Um, hi 0.0

Please with a cherry on top, don't kill me! I promise I didn't abandon you guys! My life was just so crazy and I had even MORE computer problems! But now everything is fine and here's your chapter! I also realize that I've been spelling "Titania" like "Titiana" and I'm so sorry! But now I'm spelling it right! Anyway, enjoy :) and thanks to all you amazing readers to sticking with me even when I don't update for a while!


"Where is my quill?"

"Y-your Highness?"

"My quill. Find it. Now."

"B-but, Your Highness," the small man gulped, knowing how quickly his mistress could go from calm to belligerent in a nanosecond, "Th-the ambassador from the East is on his way at this very moment! We have no time for such trivial things as writing-"

The woman swooped around, her long auburn hair cascading down her back, "I said bring me my quill. This is far important than any bumbling oaf of an ambassador."

The small page (under the glower of his mistress) relented and ran to fetch a quill along with a small jar of ink. This must be very important to my lady…

Lady Titania, queen of the fey, and wife to the late Oberon, watched the little man rush from her room; a wisp of a small pulled at the edges of her naturally dark lips. She secretly didn't mind her clumsy servant, it was just so fun to see him rush around as though she would smite him with lightning at any moment.

But any amusing thought left her mind once she starting thinking of her true task at hand. "Mustardseed," she murmured out loud, "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"My queen?"

Titania snapped her head up, "Why, I didn't even see you there!"

The page set the quill and ink on his queen's oak desk, "Is…" he mustered up enough courage to ask a daring question, "Is Mustardseed in danger?"

Titania merely narrowed her bright green eyes.

"I'm sorry, my queen, but I overheard you talking and I wondered."

For a very, very short moment, Titania considered confiding in him; telling him every fear that she had about her son. After all, her small servant was a wonderful man, and he would help her if she ever were to ask. But then reality set in and she stopped, remembering that she was royalty and that royalty never showed any weakness…

…even if her weakness was silently, secretly tearing her apart inside.

"Nothing is wrong, Alwyn," she said coolly, "Is it so wrong to want to write to your son?"

"Of course not! Forgive me, Queen Titania, I meant no harm."

"You may go. Oh," she waved her thin arm to a plate of bread and cheese situated on another table in her office, "take some of this food! I'll never be able to eat it all. And I'm sure your family will want some too."

The scrawny little man nearly tripped over himself in his haste to thank her for the food, "I thank you graciously, Queen Titania, I am forever in your debt!"

"Go," she ordered in a regal voice, but smiled with her eyes nonetheless.

After hearing Alwyn's steps fade down the hallway, Titania sighed and dipped the quill into the midnight black ink, pulling out a crisp piece of parchment from a drawer to the left of where she sat. Then, pulling out the letter that Mustardseed had sent her a couple weeks ago, she read over its contents once more.

My dear Mustardseed,

Your letter has confused me. I can think of no old enemy that has not been taken care of. Please forgive me, for my mind isn't as young and sharp as it once was. I've been thinking of you constantly, and your brother. You say Puck is married to that young Sabrina? I never would have thought…

Titania let out an un-Queen-like giggle, remembering the sassy blonde. Puck would be kept under control by that woman, that was for sure! At least she knew her oldest son was being left in good hands.

Oberon would have been furious, yelling and spitting that his heir should be married to royalty. That was why he'd insisted on Puck being married to Moth. Titania had been against it, but when Oberon wanted something, it came true no matter what.

If only I'd have been stronger, if I'd stood up against my husband. But she'd been so weak, so submissive. She'd gone along, letting Oberon call the shots and make his son marry a perfectly terrible brat. Never again would she let that happen! Never would she let her sons suffer.

A bell went off in her head, An old enemy hasn't quite been wiped out-and she's back for revenge.

It was what Mustardseed had written in his last letter! "Moth," Titania gasped. It was Moth who Mustardseed was talking about! Moth who was back for revenge! Quickly, she swirled the quill for fresh ink and continued her letter.

Mustardseed, I've figured it out! I know who the enemy is.

She stopped again. "How can I say Moth's name without giving everything away? Mustardseed would be in danger if someone intercepted this letter." Aha!

The answer came to me like a moth to a flame, if you understand my meaning. Please contact me as soon as possible in any way you can. I'll do whatever I can for you. Tell Puck I said hello and that I love both of you. Remember, you two are true royalty, and I expect you to behave as such. Fondest wishes-

-Your Mother

Titania thought of the last time she'd seen her sons and let out a cringe. She had been half-mad then, mourning over Oberon's loss. Her hair had been brittle, her eyes glazed over. Now, months later, she was fully recovered. Her looks were back to their summery fullness, and her demeanor was once more a powerful and feared queen. She waited anxiously for her boys to see her again, so they wouldn't think of her as that weak, melancholy woman they'd last seen her as.

"Ah, well," she sighed, brushing her willowy fingers through her hair, "All in time."

Suddenly, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a letter; nothing special, no golden insignia or special envelope…but it was though she felt its importance, like she needed to read it now!

Quickly, with neat fingers, she ripped the letter cleanly open and read its contents.

Dear Queen Titania,

I don't know if you know me, but I'm Daphne Grimm. Your son (Mustardseed) is currently living with me and my family. Well, so is Puck, but you knew that. Sorry, I'm rambling. The point of this letter is to tell you that I'm worried about Mustardseed. Moth is forcing him to do things and blackmailing him if he doesn't. I'm not sure what the whole plan is, but I needed to let you know. You're my last hope, Queen Titania. I'm just not sure what to do anymore! Write back if you can…if you can't, I understand, I guess.

Titania stared at the letter for a long moment, "It's all my fault…" the letter dropped from her grasp. Her old sins of letting Oberon take control were coming back to haunt her younger son like they haunted Puck.

"No," the Queen of the Fey straightened her shoulders and wrote a reply, "I'm going to fix my mistakes. I won't let Mustardseed suffer." First off, she'd need to arrange a meeting with this Daphne girl.

::

"Damn," Mustardseed cursed, tossing in his bed once more. Sleep was avoiding him almost as cleverly as Daphne was these days. He'd tried counting sheep and to a hundred and breathing in and out slowly; but nothing seemed to work.

Without knowing how he got there, Mustardseed found himself in front of Daphne's bedroom door. And without leaving himself time to think of how bad this idea was, he was in Daphne's room, watching her sleep. Creepy, right?

With a smile, he realized Daphne Grimm was under no circumstances a "pretty" sleeper. Her mouth hung wide open and snores cut through the tranquility of the night. Even so, Mustardseed thought she was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

"I just wanted to see your face when you're not glaring at me," she touched her soft lower lip, "Why are you so stubborn, Daphne?"

You're just as stubborn, a voice growled in his head.

"But more importantly, why are you so beautiful? Why do you take up all of my thoughts? Why am I in love with you? Why…you?"

She stirred and he jerked his hand away, attempting to sputter a reasonable excuse for being in her room in the dark.

Before he could make an utter fool out of himself, she was murmuring something softly, "I had to, Mustardseed. Titania was…our only hope…my only plan…"

"What?" he was dumbfounded. What did his mother have to do without anything?

"Only person who would understand…who could stop Moth…so sorry, Mustardseed…love y-"

She cut off her own words, starting to open her eyes.

Mustardseed didn't have anywhere to hide, so he just stood there; watching as she rested her gaze on him and then as she started to scream. Before any sound came out, his hand was cupped over her mouth.

"Mmph!" was all that she managed to mutter. Then a stinging pain zapped through his hand. The little thing had bitten him! He almost wanted to laugh.

He released her mouth, but pinned her wrists above her head on the bed.

"Let me go! What are you doing?!"

He grinned, relishing the feel of her…even if she was furious with him.

"Don't laugh! Answer me!" her brown eyes blazed, and she looked about as threatening as a kitten, but he didn't have the heart to tell her so.

She continued to buck and protest, but he silenced her completely with his next words, intent on making things right between them, and Moth be damned!

"You were about to say you loved me."


Oh, a new twist to the story! And a suspenseful ending! The next chapter will be out very soon to make up for the long wait for this one! I promise. And again, thanks for sticking by me and reading my story, it means so much!

REMEMBER TO REVIEW, it helps so much.