DISCLAIMER: This story is ours but the story that inspired it will never be.

This fan fiction is the collaborative work of UniversalForce (go check out her profile) and AngelicSpring.

Muchos Gracias to IceHeartEli, Amber Angelina Lilac (thank you also for reviewing The Start of Train XD), GothicBunny123, Koraki, The One Who is So Very Happy, booklover1209 and Daughter of Oceanus. Much Love, Peace Out!

Begin.

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BARLEY (noun): major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It is currently popular in temperate areas where it is grown as a summer crop and tropical areas where it is sown as a winter crop.

Branch Clue: Madrigal

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Madeleine Cahill glared at the sound of her stomach growling. She bit back a curse as she remembered the last time she ate. Two days ago? Three? She couldn't keep track of time anymore.

Oh great. Just great. She scowled at the sudden downpour of rain, reaching her tattered shoes despite the fact that she's already under the roof of somebody's candy shop. She huddled herself closer, keeping as much as distance from the wetness and coldness as possible. No such luck. From her weathered trench coat pocket, she fished out a rather stale bread. She bit on it, chewing the hard, three-year-old bread. She stared at the lump in her hands and nearly chuckled. Made of barley. Just like how that Greek beauty goddess made... who was it again? Psyche? Huh. Just how Aphrodite made Psyche suffer. All those seeds, poppy with barley with wheat with Zeus-knows-what-else and Psche had to separate all of those.

Sometimes, all of this peacemaking feels just like that. Suffering. Like nothing good could ever come out of it. It's as if Aphrodite herself decided it would be nice to play a trick on one Madeleine Cahill. She nearly got killed by her own brother's decision, strangled, kicked out of the door, betrayed, dragged across the streets with her own sister tugging mercilessly at her hair... and other things she'd rather not mention. All these lying, these stupid disguises... With that last thought, she smiled ruefully at her clothes. An old man's clothes. Hah.

She shot the sky a reproaching look. "Mother... What's going to happen now? Everything we've prepared for... All those are proving to be –" She choked back on her words, unable to muffle the sounds of her cries. She can't even tell her mother straight-out that all their training is proving to be useless. She gasped loudly as if in indescribable pain and buried her head in between her knees. What do you want to happen, Mother? She let her tears fall, her shoulders releasing irrepressible tremor from her emotions. She continued to cry, unable to put her pain to words.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

Madeleine took a moment and snapped her face up, looking at the stranger and stuffing the bread back in her pocket roughly. Miss? What miss? "Excuse me?" she whispered, hastily wiping her tears away.

The man in front of her widened his eyes in surprise. "Oh. Are you crying? I'm sorry I –" He hurriedly searched his pockets, handing a white one to her. "Here."

Before taking it, she said, "You're wet."

"Oh. Oh yeah. I guess. I mean, the rain does that." He chuckled, seeing nothing completely wrong with the entire situation. "Will. Will Davis, by the way." He held out a hand to her. She quickly recoiled from the outstretched hand, expecting a deadly weapon with it. Seeing her unusual reaction, he cleared his throat awkwardly and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So... Why are you wearing an old chap's clothes?" he said conversationally.

"It's my father's," came her automatic reply. She looked at him warily. "You really should get out of that rain."

He smiled warmly and for the first time, she noticed how a startling shade of gold his eyes were. Whenever he smiles, his eyes would crinkle mischievously, like a little boy receiving a Christmas present. "Don't worry. I was staying at that little cafe over... there." He pointed at a brightly lit coffee shop which she could've sworn wasn't there moments ago. "Then, I saw you sort of huddled here. I thought maybe you're... lost or something?" He ended his line with a question rather than statement.

"Nice of you to notice a homeless person," she snapped, hoping that her hostility would make him go away. She flashed him her signature go-away-don't-mess-with-me look – the very same look that she gives to people to leave her in her solitude –, her green eyes flashing with as much annoyance as she could muster. She did not need a person looking at her like she was some kind of charity case. Even if she sort of is.

Will shrugged, but did not flinch from her supposedly intensified glare. He's pretty much drenched from head to toe and yet, he continues on standing right there. "That's me, alright." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you ever going to get out of this cold? 'Cause there's already a cup of coffee waiting for you in there."

This odd statement earned an awkward round of silence.

"Why are you doing this?" she murmured, her eyelids feeling heavier.

Will seemed surprise at the intense curiosity of her question. Then, he smiled that gentle smile that could make Madeleine feel like everything's going to be okay. "Should there be a raison d'être for doing good? There might be a hundred and one reasons why a person could do bad things, but never will I understand them. But as to doing what is right? Should there be logic?"

Madeleine nodded sleepily. She smiled for the first time in a long time. A sweet and sincere smile that made Will Davis take a staggering step back. Her bright green eyes twinkled once before closing once again.

He's right. He's right, isn't he, Mother? I'm doing this for the good of our family.

"Hey, are you alright?"

How easy it was. To lose the essence of doing good. I very nearly... gave up.

A sudden rush of dizziness.

Faint.

A yell of surprise.

Swift movement of arms.

My love, my Madeleine. Psyche had her happy ending, too.

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Characters: Madeleine C. (First Generation), Will Davis (OC)

Author: AngelicSpring

Next: Quartz, a Tomas clue, by UniversalForce

It's nice to look back in your past when you see it as a lesson, not as something to regret.

Merry Christmas everybody! Happy Holidays!

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