The room around her looked familiar. The walls were made of a light colored stone and dimly lit by decorative torches. The pillars holding the ceiling up high were as wide as some of the trees back home. She knew she was in Aurora, still. She could feel the sand. Although she lay upon a colorful rug of unique patterns, she could still feel it everywhere. She felt her head, trying to subside the pounding she could hear over and over and realized her hair was down. She looked under her blanket to see her shoes were also gone.

"Hey, you need to take it easy," she heard Ben say as she tried to sit up.

"Where am I?"

"You're back in Aurora. I had the priest take a look at you."

She shook her head in confusion. The last thing she remembered was being back at the tomb. She remembered putting down the gun powder. And she remembered hearing frightening screams. And waves of red eyes light the darkness.

"Is it gone?" she asked with wide eyes, suddenly remembering what she had come there to do.

"Yeah. It's gone."

He examined her face. She was paler than she was before and her tattoos were fading. He gently brushed back the hair falling in her face. She looked relieved to hear the news and relaxed back on her cot. Ben felt an uneasiness overwhelm him.

"I had to carry you back."

Eleanor smiled. "Again? Remind me never to go out into the desert without you, Finn."

Ben warily smiled back. "Something happened, Elle."

Her expression didn't change. She turned her head to look up at him, still smiling. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. But you collapsed. I couldn't get you back up. And your face went pale. I didn't know…"

As he trailed off, Kalin walked through the doorway. Ben caught her concerned look and rose to take a bowl of liquid from her hands. It appeared be soup, but he hadn't been acquainted with Auroran cuisine yet. She leaned over Eleanor brought a hand to her forehead.

"You're sick, Elle," she said. "Very sick."

"But I feel fine," Eleanor said, lifting up on her elbows.

"You might feel fine. But you do not look like the Hero I met two years ago."

It was true. Since she had first entered the tomb, her condition got worse. Everyone had already known of her lack of sleep. They assumed it was just the stress that came with being Queen. No one ever considered something was amiss. Ben felt a sudden tinge of guilt when realized no one was around to notice her withering away. She had no one to talk to about her obsession with the Void during her sleepless nights. And he realized that if he would have been there to begin with, none of this would have happened.

"What are you going to do?" Ben asked her.

"We need to cleanse her," Kalin replied. "But it will take some time."

"Kalin," Elle spoke, still trying to get up despite their efforts. "I thank you for everything you've done for me. But I can't just lay here and wait. Do whatever you must to ensure my health. If it will take some time, then let me at least spend the time I have on my feet."

Kalin looked at Ben for an answer. With his nod of approval, she stood up

It had been two days since Kalin had spoken to either of them. And Ben was starting to worry if they would ever be able to return to Albion. Eleanor was holding up well, considering she looked as though she might collapse. He stayed up with her at night, watching her fall asleep for a few moments only to spring up wide awake. He listened as she told him about her nightmares; about the darkness slowly consuming her just as it did Walter. When he had mentioned the terrors to the priestess at the temple, she told him there was nothing to worry about it.

"It will never take over her body. Her soul is too strong," she had said, touching her own chest. "But it is enough to cause her to suffer."

To ease the pain as much as he could, he walked with her around the city. He offered to buy her gifts. But she refused even the finest of silks. He was glad, really. It wasn't really anything he could afford. But at least he tried. One day he had found a yellow flower blooming from a random corner of a building. It reminded him of Eleanor so he brought it to her. The small gesture lit up her face and he felt pleased with himself.

That night, Kalin approached their room with the priestess at her side. It was time. Ben escorted Eleanor to the temple. He didn't admit how nervous he was. It would have been foolish to appear so with Elle being so calm. It almost appeared she wasn't feeling a thing at all. They climbed the staircase to the temple passing by many of the townsfolk along the way. They entered the large open room to find priests in colored robes standing in a circle around the room. In the center was a tub filled with water decorated with various flower petals and spices. Candles were also placed around the room although he wasn't sure they had a purpose in whatever ritual they were undertaking.

"I'll take her, now," Kalin said, pulling Eleanor off his arms.

"I'll be fine, Ben. Don't worry."

When Eleanor returned, she was wearing a white robe and a beaded necklace hidden by her hair draped around her shoulders. Ben had to stand on his tip-toes to see her. He had been pacing the halls and hadn't noticed a crowd forming around him. The priests joined hands around the circle. And the people around him, too, clasped their hands together with their neighbor. He found himself between an old man and little girl who could not have been more than eight. The look in her eyes told him she was beyond her age. Soon, he found himself swaying back and forth to the sound of what seemed like humming. It came from the priests at first. Then slowly made its way down the crowd like a wave. He could still see Eleanor kneeling in the pool of water. This went on for what seemed like ages and Ben hadn't noticed anything special happening until the candles went out with a sudden gust of air. Nobody flinched but him and the movement kept shifting him from one side to the other.

"What's going on?" he asked the elderly man.

The man only smiled and pointed with his free hand to the priests. Ben looked in time to see small flecks of blue rising from the water. He felt the little girl reach up and take his hand again. He obliged, not wanting to offend her but did not move his eyes from what he was seeing. The pieces of light started few in numbers and grew as the chanting grew louder. One of the priests began to sing in a language he did not understand. The water rose around Eleanor and when the priest stopped singing, everyone had stopped. The water came crashing down around her. Ben went to move forward, but the girl was holding on too tight. And then he saw Elle… glowing the same blue hue of the specs that were still surrounding her. Just when he thought he was amazed enough, two giant wings spread from Eleanor's back.

"I've seen those before," Ben muttered under his breath.

He recalled the battle in Bowerstone. The shadows were closing around them. Panic began to consume him and blindly lashed out at his enemies. Then, when he looked across the bridge, there was Elle. Battered, bruised, and covered in blood, she continued to fight with everything she had in her. And from her back, two wings made of Will appeared between her shoulder blades. It was then he remembered it was the last time he had seen her tattoos glow so brightly. That was, until now.

Elle's body was lit up like the night sky. The blue began to fade, and her wings began to fold behind her back. They changed to her usual yellow before they disappeared. When they did, Eleanor collapsed. Every light flickered out. The chanting stopped. Everyone stood there, looking at her motionless body on the stone floor. No one moved to go to her. So Ben began to push against the crowd to make his way up the stairs and finally, to her. He looked over to the priestess who gave her nod of approval. Very gently, Ben tucked his arms underneath Elle, bringing her forward onto his chest before hoisting back up onto his feet. He was ashamed to admit it was difficult not look at her body. The white dress she wore was not only thin but a little wet from the ritual. He praised Avo when Kalin approached from the shadows with a heavy blanket.

"Take her to the vacant house at the edge of town," she told him. "It is quiet there. And she will need a lot of rest."

Eleanor was surprisingly lighter than what he remembered. He was not sure if it was her weight loss or the fact she had none of her gear that had made carrying her so effortless. Whatever the reason, he was more than happy to get her somewhere safe and comfortable. And the villa Kalin had directed him to go was just that. It was unlocked and candles were already lit inside as if someone had expected them. The rooms were a bit cluttered and dusty, but the sheets and blankets on the beds looked new. Once Ben was content with the room, he laid Elle down.

A few times, Ben had lain in his own bed. But he knew he would not be able to sleep. He tried not to be loud or toss back and forth. When he finally decided laying down wasn't going anywhere, he got up to browse the wares of the house. It seemed as if the town had piled random junk that they did not need. He thought that the people may have no believed in throwing things away. It wasn't that the things were useless; they just looked as if they had not been used for quite some time. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the person who owned the house before was merely a collector.

He began to study one of the books on the shelf. Reading was not a hobby of his, but there simply was not anything else to do. Before long, he began to nod off at the table he sat. For a few seconds at a time, he began to dream. And, as usual, it was of the ocean. He could feel it wrapping around him, carrying him wherever it pleased. It was soothing. But he would bolt up, realizing it was an illusion and look over to Eleanor to make sure she was still where he left her.

Luckily, he was wide awake when he heard her shifting. Without hesitating, he rushed over to her side. Her eyes had no yet opened, but she reached her hand out to touch his arm. With her other hand, she began to rub her forehead.

"Where am I?" she murmured.

"You're still in Aurora," he said, taking her hand in his own. "And you're okay. They let us take refuge in an abandoned house."

"Hmm," she nodded. And with that, she slowly opened her eyes. She had been afraid to open them. It was hard for her to even believe she slept without awaking from a nightmare. And now, even as her eyes were wide open, she expected to see something watching her from the shadows. But there was nothing there. As a matter of fact, she could see everything clear as day, better than before. She sat up from her bed.

"Kalin said you needed to rest," Ben said.

"What time is it?"

Ben glanced around the room. There was no clock. "I'm not sure. Around midnight, maybe?"

"I want to go outside," she said, letting go of his hand and sliding her legs off the bed.

"Elle," he said helping her onto her feet.

"Just once," she smiled at him reassuringly. "Then I promise I will stay in bed until my strength returns."

As much as Ben wanted to tell her no, he knew he could not. Eleanor did as she pleased. She wasn't asking him for permission. She was telling him to help her. So he swung her arm around her shoulders and held her, slowly guiding her toward the door. He could tell her legs were weak. She did not show it other than an occasional twitch in her eye. When they reached the door, he tried to set her down on one of the low walls. But when he let go, she only stood there. Her eyes focused on something in the distance. Though, he was sure it was really nothing at all.

"It feels so good," she smiled, a tear of joy forming in her eye. "To not be afraid anymore."

Ben could not find the words to say. He did not know her pain or her relief. He did not understand her suffering or her actions. What was certain, however, was that she needed him. And he was able to be there… this time. Once again, he tried to avert his eyes from what her dress was barely covering. True, it was no longer wet. But he had seen enough to know there was nothing for his imagination. And he did not want to think about it. Not now, anyway. To make matters worse, he felt her hand, soft and warm, slide into his. He managed to turn to look at her, still facing the desert, and that same smile stuck on her face.

"Eleanor," he said, squeezing her hand. He gathered up his courage and refused to look away from her face. But she continued to gaze out into the desert. It made it much easier to say the words it was always so difficult for him to say. Or rather, words he said often; but rarely ever sincere. "I'm sorry. I could never tell you how sorry I am. But I just wanted you to know…"

He trailed off at the end, not really prepared to go even that far with his speech. It meant enough for him to just say the two words. Eleanor blinked and slowly turned to look him in the eyes. She was quiet just standing there looking at him and his face full of shame. It was awkward for a moment until she began shaking her head.

"I could never hold a grudge against you, Ben. I will always forgive you."

The only thing he could think of to say was, "Why?"

Eleanor's expression remained completely the same and she looked straight into his eyes. Maybe even further than that. "Because I'm in love with you."

Confusion struck and it was posted all over his face. His feelings rushed him at once. His humiliation, his uncertainty, his feelings for Elle… it all came crashing down upon him. The heart beating inside him was racing as if he were running from a balverine. It was no longer about anger, sadness, or even happiness. He just fell blank. And there he was nothing he could to control himself. He wrapped his arms around the woman standing in front of him. She was no longer the Rebel Princess he had fallen for. No longer the Queen he was afraid of. And he felt so incredibly stupid that it had taken this long for him to realize… it had really been just Eleanor along. Despite what others called her.