{-Fauna-}

The village had been a pleasant surprise. It was nice and she really hadn't been lying when she said it reminded her of home…the home she'd been forced out of over a year ago, going from crying kids to a bunch of (or nearly, in some cases) adults that certainly acted like kids sometimes. At least she was getting more comfortable around people older than her.

Fauna watched by the door as Sharena explained the events of the past few hours to Anna. Natheniel was sitting on the floor on the opposite side of the wall from Fauna, looking bored and almost like he was about to fall asleep.

She was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to be paying the most attention to the spilled ink on the table in the corner of the room. In her defense, it was poorly cleaned up and a bit of it was still dripping off the edge. It was distracting to say the least.

"…we came back here," Sharena finished.

"Good work, both of you." Anna nodded to Sharena. "I've got errands for you to take care of tomorrow. Get some rest and report back in the morning."

Sharena left wordlessly, closing the door behind her.

Fauna allowed a moment of silence before glancing at Anna. "You just wanted her out of the way, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," Anna replied simply. "When you're with them for six years, you learn they work better and think clearer when they're distracted from the actual problem." Fauna knew that "they" referred to both Sharena and Alfonse.

"So, are you going to question me, or..?" Natheniel asked, confirming his presence. "I didn't come all this way to just sit here. Though I did miss hearing you guys argue. It's a familiar comfort. Well, it's a comfort because it's familiar but really it's a bit—"

"Alright, that's enough out of you for the time being." Anna glared at him, but addressed Fauna next. "On the far end of the hall and up the stairs there's a spare room. Can I trust you with taking him there without getting lost?"

"If she does get lost, I know where it is," Natheniel informed them. "It's where Tavin slept when he was helping out a lot."

Both of them looked at him with confused expressions.

"Er, right, he doesn't exist yet. Unlike me, though, he probably will." Natheniel shrugged, getting up. "You'll figure it out eventually. Whether because I tell you or it happens. Can we go?"

"Wait for me outside," Fauna instructed. "I'll be out in a minute." She watched him leave before turning her attention to Anna. "Do I need to—"

Anna frowned. "You don't even need to finish your sentence," she answered. "Look, I've just got to call back the scouts, sort through the stack of letters, and make up a list of stuff for Sharena to do tomorrow."

"Fine, but if I'm up in the middle of the night and you're still in here then…I don't know what I'd do but it won't be nothing."

"Save your worrying for someone who needs it. Gods, weren't you there when I told Alfonse that? Believe me, I've dealt with worse. Just take Natheniel to his room and go to sleep."

…

The next morning, Fauna woke up Natheniel—bringing him a clean change of clothes, as well. She waited in the hallway for him.

He came out a couple minutes later. "You're allowed to call me Nathen, you know."

"W-what?"

"My world's version of you called me that," Natheniel explained. They began walking. "It's the name of one of you're adoptive siblings, right? There was a reason you liked that name but I could never remember why."

She nodded. "Nathen and Alex." Nathen had been seven when Fauna came to Askr. Alex, however, was just barely a year old. Fauna took care of both of them up until the moment she left. She couldn't help but wonder how they were doing without her. "Them and Ethen…they were my world."

"Sounds like something she'd say," he remarked with a smile. "My Fauna never reunited with her family…but I hope you can. I mean, there's a world for every possibility, right? That's what my guardians used to tell me, anyway."

They entered the room they were in the night before, and Anna was waiting. Thankfully, she looked like she'd slept at some point even if she didn't exactly look well-rested.

"Care to tell us more?" she prompted calmly.

"About my guardians? Well…they were the six of you." Natheniel walked over to the wall, casually leaning against it. "You, Fauna, Alfonse, Sharena, Zacharias, and Veronica. I thought that might've been one of yours by blood, but none of you ever told me anything and I gave up on asking—that was before I found out the truth, though. You all had a considerable role in raising me. I'm told neither of us would've made it very long if not for Fauna."

"That makes sense," Anna remarked. "Babies suck."

"They're not that bad!" Fauna protested firmly. "They just lack the proper skills to properly express their needs." She bit back her urge to add, "you know, the skills you and Sharena have but refuse to use most of the time."

Anna paused. "Wait, neither of you?"

"Me and Tavin," Natheniel answered. "Technically, he had his mother but Fauna was still a big help. So I was told. Oh! I probably should've told you this before, we're both technically princes. Only Tavin is actually an heir to a throne, though—it's kind of his reason for existing; he's the Askran prince. I'm considered the first child born under the reunion of Askr and Embla, although I'm not really much more important than that."

"Dear gods this is like the freaking kids from the World of Awakening but worse," Anna moaned.

Fauna thought for a moment. "Askran prince…who was his mother, then?" She ruled out Sharena on the spot. Unless she drastically matured in whatever time difference there was between their time and Natheniel's, there was no way she'd be in any way anything but the super-fun-mom.

"A very understanding woman." Natheniel moved a little. "At that point, Alfonse had already been married to his love for three years. Askr needed an actual prince who could keep tradition alive. So, he came to an old friend of his and she agreed to bear the child. Right up until the end, she was given everything but the title of queen and the amorous love of the king. But neither her or her son could fight to save their life…she died in a brutal massacre because of me."

(A/N: finally, Fauna's family is mentioned. Basically everyone important to her is mentioned in this chapter. This is just about the only time she's referred to as "adopted."

Natheniel got so much character developement once I made Tavin exist; he went from being a mildly disobedient only-child to the annoying half-brother—that is, nice to the adults, generally a jerk to younger kids.)