A.N: I have a twitter account now. If you want to follow I've attached the link to this chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment :)

Three years ago, Nyal Belthorne was in Hav. It wasn't for WGP business, no, he wasn't a part of the Guild at that point. That didn't happen until a few months later. He was just travelling, like he normally did.

He had heard from other travelers that Hav was a kind farming town, but when he arrived, the villagers eyed him suspiciously, like he was dangerous. They wouldn't talk to him, all they would do was sneer and ignore him.

It had confused Nyal for a while, until he wandered into the inn. The inn keeper had very hesitantly given him a room, and Nyal had had to spend most of his money in order to get it. After a lot of questioning and persistance, he had ended up finding out that the Lord who ran the town had been killed the night before.

No wonder they had been giving Nyal strange looks. Their leader gets murdered and someone new comes into town; Nyal would have suspected something too. He had rested up for the night, before heading to the Lord's house.

It hadn't taken much convincing for the Lord's wife to accept his help. It was what he did. He went around to different towns, helping out anyone who needed it. It could be a little old lady who lost her necklace, or it could be the murder of a Lord, he would help them out.

He was known all around Voda and Riba for it and had recently moved to Skodur to try his luck there. The rumors had traveled with him, as the Lord's wife knew who he was. Her two children, Amelia and Mikayla, followed him around like a bad smell, making it hard for him to find the killer.

It wasn't until Mikayla hadn't shown up to follow him one day that he found the man. Amelia had been there but wasn't as chatty when her sister wasn't there. When asked, she would say that she hadn't seen Mikayla since the night before.

Nyal questioned the girl's mother, asking about any enemies her husband had had. The wife only stated one, a man named Max, who lived on the outskirts of the town. He had been angry at the Lord for giving him the money to buy better farming equipment. Nyal had thought it a silly reason to kill someone, but investigated the man nonetheless.

It had turned out that Max had been the killer and was hiding Mikayla away in his barn. He was going to trade her off for money. Through persuasion and coertion Nyal found out that the money wasn't for farming equipment, but because he owed a man money for an illegal substance rarely found in Skodur. When he couldn't get the money, he resorted to stealing, but the Lord had found him in the middle of it, and there had been a fight that hadn't turned out well for the Lord.

Nyal had rescued Mikayla and fought with Max, knocking him out quickly. He was held in the Lord's mansion until someone from Dreeva could come and take him away. Nyal had never been sure about what happened to the man after that, if he was put in prison, or if the people he owed money to found him. He had found that he didn't really care all that much, only wanting to make sure the girls were safe.

He had stuck around in Hav for around a week, looking after Amelia, Mikayla, and their mother. He had been given a large sum of money as a reward, which he hadn't complained about. He left not longer after that, wanting to go on to other places and meet new people. He had promised the girls that he would visit them, but he hadn't gotten the chance before the Guild took him under their wing.

Now though, he was free, and finally making good on his promise, even if it was accidental. Mikayla skipped ahead of him, her hand still gripping his sleeve tightly. Elora was behind him, still looking uncomfortable. It was almost like she had never been around children before.

They were headed to the biggest house in the town, small compared to most in Dreeva. It was a double storied building made of grey stone and dark wood, warm yellow candle light shining from the many windows. Shortly clipped grass dotted with flowers covered the ground outside.

The two girls pulled the pair along a cracked stone path towards the front door of the house, their little wings beating hard against the wind. Amelia pushed the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

"Mother!" the two girls cried in unison.

"Yes, girls?" a voice called from a far away room.

"We have a surprise for you!" Amelia yelled back, dragging Elora ahead of them.

"Nyal," Elora said, looking frantic. "What are we doing here?"

"I'll explain everything later," he replied with a large grin.

"That- That is not helpful," Elora said, glaring at him. The two girls lead them further through the house, calling for their mother as they went. Nyal was excited to see the woman again, she had been lovely, making sure he was well fed and rested. He was pretty sure he had gained weight by the time he had left.

They found Maureen Boroughs in the sitting room, drinking a cup of tea in her expensive red chair. She was looking expectantly at the door way, an amused smile on her aging face. She frowned in confusion when Elora was the first one through the door.

"This isn't your surprise," Amelia said, "I don't know who she is, she was just here with your actual surprise."

For a second Nyal was confused. Part of him assumed that people would know that Elora was the Gate Keeper, because she was so famous all over the realm. He almost laughed at himself when he realised that not even he had known who she was when he first saw her. She was famous for being so secretive.

"Come, come," Mikayla muttered, pulling him into the sitting room until he stood next to a very confused Elora. "Surprise, mother! Look who we found!"

"Oh my," Maureen gasped, standing from her seat and placing her cup on the small table next to her seat. "Nyal, by the gods, what are you doing here?" She had aged badly in the three years, her hair greying and wrinkles forming her forehead and around her eyes. Nyal assumed that the stress of taking over her late husbands' job had gotten to her.

"Just passing through, Maureen," he replied happily, embracing the woman tightly, "Your girls found me and brought me over here. It's so good to see you!"

"It's been three years, Nyal!" Maureen scolded.

"I've... Been busy," Nyal replied, "I was hired by the Warlock Guild of Protection not long after I left."

"Oh, that's wonderful, dear!" Maureen exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. The two girls gasped, grabbing onto his sleeve to draw his attention.

"What is it like?" Amelia asked, a curious expression on her young face.

"Is it cool?" Mikayla questioned with a large grin.

"It's nice," Nyal replied, not wanting to spoil the girls' mood.

"Oh my, how rude of me," Maureen gasped, the Fae woman walked past Nyal and headed towards Elora. "I didn't even notice your friend," she held her hand out to Elora, "Hello, dear, I'm Maureen Boroughs, the Lady of Hav, and you are?"

"I'm..." Elora started with a frown, "I'm Elora." Nyal smiled. At least she was getting used to using the name again. From her words the day before he guessed that no one had known about it in years. He could thank Corpius Ringwild for that useful piece of information.

"Nice to meet you, dear," Maureen replied, looking as friendly as Nyal remembered. She paused, glancing behind Elora's back. "Are those wings?"

At their mother's words, Mikayla and Amelia moved away from Nyal, rushing behind the Gate Keeper to stare at her back. Her wings twitched slightly, a sign of her discomfort.

"Those aren't like Fae wings!" Mikayla cried, reaching a hand out, but Elora moved them from her grasp. "What species are you?"

"Mikayla!" her mother exclaimed, "You know not to ask a person that. How would you like it someone asked you what species you were? Apologise, right now."

"Sorry, Miss Elora," Mikayla mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"It's alright," Elora said, sounding unsure of herself, "I'm-I'm a harpy." Nyal frowned again, a harpy? He had seen that somewhere in Ringwild's book, meaning that it was one of the Zlohiel. Why would Elora tell them she was a Harpy? "We're a very rare species, erm, we mostly keep to ourselves. I just work with the Guild sometimes."

"Oh, is that what you are doing at the moment?" Maureen asked, shuffling back to her chair and beckoning for the pair to sit on the couch opposite. They sat on the plush seats, the two girls sitting on the armrests next to them, still grinning.

"Yes," Elora said, "Nyal was given a mission, and I was asked to help him out."

"How nice, I take it you can't go into any detail?" Maureen questioned

"No, sorry."

"That's fine, dear," the older woman smiled, "Can I ask where you're headed?"

Elora paused for a minute, glancing at Nyal. He raised an eyebrow at her expectantly. "East," was all she said, making him frown again.

"Oh, good luck over there," Maureen replied with a wince, "I hear the fighting has gotten worse as of late."

"Yes, we're prepared for that," Elora told her.

"Good, good," the Lady muttered, before directing her gaze to Nyal, "Nyal, my dear, do you have somewhere to stay?"

"Not yet, my Lady," he replied, smiling again, "We were just going to get a room at the inn."

"Nonsense! I have a spare room here, with two beds in it. You can stay here for as long as you need to," Maureen told him, waving a hand dismissively. "You can stay here whenever you like, especially after all you've done for my family."

"Thank you, Maureen," Nyal answered gratefully.

"Oh, it's not problem, Nyal," the older woman said with a wave of her hand, "How about some dinner? I can ask the servants to make something."

"That sounds lovely."

Dinner was a roast leg of lamb, drizzled with gravy. There were potatoes and peas and corn and so many other things. Nyal could barely keep up. He hadn't had a meal as big as this one for a very long time.

Elora was digging into her meal as though she hadn't eaten in a long while. He frowned, something that was becoming increasingly common as the day went on. She had been acting strange all day, keeping things from him, lying to people. Then there was the fact that no one knew who she was.

She didn't say much, mostly kept to herself, only talking when someone asked her a direct question, of which there were many. Mikayla and Amelia wanted to know everything there was to know about Harpies. Nyal was pretty sure most of the stuff the Gate Keeper said was a lie.

It didn't take them long to eat, and by the time they were done, it was late. Mikayla and Amelia were sent to bed not long after, and it didn't take long for Nyal to grow tired. Excusing himself politely and giving Maureen a light kiss on her cheek, he went to the spare room.

It was a small room, with two small beds on either side, a window in between. A table sat underneath the window, Nyal and Elora's bags on the ground around it. A candle was lit on the table, throwing pale orange light around the room, twisting the shadows in the corners.

Nyal was about the blow out the candle when Elora wandered in, looking exhausted. Her wings twitched at her back, before settling. She looked at him, her green eyes brighter in the dark.

"How do you know them?" she asked, making her way to the other bed.

"Before I was hired by the Guild, I traveled around Veridun," Nyal started, "I helped people. If they lost something, or someone was hurt, I would be asked to help. Most of the time, I didn't get paid for it, I just did it because I wanted to. Maureen's husband had been murdered, and Mikayla was kidnapped, and I had just shown up in town. I offered to help."

"And you saved her," Elora stated.

"And I saved her," he agreed with a nod.

"No wonder they like you," Elora said with a furrowed brow, "No wonder you're so well known."

"I'm not going to get over the fact that someone can see my thoughts, and then tells you about them," Nyal replied with a groan. Elora only scoffed, not saying anything back. He looked to her. "Why did you lie?"

"About what?" Elora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who you are. You said you were a harpy, which is one of the Zholhiel."

Elora smirked at him, looking at him as if he were an idiot. "Because of the mission," was all she said.

"By the Gods, Elora!" he exclaimed, "Will you just tell me what you're doing? This mission needs trust, which means telling me things that are important to it! Like, why did you lie about who you are."

Elora sighed, glaring at him. "If I tell them who I am, it would mean explaining why I'm not at the Gate, which would mean telling them the the Key is gone and the safety of Veridun is compromised. They are children, they shouldn't have to worry about that kind of thing."

Nyal frowned, lost in thought. It made sense, not wanting the girls to be scared. He didn't want that either, he was fond of them. He wanted them to be safe, especially when he couldn't be there to help.

"Well, why didn't they recognise you? Why did I have no idea who you were?" he asked after a long moment of silence. "You're the Gate Keeper, shouldn't everyone know who you are?" Elora continued to give him the patronising look, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"They do know who I am, they don't know my face. The only time I leave the Gate is when the Key is being moved, and the only people I see are the kings and queens of Veridun. As well as those who run the Guild in each part of the realm," she answered, staring at him with her terrifyingly bright eyes. "Why all the questioning?"

"I'm curious, you're very secretive," Nyal replied with a small smile.

"I have good reason to be, I am the Gate Keeper after all," she replied, looking down at the floor. "You should get some sleep, we need to leave early tomorrow." Without another word Elora rolled over to lie on the bed, back facing him and cutting off the many questions Nyal still had. He sighed quietly, blowing out the candle. He would ask in the morning.