The Farmer's Truth

by Deliverer

He came into the valley with no fanfare, greeted only by the mayor and the carpenter. To the townsfolk he'd seemed to just manifest one night. He was never seen, yet his presence could be felt everywhere. To call his land a farm was a disservice for it was a garden. He'd needed no wizard's translation to understand, and no brew, for in the end he was alone the essence the forest...

14. Third Winter - Part 2

Winter - Part 2

"It was not your fault, dear lady. You could not have known her deceits."

"She's dead… My baby is dead… And Sam and Vincent are dead because of me. Because I was such a fool."

"They are not dead. Nor will they be gone from you forever."

An image of a wooden cage. Within it sat three beautiful doves, two large and one only very small, preening themselves and cooing in contentment. One looked up at her and cooed softly towards her. She sobbed in grief. She knew in her heart who it was.

"Abigail," she whispered, reaching out towards it in grief.

"You must awaken. All is not lost. Your husband pleads for you to come back, weeps for you, clings to you with every fiber of his soul… He will die as well should you die… The wizard too may follow you to your grave. Doom them not to such a fate. Give them hope once again where they feel none. Give them a reason to live on… And trust in me, lady. You will see your daughter again and hold her in your arms once more. I will not permit this witch's desecration…"

Stardew

"Take not your own lives. Do you both surrender so easily to fate?"

"There's nothing to live for anymore… In this my wife and I are in agreement."

"Is this so, my lady Jodi?"

"Yes... I want to die..."

"Then what will your children come home to?"

"My children are dead!"

"They are not."

"Don't lie to her, fae, or to me! They're gone! They're not coming back!"

"Weak willed mortals! ...But then I suppose that should come as no surprise."

"Get out of our heads! Get out!"

"You will do well to watch your words, soldier."

"Our children are dead…"

"So broken, lady. So easily given up on hope. Do you think that I will allow this slight against me? Your child was under my protection. She stole him away, but she will not keep him. Not he nor his brother nor your dearest friend's daughter. Away they flew, carried on the wind. To the forest they came. To me they came… She hunted and found them, but I will have them in my custody again... Be there when they come back, I warn you."

Stardew

"Drink, mortal, and eat, and be at rest in your heart. You came here into my forest seeking death, but I will not allow you death."

In a daze, almost as if commanded, he obeyed the words. He drank from the goblet pressed against his lips and ate from the fruits and vegetables placed gently into his mouth by fairies flitting all around. He couldn't protest. Strangely the desire to do so wasn't even in him. The vines ensnared him not painfully, but firmly and gently and soothingly. They stopped.

"Let me die," he pled in a whisper.

"I will not show you death."

The elf king approached. In his hands he held something so tenderly and gently. He lay it gently on the bed of leaves his captive rested in. His captive looked weakly over at it. A sleeping dove curled up comfortably, breathing steady and even. The young man's heart clenched painfully in his chest as his eye fixed on the slumbering bird.

"Abby…" he whispered weakly.

"All will be well again, mortal. All will be well again… And here you will rest and be tended until it is as I have said."

As the illusion of the dove shimmered and shattered, breaking his heart anew, he felt himself drift off to sleep helpless to keep it from coming upon him.

"Very soon it will be real..."

Stardew

As the snow fell softly in the dark, a figure approached the apartment buildings silently…

Maru was cooking listlessly, grief in her eyes. Sebastian had been missing for days. Her brother was dead… She couldn't think of any reason he wouldn't be. The way he'd been feeling, the tendencies coming back, the disappearance… How could he be anything but dead…? She felt like he was still alive and maybe that was why she wasn't grieving as much as she though she would have, but soon enough denial would disappear… It certainly would when the body was found… Then her grief would be open and great... She let out a shaky breath, closing her eyes and swallowing painfully. Mom was destitute. Dad had just been silent, hard to read. She'd left without a word. They'd tried to call her back, but she hadn't gone back. She'd just wanted to be alone… Now days later she still hadn't gone back, and she knew she should but she just couldn't deal with that kind of pain right now. She could barely deal with her own… First Harvey and now Sebastian… She felt tears escaping and sniffed, wiping them away and letting out a shaking breath, feeling on the verge of breaking down.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She sniffed, wiping her eyes to try and hide the fact she'd been crying—good luck with that she wryly noted to herself—and went to answer. She pulled open her door—it led outside as most of the apartments were ground floor right now—and frowned upon seeing no one there. She looked around curiously, trying to see who might have come. She looked down and gasped, covering her mouth. There in the snow lay a beautiful blue necklace. A mermaid pendant, she realized. She knelt on her knees and scooped it up in shock and confusion and hurt.

Harvey…?

Fresh tears burned in her eyes. She couldn't hold them back anymore. She clutched the pendant against her chest and let her tears flow freely in her grief and pain. She looked up sniffing, scanning longingly for him hoping to catch even the faintest glimpse. Just so she could prove to herself he wasn't gone, just to prove to herself this wasn't some cruel prank or someone trying to make her feel better… But there was nothing…

The figure watched from out of sight, pain and regret reflected in its whole essence. It watched silently until finally the young woman rose and went inside once more. Then he turned and started quietly towards the train station where a train could be heard tooting its horn…

Stardew

The sewers were dark and cold and seemed endless. The footsteps drew ever nearer. Then men came from another direction, and he was forced down yet another pipe, now hopelessly lost. And still they followed. A beam of light caught him. The sound of a bullet accompanied it and a searing pain in his calf that had him stumble and fall. But he staggered up, tanking the pain. Another bullet. It tore into his shoulder. A third in his back thankfully missing the spine, a fourth in his thigh. Another twist, another turn, then collapse. Rising, staggering, another turn… A drop… A scream… The landing and the snapping bones… And there he lay there utterly still, bleeding and broken at the bottom of whatever this part of the sewer was.

"Why do you run away?"

"I can't stay anymore. I'm a hunted man. There is no future left for me here."

"There is a woman who loves you."

"She'll love again. There's no life for her with me now. Or for anyone."

"Your siblings work even to this moment to clear the name of a dead man."

"Once a spy always a spy."

"They need you. More than you know. You were not rescued from your fate to flee from the life you built…"

There was blackness, then wakefulness, then blackness. Then there were voices. He heard them say he was dead. Orders for his remains to be retrieved because no one was stupid enough to try and jump in after him, and they didn't have the equipment for a body recovery. They thought he was dead… They left… They left, and he tourniqueted what he could and dragged himself through the filthy place bleeding profusely. Twists, turns, blackouts, awakenings, twists… Then he stopped… The sewer was blocked off here… It was a dead end, it seemed, and even if it wasn't he was hopelessly lost and badly wounded and he knew there was precious little chance for him. So he sat. He sat, he tended the wounds he could tend for all the good it would do, then he leaned against the grate and waited to die…

Then there was the sound of bars being clattered…

His eyes had opened. A monster lingered above him, looking out at him through the grate. A shadow person. It stared. He thought to himself that at least his death wouldn't be a slow and painful one, when it got its hands on him…

When he awoke again his wounds were doctored. The grate had been opened… He didn't know what happened, he only knew that as long as he could, he needed to keep moving. So he did. Deeper and deeper. And every so often he saw the shadow creature in the distance, disappearing down another pipe. Common sense dictated he go the opposite direction, but something within him told him to follow. He obeyed. At worst a quick death met him, at best this shadow creature might actually be helping him. He followed it until it stopped in a wide-open area and turned to him staring. It pointed up...

"Was it you who compelled the creature to bring me home?"

"You call it home still."

"To Pelican Town."

"The creature's name was Krobus. I did not compel him. It was of his own volition he led you along. I only told him where you came from when I sensed you with him… Yet you did not remain… You slipped into the forest and hid yourself away. You should have gone back, mortal."

"And put them in danger? Put them though that pain again? No. I couldn't have done that to them. I won't do that to them."

"They need you there. No matter what may come of it."

"Why?"

"Because they are dying… And one will not rise again without your help… Go home, doctor. Go home. You must trust in your siblings, in your friends, in me, and most of all in yourself. You will not be forsaken again."

"No. I can't."

"Then there will be death."

"…"

Stardew

Pierre sat numbly in the wizard's tower clinging tightly to his fading wife's hand. The wizard leaned against a wall, immensely grieved at all that was happening before them. They had almost given up hope she would ever awaken again… Then there was the sound of the door opening and closing, and of measured but cautious footsteps picking their way through the tower. The wizard exhaustedly looked over, barely able to raise his head it seemed. With a great deal of effort, he managed to push himself off the wall to go investigate. When he peered out, though, he caught his breath, eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"What is it?" Pierre asked in a whisper. He almost hoped it was the witch come to finish them both off.

"By Yoba…" the wizard breathed.

Pierre frowned, turned to look, and gasped, shooting to his feet in shock and staring numbly at the figure standing there. It was… "Dr. Harvey," he said in some unidentifiable emotion.

Harvey was quiet, head bowed. He looked over towards Caroline and approached her without a word. Pierre could only gape, lips parted and eyes like saucers, following the doctor's movements. Was he seeing a ghost, he wondered in a brief moment of terror? He shot a panicked look at the wizard who appeared equally as stunned, but upon catching his eyes Rasmodius shook his head, answering Pierre's unvoiced question about whether Harvey was a phantom. This man was no spirit. This man was the real thing, flesh and blood… And he was back, but-but how?! Pierre didn't question it right now. He just watched nervously, hoping against hope that this would actually work and that Caroline would be brought back.

Harvey examined the woman briefly and then set to work attempting to coax her back to life, so to speak. Smelling salts were attempted, though Harvey doubted they'd do any good. They didn't. He continued to work as her husband and Rasmodius watched nervously. Their nervousness intensified when the doctor brought out a needle and injected it into the woman, but nervousness gave way to hope when she started to stir. "Was there a reason magic didn't work?" Harvey questioned.

"Restoration isn't among my fields of expertise. I don't know it. Not well enough for this," Rasmodius replied, nervously waiting for Caroline to awaken. Caroline let out a soft sound. Rasmodius caught his breath.

"Carol?" Pierre hopefully said, approaching quickly but stopping a little way back so as not to crowd the doctor. Harvey waited, watching her closely.

Her eyes began to flicker open and the doctor let out a breath. Caroline's brow furrowed in confusion to see him. "D-Doctor? Am-am I dead?" she asked, sounding a little fearful.

"No. Neither of us are," Harvey replied.

"Carol!" Pierre exclaimed, running to her and taking her into his arms, holding her closely.

"P-Pierre!" she exclaimed, holding him back. Wait. She paled, grip tightening. He winced, guessing where this was going. "Abby! Pierre, Abby!" she exclaimed, pulling back in terror and clinging to him. "It was a dream, tell me it was a dream!" Pierre drew a shaking breath, looking miserably down. He shook his head solemnly. Caroline felt her heart drop. "No," she said, shaking her head. "No!" she cried out before sobbing, looking away from him with teeth clenched in grief. But the memory of the dream returned to her in vivid detail, and she opened her eyes woefully as she held onto her husband, and she hoped with all her heart that the elf king's vow had been true…

Harvey retreated quietly to the exhausted wizard's side. "What happened?" he asked in a whisper. He knew, could sense, it was something too horrible for words.

Rasmodius was quiet. Finally, he turned to him. "Physician, heal us," he pled, voice breaking. "As best as you can."

Harvey stared at him in silence a moment. "To do so I need to know what happened," he finally replied. The wizard let out a shaking breath, took him away from Pierre and Caroline, and explained all of it as Harvey listened in horror. This, he realized with sinking heart, he couldn't fix.

Stardew

Kent sat in a chair in his and Jodi's room. Jodi was asleep on the bed, emotionally and mentally exhausted. He dangled his gun in his hands, staring at it ponderously. She'd called it a double suicide when she'd hinted to him that that was what she wanted. She'd been drunk when she she'd spoken those words, he kept telling himself. It was about all that was keeping him from doing it without a second thought. And he couldn't do it just to himself and leave her like that. And then the dream… The elf king's voice in their heads… They hadn't discussed it with one another, but they'd both known the other had experienced the same thing.

He shook his head hopelessly and sniffed, resting the gun's handle against his forehead and tapping it there a couple of times, emotionally ruined. There was nothing alive inside, he felt. The ember that was Jodi, that was about it, but… but it seemed even that was about to fizzle out... Maybe… maybe he should just get it over with… Just then the door was knocked on. He looked exhaustedly over and rose, leaving the bedroom. He paused, passing by the rooms of his sons, and felt like he was about to collapse before he steadied himself on the couch. He let out a breath and continued on to the door. He opened it up and froze, gasping and going white. There, standing outside, was none other than Harvey!

"Harvey," he breathed, staggering back a few steps and seriously thinking he'd cracked and was starting to see ghosts.

Harvey looked at him, then eyed the gun in his hand, then looked at him again. "Put down the gun, Kent," he said.

"You-you're dead," Kent said, pointing it shakily instead and looking terrified.

"If you shoot that gun, it'll be flesh and blood you hit," Harvey warned. "I'm here, Kent… I'm here… I survived. Did they claim they'd found a body at all?" Kent was silent because of course they hadn't, but-but this… this couldn't be! It was-it was just too much to handle! He shook his head in denial, keeping the gun trained on him. "I will pull off some stereotypic spy moves if you don't lower that gun," Harvey said seriously, frowning. He was uncomfortable, to say the least, with that thing pointed at him, but the time he'd spent in the Gotoran army had prepared him for situations like this, so he was capable of disarming Kent if need be.

Kent let out a gasping breath, the pistol dropping from his hands. He collapsed onto the couch and sobbed, burying his face in his hands and starting to cry. Harvey approached cautiously, picking up the gun and putting it into a drawer before sitting on the coffee table across from him, watching the man quietly in concern. He didn't speak, just let the bereaved soldier cry for as long as Kent felt the need to. Then he would try to soothe the broken spirit as best he could.

"They're gone," he made out Kent choking out. Harvey stayed quiet, reaching over and putting a hand on Kent's shoulder firmly in an attempt to ground him. "My children are gone..." The words sent a chill down Harvey's spine, but he remained the pillar.

Stardew

Penny raced through the woods, tears burning her eyes. She couldn't do this anymore, stand by and do nothing in the wake of Sam's loss! She just couldn't! She knew the risk she was putting herself in, the elf king's warnings clear in her head, but she didn't care! She hoped she came upon a fairy ring! And in not long she did… She barrelled into the circle of light without even hesitating and cried out as she fainted dead away, the magic of the ring knocking her out. She wasn't sure how long she was unconscious for, but when she came to she found herself at the feet of the elfin king…

Her lips parted as she looked slowly up at him with tears burning her eyes. He stared down at her silent, not even speaking. Gaping, she rose. "Majesty!" she exclaimed, falling to her knees and seizing his robes. "Tell me you can save them! Please! Tell me you can bring them back, I beg you, I beg you!" she pled, sobbing.

He was silent, staring down at the weeping human before him. After a long moment he reached down, resting his hand on the top of her head. "I cannot tell if you are bold or foolish," he murmured to her. She didn't answer him, just let herself cry where she never felt she could before. "I can restore them," he finally said.

"Then why haven't you?" she asked, voice breaking.

"To my forest they flew, but it was in this place that the witch captured them once more, locking them away in a little birdcage in a hidden place, no longer her swamp. And so from her they must be taken… But I cannot approach her new lair… She has enchanted it with incantations banishing the fae from entering its premises. How she came upon such a spell I do not know, but I cannot fetch them."

"Then I will," she replied. "Just tell me where they are and I'll go!"

"You will not stand to her," the elf king replied. "You will become her servant."

"If she lets them go in exchange, I'll be her servant," Penny replied.

"Why bargain when she can take? Go instead to the wizard, Rasmodius, and give to him this scroll written in a tongue he alone will know, the language of this forest. He will direct you from there," the elven king stated.

"I can't be useless anymore!" she protested.

"This is a matter of self-preservation and common sense, not use or lack thereof. But it is not my decision to make. The moment this scroll is put into his hands, it becomes his. Whether you play a part in it or not is for him to decide," the elf replied. "Take this with you, and keep it on your person." He handed her a glistening gem, sparkling and beautiful. She reached out for it, taking it in awe. "Now go," he said.

Penny gasped, eyes flying open. She started and staggered to her feet in surprise looking around upon realizing she was back in Cindersnap Forest not far from the wizard's tower. What had happened, she wondered? She didn't question long, though. She remembered the scroll she held in her hand, and the gem. She stared at them a moment then tucked the gem in her pocket and raced towards the wizard's tower as quickly as she could.

Stardew

The wizard read over the scroll in shock and hope. Penny waited nervously for him to finish and tell her what needed to be done. "I want to help you," she said as soon as she was certain he was just rereading the scroll. He glanced quickly up at her. "Please," Penny pled.

For a moment the wizard stared at her. Finally, he tucked the scroll away. "Very well. You will accompany me to my ex-wife's hideaway, but you are to remain out of sight. I will go to her, speak to her, try to reason with her… Beg her… But she will not hear me. However, she will relish in my subservience. And while she giddily focuses her attention on me, you will slip inside unseen, and you will find the cage she has trapped them in, and you'll take it and sneak out once more. Don't wait for me. Find the elf king immediately. There… there is no guarantee I will return…"

Penny looked concerned now. "No guarantee? Wh-why?" she asked.

"There are a thousand reasons why, dear girl. You needn't worry about any of them," he replied.

"Are… will she kill you?" Penny asked uneasily.

"Perhaps. It's one of the thousand reasons I may not return… Another is because I may not choose to…" At least for a time.

Penny was quiet. "Do you still… love her?" she asked after moment.

The wizard sighed, bowing his head low. For a long time he was silent. "A part of me still does," he finally confirmed. "But after this? …No. No, I cannot forgive her for this… So I will fight to kill, but I may not be able to find it in myself to carry it through. So she will kill me instead... She will kill me, or I will stay with her and try to start a life anew… And help her to let go and do so… But those are only a very few of the thousand reasons I might not come back."

"Now what are the reasons you might?" Penny asked.

A small and amused smile pulled at his lips as he looked at her. "My daughter," he finally replied. "And the people in this valley. I've grown fond of you all, but my daughter most of all… And that was why she did this to you... To make me suffer."

"Hold onto those reasons to come back instead of focusing on all the reasons you might not," Penny said.

The wizard smiled wearily and nodded at her in a measure of gratefulness. "Are you ready then?" he asked.

"I'm ready," she replied bravely.

"Very well. Let's do this," he said. He waved his hand, casting a portal. Penny gasped in amazement, eyes wide. He stepped through it. She hesitated briefly before following him through. They stepped out into another part of the forest, or a whole new one entirely. She wasn't sure. Through the trees a house could be seen, pleasant and inconspicuous looking.

"Is that it?" Penny asked. The wizard grunted a confirmation. "How did you know where to come?" she asked.

"I didn't. But we are bonded, her and I, and so when I sought her, when I thought of her, the portal reacted and linked to her lifeforce and brought me, us, to where she was," he answered.

"How will I get in unseen?" Penny asked.

"A window," he answered. "I'll cast a spell to unlock all of them. Search for the one leading into the room she keeps the doves. If there isn't one, enter through any of them and start looking. Thoroughly. As thoroughly as you dare to."

"Alright," Penny replied, nodding in confirmation.

"Let me go to her first and engage her. Then make your move," he said. She nodded again. He nodded back then rose, walking towards the house boldly. She slunk through the forest as quietly and inconspicuously as she could, making for the house in secret.

Stardew

The witch saw him coming. She stepped from the house before he had even reached it, waiting in the doorway. She gave him a boastful, cruel smile. "Rasmodius," she purred. "Have you come to try and take my pretty little pets?" she purred.

He paused, staring at her quietly. "The green doesn't flatter you. You should do something about it. The illusion of the farmhand was pleasant enough, but I don't feel it did you justice in the end," he half-bit.

"Humph, I like this pigment," she replied, brushing him off. He could tell she wasn't being entirely truthful.

"I've come for your pets," he said, dropping the petty insult game. There was a chance he could bargain for their freedom and he couldn't jeopardize that. "For my daughter, and for the child, and for the young man… Please Baba. Give them back. I'll give you anything."

"Your whore's head on a platter," she replied. He was silent. Caroline… "She would make such a lovely decoration," the witch cooed at him. "She's a beautiful little thing. I see why you liked her."

"It wasn't her beauty," he answered. Though it hadn't hurt. "If it were beauty alone, my eyes not once would have drifted from you as you were… I made a mistake. I was the one in the wrong, the one who ruined us, and I am willing to pay the price for that."

"And you have. Your daughter. Her friend and the child were victims of circumstance. Of course I'm not complaining. The more the people you care for suffer, the better. Did she die of a broken heart? That pretty little slut you couldn't keep your hands off?"

His jaw twitched as he desperately refrained from telling her off for her biting insults towards Caroline. "She made a mistake," he replied through gritted teeth. "But the blame falls on me."

"Did you cast a spell on her? Drug her? Force yourself on her? If not, then how could it possibly be more your mistake than hers?" she asked sounding hurt. "Neither of you had to say yes. And neither of you should have."

"There was drinking," he muttered, flushing a bit.

"Don't blame your transgression on the drink," the witch hissed back, betrayal and pain in her voice.

He was quiet. "It was me," he finally said.

"And her. And now you've both paid the price. Leave," she said.

"Why are you keeping the child and his older brother?" he asked. "If the price was Abigail, why did you take Sam and Vince?"

"Their parents were fools who believed a fairy tale. Those boys' loss was their mommy and daddy's faults. It wasn't my initial desire, but it's hurting you and it hurt her, so it's just fine," the witch replied.

"I will give you my life, my freedom, my everything, in exchange for their freedom. Everything," he replied. "Humanity even, if that's your wish."

"This is serving me just fine. To see you grovel fruitlessly for their pathetic lives," she replied.

"Gods you're frigid witch," he said in disbelief, shaking his head.

"Mmm, now you're getting it," she replied.

Stardew

Penny slipped from the woods and went to a window. She tried it and found it unlocked, just as the wizard had said. She worked it quietly open, looked around, then hefted herself onto the sill and slipped inside quietly. She found herself in a sitting room and listened carefully for anything that might be waiting. Nothing. She slipped through the room and pushed open the door carefully, peering through to check the hall. She caught her breath. Just down the corridor was a horrifying creature, breathing raspy and a growl seeming to escape its throat regularly as it shuffled along. When he neared the door he stopped suddenly and sniffed the air. She gasped, shutting said door quietly and looking for a place to hide. She hurried for a chair and quickly crawled behind it in fear. The door opened moments later and the creature came in, growl now constant. It sniffed the air again, eyes scanning the room. Oh no, it was going to find her! What was it smelling? She wasn't wearing a perfume or any scent at all! Or could he just smell the human…?

The goblin's head snapped around, falling on the chair. Penny's heart plummeted. Would this thing eat her, a terrified thought nagged? It gave a semi-roar and stormed towards the chair Penny thought quickly, trying to figure out anything at all she could do. She gasped, shooting to her feet and racing from behind the chair, darting for the window. The goblin roared in shock and outrage. "Halt!" it bellowed. It lunged quickly, getting between her and her destination.

Fearfully she backed away, mouth agape in horror. "Wh-what are you?!" she exclaimed.

"Who are you?!" it roared back. It sniffed the air. "Meat. Delicious meat," it snarled.

"No, no, no, I'm not meat, I'm not meat!" she insisted. "I mean I am, but-but not meat that tastes good!"

If sniffed. "Human," it said. Another sniff. "Female." Another sniff. "Young, juicy, tender."

"Wait, wait, wait!" she exclaimed, seeing him starting to close in for a kill. She searched herself for anything that might catch this creature's attention and gasped, pulling out a shiny object. The gemstone she'd been given by the elven king! She held it up and the goblin stopped, eyes fixing on the sparkling jewel like it had him hypnotised. Penny, heart pounding, began moving it back and forth.

"Where did you get this?" he snarled, approaching quickly and making a grab for it. She pulled it back.

"Do you want it?" she asked.

"Give it to me!" he snarled. "It belongs to me! To my people!"

Penny started but didn't let surprise slip into her voice. "I'll give it to you, but you have to tell me something first."

"Give it!" he roared, snatching again. Again she got out of the way. "Where does she keep her little birds?" Penny pressed. "The three doves in the wooden cage?"

"That attic. It is behind a hidden panel in her library. Tap twice, then five times after. It opens. There are stairs. In the attic. In the attic," he replied. Penny threw the gem across the room. The goblin went at it immediately. She bolted from the room and began searching for the library. So that was why the elf king had given it to her. He'd known of the goblin guardsman!

She searched every door—thankfully there weren't many—until she found the library. She raced in, shutting the door behind her, and began searching for the panel, tapping everywhere desperately. Two then five, two then five. Presumably with a pause or the goblin would have just said seven. Two… There was a click. She paused. This was it, it had to be! She tapped five more times with a gasp. The panel began to move. She could have cheered, but for obvious reasons refrained. She found herself looking up a narrow stairwell and swallowed a bit nervously. After a moment she started cautiously up them, on the lookout for any traps. She reached the top without incident. She slipped into the small room. She didn't have to look around to see them. They were right there in front of her, a beam of sunlight shining down on their cage.

She held her breath, staring, then began to approach, eyes filling with emotion. The littlest bird was tucked under the wing of another that was gently preening it. They sat on the floor. The third was perched on a perch, preening itself and looking often towards the sun. "S-Sam? Abby? Vince?" Penny said timidly, bending over to look inside. The birds didn't seem to react, say for the one she presumed was Sam. He looked up at her, staring a moment, then turned his attention back to the littlest dove. Tears burned her eyes and she sniffed, wiping them and drawing a breath. She took hold of the cage carefully then paused. What if it was boobytrapped? But then, what if opening the cage would send out an alarm too?

She reached her fingers in, gently petting Vince's head, and Sam's. Sam seemed to nuzzle her before turning back to the little one again. She reached up, dangling her fingers to Abby. Abby looked over and hopped along the perch, pecking gently at them. She wasn't sure why, but it felt like a plea. She looked around nervously, took a breath, then grabbed the cage, pulling it from the table and immediately running. A shriek echoed through the house, loud and horrifying. The witch's alarm. Her heart almost stopped in fear—the scream, it was so tormented—but she kept running. Through the library, to a room with a window, out the window. Just focus on that goal, just focus.

Stardew

The witch spun with eyes wide in shock and fury darkening her expression. The Wizard gaped in horror at the sound of the scream. Penny! "What have you done?!" the witch screamed furiously at him before darting inside. He gasped, following her quickly to protect the young woman.

The witch found the fleeing girl in record time. Penny slid to a stop with a cry upon coming face to face with the woman. "You!" she exclaimed.

"Now you're mine! You'll make a pretty little servant indeed!" the witch snarled, preparing an attack. She screamed in pain and flew against a wall, though, when another spell hit her. Penny gasped, looking over. Rasmodius!

"Penny run! Now!" Rasmodius ordered, keeping the witch at bay with gritted teeth.

Penny didn't argue. She bolted with the cage in hand. She knew the plan. Find the elfin king, release the birds if she couldn't get away herself, and hope. But she'd get away! Rasmodius would be sure of it… But could he get away, she nervously wondered?

Rasmodius cried out in pain as the witch finally regained the strength to retaliate, casting him back. He cried out, striking the ground. She leapt at him with a furious scream, hands ablaze with violent spells. He caught her wrists, his own hands lit with spells to cancel out her attacks, and the two grappled. He of course got the upper hand, but she was prepared, jerked her hand away, and attacked him with a spell that had him writhing in agony on the ground, screaming out. She laughed wickedly, standing and keeping it up, relishing in his pain. He threw out a spell. She cried out in pain, striking the roof and dropping heavily. She coughed. He staggered to his feet, racing for the door. She lunged with a cry, grabbing his ankle and bringing him down. He turned quickly around, casting a spell at the same time she cast one. The attacks met one another and fought for dominance going back and forth, both husband and wife with teeth gritted totally focused on the fight for dominance. He would see her locked in battle for eternity, if he had to. He had been ready to accept that fate when he came here. Was she? They staggered to their feet, still harrying one another with the spells. He cast a second around himself, one that would automatically keep him sustained for the rest of his days if need be, and beyond if it came to that. He saw the dread and realization growing in his ex wife's eyes before she scowled and cast the same spell about herself with a cry.

"You're willing to spend the rest of your days here? Like this?" he asked in a hiss. "For spite?"

"No. But if it makes you suffer I will," she replied.

"Forget all your ambitions but me," he said to her. "You wanted to be with me for the rest of your life. Now you will be."

Tears threatened her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "It's all I wanted," she replied, sounding almost gentle.

He let out a breath, bowing his head sadly. "It was all I wanted once too… I never wanted it to be spent like this." He looked up at her again. "I never stopped loving you," he said.

"Good. Then whether my powers give in and you kill me or yours give in and I kill you, whether you outlive me or I outlive you, this will hurt you all the more," she replied. "Suffer for the rest of our eternity."

Stardew

Penny didn't look back. Not once. She didn't know where she was or where to go, but the forest king would find her. She knew he would. She would run aimless until he did...

Then suddenly he was there, riding high upon his elk mount and staring down at her and the little birds. Silence… "Where is the wizard?" he asked.

Tears threatened her eyes. "He stayed behind," she answered in a whisper.

The elf tilted his head quietly, seemed to guess at what that statement may mean for his… friend maybe, then closed his eyes, bowing his head slightly for a moment before looking up at her. "You have the little birds," he said, forcing a smile. She nodded and offered them up to him. He took the cage from her hands and peered in at them. They were staring at him now, all three. He looked at Penny once more. "Now, go home," he said. She felt sleep weigh heavy on her eyes. Then there was blackness. When she awakened, it was in her house and in her bed. She lay there still. All she could do now, she sensed, was wait…

Stardew

The elf king stared into the cage a long moment before reaching in and withdrawing from it one of the birds. The female. The wizard's daughter. Gently he stroked her head. "Your father was a good man… You would have done well as his apprentice… It was an offer he desired to extend to you one day, you know. Fortune be willing one day he shall get the chance to again… But if there is nothing that will save him, you must know that he loved you. Dearly. More than anything. More than life." The dove seemed to bow her head looking a little upset and distraught. "There, there. All will be well again," he murmured to her, carrying her away from the other two who tentatively stepped out of the opened cage and watched after him.

He brought the dove to the young man. Her husband asleep in a bed of flowers entwined in ivy, protected from himself and the harm he would have otherwise brought to his own body and life. The dove cooed in some concern. He stroked its head softly until, against its will, it drifted off to sleep. Then he rested it on the flowers at the young man's side, his breath gently ruffling her down. "When you awaken again, young man, it will be to joy and no more to sorrow."

He stood, walking away to return to the other two. They were perched in a tree, staring down at him. He extended his hand. The little one came first, perching there. The bigger one, more cautious, soon followed if only to protect the littler one. He stroked their heads lightly and carried them off wordlessly to a beautiful little stream. Jas was there sitting in the grass, tears spilling from her eyes as she wept for her lost friend and for home. He approached her, kneeling, and held the birds in front of her. She looked at them dully then gasped, gently cupping the little one and bringing it in front of her. "Is-is this…?" she began, voice breaking.

"Yes," he answered. "And he will be whole again. As will the other."

"Who is the other?" she asked.

"His brother," he answered.

"Sam?" she asked, eyes wide in wonder. The elf king nodded with a smile. Sam began flying excitedly around her head, cooing and diving as if celebrating or trying to speak to her.

"Do you want to help me save them?" he asked. She nodded. He smiled and held out his hands to her. She took them gently. "Speak with me," he murmured. Then he began to utter words in a language she had never heard. A language that sounded so beautiful she could hardly believe it, her ears dancing to the sweet lull. She began to repeat them as well as she could. She felt like she heard the name Yoba in the words, she knew she did in fact. She didn't know what it meant, but she didn't care. A glow was starting to surround the pretty doves, sparkly and with dust particles and beautiful... And slowly the birds began to change forms... Almost like illusions at first but then becoming tangible slowly. Then there, laying on the ground on his back, was Vincent. Then there was Sam, curled on his side. They were here and they were real and Jas wanted to gasp or cry out, but she kept saying the words the elf king was saying until he stopped… And there they were… Tangible and real and there! She gave a cry, throwing herself towards Vincent and hugging him tightly.

He gasped, jerking awake, and thrashed a moment. "Sam!" he cried out as if calling for help. He realized, then, that he had a voice again and gasped, sitting quickly up with Jas still clinging to him in tears. "J-Jas? Am-am I… am I back?" he asked vulnerably.

"Yes Vince yes, you're back! The Elf King saved you! He brought you back. You're okay!" she exclaimed, sobbing. "You're okay." He hugged her tightly back with a gasp, overwhelmed.

Sam moaned softly, starting to stir. He slowly sat up, hand to his head. "V-Vince? Penny?" he asked in concern.

"Sam!" Vince exclaimed, pulling away from Jas and tackling his brother. Sam started, holding him back, then seemed to realize he was human again and gasped. He looked quickly around for the elf king. It was gone… But a path was open before them beckoning them to follow. He could only stare in shock, trying to puzzle out what it meant and what had happened as he held and soothed his brother and Jas.

Stardew

Sebastian's eyes flickered open slowly. He didn't want them to. He'd hoped they'd never open again. He caught his breath softly, though, when he saw what lay next to him... It was his wife! His beautiful wife. Abigail, in the flesh, lying facing him and softly, tenderly, smiling at him. "You're so at peace when you sleep," she whispered. Her smile fell. "I'm sorry I took that peace from you." His heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't think, he could only act. He let out a shaky gasp and tucked his hand behind her head, fingers entwining in her hair. He pulled her close kissing her desperately and longingly, tears burning in his eyes.

"Abby," he choked out, withdrawing. "Abby, you're alive, you're back. Abby!" He kissed her again. She held him close to her, relishing and holding his lips as long as she possibly could.

"Sebastian, Abigail?" a voice said.

Sebastian gasped, turning, and sat up. "Sam!" he exclaimed in joy. "Vince, Jas!"

"What the hell happened man?!" Sam exclaimed, royally freaked out.

"You-you turned into doves. Your parents put prismatic shards on an altar thinking it would fix things but instead… instead they lost you… All of you," Sebastian said. "You've been gone almost all winter. Jodi took up drinking, Caroline was pining away in a grief induced coma last I checked and not looking good, and Kent… He locked himself away. He's been playing with his gun like it's his best friend."

"What the hell man?!" Sam freaked, looking terrified. "What is he doing?!"

"Your… your mom hinted, once, at getting him to put the gun to good use? On… on them both…" Sebastian replied.

Sam shouted a profanity, turning on his heel and racing towards a path that was… not supposed to be there, Sebastian realized at the same time he realized it was an illusion of the elfin king's. "My mom is… is dying?" Abigail said, voice suddenly weak and terrified. Sebastian was quiet. The two of them quickly staggered up and raced after Sam, Vincent, and Jas. The children seemed confused, and that was just fine. Bless their innocence, Sebastian dryly noted to himself.

Stardew

The Night Market was a somber affair. There had been joy when Caroline came back, so it was a little lighter than it otherwise would have been, but there was still more grief than joy in this valley. Harvey hadn't made a reappearance. Nor had anyone who knew he was alive said anything about it at all. He hadn't wanted it to get out just yet. He was still deciding whether to stay or leave, in fact… Not even his siblings knew he was alive yet…

The townsfolk wandered aimlessly by rote, examining things that caught their interest here and there, but no one spoke… At least not until children's laughter was heard… Everything stopped. All eyes turned to the beach path. Marnie and Shane grouped quickly up, eyes wide. Kent and Jodi stared, breathless… From the path raced two little figures. Marnie gave a cry, collapsing to her knees. Jodi screamed, covering her mouth. Shane took off.

"Jas!" Shane cried out desperately, racing to the little girl and scooping her up, spinning her in the air.

Her arms flung wide, her face beaming in glee, she cried, "Uncle Shane!" Tightly she hugged him. Marnie staggered up, running to her and taking her from Shane, utterly overwhelmed as she stared at her. "Aunt Marnie!" she chirped. Marnie burst into tears, crushing her in her embrace.

"Daddy, mommy!" Vincent cried.

"Baby!" Jodi screamed, dropping to her knees and catching him in her arms. He made a sound of discomfort as she crushed him in her arms, then squirmed away, leaping at Kent.

Kent cried out, catching him and staring blankly down at him before suddenly bursting into hysterical, overjoyed laughter. He scooped him up, throwing him up in the air before catching him again. Vince laughed in glee and hugged Kent tightly around the neck. Kent all but enveloped the child in his arms, hysterical laughter giving way to body-shaking sobs. Jodi held them both. Willing himself to calm down, Kent looked hopefully towards the woods. There he saw Sam, standing and watching him guardedly but also longingly.

"Sam!" Penny cried, racing out of the spectators and running to him, throwing herself into his arms. He caught her, holding her tightly. He clutched on almost desperately, closing his eyes and swallowing thickly.

"Hi," he said, voice breaking.

"Hi," she whispered back, trembling from emotion. "Hi," she repeated, kissing the side of his mouth adoringly.

He sniffed, looking ahead to his parents. "Mom, dad," he said, voice breaking. Jodi ran to him, embracing him tightly and breaking down. Kent stayed rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do or what his son would allow. He couldn't stay put long, though, and soon found himself moving towards his oldest tentatively but longingly. Sam warily watched his father, but wary gave way to exhausted. He didn't want to be defiant or spiteful now. He just wanted his father's arms around him too. Kent took the final step and embraced his son with his free arm, pulling Sam tightly against him swaying side to side. He buried his face in the young man's hair and wept openly. Sam held his father tight, his mother too as the family group hugged. Penny returned to her own mother in tears, watching gleefully with hands clasped. Pam placed a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder, smiling and her near tears herself.

"Abigail!" Caroline suddenly screamed out.

"Sebastian!" Robin echoed. Both women raced towards their respective children, throwing their arms around the two new arrivals and holding them close. Pierre, after a stunned paused, gasped and raced to his daughter too, clinging on and holding both her and her mother tightly to him. They were the most important things in his life, he determined then and there, and nothing, nothing, would come between him and them again. Including his business.

Sebastian pulled from his mother and ran to Maru, hugging her tightly. She sobbed, clinging to him just as tight and weeping into his chest. Demetrius stood back. He wanted to hold his step-son too, and that was plain for all to see, but… but he didn't feel like that was his place right now… Sebastian had never warmed up to him, he knew. Demetrius had tried, goodness knew how he'd tried, but… but it just had never happened… Maybe he'd done something wrong, maybe he hadn't tried hard enough, but it was too late to go back now and so it was what it was. Every time he had reached out he was brushed off. He'd learned long ago when to stop trying. He stepped towards the young man again nonetheless, and when Sebastian didn't give him a death glare, he tentatively rested his hand on the boy's shoulder, rubbing it gently and squeezing it. Sebastian didn't acknowledge him but didn't drive him away either, so Demetrius would take what he got.

Stardew

The elf king watched from the cliff, gazing down at the Night Market. "Will you not go too, doctor?" he asked the man standing with him. The doctor didn't answer. "Go at least to your sister. In disguise if you desire, so no one else will see. She and your brother, if no others, need to know."

"My life here has ended," he said.

"It has not, they would hide you away among them and protect you, but if you are so insistent it has ended so be it. Your life with your siblings has not come to a close yet, though," the elf replied. He looked at the man again. "And you are under my protection. All of you… They will not find you in this place… If I so wished they would not even remember you existed. To the military, and your patients in the city, it would be as if you were never discovered, though all others will recall it."

"Don't go to the trouble for me," Harvey replied. "Somehow my reputation will be cleared. Dobson and Carmen are good at that."

"Then you will go to them?" the elf asked.

"They don't need to know I'm alive to clear my reputation," Harvey replied.

"What are you afraid of, mortal?" he asked; and suddenly it was like they were right in front of his sister's barge, though Harvey knew they couldn't be because… because she couldn't see him…

Harvey was quiet, watching his sister in silence. Her eyes were closed, tears slipping quietly down her cheeks. She would force a smile and wipe them away when she heard someone coming, but when she was alone again the grief was there for anyone to read. He was reading it now and he hated it… "I'll see them. Her…" he finally relented, staring at Carmen's barge solemnly.

"I know you will," the elf replied. "And I suspect she will not be the only one." Perhaps where he had failed to convince the man, his siblings would succeed…

Stardew

The Travelling Merchant was the last one to leave the Night Market. She was packing up her barge, quietly listening to the reunited families and friends speaking. Well, mostly reunited… "You married Miss Emily, Uncle Shane? How could you?! I wanted to be the flower girl when you did!" Jas was saying in horror.

"How about we do a pretend wedding just for you so you can be the flower girl this time, Jas?" Emily was teasing in amusement.

"Yes!" Jas insisted.

Shane laughed, actually full out laughed, and said, "Okay, Jas. Just for you we'll do the wedding all over again so you can throw the flowers." Jas cheered happily, hugging them both.

The travelling merchant looked away. She was happy for them, she really was… The town could finally repair itself. They would be happy again, together again, content again… Her family wouldn't though… Harvey was still dead, and they were still scrambling to figure out how they were supposed to tell their elderly parents that their oldest son wasn't coming back. It was only a matter of time before they called asking why Harvey had stopped contacting them to check up regularly. It wasn't a conversation she relished having. Dobson had offered to do it, but it was her duty to tell them, not his.

She disembarked with a sigh. She had to… to pick up some things from Harvey's apartment. Some of his personal effects. She couldn't get the furniture or heavy things yet, that was too much for her to carry alone so she'd have to wait for Dobson to come help, but she could get much of the little stuff… She spent an hour just sitting on his couch crying… There would be no collecting his things today. She couldn't do it.

By the time she made it back to the beach, it was abandoned. Everyone was gone and only her barge remained floating there. She sailed away from the dock slowly, letting the pig do the work as she stared out at the coast in grief. She missed him… "I could have been anyone, you understand? Carmen, you know better than to leave your boat and cart untended," a voice said from behind with a sigh.

She caught her breath, spinning quickly around with eyes wide. She gasped, feeling her knees buckling. She tried to make her brain believe what her eyes were seeing, but she couldn't. There, standing across the deck, was her brother! "Harvey," she said, voice breaking.

He offered her a tired smile. "Without a body, never believe what you hear," he murmured to her. She shook her head in denial. He sighed again. "Oh Carmen… I'm sorry it took me so long to come back…" She gave a cry, racing towards him. He raced to her in turn, catching her in his arms and hugging her tightly, gently swaying her from side to side. "I love you little sister," he said, voice wavering.

"You're alive!" she choked out over a sob.

"I am. And you're one of five people who knows I am," he replied. "Four of them not of my own volition." Namely the wizard, Pierre, Caroline, and Kent.

"And Dobson?" she asked.

"He doesn't know," Harvey replied.

"He needs to! Before he does something stupid or reckless," she said.

"Then let's go to him," Harvey replied. She nodded and hugged him tightly again. He once more returned her embrace, letting out a shaky sigh and closing his eyes, swallowing and relishing in the feeling of being with his family again. Well, one member soon to be two.

Stardew

Dobson stared at him, tears in his eyes as he shook his head. "You son of a b***h," he said, voice cracking. "You son of a b***h, you son of a b***h." He bowed his head low, teeth gritted as he held his head in his hands.

"At least I came back," he replied. "It wasn't my original plan."

"Wasn't your original…? You son of a b***h!" Dobson shouted at him.

"I knew my disappearing would be the best way to protect you and Carmen," he said.

"Screw you Harvey!" Dobson shouted, shoving him roughly.

Harvey winced, expecting it, but didn't retaliate. "At least I came back," he repeated.

"You put us through hell!" Dobson shot.

"I didn't expect to survive when I parted ways with Kent," Harvey replied. "I just wanted him to get home to his family and I wanted you to stay safe."

"You should have come back," Dobson said, stressfully drawing his hands through his hair. "You should have come back, you should have come back."

"You… you're right," Harvey murmured gently. "I'm sorry."

"You don't get to be sorry!" Dobson snapped. Harvey didn't answer.

"Dobson, enough," Carmen gently soothed. "He's here now. Our brother's alive." Dobson looked at him again. Suddenly he sobbed, bowing his head. Harvey approached tentatively and embraced his brother gently. Dobson clung tightly to him, burying his face in his shoulder and letting himself cry. Carmen looked at Harvey. "You need to go back. To Pellican Town and to the people there. To the girl."

He shook his head. "Nothing can be gained by going back there. I'll only put them in danger," he replied.

"What about the creature in the forest?" she asked gently.

"Th-the creature?" Dobson asked, pulling a little back and staring curiously up at his brother.

"The elf," Carmen said.

Dobson started then looked highly unimpressed. "You're kidding me, aren't you? In that little dump?"

"Yes in that little dump," Harvey replied, frowning and folding his arms.

"It's a fairy tale!" Dobson said.

"Turns out sometimes fairy tales are based in realities," Harvey answered. "He's there, Dobson. I've seen him. Spoken to him. Touched him… He's there."

Dobson was quiet. "Then why won't you go back if something that powerful resides in those woods?" he asked finally. "Nowhere safer. Things could continue like always! We won't have to regroup, re-strategize, and relocate everything we've done and been doing. Pellican Town, Stardew Valley, is the perfect location. It's why you chose it, and I thought you were out of your mind back then but I see now that you were right all along. Access to the ports, neighboring one of the largest cities in Ferngill Republic, within driving distance to both a key military base of the Republic and the secret Empire one located outside the city, to say nothing of its access to the desert and Mr. Qi, which is a stellar hiding place might I add. And right under a flight path so easy access to aerial assets with great reception, and now an elf protecting the very ground you walk on and claiming it as his? And people who would do anything to keep you safe on top of it, plus a neat little medical practice bringing in much-needed funding for our family and other activities of ours… Harvey it would be insanity to leave it! You'll never find a place as useful to us and our goals."

"Plus two resident geniuses who could be valuable assets," Carmen hinted.

"I'm not using Maru and Demetrius like that," Harvey said firmly.

"But you could! If you ever needed to," she replied. "And now a well-respected military officer who's gone from enemy to friend just adding layers of connections onto you, plus a wizard, plus it's in an inconspicuous place, completely overlooked by prying eyes and entirely safe for me to peddle my smuggled wares. And deliver the secrets and plans that you and Dobson need. Nor is it out of my way at all either; in fact just the opposite."

"They'll look into me, they'll look into the valley, they'll learn about you…" Harvey began.

"They'll do that already," she replied. "But as long as they go on thinking you're dead, I have a place to hide. And people who will play dumb like they've never seen me before too. I will find no allies or civilians as willing to cover for a Gotoran smuggler elsewhere, and I would be regarded with suspicion everywhere."

Harvey was quiet. "Let's stay here and lay low, okay? At least for a while to see if this mania all blows over and they forget about it," Dobson encouraged.

"I don't like the idea of us being so spread out when things are this tumultuous," Harvey replied.

"Then we won't be. I… may have a plan for that," Dobson said.

"A plan?" Harvey asked.

"Just trust me," Dobson replied. Harvey raised a suspicious eyebrow but didn't press.

"Go home, Harvey. Go back to her. Make them whole again. At least as whole as they can be," Carmen prompted gently. Harvey was quiet, looking down and away.

Stardew

The final day of winter. Evening, to be precise. Maru stood in the background of the repeat wedding, watching with a sad smile as Shane and Emily walked down the aisle again, this time with Jas as a flower girl. It was sweet. Beautiful… Painful… As the light-hearted conversation carried on, as everyone began to return to their houses before it got too dark, she slipped away from the others in silence, going to the clinic and stopping in front of it. She gently played with the mermaid pendant that hung around her neck before turning away in grief and walking towards the small field behind Kent and Jodi's place, where Harvey used to like to go during his lunch break.

She stopped there and held the pendant in her palms, looking down at it and tracing it lightly as the final snow of the season began to fall around her in the dark. She let out a shaky breath, bowing her head and pressing the pendant against her breast. "I accept," she whispered softly.

"I'll set everything up," a gentle voice said from behind. She caught her breath, spinning quickly around. She let out a shaking gasp. There, leaning on the fence, was Harvey!

Maru covered her mouth with a hand, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. She shook her head, tears burning her eyes. "I think a spring wedding was Haley and Alex's plan," she finally found the words to say, voice breaking.

"Doubtless planned for the day before, or after or even of, the Flower Dance," he replied. "Admittedly spring is very cliched… We can wait until summer. Fall. Even winter, if you'd prefer."

"No," she cut off almost before he'd finished, shaking her head. She swallowed. "Summer. It'll give-give your family time to-to…" she trailed off, unable to find words anymore.

He came around the fence and went straight to her, gently taking her face in his hands and pushing back her hair. He wiped the tears in her eyes away with his thumbs gently then embraced her, pulling her close to him. She let out a sob, clutching onto his jacket tightly. "Summer it is," he murmured.

"You were dead, and then you were back and then you were gone again, and I didn't-I didn't know what was true anymore, I didn't know," she said, voice breaking.

"What's true... What's true is that I'm a doctor, and I'm a brother, and I'm a son; I'm a wildcard, a spy, a danger, a threat; unpredictable, outcast, nationless… Weak and afraid… And so desperately in love with you that I feel like I can't breathe… I am so, so sick and tired of running and hiding… But I must, because that's what you have to do and that's who you have to be when you're a traitor to every side but your own. That's what I am until the end of this godforsaken war… I wanted to leave. I still believe I should, that I have to, because I feel like as long as I'm here among you, you'll be in danger, all of you, and I don't want that. I never wanted that. I can't… I can't let it happen. And if you married me and something happened…"

She kissed him firmly on the mouth, cutting him off. After a long moment she pulled away. "Don't go… Nothing will happen to me, nothing will happen to any of us… Don't you feel what protects us here? Magic, old and ancient and unfathomable," she whispered, gently petting his chest.

"Sometimes magic isn't enough," he whispered in return.

"It brought you back to me, didn't it?" she replied.

He was quiet. "I might not always be here. This may not be the last time I disappear, appear to be dead, appear to..."

"Don't leave," she pled. "Just always come back. I can wait... I won't be ashamed to become a rebel's wife," she teased with a small grin.

"Dressing it up with a more palatable term doesn't change the reality," he replied, smiling ever so slightly.

"Traitor's too harsh, rebel's too gentle… We should stick with spy I think. Or secret agent," she joked.

He chuckled. "Spy it is," he relented. "Are you ready to become the wife of a super secret underground spy?" She giggled a little and nodded. He smiled. "Then summer it is," he murmured into her hair softly.

"You'll stay?" she asked.

"I'll stay," he replied. "For however long they'll accept me, I'll stay."

"They'll always accept you," she said. He hummed noncommittally in response then kissed her once again...

(A/N: Not overly happy with this chapter, at least some parts, but I hope you all enjoyed it.)