Hello! I know it's been so long since the last chapter, and I'm so sorry for that. I'm afraid we have to blame my homework and quizzes for this.

First of all, thank you, thank you, and thank you again and again for every review. Every word drives me to finish this chapter, and lights up my whole world. I'm so sad that I cannot reply to the guest review because some reviews are really interesting. But no matter who you are, guest or not, please know that I've read every word of your review.

For Love reading, I think your idea is quite interesting, but for this story, I've already plotted the ending, so maybe, after I've finished this, I will try my hand on that. Thank you so much for your interesting suggestion.

There're so many authors who have inspired me to come up with this chapter and many readers whom I really want to thank.

LadyLetalMQ, Ceil, Winsome dreamer, Lunarchroniclesandcockatiels, xxTheMadHatterxxCharmed, 85, NejiHina100, and evaernst, please know that I'm so grateful to have all of you as my readers. You have encouraged me to write, to come up with more and more fictions and chapters. Thank you so much.

And a special thanks for, of course, Pearlislove, my dear friend. I don't know whether you know it or not, but your fiction is the first fiction that drives me to begin to write my own. Thank you for all of your gifts and please consider this as my gift to you.

For evaernst as well, thank you for your beautiful fiction. I gives you this gift in return.

As always, I think all of you know what I want to say, please please please please, leave me some reviews. I don't know how to show you it really means so much to me. My friends don't talk much about MPHFC and I really desperate to talk to someone, to share some ideas or favorite moments, and also to know what you feel after reading each chapter of mine.

English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry for any grammatical errors or strange word choice. I tried my best to check them up, but something is really beyond my knowledge.

Now, it's time to enjoy what you're waiting for for so long. Thanks to 'Your fan', one of the guests. Her review urges me to finish this chapter as fast as I can. Thank you.

Okay! Now, just enjoy!

Chapter IV

'I'll always love you, my dear.'

Miss Peregrine whispers in her Little Claire's ear, her cheek against her princess's, and that can calm the little girl down a bit.

But nothing can escape her sharp eyes, even when she is in a human form. Literally, nothing. The Bird could even see a tiny ant swimming in Enoch's soup at dinner, let alone these scary wounds before her on her Claire's body. They hurt her. Of course, not as much as they hurt her little girl, but it still hurts, and she's afraid her pain will last longer.

Miss P gently pushes her little girl back, cupping her pretty face in her talon-liked hands. Her warm green eyes lock on to the bright blue ones, assuring the girl everything will be just fine. Alma just doesn't want her girl to see how much blood she's lost. There are several big red spots on her half apron and the headmistress is quite positive that her Claire would be so shocked if she saw the horrible mess. That's why she cups her face like this, to block the girl's view.

'Alright, my dear, listen carefully, I'm going to move you to the couch so that I can look at your wounds. Will you be okay with that, sweetheart?' Miss Peregrine tries to speak as slowly as she can, extremely different from her usual speed. Her voice sounds so sweet that many children can't believe their ears. But Little Claire shakes her head and dissolves into tears again. She wraps her arms around Miss P's neck and buries her face into her headmistress's chest, doesn't allow Miss P to go anywhere.

'Shh..alright, sweetie, alright.' Alma strokes the little girl's back gently, resting her chin on the girl's silky hair. She frowns a bit, not because of Claire's tantrum, but because she fears these wounds will get worse if they are not dressed properly right away. She cannot wait any longer, so the Bird speaks out, loud and clear enough for all of her charges.

'Olive and Emma, please bring me two bowls of warm water and some flannels. Watch out for those shards, dear. I'll take care of them later.'

Olive and Emma nod and quickly leave the room.

'Millard, get me a bar of soap, please, and Enoch, the first aid kit in the corridor. Do have the tweezer cleaned.'

Enoch stands up and rushes out with Millard at once.

'The rest of you, please, leave the conservatory. Our Claire needs some privacy here.'

Fiona, Hugh, Horace, and the twins come to say good luck to the little girl, and then, leave. As much as they want to stay with Claire, they know better this is not the good time to bargain with their headmistress. She seems soft now, apparently, but they're certain that she can switch back to her 'scary' mode in just the blink if necessary, and when that mode is activated, they will be in a very serious trouble.

Bronwyn stands there, beside her best friend, waiting till everyone has gone out. Then, the girl steps in front of Miss Peregrine and Claire, handing the teddybear with yellow bow to her friend.

'You can have Miss Maggie for a while. I'll go get you your Miss Caroline,' the girl says and gives Claire an assuring smile.

'I'm afraid Miss Caroline has to stay there for a while, Bronwyn,' Miss Peregrine tells her tough ward. She has just realized that the teddybears she gave the girls do have name. 'She needs to warn everyone not to go near those shards on the floor. I'll go get her myself when everything is done here. Thanks for your kindness, sweetie.'

Bronwyn gives her ymbryne a nod and a last smile to her friend, before going out.

'Anywhere but the kitchen, all of you!' Miss Peregrine shouts behind her children, making sure no one goes near that room.

Now, there are just two of them left in the conservatory. This reminds Alma of when she first bottle fed her little baby girl. She can still remember that sweet smile on the girl's rosy face, when the baby had fun chewing the teat. It took exactly 5 hours 10 minutes and 34 seconds for her little princess to learn how to drink from the bottle, and that made Alma wonder in what way that shop had fed the little girl. Through her back mouth? Now, that little girl is in her arms again, in the same room, on the same couch, but not having fun at all. The girl is sniffling, her tears wet Alma's suit. The Bird can't see her little girl's face, so she just rocks herself back and forth slowly to soothe her Claire. She can't bare seeing any of her wards in misery. She just can't.

'I'm sorry,' Little Claire mumbles in her headmistress's chest. 'I'm sorry, Miss P.'

'Shh...,' Miss Peregrine holds her girl tightly. 'It's alright. You didn't mean it, I know. That was just an accident.'

The ymbryne stops to think whether she should say this now. Yes, it's not the perfect time, and she doesn't want to say it at all, but she knows how important it is to make sure that her little girl will not do this again. So the Bird continues,

'Anyway, I have to ask you not to do that again. You could have...broken your arms or legs, falling that high.' Alma has to think about what she has just said again. Which one is worse, deep cuts or fracture bones?

'If you want something that you can't reach, just tell me, or Emma or Enoch or Olive to get that for you. I will be very willing to help you, and I'm certain they will be as well.'

Claire pulls herself back, and gathers her courage to look up at Miss P again.

'But..I just...want to be b..brave like others. Enoch could c..climb up the ladder to get..his creepy..jar on the shelf..and..Mil..Millard could climb..the roof to g..get his kite by..his own. They ne..never ask for help.'

Miss Peregrine is stunned for a second. She's totally fine with Enoch climbing the ladder to get his only-Bird-know-what jar, but for the latter, she needs to discuss this with her invisible boy as soon as possible. Not now, of course, but soon.

'Claire, listen to me,' Miss P leans forward until her nose is just a few inches away from Claire's. 'Doing so doesn't mean you are brave, and asking for help doesn't mean you're weak nor make you a coward at all.'

'But you have never asked for help a..and you are brave a..and y..you don't fear anything!'

Alma chortles brightly, pinching her little princess's tiny nose and shaking it tenderly with love.

'Nonsense. Haven't I just asked Olive, Emma, Millard and Enoch for help? And believe me, just a few minutes ago I was scared to death. Does that make me a coward?'

'No way! Absolutely, NOT! You are the bravest ymbryne in the world!'

A soft smile is on Miss Peregrine's lips again. She has never seen her little girl become so confident as she is right now before. Guilt floods her heart that she could let this horrific accident happen to something so pure, and so innocent like this. She took the vow when she first held this little girl in her arms that no harms shall come to her baby girl, but now, she has broken her very own words. She deserves to be punished, not to be flattered. But she will think about her punishment later, not when her girl is in this condition.

'You are the bravest little girl, sweetie, and you don't have to prove that at all. I know it because you are my child, and all of my children are very brave in their own way. Everyone of them.'

Miss Peregrine smiles at her girl, hoping to see her smile back, but the girl remains sad.

'Knock knock,' Emma comes in with a bowl of warm water and a few flannels, while another bowl is carried by Olive. Millard follows with a bar of soap and Enoch with the first aid kit.

'Anything else, Miss P?' Millard asks after placing a bar of soap near a bowl of water on a small table.

'No, Millard. Thank you very much, all of you,' Miss Peregrine answers. She can feels tiny arms wrapping around her waist, while the owner of those arms snuggles close to her again, looking frightfully at those equipments on the table.

'Do you need a hand?' Emma looks so worried. She doesn't want to end up with four of them holding Claire down on the floor while Miss P tries her best to dress those wounds.

'I think I can handle it. Thank you, Emma,' Miss Peregrine doesn't sound so certain, but she looks quite determined, so Emma just sits down on a chair in one corner of the glass room with Olive and Millard standing beside her.

Enoch puts a bar of soap in one bowl, waiting till it dissolves a little bit, then gets it out and wets a flannel before rinsing it. He gives Miss Peregrine a nod, so the ymbryne whispers in Little Claire's ear again,

'Claire, would you please look at me for a moment?'

The little girl seems hesitant at first, but slowly pulls herself back and does what her headmistress's asked.

'Good girl.' Miss P gives Claire a very beautiful smile that might light up the girl's whole world, if she didn't feel the pain gradually coming back.

The Bird takes the damp flannel from Enoch's hand, still smiling at her little girl.

'Now, I'm just going to clean your cheek. Just look at me, alright?'

Claire nods. She's so scared. Is it gonna hurt? Of course, it is. But the little girl doesn't want to close her eyes. Seeing darkness can't help, but seeing her Miss P's face is everything. The girl has never been so close to her foster mother like this before. She can see her headmistress's straight eyebrows furrowing, and in the girl's opinion, Miss P's curly eyelashes over sharp fresh green eyes are the most beautiful things she has ever seen in her life. Those eyes glitter like the ocean Claire's seen during the daily walk. They are overwhelmed with love and kindness that even the little girl like her can feel them so strongly.

'Done,' Miss P announces and looks at her girl again, smiling softly when there's no blood left on that cheek, just some scratches. She gives Enoch the used flannel and gets the new one from him.

'Now, I'm going to clean your arm. Just look at me. Don't look anywhere else. Ready?'

Little Claire nods, squeezing Miss Maggie's hand with her free arm. She concentrates on Miss P's face again. Those cheeks are so warm and soft. She can't believe she's just touched it, wiping a drop of tear for her headmistress. Miss P's nose looks like her beak when she turns to the peregrine falcon, slim and sharp. Claire thinks -

'Oh, does it hurt?' Miss Peregrine asks quickly when Claire winces. 'I'm sorry, my dear. I promise you, it's almost done.'

Claire closes her eyes, but the pain in her arm becomes more intense, so the girl takes a peep at Miss P's face again. She sees Miss P's lips, her pink lips and pink is Claire's favorite color. She can still feel their touch on her forehead. So the little girl tries to think about Miss P's kiss so that she can forget her pain and doesn't flinch again. She doesn't want to worry her Miss P more than she does now. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt. Claire recites that in her mind repeatedly.

'Alright,' Miss P says and gives Enoch the stained flannel, and turns to see her little girl. 'Now, I'm afraid you have to sit on a couch since I can't see those cuts on your leg from here.'

Claire shakes her head rapidly and starts crying,

'No, don't l..leave me. Please.'

'It's okay, Miss,' Enoch tells his headmistress. 'You hold her, I'll take care of her wounds.'

Miss P looks at her boy and tilts her head a bit in wonder.

'Are you sure you can do this, Enoch?'

The boy rolls his eyes and grabs the tweezer and a clean flannel.

'My parents dressed the corpse, remember? I had helped them remove shards like that from thousands of bodies already.'

Miss Peregrine gives her boy a very dangerous glare.

'Oops, sorry.'

'I don't want Enoch to remove shards from my leg!' Claire is sobbing harder, doesn't let go of her Miss P.

'But if you don't let Enoch get it out, you can lose your leg!...Ouch!' Millard turns to face the floating girl who has just hit him. 'It's true, isn't it?'

Now, Little Claire is crying twice harder while trying to gulp for some air.

'I'm gonna lose my leg.'

'Not at all, Claire. You're not going to lose your leg, I promise.' Miss P gives her all to comfort the girl. She appears to be so calm, but beneath that facade, panic bubbles within her.

It takes the Bird exactly a half hour to calm her little girl down. Right now, Claire is still crying, but not as hysterically as thirty minutes ago. Alma's suit is so damp that the Bird can feel it. It's soaked with her Little Claire's tears. Her apron is red, not entirely red, of course, but there is barely white color left on it. Claire's cuts are still bleeding, and the sight of it makes Alma's head throb.

'Claire,' she calls her princess sweetly. She needs to do something. 'Can you still remember the bedtime story I read to you three days ago? The one with a beautiful princess, a knight, and a dragon.'

Miss Peregrine can feel her little girl nodding.

'The dragon invaded the castle, right? So the little princess was not happy. What happened next? Can you still remember?'

Little Claire answers quietly,

'The knight came and got rid of the dragon.'

'Yes. The knight came and got rid of it. And then, our princess was happy again, right?'

Claire just nods.

'Well, let's say..now there's another lovely princess, and also a very handsome knight. She isn't happy because of the dragon. What should we do?'

Claire takes a few seconds to think before answers,

'We should tell the knight to get rid of the dragon.'

'Yes. The knight is ready, but is the very brave little princess ready for this?' Alma almost stops breathing while she waits for her girl to answer.

Claire begins to shudder, but this time, the girl asks her Miss P back,

'You'll be here, right?'

'Yes, my dear.'

'Promise?'

'Yes, I promise.'

'Pinky promise?'

'Well..pinky promise.'

Then, the little girl nuzzles up to her ymbryne, gripping her collar tightly. Alma kisses the little girl's head and holds her close, stroking her back gently. The ymbryne takes a very deep breath and gives Enoch a nod.

Hurray! Thank you for reading this. Pleaseee, leave some comments. It can be anything. I can't wait to see how you feel.