The rest of the week went by quickly and it felt like hardly any time had passed before Amaryllis had to leave. During her stay, we went hunting again, and I failed miserably. We also went into Sierre several more times and we went for walks through the forest, as well as snuck into the kitchens for late-night snacks. I really loved having her around, and I was afraid I'd be lonely once she left.

She was so kind to everyone and I was really sad to see her go. We stood in the entryway, watching as her servants carried out her things.

Amaryllis turned to me and smiled. "It was so nice getting to know you, Lyra." She said.

I nodded, my heart feeling heavy in my chest. "I'm really glad I met you."

"Don't be sad! We'll see each other again! I actually come over quite often. And Rylan visits a lot too. He can bring you to my palace the next time!" She said, taking my hand in hers.

I smiled. "I would love that."

She pulled me into a tight hug. "I'll miss you!"

I hugged her back. "I'll miss you too, Mary."

"Take care and don't let Rylan bully you. I promise, he's actually a nice person. He just doesn't usually show it." She said wryly, smiling a little.

Althea and Rylan walked in, talking to each other. Mary pulled away from me and hurried over to them. She hugged Althea first.

Althea smiled—something I didn't think she was capable of—and returned Mary's hug. "Bye, Mary. It was good to see you."

"Goodbye, Al! I'll see you soon, okay?" Mary said. She looked like she was squeezing the life out of Althea, but Althea only took it with a smile.

Mary turned to Rylan and hugged him next.

I had never been around someone that loved hugs so much.

"Goodbye, Rylan." She said, hugging him tightly.

He returned the embrace. "See you soon, Mary. I'll come by in a few weeks, alright?"

She beamed at him and stepped back. "Looking forward to it. Where's Tristan?" She asked, glancing around.

"He couldn't make it. Something came up." Althea said, shrugging. "But he told us to tell you goodbye for him. So 'goodbye.'"

Amaryllis nodded. "Tell him goodbye for me too." She walked to the door, where one of her servants was waiting for her. This servant was a large creature that partially resembled a bear, except with elongated claws and teeth—and the fur was green. She waved at us one last time and disappeared through the doorway, shutting the door behind her.

A sudden silence fell over everything. Althea spoke first. "Well," she began, clapping her hands together. "I have things to do." She walked out and Rylan and I were alone.

I glanced at him but he was still staring at the door thoughtfully. Azula appeared through the doorway just then. She smiled when she saw me. "Would you like lunch, Lyra?" She asked.

"Oh, yes please." I said and began walking toward her.

"Azula," Rylan's voice cut through the quiet, making both of us pause.

She turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue. "Yes?"

He said something to her in that enchanting language that I did not understand.

She nodded her head, looking grave, and replied to him in the same language.

With that, he turned and left Azula and I staring after him.

Azula smiled at me and led me out of the entryway to the dining room.

I was curious to know what Rylan had said, but it wasn't my business, so I stayed silent.

Azula, seeming to know what I was thinking, said, "You didn't miss anything important. Rylan only wants me to speak with Tristan."

"That's alright." I answered.

We reached the dining room and Azula disappeared to retrieve my lunch. I sat at the table and waited.

At that moment, Tristan appeared. His blond hair was mussed and his clothes were rumpled, but, other than that, he looked the same as usual. He smiled at me and my heart fluttered. "Hello, Lyra." He said as he threw himself into a chair across from me at the table.

He managed to make even that sloppy, inelegant gesture look graceful.

"Tristan," I replied in greeting.

Azula reentered a moment later, carrying the tray with my lunch on it. She faltered slightly when she saw Tristan, but recovered so quickly I thought I'd imagined it. She set my tray down, smiling at me.

"Azula," Tristan's eyes lit up when he saw her.

When he said her name, her face flushed a little. "Excuse me," she said to me, and turned to Tristan. She began speaking to him in the language that Rylan had spoken to her with earlier.

He listened as she spoke, no longer smiling. His light eyes darkened slightly and he nodded and replied.

Their conversation was fairly short. I ate my lunch and listened to them speak. The language was soft and entrancing.

After another several moments, there was silence. Tristan spoke again in the language, his voice lighter than before.

When I looked up, I was surprised to see that Azula was blushing, her face completely red. She smiled and shook her head before turning back to me. "Do you need anything else?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm alright, thanks."

She smiled. "I'll be back momentarily." She excused herself and walked out.

Tristan was still looking at where Azula had vanished through the doors. He sighed softly and glanced at me. He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

My cheeks heated. I hadn't even realized I'd been staring. I mumbled an apology and looked down at the food on my plate.

Azula returned carrying another tray and set it before Tristan, who thanked her for it.

She nodded her head and picked up my dishes and left for the kitchen.

What was that? I thought. It had been almost awkward, but I didn't really understand what had happened. I thought back on past encounters I'd witnessed between Azula and Tristan, but I'd never actually seen them speak to each other.

Curious, I asked, "Do faeries get married?" I wasn't directly asking about him and Azula. But I'd get there soon enough.

Tristan glanced up at me and cocked his head to the side, thoughtfully. "No, faeries don't get married or have weddings, like humans. We choose mates." He answered, picking at his food.

"So there's no marriage or anything? Is it a commitment problem? What if one got bored? Would that faerie be able to just move on? No separation or anything?" I asked, perplexed.

His pale eyes darkened slightly and he shook his head. "Humans are disloyal creatures. Having mistresses, affairs, divorces . . ." He looked back down at his food. "No, faeries are not like that at all. I suppose you wouldn't understand," he said, not unkindly. "To us, the word 'mate' means more than just a partner. A mate is someone you'll be with for life, which is a long time if you're immortal. For faeries, once you've formed that bond with someone, there is nothing in the world that means more. You would go to any lengths for that person." He smiled vaguely, his eyes distant, staring off at something that I couldn't see. "If it meant giving up your life for that person, you would do it without a second thought."

At my appalled look, he laughed softly, returning his eyes to his food. "I know how intense and completely ridiculous that sounds. But I am not exaggerating in the least. You would walk to the ends of the earth, carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, if it would make her happy." He met my eyes, his face flushed a little.

"Do you have one? A mate, that is." I asked.

He shook his head, smiling slightly. "No, I do not." He answered. "Because we are immortal, finding that person could take a long time. This is the person that you would be with for the rest of eternity. You have to make sure that it is the right person. There is no changing your mind later on."

"Surely not all fey are so loyal?" I inquired dubiously.

"Well, of course. We're not all exactly the same. There are those that are not as loyal, or dependable. Though, there are so few that you don't really hear about it. I knew one faerie once whose mate had abandoned her for another, and the next day, she hanged herself." His usually smiling eyes were bitter and dark as he said this.

I recoiled slightly. "Really?"

He nodded gravely. "It seems extreme, I know. But for faeries, that sort of thing is understandable. Though, some faeries can move on, most wouldn't." He stabbed his fork into a piece of beef.

I nodded thoughtfully and moved on to my next question. "Does Azula have a mate?"

He paused, the fork halfway to his mouth. "Why are you asking me that?" He asked, setting the fork on his plate.

I shrugged. "I just thought you would know."

"No, she does not." He said, his mouth quirking into a smile. "At least, not that I know of."

"Have you known her a long time?" I asked.

He nodded, and ducked his head, his blond hair falling into his eyes. "Yes, quite a long time." He replied.

"Are you friends?"

He glanced up at me, looking amused. "Why do you care about any of this?"

"I'm just curious." I said defensively.

"You know, curiosity did kill the cat." He answered, smiling slightly.

"The questions I'm asking are quite harmless." I answered irritably. "So are you?"

He exhaled, his eyes going distant. "No, I do not really think we are friends. More like long time acquaintances."

"If you've known each other for as long as you claim, surely you've formed some sort of friendship." I persisted.

His eyes met mine and narrowed slightly. "Just because we've known each other long does not mean we are friends. Rylan has known Prince Faramir for an extremely long time, and they absolutely despise each other. Can't stand each other at all. Come to blows nearly every time they meet. The last time they met, Rylan drew his sword and nearly ran Faramir through with it." He shook his head. "Just because Azula and I have known each other for a long time, doesn't mean we are close." He leaned back in his chair, clearly satisfied with the point he'd made.

As if on cue, someone cleared their throat. Startled, I turned and found Azula walking toward us. She walked past me, her eyes staring stonily forward, her mouth set, and picked up Tristan's dishes and went back to the kitchen. Tristan remained silent, his face slightly flushed.

He smiled ruefully at me and stood. "I'll see you at dinner, Lyra." He turned and disappeared through the doorway.

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Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter! Let me know what you think, I am always open to feedback! That goes for if you see grammatical errors as well. Another thing: the title is temporary. I don't think it fits that well with my story, so if you have any ideas please tell me! You can message me privately, leave a comment, or post on my page!

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