Thyme's dark eyes stared at him in wonder and Ferry could see a shadow of concern in his eyes. He helped him get up with the gestures of a parent or of an older brother. And Ferry could feel so much warmth coming from him, that threw himself on his chest and began to sob like a child.

"I don't like it here, Thyme... I tried. I really tried... But I don't like it here at all ... "

Thyme's stiff body seemed to relax, but he did not hug his protected young man back. Instead, Ferry felt a slight pat on his shoulder. "There, there," he softly said. "Now tell me what upset you so much."

Ferry slowly stepped away and wiped away the tears with his dirty hands because of the many falls he had coming back from Lord Stephan's chambers. He didn't care he was getting his face dirty or that he cried like a child.

"You left me again," he shouted at Thyme. "You said you would never leave me again!"

Thyme frowned. "I had to, Garrett," he said in his harsh voice. "People in those villages needed our help. And it was too dangerous to take you with me. Besides, I left you in good hands. Nowhere else are you safer than here. "

Ferry bowed his head. Thyme was right. He fought with the enemy, risked his life to save others, and all he could do was wail and complain about the way he was treated. He had food and a place to sleep, and the people of the Fortress looked at him like a god. And all he did was complain and think that this place and this mission did not suit him.

"I'm sorry ..." he said softly, not daring to look Thyme in the eye.

Thyme put his hand lightly on his shoulder. "Now can you tell me what upset you so much?"

Ferry looked around. They were alone, somewhere near the farthest walls of the castle.

"He wanted me to kill a bird. A poor, innocent bird... I couldn't, Thyme. I just couldn't ... "

Thyme motioned for him to sit on a fallen log nearby. Then he took a seat next to him. Ferry was ashamed to look him in the eye again. He had probably learned how clumsy he was at training. What did Thyme think of him? He must have been such a disappointment for him.

"So Lord Stephan put you to the test... The big test. I didn't think he would do it so fast ... "

Ferry turned to him. "Did he do that to you?" he asked.

Thyme nodded slowly. "In my case, it was a rabbit."

"And you did it?"

Thyme did not answer but looked away. "You see, Garrett," he said at last, "we are not here to doubt Lord Stephan's methods. Because of him, this place exists. Because of, him you are still alive. And because of him, there is still hope that we can get rid of the curse that rules over Akna."

Ferry sighed. "Is there no other way than to hurt someone in order to save this land from the enemy?"

Thyme looked at him with eyes as dark as night. "When someone makes his presence felt through death, you can only answer him through death. You have no idea of ​​the horrors I and my people have seen. You have no idea of ​​the suffering the enemy is causing. This land is beginning to fall under its power without even realizing it. The most dangerous enemy is the one who lurks in the shadows. "

Ferry touched the screen of his mother's watch, which he never parted with, and made him feel better every time things went wrong. "She taught me that if there's the slightest chance of not hurting anyone, you have to hold on to it. My mum ..." he said, and his voice broke.

Then he felt Thyme's heavy hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder if we did well to bring you into the world of humans ..." he said.

Ferry swallowed the heavy lump in his throat. "I miss her," he softly said, barely a whisper.

He could feel Thyme's hand tighten on his shoulder. "I know..."

They stood like that for a long time, watching the clouds circling like eagles up in the skies.

"It's going to rain soon," Thyme said.

Ferry had never experienced rain since he came to Akna.

"Besides, there will be a feast later," adds Thyme. "You should get ready."

Ferry shook his head. "I don't feel like partying now, Thyme," he said.

Thyme rose from her log. "And yet you shall be there. Your presence is important to these people, Garrett. They need to know that you are with them in peacetime, just as you will be with them in time of trouble ... "

***

The rain was hitting the Cloud Fortress hard. The thunder sounded so loud that the walls seemed to crack. The inhabitants of the Fortress barricaded the windows with heavy wooden shutters to stop the wrath from outside from entering the castle. Fairy fires burned in every corner, making the shadows grow and spread like huge bat wings.

In the kitchens at the foot of the castle, there was a big fuss: the feast was being prepared for Thyme's victorious return. Amalgham-women were swarming everywhere, cleaning vegetables or fish, kneading dough for bread, or stirring in a large cauldron that bubbled over a huge fire in the hearth, scattering the scents of vegetables and roots all around. Amalgham-men descended into the cellar, from where they returned with carafes of wine and fruit syrups.

Even with the barred windows and doors, the wind still managed to creep through the cracks in the rocks of the castle walls. So several soldiers had gathered by the big fire, laughing and talking. The younger soldiers, including Raghnall, polished the boots the soldiers used for training with pieces of cloth soaked in beeswax.

Closest to the fire was Mother Enid, the Storyteller. She was the oldest being living in the Fortress since it was first built, even older than Lord Stephan. The old woman was stitching a thick bison carpet, talking about the old days, when the enemy had not yet set foot in Akna. Several elves, including Stot, Leomh's right-hand, ate kernels and secretly laughed at the old woman's stories, which sometimes forgot and confused events that had taken place so long ago.

Ferry was also trying to find his place in the crowd that had now gathered around the kitchen fireplace. At his sight, several made room for him, and silence fell. Ferry stepped down the aisle that formed in front of him and sat on a corner of the settle near the fireplace, trying not to draw attention. An amalgham-man with stag features brought him a chair covered in a thick blanket and a goose-feathered pillow. Ferry thank him with a slight nod. He did not like to be favored in any way, but he had learned that for the people of the Fortress it was important to know him content. That gave them hope and a purpose. And if it was so important to them, it was a small price to pay for him.

After he took his seat, the others gathered around the fire again, standing on their feet, or sitting with their legs crossed around Mother Enid's chair. Ferry saw Parsley and Rosemary sitting on a small bench, close to each other, but they both seemed so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't seem to notice anything going on around them. No sign of Thyme or Sage, but Ferry thought they were probably preparing for the later feast. 

But Oona's absence surprised him, but that could only make him happy. After what had happened between them, Ferry had avoided all the places Oona frequented and knew that the kitchen wasn't one of them. Raghnall also stopped polishing the boots, and now he waited with the others for Mother Enid to begin her story. Fortunately, Mother Enid gave Ferry the same attention (or rather lack of attention) as the others, hunched over her stitch cloth.

"Tell us a story, Mother Enid. Tell us a story, " said one of the young elves.

"What story do you want to hear this time, da'len?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"A story from before ... One that starts with once upon a time..."

"A story from before ..." she repeated, her eyes fixed on the blue flames dancing in front of her. "Very well. I'll tell you a story from, my children. But keep in mind, this story comes from a long time ago when Akna was flourishing and was a land of peace and quiet life. When all three hundred fairy races lived in harmony with each other and did not seek to dominate or rule over each other. When even humans found their place among us ... "

"Humans?" Stot shouted, grimacing. "How did these poor creatures, with whom the Aknanians have nothing in common, take place among us?"

The old woman turned her head to him and looked him straight in the eye, which surprised many because everyone in the castle thought she was almost blind.

"Yes, my boy," she said undisturbed, "in ancient times, even humans had found a purpose among us. Some of them were so fascinated by our world that they forgot their own world and became one of ours ... "

"You mean there are humans among us who we don't know are human?" another elf asked.

"Of course they are, although I think there are quite a few left since this arrangement that does not allow them to join us or be considered like us.  And the story I will tell you today is about one of them ... "

There was perfect silence around. Only the vegetables bubbled in the large cauldron that hung in a hook above the hearth.

"Once upon a time, when Akna was big, flourishing, and free of shadows, there was a child. A child from the human world... His name-- His name doesn't matter. What he did for this country is much, much more important.

You see, he came into our world by mistake, like most people who get here. He followed through the forest a small and playful leprechaun, placed on his wives. He followed him to the bush with currants that shone more habitually than the rubies. And the boy saw that there was a door behind the bush. A door, right in the middle of the forest. And then the boy knew one thing and only one-- that he had to go through that door.

But as he passed on the other side, he saw that the forest and the whole world had changed. They were different than he remembered them. A moment ago, it was daylight on the other side of the door. And now it was night and the moon in the sky shone brightly, bigger and closer than he knew. At first, he marveled at all the new things that came his way: bright flowers and butterflies with mother-of-pearl wings, and emerald grass, fruits he had never tasted before, and a scented, pure air that he had never breathed anywhere else. . But soon, he was afraid, or maybe he wanted to go home...

But the door was gone as if it had never existed in the emerald grass clearing. And the boy, who was not more than twelve human-years-old on earth, sat down on a log and began to cry. And his sobs rose high to the sky. To the raven-man who flied above, the guardian of the gates between the worlds...

And the raven descended from the skies and stepped closer to him.

'Why are you crying, boy?' he asked.

The boy looked up at him. Any child his age and even a man would have been frightened at his sight. He was dressed in black, and his eyes were darker than the storm sky and his wings wider than the sails of a ship. But all the boy felt coming from the winged man was the warmth...

'I got lost ...' he said with a sob. 'And I can't find my way back.'

'I can show you the way back if you want ...' the raven man told him. 'If you really want to go back ...'

Then the boy sat for a moment and thought. What could he return to? To a life of poverty, a father who beat him every day, and a mother too sick or too weak to defend herself, him, or his brothers. He didn't have to think much.

'I want to stay,' he told the winged man.

And the winged man took him under his wing and flew with him to a crystal castle inhabited by beings of light with the moon and the stars crowning their foreheads. And he taught him everything he knew about that world and more. So the boy grew to become a brave and good young man, as listened to his mentor who was now more than a mentor to him. And he forgot that he had once been a man. And forgetting made him become what he had wanted since the raven man had taken him under his wing -- a fairy, just like his mentor.

The raven man was now preparing him to become a Guardian, just as he was. But one day, he went on one of his missions to know Akna in peace. And on that day ... "

The old woman stopped. A long sigh made her chest rise.

"That was the day when the shadows entered our world ..." she said in a low voice. "The day they entered our world so cowardly and killed the beings of light that led us...

There was only one being left of the noble lineage -- a baby who had just been born and who had never known his parents, his people, or his country. Their only hope. And the boy, now a fairy, could not let his people down. So he stood between the shadows and the starlight child and fought. He fought valiantly and unceasingly, long enough for the baby to be rescued and taken away to a place where he was safe...

When the raven man learned of the misfortune at the palace, he flew faster than all the winds. But it was too late... The boy who came from the world of humans, who had meant everything to him, was no more. He had perished completely, leaving no trace of his existence. The raven-man then cried, he who had never cried, and hoped that the boy had turned into light and found peace in its warmth...

And ever since then, he has never been the same... His heart was wrapped in ice. And every time someone tried to melt it, he added another layer and then another, so that his heart would never feel that horrible pain again ... "

Old Enid ended her story and wiped her eyes of tears. There was tomb-silence around her.

Ferry shuddered. The old woman's story was so familiar to him, and yet he wished it had not been true.

"Did you ever find out what happened to the boy?" asked one of the Amalghams.

The old woman shook her head. "You see, my darlings, when a fairy dies, they turn into light. The soul seeks the frailest ray of light and becomes one with it... But in its absence, the soul of a fairy remains wandering until it finds peace ... "

"Nonsense," Stot snorted in the silence that had fallen again. "These are stories to put children to sleep. In Akna there are no humans to turn into fairies.''

"Maybe ..." said Mother Enid, lost in thought again. "But don't forget, my dears, that every story, no matter how incredible and unbelievable it may seem, always has a grain of truth ..."

***

Ferry could not enjoy the feast in honor of Thyme. His thoughts remained on Mother Enid's story. How much of it was true? Mother Enid was old. Maybe she was even a few hundred years old. Maybe she had forgotten or didn't know what was true and what wasn't anymore. And yet...

Now he was looking at Thyme on the other side of the table. Leomh, the Second Commander, had also joined him, and now they were talking about something.

The room where the feast was held was not as large as the one where the party had been held in honor of his arrival. But he was comfortable and warm, looking more like it was hosting a cozy night with friends in front of quiet fire. Only high-ranking soldiers and his guards had gathered, along with Thyme's small army of Amalghams who had won the last victory over the enemy. Of course, Matilda and Finn were missing, one more proof of what it meant to be human in that place.

"Have you seen Oona?" Raghnall interrupted his thoughts.

The young Solacer was sitting next to him and had not yet touched his food.

Ferry shook his head. "I didn't know she was invited... I thought it was a smaller gathering."

"I invited her," Ragh said, looking at his plate. "Thyme said it was okay. Maybe she will want to delight us with her presence again, " he added.

Ferry looked at him curiously, and Ragh's eyes widened. He began to eat the vegetable stew in front of him in a hurry as if he had not eaten for years.

Ferry looked at Thyme again on the other side of the table. His guard caught his eye and raised his glass of wine. Ferry, in turn, picked up the glass of cranberry juice, trying to look comfortable. But his mind was still on Mother Enid's story.

"Listen, Ragh, do you know anything about the fifth guardian?" Ferry finally asked.

Raghnall stopped eating. "You mean you believe Mother Enid's story?"

"Shouldn't I?"

"Mother Enid is older than time. Who knows how true her words are? I don't even know if the boy she was talking about really existed. "

Ferry thought Raghnall was too young to know what had happened the night the shadows came to Akna. But his guards must have known for sure. He looked at Parlsey and Rosemary, who were sitting to his right, talking and giggling as if they were the only ones at the table. Next to them, Sage gulped the pheasant from the plate, barely breathing in between swallows. And a strange sensation seized him. How well did he know his Guards? If he thought about it, he didn't know much about them or their lives before they came into the human world.

"Don't you like the food, my Prince?" an Amalgham-woman from the kitchen woke him to reality, placing a round white bread in front of him. "Do try some bread. The bread makes everything tastier... IBesides, the girl baked it especially for you," she smiled.

"What girl?" wondered Ferry.

But the amalgham-woman withdrew without saying another word.

Ferry broke the bread and swallowed a fluffy piece, as light as a piece of cloud. Of all the food he had eaten at the Fortress, the bread was the tastiest. It was the only one that reminded him of home.

Ferry returned to the plate in front of him, but this time he couldn't eat either. In the hall, however, the uproar was rising and not from the guests, this time. A thin fox, with its fur shiny and red as human fire, had slipped in who knows how and grabbed an entire wild goose leg from below Sage's nose. Then it was gone, slipping between the legs of the people in the kitchen who were walking around, with trays full of steaks and fruit.

Oona appeared shortly after, accompanied by the little creature that had turned out to be her pet. Ferry smiled at the thought she had chosen to keep it.

The whole room fell silent at her sight. Oona wore a green velvet dress whose heavy train swept the stone slabs during her calculated and safe walk. She held his chin up and her eyes looked straight ahead.

But Oona did not lose her temper. She headed for Ferry and sat to his left in the place Raghnall had offered her. Now, the young elf was standing behind her as if he were a guard ready for anything to defend his mistress.

Oona took a ripe pear undisturbed and began to cut it meticulously, with slow and elegant movements.

"I haven't seen you much lately, fairy-boy," she said without looking up from her plate. "If I didn't know you, I'd say you're trying to avoid me."

Ferry almost choked on his bread. He cleared his throat before saying, "I wasn't, Oona. I was just too busy ..."

"Sure, busy sneaking into the human-girl's room," she continued, this time raising her eyes and glaring at him. "And don't try to deny it," she warned him. "My scouts are too good to be wrong."

Ferry stared at the glass in front of him. He didn't dare look her in the eye anymore because her eyes were throwing fire. Scouts? Who would have been Oona's spy? And why had he been pursued? But most of all, how she had become so strong in the Fortress that people listened to her? He was sure Thyme or Lord Stephan didn't know about that.

"I saw you kept the fox cub," he said to change the subject.

Oona's eyes warmed. "I named her Cub," she said in a tender voice. "Even when she grows up, I'll still call her Cub." Sometimes the world through a child's eyes looks better and more beautiful, don't you think? " she asked, looking at him intently with her forest-eyes.

Ferry felt uneasy again under her gaze, so he turned to the vegetables on his plate, though he had lost his appetite entirely.

For a while, only the murmur of voices, the clink of cutlery, and the laughter of the diners could be heard all around. Then squeals and shouts filled the room--the musicians had appeared, bringing good cheer with them.

Some of the amalgham soldiers at Thyme's table stood up and began dancing in the middle of the room, tapping the floor with their gnawed boots.

Rosemary got up from the table and motioned for Parsley to join her, but he shook his head. "I'm such a bad dancer, Rose. Go without me. "

Rosemary smiled at him. "You can't be bad at anything in this world," she smiled, and Parsley looked down, his face lit up by a wide smile.

"Come on, Oona, let's dance," Rosemary begged.

Oona seemed to think for a few moments, but then nodded and got up from the table. They both joined the dancers in the middle of the hall who greeted them with shouts of joy. They then grabbed each other's hands and began to spin. Ferry smiled. Oona was always like the sun after the rain. She knew how to bring goodwill and serenity wherever she went. But what surprised him was the reactions that the others had in her presence. In a few seconds, more and more Amalghams joined them, until there were only a few left at the tables. Even Sage had caught up with a young amalgham-woman with feline features.

Raghnall had found another place somewhere farther away from him (and Oona) and looked rather sad, staring at the plate without touching anything. Parsley smiled up to his ears without taking his eyes off Rosemary, who continued to dance. But at the other end of the long table, Thyme and Leomh were still talking fiercely. Then Leomh rose abruptly and left the dining room, the cloak swirling behind him like a storm cloud. Thyme, on the other hand, remained in his place, lost in thought.

Eventually, the partiers grew tired of singing and dancing and returned to their seats. Ferry was startled to see that Oona didn't return to her seat, but left the room with the fox cub following her.

It was dessert time and a few women from the kitchen entered the hall carrying long trays on which rested pies and tarts surrounded by the most colorful fruits, mostly berries. His guards greeted the dessert with joy and began to enjoy the juicy tarts. A woman in the kitchen placed in front of him a silver tip on which rested a slice of pie with rosehip and walnut sauce. Ferry took a sip: the pie was fluffy, and the sweet and sour sauce and crunchy nuts. But no matter how well Fortareta's people cooked, nothing compares to his mother's pies...

Outside, the storm had calmed down and the rain was falling easily, watering the ground. Shutters were moved away from doors and windows. The dripping of the rain now sounded like a happy children's song. Ferry discreetly got up at the table and went out on the large terrace that stretched beyond the festivities hall, surrounding a big part of the castle. The crisp, cold air hit him in the face, but he took a deep breath of the smell of wet earth and greenery that revigorated him. He did not particularly enjoy the feast, but he knew his presence was necessary. However, the thought turned, again and again, to Mother Enid's story.

In the absence of starlight, the sky was dark, and the surroundings looked as if the night in the human world had fallen everywhere. Suddenly, among the thunder that could be heard in the distance, ever powerless, he heard muffled voices coming from somewhere nearby.

Ferry followed the echoes and saw in the farthest part of the terrace, two figures, one tall and thin, the other shorter, but with well-defined muscles -- Leomh and Thyme. Apparently, they had continued their discussion outside. Ferry approaches easily, sneaking against the castle walls. The lack of light made his presence go unnoticed. He could easily hide behind a column completely covered with wild ivy.

"Can't you see, Thyme," he heard Leomh's tense voice, "he's more and more withdrawn... More and more detached from reality. What if one of his wandering periods follows, now that the Long Night is coming? What if he falls into apathy again? "

"That won't happen, Leomh," Thyme replied calmly, though Ferry felt a shadow of harshness in his voice. "Especially now that we have Garrett. The Long Night must not and will not be missed. I'm certain that Stephan knows this as well as we do. "

"He's old, Thyme. His mind stays longer in the past than in the future, as happens with all the elderly ... "

"I don't understand what you are implying ..."

There was a short pause.

"I mean, if we wanted to change our leader and name someone else in his place, we would need your people, and your agreement."

"You mean to take Lord Stephan out of power?" Thyme said, his jaw clenched. "He is the one who created this place, Leomh! Thanks to him, we are all here, alive. Because of him, we can stand up to the enemy! "

"And we'll be forever grateful for that," Leomh said, louder this time. "But times are changing, Thyme. Can he think and change with the times? Can we trust his judgment? "

"If you want to organize a usurpation, I will not take part in it!" Thyme replied firmly.

"It's not a usurpation, Thyme, if we all agree, Solacers and Amalghams alike. It's a change. These troubled times demand it! "

"And who will take his place, if you don't mind me asking?" Thyme asked loudly, this time. "You?"

"You, me — any of us who are worthy of this mission. It is in our power to choose our leader. If you are on my side, you will remain the First Commander. Nothing will change at the Cloud Fortress. We will continue to fight the enemy with honor and-- "

"Honor? Loyalty? You're asking me to betray my mentor, Leomh! Where is the honor and loyalty in this? " Thyme shouted, not caring that he could be heard.

Leomh sighed. "Sometimes you have to break your principles, as long as it's for a good cause," he said plainly. "And our cause, of all, is to defeat the enemy and take Akna back under Garrett's leadership."

"Garrett will come to power if the Council of Wise agrees. Let's not forget that he is not the only eir to the throne ... "

"He really is the only eir to the throne," Leomh said. "If he is trained and taught properly, there will be no other candidate. Who could be better than him? His sister? Everyone knows about the Runaway Princess around here. Besides, she's old, too. And her children... Well, nothing has been heard of her children for so long. I doubt they are still alive. Think about it, Thyme. If we have Garrett on our side, it means that the Spear of Justice, the most powerful weapon, is also ours. Together we can change the world. "

"No!" Thyme raised his voice. "I will not take part in such a thing! If you're going to do something, which I suggest you don't dare, don't count on me! " he said, and walked past Leomh, passing like an arrow past Ferry.

Leomh punched the stone railing of the terrace. Another figure, just as tall, but thinner and leaner, approached him. Stot, his submissive follower.

"Did you hear everything?" Leomh asked.

"I heard," Stot agreed.

"That means we can't trust him ..."

"What will you do?" Stot asked.

"We need another plan. Can I trust you?"

"Until death do us part," Stot replied promptly.

"All right. Let's go then. The walls have ears everywhere in this place. "

Then they both took flight, the capes fluttering behind them like huge wings.

Ferry also left the terrace, more worried than when the party had begun. What was his role in all this conspiracy? Did he control his own life or did others control it from more or less hidden shadows?

Lost in thought, he came across Oona, who was crouched on the edge of the railing with her chin resting on her knees and the little fox cub screaming for her attention. The rain had stopped, the clouds had scattered, and the light of the star was pouring everywhere.

"Oona, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the party? " he asked.

She turned her big eyes to him and Ferry saw the sadness in them.

"It's boring," she said softly.

"What are you talking about? You were the soul of the party there, "he smiled. Whatever Oona was, she was still his friend and he didn't like to see her sad. "What happened?"

She sighed. "Nothing... I was thinking about-- Nothing... I'll get over it, don't worry about me," she forced herself to smile.

Then she took the fox cub in her arms and it nestled in her arms, its head raised towards her face, looking for her gaze. Oona kissed the fox lightly on the scalp.

"I see you kept it," Ferry said.

"I didn't keep it," she said coldly. "It just doesn't want to leave ..."

"And you're not going to keep it, after all?"

Oona shook her head slightly. "No... If I cling to it, it will become my weakness. And I don't want to have any weakness ... "

"Caring for someone is not weakness, Oona ..."

She looked at him sharply again with her deep eyes and Ferry took a step back for fear of getting lost in her eyes. "It's a weakness if others can hurt you by hurting those you care about ..." she said.

Then she walked away from him with the fox in her arms, mumbling a song. Ferry couldn't understand anything anymore...

Well, what do you think? Troubled times are coming upon Ferry... Let me know your thoughts. As always, love lots!