It was an actual surprise when Angela returned, his mother had been in the midst of changing him when she knocked on the door, mid change the door swung open to reveal a bouncy bubbly brown haired woman, more reminiscent of all her previous entries and no sign of the confused air around her when she had left the last time. She walked in, followed by Elva and Solembum, tail twitching slightly. The werecat looked at Faris and began his coughing chuckle in amusement over his compromising position. Faris merely covered his eyes, it wasn't his fault he wasn't potty trained yet! He didn't have the control yet, that came with age.

"Angela!" His mother began as she finished changing Faris's linens. After doing so she scrubbed her hands in a pail of hot soapy water and ran over hugging the herbalist, who returned the gesture with enthusiasm.

"Oh Haya, its good to see you too!" Angela said. After a while she and held Haya at arm's length. After a bit of bemused appraisal, she said with a bit of humor, "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 gets on the table sometimes, I swear I'll never understand how he puts everything down and keeps his figure, and even then, we host large dinners every week, so the villagers attend and raze our storage."

Angela chuckles at that. "He still does that? I told him to stop. Soon there'll be too many people and not enough mead to go around."

This bit of small talk continued as Solembum approached Faris, who sat in a cushioned chair.

Hello human kit.

Hello Solembum. Faris responded.

He knew that it would likely be while before his mother finished her small talk with Angela. He looked at Solembum again, his eyes this time a bright green.

What colors can your eyes change into?

Many.

This game he ended up playing with Solembum eventually with all their exchanges, where Solembum would give one word answers no matter the complexity of his questions.

Where did you guys 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 all the characters in the series, he always felt sympathy for her, she never knew the love of a father and mother, and she ended up being forced to share the pain of others, he knew she most likely didn't like or trust him as she knew all his fears, but she had never made comment of it. Actually not being there when he had accidentally made contact with Angela. Solembum always treated his questions about her with an odd stare or silence. But today it was a bit different.

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

He was surprised at that, but excitedly looking forward to meeting Angela. After some more small talk Angela finally shooed his mother away and approached Faris. As she walked towards him he began feeling a bit of discomfort. What if she attacked him again? What if he said or did the wrong thing. Would she be angry he was talking to Solembum behind her back? She finally reached his cradle and looked at him with somewhat impassive eyes, the mind that connected to his was odd, very odd to say the least, he remembered reading about how the minds of elves were like trills and hums of music. Her mind was like that, but where an elf's would be melodic flutes, harps, and string instruments, Angela's was like the sound of data streams in fictional movies and shows. The music, if it could be called that, was both discordant and harmonic, as if someone played a divinely inspired song by typing in cell phone keys.

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

Damien could barely contain an excited gasp as he projected. Faris… umm… Angela-svit-kona!

He curbed his excitement a bit as Angela furrowed her brow at his statement.

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

Faris'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, if you want, search my memories.

Angela paused for a moment, face inscruitable before closing her eyes. Faris felt the same computer-like presence again as she began to comb through each and everyone of his memories, from his most mundane to despite his best efforts of hiding, his deepest secrets. As she combed through she visibly 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?! Its even more amazing than what the riders had been able to amass and the continuation under the mad king's rule! Its-

She paused and calmed down, clearing her throat in reality and turning to Haya and Bergan, who had just returned sweaty and

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

Bergan was all smiles at that moment hugging his wife and picking her up, Haya though was simply in shock and disbelief.

"Haya?" Bergan began, setting her down after spying her worried expression. "I understand your concerns, but magic users are now well treated. I'm sure that things will be alr-"

"Bergan, you know what will happen if the Broddring Kingdom learns of us, we've been in hiding for too long. And there are many Varden sympathizers who would like to see us dead. You remember what happened to Sarrox when he surrendered himself, on his way to the capital he was drugged and killed in his sleep, and the perpetrators are still at large."

Bergan's smile changed immediately to worry. Angela raised her hand at this.

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

Faris felt giddy at that, Angela was the most powerful individual spell caster he could think of, not because of her actual individual power, but in her actual intellect, force of will, mental prowess, and ability to understand the rules of magic to such a point she was nearly unstoppable against any human and probably most elves.

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 at that, and Haya just chuckled.

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 around 2 years for magic right? He's a relatively strong person in it, we can't let them find out he can use magic so young. He'll be taken and they'll investigate you, powerful children seldom come from normal folks, and a bit of digging will reveal that you've only been here three years, they'll ask about where you came from and what you were before. Questions we all know you two can't answer"

Bergan and Haya still had worried hesitant looks.

"We can't just abandon our child over a fear like that, if we do, we'll be worse villains than Galbatorix ever had been!" He looks agitated, but made no move for either Faris or Angela, holding his wife, both for his support and for her to support him. Haya just looked at Angela evenly.

"I can't do that, you know that, I'd rather be poisoned and hung than abandon Faris, he's all we have."

Angela laughed. "Who said anything about abandoning him, I'll bring him back 2 weeks every month, sure I have to cut my travels a bit short, but its ok. Besides, you know he's safe in my hands."

Bergan and Haya still looked hesitant.

"Look, he wants to come with me, right Faris?" Angela began nodding her head towards the infant, who nodded back excitedly.

"Oh, come on! He's just mimicking you! You know he wouldn't actually want to come along, he doesn't understand what your saying right?!" Haya yelled, turning to Faris. "Here look I'll show you Angela" She began nodding her head at Faris and said. "Angela is a bad person who wants to kidnap you from mommy right?" Faris began to shake his head no.

"See! He just copies…" She turned to her child, in disbelief. "You understand me baby?!"

Faris nods his head yes, to hers and Bergan's widened eyes.

"Wait a minute! Then you have to believe me! You don't want to leave mommy and Daddy right!"

Faris shakes his head.

"See! He doesn't want to come with you Angela"

Faris also shakes his head.

At this Haya sits back a bit. "What?" she whispers.

Faris begins to immediately regret shaking his head seeing the distraught look on his mother's face. This was his mother! What was wrong with him, so he could learn magic?! Was that enough for him to abandon the family that loved him, that he loved!? But he was also now worried, whatever happened in his parents lives before, they were now in hiding from the Varden and its allies, as well as the newly reformed Brodding Kingdom, he didn't want them to die, and if Angela could somehow teach him something he could use to hide his magic, his parents could be safer, he didn't want to endanger them, but he didn't want to leave them distraught.

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 she comes back frequently for longer would allow you to explain why you don't appear as often to the people."

Haya looked up at Elva for a moment, her eyes focused on the girl speaking with the voice of a woman, speaking in a melodious soothing tone. It was the first time Faris heard her speak, and he didn't find her voice unnerving like others had said, he found it beautiful, even if it didn't quite match it felt calmer and happier.

"Besides" Elva continued, her soothing voice unwavering. "You know if things weren't this way you would have taught him magic yourself. This is much safer, and you don't have to be afraid of the Varden catching wind. I promise you we will be back always on time. Besides, we all know Faris is smart enough to understand that if he stays here and things remain the same, you might get in trouble, don't let him live with that pain."

Bergan had already sighed in submission. Haya looked a bit stone faced as she said. "4 weeks"

"A fortnight" Angela countered, "I can't stay in one place for 4 weeks, you know that."

Haya didn't answer that, instead saying "3 weeks"

"A fortnight and three days, and I'll set a magic mirror, so you can see him every day"

Haya this time remained silent, nodding.

"Please give me time then"

Angela nodded, she, Solembum and Elva left the room. Once out of earshot Haya grabbed unto Faris, sobbing deeply as she held him. Bergan held on to both of them, his hot tears being soaked into 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. 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 ernest, saying "sorry! Sorry!" repeatedly was he hugged his mother tightly. Their cries falling into the night.