This chapter might be deleted later. But don't worry; after the long, boring author's note, there actually is a story, so if you want you can skip it, read the story, and go back and hear my apologies. :D

I'm really sorry for the long delay, but I did say it was going to be a while. Sadly, I have more bad news for this story. My life is kinda hectic by now. The reason why I had quite a bit of time to write HJ before was because I was pretty much in a suck-ish school, and I've kinda needed an outlet (I credit HJ – and you guys – for keeping me sane). Now, my situation's changed. And the school I'm going to is…well…awesome. Besides that, it's giving me a lot of opportunities with writing; and while I love that, it also keeps me writing from HJ. Right now, I need to write two short stories (one due on Wednesday, one at the end of August) and a feature article; besides that, while I really love HJ and all its characters, I kind of want to write something completely by myself, and not just fanfiction. So…yeah. HJ is not my top priority.

But, like I said, I credit it for keeping me sane, so I don't want to give up on it. I will upload when I can. There's a lot more plots I want to show, and many things to resolve. I might actually end it a little earlier than Ame; maybe sixteen, or seventeen? It seemed as if Hanso and Brynn hadn't seen each other much by the time they meet in TFR, anyway. As long as there's still a plot, and things that I need to resolve, and try to keep working on it.

Refurbishments are cancelled, by the way, at least until I completely finish HJ. Sorry 'bout that. And here, I shall answer a few remarks from last time:

Whateva- Why did I mention Violet and Sophia? It was more of looks that how much he liked them. Sophia is a disco Zafara, and though I suppose it's just my own bias, they look really pretty in my opinion (I love their colors). Ame mentioned once that Violet was the 'prettiest girl in the Guard,' though I don't think Theresa was in the picture yet. To be honest, I thought that Brynn was the odd one out, but I kept her in anyway. It's hinted a lot in TFR that he's dated a lot of girls before; I doubt that he liked Brynn first, or at least didn't always think of her that way. Plus, he's just eleven. :P

Ame- I know, right? Queen Elizabeth I is awesome. So awesome that I…uh…succumbed to her awesomeness and actually wrote a fan-fiction of her. Okay, I'm sorry guys, but this story idea just popped into my head and wouldn't let go, so I was forced to write it. So yeah, two fan-fictions are currently battling in my mind.

If you want to read it, I've already uploaded it. I got the idea from the fact that Elizabeth's first words, after nearly dying from smallpox in 1562 and going into a coma at one point, were to make Robert Dudley (her favourite and pretty much the most hated man in England) Lord Protector. That gives him almost absolute control. We know that Robert never gets the chance – he predeceases Elizabeth – so the story is based on the twist that Elizabeth named him Lord Protector before she slips in a coma. Don't worry. You don't need to have watched the Tudors to understand this (as this all happens after the show), though it might help you knowing who her family members (and her five stepmothers) were.

Big thank you to Kamryn for reminding me of HJ.

Now…in the meantime, enjoy this brief interlude which I may or may not delete later on.

Interlude: Kayley's Promise

Someone was following her.

She could feel it down to her very bones. Oh, this person was careful, all right. The stealthiest person who attempted to follow her. He made sure that she never caught a glimpse of him, never left any traces, never even so much as let a twig snap. She was impressed against her will, Kayley had to admit. She doubted that anyone her age, even Hanso or Julius, could even begin to guess that someone was tracking them, not with a person as cautious as this guy.

But she had other ways to tell.

She paused in front of the river that Master Jacques had taught her in so many times. It was frozen, now—not surprising, as it was January and the clear sun hadn't made that much of a dent in the cold winter yet. For a while, she studied her reflection. She had mastered the art of a dispassionate gaze, a feat she was quite proud of; as a child, she was always told that she was an open book. And now, not even Master Thieves could tell that she was thinking, a useful skill considering who she was usually up against.

Kayley looked closer. Besides the expression, the eleven-year-old in the ice was a lot different from the little girl that had once looked back at her when she was six. Her hair was a lot shorter than her old waist-length hairdo. But it was growing—she'd need to cut it soon, she thought regretfully. She used to like wearing it in a braid. Her grey eyes, which once spoke of blue-grey clouds and tin toys, now looked as if they could cut steel. And she herself was a lot crueller and ruthless than that little girl seemingly could have ever been.

She kept her eyes on the river, never looking away once. An hour passed. Two. Finally, a voice sighed. "All right. You've made your point." A handsome yellow Lupe around his thirties made his way out of the trees, a small grin on his face. His belt was strapped with weapons and tools, suggest both a warrior and an inventor. On his shirt was badge….a guard emblem. He, Kayley mused, was probably the only guard she truly ever liked. But then, he'd known her for a very, very long time. And he wasn't exactly a guard.

That wasn't what most noticed about him first, though. What usually attracted their attention immediately were his eyes. They were a clear, dull white.

He was blind.

She supposed that's what she liked about him that most. When he met someone, he judged from the inside. He said that's helped him in more ways than one, that it's been more of a blessing than a disability…although, he told her when she was old enough, he hadn't realized it until someone showed it to him.

"I knew you couldn't sit still for long," she said smugly. She looked around. "Are you alone?"

"Afraid so," he told her. Although he couldn't see her, he knew that her face had fallen slightly. "Hey," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know your mom stays away to keep you safe, right? She loves you."

"Yeah, yeah," Kayley mumbled. "Go on, Master Reynie. What's her message this time?"

He sighed. "You're not safe." She snorted. "Hey. This complaint of hers is justified. You haven't been making it safe for yourself," he continued sternly. "You think that I don't know about that little stunt you pulled off a few weeks ago?"

"I suppose your girlfriend told you," Kayley said dryly. She knew how besotted he was, even if he never admitted it.

"I will ignore that. But come on, darling. Do you really think that your mom wouldn't have sensed you when you were in the same territory as she was? Not to mention how weak you were." He frowned. "You're not sick now, though. I can tell."

"I was cured," she replied. "A friend helped me."

"Lemme guess. Hanso." She didn't answer. "That kid is more trouble than I could have first thought."

"You're telling me."

He smiled slightly. "Why didn't you tell your mom or me?" he asked gently. "I'm just surprised Flynn didn't rat it out to her."

"I'm surprised your girlfriend didn't rat it out to you," she muttered. Then his words sunk in. "Flynn?"

"Oh, yeah. She was the one who sent him, didn't you know?" he said, smirking. Kayley stared. "See? She cares about you. She wanted to give you another ally."

"An annoying ally," Kayley muttered.

"But I guess the truth's spilled out anyway, huh, that Garin wasn't the one who sent the guy as a gift?"

"Yep. Now the whole class's convinced he's evil."

"Convince them otherwise," he instructed. "That little bird is as useful as he is irritating."

Kayley nodded. "I'll try. Juliet's his owner now."

"'Trying' is not good enough. At least not for your mother."

"I sense a punishment coming up."

"You sensed right, although it's not really a punishment. You are forbidden in ever using your powers again unless it's a life-or-death situation. Not your friend's life-or-death situation, though. Yours." She scowled. "Oh, and you're forbidden from involving yourself in any other skirmishes to do with magic. She's also reminding you not to draw attention to yourself," he said quietly. "If you want to solve something, you are to do it through Hanso. I was at that little ceremony a few months ago, you know, when he told everyone that he'd have died if not for you."

"Everyone was still focused on him anyway," she said defensively.

"It was sweet of him," he conceded. "And I know you're not usually one to back away from the spotlight, whatever you let others think—I know it's been killing you these past few years, not being able to take credit for what you've done, nor ever showing your full potential." She looked down. "But it's for your own good."

"I understand."

"Do you also understand the punishment?"

"Yep. I'm grounded."

He snickered. "That's one way of looking at it. Oh, and you are also to absent yourself for one week of classes so you can fully recover."

"But that's—" He gave her a look. "Fine."

"Okay. One more thing, though. Why'd you give that Hanso guy the necklace back? He broke it the last time. And after who it used to belong to…well, I was actually pretty surprised when I was told you gave it the way the first time, let alone again." He frowned at her. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't," she promised. "I think he'll be more careful."

"Good. Because, you know, if he didn't find a cure, you're mom would've had to use the other option."

"I'd rather die," Kayley snapped. "You know it's only been used once before, and you know what happened to that guy."

"Even if you had died, your mom would have avenged her death through the person who apparently killed you."

"It wasn't Hanso's fault!"

"Tell that to a distressed mother," he said. "I suggest you start taking better care of yourself." She nodded. "But I see you're avoiding the question. Why'd you give it, anyway?"

She closed her eyes. "It belongs with him."

"No, it doesn't," he said, his tone carrying a warning edge. "It belongs with your family, and only your family. You know this. He can't even control this power—heck, his brain might get fried." She was silent. Master Reynie frowned, analysing the situation like he always had, and came up with an answer. "You love him, don't you?" he stated flatly.

There was a long pause. "Yeah," she admitted. "I can't help it. He's too much like Alex for me not to."

"And that makes him all the more dangerous," he said solemnly. "You know that he's not Alex, right? Look, darling, you don't need to make amends for anything," he told her, guessing correctly what was going through her mind. He looked to her face. Although she knew he couldn't see her, she still squirmed. "It was not your fault." Silence. He sighed exasperatedly. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I'm still pretty big on blaming myself."

"Okay. Fine. Protect him. Treat him like you would've to Alex. But don't do it in your own expense, hon. You haven't been very cautious lately, you know. A lot more people know about your secret that I'm comfortable with."

"Juliet doesn't know!" Kayley said indignantly. "She just followed me home. I think she came up with her own conclusion."

"That's still pretty dangerous. And the fact that she managed to follow you-"

"I learned my lesson. You taught me to sense when someone was coming after me. I haven't made that make since. And I won't ever again," she promised. He looked unconvinced. "No one else knows who I am."

"All right. Just make sure you know who you are."

"How could I forget?" she said bitterly.

"Just making sure." He studied her, and said quietly, "Please be careful. You know I'm not always around. You know I'm usually traveling the world, trying to learn new things, catching criminals-"

"Meeting up with your girlfriend-"

"You're getting annoying about that now, you know." She smirked. "One day, you'll find a guy you really like, and I'll be the one teasing you."

"Unlikely."

"Anyway, you and your family are really old friends of mine. Both me and…well….you know….owes you guys a debt of gratitude, and we'll be there if we can. Even if we, in a face of a crowd, appear as enemies."

"I know."

"Your mother doesn't want to lose you. Neither do I, Princess."

"You can't call me that here," she reminded him.

He leaned close to her and whispered, "Emerald suspects."

"One of your students, I presume?"

"That's confidential. The point is, one of her abilities is to see things as they really are, including magical objects. That little façade didn't fool her at all. So…."

"Be aware of her, of my friends, don't get attached to anyone, and always be completely paranoid."

"That's my girl." He saluted her and ran off. Kayley bit her lip, resisting the urge to call after him. Although he might not have been real family, he seemed a lot like at it times, treating her almost like a little sister. And Fyora knew how she missed having people look after her.

It was getting late.

She had to be careful.

And she needed to look after herself.

No more Reynie, or Mother, or Alex to do that for her now.

She turned back to Brightvale, and headed towards home.

Did you like it? How was the new character, Reynie? Did it get you even more curious of Kayley? ;)

Should I delete it or not? One of the limiting things about HJ is that it's in first person, and sometimes I like going to other people's heads, too. Tell me if you want more of these little interludes. :D