Odette walked solemnly outside, breathing in the fresh night air. After getting directions to the garden from the guards outside the hallway that led to the stairs to her room, she easily found her way onto a little cobblestone path that weaved into and around a labyrinth of shrubs and flowers.

It was quite peaceful. The silence of everything except for the owls and other nocturnal creatures reminded her of Swan Lake, and all the times she'd walked along the lake, just listening to nature's sounds. It was a welcome break from everything that was weighing on her mind. The full moon shining over her head provided a bluish light as she strolled along.

As she wandered along, she came to the back wall. Something made her look up, and she saw the shape of a person sitting on the wall. Odette could see that it was a woman, but in the given light, she couldn't tell who it was until she turned her head to face Odette. It was Fiera.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Odette said apologetically.

"No, not at all. I just like to come here when I need to think," Fiera replied. She gracefully jumped down from the wall and landed lightly on the ground below. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"No, I'm just out here for the same reason as you are. It's easy to clear your head out here, where its quiet."

"Yes, it is," Fiera agreed, a strangely nostalgic tone in her voice. "This spot brings back memories for me, but I think before then, I found peace here. As time went on, I found an escape from reality among the bushes and flowers."

"Can I ask what happened?" Odette inquired timidly, not wanting to pry, but still curious.

"Well, you just did," Fiera answered jokingly. She took a deep breath, calling forth her memory of the place that gave her so much peace. "I was fifteen and I had just learned that I was a repentant demon. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to. I wanted to by like everyone else, I wanted to do the things everyone else did. But that didn't happen, I caused an uproar, but I didn't know what I had done."

"But you didn't do anything."

"I tried to tell myself that. Everyone tried to tell me that. No one that I can remember held it against me. They didn't care, but I did. I lost my father to a demon. I hated myself for being even a fraction of a demon. I felt like I didn't belong anymore. So, one night, I tried to run away. I remember being at that spot on the wall," – she pointed to the place where she'd just been sitting – "when my mother found me. I was just about to bolt when she ordered me to come down. I couldn't bring myself to just leave anymore. So I came down.

"I remember telling her why I was trying to run away. She listened intently. But she told me I would always belong here, regardless of what I am. I actually became frustrated right then. I hated myself, I loathed what I truly was, repentant or not. I can still here my words ringing in my ears at times. 'There's no way I belong here. I am not a Guardian. I can't stay.'

"But even if those words are still in my ears, I think my mother's reply is in my soul. 'You are my daughter. You have been raised among Guardians. You do good things at every chance you get, like any self respecting Guardian would. Fiera, you are more than Guardian enough for me. I know this may seem like a curse now, but one day, you will shine.'"

There were tears in Fiera's eyes as she said this. It wasn't a heavy weeping, but the little drops of water were pooling in her eyes, and one of them found its way down her cheek and glistened in the moonlight before she had a chance to wipe it away with a quick swipe of her hand. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and reopened them. "I think I cried back then do," she half laughed, clearing her throat at the same time.

"Your mother really cared about you," Odette noted.

"So did yours. She must have, with all the things she did. I'd bet wherever she's at right now, she's proud of you like she was back then."

"Your mother said we look alike. But I don't know if that's enough. I'm not my mother, and I don't know the first thing about being queen of the Guardians. How can I make a decision?"

"You're asking the wrong person. I can't make the decision any more than you can. It must be hard. But then again, I'd be willing to bet you can handle it."

"Thanks," Odette said, grateful for Fiera's faith in her. Of course she had Derek's, but knowing Fiera trusted her with the choice she was given made her feel better.

Just then, they could hear footsteps coming toward them. They were hurried, so Odette doubted they were Derek's as Fiera doubted they were Angel's. As they came closer, they could see that it was a young man, no older than about sixteen. In his hand, he held a folded piece of paper. Wordlessly, he handed it to Fiera and took off back into the castle.

"Odd…" Odette murmured, a little surprised with how quickly the boy had come and gone. Next to her, she could hear the crinkling of paper as Fiera opened the message.

"Great," she muttered sarcastically.

"What is it?"

"It's a summons," Fiera answered with antipathy. "I have to appear before the Elders tomorrow."

"Why? Are you in trouble?"

"Well," Fiera began, but stopped for a moment while she pondered the answer. "No, not really. I mean, they can't do anything to me, like remove me from my rank, but they're probably not happy with me for yelling at Leda and being kind of short tempered with her. Like I said, they can't punish me, but they're probably going to tell me off."

"Why do you dislike Leda so much, anyway?"

"You mean, why do I hate her?" Fiera corrected, a joke in her voice that was somehow not completely lost in her distaste for Leda. "Because she's only after one thing: the crown. I don't care what anyone says, Guardians can be every bit as petty and greedy as humans. It sounds cold, but it's still a fact. Leda's been trying to get that crown on her head since your mother went off to fight Sabian. Even my mother can't stand her. Hell, I don't really think anyone likes her."

"Then why is she on the council?"

"Because she's a sneaky, conniving witch. She can get pretty much whatever she wants by throwing around some fancy words and underlying threats. Her family's pretty powerful, so it wouldn't take much for her to really ruin someone's life. But she won't because she knows she'll be even more looked down upon than she already is."

"How can she get the crown, though?" Odette asked, not seeing where the connection was due to lack of information.

"Her family is second in line for it. If anything were to happen to you or if you say no, she would get the crown. But since we've had no proof of your death since your mother went after Sabian, she hasn't gotten her hands on it. But when the Elders formed their ridiculous little council, she snuck her way onto it and started giving orders.

"I suppose I should tell you another reason I hate her. She blatantly thinks of me as an inferior. She calls me half demon and Enyo."

"Enyo?" Odette inquired. That didn't sound so bad.

"Enyo was my demon name. And I think Angel already told you how bad I was, or how bad Enyo was. Anyway, if it hadn't been for my mother's fame, she would have ran me out of here a long time ago. In fact, it was her idea to form the Elders, and coincidentally, it was after everyone found out that I'm a repentant demon. Since then, I've hated her. I openly admit that I cannot stand her, and I'd rather be a demon's dinner than to see her anywhere near the throne. She can't be trusted."

This was yet another side of Fiera Odette had never seen. She couldn't imagine how someone so kind could hate another person so much, let alone be a bloodthirsty demon, past life or not. It was strange. Still, Odette agreed with Fiera. Leda wasn't the trustworthy kind of person. That much was obvious.

"Would you like me to come with you tomorrow?" Odette offered, wanting to show Fiera some support and friendship.

"If you want," Fiera answered, glad she had a friend in Odette. "I'll get you tomorrow before I'm supposed to go. I'm sure you'd like to see how things are run around here, even though I don't think any kind of council is necessary."

"Why?"

"Because this place is pretty much self supporting. The only reason we have a monarchy is to act as a head general and a leader to the people. It's not like this place would go into total chaos if anything happened to that bunch of fools. Well, it's late, Odette, and council meetings take place early in the morning, so you'd better be getting off to bed, as should I."

Odette nodded in agreement. "Good night, Fiera."

"Good night."

Odette walked alone back to her room. Fiera had stayed out a bit longer, but could be heard opening the door to the anteroom a few moments after Odette headed back upstairs.

When she reached her room, Odette had noticed Derek was still awake, reading. She smiled. It was true; the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. She was quite impressed with Derek's knack for finding a library, regardless of where he was. He looked up from the thick novel he had been absorbed in and beamed at Odette.

She then realized that she felt a lot better, and in turn she must have looked a lot better. On the way up, she had decided what she was going to do.

"Derek, my answer is yes. I'm going to be queen." She quickly filled Derek in on everything that she and Fiera had talked about in the garden. Derek was noticeably glad he wasn't the only one who thought there was something off about Leda. "Fiera's right, we can't let this place fall into Leda's hands. She might not be as evil as a demon, but she seems to be just as nasty as one."

"When are you going to tell everyone?" Derek asked, excited for her. He was also glad Odette had found the answer she'd been looking for within herself.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Derek echoed, pulling her close for a congratulatory kiss. He was proud of her, and he wanted what she wanted. He could hardly wait for her to tell everyone. Despite feeling lost when he first arrived in Elmswell, he felt like Odette deserved to be in charge of the place that was once her home.

So, after a while, they went to bed, feeling like everything was going to be better now that Odette knew the answer to the question that had been asked of her.

"Tomorrow," Odette whispered one more time before dozing off.