He woke up with the strong impression that someone was watching him while he was sleeping. He wasn't wrong. Raghnall stood straight in front of his bed (or rather the slab on which Ferry slept), watching him sleep.

"Ragh, stop doing this," Ferry said, rubbing his eyes to chase away the sleep.

"What?" Ragh asked without moving.

"Don't follow me everywhere. It's getting a little weird ... "

"But Thyme told me not to lose sight of you and to tell everything you do," he said in a natural tone.

Ferry got out of bed and quickly got dressed. "It's not normal to follow someone everywhere they go. In the human world, this is called invading privacy. "

"Well, you're not in the human world anymore," Ragh said without blinking. "And you are not really a normal person. Not even here. "

Ferry sighed. "All right... I guess it's going to take me a while to get used to this. What is the schedule for today? "

"Well... You have to eat well first. Because we have a long trip to do. Lord Stephan wants to see you. "

***

Ferry was too nervous to eat. And although one of the amalgham-women in the kitchen had prepared his favorite dishes that were now lying on the table in front of him as in the parade, he could barely take a bite of the sandwich with apple, butter, and lettuce. Ferry looked at the room where the feast had taken place, now empty and cold. Apart from the two guards waiting at the entrance, he was alone at the table. He couldn't help but wonder where all his friends were and what they were doing at the time. The food was good. The cook had done her best, he was sure of it. But the sandwich didn't taste like his mother's. And probably no other sandwich would ever taste the same...

After the meal, Ferry bumped into Ragh who was waiting for him at the exit.

"Are you ready for a visit to Lord Stephan?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Do I have to be prepared for this?" Ferry wondered. "Doesn't Lord Stephan live in the castle?"

"Oh, yes, he lives in the castle," Ragh replied very seriously. "But it will take us a while to get to him," he said, looking up.

They were near the massive stairs that dominated the castle, descending to the entrails of the mountain, but also ascending to the heights of the sky. Ferry watched Ragh's gaze ascend to the heights. He couldn't see where the stairs led from where he was. Ragh lit a lantern and handed him a thick woolen cloak.

"You'll need it," he said.

"How long will it take us up there?" Ferry asked, putting on the thick cloak that pricked his skin even through the flannel shirt he was wearing.

"About three training times," Ragh replied, beginning to climb the stone stairs.

"Can't we fly up there?"

Ragh shook his head. "The winds are too strong up there. They can bring us down."

They began to climb. The twisted staircase was damp and cold. From time to time, through the few windows dug in the stone, the light of the star penetrated, timidly, throwing a glimmer of light on the blunt steps of the stairs.

For a while, the oval windows disappeared, irregular holes taking their place, preventing the star's light from guiding their steps. Ferry followed Ragh, who was moving forward with care.

"Why does Lord Stephan live so far away from others?" Ferry asked.

"Lord Stephan was the one who built this place for the Amalghams. He always lived there. Besides, he was always more withdrawn... even when he was part of the Palace Guards. "

"Lord Stephan was part of the Palace Guards?" Ferry wondered.

"Yes. Why do you think he received the title of Lord? He is part of the first generation of Amalghams. He was even the right hand of the Queen and the King once, before-- "

"Before what?"

Ragh hesitated. "Well, it's just hearsay, really. I was not even born when Lord Stephan left the Palace and retired here. But I know that the connection between him and the Queen and King was broken long before. When they disagreed with-- "

"With what?"

"With the feelings between him and their daughter, the Runaway Princess. Amalgams are not allowed to have feelings. Their purpose is to serve those who created them. I mean, people like you. You are the only one who can give life to the Amalgams. They cannot breed. Without your powers, their kind will perish. Thyme and your guards are the latest generation of Amalgams. "

Ferry was speechless. He knew who the Runaway Princess was. Lavender. And he was beginning to feel the weight of the hopes these people were putting in him.

"How about you?" Ferry asked. "How did you get here?"

"I grew up in one of those shelters for babies. Where all the children are taken when they are born ..."

"You mean you don't know your parents?" Ferry wondered.

Ragh continued to walk. "No... But I'm not the only one. That's how all Solacers are. When they are born, they are taken from their mothers and placed in shelters where they are raised by nannies until the age when they found their purpose. Then, the children leave the shelter and head to the place that was meant for them. Some become landowners, others nannies or teachers, and even soldiers. Like me, " he said proudly.

"But how do you know what was meant for you?"

Ragh didn't seem so sure anymore. "Well, nannies don't just raise us. They are watching over us, they are careful to see what our choices are, and what that thing is we know how to do best. Then, someone comes and takes us by his side, teaches us, and guides us to our destiny. "

Ferry frowned. "But shouldn't you decide for yourself what your purpose is? What if you change your mind and want to do something else? "

Ragh did not answer immediately. "Well, you can't really change your mind. That's how things work around here ... "he said, this time in an uncertain voice.

How sad, Ferry thought. To let others decide for you. Let others decide what you want to do with your life. And never know your family... Never have someone who knows you. Or make your favorite food. Or to caress you when you are sad or sick and that sickness to pass only because of a beloved touch...

His mother came to mind again, and Ferry quickly wiped away the tear that had suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye, heavy and round as a pearl, ready to roll.

"And the people around here simply agree to give their children away?" he asked softly.

Ragh swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's not that bad. Taking care of a child is not easy. You bring them into the world, then your life changes. You better leave others who really know how to raise a child. Besides, children's shelters are not so bad. You have a lot of brothers and sisters with whom you grow up... And the nannies surrounded us all the time with love and took the greatest care of us. Some of them even become our mothers, even if they don't have the same blood as you ... " Ragh said and Ferry felt a shadow of sadness in his voice. "But then they have to let you go... And you have to let them go, too. That's the order here ... "

"How come I stayed with my parents when I was a child?" Ferry asked.

"It's different for you," Ragh said. "You are of noble birth. Those with noble blood must remain together. It will be the same when you'll have children. Your children will stay with you. The future of our world depends on them ... "

"That's why I don't want to have children," Ferry said, feeling his pulse grow.

Ragh stopped walking and turned to him. "What? Why?" he wondered.

"Because they are not allowed to choose. In life, there comes a time when you will have to choose. And for them, others made that choice, long before they were born, "Ferry added, and started before Ragnall,  with his fists clenched.

For the rest of the way, they didn't say anything to each other. The climb was tiring and the two young Solacers stopped a few times to drink a mouthful of water. The higher they went, the darker and colder it became. For a while, the winds became more daring, hissing past their ears and swirling their capes, slipping under them and darting their flesh with ice needles. The higher they went, the louder the wind blew and the harder it got. The icy needles caught in the swirls that surrounded them, making their walk even harder.

The light of the star no longer had room to penetrate. Huge torches with bold flames were stuck in the rock on either side of the stairs that began to get narrower and narrower, making their feet slipped on the wet slabs. The wind howled wildly and threw splinters of ice to their faces.

Inside the mountain, at the very pick,  where the clouds stopped the light of the star, where the wind whimpered and where the cold penetrated to the depths of the soul of any being who dared venture, there laid the rooms of Lord Stephan.

Raghnall looked at him and encouraged him to move on. Like all the rooms in the castle, Lord Stephan's rooms were carved in the hard stone of the mountain. But the halls leading to them were narrow and angular, and Ferry was sliding a few times on the cold slabs. The damp walls had taken on a thick layer of sticky plants, and Ferry felt bugs and worms swarming under his palm as he touched them.

They had reached the end of a hall so narrow that they could barely walk. The walls were close, almost squeezing them, and Ferry felt out of breath. Fortunately, they had arrived. Ragh nodded briefly, encouraging him, and Ferry knocked on the massive door that covered the mouth of the cave at the end of the hall.

The door opened and Ferry stepped in with a slow pace. The room was huge, even though the ceiling narrowed like a sloping roof. Ferry discovered a fire pit in the middle of which was a huge fire, but not strong enough to heat the dark, quiet room. There was no one inside. The door closed on its own behind him with a long moan.

The room was empty. In the light of the blue flames dancing on the walls, Ferry searched the room. Although larger, it was as austere as most of the castle's rooms. He saw an irregularly shaped stone table, at the end of which sat a tall chair, with another chair at its right and smaller ones, without a backrest, next to it. On the table, Ferry discovered several thin parchments with all sorts of twisted patterns scribbled with a thin pen. Ferry picked up one of them and looked at it in the light of the fire. The sheet was so thin he could see through it, but it was resistant to touch.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a movement in the darkened corner of the room. A fragile ivory curtain trembled in the gust of wind that came from somewhere above. It was ragged and dusty, and through its holes, Ferry saw that it hid a place from which beams of white light got through.

Ferry sighed and sat down on one of the backless chairs, determined to wait. The chair was cold and uncomfortable and he wrapped itself better in the cloak as thick as a blanket. But the cold somehow managed to creep through the thick fabric and Ferry stood up, trembling.

He began to walk across the room, but the trembling curtain seemed to call to him with its ragged arms. In the end, curiosity prevailed. Ferry walked straight to the hidden place and drew the curtain.

To his surprise, there was not a room behind the curtain. It was an altar carved in stone that sheltered several paintings and a glass bell on which fell perfectly, like a shining spear, the light of the star, coming through a round hole dug in the rock that served as a ceiling.

Ferry studied the paintings. One of them represented a lonely tree, perched on a rock top that seemed to be falling into the deep abyss that appeared below. In another, he saw a dark forest, with tall trees in the middle of which a being of light seemed to be walking. But the picture in the middle was the one that drew his attention. In it, he discovered a younger Lord Stephan with the same being of light. This time, Ferry recognized her - Lavender. All the paintings seemed to be made by a talented hand, and if he looked closer, Ferry could almost see them coming to life. He could see the short, thick grass and the branches of the lonely tree moving. The light-being seemed to wander aimlessly among the tall trees, carefree and light. And her hand seemed to caress the Pan's face in the third picture. But when he looked more closely at the glass bell, he noticed that it was not the star's light that made it shine, but the curl of hair inside, the same color as his. Ferry stared at it as if under a spell. The curl of hair seemed to catch the star's light, making it shine even brighter. Below, carved into the stone, there were the words Go deo na ndeor - Until the end of time.

Heavy footsteps, accompanied by the sound of a cane, woke him from his dream. Ferry quickly pulled over the curtain over the altar dedicated to Lord Stephan's lost love and quickly sat down on one of the chairs.

The Lord entered through another door that Ferry hadn't noticed before.

"Prince Garrett, welcome to my humble home," Lord Stephan said in his powerful, echoing voice.

Ferry stood up in front of him, not knowing what to do. "Lord Stephan, you wanted to see me ..."

"Yes, yes," said the Pan, motioning for him to sit down. He then opened a thick book with covers made of bark that he had brought with him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine ..." Ferry said. "I don't sleep very well... And I still haven't gotten used to the flow of time here ..."

"You will get used to it, in time ..." the Lord replied, searching for something in the pages of his book. "In the meantime, I'd like to talk about your friend from Tenalach ..."

"Oona ..."

The Pan did not seem pleased to hear her name. "Yes, Oona... She gave quite a performance at the welcome party."

Ferry smiled. "Oona is like that. She likes to be the center of attention. "

The Pan Lord closed the book with a loud noise. "It does not seem natural to me that a half-fay should be the center of attention at the feast dedicated to our Savior," he said. "The entire fortress talks only about her. Do you think we can trust her? "

"Of course, we can. Oona is my friend. She helped me many times. Without her, I would still be a prisoner in Tenalach. "

"Yes, but what are her intentions? Why did she want to come? "

Ferry shrugged. "To be by my side, I suppose ..."

The Pan shook his head. "I have the feeling that it is more than that, that she is up to something. We'll have to keep an eye on her. Until then, she can be useful for us. "

"Useful how?" Ferry asked.

"She is the only one who has seen the Underworld. She knows the Hollowers. Maybe you could find out more from her ... "

Ferry frowned. "Find out more?"

"She trusts you. You could have her tell you more. To be more attentive to what she does, to what she says ... "

Ferry rose from his seat. "You mean to spy on her?"

"Spying is a word of the humans. It's too heavy. Keep an eye on her, rather ... "

"I can't do that... She's my friend ..."

The Pan's eyes pierced him. "We don't always do the things we like, Prince Garrett. Sometimes, we have to deviate from the right path when it comes to a good cause. And our cause is a good one, believe me. Our cause will free this land from those who occupy it, little by little ... "

Ferry clenched his fists. This new world that was his home, where he should have felt safe and at ease, was becoming more unbearable with every dot of light the star lost.

"What about your other... lady-friend?" asked Lord Stephan, who had meanwhile begun to study the parchments on the table. "The human girl ..."

"Matilda ..." Ferry said, his voice trembling as he spoke her name.

The Pan looked up at him, his yellow, devilish eyes studying him. "Is she to be trusted?"

"Of course, she is to be trusted. I've known her for a lifetime... She's-- She means a lot to me ... "

The Lord returned to his parchments. "She shouldn't be. Humans are not trustworthy by nature. "

"Why? Why does everyone think that? " Ferry almost shouted.

"Well, let's see. They are destructive, greedy, and only think of themselves, "said Lord Stephan calmly. "History has proved it to us again and again. They have a narrow mind and a small heart. They say it's evolution, but ... their machines are just destroying their world. Look at all the wars they have started against their own race. There are three hundred races in the world of fae. The human race is just one... And yet, people have always worked against each other. Always fought with each other, and hated each other. So tell me, Garrett, how is that making them human? "

"I know a lot of good humans," Ferry said, clenching his fists so hard he could feel his fingernails sinking into his flesh. "I know they can be loving, and caring, and thinking about others and not themselves ..."

"Yeah... I wonder if we did well to let you spend so much time with them. You think more like a human than a Solacer. But that can change. In fact, that's why I called you here today. Today, you will have your first lesson. As I suspect you have already been told, you must learn about this land and your people. Thyme will train you and show you fighting techniques that you will no doubt have to use when the Long Night comes. Parsley and Rosemary will teach you about our world, about herbs and plants that can heal you, but they can also kill you if you don't know how to use them. You will have other teachers who will teach you about the many fairy breeds of our great world. And I will teach you about the laws of this place, about its history. But above all, I will teach you how to bring out the wonderful powers that lie within you. How to master them and help them grow. And today, your first lesson will take place, " he said, urging him to take a seat at the table and handing him a sheet of parchment and a silver pen that he could barely feel in his hand.

Ferry studied the sheet of paper in the light. It was light and transparent like a spider's web, but it turned opaque when there was no light. It did not have a regular shape. And if he looked closer, none of the sheets on the table were the same shape or size as the other.

"Do you want to know how it's made?" the Pan asked, seeing his curiosity.

Ferry nodded.

"We don't cut down trees to make things out of them. Another thing that separates us from humans. We only take what nature offers us. And because we protect it and don't hurt it, nature is generous with us. This sheet comes from the book-tree. There is a species of tree in Akna whose leaves can be used as sheets to write on. We don't have to cut down trees and make sheets of paper out of their wood. Trees don't have to die for us to create useless things like houses, or furniture, or decorative objects, or paper napkins. When a tree dies because it is too old, it gives us its wood that we cherish, and we turn it into beautiful things that will be useful to us and through which the tree will continue to last. Now, be careful. Today I'm going to talk to you about one of your greatest skills - the Far and Away charm. "

"I've heard of this charm," Ferry said. "Lavender used it to save us all when we became captives in Tenalach ..."

But then Ferry stopped. He saw the Pan getting up from the table and heading for the hole in the wall that served as a window, through which only a thick gray fog could be seen.

"Yes ..." he said and for the first time, his voice seemed uncertain. "And that cost her youth and shortened her life... Because she refused to regain her magic. She preferred to remain weak, old, and powerless... A human ... "

Then Lord Stephan turned to him, his gaze darker than ever. "But this will not happen to you! You have my word! You see, but the descendants of the Great Fairies can use this magic. It takes a lot of energy and concentration to do it. And it is so powerful that with this power, you can transport an entire army from one place to another. Just by the clap of the hands. Unfortunately, this power can only be used once in a lifetime. So you have to be very, very careful to use it only when it is needed and not to waste it. Because when you use it, all your powers, all the magic, no matter how big and strong, will disappear. And you will have to go through many trials to bring it back. "

Ferry felt a lump in his throat. He nodded slowly.

"There is a riddle called The Crossing that will guide you on how to regain your skills step by step. So write! " the Pan said in a resounding voice.

Ferry soaked the silver pen in the ink-pot with blue-green ink and began writing as the Lord dictated. He felt at school again, at the Math class, with the toughest teacher he had ever met. Only this time, he didn't have Matilda mumbling how meaningless Math seemed to her, nor Ben sipping every word the teacher said...

Ferry banished the thought and longing of home, focusing on the twisted words of the riddle.

Rise and roam, O seeker bold,
To the grove where secrets hold.
No more can shadows cloak your guise;
Truth's reflection never lies.

The winds shall guide where spirits stray,
In shrouded realms where shadows play.
Stand with their lord, so fate may shift,
Yet know—a beast must meet your gift.

Amidst the crossroads, tangled, vast,
You'll ponder blame for every past.
Yet before your mortal sight,
Freedom dances, wild as light.

When the trail lies clear and true,
And fate's embrace encircles you,
Rise and face the trial's cost—
For strength is found in what you've lost.

"It sounds like a nursery rhyme," Ferry said after writing the riddle down.

"Don't let that deceive you. It sounds simple, but it's not. It means something different for each fae who uses it. And to solve every riddle, you must first find out what quest it means, so you can pass it. I want you to learn it by heart, word for word. I want you to know it when you eat, when you train, when you walk, when you fly. I want you to know it in your sleep, " said the Lord in his thunderous voice.

Ferry nodded, already trying to unravel the tangled words that seemed meaningless and unrelated to each other.

"Now you can go," said Lord Stephan, sitting down at the table again. "Tomorrow you will have the first training. And you will be able to see your friends. "

Ferry almost floated as he left the Lord's chambers. Ragh could barely keep up with him as he descended.

When the drafts became milder, Ferry got an idea.

"Shall we race all the way down?" he shouted at Ragh who tried to keep up with him.

He didn't wait for his answer. He flew to the lower floors of the castle, trying not to hit the rocks on his way. In time, his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, and Ferry flew smoothly, carried away by the wings of the wind, which was now gentle and friendly. The thick cape sometimes tangled with the angular edges of the cliffs and made him lose his pace which Ragh took full advantage of, overtaking him. But Ferry didn't care. He flew past the steep cliffs, shouting.

When he reached the level of his chamber, Ragh was waiting for him by the door, with a triumphant smile in the corner of his mouth.

"It was a great race," he said, trying to catch his breath. "I never flew inside the castle. I'll probably be scolded for that. But it was worth it."

"If anyone wants to scold you about this, tell them it was my idea," Ferry assured him.

Ragh tried to stay serious, but he couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Prince Garrett," he said with a bow. "See you tomorrow, at training."

"Tomorrow ..." Ferry repeated, without looking sideways at the guards in front of his door, as usual. He threw himself on the hard bed and fell asleep as soon as he put his head on the pillow filled with dried plants that smelled of tall grass behind Lavender's house.

He dreamed of many, twisted things. He was walking hand in hand with Matilda through the tall grass in a place he did not know. They smiled at each other without saying a word. Then, the ground began to crumble beneath their feet, and Matilda slipped into the abyss that appeared out of nowhere. He managed to grab her hand, and before he woke up sweaty and his heart pounding in his ears, he heard her voice begging.

"Don't let go of my hand, Ferry ..."

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The riddle was inspired by a lovely poem by W.B. Yeats called The Stolen Child. Thank you for reading! Love lots!