Much like any other forest, the Fairy Glade rarely changed. Many of its trees have been around for decades and while the seasons would change, as well as the inhabitants, they remained as stalwart as ever. Aside from whatever calamity would strike by the hour, this place had always been ideal for those wishing for the comfortable tranquility of a natural routine. For even after so many years, some things always remained constant.

The bustle of Teensies in the morning.

The fairies meditating in the chamber of the Heart.

And Betilla's dislike of tardiness.

Seeing Ly spring across the Glade was by no means an uncommon sight. On better days, it was with Rayman in tow. On not-so-great days, it was towards either the Council or Betilla's house, but always with less smiles and more desperate urgency. It was quite well-known that some Teensies kept a running tally of such occasions, but she never dared to ask how many it had already been.

Sure enough, even now she was more concerned with basic navigation, than numbers. It was difficult to both keep a hurried pace and not end up having to dash through thick bushes, or better yet, end up on the unwelcoming end of a tree.

Thankfully, the path she had taken was one she by heart, just as much as others did. As such, her frantic rush was aided by passerby fairies and Teensies pulling awkwardly-angled branches aside, and even her own familiar spirits acting as fluorescent blue indicators.

The end result was a late, but at least somewhat acceptable arrival by the nymph's home. Ly finally halted by the creek and let her legs rest a bit. She was still panting and while it wouldn't change anything, she preferred to keep at least some of her dignity instead of all but crashing through. She's already done that enough times over the years.

She scooped up a handful of water from below, half of it dedicated to cool her face down, and the other half to reach back and straighten her hair. While it had been her decision to let it grow out, there were times when she missed the easy days of not having to care so much for it.

A glance at the crystal-clear surface very clearly showed that she couldn't even hope to erase the dark circles under her eyes. The fairy grimaced and flicked the droplets in her hand back at the image, taking her eyes off the distorted reflection.

A few more minutes of basking in the sunlight helped calm her down enough so she could retain at least the semblance of a graceful entrance. After one last sigh, she finished up that last stretch of her walk of shame, and raised her hand to knock. Before she could make contact, the door opened up, revealing the bemused nymph she'd been rushing to meet.

"I was wondering when you'd finally come in." she said, ushering her inside.

"Good morning, Betilla." Ly mumbled. She entered the room with ears lowered and a face that could rival the nymph's bright red hair.

The derisive smile on her teacher's face was much worse than her anger. She preferred that to the embarrassment, however deserved it may have been.

"Morning? If only it were morning, Ly." she said, brow quirked. Still, she did have it in her heart not to torment her student for too long. "Tea's in the kitchen. I'll be right with you."

"Yes, Betilla." she said, walking towards the kitchen area.

A quick touch assured her that her cheeks would have needed a whole bucket of ice water this time to cool down. Still, it could have been much worse, and the fairy was sure to count her blessings to find Betilla in a good mood today.

A still-steaming mug awaited her by the table, clearly showing that Betilla had already anticipated the delay. Even without having to check, she could easily guess that the furious dark-green colored liquid was another one of Edith Up's concoctions; a tea that could very well "make the dead jump from their coffins", as she put it.

With Betilla still away, she glanced around the room a bit. The nymph valued her privacy and made a point to live away from the Fairy Council, a notion that Ly both understood and empathized with. Just as a child, she was left wondering where all the various knick-knacks she had collected over decades may have come from.

The items ranged from more recognizable ones, like pressed flowers, all the way to more questionable articles, such as something Ly really hoped was not a real skull. Many of those had clearly come from Rayman, some of which she could even remember finding or even making alongside him.

There was also a small stone nestled in the middle of a shelf. Nothing especially ornate, just a smooth slab of stone with a glyph carved into it. Its purple contrasted wildly with the gray material, and while she's learned many symbols throughout her studies, she still could not identify that particular one. As always though, even with barely any magic radiating from it, there was a strange pull in her chest, along with the faintest outline of a face.

"Sorry for the wait." Betilla's voice hit her just as the nymph sat down by her side. "The Council never rests, not even on such a warm morning."

Ly blinked and turned away, breaking into a smile. "So you agree that rest is important?"

"That's what the nights are for, Ly, not the rest of the day." Betilla scoffed.

She took note of the grimace on her student's face as she drank. Suffice to say, the tea had more to boast about it power, than its flavor. Betilla waited till she put the mug down, her smile fading.

"Although the way I see it, you could still use more of it. Is everything alright?"

"Yes." the fairy replied, a bit faster than she intended. "I'm sorry. You know how it is."

The nymph nodded, taking a sip as well. Ly often wondered how many times she's had this tea to have grown immune to it. Or whether she was just that good at controlling herself.

"I know this is a difficult time for you." she spoke up again. "My door is always open, whenever you feel like it."

"Thank you." Ly said, her ears lowering. The mad dash to Betilla's house helped her put off thoughts about the very reason she had overslept to begin with. "Have there been any-"

"No, unfortunately. Anetta said there was recently an attempt on the shore, but it's still too dangerous."

The fairy nodded, swallowing down the brief pang of bitterness in her throat. The years have not made this topic any easier to discuss. She sighed, drinking some more. The taste was almost a tang sweet now.

"This does bring me to why I wanted you here today, though." Betilla said, rolling the edge of her bracelet between her fingers. "Rayman will be staying in Clearleaf for a few days. Apparently there's been sightings of his... doppelganger again, and he intends to investigate the rumors."

She paused briefly.

"And I'd like for you to accompany him."

"Me? Why?" Ly asked.

"Several reasons, actually. For one, you like to be around him."

"Betilla-"

The momentary embarrassment was always worth it. "Two, there is only so much I can teach you from memory or through books. The world is huge, Ly. Seeing more of it is a good lesson on its own. Even if it's just the edge of Clearleaf."

"I don't know..." she muttered, her gaze drifting lower.

"I understand if you don't want to right now." Betilla said. "That's why this isn't an order, or a request. Just a suggestion."

She placed her hand on Ly's, smiling with the kind of warmth the fairy had always known her for. "From a teacher and a friend."

The fairy perked up a little, offering a faint smile. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask." Betilla nodded. "Then again, if you prefer, we can revise on the advanced Teensie portal theorem from last week."

"Please, no." Ly groaned. "Never again. I can't stomach memorizing that many dance moves."

Betilla chuckled, with her student joining in after a few moments. The more she gazed at Ly, the more the memory of her as a tiny fairy bubbled up in her mind. A messy-haired lanky child, trailing along the streets in pursuit of a bunch of unfamiliar visitors. Prhys would not see outsiders very often, nymphs even less so.

She was so sure none of them had noticed her, even with the ruckus caused by leaping from one bush or wall to the next. In fact, it was much harder to ignore her and pay attention to the elders instead. That kind of curiosity intrigued her.

Her sisters were taken aback, when she first began to go off script by suggesting taking someone to the mainland under her wing. To further strengthen relations, she claimed at the time. Then again, this had been far from the first or last she would take matters into her own hands. It was either dumb luck or a stellar proof of her intuition that she was usually right.

A shadow passed over her face. Usually.

"In any case, that's all I wanted for today." she spoke up again once Ly stopped grimacing over the last gulp. "Consider this a lesson on how important it is to enjoy some sunshine."

"I bet Rayman loved that lesson."

"I don't think I need to tell you how difficult it was to chain him down to study." she said with a coy grin. "But you always did make for excellent bait to lure him in."

"You monster." Ly chuckled, to which her mentor shrugged.

"I do what I must." she mused, before getting up and collecting their mugs "Besides, no fairy in the Council could handle either one of you, let alone both."

"Guilty as charged, I guess." her student remarked, turning towards the door. "I'll... try not to be late next time."

There was a brief moment of thought, before she stepped over and wrapped her arms around the nymph. Betilla discarded the snippy comeback and returned the gesture without a word. Once again she realized just how much Ly had grown, easily towering over her if she wasn't hovering in the air. And yet, the embrace was still like that of the scared little girl clinging to her as they arrived in the Fairy Glade for the first time.

"Thank you." she said again, once she broke the hug. "And see you soon, Betilla."

"Take care, Ly."

Her smile faded after the fairy had left. Betilla sighed, glancing at the nearby wall. Among the many little trinkets of the past was the chiseled stone Ly had eyed earlier. The glyph's purple shimmer was fading from the distance, becoming colorless once more.

"And stay safe."


Not exactly a week, but so far so good, I've at least got some of the next chapter mapped out as well. Bit of a slow start, I know, but hopefully you'll find the payoff to be worth it.