"It's nothing," Xanthy rubbed her temples and met Eldan's eyes. "My point is that I'm still taking it in that I have to spend sixteen years not knowing who I am, who my family were, and instead of meeting the person who could tell me directly, I meet just his friends who all told me bits and pieces that I have to solve to get to where you are," she heaved a sigh. "It's not easy."

"Actually..." Eldan's voice dropped into a whisper. "I was the one who asked Jarvik to keep an eye on you in the Commons."

Xanthy blinked. What? "But he told me he was working with the weavers for three weeks long before I came."

Eldan merely smiled and explained everything to Xanthy. Of course, these people knew what they're doing. They could make up a lie in a second and would still sound convincing. The mention of her dead friend brought a new twist in Xanthy's gut. "Have you heard...?"

She didn't need to finish when Eldan reached out and laid a hand on top of Xanthy's. "I have. May his soul find its way to the Land of Wonders."

Xanthy smiled and turned her hand to squeeze her father's. "I'm sure Ezril will make sure of that," tears pricked at her eyes as she felt the warmth from her father's hand seep into her skin. "Thank you."

"It's the only thing I could do with me unable to leave," Eldan said. "Believe me, the moment we saw the lights on your nameday, I was ready to leave everything and run to where you are. Marthiaq had to knock me out for a day just for me to reevaluate things."

"Marthiaq?" Xanthy's eyes widened. "Marthiaq Lebayou?"

"The one and only," a familiar voice erupted from the room's arched doorway.

Xanthy whipped to the source of the voice only to see a man she hadn't seen since the underground caverns beneath Cardina's palace. Memories rushed back to her like a river, flashing vivid images of the brownie who saved them and the man who became young when Xanthy knew him as a seventy year-old man.

Eldan stood up and threw his arms around the man in an almost brotherly embrace. Xanthy edged from her seat. "Lebayou?" she called. Both fairies turned to Xanthy as she approached them. She craned her neck to gaze at those warm brown eyes and an almost tawny mop of hair atop his head. It's really him.

Lebayou grasped Xanthy's shoulder and stared her up and down. "You turned out quite okay from Cardina, I see."

Xanthy crossed her arms despite the grin spreading from her lips. "You turned out not to be old and smelly, I see."

Eldan threw his head back and laughed. The sound of it made the branches from the walls rattle. "She did a rune on you," he clapped his friend on the back. "This is a glorious, memorable time."

"Shut up, Rovalen," Marthiaq muttered.

"Rovalen?" Xanthy whirled to Eldan then back to Marthiaq. "Why is he a Rovalen?"

Marthiaq and Eldan glanced at each other. "You tell her or I will?" Marthiaq jerked a thumb in Xanthy's direction.

Eldan pushed past his friend and faced Xanthy. "I'll do it," he tapped a hand on his chest. "My name's Eldan Rovalen. I had to opt out the Vivenca family name for safety reasons."

Xanthy nodded. Of course. Everything he did was for his safety and for the safety of everyone around him. Xanthy wished she could do the same to her and her friends. As far as fate and circumstance went, she did the exact opposite.

"Marthiaq," Eldan turned to his friend and lowered his voice. It was still loud enough for Xanthy to hear, though. "Can it wait?"

Marthiaq glanced at Xanthy before laying a hand on Eldan's shoulders. "It can," the brownie said. "Go talk to Xanthy. Though my source deems it necessary for it to reach your ears and the Grand Monarch's the soonest."

"Sources?" Xanthy stepped between the two fairies. "Is that how you're always updated in the news around Cardina?"

Marthiaq winked at her. "I'm not just an old man wasting away at karavag," he tapped his chin as he raised an eyebrow in Eldan's direction. "Though for the record, I was still the unbeatable champion at that game."

"Yeah, you would whip my rear every time," Eldan muttered as he crossed his arms.

Marthiaq's eyes twinkled. "That's because you let yourself be whipped, smarty breeches," he wagged a finger in Eldan's face. The nature fairy clicked his tongue and slapped Marthiaq's hand away. "Maybe we'll do another round if things goes easier?" Marthiaq said.

Eldan raised his arms. "No way," he shook his head. "Your punishments are the worst."

Both men gave another round of laughter. Xanthy's head whipped back and forth throughout their banter. It felt so natural for them to be joking around like they've known each other for years. Well, it's not a far off theory that they had, but this amount of closeness, of familiarity, brought envy pinching Xanthy's heart.

Marthiaq turned to where the entrance should be. It was now a wall of interlocked branches. "Well, have fun," he dipped his head in Xanthy's direction before walking away. He gave a little wave. "I'll tell Sahili that she can have cathshins in your pantry."

"Don't you dare," Eldan clenched his fists almost like how human children did when throwing a tantrum. "She'll be crazy for days!"

Marthiaq whipped to Eldan with a wink. "That's the plan, brother," he said. "That's the plan."

Before Eldan could reply, the brownie had disappeared into the corridor, his whistles echoing against the walls until it faded into a distant ring. Xanthy turned back to Eldan as they both moved to retake their seats by the table. "Well, that's interesting," she cocked her head to one side. "Do you do the same line of work?"

"Let's say he works for me. He functions as my eyes outside Dwanzeig and reports to me directly," Eldan pulled his seat in as he settled. His folded hands reappeared on the table. "He and Sahili, both."

Xanthy narrowed her eyes at Eldan. "You keep mentioning this Sahili person," she said as her fingers played with the tip of her seat. The young shoots making up the stool crunched under her fingertips. "Who are they?"

Xanthy flinched when Eldan put two fingers into his mouth and whistled, the high pitched sound bouncing across the room. For a while, nothing happened. Xanthy blinked. "Uh, what now?"

Eldan was looking at the ground instead of Xanthy. He clapped his hands. "Sahili, up!"

Xanthy pushed her chair away from the table when a mass of white fur jumped into the surface and sat on its humps. She knitted her eyebrows. It's...a cat. Where had she seen it? It's...

"Harriet?!" Xanthy shot up from her chair so fast the fixture tumbled backward to the floor. Dark blue eyes. Ash-white fur. Long, sleek tail. It's Harriet, alright. She raked her gaze to meet Eldan's, watching the whole thing unfold with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Wh-how...?"

The cat hissed at her and sat on its rear. It began licking its front paw and running it over its forehead. Eldan's smile was bright. "Meet my familiar, Sahili," he splayed his fingers near the cat's ears. "For the record, she told me she hates the name you gave her. She also told me to tell you that."

The cat yowled as it yawned, revealing a pink maw and plenty of small but sharp fangs.

Xanthy opened then closed her mouth. To which should she react first— the fact that Harriet was her father's cat, the fact that her father could control plants and animals even though he said nature fairies could only have one or the other, the fact that Eldan had sent the cat to watch over her, or the fact that the cat hated the name Xanthy gave her?

Sahili yowled again and Eldan clicked his tongue. "You do not speak of my daughter that way."

The cat stretched and licked her stomach, exposing her bum to him.

"Very mature, Sahili," Eldan frowned. "Very mature."

The cat paid them no heed.

Eldan sighed and waved his hand in front of him. "Anyway," he craned his neck to see Xanthy from beyond Sahili's bum. "I hope you can forgive me for not physically seeing you."

"Forgiven," Xanthy said. It's hard to stay angry at him now that she realized how much effort he took and how many favors he called just so he could keep an eye on her.

Another question popped into Xanthy's head. "So if my mother's a brownie, and my father's a nature fairy who could influence both plants and animals, what does that say about my synnavaim?"

"We don't know that, as well," Eldan swept his arm to push Sahili out of the way. The cat gave a frustrated hiss before leaping off the table. "When we split your soul, we encountered only two synnavaimis, as Ezril reported. Just the vanishing and the Virtakios. But she also told us that a possible third one could arise at any moment, considering your heritage."

"A third synnavaim..." Xanthy tapped her chin, watching Sahili's bushy tail disappear behind a pillar made of vines.

Vines...ajilte.

Xanthy snapped her fingers. "Ajilte!"

Eldan looked behind him then back at Xanthy. "What?"

"That's how I was able to grow ajilte in the Disfavored region!" Xanthy slapped her hands together. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears. "It's impossible to grow anything from the soil in there a-and I had no idea about farming prior to that, but somehow, I knew what to do. I knew how to grow plants..." She locked eyes with Eldan. "Is that it?"

Eldan's eyes were wide. "Yeah, that makes sense..." he scratched his chin. "Two synnavaimis. Is that possible?"

Xanthy shrugged. "If I somehow have the plant-growy thing in me, then I could have the animal-thingy too, right?"

Eldan raised a finger. "Firstly, they're not called that. Plant magic is called kaviste listris while animal magic is called elika listris."

"Great, more complicated names," Xanthy leaned against the back of her chair, earning her another creak.

"Secondly," Eldan raised his second finger. "It's natural for nature fairies to have only one inclination between the two."

"But you can do both."

"I was a special case," Eldan said like it explained everything. He raised his third finger. "Thirdly, both magical arts require guidance and practice. Maybe that's why Jonadrin wanted to spare you. He sensed your synnavaim."

"So I shouldn't use it until I've trained enough?" Xanthy scratched her scalp with her nails. A thin film of grime decorated her beds when she curled her fingers.

"You wouldn't be able to use it if you haven't trained at all," Eldan said as Xanthy flicked dirt off her fingers. "The worst case would be when you accidentally break one of our rules."

Xanthy looked up from her nails. "Rules?"

"More like codes of conduct in dealing with nature," Eldan shifted on his seat. "We must be guided by these principles whenever we use our magic."

"Okay, there's no way I'm going to learn that."

Eldan snorted. "Your choice."

"Have you been contacting Ravalee?" Xanthy asked.

"Airene has been keeping her busy," Eldan dusted his vest before pausing half-way. "I still have yet to receive news from Alkara about that, ah... certain developments."

Xanthy leaned forward. "What happened?"

"It's not for you to concern yourself with," Eldan shook his head. "Besides, you have other things in mind, I presume?"

Xanthy crossed her arms. "If you're so smart, guess what else."

"You wish to know where to start looking for the chalice, right?"

Xanthy's smile melted. "How?"

"Rutoria told me not too long ago."

Xanthy narrowed her eyes. "Why do you know everyone I know?"

"Rutoria jumped in my bedroom window that day," Eldan looked up at the ceiling like he was remembering what happened. "I didn't know her from anywhere before that."

Xanthy's mind had the audacity to show her an image of the oracle appearing in people's windows, screaming "HELLO!". She shook her head to clear it of that.

"Is that what you really want to do?" Eldan said after a full, fat minute of silence between them.

"Why is everyone asking me that?" Xanthy's pitch rose a few notches higher. Was she whining? Maybe.

Eldan leaned forward and tapped a finger on the table. "Because you don't know what you're going into," he exhaled and tousled his already messy hair. "I already lost Airese. I can't lose you too."

The roar of the waterfalls that surrounded the Palace had never been loud in Xanthy's ears. "I will come back," she met her father's gaze. "I promise."

"Promises don't often hold in the face of death," Eldan said.

"So too in war," Xanthy reached up and twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "Look, between me and the upcoming war, I'd rather have an heir up and fighting than me floundering around waiting for the Sovereign and the Heiress to catch me."

Eldan didn't speak for a while. When he did, it was in an apprehensive tone. "What makes you think they wouldn't get you once you use the chalice?"

Xanthy's nostrils flared. She crossed her arms. "I'll have it stored back to where I found it right after I use it," she pursed her lips. "At least that's the plan."

"In the middle of the war?" Eldan cocked his head to one side. "When your friends are busy fighting?"

Xanthy recoiled at the word describing her relationship with the people she was travelling with. "As far as I'm concerned, I have no friends," she glanced at the archway now sealed with branches. "Well, maybe one. But that aside, they're nothing but allies in this war. I'm doing them a favor by raising up another ally to fight with them."

"The half-blood?" Eldan followed Xanthy's gaze and scratched the tip of his nose. "He seemed like a good lad. I wonder what he did to gain that drawback."

"He killed the High Queen, who is also his mother."

Eldan stared. And stared. Xanthy fiddled with her fingers. What's his deal? If fairies have gears in their brains, Xanthy would probably hear Eldan's turning, trying to piece together whatever hypothetical pieces he had. "Oh, I see..." he nodded slowly, his voice a little more than a whisper. Then he snapped his fingers and cried, "I see!"

Xanthy blinked. "Uh..."

He grabbed Xanthy's shoulders from across the table. "That's why you're running from the Unities and why the Crown Princess is in Edgerift right now!"

Xanthy's gut sank. Crown Princess...in Edgerift?

"Oh gods," Xanthy's arms weakened as she braced her father's arms. "We don't have much time."

Eldan let go of Xanthy and retook his seat. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, we don't. I fear this is deeper than I thought it would be. I need to talk to Marthiaq. He might have found something important."

He met Xanthy's eyes again. "According to the texts, to start the hunt for the chalice, you must go to Desara where it is born," he said. "There, you should look for a beacon on the edge of a cliff."

"You're letting me do it?" Xanthy knitted her eyebrows.

"I can't stop you, can I? You've made up your mind," Eldan smiled. "I can only pray to the gods for your safety. I hope you come back to me alive. I can't bear to lose you too."

Xanthy returned Eldan's smile even as tears pricked at the edge of her eyes. It's another case of the world's unfairness. She has just found her father and now she has to do what she should. She stood up and threw her arms around her father's neck. His sweet, forest scent filled her nose as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I promise to finish this war so you can see the whole island again." she blinked furiously against the tears threatening to flow. "You won't lose me, so please take care and don't let me lose you. Not when I just found you."

Eldan's hand went to her hair and stroked it. From his voice, Xanthy could tell that he was smiling. "You've grown so much," he sniffed. Was he crying? Gods, he's going to make Xanthy cry, too! "I'm proud of you."

Xanthy chuckled and embraced Eldan tighter. She didn't ever want to let go. "Thanks," she swallowed against the lump in her throat. "Dad."