A/N: I didn't mean this chapter to take so long and I'm sorry, but at least, here it is, I hope it was worth it. Once again, thanks to Redworld96, who made another amazing cover for the chapter and is so inspiring and helpful! I recommend you to check her works, she is a wonderful artist as well as a great friend. Especially since it's not easy to post pictures on . And thanks to Trig, who beta read this chapter and is another amazing friend. Thanks also to the ones who still read this story and leave lovely comments or simply are enjoying this!

Enjoy!

Chapter VII: Where is the king?

The light air displacement was more than enough to wake him up. In a moment Ban found himself sitting on the bed, his eyes wide open and scanning the room as he reached for Elaine. His hand found nothing more than the still warm, entangled sheets, but his gaze had already met her minute shape, floating over the floor in the centre of the tiny room. She was turning her back to him and he couldn't see her features, only her shoulders rapidly rising and dropping as the frantic rhythm of her breath filled the room. Her wings followed the movements of her back, trembling, the moonlight flickering on their soft texture. One of her hands sank in her hair as she turned toward the window, a soft gasp escaping her throat. Ban rapidly explored the rest of the room as he moved to get out of bed, but as he already suspected, there was no one else. Everything was alright. Except for the fact that Elaine was awake in the middle of the night, obviously not feeling alright at all. He sighed, his heartbeat already getting slower as he passed a hand on his face and reached his love, his hand brushing her shoulder gently before he pulled her body towards him. It wouldn't have been the first time Elaine woke up so suddenly because of a nightmare, and considering how unsettled she had felt in the last few days, it wouldn't have been a surprise. "Elaine," he whispered, close to her ear, as he slowly caressed her shoulder and back, "what's wrong?"

Elaine gasped and turned abruptly, her golden eyes wide and terrified when they met his stare, her skin so pale that it seemed to shine with its own light, making her look like a ghost. Ban felt his breath blocking in his throat at the thought, grateful when she raised her hands to cup her face and he could feel the warmth of her skin. "Something happened. Something bad." Even her voice was feeble and shaking, at the point that he could barely hear her words. She abruptly moved away, escaping his grip, and in a moment her bag was in her hands as she flew around the room to collect her things. "We have to go," she explained, her voice still no more than a hurried murmur, "we have to come back."

"Elaine, wait," Ban furrowed his brows and reached for her once more, grabbing her wrist to stop her and bring her closer to him. "What's happening?" He asked once she looked at him one more time, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she sobbed, shaking her head, "I don't know what it is, but there is something wrong with the Sacred Tree. It … It is calling me, and it had never happened before. It's - It's bad , Ban. We have to go."

Calling her, uh? That was new. But he couldn't doubt it was something serious, not while seeing her so shaken. "Alright," he said, squeezing her hands before letting her go, "We are going."

He lifted his hand, his bag drew against his palm by the power of Snatch. Elaine nodded, looking a bit more collected, though her hands were still slightly shaking when she raised them, her belongings lifting in the air under the control of her magic. Ban smirked, turning around as he took care of his baggage. After two years spent wandering around the country, finally enjoying their freedom, they had gotten good at this.

They were in the street in a matter of minutes, the owner of the inn where they had stayed in the last couple of days woken up - he didn't seem happy about it, but he didn't dare to protest under Ban's stern stare - and paid. Elaine floated a few inches above the ground, holding tight the thick cloth of her skirt in her hand. Her head was turned to the North, towards the Fairy King's Forest, her lips pressed in a worried line. Ban stepped outside behind her, following her stare. His gaze met the gentle, green hills that wrapped that tiny village in the South West like an embrace. To a normal traveler, it would have taken days to cross the country and reach the Forest. But, Ban thought with a half-smile, they weren't normal travelers. Noticing Elaine tensed shoulders, he reached for her hand. "I'm sure it's all right," he reassured her as he pulled her closer to kiss her hair, "I don't know what's happening, but King's there, and Diane too. They will probably solve this even before we get to the Forest."

Elaine let out a shaky breath, squeezing his hand back. "I - I know, but I have this bad feeling and the Sacred Tree is still … I don't even know." She shook her head before taking a deep breath. "It could be nothing, but I'm worried. I need to see them."

"And you will," Ban murmured, releasing his grip. "Let's go."

Elaine glanced at him, the ghost of a grateful smile on her lips. The moment later, she was gone, a soft airflow ruffling his hair. And even though he couldn't help but feel worry digging its claws in his chest for whatever was making Elaine feeling so unsettled, Ban couldn't hold back a grin as he started running after her. His lover was as swift as the wind, but so was he.

Gerheade woke up out of breath, all the muscles of her body tensed into a spasm. When she opened her eye she saw the dark canopy of leaves above her, the dim light of the moon and the stars barely filtered through the branches, and part of her mind simply registered that it was late in the night, not much later than when she had gone to sleep. For the rest, her thoughts were chaos, images and words and emotions spasmodically flowing and blending in her head. Something was wrong, she realized immediately, her heart beating vigorously in her chest at the point that she could feel the dull pounding in her ears. A cold feeling traveled through her entire body, freezing the bones. Something was very, very wrong, and it wasn't her. She breathed in deeply, pulling up in a sitting position, and the moment she finally managed to focus on the mess that was her mind she felt it. The Sacred Tree. It was what was wrong, and what was making her feel like she was trapped under the water, in the darkness of the depths of the river. It was … It was in pain. It was scared. And It needed help. Gerheade swallowed as she lifted from her pellet of moss, her hands enveloping her torso and tightening their grip in an attempt to find something to ground herself.

In the blink of an eye she was flying towards the entrance of the Fairy Realm, the cool air of the night ruffling her hair and making her shiver. She had to do something, she knew she had to do something to stop whatever was happening, it didn't matter that she had no idea of what was wrong.

While she flew through the tree, urgency burning in her chest, she noticed that she wasn't the only one heading for the Sacred Tree, though the number of panicked Fairies who simply floated and irregularly moved in the air without a clear purpose was bigger. It was obvious that they were all feeling the same way, and this did nothing but make her more nervous as she flew faster, biting her bottom lip forcefully. "Lady Gerheade!" She didn't stop but she turned to meet Ende's wide eyes, filled with dread. "Lady Gerheade," she repeated, almost out of breath, "what's happening?"

In the corner of her eye, Gerheade noticed that Ende wasn't the only Fairy coming up beside her, at least a bunch of them now flying next to them and observing her with the same worried expression, almost expecting that she could explain to them why they woke up feeling like something terrible, something they couldn't even understand, had just happened. She pressed her lips together, considering how to answer, but there was no way she could reassure them now, not when she felt like she was in the eye of a storm with no idea how to get out of it. "I don't know," she answered, "but I'm going to find out. Where is the Fairy King?"

Ende shook her head, "I don't see him since this morning. Maybe he is already there."

There was no need for her to explain where 'there' was. "Maybe," Gerheade forced herself to answer, nodding her head.

However, there was something indefinable that made her suspect that they wouldn't have found Harlequin there - the way he had acted with her in the last few days, how he had avoided the Fairy Realm, the disturbing way he was losing his magic … She clenched her jaw, anxiety and fear tightening their hold on her heart. She hoped that it wasn't too late. Not for the Sacred Tree, nor for Harlequin.

The Fairy Realm welcomed them with its high plants and the sense of home, but instead of the usual sense of serenity that enveloped her every time she landed her eye on the tall figure of the Sacred Tree, Gerheade felt her stomach twisting. The enormous Tree stood strong and motionless as ever, but with that wordless scream still echoing in her mind and making her shiver, its stillness felt oddly wrong. Other Fairies and magical creatures were already gathering around It, some at the base of the trunk and other flying around the fronds like a troubled swarm. It was towards the leaves that she flew, followed by the Fairies who had come there with her. A young boy flew next to her when she got closer, and she grabbed his arm to pull him towards her, stopping to ask him, "What's the problem?"

He frantic shook his head as to imitate the frenetic movement of his small, white wings. "I don't know," he whimpered, "It happened - I don't know!"

Gerheade nodded, pressing her lips in a hard line as she let him go. He gasped and rapidly moved away, tracing uneven paths in the sky. The woman looked away with a sigh and flew towards the Tree, attentively examining the branches. She could see nothing wrong, but maybe when she would have gotten closer -

"Lady Gerheade!" She turned, stopping at midair as she waited for the other Fairy to reach her, forcing herself to stay still though every fibre of her body was yelling at her to move, to do something, whatever, to stop that feeling. The young boy halted right in front of her, his wings flapping nervously behind him. If she remembered correctly, his name was Rame, or something similar. "I'm so glad you are here," he panted, sweat beading on his forehead and temples, "what do we do?"

Gerheade looked away, her eye finding the Tree once again, as she said, "I don't know. Do you know what's wrong?"

"No, there is nothing different! I mean, there are those weird leaves but - " he shook his head, desperately looking at her like she would have been able to give him answers, answers she simply didn't know. "Nothing has changed from today and - and they tried to communicate with the Sacred Tree, but It doesn't - It's difficult to understand what It wants to tell us, but it's bad and -"

"Is the Fairy King here?" Gerheade interrupted him, glancing around, "He should be able to -"

"No," Rame shook his head, voice faint and shaky, "We didn't see him, but I - we think that could be part of the problem. We don't know what's happening, but it has to do with king Harlequin. The Tree - It's confusing and in pain, but It feels like there is something wrong with the king."

Gerheade felt her blood run cold, but she refused to surrender to the panic that was crawling in her stomach. "We have to find him. Ende," she turned to meet the other woman's anguished gaze, "take someone with you and go find Diane, he should be with her. Convince him to come here, force him if it's necessary. The Giant Queen should help you, I think - try to explain to her what's happening, but quickly. Rame," she looked to the boy again, "you are going with her. If the Fairy King is not with his wife, convince the Fairies who are not too shaken to help you and go look for him. Search the entire Fairy King's Forest if necessary. We will find him."

Rame nodded, swallowing, while Ende whispered, "What are you gonna do?"

Gerheade fixed her gaze on the fronds of the Sacred Tree once again. "I will try to understand what's wrong, I need to do that myself. But … we need Harlequin." Somehow, she knew they did. "If you can't find him, send someone to tell me, I'll gather as many Fairies as I can and look for him as well. I don't know how much time we have before - " Gerheade fell silent, uncertain. She didn't know what would have happened to the Sacred Tree if they didn't find the king, and she didn't want to wait and discover it. "Go find him," she simply finished before turning away and flying towards the Tree. Some of the Fairies that were already moving between the fronds called her, their screams vanishing in the chaos, covered by the flattering of dozens of wings. Gerheade didn't stop. She couldn't, she couldn't have even if she wanted to. Quickly, she reached a branch, her throat dry when she notices the dark leaves around her. As soon as she landed she knelt, reaching the wood with her hands. Even though it hadn't worked before, she had to try to find out what was happening; she refused to consider what would have happened if she hadn't.

Sitting on the ground with her back against a trunk, eyes closed and knees to her chest, Diane tried to focus on her breath, on the coolness of the night air, on the moisture of the earth, on anything else than what happened that afternoon. But since the moment she had stopped her furious meander, sitting in the first place she had found - she didn't even know where exactly she was and she didn't care - since her rage had slowly vanished, like the embers of a dying fire, her mind hadn't been able to stop from returning to those moments, replaying them again and again. His words, her words , the way his expression had changed - regretful and angry and desperate . The anger and hurt she had felt, clouding her mind, making her blood boil. The way he had looked at her before leaving .

Snapping her eyes open, Diane groaned, her head hitting against the wood. It went bad, even worse than what she had imagined when she had decided to talk with him alone. She still couldn't fully believe that he had said those things, but mostly she couldn't wrap her head around the conviction and the rage in his voice, that shade of concern in his eyes, the doggedness with which he had kept arguing despite the irrationality of his words. He didn't want anyone else entering the Fairy Realm, he really didn't, and even though she could understand where his will to protect his people and home came from, she couldn't fathom how he had changed his mind so much in just a few days. And what he had said about the other Clans, her Clan … Diane sighed and bit her bottom lip. It wasn't him. She knew it wasn't him, it couldn't be. Yet he had looked so determined, so sure and fierce, and she had been so furious, until she had snapped. The thought made her stomach clench as she hid her face in her hands with a low moan. She was still mad at Harlequin, for the way he kept refusing to get help, because he was pushing her and their friends and their people away, but it was obvious that something was wrong with him, something that he couldn't control and that was slowly taking over him. And if she was honest to herself, whatever it was had started weeks before, and now it felt so stupid that they did nothing until he showed a physical consequence of his sickness. Whatever it was, now it was getting worse, and she knew that Harlequin needed help, a help that she had - she desperately wanted - to give him, even though he didn't want it.

But she hadn't helped him. Instead, she had used against him something that she had known for sure it would have hurt him - and it had. The way he looked at her, his wide eyes so full of shock and desperate sorrow - and regret, that bitter, painful regret that she knew had hunted him for years and still held its grip on his heart, the guilt over the choices he made and that he couldn't change … It had almost made her take it back and reach for him to reassure him that she didn't mean it, she would have never. Even now that his behaviour was so confusing and unpredictable, she trusted him and the awareness that he would never hurt her - not like that, not in any other way - was unwavering. He promised her, and Harlequin would have done anything in his power to keep his promises.

Diane closed her eyes, her mind returning to that morning of two years ago, shortly after they had finally defeated the Demon King and ended the war for good. Elizabeth and the Captain were safe and everything seemed to be alright, though it was obvious that it would have taken time for their life to settle, after so many years of fighting. She remembered how nervous Harlequin was when he had asked her to talk, the way the sun made the blue of his wings glimmer, their rapid flutter breaking the silence of the depth of the Forest. At first, he had even seemed unable to look into her eyes and when he finally had, his gaze was determined and yet unsure, so full of regret and worry that her heart had ached for him and fear had gripped her heart. Something had to be wrong for him to feel like that, and she couldn't see what could have unsettled him in that moment of peace - what if something had happened to him - what if he didn't want to be with her, after all? It was then that he had told her that he was the one who had taken her memories away, that early morning of centuries ago.

Diane wasn't surprised. His words were like the cold confirm of something she already suspected. It was the only explanation for what had happened, thinking about it; who else could have done that? Still, hearing him say that had hurt. After all the years she had spent thinking that she had always been alone, after all the confusion and distress her memory loss had made her feel ... it hurt. He had no rights to take something so precious, so hers, like her memories away - her memories of him away. She hadn't shouted at him though, despite the anger she had felt in her chest; all she wanted to know was why - she had already wondered what reason could he have for doing something like that, but she wanted to hear it from him. She had silently listened to his explanation, and though it was obvious that her stare was difficult to bear for him, not once he had looked away, his voice low, broken by remorse and even hesitant, at first. He had really thought that it would have been for the best for her to forget. That she would have been happier, more peaceful, without having to bear the memory of another person she loved and who left her alone. He hadn't been sure, he had confessed, that he would have been able to ever come back to her.

"I would have waited for you anyway," she had pointed out, arms crossed and lips pursed, though her rage had already extinguished, replaced by something heavy and cold that was clenching her heart.

"I know," he had said, and the sadness in his amber irises had made her shift, torn by the need to hold him and the will to let him finish. "You would have had, but I couldn't ask you that. I couldn't ask you to wait for something that could have never happened. And I ... I didn't want to break the promise I made to you, I didn't want to fail you. I am sorry."

If she had to be honest with herself, she had already forgiven him, even before she had known for sure - whatever had happened, whatever he had done, it was the past, and he had already shown her more than enough how much he loved her and cared about her. She understood why he had erased her memories, and even though she still firmly believed that he shouldn't have done it, it was obvious that he knew that. So, when he had promised her that he would have never done something like that again, she believed him. She had believed him then and believed him now, with all her being. He wouldn't have been able to do something like this, not to her, not to anyone else. Then she had spent the rest of the day reassuring him that she had really forgiven him and that yes, she still wanted to marry him, with all her heart. A faint smile curved her lips as she thought about the way joy and relief had transformed his features when she had reached for him to pull him into a kiss, the happy beating of his wings tickling her hand. She trusted Harlequin. Really.

But she had told him she didn't, she thought, her smile fading, and even though he was acting like a fool and she didn't regret fighting back, hurting him wasn't what she wanted. Grabbing him and taking him to Merlin by force, that was what she should have done - what, she swore to herself, she would have done the next time she saw him. Yet, she had let him go. At the moment, it had seemed like the best decision. She was furious, her hands were trembling and her voice shaking, and she knew she needed some time to calm down and clear her mind - and he obviously needed that too. Maybe it would have helped him realise how incredibly absurd and dangerous was his behaviour. It had been the right choice, she repeated to herself as she looked him vanishing between the trees, as she turned around and walked away, losing herself in her thoughts and the depth of the Forest.

The right choice.

But now, in the solitude of the night, she wished she hadn't. She missed him, she missed his quiet presence, the warmth of his body against hers when they slept together, the reassuring whisper of his breath. Besides, she was worried. Harlequin wasn't a fool, and he usually didn't act like one, but his strange sickness was obviously affecting his mind and - and what if something had happened to him and he hadn't been able to face it? What if he had run towards the danger because -

Diane shivered and squeezed her eyelids, refusing to follow that dark path in her mind; she looked up, her eyes wandering over the landscape as she focused, looking for his magic. She felt nothing, exactly like the other times she had tried, but it was probably because his magic was too weak, too feeble to be sensed. The thought did nothing to loosen the knot of concern that tightened around her throat like a noose. Clenching her fits, she breathed in, slowly. He was in the Fairy King's Forest, his kingdom, his home. He was safe. The only person who had attacked him there was Gonf, but he rarely left the part of the Forest where the most of the Giants resided - and he wouldn't have dared to try to attack King again. Or so she hoped. But - if there had been a fight, she would have felt it. She would have, right? If something had happened ... She inhaled sharply and shifted, placing her hands on the soft ground. Maybe she should have checked that everything was all right. Just a quick check, though Harlequin was surely fine, maybe even asleep, and the day after she would have found him and forced him to get help, no matter what he -

Thud .

Diane flinched when the muffled sound reached her ears, but her body tensed when the noise was followed by a low moan and a choked sob. She looked around, eyes wide, but even though she was used to the faint light of the moon, it was difficult to clearly distinguish the outlines of the elements around her. She studied the back silhouettes of the trees, then her eyes dropped on the ground, finding nothing more than shadows and blurred shapes. The Fairy seemed to emerge from the darkness when she finally rose, her erratic movements immediately drawing Diane's attention. The Giantess frowned, leaning toward the little creature as she whispered, "Hey, are you alright?"

The Fairy trembled and let out another broken sob, then she took flight, her wings flapping furiously behind her. It was only when the moonlight finally shone on her skin that Diane could register her deranged expression, eyes round and sweat beading her forehead. She reached for her in the blink of an eye, letting her collapse on her palm, though she could feel her muscles tensing, making her body twitch as she was getting ready to spring towards the sky, yet not actually lifting in the air. "What's wrong?" Diane asked once again, moving the Fairy closer to her face, "How can I help you?"

The woman finally seemed to focus, her pupils narrow like pinheads when her eyes found Diane. "Make it stop," she whined, embracing herself and finally seeming able to raise on her knees. "It's bad, so so bad, please, make it stop!" She squeezed her eyelids, gasping, then, before Diane could ask her what exactly was bad, she threw herself off the Giantess' hand and flew away, meander in the air until she disappeared between the trees.

"Ah - wait!" Diane stood up, hurrying behind the Fairy. Something was wrong with her, so very wrong. She wasn't just upset, she was terrified, like something terrible had happened, something that had made the ground crumble beneath her feet. It wasn't the first time that Diane saw that look in someone's eyes, but it had been years since the last time, since the war against the Demon. The shouldn't have been a reason for that Fairy to feel like that, not in her homeland, not now. She needed to know what was happening.

"Hey!" Diane called again, though she wasn't sure the other woman could hear her in that state of mind, much less that she could answer. She hurried when she noticed something moving through the leaves, pushing away the branches standing in her way, narrowing her eyes as she looked for the other woman. She froze when she realized that it wasn't her. The Fairies were around her in the blink of an eye, emerging from the darkness, flying around her mindlessly, like they couldn't even see her, and then disappearing again, apparently aimlessly, their bodies moving nervously in the air. Some were murmuring intelligible words to themselves, and someone even let out a cry that made Diane turn abruptly only to find nothing. But most of them were silent, turning their heads around quickly and desperately like they were looking for something they had lost. "Hey!" Diane spun around, trying to catch their attention, "Stop!" No one showed any sign of having heard her. She snorted, clenching her jaw as she rapidly reached for a Fairy, holding him in her hand, not too tight yet not letting him go when he tried to fly away. "What's happening?" She questioned as she took him closer to her face.

Only then the fair-haired man moved his eyes on her, focusing on her figure and seeming to notice her for the first time. He shook his head, writhing in her grip. "The Sacred Tree!" He yelled and turned his head towards his right side, his stare fixed on the wood. "Something happened to the Sacred Tree," he panted, "we have to - ah!"

He freed himself from Diane's fingers when she loosened her fist, and in a moment he disappeared into the crowd of Fairies that still flew around her. Diane didn't look after him. Her stare was fixed on her hand, all the sounds that had enveloped her until then disappearing, smothered by the loud beating of her heart. The Sacred Tree . In a moment she was in Merlin's lab again, standing next to Harlequin as he confessed that something was wrong with the Tree and that he was afraid that it could have been dangerous for his people. Was this what he meant? This inexplicable madness that was taking over the Fairies was a consequence of what was happening to the Sacred Tree? Was Harlequin -

Diane widened her eyes, breath stopping in her throat. Harlequin. His connection to the Sacred Tree, he had told her, was stronger than any other Fairy, so if whatever was happening was making the Fairies go insane ... what kind of effect could it have on him? Was he flying in the darkness with his face pale and round eyes, overwhelmed by fear, nothing but the silent trees of the Forest at his side? Diane clenched her jaw so tight that it started to hurt before forcing herself to breathe in. She couldn't let panic take over her, not now. What she had to do was finding her husband, and quickly. The muscles of her legs tensed, but she kept her feet grounded to the earth, refusing to move - running around looking for him would have been senseless, she had to think . Once again, she focused, searching for his magic, and once again, she sensed nothing. A cry of frustration left her lips before she could stop it, and she clenched her hands in an effort to calm herself. Where could he have gone after their fight? A snide whisper in her mind pointed out that he maybe had just wandered in the Forest, exactly like she had, and there was no way to know where he was now. She chased it out of her head, biting her lip. She had to think that he had headed for a place he knew, somewhere safe, where he could have been alone and think -

"Diane!"

She jumped and in a heartbeat she summoned her magic, the earth barely trembling under her feet, ready to answer to her will. She sighed when she brought to focus Ende and the group of Fairies that was following her, letting go of her hold over the ground. Ende looked as pale and horrified as the others, but she seemed to still have some control over herself. The knot that still clenched the Giantess' chest loosened a little - maybe it wasn't so bad, maybe Harlequin was okay and knew how to handle that chaos. "Ende!" She called, taking a step toward her, "What's happening?"

"I - we don't know," the Fairy stopped in the air, her voice shaking, "It's the Sacred Tree, but we can't - where is the Fairy King?" She looked around, then her glossy eyes returned to Diane, gleaming with a mix of fear and hope, "Please, tell me he is with you."

Diane stiffened, feeling like her blood had just frozen in her veins. "I - I don't know," she admitted, and she swallowed. "We were together this afternoon, but then he just - he left."

Because she had let him go, she thought, feeling her eyes swelling up - no, she couldn't cry, not now. "He has to be around here," she tried to reassure Ende, and herself, but the Fairy was trembling, and one of the ones who were behind her sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. The others looked too terrified to even move.

"We have to find him," Ende breathed out, "now. Whatever is happening - we have to stop it, or ... I don't know what will happen if ..." She shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

"We will," Diane forced herself to look confident, though the knot in her chest seemed to get tighter and tighter, making it difficult to speak firmly. "I'm going to find him, but we have to get help - how many Fairies can do that?"

"I don't know. The Sacred Tree is … It's like It's screaming in our mind, calling for help, and it's difficult to focus on something else." Ende, clenched her jaw, squeezing her eyes, "I don't know how many of us can overcome, but I'll try to ask for help. Where do you think he could have gone?"

"I … I know some places that are special to him," Diane slowly answered, her mind immediately running to the place where she had found him the last time they argued - where he had looked so fragile and afraid, where he had kissed her and hold her like he couldn't believe that he was there, alive, with her. Maybe he had returned there - somehow, she doubted it, but she had to make sure. "I will check them. If I find him - "

"The Fairy Realm," Ende cut her off, "you have to take him there, it doesn't matter what happens. The Sacred Tree - we need him there. Lady Gerheade is trying to deal with It right now, she will wait for you."

Diane nodded. "Alright. If you find him, please, you have to tell me. Send someone, make a signal, I need to see him."

She waited until Ende nodded her head back and turned to give some quick instructions to the other Fairies, then moved away, first walking then running through the trees. There were a few places she knew were dear to him and she had to check them, though she couldn't help but fear that, after their argument, he wouldn't have wanted to be found so easily. She desperately hoped it wasn't the case. He had to be there, because if he wasn't, she had no idea how to find him.

The night passed in a blur. Diane realized that the sun was rising only when she noticed its dim light filter through the leaves, illuminating the Forest around her and making discernible the outlines of the roots that emerged from the ground. She stopped walking, her gaze lingering on the path that spread between the trees in front of her, then gritted her teeth and turned her back to it, forcing her legs to head towards the centre of the Forest, towards the tree that signed the passage for the Fairy Realm. It was where she and Ende had agreed to meet when they had come across, at some point during the night - Diane vaguely remembered the pink-haired Fairy's anguished expression and the wringing of her hands as she confessed that Harlequin was still nowhere to be found. She had proposed, hesitantly, to meet there at dawn, in the case someone of them had found him and hadn't been able to inform the others, though the hope that this wouldn't have been necessary - that they would have found him sooner - had been clear in her voice, and Diane knew that her words had sounded exactly the same when she had agreed. Yet there she was, headed to the meeting alone, a grip of what had become cold, pure fear around her heart. She hadn't found him, of course. Not in the viewpoint he had been last time, nor in that little clearing where the grass was sprinkled with bluebells and forget-me-nots, where he loved to rest. Not in that cave they had found once that they were exploring the Forest and that had become one of their favourite places. Not in the wooden house they had built, nor anywhere else. And when she hadn't been able to think about another place he could have wanted to reach, she had started to wander, losing herself in the wood as she called his name, again and again, until her voice had started to get hoarse and to fade.

He had to be there, somewhere in the Forest. He had to be. Even if he had wanted to leave, in his condition he wouldn't have been able to go too far - but when she had covered part of the edge of the Forest, desperately trying to sense a trace of his magic, she had found nothing. Maybe she hadn't looked well enough, and searching for him outside the Forest would have been for the best, later - but perhaps, it wouldn't have been necessary. She slightly shook her head, biting her lip, but she couldn't stop that tiny sprout of hope that she would have found him there, sitting between the leaves, waiting for her. It was not going to happen, she told herself, making her way in the wood. Yet ...

When the view on the passage opened in front of her, her eyes wandered on the exhausted Fairies who were sitting and lying on the branches. Even though she already knew it, her stomach clenched when she saw that none of the was Harlequin, and the heaviness in her chest only increased when she spotted Ende, standing on the wood with a couple of other Fairies, intent on talking with Gerheade. Both women turned to look at her when she entered the clearing, and Diane hated the way a spark of hope crossed their features, then immediately vanished. They hadn't found him, she knew it, yet once she reached them she couldn't stop herself to ask, voice low and hesitant, "Nothing?"

Ende ruefully shook her head, "Nothing." She looked exhausted, dark shades under her eyes and colour still drained from her face. "We didn't search all the Forest but we looked well enough and he just … he wasn't there."

"I've sent someone looking in the Fairy Realm as well," Gerheade sighed wearily, "but I don't think he is there. If he had come, someone would have noticed him. But if he is … " She shook her head, "it could take days to find him, assuming that he didn't move too fast."

Diane nodded and swallowed before murmuring, "I was thinking … maybe he left the Forest, just to … to clear his mind. He was so tired yesterday, he could have collapsed somewhere without being able to return."

"Why should he have even left the Forest? In a moment like that! He wouldn't -" Gerheade fell silent as she studied Diane's expression. The Giantess bit her lip and looked away, but whatever the king's advisor had seen, it was enough. "Did something happen?"

Diane breathed in slowly before answering, still not looking at her, "Yesterday afternoon we had an argument. He did something so stupid and then he kept saying those horrible things and I - I was angry, and I said things I shouldn't have. He told me that he needed some time alone. I didn't stop him." She lifted her gaze, meeting Gerheade's tired eye. "I am sorry."

The Fairy didn't speak immediately, then exhaled slowly, passing a hand on her face. "You don't have to apologize, I can't say I would have done differently … I am to blame. After they told me that there was something wrong with the Sacred Tree, after I've seen it ... I should have known that something bad could have happened. I should have helped him."

"He wasn't letting you help," Diane shook her head, "he wasn't letting anyone help. But when we find him, he won't have any other choice," she added, trying to sound positive, though the thought that something irreparable had happened to him had been lurking in her mind for hours, no matter how hard she tried to reject it. "Do you know what's happening? With the Sacred Tree?"

Ende stiffened, looking at her feet as Gerheade lowered her head, pressing her lips together. "It's done."

"What?" Diane furrowed her brows, "What is done?" As she stared at them, it suddenly occurred to her mind that the Fairies looked different. Ende was tired and worried as before, but her body lacked that nervous tension that had made her movements rapid and broken during the night, and that same applied to the woman and the two men behind her. Maybe they were just too tired, or …

"I couldn't understand what exactly was happening with the Tree," Gerheade quietly explained, "I've tried but - it was too much. The Sacred Tree is not like the other trees, we could even say it has its own mind, a mind that for us is difficult to read. It doesn't think as we do. All I got was that something terrible was happening, something that was hurting It. It wanted us to make it stop, but maybe an hour ago it just … it stopped. I can still feel the presence of the Tree in my head, but this time, it's a warning. Whatever it was … It happened. It's too late."

A coldness flooded in her body as Diane asked, "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but it's bad. I'm afraid we will find out soon enough."

"Do you think -" Diane stopped and swallowed, her throat feeling too dry to speak, "do you think it's about Harlequin? Since he has a … close bond, with the Sacred Tree."

Silence fell on the group. Diane's eyes were fixed on Gerheade, and so were the ones of the Fairies gathered around, and for a moment the Giantess regretted asking that question. Gerheade looked so tired, so fragile under their gazes, and Diane didn't remember ever seeing her so slovenly, dress crinkled and dishevelled hair falling loose on her shoulders. "I can't be sure," the king's advisor murmured finally, tightening her grip on the wand. "But it's likely. Harlequin's condition worsened not many days after we discovered the changes of the Tree … I don't know what started first, but I think … there is a correlation." She swallowed as she added, "I hope nothing happened to him but the Tree was … I couldn't understand clearly, but it felt like It feared for him. And now, it's over. I don't know what, but … it's over. It's too late."

"No." Diane crossed her arms, taking a step back, her legs suddenly feeling so weak that she feared she would have fallen. Even though she didn't, it felt like she was, falling down and down, deep in the bowels of the earth. "You don't ... Harlequin can't -"

"She didn't mean that," Ende gently said, though her lips voice was marked with incertitude as she glanced at the other Fairy.

"I didn't," Gerheade sighed, "I'm sorry Diane, I didn't want to scare you. If Harlequin was … If it was too late for him, we would have known, the Tree would have felt that. For now, it doesn't seem like It wants to choose a new king."

It felt like the oxygen could finally reach for her lungs. Diane felt herself nodding as she embraced her torso. It wasn't too late. Whatever had happened, it wasn't too late for him. They just had to find him and then they would have found a way to fix everything. Instinctively, and almost desperately, she reached for her power, trying once again to find him. Around her, she could sense all the feeble presences of the Fairies - Gerheade's one was stronger, shining like quartz between stones. King's wasn't there, of course, but Diane refused to give up so soon. She squeezed her eyelids until - there. Her eyes snapped open as she turned towards North, furrowing her brows. She had found something - someone she knew well. But not Harlequin. "What -" Gerheade stopped when she felt it and followed Diane's gaze. "How -"

Diane didn't wait for the end of her sentence. Her feet were moving even before she knew, and she rapidly made her way through the trees, ignoring the exhaustion. And even though she felt relief flowing into her mind, she couldn't help but bit the inside of her cheek with a mix of guilt and nervousness. How was she supposed to explain that they had no idea where Harlequin was to his sister?

It had been months since the last time Elaine had visited the Fairy King's Forest, right before she and Ban left headed towards South, and when finally the mist vanished, revealing the flourishing vegetation, she wasn't surprised to notice that it seemed to have grown even more. It had been like that every time she had come to visit and it had been a relief to her, to know that the loss of the Fountain of Youth hadn't destroyed the chance for the new Forest to prosper. But now, she didn't feel relieved as she floated through the shrubs and the high trees. The last time, the entire Forest had seemed to breathe - the flapping of the wings of the other Fairies, their murmurs echoing in the wood, the buzz of the bugs and the creaking of the twigs, all those sounds blending and creating like a song around her. Now, only Ban's soft footsteps broke the silence, and the Forest looked frozen as pending. Elaine exhaled slowly, crossing her arms, the weight in her chest growing heavier as they proceeded. The urgency that had made her muscles tense and ache when she had woken up had reduced at some point during the night, yet she hadn't felt any better because it has left behind the firm certainty that something had happened, something that she had failed to stop. Now that she was finally there, she felt it even stronger. But that wasn't what really made her throat dry and heart pound against her breastbone. When she glanced at Ban, he looked away from the surrounding trees and met her eyes, flinching a brow. Of course, he had noticed too.

They were alone.

The last time she had come, she hadn't even made in time to set foot on the Forest's ground that Harlequin had been there. She remembered him emerging from the leaves, his eyes shining and a smile on his lips as he flew to meet her at mid-air; she had laughed in his embrace and held him closer - she had missed him, she always missed him, though the feeling was made bearable by the knowledge that he was there, in the Forest, where she could have always found him. Diane was with him, of course, coming out from the trees right behind him, a grin on her lips as she waved at her. When she had joined them, she had chuckled, explaining that the moment Harlequin had felt them coming, he had wanted to fly towards them to meet them midway, fidging like a bumblebee all along the way. Elaine remembered that her brother had flushed yet he hadn't stopped smiling and then Ban had said that had made her laugh before they finally headed all together toward the centre of the Forest. The fact that there was no one for them this time - not her brother, not Diane, not even a single Fairy simply floating around - made her gut clench. There had to be a reason why they weren't there, and she was certain that she wouldn't have liked it.

At her side, Ban stopped abruptly, turning his head, his tensed shoulders barely relaxing. "Diane's coming," he stated, and Elaine nodded as she sensed the Giantess' presence rapidly coming closer, "but King's not around here."

"The Fairy Realm," Elaine murmured, then swallowed, trying to control her anxiety, "he could be there. We wouldn't detect his magic if he was."

Besides, she thought as she landed next to Ban, her feet touching the cold grass with a rustle, it made sense that Harlequin was with the Sacred Tree, most likely taking care of whatever issue was going on. She would have seen him soon enough. Yet, when Diane's tall figure appeared between the trunks, Elaine felt cold coursing through her veins. Something was wrong, everything told her that. The Giantess' tired and elusive eyes, the fact that she had a cut right on the side of her cheek, a thin line of dark red on her too pale skin that she obviously hadn't noticed - or she hadn't cared to notice, the other cuts on her arms. "Elaine, Ban," she nodded and sighed when she kneeled on the ground in front of them, "You are there. Thank Gods, you are really here."

"Diane," Ban nodded back, "what's going on here? Elaine -"

"What happened to the Sacred Tree?" Elaine blurted out as she lifted from the ground to get closer to the other woman, unable to control the rapid flap of her wings, "How's Harlequin handling it? Is he all right?"

She stiffened when a shadow passed through Diane's eyes and she lowered her gaze. "He is not," she murmured, her voice breaking. She joined her hands and breathed in before continuing, "We don't know where he is. We looked for him all night but we can't find him!"

No . Elaine closed her eyes, letting out a short breath. This couldn't be happening, not again, Harlequin couldn't be missing - but Diane's despairing gaze, the way she kept tormenting her hands, told her otherwise. "No," she murmured between her teeth anyway, "he has to be here." He couldn't have left the Forest again to disappear only the Gods knew where.

Ban rapidly glanced at her before shaking his head and returning his eyes on Diane, "This makes no sense. King's magic stands out like a lighthouse in the middle of the night, why can't we sense him?"

"It's not like that right now." Diane crossed her arms, pressing her lips in a hard line. Even though her mind was clouded, Elaine realized that the Giantess was on the verge of tears, yet she refused to let them fall. "He lost most of his power in the last few days," she explained, her voice feeble, "I don't think we can find him like this anymore."

"What?" Elaine covered her mouth with her hands in horror, "How - why?" The thought of her brother missing again, and this time without his magic, made her feel sick and breathless.

"I don't know!" Diane shrieked, a sob escaping her lips, "No one does! He just … he wasn't able to sleep and then he started acting so weird and to weaken and - I should have realized it sooner." She inhaled sharply, raising her eyes to meet Elaine's, "I should have helped him but I - I've let him go instead, and now, we can't find him - and the Sacred Tree … I don't even know what's happening with it! I'm sorry " She stopped, and for a moment her rapid breathing was the only sound breaking the silence, until she murmured, "I need your help. We have to find him."

When she opened her mouth to answer, Elaine felt her voice halting in her throat, as if her neck was tightened by a knot. She blinked, and in a moment she found herself alone, on the tip of the tree that had hosted the Fountain of Youth, waiting for her brother and hoping that he would have come back soon - and she waited and waited and waited even though she knew nothing of his fate. The warm touch on her fingers made her jump, but when she turned, meeting Ban's scarlet stare, and he tightened his grip on her hand, giving her something to hold onto, she was finally able to take a breath. She squeezed his hand as she turned her head towards Diane. "I need to know exactly what happened. But - we will find him." She wouldn't have considered any other outcome, not now.

The Giant Queen breathed out and nodded, raising. Even though her eyes still glistened, she seemed to have recovered control over herself. "I will tell you while we look for him. Many Fairies don't seem to be in the condition to help, but we will find the ones who can."

"Well, it seems like they just found us," Ban said, nodding towards the trees. Elaine looked up just in time to see Gerheade flying towards them, relief clear on her face; she was followed by a group of other Fairies - not many, Elaine noticed, pursing her lips.

"Hey," Ban's voice made her turn her head towards him. He grinned, squeezing her hand, "We are going to find him. I bet he just fell asleep somewhere and didn't even realize what happened, that lazy-ass!"

It was unlikely - there was no way Harlequin hadn't felt what had happened to the Sacred Tree, and Diane's words about his magic worried her, but for a moment Elaine allowed herself to make him a weak smile, as she answered, "You are right. We are going to find him." At least this time, she thought as she flew towards the other Fairies, Ban walking at her side and Diane preceding them, she wasn't alone.