Chapter 30: Moms

Jorgen moaned as his consciousness slowly returned to him. He winced against the brightness of the sun as he strained to take in his surroundings, recognizing that he had been moved from where he had fallen. He had been beaten to a pulp by his father, but he did not count it as a loss because he had got one good solid hit in. His father, who loved to boast about his physical prowess, would be humiliated to have been struck by his "lowly fairy son", and wounding his father's pride was very satisfying victory.

The scent of daylilies, sweet and intoxicating, mingled with the earthy aroma of the moss growing beneath him. Unmindful of his pain, the heart-shaped leaves of the trees danced along with their flowers in the gentle breeze, and melodic birdsong filled the air. It was almost as if nature its self was mocking his injuries, and since the Fey controlled nature, it probably very well was.

He groaned as he recognized where he was, feeling the rough texture of tree bark against his back—wood that felt oddly warm to the touch, but that was because…this tree was not really a tree at all. He looked upwards, with a sigh, looking into the wooden edifice of her face. Her beauty forever frozen in the same tragic smile for eternity. Her melancholic eyes seemed to take in his injuries in a silent lament, and even though he knew her eyes always looked the same way—he couldn't help but feel that they seemed even sadder than usual.

Just because her eyes were wood, did not make her blind. That was the saddest thing of all…knowing that she was still conscious in this state.

With each movement, his muscles protested, sending waves of agony through his body, but he wanted to spare her from seeing him this way any longer.

"You should lie down longer; Auntie Piper said that this place will heal you." Eleanor told him, her voice surprising him, and he turned his head to see her sitting cross-legged in the mossy grass. Theodore and Edmund with her, playing ticktacktoe in the soil with sticks.

"What are the three of you doing here?" He rasped, the orchard dubbed by the name "Grove of the Tree Mothers" was a place forbidden to the Kinders. It was essentially a graveyard, and not a place deemed appropriate for them to play.

"Yeah, we aren't allowed in here." Edmund admitted. He did not really look like he wanted to be here either, as he kept fidgeting nervously. From what he could recall of the boy, during his time as a godchild, Edmund was the type of kid who was a follower; someone who got into mischief because he got dragged into it by his friends—he was probably still like that even now.

"Better get out; you wouldn't want the Fey to punish you." With pity, he gazed at Edmund's current form; he had first started stealing as a poverty-stricken human child, continued stealing after getting godparents because of his human friends' encouragement and apparently even as a Kinder, he hadn't broken the habit. "You might lose more than just your hands next time."

Edmund laughed a little, grimacing. "Yeah, my Fey Dad says if I continue to misbehave he's going to make me into an actual bird and put me into a birdcage."

Eleanor giggled. "My Fey Mommy threatened to make me grow roots, so I'd stop running off and getting into trouble when she wasn't around."

"Then why are the three of you here?" He pulled himself up the best he could into a sitting position, the three Kinders trying their best to help him by pulling and tugging at him.

"We have good memories of you, Jorgen." Eleanor leaned against his leg. "Well, maybe not of you exactly, since you were always yelling at us, but when we see you, it makes us think of our godparents, and those were really special times for us."

"We wanted to make sure you were ok, and….well, Theo has something he wants to ask you." Edmund lowered his voice. "A secret request…."

"I can ask myself." Theodore pushed the other boy with a scowl and got pushed back.

"Hey, careful! We will actually get into tons of trouble if you damage any of the trees around here." Eleanor clapped her hands together to get the boy's attention and then looked uncomfortably at the trees in the orchard surrounding them…and at the tree he was leaned against in particular. "But I guess…their not really trees, are they?"

He sighed and shook his head solemnly. "Their not really people anymore either."

He pressed his palm against the trunk of the tree he had been laying against. It's wooden trunk that looked as if it had been carved to look like a woman's body, and the elegant face of a woman detailed in the wood. A knothole in her stomach, where her womb would have been. All the trees in this orchard were similar, each one in the shape of a young woman with a knothole in her womb. All of their branches covered in daylilies. The only variation in these trees besides the features of the woman depicted was the color of the daylilies flowers blooming amongst their heart-shaped leaves. White, red and pink being the most common….but not this one; this tree had fiery, passionate orange daylilies, flowers full of pride and confidence.

…Flowers that suited his mother, Engeltrud, well.

Despite being wood, he could still feel her body heat, as if she was still made of flesh. If he pressed his palm to her breast, he'd be able to feel her heart beating but there was no hope of returning her to her human state. Not even the Fey had the power to do that….she could never be saved.

Several of his mother's flowers had fallen from her branches and laid scattered around him. They were already browning, crumpling, and before the day was done, they'd be dust.

"Piper said that since she's your mom…she'd be able to heal you if you slept by her….I think that's why some of her flowers fell off…" Eleanor chewed her lip with a complex expression on her face. She nor her two friends knew what a mother's love was really like. All three had human mothers who were atrocious, and while Eleanor and Theodore had a 'Fey Mommy', those weren't real mothers.

….They were just using them as toys to entertain themselves with. Kinders were just dolls to stave off the boredom that plagued immortality and near infinite power. The Fey loved them as a child would love a favorite toy—they were an amusement, nothing more.

Eleanor probably couldn't understand why his mother, even reduced to this form, would sacrifice herself to help him, and the poor girl would probably never understand what a mother's love actually was. It was not her human mother's "love" which had praised and cultivated her daughter's beauty in order to use it to make money; subjecting her to things no child should ever experience, nor was it her Fey Mother's version, that basically turned the child into a pampered dress up doll to play with.

A mother's love was not selfish….it was sacrificing.

He picked up one of the fallen flowers with a sigh; she still had plenty remaining, but the day she lost all of them would be the day she'd cease existing all together….and he was still undecided if that was a mercy or not. Living in this state or….complete oblivion….what was worse? Humans might find it much easier to answer this question, but as an immortal being death was a frightening concept he could not and did not want to grasp…and the idea of ceasing to exist all together was more terrifying than anything else. How some humans considered oblivion 'eternal rest' was beyond his understanding. He'd rather exist forever in pain, then not exist at all.

…And he knew his mother felt the same, or at least she did before succumbing to this fate—thousands of years in this state may have changed her mind; not that he'd ever have a way of knowing that.

"…We were really surprised when we learned you were half human…with all your talk of puny mortals and all that…." Eleanor broached the subject with an uncharacteristic shyness. She probably had things she wanted to ask—such as how his mother had come to be in this state.

Kinder were brainwashed to feel nothing but love towards the Fey, to feel safe and content…believing that they would never do anything to harm them; so when confronted with evidence of something like this….something obviously horrific, they did not know how to react. That was the true reason why this place was off limits to them. It did not fit with the worldview that the Fey wished for their Kinders to have and made them think thoughts unsuitable for the cute little playthings they were.

"She came long before any of your times." He answered. Normally he'd tell them it was not their business, but he felt as if refusing to talk about his mother while in her presence, could make her sad. The three Kinders sat in front of him, looking eager to hear a tale that hadn't been meant to reach their ears.

"She lived during the days when the Fey still had access to the human world. My mother was an anomaly amongst the humans, born with abilities that others did not have. They tried to kill her over it, and she fled into the forest and was found by the Fey and taken by them. The Von Strangles had been mixing with humans for generations in order to give us stronger physical bodies, and they were intrigued by her…they took her in, raised her…and eventually, she had me." He gave a very condensed version of the tale'; these Kinders may have been alive for who knows how long, but they were still children and there were certain things children should not hear. "…She, nor any of the Tree Mothers here, were given Fey fruit so that they could bear the young the Von Strangle family wished for."

"How'd she become a tree?" Edmund asked bluntly and got elbowed by both Eleanor and Theodore.

"When a human lives in Fey World too long while remaining mortal…in other words, not eating the Fey Fruit, the constant exposer to the strong magic of this world will eventually cause them to grow ill….the illness they contract leads to…well, this…." He looked up at his mother; knowing she'd understand why he had left out the full truth of her story; and why he had given such a bare-bones version instead. It was simply not something to be told to children, especially ones who were too late to save from the Fey.

"Ooh…why did they not give them Fey Fruit?" Eleanor tilted her head, confused.

"The Von Strangle family wanted fey/human hybrids." He answered as simply as he could, not wanting to go into further details; luckily, by how squeamish the three of them looked, it did not seem like they'd ask him to elaborate…especially Eleanor.

"So, Theodore, what did you want to ask?" He switched the subject the moment he found the opening to do so.

"Oh, well…." Theodore put his head down hesitantly, and was nudged by both his friends until he got the guts to just come out and say it. "It's just….when you corrected me earlier…about my sister's name…I….well….I can't believe I had forgotten it….you know? She was the one thing about my human life that was good…I thought I'd remember her forever, but…I forgot her name. I have this…image in my head of what I remember her looking like, but…I can't help but wonder if I'm remembering her all wrong. You're making lots of visits here because of Timmy….do you think….you could sneak me a picture of her?"

"Sneak?" He rose his brow.

"Talking about our human lives is a big No-No." Eleanor bit down on her lip.

"Yeah, we're not supposed to talk about it—unless to complain about how bad it was….but to say we're missing someone or something…" Edmund shuddered. "It really hurts our Fey Parents and our uncles and aunties feelings."

…Yeah, hurt feelings. He was sure that was all that happened if they broke that taboo.

"We keep the files of all godchildren in our records room; I do believe that there is a picture of her in your file, Theo. I'll bring it next time."

"I'll place a rock near the entrance of the village, with a crayon drawing of a fox scribbled on it. Hide it there," Theodore anxiously whispered as he glanced over his shoulders. He got the feeling the Fey might do more than just take it away from him if they found the photo…

In this moment, he longed for Wanda's presence, as witnessing this sight alone would surely dissuade her from any misguided belief that the Fey were even remotely benevolent.

— Wanda's POV—

"Ok, ok…I really need for this to land on a six…!" Nova's hand almost trembled as he held the die.

"You can do it Grandpa Nova!" Timmy leaned forward anxiously; the Doom counter was nearing its end, and they had one final mystery. Cthulhu was awake, and they were going to lose if Nova's dice roll failed.

As much as she enjoyed playing this game with Timmy, it lost a lot of its appeal when there was someone else involved, stealing her boy's attention. Maybe it was just because of how angry she was at Nova, that having Timmy being so friendly with him had irked her too much to really enjoy the game.

Frankly, she hoped that Nova's dice roll failed. They had never succeeded at defeating Cthulhu before, and she did not want their first victory against it to be while Nova was playing with them. Ok, so she was being petty. She could be as petty as she wanted to be inside her own head. Being stuck in this room, playing a game with a person she was furious with, was not to her liking. She just wanted to get Timmy and his soul as far away from Queen Mab and the rest of the Fey as soon as possible.

She was also worried about Jorgen, whose safety she was unsure of. He may be the strongest fairy, but fairies were as helpless as declawed kittens compared to the magical might of the Fey and Gunter was definitely not the type to hold back or show mercy.

Most of all though, she was worried about Timmy's future. Specifically, how much Queen Mab's kiss will have altered his behavior? Just seeing The Fey Queen's image in the mirror, which she kept checking every couple of minutes, had left him in an enraptured state. Nova had ensured her that his emotions would not remain so intense, but she couldn't really trust anything her father-in-law said.

She was both sad and furious that from now on, her poor boy would be compelled to worship that woman. His free will to choose to do so or not do so, ripped away by emotions forced upon him. Just how 'devout' would he be? Would it be something minor enough that it would go overlooked by others, or…would he become known as some kind of eccentric? The fear of him becoming viewed as being just as crazy as Crocker in the future gnawed at her.

Maybe Jorgen or the fairy council might know of a way to reverse or at least lessen the effects of Mab's kiss? Or maybe there was something that she could do?

…As Timmy had said, real love overcame fake love.

"Ooh! Shoot!" Nova grimaced as his dice roll failed.

"A loud croak informs you that one of the deep ones has spotted you. The monstrous fish creatures descend upon you from all sides…loose 3 health and….because of the reckoning effect Doom advances by one…and…Cthulhu—…" Timmy read the flavor text almost apologetically seeing the crestfallen expression on Nova's face, but before he could finish there was the sound of something horribly loud slamming against the glass; both Timmy and Nova, who had had their eyes fixed on the game board, jumped, so startled they knocked a few game tokens over while she—who had been looking at the glass, drew back with a shocked cry of alarm and a little fear. An enormous squid-like creature had slammed its tentacles against the glass, its body so massive that not all of it was visible even with the huge viewing space provided by the glass wall.

Timmy followed her frightened gaze with trepidation and cried out in a little squeak. "Oh my gosh, Cthulhu is real!?"

Nova, who had been initially as surprised as the two of them, burst into sudden laughter, shaking his head and holding onto his stomach as he tried to get control over himself. "No, that is merely Pickles. Goodness gracious, I nearly experienced cardiac arrest, which is not even possible for Fey. Oh, I haven't gotten startled like that in a long time."

"Pickles?" She croaked; pulling Timmy protectively closer to her as the giant squid slithered across the glass, trying to peer into the room. It was looking right at her and Timmy with its bulbous yellow eyes. It would have been bad enough if it only had two eyes….instead it had many eyes all over its transparent blueish body. Timmy clung to her, but his expression showed equal parts fascination and horror as he took in the sight of it.

"He's the protector of our waters. He stops any outsiders of the village from trying to sneak in through the waterways." Nova told them proudly and waved cheerfully at the monster. "He probably showed up here because he sensed the two of you; but not to worry, he can't break the glass."

"Protector…Piper mentioned something about those…" She felt sick to the stomach; the children transformed into cuddly animals by the Fey fruit became "companions" but she had also mentioned how some villages instead of making harmless creatures made predators, "protectors" instead. Was this….monstrosity once….a child!?

"Oh! No, no, no." Nova waved his hands, paling a little. "Goodness no! We'd never have a child take on the shape Pickles has! No, we make no "protectors" in this village, only companions. From my personal perspective, I believe that transforming a child into a "protector" compromises their naturally sweet and innocent disposition. The protectors may display benevolence towards villagers, yet demonstrate complete savagery towards outsiders. The idea of a child being involved in acts of violence, whether as the attacker or the target, is not something I can bear to watch." Nova looked almost sick for a moment and his eyes glazed over as if remembering something very unpleasant. "….Making a child a 'Protector' would be turning them into something like an adult…."

"You don't like grown up humans, do you Grandpa?" Timmy questioned curiously.

"I feel a great distaste for them, little one." Nova sighed, looking almost apologetic. "While I acknowledge that not all of them are malicious, there is an underlying decay, even within the ones considered virtuous."

"Did an adult do something bad to you?" Timmy asked the sensitive question with the bluntness of a child, but Nova only smiled in response to his concern and reached over to pat him on the head.

"Unfortunately, yes, both during my time as a Changeling and my time as a godparent, I have seen the unfathomable cruelty and greed and rottenness of adult humans. I can share stories of the former with you sometime, but the later I'd rather keep close to my heart."

Timmy opened his mouth and she could already tell that he was about to ask what a Changeling was; she had almost forgotten that Nova had disclosed this piece of information to her—way back when she had a breakdown of tears upon learning Timmy's soul was missing.

"It's an old custom that fell out of practice and then became illegal in Fairy World." She pre-emptively explained. "Long, long ago it was normal that if a fairy baby was born too powerful, they were temporarily turned into a human baby and raised on earth until they became old enough to control their magic."

"Oh." Timmy nodded, looking surprised. "So…when they stopped this custom, was that when fairies were no longer allowed to have babies?"

"Yes."

"Why'd they stop it?"

"Sweetie…" She gave his cheek an affectionate pinch. "I hear it's a very sensitive topic for those who went through it, so we shouldn't pry or talk about it so much."

"No, my dear, not at all." Nova, with a jolly smile intervened. "Despite the hardships I faced during my time as a changeling, it was a priceless experience that I wouldn't give up. I am grateful for your consideration however. I would be absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to share all the details with my beloved God Grandson in due course. "

She wasn't trying to be considerate. She actually just wanted to stop the two of them from being so chatty. All throughout the game, Timmy had excitedly explained the lore of the Lovecraft mythos; and chitchatted about his favorite Lovecraft stories; Shadow over Innmouth, Herbet West-Reanimator and The color from out of space. Rather than be annoyed by Timmy's rambling, which zealously jumped from one story to the other, and was altogether incomprehensible unless you already knew the works he was talking about, Nova soaked it up like a sponge, all while being entertained by his excitement.

But she doubted Nova was really interested; no, he just saw a chance to endear himself to Timmy; and was playing the role of a dotting grandfather in order to try and lure Timmy into trusting him; for no other purpose to steal him away and seal him to a fate that may be just as horrible as the ones in those eldritch tales.

Timmy was just at such an impressionable and vulnerable time in his life…shows of kindness could easily lead astray him, and trick him into accepting the fate of the Kinder. She had to be vigilant to make sure he did not fall for such a trap.

— Anti Poof POV —

"Oh, darn it all, I just cannot concentrate." He pouted, tossing aside his wrench. "You try to relax with a little DIY torture device after putting blood, sweat, blood, more blood, and tears into your show and tell project and alas, your father is too busy to subject himself to 20,000 volts of electricity while soaking his feet in a basin full of mutant flesh eating guppies. Not only that, but mother is acting even loonier then usual!"

He complained to himself aloud, fuming as he paced back and forth in his bedroom. He still had the habit of speaking to himself from his time in solitary confinement, but he had at least stopped answering himself….

"…But that, combined with how she fainted the other day, makes me worried. Wait, no it does not!" Well…he did not answer himself as much… "But it is weird, Mother is usually as healthy as a cow…well, maybe a mad cow, but, she really isn't the prone to fainting type…she can't be sick, fools don't catch colds…"

Plopping down onto his bed, he tried to connect the dots on what could have made his robust mother suddenly so unwell. Not just that, but she actually got angry with him over threatening to hurt Turner, of all people! His mother never got mad at him, and she hated that buck tooth Turner boy! What in Anti-Fairy world was going on with her?

"It's not like I'm worried." He told himself aloud. "I'm just curious, really. Why would I be worried? I'm not some baby who's all worried about his mommy—I'm the harbinger of doom! There is nothing and no one to whom I have attachments, not even maternal ones!"

His proclamation was met by silence;' frustrated he grabbed his favorite teddy bear—it had one eye gouged out and was full of needles, just the way he liked it. …And the way his mother had made it for him.

"…I….I just need her around to….uh…make my lunch and wash my clothes, and tuck me in at night and….read me stories. It's not at all because I'm worried and care about her—hahaha, definitely not! I'm just concerned because her wellbeing is in my best interest, is all! You understand that !?"

His Teddy bear, did not respond, but he shook it so its head flopped back and forth in response so that it looked like it was nodding.

"Ah, so we have an understanding then! I'm sure whatever is wrong with her will straighten out in time. Knowing her, she probably just ate something weird off of the floor….yep, all will be well in a few days, I'm sure….definitely."

He turned his focus back onto his DIY torture device and poured all his energy into that—or at least he tried to; try as he might, he couldn't chase off the nagging worry that something was seriously wrong with his mother, even if he did not want to admit to it.

— Timmy POV—

"Whoa, its suction cup is as big as my head!" He gasped as Nova took him over to the glass to look at 'Pickles' close up. "It's like it jumped from the game board; it's sooo cool!"

"Why is it still here….?" Wanda, who reluctantly stood next to him, shuddered, cringing each time the creature blinked one of its many eyes. Standing this close to it was probably not something she wanted to do, but she did it anyway, tucking an arm protectively over his shoulder, letting him lean into her.

"I haven't given him the sign that your welcomed yet, so he's still eyeing you as intruders."

"Well, give the sign already!" Wanda begged, making Nova laugh at her squeamishness. It kind of reminded him of how much fun he had back when he was younger, scaring Tootie away with creepy bugs and gross toads. He couldn't imagine what she'd do to him if he tried doing that to her now…

"There is no need to worry, as he cannot reach you in this place. Anyway, let us not ruin Timmy's fun. Little boys enjoy things like this, don't they?"

"Yup, we do!" He laughed, looking closer into one of its many blinking eyes and gaping at how huge each suction cup expanded against the glass.

"Regardless of the passage of time, the nature of young boys remains unchanged." Nova sighed wistfully. "Do you believe Poof would find our friend entertaining as well?"

"No, this would scare Poof." Wanda answered before he could even open his mouth to reply. She did not look amused in the least. Frankly, he thought Poof, once he knew it wasn't dangerous, would also find it pretty cool looking.

"Why is his name Pickles, anyway?" Wanda squeezed his shoulder nervously as the creature twitched, slinging another tentacle against the glass with a tremendous bang. She looked ready to pull him away at any moment. "And are you sure this glass won't break?"

"Yeah, why is his name Pickles? He's not even green…." He would have given it a much cooler, more edgy name…maybe something out of Lovecraft? Or…he might have just gone with Blinky…it had so many eye balls!

"According to the person who named him, pickled squid is a delectable dish. Based on her statement, being bestowed a name after one of the most exceptional gastronomic creations should be regarded as a tremendous accolade." Nova leaned forward and pretended to whisper. "Frankly, I find it in poor taste; both the food and the name."

He giggled a little. "I like squid; mostly calamari, but my mom's squid surprise is also delicious, but….I've never tried it pickled."

….Maybe talking about eating squid in front of a megaton squid monster wasn't the smartest thing to do? Nova did not reprimand him, though, and Pickles did not appear to get angry, so perhaps it did not understand what they were saying. Still, he felt like he should change the subject. "I bet it can see a lot with all those eyeballs!"

"Enough to see in all directions up to 10 miles away." Nova watched the creature affectionately. "He's helped protect many of our Kinders and Companions over the years."

"From kidnappers, right?" Wanda swallowed heavily; looking very uncomfortable but also seemingly curious about if Nova would confirm this or not. He could remember Piper talking to them about it; he hadn't really understood as a toddler what they were saying; all he had been interested in was playing with the fuzzy animals.

Kidnappers….he had only just met them, but he worried both about the Kinders he had been playing with and the companions who had let him snuggle with them. How often did kidnappings happen? Were they actually in constant danger…?

Nova pulled a surprised and somewhat disappointed face. "Who did you hear that from?"

"Piper." Wanda stated, her voice carrying the knowledge that he'd be unable to deny anything said by that source. "I asked about how the…Companions…in the pen outside got hurt."

"Those injuries were all consequence of misadventures, although it is important to recognize the existence of kidnappers." Nova sighed, looking troubled by this. "My silence on the matter was because I did not want you to fret, not when you had so many other worries on your mind."

Wanda looked doubtful if this was the real reason, but he believed it; after all, Wanda was going through so much stress having to perform that magic-filter-cycle and he had that Stigmata thing that reacted badly to his negative emotions. It was only natural to shield them from worrisome things. He was sure he'd tell them if he felt as if they were in danger from one of these kidnappers.

"Those who endeavor to abduct our young ones have naught but ill intentions, compelling us to find various ways to safeguard them. So I assure you we are one of the safest villages in all of Fey world, even if we are the most coveted."

"What are these safeguards….? I mean, besides Pickles." Wanda took another uneasy glance at the squid before fixing her eyes on Nova, as if she could catch him in any lie by staring hard enough.

"We also have a forest guardian called Cucumber."

"….." Wanda raised a brow, looking annoyed. "Really?

"Caretaker Unseen Champion Upholder Mystical Benefactor Enigmatic Redeemer—in other words, Cucumber!"

He chuckled. "Is Pickles a codename for something too?"

"No... but you know what's interesting? A cucumber becomes a pickle when you put it in salt water, hahaha!" Nova laughed hysterically at his own joke. "Salt water, get it, Pickles is the ocean guardian, clever right?" His laughter was infectious, and soon he found himself laughing, too. It wasn't because he thought the joke was funny or witty, but seeing Nova find amusement in such a lame joke made it humorous in its own way.

Wanda groaned, looking more annoyed than ever; but he actually liked it when Nova acted silly enough that he couldn't help but be reminded of Cosmo.

He hoped his godfather was feeling better now. It pained him to see him so sad and burdened with guilt. What had happened wasn't his fault at all; it was all Vicky's doing. Once he returned home, he planned to unleash every disaster and calamity that Da Rules would allow upon her. Despite his enjoyment of Fey World, he had the full intention of seeking revenge on her for the suffering and agony he had to endure during the magic filter cycle.

"Are there any other precautions besides Pickles and Cucumber…?"

"We have our mountain guardian, Dill."

"…"

"I was only joking, my dear, only joking. Our best safety measure would be, and I do know you will hate to hear this, but it is the kiss of Queen Mab. By encapsulating her essence within a child, she will maintain a perpetual awareness of their location. In this way, even if we are unable to prevent a kidnapping, we will have knowledge of the specific location where we must retrieve our child." Nova turned his gaze almost sheepishly away from Wanda who looked like steam could come out of her ears at any moment and met his eyes, smiling affectionately. "Isn't that nice, little one? It's like an omniscient eye is always lovingly looking out for your well being."

Blushing and feeling a little shy, he put his head down as the Queen's image came to mind. Along with her image, came several strong emotions that he didn't quite understand. They didn't feel like his own. However, amidst these emotions, there was one emotion that felt like it truly belonged to him. It was the happiness, the idea of someone always watching over him, lovingly worrying about his well-being brought to his heart. For a neglected child like him, who felt unwanted and unloved, knowing that there was someone who loved him and looked out for him made him feel happy, safe, and special.

But these feelings didn't originate from Queen Mab's kiss. He had felt them since the day he got his godparents. With a smile, he nudged Wanda, who seemed upset. He wanted to silently convey his feelings to her, letting her know that she, in particular, made him feel safe. Even without Queen Mab's omniscience, just knowing that Wanda was there for him gave him the strength to face the world, no matter how tough it got. The hugs, the baby game, the special hot chocolate—these were among the many things that only Wanda could do for him. That's why she shouldn't worry so much about what had happened with Queen Mab. No one, not even his birth mother, could ever replace her. Not even an all-powerful, all-knowing Fey Queen stood a chance. In his eyes, if Nova was Hawkeye and Queen Mab was Thanos, then Wanda was the Scarlet Witch—having the potential of being the most powerful of all, especially when it came to her family.

Getting his quiet message, Wanda smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the head, accepting his unspoken feelings with her own. He'd forever be grateful that she had accepted him as part of her family. Even when the day came that his memories of her were erased, he was sure his heart would remember his feelings for her—the best mom in the universe.