It was hard to remember she was in the middle of the throne room when she was this tired. The previous night had been the worst, yet. It was known that she had been having nightmares. Struggling to fall asleep was the least of it. At the height of it all, she had begun to actually see things. The darkness was actually trying to consume her. When she felt brave enough to close her eyes, she could see it all around her. Even when she opened them in fright, it was there. It would start from a corner of the room and slowly make its way to her bed. So she would turn on her bedside lamp and it would remain lit, keeping the shadows at bay until morning.

Now, her eyes felt so heavy as if bags of sand on ropes were pulling at them. The two gentlemen arguing in front of her paid no mind as she slipped off her hand, her head jerking upright as she became wide awake once again. She watched them and tried to listen for a moment only to feel herself fading away, again. Their voices hushed to a whisper. They became distorted as her thoughts swirled. She could recognize them, at first, as the people that stood before. And then came the hissing.

"Eleanor," it called to her.

Her eyes bolted open and she was on her feet. Her sudden change of position caused the crowd to quiet before her. She frantically looked around the room. There were no red eyes. Only the puzzled looks of her people. They watched her patiently, waiting for something to come from her mouth. But she only continued to gaze spaciously into the distance.

"My lady," her assistant said at her side.

She waved him off. At that moment, she had decided. The nights she spent on research when she could not sleep needed to be put to use. She was certain whatever Walter had seen before his final moments had made its way to her mind. The Crawler was dead, but whatever darkness had dwelled inside that temple was still there. And she could see it. She took a step from her platform. She could hear the people talking around her. They didn't matter now. She continued to make her way down the steps. She unclasped the cloak around her neck. It fell behind her. She took the crown from her head. It fell at her feet. Her assistant called to her again. But she ignored his words. It was only a matter of time before everyone had their wits about them and would come for her. So she walked steadily to the door. And when she passed through its threshold, she picked up her pace.

The garden was further than she had thought. And her jog had turned into a sprint as she sprung the doors to the catacombs. She needed to get to the circle. The guards had not caught up to her, but they were close. Normally, they wouldn't dare disturb her mother's resting place. This time, however, was different. Eleanor felt she was a criminal on the run. She felt her blood plumping through every bit of her body. It froze when she leapt from the ledge to the dirt floors below. It came back to a boil when she was thrusting her feet beneath her again.

She was full throttle when she had reached the opening. It would not have been so difficult to reach the sanctuary if her seal had been taken from her. But since it had happened and there was no other way, the teleporting was the best shot she had. Thank Avo they hadn't taken away her Will gauntlets. The guards rounded the corner, the assistant leading the way. She smiled and gave a little wave before she fired up her hands. The circle glowed around her. And then she vanished.

"What the hell just happened?" her assistant shouted.

The guards looked amongst each other, not really sure of what the answer was. The Queen had been acting quite strange the last few days. But this was never expected. They believed the stress she was under was enough to want to run away. And that's exactly what she had just done.

The sanctuary was perfectly quiet, just the way he liked it. No dogs to ruffle his coat. No strange men popping out of thin air. And luckily, no surprise black ooze coming from the walls. The past few months had been exquisite for old Jasper. His services were rarely required these days so he spent his time lounging in a chair with a glass of wine. There were plenty of books to read and never any interruptions of any kind. But the sound of Eleanor materializing in the map room was so familiar to him, he almost didn't catch it. The wind could not be blamed, for there were no windows about the place.

Slowly, he rose from him chair, having difficulty due to his age. He shuffled down the hallway and into the open map room. And there she was. Unfortunately for her, she was no longer used the effects of the teleport. She was laying on her back breathing heavily, laughing every time she drew a breath.

"I made it," she smiled at him.

"I beg your pardon?"

She made it up onto her feet to clasp Jasper around his shoulders.

"It's good to see again. So good to see you."

And with that said, she began to march happily toward one of the rooms.

"Is there something I can help you with, my lady?"

"That's quite alright, Jasper. I just need a quick change of clothes."

He bustled after her. "And a good meal, apparently. You have lost too much weight. I can get you something if you like?"

Eleanor stopped and thought for a moment. "Just get me whatever you're having. And then we're going to Aurora."

"I do hope you wish to exclude myself, with no offence, my lady. I'm almost finished with my book and I would much like to find out what happens in the end."

"Of course, of course," she waved him off.

"What do you think?" Eleanor said with her hands on her hips in front of a mirror.

"I hardly recognized you, my lady," Jasper replied.

"It's light enough for the Auroran days but warm enough for the nights."

"The desert won't know what to think."

She turned to the side, looking at her waste. She had lost weight. Almost too much weight. It wouldn't be long before she was wasting away in her own skin. She had to do this now. While she still had the strength and the courage. Jasper approached her with a tray of crackers. And although she honestly wasn't hungry at all, she took a handful before plopping into an arm chair.

"Are you sure this trip is wise?"

"Probably not," she answered carelessly. "But I have to do it."

"I'm only asking because I'm worried about you."

"I'll be okay, Jasper. I have to go back. Just once."