I do not own the rights to the Hollow Kingdom or song.

Hakuna Matata

And so, the months passed. September soon turned into October, and then November. The elves moved from their summer camp to their winter camp, but Alex still saw her sister each full moon. She also found her niche with the dwarves and helping them with their projects especially their version of Mount Rushmore.

The subject had come up one day in September when Alex was explaining different projects humans had done such as the Hoover Dam, Panama Canal, the Pyramids, and Mount Rushmore. The dwarves were intrigued by the idea of carving pictures into rock and making a piece of art, something they had never done before. Up to that point they carved rock to make caves, not sculptures. However, they were having issues deciding what to carve. The dwarves didn't have many leaders like humans did, so faces were out of the question. Lathe suggested an animal but the others couldn't agree on what, while Loam suggested a stone forest for Inanna. So far Marak was staying out of and letting the dwarves bicker among themselves. The way he saw it, the longer it took for them to decide on the project the longer it would be before Marak would have to come up with another one.

Alex eventually came to understand that magic was just another force like gravity that could be used. The dwarves used magic to hold up the lake and counteract the gravity that would normally act upon the lake causing the water to fall. Their magic also let the water bowl down instead of up and overflowing the boundaries when the lake got full. Magic was also responsible for other things in the kingdom such as the water mirror that Alex had used earlier. It was also responsible for the rubber band spell at the windows preventing elves from committing suicide or a certain former king's Wife from dropping things on unsuspecting goblins below. Part of her wanted to see the real world applications of it to bridges, dams, and other structures but knew it was unlikely due to her stay in the kingdom.

She also continued talking to Finn every night who was fascinated even more than she was with the applications of magic, trying to get every detail possible out of her. Meanwhile he would fill her in about classes, their friends, and the world events he deemed important. Of course the world events that he deemed important weren't the same events Alex deemed important, but news was news.

To Alex's immense relief he was taking her absence better than she thought he would. The phone calls each night probably helped. Ever since she had gone a day without speaking to him, they had agreed on phone calls every twelve hours, with texts being acceptable as well. The extra project he had began working on as well helped. Alex had only been half way listening when he told her, her mind was on other things such as calculations for the dwarves plans. It was something having to do with a tree of some sort. Which didn't really make sense to Alex since Finn would rather be inside working on a project than outside. But whatever. Maybe he was expanding his horizons or something like that.

She also talked to her parents every once and a while assuring them everything was okay. She hadn't worked up the courage yet to tell them the truth. Alex also sent out letters periodically so Marak wouldn't be suspicious about Alex's lack of communication. They pretty much contained the same stuff as her phone calls. So far she hadn't found anything on Alice, but would continue looking.

Her visits with Alice once a month were welcomed and the girls would tell each other what was going on and just talk. Aggie and Inanna would join them leaving Marak and Nir on the otherside of the circle to talk about 'important stately matters' or so they said. Aggie insisted that they were too embarrassed to admit that they enjoyed the visits as well.

Alex's relationship with Kayto also progressed. After seeing how she dealt with Eresha, his respect for her increased. She actually managed to convince him to take her solar powered charger outside during the day when he was on duty. At first he hadn't seen the point, the magic interfered with her using it for her phone and other devices. At least that's what he assumed, and Alex didn't think telling him the truth would be the wisest thing to do. Instead she pointed out her phone's other abilities, playing music and showing photos from her life. After pointing out that the photos were the last images of her parents, friends, school, and everything she had ever known, he finally gave in not seeing any harm in it. He also began to slowly teach her Goblin and even Elvish in his spare time. In a way, he was her Finn substitute.

For starters they had a similar build. They also had the an air of aloft around them and a tendency to miss Alex's sarcastic comments. But that was where the similarities ended. Finn was shy and socially awkward whereas Kayto, she quickly discovered was well-known and liked by the goblins. He was also a born leader, and athletic, qualities that Finn lacked. But it was probably due to the few similarities between the two that Alex felt comfortable with him. He was the most normal looking goblin she had encountered so far, no feathers, or claws. Just blue skin, which Alex could deal with.

Besides teaching her Goblin and Elvish, Kayto was learning about humans from Alex. She explained that yes, there were rapists, murderers, and thieves but there were decent ones as well, that outnumbered the bad. One memorable conversation was the one about lying.

It had been a late October day, and Kayto wanted to know if Alex wanted to join him for dinner. Alex had been adjusting to the goblins, but that night she didn't feel like dealing with the stares, so she lied. She told Kayto that she was feeling like she was coming down with something, forgetting he could tell when she was lying.

"I had almost forgotten that you were a human," he scoffed.

Alex had been walking back to her room, but turned around at hearing the comment. "What are you talking about?"

"You lied. You're not sick, just rather not be with me. Humans can be so selfish."

Fuming, Alex tried to calm herself down. It wasn't Kayto's fault she lied, it was her own stupidity. "Yes, humans lie for selfish reasons, but sometimes they do it for selfless ones."

"Like what?" demanded Kayto.

"Like wanting to spare a friend's feelings instead of admitting that they are still uneasy with goblins," responded Alex bluntly.

"Then why didn't you just say so? That you rather be in your room then deal with goblins."

"Because you're a goblin, and I thought you might think I meant you with the statement. Because I thought it would be easier to simply lie than to explain it."

Kayto smirked, "And see where lying got you, it's still a selfish habit. You were too lazy to tell me the truth so you lied."

"Fine then," Alex admitted, "it was selfish. But I still think people can lie for selfless reasons. For example, what if you were married, and your wife puts on a hideous dress that makes her look ugly, but asks for your opinion. How would you respond?"

"I would tell her," began Kayto as he stepped forward, closer to Alex so they were barely six inches from each other, "that she is far more beautiful than the dress, and should wear something that complements her appearance."

Alex's cheeks turned scarlet in part due to the blush of embarrassment from being unsure whether or not Kayto was flirting with her, and also due to the annoyance she felt that Kayto had managed to insult and complement her at the same time. However, she still had one last example that she doubted even Kayto could refute. "Your answer was good, but there's another example that I don't think you can worm your way out of." Kayto's eyes lit up, ready for the challenge. "Would it be easier to tell one's parents that their youngest daughter married an elf, and oldest is going to have to marry a goblin, both never to be seen again, or to tell them that their youngest daughter disappeared without a trace, but is probably happy, while the oldest eloped with a guy and decided to stay in England."

Kayto took a while trying to figure it out. "I suppose lying would be better," he finally conceded. "The parents might not believe in elves and goblins, and if they did they might raise a fuss that could endanger both races."

Alex walked away in triumph, satisfied that she had managed to outwit Kayto, and get him to admit that lying wasn't always such a horrible, human thing to do. And the heat on her face from being so close to Kayto might have had something to with it as well. Not that she would admit it. Out loud at least.

Marak had noticed that Alex preferred Kayto's company over other goblins which he was pleased by. At least one of the bride-to-be's were settling into his kingdom. So far Eresha just kept spending time in the library, avoiding goblins at all costs. By this point she still had six months left but he wasn't too concerned. She was an elf after all, and usually elves had a harder time adjusting than humans. He would just keep an eye on her and step in as the last month got closer and if she still showed no signs of interest in marrying.

There was romance in the air for another couple as well. As it turned out all of Aggie's meetings had been with Babar's father, Paris. Just as Aggie had contributed to Babar's name, so did Colette, the king's Wife before her,contribute to Babar's father's name. Originally the meetings had started as a means to help Paris get over his wife's, Lara's, death. Aggie knew what it was like to lose a spouse and had been close to Lara as well. But in their grief they had gradually grown closer together. Close enough to want to marry.

When Marak found out he was furious. "I thought you loved my father, but apparently I was wrong!"

Aggie just looked at her son like he was five. "And apparently I was wrong about you being intelligent. Marak, I loved your father. But he's gone now, and I still have a long life to live, and I don't want to live it alone."

"But you're not alone! There's me, and Inanna, and you even consider Nir as a son."

Aggie simply sighed. Sometimes when Marak got like this, he could be a bit thick. "Dearie, that wasn't the type of loneliness I was referring to."

Marak's face was scrunched in confusion until it suddenly widened in understanding. "But... but..." he stuttered, "you're a king's Wife!"

"No, I was a king's Wife, I'm not anymore. Inanna is," Aggie clarified.

Determined, Marak responded, "Well I won't allow it. I'll simply forbid Paris from doing so as his king." Satisfied with this conclusion Marak grinned with his arms crossed in front of his chest, until he saw his mother's expression.

She said slowly, in order for her words to sink in, "You may be Paris's king, but I am your mother. If I have to I will treat you like a child, and I will do so in front of your wife."

At this Inanna's head bobbed up. She had finally gotten Kate's chronicles back from Eresha and was busy reading, or at least she had been. Marak would sometimes forget he couldn't command his mother around like the rest of his subjects and she would have to forcefully remind him of this. The conversations or arguments that resulted were always the highlight of Inanna's day. The way they bantered back and forth was amusing to her. Especially when Marak would lose his cool and Aggie would have to calmly talk some sense back into him. The interesting part was that so far Marak had never acted like with Inanna, just his mother. Inanna wondered what her relationship with her mother would have been like if she actually had lived. She hoped her mother would be something like Aggie. Kind, motherly, but still strong and forceful.

Aggie's words must have finally sunk because he was wearing a pout on his face. "Fine, but don't expect me to call him father, or Babar brother."

"Whatever you want dear. You are the king after all," was Aggie's only response.

**Author's Note**

I would like to thank speederina and Phantomrox87 for reviews. I LOVE reviews and will respond to them, sometimes even giving hints about future events.

So this chapter was more of a transitional type. Next chapter is when things really pick up. Be Prepared is the title, and it will begin with a marriage (that you found out about in this chapter. Good luck on figuring out the second), will feature a special announcement in the middle, which some of you might guess at, and will conclude with the first death (good luck on figuring out the who and how). After that, things will really take off due to aftermath of the murder.

I know the past couple chapter have been slow, but appreciate it. The next couple will feature a lot of cliff hangers.

So, read, enjoy, and review!