What is this? A chapter on Friday? What sorcery is this?

Well, I'm leaving later today for my sibling's First Lego League (It's robotics stuff. I don't pay attention.) state competition so I won't have wifi. So, you get it a day early! Relish your small victory. It's all you're going to get until chapter 22. (which since I'm did a prologue is actually 23 according to the website's counting.)

Fitz rarely used his red pathfinder unless he was going to Dex and Biana's house. Today was one of those rare occasions. The Black Swan wasn't an option, so they were turning to some old friends.

"Does anyone remember which facet it is?"

"Nope."

"Uh-uh."

"I don't know."

"Not me."

Keefe sighed. "Really guys? It's this one." He took the pathfinder from Fitz and twisted it to the correct facet.

"We can't all have photographic memories, Keefe. But thank you." Fitz said. "Let's get moving. I don't know what time it is there."

They linked hands and he held the pathfinder up to the light.

It took them to a designated circle in a large courtyard. There was no true wall to the courtyard, just a circular curve where the trees ended and the domain of elves began. There were guards posted around the edge and the flitting movement of scouts in the trees. A full moon was high above them.

One of the guards yelled in fright and made an attempt to attack the perceived threat, only to be stopped by one of his fellows. The captain of the guard stepped forward and bowed. "My lords and ladies. It is a good day when you choose to return to Ilfinarugën. I apologize for the actions of my subordinate, he has not met you before and is not aware of your methods of travel."

"It is a good day when I see you again, Captain." Fitz inclined his head in return.

"You are here to see the Elvenqueen, I presume?"

"Aye, and to seek her counsel."

"I will take you to her."

In Sophie's absence, they took up a V-formation as they walked, Fitz at the point and the others behind him. Despite the fact that Dex was better suited for dealings with the elves of Adeala, Fitz often found himself a de-facto leader and he wasn't sure why.

The Elvenqueen, Tayatel, greeted them in her personal study, though she was dressed for a meeting with Ëgaeta's greatest.

"Prince and Princess," she greeted, choosing to use Dex and Biana's draconic titles. "Lords and Ladies."

"Your Majesty." They lowered their heads in return.

"You come to me for aid? You have all of my resources at your disposal."

"Aye." Fitz took a small step forward. "The Neverseen have kidnapped my daughter. They have set a ransom and terms for exchange, but I would like to rescue her if I can."

"Of course. I have a council meeting to attend that I cannot avoid. Walk with me?"

They continued talking as they walked over the ransom note left and the logistics of a rescue until a movement caught Fitz's eye.

An elf stood to the side of them on a balcony. She wore a long white dress, contrasting sharply to her waist-length black hair. Her face was young, but her eyes spoke of seeing ages born and die again, the rise and fall of kingdoms.

"Who's she?" Fitz gestured to the figure, silhouetted in the moonlight.

The Elvenqueen smiled. "She is Kenia Xyraa, the Moon-Duchess. She is one of the oldest, wisest advisors we have. She was a great warrior, but an old injury left her crippled and unable to fight. She is also a skilled healer and has saved my life and that of many of my people."

As Fitz watched, the advisor turned around and began to walk toward them. At first she looked perfectly healthy, and then they saw. The elf had a terrible limp, making her lean on her staff with every step. "What happened to her?"

"An arrow struck her leg and broke the bone. It never really healed."

Kenia stopped in front of them, resting her left leg on the ground gingerly. "You are the members of Clan Moonlark?" Her voice was soft and welcoming, speaking both of long ages past and the comfort of home, with the power worthy of her station and the tenderness of a mother. "It is good to meet you."

Fitz didn't usually bow, even when the situation called for such, but something about her seemed to demand the respect. Fitz, Tam, Keefe, and Dex went to bow and the ladies to curtsy, but a gentle hand stopped them.

"That isn't necessary, dears."

They looked up. Kenia smiled at them. "You seek counsel among the halls of the Eldar. Allow me to aid them, Lady Tayatel. I have seen what they seek."

The Elvenqueen nodded and left them, running on fleet steps down the halls.

The elf moved to walk back out the balcony and Tam and Fitz were quick to offer their assistance. She took it gratefully. "Thank you, young ones.

"You've seen my daughter? Where is she?"

The Moon-Duchess leaned one hand on her staff and the other on the balcony's stone railing. "I have not seen her myself, but the creatures of the moon have. There is always a moonlark near her. The poor thing has taken it upon itself to watch over her and relays to me whenever her location changes. I have not seen the little bird for many moon-cycles now. I am led to believe she is in the same place as the last report."

As she spoke, a black bird with a long silver tail came flying out of the woods. Kenia reached out and let the bird perch on her finger. "They know me. That is why there are so few in the Lost Cities. They are drawn here, where it is calm and they do not know war."

"Can you help us find her?"

"Of course I can." The moonlark took off again and they watched it fly away over the trees. "My purpose here is to help and I can no longer fight in wars or serve as a healer. But it is my body that is broken, not my mind. I can put it to use. It will be nice to have a dedicated goal again."

Several hours later, Fitz was watching the sun set over the forest and the night come again. He could hear the continued deliberations in the next room. Dex and Biana had been deliberating the best plan of attack with the Duchess, Tayatel, and the army commander for several hours, only pausing for rest and food. Tam, Keefe and Linh had excused themselves, citing the late hour last night and were probably the sparring field Marella sat in the armchair opposite him, asleep.

He was tired from lack of sleep, but he couldn't bring himself to rest until his daughter was found and safe.

A soft voice echoed around him, a comforting song, but one out of place, meant for the night.

Loo-li loo-li lai-lay

He heard the voice of the Moon-Duchess singing to the forest, lulling it to sleep.

Lay down your head, and I'll sing you a lullaby. Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay

And I'll sing you to sleep, and I'll sing you til morrow.

Bless you with love for the road that you go.

The soft, haunting voice soothed his frayed nerves, making his head drop to the armchair's plush back as she continued to sing.

And may you need never to banish misfortune.

May you find kindness in all that you meet.

May there always be angels to watch over you

To guide you each step of thy way

To guard you and keep you

Safe from all harm.

Loo-li loo-li lai-lay

Fitz didn't remember the rest of the words as the song lulled him to the world of dreams.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"Well you should have done that before we left!"

"I didn't have to go then!" Keefe huffed.

Fitz didn't mean to be short with his friend and shieldbrother, but despite the restful sleep, his nerves were high-strung and he was tense. "If you have to go that bad, I can make you your own little separate cave. Otherwise, be quiet."

Keefe grumbled, but held his peace.

Fitz felt the movements of others in a hideout carved out below them. He couldn't feel Jolie specifically, but she could not be touching the floor or be on a surface he couldn't feel through, such as wood. There were some rooms he could feel the outline of, but he couldn't feel the floors.

"There are several rooms that have wood floors. There might be beings in them I can't sense."

He twisted his feet, opening a tunnel down. Biana muttered something under her breath and a glow sprung from her skin, lighting up the bare stone walls around them.

"Can you dim that a bit?" Tam asked. "I can't hold shadows as well or my night vision."

"Sorry. I have one brightness level and this is it. I can walk towards the front or the back if you want."

"Yeah that works."

"Could you guys be quieter? They may be able to hear us."

"Sorry."

Everyone went silent, following Fitz down the tunnel. Biana shut off her glow when Fitz signaled her to. He lifted his hand and shoved the rock through into the first room. The force blasted several shards into the other walls.

The room was empty. Fitz went pale. He could sense the entire room and his feet told him there should be people here.

"Biana, what do you smell?"

She took a long deep breath and coughed. "It's musty in here. It's smells vaguely like ogres, but no one's been in this complex for a very long time. It's completely empty. I can't tell for sure, but I don't know if any elves have been here before us. Jolie certainly isn't here and never has been."

"Then what's going on?" Fitz followed the rooms and halls to the entrance. "This is where the Moon-Duchess told us she'd be."

Biana walked over to a bush. "There's a blood stain over here. The dead moonlark we got with the ransom note is the one that was watching her. With a suitable illusion, it would be pretty easy to mislead it."

"So we've got nothing." Fitz felt the same numbness on the edges of his mind. "We have no idea where she is."

The numbness grew as they returned to Ilfinarugen. Queen Tayatel was devastated to find out that they hadn't been able to rescue Jolie.

The Moon-Duchess was sitting out on her balcony when Fitz went to deliver the news. The others thought it best to let him go alone.

"You didn't find her."

"No."

Kenia sighed, running her hands over her staff. Fitz took a few seconds to study it.

While it was made of wood, it was a pale cream seemingly without grain, almost the same colour as moonlight. The symbol at the top of the staff, carved into a disc of wood and stained dark, he recognized as the runes for the word 'lyanmae' which meant 'moonlight'. There were several places where the wood had been repaired over the centuries of use. It was flared at the base, carved to resemble tree roots.

"You have seen a staff similar to mine before."

"Aye." Fitz sat cross-legged on the ground. "You know Mamina?"

"We are sisters who chose different paths. I took the path of battle-maiden and she chose the arts of healing. There are others like us scattered across the worlds. My sister holds the powers of the sun as I do of the moon. She heals and uplifts those who deign to visit her, as I do, but her methods are different. I sense you have visited her before."

He nodded. "She warned me that if I didn't let go of my hatred for my brother, it would cause Sophie's death. I'm not sure whether I proved her right or wrong."

Kenia laughed, a bright, clear, fragile laugh. "My sister's predictions are powerful and too often are true. But sometimes, one doesn't not know exactly what it is she meant. What did you assume she meant?"

"That I had to let go of my obsession to bring him to justice, which I did and it did prevent her from dying once. But this had nothing to do with that."

"Then what she said was true. You let go of the hate and it saved her life once. There is a good chance she didn't look past a certain point. She does that because she does not want to tell anyone their whole future, lest they feel like they do not have a that because of how their story ends, life is no longer worth living."

Fitz stayed silent, staring at the stone floor of the balcony.

"Unless you have found a particularly interesting patch of rock, I assume you think your tale is over."

"What do I have left? I can't go home because I'll probably be killed. My daughter will probably be killed if we don't meet their demands. My wife is dead. I don't know what's happened to my other children."

"You have your friends."

"Who have the same problems as me. Our situation is hopeless."

"The only situation that is truly without any hope at all is when you stand before the devil in hell. I assume you are in a better position than that, so it is not hopeless."

"But what am I going to do?"

Kenia stood, leaning heavily on her staff with her left foot dragging on the ground. "Talk to my sister. If it is something you would prefer to do alone, I will alert your friends to where you have gone and to not disturb you."

He nodded. "Thank you."

Fitz did remember the facet on his red crystal for Mamina's cottage, deep in a strange forest. The old elf was kneeling next to a flowerbed, tending to her plants.

"I was wondering when you would be here." She stood, leaning on her staff for assistance. Unlike her sister, Mamina's staff was made of a darker wood and lacked the refined, smooth surface., instead rough and bark-like.

Mamina herself did not resemble an elf at all. If it were not for the fact Fitz had seen the long, graceful points of her ears, he would have assumed she was an elderly human. She wore long heavy wraps and headscarves, even in the heat of the summer sun beat down on them. Her glasses didn't fit her face very well anymore, but she refused different ones. Wisps of grey-white hair framed a wrinkled face.

"You knew what would happen. You knew."

"Your choices are not the only ones that affect the future. Especially hers. I saw many, many different futures and she died in most of them. You prevented her demise one time. That was not a guarantee that she would live to see her Ancient years."

Fitz tried to remember what else the old, old elf had said. "You told me when she died, I would soon follow."

"I did say that."

"I don't want to leave my children alone. I don't want them to be orphans."

Mamina trundled over to her rocking chair on the small porch of her house. "What are you doing here, lad? Do you want to yell at me for not giving you the future you wanted? Are you searching to grieve as you do not feel you can around others? Do you want to know what I see now?"

"I don't know." Fitz joined her on the porch, leaning against the wall. "I'm trying to keep it together for the sake of everyone else and to not fall back into bad habits."

"If you want to yell, go ahead and yell."

"I don't. It's just that I thought all of this was done. We fought a war because no one else could or would. We risked our lives and mental health because a few elves decided they weren't happy and the Council left a few school kids to clean up the mess they swept under the rug. I'm angry. My daughter is in the hands of the enemy right now because some moron thousands of years ago decided Vespera should be locked away instead of killed like she deserved. My wife is dead because the Council decided to ignore the Neverseen instead of looking into them and figuring out what was going on before they got strong enough to orchestrate world ending plots."

His voice rose as he spoke. "I had to learn how to kill without regret when I was seventeen and then I had to do it. I had to do things most Ancients would never dream of and then they hailed me as a hero while pretending my sacrifice was nothing. All I wanted was peace. I just wanted a normal life with Sophie. Apparently the universe thinks that's too much to ask! After everything I went through, I can't even go a decade without being plunged back into life threatening situations! Not even a decade.

"I just wanted peace, and now the person I love most is dead. I don't know how many more people are going to die and I'm probably going to be one of them. My children will most likely grow up orphans. My friends are also probably going to die and my daughter could be collateral damage. I see no way this ends well."

Mamina sighed. "I know."

"What do you mean, 'you know'?"

"I know this future. It is painful and dark. I cannot promise that all of you will survive. But for those that do, the conflict will truly be over.

"For good?"

"Yes."

Fitz sighed. "Can you tell me what might happen?"

"No. There are two equally dark futures ahead of you. You will have no say in who lives and who dies. You will only be able to respond to events around you."

"That is about as encouraging as your last prediction."

"All I said was that Sophie may choose Keefe, which in the end she did not."

"It still wasn't encouraging to my sixteen-year-old self."

"Did that ever work out for you? I've been waiting to find out what happened since you left."

"The entire elvin world threw the hissyfit to end all hissyfits. They got over it though."

"I see. I can tell you what I've seen surrounding your daughter if you would like."

"I would like that."

Mamina closed her eyes, holding her staff with both hands. "Her life does not have as many possible endings as your or her mother's. Most of the choices that will decide her life are yet to happen. The next vital choice she will make will take place within the next few days, assuming she survives the encounter. That is all I can tell you."

Fitz nodded. "Thank you." He stood and walked off the porch towards the woods. He pulled out his red pathfinder again and returned to the Ilfinarugen palace. There were several elvin children standing rank-and-file, going through several fighting forms silently. Some used elements in their blows, air and fire prevalent, but most did not.

Linh and Marella stood more to the side to give themselves room, going through the more complex versions of the same forms the elflings were doing. Fitz remembered how out-of-control they'd been when they had started their training. A far cry from the smooth, precise movements all of them had perfected.

The instructor called the end of the form and Fitz stood to attention by instinct. The children made a sharp bow and scattered, some to play games, others to their parents or to their studies. Linh and Marella thanked him for allowing them to join the lesson. He waited until they were done before walking over to greet his friends.

"You both looked good."

"Thank you." Linh pulled her hair out of its low ponytail. The silver tips were fading over time as her hair lengthened, but it now lent power to her title as Ocean Queen of Clan Seadancer.

"Have you heard anything from the capital about reinforcements?"

Marella shook her head. "Nothing. They're pretty busy this year, since this is the thousandth-year-anniversary of Egaeta's founding. They may not be able to spare the soldiers with the amount of dignitaries staying there. We may be on our own for this one. Again."

"That's not encouraging." Fitz sighed.

Linh shrugged. "But we did it on our own once and we can do it again. Just, without Sophie, this time."

"That'll be the hardest part. I'm so used to having a voice in the back of my mind warn me when I need to look out for something I couldn't sense with earthbending. Dex and Biana try to keep up with it, but they've got to concentrate on fighting more. It's not the same."

"So what do we do? Without Sophie, you're our leader." Marella twisted a braid she'd added back into her hair around one finger.

Fitz wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword. "We get ready to fight. I'm going back to Cliffside to get mine and Sophie's swords and armour. I don't need hers, but I know that Queen Emela said when and if she died, they would put her sword in the Hall of Fallen Heros."

"You go get ready then." Linh held out her hand and they grasped wrists. "We'll see you here, six hours time?"

"Aye." After repeating the gesture with Marella, Fitz reached into the collar of his tunic and pulled out his home crystal. It was in need of a polish, but it would do.

Cliffside looked exactly the same as when they left. Small, cozy, home. They didn't need a double door, so they didn't have one. Only a single wooden door in white paint that had chipped and worn away in places from the ocean winds and salt. The living room would have been considered almost poor by elven standards, but the well-loved pale blue couch, stained in a few places because kids, sat under the large window. The plush carpet was still soft under his feet, until he accidentally stepped on one of the toys that had been left out and almost fell.

The kitchen followed the same colour scheme as the rest of the house. Beautiful white marble countertops with cream accents, periwinkle cabinets with crystal handles. He could almost see Sophie laughing, covered in flour, as she baked with their daughters. Ry trying to help, but really just eating the extra chocolate or whatever it was she was adding to one treat or another. He hadn't usually joined all of them baking, too many cooks in the kitchen and all that. But he remembered early in their marriage and relationship, sometimes they'd pull a recipe out of an old cookbook and go on the adventure of trying to make it. Those had been the best nights, curled up on the couch or in bed, snuggling and eating something they made themselves.

The stairs were well-lit, thanks to the massive skylight above him. There were hairline cracks in the banisters where accidents had happened and the wood had cracked and chipped. Anyone else would have just replaced them, but Sophie had told him she liked the character they added. It had taken time for him to understand her point of view and now he was grateful for it. Remembering all the incidents that had formed the scars in the wood, all the memories he may never see again.

Upstairs had more natural wood than the downstairs. A balcony looped around the stairs with a swirling vine pattern on the railing. It used to be wrought iron with glass flowers, but after Jolie was born, they had it replaced with wood. Like the banisters on the stairs, there were small lines in the darker wood where accidents had happened. The carpet here was less plush from little feet running across it at ungodly hours because of nightmares or other childhood fears. Even so, he smiled fondly in remembrance.

The small silver key in his pocket went to the room on the far wall from the landing. He slid it into the lock and opened the door.

Neither he nor his wife had anything to hide from the world and sometimes they didn't like keeping their door locked. But every time they considered removing the lock, they remembered the host of dangerous things there. It was too much of a risk to leave it open to little hands who could easily get hurt.

The safe on the wall had only the things they wanted to keep safe. Behind a hidden keypad and fingerprint sensor on the inside of his bedside drawer were the things no one knew they owned. Fitz pressed in the code and waited for it to beep before turning around.

A hidden false panel in the floor slid out of place, revealing a stash of rather illegal items. Two swords sat on top of the pile, both in sheathes. The one on the left had a dark scabbard embellished with onyx. The right had a silver sheath with engravings down the length of it. In the middle were delicate runes that said 'If one should cause me to draw this blade, pray your blood is the purest red of my sword.' It had seemed violent when he'd first read it, but now he understood the weariness of the phrase; one who hated war but was forced to fight anyway.

He left the silver sword and the armour beneath it. His sword he set on the floor next to him. The armour under it probably wouldn't fit him as well as it had when he was younger. Seventeen seemed so far away now. Sophie seemed so far away.

It took everything in him to not break down there. It hurt remembering Adeala, remembering how she looked when she realized her world was not his world. The wonder on her face when she was able to airbend for the first time.

"Fitz did you see that?" She laughed, making her eyes light up as she made a light breeze tousle his hair, laughing still. "I'm an airbender!"

Laughing as she flew across the sky, feeling the chill nipping her cheeks. Running across the clouds to places he couldn't follow.

"Wahoo!" She slid off a cloud onto a second, treating the mist like solid ground. Fitz had to watch from the back of a dragon. If he tried what she was currently doing, he would fall straight through. "This is amazing!"

As every teacher had said, she took to the sky and he to the earth. They'd never truly been of the same people. Her people were in Adeala, people like her who had five or more abilities in one body, those who fought the wars everyone else couldn't. His people were in the Lost Cities. Two very different worlds.

Now she had taken to the sky never to come back down. His daughter was in the hands of the enemy. The others were far away, in a league of their own as the only elvin quintuplets, and where he would probably never see them again. His son in the care of ogres; an incredibly powerful individual in the form of a tiny boy. Biana was a warrior in her own right, stronger than he could ever be and the future Queen of Dragons. Everyone he could call family was so far above him. Even his parents, without elemental abilities, had decades of experience to sharpen their skills beyond what he could achieve with only five years of true training, no matter how intense.

He had never felt so incredibly alone.

Is this what Sophie had felt like, living in the human world with no one she could tell? The horrible emptiness of true grief, burrowing deep and leaving nothing behind.

A soft whisper on the wind caressed his ear. He didn't understand the words it said, but it was still incredibly comforting.

He let himself cry, letting the horrible grief go, hoping it would allow him to concentrate on the fight ahead.

Well, there's a few things resolved in here. But if you haven't already figured it out, it's not going to be their story for much longer. Reviewers get a teaser for next chapter! (Let me know if you don't want one.)

Shine brightly!

Ruby