Harlequin didn't know what he was expecting, but the passage through so portal was so brief that he didn't have time to think about it before they emerged on the other side.

The familiarity of the place wrapped itself around Harlequin's troubled heart, its powerful yet gentle energy soothing his soul.

The portal had opened inside the Sacred Tree.

Harlequin looked around. They were in the room where King Dahlia spent most of his time when he wasn't patrolling the forest. It was warm and comfy, and opened on the exterior. They were way above the other trees, and the view was breathtaking.

For a moment, Harlequin almost forgot about what he had just been through.

He only noticed that they weren't alone when Gerheade hurried towards them. The king's advisor looked worried, and she held her fruit wand tight.

"Fairy King! What happened?"

"Three humans had entered the forest," King Dahlia answered, his expression dark. "I dealt with them."

The cold words brought reality back to Harlequin. He thought about the humans that had attacked first Helbram, then him; he remembered their immediate aggressiveness and the way they hadn't cared about the fairies' lives. They had barely even acknowledged that Helbram and Harlequin were people.

He remembered the fear that had seized him, and the rage and determination that had prompted him to interfere. He thought about how utterly powerless he had felt, bound by the human's magic and unable to use his own.

Harlequin felt like the Fairy King's words didn't do justice to the situation, but maybe there wasn't much more to be said. Ill-intentioned humans had entered the Fairy King's forest and they had been dealt with–killed.

Gerheade must have thought so, because she nodded once and turned to the two fairies that weren't supposed to be with the king.

"And what about you?" She pointed her unique eye at Helbram, then Harlequin. "I've heard that you've been very busy this morning."

Harlequin blinked. It took him a few seconds to remember what Gerheade meant. The prank. The fairies. Helbram pretending that there were humans coming for them, as a joke–and then telling the very same thing to Harlequin, and Harlequin not believing him, thinking that Helbram was just trying to prank him too…

Except these humans had been real. And they had almost taken his friend's life, and his own.

Gerheade's eye widened, and horror painted itself on her face. She was probably seeing right through Harlequin and his jumbled thoughts, reading the fear that was barely receding, the shock that was still accelerating his heartbeat–but he was alive, and Helbram was alive. King Dahlia had seen to that.

Harlequin breathed. The air carried the pollen of the Sacred Tree, calming him, soothing him. Grounding him in a place he loved and belonged to, no matter what some people had said.

"What happened to you?" Gerheade asked, her voice gentler.

"They were attacked by the humans," King Dahlia answered for them. "They defended themselves valiantly."

Surprise passed across Gerheade's features. "I see."

She motioned for them to follow her, and they sat on comfy mushrooms growing on the Sacred Tree's bark. King Dahlia settled himself on one of his favorite places, a seat of moss and leaves and flowers.

"Tell me exactly what happened," she asked.

Harlequin fought the urge to hide behind his pillow. Gerheade had always impressed him. She was old, even by fairies' standards. She had known the legendary first Fairy King, Gloxinia, and she was Dahlia's adviser. And her emotions were unreadable to him, even more than the Fairy King's.

At least Helbram–breathing Helbram, living Helbram–was next to him. Harlequin didn't need to look at him to feel his presence or his uneasiness.

He decided to let his friend do the talking. After all, it had been Helbram's idea to go to the border, and Helbram's curiosity that had caused their discovery by the humans.

Either because he had heard Harlequin's thoughts or because he thought the same, Helbram cleared his throat and started talking.

As he told their story, with Harlequin adding a few details here and there, Harlequin found himself clenching his fists in his pillow.

He had almost lost his best friend. If things had unfolded slightly differently, Helbram would have died by the humans' hands. He wouldn't be here, sitting next to Harlequin with his legs folded on the mushroom and explaining to Gerheade how careful they had been and how it was bad luck and bad luck only that the humans had noticed them.

The thought was appalling, and it was new to Harlequin. Fairies lived centuries. He had no reason to fear for someone he loved, not when the forest and its king took care of them.

Now that he was thinking about it, about the possibility of it, it stirred something deep inside of him–the need to protect Helbram against those who wished him harm, not unlike what he had felt when looking at Elaine's face for the first time.

Helbram had finished his tale, and Harlequin made an effort to focus on the present.

"You're saying that there were more of them?" Gerheade asked, her tone worried.

"Yes. They said it was a reckon mission, and they talked about a camp, and about a Chief," Helbram said.

"Then more will be back." Gerheade tightened her hold on her fruit wand. "I don't like that they had a mage, either. There could be more of his kind."

King Dahlia smiled at her. Even in his current posture, half-lying and with his wings nonchalantly resting on the flowers, he irradiated power. "Don't worry, Gerheade. I'll deal with them in due time."

The thought was reassuring to Harlequin. Of course they would be safe with the king to guard their home. And Harlequin wasn't going near the forest's border again any time soon, no matter what Helbram said, so he wouldn't have to worry about intruders again.

Harlequin was so glad that intruders were the Fairy King's responsibility and not his own. He was all too aware of how powerless he had felt between the humans' hands.

Gerheade nodded. "Yes, Fairy King." She turned to Harlequin and Helbram, and her voice was gentle when she addressed them, gentler than Harlequin ever remembered it. "You two should take some rest."

Harlequin yawned. At the same time, Helbram's stomach growled, and Gerheade smiled.

"But maybe you want to eat something first."

"Yes," Helbram immediately said. "Thank you."

Harlequin didn't feel especially hungry. Now that he was near the Sacred Tree, its energy was sustaining him. But he needed to talk to Helbram before he went to sleep, and so he followed Gerheade and his friend to an alcove where fresh berries were displayed on green leaves.

Helbram took several of them. "They're delicious," he said. "Thank you."

Gerheade nodded and left them alone. Harlequin heard her whisper to the Fairy King, but he couldn't discern the words, and besides, it was none of his business.

He took a few berries and slowly ate them. Helbram was right, they were delicious: sweet with a hint of acidity, exactly how he liked them.

For a while, neither of them talked. The awkwardness slowly grew until Harlequin decided it was time to confront his friend.

"Helbram."

Helbram, who was about to stuff himself with yet another handful of berries, stopped his gesture in mid-air. He slowly turned his head towards Harlequin, as if his friend was a nest of wasps he didn't want to stir.

"Yes?"

"What were you thinking?" Harlequin said, slowly, deliberately.

Helbram met his eye.

"I didn't think we would end up fighting them. I just wanted to have a closer look at them." He finished his mouthful. "It was an accident."

Harlequin sighed. At least Helbram wasn't pretending not to understand the question, nor trying to get away with a joke.

While he agreed that it had, all things considered, been an accident, he wasn't going to let his friend get away with almost getting himself killed that easily.

"You put yourself at risk."

"Unwillingly," Helbram pointed out, although he had the good grace to look sheepish. "How was I supposed to know that one of them would have magic?"

"You should have been more careful. You know humans are dangerous!"

"You weren't that much more careful than me," Helbram countered. "You should have run away."

"And left you alone to deal with them? They were about to kill you!"

"Harlequin, I'm fine," Helbram said softly. "I promise."

Harlequin suddenly realized that he had clenched his fists, and that he was yelling.

"Yes," he said, lowering his voice. The last thing he wanted was to attract Gerheade or Dahlia's attention. "Thanks to the Fairy King, no thanks to you."

"And thanks to you." Helbram smiled. "You bought us time." He licked his berry-stained fingers. "What an adventure, eh?"

"That's all you feel?" Harlequin's hands were trembling.

"Well, we met humans, fought them and get rescued by the Fairy King in person. It's not every day that fairies can live through that, is it?" Helbram winked.

Harlequin turned his head away. He felt tears rolling down his cheeks, but he couldn't have cared less.

"You don't need to be scared anymore," Helbram said, reading Harlequin's emotions either in his heart or on his face. "We're safe."

"You almost got killed," Harlequin whispered furiously, his voice trembling on the last word. "How do you think I would feel?"

Helbram's smile disappeared. "I'm sorry."

Harlequin didn't answer. He didn't understand Helbram's obsession with humans, or why his friend needed more than what the Fairy King's Forest had to offer. Until then, it had been harmless–Helbram's enthusiasm was fun to watch, and Harlequin liked to see him happy–but here and now, he felt like Helbram's passion would be the end of him someday.

"Harlequin. I really am fine," Helbram said.

"I know." Harlequin wiped his tears, feeling even more exhausted than before. "I need some sleep."

For once, Helbram didn't tease him about it. "Me too. How about we go to bed?"

Harlequin gave him a weak smile. "Finally a sound idea coming from you."

Helbram patted his shoulder, and Harlequin allowed himself to relax.

He was home, he was safe, and he was going to sleep to his heart's content, lulled by the Sacred Tree's melody.

Harlequin's intention to collapse on his bed was postponed by an event that, in retrospective, he should have expected.

His little sister, Elaine, was waiting for him in the cavity they both shared inside the Sacred Tree's trunk. She was sitting at the entrance, her legs dangling in the air, and sprang up as soon as she saw him.

"Brother! Where have you been?"

She looked worried, and Harlequin realized that Elaine, like Gerheade, must have heard about their prank against Buttercup and his friends. News spread fast amongst fairies.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you," he said.

"Why would you do this?" Elaine asked, her eyes big and filled with incomprehension. "Primrose told me how scared she was."

Harlequin patted her head. "It was a bad idea," he admitted. He tried to find out something else to say, but he was too exhausted for words.

Elaine was watching him suspiciously. As he turned his head to avoid her gaze, she suddenly gasped.

"You're hurt!"

Harlequin blinked, not understanding what she was talking about. Then he remembered the scratch that the arrow of one of the humans had left on his cheek.

"This?" he said, stroking the scar. "This is nothing. It'll be gone in a few days."

Still, Elaine looked worried. Harlequin wondered whether he should have tried to hide it–he could have projected an illusion on his skin, and Elaine wouldn't have noticed a thing.

But there had been too many things on his mind. The fight with the humans was still fresh in his heart, and sorting out his contradictory emotions was a work in progress.

Elaine was frowning more and more, and Harlequin realized with dread that she was trying to read his heart. For a fairy so young, she was very good at it–way better than Harlequin, actually.

He tried to think about anything but the humans. He summoned his memories of the breeze on his face when he flew above the canopy, of the caress of the leaves on his skin, of the taste of the berries he picked on secret bushes, of the scent of humus and mushrooms under the trees.

In this humus, three humans were now going to rot and decay, slowly becoming part of the forest. It was the fate they deserved for disrespecting the forest and attacking its inhabitants.

"You've met humans!" Elaine wrung her hands.

Harlequin grimaced. His sister's ability to read hearts was impressive, but in moments like this, he would rather she didn't see through him.

"It was an accident," he said, without noticing that he was borrowing Helbram's words. "I didn't mean to."

Tears were coming to Elaine's eyes, and he pulled her against him, embracing her slender body.

"Elaine. I'm fine, I promise," he said. "King Dahlia protected us."

She sniffled against his chest. "I'm glad."

Harlequin kept hugging her until she calmed down.

"You should rest," she finally said, wiping her face. "You're exhausted."

Harlequin yawned for the umpteenth time in the last hour. "I am."

"Go to bed," she said, pushing him to the bed of moss and flowers they had made themselves in the back of their cavity.

He didn't try to resist, and lay on it with gratitude. His pillow helpfully slid under his head. Harlequin closed his eyes, finally allowing sleep to claim him.

The last thing he was aware of was Elaine cuddling against him.

When Harlequin woke up, he felt perfectly rested.

He could tell from the light that the sun was high in the sky, which didn't bother him in the slightest. Sleeping in was one of the pleasures of life.

He lay still for a while, listening to the birds singing over the whistling of the wind. The forest had always given him everything he wanted. Food, shelter, friends… Friends obsessed with humans…

His mood darkened as he remembered the events of the day before, and the way Elaine had felt his distress. He hadn't wanted to upset her.

She was nowhere in sight, and Harlequin decided to go look for her, just to make sure she was alright. He yawned and stretched before moving, floating on his pillow towards the exit.

Elaine came in right when he was about to leave. She smiled at him, and Harlequin bathed in the warmth of that smile.

"Good morning, Harlequin! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Elaine. Sorry for worrying you yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Elaine chuckled. "It has been one week. I was starting to get worried, but Helbram said it wasn't unheard of."

"One week?" Harlequin said sheepishly, running his hand through his hair. "Oh."

He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to go see the king. Well, King Dahlia had told them to get some rest, hadn't he?

Elaine nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Yes. I don't know how you're doing it."

"I'm a natural." Harlequin was too happy that his sister didn't seem to resent him to mind the teasing.

Elaine shook her head. "Anyway, Helbram passed by this morning. He gave me a message for you. He said that you should come see him as soon as you're ready, so you can both go see the Fairy King." Elaine's voice sounded slightly worried as she went on. "What do you think King Dahlia has in mind?"

Harlequin shrugged. "I don't know. He wants to keep us busy, I guess. So we stay out of trouble or something."

Elaine nodded, relieved. "Ah, that's good!"

"What do you mean, good? I'm not good at working."

Elaine embraced his neck. "I like the 'staying out of trouble' part."

Harlequin grumbled a little, just for form, then took his leave. Outside, the breeze carried the scents of spring. He made for a nearby tree, picking a juicy fruit. It was delicious, even though he wasn't especially hungry.

As he levitated among the trees, he caught sight of Helbram talking to a group of fairies. Harlequin didn't know what his friend was talking about, but the audience looked captivated.

He silently came closer.

"And then King Dahlia arrived! He was magnificent. He repelled the humans in no time."

The fairies quivered without showing any surprise, as if they already knew the story and enjoyed hearing it once more.

Harlequin, for his part, couldn't believe his ears. Was Helbram seriously bragging about their last adventure to the other fairies?

He floated downwards until his head was right above Helbram's shoulder. "Helbram, may I talk to you?"

Helbram turned around, grinning. "Harlequin! You're finally up!"

Harlequin tugged at Helbram's sleeve. "Sorry, everyone," he said. "I need to borrow him for a minute."

Helbram didn't stop grinning, even when Harlequin stopped in a more private area, crossing his arms and glaring at his best friend.

"You're telling them that we met humans?"

Helbram winked. "Of course! They're loving this story!"

"It's not something to be proud of!"

"Well, what was I supposed to say? Especially to Elaine. She wanted to know the whole story."

Harlequin looked at him in horror. "And you told her?"

"I told her enough so that she wouldn't be so upset. Maybe I embellished the story a bit, but what harm is there in that?" Helbram took a resigned expression that Harlequin suspected to be faked. "You weren't here, I had to take a decision by myself. And when the others heard us, of course they became curious." He patted Harlequin's shoulder. "You're responsible too, by the way. You're the one who told Elaine in the first place."

Harlequin bowed his head, defeated. "She read my heart. I tried to hide it from her, but she's too good."

Helbram put an arm around Harlequin's neck. "No need to beat yourself up. Like I said, they're loving this story." He waved his hand. "It adds to the Fairy King's legend."

"Talking about the Fairy King, maybe we shouldn't make him wait any longer," Harlequin said, not without some bad faith. After all, he had been the one to sleep for a week.

Helbram sighed. "I guess it's time to meet our fate."

As Harlequin and Helbram made for the Sacred Tree, a crowd of curious fairies followed them. Amongst them was Elaine, as much as Buttercup and Primrose.

Harlequin felt the weight of their gazes on him, and he shrank a little. He would have preferred that the upcoming discussion stayed private, but of course it couldn't be that easy.

Fairies were curious–even nosy.

It didn't get better when they reached the Sacred Tree. King Dahlia was sprawled on a throne of vines, leaves and flowers, and all his advisers stood around him, including Gerheade whose expression was severe.

Harlequin sank his fingers in his pillow. He would gladly have hidden his whole person inside.

He could only hope that after one week, the Fairy King had reconsidered the whole situation and decided that their little prank wasn't worth punishing them.

"So you're finally up," King Dahlia said. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Harlequin heard the crowd whispering, but he couldn't discern the words.

"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty."

The monkey-form of the Spirit Spear Darrenheart sat on Dahlia's shoulder. It was hard to believe that such an inoffensive-looking being could hold the power that Harlequin had witnessed. He kept an eye on it as the king went on.

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten that I have work for you."

So the king hadn't changed his mind after all. Harlequin hadn't dared to hope too much, but he was still disappointed.

He nervously fiddled with his pillow, waiting for their sentence.

It might have been his imagination, but he had the fleeting impression that King Dahlia was amused.

"As you know, it's spring. Plants are growing everywhere. However, they need room to develop. I have in mind a few areas of the forest that could do with some cleaning, and I suggest that you give me a hand in this task."

Harlequin knew that one of the Fairy King's duties was to keep the forest in good health, by maintaining balance between the life forms of the plants. He also knew that Dahlia used his magic for that. Doing it by hand would take a lot more time, as much as being extremely tedious.

He wondered whether Helbram would point out that the Fairy King didn't need help for that task–he half-expected it, even–but Helbram kept his mouth shut.

"Do you agree to help me?" King Dahlia asked, as though they could have refused.

Harlequin ignored the amused looks of the many witnesses. With the work ahead of them, he didn't know when he was going to have another full week of sleep.

Maybe he would be able to sneak in a nap or two, with or without negotiating it with Helbram. After all, he needed the most sleep out of the two.

"Yes, Fairy King," both he and Helbram answered.