Back in Trollberg, as Harry grappled with the revelation he had a sister, said sister sat in shock at another, crueller revelation. Taken. Taken. That was the word her Mum had used to describe what had happened to Harry, and Hilda felt whatever colour remained on her face drain away as she absorbed it.

'Taken..?' She finally murmured, and the pit in her stomach deepened when Johanna nodded slowly. She gazed at her daughter for a moment, letting go of her hand to caress the back of her head gently. As she did, Johanna reached into the swirl of memories to try and figure out where to begin and the answer was obvious; Hilda's Father.

'So..we'll h-have to start with..with your F-Father,' Johanna began, and her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Hilda's light up a little. This, despite the fact Harry had been wrenched away from them, or the hint that her Dad may not have fully cared for her. And it broke Johanna's heart that she had to tell her that it really was all true..

'He was..u-unusual. A loner with little friends, but he had a..a sort of charm that I was just taken by. When I first met him, h-he told me he'd j-just moved to Trollberg, at least, t-that's what he had me believe. We'd been together for a year a-and I had just g-graduated design school when..when I-I found out I was expecting..,' Johanna said softly, caressing Hilda's cheek. She frowned slightly though, seeing that Hilda already looked confused.

'Is there something you don't understand?' She asked her daughter gently, the girl being the anchor for her wayward emotions.

'Yes..um..I thought you had to be married to..to have kids?' Hilda asked innocently and Johanna stifled a laugh, not wanting to make Hilda think it was a stupid question. They weren't about to have birds and the bees conversation here, as she took a breath and buried her mirth back under her grief. She had to stay focused, this wasn't a conversion that could be drawn out over days either.

'No..No it's not like that. I..I did worry about telling him though, it's common for s-some people to..disappear when t-they're confronted with a responsibility like that. But he stayed, and-and it made me b-blind..,' Johanna hissed, quietly cursing herself bitterly. Hilda didn't say anything, slowly going over every single word her Mum had managed to get out so far. Blind? Blind to what? The only thing she knew for certain was that her Father hadn't been what he seemed when her Mum had met her. Johanna inhaled slowly, noticing the photo lying face down next to her daughter.

'Can I see the photo, sweetheart?'

'Why?' Hilda asked quickly, her anger bubbling back up to the surface, both at her Mum and herself for feeling guilty. Over and over again, she reminded herself that she had a right to feel angry, but she saw no point in lashing out now. She pulled the photo out from behind her and handed it to her Mum, who took it gingerly. It had been a while since she'd last seen it though, and Harry's calm face staring back up at her finally broke Johanna. At first one or two tears escaped, then a few and finally a flood. Covering her face with her hand and rocking back and forward slightly, she felt Hilda prod her with the pack of tissues, which she took gratefully.

'This..This is a more recent p-photo..' she sniffed, obscuring Harry's face with her thumb, 'When you and your b-brother were born..your hair was b-blue from the beginning. But Harry, he..he had black hair, like your F-Father..'

'What!?' Hilda exclaimed, leaning back slightly in shock, 'And..And it t-turned blue, somehow?'

'N-Not all at once. G-Gradually..over time..but that's a l-little further on..,' Johanna murmured, 'I..I said your Father didn't hate you and..and even n-now, I don't t-think he ever hated you but…'

'..but what? I don't understand!' Hilda sniffed and Johanna preemptively offered her the tissues, thinking over what to say, but found she was short of words to describe how Tadgh had felt towards Hilda. Well, there were a few; Disregard for one, even complete Apathy. But Johanna felt she couldn't just tell Hilda these things without any proof. Her daughter's yearning for a Father might convince her that her Mum lied out of bitterness or spite. Thankfully, Johanna did have proof. The photo wasn't the only evidence of Harry's existence.

'Come and sit out in the living room, I-I want to show you something..' Johanna said, stretching out her hand should Hilda want to take it, but the girl neglected to. Over and over again, she reminded herself that she still had the right to be upset.

But that simmering feeling couldn't hold off Hilda's curiosity, as she sat down on the rug in front of the TV and Johanna disappeared into her room to grab something. She heard her dragging something, something heavy and the girl was unable to sit still. She crept over and peeked through her Mum's door, and saw her with an old safe, dented and scratched from the cabin being destroyed. It had taken them some twenty minutes to pull it out from the rubble; her Mum had insisted on it being brought.

Hilda was surprised she had never lingered on why. She put it down to the shock of her home being destroyed and her focus on her own precious things, like her old diaries and the torn family photo within.

Her Mum fumbled with the lock for a moment, evidently going through several codes before the safe clunked open. With a breath of satisfaction, Johanna took some old cassettes from within and Hilda heard something else hit the metal floor. It sounded like two sticks, but Hilda didn't have time to go over it as she retreated on her Mum's approach.

Johanna sat down by her side and fiddled with the remote, before pushing the first cassette into the maw of the box. At first, nothing played and Hilda saw her Mum's face scrunch up in worry, before an image finally appeared on the screen. It was grainy and flickered infrequently, but Hilda was able to make out the scene and realised immediately that this wasn't the old cabin, rather a medium sized apartment.

'I'd w-wanted to document your e-early years..' her Mum sniffed, 'Of course, we couldn't afford a brand new camera..the one we did get didn't play sound, b-but it was good enough for..for us..'

Hilda was silent, head resting against her Mum's side as the camera zoomed in and out, whoever was operating presumably getting familiar with the controls. Finally, it panned around a room, revealing the small living area decorated for a birthday party. To be specific, herself and Harry's second birthday judging by the small array of cards on the table.

And for the first time, Hilda saw her Father. In the video, he was short and burly looking, with a bushy beard and messy black hair the colour of soot. He was wearing a blue fleece, and visibly smiling as he rocked a child back and forth; Harry, who seemed to be giggling uncontrollably. Feeling her emotions swirl, Hilda looked for any sign of herself, but saw nothing as the screen faded to black briefly before another scene emerged.

This time, it was a collage of photos and the first was one of Hilda and Harry sitting in their high chairs. Hilda smiled briefly and sniffled, seeing the fistfuls of cake in their hands and icing clinging to their mouths, which made them look like dwarves. They looked so content with each other, as she felt her Mum squeeze her shoulder.

The second photo appeared, herself and Harry still strapped into their chairs. She was still looking at the camera, hypnotised with red irises, while Harry had looked away to grab the last piece of his cake. And there was her Father, crouched down next to Harry and with a wide smile on his face. However, he was all the way off to the right, rather than sitting in the natural place between his children.

Hilda quickly began to realise where this was headed, and her emotions began to buckle as another picture circled onto the screen. Her Father was spoon feeding her the last of her cake, the debris that littered the table giving a hint as to why. As her vision began to fog, Hilda saw the look on her Father's face. The smile he'd had earlier had disappeared, replaced by a purely neutral expression. lt seemed he didn't mind feeding her, but wasn't exactly thrilled about it either. If anything, he looked like he was doing it to keep up appearances.

Finally, another video appeared, this time her Mum switching between filming Harry on the couch and herself sitting just below them, playing with a small Woff toy. For a moment, Hilda found herself smiling tearfully again, as her young self threw the Woff off screen, only for someone to throw it back to her. She was clearly laughing, and Hilda dared to dream that this mystery person was her Father actually interacting with her.

But then he walked into frame from somewhere else, as the Woff again reappeared. Hilda watched, despairing at each second, as she turned and held the Woff up to her Father. But the man simply walked around her and sat down, picking Harry up and placing him on his lap, obscuring Hilda from view. Finally, the Woff rolled limply into view as two little hands appeared on her Father's leg, only to brushed off without second thought.

The camera tilted down, and the slideshow ended.

'That last one got a reaction out of me and Astrid..,' her Mum muttered, her expression sour before looking down at Hilda. Even after all she had seen, the girl struggled to comprehend it and just looked up at her Mum tearfully. Johanna sighed and squeezed her shoulder again, running another hand through her daughter's fringe.

'Y-You see sweetheart..your F-Father didn't hate you. He w-would happily wash you, f-feed you..but that was it. Apart from t-the minimum, he..he would hardly spend any time w-with you..he just didn't care,' she explained, and Hilda felt her face disintegrate after each sentence. She didn't bawl, just buried herself in her Mum's jumper and sobbed quietly into the fabric. Johanna shifted so she could wrap both her arms around her daughter, whispering kind words whilst avoiding looking at her old partner, cradling the son he'd stolen from her.

'Why..,' was all Hilda could get out in the end. She heard her Mum inhale softly. loading up another round of likely painful exposition. For Johanna, she wasn't quite sure how to word it, something that troubled her initially. After all, this would only be a minor revelation compared to the rest that were slowly but surely coming down the tracks.

'..He preferred Harry because he was his son..,' Johanna began anyway, 'And you..you weren't a son-,'

'-Because I'm a girl..,' Hilda murmured, a cocktail of emotions swirling around inside her. Johanna tightened her embrace at how despondent her daughter sounded and eventually Hilda glanced up at her, one terrible question coming to mind. Had her Mum just sat by and let the neglect happen. Johanna went pale when she asked and shook her head fervently, but her sigh only told Hilda that there was more than met the eye here.

'It..It doesn't mean I'm blameless,' Johanna murmured, letting Hilda go, 'Nearly every time I'd come home from w-work, you'd either be crying or be extremely clingy..I should've k-known better, Hilda..I'm sorry..'

Hilda sat in silence for a moment, absorbing the apology. Not that she blamed her Mum not noticing, but rather wondering why she had been so easily neglected in the first place. She knew from being on the bus just how loud toddlers could be; how on earth had he managed to ignore that level of noise. Brow furrowed in thought, she looked up at her Mum, who seemed to be dreading whatever it was she had to say.

'..kids are loud though, right?,' Hilda asked, the relief instantly visible on Johanna's face, 'How did he just..just ignore me?'

'That's..well..you'll need to know something about me first..,' Johanna murmured, brushing aside her fringe, 'I..I didn't draw or paint for a living at first, because I..I already had a job, one that had me working late nights constantly..,' she began before she held out her hand. Hilda took it, looking up at her Mum with a firm curiosity.

'Why..Why the preamble?' Hilda asked.

'Because what I'm about to say exposes a part of the world that you don't know about, Hilda. It's a part of the world that only certain people can see and understand..though if I remember correctly, you've actually dabbled in it already-,' Johanna explained, before she noticed Hilda's eyes go wide in astonishment. She'd figured it out, just like her Mum knew and planned she would.

'-The tide mice! You..You're a WITCH!,' Hilda exclaimed in astonishment, remembering just how quickly her Mum had calmed down after scolding her over the incident. Johanna nodded, and she looked a little more calm than before, almost as if she thought they were in more comfortable territory.

But Hilda's astonishment was quickly replaced by fury. It was another secret her Mum had kept from her, but the hurt was compounded by the fact that she didn't tell Hilda after the tide mice incident. And it only snowballed from there. Hilda remembered the Kraken, the chaos at the Jorts company and worst of all the Night of the Trolls. Johanna's face fell when she saw just how upset Hilda was, as the girl shot up in outrage.

'Hilda, I-I know it hurts that you didn't know-!'

'-Hurts?,' Hilda cut in, 'Of course it hurts! You grounded me for keeping secrets but you get to tell me about Harry and about being a Witch whenever you feel like it!?'

She scoffed before Johanna could respond, not caring to wipe away her tears as she stared her Mum down.

' `Course, I only had to come home and start throwing things at you to get the truth out! I..Do..Do you k-know what you could have stopped if you-you had just told me all this earlier!? I wouldn't have hit Trevor! I wouldn't be worrying about getting kicked out of Scouts! And-And there wouldn't be a massive BLOODY HOLE IN THE WALL!' Hilda cried out, stomping her foot in rage and pointing out to the City behind them.

Johanna froze at this last accusation, having spent many nights going over the memories of their time in the Stone Forest and what led up to it. She had been so close to losing Hilda as well, and while her behaviour had been inexcusable, perhaps if Johanna herself hadn't been so insistent she stay and play the game then maybe none of it would have happened.

But now there was far more to Hilda's reaction than simply being a stroppy child who hadn't wanted to play any games with her boring old Mum. She had been insistent on getting to Frida's house, because she needed to bring something to Frida, and suddenly everything clicked in Johanna's mind. Hilda needed to bring something to Frida because she was her Familiar..and Frida her Witch.

'You and Frida..Witch and Familiar..,' Johanna murmured and suddenly Hilda went pale, worry filling her tired and teary brown eyes. She swallowed and coughed angrily, wiping away her tears as she looked away.

'I..no, that's not-'

'-No, Hilda, it's ok!' I- I'm so, so s-sorry that me keeping it from you made..made it s-seem that everything was your f-fault!' Johanna assured tearfully, wanting desperately to get up and hug her daughter but forcing herself to keep a distance. Hilda stood there, soaking up the apology as she did and going over everything from her own perspective.

'I..I was s-still a runt..and b-bloody Ahlberg he..he was going to start something! If..If the N-Night hadn't happened..then a-all the Trolls would s-still be outside, angry and..and..having to d-deal with the Bells-!'

At that point, the Bells on the Wall rang out briefly, three times to signify that it was three in the afternoon but Hilda was warped back to that night, when even just one of them sounding out had made it seem like her whole head would explode. She slumped to her knees and fell forward, hands gripping her hair tightly.

Her Father had never cared for her because she was a girl. Her Mum had been a Witch and never told her despite everything. Her brother had been stolen from her. All of it was just. too. much.

'Hilda..Hilda..'

She rolled over to see that her Mum had closed the distance, and she reached out to place a hand gently on Hilda's side, before she sighed, looking away for a moment briefly.

'Hilda, I..I know haven't been the best..I've let myself be controlled by my guilt and my pain rather than telling you the truth, or truths, I should say. It's only caused you hurt and..and made you keep truths as well. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, because you have a right to be upset with me-'

'-That's..That's a-all I wanted to h-hear..really..not..not that I'm still angry..,' Hilda sniffed before she fell forward into Johanna's embrace. Her Mum rubbed circles around her back, letting her cry and quite surprised by her reaction.

'Hilda..really, I-I know it's been rough but you don't have to forgive me for the sake of it..!'

'No! You..You told me people make mistakes, cause..cause that's what people do! It doesn't make us b-bad..it just makes us people..!'

She sniffed, gripping the back of her Mum's jumper tightly as she felt tears hit the top of her head.

'It..It w-was a big m-mistake but y-your my M-Mum! You love me! He doesn't! And it's h-his fault that this is happening, n-not yours!,' Hilda went on, before the weight of her emotions became too much and she buried her face in her Mum's shoulder. Johanna, tears streaming down her face, shifted and brought Hilda up onto her lap. The girl curled up a little, eyes closed and hiccuping every now and again. Johanna leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead, squeezing the girl's shoulder.

'T-Thank you, sweetheart..,' she murmured, looking up as the Sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

About thirty minutes later, both Mother and daughter pulled up at a rotten looking wooden gate. Johanna had to shake Hilda awake when they arrived, the girl having been rendered exhausted from all the revelations so far. Although Johanna still had a lot to tell, Hilda had complained of the apartment being too claustrophobic for the time being. So her Mum had offered to take them somewhere she knew, a trail that Hilda didn't recognise but was signposted by a chipped and rusty sign. The text was illegible from a distance, so Hilda wandered over with Twig as Johanna tried once or twice to lock the old secondhand car, the cheapest one she'd been able to find.

'Emaline Ahlberg Boarding School for Girls..,' Hilda read aloud, able to discern the faded letters and wondering why the family had to have had their names on everything. It must have gotten pretty confusing for everyone over time. She looked up at her Mum, who had come over and placed a hand on her shoulder, having finally won her battle with the car lock.

'Astrid sent me here when I was twelve, after my parents..well..that's another story,' Johanna explained, though Hilda thought her eyes had seemed a little empty, like they hadn't been thinking of anything in particular. Approaching the gate, Johanna pushed it open with an ominous creak, and Hilda thought the looming trees warranted caution as well. Her Mum, however, chuckled softly and motioned for her to follow.

'I know it looks a bit spooky now, but it really was a lovely place once. The trees here would be all cut back to let in the Sun, and the school was built up on top of the hill here, overlooking the bay. I remember we would stay up at night and try watching for Trolls out in the woods too!' Johanna chuckled as they went up an old road, dandelions and other weeds poking through its cracks.

'It sounds nice..but maybe tell me more after you've told me about Harry?' Hilda replied, impatience lingering in her tone. Johanna nodded, going quiet for a moment as the road began to rise slightly. In the distance, Hilda could see it turn and wind its way up the hill.

'..I mentioned how my life got turned upside down at work..I had to fight s-someone..an old friend I'd known for years who'd become ensnared by dark magic. I-I was able to stop her with the help of Tildy and some others but..but they wiped her memory of magic. Since I was a witch, that..that included me too..'

'That's..I'm sorry..,' Hilda murmured, taking her Mum's hand in sympathy. Johanna said nothing, just squeezed Hilda's hand as the last memory of her friend rolled through her mind. They'd left her in her apartment, unconscious from the spell and a good deal of money for her to support herself, as was policy. Before she'd closed the door, she'd looked back to see her lying on the couch, snoozing softly. Johanna just hoped that she'd been able to lead a normal life, wherever she was now.

Because as for her, losing her had proved only to be the start of her woes.

They reached the end of the road, but Johanna guided them not up the hill but left towards a narrow, overgrown path. Hilda looked to the top of the hill as she made to follow, and saw that there wasn't any sign of the school awaiting them. It must have been demolished at some point, with what remained being left to nature.

Following her Mum along the path, having to stop once or twice to pick up Twig or figure a way around one or two large bramble bushes, Hilda finally stepped out to find her Mum standing in a clearing that opened out to the bay below them. The view was beyond picturesque, especially during a Summer day such as this. The sea sparkled like diamonds, and Hilda was able to see out from one end of the City to the other. Johanna inhaled and sat down, patting the ground for Hilda to sit down beside her.

Sitting down, the girl shifted closer to and rested her head against her Mum's shoulder while looping arms with her. She really couldn't believe it would get worse from here, and all she could do was strap up and prepare for impact as her Mum closed her eyes, tears rolling down her face intermittently as somewhere above, a quiet birdsong echoed through the treetops. It steadied Johanna somewhat, and she drew on what Tildy had once called her "bottomless pit" of resolve.

They were almost at the end now.

'So..all of that is to say that I..I wasn't the only magic user in our family,' Johanna revealed softly and Hilda once again lurched back in shock, shuffling away to fully absorb what she had just heard. Johanna studied her daughter's pale face, as Hilda's eyes darted about in confusion before she looked at her shaking hand. Johanna reached out and took it, seeing the girl's eyes settle somewhat.

'Are you wondering about doing magic..?'

'T-The Witches said I-I wouldn't be great at solving problems or..or learning spells. I-It did hurt a little..,' Hilda sniffed, 'But I'm over that,' she added quickly as Johanna frowned, 'How did Dad do magic?'

'Well..your Father came from Ireland, out across the sea there,' Johanna began, looking out to the bay, 'But at the same time..he didn't. His people lived underneath Ireland..a society I think is the best way of putting it..called the Tuatha De Dannan..'

Hilda had read up on myths and legends over the years, so naturally she had heard the tales of Fionn MacCumhaill and Cu Chulainn, mythic Irish heroes, but the Tuatha De Dannan were new to her. She shifted closer, taking shelter from her hurt in her curiosity as Johanna continued her tale.

'..Your Father did magic by clicking his fingers, I remember seeing him project his old stories onto a wall like shadow puppets, and he would pull things over to him with just a click, like that..,' Johanna explained wearily, clicking her fingers. Hilda jumped a little at the sound, having been so caught up in what her Mum was saying.

'He..He told me who he really was when I told him I was a Witch. He was very keen about teaching you two his art as well..at least I thought he'd be teaching the two of you..

'After what happened, I took some time off work. At first things were normal, I was finally able to spend some time with my children,' Johanna smiled tearfully, touching Hilda's cheek, 'But then..then your Father started getting almost..territorial..around Harry. I-It was the first time I realised that something was wrong…'

Harry kicked in his high chair, eyes following the spoon as she angled it about towards him. She tittered as he gulped it down, catching a glimpse of the couple of pearly teeth in her son's mouth. He and Hilda had about the same now, though it was hard to tell since her daughter liked to bite at any wayward finger nearby. She looked over at Hilda giggling at the TV, while Tadgh lay on the couch asleep. She frowned, as she left Harry for a moment to quickly head up to the bathroom.

She'd noticed more and more since taking time off work just how distant he was from Hilda. He didn't laugh with her like he laughed with Harry, nor did he seem to devote nearly as much time to teaching her his magic. Harry had been able to click his fingers for a while, much to his and his sister's delight, but not Hilda. She'd seen the girl trying too, attempting to mimic her brother's movements but with little success.

She had tried not to dwell much on it, even though at the same time she felt she really ought to. It made her angry to think that Hilda was being neglected by her Father, something she felt she didn't need after what she'd been through. But as she washed her hands, she heard Harry burst out laughing downstairs. Knowing he had a tendency to rock his chair, she rushed down in a panic, only to find Tadgh with his back to her. He was doing another puppet show, grinning at his son time and again as each snap of his fingers made the shadows come to life.

Hilda was watching quietly, sucking her thumb as she went over and picked her up, bouncing her in her arms. Hilda's eyes remained fixed on her Father though, and she just looked so..sad. Her expression finally forced her to act, clearing her throat to get Tadgh's attention.

'What is it?,' he asked gruffly, turning around, 'Can't ya see I'm telling a story?'

'Without Hilda,' she replied, stroking the toddler's hair, '..Just a little odd how you were asleep until I went upstairs, by the way,' she added coolly. Tadgh shrugged, nodding at their daughter while he tickled Harry's chin.

'Ah, she kept me awake with her giggling, plus Harry needed feeding,' he explained casually, but the way he didn't even use Hilda's name irked her a little, along with the fact she had been in the middle of feeding Harry less than a minute ago.

'I was doing that,' she said pointedly, before she held out Hilda, 'But why don't you show Hilda the puppet show?,' she suggested, being genuine before she scowled at Tadgh's hesitancy.

'We're in the middle of this one, I'm not bothered to start over,' he said stiffly, clicking his fingers again and bringing up the next scene. The Twins watched enthusiastically, only motivating her further to push the point.

'Hilda doesn't have to see it from the beginning! Look, why don't you take her and I can keep feeding Harry like I was doing a minute ago, then we can all watch-!'

'Ugh, get off my case, Johanna!,' her partner replied irritably, 'I already told you he's fed as well!'

She just pointed to the still half-full bowl of baby food, catching him in the lie. With a grumble, and a quick eye-roll, Tadgh handed over Harry, albeit reluctantly, while he took Hilda clumsily as the girl kicked a little in a fit of giggles.

'Dada! Dada!,' Hilda chortled, but her Mum saw just how discontent her Father looked as he clicked through the story. She turned Harry towards them and began to feed him again, before she noticed something in his curls. As the boy turned to and fro to get his food and to watch the show, she thought she saw a hint of blue. Duly investigating, she found a tuft of blue curls around the middle of his head, the exact shade of his sisters.

'Well..would you look at that..,' she murmured, most to herself, but when she looked over to see Tadgh watching, the only word she could use to describe his face was one of pure and utter horror.

Johanna felt her daughter shift away from her as she finished, and looked up to find Hilda starting to pace the clearing. Evidently she was absorbing this latest revelation of neglect. but Johanna could also tell that she was thinking and watched on in pride. Hilda was exceptionally clever, despite what one would think if they saw her Maths grade. One of her talents included being able to piece together events, sometimes from the smallest of breadcrumbs and this was no exception. After a few minutes, Hilda clicked her fingers and looked to her Mum, who nodded for her to speak her mind.

'He..He wanted to keep Harry from you cause he didn't want you to influence him, right? And he ignored me cause..cause I'm a girl. A girl with blue hair..,' Hilda sniffed briefly, holding out the back of her hair, '..he-he didn't think I was worthy, or something stupid like that..,' she muttered and Johanna nodded along at every word, before she opened her arms wide for a hug. Hilda readily accepted, settling into her Mum's embrace as Johanna continued to go on slowly.

'The hair put him into a panic..he started spending every waking moment with H-Harry. He even tried a baby sling!,' Johanna explained, almost laughing, 'Harry d-didn't take well to it..the tantrum he put up was..was something biblical. I tried g-getting Astrid's advice, and she told me it was a-a natural thing..H-Harry would either be f-fully or partly blue..

'..W-When it became obvious t-that he couldn't do anything to-to stop Harry's hair, he became..distant. At t-the time I hoped he was j-just coming to terms with it but..but now I know he was just b-being a child. H-He'd decided we were t-through the moment he "lost" Harry,' Johanna muttered bitterly, voice sour and full of hurt, 'But..But I had just lost my b-best friend, I-I didn't want to be a s-single Mum until..until I had no choice… '

The living room was empty, the night pitch as she stood in front of the glass door. Occasionally, cars passed by underneath her, oblivious to her plight as she looked down at the pregnancy test in her hands again. It wasn't hers, hell, Tadgh had hardly slept upstairs with her for the past two weeks. He'd taken to sleeping on the couch instead, and that's where she'd caught Hilda pulling at something curiously in between the cushions earlier.

She felt so empty. She hadn't felt anything as she'd thrown his few possessions into a box, she couldn't even remember breathing as she'd dumped them in the corridor. The door was latched shut, sealed with magic she'd managed to dredge up from somewhere. Taking a couple steps back, she collapsed into the armchair and stared through the test again. It was positive, before it broke apart in her hands. She hadn't even registered snapping it in two and just sat there, holding the remains of her partner's infidelity in her hands.

So, so empty. She didn't know where to go nor what to do. She hadn't spoken to Tildy or Kaisa for over two months, mainly because she'd felt that her connection to magic had been fading since the clash, yet another crisis she had to deal with. Astrid would implore her to move out to Tofoten, but she didn't want to abandon Trollberg. She still had some form of a life here, as unrecognisable as it was now. She was still a Witch. Her drawings had been selling surprisingly well too. And her Twins had friends in creche too, or Hilda did at least. She'd been told that Harry wasn't particularly sociable..

The thought of her twins made her smile briefly, before she looked up at the doorknob jiggling violently. As she approached, she heard Tadgh fumble with his keys, inserting and re-inserting them into the lock in a futile effort. Finally, she hear him snort angrily and start to pound his fists on the door like a raging bull.

JOHHANNNAA! YOU -hic- BITCHH!,' he roared violently. He was very evidently drunk too, as she leaned against the wall and wiped tears from her eyes as he continued his pointless attack against the door.

'I FOUND THE TEST,' she finally yelled back, the anger bursting through, 'YOU'RE NOT-NOT FUCKING WELCOME HERE ANYMORE, YOU HEAR!? YOU'RE DEAD TO ME, DEAD!'

'YOUU CAN'T KEEP M-MY FUCKKINGG KIDSS FROM -hic- ME!,' he screamed back, and she almost laughed at him using the plural. He had never, ever cared about Hilda. He had almost certainly stopped caring about Harry because of his hair. Because, she realised, she was never meant to be a part of his future. She was just meant to be the Mother of his warrior child, a tool to be thrown aside.

'YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF! NOT ME, NOT HILDA, NOT HARRY, NOTHING! GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I CALL THE PATROL!'

Tadgh didn't respond, and she heard the distinct sound of fingers clicking. She kicked the door as he cursed under his breath, his abilities obviously hindered by how much drink he'd poured down his gullet.

'I SAID GO! GO BACK TO WHOEVER IT IS YOU'RE LYING TO AND NEVER COME BACK!'

'YOU..YOU USEELESSS B-BITCH!,' he creamed back, reduced to petty insults as she heard him stagger backwards, 'A-ALL YOUU -hic- DO IS DRAAWW LUHINES ON-ON -hic- PAPER!'

She almost yelled back that she was a Witch, but stopped herself when she heard another door open somewhere. A woman's voice, probably the old midwife who took nothing from no one, told Tadgh to shut up before she slammed her door. She heard him grumble and retreat, neglecting his box of things as he did. Once she was sure he was gone, she ignored the Twins cries upstairs and collapsed against the door, bawling for what felt like hours…

Back in the present, Johanna felt Hilda wrap her arms around her middle and pulled her in closer. Both Mother and daughter were in floods of tears, staring out across the bay to try and keep some semblance of calm. But for Hilda it was too much, and she buried her face in her Mum's jacket, her sobs becoming more and more audible as the birdsong faltered above them.

'H-He came back..th-that night h-he came back and..and he took your br-brother..,' Johanna sniffed, wide-eyed and staring straight ahead, as Hilda's grip tightened on her jumper.

She shot up the sound, the door slamming against the wall downstairs. Immediately, the Twins started bawling next to her and she scrambled up from the makeshift bed she'd made in their room. Jabbing it out into the hall, she heard shuffling downstairs and immediately her instinct was to seal the door behind her-

But as she turned, she heard Tadgh pound up the stairs and wheeled back around. Too late. A snap of his fingers and she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. She stumbled, but quickly passed the wand to her other hand and got a spell off. It missed him by inches, the explosion of blue light revealing his wild, furious face. Darkness fell and this time his fist slammed into her stomach, sending her through the door. Tadgh pushed past her but she was on top of him in moments, dragging him away from the cot before she threw herself against it, while Tadgh almost tripped on a toy somewhere, its red lights and chirpy song coming to life.

'La La La, off to the rescue! La La La, off the rescue!'

She kept her wand trained on Tadgh, but she just couldn't ignore Hilda bawling behind her. She hadn't even turned her head when Tadgh used the distraction to hit her square in the jaw. Dazed, she stumbled and clutched the side of the cot for balance. Little hands reached up to her, desperately seeking comfort but she could only stare back, heart inside her throat as her eyes darted around, adjusting to the dark.

Harry was gone.

She whirled around, wand aimed right in-between Tadgh's eyes. But something stopped her, perhaps because the adrenaline hadn't kicked in yet, more likely because she was terrified of hitting Harry. Her son's screams echoed around her head as Tadgh used the lull to step back, but she rallied on seeing Harry trying to squirm out of his Father's vice grip, and as she jabbed her wand forward the spell lit up the room; revealing Harry's wide, crying eyes as he reached out towards his Mother-

-But his Father was a second faster.

With a snap of his fingers he'd wrenched the wand from her hand and sent it flying against the wall. There, it snapped in two and the built up magic within exploded. The room shook violently, dust falling from the ceiling but she rushed towards him, hands clawed and ready to strangle him if it meant saving Harry-

Three panicked clicks was all she picked up on before she was thrown about and slammed into the bannisters, which buckled under the impact. She tried to stand up, but her back groaned in pain as Tadgh stumbled out, clearly thrown off by the burst of magic. For a moment she lay there, and a look of arrogant pride came over Tadgh's face. He thought he'd already won, but she wiped the thought and the look in an instant when she thrust her hand out-

The spell missed. Tadgh managed to duck out of the way and a shower of plaster engulfed them both. Through the dust, she heard another snap and through the crunch of wood she knew he'd broken the bannisters. She made to move but his foot slammed into her chest, propelling her over the edge. Time slowed as she fell, the cries of her twins echoing, the crunch of her ribs as she hit first the wall, then the stairs. Blood filled her vision as she came to reach the bottom, as Tadgh rushed down after her.

Blood turned to black, pulling her into the abyss. She caught Harry's face, reaching out to him, hoping for her body to do something..anything..as her son's face became smaller, his cries fainter..

'MAMA! MAMA! MAMA! MAMA…!'

'...I..I was a fool..,' Johanna muttered, letting Hilda out of her grasp and pulling her legs up to herself, 'I-I should have left the m-moment I saw that a-awful side of him but..but a part of me still loved him, Hilda..a part of me s-still thought he w-was the man who swept me off my feet..'

Hilda sat there quietly, her feelings torn. Her Mum's world had been crashing down around her. Her friend's memory had been wiped, and then she'd found out her partner had seemingly resented their daughter over factors she had zero control over. Hilda wanted to tell her she was a fool too, her Mum would probably accept it in self-loathing, but she stopped herself. The Cabin had been suddenly and violently taken from them, sure, but they'd had a new home ready to go after a couple calls. Her life as a Troll had only been a couple nights long, and while the consequences were a bit more severe, it was almost like nothing happened.

But for her Mum it had been a slow and painful experience. She'd tried desperately to keep her old life together, long nights spent arguing with an ignorant and uncompromising man that in the end only revealed that she was a pawn in some game. Hilda couldn't be angry, she had no right to be despite what her Mum had said earlier. She had no idea what it was like to be in that situation, anything close to it had always been ironed out quickly enough for her.

'..I-I don't think you were a fool,' she said finally, much to Johanna's surprise. She blinked away her tears and crossed her arms, having been expecting the opposite. She peered at Hilda, thinking perhaps she really was angry, but was letting it slide. But no, her daughter just stared back, brown eyes full of understanding.

'Really..?' Johanna finally asked, 'H-Hilda I..I lost Harry..I'm the reason-!'

'You're not!,' Hilda sniffed, 'Y-You're a good Mum! You've always been there for me! I..I'm not gonna listen to you t-talk yourself down!'

Johanna didn't have time to respond before Hilda pulled her into a hug, while Twig came running over from wherever he had been. Johanna opened an arm for the Deerfox to snuggle in with them, and just soaked up the moment. Just a few hours ago, she had been caged by her guilt at failing Harry, a guilt that had buried the past from the one child she still had. But now, Johanna felt lighter, freer and never felt the smile leave her face as she drove herself and Hilda home..

'Foul, contemptible man!,' Alfur cried out in disbelief, slamming a hand against the wall of his house before he looked back at Johanna. The Elf was taken aback by just how calm she looked. Her eyes were bloodshot, face snow-pale and yet Johanna wore the faintest of smiles as she reached out and pinched one of Alfur's fluffy cheeks.

'..old news to me, Alfur..,' she muttered hoarsely, 'But..But none of it would have been possible without you..,' she explained, a few loose tears of gratitude escaping, as the Elf waved her off, forever humble as always. The door opened, and Tontu came in with a plate of biscuits and some tea, completely unprompted.

'You as well..Tontu..,' Johanna murmured kindly, as the Nisse sat down on the ground next to her. He seemed to be staring off into space, at least the tormented Mother thought he was, as Hilda fussed in her sleep behind them. She turned over as her Mum rested a hand on her shoulder, slowly soothing her back to sleep.

'How..How did you cope?' Tontu asked finally.

'I didn't..I completely abandoned my life..,' Johanna muttered bitterly, picking up the old photo from where it had been deposited on Hilda's desk, 'Once the Safety Patrol hit a wall, I just took my things and drove out to our cabin..Astrid only found out when she came to check in on the place..'

She sighed, breathing in and out shakily before she rubbed Hilda's shoulder. Her smile reappeared, and she went over her answer to Tontu's question as her daughter reached out and took a hold of her hand in her sleep.

'It was all Hilda..H-Hilda kept me sane. Every time she'd fall asleep watching woff's with me..every time she'd show me an interesting rock she found. All the times s-she'd draw and play games w-with me..all the times s-she'd come home with stories, e-even if it wasn't everything..,'

She inhaled, regarding her daughter once more with a tired smile as Twig hopped up on her bed and curled up next to her.

'I used to think I-I was a terrible Mother b-but..but I think I've done a good job, all things c-considered..'

She looked back to find Alfur crying away, with Tontu rubbing at his furry face. She gave them some time, finished her tea and had one or two biscuits as she leaned back in her chair and for once looked to the future. She had always been afraid of it, hence why she took quickly to the timeless atmosphere of the Cabin. But she'd faced it before, when she'd returned to Trollberg. Now? Having aired out her greatest failure? Now that she'd told Hilda all her truths? She felt unstoppable, as she saw Alfur step into her eyeline.

'..So..what now, then?,' he asked, wringing his hands together. Johanna swallowed her third biscuit and leaned forward in her chair, resting her head in one hand as she gave the Elf a knowing look.

'I think you already know, Alfur,' she explained wryly, before she looked back at Hilda's sleeping form. Her mission from now would be hard, it would involve reaching out to those she'd abandoned so long ago and perhaps a thousand other unknown obstacles, but Johanna's resolve was unshakable. She would not, could not, allow her failure to persist.

'I'm going to get my son back'