Cora woke up in someone's arms.

Her head was pressed against someone's chest and she could hear their rhythmic heartbeat in her ear, and she let herself linger in the land between dreams and reality for a little bit before suddenly realising that situation simply wasn't supposed to be.

She sat up quickly and slid out of Harry's arms, waking him up as well. He rubbed one of his eyes and looked up, the green of his irises light in the sunbeams coming through the window.

"Good morning," he murmured, his voice a little rough, sitting up and brushing his brunette curls out of his eyesight. "Is there any specific reason why you chose to wake me up at this time?"

Cora sighed. "I didn't mean to. You're the lightest sleeper I've ever met."

"I'd say it's more surprising that you don't awaken easily." Harry leaned back on his hand. "We tend to be more receptive to outside sounds and movement than humans. I suppose that's what danger does to us."

"Have you ever been chased like Iris has?" she asked before she could think better of it, and Harry shot her a glance.

"You don't truly believe asking me that question only seconds after waking me up is a good idea, do you?" He got off the bed and walked to the wardrobe, taking out a change of clothes and looking at her from over his shoulder. "I suppose this puts us both in an awkward situation now, since I need to get changed."

Cora widened her eyes and ran outside, chased away by Harry's faint chuckle. Did it mean that he usually got dressed in front of the bed while she was asleep? She felt her cheeks get hotter at the simple thought of accidentally waking up during that. Maybe he was indeed right and she truly was a heavy sleeper.

It was cold outside since she'd forgotten to take her cloak before going out, but there was no way she'd go back inside. She resorted to sitting beside the wagon and glancing around. It had to be early in the morning since she couldn't see anyone. Were they still asleep like Harry would've been if she hadn't woken him up?

A couple of minutes went by, and then the door was opened and she felt something warm land on her shoulders.

"It's winter, you shouldn't go out underdressed." Harry stepped past her and sat next to her on the ground. "Give it a moment, they're setting up the table. You can get changed after breakfast."

Cora shot him a confused look, and he chuckled.

"We have breakfast together, but you usually aren't awake at this time." He sighed and stood up. "We might as well check if they need any help."

She followed him to one side of the clearing, where a table had been put up. On it were apples, berries and oranges in baskets and slices of saltless bread beside jars of amber chestnut honey. On the other side of the table, Arnold was fiddling with a pot and sticks on the ground, readying to boil water.

"Sir?" he called out to Harry, "can you start a fire? It drizzled during the night, and the wood is damp."

Harry ignited the sticks with a single glance.

"Thank you, sir."

He nodded. "Where is Thalia?" he asked out loud, to no one in particular.

"Thalia is here, waiting for you to ask her your question." Thalia leant over the side of the cart with a few stalks of lavender in her hand. She sized Cora up with mild surprise. "You're already awake. I must admit I hadn't foreseen this."

Harry cleared his throat, capturing her attention. "What can you tell me about our newcomer?"

She shrugged. "She said the truth. Her name is Iris, her village was attacked by hunters. She's been exiled so we can't take her to another village. She seems to want to go overseas."

"I wonder why they all think things are better overseas."

"Fays don't have to hide their existence in the cities. I believe they like that."

"That only makes them moving targets."

Thalia tilted her head. "You shouldn't be so negative, your experience isn't the same as others'. I was living a quite nice life before you took me away."

"We made a pact, Thalia. I didn't kidnap you."

She let out a sigh. "Stubborn children will keep being stubborn children." She raised her hand before Harry could say anything. "I'm much older than you, I'm allowed to criticise you if I feel like it."

"Is it normal for hunters to go after villages like this?" Cora asked, and both Harry and Thalia turned to look at her.

"It's got worse lately," Harry replied.

"The more time goes by... There are legends that make everyone uneasy. Things are getting more and more strained."

Cora nodded uneasily. The near-constant talk of tensions rising scared her. She wasn't made for a world spinning out of control.

"I think we could take her overseas," Thalia went back to the earlier conversation. "We could take her with us when we go back home for solstice. Her ability is water, she could help us move faster."

"Water?" Cora asked curiously, interjecting again.

"It depends on how powerful she is," Harry replied. "She was running from the hunters instead of facing them."

Thalia nodded. "We'll see. I should leave you to your morning now, we only have some hours before going back on the road." She glanced down. "I believe the tea is ready now."

"Not yet," Arnold replied, overhearing her.

"Give it seventeen seconds." Thalia smelled the lavender stalks and hopped off the cart. In the time it took Cora to blink, she was off towards her wagon. A dark shadow flew in her direction, and she lifted the side of her cloak. "Just where were you, you troublesome thing..." she muttered to her bat as she walked away.

Cora approached the table and took a few berries, as dark as plums, in her hand, popping them in her mouth as she silently counted to herself.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

"She's usually right," Harry told her, taking an apple and cutting it into slices with a dagger similar to the one he'd gifted her that he usually kept attached to his belt. "Just so you know."

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

"Is it really normal to meet fays like this? Does it happen a lot?" Cora asked, and he nodded.

"Nobody would work for the Fair if they had another option. It's a land of lost fays, this one."

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

Seventeen.

"Ready!" Arnold exclaimed, pouring spiced hot water into cups.

"I told you she's always right," Harry murmured, taking two cups and offering one to Cora. "Be careful, it's hot."

She held it with a hand and took the apple slice he offered her with the other. "Can I go to the river after breakfast? I want to see if I can... you know."

"Naturally. I'll come get you when it's time to go back on the road."

Cora finished her tea quickly and went back inside, changing into warmer clothes before venturing out in the woods with the uncomfortable weight of the sheath of the dagger tied at her waist.

It only took her a few minutes to reach the river since they were travelling alongside it. She crouched on the silt ground and stared at the water, closing her eyes to recall the way she'd felt the previous night.

She tried to call the water to her again and again, but there was no use. What was she doing wrong? Why was it so easy sometimes and so hard others? What was that variable that messed her up every single time?

"Having trouble with your magic?"

Cora gasped and glanced back. Iris was standing behind her, shifting from foot to foot.

"Sorry for scaring you. I saw you leave and I couldn't help following you." She stepped forward, the sunlight drawing lines on her moonlight hair as it pierced through the trees. "You lived among humans, didn't you?"

Cora nodded, and Iris looked down at the water.

"And you've never had any issues with magic? I suppose it would be hard to hide it for so many years."

"I didn't know I could do magic until recently."

Iris gave her an odd look. "How does someone not know they're magical?" She chuckled. "That's most uncommon. Are you sure nobody put a blocking spell on you?"

"A blocking spell?"

Iris shrugged. "Some fays are able to affect the magic of others. They can do blocking spells. They usually wear off after some time, though."

Cora frowned, thinking about it. "How would I know if someone put a blocking spell on me?"

"I'm not an expert on this, but... you probably would have troubles connecting. Sense something inside you blocking you."

"Like black ink?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe."

Cora let out a shocked laugh. "Why would anyone even bother putting a blocking spell on me? I'm kind of irrelevant."

"Maybe they were scared of you. Or for you. I suppose it's easier to live as a human than as a fay. Maybe they wanted you to be safe."

"I have no idea," Cora admitted, a thousand thoughts running through her mind. Could it really be a blocking spell? It seemed unrealistic, but at the same time, it made too much sense. "I've heard your ability is water."

"News travels fast here, doesn't it?"

"I suspect mine is water too."

That seemed to intrigue Iris. "What makes you think that?"

Cora shrugged. "It always seems to be my go-to whenever I'm in trouble."

"Then it must be."

"Do you think you could teach me?"

Iris chuckled. "I would if I could. Unfortunately, I'm near powerless." She moved a finger, and the water in front of her spluttered. "I used to get teased a lot because of it when I was little."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you get used to it after a while." She stood up and looked down at her. "If you really are blocked, I don't think there's much you can do aside from waiting for the spell to wear off."

"How do I know when it'll wear off?"

Iris smiled. "It already is. You said you can use magic sometimes, that's the first sign. If you think you might be powerful, it'd be a good idea to learn to control yourself before your magic is completely unleashed. It'd be a disaster otherwise."

Cora sighed. "Easier said than done."

"Stand up."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

"I said stand up."

Cora furrowed her eyebrows but stood up awkwardly.

"I don't usually do this, but... consider it as a thank you for helping me," Iris said. "Close your eyes. Can you hear the river?"

It was clinking and tinkling next to her, like a waterfall of silvery light twinkling in the corner of her vision. Cora nodded.

"You are like that water. It being your ability means it's that one thing that's most similar to you in nature. Feel it. Search for it. Understand it. If you don't hear its voice, don't expect it to hear yours."

"How?"

Iris moved behind her. "Focus on it until that's all you can hear. Then, and only then, try to call out to it. It get easier the more you do it."

Cora tried to do as Iris had said, but it was so hard to focus on something that was constantly flowing, continuously changing. Did Harry feel as lost in front of her as she did in front of it?

Water sprayed her and she squealed. She heard a chuckle and opened her eyes, alarmed.

Harry was standing some feet away from her, a playful smile on his lips. He moved his finger and splashed her with the water from the river again.

"Really?" Cora asked him, and he stepped closer. More water drenched the front of her shirt when he moved his hand. "You're going to regret it."

"Am I, though?" He raised an arm.

Cora saw the wave rise and raised her hand to protect herself only seconds before it came down on her. But it never hit her.

She opened her eyes just to discover he was just as wet as she was, that little smirk still on his face.

"Diverting it towards me?" he murmured, taking a step towards her, "That was a smart move."

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, it's on." She raised her hand and splashed him, the dark ink lingering in the corner of her mind.

He reflected it towards her before it could hit him. She pushed it towards him and he twirled out of the way, hitting her with it again.

"How are you so good?!" Cora exclaimed, sputtering water.

"Experience?"

She sent another attack his way but he easily warded it off, and another, and another. She scoffed, starting to get annoyed. He splashed her again and again, that smile not leaving his face. He always seemed to know where her openings were, was always one step ahead, while she was completely in the dark when it came to him.

When he wet her for the tenth time, she let out an exasperated sound. "Will you just—" she raised a hand and sent a wave towards him, so strong that it pushed her backwards.

"Cora!" Someone shouted seconds before she felt herself falling.

A hand grabbed her wrist but it was too late and she went down into the river, taking the other person down with her.

She kicked off the riverbed and resurfaced. Harry was standing shoulder-deep in the water and she glared at him.

"Was it really necessary to start a fight?" she asked, but her annoyance quickly disappeared when she noticed the twinkle in his eyes.

"Very necessary indeed." He looked at Iris, that was standing on the riverside with an unsure look in her eyes. "Could you bring us a couple of blankets?"

"Sure," she replied, offering him a quick nod and disappearing into the woods.

Harry grabbed Cora by the wrist and pulled her against his chest. "Now, where were we?" he mused, pretending to think about it. "Oh, right. I was about to do something."

"What were you about to do?" she asked him quietly, putting her arms on his shoulders to help herself stay afloat in the freezing water.

He grazed her jaw with his finger, brushing his thumb against her lower lip. "This," he whispered before connecting his mouth to hers.

A shiver ran down her spine and she couldn't tell if it was the thrill or the cold of the water, and she pressed her body closer to his. He deepened the kiss and her fingers found their way into his wet hair, and she trembled against him when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She could never explain the way kissing him felt. It was exciting but reassuring all at once, it was like the first breath of air after having been underwater for just a moment too long. It hurt her but made happiness spread through her like wildfire, she felt herself evaporate against him. He consumed her just like flames turn water into vapour, but at the same time he let himself be extinguished by her. Would they tame each other, or would they be each other's end?

They broke apart and Harry moved them closer to the riverside, pulling himself out of the water and then helping Cora out as well.

"Someone would assume that at the age of twenty-four you know better than to take a bath in a river in the middle of winter, Harry," Thalia said, stepping out of the line of trees with a blanket in her hands. "I hope you don't mind I came as well, I crossed paths with Iris and had to see it myself."

Cora took off her cloak and took the blanket Iris was offering her, draping it over her shoulders. Harry gave Thalia his coat and did the same.

"Would you mind hanging it close to the fire to dry?"

She nodded. "Of course." She glanced at Iris. "Come on, we have things to do, let's leave these two. Just know we're supposed to leave in less than an hour."

"Noted," Harry murmured, and the two fays went back to the Fair. He turned to look at Cora. "Just so you know, I'm not catching you the next time you fall in the river."

"If you hadn't splashed me—" she muttered, and he chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and covering her with his blanket as well.

"Let's go, I'm cold."

Cora sent him a look. "Can't you just...?"

A faint redness painted his cheeks. "Oh, of course," he murmured, putting his free hand in front of her and letting flames twirl around his fingers.

She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder, the faint warmth of his fire easing the cold around them.

"By the way, have you noticed?" Harry suddenly asked her, and she glanced at him.

"What?"

"Anger fuels you."

I can't believe Harry is 27 now! I hope you enjoyed this chapter x
Miki