"Promise me."

Hamnet froze. He had taken extra precautions to ensure his escape from the palace was as low key as possible. He had told no one of his plans, not even Judith. Yet, here he stood before the entrance to the old nursery, caught red handed. The young man gave a half turn, and twisted his body to meet the face of the voice who caught him.

"Nerissa?"

"I cannot allow you to leave before you promise me, Hamnet."

"Leave?" Hamnet scoffed incredulously, " I am not leaving. I am merely... er... taking a midnight stroll about the palace."

He grazed into the violet eyes of the child, wild and shifting. Eyes that were not unlike own. He took her in. Every last mad inch of her. Nerissa's visage, wan and pale, even among those of their kind. Her hair loose and unkempt. The frail child stood before him, ghost like. The torch lights lining the cold, gray walls casting fearsome shadows across her young, but weary face.

"Run along back to bed, Nerissa." Hamnet gently commanded, tracing a gentle hand along the girl's troubled cheek. Mad as Nerissa was, this would likely be the last time he would lay eyes on her, and Hamnet would miss her.

"I know about the turtle."

Hamnet sighed and his posture drooped. Yes, the stone turtle of Sandwich's... complete with a secret passageway that would take him far from this place. So, it seemed Hamnet was not the only one who knew the turtle's secrets, after all.

"Nerissa," exhaled Hamnet, "it is the fatigue getting to you. Return to bed at once."

"I saw it in a vision!" the girl shrieked as Hamnet attempted to usher the child back to her quarters. In the dead of night, any sound of considerable volume effortlessly bounced off the stone walls of the palace. And Nerissa was liable to awaken all of its inhabitants.

"All right, hush now," Hamnet conceded rather grumpily.

"You will promise me, will you not, Hamnet?"

"Just what would you have me promise, Nerissa? That I will stay? I will not. I must leave. I must go where I will do no more harm."

"I do not seek to keep you here, where you are so unhappy. I only wish you to promise me that in ten years time you will lead your company of a hisser and a half lander child to the Arch of Tantalus."

Now, Hamnet gaped at the poor mad thing. All this talk of hissers and halflanders was utter nonsense. And the Arch of Tantalus? Hamnet realized he was wasting precious minutes in his efforts to placate Nerissa. The flyer, Aether, had agreed to meet Hamnet at the drop, and was probably waiting for him right now. Aether may not be his bond, but they each lost a small piece of themselves at the Garden of Hesperides. Aether was as good a bat as any.

"You must promise me!" Nerissa insisted again, "The fate of the entire Underland rests on your word!"

Exasperated, Hamnet brushed a lock of his platinum hair away from his forehead.

"Fine. On my word, Nerissa, I promise."