Nellie sat curled in a corner of the greenhouse with a sketchbook propped on one trousered knee. Her hair was cropped short now, staving off motherly reminders. To replace it she had bright splotches of chalk across her shirt, wrists, and right cheek but neither she nor Tissaia had noticed yet.

There were a few of Tissaia's students in the room and they had noticed, hiding a giggle behind their hands before quieting down to listen. They were used to Nellie lurking unintroduced in all sorts of strange corners. Not that they knew her name. Or anything about her.

She'd won her battle.

She was as unimportant as another brick in the tower wall.

The students began chanting, concentrating on their lesson now. It was safe to move around. Nellie stood and stretched luxuriously, ignoring her mother's glare, and began walking through the tables of herbs. Pretending to sniff one while she snagged a branch from another. Pretending to admire a useless flower while plucking the one behind her.

She left the room with her usual half dancing twirl and went to find a window to sit in. Her first choice was blocked by a visiting mage reading a book and so she made her way to her second favorite, soft with mold but splashed with seaspray every few minutes. She pulled off her shoes and let her feet dangle outside in the cold.

Was it time for lunch yet? Probably. She wasn't hungry yet.

Nellie closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face.

The herbs she'd stolen were burning a hole in her pocket. She needed to hide them soon. Tissaia didn't like her 'playing' with poison and Nellie didn't feel like facing the consequences of explaining herself.

She heard the footsteps behind her just before the voice spoke and snapped to attention.

"Who are you?"

Nellie stared at the speaker, one of the students. A newer one. With purple eyes and a hunched, painful-looking shoulder.

The strange girl lurched forward, voice louder. "I asked you a question."

"Oh." Nellie nodded. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'm nobody, really."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Nobody? With free rein of Aretuza and-"

"It's Kornelia," Nellie said before the girl could elaborate. "Nellie." She waved a hand as though this explained everything. "Nobody."

"Nellie Nobody?" The girl asked. "That can't be your name."

"Then I suppose it's not." Nellie eyed the girl's shoulder again. "Does that hurt?"

"No." The girl snapped. Nellie shrugged and turned away. "I'm Yennefer."

Oh right. The girl who'd broken a mirror and tried to… Right.

"How do you like Aretuza so far?" Nellie asked.

Yennefer stepped closer, leaning past Nellie to peer out the window at the rough waves below. "This is a beautiful view."

"Only the best for the great Tissaia." Nellie yawned. "Well…" But she had nothing to add.

Yennefer didn't seem to notice. "It is the most beautiful place I've ever seen."

Nellie considered the waves again, tapping her bare heels against the stone wall. There were rocks straight below her. She didn't like that thought with this Yennefer here.

"It's the only place I've ever been," Nellie offered up as a distraction.

"Mmm." Yennefer reached forward to peer awkwardly around the window frame, nose wrinkling. "You're not missing much. Not from the people anyway."

Nellie tossed her sketchbook to the floor and gave the strange girl her full attention. "Oh? And where have you been? What are people like out there?" She leaned forward, trying to catch any hint of emotion. There didn't seem to be any.

Yennefer simply shrugged.

Nellie sighed and ruffled a hand through finger-length locks. She didn't have much experience with refused requests, but that little experience had taught her not to bother. With a lazy stretch, she stood and snatched up her belongings. She had just made it to the door, thoughts consumed by her next meal when Yennefer's voice spoke up again.

"Teach me about the herbs you took."

Nellie turned with a look of surprise. "Me?"

Yennefer rolled her eyes. "Do you see anyone else here?"

Nellie studied the room. Playing dumb worked with her mother. And what did she know, anyway?

"I think you might want to reconsider?" Nellie offered.

Yennefer turned and looked out the window again. She was shaking her head. "I've considered all my options. You know something Tissaia won't teach me. I want you to teach me." Her hand went into a pocket and came out with one of the herbs Nellie had stowed away earlier. "What does this do?"

Nellie stared. Swallowed a strange lump in her throat.

"Come with me and I'll show you."

Nellie turned back and walked away.

Yennefer followed.

…

A field of wildflowers settled as the wind faded away, blue and pink and yellow blossoms stilling for a moment. It had been a hundred years since anyone had found their way to this corner of the forest. No one had known or cared about its existence for far longer then any bird or insect had lived to flutter through and no one minded when Kornelia stepped out of the portal and trampled one or two petals beneath her shoes.

The scent of the crushed blossoms hit her nose and she took a deep, deep breath. She still wore the clothes her mother gave her, still carried herbs she'd picked in that tower, but the week of freedom since she'd left had her standing taller and looking brighter. She'd copied down a map of the area on a whim and now she had a treasure trove all her own.

Kornelia looked down at her feet and then up at the untouched tangles before her. She lifted her hand and a moment later she was safe across the field, standing the shade of a tree as her portal faded away.

A bird fluttered near, landing on a branch just a foot away, not sure what she was.

She smiled.

"You know, I've never been alone before."

The bird rustled brown feathers and cocked its head.

"Never. Always someone in the next room, above me or beside me or…" Her voice trailed off as a wind came and brought a wave across the colors before her. "Huh."

She settled down and began to draw.

Three days later she had a dozen drawings of flowers, of trees, of her birds, and she also had no more chalk.

Kornelia pulled out a map.

She found a city.

An hour later she was walking into it.

A few potions and a bit of magic and she was walking into a shop with coin.

She walked out with chalk and paint and made her way to a spot no one could see to cast her portal again.

She found a spot to draw.

She did it all again.

Again.

Again.

Two years later she approached the same gate and heard the call of, "Kornelia, hello!" from a guard. She passed a rose to a little girl who'd requested it. She found her spot outside the tavern and two women gave her the latest gossip-no one seemed to be afraid of the girl who sold the helpful flowers.

She smiled politely and kept her drawings hidden and when it was supper time she said goodbye and walked into the tavern. Her hair was a bit long now and she rebraided it as she told the barman what she wanted. The braid sat over her shoulder for a minute, maybe two, and then stuck awkwardly out behind her ear but she didn't care any more than she ever had.

She was halfway through a plate of roast deer when the door to the tavern burst open and a richly dressed man burst through, handsome and young and brilliant with emotion.

"Kornelia de Vries! Where is she?"

The barman motioned to Kornelia, spoon stuck in her mouth as she sat confused and frozen and the handsome man's grin turned on her.

And she met Lionel.