Helbram had been wrong. After the celebration–which had been great according to Helbram, even if Harlequin hadn't exactly been at ease–King Dahlia had insisted that he completed his chore. He had found the place messier than the day before, as the bushes and vines had apparently decided to speed their growth.

Of course, he had no intention of cleaning it alone.

Helbram put his hands on his hips as he watched Harlequin move around, his brow furrowed and his arms moving in an apparently random pattern. Oslo, who was lazily lying on Harlequin's pillow, watched him with interest.

"So?" Helbram said.

"It's not working." Harlequin let his arms fall to his sides, his shoulders hunched in disappointment.

Helbram sighed. He had hoped that with Harlequin's new power, the work would be done in a matter of seconds, but obviously he had been wrong about that, too.

"Are you sure you're doing it right?" Helbram hoped that his skepticism didn't show too much.

"No." Harlequin glared at him, then yawned. "Maybe later. Can I go back to sleep now?"

Harlequin was referring to the way Helbram had dragged him along all the way from the Sacred Tree to this place. The future Fairy King hadn't shown the slightest cooperation, hanging on his pillow and complaining continuously about how terrible a friend Helbram was, to wake him up like this.

"No way," Helbram said firmly. "If I'm going to work, then so are you." He moved his fingers, forcing a vine to the ground. "If you can't practice your new power, you can at least use your regular magic."

"Fine," Harlequin grumbled.

The two of them set to work. Harlequin was pouting so strongly that he could as well have been shouting his bad mood right into Helbram's ears.

Helbram relented with a long-suffering sigh. "Yes?"

"I'm just thinking that it's unfair. I'm supposed to become Fairy King one day, because I have this power called Disaster, but I can't even use it." Harlequin moved his hand briskly, and a bush was flattened on the spot.

"You don't remember at all how you did it last time?"

"I don't! I was sleeping!" Harlequin sounded exasperated, as if he had already said it a thousand times–which in his defense, he probably had.

Helbram thought about it. This was a problem that required creative thinking, and Helbram was good at creative thinking–if not as good as the humans.

"We should reproduce the exact conditions of the first event. Therefore, I suggest that you go to sleep."

Harlequin gave him a deadpan look.

"I'm serious!" Helbram insisted.

Harlequin didn't question it any further, and collapsed on the pillow which had, just a second before, been under Oslo. Oslo barked his discontent before settling in the moss.

Helbram watched his friend, expecting to find him already asleep–this was the department in which Harlequin showed all the extent of his talent–but Harlequin was tossing and turning on his pillow.

"What's the matter?" Helbram said.

"I'm stressed." Harlequin's head poked from behind the edge of the pillow. "Stop watching me."

"It has never bothered you before," Helbram pointed out, more curious than annoyed.

"Do you want me to fall asleep or not?"

"Fine." Helbram made a show of turning his back to Harlequin and walking away.

"Further," Harlequin said.

Helbram rolled his eyes, but he complied.

"Is your Majesty satisfied now?" he said derisively.

As he didn't get an answer, he turned around, an anticipating smile on his lips.

Sure enough, Harlequin was peacefully asleep.

Helbram silently came back to his friend. Harlequin looked even younger than he was, huddled in his pillow like he hadn't a care in the world. The fluffy item was levitating here and there, cradling him. Helbram waited to see if something else was happening, but everything was quiet–even the forest's sounds had decreased. After a few minutes, Helbram considered waking Harlequin up. However, his friend was so peacefully asleep that he didn't have the heart to do it. It had been Helbram's suggestion that Harlequin went to sleep; it didn't feel fair to wake him up so soon. With a shrug, Helbram went back to work.

He was fighting with an especially resistant bush when he felt the magic.

It didn't seem to come from Harlequin, it was more like it gathered around him–and Helbram felt it take an invisible shape before it was thrown to the vegetation around. Helbram looked, fascinated, as some bushes decayed right under his eyes while the others flourished. The forest itself seemed to bend around the energy displayed, following its lead.

So this was the magic of the Fairy Kings?

Helbram waited until it had died down to shake Harlequin, as softly as his excitement allowed him.

"Harlequin," he whispered. "Harlequin!"

"Hmm, what?" Harlequin blinked. "Helbram, I told you that you were too close."

"No, look!" Helbram grinned. "You did it!"

"I did?" Harlequin watched around him, baffled. "Oh. Are you sure it was me?"

"Yes." Helbram took his best friend by the shoulders. "And you know what it means?"

"That I'm only able to use my new power when I'm asleep? It's not very practical, but I guess it's a start." Harlequin grinned, suddenly as excited as Helbram.

"No. I mean, yes, but it also means that we're done with the cleaning!" Helbram spun Harlequin around. "I'm free to go back to having fun!"

"You're welcome," Harlequin said, smugly.

Helbram laughed. "And you're free to go back to sleep. See you later, Harlequin!"

Harlequin didn't need to be told twice. "You didn't have to wake me up to tell me that," he complained, just for form. He closed his eyes, and barely a second later, his breathing deepened.

Helbram grinned and flew away on the tip of his wings.

When Harlequin woke up, he was alone in the woods. Oslo had disappeared, going who knew where, and even if Harlequin had learned by now that he could call him and the Black Hound would appear out of nowhere, he had no reason to disturb his new friend.

He decided to go back to the Sacred Tree, and lazily levitated right under the canopy.

The forest was as beautiful as ever. Thinking that he would have to become his protector filled him with wonder–and a heavy dose of anxiety.

How could he ever be worthy of the Sacred Tree's trust?

To make matters worse, Harlequin was well aware that many a fairy wondered the same. The celebration in his honor had been both great, with all the berries and music and dances that a fairy could wish for, and awkward. Harlequin didn't like being at the center of everyone else's attention, and he didn't know what to tell the fairies who had been congratulating him.

There were more than he had expected, honestly. He could tell that they didn't understand the Sacred Tree's choice, but it was in their nature to just accept things.

Harlequin wished he could just accept it, too.

Despite Dahlia's offer to continue their conversation, Harlequin hadn't come to the Fairy King yet. Everything was still jostling in his head, and none of the questions that took shape in his brain felt appropriate.

For example, Why do I have to do it? felt too whiny, and Can you please never die? was even worse.

As he neared his destination, Harlequin flew above a group of fairies in deep conversation with one of the King's advisers, Thyme. Harlequin was high enough that they hadn't noticed him yet. He was about to join them when he recognized Buttercup in the group. He had felt the fairy's hostility during the celebration, but Buttercup hadn't tried to talk to him. Harlequin decided to hide behind a tree to overhear what they were saying.

"The Sacred Tree must have been mistaken," a fairy was whispering. "Harlequin, our future king?"

Harlequin's heart sank in his chest.

"The Sacred Tree is never mistaken," Thyme answered firmly. "Put your faith in it."

"But Harlequin is so weak," Buttercup complained. "He's nothing like Dahlia."

Thyme stroked his beard, an unusual feature for a fairy, but one that suited him well. "I've known Fairy King Gloxinia. Physically, he didn't look at all like Fairy King Dahlia, but he was still extremely powerful."

"But King Gloxinia had wings, right?"

"Yes," Thyme answered. "He had the most beautiful wings, exactly like King Dahlia."

"You see?" Buttercup said triumphantly. "Harlequin has no wings at all."

"These things take time," Thyme said. "Be patient."

Harlequin had heard enough. His head bowed, he hurried to leave before they noticed his presence. The absence of sprouts in his back had never burnt him so much–it was the reminder that he was unworthy.

When he deemed that he was far enough from the other fairies, he hid his face in his pillow and cried.

When she saw her brother's best friend coming back, Elaine rushed to meet him. She hadn't expected Helbram or Harlequin to be back so soon, but maybe they were already done with their task, and she would be able to spend time with Harlequin.

She had felt that he was still uneasy with his new fate, and she wanted to support him in any way she could. She knew he felt better when she was close by.

"Helbram, you're back? Have you seen my brother?"

Helbram swirled around her. The corners of his lips were stained with purple, indicating that he had feasted on berries. "I left him sleeping. He'll reappear in a few hours–or a few days."

"You left him alone?" Elaine said, worried.

"Relax, princess. He's with Oslo, and in the Fairy King's Forest. He's safe."

Elaine couldn't help blushing. "Princess?"

Helbram stopped in front of her, grinning. "Well, your brother is the next Fairy King. It makes you a princess, right?"

Elaine blushed even more. She hadn't thought about it this way–fairies didn't–but Helbram always had a special way to look at things. "I guess so."

Helbram patted her shoulder, winking. "You better get used to it."

Elaine remained flustered as he left. He was but a point in the sky when she remembered her primary concern.

"Wait! Where did you leave Harlequin?"

Harlequin was very busy sniffling in his pillow in some retired part of the forest when he felt a presence next to him. The branch he was leaning on abruptly sank.

"Helbram, is that you? Leave me alone," Harlequin moaned.

The muzzle that poked his leg most definitely didn't belong to Helbram, and Harlequin jumped.

"Oslo? What are you doing here?"

They were high above the ground, and Oslo sat in precarious equilibrium on a rather thin branch. Harlequin had no idea how the Black Hound had managed to get here, but he didn't particularly care right now.

"Oh, Oslo." Harlequin lifted the upper part of his body so he could put an arm around the Black Hound's body. "I don't think I'm cut out for this. The other fairies don't see me as their future king, they only see how weak I am."

Oslo listened gravely. He barked once.

"I shouldn't listen to them? It's easier said than done. The Fairy King is supposed to be the King of all fairies, you know? Not just the ones he gets along well with." Harlequin sighed, a deep sigh that came from his very soul. "Even though King Dahlia gets along with everyone. How wouldn't he? He's so amazing. What? You want to show me something?"

Harlequin watched Oslo, curious. The Black Hound opened his mouth, again and again and again, as if he was going to swallow Harlequin whole.

And he swallowed Harlequin whole.

Harlequin didn't understand what had happened. At first, he had been talking to Oslo on a tree of the Fairy King's Forest, and now he was tumbling down a dark tunnel.

When light suddenly blinded him and he landed on something soft, it took him a while to understand where he was.

He was sitting on a purple mushroom whose shape was unknown in the Fairy King's Forest. The colors and smells of this place were disorientating, but there was no mistaking them; and less of all the giant Tree that stood above everything else.

He was in the Fairy Realm.

"You can make me travel through the worlds with you?" he marveled.

Oslo wagged his tail, obviously very happy with himself.

"So this is what you wanted to show me? Thank you, Oslo, but I know this place. I've been here a few times."

Oslo pushed Harlequin's back with his muzzle. As Harlequin didn't move, he bit into his trousers and pulled him along.

"Oslo!" Harlequin protested, but he didn't dare not to follow the Black Hound. What if Oslo chose to bite into something fleshier if Harlequin didn't comply?

As they approached the Sacred Tree, a fairy came to meet them. Harlequin didn't recognize her, which wasn't surprising. She must live in the Fairy Realm and rarely, if ever, travel to the Fairy King's Forest.

"Welcome, Harlequin," she said. "My name is Crocus, and I'm one of the guardians of the Sacred Tree in the Fairy Realm. I was wondering when you would come to visit us."

Harlequin felt awkward that she knew his name and he didn't knew hers, as if it was a breach of some unknown etiquette. He briefly smiled at her before averting his eyes, pretending to look at the Sacred Tree.

The familiar sight soothed him. It looked exactly like the one that grew in the Fairy King's Forest, the one Harlequin had been born into, and with good reason: it was the same, present in both worlds thanks to a magic that Harlequin couldn't begin to comprehend.

"Thank you, Crocus," he finally said. "To be honest, it was Oslo's idea." He glared at the Black Hound who was still biting his trousers.

Oslo let Harlequin's clothes go and wagged his tail.

"Then I thank you, Oslo," Crocus said gravely. She waved at the Sacred Tree. "Harlequin, how about you go see it? I think it's what it wants."

"Sure," Harlequin said, feeling lost. He saw the Sacred Tree every single day. He even slept in it.

He slowly levitated towards it, leaving Oslo and Crocus behind. He felt Crocus' stare on him, and he wondered whether she had expectations about him.

He hoped she hadn't; he hated to disappoint.

The boughs and branches of the Sacred Tree brushed his arms and legs as he came within reach. He took his time, rediscovering the Tree like it was the first time. Its presence was always like a background humming, the soothing tune of home. He had stopped seeing the knots and nooks of its bark, or the way its branches intertwined at irregular intervals. And the flowers. Did it have that many flowers in the Fairy King Forest?

Harlequin inhaled their smell. He was smiling when he reached the top. Here, in all its glory, flew the Fountain of Youth. In the Fairy King's Forest, it gave life to the forest; here, it gave life to the Fairy Realm itself. Harlequin knew these things, they were part of fairy's lore, but as he contemplated the joyous water in front of him, it really sank in. This, too, was what the Fairy King was supposed to protect; the reason why the Sacred Tree chose a fairy among its people to serve it. To empower him.

Above the Fountain, tiny branches were blossoming. Their pink flowers had a more vivid hue than anything Harlequin had ever seen, and he stroked the tiny petals.

"Do you like them? It made them for you."

Harlequin spun round. Sitting on the verge of the platform, his wings at rest, Fairy King Dahlia was smiling at him.

Harlequin blushed. This was a sacred place, and he wasn't sure that he had the right to be here. "I apologize. I didn't mean to intrude."

"You're welcome here." King Dahlia stood up and walked towards Harlequin. "I've always found fascinating to think that this water can give life to so many beings, from the biggest trees to the tiniest worms. This is the heart within the heart of the Fairy Realm."

"Is it the same water that flows in the Fairy King's Forest?"

"Yes, and no." Dahlia scratched his chin. "It's hard to explain, but it's like the Sacred Tree exists on both planes of existence at the same time, and still, each entity is its own."

Harlequin tried to grasp the concept, in vain. "I don't understand."

Dahlia grinned. "Don't worry, I'm no sure I understand either. My point is, if something happened to the Sacred Tree in the Fairy King's Forest, it would be a tragedy, but it would still live here, in the Fairy Realm. And Britannia would continue to exist. If the Sacred Tree were to be destroyed in the Fairy Realm, though…" Dahlia stroked the bark, as if to ward off bad luck. "The Fairy Clan would be doomed. The Fairy Realm can't exist without it."

Harlequin shivered. "Is such a thing possible?"

Dahlia smiled at him. "Not in practice. The whole Fairy King's Forest exists to protect the passage between both worlds. And the Fairy King exists to protect the forest."

"It's what you do," Harlequin whispered. "And it's what I'll be supposed to do after you."

He felt Dahlia's hand lay on his shoulder. "Yes."

"I don't…" Harlequin swallowed hard. The peaceful atmosphere of this place was appeasing his soul, allowing him to tell Dahlia how he felt. He still avoided looking at the Fairy King. "I don't think I'm fit for this task."

"You won't be alone," Dahlia said.

Harlequin shook his head, irritated at himself. "I know Gerheade and the other advisers would help me, and I'm grateful for that, but I'm afraid that it won't be enough."

"I wasn't referring to them," Dahlia said softly. "I meant the Sacred Tree. It'll lend you the power you will need. And believe me, it is powerful."

"But why did it choose me?" Harlequin whispered, to himself, to Dahlia and to the Sacred Tree.

The pink flowers he had admired earlier shifted into a sudden breeze, stroking his skin.

"I don't know, Harlequin. But there is no doubt about the fact it chose you."

Both fairies remained silent for a while, admiring the Fountain of Youth, until Dahlia squeezed Harlequin's shoulder.

"It's time to go back to the forest. Your friends are looking for you."

The world blurred under Harlequin's eyes, and suddenly he found himself back into the Fairy King's Forest, staring at the sky.

Harlequin looked around him. It was the same place they had been just before, except it wasn't. The Fountain of Youth in front of him sounded just as alive, but the flowers, while still beautiful, didn't look as bright.

Harlequin took a deep breath. "I'll do my best," he promised.

"I know you will." Dahlia extended his wings, ready to take flight. Through the droplets of the Fountain of Youth, they shone like a rainbow. "And, Harlequin? Be patient. You're just at the start of your journey."

"I'll try."

Dahlia must have felt Harlequin's lack of enthusiasm, because he folded his wings. "You know, there is something I could teach you right now," he said.

Helbram was starting to believe that he had made a mistake leaving Harlequin alone. He didn't believe his friend was in danger, but Elaine was worrying, and her concern was contagious.

He had accepted to show her the place where he had left Harlequin. His friend wasn't here anymore, which meant nothing; after all, it had been hours ago. Harlequin could have woken up and left, or his pillow could have drifted away to a better sleeping place. Since then, he was checking every Harlequin hideout he knew, to no avail.

"Maybe he went back home, and he's looking for us too," he suggested, quite reasonably.

"Maybe," Elaine said.

She hadn't been a talkative partner so far, despite Helbram's efforts to cheer her up.

"No need to worry," Helbram said for the umpteenth time. "I'm sure Oslo is still with him, and…"

At this exact moment, Oslo emerged from the undergrowth, his tail wagging. The Black Hound was desperately alone, and Helbram grimaced.

"Oslo!" Elaine rushed to him. "Where is Harlequin?"

As if he had understood her, the Black Hound turned round and took a narrow path through the trees. Helbram and Elaine followed him until they reached a small clearing.

Right in the center of this clearing, the fairy they had been looking for was charging and jabbing his fists at what appeared to be a bush. At the edge, Fairy King Dahlia was watching him with a neutral expression, even though the glint in his eyes betrayed a hint of amusement.

Helbram watched, bemused, as his friend hit the bush and fell on his bottom with a cry of surprise.

"It's tougher than I thought," Harlequin said.

"Keep training, and I'm sure you'll figure it out," Dahlia said very seriously.

Suspiciously so, if you asked Helbram.

Helbram cleared his throat so Harlequin would notice their presence. "What was that?"

"Helbram! Elaine!" Harlequin stood up, grinning. "Did you see me?"

"Yes," Helbram said, in a tone that suggested he wished he hadn't.

"Fairy King Dahlia showed me this powerful fighting technique," Harlequin explained. "It's called the Dancing Fairy. What do you think?"

Elaine hid her smile between both hands. Helbram felt it was up to him to deliver the truth.

"It was lame."

"You're just jealous," Harlequin retorted, obviously in denial.

Helbram looked pointedly at the Fairy King, in the hope that Dahlia would back him up.

"We all start somewhere," King Dahlia said with way too much indulgence.

"I could show you, if you want," Harlequin offered.

Helbram hesitated. He wasn't keen on being as ridiculous as Harlequin had, but on the other hand, it sounded like fun. And his friend looked happier than he had since knowing he was to become the next Fairy King.

"I do!" Elaine said before he could make up his mind.

"Then I do too." Helbram moved forward. "Alright, I'm ready to be amazed."

Harlequin got into position. "Let's go."

As Harlequin started to show them the moves–nothing too complicated, really–and Elaine and Helbram soon gave more strength to their punches than him, Helbram started hoping that whatever magic Harlequin would use against their enemies would be more powerful than that.

Or they were doomed.

Author's Note: Dahlia is very athletic, so the Dancing Fairy might actually work for him. For Harlequin, however… *grins*