A Web of Affection

By: ChocolateEclar

Disclaimer: Some characters belong to the magnificent authoress, Diana Wynne Jones. I just borrowed them for a while. She also owns the entire world she created (i.e. Ingary, Zanzib, etc.)

Claimer: I own Wyn, Aidan, Nate, Nesta, Stephen, Oliver, Evan, Kamania and Chris Aprilian, Mr. Calypso, Professor Weph, Life, Death, Apocalypse, Rhys, Mackenzie, Vihari and Mayuri Clavis, Damian and Damodar Reskin, and the country of 'Filar.'

To Artemis Obscure: Let me start by saying I also like anime! ^_^ My favorites are Yuyu Hakusho, Inuyasha, Cardcaptor Sakura, Yu-Gi-Oh, Beyblade, Cowboy Bebop, Beyblade, Rurouni Kenshin, and admittedly I still like Pokémon a bit. (For a while I liked DBZ and Sailor Moon but I think I've outgrown them now. I still like how they look though.)

Here's an excerpt from character 18 of BHaD. It will help explain what happened to Heulo:

Rhys noticed it as well for he said to Heulo, "I guess this means its time to get rid of own differences."

'So it does…' replied Heulo-Rhys. They looked evenly at each other before stepping side-by-side to each other. They both bowed their heads in exactly the same way, and before Wyn or Morgan could gasp in wonder, they had 'melted' into one person.

The solitary figure before them looked so like the boy and Sun Spirit they had seen only moments before, but now he was entirely healed, devoid of any of Rhys's bruises and Heulo's gashed forehead. He tilted his head up at them and opened his eyes causing the others to gasp. His eyes were a dazzling bright green color ten times more emerald-like then either Rhys or Heulo's eyes had been. The golden light Heulo's eyes had had was gone, but in its place, behind them was a silvery glow.

He gave them a cool Heulo-like smirk with the twist of Rhys's laughing grin and said, "Ready, guys?"

And here's a paragraph from the BHaD epilogue under Rhys's POV:

As for the whole Heulo and Rhys differences, they're gone. I am Heulo and Rhys, and they are me…Get it? Anyway, I really am what they've become. I'm not a little kid anymore though; now I'm a teenager with black hair, green eyes, and a love for all things art and magic.

So you see, its unlikely that Heulo's coming back. The present Rhys is a combination of them. Sorry about the niece/nephew, etc. confusion. I tried to give as many clues as possible to so you knew who was who. I kept forgetting too. =P Here's a list incase anyone needs it:

Nate and Nesta-Twins, Aidan's and Wyn's children, ages 15, niece/nephew of Rhys.

Oliver, Stephen, and Evan-All of Morgan and Mac's children, various ages, nephews of Rhys.

That should help. Anyway, thanks a lot for reviewing!

A/N: This chapter is under Mayuri's POV. ^_^

Chapter 2: In Which Mayuri Tells About Her Follies

Mayuri

We walked to the place everyone seemed to dub 'the moving castle.' I sauntered forward silently. I was ashamed of my rotten behavior back in the square; I mean I had attacked the PRINCESS! I was surprised I hadn't been carted off in chains quite honestly.

Anyhow, we all stepped inside and there was Rhys's mother, Sophie. She was pulling some last minute food items out of the pantry, her hair, which was turning white with age, kept getting in her eyes.

"Do you need any help, Sophie?" asked Mackenzie, Morgan's wife.

"No, I'll be fine, Mac," replied Sophie obstinately. She stepped out of the closet, her arms filled up with some more pots and pans, and set them on the workbench. "Supper's almost ready," she announced grabbing a few of the pans. She walked over to the fireplace where the fire demon, Calcifer, was resting. "Bend down, Calcifer," Sophie ordered with her usual strong tone.

Calcifer grumbled but he still bent his flaming head and went back to sleep. Sophie balanced a pan on the grate and placed several pieces of beef on it to heat up. I turned away then. I had seen my friend's mother do this several times before after all.

I glanced at Rhys who was chatting with his niece and nephews as if he had been away for several months instead of a week. I noted he was speaking in Welsh, the language was rolling off his tongue rather sloppily, but atleast he was trying. Howl and him had been teaching Wyn and Aidan's twins, Nate and Nesta, and Morgan and Mac's little Evan to speak the dialect. It was going well and it seemed the students would surpass one of the teachers, namely Rhys. They definitely wouldn't be better than their grandfather, Howl, who was a native speaker of the peculiar lingo after all.

I wanted to learn as well, but I was still mastering English. Vihari could make his Filar accent practically disappear, while I was still struggling with it. I loved my old language but I had to learn this new one if I was going to stay in Ingary and live unperturbedly. Rhys gave me lessons every once and a while but lately he was in Wales more and more. I knew his art was important to him, but I really missed him.

Vihari and I now lived in a small dwelling in Market Chipping near the square and about a block from the moving castle's Market Chipping residence. It was quaint and by no means 'homey' but it would do until we could afford a proper house. Vihari went to school close to our home where he was doing well. I worked at a fortuneteller's stall in the square where I put my psychic abilities to good use. We were doing perfectly all right for a duo of orphans.

Anyway, as I watched Rhys talk I felt a familiar knot in my chest. I adored the way he laughed, the way he talked, and him altogether. I loved his jet-black curls atop his head and his sparkling green eyes.

I loved him.

He seemed out of my reach though. No matter what I did he just didn't seem to understand my affections for him. He always seemed to remain as clueless as either, which sometimes led to my fights with Princess Talitha.

Princess Talitha.

Oh how I loathed her! She was a horrid beast that just wouldn't take any of Rhys's hints. He even went so far as telling her he wanted her to go away! I watched him squirm under her gaze and I just had to help him! So I called Talitha some rather choice words and she blew up on me.

Before I knew it, we kept getting into these fights that led into one of us always getting hurt! Then Rhys himself would always break up our battles and Talitha would say the usual embarrassing hogwash that always left me even more infuriated with the girl!

Urgh!

Now, I feel better.

Anyway, back to the topic of Rhys. The first time I saw him as a human his raven colored curls were falling into his eyes, which were the deepest shade of green I had ever laid eyes on. They practically swallowed me up so that I was blushing and acting goofy like that idiot Talitha!

I have to admit I had fallen for Rhys faster than I should have. Before I knew it, I was following him around like a little lost puppy and my heart was beating like a galloping horse.

I was in love, but Rhys just didn't seem to realize it.

When Talitha and I both had him pinned down, he bolted like a wild animal and our initial reaction was disbelief and then rage.

We only made things worse.

 Rhys left Ingary and swore never to come back and see us again. His family was just going to have to go visit him in Wales when they wanted to see him! He wasn't returning ever!

We had made a terrible, dim-witted mistake.

Rhys wouldn't come back!!!

************************************************************************

A/N: Sorry this is so short but I wanted to write a little from Mayuri's point of view and how she, Talitha, and Rhys screwed up.

Wyn: I haven't appeared in the story yet!

Me: Neither has your dad.

Wyn: So!

Me: *sighs* People are so hard to please these days…

A/N 2: The following chapter is from Talitha's POV! After that, the story will go back to Rhys and will finally move along…

A/N 3: REVIEW!!!!!

A/N 4: Bye! ^____-