Author's Note: Just me here with an ever infrequent update. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you if you're still reading :D I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

Perhaps a symptom of growing up the middle child, Lydia had always been a people-pleaser. She couldn't stand when people were upset with her. It was one of the reasons she had been so completely unable to handle her parents' devastation after Naomi's accident, knowing that it was all her fault.

She knew that Hazel was upset with her. Disappointed even, which made it worse. She had known the minute she saw the look of shock and betrayal on Hazel's face when she had realized who Lydia's special guests at the ball were.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Hazel or believe that she would be able to save Naomi. She did, she always believed in Hazel. But Lydia knew that this was her fault, her mistake to fix. She also knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if Hazel expended the rest of her magical energy on saving Naomi. She would have one of the people she loved the most back at the loss of another.

No, Lydia needed to save them both, and if that meant dealing with Hazel being upset with her for the time being, Lydia supposed that was her cross to bear. So, she had decided to test out a new strategy: avoidance.

She was out of the castle before the sun the morning after the ball. Luckily, the spring weather had fully given away to summer, and there was no chill to make her regret her self-imposed exile from the castle.

Truthfully, she had never been very good at intentional avoidance. She tended to have a one-track mind and threw herself into the task that interested her the most at any given moment. That resulted in plenty of unintentional avoidance. But when she tried to purposefully disengage from something, she found it was all she could think about.

So of course, as she tried to avoid Hazel, all she could think about was Hazel. Would she tell Lydia's father? Would she throw the fire fairies out herself? Would she—

"Are you alright?"

She jumped at the voice. "Castor!"

He gave her a small bow. "At your service, Your Highness. May I?"

Lydia scooted over to make room for him on the bench. "I asked if you were alright about three times before you answered me," Castor pointed out. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, sorry," she laughed, embarrassed. "I guess I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Let me guess." Castor's vibrant blue eyes looked entertained. "Hazel?"

"I thought she was going to lose it and cause an earthquake or something last night," Lydia confessed. "I don't think I've ever seen her look so…"

She wasn't sure whether mad or upset was the more appropriate term, but Castor didn't need her to finish. "Mistress Hazel has a complicated history with fire fairies," he noted, "I'm unsurprised she wasn't thrilled to see Uriel and me."

"She's never really talked to me about fire fairies," Lydia confessed.

"No, I imagine not," Castor agreed.

Lydia tried to press a little harder. "I've never really understood why though."

"We're sort of the black sheep of the fae community," Castor chuckled. His tone was lighthearted, and Lydia could tell he was trying to deflect her interest.

So she let it go. "Hopefully we can change that," she added with an easy smile. While it wasn't her primary objective, Lydia had considered that if the fire fairies could help her save Naomi, Hazel might let go of her distrust of the group as a whole. She'd never known what had caused Hazel's feelings towards fire fairies, and if anyone else did, there seemed to be a blanket understanding that they were not to tell Lydia. Even Castor, new to the palace and with no technical loyalty to Hazel, clearly was unwilling to share more.

"Interesting time to take on a fairy project," Castor noted, "Right in the middle of your Selection."

It was the only time—in fact, they were very close to running out of time. "Well, no time like the present," Lydia chirped.

He seemed skeptical, like he knew she was hiding something as well. But instead, he simply asked, "So, if we're hiding out from Hazel today, what's the plan?"

"Do you think we should invite Uriel to hide with us?" Lydia asked. "He's probably high-risk for Hazel anger too."

Castor snorted. "I think my brother will be just fine," he assured Lydia. "Uriel is pretty good at hiding away on his own."

"Are you two close?" Lydia asked. "You look like you could be twins."

"Uriel is older," Castor explained, "As for close… Well, you know how brothers can be."

Somehow, she doubted having a brother like Uriel was anything like having a brother like Cohen. But she just chuckled. She considered his earlier question, thinking of how to spend a day with someone like Castor. She landed on an idea—a somewhat crazy idea, she realized—and her heartbeat quickened as she worked up the courage to ask. "Well, I actually have an idea for something that would keep us pretty busy if you had some time to share," she admitted. "And maybe some energy."

"I'm intrigued," Castor declared, his face echoing his statement.

And that was how she ended up in an old, disused ballroom with Castor and Logan Wyatt. It was perfect. No one would bother them in this part of the palace, neglected and nearly forgotten. Situated towards the western side of the palace, the sun didn't flood in through ballroom's large windows. Most of the furniture sat crowded towards the edges of the room, covered with large white sheets. Shadows surrounded them.

Which was probably why Logan looked so comfortable.

"Umbrakinesis, huh?" Castor contemplated.

Logan shifted nervously. "Uh, I thought you said Iris might know more about my power, Lydia," he reminded the princess.

"Well, Castor has studied at the Cove," she explained, trying her best to both relax Logan and hide her desperation. She, of course, wanted to help Logan get a grip on a power that seemed to terrify him. But more than that, she wanted to see Castor's power. She'd never seen a fire fairy in action before. However, the rumor had always been that they were the most powerful.

"You likely got your power from a fire fairy," Castor explained, "so it may actually be more my realm than Iris's anyway."

"Really?" Lydia asked. "I would've thought that shadows would've been more closely related to light than fire."

"They are the absence of light," Castor pointed out. "Fire powers are much more than heat."

"I don't actually know who I got it from," Logan interjected, sounding embarrassed.

"Well, that's good then," shrugged Castor, "Inherited powers aren't as strong."

Logan frowned. After a moment of what seemed like internal debate with himself, he took a step backwards, closer to one of the pieces of furniture.

The shadow was so small that Lydia didn't even notice it at first. It hid at the very edge of the sheet—or at least it had until Logan had approached. Though nothing else had changed, the shadow began to move. It collected from the edges of the sheet, pooling into a single puddle of darkness and reaching towards Logan. When it reached the edge of his shoe, Logan held one of his hands out. He focused on a sheeted chair to Castor's left and made a fist.

Like he had thrown it, the shadow jumped out and grabbed the sheet. It wrenched it off and threw it back at Logan. He blushed as he tried to collect the sheet into a bundle. "The idea was that it would just hand it to me," he blushed, "but it's kind of unpredictable."

Though she had been exposed to far more magic than the average person, Lydia had never seen anything like Logan's power, and she was impressed. Castor looked similarly interested. "How did you get your power?" he asked, his face pensive.

"From my grandfather," Logan repeated, looking nervous.

"And how did your grandfather get it?" Castor pushed him. His face was sympathetic, like he already knew what Logan was going to say.

Logan frowned down at the sheet in his hands. Then, he cleared his throat. "He took it," he said, the remorse clear in his voice.

He didn't have to explain any more than that for Lydia and Castor to both realize what he wasn't saying. The only way for a human to take a power from an unwilling fairy was to kill them and steal their magical essence. It was a much more violent death than fading, and powers that were taken were known for being unpredictable.

"So, we have an inherited, taken power," Castor concluded. "I imagine you've never been very comfortable with it."

"No," Logan agreed. "I…" He blushed as he tried not to look at Lydia. "I can't even sleep in the complete dark."

"The first step to any kind of control," Castor began, "is to not be afraid of it. Your power doesn't want to hurt you."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Logan countered. "Sometimes… it feels like it wants to hurt other people."

"And it may," Castor shrugged, "Powers are linked to their source. If it came from a dark fairy, it will always have a dark essence to it."

Logan looked forlorn. "So, powers can be evil?"

"Not if you control it," Castor retorted. "I love humans, but your group are remarkably lax when it comes to control. You don't know your own potentials."

"Isn't there a way I can just get rid of it?" Logan sighed. "It just feels like it's always been more of a curse than anything."

Castor chuckled. "Curses are much different," he assured Logan with an airy chuckle. Lydia's ears perked up at this piece of information. Curses had been another highly censored topic in her life. "But it's difficult to 'get rid' of a power. It has to go somewhere. So, while you would be free, someone else would have to take it."

"Do you think I could—"

Logan paused when the door to the ballroom opened. The other two turned in the direction, and Castor's face lit up at the new arrival. "Ah, brother!"

Despite their similarities in appearance, Uriel had a far less jovial air about him than Castor. He acknowledged his brother with only a curt nod. "What are you up to, Castor?"

"This is Logan," Castor explained, "He has an unwieldy fire power."

"Yes, I can feel that," Uriel replied with a cursory glance at Logan. "But what are you doing?"

"Helping," Castor shrugged, his ever-effervescent smile present.

Uriel glared at his brother. "I don't believe Mistress Hazel would be very grateful for our help, Castor."

"Well, what Hazel doesn't know won't hurt her, right?" Lydia interjected. She was hoping to get a lot more help from Castor and Uriel, and it made her nervous to see Uriel's reluctance to interfere in what he clearly considered Hazel's domain.

Uriel looked skeptical. "I would be careful, Your Highness."

"Oh, stop being such a spoilsport," countered Castor. He turned back to Logan, who had been silent throughout the others' exchange. "So, where to begin?"

An hour later, Castor had tested Logan's power under a bevy of situations. They discovered his control was strongest when he was caught off guard, when he didn't have time to be afraid of the ability he possessed. But it took a lot to push him to that point. His most impressive command of his power came when Castor shot a fireball at Lydia, and Logan threw a shadow-shield in front of her.

They decided to end today's work after that. Logan looked exhausted, Uriel suspicious, and Lydia's mind was bursting at the seams. She had been watching Castor most closely, and she was growing more confident in her decision to invite the fire fairies to the palace.

Lydia had seen impressive magic, of course. She grew up with Hazel, the most celebrated fairy of her age. She had seen Agnimitra's castle. But Castor's control of his magic was different than Hazel, Iris, or Tallulah's. It wasn't concentrated, controlled like theirs. It was instinctual, like an extension of himself rather than something he controlled, for all he preached its importance to Logan.

If anyone could help her save Naomi, it had to be Castor and Uriel.

But there was something about Uriel that stopped Lydia from spilling the entire story to them right then and there. While he stayed in the ballroom with them, he was withdrawn, reserved. He watched, but he didn't comment or engage. His emotions were unreadable, while Castor's were written on his face.

There was a part of her that wondered if she could trust him. And that made her hold back, despite all of her desperation.

After they said their goodbyes to Castor and Uriel, Lydia turned back to Logan. He looked absolutely drained, and it made her regret the part he had had to play in her quest to see Castor's powers. "How are you doing?" she asked as she took a seat beside him on the edge of an old, discarded table.

"That was…" He trailed off, looking confused.

"You did really well," she offered encouragingly.

"He said that I need to not fear it, but that's the only time that I feel like I can use it for good," Logan explained. "When he shot that fireball at you…"

"Well, I was never really in danger," Lydia pointed out with a giggle. "Healing power, remember?"

Logan smiled weakly. "Well, it was hard to remember in the moment."

"I mean, it still would've hurt," Lydia allowed, "so thanks for not letting me get toasted."

Logan gave a small laugh, but he still seemed downcast. "What else is bothering you?" Lydia asked.

"I'm just always afraid of people finding out about my grandfather," he explained quietly. "About what he did. He was an awful man."

This time, it was Lydia's turn to frown. "I have to believe that people are more than the worst thing they've ever done."

"Even that though?" Logan frowned, his dark brown eyes still showing his shame. "He killed someone."

A pit formed in Lydia's stomach. If Naomi didn't wake up, then she would have, too. "All you can do is try to make it right," she sighed. "Your grandfather can't, but you can. You can use your power for good."

They were silent for a moment before Logan said, "Thank you."

"For what?" Lydia chuckled. "You and Castor did all of the work today."

"For not judging me," Logan explained, his coffee colored eyes meeting her green ones. "I don't really tell people about this. I'm always afraid that it's going to change the way they think of me, or something."

Lydia had to fight the tears back. She certainly knew what that was like. Forcing a smile, she reached out and gave Logan's hand a squeeze. "Thanks for trusting me then."

Hopefully, someday she'd be able to return the favor.

They parted in the hallway, and while Logan went to join the other Selected for lunch, Lydia feigned a headache and headed to the tower, her previous plan of avoiding Hazel forgotten.

The tower was quiet, and she was surprised to find that none of the fairies were present when she arrived. It was, perhaps, a stroke of good luck, as she still had no idea what she would say to Hazel when she finally encountered her.

But her luck quickly turned when she stepped into Naomi's room and found Hazel sitting at her battered sister's bedside. Lydia froze, unsure if she should leave before Hazel noticed her arrival.

"Have you lost faith in me?" Hazel asked, sounding sadder than Lydia had ever heard her.

Lydia sighed and approached the bed, sitting on the side opposite Hazel. She took Naomi's cold hand. "Of course not, Hazel." Tears stung at her eyes. "I just can't lose you."

"You can't trust them, Lydia," Hazel sighed.

"Why do you hate fire fairies?" Lydia tried.

"You don't understand what it was like." Hazel's eyes were fixed on Naomi's face, but Lydia could tell that she was somewhere else, remembering something that had happened long ago. "The way that Agnimitra radicalized fairies… the prices that we paid to stop the human and fae worlds from tearing each other apart…"

"I don't hate fire fairies," Hazel finally countered. "I'm afraid of them." She stood up and crossed to the window. "Some say that fire fairies are the most powerful of all of us. Agnimitra certainly was."

Lydia thought of Castor's powers, the way that they seemed to flow through him effortlessly. "Castor and Uriel seem to want to help," she offered.

"Of course they do," sighed Hazel. "They are Folkvardr."

The word set Lydia's brain on fire as she tried to remember what Leif had said it meant. "Guardian of the people," she finally remembered.

"It's what they were supposed to be," Hazel explained, her voice hard and bitter. "It is the purpose of the Folkvardr line, to be protectors."

"Agnimitra was Folkvardr," Lydia said.

"Yes." Hazel turned to Lydia, and for a moment, her face looked much older. "And she betrayed it. If Castor and Uriel do too, I don't want you to be caught in the crossfire."

"But what if their power can help us?" countered Lydia. "What if they're not like Agnimitra?"

Hazel sighed deeply. "Ultimately, it's your decision whether to trust them with this, Lydia," she acknowledged, "But I can only do so much if it turns out to be a mistake. We can't make Castor and Uriel forgot like everyone else."

Without another word, she left Lydia alone with her thoughts and her dying sister. Lydia wrapped her other hand around Naomi's. "I wish you were here," she sighed, "I wish I knew what you would do if you were me. I'm so afraid of messing up again, Namie."

Her sister didn't move, didn't respond, couldn't offer Lydia any kind of guidance.

With a deep sigh, Lydia placed a kiss on Naomi's forehead before she abandoned the tower. Her mind was full, her morale low, and for some reason, she ended up in front of the Men's Room before she had much time to think about it.

As she stared at the door, she realized she was beginning to find comfort in them. They annoyed her sometimes, made her genuinely laugh, and some of them truly sent butterflies fluttering throughout her chest. She could talk to them, like she hadn't been able to talk to people in a long time. After the ups and downs of the day, they were the exact people she wanted to spend time with.

But the smile quickly faded when she was greeted with the chaos within.

It seemed like everyone was yelling. On one side of the room, Fallon was holding Joey back. On the other, Leif had grabbed Alistair. Baloo was barking. Pages of a destroyed book fluttered down through the air, and there were discarded puzzle pieces littered across the floor.

Lydia's anger quickly peaked. "What the hell is going on?!" she yelled.

Everyone, including Baloo, fell silent, their eyes turning towards her. Leif released Alistair, and Joey took the opportunity to break away from Fallon. "Friendly disagreement," Alistair muttered, straightening his suit jacket.

"Guy's an asshole," Joey snapped, gesturing at Alistair.

"I do not have time for this!" Lydia barked, her voice much louder than she had intended. Her frustrating was bubbling over though, a rare occurrence for her but one that she couldn't stop. "Do you think I invited you all here to deal with your petty fights? I have enough problems without you adding to them!" She directed one final angry glare at Joey and Alistair specifically before she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room.

"Lydia!"

She didn't realize she had been speed-walking away until Leif had to jog lightly to catch up to her. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay," he explained, "You…"

"Kind of lost it," she concluded. She sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "I'm fine. I've just had a lot going on lately."

"Being a princess not all it's cracked up to be?" Leif asked, a crooked smile making him more handsome than ever.

"You know, I wish that was it," she laughed. It would've made her life a lot easier. "More like… being a sister, just a functioning human being."

Tears burned at her eyes again, and she carried on, unable to stop herself. "Just the feeling that no matter what I do, I keep messing things up, and now apparently I'm even messing up my Selection because they're fighting like absolute animals in there!"

"Okay, let's take a seat," Leif suggested, directing the sobbing princess to a nearby bench.

"I don't know what's happening!" Lydia sobbed, embarrassed but unable to stop.

"You're just having a breakdown," Leif comforted her, running reassuring circles on her back. "Happens to Skadi about twice a day—usually because she needs a nap or can't find her favorite toy."

Lydia tried to laugh, but it ended up a strangled snort because of the tears. She decided to give in fully and buried her face in her hands. Leif kept his hand on her back, undeterred by the shudders her tears were causing her.

When she finally felt her breathing returning to normal, she picked her head up. Snot stuffed her nose, and her eyes felt puffy and definitely unattractive. "Sorry," she sighed at Leif. Since she figured she couldn't get any more unattractive, she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

Leif laughed. "You know, I think this is the most you I've seen since I've been here."

"Yeah, surprise," Lydia mumbled, "The real Lydia is a mess."

He shrugged. "We all are. In our own ways."

Leif made her feel comfortable, she realized. For all of his Viking god attractiveness, she felt relaxed around him. It almost reminded her of how she used to feel with Ben. The realization made her laugh. "I… used to have this friend," she explained vaguely, "She would've liked you a lot."

It was a weird thing to say, but if Leif was thrown off, he didn't let it show. Lydia was glad. She liked to be able to reference Naomi in her regular life. It made it feel like she was still there.

"We can't be friends anymore though, and that's one of the things that I guess I've been struggling with," she continued on.

"Hey." Leif waited until she turned to look at him, snotty nose and puffy eyes and all. "You never know what the future holds. If it means this much to you, you'll figure it out."

"Are you so good at this advice thing because you're a dad?" Lydia asked, causing them both to laugh.

"It might come with the territory," Leif acknowledged.

She grew serious, frowning once more. "I'm not ready to be a mom," she admitted. "Skadi is great, and I love having fun with her, but…"

Once she saved Naomi, she didn't think she wanted responsibility immediately. If she didn't save Naomi, how could she help raise another person?

"I know," Leif admitted, his smile also a little sad but resigned. "But… if it's okay with you, I'm not really ready to give up on this yet."

And then, he said the thing that made her want to dissolve into a fresh pile of tears, because it was far more than she deserved: "Not until I'm sure that you're going to be okay. And sorry, princess, but I'm not convinced yet."

Her lip trembled, and Leif laughed. "Come here."

He was the kind of person who looked like he gave great hugs just by the sheer size of his chest and muscular arms, and Lydia was not disappointed when she let herself be enveloped. And she supposed it was a little sad that she'd never have a boyfriend as hot as Leif Wolff ever again, but his embrace felt far righter than any of the sexually explicit suggestions Bex had been making since Leif arrived at the castle.

Leif only let her go when she promised that she would spend the rest of the evening doing something to make herself happy—she declared that she would put on her most comfortable sweatpants, do a facemask, and watch her favorite movie—but before she returned to her room to make good on the promise, she found herself outside her father's study. She raised a shaky hand to knock.

"Lydia… what have you done?" Ezra's face was white as he took in Naomi's prone form. When he looked at Lydia, her heart broke. He looked terrified, far more than disappointed. He looked at her like she was a monster. "What have you done?"

"It was an accident!" Lydia cried desperately, her head still fuzzy. It had been an accident… hadn't it?

"Ezra," Hazel interjected softly, "It was Agnimitra's curse."

Collette fell to the ground beside Naomi, tears streaking her cheeks as she cradled her eldest child's head.

"Agnimitra's curse was contained!" Ezra yelled, the desperation and despair evident in his voice. "So who let it out, Hazel?" He turned his heartbroken gaze on Lydia.

Lydia slowly closed her palm, pulling it close to her chest. No, she wouldn't knock.

She started to return to her own room, but before she made it out of the hall, the door to the study opened. "Lydie?"

She froze, pasting a smile on her face before she turned around. "Hi, Dad!" she beamed.

He looked happy to see her. It should've made Lydia feel better, but she knew it would be different if it wasn't for the lie that Hazel, Iris, and Tallulah's spell created. "Did you need something, Lyd?" he asked.

"It was silly," she countered, "I didn't want to bother you."

"You could never be a bother," he assured her. "Want to come in?"

"Uh, no," she declined, "It was just…"

"Do you remember how we used to take the train up the coast of Angeles?" she asked, chuckling at herself a little.

"How could I forget?" Ezra replied with a smile. "Those were some of my favorite days."

"I was just wondering… can we do that again when this is all over?" Lydia asked, unable to stop herself.

Ezra looked surprised, but it soon transformed into happiness. Since Naomi's accident, Lydia had been pushing him away out of necessity. His power made it too risky. By 'this' she had meant Naomi's curse, because she knew they couldn't truly be close again until she fixed everything. But Ezra took it to mean the Selection, and the prospect of quality time with his daughter seemed to truly brighten his mood. "Of course, Lydie. Just say the word."

"Great," she smiled, the sadness still heavy in her chest. "Thanks, Dad."

"I love you, Lyd."

She could only squeak out a quick, "Love you too," before she had to rush towards the stairs that would take her to her room. She only barely managed to barricade herself in her room before the tears welled once more.

She'd always had good days and bad days since Naomi's accident. Lately, it seemed that the bad were becoming more frequent. She needed to save Naomi before her sister's health deteriorated. But Lydia was beginning to realize that she couldn't take much more either.