I snapped awake to tapping. It was faint, but constant. The water sloshed around me as I stood. It was only warm; I must have been out for a little while. I looked to the door, but the tapping wasn't coming from that direction. Over the tub, near the ceiling, something black tapped on the half-window.

I looked around for something to use as a weapon. There was nothing. Soap and a stool. I certainly wasn't going to call the fae into the bath while I was naked. I braced myself and stood to the side under the window.

Tap tap tap.

I held my breath and unlatched the top. The window fell halfway open, a chain catching it before it could hit the wall. A large black bird crawled through the window and flapped down to the edge of the tub in a chaotic dance of feathers and claws. In my panic to get out of it's way, I splashed plenty of water into the mix.

When all was settled, I blinked at the giant black bird in front of me.

"Puko?" I stared at the ancient bird that never left Mila's shoulder.

'CAW' He looked at me with his one clear eye.

"Wren?" Eberon's muffled voice called through the door. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes! Don't come in." I jumped back in the tub, ready to hide my body if someone burst in. "Everything is fine! I promise."

A moment later a firm knock sounded.

"Wren, it's Thain." He rumbled through the door. "We need to know you're alright, will you let Schula in?"

My eyes darted to the door, in my exhaustion I hadn't locked it. I cursed at myself. Puko seemed to agree.

'Caw'

"Is that a bird?" Eberon said, muffled by the door. I tried to grab Puko, taking him by surprise and he squawked as lifted him towards the open window. He struggled, not willing to leave. I was twisted, half out of the bath when the door opened.

"Shit," I hissed.

"What in the hells' black valley...?" Schula shut the door behind her and stared. My back was exposed. I was fighting with a damp, half-blind raven that I was trying to stuff through a window. The moment she came in I whirled around and slipped, dunking myself and Puko in the tub. I shot out again and held my breath. Water sloshed over the side, spraying Schula and flooding the bathroom.

We stared at each other for a moment. A long moment. She looked between me and the giant black bird in my arms, then she slid out the door without a word.

I sank in the tub and let Puko free himself to perch indignantly on the side again. He ruffled all the water he could off of his back and began preening himself. I grabbed the nearest bar of soap and gave my body a quick scrub. A soft knock came a moment later.

"It's Schula. I'm coming in." She entered with an armful of fabric. The worn but clean clothes I changed out of before our practice, and two large towels. She held up a towel for me and I took it, wrapping myself in it as I left the tub. She pointed at the stool, a silent order to sit. I did, and she began combing my hair. I hissed as the teeth hit the soft scar tissue on my ears. She paused, and I let her draw back my wet locks.

"Thain told us as much." She sighed. "I'll be more careful, I'm sorry."

That was it. She combed my hair and let me braid it, all in silence. She drained the tub and handed me fresh clothes. Then with my towel she mopped up the floor while I dressed.

"This is for the...bird. If he'll let you." She handed me the other towel.

"He will." I said. Puko, to his credit, sat still while I dried him off. He fluffed out his feathers when I was done, inspecting himself with his good eye.

"I would like to talk to you. We can do it here, or upstairs. But I want to say a few things, please." The 'please' was so unlike Schula. There was no demand in it, just an honest plea. I nodded and took Puko in my arms. She led me out the door and upstairs.

I saw Thain and Eberon from the corner of my eye, staring at me and Puko as we climbed to my room. I didn't dwell on it, I owed Schula her words first.

In my room I let Puko flap to the window sill. He was careful to not knock over anything I had set there, but he settled and fixed his good eye on Schula. She sat on my bed, and I followed.

"Did you see?" I asked.

"The giant bird? Couldn't miss it." She smiled at me, tired. "Yes I saw your back."

I grimaced. Puko cawed. "And?"

"And I'm not going to press you for details, no matter how curious I am." She looked over at the raven. "That however, I would like to know about."

"Puko belongs to a friend. I guess he followed me." I looked over at the bird in my window. "He's harmless."

"Is your friend alright?" Schula still watched Puko as he preened himself.

"I don't know, I think so." I remembered one of Mila's last words to me, 'I will always watch out for you as best I can'. "I think Puko is here to look after me, actually."

"I see." She looked back to me. "As long as he doesn't get in the way I'm sure that will be fine. Can I ask about..." She touched her own ears.

"Oh... yes. I was found in the woods that way. I don't know who did it." Her eyes darkened.

"I'm sorry, Wren. For all you went through. But I promise I'm here for you now. We're here for you. And I know it takes time to build trust, I'm sorry if those two are pressing you too hard to open up. You don't have to. Take your time, even if you never talk to us about what happened to you. I want you to know you have a safe place with us, no matter what." Schula hugged me stiffly, it didn't seem like something she did often. "We will find you a place to call home."

Words caught in my throat. I could feel the tears trying to rise up, but I pushed them down. Schula stroked the back of my head, something Bryn would do when I was a small girl. She didn't pull away again until my breathing came in steady.

"Now, you're probably hungry. You can come downstairs and be subjected to the males, or I can bring you a plate and you can take a nap." Schula stood and watched me.

"I think I would like to eat from the food I brought, just one more time." I looked at the pile on the desk. "Can we add what I have here to the stores for this outpost? I... I want to contribute too. And I need to let it go."

"Of course." She smiled and helped me pick out a meal. Once I had settled on ham and a small round of cheese Schula took what was left downstairs. The room was big, and empty without her.

I ate my lunch, I stroked Puko's feathers, and I slept.

~

To their credit, Thain and Eberon welcomed Puko and didn't ask any questions about what happened in the bath. Schula piled strips of deer and spicy herbed potatoes on the table for dinner. She didn't say anything while the males made introductions, but she did give the old raven a sliver of uncooked meat. I took him to the door and let him fly off to find food and do whatever bird business he might have for a while.

"The next patrol will be here tomorrow." Thain said, sitting down at the table. "Tonight we pack, and in the morning Eberon will take Wren to set up camp."

"Schula and Thain will meet us tomorrow once they hand over the patrol." Eberon spooned potatoes on my plate. "We don't need to go at a hard pace, and I can show you a first glimpse into the wyldes."

Thain grumbled at that, but didn't say anything out loud. 

"How early do we leave?" I asked, trying a piece of deer.

"Right after you and I stretch just a little bit." Schula sat down. "Unless you no longer want to, in which case I understand."

"No, I still want to." I turned to Schula. "I do. At dawn again?"

"Yes, I'll meet you in the yard. I don't want to do it on the road, so we can pick back up after you get settled in Thanantholl." She relaxed and began picking at her plate.

"We will have a few nights of camping before we reach the Autumn lands." Thain said. "When we get to Thanantholl, I want to introduce you to King Baeleon."

I stiffened. "Right away?"

"We could delay it a day." Eberon told Thain. "Give proper reports first. You know Baeleon, he'll want some ceremony to it."

"Why do I need to be introduced at all?" I asked. "I won't have any status in the wyldes, surely we don't need to bother the King."

The room grew quiet as Schula and Eberon scrutinized Thain under matching scowls. Thain stared ahead, ignoring both of them.

"You didn't tell her." Schula rubbed her temples. "That whole trip through the mountains and you never explained? Why you were so excited? Why we welcomed a stranger while we're on a job from the King? It's a wonder you got her to follow you at all!"

"While I agree completely, this isn't the time, Schula." Eberon growled, then composed himself before turning to me. "Wren, there are certain factors that you haven't been enlightened of that make your presence,...significant."

He exchanged looks with the other fae. "About twenty years ago, there was a plague of sorts in the wyldes. That plague spread for seven long years. The older fae grew sick, but recovered easily. The younger ones..."

Eberon looked out the window, Thain at the floor. Schula took a breath and folded her hands on the table. "Our youth are dead. All of them. Anyone younger than fifty were wiped out within days of the sickness touching them. A few older ones survived, but almost none of our fae born in the last century are left to us."

"By a disease?" I breathed. "How many?"

"Hundreds. And many suspect magic in the plague. Foul play." Schula said softly. "A few have been born since the recovery, but fae can't conceive easily. Our lifespans come with a low birth rate. We've been lucky to see a dozen born across all four courts in the last decade. Well, eleven and one on the way in Summer court."

"So how did I escape it?" I straightened my back, the seal burned. I looked at Schula but she didn't say anything about it.

"That is the question, isn't it?" Eberon watched us again. "I can only assume it's because you were out of the wyldes. No plagued reached the human lands that we knew of. Or maybe it had something to do with your human half. Regardless, we count it as a miracle. And with nowhere else to go, of course we want to bring you to the safety of Thanantholl."

"I think I understand. I'm sorry to hear of the losses." I couldn't wrap my head around the numbers I had been given. Hundreds of young fae, dead. The only number I could grasp easily was the twelve babies born in one year at Silver Lake. It seemed so few. Some of the homesteads around the forest had more children than that, but not by much.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Thain finally spoke. "Please understand, I never wanted to make you decide anything, it had to be you. If I told you all this, I was afraid it would force your decision in our favor."

"And no matter what court you fit with, we will support you." Schula put a hand over mine. "I know you aren't handling being a guest well, and I'm sorry. It's likely to continue for a while. There will be excitement over your arrival. The Kings will want to show you hospitality."

"Multiple kings?" I swallowed down my hesitations and took a deep breath. "I'll manage. I didn't know about..." 

I started to reach for my ears but stopped half way. "I'll meet your King, if that's what will make the fae happy."

"Thank you." Thain gave a small smile. "We all lost someone in that plague. It will do everyone well to see someone who survived it."

I wondered who Thain lost to the plague, but was too afraid to ask. The rest of the evening was spent avoiding the topic of the sickness, and readying for tomorrow's journey.