(Original) Witch Annia and the Pixies

[Pinklestia]

Book One: Small Deals

Chapter 01: Pixies

Edited by megrisvernin

[Somewhere in a Germanian Forest, Fall 1979]

• Cherry the Gatherer Pixie •

"Hello young lady, what do you wish to bargain for?" I asked with my best smile, my colourful moth like wings gently fluttering in the night breeze. The blonde Witch looked very young, I doubt she was older than seven or eight years old. How did I know she was a Witch instead of just a kid trying to bargain with me? It was the eyes, they looked cat like under the moonlight.

"Tell me about Pixies, whatever I can get from this offering." The girl then put a big glass jar full of honey inside the fairy circle. Both of us made sure to not actually step on it, as that would cancel the offering and cause bad luck.

"Very well, young lady. Pixies are magical creatures that look like women and girls as tall as an extended human hand. We have insect like wings of different kinds and we have no males." I then looked at the honey jar, but while young the witch was smart and noticed I hadn't gone for it yet.

"How does that even work?" The witch asked.

"Magic."

"Please explain more."

"We take lost baby girls and turn them into baby Pixies."

"What about the male babies?"

"That's beyond what we bargained for but I can say it's not Pixies who take them."

"How does your society work?" Well that definitely was not a question that I expected from someone so young.

"We live in a tribal communal society. Our leaders are the old Pixies and important decisions usually get voted on by every adult Pixie. There are different tribes of Pixies but usually we don't have regular contact with other tribes."

"How do you decide on what jobs you take?" I eyed the honey jar again, really good honey, none of that red crap full of sugar, but real honey.

'Seems like I will have to work for it.'

"For a Human turning ten years old it's not a big milestone but for a Pixie it means one has to decide what apprenticeship they will take and that will decide the job they will do as an adult. To avoid making mistakes ten year old Pixies are encouraged to try different ones for at least a week. And even then it is perfectly possible for a Pixie to change their apprenticeship later on."

"Doesn't it waste time if a young Pixie switches apprenticeships?"

"We don't really care much about wasting time, it probably comes with being a long lived race."

"How long do Pixies live?"

"When I asked my mother she told me that no Pixie she knows has ever died from old age. However, while we do age much slower than Humans; we do still age. We are not eternally young or live forever like many Humans say we do," I replied getting impatient.

"One last question and then you can have the honey," the smart young Witch said.

'Finally!'

"How do I get to your tribe?"

"Sorry but you would need to ask a different question, a mere jar of honey is not enough."

The Witch then added a chocolate bar into the fairy circle.

'Dammit, that's a really good chocolate brand.'

"I can take you, however I can't do that without permission from the Elders."

"What would it take to get that permission?"

"Helping the Pixies, not helping our enemies and doing us a big favour."

"What are your enemies?"

"We do fight the Gnomes sometimes but it's nothing personal, mostly them being Fae of the Underground and us being Fae of the Ground. We are enemies with Trolls, child eaters and those who hurt innocent children."

"What does Fae of the Ground mean?"

"That we live on the Ground or in something that's on the Ground. The Gnomes live under the Ground, that's why we don't like each other but we mostly tend to be neutral to each other."

"How about the Trolls?"

"They love to eat us, and to eat anything smaller than them."

"Aren't Humans your enemies?"

"Some Humans are, others are not. With this all the questions have been answered." I jumped to get the chocolate and honey and thankfully the cute child wasn't stupid enough to try to cheat me.

Once I got them I put them in a bag and flew away.

¤☆¤

• Annia the young Witch •

Annia watched the Pixie fly away and her stomach grumbled. She then picked an apple from her basket and took a bite out of it.

'Not being able to make deals with Gnomes will be annoying but it's not like I can afford them yet. Unfortunately I really do need to get to the Pixie village to make a deal with their leaders.'

Gnomes would have helped Annia get some things she needed for her magic, no wonder her Teacher had asked her twice if she was sure she wanted to try to go to a Pixie Village.

Ah well if Annia managed to get the deal she wanted from the Pixies, it would be worth it.

Most importantly, she had made the Pixie impatient but the young Witch apprentice had not offended her.

So that means Annia would be able to trade with her again. As deals went Pixies usually wanted food so they weren't that expensive. They also were never going to ask for Annia's firstborn.

Fae who took lost children were not allowed to buy or sell children, why? The young girl didn't know, save for the fact half of the Fae wanted to protect children and the other half wanted to hurt or eat them.

Gnomes usually wanted gold and silver, so it's not like Annia could afford them anyway.

No one dealt with Trolls if they could help it.

And Fae that hurt and or eat children? Well Annia was a child, she wasn't suicidal thank you.

So overall she has not lost that much.

*Meanwhile back in the Fairy Village...

• Cherry the Gatherer Pixie •

My younger sister Blueberry was not very happy about her tenth birthday, and I even got her a third of the chocolate bar as a present!

"Come on Blueberry, why aren't you jumping for joy? You are always so serious, one would think you would be happier about finally deciding on what apprenticeship you will take!"

"Ugh... I don't want to be a Farmer, a Gatherer or a Tinkerer and I fear Mum won't be happy if I end up with one of the most dangerous jobs."

The Farmers are those Pixies who farm food. We do not eat any kind of meat, but we do like milk and eggs. For milk and eggs we have to trade with Humans, or steal from them if they are bad, but we do farm most of our food. When it comes to cheese or other stuff with milk on them, it varies from Pixie to Pixie but usually ice cream is very addictive to us so we get banned from having any until we become adults. Things that are mostly sugar are no more effective on Pixies than it is for Humans. Although we do love chocolate.

The Gatherers are those Pixies who either trade with Humans or steal from them, depending on how good of a person they are.

That's also my job and how I got chocolate and honey to bring home. Well the honey is going to the village but the chocolate is mine and for my family.

And then there are the Tinkerers.

They are a group of Pixies that deal with machines, making them, repairing them and changing them. Invention is not something that easily comes to a Pixie but a Tinkerer can take a broken machine made by a human and fix them or at the very least tell why it is not working.

Pixies don't need machines made by Humans, we just like them. Although I admit having a fondness for the Radio.

So if Blueberry didn't want hard work as a Farmer, trying to steal from Humans or bargain from them as a Gatherer or being a Tinkerer, that means she wanted one of the more dangerous jobs.

"Please don't say Wanderer." Those Pixies full of wanderlust become Wanderers and travel the world. They also carry messages to other Fairies Tribes and usually end up getting killed violently.

"What? I ain't crazy Cherry, I just want to be a Sorcerer."

Not many Pixies do more magic than the basics, those who want to do more become Sorcerers. To be a Sorcerer is dangerous, the biggest tree in our village used to be a Pixie until she messed up a spell and no one could change her back to normal.

Sure the magic tree is nice, but tell that to that Pixie's family, I dare you.

Actually don't do it, that would be really stupid!

¤☆¤

• Annia the young Witch •

Annia walked back to the small cottage she shared with her teacher. Said cottage was still in the forest but just barely.

"Welcome back my student, so you don't look cursed so I guess it went well?" The old woman looked more like someone's sweet grandmother than a witch but then again her working hours ended at sunset so she had probably changed.

"It was a satisfactory transaction for both parties." Annia said and got bonked in the head by her teacher's walking stick, although not very hard.

"Stop talking like that, you are a Witch's apprentice, not someone's secretary!"

"Sorry Teacher." The blonde girl put her basket down and went to get changed. Soon she was in old but comfortable clothes and she smelled her teacher making a soup.

"Teacher, did you really go to the Faeries' village once?"

"Yes, when have I ever lied to you?"

"Many times."

"I meant about magic!"

"Still many times."

"If you don't believe me, why do you want to try it anyway?"

"I need to for my future plans."

"Do remember, Pixies are not big Fae, their power is not that great even working together."

"What I want is not immortality, I wouldn't trust a Fae for that anyway." Tanya said with a scowl on her face. She had read enough fairy tales to know better.

"Eternal beauty is also something they can't give you. Also forget about a lot of gold, that last one is the Gnomes' thing and they are so greedy they would try to cheat you out of it anyway."

"It's neither of those things either."

"Do you want to stop being human? Because there is no going back if you go down that path out of your own free will." Annia's teacher meant well so the young witch did her best to not show her annoyance.

"My eyes and yours don't exactly look human." The girl was talking about how their eyes looked catlike under moonlight.

"That's just a sign we are witches Dear, not that we stopped being human. Also I notice you didn't really answer my question."

"What was the Boon they gave you anyway?" Annia asked instead of answering her teacher's question.

"Well, I won't die until after my apprentice becomes a true Witch."

"What? Then... why? Why did you take me in?"

"Annia dear... I am eight hundred years old. Even cheating with magic, even with their Boon... It has been getting worse for a while. I decided to take an apprentice before I need magic to do everything. And you are worth it, never think otherwise."

Annia found herself getting hugged by the old woman.

She was the only person that still cared for her, so losing her would really hurt. She had already lost her parents years ago but that did not help to keep Annia's tears away.

So Annia just cried until her tears dried and they ended up having to reheat the soup.

¤☆¤

[Somewhere in a Germanian Forest, Spring 1979]

• Annia the young Witch •

"You are the most crazy human I have ever met." The Pixie told Annia after she put a jar of milk in the fairy circle.

"Aren't you still in your twenties? You can't have met that many Humans." The young Witch told the redhead Pixie.

"Pixie Sorcery is different from Witch magic, you would have to start from zero!"

"But that wouldn't be that bad considering how long Pixies live so I am willing to do that."

"You would have to leave your human family and friends behind."

"I only have my teacher and she is a Witch." Mostly by choice, Annia was both afraid of death and of losing people she cared about.

"You will make all the effort Old Maggie put in training you worthless."

Annia didn't answer back immediately. If she went and became a Pixie after her Teacher took the effort of training her into a true Witch... wouldn't her effort be pointless? Also as her Teacher would be dead by then it is not like she could train anyone else.

"Maybe I could take an apprentice, and once they get good enough I could become a Pixie?"

"No, you would be too old for the magic to turn you into a Pixie by then."

A Werewolf only lived about a hundred years so it wasn't worth it. Not when a Witch can live two to three centuries with the help of only their magic.

And Annia wasn't stupid enough to try dark magic to stay young or live longer, that never ended well.

"Mm... how about a Boon that turned me into a Pixie at night but I go back to being a Witch in sunlight?" Annia said and added a chocolate bar to the fairy circle.

"Eventually you would end up becoming more of one or the other and get stuck. Why do you want to be a Pixie so much?"

So she either would lose her Witch powers or get locked out from becoming a Pixie, not good.

"You are not evil, live long, can contact Humans and use Human technology. As Supernatural creatures go, you are my best option to live longer."

"Humans don't think the same as Pixies but Witches also don't think the same to be fair." The Pixie then looked at the offerings in the fairy circle. "There is, however, a secret that I cannot tell you without a good offering that may help you."

"What offering do you want for that secret?"

"Bake me a chocolate cake yourself, with milk, eggs and butter. You have until the full moon of tomorrow night." The redheaded Pixie then picked the offerings inside her bag and flew away.

The next night...

Annia had made the cake big, but it still fit the fairy circle.

"I got you the cake, tell me that secret that may help me."

"We Pixies cannot have children like Humans do, however besides picking lost baby girls and turning them into baby Pixies. We can, if the Elders approve, take a human that's about to die and turn them into a baby Pixie. They won't be the same person but as they get older they may regain their human memories."

Annia thought about it, it wasn't exactly what she wanted, but at least if she regained her memories she would still get to live a long life as a Pixie and even if she did not, it wouldn't be a bad life anyway.

However...

"Correct me if I am wrong but a human can only get a big Boon from the Pixies once in their life, right?"

"That's true."

"What if I wanted my teacher Old Maggie to be the one who gets turned into a baby Pixie when she is about to die? Would that be possible or can it not happen because she already got a big Boon from the Pixies before?"

"I will have to ask the Elders but I think it doesn't break the rules. It will however count as a Big Boon for you as you are the one who asked for it. Are you sure that's what you want in exchange for doing us favours until you become a true Witch?"

"Only if it will actually happen."

"You must love Old Maggie a lot."

Annia just... stayed quiet for a while. The old witch had taken her after her parents died, because she had the gift of magic and literally no one else would adopt her because of that.

"... She is family." She finally said. "Now what favours do you want?"

"We could use something to help us deal with Trolls."

Unfortunately as a child Annia would have a hard time getting guns of any kind, but homemade explosives on the other hand, well...

"I will think of something." Annia said.

"Good." The redheaded Pixie then packed the cake in her bag and left.

¤☆¤

[A small Cottage in a Germanian Forest, Spring 1979]

• Suzy the worried big sister •

"Please tell me what your problem is," the old granny like Witch asked me.

"Okay. I had finished the math exam early, so I called Dad by a payphone to take me back home as otherwise I would have to stay at the school for at least an hour more. The school didn't want me to leave early on our own.

Dad drove us over to my little brother's school. Normally Dad would pick up Paul first, since his school let out earlier than mine. Then he would come pick me up and take us both home. But since I'd gotten out early today, we'd be arriving at Paul's school only a little after home time.

'Suzy can you be extra nice to Paul today?' Dad had asked me. 'He had an accident earlier, and he was feeling very embarrassed about it. He peed his pants and I had to go in to hand him a change of clothes.'

That was a surprise to hear. Paul is already six years old and had not wet himself since he was four. If he gets nervous or scared he might throw up so it couldn't be that either.

'Sure thing.' Paul looks up to me, thinking of me as his amazing sister. Not that I considered myself amazing, but he is six. The fact that I am ten made me awesome by default... well maybe it is the fact that I tend to help him with his homework? I am quite sure once he becomes a teen he will be avoiding me.

Anyway, we rolled up to my brother's school and I waited in the car for Dad to go collect Paul. I decided to move into the back seat so that I could sit next to him during the drive home. Only a few minutes later and the two of them had returned to the car. Paul entered the car in the seat next to mine, looking very gloomy. Dad wasn't lying when he said he was quite embarrassed about what had happened to him.

'Hey little bro. How was your day?' I asked. Paul shook his head, then looked away from me, out the window. I sighed. 'Dad told me what happened, and I want you to know there's nothing wrong with it. I don't think any less of you.'

Paul just sighed and continued staring out the window. I wanted to make my little brother feel better, so I defaulted to giving him a hug.

'Hey, your day couldn't have been worse than mine,' I said. 'I had to take a math exam.'

'They laughed at me.' Paul said looking down.

'It happens.' I said and let out the hug. 'So, do you want to talk about your day with your amazing big sister?'

'You... you will think I am lying.' Paul then told me.

'Why? What happened?'

'I lost something,' he finally said, still looking down. 'And when I... they didn't believe me!'

Paul started crying so I hugged him again.

'It's okay, I promise I will believe you. What did you lose? Maybe I can help you find it.'

Paul then spoke in a quiet and low voice. 'When... when I went to pee at school... I looked down and my willy was gone.'

'Your...' I closed my mouth, I couldn't ask him if he was joking, not after the promise I had just made.

'Once we get home we go to the bathroom together and I will take a look, okay?'

'Yeah... thanks Sis... no one else believed me or... even looked to see if I was lying...'

Unfortunately once we got back home it turned out Paul had been telling the truth. He had become a girl.

"Well, I will need to see Paul before knowing if I can help him."

"Okay, my brother is outside, I will bring him in." The girl did just that.

The old witch took a look at the young boy turned young girl, there was nothing wrong her Witch eyes could see, much to her annoyance.

"Hello dear, did you talk to any stranger, eat something weird or sign a piece of paper?"

"Uh... early in the morning the teacher gave everyone in class a piece of candy... but I am the only one who lost their willy."

"Did you keep the candy wrapper?"

"I think I put it in my jacket?" Paul put his hands in the pocket of his jacket and pulled a candy wrapper from the left pocket.

Maggie put on a pair of plastic gloves and picked the candy wrapper and looked at it with her witch eyes.

There was a bit of magic on it, almost gone, had the kid's sister been slower in getting help it would already be gone.

It didn't look like evil magic, or the magic of a Fae deal, but more like chance, luck, a free Boon. She wasn't sure but this was not magic meant to cause harm or to punish.

'Now why would a Boon given at random turn a boy into a girl?'

The Witch threw the candy wrapper into a trash can, there just wasn't enough magic left on it to do anything and the magic was almost gone anyway.

Then she removed the plastic gloves.

"Paul, will you allow me to touch your hand? I promise it won't hurt you."

"Okay?" The kid told the old woman looking confused.

She touched his hand and then felt it, the hum of magic only Witches have then she stopped holding his hand.

"Paul, did you feel anything weird when I held your hand?"

"Well.. your hand was warm I guess? And then... I kinda feel strong? Like I could do anything?"

"Paul... have you ever wanted to have magic?"

"Yes? Why? I have magic now that I am a girl?"

"No, you have magic now that you are a Witch. This... was the work of a powerful Fae... I can undo it but you will be unable to ever use magic if I do." A gift freely given can be given back, otherwise she would have to get help for this.

"But I will get my willy back, right?"

"Yes. However, there is something you should know first Paul. As far as I can tell this was a free Boon, magic whose intent is doing a favour to someone, a Boon that was freely given but left to chance. This means it shouldn't have done anything to you that you didn't want to happen."

Paul looked away.

"Paul... do you want to stay a girl or do you want to be a boy again?"

Paul started to cry and Old Maggie looked at the kid sister.

"I think it's better if you two leave and come back tomorrow."

"What... what is wrong? Why did my brother start to cry after you asked him that?"

"That's not my story to tell, now please leave with your brother, he needs time to think what his choice will be."

Confused the girl left with her brother and Maggie then made herself some tea then she moved a carpet that hid a basement door.

"You can come up Annia, the client left for today."

Annia, the old Witch's young apprentice, came up from the basement.

"Teacher, did something bad happen? That small girl left crying. Was it something you couldn't help with?"

"Well my dear student... that is complicated. That's all I am going to say for the moment. Do you want some tea?"

"Yes, please."

"Then make yourself some, you know how."

"But you just made tea!"

"Yes but it's the bitter tea you think is yucky."

¤☆¤

Old Maggie was glad that due to her Pixie Boon she could only have one Witch apprentice because young Paul was not a mess she wanted to deal with. Not because Maggie had anything against people who wanted to be different, but because she had zero patience for parents of any kind telling her how she should train her own apprentice.

That was part of the reason she had picked an orphan girl to apprentice under her.

Also she hated to have to be careful with what she said all the time and if Paul had become her second apprentice Old Maggie knew she would end up saying the wrong thing.

That's because for a Witch saying the wrong thing can go terribly wrong. Sometimes she also had to be careful about what she thinks as some beings can read minds.

"Okay Annia, revision time. What do you know about witches?"

"Witches are usually born that way and have to be trained on how to use magic, for their own safety. That doesn't mean they have to become True Witches, just get enough training and knowledge to avoid trouble. That's because magic attracts magic, at least when it comes to magical creatures and Witches are magical Humans.

So Witches live at least a bit away from regular Humans to avoid inconveniencing them.

Regular Humans do seek help from Witches in exchange for money or favors and as thanks Witches do not usually curse regular people... unless said regular people do them harm or do something the Witches really don't like I guess?"

"Good so far, keep going."

"Uh... right! Witches have three kinds of magic. There is Personal Magic as in magic that only works on the Witch itself, that magic can easily be used on themselves with some training.

Then there is Deal Magic, a magic any magical creature that can talk to a different creature and be understood can use. In other words Deal Magic does not work with beings of your same species. This is why I said before that Witches are not Human, because Witches can make Deal Magic with Humans but not with other Witches?"

"While that's a valid point, Witches are born from Humans so besides being magical we are Human in any way that matters."

"Teacher, can male Humans do magic?"

"Yes, but that is a different topic. Now tell me, what is the third type of magic Witches can do?"

"Magic that comes from using either magical objects or magical ingredients. For example using a magical wand obtained with a deal with a Big Fae, making potions or doing a ritual to either curse or bless someone."

"Good so far, anything else you remember about what I taught you about Witches?"

"Uhh... sometimes when we say something it becomes true because we attract magical creatures and they may want to help or annoy us? So we have to avoid using words like wish and want unless we ask for something easy and that won't harm anyone?"

"Yes, that's quite important to remember. What are the three things a Witch should never do if they don't want the Witch Council to hunt them down?"

"Do not harm the innocent. Do not do magic or favors for free to others and do not kill using magic unless it is to protect someone else."

"Good. You do remember Sasha The Red from the Witch meeting last year, right?"

"Yes? Why?"

"That girl that went away crying may make a good apprentice for her, if she stays a girl."

"Wait, what?"

AN: I may need to change the language of Annia to fit her age better. Although that "satisfactory transaction for both parts" line stays because Annia did it to be annoying. Maybe change a few human names so they fit "Not Germany" better?