Hey guys. It's been awhile hasn't it... I'm so sorry. I've been busy (just started high school and I'm dying!) and I haven't been able to write new chapters cuz I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I mean I have an idea of where I want this story to go, but I'm not sure exactly how to get there. That makes sense, right? Anyway, you'll hear more about that in the A/N below.

Before I rip anyone off. This chapter is from the great and brilliant help of OakeX. He's brilliant, go read him! Honestly, his work is amazingly beautiful. He won't accept compliments; resists them as if his life depends on it. But I know he's genius and so should you. If you haven't already, go check him out.

I'm done rambling so I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: We know the routine. I don't own Sisters Grimm.

Returning to the Williows

Sabrina's POV

Puck and I were sitting in Mustardseed's study, as he went over the legal process of dealing with the rebels. Puck has already lost focus; fidgeting and not paying attention to anything that was happening. And so it fell to me to listen; not that I really minded, it was interesting.

"Thus, the laws do not allow us to take any action with rebels yet. They will be given a hearing to explain themselves; however, because we don't want to arrest them, we'll have to wait for the official court hearing." Mustardseed set down his notes and looked at the two of us.

I looked over at Puck, who had finally decided to pay attention. His eyebrows furrowed, and a look of anger and frustration took over. "Why can't we do anything right now?" he demanded.

Mustardseed, ever patient, calmly said, "Faerie's laws prevent us, or anyone, from doing so. We did not arrest them; hence we cannot touch them until after the hearing."

"So let's arrest them."

I rolled my eyes, "You need to pay attention Fairy Boy. We don't want to attract attention to the rebels and risk a civil war. We just might calm everything down without fighting more."

Puck scowled, "So we have to wait until the hearing."

Mustardseed replied this time. "Yes. It's only thirty days away."

"Thirty days! That's forever."

"You're over 4000 years old, Puck. Thirty days should be nothing to you," I retorted.

Puck scowled some more. "We have to do something. We can't just sit here and wait."

"Patience is key, brother. Especially when dealing with delicate situations like this."

Puck huffed. "Fine. Is there anything we can do?"

Mustardseed sifted through his notes before pulling out a thick, leather-bound book. He scanned the pages and made a few references before saying, "We can do interrogations. Mind you, they must be done kindly." He looked pointedly at Puck. "That means no intimidation or torture."

I raised my eyebrows, interested. "What do you mean 'no intimidation'?"

"No magic use. No open display of any weapons. No guards or any other figure of authority."

"Am I a figure of authority?" Puck and Mustardseed sat back and looked at me. I fidgeted; uncomfortable under their shrewd and appraising gaze.

Mustardseed looked over at Puck. "What do you think, brother? She might pull it off. All she has to do is not wear her uniform."

Puck nodded slowly. "Yeah. That could work out. Most of them haven't seen her. Expect for those 20 or so."

I cut in, "How many were there in the attack?"

Mustardseed glanced down at his notes, "187 Everafters were involved."

"I can't interrogate all of them."

Puck's brow furrowed as he said, "No. We'll ask them for a spokesman, their leader."

Mustardseed shook his head. "No. It will make them suspicious of the interrogation."

"Then we choose a leader," I say, "Let's see how they act towards each other and pick out the leaders. Where are they kept?"

Mustardseed smiled shrewdly. "That is a good idea. They are kept in the palace, watched by soldiers that are chosen by the Captain of the Guard."

"Good. We'll ask them for a report and I'll interview the ones that are picked. You know, the whole thing'll seem a weird to them… Let's tell them I'm their lawyer or something for the hearing. It'll convince them to tell me everything. There's enough people that stay young in Faerie that'll convince them that I'm older than I look, right?"

Mustardseed looked at me with approval. "That's another great idea. In that case we'll pick a few random ones to make this process seem to be a random choosing, instead of a studied one."

"Oh, and I want to talk to the most powerful ones. If they aren't the leaders, they're definitely the muscle and that means they're dangerous." I paused. "I also want to take a look at the Willow district; ask them what happened and what might've caused this."

"Yes, that is necessary." Mustardseed stopped for a second and frowned, as if in thought. He looked at Puck apologetically before turning to me again. "Sabrina... It may be wise to entice some answers out of these rebels."

Puck sat up straight. "If you're saying what I think you're saying, I'm going to kill you."

"What do you mean by 'entice them'? If it'll help the interrogation, I'll do it."

Mustardseed blushed faintly. "Oh, well-"

He was cut off by Puck, who looked mildly relieved. "Henry would let it happen over his dead body."

Mustardseed frowned. "Be reasonable, brother. It might be vital, and if so, it's important to prepare Sabrina."

Puck opened his mouth to retort, but I beat him to it. "What do you mean by 'entice'?"

Mustardseed's blush deepened and he swallowed nervously before clearing his throat. "It might be essential to...seduce some answers out of them," he stopped to clear his throat again before starting again, "That is, if you are willing to play the part of a...temptress." He whispered the last word, and looked absolutely mortified.

My eyes widened in understanding. "Oh." I glanced at Puck whose ears where burning red. He was looking everywhere but at me. I raised an eyebrow at Mustardseed, "Are you sure that I'd be able to...entice them?" Puck burned a deeper shade of red.

Mustardseed cleared his throat again. "I'm fairly certain you will do fine." He wouldn't look at me.

It was deathly quiet, until I couldn't stand it. I started laughing. The two brothers stared at me. I snorted. "You want me to do a honey pot mission on a bunch of faeries? Seriously, they're faeries. I'm not exactly 'tempting', and there's a ton of other faerie women who are, well, perfect. And that's because they have magic to make them look beautiful." The two of them blushed even deeper. I shook my head. "I'm not sure if this will even help…it's kinda weird."

Mustardseed looked at me ruefully. "I don't aspire to make you uncomfortable, Sabrina. However…beauty is a strong weapon. It confuses and distracts your opponent. Beauty makes the contender think you are weak and innocent. It makes them careless. I won't force you to do this; that goes without saying, but it is an idea for you to think about. You won't have to do anything, of course. In this situation, you are the Venus fly trap; meant to draw in your prey with your beauty and grace."

I nodded hesitantly. "That makes sense, I guess. I'll think about it."

Puck stared at me. "Sabrina! You can't be a...harlot just for this!" He whispered the word 'harlot', as if it was some dirty swear word.

I laughed, "Harlot? That's funny. Don't be so old-fashioned. As long as I don't have to do anything, I'm fine dressing up a bit for it." Puck scowled, but I continued anyway. "I don't even know if I'll actually do it."

Puck smiled in triumph suddenly. "Henry would never let this happen."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't know that."

He smirked. "You can think whatever you want, Grimm. Doesn't make it true."

I ignored him. "Anyway...is that it, Mustardseed?"

"Yes it is. Thank you for being so agreeable, Sabrina." He turned to Puck. "Be reasonable, brother. I will set a date and inform you two of it as soon as possible."

"Sure. Who's gonna dress me up, though?"

Mustardseed looked at his desk. "I believe Windwillow will be up for the job."

"Okay. See you later. Come on, Stinkpot." I grabbed Puck's hand, as we walked out the door and through the palace.

"Henry will never let this happen."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be so medieval. It's the 21st century. I can do this if I want to."

Puck scowled. "But they'll be...looking at you."

"Just like everyone else who can see and has met me." Puck opened his mouth to complain some more. "Just shut up about it, stink baby. You don't need to get so jealous."

"I am NOT jealous! Why should I be? I'm King!"

"Sure, if it makes you feel better."

Puck continued to grumble. I simply tuned him out.

~~~Time Skip~~~

It must have been the only thing Dad and Puck had ever agreed on. Or will ever agree on.

Mom was uncertain as I was, and a bit more hesitant.

"I won't actually be doing anything."

Mom's eyebrows came together. "I know, but…this is a little creepy."

"I know, I don't think I'll actually go ahead with it. But Mustardseed did say it would help."

"Yeah…I guess." Mom paused for a moment and sighed. "This is your decision, sweetheart. You're old enough to make this choice for yourself, and I trust you."

Dad scowled, "Veronica! She's making less of herself!"

"Yeah! She can't just…do that!"

I've had enough of this. "It is the 21st century and you two need to grow up and realize that I'm not some helpless female. I'm interrogating the rebels, and whether or not it turns into a honey pot mission is my business. So deal with it."

Dad turned a strange puce colour, while Puck scowled. Before either of them could retort my finality, Mom nodded. "That's right. I trust Sabrina to handle the interrogation very well; and it's her choice on what methods she uses. Not yours."

Dad caved first. He looked at me and sighed. "You've grown too much, Sabrina."

I rolled my eyes but hugged him anyways, "No need to get so sappy, Dad."

He ruffled my hair, "I know kiddo."

Smiling, I stepped away from Dad and looked at Puck. "Are you over it yet, Stinkpot?"

He sniffed indignantly. "No."

"Well, that's too bad." Puck frowned. "Just pretend it's not happening; it might not even happen."

"Fine. But, I'm going to go beat up Mustardseed. He's the one that came up with this."

"Can I help?" Dad asked, looking hopeful.

Mom rolled her eyes at me, and I laughed.

~~~Time Skip~~~

It was only a week since the attack, but the Willow District seemed to have already gone back to normal. As I walked through it I could see that the buildings were all fixed; it was if nothing happened. The children that I previously saw running away from the fight, terrified, were now laughing freely; completely at peace with the world. I could still see a shadow of fear and loss with the older Everafters, though. They looked at the children with more care, and flinched at the slightest movements. I hated to bring back the memories, but it had to be done.

I decided to speak with the Mayor before moving on to the civilians. So here I was at Willow's City Hall, trying to walk without making any sound. The corridor leading me to the secretary was beautiful; with gleaming pearl-white walls and portraits of the past Mayors of the Willow District. There were only five others, but their portraits were obscenely large and took up a lot of space.

When I reached the secretary, she looked up politely and asked, "May I help you?"

"Yeah. I need to talk to the Mayor...Berry Cornstaff."

She blinked. "Do you have an appointment with him?"

"Um...no. I didn't know I needed an appointment...It's kinda urgent; I need to talk about the attack last week. Could you tell him that?"

"Oh. I am sorry but, I do not think he would like speak of that incident."

I raised my eyebrows. "Well, he needs to. I need information on the attack."

The secretary smiled kindly. "I understand, Miss, that it was a very stressful time. However, I am afraid that you cannot make such demands."

I frowned. "I need to speak with him; before my interrogation with the rebels. I'm the General, Sabrina Grimm."

The secretary smiled politely, and a bit awkwardly, and nodded. "Of course you are, Miss. Shall I call for the Guard, then? I think they will know what to do."

This was getting ridiculous. I just wanted to talk with the Mayor; nothing big. Aren't Mayors supposed to be in touch with the people anyway? And is it really hard to believe that I was General? ...I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not...

"Sure, get the Guard," I replied. At least they'll know who I am and can show me to the Mayor. The secretary smiled politely again, as if she was talking to a madman, before pulling out a flute and ordering her pixies, I assume, to get the Guard.

As we both waited, I wondered how the Guard was doing here. After the riot, Puck wanted protection for all of the districts that went beyond normal police force. So, the Captain of the Guard assigned 5 trained and powerful faeries to be in all of the districts; enough to subdue rebels until more help comes along, but not too much to raise suspicion.

Soon enough the Guard arrived; I've seen them all before, though I couldn't remember their names. Along with the five, there was also the Captain with them. Upon seeing me, they all stopped short and bowed low, murmuring "My Lady."

I blushed; this was awkward. "Um...hey, guys. You know you don't need to do that to me, right?"

They were standing up ruler straight now. The Captain stepped forward and started speaking, "Forgive us for any unease you may have felt. However, it is your title that we respect, my Lady."

"Um...right. Well...anyway, can you get this lady to bring me to the Mayor. I'm doing the interview today."

"Of course my Lady. Blossom, the Mayor must speak to our General; she needs information on last week. I am sure she has told you this."

The secretary, Blossom, blushed and blinked rapidly, "O-of course, my Lady. Forgive me for my incompetence. I will alert him at once," She hurriedly wrote on a note and summoned her pixies before sending them away.

"So..." I started, "What are you doing here, Captain."

"Same as you, my Lady. I'm looking for traces and such; however, more physical and magical things than what you are doing."

"That's great."

The Captain smiled at me as a response before turning to Blossom, "Blossom, where is that girl you called us for. You said she was demanding to speak with the Mayor and was spouting all sorts of falsehoods...I do not see her now."

I frowned. "I wasn't demanding anything; I just asked to speak with the Mayor. And I wasn't lying."

Blossom flushed, "Oh-um-she just..."

The Captain looked between Blossom and I, amused. "You mean to tell me, you have mistaken our General for a mad woman?"

Blossom looked at her desk in embarrassment.

I took pity on her and jumped in. "Yeah, but that's alright. I don't look professional or anything. It's actually kinda funny."

The Captain nodded, still smirking. "Perhaps it would be better for you to wear your uniform from now, My Lady."

"Yeah..."

The Captain smiled at me once more before saying, "I shall show you to the Mayor, my Lady. Shall we go?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

"This way, my Lady."

We walked down the great, silent hall in a slightly awkward silence; well, I was awkward, the Captain looked completely at ease.

I remembered what he said about looking for physical and magical clues. "The clues you're looking for; what exactly do they look like?"

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "I am not sure, my Lady. Though, some magical residue from their attacks might give us a clue of where they are getting their prowess. Some of the brownies and elves were much too powerful for their age and even race."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe I can help you after I'm done? I kinda wanna know what magic and other weapons they have."

The Captain smiled before nodding. "That would be excellent, my Lady. The Grimms have been known for their deductive capabilities. I would have to post guard during your interview with the Mayor, regardless."

"Great, I was supposed to look around, anyway."

He smiled once more. "I shall meet you after your interview then, my Lady. We are here."

We came to a stop before a pair of huge wooden doors with a gold willow tree engraved between them. Each door has a flimsy, golden handle to pull it open. Nevertheless, the Captain opened them with ridiculous ease. I was kinda surprised to see the handles didn't fall off.

Behind the great doors revealed a grown and slightly aged faerie, with inky black hair that was peppered with white. Below his salt and pepper hair, he had golden eyes and a slightly rotund figure that was tucked neatly in a prim suit.

Upon seeing us, the man immediately put out the cigar he was smoking and lurched forward to greet us. "My Lady, Captain; it is a great honor seeing you here. Please, come in; sit down."

The Captain saluted. "Thank you for the invitation, Mayor. However, I will be posting guard outside."

The man, who was apparently Mayor, nodded, "Of course, Captain. Please, come in my Lady." He gestured to the room.

"Um, thanks." I stepped in as the Captain continued to smile at me encouragingly, I smiled back in appreciation.

"I shall be waiting for you here, my Lady."

"Thanks Captain. See you later." And as soon as the words left my mouth, I watched the doors close.

I turned around and looked at the study. Well, it wasn't really just a study. The huge room's walls were cream colored that went well with the scene behind the glass walls that made up the back ball; rolling hills of rippling, soft green grass surrounding a giant willow tree. A fancy crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and cast specks of the rainbow over the wooden floors and leather brown furniture. The whole place felt clean, and natural.

The Mayor cleared his throat nervously and tried to start several times, but failed each time and fell silent couldn't quite manage it. So, instead, I took up the initiative. "Good afternoon Mayor Cornstaff. I'm the General of the Royal Crown, Sabrina Grimm. I'm just here to get some information on the attack that happened sometime last week."

Cornstaff seemed to have finally gathered himself. "Yes of course my Lady. Please, come sit." He led me to the left, towards the leather brown couches, near an empty fireplace. I took a seat opposite to him; in the couch facing the meadow that stood behind the glass walls.

"Can I get you something, my Lady? Tea? Cookies?"

"Oh, um, no thanks. I'm good."

"You'll have to excuse me, then, while I help myself to some tea."

"Yeah, go ahead." Cornstaff smiled genially at me, looking slightly relieved. I watched as he poured himself a cup and, not so discreetly, mix in what kinda looked like whiskey from a flask. I wasn't until he took a sip before I asked my first question.

"So, Mayor Cornstaff, did you see any suspicious activity that could've lead to this attack in hindsight?"

Cornstaff looked at me in surprise. "No, not at all. Our community was running smoothly as usual, and it had just happened."

I frowned. "What do you mean by 'running smoothly'? Weren't there mass gathering of people? There were 500 some in the attack; in a small community like this, you must've noticed a lot of people gathering like that. And the weaponry they've had. I've seen it myself, and it's all quality; they couldn't buy it here. Did you notice some people getting a lot of things shipped to them? And the Captain of the Guard tells me that some of the rebels were much more powerful that they should be. They must've had extra training or another power source. Did you see anything at all?"

"No disturbances were reported, my Lady."

"Wait. You mean you don't actually talk to your community?"

Cornstaff blushed a bit, "There was no need to do that before, my Lady."

"There's always a need for that! This is a small community; you could've recognized the mass gatherings of people and investigated it! You could've stopped all of this before it even happened!"

"My Lady, with all due respect, I do not believe this is as easy as you make it seem."

I rolled my eyes at him, "Never mind. You obviously don't know what's going on in your own district. I'll just leave. But from now, I want you to let anyone talk to you about any concerns they have; no appointments needed."

"O-of course, my Lady."

"You should get out there and connect to your citizens; it'll be better for everyone."

"Yes, of course; I see that now."

"Good." I stood up to leave, and Cornstaff rose with me, but I waved my hand at him. "I know where the door is. Bye." I opened the door and was met with the Captain. He stepped back from me; allowing me to step out of the doorway and close the doors behind me.

We walked for a while before the Captain broke the silence, "How was the interview, my Lady?"

I scowled, "Awful. That lazy idiot didn't see any difference in his community; not that he even knows what his community is like. I want all the Mayors to be in touch with their community; we might see who's gathering for an attack, we might even be able to stop one."

"That is a very good idea, my Lady. We would be able to be closer to the people that way."

"Thanks, Captain. I'll come back another day and talk with the people. Maybe the rebels' families as well, see if something seemed off with them. For now though, you can tell me what exactly we're looking for.

He smiled at me before bursting into speech. "When brownies perform magic, their spells require an immediate release of energy. If there is not enough energy provided, the spell will collapse. Similarly, a spell's effect will only last for as long as there is energy to sustain it. Without any energy, the spell breaks down." He reached into his pocket, and withdrew a small vial. It was filled with a thick substance, which glimmered enticingly in the light.

"After a spell collapses, it results in the creation of this, a magical substance known as the spell's residue. This residue can be checked, to determine the purpose and power source of the spell." He handed it to me so that I could look at it. I uncorked the vial and sniffed it briefly. It smelt like a very strong lemon; so sour and bitter that my eyes watered, but it still has a sweet citrus tang.

"This particular residue," the Captain continued, "is from a spell a brownie cast during the attack. There is a considerable amount of power in it, far too much for a brownie of that age. Our leading theory right now is that there is an external magic source, which is supplying the rebels with this power. If we can locate it, we can destroy it."

Here, the Captain grimaced, and his fingers twitched towards his belt, where his sword was sheathed. "Unfortunately, that would not end the rebels' activities, but it could decrease the severity of their attacks."

We were outside now, and nearing the fields behind City Hall where the great willow tree stood.

"That sounds great, Captain. So, we just look around for magical stuff?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"Let's go then." We set off at a calm, purposeful pace.

As the Captain and I walked, he inclined his head at me and asked, "I trust His Majesty, the King, is doing well, my Lady?"

"Oh, yeah. Puck's doing great."

"That is brilliant, my Lady," he said, with a secretive smile.

I arched an eyebrow at him. "What's with that look?"

A wry smile played on his lips. "Nothing, my lady," I waited; my arched eyebrows and silence nudging him to speak. He did. "It is nice to see His Majesty with a sharp and witty lady…it is refreshing from the typical ladies of court."

I rolled my eyes at him, but felt a blush creeping onto my face. "Well, I don't think your faerie princesses would fit well with him," I imagined Puck being with one of those prim and proper faeries and smirked; one of them would have to change drastically for them to stay together. And it wouldn't be Puck. "But, I don't think court'll like me."

The Captain smiled wryly. "No, many in court may not like you. The women may shun you; many still do think that the ladies of higher court should not interfere with the 'men's work'. Some may even hold the fact that you were once human against you. Others may claim that you have bewitched His Majesty into loving, so that you may become Faerie's next Queen." He sighed, and rubbed his face. "What an archaic society we live in, my Lady."

"That is obviously what I needed to hear; thank you so much."

The Captain laughed, "My Lady, I know you well enough to know that you will not care for those who make such petty remarks. You are a strong and capable woman; someone who will both balance and challenge His Majesty like no one else can. Unlike other ladies, you know court is small compared to other contenders; you have already faced many challenges much more potent that court, and have come out victorious. This has made you sharp and clever. I respect you for this; I think you are the best choice for His Majesty and he for you. Both of you share a love like none other."

I blushed deeply and looked at the ground, "Thanks Captain," I cleared my throat and said, "You know, now that we're being familiar you can call me by my name and I can call you by yours."

"It really is not professional, my Lady."

"Fine. How about when no one else is around? We're friends now, aren't we?"

The Captain smiled, "Yes, I suppose we are. Sabrina."

I grinned at this, "Great. What's your name? I've never actually heard it before."

"My name is Hawthorn."

"Hawthorn. I never understood why faerie names sound so cool. Though, some of them are really weird like Goblinbranch or Vinesnap."

Hawthorn laughed. "I suppose. Human names are interesting though; your name is quite nice."

"Thanks. So, Hawthorn, do you have a wife or something? I have no idea how old you are, but you look old enough to have a wife."

"I am 2537 years old; roughly two millennium younger than His Majesty. I do not have a mate, however. As Captain of the Guard, it is not typical for me to have a companion, as my occupation is dangerous and demanding."

"Really? Looking like that, you'd think we were with someone. Even in faerie standards, you all look perfect and it isn't fair, you're up there."

He laughed again. "Thank you."

I laughed with him before asking. "Is looking perfect part of your job? For interrogations and stuff?"

Hawthorn nodded. "Sometimes it is necessary for me to be charming enough for faeries to slip some information up."

"Can you teach me how to do a honey pot mission?"

Hawthorn looked at me startled, "Why would you want that?"

"For the rebels, I have to interrogate them without intimidation. Mustardseed has this idea of 'enticing the answers out of them'. I'm not completely sure how to that, though. Or even if I want to."

"I can help you with that, I suppose. But you should speak with some of the women in the Guard; they are all very well trained in honey pot missions."

I grinned. "Great. But don't tell Puck. He's not excited about the whole thing."

Hawthorn chuckled. "I would imagine not."

We walked in a comfortable, peaceful silence while scanning the fields; but there was nothing in the rolling hills of soft, rippling grass.

But something glittered in the corner of my eye.

"Hawthorn, look at this." I lead him over to the thing that caught my eye.

It was a blob of goo lying on the ground. The blob was a translucent purple, with random, angry red streaks that glimmered in gold and silver. Beyond the sparkling film there were black clouds swirling restlessly. The grass surrounding the blob was black; dead. It was constantly shivering; as if it was in pain.

Hawthorn pulled out a pair of scaly, thick gloves, that shined like dragon hide, and put them on before picking up the thing. He looked at me and smiled grimly. "Good eye, Sabrina."

So peoples, read and review! Tell if you like it or if you didn't. I hope you did like it though.

And if you want more, I would really like if people tell me what they wanna see in chapter 17. Soon as I get a suitable idea then I'll pump out another chapter ASAP.

So, I was actually gonna abandon this fic and possibly writing fanfiction in general because I wasn't sure if I was really any good. But there's this awesome person out there, MaryClock, who told me I should enter a contest. She's (I'm assuming, sorry if I'm wrong) fantastic! And thus, here I am. Posting again. I'll thank you one more time. Thank you! That's all I've got, and yeah. I hope you see me post soon!