"Are you sure about this?" Waverly asked. In her deepest heart, she knew Phyllis was telling the truth and nothing more.

"I am." Phyllis replied. "It is possible that I could be wrong, but there's plenty of evidence everywhere. Breathe in deep and hold it."

Waverly inhaled deeply. The air seemed to move about in her chest, enabling her hold her breath without difficulty. It was a refreshing feeling – one that she likened to drinking chilled water on a hot sunny day.

She exhaled. "That was strange."

"See? You couldn't do that every other day. Juniper has to be here." Phyllis said. Her pointy ears stuck out of her purple hair and flicked slightly whenever she mentioned the goddess.

"Is there a reason why she has come now?"

Phyllis's face fell, and she suddenly looked very disturbed. "That is the frightening bit, isn't it? Juniper has never been seen or heard in so long, and all of a sudden she's here. . . seeing the King. I hope it is for a good cause. I have to admit that I am a bit afraid."

Waverly watched as she paced back and forth, her armor shining like polished abalone.

"I wonder if she has come because of the broken border, or because of some message she has to deliver. I don't know. If that was it, she would have sent her messenger instead."

Waverly frowned. Something finally clicked in her head.

"Do you think they will let us into the palace now?" She asked.

Phyllis looked at her as if she wore a shoe on her hair. "No. No they will not. We are Tyros. We will not be allowed to go in there without a senior Commander."

"A senior Commander." Waverly repeated and immediately thought of Brijjet, but then again, he was probably with Aurora inside the palace. The thought made her angry. She needed another way to get inside without any notice.

Just then, a poof from behind made her turn

"Oh, friend Waverly. I finally found you, I did." Cassiope squealed.

"Hello, Cassiope." Waverly waved. "I was just thinking about you."

Cassiope did a backflip, but remained hanging upside down. "You were? That is sweet, but I was not thinking about you, I was not. I was thinking about my mistress. She is here."

"Juniper is your mistress?" Waverly asked frowning.

Phyllis scoffed. "Mother Nature! Cassiope is a plant, duh."

"Oh yes, the purple hair understands. I have never seen my mistress before. I have only heard endless stories about her, I have. Oh, I wish dearly that I could see her. I would be the first in many many many generations."

Waverly turned to Phyllis. "How many people know of this?"

"By now? Everybody! The whole realm is buzzing about it." Phyllis replied then turned and headed back into camp. Waverly and Cassiope followed closely.

When they emerged out front, the place was indeed teeming with soldiers from other camp sites talking over one another and whispering numerous things at once. Amongst the crowd, Waverly easily spotted Brijjet.

She ran up to him and held his arm. He turned and smiled faintly.

"Is it true?" She asked.

"I can't say for certain." He replied, shaking his head. "The only people who can truly confirm this rumor are the guards who escorted her to the palace, but even they are yet to come out. It has been well over five hours now."

Waverly looked around. A lot of people seemed nervous. Some made funny gestures with their hands while others stared quietly at the ground.

"They have every right to be anxious. The last time Juniper was heard, she had been driven to an outrage and sent The Groan to numerous lands in all seven realms, and now, after such a long time, she is here. . . in person. . . asking to see the King one on one."

Brijjet gently rubbed his forehead. He too had begun to look deeply worried. Waverly tapped him and gestured to a corner.

"I want to go and see her." She said when they were out of earshot, even for Elves. If anyone tried to listen to their conversation, they would not hear over the loud murmuring.

Brijjet raised an eyebrow. He scoffed a short laugh. "See her? What for?"

Waverly's face sombred. "She is Judson's mother."

Brijjet looked shock for quite a while then his expression melted into one of realization. "Of course. Now it makes sense."

"What?"

"How he was able to break down the border. He's got his mother's touch."

It was Waverly's turn to realize. Oculmus had ultimately known that Judson would be powerful enough to break what his mother had put up, and that was the sole reason why he showed up at the border and flew away right after.

"Why did he do that anyway? After going missing for weeks. . . Was he not supposed to be on our side?"

"He is not himself anymore. He is now hosting the Emperor of Chaos, Oculmus."

Brijjet's face went deathly pale. "What? How do you know that?"

"Because I have hosted him once before." She said a little too loudly then lowered her voice. "Last year, he took my mother as his hostage and I had to go and save her. Oculmus held her in chains. I met him. I went in The Abyss."

The more Waverly spoke, the more Brijjet looked like every pint of blood was draining from his face.

"He has a plan to not only end the world, but the Entonians as well, that was partly the reason why he took my mother." Waverly grabbed fistfuls of her hair and began to pace in panic. "The other part was because he wanted me as a host. I realize that now. He had Jud taken for the same reason."

Brijjet reached for her, but she continued to think out loud in deep worry.

"Waverly! Waverly, please stop! Listen to me. Stop!" He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. "Why didn't you mention this to me since? Nobody knows what we're up against, but you do and you have been quiet."

"How would anyone trust me if they knew I had such information? If they found out that the boy who broke the border is my best friend? They wouldn't understand. They wouldn't."

Brijjet jerked his head back in surprise. He gazed at her. "They wouldn't? Who's taught you how to talk like that? It's Diarmaid, isn't it?"

Waverly sighed and smoothened out her hair, feeling embarrassed at her previous outburst. "I lost a bet with Dermot. I already forgot I was supposed to honor it and talk like the rest of you for as long as I live."

Brijjet laughed a little then his face turned dreary. "What would you say to Juniper even if you had a chance to meet her?"

Waverly stared long and hard at the ground then heaved a tired sigh. "I do not know."

"I need to figure out a way to sneak past the guards then. While I'm doing that, you think of whatever you wish to say."

Waverly beamed. She had almost forgotten that Brijjet was a rule breaker. A rebel of the gods. He would probably barge into the palace and interrupt whatever was going on regardless of Juniper's presence.

"Cassiope can get me inside." She stated.

Brijjet halted. "The heather spirit right?"

"Yes. The only thing we are not sure of is where in the palace they are meeting."

Brijjet glanced about. "Leave that to me."

In a blur, he was gone.

Waverly walked over to Cassiope and pulled her close.

"Listen to me, Cassiope." She began.

The former nodded eagerly. Her cheeks were smushed in between Waverly's hands. "I am listening, I am."

"Do you still want to meet Juniper?"

Cassiope's eyes widened. "Yes. Yes, I want to."

Waverly inhaled. "Okay then. When Brijjet returns, he will tell us exactly where you will take both of us inside the palace. But you must promise to be quiet. You cannot get caught."

"Cannot get caught, must not get caught. It will be bad if they see me."

"Yes. It will. Now, we just have to wait for Brijjet."

Just then, the blur appeared again and Brijjet materialized in front of them. "Court room. They're discussing in the courtroom precisely the trial aisle. You must stay on the sides."

"Did you see her?" Waverly inquired.

Brijjet shook his head. "No, but I heard her speaking. She does not sound happy, Waverly."

She nodded then turned to Cassiope. "The court room. Do you know what it looks like?"

"Oh, yes I do. It is big. Big person in the middle standing there, he is."

Waverly's eyes brightened. "Of course. Take us there. Behind the big person in the middle."

"Good luck." Brijjet wished, and in a spray of colors, they were gone.

The world melted and reformed again, and Waverly found herself standing behind one of Gayl's gigantic foot. The spot hid them well away from view, but she could hear voices. It was impossible to tell just how many people were in the room as only one person seemed to be speaking. She fell slowly to her knees and craned her neck around the statue to peer into the open. Cassiope diligently mirrored her every move.

She spotted the King first.

Javan was still in his kingly night robes which were a brilliant purple. His dark, sleek hair cascaded down his back and touched his entwined fingers behind him. Next to him stood whom Waverly guessed were the three Lords of Ezkaliepton, and behind them was Lameth and taller than everyone else, Caccas.

Luanda was nowhere to be seen as was the Elf Queen. The Kings stood in a straight line, obscuring the goddess from sight.

"It will be an absolute outrage if you attempted to do that, Elegrindh." Came a voice in front of them.

Just then, a young person strolled away from their midst.

Waverly covered her mouth in awe at the sight. The goddess was scrawny and petite, like Judson. Her dress was unpredictable as it seemed to blend in with colors of the surroundings. As she strolled, she gave her neck a tilt every now and then as if trying to see the beings before her from every angle.

Her face was small; framed by large grey eyes, long lashes, and a tiny mouth. She was fair haired, and from her back sprouted sturdy beige colored wings resembling that of a moth. They flapped violently every time, making them seem like they were not there.

"What, our great goddess, will ye have us do then? I received confirmation indeed that it be such a boy with the description we have given ye that revoked the magic on the northern border." Javan spoke.

"Yes. I saw it happen. But you will not have him captured. I forbid you from it." Juniper said in voice so deep and bold that it was impossible to believe it had come out of such a tiny person.

"Tell us, my goddess, what has the Council of The Gods agreed to have us do to tackle this perilous situation?" King Uzmar asked.

"You will do as I have said. Stand your ground here in Alpgeton. The battle must take place here and here alone. Every one of you must fight beside your soldiers."

"But, my lady, what about our own kingdoms?" Luraz asked.

Juniper tilted her head to stare at him. Her cheeks turned red and her eyes narrowed. Waverly saw the King cower visibly. "Do you care so much more for your throne than for the lives of innocent men, women and children?"

Luraz shook his head. "N-No, no, my goddess."

Juniper turned to face Javan, her angry expression melted. "Your battle strategies are worthy of Helme. Keep to them. As for your realms, they will not be attacked once the enemy has realized that you all take shelter here. They will be led to believe that it is easier to vanquish all the Kings in one place than to do so individually."

"We hear you, great goddess." Lameth said for the first time since Waverly had been eavesdropping. His voice sounded exactly as it had in her head.

"Lameth!" Juniper said turning to face him, she touched his cheek and offered her hand. He kissed it softly and bowed low. "It gladdens me to know that you have come to render your hand for the good of the earth."

"I will not sit back and watch the world be destroyed, my lady, when I can do my littlest best to help." Lameth said.

Juniper's wings flapped again, and she turned to face the Kings, looking at them straight in the face. "You must heed my words, great kings. This war will be unlike nothing this world has ever known, but be of cheer! Half the gods of Enton are on your side. Cret herself wishes you adhere and you will prevail."

All the Kings bowed low.

"Now," Juniper said, ruffling her wings as if ready to take flight. "I will speak to Lameth alone."

Javan led the way out of the courtroom, and the other Kings followed. When they were gone, Juniper turned to Lameth and began to speak to him in a language Waverly could not properly understand. She turned to Cassiope, and the spirit shrugged cluelessly.

"I think that they speak in godly tongue." Cassiope whispered.

Waverly frowned when her mind attempted to open to understand the conversation. She fought against it, thinking that she had enough on her mind already.

With gritted her teeth, she whispered quietly to herself "How do I speak to her without Lameth there? He makes me uncomfortable."

A long time passed before Lameth finally bowed and exited the room with his hands stationed on either sides of him like the Cuish. Waverly felt disappointed and angry because she had not done what she came for, but as she looked on, she found that the goddess did not disappear or try to leave. Instead, she lingered.

"What is she waiting for?" Waverly muttered under her breath.

"Whoever you are, do not allow my anger find you." Juniper suddenly spoke out. Her voice was low, but the room vibrated dangerously from the sound of it.

Cassiope whimpered and immediately rushed forward, falling to her knees before the deity. She clasped her hands together then touched her face reverently to the floor. "Forgive us, mistress, My Lady. Forgive us, please. We did not mean to pick eaves. . . drop eaves on the King's private council. No! We did not."

Juniper turned to face Cassiope. Her cold expression turned to one of shock. "A nature creature, partaking in such a mannerless act. Where is the second that has drawn you into this?"

Waverly inched forward and came out into the open. Juniper's large eyes rotated around her in just one stare, then she walked past Cassiope and halted.

"This is interesting." She hummed, suddenly looking amused. "You!"

Waverly walked further until she was face to face with the goddess. With that much proximity, she realized with a painful jolt that there were traces of resemblance between Judson and his mother. Nonetheless, Juniper was incredibly pretty just like she had been described in all the books and stories.

"Greetings, your Ladyship." Waverly said and bowed curtly.

Juniper smiled a little. "You are the moon child, undoubtedly. It is as if your mother herself stands before me." She tilted her head curiously, but kept her amused expression. "Why have you dragged Cassiope to bring you without permission into the King's court?"

Waverly gulped. She had not mentioned Cassiope's name, but Juniper knew it already. She would not be Mother Nature if she did not know every single creature on earth by their name. Also, there was an insane aura of godly power around Juniper that she was only able to handle because she was part god. The ground itself seemed to hum underneath her feet in response to Juniper's presence.

"I apologize, my Lady. I was only eager to speak to you about Judson."

Juniper's amused expression melted off and was instantly replaced by an unreadable one. "And what do you wish to speak to me about him that I do not already know?"

Waverly inhaled softly. "Why have you not helped him? His hopes rest with you. It always did even before he—"

"I am aware of how much faith my son puts in me." Juniper's words were soft, but her expression was hard as if she fought with her own emotions. "He is. . . the purest soul ever born which is why he suffers so much."

Waverly gritted her teeth. "Is that why you abandoned him? Because you are certain his good heart will let him see past all of your misdoings?"

Juniper did not seem offended by the statement. She lowered her eyes to the ground as if searching the room for a missing object then began to slowly pace around in a circle, occasionally glancing up as she did.

"There is much a child would not understand about his future until he gets there. He will understand when he arrives at the end of this road."

"If you will not help him, then help us save him. Help me save him." Waverly pleaded then took a step forward. "He is my best friend."

Juniper gave her a side glance, lifting one of her eyebrows. "I am aware."

She looked at Cassiope, who was still bent over in reverence.

"Rise, my dear, and return to your place."

Cassiope stood up and gave Waverly an encouraging glance then disappeared in a spray of pink dust.

"Will you help us?" Waverly asked, taking another step forward. She thought that if Juniper had no wings, the deity would have looked the same age as her or even Cassiope.

"I cannot have a hand in this war. I am forbidden." Juniper explained.

She frowned. "How is that possible? You are an important member of the Council of The Gods."

The goddess dipped her head gently. "Indeed. But even I have to follow rules. I must not provide help in the war."

Waverly ears reddened. "Who makes those stupid rules anyway?"

Juniper looked mortified by her question, but Waverly was too busy raging to notice.

"The whole world, the same one that you claim to have so much love for is about to face intense suffering and pain and loss again, and all you can do is say that you are forbidden to help. Forbidden to do something good? You are the mother of earth now, you should watch over it and not allow it to wither away like charred leaves. This is wrong! It is the most unfair, outrageous, unreasonable, p-prepestering—"

"That is enough!" Juniper ordered calmly.

Waverly slowly became conscious of herself. She thinned her lips and stared at Juniper, who looked quite fascinated. The goddess's eyes became slits, but her face showed no anger still.

"The word you meant, I believe, is preposterous." She corrected. Her mouth twitched in one corner. "Your mother says you have quite the defiant spirit. I say you have the same spirit that she does."

Waverly rubbed the sweat off her forehead. Her body trembled terribly despite the rush of adrenaline and her own sudden, overpowering self-confidence. She mentally began to count the seconds until when she would be struck down, but the goddess did nothing except inspect her like a broken twig.

"What will you have me do then, cildani Alluña?" Juniper asked. (Child of Alluña)

Waverly was taken aback by the title and the question. "I cannot tell you what you should do, Your Ladyship. You alone know your boundaries."

Juniper tilted her head, as if suddenly struck by an idea. "Boundaries. That is the best I can do."

"What?" She frowned.

Juniper sighed softly and began to levitate, her wings fluttering so fast that they became invisible again. "I reckon you already know the enemy you face. He will not stop until the world is leveled to ash." She kissed her teeth and her large eyes glowed a fierce green. "I indeed cannot idly watch it all burn."

With that, the goddess ascended, melted through the enormous roof, and was out of sight.

Just then, Cassiope appeared next to Waverly.

"She is going outside." The latter announced. Cassiope grabbed her by the hand and transported them both back to camp.

The crowd there had grown even more and everyone seemed to be focused on something up in the clouds. Gasps filled the air as Waverly navigated her way over to where Diarmaid, Dermot, Grace, Phyllis and Brijjet were all clustered together, pointing and gazing skyward.

Brijjet's gaze veered and met hers. His eyes widened in question. Waverly understood and nodded, prompting him to come over.

"What is she doing?" He whispered.

"B-Boundaries!" She replied.

Up above, the sky was darkening to the color of teal and above the tiny spot which was Juniper, a thick visible membrane had begun to spread. Despite the incredible distance between the ground and the sky, when Juniper began to speak, her deep voice was audible, threatening to break the world in half.

Her words were muffled by screams and shouts as half the entire population began to fear that the goddess was laying a curse on them.

Waverly realized it and tapped Brijjet.

"You have to tell them that it is okay." She said.

He nodded and raced to the front of the crowd then climbed atop a boulder. He waved his hands, trying to get attention, but the crowd blatantly ignored him. Dermot and Diarmaid rushed to his aid.

"Listen to me. It's fine. We are being placed under protection." Brijjet yelled.

"Lies." Somebody yelled from the crowd.

Juniper's membrane continued to stretch, going over the horizon and bathing the world in blue-green light.

"It seems you're not all making use of your eyes and ears." Diarmaid said to the protesters. "If it were a curse, why aren't you dead, then?"

That seemed to quieten folks in the front. Slowly, the noise died out completely and everyone could hear Juniper chanting in the Alp tongue.

"Z'marir anit Elvén andal velhéna érit tana suméi m'iara duule." An Elf repeated.

"What does that mean?" A fire mortal asked, looking perplexed.

"It means that the soils of the our land is now in the palm of her hand. Whoever tries to defile it will be crushed." Dermot explained.

Murmurs of agreement enveloped the crowd.

"I never thought I would live to see a deity – much more Juniper." A familiar voice came from the back.

Waverly turned and found Regent standing well away from the gathering. He was dressed in robes of ocean blue with a funny looking contraption strapped to his belt. She walked up to him.

"Good to see you, Regent." She said, smiling.

He returned the smile.

An entire season had gone by since Havilah's passing, and Regent had barely smiled or even spoken to anyone. He made it a habit to stay on his own, doing things by himself, and staring into space for hours. In spite of how much Waverly had missed training, she easily noticed Regent's withdrawal from camp too.

During the first few days of Havilah's death, he glared or barked at whoever made a reference to her or mentioned her name as if they were her killer. Then, in the following weeks, he pretended she was still alive and above him on her bunk. Waverly caught him rapping his knuckles numerous times on the underside of it, but when no reply came he would turn away and break into sobs.

Afterwards, he seemed to have accepted the fact that she was gone for good. He had also been completely higgledy-piggledy about the way he looked, but had overcome that as well, gradually returning to the handsome and outgoing Elf that he once was.

"I want to believe we have hope now, seeing as, at least, we have one god on our side." He stated, staring pointedly at Juniper.

Waverly nodded and patted him gently on the arm. He playfully nudged her in response then walked away.

The protection around the realm blazed and became invisible. No one noticed in that moment that Juniper was gone, but Waverly saw her – ascending into the clouds as fast as a flash of lightning. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, but murmurs about the day's event took hold of Alpgeton every day after.

Attacks came in from every corner, but they were mild enough to be managed by patrol soldiers or sentries. No creature could step into the realm as reported by several sentries because, according to them, Juniper had indeed poisoned the land and whenever an enemy stepped on it he either instantly fell dead, or his sword became as useless as rubber in his hand and he was hacked to death.

The Elves gained the upper hand.

The King began to take in refugees and injured locals from every realm that builders in Nael had to create shelters everywhere they could.

One of such particular shelters was under the statue of Helme; the goddess of war, slaves and prisoners. The statue was that of a giant panther crouched as if to spring on its unlucky prey. People gathered around it, praying in earnestness to the goddess to protect their families and loved ones whom they had been separated from in one way or another. Many rituals were performed, songs were sung and sacrifices were given in her name.

Waverly quickly noticed an oddity – every other people prayed to Helme, except Humans.

At first, she thought it was her own bad timing that did not allow her witness a Human praying to Helme, but soon it became clear that they, in fact, did not at all. She mentioned this to Dermot during the first week of the new season called The Lilting.

It was a season like autumn, but of course, Elves were a merry bunch and so it was dedicated to merriments, feasting and wild sport.

"Helme does not favor Humans." Dermot revealed.

"Why?" Waverly asked, staring at the panther as they walked past it.

Dermot laughed quietly. "I do not know everything, Waverly."

"Does anyone else know why she doesn't like Humans?"

Dermot took her short sword and put it into the new sheath he had crafted. "Not exactly, but it's been that way ever since the creation of man. She never liked them, never trusted them. I'm sure Bremeton has no shrines nor temples dedicated to her."

Waverly wondered why a goddess of Enton did not favor men, but then again, it was not so surprising that Helme would overlook her kind. They were the most difficult beungs ever and sometimes she wished she was an Elf or even a Fire Mortal. Humans were not to be trusted with anything. They spawned the worst thieves, fraudsters, troublemakers, and were some of the foulest beings next to Outcasts.

"What will you teach me today?" She asked, slipping her hand into Dermot's.

He swung them, occasionally yanking her close to himself as they strolled toward the river. "Nothing. It's The Lilting, you should have fun now."

"But it is fun learning things from you." Waverly stated and gave a goofy smile.

"Alright. What would you like to me to teach you?" Dermot asked.

Waverly went to stand in front of him then began to walk backwards.

"Slingshots! I want to learn to use them."

He lifted a brow in surprise. "Slingshots are easy. You learned to string a bow and shoot an arrow."

Waverly lifted a finger. "Which I still can't do. So, just in case I can't use my bow, I'll use a slingshot"

Dermot stopped walking. "A bow is more effective and can hit what a slingshot can't, but then again, daggers are smaller than swords, but way deadlier."

Waverly jumped up in excitement. "Yes."

"If you want to, you could even learn to fish with it." He offered.

She grabbed his hand, squealing for joy. "Show me how."

With echoes of laughter, the pair ran to the river.

Diarmaid lent Waverly his slingshot to practice with, and she quickly picked up on the art. It was not as difficult as she imagined. She had a better aim as it was much smaller in comparison to a bow and arrow. He also taught her the best slingshot tricks, but Dermot showed her how to catch bigger fish.

"Draw the sling back a long distance and aim for the fin or tail." He instructed. "If you can weaken it, they won't be able to scurry away so fast."

Afterwards, Waverly caught an entire basket of fish which they roasted and ate by nightfall. She continuously questioned Diarmaid about Brijjet's whereabouts and his relationship with Aurora to which he provided honest answers. He explained that the reason why Brijjet was always so absent was because he had been preparing for his nuptials with Aurora.

Waverly held her fish halfway to her mouth in shock.

"What?" She asked, blinking repeatedly.

Diarmaid was oblivious to her reaction. He stuck a fork into a slice of fish. "This season is mostly fun because of that – a lot of marriages will be happening, not just his."

Waverly suddenly lost her appetite.

"Why?"

Diarmaid gave her a brief glance. "It's The Lilting. That's what the season is for – unions and love and peace, at least, for the time being."

She gazed into the fire, wishing it would come to life and burn off what Diarmaid had just told her or her own ears. Panic rose in her chest and a bit of anger.

"The princess cannot see." She stated, gazing into the fire.

"We know that." Dermot said, smirking. He glanced at her with a hidden smile. He seemed to have easily detected her unease, but kept quiet about it.

"Will he marry her still?"

Diarmaid scoffed. "Why won't he? You don't expect a thing as trifle as blindness to stop him. It does sadden him that she suffers so, but he will not give up looking for a cure."

"He's still searching?" Dermot asked, staring at his empty plate.

Diarmaid took a sip from his cup. A bunch of zebras ran past them, filling the evening with the sound of three-footed hooves and high pitched yipping.

"You won't believe me if I told you the number of places he's been to in between scouts. The days are dangerous, and I've told him to take a breather, but he will not hear of it."

"He's occupied with so much already."

Waverly gently pushed her plate away and threw her gaze over to the river. She let it linger there, but her ears remained with what Diarmaid was saying to his brother.

"And now, they have the royal blessing. I bet it'll be a ceremony we will never forget. Even better than Hul and Gia's twelve years ago. The food would be insane, and the crowd? Oof! With all these guests, you probably won't find your way to the front of the ceremony until six days after the honeymoon."

Waverly caught sight of Dermot pushing Diarmaid's head as they both chuckled, but she could not bring herself to laugh along.

"I will take a walk now." She muttered and stood up, then headed away from the fire.

Just before she went out of earshot, she overheard Dermot.

"She gets upset a lot." He said, as if responding to a question.

She strolled further past houses and more shelters pitched at almost every nook and cranny. Queer gazes followed her wherever she walked and what with the growing darkness that made her feel even more uncomfortable, irrational anger began to swirl in her chest.

Why can I not have some privacy ? She screamed internally.

She marched on past trees, more houses, gardens, and, at last, arrived at the bank of a rushing stream. On the other side was a steep, muddy hill with a bunch of trees that had gone black from the darkness. Waverly halted and gazed at it, but made no attempts to cross over.

She paced along the bank, her mind racing back and forth. Why did she feel worried and hurt by Brijjet's engagement?

We're too young. She chided herself mentally, but then, she was only a year away from full Human maturity.

Unlike Elves who were considered “fully developed in the mind ” as early as eight or nine, Humans came to such maturity at fifteen. A Human could venture to live independently at that age, while Elves could do so earlier, having higher intelligence and natural survival instincts.

HalfHyde had said that Gypsies became full grownups at twenty, while Outcasts matured at ten despite being natives of the same realm.

She plopped down on a flat piece of rock and rubbed her forehead. It was long ago that she realized she had struck an affinity with Brijjet, but had tried oftentimes to ignore it. Now, it was incredibly difficult to hide how she truly felt. Selene had already told her that Brijjet was bound to Aurora and that no matter what she did or tried to do to get noticed, he would only ever see her as a friend.

Waverly pondered so much for so long that she began to feel her temples heat up.

If you overthink, you will have bad headaches.

She groaned and buried her head between her knees, questioning herself over and over. She thought of what HalfHyde would say, what Selene would think, what was at stake should she let trifle things truly bother her.

The Black Mist has no known cure on earth.

She sighed in frustration. Selene always had a hidden meaning to her words, and Waverly felt angry that she had just figured one out. It took a long time to accept her painful and rather heartbreaking fate, but at last, she stood up with a sense of finality.

If she could not be with Brijjet then, at least, she could try to be a good person to him. She looked up at the big, silver moon in the dark sky. The sound of nighttime filled the air especially those of wild animals. The noisy stream was pleasant, but it did nothing to settle Waverly's mind and help her fully accept what she needed to do.

It was difficult, but she felt every certainty that it was the right thing.

To make him happy.

She returned to the fireside and found the brothers still there. Diarmaid had slept off, curled into a ball near the flames, but Dermot was still awake, watching the mass of yellow fireflies that swarmed around like natural night lights.

"Will you tell me what you were thinking about that took you so long?" He inquired when Waverly sat down next to him.

The heat from his skin came as a comfort and the dull, sweet scent that usually hung about him made her feel relaxed. She leaned against his arm, but he put it around her instead.

"A wedding gift." She replied quietly.

Dermot hummed in agreement. "Have you decided yet what it will be?"

Waverly looked down, feeling the weight of her decision press against her back like heaped stones. "Yes."

Dermot sighed and rubbed her arm encouragingly. "I'm sure he'll love it. . . whatever it may be."

She shut her eyes, itching to tell Dermot how she truly felt and how unsettled she was with the news of Brijjet's marriage to Aurora, but a familiar inner voice whispered softly in her mind.

He already knows.