Right, this is pretty much the last chapter you can expect for a while that makes any kind of coherent sense, because I am writing all of these things right after I complete an essay of some sort (I've lost count of how many I've had to do within the last two and a half weeks...)

Eoin Colfer owns (most of) this. I don't. End of story.

Chapter 20 – In which some things get a little clearer… for Ivy, at any rate.

Ivy, as imperturbable as she usually was, stood there shocked into stone. She had been greeted by the elements on several occasions in the past, usually telling her to control herself and to stop calling on them as confidants and so forth.

This, however, was the first time she had been given an identity in front of the elements.

"What did you just call me?"

A look passed between the beings in front of her. Rolling her eyes in understanding and mockery, she reverted to a more archaic speech.

"Why dost thou give me this title?" Idiotic, unnecessary, and so tedious to get through. Silently, Ivy scrolled through every single insulting speech she could think of about this archaic speech, keeping them quiet enough so that the elements couldn't pick it up.

Dost thou not know of your birthright?

Ivy suppressed the urge to yell out, 'If I did know, then why would I be asking you?'

"Indeed not. Please, fill me in." If they were going to be stiff and direct, then she was going to be as 'Hollyish' as possible. Her former caretaker and present friend had recommended this method to deal with people who were taking forever to get to the point. Being direct usually irritated these people.

Not many have thy gift, young Kestrel. The blue figure, Water, echoed with this announcement. Not many would have thy audacity, either.

She is unique, as are all of our Chosen Ones, Sibling. We chose them for their talents, not their attitudes. Fire may not have liked her, but at that moment, Fire was probably Ivy's favourite element. At least Fire had stopped with the stupid, Shakespearean speeches.

"Look, what this meeting is about is not what you're calling me. What I need to know is how I'm going to get back."

Everyone looked puzzled by this. Although Ivy wasn't that sure – after all, their faces were the very pictures of implacability, and their emotions were depicted with the slightest twitches that were almost unnoticeable, unless you'd known these beings since you were old enough to talk.

Why dost thou want to go back? Methinks that thine parents are in this reality, not the other one. Apparently, Water was not the best to understand human relationships.

"I need to keep Haven from collapsing! I've got friends there, and besides, I need to finish off my education!"

She crossed her fingers behind her back – it would do the elements no harm to have a little lie told to them. She could have completed her education here, but looking around, it didn't seem as if the prejudices of several hundred years ago had faded yet.

Which would mean that women weren't allowed to inherit. Which would mean a marriage as soon as possible…

She had to get back.

Thou hast a duty here, Kestrel. Thou needs to complete it as soon as possible, though we shalt allow you help along the way. However, none else may cross the borders, unless they have been Chosen.

The figures started to fade, although Earth gave one final comment.

As thou wouldst say, deal with it.

In Haven, the earthquake had eased itself slightly, giving the occupants of the fairy city breathing space. Artemis crawled out from under the rubble, questioning his sanity. After all, without Butler there to protect him, what chance did he stand against any sort of disaster, especially supernatural ones?

The occupants of the room poked their heads cautiously from under the desk, Artemis with considerably more difficulty than anyone else. After all, growing past the fairy average made it hard for him to bare stay under the desk without one of his limbs sticking out.

For some reason, he was too attached to his limbs to consider sacrificing them for the sake of comfort.

Drawing his mind to the situation at hand, he asked Kelp,

"Commander Kelp, is it? Good, then we have at least one firm authority here. I need authorisation for some rather unorthodox actions, and I am sure that you can influence the decision."

Foaly, struggling to get back onto his hooves, stopped to look sceptically at the human teenager,

"Since when do you ask for permission to do something to exploit the People, Fowl?"

"Since I need one of your… historical treasures to do this." Artemis tried to smile, but his heart wasn't in it, "I may be a criminal mastermind, but that is not an excuse for me to act discourteously."

The room's fairy occupants looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Artemis understood the implication of the look, but decided to ignore it. Time was, once again, against them.

"I just need brief access to the elements, and for that I need to Frond Necklace. According to your Book, it was a gift to the family of Frond from Earth, binding all fairies to the Earth, therefore giving the explanation of the Ritual. I need contact with Earth, or any element."

Now, everyone took a few paces away from him, as if he were a bio-bomb. This, of course, sparked Fowl's anger.

"Is it such an unfathomable idea that you must all assume that I am insane?" He inquired, his voice going back to the soft, clipped voice of over two years ago at his first encounter with the fairies. Everyone shuddered from that cold, detached voice, unconsciously taking a step back from the pale teenager.

Artemis, seeing that intimidation just wasn't going to get him anywhere, changed his tactic. Putting on his best puppy-dog expression, he pleaded,

"Please, I know that this sounds silly, but I also know that it will work. Ivy has been in the presence of the elements before, and Earth knows her. I just need to summon Earth!"

Everyone gave him incredulous looks at this, but Holly was the only one with enough courage to speak out,

"Fowl, it's not a matter of 'just' summoning Earth. There are rituals, incantations…you need to be a priest, for one thing, and with your disposition on wealth, I don't think that you could be one."

Artemis recognised the rebuke, and had to force himself not to swell up in outrage. Taking some deep, calming breaths, he motioned for Holly to carry on – when you were the tallest person in the group, people tended to look up at you. In both senses of the phrase.

"And then there's the problem of there not being a Chosen One of the Elements for over five centuries…"

Artemis frowned slightly at this terminology. A Chosen One of the Elements? What did that mean?

"…plus, nobody even knows if all that stuff in the Book about these things are even true – no one has ever seen an element and lived…"

Artemis mouthed these words, no one has ever seen an element and lived…

In his head, dots started to join themselves up. In his mind's eye, he was able to see the ideas flashing, memories, subtle hints…

"I have."

On the way back to the house (although it was more of a castle than anything else), Ivy pondered on the events that had just taken place. Evidently, she wasn't going anywhere, not until something in this plane was taken care of. The problem now, of course, was that she had no idea whatsoever what this particular thing was.

She was running through a list of what the subjects were, stopping at intervals to mark the place she stood so that she would be able to find her way out unseen if she really needed it.

It was a trick that she had been taught by Water – concealment from unfriendly eyes, mirage against the important ones who would keep you away from your freedom. Unfortunately, Ivy thought, this thing doesn't work on the beings who invented it in the first place.

With no warning at all, a smooth, cool hand pressed itself against her mouth, swinging her out of the light and into the shadows. Panicking, and unsure of the person's intentions, Ivy attacked her holder, and gaining very little success against the strong and considerably taller person who had caught her.

"Stop wriggling, Kestrel, and give me the evidence that I can unhand you without you yelling for half of the palace guard!" Hissed a familiar voice. Ivy froze immediately, and slowly nodded to her captor.

Artemis Fowl (the one from this reality, Ivy reminded herself) removed his hand and rubbed his shin where Ivy had kicked him. He winced slightly,

"You hit hard, for someone your size."

Refusing to take part in the vocal repartee, Ivy demanded an answer. She was promised one, but only if she would follow him into the deeper depths of the castle.

"It's not lit, so you'd better have no fear of the dark, and I cannot guarantee your safety either. However, we both share a common goal."

Ivy frowned slightly – a common goal? They had barely known each other for over two hours, and this pale adolescent who was Artemis before he had the People's influence, was talking about common goals?

Artemis silenced her cynicism within a few seconds, with just four words:

"You must go back."

It was unusual for Ivy to be surprised. It was even more unusual for her to ask what they were talking about. However, that was exactly what happened to her within that one instant.

Nonetheless, it was still Fowl's next statement that shocked her the most.

"And you must take me with you."

"I can't explain it right now, Holly, but somehow Kestrel is more linked to the elements that just being able to command them. It's a much more personal relationship, from what I've seen. One of the figures… in fact, two of the figures even called her their child…"

This raised some eyebrows, especially amongst the elves. They, in particular, were linked to all of the elements, but mainly to Earth, just like the humans. Holly and Trouble both knew about Kestrel's unique heritage, being a hybrid (both of the People shuddered in disgust – was this what the other world had come to?), but they had never imagined that Ivy had any other connection with the elements.

Unless…

"Fowl, how many of our legends have you read, from the Book, I mean." Holly was tentative at this subject – it was unlikely that he had, and if he hadn't, then he was a sceptic.

"The legends?" The pale face twisted into incredulity, "The stories of a story? I believed in the People, Holly, but believing in the People, so to speak, of the fairies, is something that even I will not go to."

Holly and Trouble looked at one another, and nodded. Holly reached inside her shirt for her Book.

"You'd better start believing then, Fowl, otherwise Ivy's not going to have much of a chance of surviving, personal relationship with the elements or not."

A/N: Okay people, you know the drill - press the purple button, then write reviews! Remember, this is my GCSE year, plus two AS levels that I am studying for :(, so don't get too disappointed when I abandon this story for months on end (oops... I already do that, don't I?)

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