I followed Thain quietly through the streets. He knew where he was going, and I was content to let him lead. The biggest problem was his growling. Every pair of eyes that settled on me for a moment would quickly dart away as Thain let his displeasure roll off his shoulders with a growl. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I didn't want to irritate him further but it was amusing to see him in such a state. Not one fae approached me as we went. We walked the entire way to the little tea shop in silence.

Maple Way was a calm corner of the city, surrounded mostly by residential streets and a few public gardens. The tea shop stood apart from the surrounding homes with cheerful yellow walls and beautiful cafe chairs on the front patio. Inside, screens and potted plants divided the guests from each other and added to the privacy that this conversation needed. Schula had chosen perfectly.

We were seated quickly in the darkest corner, which was still fairly bright compared to the inside of most buildings I'd been in. There was a skylight overhead, which I had heard about but never seen before. To my left was the open shop where a nymph brought trays to the guests. To my right was a large open window with a view of the water behind the building.

Thain, for his part, looked utterly unsettled. I suppose Schula accomplished that much when she dressed me today, and I must admit that I rather liked it. Unfortunately, I was unsettled too and couldn't enjoy the feeling as much as I would have liked to.

I took so long looking through the list of teas that Thain had the server to bring us her recommendations. I was glad to be out of her gaze while I tried to pick a drink, but now the menus were gone and there was nothing between me and Thain save for our impending awkward conversation.

"So... what is it you wanted to tell me?" I asked innocently. I let my fingers trace the design painted on the table so neither of us could see that my fingers were shaking. I was both eager to settle things between us and dreading the encounter all together.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior." He shifted in his seat. "You don't owe me anything, not even answers. I shouldn't have thought of them as mine for the taking."

I let out a slow breath and closed my eyes with a smile. It was exactly what I had hoped for. I didn't know what I was going to do if he was still determined to mother hen me and prod for answers.

"Thank you, Thain. I'm trying to open up to you, but I need to go at my own pace," I said. "I would like it if we could still be on good terms. You're the first fae I ever met after all."

He nodded, his shoulders relaxing a fraction.

"I would like that too. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I have a somewhat more bestial side and sometimes it comes out when I don't want it to. I need to know about... about what we talked about that night, but I can wait until you are ready." He glanced out the window and back to me. He still seemed on edge.

The witches remained an unspoken thing between us. I needed to tell him, and I would, but not here. Not where the whole shop of fae ears could hear us.

"I'll talk to you about... about my back. But later. Soon. Not here," I said, glancing around us at the other patrons.

He nodded, accepting it as all that I would give on that front. For now at least.

He fidgeted a little as he glanced around the shop. He looked too big to be sitting in the delicate chair across from me.

"Was there something wrong with coming to this shop?" I asked. His reaction to it in Eberon's study was one thing, but he definitely grew wearier of it as it actually came into view.

"I have certain memories of this place. This is where Schula made me apologize to her when we first met," he grumbled. "I, may have, overreacted to her upbringing when I found out about it."

"Oh." The corners of my mouth turned upward. "That does sound like her."

"You learn quickly." He smiled grimly. "But I'm glad you came. I wasn't myself that day. I didn't want you to see that from me."

"I don't want to push you away, any of you. Schula tells me it would have torn you all up inside if we didn't reconcile. I think I wouldn't like it either, you three mean so much to me." I looked out the window instead of at him, waiting for an answer but now sure what I wanted to hear.

"Schula thinks she knows a lot more than she does." He grumbled.

I looked at him, surprised. I opened my mouth to say something but the server had arrived with our tea. She set a cup down in front of each of us with a soft smile and left quickly, as if she could sense the strained aura around us. I gave her a small smile as she disappeared behind a dividing screen.

Thain sighed when she left. "I didn't mean that, of course I want to reconcile. Schula is just a busybody and she's prodded enough lately. Let's move on before I make more of a mess of things. While were here why don't you tell me about your time in Dwellonmar?"

I took a sip of my tea and kept the warm cup in my hands. It was a gentle flavor, jasmine sweetened with honey. I watched the dregs float in the bottom of my cup while I thought about an answer.

"Dwellonmar is lovely, an everlasting Spring." I played with the rim of my teacup with a thumb. "Beautiful of course, but it wasn't Thanantholl. I don't think I could live so carefree for the rest of my days. The Spring fae, I think they do everything at their pace. It's like they are all waking up from a long sleep, which is I suppose the very nature of spring itself, but how do they get anything done? They seem so... I mean here at least fae seem to be busy at work or at play. It's rushing around, it's full of life, it's that last burst of energy before winter sets in, only it isn't going to set in. It's fires and food and leaves in the wind and rainy afternoons under a blanket with a book. But even with time to spend I feel the urgency to spend it. Walking the markets or hurrying out to meet friends. It reminds me of Sulls a bit, but in a different way. As though nothing here ever really sleeps, someone is always doing something. And I think I would miss that."

Thain blinked, his face unreadable as he stared at me. I fidgeted in my seat under his gaze and took a long sip of tea.

"That was perhaps the most words I've heard you say all at once since we've met." Thain's face cracked into a wide grin, a genuine smile that lit up his face for an instant and then it flickered out again as quickly as it had come. "I don't know that I've ever gotten an outside perspective of Thanantholl before. It was interesting. So does that mean you didn't like the Spring lands?"

I swallowed my tea and the lump in my throat and thought about my answer.

"No, they were wonderful, but I don't think I've seen enough of them to really know what it's like. Everyone seemed to be putting on a show for the 'found youth' and not letting me explore it little by little. At least here in Thanantholl I've gotten a good slow look at it all, before the news of me got out anyway."

He nodded slowly, taking my words in one by one and thinking them over. "I don't think you can expect to escape the interest of the people wherever you go, it would be better to present yourself for them to see easily and eventually the novelty will wear off. You'll be able to walk the streets in peace with your real friends without harassment. And you're probably wise to take their affections with caution, since of course it's in the interest of each court to gain your allegiance. Have patience, it will calm down in time."

"I sure hope so," I sighed.

Thain slowly stirred his tea, watching my neck. My throat bobbed as I swallowed, making me nervous for some reason.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, no. I was just looking at that stone." His nostrils flared slightly, but I still caught the motion from the corner of my eye. "Did someone walk up and give you jewelry too?"

My fingers brushed the cool stone absently as I realized he was talking about my necklace.

"No, well yes they did but it wasn't a stranger off the street. Caldon, the king's servant in Dwellonmar who took me around the city. It was a present." I played with the cord it hung on and watched Thain's face twitch. "Why?"

He shifted in his seat. "It smells like another male. I was just curious."

"Oh," I breathed. My shoulders stiffened, and my heart raced.

I did not want to be discussing Caldon with Thain, but here we were. I felt the heat on my face as I cleared my throat.

"Schula told me he had, um, an interest in me. I didn't get to address it before we left." I took another sip of tea, hiding my face with the cup as I mumbled. "I suppose I'll have to at some point."

"And what will you tell him?" Thain asked, the muscles in his jaw tensed.

"I don't know yet. He was very charming, but I hardly know him. I don't want to hurt his feelings either."

Or mine.

"You should be weary of who you take as a lover." His eyes darkened.

Lover. That word all but struck me through the heart. I wasn't ready for it. Not with Caldon. Not with anyone. Was I?

"Be weary if anyone else approaches you in that way."

I blinked remembering Lady Krissaph's offer. I bit my lip. Offers.

"He wasn't the only one?" Thain said, a slight growl to his voice.

"He was," I murmured.

Sort of.

"Liar," he hissed. "Who else?"

I closed my eyes and sighed out. "A succubus, but I turned them down."

Thain's sharp fangs glinted in the light of the shop. "I don't want anyone using your for their own gain."

I frowned, my stomach in knots.

"Is it so impossible he could have just been interested in spending time with me?" My cheeks burned as a pang of hurt twinged in my chest. The mixture of embarrassment and annoyance sat poorly in my belly.

"Do not put words in my mouth!" He snapped, running a hand through his hair, ruining his ponytail as his eyes flashed wildly. "You just admitted yourself that you barely know him. I don't want Caldon trying to imply a claim over you that he doesn't have. It means something here in the Wyldes, to go around smelling so strongly of another fae."

"It means he gave me a necklace!" I protested. "It's just a rock, Thain. A stupid rock. It's not worth fighting over."

"You don't understand the implications," he growled.

"I understand just fine," I gritted my teeth. "For once in my life I'm not afraid to consider the affections of a male, and you're here tearing that down!"

"I just want you to take caution on anyone who might deceive you with those affections," he said. "There are fae who would use your nature against you."

"You are just like them. You are just like the humans," I snapped and he flinched. "What do you know of my nature? You treat me a certain way because of what I am. It doesn't matter what I want, it only matters that I'm half fae. The 'found youth' everyone keeps thinking is so special. Well I'm not. What am I to you Thain? Because you keep treating me like a lost little lamb who knows nothing of the world. Let me tell you right now, I've seen the darker side of it and it was not there in Dwellonmar!"

His brow, which had been furrowed in agitation, slowly softened. "Wren, no..."

Something flashed across his face, I could see him thinking, or maybe remembering. He reached out to put his hand over mine. I held myself back from shaking, I was so upset.

His hand was warm, and calloused, but between the callouses it was soft. It was the oddest moment to confirm the texture of his velvet skin, but it was one of the first questions I had ever had of Thain, and now it was the only thought in my head. If only I wasn't on the verge of tears I would have laughed. I swallowed a hiccup and busied my free hand by playing with my saucer.

"I will not be like those humans. I care for you, and I only want to protect you from the more wicked nature of the fae. What you went through, it's not like that here." He sighed, rubbing small circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. "You are of far more value than just that of a young fae, and I never meant to imply otherwise."

"I don't need protection from the likes of wicked males, I've done enough of that on my own." I stared into the middle distance over the table, memories flashed through my head. "I need a friend, Thain. Not someone who would dictate the way I want to live. I don't want to be treated like that ever again."

A low growl slipped through his lips, but he said nothing else.

The silence hung over us while the sprite came back to refill our cups. Thain hadn't touched his and mine was nearly empty. I was keenly aware of the silence throughout the tea shop, and I was sure Thain was too. When she left he met my gaze.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked. "Somewhere private?"

I nodded, not risking whatever noise might come out of my mouth.

He placed a few coins on the table and led me out the door. Eyes followed us out, and I was glad to leave them behind.

In sharp contrast to my bleak mood, the sun was bright and warm overhead. Thain took my hand and headed around the corner. Only a block away was a beautiful garden. Large and simple with plenty of quiet paths to walk and almost no one was there. He brought us to the entrance where a fountain sat on cobblestones and the path split into several directions.

Thain gestured for me to choose a trail. I did, and we began walking.

I had chosen a very floral path. A few fat wet leaves stuck to the ground underfoot and beautiful roses lined the path. A few benches were partially concealed around the area by tall shrubbery. Perfect for a rendezvous, and probably why it wasn't occupied in the bright morning. This place was made to be walked under the stars.

Thain let go of my hand when he realized he had been gripping it so tightly. He mumbled something of an apology but I was too distracted by the sudden loss of his warmth to pay attention to what he said.

The next thing out of his mouth however, caught me off guard.

"Did you think you would die without a mate?" He asked softly.

"A husband. And yes. I had no reason to seek out that kind of attention, not that anyone would reciprocate it. And why would they? The abomination of the mountainside, that's what I was."

I'm sure my face was bright red by now. How I had kept from screaming before I wasn't sure, but my throat was tight and everything came out sharp and strained. "There I was something to be shunned, here I'm a commodity for the crowns to fight over. I know my place in that now. But not you, it can't be that way with you too. I might as well have kept going East if this is all I can expect. At least there I wouldn't be gawked at."

"It's not that way with me." He brushed a warm hand along my upper arm. "I never meant it that way. I just, I don't want anyone taking advantage of you because you don't know what it's like here yet. I found you out there and I feel responsible for you. Stars know how much I wish I had been in Spring with you."

"Schula and Eberon were with me." I held up my chin stubbornly. "Trust your triquetram. Even I am starting to see what that means here. They deserve better from you."

He paused in the middle of the path and I stopped right after.

"You're right." His mouth twisted into a half smile. "I can't believe I'm being lectured by some nineteen year old whelpling."

At that, I laughed outright. The tears I had been holding back escaped and ran down my face, dragging the kohl Schula put on my eyes with it. I crouched on the ground to stop from falling over. I was shaking and laughing, and crying, and thoroughly distressing Thain.

He hovered over me but I shook my head with a smile and pushed his hand away.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine," I gasped for air as I came down off of my emotional ride. "Did you just make a joke?"

He raised an eyebrow and helped me stand.

"Well, I meant it," he said with an uneasy smile. "Are we better?"

"We're all better." I took a deep breath, filling my lungs and feeling lighter. "I'm relieved actually. I'm glad we aren't fighting anymore."

Thain nodded, his mouth a grim line. "I hope we don't do that again anytime soon. I get enough bickering from Eberon. Speaking of problems, as for being approached on the streets, I am available any time to walk you somewhere. I can promise no one will approach you then."

"That seems a little extreme." I said. "What do I need to do to become less interesting? To make this all blow over faster?"

"Well, a few things would fix the problem." He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head. "Don't take any of these as things you should do, just things I think would fix the problem, alright?"

"Alright." I said.

"First of all you are a mystery, which is something to pique the interest of fae who live for so long. Any amusement is jumped on right away."

"Oh." I blinked. "That makes a lot of sense actually."

"We don't know who your parents are, mystery one." He held up a finger. "We don't know what powers you have, mystery two. And we don't know who's court you will align with, mystery three."

He waived three fingers in the air. "So you see, as these get fixed, the fae will lose interest."

"I could just pick the Autumn lands now, I already sort of live here." I offered.

"That won't work, not yet anyway." His eyes softened. "As much as the three of us would like that, you need to visit the other courts. For a good amount of time, not just a couple days. If you pick this place without so much as seeing the others, they will grow both jealous and suspicious and we don't want to cause hostilities."

"You're right." I sighed. "That should have been obvious, sorry."

"Don't worry about it, so your other two mysteries remain." He said.

"I started working on my magic, actually. Schula has me meditating all the time now. My parents I still don't know though." I said.

"Don't worry about your parents just yet, your magic might be enough to quell some of the thirst for now." He looked strained to say something, but stayed quiet.

"I know your king ordered you to train me and see what I can do," I said quietly. "I decided to get a start on that with Schula, because it's inevitable and I need to get it over with, but I'm ready for you to teach me. I'd be honored to have you train me from there. The last thing I want is to come between you and your king or triquetram."

"Thank you," he whispered. "Tomorrow, while Eberon is preparing everything, I could start as early as that. Don't feel rushed though, we can wait a bit longer."

"No, I can pack what I have tonight. Tomorrow sounds fine." I brushed a fallen leaf off my shoulder as we walked. "Do you think we could all go eat together tonight? We all missed you and I haven't seen a lot of Eberon either. I want to be together tonight. Um, sorry if that sounds stupid."

"Not at all, Wren," Thain rumbled next to me. He surprised me when he drew me in to a hug. "I missed you all too. I'll talk to Eb, I'm sure he has an idea of what we can do."

I closed my eyes a moment and breathed in his scent. I had missed him. I had missed him so much, and I hadn't really realized it until now. His grip tightened for a heartbeat before he let up again.

"Great." I smiled and drew back, looking up at him. "I had better go pack then, if we're going out tonight."

"Sure, let's get you back to Schula," he said. "I hope you're ready for tomorrow, I won't go easy on you."

"And I hope you're ready for tomorrow, the last time I did anything with my magic I almost burned down a house." I looked up at him sheepishly.

He chuckled and led us out of the gardens.

"I once cracked the top of a mountain with my triquetram when it was whole." He grinned, a savage glint in his eyes. "I think I can handle a burning house."