at the moment, leaving what he knew behind. Green eyes resentful, the young twenty-five year old left the fairy world in search of others like him within the human world.

A park, that was where he stood. There was crying going on, a cat was stuck in a tree. The noise grated within his ears, and heedless of warnings, Hayden used magic to float up and catch the little creature to return it to the human. That was when he was caught. Burning iron surrounded his wrists. Hayden laughed as he lost consciousness, knowing he would never be free again.

Mallon looked up as he felt the spell shatter. He growled low in his throat and went to see what it was. He glided his hand across the water in his basin. It looked like a small bird bath. He sighed when he saw the small girl being pulled under by the currents.

He took a breath and mumbled under his breath, making a small sign in the air in front of him. The currents would now bring her straight to the entrance of his dwelling. He went and stood by the pool with his arms crossed and staring into the water, waiting for her to pop up gasping for air.

Jemini strolled down the hall with her large headphones half on her head. She texted her friend that she'd meet her at the cafe after that day's work. She worked for her father as a civilian in her father's office. He was the chief of police in that area and she had to file some paperwork on a new prisoner they'd brought in.

The current tugged and pulled at her clothes, a skirt and long-sleeved shirt, pulling the young woman here and there. Lack of air made her lungs burn just as Meredith's heart beat crazily. Unexpectedly the struggling against aquatic forces came to an end. Just as she was ready to give up her head broke the surface. For a few moments Meredith was unaware of her surroundings as she filled her lungs hungrily. Treading water as she did so, the young woman then turned her blue eyes to finding someplace out of the water so she could rest.

A person stood by the water's edge, looking just a little angry with his arms crossed. This stranger's appearance nearly drove Meredith to plunge into the water again to try and make an escape. Instead she pulled herself out of the water and squelched her way over to him. The sneakers she wore, which had once been dry, were now so wet they were tiny little pools in and of themselves. "Excuse me, but what are you doing here?" It was the only question which seemed to make sense to her mind, though her presence in the same place was just as strange.

Darkness, shadows... Then everything was white and far too bright. Opening his gray eyes, the young man with pointed ears sat carefully. Immediately Hayden knew he was in trouble. Tall walls surrounded him as he sat in a cell, or rather lay upon a hard bed. A single door afforded entrance into the place, and iron was everywhere. It burned his skin, making Hayden realized that even he cursed bed was made of the stuff.

Instead of resigning himself to his fate, the fairy prince began to plan his escape. There were windows, well one, though barred by iron. The door was made wholly of the metal and the floors were made of tile. The walls were of brick painted in white. The whole place was created to frustrate anyone adept in magic of the fae kind. It also made Hayden feel sick.

(( Sorry for not having answered, I was busy with a family trip. Meredith Hayden Here's what they look like, roughly. The girl's hair is a lot curlier then in the picture.

He glared down at her. "What do you mean, what am I doin here? This is my lair. What's with you jumping off the bridge right through my spell! That took years to set up!" He looked at her, a look that meant nothing see said would satisfy him. There was even a strange aura eminating from him.

Jemini had found her father a smiled fondly at him. "Hey, pop." She handed him a envelope and kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Birthday." He smiled at her as he took the envelope. "Thanks, Jemini." He set it down in front of him and stood up from his desk. "I know you like watching interegations and we just got a big catch. Would you like to watch today? We'll go out for dinner afterwards." Jemini smiled and nodded. "Sure thing. I do love the part where they crack."

His words made her sapphire eyes widen. That, more then his strange appearance, frightened her. Meredith took one step back after sweeping her dripping hair from her eyes. Though uncomfortable before, it had been nothing compared to this feeling of silent dread. "It was a dare..." The young woman found herself staring at him, his whitish gray hair and two colored eyes... It was a disconcerting sight to someone used to normalcy.

Magic was forbidden. Those who practiced it twisted and wrong in every way. At least, that was what the elder people said. Those who had lived trough the rising up and quelling of those imbued with magical forces always told tales of their twisted beauty, the way they had seduced good people only to kill them. The thoughts made Meredith shudder. "Please don't kill me!" It came out quickly as fear drifted trough her boy making a cold sweat break out upon Meredith.

Guards came for him. Hayden almost welcomed it as he was dragged away from all that iron. It didn't last very long as the fairy was forced to sit in a iron chair. He struggled vainly to get out of it, but was tied down and bound with the very thing he tried to escape. Slumping in his chair, the prince knew he was done for. How to find true love, when bound like this? The prince's thoughts went back to the search he had disdained so much. Now it was a fond memory, and the search actually meant something.

Mallon rolled his eyes, frustrated. "Why do kids have to go through life-threatening dares?" It was rhetorical. Then he just sort of stared at her. He stepped up to her and lifted her chin with his one index finger. "I'm not going to kill you. No matter how angry I am with you, I'm not that angry." He then released her and looked at her up and down. "I have a way you can pay me back, now that I think of it."

The police chief came in and dismissed the man that sat in there to watch the fey. Jemini stood on the other side of the 2 way mirror lined with iron. She stared at the fey. She'd never seen anyone like him. Of course, she'd seen plenty of fey before....but there was something different about this man.

She wasn't sure if his words reassured her or not. All Meredith could do as he placed a finger beneath her chin was stare into those strange eyes. Everything in this new place seemed to radiate danger, and under his gaze it seemed to magnify. "W-what exactly do you have in mind?" She was more confused then she'd ever been in her life, which was saying something. Trembling threatened to overtake her as adrenalin began to pump trough the young woman's body.

It was do as he bid, or run. The problem was, there was no place to escape to. It was cavernous under the bridge in this secret hideaway. Beneath the waters this series of caves lay, and Meredith had no way of getting out. The currents would drag her away fro many kind of air supply, drowning her surely as the sun rose every day.

Lifting his head, his eyes flashed. A man entered while his guard left. Hayden's eyes roved trough the sterile place and he shuddered. A wall of iron. It made him finch away from the sight. "I won't tell you anything important," stated the prince. Speaking only truth, that was all he could do. There was a well of information within him which, if tapped, could destroy his people. On the other hand, every fey knew useless tid bits which seemed important. They were taught these things purposefully for just such occasions.

Mallon sighed dramatically. "Why is it that everyone thinks its something terrible when you say you have a way they can pay you back." Another rhetorical question. He shook his head and looked at her a little more calmly. "You will pay me back by working for me for one full year. Until I am able to redo my spell."

The big man sat down in a normal chair across from the fey. He nodded slightly. "I just need to know who you are, why you're here and the reason you used illegal magic. That's not too important. Just need it for the records, you see." He wasn't a mean guy, Jemini's father, unless you were mean first. Jemini loved her dad to death, just for those reasons. She could tell he wasn't normal fey by just looking at him. She whispered so in to a small mic she had that went directly into her father's earpiece.

The way he had of talking to himself was more reassuring then anything else. Meredith could also tell he did indeed seem to have calmed down with no intent of killing her in his eyes, strange as they were. "What would you have me do?" Unbidden memories of such words spoken in books brought a little smile to her lips despite the serious situation. Now that would be fun, looking trough books all the time and organizing them. Meredith's personal library was quite large taking up all the shelves in her room and more. It was also very organized.

After a few moment's thoughts Hayden smiled genially after placing his hands on the table as casually as he could. "Call me Hawthorn as many people do." Relaxing every muscle in such a situation was difficult, but possible. Hayden managed to look confident in himself, as if he had done nothing wrong... Which he hadn't all. "I came here to find love, and used magic only to help someone. Tell me, is that so bad?" Rescuing a cat stuck in a tree. It was hard to believe how much trouble such a small deed had caused him.

Mallon seemed actually a little amused by how she said that. "Well, I need help organizing and researching. I have been meaning to get around to it, but seeing as you've ruined my spell.....I definitely have no time for that right now." He thought some more, then smiled. "If you turn out to be ecceptional (?) at your job, then I may take you on deliveries. That is, if I feel like I can trust you won't blab off to the feds."

Her father nodded slightly when the fey claiming his name was Hawthorn. It was a nod for Jemini, not 'Hawthorne'. "Are there any witnesses that would testify to your deed?"

Seemingly thinking about it, Meredith shrugged. She was done with high school, and she was taking a year off. "That sounds alright. All I ask is that I am able to talk to my parents, so they know I'm safe." The young woman was rather looking forward to this. Curiosity was beginning to take over where fear had once been, though it still lingered behind. Being raised to see magic as something wrong and horrifying did that to people when confronted with such things.

A small smile flitted across his face. Perhaps his good deed would also save him. "Yes. I was in the park, rescuing a young girl's cat. I'm sure some people noticed me floating in mid-air... Perhaps they thought the cat was a familiar, and that may have been the cause of this whole misunderstanding." Familiars led to thoughts of witches, who weren't bad for the most part, whom most people thought were fearsome beings. Male or female, people who made potions and such things were named witches. It made Hawthorn/ Hayden tilt his head to the side, thinking of such trivial things. Anything was better then dwelling on the burning sensation of his wrists. He was sure that any moment now they would check to see if he was being wounded by the chains. A queasy feeling began to settle in Hayden's stomach, though he didn't let it show.

Mallon actually seemed pleased. "That won't be a problem. I'll only need you to come in on the weekends. So, if you'd like to get a paying job, that'd be fine with me." He then seemed to frown slightly when thought. "No. I've thought of something else. Since you are old enough to be in college, I'd like you to move into a small apartment. I would pay rent or your other expences. But I won't pay both. I'd have you live here, but you still need contact to your world and you don't know how to teleport."

Jemini seemed sort of uneasy about how long he'd been in there. She told her father she was coming inside. She got the keys from the gaurd outside the door and came right inside. Her father nodded to her and she went over and showed the keys to the fey. "I'm just going to unlock the chains, alright?" Her father never liked this part of the interegation. This time the fey working for them hadn't even shown up yet, which made him tense. This fey could be lying through his teeth and could seriously hurt his daughter. Jemini gave him a kind smile and waited for his permission.

Pursing her lips, Meredith regarded him with a frown. "How did you know my age? And this is beginning to sound too good to be true for someone whose had a spell wrecked." She was still distrustful of magic. It would take a lot for her to trust this stranger. In fact, if he gave her his name she would trust him all the more. Of course, Meredith wouldn't volunteer her own until he did so also. There was a line, a tightrope, and Meredith did not want to fall off.

Raising an eyebrow at this newcomer, the fey prince looked her up and down. She seemed familiar, this stranger. Then it came to him. A relation of the officer's perhaps? A little plan began to form in his mind, something of a safeguard. "That sounds perfect." She would see the red angry marks upon his wrists, no doubt about it. But that was only if Hayden was still there. Better to escape with his life to be hunted, then remain where he was to be killed with brutal iron.

Mallon sighed and waved her suspicions away like an annoying fly. "Don't worry. I'm not giving you anything. You will work for everything. Also....that was a very important spell." He got to eye level with her, looking into her eyes. "I have been around for a long time. I could tell you exactly how old you are if you want me to freak you out." He then smiled and went back to his full height and stretched a little. "You may start today, if you'd like. Or I'll see you tomorrow." He bowed slightly. "You may call me Mallon." He straightened out again and held up a finger, as if telling her to not speak yet. "If you're still suspicious of me, I'll just take your first name. I cannot cast a personal spell without your full name."

Jemini was weighing alot on that he wouldn't harm her. She believed his story, but she was still careful. She had a dagger tucked against her lower back. It was easily drawn and she was skilled with it. She went behind him in the chair, but then stopped. "Sir, would you mind humoring me?" Her father blinked and looked at her oddly. "Miss West, you know how dangerous fey can be." She nodded, a little impatiently. "I just want to talk to him for a moment. I'd like for you to turn off the recording and turn the light on in the back so the gentleman here can see nobody is listening in."

Turning her head up, Meredith forced herself not to take a step back. "How long have you been around?" It was only her curiosity, nothing else, which pushed her to ask the question. She relaxed when the man's eyes left hers, and visibly so. "I'll start today." Smiling a little at the bow, she wondered if she should do the same and decided against it. Meredith was sure to embarrass herself is she tried to match his ease. "Meredith. So tell me, how do you get in and out of this place?" She needed to know in order to leave and return. Once her word was given, Meredith never turned her back on it.

So they knew what exactly he was. Hayden stopped pretending the chains didn't hurt and was relieved by it. Showing them weaknesses might make it much easier to put his plan into action. Though those thoughts came to a halt at what this Miss West said. "Now why would you want to do that?" Hayden was talking more to himself then anyone else. His grey eyes took in the lights coming on in the other room, then returned to the girl.

Mallon gave her a mischevious grin. "I can't devulge that information. I'm a little vain. Can't have you calling me old." He joked gently. Then he smiled almost happily. "That's great. I have some things in the back for you to do." Then he looked at her disappointed now. "You don't seem to listen very well. I teleport in and out of here. I don't have the money for a submarine." He was being a little silly now. He looked thoughtful, the smiled and moved over to a nearby desk. After picking up a few pieces of jewelry, he came over and held out his hands. "Pick one." The had simple gold and silver, tightly woven chains. The bracelet had little in-set sapphires around larger diamonds. The necklace had a simple amethyst lily-shaped stone with gold detailing.

Jemini gave her father a look that the fey man couldn't see. Cheif West stood and nodded. "I'll give you five minutes." Jemini smiled a little and nodded. "I won't take that long." She waited until her father left, then looked at the fey male again. "Alright. I know you're not a normal fey. You're too sophisticated for that." She sat in the chair that her father had been in. She wasn't going to unchain him until she got what she wanted to know. "What's your real name?"

The whirl of information caused some confusion to Meredith for a few moments. The young woman blinked, then shook her head. In truth, Mallon didn't seem all that vain for not wanting to disclose his true age. In fact, it would have been strange if the man hadn't wanted to keep it a mystery. "I listen just fine. Remember, this is all very strange to me." Reeling from the fact that not all magic users were bad made Meredith not quite as attentive as usual.

When confronted by the jewelry the young woman couldn't help but express her surprise. That her new employer would be so generous was completely unexpected. "The necklace, it's exquisite. But why?" Reaching out, she traced the lily with a gently touch.

The young woman was far too blunt for Hayden's liking. Blond hair falling into his eyes, he leaned back in the chair as far as he could. "I want a guarantee you'll do nothing with the information, nothing at all... Which means saying not a peep about my name to your relative." Smiling, Hayden let his eyes wander over her speculatively. "I could... Be persuaded to divulge such information ." The chains were more then painful now, it bordered on torture to sit unmoving. Still, the prince would say not a word until he was sure of his safety and that of his people. To give her his name was tantamount to giving himself, it would give her that much power over him.

Mallon shrugged slightly. "I wanted you to have something that I could use to have you come in and out is all." He grinned darkly at her. "We wouldn't want you jumping off the bridge everytime you needed to come here." He thought for a moment, then looked at her seriously. "Stay still. I'm going to cast a spell on the necklace." He put his hands over hers, covering the necklace. His hands started to glow a dark blue.

Jemini smiled happily. "The fact that you are going through such great lengths to mask your identity just proves my theory." She nodded though and smiled kindly at him. "All he knows is that I know you're not a normal, run of the mill, fey. You're important. That's all he knows. He will not know anything you tell me in this room. I give you my word." Then she looked at him with a look that said 'you're in no position to make comments like that'.

"That makes sense... So not all magic users are frivolous then?" Tilting her head with curiosity, Meredith deliberately ignored the comment about jumpin off bridges. She would never do so again. That was done and over with. Now the difficult part would come. The young woman had no idea how to find a job. Lifting her eyes at the rest of Mallon's words, Meredith regarded his blue hands with curiosity. "What are you doing now?" If anything, Meredith was going to end up learning magic.

"I apologize, but you're word isn't good enough. I need proof, a guarantee of sorts. And believe me, I will know if you lie." That much at least he could do bound. Pain made him dizzy, and he knew he could not hold out much longer. Hopefully unconsciousness would take him soon. Hayden hoped someone would come searching for him, if not... The fey would lose their only prince and chaos would erupt. Nothing would stop them from taking revenge upon the humans for their enormous losses.

Mallon looked at her oddly. "I wouldn't cast a spell that didn't serve a purpose." He then smiled and took his hands away. They changed back to their normal selves and he smiled at her. "Its so only you can use it. It identifies you by your aura. No two auras are alike." He then looked around. "Well, now I've got to order my supplies for my spell. And...I have books and ingrediants that I need you to sort in the back." He waved a hand, just to motion her to follow him. He walked to the back of the cave.

Jemini shrugged. "I've nothing to lose. What are you stipulations?" She noticed that he was acting funny. "I'll unchain you after I agree." She wasn't about to let him go if she didn't learn what she wanted....but that was a little cruel. She'd probably just set him free.

Nodding her understanding at his words, she then proceeded to follow him. This was more interesting then she could have imagined. "So, what do you do with the spells? And what were you working on?" As she became more comfortable, Meredith began asking questions. She was sure that soon enough Mallon would get annoyed with her. Everyone else certainly did, especially when she broached the forbidden subject. Magic.

Regarding her carefully trough half closed eyes, he smiled. "Give me your heart. Simple enough." That way he would have as much power over her as she him. Still, she would probably take it the wrong way. It was more of a figurative heart then one in the romantic or physical sense. What he asked for, was the heart of her soul... The fire which made her who she was, just as his name made Hayden who he was.

Mallon smiled to himself. "I work on maybe spells. That's why the place is such a mess, actually. The spell you ruined was a very important spell, but I can't tell you what it was for just yet." Then he stopped in a large room littered with books, papers, bottles, jars, candles, jewelry and assorted stuff. "Well. Have fun. I'd like you to sort everything by logical means. Books, obviously alphabetical and by topic. I'd like you to label the sections as well. The bookshelves have large labels and you need only to say unlock, the name of the section, then lock it." He bowed slightly. "I have other things to do. The necklace is also a communication device. Just say my name and it will contact me." He turned and walked away down the tunnel again.

Jemini just blinked at him, the frowned. "I'm not sure what you said. I could've sworn you said you wanted my heart." Then she sighed and looked at him. "I'm usually wrong in interpreting what fey mean when they say such things, please do explain."

She stared in dismay at the disarray. The place was a mess! It didn't just need organizing, it needed a thorough cleaning. Instead of saying anything, Meredith rolled up the sleeves of her still wet shirt. Grumbling a little she began working on the shelves. It would be easier to organize everything once everything was in a pile. Placing things carefully here and there, the young woman began.

In the end, there were piles for vials, books, jewelry and a manner of other things. The shelves had been dusted, cleaned and now were beginning to fill with books. The problem was, Meredith was more then tempted to read some of them. In some cases, she had to because there was no title and everything was hand-written. "Mallon, would you come here please?" She hesitated to read the books without knowing if she was allowed to or not.

Taking a deep breath, he began to explain."It is more like the fire in your soul, the heart of who you are. It would ensure that we would each be in the other's control equally. My name would give you that much power over me." He neglected to say it was only if she possessed his full name. Hayden Demetrius Stargazer. The last name was the most important, his family being that of the stars. It would be difficult to explain it all if this girl ever asked the questions.

Mallon sighed to himself. Could she have messed up something already? He came back with his hair wet and disheveled. He looked at her oddly. "What is it?" He had on shorts and a loose buttondown shirt. "Has something spilled?" That would have been disasterous. It wasn't a good time for him to take his eyes off his work, but she was new and he needed to make sure she didn't mess anything else up. He saw that everything was cleaned and in neat piles. He was surprised. She was quick.

Jemini frowned. "That seems like too much for just a few answers. But, I'll give it to you on one condition. I want your full name." She smiled just a little. "I do read you know. I don't believe half of that crap, but some of it is true." She stood and moved over to him and gently took hold of his iron cuffs. "I'll untie you now, if you'd like?"

The fact that he thought she'd ruined something else made Meredith huff in annoyance. Turning her mind back to her question, she picked up one of the leather bound books. "Some of these don't have titles, I was wondering if I was allowed to read them in order to put them in categories. It'd be more like skimming trough them then anything else." And she wanted to learn. Voicing the idea would have been crazy though. It would mean admitting her fascination with magic and she wasn't about to do that.

Upon seeing his change of clothes, Meredith frowned. "And, is there anything I could get changed into? I'm soaked." She didn't mean to be rude and hoped she didn't sound like that.

He had to agree. Besides, Hayden had expected this turn of events. "Of course. That is the agreement is it not?" As the girl came to untie him an audible sigh of relief sounded trough the room. The skin upon the prince's wrists was peeling in an obviously painful way. It looked like he'd been burned purposefully and cruelly. She would see that the moment the cuffs were removed. "Please do!" A note of desperation slipped into Hayden's voice as he spoke the words vehemently. [COLOR="Silver"]

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