It had been two weeks since that fateful night that had set her upon this course, but the ache in her chest still stung with a potency that would not soon fade. Lilly stayed with Elias in his cottage, as there were no free dwellings available in The Valley. Their oasis was everything he'd promised it'd be. The people had warmed up to her after the announcement of her lineage, and even Saia had softened her stony exterior.

The Valley was a safe haven, something Lilly had found herself wishing for during her fight with The Beast. Now she had it and it was all she'd ever dreamed. She had family, and the more she got to know Elias, the more she understood herself, understood the power within that she'd so feared. She didn't need to be afraid here. She was amongst family, people like her. But No matter how she phrased it in her mind, she couldn't ignore the pull towards the world beyond.

She'd chosen to give up, to live a life of peace and solitude, but the nagging loss, anger, and guilt still clawed away at her. Lilly found herself channeling her frustrations into daily training sessions with Saia. Their early morning rendezvous in the desert had become both a dreaded and welcomed distraction from her troubles.

As it turns out, the women were much more akin than they'd initially thought. It was often Saia's company Lilly sought out when she wasn't with Elias.

Lilly's muscles screamed as she pushed herself off the ground for the hundredth time that day. With a huff, she dusted the sand from her leather armor and turned to face Saia. The warrior didn't bother to hide her amusement. Lilly shot her a humorless smile and flexed her fingers with agitation.

"Come on, Princess, you can't be tired already. We've only just started." Saia wasn't even winded from their sparring match. It didn't take much effort on her part. Whilst the Magician was well trained in the art of magic, she was completely inept at physical fighting.

"I'm not a princess." Lilly brushed a stray hair behind her ear with a huff.

"Technically, no. But the principle still stands." Saia smiled and beckoned her forward. The gesture was so relaxed that Lilly couldn't help but bristle at how inconsequential a threat she was. If this mortal woman perceived her that way, no wonder she'd fallen at the hands of The Beast.

Rolling out a kink in her shoulder, Lilly dropped into a familiar defensive stance. The fighters circled one another, much like they had that first night in the firelight. Setting her jaw, Lilly lunged.

The next hour consisted of Lilly being knocked about like a ragdoll. Even now, Saia showed no signs of tiring. Sand scorched her exposed skin as Lilly lay sprawled on her back. Saia's form shaded her eyes from the blinding sunlight as she held out a hand to her opponent. With a begrudging sigh, she took it.

"Don't feel too bad, there's only one person in this valley who's ever bested me in a fight."

"Who's that?" Lilly struggled to shake the sand from within her armor.

"Your grandfather." Saia strode towards the pack of supplies and produced a full waterskin. Lilly was thankful she'd spelled the water to remain chilled, for the days heat was growing increasingly unbearable. "Though you may be a horrific fighter now, I have hope that you'll improve."

"Thanks," Lilly rolled her eyes at the backhanded compliment and began to trudge towards the treeline. The air was a good ten degrees cooler within the forest and a welcomed moisture kissed her parched skin. Lilly plopped down against the base of a massive oak tree. Saia did the same a few feet away, however much more gracefully. They swapped the waterskin in comfortable silence, allowing the calls of the birds and rustle of leaves to lull them into a trancelike state.

"Have you ever considered leaving?" Lilly wondered aloud, eyeing Saia with innocent curiosity. For a moment, there was no answer as Saia mulled over the question. Lilly regretted asking almost as soon as she said it.

"Of course I have." Saia's lips curved in a melancholy smile. "Everyone has at some point or another. But thinking and doing are two very different things." Saia brushed her braided locks across one shoulder and plucked a tiny dagger from the vambrace around her right wrist.

"Why haven't you?" Saia twirled the blade across her knuckles pensively. She wasn't sure she even knew the answer.

"There's no guarantee you'll ever find your way back again." She didn't look up as she spoke, instead tracked the movements of the glinting weapon in her hand. "Jane's wards are impenetrable. It's been over seventy years and The Beast has never found us. There've been a few people to make the crossing, but no one's seen or heard from them since."

"Well, it's not impossible. I found you."

"Yes, but you're a direct descendant of the woman who created the wards." She was right. It seemed Jane left her with more than just a necklace. The last thing Lilly wanted was another mystery, but when did she ever get what she wanted? "What's it like? The world."

"Aside from the homicidal beast?" Lilly laughed humorlessly and Saia's lips quirked in a mirroring bitter gesture. "It's beautiful."

"Your friends, they were children of earth as well?" A lump formed in Lilly's throat. She knew it had been there the whole time, just waiting for the right moment to choke the life out of her.

"Yes," it came out as a strangled croak.

"You loved them." A statement, not a question. The silence was answer enough. "Death always claims the best of us." A cool breeze tickled the curves of Lilly's face, as if to comfort the mourning woman. Lilly's head snapped up at the sudden crack of a branch. In an instant she was on her feet, dagger in her hand.

"Woah, relax!" A small voice called from above. Lilly tilted her head towards the canopy of trees. Knees hooked around a thick branch, a little boy dangled upside down above them. Lilly's shoulders instantly relaxed at the familiar sight. Omari, one of the village children, smiled mischievously down at the two women.

"Omari, what is it this time?" Saia laughed, now standing beside Lilly. It was a valid question. Since Lilly had been in The Valley, Omari had gotten into more than a little bit of delinquency. Whether it was stealing from the baskets of freshly harvested fruit, or switching the sugar for salt, you could be sure Omari was behind it.

The little boy had grown on Lilly, as he was unafraid of her from the moment she'd arrived. Despite knowing that she was the heir to their village, many were hesitant to approach her. It wasn't until Omari took her by the hand with a brilliant smile and began his incessant chattering, that she felt at ease in this new world.

"Bloodreigna wants to talk to you." He kicked his legs out and dropped to the ground in a graceful flip. He popped up instantly with the spring of a kangaroo.

"Do you know what for?" Lilly asked. Omari simply shrugged noncommittally and reached out to grip her hand. The boy's head reached only a few inches past her waist, his dark coily hair buzzed short. The dark and light of their skin contrasted greatly, but his little hand fit within hers perfectly. Without warning, he began to skip towards camp, yanking her unceremoniously along. Saia laughed heartily at her helpless position and followed.

Omari chatted merrily about this and that. What pranks he'd pulled, or which villager was angry with him today. Lilly was thankful for his presence. Innocence was such a rarity. It was certainly something she herself had nothing left of. Omari delivered her to Elias' cottage and the three parted ways. Saia hurried off to wash the grime of their training session from her skin and Omari left to stir up some chaos.

Lilly didn't bother knocking, It was her home too now, as Elias had stressed time and time again. She found him seated at the kitchen table, a cup of steaming tea and a half finished book open before him.

"How was your training session?" He asked as she sat down across from him with a full glass of ice water.

"It went as well as to be expected." She shrugged, which meant not well at all. "But Saia said I show promise of improvement." Elias chuckled at that.

"That's probably the closest thing to a complement you'll ever receive from her." Lilly nodded and sat back into her wood carved dining chair. Lilly and Elias had settled into a comfortable dynamic, after spending the first week of their relationship learning all there was to know about each other and their pasts. Lilly had spent much of her time describing Evelyn to him. It was strangely comforting to look back on her fondest memories of her mother. She'd avoided his questions about her friends. The wound was still too fresh, and she feared if she let herself delve into the depths of her sorrow, she may never find her way out again.

Lilly was soaking up her moments with Elias like a dry sponge. He was more than she could've ever hoped for. He'd taken the time to personally show her around The Valley, and teach her about its history and her ancestors. Though her heart still ached, Lilly had hope that with his help, she could heal.

"Omari said you wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes," Elias nodded and stood from his seat. "There's something I've been meaning to give you." Lilly's brows furrowed in confusion. Her deep brown eyes tracked his movements as he knelt before a solid wooden chest. The rusted hinges creaked when he lifted the lid. Carefully, Elias reached in and brought out a large bundle of cloth. He returned to the table and placed it gently before her. Lilly simply stared at it for a moment. With a jut of his chin, Elias urged her to open it.

Lilly ran her fingers lightly across the canvas, feeling for the time worn edges. Pinching the corner between her fingers, she began to unravel the cover. Her eyes slid across the ornately carved wood with reverence. Each grove felt like a mark of history. How many times had Jane's hands traversed it's curves and held it's string? The bow in her hands was a legacy in its own right.

"It was Jane's. She would've wanted you to have it." After Jane rescued a dryad of The Southern Orchard, the tree spirit had gifted her the bow, carved from the wood of her own branches and enchanted to never miss its mark. The weapon had saved the girl's life more times than Lilly could count. Never did she imagine she'd be in possession of it.

"You've had it all this time?" Elias nodded and stood to walk around the table to her.

"Jane left it with me upon leaving Fillory. It's too conspicuous a weapon on earth. If she was here, she'd pass it down to you, like she did with her necklace." Lilly fingered the feathered ends poking out from the accompanying quiver of arrows. The wood knocked together lightly at her touch.

"Thank you," Lilly looked up at her grandfather with a smile. Leaning down, Elias placed a loving kiss on her temple and squeezed her shoulder in a sign of solidarity. They both missed Lilly's grandmother dearly, but together they felt their connection to Jane rekindle.

"There's one more thing." Elias knelt beside her chair and met her eyes. "When each of our people come of age, they are marked as a member of our tribe. I think it's time for you to receive yours."

"Are you sure?" Her brows rose in surprise. She hadn't been expecting this.

"You've shown your character to be true. It is your birthright. No one can deny you that." Lilly contemplated his suggestion for a moment. The Valley felt like home, and it had been so very long since she'd had that.

She had nothing to go back to, Alex, Dani, and Ava would either be dead or on the run now that the beast had the button. Lilly was tired, so tired. So, she made a selfish choice. She'd remained with Elias in The Valley, she'd given up. But she had nothing left in her to rethink her decision. For now, she would follow her heart's desire.

Lilly nodded as tears sprung up in her eyes. Elias's grin washed her worries away and soon he was pulling her into a bone crushing embrace. Lilly melted into him, thankful that she at least had one person left who loved her.

Lilly stared down at the bowl of ink as it swirled and undulated beneath her gaze. In the three days leading up to this moment, Elias had remained somewhat elusive in his preparations. Lilly had asked if she could be of any help, but her offer had been dismissed immediately. Training with Saia worked her to the bone every day, but both women were beginning to see an improvement in her fighting skills.

Weapons training was added to her daily routine. Though she'd been gifted an enchanted bow, Saia insisted upon training with ordinary weapons. Enchantments may not always be there and Lilly needed to learn the skills of a warrior if she wanted to stand a chance against The Beast if he came knocking. After training that day, Elias finally summoned her.

"The ink is enchanted. It takes on a form that best represents the essence of the wearer." Elias explained. They'd brought her to a small clearing, empty save for a raised stone dias, which held a bowl of swirling onyx liquid at its center.

"What was it for you?" Lilly eyed the telltale black tendrils that poked out from beneath Elias's shirt. Saia stepped forward, unbuckling her vambrace.

Adorning the tan skin of her forearm was an ornate spotted jaguar. Mid-leap, the predator spanned almost to her elbow, the darkened lined curving and joining into the visual representation of Saia's essence. Lilly had to admit that the Jaguar suited her. Her gaze flicked to Elias questioningly. He smiled and stepped forward, taking Saia's place before her.

He pulled at the neck of his tunic. Lilly had to bite back her gasp. Across his left pectoral was the massive profile of a wolf's head. It's fur so detailed and eyes so piercing that it may as well have been jumping off his skin. As her eyes trailed past it's head, it's body dissolved into a series of complex interwoven lines that disappeared down his arm and beneath the cloth of his shirt.

"The mark of a Bloodreigna is bestowed upon the heir during their ascendancy." He released his collar and began rolling up his left sleeve. Dark, lethal thorns wrapped around his wrist, and up his arm, assumingly to connect with the wolf at the top. It was as if the thorns from his throne had burrowed beneath his skin and taken up permanent residency there. "If you decide to ascend, you'll have it, too."

"Has it ever been wrong?"

"Not once," Elias assured and Lilly nodded pensively. She'd never gotten a tattoo before. The permanence of it had dissuaded her in her life before. Even now she was hesitant, and she had no idea what it would manifest as.

"But there's a first for everything." Saia added with a mischievous smirk. Lilly shot her a halfhearted glare before facing the bowl of midnight liquid once more.

"Dip your fingers in the ink and allow it to do it's work." Lilly eyed it apprehensively, but she trusted her grandfather. The tips of her fingers were enveloped by blackness and all was quiet. The ink ceased to stir of its own accord the moment her hand pierced the surface. Her skin began to tingle. The sensation reminded her of shifting. The warmth that spread throughout her body as she took another form.

But rather than morphing into someone else, dark veins of ink began to creep up her arm. Lilly hissed as the tame tingling turned to hot pain. On instinct she tried to wrench her hand from the bowl, but it seemed to be rooted to the spot. She turned pleading eyes to Elias and Saia.

"Calm yourself. The pain will only last a moment." Clenching her jaw, Lilly's nostrils flared as the ink crept past her elbow. By the time it reached her neck her left hand had found its way to grip the stone table with a viggor that turned her knuckles white. Her arm was completely consumed. The veins swept across her chest like shadows. A groan escaped her. Lilly squeezed her eyes shut as the burning flared in one final crescendo, then ebbed away as if it had never existed.

When she peeled open her eyes the web of ink was gone from her arm. Elias and Saia smiled knowingly. Lilly glanced down at herself. Just below her collarbone sat a beautiful bird, its wings spread in mid-flight. Long plumage curled up and over her shoulder, disappearing down her back.

"It's a Calladrius." Saia turned her head towards the sky and sure enough, Ithena circled high above, an identical creature to the one tattooed across her skin.

"You're one of us now," Elias beamed. A pang of familiar sorrow shot through Lilly at his words. She was one of them. No longer was she Lilly Cole, a student at Brakebills trying to loop survive. Now she was a part of something new. Her smile faded.

"Are you alright?" They took notice of her sudden shift in mood.

"It's nothing." Swallowing down the rising emotion, Lilly forced a smile upon her face. "I think I just need a moment." Before anyone could question her further, she turned on her heel and calmly headed towards the forest. Saia and Elias shared a look of concern, but neither followed.

The second she was out of sight, her legs broke into a sprint. Wind whipping through her hair, she ran until her body grew tired. Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto the forest floor in rapid succession. With a heart wrenching sob, Lilly collapsed onto the moss covered forest floor. Her whole body shook with sorrow, so violent that it felt more like convulsions than simple cries.

It wasn't until that moment that she realized she hadn't given herself the opportunity to grieve. She'd kept herself so thoroughly distracted that she'd managed to bottle up her pain completely. Penny, Quentin, Margo, Eliot, Alice, even Julia, were all gone. She hadn't asked for any of this. She didn't ask for the world's fate to be dropped upon her shoulders.

Lilly let out a screech of anger and agony. Digging her nails into the cool, damp earth, she ripped a handful of moss and hurled it as far as she could. She felt like an insolent child throwing a tantrum, but she couldn't have cared less.

Her first instinct would be to call Quentin, or Margo and Eliot. There would be no one to answer her call. Penny would've wiped her tears and talked her down with his calming words. All she wanted was to see her friends. Her heart yearned for their presence, their silent unwavering support.

"Why are you crying?" Lilly screached, scrambling back from the voice. Through the blur of tears, she could just barely make out the shape of a boy. She huffed in annoyance.

"Jesus, Omari," she scolded. "Has anyone ever told you to announce yourself before popping out like that?" The boy hung upside down from a thick tree branch right above her.

"All the time." He grinned, showing a row of pearly white teeth. Lilly couldn't help but think he resembled a bat. "But where's the fun in that?"

"Good point," with a strangled laugh, Lilly rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"What's wrong?" Omari asked as he flipped off the branch and to the ground. He came up beside her and sat. The damp moss didn't bother him. It seemed nothing really did.

"My friends," Lilly croaked, avoiding his dark eyes. "I lost them right before I came here. I miss them more than anything." Her most recent swipe across her runny nose left behind a trail of mud that streaked her porcelain skin.

"Where'd they go?"

"Somewhere I can't follow." Tears leaked out in slow succession. Her attempts to stop their flow was in vain. "I just wish I could talk to them. All this is just really overwhelming." Lilly waved her arms to encompass the whole of The Valley and Omari nodded as if that explained everything.

"Isn't that part of the job? I mean, you are the heir."

"Yeah," Squeezing her eyes shut, Lilly took a shaky breath through her mouth. "I guess that's me now."

"Don't you want to be Bloodreigna?" Omari reached forward and began to absentmindedly rip the grass up by its roots.

"Yes-" She began, "and no. It's just- My friends and I were on a quest and we got separated before we could complete it. It's hard to feel content when you have unfinished business. I just don't know how to continue without them." There was a long pause where neither spoke. Lilly plucked a daisy from the ground and twirled it between her thumb and forefinger.

"I'm sorry about your friends," Omari whispered.

"Me too."

"If it helps, I might know a way for you to get some advice." His voice perked up with a hint of excitement. Lilly's brows raised slightly in interest. Omari pushed himself up so his back was straight, like he was about to give a presentation in front of his class. "There's a creature outside the wards. A Suriel. If you can catch it, it will answer any questions you ask. It can't lie."

"How do you know this?" Lilly was taken aback to say the least.

"Yakia tells us stories sometimes. I pay attention," he shrugged casually.

"It was you in the trees the night of my trial, wasn't it?" Lilly's eyes narrowed in accusation, but her lips had curled upwards slightly. Omari grimaced, his back slouching with shame.

"Promise not to tell? Yakia will kill me if she finds out." He pleaded, using his best puppy-dog impression. No one could withstand that.

"It'll be our little secret." He let out a dramatic sigh of relief. "If you tell me how to catch this Suriel." Omari made a show of contemplating his options, but they both knew his decision already.

"Deal."