Henry hadn't moved in the past thirty minutes. No one had. A few guards came in after Robin informed them of what had happened. They inspected Granny's room for any clues or hints left behind from her captor. The only thing they found was a scrap piece of paper with the words "she will be dearly missed" scribbled out on it in ink. However, one notable thing came out of that. The initials O.W. were placed at the bottom. The second Veronica looked at the note, she knew it was Oz. It was the only logical explanation, after all, given that he had worked with Cynthia before.
Sabrina couldn't keep her focus on anything. Rachel and Daniel were having their own episodes of panic as well. Not to mention the nightmare Sabrina had not even five hours ago. It was blurry now and she made a mental note to look in her room for a journal to record her dreams in.
On top of all that, though, was that Henry wouldn't even speak. Veronica said he was the only one that saw it and he had screamed so loudly, it woke everyone in the hall. Sabrina was shocked that she hadn't heard it.
After a bit, everyone decided to go back to their rooms, except for Veronica, who stayed with her paralyzed husband.
Robin followed Sabrina back to her room. Before the girl walked in, he took her hand and spun her around.
"Puck," Sabrina complained.
"What?" The faerie asked, tilting his head. The single word made Sabrina give a forfeited sigh. She walked into the room and Puck followed.
The boy stood awkwardly in the middle of her room. Sabrina paid no attention to him and walked over to the desk, fumbling through the drawers in an effort to find a notepad or journal.
As she continued looking without luck, she let out another sigh, this time out of frustration.
"Wha- what are you doing?" Puck asked hesitantly.
"I had another dream last night. Don't say anything else, I can barely remember it. I need to write down every detail."
Soon, she found a notepad and grabbed a pen. She wrote down everything she knew but all she managed to get was Fire, Rachel, Daniel, and Moth in schoolhouse, I died.
"What happened in the dream?"
"I'm trying to remember, stupid."
"Oh, sorry,"
"I have a lot on my mind, can you please leave?"
"Y-yeah, sure," His face fell and he hunched over. Then, he turned and left.
Sabrina kept trying to wrack her brain for something but it seemed impossible. She decided to get up and check on Rachel, who, as far as she knew, was still freaking out.
She opened Rachel's door to find the girl packing her bags in a panicked state.
"What's going on?" Sabrina asked.
Rachel was slightly frightened by her friend but relieved after a few moments.
"I'm going home," she said.
"Did something happen to your father or to Ezra?"
"No, they're fine. It's me, I can't be here. Daniel's coming with me."
"Rachel, I told you, just because Moth is your mom does not mean that you'll be like her."
"She kept this whole life a secret from us," She threw her arms out, gesturing around the room. "She didn't even bother to tell us that we were half-Everafter or half-Fae! What kind of mother does that?"
"I know you're angry," something in Sabrina could relate to being lied to by a parent for years, though she couldn't be sure how.
"It's not that, Sabrina. I- I feel betrayed. I just want to get out of here." She turned around and continued packing.
"Please-just...stay. We need you right now. If we don't get anywhere with the case by Daphne's birthday, you can leave. Just please try to hold out. I'd go crazy if I didn't have my best friend."
"I'll think about it," Rachel said with an underlying sub tone that asked Sabrina to get out. She listened.
When she got out, Sabrina decided to do her own research on Moth. There had to be records of her in the library. She made her way to the room.
When she got to the doors, a guard was down the hall. She decided to go over to him to ask for aid in her research.
"Excuse me, could you show me where the records are kept in the library? Queen Titania has granted my family and me full access." Sabrina asked, not sure if she should add the last bit or not but doing so anyway.
The guard ushered her to the library and led her to the back, near the portraits.
"Everything from this shelf to the next twenty rows down are records of Fae, case files, and so on. They're all organized by first names." The guard left the library before Sabrina could respond. She felt bad, thinking she had annoyed him.
Sabrina began to skim the shelves until she found where the m's started. She found the name Moth a few shelves down. Unfortunately, Moth seemed to be a popular first name. She found stacks of records all with surnames varying from Conrade to Vlahos. Knowing it would take hours if not days to go through them all, she decided to tell her family what she was doing to eliminate any panic. She placed the stacks of files on a nearby study table before leaving.
Henry still had not moved and it caused everyone to panic even more. The expression on his face was unlike anything Sabrina had ever seen. Sabrina had never even seen her father cry before, but his face was incomparable to shedding a few tears.
Fear and shock seemed to burden him. His eyes looked panicked and his mouth was still hanging open from his scream, despite no sound coming out of it.
"Nothing?" Sabrina asked her mother.
"Nothing. I think a nurse is going to try to take him to the hospital room. Jake said he thinks it's just a temporary shock. We'll find out soon. What have you been up to?"
"I'm trying to find information about Moth. I found over fifty files in the library, but only one actually belongs to her."
"You should ask Mustardseed. Titania told me he knows quite a bit about Faerie's history."
"I'll check with him. Thank you, Mother." Sabrina kissed Veronica's cheek and went off to find Mustardseed.
Sabrina didn't have a clue where "King Mustardseed's" room would be but she figured it would be somewhere surrounded by guards.
Eventually, though she found it. Hesitantly, she knocked on the door. The king opened the door, looking slightly annoyed, but flashed a smile as soon as he saw Sabrina. She noticed Puck in the back of the room who was scratching his neck awkwardly. The girl decided to not comment and instead got straight to business by explaining and asking Mustardseed for help.
"I actually don't know Moth's surname," he admitted, "I'd be happy to help, though."
"Thank you, I have all the files I could find in the library. Robin, would you mind joining?"
The trickster scoffed. "I have kingly duties to attend to." He pretended to gag at the end of the retort.
"Well, we won't be keeping you then, your majesty." Sabrina mocked curtsied, making Puck grin.
Mustardseed had a judgmental expression on his face that mirrored the one Pinocchio often wore. Sabrina noticed this and decided to make her way to the library with him.
They started with Moth Conrade, as Mustardseed had told Sabrina he never knew Moth's surname because she went by several. Conrade was one of them.
Thankfully, most of the files had photographs in them. However, it was a bit harder with the ones that didn't.
Moth Nikolaidis was one of the files without a photo. The faerie was born in 1240 B.C., the same year Cynthia was born. She grew up in Greeln, which was apparently one of the towns in the forest surrounding Faerie. It was independent despite still being under the kingdom.
The file itself hadn't been updated since the seventeenth century. And the two couldn't find any records from the family members.
"I'll check for a missing person's report," Mustardseed said. He got up from the desk and went over to a set of stairs next to the files. He went up them to look in an entire section of case files.
As Sabrina continued to study the files while waiting for Mustardseed, she heard the sound of a door opening in the distance. Footsteps begin to echo and Sabrina got up to find the owner, knowing exactly who it was.
Along with the footsteps came the sound of weeping. Sabrina also knew this sound well. She rushed down the aisle, scanning every section of shelves for the person.
She found her in front of the portraits, looking at her mother.
"Oh, Rachel," Sabrina said sympathetically.
"The queen wishes to speak with you and king Mustardseed," she blurted, not caring to address her current state. "I suggest you go before they start searching for you."
"O-okay," She turned around and went to find Mustardseed. He was at the table with another stack of files to search through.
"Your mother wants to see us," She told him. They went off to find Queen Titania.
They were found by a pair of guards and ushered to the conference room. Veronica, Titania, and Robin were all sitting down at the meeting table, with Titania at the head and Robin to her right. Mustardseed took a seat on the left side of his mother and Sabrina sat on the right side of her mother, making her next to Puck.
"Sorry to bother you two," Titania said in a hushed tone, almost as if it were unprofessional to apologize to someone. She nudged her eldest son, a hint for him to start speaking. Robin cleared his throat.
"Sir Henry is all right and recovering from his shock paralysis. Lady Veronica asked him what he remembered and he said quote 'two guards with bluewings encrusted on their armour took the old-," he cleared his throat a second time, "Lady Relda out through the window' end quote.
"The same symbol has come up several times around Faerie and I, along with others, believe that it is the mark of Moth's army." After finishing, Robin slummed in his chair.
Titania shifted if her seat. "With this information," she began, "We have been considering the idea of war."
"After one attack?" Sabrina asked. It was probably out of character and came out as rude but she didn't care.
"This isn't the first, we've had five missing cases since Moth got out. The people are beginning to riot." Puck said.
"Or we could find Moth in peace?"
"We would like to wait until Sir Henry has recovered before making a final decision. That is all." Queen Titania finished.
Sabrina stormed out of the room. She didn't want to get thrown into a war. There had to be easier ways.
She went back to her room in a huff and fell on her bed. This was the life she was born into? She wanted to go back to sleep again. She wanted all of this to end. If it did, everyone would be fine. Rachel wouldn't be freaking out, Faerie would be safe. And the people who had the most input on the decision were contemplating war? All they had to do was find Moth and arrest her, right? How hard could that be?
Actually, not hard at all. Sabrina thought. And I could do it myself.
Instantly, she sprung out of bed and rushed back to the library. She was determined to go through every file and find something on Moth or the blue wings or anything that would make sense.
Only, there was one problem. She couldn't remember a thing from her first time in Faerie or her previous interactions with Moth, which she would need to continue. She could ask Daphne but that would be too risky, as the girl seemed to be too much of a blabber. But there was another solution.
Magic.
It was perfect. Sabrina was staying in a town filled with it, not to mention her uncle's countless amount of magical artifacts. It couldn't be that hard to just-take it.
She got up from her chair and begin to look around. She was sure there would be a whole section of books dedicated to magic.
She was right, and she found it.
She found three core books that would no doubt help her. One was on rings, the other wands, and the third wands. Three of the most common magical artifact types.
"What are you looking at?" Sabrina screamed and jumped at the voice.
"Puck!" She cried, annoyed.
He grinned and blushed slightly. "Sorry. You seemed upset, I wanted to check on you."
"I'm fine, Puck. I just think war is stupid."
"What are those?" He asked, eyeing the books.
"A few books on magic Daphne might be interested in," she lied, "I needed a break from looking at all the case files."
"Have you found anything?"
"Only a few options seem plausible. Some were ruled out because she never used the surname or there was a portrait that didn't look like her, among other things."
"Have you seen your father yet?"
"No, how come?"
"I think you should. Here," he held out his arm for Sabrina to link with hers, "come with me."
When the two entered the hospital room, Henry was wide awake. But, even then, he still seemed to be in shock. The sedatives he was given helped his fear paralysis for the most part but it was still there. Sabrina sat on the edge of the bed and took her father's hand.
"Father?" Sabrina didn't have to say it. The one thing she wanted to know was written all over her, and Henry could tell.
"I don't know yet, Sabrina."
She turned her head towards Robin. "Why is it even his decision anyway?"
"Well, given his connection to the investigation and of course Veronica with her history of helping us, I wouldn't feel very comfortable answering the question of war myself," Titania answered.
"What about our connection?" Daniel piped. He stepped forward towards the queen.
Rachel pulled her little brother back before he could get any closer. "You should be glad she's not acknowledging us, Daniel. Just keep quiet and listen." She whispered.
"No," he fumed firmly. "If Moth is really our mother then we deserve to have a right. Hell, we should be more than allowed to even investigate this. Relda is gone and Mother has something to do with this."
"Daniel, I said no. I don't want to get involved with this. Our mother was—is a murderer for crying out loud!"
"Agh!" Henry cried, rubbing his temples.
"Let's leave Sir Henry alone for a while." The nurse said. The group walked out of the room.
Rachel and Daniel continued their bickering all throughout the hallway.
"I just don't understand why the two closest people to her don't get to even mention something about a war, let alone deciding whether or not it'll happen," Daniel complained.
Daphne went up to her best friend's side. "Maybe they just don't want you involved. My father was the same way when he woke up. He didn't want Sabrina and me to even look at a wand. They'll come around, I'm sure. You are an Everafter child after all."
"I would prefer it if they didn't," Rachel said to herself.
"You said you would stay. I told you, at least try to make it to Daphne's birthday." Sabrina reminded.
"A month for one case?"
"We don't know how long it will take to solve it. Just try to stick it out. And, if you feel up to it, maybe you could come help me look through the files."
"Not now," Rachel said firmly. She walked off to her bedroom in a huff.
"Could I come?" Daniel asked.
"Of course, come on," Sabrina lead Daniel to the library, separating them from the rest of the group.
"Matthew and I have been trying to get some work done but it seems almost impossible, even with his knowledge of Moth."
"Hopefully I can help. I don't know. My parents adopted me when I was three, I barely remember my mother."
"Come and try, we'll need all the help we can get."
They repeated the same endless process of looking through files, cancelling out the obvious ones, and putting the possible options in a separate pile. Daniel was going through the trash pile to double-check and paused.
"Sabrina," he said. His mouth was open and he threw the file on the ground in slight shock.
"What is it?"
"It's her. This is my mother." He picked up the file and slid it over to the blond. She looked down at it.
"Catalina Gardun," she looked up from the file and at Daniel. "Where did you find this?"
"It was in one of the files you guys looked over. One of them with a portrait."
"Whose file?"
He looked down at the stack. "Moth Relich," he gave the file to Sabrina.
"Oh,"
"What?"
"Nothing, she just looks familiar. Mustardseed must've found this file. It's late, we should get to bed." Sabrina grabbed Relich's file and stood up. Daniel took Catalina's and followed.
Making their way down the corridor, Veronica was rushing towards the two.
"Henry made his decision. We go to war in two weeks." She said.
"We what?" Sabrina yelled. War was the last thing she wanted. She felt like screaming.
"It's the best choice,"
Sabrina stormed off to her bedroom in a huff.
"We found Moth's file," Daniel said awkwardly.
Puck came to Sabrina's room after Veronica told him about her fit. He wasn't sure how the girl would react, he just hoped he could somehow reason with her. He knocked on the door, Sabrina groaned in response. Robin cracked the door open and looked around the room for her.
"Grimm?"
"Shut up,"
He made his way over to the girl cautiously, like he was approaching an irritated animal who had a reputation of attacking people.
"Please don't tell me you agree with them," Sabrina begged.
"Not totally, but it was bound to happen."
"I'm fighting,"
"No, you're not. Moth would do anything to hurt you, I need to keep you safe."
"Why would she want to hurt me?"
Puck rubbed his neck. "She's, uh, she's a little jealous of you and me."
"Why- oh,"
"Yeah," he shifted in his place on the bed. "I won't keep you up. Night, Grimm." He stood up and went to leave the room.
"Puck," Sabrina stood up and walked up to the boy.
"I just want you to be safe-," he trailed off when Sabrina kissed his cheek. He turned red and his eyes widened.
"Goodnight, Puck," Sabrina walked backward and slipped in her covers, a wide grin on her face.
Daniel didn't sleep that night. After retreating to his room, he found it impossible to keep his thoughts away from the file. Catalina Gardun. He had never even heard the name in his life. But the portrait— it looked exactly like his mother. The new information he had seemed to spark something new in his brain. Catalina's last known dwelling place was in Lovell. He assumed it was in Faerie, he knew he could somehow get to the town if he did the proper research.
He got out of bed and left his room. Creeping down the empty hallway, Daniel made his way to the library. The file was still open when he returned to the study table. He grabbed it and looked around, hoping to find a set of maps somewhere.
A few shelves over, a set of scrolls caught his eye. He opened up one of them. It was a map of Faerie, only it had various markings on it. A battle plan, Daniel assumed. He continued looking through them until he found the map without any markings. He then looked on the shelf opposite him where books on every city, town, and village in Faerie were kept. He scanned it for a book on Lovell, and eventually found the novel. The boy grabbed it, left the library, and went back to his room. At his desk, he lit his study light and began to look through the items.
Lovell was an estimated two-hour walk from the castle. From the book, he gathered that the town was smaller than Ferryport Landing but no bigger than main street and the farm country combined. As soon as Daniel got an idea of how to get there, he packed his things and left. He had to figure out some way to get out of the castle. Guards were stationed at every corner in light of the recent decision of war and weren't going to move anytime soon. The brunette knew that the guards restationed every three hours and that that time interval would be soon. He went to the ground floor and into the first room he could find unlocked with a window. Finding the room at the perfect time, he opened it and crept out. A faint yet loud whistle sounded and the guards marched around to their next stations. Daniel looked in both directions. There were a few spare seconds after the guards to the left rounded the corner. In the nick of time, he sprung from the window and ran outside of the palace grounds. His timing was perfect and he got out just in time. So, from then on, in the chilling wind, he went on his way to find his mother.
Guest Replies
#1
Guest 2. Aug 23
I love seeing some Puck and Sabrina. A little confused though, I am not sure if some of it are dreams or real. Can't wait for the next chapter.
Reply:
Yes, I think we all love seeing some Puck and Sabrina. The slow burn is even killing me, but it'll be worth it, I promise. My intention with the dreams was to have that affect at first, but then you realize it's a nightmare, because that's what's happening through Sabrina's POV. Let me know if it's confusing, though! Hope you enjoy the next chapters:)
#2
Smiley chapter 5 .Sep 1
Granny, Granny, GRAnny, GRANNNNNNY! No, you can't kill Relda. That's against the unwritten law of... um... SisteriaGrimmia Land.
Wait What! Moth is Rachel and Daniels mom. Moth, like Moth Moth. Like the one in book four. The evil lady(fairy). *head explodes*
*Somewhere in tibet*
"Hey mommy, I found a head"
Oz, is back also. The other evil dude. Like come on, why can't they all just die. (the evil people)
PUCKABRINA.
I need more puckabrina. I am literally fueled by it. I neeeeeeeeeeed more.
Great job on this chapter, now I have to wait another week...
But Good job
I neeed more
Zay Zay
Reply:
I know, but I had to:/ YEAH SHE IS, I was just as shocked when I came up with it, but I'm quite excited for the rest of the story. I know, I know, keep waiting, more puckabrina will come! Thanks:), until next week xx