Hi everyone!  SK here.

Sooooooo Valerie has to return to school tomorrow, while staying with the fairies, and the twins have their meeting with the Queen tomorrow as well.  How will everything go?

This chapter might seem a bit like a filler-chapter, but pay close attention. :3

I'd also recommend getting some headphones because there's gonna be music in this chapter!!  Or play it out loud.  (Or don't play it at all.. -w-) Your choice XD

Note: The song featured in this chapter is called Eldamar (a German song) by Oonagh.  It is seriously beautiful!

ALSO ANOTHER NOTE because this A/N isn't already too long... TFC (The Fairy's Cure) hit 11K... just wow.  You guys are great :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter~!!

August

As soon as we emerge from the Council's Court, I feel two arms rapidly stretch around me and hug me tight.  I turn my head slightly, and I see that it is in fact Valerie who's gotten hold of me.  Her face is slightly red, and her head is turned away from mine in a cutesy way.

I can't help but smile at her.  "What is it?"

"You," she answers, almost breathlessly.  "You helped me go back home, and you helped me stay away from that abusive man.  Plus, you granted me another two years of life.  Just..." she trails away, looking at me with two big purple puddles filled with golden stars.  "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me," I tell her evenly.  "You're my best friend, I'd do anything for you."

Her happy attitude deflates a little bit, and I can't help but frown inside.  Did I say something to upset her?

Before I can say anything, however, Verity begins tugging on my arm.  Valerie lets go of me and we both look to her, waiting for her to explain herself.  

"Come on guys, let's go have fun!" she exclaims, doing a little happy dance around in a circle.  "It's only five thirty.  We still have lots of hours left before nighttime!  Let's party!"

Valerie looks confused, while I just gaze at her with an amused look.  "Are we going to have a concert tonight?  A dance maybe?  I didn't think we had any parties planned for tonight."

"We have the musical practice to attend," Verity reminds me, a glint in her eyes.  "Well, more like you have the musical practice to attend, August.  Can't let Layra down, can you?"

I sigh.  "No."  My mom's 502nd birthday is coming up in the next month or so, so a lot of the fairies are going to put on a big musical number for her.  And by a lot of the fairies, I do mean a lot; I think 90% of the Colony is in on this.  Dad and my sister opted out because they can't sing or do any artistic thing whatsoever, so they volunteered to what they call the "Serena Distraction Force".  

Basically they're the ones that keep this whole thing a secret from Mom, although I'm pretty sure that she suspects that something is up.

"How is practice considered to be a party?" I question Verity.  

She shrugs.  "Well, you guys always look like you're having lots of fun up on stage, so I figured it's like a party.  I'm gonna get Dad to distract Mom, and I'll come join Valerie in the seats to watch!"

Valerie perks up at this, but before she can say anything, I step in.  "I doubt that she'd enjoy watching a bunch of fairies sing and dance around on stage," I protest, but she steps in front of me and tosses me a smile.

"I'd like to come watch," she tells me.  "It sounds really cool, and I've always had a soft spot for music.  It's one of the few courses I wanted to take all throughout my schooling, remember?"

Oh yeah.  I forgot that she plays the flute- and the pan flute I think?  Or is it the tin whistle?  A lot of those instruments get mixed up in my head, they're all just too similar.

Still, I can't help but be skeptical.  "You're sure you want to watch?  It might be a bit boring."

"I doubt anything in this fairy world could ever truly be boring," she says earnestly.  I smile at her innocent way of thinking.  She's so new to this world, so new to magic; if she's been here for as long as I have, things tend to get extremely boring.  "Where do you practice?"

I guess this isn't to be debated anymore.  She's gonna come watch the practice.  What a boring way to spend a Sunday on your first day in the land of magic.  Watching a theatre rehearsal.

"They practice at our outdoor theatre," Verity tells her calmly, ignoring the fact that Valerie asked me and not her.

"Outdoor theatre?" Valerie questions.  "What if it's raining or snowing- oh wait, magic."  She giggles.  "I forgot."

I laugh with her.  Valerie's laugh is the kind of laugh that somehow convinces other people to laugh with her despite their mood.  It's a wonderful, whimsical kind of laugh that I've never had the pleasure of hearing before her.

"Duh," my sister says.  "Now come on, what are we waiting for?  Layra's gonna kill August if he's late."

Layra won't... but her boyfriend certainly will. 

Not wanting to deal with the Light Minister smiting me, I grab the girls' hands and quickly guide them to the theatre.  Verity lets go instantly, but Valerie doesn't.

It doesn't take that long to reach the theatre.  It's slightly outside the Colony's base, meaning it's located in the forest.  There's a paved stone path that leads toward it, the passage marked by strings of waterfire lanterns.  

"Wow," Valerie says breathlessly, and I follow her gaze to the lanterns.  I suppose they are rather beautiful.  The combination of water and fire makes for some pretty reflections.

We reach the end of the path, and I see all the participants already on the stage talking about something.  Layra spots me and waves me over.  I smile, abandoning the girls and heading up to the stage.

"Come on Val, let's sit over here," I hear Verity say from behind me as I leave.

"You were almost late," Heliux remarks as soon as I am within hearing range.

"But he wasn't," Layra scoffs back at him.  "I'm glad you came, August.  I was just going over the plans for today."

"Oh, okay!" I say enthusiastically.

She chuckles at my apparent enthusiasm.  "As I was saying everyone, I don't want to do much preparation today.  Let's do a nice dry run-through, and then we'll spend like half an hour working through any mistakes.  It's Sunday, and most of us just came from the Council.  We're all tired, so I don't want to keep any of you guys for much longer.  Remember, let's make Her Lightness proud!"

As per routine, Layra stretches her arm out, and the rest of us follow.  We all repeat her final phrase, and raise our hands to the sky.  

Quick as the wind, all of us travel to our starting positions.  The fairies who provide us with our instrumentals, including Heliux, stand off to the side and assemble their instruments.  I don't pay much attention to them though, preferring to talk with the other vocalists.  Layra's our main singer, but we all provide backup during the chorus.  

I'm glad Layra is our director.  She is aware that some people can sing, some people can dance, and lots can't do both.  I'm lucky to have Mom's genes, I can do both; although if I can do both well is a different question.  Many of the male vocalists don't want to dance, especially Clemont and Alain.  Layra made a plan to stick them at the back, because we need their low voices to complete the harmony, while the dancer stay near the front to distract the viewers.

I'm lucky Lin and Ren want to stay near the front; specifically Ren.  I don't wanna be the only guy up at the front.

"WHOO, GO LIN!" I hear Verity cheer from the seats.  Lin, who just went into her position, smiles back at her friend.

"What about go August!?" I shout back at her.

She smirks.  "Nah."

Mean.

"Is everybody ready?" Layra asks, striding confidently to the front.

I'm about to nod, but Heliux speaks up from behind me.  "Dear, where's our tin whistle player?"

Layra looks over, frowning.  "She's not here?"

Bonnie pipes up.  "Um, she caught me after the Council ended.  Sora's feeling a little under the weather so she said that she'd be unable to attend today's practice."

"Aw, that's a shame," our director says sympathetically.  "I hope she feels better soon.  I'll go visit her later today to give her my regards.  Heliux, can you take the tin whistle part with the bass flute?"

He shrugs.  "I can play it during the parts where the tin whistle plays alone, but I cannot take both parts while they play together; that is simply impossible.  Not to mention the fact that a bass flute sounds nothing like the high-pitched tin whistle."

Layra sighs.  "I guess we'll have to make due with that today-"

"Hold on!"

I look up in surprise as Valerie's voice rings out through the theatre.  The brown-haired girl races through the seats, and stands at the base of the raised stage.  "I play flute at school.  I've played the tin whistle before too.  I can try and help with your rehearsal, although I might mess up since I'm sight-reading."

Layra and Heliux look at each other, then look back at Valerie- their daughter.  Valerie's their daughter.  That's gonna be a hard thought to stick in your head, August.  "Are you sure, Valerie?  You don't have to-"

"No, I want to," she says, a determination in her eyes that I haven't seen before.  I realize what she's doing.  She does this with every new person she meets.  She's giving them a chance.  A chance to see what they're like, to test them in every way imaginable; if they pass, then they earn her friendship and trust.

"In that case, welcome to our team then," Layra says smoothly and happily, leaning down and holding out an arm to Valerie to pull her up on the stage.  After a little effort from the two of them, Valerie successfully stands up on the stage.  She walks to the instrumentalists, giving me a little wave as she passes.  I wave back, my eyes never leaving her as she arrives at her destination twenty feet away from me.

"Here you are," Heliux begins, presenting her with the instrument.  His hands are shaky, and everyone can see it.  He's nervous.  Naturally.  "I've cleaned it for you as well, and," he says, grabbing a sheet of paper, "here is your sheet music.  There's a free stand for you right over here," he adds, pointing to an empty black music stand that sits right next to the Minister.

Valerie beams at him, which only seems to make his faltering worse.  "Thank you."  She quickly sets herself up, and gives Layra a thumbs-up.  "I'm ready!"

Layra nods, then turning toward her backup vocalists.  "Are you all ready?"

"Yes!" I make sure to reply extra loudly.

The Dark Minister nods.  "Alright... play the music!"

https://youtu.be/z19VoOFl_CU

The instrumentalists start the song off, Heliux and the bass flute leading on with the melody.  The rest of us, with Layra in the front and center, simply stomp our feet on the floor to assist the drummer.  Very quickly, Layra begins to sing.

"Eine Stimme spricht
Eine Sehnsucht wächst
Von der Nacht berührt
Und vom Mond geweckt
Die Erinnerung
An ein fernes Glück
Hinterm Horizont
Führt der Weg zurück"

Suddenly, the the cymbals vibrations begin the chorus, all of us singing to support Layra's vocals, and Layra herself moves behind us to let us take center stage.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, Endor lestalmë, Eldamar"

We move side to side, stomping our feet on the floor.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, tanna lutta nu i Menelmacar"

We raise our arms upward, us backup vocalists switching sides as we spin.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, Endor lestalmë, Eldamar"

We leave a parting in the middle, letting Layra resume her place in the center and watch her do some swirls of her own.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, telda ranta ló i menya lenda"

I hear Valerie's tin whistle come up over our vocals, and boy does it sound so... good?  Whimsical?  Enchanting?  It truly is a wondrous lighthearted instrument.

"Ela Eldamar, Eoo
Ela Eldamar, Eoo
Ela Eldamar, Eoo"

I can't see her face, but I do see Layra raise her arms to the sky as she sings her next line.

"Síra an Elerína"

This time, I hear Valerie take the lead in the instrumental.  I turn my head slightly to her, and she gazes back at me with eyes as bright as stars.  I'm glad she's enjoying herself.  I barely pay attention to Layra as she sings the second verse, only paying attention to Valerie's glorious tin whistle as it soars above her.

"Diese Welt zerbricht
Hol uns fort von hier
Unser Volk ist weit
Uns're Kraft bei dir
Deine Bucht umschließt
Das gelobte Land
Was an Hoffnung bleibt
Ist von dir gesandt"

Suddenly the beat picks up again, and once again all the backup vocalists, including me, begin to sing.  I quite enjoy being on the stage, I muse as I repeat the last's chorus's actions and sing.  I guess it's Mom's genes working their magic.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, Endor lestalmë, Eldamar
Naira ëar, naira ëar, tanna lutta nu i Menelmacar
Naira ëar, naira ëar, Endor lestalmë, Eldamar
Naira ëar, naira ëar, telda ranta ló i menya lenda"

Just as last time, Valerie's tin whistle picks up again right before Layra finishes the chorus, only this time it sounds from directly behind us.

"Síra an Elerína" Layra sings, and then all of us move out of the way to reveal the bass flautist and his tin whistle partner.

Right away, Heliux masterfully launches into the bass flute solo.  He plays the notes effortlessly with immense ease, smiling as he does so.  I prefer him on the violin, but I guess a bass flute is pretty good too.  After a few moments of him playing alone, he moves an octave up on his range while Valerie joins in to harmonize on the tin whistle.  She looks so in her element, not nervous or awkward.  She's just herself.  Even when standing next to the man that might have taken everything from her, she's still calm.

The instrumental break quickly ends, and both the soloists move back to the side of the stage.

Layra slowly steps up to the front of the stage again, breathing in and out deeply before she starts singing again.  Both hands on my chest, I know what I have to do next.

"Eine Stimme spricht
Und ein Wind kommt auf
So das Schicksal will
Führt der Weg nach Haus'"

As the chorus starts up again, I pull both hands from my chest summoning my Mist Pokemon.  There's a lack of instruments, but I know they will start again soon.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, Endor lestalmë, Eldamar"

Corviknight soars in the air as the rest of the backup vocalists sing and dance, and it lets out a mighty cry as it lands.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, tanna lutta nu i Menelmacar"

Right before music picks up again, Layra and I both mount Corviknight as it soars once again up to the sky.  I ride and sing with her, smiling as we look down at the world and the stage below as the instruments begin to play again.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, Endor lestalmë, Eldamar"

Layra and I continue to sing, and using a spell she crafted herself, the Dark Fairy sends pink and purple coloured sparkles raining down on the empty chairs below.  I spot Verity sitting down below, and she waves at me with a gigantic smile on her face.

"Naira ëar, naira ëar, telda ranta ló i menya lenda"

Quickly, we return to the stage, and I recall Corviknight.  We join the rest of the crew and repeat our song and dance as usual.

"Ela Eldamar, Eoo
Ela Eldamar, Eoo
Ela Eldamar, Eoo"

I find my eyes drifting to Valerie during the final moments of the song, and her eyes somehow quickly find mine.

"Eoo
Eoo
Eoo"

Layra sings the final words, and I try to gage Valerie's emotions as she does.  Does she like them?  Does she trust them?  Does she hate them?  

Yes, she seems to say.  But yes to what?

"Síra an Elerína!"

~~~~~~~~~~

"August, come sit by the fireplace with me," says a girl.  I turn away from my book and stand up, trying to find her.  I see a figure standing by the fireplace, flames roaring upward, warmth pulsing from them like a heartbeat.  I think I recognize the voice, but I can't be sure.

The girl turns around, but she's blurred.  Her entire body is a muddle of colours, as if a toddler dipped their fingers into all the paint cans and mixed all the pigments together.  I can make out a face, an eyeless and mouthless face.  It's blank.  Like a plain piece of paper, it's blank.  It's unsettling.  How can she talk without-

"August," she says a little more forcefully, even though sweetness is laced into her tone, "come sit by the fireplace with me."

I gulp, taking the first step-

As soon as I do, the fire becomes out of control, the flames engulfing the room and all the furniture inside it.  However, the walls crumble to dust as if someone, not the fire, is destroying them.

I turn back to the girl, mortified.  Like me, she is somehow immune to the flames.  She laughs, her body distorting and when she speaks, it's not her voice.

"Knock knock, we're coming in!"

I wake up, startled by a sudden knocking noise at my door.  I rub my head before throwing the covers off and going to answer it.  What a strange dream...

I open the door, curiosity filling me; to my surprise, I can make out the shaking figure of Valerie.  She stares at me, her round eyes looking troubled; I can instantly tell what's up.

"Bad dream?" 

"... yeah.  Can I sleep here tonight?"

I instantly nod, pulling the door open wider to allow her to come inside.  She quietly shuffles in, and I can tell that she feels very embarrassed for asking me.  I'm just glad that she wasn't placed in a different building and that my parents decided to place her on the first floor of our own; she didn't have to walk far.

I hold back the covers for her, and she climbs into my bed.  I climb in after her, and sitting up, I pull the blanket over our heads like it's a little fort.  Getting the message, Valerie sits up as well, and I form a tiny ball of light in my hands so we can actually see each other.  We wince at first, the light too strong for our unadjusted eyes, but it doesn't take long for them to adjust.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" I ask her.  She's told me about some of her bad dreams before; most of them are recurring.  "Did you have the dream before?"

She nods.  "Kind of.  It's like they all merged together.  It was... weird."

I give her a patient smile.  "I'm not really tired anymore, so go on and explain.  It might make you feel better if you talk about it."  

"This is gonna be a long explanation though-"

"It's okay."

"Well then."  Valerie takes a deep breath.  "First, I was staring at the faces of two people.  They were kinda blurry, as if I could recognize them but couldn't at the same time.  They told me that they would always love me and they quickly left- and then I was teleported to a graduation ceremony.  I saw a girl who was hugging two people who I assume were her parents, because she called them Dad and Mom.  She was hugging them and there was music playing in the background, so I assume we were at an after party.  She was thanking them for all they did to get her that far, you know, the mushy stuff you're supposed to tell your parents at that time.  Then, almost as soon as I got there, I vanished again, and now I was on the street.

"There was a girl in front of me, a girl who looks like she'd just been run over by a car.  She was bleeding all over and her eyes were like two glass marbles, lifeless and cold.  Another girl was shaking her, screaming at her, but she was dead, and the other girl was crying.  I think she said something about how the dead girl was all she had left, but I couldn't hear the rest of her sentence because I was zapped away again.  I ended up in a war zone.  There was a girl dressed in a soldier's uniform, like the ones that members of the army wore during the First Region War almost three hundred years ago.  She was helping the weaker members of her army cross the front lines, and she began saying something about sticking together as a bullet came hurtling straight for her face.  Before I could see what happened, I was transported to a dark forest.

"I couldn't see much at first, only the leaves of the trees slightly shining in the moonlight, but then I saw a girl tying a rope to the tree branch.  I looked at her in horror, watching the tears stream down her face as she tied the final knots of the noose.  She stood up on a small stool that she must've brought with her, and said a small goodbye.  I saw the stool fall just as I was blasted away again; this time to a tiny house.  There was a couple inside there, a girl and a boy.  The girl was crying, holding up her hand to admire a promise ring that her partner must have given to her.  The house they were in clearly showed that they were not well off, far from it.  She started saying something about them loving each other even though they had nothing, but before she could finish her sentence, I was teleported again.

"The next scene I wasn't at for very long.  There was a girl being held at gunpoint against an alley wall.  She was crying, and the masked man had a crooked smile on her face.  She told him not to shoot, but with the sound of a gunshot I was moved once again.  I got teleported to a tiny bakery, one with handmade loaves of bread and sweet-smelling pastries.  There was a girl running the business, clearly alone, but she was still smiling as she called out to her customers.  I wanted to stay there for longer, but I was brought to a much more... dreadful scene next.  I was brought to a mansion, where a maid was kneeling before a rich-looking man.  He smiled wickedly at her, a smile tainted black.  He told her to dance, play the tin whistle, and afterward they would have fun.  The girl had tearstained cheeks as she replied "Yes, Master...", and then I woke up."

I stare at her in shock, opening my mouth to speak only to be stopped by her once more.  

"There's something that was weird about it though," she adds, her voice sounding shaky.  "All the girls had their eyes blurred out- no, their faces.  I couldn't see who they were.  The only thing I saw clearly was the shade of their hair; it was a chocolate brown.  All of them had brown hair.  Does it... mean anything?  The hair, or even the scenes?  Do any of them mean anything?"

I put my hands on her shoulders.  She's clearly shaken up and now's not the time to discuss the possible significance of an out-of-the-blue dream.  "They might," I say truthfully, "but it's late and nothing good comes from discussing this stuff at 2 AM in the morning.  Let's get some sleep, and we can talk about it tomorrow when you come home from school, okay?"

She groans at the mention of school, causing me to chuckle at her quietly.  Valerie sees this and smiles, hugging me close.  "Thank you," she says gratefully.  "I honestly don't know how I'm going to get by two years without you, once these three weeks are up."

I hug her back.  "You'll manage, I know it."

She nods, looking a bit numb, then leans back.  "Let's go to bed now."

"Yes, let's do that.  Goodnight," I tell her sweetly as I lean back on the pillow with her.  Our faces are inches apart, maybe that's why her cheeks are red?  Maybe the blanket is too warm?  Yeah, that's probably it.  I always like to sleep with fleece blankets, even in the summer time.

"G-Goodnight," she stutters out.  I snuff out the light, the spark, all of it, and plunge the room and ourselves in darkness.

Wow so this is the second chapter that went over 4K words... you guys are sure that you're okay with the lengths, right?

Anyway, that's it for this chapter.  I hope you enjoyed it!!  I also hope you were paying attention closely... ;)

Well I just ran out of things to say.  Have a lovely day everyone, and I'll see you soon with chapter 12!