Hi everyone, SK here.

Jeez I'm writing this in April and it's weird to think that by the time someone will actually see this it'll be either the end of May or even June.  Anyway, welcome to chapter 42.  There are only FOUR MORE CHAPTERS LEFT.  I know, crazy, but thank you all for sticking through until the end.  You don't know how much this means to me, seriously.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Valerie

A warm amber glow hits my eyelids, waking me up from my slumber.  I open my eyes hoping to come face to face with a brilliant blue sky, but am instead blinded by the sun which just so happened to be perfectly positioned to be in-line with my line of sight.

My eyes slam themselves shut as I roll over to face the direction opposite to the sun.  I let out a small groan then push myself into a sitting position.  For a moment I think to myself, where am I?, before the events of last night come rushing back to me.

After August and I had our fun we laid there under the stars with each other for a while, neither of us falling asleep.  It was nice having that time to ourselves, a time when we just had to exist for each other without the weight of a war on our shoulders.  It felt like old times again, those times when he would sneak into my room at night, those times when he was a magical fairy and I was just a cowardly human girl who was afraid to lift a finger against anybody.

I remember the look we shared afterward, the way his eyes practically shimmered in the moonlight.  It was perfect, all of it.  He was perfect.  It was a perfect moment, a perfect memory that will be kept in the most securest of safes.

Of course, we did head back to our own makeshift beds eventually, it would surely be a panic for everyone to wake up and find both the Light Leader and About-To-Be-Queen seemingly missing from the premises.

A gentle sigh escapes me as I do a quick morning stretch.  The vision that Gardenia herself showed me yesterday- well, the one she was there to witness, I secured it.  The blue and gold.

I secured it.  I have no need to check with my Elemental powers to know that there are two extra souls present with me, even though I'm alone.

Perhaps it was a mistake, a selfish, selfish, mistake.  Perhaps it was, but the decision has been made.  

How... how am I going to tell August.

I'm not.

It will just make things... harder.  He'll stop listening to me, and I'm going to need him to listen.  

Another thought makes its way into my head as I finally stand up.  Avoiding Mom is probably for the best too... it shouldn't go badly but I need to focus on getting my message to Alara first.

As I glance around, I realize something else.  I'm alone, just like I said.  I wonder, where are all the other fairies?

Has everyone already gotten up?  Arceus dammit, what time is it!?

Of course, I didn't plan a time for going to over to the Castle exactly, but leave it to my brain to force me into thinking that I'm late.  In all fairness, I probably am getting up a little bit too late, but the weight of the extra Elements without the anchor that is the Sapphire Staff takes a lot of effort to bear with.  Over the past day or so I've began to get used to the pain so while it still does hurt, it's just becoming the new normal.

Morning dew wets the tips of my toes as I walk across the field to hopefully find my friends and the rest of the fairies.  I don't have to walk very far to see the faint figures of fairies on the horizon.  The closer I get the more I can see that they're very-much crowded together.  Closer still and I understand the reason why- August and Verity are in the middle of announcing the plan to the rest of the fairies.  Out of the corner of my eye I spot Mom and Dad standing at the edge of the crowd just observing the event.  My friends appear to be situated on the opposite side of my parents.

"Hey," I whisper to Leaf as to not disturb the Leaders' announcement.  One by one the rest of the Spirit Soldiers begin to turn their heads toward me as I continue.  "It's about time we headed to the Castle I think, I can tell you the rest of the plan on the way there."

Nine quick nods are their response, and I lead them away from the crowd of fairies who are anxiously listening to what their Leaders have to say to them.  August manages to catch my eye as we're leaving, and he tosses me one of his signature golden smiles, although he makes it so it's less noticeable to not distract from the business at hand.  I blush, and give him a little wave of my own in return.

"You're cute with him yunno," Leaf remarks to me with a smirk as soon as we're far enough.  "He really loves you."

I roll my eyes at my best friend, trying desperately hard to tone down my red-hot face.  "Yeah yeah, you and Red are cute too," I fire back hastily, almost forgetting that both parties in question are literally right here.  The ten of us begin to walk toward the Castle when something hits me; I've barely spoken to any of them ever since I got out of that test and I feel so horrible.  I know lots of things have happened, but I should have made the time.  "How're you guys finding it being Spirit Soldiers?"  My question seems to echo for a few seconds before I get an answer.

"It doesn't feel that much different to be honest," admits Nate with a shrug of his shoulders.  "Like I get that we're immortal and stuff now, but it doesn't feel like anything's changed."

I cast him a look.  "You guys can use magic too, did you know?"

"Wait, we can?" Kris asks, sounding intrigued.  "I thought only fairies could."

"I guess it's because we aren't exactly normal humans anymore, are we?" Leaf points out.  "Not only are we all kind of half-dead, with the exception of Valerie, we've all been intertwined with what I'm going to call Elemental energy."

"Ah, so that means we can use magic for the Element of the stage where we got left behind at?" Brendan checks, and I reply with a simple nod.  

After giving me a tiny glance, Leaf looks on at the rest of our friends and her boyfriend.  "Why don't you guys try and do some magic up ahead for a bit, I want to talk to Valerie alone."

What does she want to talk about?  "Okay," Kris says, sounding a bit befuddled but ends up rolling with it.  Pushing Red forward, she adds, "Hey Red, with your new ice powers you can pretend to be Elsa!  Let's reenact Frozen."  I snicker at the Cold Spirit Soldier's protests as they keep walking ahead while Leaf and I stay put.

I let out a sigh.  "Is something wrong?"

"Look, I'm just gonna say it," she tells me while putting a strong hand on my shoulder.  "I know you're pregnant."

My heart almost stops, and I glance anxiously around to ensure that no one else heard her words.  "You-"

"Yeah, I know.  Remember I have a limited version of your Time Powers, I can see some stuff too."  What's supposed to be a calming wind blows past us, but I can't stop feeling panicked.

Suddenly something else pops into my mind, and I blush uncomfortably.  "Please tell me you didn't see that-"

Leaf blushes too.  "Wh-What!?  No, of course I didn't!"

A sigh of relief escapes me, but sadly that relief is short-lived.  I turn to my best friend.  Fear stabs me in my gut at what she's going to say next.  "Did you... see anything else?"

"Well, what I see, you see I'm assuming," she remarks, taking her hand away to freshen up her hair which the wind oh-so-gratefully blew out of place.  "What I can't see is your second Queen's test, but I can see what happens after it.  Is that why you're not telling August?"

I have an inkling as to what she's referring to, and my initial reply is a solemn nod.  "It's better if he never knows, he'll never have to feel the pain of letting them go before he even gets to meet them."  I become aware of my shoulders starting to shake, but after a few deep breaths on my end they slowly come to a stop.  "I- I'm so selfish.  Part of me knows what's going to happen, and even if I can't say it will happen for sure, I just... I'm so, so selfish.  I just want a part of him with me."  My knees go weak and gravity pushes me down, but luckily Leaf is there to catch me.  Her arms were already outstretched, waiting.

She smiles at me, pulling me up and wrapping me in one of the tightest hugs known to humankind.  "It's not selfish.  Selfishly getting pregnant is like doing it for child support money or something.  You genuinely want these children in your life.  It's not selfish.  You're not selfish.  You're just trying to do what you can, you're just trying to prepare for yet another big change.  I can tell, I've known you for forever, that you're not ready for it."  She pulls apart just enough for me to see her face, and we make eye-contact.  "But I just want you to know that you've got my support no matter what's happening.  Friends gotta stick by friends yunno," she points out with a wide grin on her face.  

I wipe at my eyes.  "Thank you, thank you Leaf."

"We've been over this many times, you don't need to tha-"

"COME ON RED!" comes Kris's voice at a very high volume.  "IT'S JUST THREE WORDS.  LET.  IT.  GO.  IT AIN'T THAT HARD."

And now, cue Leaf and I running to stop our impossibly loud friend from possibly attracting a very dangerous human toward us.

~~~~~~~~~~

Red was very annoyed by the time we got there, and Kris was fuming at him for not singing the song.  It felt like it took an eternity to get her to let it go (ironic).  

I tell my friends to stay in the foyer of the Castle while I look for the soon-to-be-ex Queen.  "Alara!"  My voice echoes through the now-empty corridors.  It soon hits me that Alara is now alone, all her Spirit Soldiers are dead and gone.  It's just her that has to die now to complete the cycle.  Gritting my teeth, I force my feet to travel faster.  "ALARA!" I shout, louder this time.  Turning a corner, shock pulses through me as I almost bump right into her.

"Valerie-"

"Save it."  My voice echoes in the glass corridors, cold as a winter in Sinnoh.  "I have a message for you."

"Oh?"  She sounds interested.  "And what message may this be?"

I glower at her, why do people who've lost their sense of morality always do this?  Why do they pretend everything is a sick joke?  "Pass this on to Lance, today.  You better listen closely.  Tomorrow, the fairies will come near dawn to the forest's edge on the human side.  We will be bringing our Mist Pokemon and we expect the humans to be prepared with their own Pokemon as well.  No weapons.  Of course, whichever side is the victor will get what they desire..."  There's a glint in Alara's eyes, not one that I like.  

"And what will the victors get?" 

I let out a breath.  "If the humans win, they get the entirety of our forest in their ownership.  If we win, they leave and this supposed war is over."

The soon-to-be-former Queen gives me a shrug of her shoulders.  "Well, if that's all that is necessary, then I suppose I can carry on the message."  She smirks at me.  "My, I must say that you've grown up a lot throughout the past couple of days."

"I've been through hell, it kind of makes you grow up," I fire back through seething teeth.  "And you don't get to make any comment."

She tilts her head.  "Oh?  And why is that?"

Is she- is she serious right now!?  "You betrayed us, all of us!  You betrayed the people you, that's right, you, were supposed to protect because you were bored!  That's it!  You do know that this whole ordeal wouldn't have happened if you were bored, right?  If you just let me become the Queen.  You've been alive for so long, you said it yourself, you know it's your time to go.  Why prolong it?"

"Because you'll see, once you get to my position, that you'll always be afraid of death.  Even more-so when you've evaded it for so long.  Yes, it is something that will finally bring me peace, but no one is truly ready for death.  You'll evade it as long as you possibly can- which is what I'm doing."

Alara leans against the wall as I put my hands on my hips.  I'm fuming at her.  "So the real reason you're doing all of this is because you're... scared?"

"Partially that, partially because I wanted to test the outcomes," she admits, admiring her fingernails.  "You know, in all my years, I never thought of doing it before, and I chose now to do it.  You'll want to do it too," she tells me before I can protest.  "You'll want to toy with the world- my advice to you is to do it when things don't matter.  I wanted my chance, and this was my last."

My fingers curl themselves into fists.  "I already know what it's like to toy with people."  A shiver passes through me as I think of what happened to those people that day I was going to rescue August.  It's taking all of my effort not to scream my heart out at this woman.  "It's not fun."

"Your killing spree?  That's not really toying with people," she explains to me, sounding slightly... disappointed?  "Convincing you that there was a positive version of the Fairy's Poison?  Listen to the spell name.  How does that sound positive?  That's toying with people.  Manipulating both sides of a war to control its outcome, that is toying with people.  Reminding a tightly-wound man of the trauma from which he came, sure it's a bit cruel, but that is also toying with people."

So much to process.  So there really was no positive version of the spell.  And the person she mentioned... Dad?  Did she trigger my father?  I grit my teeth at her.  "You sicken me," I spit, and march away from this bastard before she can attempt and taint me further.  My pace quickens, and I'm almost at a running speed by the time I make it to the main foyer.

My friends look at me in alarm, probably because of whatever expression I have on my face.  In a voice as dead as the night, I say, "We're leaving."

I hate that part of me still thinks she deserves a chance.

I hate that part of me still thinks she's right.

I hate it.

I hate it.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Valerie!"  That's August's voice, and I can see his golden scarf flying in the wind as he runs up to my friends and I.  "You're back," he adds in a clearly-relieved tone.  "How'd it go?"

I take a deep breath to put my mind elsewhere and to not think about the fact that I'm pregnant with his children.  "I got the message across," I answer crossly, though I do feel guilty for letting that poisonous part of myself escape into my voice.  Shaking my head to clear my negative thoughts, I add, "We can only hope that she'll deliver the message in time.  How's everything here?"  

The glint of a sunbeam hitting his bright golden wings puts his unamused straight face in a shadow.  "Everyone's definitely training for tomorrow, that's for sure."  A sigh escapes him.  

I don't need to use my Spirit powers to get the memo that something's off with him.  Turning back to my friends, I say, "You guys mind if we have a moment alone?"

Their response is a slew of rushed nods as they hurry off to Arceus knows where, although Leaf does cast me a meaningful glance before she leaves herself.  Unfortunately for me August seemed to notice it.  "What was that about?"

"Nothing important," I promise him, although this is causing me more pain than all the stages in the Queen's test combined.  "Does anyone need you anywhere right now?"

He looks puzzled.  "No...?  Not right now, why?"

I smile at him.  "Then why don't we go somewhere, just you and me?"

"Is this going to be like last night-"

I'm quick to cut off his uncomfortable question.  "No no."  I'm blushing myself.  "Just to talk and stuff.  Hang out."

"Ah."  He sounds very relieved and I am very glad to move on from this awkward moment.  "Yeah sure- actually, come with me.  While you were gone I did some exploring, there are actually some pretty beautiful places around here."

I'm curious, very intrigued actually.  There was the cliff and the lagoon that I found earlier, maybe he's talking about that?  However, I'm proven wrong when he grabs my hand and leads me in the completely opposite direction.  

Once again my face flushes scarlet.  This feels just like the time we went to that lake, the one where we sailed on a tiny little boat and we danced on the water.

The very air around us is carrying the same energy that was there when we shared our first kiss... well, almost the same energy.

It's heavier.  Our surroundings are clear, but the air feels as dense and heavy as a rolling ball of mist.  It's not supposed to feel this way, I'm supposed to feel light and free when now I feel an existential sense of dread.

Fairies really need to be around this part of the land more, it's absolutely beautiful.  Underneath the trees light dances on the ground, patterns created from the holes between leaves opening up to the sky.  A gentle trickle of water reaches my ears.  "We'll follow the brook upward, I promise it's worth it," August assures me in a playful voice.  Letting go of my hand, he begins to run.  "Catch me if you can!"

"Hey!"  I laugh as I run after him, reaching out my hands to try and grab him.  No matter how hard I try he manages to stay out of reach, I can't reach him.  His golden scarf, made even brighter by the sunlight, waves back and forth like it's taunting me, beckoning me to go faster.  "Slow down, I can't get you!"

"That's the point!" he snickers as he proceeds to run faster up the hill.  It's a rocky slope, silver-stained rocks covered with soft, damp moss.  The water flows in the opposite direction that we're going, and I will my feet to run faster.  I reach my arm out, reaching for his scarf, reaching for him.  

Reaching for him.

I can't reach him.

Suddenly, a flash of red appears out of the corner of my vision.  That stupid, stupid red maple leaf soars in the air, catching me off-guard.  My attention drifts at the wrong moment though, for I trip and fall shortly after.  A yelp escapes me as I fall, and soon I hear August's footsteps rapidly approaching me, then slow to a stop.  

I look up and he's there, he's reaching for me.  "Let me help you up," he says.  "Are you okay?"

I'm lost in his eyes.  I'm lost in him.  I'm lost.  He's here, he's reaching for me.  He's really reaching for me.  Slowly, I extend my shaking arm outward to meet his.  Our hands touch, and his fingers latch onto my own.  With a gentle tug, he pulls me off the ground.

"Let's just walk there," he tells me with a small chuckle.  With a slight hint of concern, he adds, "You're okay, right?"

I just nod, following him to the spot he was originally talking about.  At the top of this little hill, surrounded by tall trees, is a tiny pond surrounded by mounds of rocks.  All we can hear is the gentle trickle of water, the occasional playful breeze, and each other.  August gestures for me to sit on one of the rocks, and I do.  He sits beside me.  And before I can even do anything, say anything, he promptly boops my nose.

I'm flustered.  "Wh-What?"

He glances at me with a smile.  "You seemed down, and I wanted to get you smiling again."  Dammit, I am smiling.  "What'd you wanna talk about?"

I close my eyes momentarily, and a sudden pain encompasses me in my head.  I've figured out what I need to do for my second Queen's test, I need to hurt someone that I love and that someone is you.  I'm pregnant, you're going to be a father, but you'll never be their dad while they're alive.  I'm so scared, so so scared, about what is going to happen tomorrow, because that's it.  Tomorrow is our last day.  I glance at him.  "You seemed stressed earlier," I remind him, and he sighs.  "You really don't want to fight, do you."  He looks a little shaken for a second, but he blinks and that expression disappears into thin air.  I wonder what that was about?

"I guess I'm kinda like my mom, huh," he admits sadly, looking down at the water.  His voice is melancholic but his reflection is smiling.  "Not like my dad at all.  He would've wanted to fight the humans if he were in our position, just like Ver."

"Both your parents would be very proud of you," I emphasize to him, leaning my head on his shoulder.  "Don't you ever doubt that for a second."

His reflection's expression grows more somber, especially its eyes.  "It's hard to believe they're actually gone," August says absently, his voice disappearing into the wind.  "So much has happened... I guess I haven't really had time to, you know, process it?  The humans killed both my parents, and I don't want revenge.  What does that say about me?"

"It's admirable."  I gaze at our reflections in the water, smiling and cute.  "You can control your emotions when need be.  That's a trait of a good Leader, he wants justice for his people but not for himself-"

"I just wanted to run, not even justice," he interrupts, sounding ashamed.  "I just wanted them to be safe."

"Is that not a trait of a good Leader?" I point out, sitting back straight again.  A quiet wind blows through the area, muddling both the water and our faces on it.  Looking at him, I continue.  "You're going to be a great Leader, August, and you already are one.  But, perhaps I've been giving bad advice.  You need time to process.  No matter what happens tomorrow, after the fight I want you to take some time for yourself and process everything that's happened, I want you to be able to grieve properly.  Okay?"  

"Okay."  It's an empty promise.  He doesn't know it yet, but I do.  Deep inside, I do.

I think for a moment, I need something to get his mind off of this.  "Hey, give me a boy's name."

August looks confused, and I don't blame him.  "A boy's name...?  Why?"

"Just do it," I tell him eagerly, curious to see what he'll come up with.

"Hmm..." he assumes a thoughtful position, it's almost as if I can see the gears turning in his head.  "Aurelio is the first one that comes to my head."

"What does it mean?"

"Golden, or something like that- I don't now.  I just picked it to match with your name," he explains.

"My name?"  How does it match with my name?

He casts me a very pointed look.  "Cerulio, remember?  From our conversation on the lake that day?"  Oh, right.  Of course he remembers.  August then casts me a very befuddled look.  "That doesn't answer the question as to why you need one though."  

I giggle.  "I just wanted to get your mind onto something else, so I thought random things would work."  Closing my eyes, I feel a sudden pain as they begin to burn.  With August and I, I can sense the two souls that belong to our children.  Aurelio, Cerulio.  Our sons.

My sons.

'Well, that definitely was random," August admits with a small laugh, a laugh that I hope one of our babies inherit.  After it dies down, he gives me a more solemn look.  "How about you, Valerie?  Are you okay?  What was Alara like?"

"She was despicable like always."  I roll my eyes.  "Not even worth discussing.  As for me..." I smile at him.  "Of course I'm okay- well, as okay as I can be without the Sapphire Staff."  Unintentionally I find myself leaning onto him again.  "I'm just happy to be here with you."  

"A-Ah, me too."  I can see his flustered expression in the water below us.  I look up to the sky above us, well what I can see beyond the leaves anyway.  It's blue and it's clear, and the sun is beating down on us.  "I love you," he whispers, giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead.

Closing my eyes, I smile back at him.  "I love you too, Auggie."  I could stay here forever...

... ah yes, a nice thought indeed.

Welp that's the end of this chapter everyone, I hope you enjoyed it.  The day after today, for the fairies, is certainly going to be a big event.  It also seems that Valerie has a plan in mind for her second Queen's test.  I bet you guys are wondering what'll happen next, but unfortunately for you, you'll have to wait for next week.  

And to those of you reading in the future when this is a completed story, then good for you, you don't need to wait!

Anyway, I'll be signing off now.  4 chapters left, everyone!  See you next week!