Haya was surprised when Angela returned, Faris had woken up, fussy and crying and needing to be changed, Angela had knocked on the door, and as Faris was still mid change Angela burst in, looking as bouncy and bubbly as she ever could. As she walked in, she was followed by Elva and Solembum. Solembum looked up at Faris and his compromised position, Faris scowled at the cat's smile and turned away. Solembum merely sat, tail twitching, before yawning and stretching out.

"Angela!" Haya began, excited as she finished changing Faris's lines. She scrubbed her hands in a pail of soapy water, and after drying them she ran over to the herbalist, hugging her. Angela returned the gesture with enthusiasm.

"Oh Haya, its good to see you too!" Angela said. She held Haya at arm's length, looking her up and down with a warm smile. At the end of her appraisal the herbalist laughed, "It seems you've lost that belly fat you gained, I'm surprised, I was expecting you to get even more now that you were a mother."

Haya for her part mock gasped. "I would have given how much Bergan demands on the table sometimes." She and Angela laughed, she continued, "I swear, I'll never understand how he puts everything down and yet still keeps his figure. Perhaps it's all the work in that smithy of his. Even then, the housework keeps me busy, and he's a dear and sweeps often. Perhaps to try and apologize to me whenever he hosts those monthly parties, those villagers are warm and kind, but our pantries are raided once a month."

Angela chuckled, "he still holds those parties? I've told him to stop, soon there'll be too many mouths and not enough mead."

As their small talk continued, Solembum approached Faris, who's mother had set on a cushioned chair.

Hello human kit.

Hello Solembum. Faris responded.

Faris knew it would take a while before their small talk concluded, so he focused his attention to Solembum, who's eyes now flashed bright green.

What colors can your eyes change into?

Many.

This was a game he'd end up playing with Solembum, he'd ask questions, either in plain English or in the Ancient Language, Solembum would often give only one-word answers, but often times they were words Damien never learned in the ancient language.

Where did you guy go for this month?

Places.

Can you say more than two words?

Yes.

Will you?

No.

After a bit of hesitation, he asked.

…How is Elva?

Of the characters in the series that resonated with Damien, Elva's was the most compelling story. She hadn't chosen to be born, nor had she chosen her abilities. They were a curse foisted on her by accident. He knew she most likely didn't like or trust him as she knew all his fears, but she never made comment of it. Interestingly, she hadn't been with Angela on the day that Faris had accidentally brushed against Angela's mind, and Damien often wondered what would have changed. Solembum normally responded to Faris's questions about Elva with an odd stare, but today he responded differently.

She wishes to speak to you, but only after you speak to Angela.

Damien was surprised at that, but excitedly looked forward to meeting Angela. After some more small talk Angela finally approached Faris as Faris's mother went to the kitchen to procure refreshments. She looked at the boy sitting on the couch and looked at him with impassive eyes, scaring Faris. Keeping himself from breaking down, Damien looked at her with resolute eyes, even as they threatened to unleash a broken dam of tears. Faris almost recoiled as he felt a mind brush against his, this mind had almost killed him once before, so it was odd feeling it so… passive, so calm. Damien remembered reading how different race's minds sounded different, how elves seemed to play a deep music, but if he was to describe Angela's mind's music, it was the sound of data streams in fictional movies and shows. The music, if it could be called that, was both discordant and harmonic, playing to an ever more complex tune that both completed its grand epic of a piece yet never went past the first stanza, it was a song that Damien almost was lost in.

Do you wish to be called Faris, or Damien? She asked him.

Faris, projected mental voice out, Faris. A slightly different tone echoed out from him, Faris… umm… Angela-svit-kona!

Damien's excitement curbed as Angela furrowed her brow.

How do you know the ancient language, who are you? What did you do to the child?

Faris held back his panic, but before he could speak, Angela continued.

I felt a foreign presence in the child's mind, and I meant to tear and destroy it, but it's too deeply intwined, what, did you…

Damien's mind raced as he found the words in the ancient language.

Eka… ero… aí eddyr aí, edtha. I am me. I am Faris. Please... search my memories.

Angela paused for a moment, face inscrutable before closing her eyes. The child felt the same presence again, though much more intense fashion. She began to comb through Damien's memories. Faris barely held in his discomfort as everything within and without him was moved through and examined, from his most mundane memories and experiences to his innermost thoughts and even darkest desires. As Angela combed through his mind, she became less agitated and more interested.

So, another world! Master Tenga always assumed one such world existed, that every idea and concept could be a world on its own! This is stupendous, and the world you belonged to! It was amazing, there is no magic yes, but the ability to harness natural resources in such a way that surpasses even the elves' prowess and technology?! It's even more amazing than what the riders had been able to amass and the continuation under the mad king's rule! Its-

She noticed their discomfort, and released the boy's mind. Calming down, Angela cleared her throat in reality. "Interesting." She turned to see Haya, who was carrying a saucer and balanced a pitcher of milk and three cups, to her side was Bergan, sweating from his hard work at the forge. He looked at Angela, smiling.

"It's nice to see you again, when you didn't come at the appointed time, we were a little worried." Angela smiled lightly, but got to business.

"I believe your son has talent in magic Haya, Bergan."

Bergan smiled at that, hugging his wife in excitement, picking her up. "Isn't this great Haya! I knew he'd inherit it from…" He paused as he saw his wife's face, as opposed to excitement, she was simply shocked.

"Haya?" Bergan began, setting her down. "I understand your concerns, but you don't have to worry, magic users are well treated, they wouldn't d-"

Bergan, you know what would happen, what the Broddring Kingdom would do, we've hidden from them for far too long. You remember what happened to Sarrox, when he surrendered himself, he was killed before he reached the capital. And they 'claim' they can't find out who killed him."

Bergan looked conflicted, "Even so, do you want him to be left to the lot of a farmer or blacksmith?"

"You're a blacksmith Bergan! At the least he wouldn't have to be involved with… with any danger!"

"The war is over Haya." Bergan soothingly said, hugging his wife. "As long as they don't learn about it, it will be fine."

"Fine?! How?!" Haya demanded, "You remember when Venka was tested! Aina and Jean were nearly interrogated, and then they were tested like crazy, we almost had to leave because of the activity in the village!" Angela raised her hand.

"You won't have to worry about that, I'll see to him."

Damien felt giddy, Angela was the most powerful non rider spell caster he could think of, not because of her power or magical capacity, but because of her intellect, force of will, mental prowess, and ability to understand the rules of magic to such a point that he was left thinking if there was any being that could actually defeat him.

Bergan's frown changed to a cheeky grin. "Oh? I thought you didn't take apprentices, that you didn't want to deal with lopsided brats with as much sense as a fruit fly in a bat cave."

Angela grinned: "Oh no I don't but I'll make an exception for one, seeing as how you both turned out without my expert tutelage."

Bergan smiled sheepishly; Haya's expression broke into a smile before trying to hide it with a straight face.

How did she know them? Faris thought, adding to his ever-increasing pile of questions.

"Besides" Angela continued. "Faris is a smart boy, he'll catch on quickly, I'll take him now and-"

"Wait, now!?" Haya began almost hysterically, "he's a smart child yes, but he's barely six moons!"

"Six and a half actually," Angela began

"Semantics don't matter! He's just a boy!"

Angela raised her hands up, "You know they begin sensing children's minds at around 1-years-old for magic right? No matter how minor his power, they'll sense his ability to connect to that space beneath the sea of his mind. If I don't teach him now, he won't be able to mask it from them. Late bloomers are a common thing, so even after he skips detection, I can then teach him more thoroughly, and it will be believed that he simply awoke the capacity at a later date."

Bergan seemed to waver, but Haya still looked hesitant.

You. Faris entered his mind, and searched for the presence that was both him and not him.

Yeah… Damien responded. When Angela had first encountered the child's mind, the portion that was Damien's memories and personality hadn't yet seemed to fully integrate with the overall psyche, in fear and determination, she attempted to rip this supposed foreign presence out of Faris, but found out just too late that this essence was as much a part of Faris as it was of it, which one was the true entity, and which one was false, she didn't know, but she had in error created this mess, and part of those 6 months would be fixing them.

I want the words to let them let us go.

What? Damien sounded out, confusion emanating from him, but you want to stay, if anything I'd be the one who wants to go, even if it would make mom and dad sad.

They aren't your mom and dad! They're mine!

Damien seemed to shrink within the child's mind, the majority of force was put on his psyche, as Angela's goal had been to shatter and destroy the collection of memories and the seemingly alien presence, while Faris's mind was damaged slightly, the part that could be called Damien received the brunt, and was the weaker of the two. …Fine, I mean, it wasn't until Angela struck us that we became like this. But fine… you want those words.

Faris looked up at his parents, "Mama, Dada, am I getting you in trouble? If I am, and Angie can help, let her please, I don't want you to get in trouble." Faris began to cry a bit, whether they were just from his grief at the thought of being separated from his parents, or from Damien's grief of the same thing. Haya picked up her child, consoling him, before turning to Angela once again.

"We can't just abandon our child over fear like that, if we do, we'll be worse villains than Galbatorix ever had been!" Haya crosses her arms, "Besides! He'll cry if anyone other than me and his father picks him up!"

"Really now…" Angela picked up Faris, who looked at her, then back at his parents. An awkward silence filled the room.

"I still can't let my son go like that, I'd rather be poisoned and hung than leave him, he's all we have."

Angela laughed, "Who said anything about abandoning him? As long as you have a suitable mirror, I can scry you every month."

"Every fortnight." Haya interjected.

"Oh, so you agree?" Angela smiled.

"N-no! I was just-" Bergan interrupts Haya. "Honey, it's for the best, Faris won't forget about us, and it's for his protection. Besides, he's smart, you know it too."

Haya looked conflicted, lip trembling a bit. "Scry us every day."

"Every week, I literally won't have the time to do so every day, but I will make sure it's at the same time, same day, every week unless you choose to reschedule, which you'll have to tell me."

Haya still looked like she would argue. That was when Elva spoke up. "You both know Angela is a powerful spellcaster and regarded as legend to the Varden, Nasuada, and Du Vrangr Gata. Even if they find us on our travels the herbalist Angela, the witch-child Elva, a werecat, and a baby are unlikely to be stopped. And you can just tell the villagers that the child is sick, most of them already know of Angela as only a good healer and so the fact that you don't show your child and that Angela continues to come back once a month won't arouse too much suspicion."

"…. Please give me time then."

Angela nodded, she, Solembum and Elva left the room. Once they were out of earshot Haya grabbed unto Faris, sobbing deeply as she held him. Bergan held on to both of them, his hot tears soaking his grand beard. Faris began tearing up himself. He could feel that the arguments were tenuous at best, and that what he was doing was wrong, he didn't want to leave, but he so much wanted to learn magic, to become a part of this world, and to protect his family. He wanted it so bad that even as he cried with his parents, he couldn't help but think about what he could do with his magic. His own selfishness tore into him even more and he began to sob in true earnest, saying "sorry! Sorry!" repeatedly as he hugged his mother tightly, the sparks of self-loathing directing themselves to Damien, who could only shrink inwards, hiding his emotions from Faris. Their combined cries falling into the night.