Jasper's utter joy at seeing Myra again-at having her Name-was only matched by his growing dread at meeting two particular people in the camp. Specifically, his aunt and Myra's daughter. He wasn't sure who he was afraid of more and as he was introduced to Kestra by her mother, he felt suddenly tempted to run.

It felt extremely strange talking to the daughter of his girlfriend when that daughter happened to be only five years his junior.

"For the last time, Jasper, it isn't weird. As soon as you reach eighteen, age gets really fluid. Besides, I told you, I'm twenty in all but actual age. I feel twenty, I look twenty, I am twenty. Me being with you is totally normal compared to some of the age gaps you see. One of the elves is married to someone who has centuries on them, which is the equivalent of a decade for us." Jasper gaped at her. "Look, trust me. It's only weird if you make it weird."

"It's already weird."

"Jasper, you're immortal now. And nothing in the world makes me happier than that. I was always terrified of the moment you and Nala would grow old and die. But you need to understand a little more about the immortal world. It's not weird. That is your mantra now, okay? It's not weird. Now go and meet my daughter."

"Do I have to?" He whined.

"Yes. Don't worry. She doesn't bite. Much."
————————————————
"So you're the one," Kestra said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes," Jasper squeaked.

"I expected him to be taller." She said, then directed her full gaze on Jasper. "When are you going to marry her?" He choked.

"I would have planned my wedding to your mother already if I thought she'd say yes." He said as honestly as he could.

"Hmpf," Kestra replied, then turned to Myra. "Well?" Now it was Myra's turn to choke.

"We're both quite young," Myra stammered. "And it's the middle of a war and I don't think a wedding in a cave or on a battlefield is-"

"I would marry you in a mosquito-infested swamp with five seconds to the end of the world." Jasper blurted. Kestra narrowed her eyes at him.

"You have my permission to continue dating her. Continue, mother."

"We're both very young and it's not the best time," Myra finished weakly.

"So you don't want to marry him," Kestra smirked.

"No. I mean not yet. I—um—I've only known him for a total of a few months and we haven't seen each for five years, I—"

"I think what Myra's trying to say is that it's not the right time and there's no rush." Jasper said quickly. Kestra narrowed her eyes at them again.

"That went both better and worse than I expected." Myra reflected after they'd escaped. "Better because she seemed to like you and worse because of all her questions."

"She is terrifying," Jasper agreed. "Absolutely terrifying."

"About people you've been avoiding—" Myra began.

"No," Jasper groaned.

"You cannot ignore your aunt forever." Myra said, folding her arms.

"Watch me," Jasper replied.

"Jasper—" Myra began.

"She's the one who's been ignoring me for five years." Jasper protested.

"You'll regret it if you don't talk to her. When we all thought we were about to die, she regretted not talking to you."

"Did she actually say that?" Jasper asked hopefully. Myra waved a hand dismissively.

"It doesn't matter. I could see it in her eyes."

"Oh," he said, disappointed.

"Go and see her, Jasper." Myra commanded.

"Fine," he grumbled.

————————————————

It took him half an hour to find his aunt and once he had he wished he'd never found her. Seeing her again took him straight back to his childhood and the moment he'd been running for years. The moment he'd betrayed everything he believed in. Jasper was stronger now. He was better than the person he had been. He'd risked death a thousand times and willingly entered the snake pit of Medea's court to protect Myra. His days of cowardice were over and he would never return to them.

But the moment he saw Nala he felt like a little boy again, remembering the moment that his uncle had told him that the aunt who had raised him was dead. He was flung through the memories of finding her again, first in the forest where the Kallians had attacked and his life had been torn apart and then on the battlefield as the valkyries lay siege to Cobalt. He was suddenly back in her room in the governor's palace, telling her the painful truth of his betrayal, of his weakness. In an instant he saw her face, filled with hate and anger as she ordered him out.

All the memories rushed back to him in a sudden and painful flash until he couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Could only watch as she noticed him and her face filled with a thousand confused and opposing emotions.

"Lysandra told me to give this to you," he said weakly, handing her the elixir. It was a coward's first words and he would one day regret that they were to be what he said to her for the first time in years but he could think of nothing else.

"The elixir," Nala muttered. "Why?" He almost laughed. The very same question that he had asked the princes.

"She said that she couldn't imagine a worse fate than watching you grow old while she stayed young."

"If you see her again before I do, tell her thank you." Nala said. An awkward silence descended.

"I'm sorry," he blurted at the same time as she said:

"I'm really sorry, Jasper."

"What do you have to be sorry about?" He asked, bewildered.

"I blocked you out. I didn't talk to you and when everything was falling apart, I regretted it so much. I shouldn't have avoided you. We needed to talk, to....sort through everything. So let's talk now. How do you feel right now?"

"I feel like I've waited forever to talk to you and now I'm here I don't know to say. The moment I see you I'm a little kid again, uncertain and lost and confused. I feel terrible about everything that happened seven years ago and I've been running from it forever. I really, really want to talk to you but at the same time I'm absolutely terrified and I want to run away and never talk to you again." He took a deep, shaky breath.

"I feel like I've done everything I can and delivered one hundred thousand soldiers to the waiting hands of MindWeavers and I'm still unworthy and a coward and not worth the dirt you and Myra walk on. And..." he stopped, unsure of whether he should say the words. But his aunt had asked for the truth and he would give it. "And I'm angry. At you. For running from this for five years. For leaving me when I was thirteen and not trying to come back when you could have managed. For never keeping tabs on us when I know you could have. A part of me blames you for his death and that's wrong and messed-up and most hypocritical thing ever, but I do. And I was so, so angry at you for getting yourself trapped behind a line of Kallian soldiers without ever having this conversation with me. I'm angry at you for leaving the valkyries, leaving me when everything fell apart in Crimsith. I'm angry because you left without a word to me, your nephew. And I know it's terrible and wrong but that's how I feel." Nala didn't blink at anything he said. She just listened. "How do you feel?" He asked.

"I feel angry, too. I'm still angry for what you did seven years ago and for the next two years after that. I'm so angry about everything you betrayed, everything you did. You're the reason that my husband is dead, that my friends were murdered. But I also I'm glad that it happened because otherwise you would be dead. And I shouldn't be glad and I think if I could go back in time and choose who to save I'd choose the others. And the thought breaks me every time. I'm more angry you kept serving Medea afterwards than I am about what happened to my husband and everyone else. I'm angry that you might have kept going, kept killing the people you were meant to protect if it wasn't for a miracle that day in the forest. But I also think you've grown. I think you were fifteen then, and just a child. I think that you've become a better man since. A man that I can be proud of. I think you went into Medea's court for the girl you loved and that was brave. I think you spent five years there to earn us a chance at freedom and that was brave, too. I think you're a better person now, and I think you are that person because of Myra Isidore.

"I think you were just a child and I should forgive you. But I'm not sure I'm ready to yet. I feel absolutely terrible about leaving you and your father and I know his death was also a bit of my fault, too, for running away rather than protecting him.

"I don't know if I forgive you yet, Jasper. I don't know if I ever will. But I do know that when I thought I was about to die without ever seeing you again I regretted not talking to you about this, not rebuilding our relationship. So I guess what I'm saying is—" she held a hand to him "—maybe we can muddle through this together?" He took her hand.

"I would like nothing more," he replied.