Estella awoke to find that it was almost dusk. She had slept all day. She looked around and found the sandals resting at her feet. She pulled them on. The leather was soft and the wings tickled her feet slightly as they fluttered. She gathered her things together and began to rise over the cliff. Flying was easier than she expected as the sandals reacted to the slightest turn of her feet. It was wonderful. She soared over the cliff, over mountains and frozen fields, taking less than a quarter of the time it would have taken her to walk. Estella chose to fly day and night, without many breaks and therefore arrived at the Fates' lair in three days.

They lived in a small cave, precisely beneath Polaris.

Estë had been flying low as she neared the Fates' home and was instantly glad of it when she spotted the entrance to the cave. Hovering in front of the passageway of the cave were several harpies, who generally fly over battlefields and carry off the wounded. She could only guess what means the Fates had used to get them to protect their lair, but she didn't like it. Estella had to find a way to get rid of them. She thought long and hard about it, but came up with only one solution. Although it wasn't the most desirable method of their disposal, Estë knew that it was the only way. She had to talk to them.

She clenched her teeth together and locked her arms behind her back, for fear of trembling and giving away how frightened she really was. It wasn't enough, her whole body shook, and she sensed that when she spoke her voice would vibrate too.

And so, trembling from head to toe, Estella left the cover of the buses and made her way towards the cave. As soon as they spotted her, the harpies swooped down on Estella. They were just about to grab her when Estella said "Wait." And put out her hands, palms outward, in the universal 'stop' symbol. To her surprise, they froze.

"I don't want to bother you." She said carefully. "I just wanted to let you know that there's a centaurs' battle a few miles south of here. I know how you love battles." The centaurs' battle, incidentally which she had started, was well more than a few miles away. It was over three days travel, but the harpies didn't know that. The harpies exchanged excited glances, then gazed back at the cave entrance. Estella understood their hesitation.

"Don't worry. I'll stay here and guard the cave, the Fates will never find out." She reassured them.

Their eyes glittering, the harpies nodded their thanks and left.

"Excellent." Estella muttered to herself.

Estë glanced into the crevice and saw nothing but darkness. With a feeling of great trepidation, she stepped into the cave. As soon as she was inside she relaxed. Further down the tunnel were a series of burning torches, emitting a soft glow, just bright enough for Estella to see with. The tunnel was wide enough to admit a person slightly larger than Estë, so she had no problems making her way through it. The hard packed dirt was easy to walk on and the walls stayed up without supports. There were many smaller tunnels branching off from the main one, but Estella followed the one she was in. It wasn't long before Estella heard voices. Though she had never seen the Fates, she could paint a mental picture solely by listening to them speak.

There were three of them, she knew. Clotho, "the spinner", Lachesis, "the apportioner", and Atropos, "the inevitable". All three sounded old, as Estella knew they must be, and she was put in mind of evil witches cackling as they stirred a cauldron over a fire. That wasn't far from the truth, Estella decided when she caught sight of the Fates. They were definitely old, very wrinkled, and severely hunched. One look drove terror so fierce into Estella that she stood rooted to the spot. She couldn't explain what caused the sudden fright, the Fates looked like nothing more than creepy grandmothers, but Estë felt a growing surge of uneasiness surrounding them.

"I can't do it father." She barely whispered, "I'm too afraid, too weak." She turned and fled, but didn't leave the cave. The harpies were still out there and she had no intention of running into them again. Instead, Estella hid herself in the corner of a short, unlit tunnel that branched off from the main one. She refused to allow herself to sleep, even though she had great need of it. She did, however, let her mind float in and out of reality. It was her mind that really needed resting anyway. These breaches of sanity were frequent during the hour or so that she rested. During one such mind trip, she could have sworn she heard Apollo's voice. It was filled with doubt, but Estella only heard the promise in it.

"I'm not sure what I can do, Estë. The gods are not above the decisions of the Fates. We do not hold the power to overrule them. But I'll see what can be done."