Will opened his eyes. He didn’t want to move. He felt so relaxed and warm. He wanted to snuggle back into the covers and let his body sleep a bit longer. But a pillow bashed him over the head. He moaned pitifully and huddled under the covers hoping Tella would go away. Why was she messing with him anyway? He thought angrily and gripped the covers vengefully. The pillow pounded down on his head again. Growling softly Will decided to stop her. Will could hear her standing beside the bed, behind him, readying the pillow once more. Choosing just the right moment Will turned around, jumped up and grabbed her, forcing her down on the bed and grabbing the pillow away from her.

“Ha, did you think you cou---” Will broke off and gasped in surprise to see Avery staring back at him.

“O-Ohh…” Will squeaked in embarrassment. Tella meanwhile had been awakened by the noise and movement. She sat up and stared.

“Jeez, at least use another bed you two.” She said. Will blushed deep crimson as he rolled off of Avery, stuttering a hundred apologies.

“No, no…” Avery said, pulling himself up and coughing, a bit embarrassed himself. “It was my fault. I’m sorry. I saw you both in the bed and deiced to have some fun hitting you with pillows.”

“I-I thought, h-he was you…” Will tried to explain to Tella.

“Huh, I might not have slept next to you, if I knew you had such designs on me…” Tella said.

“N-No…Aaaaah…” Will gave up and slumped down on the floor.

 

 

As the morning grew older, Will felt a heaviness on him, growing stronger by the minute. He signed, looking down at his breakfast. Slowly, he rose, and left the dinning hall. He knew what he had to do.

“Will?” it was Tella. Will cursed under his breath, knowing what was coming.

“Yes?” he asked, trying to pretend everything was normal. Tella frowned at him.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“N-Nowhere…” Will lied. Tella’s frown deepened.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” she asked. “You’re going to find Fairien’s Sacred Realm.”

“… I have to go.” Will said. “Now I know that for certain… The Sword isn’t dormant anymore… I can feel it inside of me…” he shivered. “I need to talk to Fairien and see what’s going on.”

“Okay.” Tella said. “But I’m going with you.”

“No… Tella…” Will sighed. How could he make this clear to her?

“Will, I’m going and there isn’t anything you can say that will-”

“Tella, who do you think that assassin was trying to kill last night? You survived by luck! You can’t leave the only place that you are safe-”

“But I’m not safe here! You saw that last night!”

“You’re much safer here than anywhere else, especially out in the open countryside where anything could happen.” Will argued.

“You’re wrong.” Tella said defiantly.

“Look-”

“No, you are wrong! You said I survived last night by luck, but that’s not it. I survived last night because you were there.” She said. Will glared at her, trying to find something to say.

“You think I can protect you? I can’t even protect myself.” Will said. Tella scowled.

“I’m not asking you to protect me!” she fumed. Will sighed, rubbing his head.

“Tella, your place is with your people.” He said.

“My people hate me.” Tella said bitterly. Will looked up at her. She had turned her eyes away from him.

“They do not.” He said.

“Yes they do Will! Maloom couldn’t have gotten half the power he has now if the people didn’t hate me. It’s true.” Will was silent a moment, then shook his head.

“That’s not true. There are lots of people out there that approve of you, they just don’t speak up, whether it’s because they don’t bother to, or because they don’t want trouble from the radical groups… But believe me, I’ve been out there for the past year Tella… Most people think these radical groups are crazy.”

“… Really?” Tella asked. Will nodded. They stood in silence a moment then Tella sighed.

“Alright.” She said. “I’ll stay. Mind you, I’m not happy about it…” Will smiled.

“Thank you Tella.” He said. Tella smiled weakly.

“Good luck.” She said. “And say hello to Fairien for me.” She shrugged, “I guess I’ll see you later…” and with that, she drifted off. Will smiled, pleased that he had found a peaceable way of settling this. As he began to walk off a voice called out to him.

“That was a very responsible thing to do.” Avery said, standing in the doorway of one of the halls. Will turned to him. “I’m… impressed.” Avery finished. Will laughed lightly.

“Really? Are you going to revise your opinion of me then?” he asked. Avery blinked and tilted his head.

“Perhaps a little.” He said. “However, you still have much to learn. You are very naïve.” Will frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Avery laughed.

“Follow me.” He said and turned, going into the hall. Will scowled, and followed.

“Do you really think that Tella will stay behind?” Avery asked as they entered a small room.

“W-Well… I… mean she said-”

“Really…” Avery shook his head. “You are naïve.” He picked up a box and opened it. Inside was a small clear object, with a point at the end. To Will, it looked like the stinger of a bee.

“That’s Arean.” He said quietly. Avery nodded.

“Areans call this a syringe. It is filled with a drug that will cause the person injected with it to fall asleep for at least two days.” Will frowned. Avery continued. “I want you to take this with you when you leave.”

“… For Tella?” he asked quietly. Avery nodded.

“At least you catch on quickly. Yes. If Tella follows you, I want you to inject her with this, and bring her back to the castle. I will set guards around Tella, but I doubt that will stop her.” Will looked down at the syringe, not sure what to think.

“It’s for her own good.” Avery said. Will slowly nodded and took the syringe.

“I know.” He said.

 

 

Will left that afternoon. He had been given a horse and a bag of supplies that would last him the journey to Northern Betamy. The weather was good for a journey, calm and cool. He mounted the dark chestnut horse carefully, pulling himself up into the saddle. The horse flicked its ear at him, but did nothing else. Will was glad. He had been told this horse had been well trained, but he was still nervous. He knew enough about horses to ride them, but if they were to get unruly, Will didn’t know what he would do.

He had ridden a good half-mile from the castle, and was feeling confident that he wasn’t being followed, when he heard a sound behind him in the distance. He shifted uneasily in the saddle, hoping it was just an animal in the underbrush… but that wasn’t the case. Will shook his head, hearing the unmistakable sound of muffled hoof beats. So Tella had not only overcome her guards, she had also managed to get a horse. Sometimes Will had to marvel at her.

“Alright Tella, come up here.” He called. The trotting sound grew stronger and predictably, as Will looked back, Tella emerged form around the corner.

“Hello.” She said cheerfully.

“Tella…” Will groaned. “I thought you said you weren’t going to try and come.” Tella shrugged.

“I lied.” She said.

“Well you shouldn’t have!” Will said. “You’re in danger as we speak.” Tella sighed, rolling her eyes.

“You sound like Avery.” She complained. “Come on Will, nothing’s going to happen!” she pulled her horse up close to Will’s and gazed at him. Will looked down, unwilling to meet her eyes. Tella frowned.

“What?” she asked, leaning closer to him.

“Tella…” he murmured quietly, pulling his eyes up to meet hers. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” Tella paused a moment, then reached over and touched his shoulder.

“I won’t. I promise you.” She said. “You know I’m powerful. I’ve got my staff. I’ll be fine.” She smiled, “I remember trying to get you to stay behind on our journey, because I believed you were defenseless and that you would be killed… won’t you do me the same favor and let me come?” she asked. Will blinked, watching her a moment, then reached out for her, pulling Tella into a hug. Tella inhaled in surprise, but let herself be hugged.

Odd… She thought. I don’t think Will’s ever hugged me before… But before she could finish the thought there was a sharp pain in her side. Tella jerked back, crying out in surprise, thinking some kind of insect had stung her… But as she looked up she saw a deep regret in Will’s eyes, and looked down to see that he had stabbed her with an Arean syringe and was just squeezing the last of the liquid out of the syringe and into her. She looked back at him in disbelief.

“Will?” she murmured.

“I’m sorry. I really am Tella.” He said quietly. “I didn’t want to have to do this.” Will pulled the syringe out of her and put it back in its case. Tella blinked, not understanding for a few moments.

“You’re going to take me back… Aren’t you?” she asked. Will nodded. Tella felt the world spin in front of her eyes, as her body grew weaker and weaker. She slumped forward gently and Will caught her, holding her up.

“I’m sorry.” He said again. Tella felt tears forming in her eyes. It was just like just like…

“You’re going to leave me… Just like Fairien did…” she said as the world darkened. “Just like Fairien did…” and she closed her eyes, loosing consciousness.

 

                Will looked down at Tella’s still body, his eyes wide.  He paused, now unsure of what to do. He knew what he should do… That was easy enough but… Slowly and numbly he pulled Tella onto his own horse, positioning her in front of him, then he took the reins.

                “Yah.” Will said shaking the reins. The horse looked at him reproachfully, but obeyed, moving forward down the path, leaving the other horse behind.

 

 

Tella felt warm. She frowned in her sleep as she slowly moved toward waking up. She was laying on something hard. She groaned slightly and moved, opening her eyes. There was a fire in front of her- that explained the warmth. Looking down, she realized she had been sleeping on the ground, though someone had put a blanket under her. She blinked, trying to remember falling asleep and couldn’t.

“Hey.” came Will’s voice. Tella groggily turned and saw him, sitting near the fire, looking over at her.

“Hey.” She said. Slowly her memory was coming back. She frowned.

“Where are we?” she asked sitting up. “How long have I slept? Why aren’t we at the castle?” her stomach growled. “And is there any food?” Will laughed.

“Yes.” He pulled a loaf of bread out of his bag and handed it to her. Tella tore into it ravenously.

“I guess I’ll start answering your questions…” Will said. Tella nodded vigorously. Will shifted his eyes away and started,

“We aren’t at the castle because I was too much of a fool to take you back, so instead I took you with me.”

“Really?” Tella asked.

“Well, if you don’t believe me, take a look around.” Will said flatly. Tella smiled.

“So where are we?” she asked again. Will sighed.

“We’re in Northern Betamy, near the town of Cedar.” He said. Tella’s eyes widened.

“Already?!” she cried.

“What do you mean, already? You were asleep for five days!”

“You hauled me all the way to Cedar?” Tella asked. “And I slept for five days? Jeez! How much of that stuff did you give me?”

“I don’t know... The whole thing I guess.” Will said scowling. “Avery said it was only suppose to make you sleep for a day or two, not five.”

“So you got it from Avery eh? I thought so.” She said and stood up, stretching her legs. “So, are we near the Sacred Realm?” Will shrugged.

“I think so.” He looked off in the distance. “It feels like it ought to be around here… but…” he sighed. “I don’t know for sure. Ever since Fairien left I can’t sense anything anymore… Although, I can feel the sword inside me more and more everyday… but to be honest, I don’t know if that has anything to do with getting nearer the Sacred Realm.”

“Aaaah…” Tella sighed, bending her back, stretching. Noticing Will looking at her she smiled. “You have no idea how good this feels.”

“Were you listening at all?” he asked.

“Vaguely. So we’re getting closer eh? Good.” She said.

“I’m glad you woke up… I was starting to wonder.” Will said. “I wanted you awake before we enter the Realm… that is if we can find it.”

“Oh, we’ll find it.” Tella said.

“How can you be so sure?” Will asked gloomily. Tella shrugged and sat down.

“I’m tired.” She announced. “I’m going to sleep.”

“How can you be tired? You’ve done nothing but sleep for five days!”

“And that is very tiring. Good night Will.” Tella said, lying down. Will shook his head slightly.

“Good night Tella.”

 

 

There were bugs. Everywhere.

“Ahhhh!” Will shouted in frustration, “I hate bugs!!!” he swatted the air angrily, trying to fight his way through a swarm of mosquitoes. Tella sighed, pushing her way past a large leafy plant. They had had to leave their horse in Cedar, the nearest town, and continue on into the dense jungle on foot. Now they were navigating through a slightly swampy area, which was infested with mosquitoes.

“Well, at least we know we’re getting close to Iyokia.” Tella said, “I’ve heard they have mosquitoes the size of chipmunks in the deeper jungles of the east.” Will nodded wearily.

“I’ve never been. Never wanted to go there.” He said.

“Does Fairien’s Realm have bugs in it?” Tella asked. Will shrugged.

“I didn’t see any.” He said. “Maybe Fairien keeps them out.”

“I hope we get there soon.” Tella said. She paused a moment and looked over at Will, who was at the moment examining the bites he had received so far. “… Do you feel anything?” she asked.

“Well, they sting, but it’s not so bad…” Will said glancing at his arms.

“No, I mean do you feel like we’re near the realm?” she asked. Will frowned momentarily then shrugged.

“Can’t say that I do, but that doesn’t mean anything…” he said. Tella frowned looking down at the ground as she stepped through the woods.

“Hey, Tella, let’s try and get over there,” Will said pointing, “It seems like higher ground. Maybe the bugs won’t be so bad.” Tella nodded, as they slowly fought their way up the hill, pausing to catch their breath at the top.

“It’s funny really…” Will said looking over the ground they had just come from. “I think if we go much farther…” he trailed off frowning. Tella looked over at him.

“What?” she asked after a moment. Will blinked, trying to clear his eyes. Had he just see what he thought he saw? For a moment there, the air in front of his face had shifted, as though a wind had blown  through the trees, moving them, yet he had felt no wind.

“Will?” Tella asked.

“Just a minute…” Will said looking around. “Something is odd here… I’m not…” he jumped, seeing it again, more clearly this time as he turned, facing away from the swamp. He was looking at a grove of trees with little underbrush around them. The air was shifting again, seeming to pull at him now. Will frowned, not sure what to make of this.

                “Tella, look where I’m looking and tell me what you see.” Will said quietly. Tella gazed past him, uneasily.

                “Trees.” She said. “Trees, just like the ones we’ve been seeing all along… Will, what is it? Do you see something different?” Will tried not to blink. It seemed with every movement he made the air rippled away from him and distorted his view. Also, he noticed a distinct increase in the feeling inside his chest. It had been getting more and more noticeable, but now it was burning.

                “Tella, come here.” He said. “I’m going to try and move us in, but I don’t know if it will accept you.”

                “What are you talking about? Do you see the Realm?” Tella asked.

                “I think so.” Will said.

                “You think it won’t accept me?” Tella asked wide-eyed.

                “I’m not sure… Come here.” He said again. Tella moved closer to him. Will moved slowly, not taking his eyes off the grove before him. He looped his arms around Tella and angled himself forward, so that he would enter first. Tella looked a little uneasy as they slowly moved forward. She had an odd feeling, almost like being watched, but it was like being watched by something, not someone. They stepped forward together. Will inhaled in surprise, feeling a suddenly sensation rush up his arm as he touched the place where the air rippled. His steps grew easier after that. It was like… being in a river, and feeling the current pull at you. He felt Tella shiver and wondered what she was making of this.

                “Why is the air so thick?” Tella said, breathing heavily. Will looked down at her in surprise.

                “Thick?” he said. Tella nodded slowly, her eyes wide.

                “It’s hard to move, to keep up with you.” She said. Will frowned and tightened his grip on her, pulling her by the shoulders. He gasped, indeed, feeling a resistance. The current seemed to be against her.

                “Is it going to let me in?” Tella asked.

                “Yes.” Will said, pulling harder. She was hardly moving now. Will closed his eyes and tried to feel the powers around him, but he could feel nothing. How he wished he still had all the senses he had had while Fairien was with him!

                “Will, it’s hard to breath.” Tella said quietly. He opened his eyes and saw with dread Tella on the brink of panic.

                “You’re almost through.” He said. “Don’t worry.” As he said it a wispy impression enter his mind. Will blinked, feeling it examine him, moving from his mind into his chest. He shivered.

                Let us in… he said quietly in his mind. Fairien, it’s me… It’s me and Tella… the sensation seemed to pause in his chest, then slowly it exited him, leaving him with the distinct impression of acceptance. He felt Tella gasp for breath and step suddenly forward.

                “That was so weird.” She said, almost excitedly. Will blinked a few times, then grinned.

                “Yeah. I guess we made it past security.” He said. Tella smiled, then looked past Will.

                “Wooow….” She said, seeing the grove of trees. “Those aren’t the trees I saw.” Will nodded, turning. Tella stepped forward, almost shyly, looking at the trees, pausing.

                “This place… is so different feeling…” she said quietly. Will nodded, joining her.

                “Fairien told me once, that the sacred realms are reflections of their deepest souls.” Tella nodded. Will then began to walk away.

                “Come on, if we go this way, we can see more of the realm.” He said. Tella nodded uneasily and began to follow. It all well and good for Will, who seemed not to mind walking around here, but Tella felt odd, like an invader, intruding on something she ought not to see.

“Fairien said he had a strong hold here, which I’m assuming is some kind of castle, or building, where he lives… We can start there.” Will said, walking along paths that seemed to be carved into the very being of this place. Tella frowned.

“Don’t you think he knows we’re here?” she asked. “Why didn’t he come meet us?” Will didn’t answer right away.

“Probably he’s messing with us.” Will laughed. “Wants us to see this place and then come up on his strong hold and be impressed by it.” Tella frowned in annoyance.

“Do you know where this strong hold is?” she asked.

“Yeah. It’s up here, just a little farther.” Will said.

“Have you been there?” Tella asked. Will paused, then shook his head casually.

“Nope.’” He said.

“Then how do you know where it is?” Tella asked. Will shrugged.

“This place is like Fairien. So the strong hold is up here.” He said. It made perfect sense in his head, but Tella stared at him, uncomprehendingly and finally gave up.

They were walking up the side of a hill now. Will blinked, then smiled, rushing up the hill.

“Tella! Look up here! Look where we are!” he shouted from the top of the hill. Tella ran to catch up and as soon as she reached the top she gasped, looking down. They were overlooking the ocean, stretching away from them on either side. The air was clearer up here, a strong ocean breeze moving past them. Tella sighed, closing her eyes. The air had been hot and stifling in the swamp.

“Heh, come on. I bet Fairien’s waiting on us.” Will said stepping away from the drop. Tella nodded, then turned to follow Will when she stopped.

“Will! Look!” she shouted, pointing past them off into the trees. Will spun around, and gasped, confused. There were white flashes, mist like, moving through the trees.

“What is that?” he asked.

“I-I don’t know!” Tella said.

“Let’s see.” Will ran forward, hoping not to miss whatever this was. “Come on!” he called to Tella, hearing her footsteps following him reluctantly. As they drew nearer Will could make out flashes of a form. It seemed to be walking through the woods, head down in concentration.

“F-Fairien?” Tella gasped, recognizing the form. Fairien did not turn to acknowledge them, but kept walking, his body misty and transparent, like a projected picture.

“This is…” Will frowned. He had a theory, but wasn’t sure yet. They followed Fairien a short distance, then saw him stop and stare forward in shock and begin to speak to something.

“What’s he-?” Tella began but was cut off with a gesture from Will. Fairien’s back straitened as he stepped back, suddenly fearful of whatever stood before him. Will saw him scream and then… Fade away into nothingness. He and Tella were alone again with the trees.

“W-Will?” Tella asked, looking at him. “What’s going on?”

“I… I think this is a memory.” Will said, giving his theory. “A memory of the Realm… It wanted us to see this… Oh!” Will stared forward, suddenly realizing something.

“What?” Tella asked uneasily.

“I just figured it out… What that thing was that came from the sword! That… emotion. This is what produced it! Whatever happened in this memory to Fairien… It was the same emotion that I got from the sword… he must have sent it to me… Perhaps even unknowingly.” Will shook his head.

“Come on!” He shouted, breaking into a run.

“What? Where are we going?!” Tella shouted, struggling to keep up with him. Will ran up the hill and past another grove of trees before he finally came to the place he sought. It stood before them, magnificently. Will would have expected no less. The strong hold was a two-story building. It seemed to have been a castle at one point, but had more recently been made into a much cozier place, with a wooden porch build on the front and glass windows. Will’s heart was pounding from the running, but he only paused a moment to take the place in, before bolting through the front door. He stopped, just inside and stared around him.

“Fairien!” he shouted, “Fairien!”

“He’s not here.” Tella said quietly from behind him. Will jumped at her voice, having not heard her come up behind him.

“I… know.” Will said quietly.

“What do you think happened?” Tella asked, looking around. The strong hold truly was a comfortable looking place. The floors were thickly carpeted and the furniture was soft and well designed, Tella noticed, looking into one of the side sitting rooms. Before them stood a magnificent winding staircase which led up to the second story. The rooms were lit with soft light from lamps, which hung from the ceiling or sat on tables. The place looked very lived in. Will could have well imagined Fairien walking out from around the corner at any minute. He shivered.

“This is strange.”

“Well, I imagine this place is kept like this by the magic of the Realm…” Tella mused.

“No, I mean…” Will trailed off. “Do… you think he was attacked?”

“It looked like it.” Tella said.

“But who would attack Fairien? Or who could?” Will asked.

“Minerva?” Tella ventured. Will scowled.

“I told you! Minerva is okay. She wouldn’t do this anyway. It’s not her style.”

“I guess.” Tella said, unconvincingly.

“But Fairien isn’t dead… I don’t think…” Will continued. “No, he couldn’t be!” he tried to reassure himself. Tella frowned, sympathetically. 

“Maybe we should contact the other deities. Azrael especially.” She said. “He’ll know what’s going on.” Will nodded vigorously.

“Yes! That’s what we’ll do…” he paused, “Eh… Exactly how do we do that? We can’t summon either one. We would need Hailian royalty and uh… Iyokian Royalty or Arean something to get Minerva…”

“You don’t happen to have any Royal Blood in you, do you?” Tella asked. Will shook his head.

“I doubt it.” He said. 

“Well… Maybe we could find something here that could contact them.” Tella said. Will looked doubtful, but nodded.

He hadn’t realized it before, but now thought it was very odd that when the sword had emerged from him and created that huge burst of power, and yet neither Azrael nor Minerva had come to see what had happened. They had both been very concerned about the safety of the sword, by allowing it to exist within a mortal, but Fairien had reassured them that it was safe. Yet, when that safety failed… They hadn’t come. Will shivered, wondering if the same fate had befallen them that had befallen Fairien. He suddenly felt very alone.

They spent the afternoon searching the strong hold, finding nothing, although, they did discover the building had a sense of humor and would hide doors from them sometimes. It was almost getting unbearable, until Tella finally got fed up and started kicking the walls. The building then grudgingly restored the doors and gave them no more trouble, but Will got the distinct impression that the building thought they were spoil sports.

“I give up!” Tella shouted, flouncing down into one of the soft chairs. It was the kind of chair that could swallow you, but to Tella it was more of a comfy little nest. Will sat down across from her in a slightly more solid chair and gazed despairingly at the floor. He sighed.

“I’m going to go watch my hands in that sink fountain thing we saw in the kitchen.” Will said. “Maybe the water will be good to drink out of it.” He rose and walked away. He didn’t want to look so completely hopeless in front of Tella, but it was getting harder ad harder. He didn’t know what they would do now. He didn’t want to leave the Realm and risk Tella being killed, but they couldn’t stay here forever. He walked into the kitchen and discovered that food had been placed on the counter. It looked delicious. There were hot steamy pies, filled with meat and potatoes, by the smell of them, and cool creams in shallow dishes with vegetables piles around the borders. Will smiled at the hospitality of this place.

“Thank you.” He said quietly. As good as it all looked, Will didn’t feel especially hungry. He was tired, both physically and mentally.

“Hey, Tella, there’s food in here.” He called. He heard the chair shift and Tella’s head popped up.

“Food? Really?” she said, hopping out of the chair and joining him in the kitchen. “Oh, wow…” she said, catching sight of the food. Will reached for a glass and went to the sink. It was almost more of a fountain, the way it looked. Water poured from an elaborate spigot into a shallow pool of water. Will wondered how you would ever wash dishes in that thing, but then realized that in this place you didn’t have to wash the dishes.

On second thought, maybe they could stay here forever…

He held his glass under the water and filled it, while Tella cut herself slices of the pies.

“You have to try these Will.” she said tasting one. “I swear, if Avery were here he would kill himself from envy. And there’s so many! Come on, I can’t eat all this myself, well, I shouldn’t eat all this myself…” Will laughed and took a sip of his water.

“Maybe I’ll have a little.” He said. “But I’m not really hungry.” Tella looked disappointed but only for a moment. She shrugged and piled her plate higher.

“Your loss.” She said.

 

Tella ended up eating most of it, and then discovered there was dessert and had to turn it down from being so full. She looked most mournful, especially as she eyed a cherry cobbler with remorse. Will laughed at her and went to go sit back down in the living room.

“Don’t worry. We don’t know how long we’re staying, you may get another chance at it.” Will reassured her. Tella brightened up considerably after hearing this. She then curled up, back in her chair and pulled a blanket over her. There were bedrooms, but Tella and Will had silently agreed to stay together. Neither one felt like being alone in this place.

Will was eyeing a couch and finally settled in it. As the room darkened a fire began slowly to burn in the fireplace and soon was flickering lively, providing most of the light, since the laps had dimmed themselves. The room was warm and cozy and Will finally felt a little more peaceful.

“This place is heaven.” Tella said quietly.

“It is nice.” Will said. He was about to say, I just wish Fairien were here, but stopped himself. No use in bringing that up. Instead he changed the subject.

“Avery told me about the queen.” Will said, “That she was a nice person. Even got him hired.” Tella nodded slowly, wondering why Will was bringing this up.

“Yes. That’s true.” She said. “My mother was always open minded.”

“It must have been nice to have someone like her to look up to while you were growing up.” Will said quietly. Tella scowled.

“I was in Area most of my life. I barely knew her.” Tella said.

“O-Oh…” Will trailed off, realizing that maybe he shouldn’t have brought this up. He had been trying to preserve the peace of this room! “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” Will said.

“No, I don’t care. I’m glad you have a good impression of my mother. I do.” She said. “As for my father, he died right after Terlini was born, so I hardly even remember him.”

“I see.” Will said. There was a short silence before Tella asked,

“Well what about you? What happened to your parents?”

“Ah,” Will frowned looking down. He really didn’t want to talk about it, but he had asked Tella about her parents, so it was only fair. “My mother raised me, until I was about four… Then Iyokia fell and she died that winter of some kind of sickness… My father, he took off right after I was born. I don’t know if he’s still alive or not.”

“… Maybe you could find him?” Tella asked. Will shook his head.

“If half the things I’ve over heard about him are true I don’t want anything to do with him. He’s probably dead anyway, or lying in some ally drunk.” Will shook his head, “No, my family was Uncle. He took me in after my mother died and gave me a life of happiness. I’ll always be thankful to him for that.” Tella smiled lightly.

“That’s good.” She said. “I suppose the first person that made my life happy was Fairien.” She reflected.

“Ah.” Will said. Tella tried to hide a grin.

“He was a wonderful kisser.” She said. Will thought this over. Fairien did seem like the kind of guy that would be a good kisser.

“Yeah.” He agreed. Tella looked over at him, pausing, then smiled, apparently thinking something was funny. Will blinked, then caught on to her thoughts. “Hey! It not like I know from personal experience!” he said. Tella laughed and pulled the blanket up closer, still giggling. Will grudgingly smiled and shook his head.

“Hmm…” Tella closed her eyes, finally done laughing. Will leaned back against a pillow, content that the need for conversation had been satisfied.

“Good night.” He said quietly.

“Good night.” Tella returned. Will smiled slightly and let himself relax, closing his eyes.