Lilly sat at the edge of her bed. The one she'd shared with Penny. His scent lingered in the air, like a spectral reminder that he would never again kiss her hello or goodbye. She brought her hands to her face and rested her elbows on her thighs. Golden Blonde hair curtained her periphery as tears dripped onto her jeans and stained them a dark blue. Beside her lay a thin purple scarf, wrinkled and worn. Penny had draped it over a kitchen chair in a way that made Lilly infinitely irritated with him. She'd always nagged him to put it in the laundry where it belonged, yet still, he put it over the damned chair. Now she would do anything to have him do that again.

They'd buried Elias that morning, right beside his sister, Rose. She'd discovered that they'd put a headstone for Penny, too. It must've been Elias's idea. Everyone was gone. There wasn't a single blood relative of hers left in any world, Earth, Fillory, or otherwise. Her best friend was dead because of her. Her mother was gone. Now the love of her life was in The Underworld, and Lilly, she was left behind. Lilly thought of all the people she did have. Quentin, Ava, Eliot, Dani. But despite being surrounded, she felt so utterly alone.

Everything in their cottage was just as she'd left it. A towel hung from a hook on the bathroom door, leftover from the last shower Penny had taken. A book of poetry sat on his bedside table, marked on page 138. She knew if she opened it, she'd find a stupid photo strip of them together on his birthday. He always used it as a bookmark, despite her complaints that she looked ridiculous in all of them.

Lilly's chest burned. Hot air filled up every crevice and crept up her throat. She wanted nothing more than to scratch and claw at her skin until the sensation released, and she was once again herself. Her breathing grew ragged. It was all too much. So Lilly did all she could do. She screamed.

Doors flew open with a crash, drawers shot out from her dresser and the desk, filling the room with a storm of papers and arrant clothing. Glasses shattered in the kitchen, coating the wood floors in shimmering shards. Still, she screamed, letting the agony and grief rip out of her like a hurricane. She was pure chaos, destroying everything in her wake. But Lilly didn't care. She needed relief, needed to breathe, to not care about anything other than letting her magic go free. Everything she'd trapped inside and let fester like an open wound. Her hair whipped around her in a frenzy, caught up in a cyclone of unnatural crisp wind. Wood began to splinter and crack. Her world was coming apart at the seams.

When Lilly finally ran out of air, she gasped, and it was so desperate and painful that she felt as if every bit of her had gone into that cry. All that remained was emptiness. Her throat was raw and burning, but the burning ache in her chest eased, even if only slightly. When her eyes lifted, she found herself immersed in a cloud of parchment and pure white feathers. They filtered down like snowflakes and settled upon the floor atop piles of shattered glass and splintered wood. The kitchen chairs were nothing more than firewood now, the scarf beside her was lost amid the chaos.

Lilly watched, emotionless and worn as the surrounding storm settled and the fluttering of papers silenced. It was a miracle no one had knocked down the door, and she supposed she had the soundproofing charms to thank. Part of her wanted someone to come.

Her eyes trailed over her desolation and every shattered memory that lay in the ruin of a wasted future. Pictures in broken frames, clothes that still smelled of him, books he had yet to read and now never would. Then her gaze caught on a peculiar object that she was positive she'd never seen before. It wasn't hers. She was sure of that. A tiny vintage royal blue velvet box, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, was partially covered in dust and splintered pencils that catapulted from the now overturned desk.

Lilly stood and picked her way over to it, careful to avoid broken glass. The box was soft against her palm as she turned it over to examine. She wiped at her nose with her other hand. The tears had slowed and now all that remained were soft hiccups. Her insides felt like they had been carved out like a pumpkin. Lilly hesitated before lifting the top. It was Penny's, not hers, and she felt the nagging in the back of her mind that she was somehow invading his privacy. But then she realized that she couldn't possibly do that if he was dead. It wasn't like he had a next of kin to send his belongings. She was his family. With two fingers, she lifted the top. Her hand flew to cover her mouth as she sucked in a harsh breath.

Nestled in the center of pillowed blue silk sat a ring. A plain thin gold band set with a small oval sapphire and surrounded by tiny shimmering diamonds. It was stunning. Lilly held it up to the light, pinched between two fingers. There was no doubt in her mind what it was -- an engagement ring. Lilly trembled with grief as she brought the ring to her left hand and slid the cool metal onto her finger. It fit so perfectly as if melded to her skin. He should've been the one to give it to her. To ask her to be with him in this life and the next. She would've said yes, without a second thought. He was her person, and she was his.

As she stared at the sapphire gleaming in the light, something stirred within her -- sorrow, love, and biting rage. She stood abruptly, scanning the floor for everything she would need. With the help of her magic, Lilly sifted through the wreckage of their cottage. She found her fighting leathers beneath a mountain of clothes and splintered dresser drawers. Her travel bag was packed and ready to go at a moment's notice. Gripping her bow and arrows in one hand like a lifeline, Lilly glanced down at the ring on her finger. She would do this -- for Penny.

The Clock Barrens were Just as Lilly had pictured. So long had this been a place of horror in the mind of her childhood self. But now she knew that The Watcher Woman who resided here was anything but a villain. Her grandmother may have died in this timeline, but the magic of The Clock Barrens was more powerful than death itself. Ages-old trees erupted from moss-covered earth. Their trunks were as big as small houses, and each one was inlaid with hundreds of ticking clocks of every design imaginable, from watch faces to cuckoo clocks. The ticking was nearly all-encompassing, drowning out the natural sounds of the forest with the clicking and grinding of mechanics. It would be easy to find this place intimidating, to write it off as the lair of a wicked witch intent on creating chaos. Lilly stopped in the very center, in the middle of a circle of five massive clock-filled trees. She searched amongst the forest for any sign of The Watcher Woman, but she saw nothing beyond gears and ticking hands.

"Jane?" She spun in place, calling out into the forest without care of what may hear. "It's Lilly. I need your help."

"Oh! Hello, Dear." Lilly started and whirled to find Jane a few paced behind her, smiling like it were simply an unexpected afternoon visit. A basket of various clock parts hung from the crook of her elbow. Untamed red curls were pulled into a messy bun, and she wore the all-black cloak that identified her as The Watcher Woman. "You'll have to excuse me, but which version of you am I speaking with?" Jane's head tilted to the side as her coffee-colored eyes raked up and down Lilly's body for any sign of which variation of her this was.

"Uh," Lilly hesitated, trying to think of how exactly to identify herself. "Timeline 40?" Jane gestured for her to continue. "We just defeated Reynard and Alice's Niffin." Jane's eyes sparkled with recognition, and her grin grew.

"Ah, yes." She waved a hand in dismissal. "Sorry about that. Sometimes you show up completely out of order, and it all just gets a little topsy-turvy, timey wimey. It is always lovely to see you, Darling. Come, sit." With a flourish, Jane conjured up a tree stump with two small stools. Atop it was a dainty English tea set with a steaming pot ready to pour. Lilly followed her grandmother towards it and settled down in one of the seats. Jane set down her basket and swept up the skirt of her cloak to tuck it beneath her as she sat. She began pouring them each a piping cup of tea with trained eloquence. "Sugar?" Lilly shook her head at the offered cubes, and Jane proceeded to plop two into her own cup. Jane then settled her hands into her lap and looked at Lilly with her usual knowing smile. "Now, I suppose you're here about Penny?" Lilly dropped her gaze to the pink-tinted tea in her cup. It smelled sweet and somewhat like berries. She twiddled with the delicately curved handle, tapping her nails lightly against the ceramic.

"I want you to send me back in time. Back to before he died." Jane gave her a wan smile, eyes softening with sympathy. She took a sip of her tea and set it down with a clink.

"My existence and my power is limited to the space between time. Specifically, The Clock Barrens. I cannot affect the universe outside it. I'm afraid I cannot help you, even if I thought it wise to do so." Jane brushed a stray curl from her face and shifted in her seat.

"Then you can tell me how to find someone who can. You can't be the only being who can manipulate time."

"No, not even close." Jane looked like she had hoped Lilly would take her word and give up. But she was her granddaughter, after all. "I'm sure you've heard of the butterfly effect? One event rolls into another, and so on. Messing with time is like a game of Jenga. You knock the wrong brick astray, and the whole thing collapses." It was a peculiar metaphor to hear from a time witch, but it made sense at least. Lilly's raised a brow, frustration blooming in her chest.

"You created a loop, and you're trying to tell me not to mess with time?"

"I'm telling you," Jane leaned forward and reached across the tree stump to take her hand. "That time is fragile. It takes decades of training to master its manipulation. What you want to do is not as simple as telling Penny not to go to the Poison Room. You could end up reversing everything you've achieved. The Beast could end up killing every single one of you. Reynard could destroy Persephone and doom the world."

"I can't lose him." Lilly swallowed hard. Her eyes pleaded with Jane to understand. "I know that you would've done the same for Elias. There is a way to make it alright, to fix everything. Some combination of events has to end with everyone alive, and The Beast and Reynard defeated. I don't care if I spend my whole life figuring it out. I just need to save him." Jane sat back, observing Lilly in a way that felt very much like a teacher to her student. Lilly was reminded of a time when that had been the entirety of their relationship.

"I cannot do what you ask of me." Lilly deflated and slumped in her seat. "But I can teach you." Jane's words made Lilly sit up straight, her eyes darting up to meet Jane's.

"Please, just tell me how." The desperation in her tone was pitiful.

"You already have the key." Jane nodded towards her. "Quite literally. Around your neck." Lilly's hand flew up to grasp the clock necklace that always rested against her chest.

"What?" Jane chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. She took another sip of tea. Lilly's remained untouched.

"Have you ever heard of The Tale of the Seven Keys?" Jane asked.

"It's a Fillorian children's tale." Fen had shown it to her when collecting stories to read to her future daughter. It was a very popular story in Fillory. Though, it had never been mentioned in Fillory and Further.

"No, it's more of an instruction manual. That is if you have the original copy. The Seven Keys were scattered across worlds, each one holding a different power. One of which can manipulate time."

"You're telling me that this is a golden key?" Lilly tilted her chin down to examine the clock face inlaid in a worn old key. It certainly didn't look like anything described in the story.

"Ember gifted it to me as a girl. It is where the majority of my time magic comes from. It is what keeps The Clock Barrens alive." Jane reached into the front of her shirt and pulled out the same clock necklace. "When I died in your timeline, I left it to you. But it seems it's gone unused."

"You didn't tell me it was a Golden Key!" Lilly protested when she saw Jane's disappointment.

"Yes, I suppose in retrospect, that might have helped a bit." Jane shrugged, holding her teacup with both hands. "It's really not your fault. I did put quite a strong cloaking spell on it. Jane reached across their makeshift table and swirled her fingers out and back into a fist. The necklace shimmered and rippled. The clock face began to melt like hot metal but disappeared entirely before it hit the ground. Rusted metal brightened to bright unmarred gold. When the Illusion had slipped away, Lilly held a perfect key, the handle rounded with a triangle in the center replacing the clock.

"All this time it's been right under my nose," Lilly whispered, her eyes wide with awe.

"It will take training to master it. You will need to explore every possible outcome before going back to change things." Lilly hesitated. She was Bloodreigna now. Her people were looking to her, and she couldn't abandon them. "Every moment, every timeline, exists at once in The Clock Barrens. You can stay however long you need to, and when you leave, not a moment will have passed in your world. You won't have aged a day."

"I need to do this." She set her jaw, her eyes piercing and determined. Jane observed her for a moment, then sighed in defeat.