It was more pleasant to follow Lica because the Derew knew her way around better; and stayed within sight and earshot, but they did not speak until a green field came to view. In Crysoton, green fields were as common as anything else, thus twas no amazement to come upon another after just coming out of one. Though the species of wildflowers and trees in them always varied. Since his arrival, Judson was yet to set eyes on two of the same kind of flowers.

As he and the nature spirit made descent, he caught sight of a particular kind: the pink of so richly deep and eye-catching; and its flowers that resembled a flurry of thin, mature stems held together into petals shaped like fat trays with spots of purple scattered about their surface. He walked to the cluster growing openly and knelt to inspect them.

"It is called Ëlfaë." Lica offered, going to peer closely at the flowers. "Breeze." She blew on them and altogether they rose upright, expanding with the wind like the turning pages of a book. A sweet odor came off of them and floated into Judson's nose, making him feel tired and sleepy, but the queer feeling disappeared when the scent faded.

"Ëlfaë is used to induce slumber." She explained further, caressing the flowers. They would spread apart in between her fingers and return to their natural form when she let go. "In those days when Crysotoni whispered healing secrets to the rest of the world, they told of many herbs, and trees, and flowers, but withheld from men the secret of Ëlfaë."

"Why?" He looked up at her.

"This flower does more than just induce sleep. It is mostly used to soothe a new mother to rest after laborous childbirth, but a slight overdose can immobilize the brain and send her into permanent sleep."

"Death?" He moved back subconsciously, eyeing the flowers.

"No." Lica chuckled. "An overdose will not bring death. Just long and deep slumber, until whenever the effects wear off. Did you know that right after they came into existence Crystal Fairies held a two-day feast in which, throughout, they unknowingly feasted on Ëlfaë?"

His eyebrows knotted and he rose, suddenly interested in the tale. "No, I did not know that. How unfortunate! How did they wake up?"

She floated around aimlessly. "When Ëlfaë eventually wore off, the Elves had coronated their fourth King."

A strange heaviness seized Judson's chest. On impulse, he glanced at the flowers. "How long was it in between?"

"Millions of years, perhaps." Lica also glanced at the flowers. "That is how powerful those lovely things are. It is the reason they are left to grow here in this field - never to be seen by outsiders. The Fairies do not eat them anymore. They've learned." She giggled. "In fact, they rarely have use for Ëlfaë nowadays, so they grow wild."

"Hm."

In the expansive mass of land, the flowers looked just as harmless and beautiful as those that surrounded it, but it was electrifying to think that they could hold so much power.

"Exceptional, isn't it?" Lica's voice broke through his thoughts, seizing his attention. Her gaze was firm. "That an extract from just one single flower can make such wonderful things to happen. They grow wild, yes, but Ëlfaë still stands alone and separated in this field. Do you wonder why?"

His head made to shake, but deep contemplation made his neck stiffen. "I do."

Lica floated forward, permitting a clearer view of her eyes. "Because they are special. Unique. Different. Ancient, too. They may mingle with those around them, but remain outstanding even then."

Judson eyed her for a count of five, sensing where the conversation would steer should he encourage it. Instead, he deviated. "Tell me how you came to be my nurse."

A glad smile lit up the Derew's face. Her eyes became masked by a film of nostalgia. "A most wonderful task it was even though I nursed you for no more than three days."

"Why no more than three?"

A group of white bellied pigeons crowded near Ëlfaë, suddenly splitting Judson's attention in half.

"I wish I knew, but it was an instruction I could not disobey though I wanted more than anything to raise you to boyhood." Lica's tone was full of yearning and sadness as her own attention diverted. "All my life, I only ever knew how to run errands and relay messages, but when you were given to me - to be tended to and protected - I felt something I'd never truly felt before."

Judson's eyes tore away from the birds to glance at the Derew, who had floated a good distance ahead. "And what was that?"

"Responsibility." She sighed. "I was given the chance to look after a living, breathing being and not send it off to someplace at some given time, but, alas, twas what I did in the end anyway."

One bird hopped close to the flowers and began to peck at them. Judson's eyes bulged. He held out a finger. A blade of grass leaned forward and snapped at the bird's belly, making it jump back in fright.

"Where did you send me?" His attention was in a tug of war between the disaster that was about to happen and his desire to really listen to Lica. The former seemed the more dominant.

Again, she sighed, helplessly entwining her fingers. "I cannot recall for certain, but it was far far away. I made sure you were seen and taken in before I left." Her tone fell, implying deep sorrow. "Oh, you were such a tiny, most charming infant, and it was the most dreadful thing to simply stand there and allow someone else take you away; someone who would possibly do a less acceptable job at taking care of you than I would have if I had been the one to-"

By then, Judson had completely lost interest in Lica's tale. He was too engrossed in using grass to yank and draw pigeons away to prevent them from taking several bites out of the flowers. Hardly was he aware that Lica had gone quiet for a time, until he turned and saw that she was staring at him with a ghostly yet very pleased smile. His nerves twisted and he stared back, hoping the Derew was unoffended by his rudeness. He tried desperately to remember what she had been saying right before his attention wavered.

"So, you. . . left. . . Where did you go?"

Lica's laughter sounded like pure delight. She floated forward and took up his right hand to gaze rather solemnly at his fingers. "Do you always use them?"

Staring at his hand sent a single bleary image flashing before his eyes in the space of a millisecond before it melted off. "I have tried."

"Tell me how it truly feels."

He blinked, trying to articulate the feeling into words. He never really had to explain how his powers sincerely felt and so it came as kind of strange attempting to.

"A connection." He managed, regarding his fingers. They were much bigger and slenderer than they had been many years before. "I feel connected to everything. I can hear, and see, and. . . make, even destroy. They are somehow all connected to my will. It is as if I. . ."

Lica's vibrant eyes blinked in expectation. "You what?"

His lips thinned. "It is as if. . . I am one of them."

A short titter streamed out of the Derew. "But of course, you are. You are nature's son, silly. You are meant to feel that you are one of them." She gestured around. "The trees, the flowers and animals - the wild. You belong with them. But know this,"

He watched her face firm.

"You are always above them."

Silence reigned for a moment. Then, Lica finally allowed her delicate feet touch the carpet of green.

"Show me what you can do." She demanded, folding her arms.

Judson was uncertain at first, but the clear encouragement and anticipation in the Derew's eyes excited him much.

"Alright." He mumbled with a hidden smile and scanned the lovely field. There were spots of hillocks in the horizon and clusters of the greenest trees covering most part of the field. A stream gushed on the far left, flanked by gravel and stones on opposite sides of its crossing, but he saw no bridge and wondered how exactly one was to cross the stream. At once, he remembered Crystal Fairies could fly.

Settling for a sparsely vacant part of the field, he pointed. "Over there."

Lica tittered again as she piloted along.

Flying in Crysoton was a pleasure to Judson because the air smelled better midair. He landed to inspect the earth a little more.

"What are you doing?" Lica's curious voice queried from behind.

"Searching."

"For what?"

He came to a stop then, satisfied with the short inspection. "Fertile ground."

"Every bit of soil in Crysoton is fertile." The Derew stated matter-of-factly.

"I doubt it." He replied and held open hands out. The ground rumbled and shook. The sound of breaking earth accompanied a series of tearing noises, then the earth did break open. Coils of thick roots erupted, elongating into a trunk, branches and leaves until an elm rose proudly in the midst of the others.

"Oh, how lovely!" Lica squealed in delight, her cheeks turning bright pink as red hair sprayed behind her in a frizz. "Exceptional. Wonderful. Marvelously lovely!"

His grin widened at the reception. Lica's obvious approval of his gifts made his stomach flutter in a way he never experienced before and his smile wavered when he recognized that the feeling was satisfaction. Satisfaction from being accepted and praised for a simple act. Thinking about it in a logical way, such sense of satisfaction was meant to follow after a parent's approval - something a Derew had done in his mother's stead.

His smile fell.

Suddenly feeling depressed, he turned - much to Lica's surprise - and took flight.

The vastness of Crysoton was incomprehensible and he was yet to know his way around, but he paid little mind to his own lack of direction and just flew whichever way the wind blew. With sad eyes focused on the ground, he absentmindedly took note of the alluring landscapes that he passed over. First, a series of picturesque snow capped mountains, then a low valley with a quarter of it buried in thawing snow; long rivers that presented themselves as gleams of vertical flowing liquid - more elaborate fields; of flowers and corn, and wheat and grass, and glades nestled in between thirty foot trees; forests upon forests bearing trees as old as the realm itself, crowded pastures where exceptional creatures grazed in hundreds, and eventually, the ocean itself.

The farther he flew, the more he wanted to get away. He glanced down and noticed three figures barely below the surface of the blue water, swimming just as fast to keep up with him.

Nixies, he knew. And wondered if Niana, the red haired water Elf, was one of them.

They would often sail out of the water and dive over him, sending splashes everywhere. They did so on repeat, until he found himself laughing at the simple joy of it. When he reached into the water, their scaly hands closed around his arm in friendly grips. It felt colder down in the water than it did up in the air, but he found himself strangely wishing he was beneath than above. It seemed easier to exist in a realm as massive as the one underwater and show himself only when he wished to, just as the Nixies did. No one could pressure them to do anything. They lived according to their own will and were not controlled like puppets and bridled horses nor steered by so-called destiny. They merely existed and made a fine job out of it.

Sighing, he steered westward away from the ocean and waved goodbye to the Nixies.

Again, he began to come upon land, but then, his eyes fell on a mound of gray rock in the distance and he hovered to stare at it. From within the tree in Wood Guild, the rock had appeared small. However, when he flew toward it, he discovered that the structure could easily rival The Master House in The Grand Ale even if it were placed on top of itself three times over.

The cave was huge.

It sat on the water as easily as a house sat on land. The entrance was compact, like the opening of a malevolent monster's mouth, but it did not feel that way. Instead, there was an age long mystery lingering about the place that made Judson itch with curiosity as he approached. The structure of the cave was upturned gray stone, shaped to look like a conch in the front. More of its kind surrounded it on the water with only a distance of - he calculated - fifteen minutes between each via swim. The stone floor was of a rare mineral he could not name; viciously gray as well but clean and clear enough to show warbled reflection, as if somewhere inside water had found refuge. The walls trapped a shocking cold within their layers, prompting him to keep both hands to himself. Once past the curving threshold, his breath turned into bluish smoke as a result of the interior being much colder, half shrouded in mist and covered in faded crystals from end to end.

From his vantage point, the blue silky ground seemed flat all around, but he halted with a sharp yelp when he almost dropped off an edge he did not know was there. Stones, or what he thought were broken bits of crystals, clattered from his standpoint and fell a long way into the inconspicuous pit, until the faintest sound reassured him that there was indeed a bottom down below. Albeit, he was uninterested in finding out what lay such a long way beneath.

He reversed a few steps back and began to walk around the pit in a cornered path so steep even stones were unsafe. But he stuck his back to the cold wall and navigated with care til he came to plane ground on the other side. The build and style of the cave made him suspect that it had been a grand hall. Similar to Maddei's tree palace, there were several wrapping balconies - all going down instead of up. The pit possibly once held up a stunning floor, barricading the lower levels from sight. As a result of the stagnant mass of mist, he could not see beyond three feet into the pit.

He stared at the gaping entrance and to the steep path by his left, reluctant about making an exit through that way. Flying over the spooky yawn in the ground made him shiver in unpleasant ways and he discarded the thought of attempting to.

Suddenly, he felt trapped. Coming into the cave seemed the worst thing he could have ever done.

Just go over it. He chided, bopping on his feet with an eye on the hole. There is nothing down there.

With a few puffs of breath to loosen the knots in his chest and backward steps to gather enough momentum, he sprinted and spread his wings. Taking flight was ridiculously easy.

Why had it been so hard before?

He soared right across and shut his eyes in relief. Then, right there in the middle, the air stilled and his wings lost motion. The next second, gravity stopped and he descended with a frightened shout.

As he fell, his wings dispersed great mist, but even then he did not see much. Only a minute later, his back met a chilly surface too solid to be water, but apparently was.

He sank fast.

There was nothing he hated more than an unplanned swim. Unlike the illusion inside the sacred tree, he was really drenched from head to foot, his feathers drinking in water faster than a sponge. He grew heavy and wrestled to swim for the surface, but whatever magnetic force had yanked him down in the first place was not letting go just yet.

Just as he calmed, water swooshed in his ears. He turned and glimpsed flashes of color in the misty blue. The phenomenon was vaguely humanoid, morphing regularly from mere lines of enchanting hue into something formless and back again, and it looked to be swimming. Without giving much thought to why his limbs had suddenly loosened, he followed the strange light and came up to a cold turf of crystals and dead grass.

He glanced to the side, heaving, and his ragged breath halted abruptly when the shimmer of color climbed out of the water and stood in front of him right before it transformed into a figure.

An outline of a person, petite and female.

He rose to face it.

"Show yourself." He demanded, subconsciously readying for defense should the stranger be hostile.

The light around the person first heightened then burst altogether and he found himself looking into a face that sent every one of his nerves ribboning with force several times over.

Subconsciously, he stepped back.

"Hello, son." Juniper greeted with the faintest smile.

For a while, they stared at each other in absolute silence. The only time Judson remembered ever feeling so unsure of what to do with his entire being was when he first stood before the vague divine deity that had cleansed him in the North.

Now, he counted this moment as the second.

He could not will himself to be angry nor happy or even nervous; his feet were slack and would not move, his fingers did not twitch, his eyes were too heavy to clock away from the goddess's face and he felt as if his mouth was no longer there. The whole of him felt foreign and immobile and complicated.

Then, Juniper walked forward, slowly and with caution. Her little hand closed on his cheek and he lowered his gaze, ignoring a pressing natural urge to nestle into her touch.

"How much you've grown!"

Her voice broke in the slightest and made him look up into her eyes. They were nothing like his. Olive rather than gray, but brighter and greener than olive. She looked about as young as Lica. His insides were speared by uneasy jolts when, for a brief moment, he saw flashes of his face in her own.

Then, he backed away.

"Why have you come?" He queried, even though he simply yearned to leave. "Certainly it is not because you missed or wanted to see me."

She dipped her head. "That I did. Everyday."

His eyes closed for a moment. He was unprepared for and did not want to entertain any kind of sentimentality. "What are you doing here?"

Juniper sensed the coldness in his tone, but said nothing about it. "The Fairies worship me more fervently than any other. I have no choice but to be here."

And did I not worship you enough for you to show yourself to me? The question almost rolled off Judson's tongue. He had to bite down hard to prevent it. No sentimentality.

"Good for you." He mumbled, gazing up and about. Still, the surrounding was well hidden by mist.

"I have come with a message." She went on.

He tried to decipher hurt in her tone, but there was none. It somewhat comforted him since the last thing he wanted was feigned regret and forced sadness. Deep down though, it spread cracks in his soul.

"Strange." He commented, devotedly keeping his head in the other direction. He did not wish for her face to be imprinted in his mind. "One would think Lica should be saying such a thing."

"Lica only delivers the messages that come directly from me." She pointed out.

"And who commands you to deliver a message yourself?" The thought was hilarious, but he did not as much as break a gap between his lips.

"From whom my message comes is not necessary. That you heed it is what is."

He stared at the fog ahead, half expecting them to clear, but they were thicker than curtains of velvet. "I will decide if I heed it or not. Say what your message is."

She sighed and went quiet. He could sense her watching him. Then she spoke. "You were meant for a different destiny than what you are after-"

"Enough!" He interrupted in a soft, audible mutter, forcing his gaze to finally rest on her own, steady and precise. "I wish to hear no more."

Unwilling to stay to witness whatever her reaction would be following his outburst, he flew right out of the pit and the cave, wiping off a single tear that ran down his cheek.

As if on impulse, he beelined Qar's tree.

It was fully daybreak and almost to noon when he arrived and found that the Burrower had planted a garden right in front of the tree that now looked more like a home than a guest's quarter.

The entrance frame was lined on the topmost side with items that dangled on old rope - bottles, little vials, balls of yarn, a fishing net, jars of alabaster, empty baskets and more. Large bits of pebbles were pinned into the earth to make a fine greyish walkway leading to the entrance. At the very start of the walkway stood a wooden fence that really bordered nothing except for the pebbled passage. Tomato leaves peeked from his little garden on the right; a garden that was surprisingly furnished with little shovels, a rake and a hoe inside a wide basket: a barrow, a trowel, a pair of Burrower sized gloves that he doubted Qar would use at all, and a water can. Other than tomato, there was also aloe vera, cummin, dill and carrot in the garden - with the carrots already showing sprouts.

At the sight of it all, sadness melted away from Judson's mind and an impressed laugh flew out of him.

"How in the name of all good things did you come by all these, Qar?"

The Burrower turned his attention away from his paradisiacal garden and beamed, noticing his new company just then. He put down his shovel and hurried forward. "There you are, sire. There you are. At last! Do you see this little wonder I've created?"

"I do see." Judson's eyebrows knitted, but he was barely frowning. "What a lovely garden! How did you come by it all so suddenly?"

As Qar dashed back into his home, little prickly hairs showed across his back that proved his excitement was beyond measure. Scurrying back out again, he presented something familiar.

"Did this. . .?" Judson faltered, examining the necklace that the Burrower had been obsessed with for quite a while. It appeared to have been rid of all its color, rendered white as a result and resembling a chrysolite in his hand.

"Yes, yes." Qar nodded. "Early this morning while you were away at that meeting, I grew bored and simply asked it to make the tree a bit more homey, and look! It did just that! Haha! I have a little garden of my own now and a fairly Human fence with it too. No rabbits will be crossing over here, not if they want to keep their tails."

By then, Judson had fallen silent. He observed Qar, who was too busy rambling on about the power inside the necklace.

"I was quite wary about it, sire, truly." He voiced, pointing at the stone. "A simple gem granting such desire, so I brought it to Juneberry. She knows many things about many things. After she helped examine the gem, she told me it is a Gypsie relic from centuries ago, probably let go by accident before I came upon it. It possesses good magic, sire. Not the kind to stain the soul with unnecessary want and evil thoughts. Good magic!"

Then, he finally halted long to notice Judson's stare. "Do you not like it?"

"I do, Qar, but. . . when we first met, you told me that you were in search of two things."

"Aye." Qar agreed hesitantly.

"A home or purpose. Back then, you were yet to find a home, so you followed me for purpose. Now, out of the blue, you have found yourself a home."

Qar's face fell in realization. Both stared at themselves in different shades of crestfallen expressions with Judson's being a bit lighter.

"Does this mean you will remain here and let me go on alone?"

All of a sudden, it felt depressing that he would have to continue to wander alone. Qar was incredible company.

The Burrower's hands fell as did his head. "Sire, I. . ." He sighed heavily, speechless.

Judson half laughed. "It is alright with me if what you truly want is to stay, Qar. Remember, your agreement to accompany me is conditional on whether or not you find what you were looking for. Since you have, as previously agreed, you will stay. I approve of you staying. This is a wonderful place. It suits you better than elsewhere."

"Oh, sire!" Qar mumbled in sadness and lumbered forward to rest his heavy head against Judson's knee. "I am not so sure now of what I truly want. I think I might've gotten it all wrong the first time or otherwise mixed up."

"I think differently, Qar." He comforted. "Perhaps, all that you need is a little bit of time, time to decide. You may remain here - see the endless wonders of Crysoton, compose your letter to the Queen and think about what decision you feel best suits you. While you do these, I will continue on the journey, and if you ever have a change of heart, you can always find your way back to purpose again."

He wrapped the necklace around the Burrower's neck and allowed Qar take his hand and press it to his forehead in farewell.

"Keep safe, sire. I will think on all that you have said. It has been a priceless privilege thus far."

As the Burrower bowed, Judson's heartache slowly returned, but he tried not to show weakness. It would confuse the creature and set him off to changing his mind in a hurry. He needed Qar to think deeply and rest while at it. Ever since their first meeting, there was so much the Burrower had done for him, choosing to show unexpected care for his emotional and physical safety too. Thus, he missed Qar even before he made to leave. Rising to his feet, he inspected the treehouse with its abundance of color and beauty and peace. And for a little moment, he felt a twinging admix of nostalgia and jealousy.

"A wonder indeed." He smiled. Then with an encouraging nod, turned and took flight.

His intention was to see the Queen before he departed and ask for directions while at it because he was not sure Crysoton had a main entrance and exit door. Wood Guild was unusually crowded when he arrived since many of the Fairies had taken full humanoid forms instead of gallivanting as specks of light. They said warm greetings when he passed by, some even going as far as handing him food.

By the time he reached the royal threshold, he had in his hands a bowl of soup, oats, fruits, and a plate of fruit pie.

Nonetheless, he entered with the armful.

Maddei stood with a hand on the head of her throne that he could have sworn was not there the first time he came in. The chair was a flurry of greenish things from top to bottom that resembled peacock feathers and from the entrance, looked shockingly like painting on the wall. But he confirmed it was indeed a real throne when she came around and sat in it.

"I feared we would not see you at all for the rest of today." She said, politely shooing away the male Fairy she had been speaking with. The Fairy rolled up his scroll and left after a deep bow.

"I fear you may not see me after today, your Majesty." Judson eased the dishes to the floor, and almost immediately, they were all swept away by a bunch of waiting Fairies.

She lifted an eyebrow. "You want to take your leave."

"I believe I must."

"Indeed." She agreed, putting away her writing quill into a glass of ink that laid on the right armrest of her throne. Splatters of dark ink stained her fingers, but when she intertwined them in her lap, he thought no one else could pull off looking as regal with stained hands.

"I need an escort." He paused. "Perhaps, Juneberry will help me find my way out."

Maddei studied him with an intense pout that told him she knew something, but was contemplating on whether to say it or not. At last, her shoulders straightened and her face became bright.

"Of course." She nodded. "Although there is one other who would've loved to be your escort, but alas, he is stricken still with sorrow over the news of our missing hero."

"He?" Judson thought out loud, his mind going blank and haywire at the same time.

Maddei nodded again, but failed to elaborate. When she fell quiet, he noticed soft music streaming from the harps, but it was a somewhat sorrowful melody.

"Forgive my minstrels." She chuckled, rising. Her voice perfectly blended in with the low tunes, as if she was singing. "They express their sadness over your sudden decision to leave."

He glanced over at the balcony and, this time, saw the actual minstrels. To his surprise, they were all young - new borns - and Knot was one of them. She sat near a harp, with both hands clasped under her chin and her eyes clouded with tears.

"We hope to see you again." Maddei interrupted, sounding quite sad. "You might be a Shade of Dakriton, but Crysoton is as much your own home. You must pay us another visit should you find the time."

He bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality, your Majesty, and for your advice. Extend my gratitude to Revvi if you may."

"That I will." Maddei nodded.

A speck of light flew into the hall and engorged into Juneberry. Her beam was as bright as sun rays.

"Lovely day to you, Judson."

"And to you, Juneberry."

The Queen placed a gentle hand atop Juneberry's shoulder. "Escort him to the border. His stay with us is ended."

When Juneberry turned, her smile had dulled. She blinked as though she could not believe what her Queen said. Just when he thought she would say something to convince him to stay, she merely bowed.

"This way." She directed and took the exit.

The Queen came to take his hands briefly, her eyes carrying a smile. "The best of luck go with you. Fear nothing and the path to success will clear."

With one last glance at Knot and the new borns, he turned and left the throne room.

Juneberry's silence was bothersome because she always was a very chatty Fairy. He tried twice to talk to her, but she gave a single response the first time and a half nod the second. They flew past familiar scapes and truly he began to wonder if he would be able to visit Crysoton again.

Would he ever find the time?

Nearest the waterside, she lowered and her sandaled feet touched the ground. Before his own could, the earth had already spun and a different landscape appeared before them. The weather on both sides were contrasting and he wondered where exactly the other one was located.

He turned to Juneberry, whose gaze was fixed on the grass around her feet.

"I gather you are upset because I am not staying."

"Another day would suffice." She mumbled, her cheeks appearing inflated with her head down.

He coughed out a little laugh. "Will you tell me why you are all so leaden about my departure?"

When she looked up to peer at his face, she did so in mild astonishment. "You have no idea, do you?"

"No." He shrugged innocently.

Instead of an explanation, she reared and squared her shoulders. "Then it's best you do not hear it from me. It was a pleasure having you here even if for a short time. Farewell, sire."

He gave a nod and walked on ahead, only glancing behind at the fleeting thought of Qar. The scene rewarped, and Juneberry disappeared with it. A sudden thunderclap startled him and made him realize the reason why the land had appeared bleak. It was raining heavily.

"Bother it all!" He muttered, recoiling from cold splashes that assaulted his skin. "I should have asked for an umbrella."

Without a clue where he was or where to go yet, he ran onward in desperate search of a place to shelter from the pouring rain.