Alastor was surprised to wake up the next morning to find himself covered by a blanket and his was even further surprised when he learned that Charlie was the one responsible, though she insisted that Vaggie was the one who covered him by Charlie's order to do so. Nevertheless, he was secretly pleased by the gesture. Last night had been very cold and he had no ability to create a potential warm substance like Angel could. The princess was definitely a very thoughtful girl.

"If you were so cold last night Al, you could have woken me up and I would have spun ya a blanket." Angel said as the two were searching the forest for breakfast.

"Don't worry about it Angel." Alastor said. "It wasn't the cold night air that made my sleep so troubled."

"Oh? Well then what made last night so difficult for ya?"

"Nothing of great importance. Just another nightmare about my childhood. Honestly, I thought I'd be over that by the time I reached adulthood."

"I don't think anyone gets over trauma a hundred percent and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. My childhood sucked too. I spent my early years being treated like a donkey. Nothing but pulling carts and plows, getting whipped and lashed until I was fifteen."

"What happened then?"

"Uh..." He looked away almost shamefully. "I still did labor and was beaten but Val started to do...Other things."

Alastor immediately decided to end the conversation right then and there. He may not have been the most sensitive soul but he could recognize when someone felt uncomfortable discussing certain hardships that they had suffered with, and he wasn't one to push someone to talk about such things if they didn't want to.

"Strangely though Angel." Alastor said changing the subject. "My nightmare soon turned into a very different dream. One that was by far the strangest I've ever had."

"Were you having sex with an inanimate object?"

Alastor looked at him disturbed.

"Um...No. Have you ever had dreams like that?"

"No! But if I did it doesn't mean anything! I'm not sexually attracted to trees!"

"Okay." Alastor said. "I dreamt that I saw a...A...Well golly I don't even know what I saw. It was a creature of some sort. A female creature."

"What did she look like?"

"I can't explain it. She was something I had never seen before but I'll tell ya this, she was beautiful. Her coat was alabaster fair yet her eyes were dark in contrast. I don't know what in the world she was, but she was the loveliest creature I had ever seen in my entire life."

"But she's not real, right? You just made her up in your head."

"I know that. But for a moment I almost thought she was real. I guess my mind is getting much better at illusions."

"So would this count as your first erotic dream or something?"

"No!" Alastor scoffed. "There was nothing erotic about it."

"But you're hot for this dream girl right?"

"Absolutely not! How could I possibly have romantic feelings for a female that's not even real?"

"Oh good. For a second there I was worried that you were falling for a fantasy."

"Oh please Angel, you should know me better than that. I'm not some naive youth who becomes obsessed with a dream girl. The only one here enamored with a fantasy is Charlie."

"Funny you should mention that because Vaggie and I have been doing a little talking and we both agree that her marrying Vox is a huge mistake."

"With all due respect, you two aren't her parents so you have no say in her marriage choices."

"True but you know that Vox can't possibly be Charlie's true love. He's not even marrying her for love, he's marrying her so he can be king."

"The circumstances are tragic but there's nothing we can do."

"Perhaps nothing Vaggie and myself can do, but you." Angel proposed.

"What about me?"

"Well you're educated on the world and Charlie seems to take what you say very seriously. Maybe you could possibly talk her out of marrying Vox."

"And why would I do that?"

"Oh come on Al, you know you like her. She's a good kid. She probably treats you better than any human you've known before."

"She is pleasant company. I'll give ya that."

"You're telling me you really want to see someone like her married to someone like Vox? You know he's just going to ruin her life."

"That's not my problem. All I care about is getting my land back and to do that I have to bring her to Vox. What happens after that is none of my concern. Besides she wants to marry him."

"Only because she doesn't really know what she's getting herself into. She's expecting him to be some handsome, noble, and romantic young guy who will give her the typical happily ever after. But we both know that Lord Vox does not fit that expectation in the least. She needs to know what a real true love looks like instead of an idealized version."

"And how exactly do I do that? Sweep her off her feet like a knight in shinning armor?"

"Well that would be a good start."

"You're crazy."

"I'm just saying you could be a much better match for her."

"Were you born without common sense? Me, be a match for her? That's the dumbest idea anyone has ever suggested to me."

"I don't think it's that dumb. What's wrong with you two getting together?"

"Angel I know you don't use much of your brain but you can't really be that stupid. Just look at me! I'm not a knight in shinning armor, I'm not a handsome prince, I'm not even human. How on God's green earth could I possibly be a better match for her?"

"Alright so the species thing does make it slightly complicated but it can work. I know a giant who married an elf and their currently raising a beautiful family of medium-sized children."

"Okay I'm done talking to you for the day."

"I'm only trying to help."

"Help? Help with what?"

"Help with making you happy."

"I'll be happy when I reclaim my property. It's all I ever wanted in life. To have my own patch of the world where I can be alone and undisturbed. That is what will make me happy."

"But for how long? You really think anyone in this whole world can go through life completely alone, never talking to anyone, and stay happy? You're a smart guy smiles, so you must know that social interaction is essential to all life. Including wendigos."

"It's not impossible to be happy in solitude Angel. I've had to do that for sixteen years."

Angel suddenly couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

"You really don't get it, do you? You, Charlie, and every traditional story say that friendship and love is the ultimate happiness. That it's for everybody. That it can conquer all. Well that's a crock! Since I was seven years old I've had no friends, no family, no love, no one. I have been completely alone. I've had no social interaction. And I've learned to be happy with it, wanna know why? Because I'm not supposed to have any other kind of happiness. That storybook nonsense of love and friendship you and Charlie believe in, I'm not supposed to have that! I'm not supposed to have friends or family! I'm not supposed to be loved! I'm not supposed to live Happily Ever After!"

When Alastor realized how loud he was getting, he took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Angel I know you mean well and I appreciate that you care about me. I don't know why you care about me but I appreciate it. However the fact is I'm a wendgio and that means I'm supposed to be hated. I'm supposed to be feared. I'm supposed to be alone. And I'm supposed to be happy with that. Whether or not, it's possible."

He turned around and headed off in a direction where he could smell non-toxic berries. Angel for a moment, could only just stand there and try comprehend Alastor's words. It hurt him greatly to do so and in that moment he felt that he probably had it way worse than him, Vaggie, and Charlie because while they had their own hardships, they never accepted them. They never lost hope. They never believed that they were just expected to have awful lives and just be happy with that. Alastor on the other hand did and despite his constant smiles, that belief made him truly the saddest of all four of them.