Author's Note: Over 100 reviews! Yay! Thank you! :D It's so fun to log in and see what people wrote. :)

Flitterific, I have an idea in progress-I'll get back to you on that. Smileyann, I'm glad you found the birds and the bees part funny! The story was getting a bit heavy, so I thought we could use a little humor for a chapter. ;) 'Gana, thanks for the review!

Clarion walked out of her room the next morning, exhausted from a fitful sleep.

Bernard was instantly beside her as she walked down the hall. "Are you alright, sweetheart? You look pale," he frowned.

"I'm just tired," she replied with disinterest, not having the energy to get into anything with him.

He wrapped his arm around her and frowned. "Your wings are soft."

She sidestepped him so his arm fell from her waist. "It's probably just from the fever," she sighed.

He felt her brow. "Clair, you're warm."

She wanted to bite his head off for the creation of a pet name, but she held her tongue. However, she threw him an icy look that made him drop his hand. "I need to inspect the animal population in spring this morning, and then head over to autumn."

"I can certainly check into things for you and then fill you in-" he started to offer.

Stopping in her tracks in an instant, she turned to Bernard, dumbfounded. "Oh really?" she asked tightly, her wings spreading out in anger. "And are you going to make decisions on my behalf while you're at the sites too?"

"I-"

She took a step closer, making him take one back. "What will be relayed to me exactly? Verbatim conversations? Let me guess, you won't need my ministers to accompany you either." Taking another step forward, he took another step back to be pressed against the wall.

"Ahhh-"

She leaned in angrily. "Let me make myself clear. I am the queen, and I make the decisions," she snarled, completely out of patience. "Not you."

He blinked. "I know."

Spinning on her heel, she quickly flew down the hall.

Bernard was silent on the way to spring. She felt too awful to even care if he was angry with her.

The animal fairies were having success with bringing back the rabbit population, and spring preparations were going well enough. Autumn, however, was still suffering from the fire.

"My queen, we need more garden fairies to bring back the foliage," the Minister of Autumn told her.

Clarion sighed. "I explained that the garden fairies spent too much time here and are needing to work extra in spring because they fell behind in their work there. We cannot afford to have spring damaged too."

"But, without the proper foliage, the animals cannot eat enough to prepare for winter-"

"Summer is strong, and it was agreed that the animals could eat some foliage from the summer border. It is more than enough," she said tiredly and brushed a hand over her brow that was damp with fever.

"But-" the Minister started to protest.

"I believe," Bernard spoke up carefully, "The Queen was considering having a tour provided of the border?"

The Minister nodded.

Clarion glanced at Bernard, who gave a soft smile. "Yes," she lied. "I am going now, and you are welcome to join me, Minister."

"Thank you, my queen. It would be helpful to see it for myself."

Clarion was quiet on the way home that night, both tired from the day and from her condition.

"Sweetheart, I hope I did not overstep my bounds. He was going in circles with you, and I know you don't feel well today..."

"No," she said softly. "It helped." She arrived at her chamber door and turned. "I heard gossip spreading already that I'm ill."

"Well, you don't exactly look too good right now."

She sighed, irritated by the gossip. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart. Sleep well and feel better." He brushed a kiss over her lips.

Shutting her door, she suddenly grabbed a vase next to her, dumped out the flowers and got ill in it.

Milori was waiting for her at the border at midnight.

She landed, slowly sinking to her knees in spring.

"Clarion!" He crossed the border and knelt to feel her brow warm and wings soft. "Clarion, you're clammy. Are you able to keep anything down?"

She shook her head slightly, nauseous again.

"You need a healer," he said firmly in concern and scooped her up.

"No, we know what it is. I just need bed rest for a couple days like Dewey said."

"Let me see to you-"

"No, I can't go missing without suspicion-"

"Then I'll take you home-"

"No!" she cried and pushed his arms away weakly. "You cannot be seen. Please, I'm fine. I will return in a couple days."

He kissed her brow. "Let me at least follow in the clouds to be sure you can make it home."

She flew home, Milori following from above in concern. Her window was locked, to her confusion. But she must have forgotten to leave it unlocked behind her. So she waved to Milori and went though the front gate.

She went to her chamber, the guards startled that she had escaped. But they opened her door, and she changed into her nightclothes. Her queazy stomach needed some water, so she gingerly made her way to the door and opened it.

Bernard stood there on watch on one side, still in his uniform.

"Bernard, where are the night guards?" she frowned.

"Ill. I'm taking a shift for now."

"Oh. Would you fetch a glass of water?"

"Of course. Go back inside so you're safe in the meantime."

She closed the door and got in bed to rest her achy body.

There was a knock a moment later. "Tis I, my love!" Bernard called.

"Enter!"

He flew over with a glass of water that he handed her.

"Thank you." She took a drink, and he set it on the nightstand Before tucking her in.

"Rest, love." He kissed her brow. "I'll watch over you," he said softly before brushing a kiss over her brow. Then he departed and shut the door.

Tossing and turning for several minutes, she finally called for Bernard when she continued to get ill in a basin. "Bernard! Would you fetch some peppermint?"

No answer.

"Bernard!" Dragging herself out of bed, she went to the door. She grabbed the handle and pulled. The door didn't budge. She tried again to no avail. "Bernard! The door is stuck!"

Silence.

"Bernard!" She went to a window to find it stuck too. Her heart beat faster. She darted to another window to find it unable to be opened too. The castle windows had beautiful iron bars on the panes for decoration; they also proved to be unbreakable. Her chamber had been built to keep out intruders, hence, impenetrable to even pixie dust.

She stared out the window in fear over the distant landscape of winter-everyone thought the queen ill and wouldn't be expecting appearances from her, and Milori wasn't expecting her for two days. Someone had locked her in. Her heart started pounding in her ears. It was a perfect set up-no one would realize for days that the queen was missing.